Health

CENTER FOR THE SPEECH AND HEARING IMPAIRED LACKS FUNDING

It was decided to construct a new building for the Center for speech and hearing impaired people to move in ten years ago. However, the decision has not been put into effect yet. Meanwhile, the new center could have facilitated numerous problems of people with such disabilities, who are currently ranging around 3,000, the head of the Center Chingiz Kazimov told AssA-Irada Saturday.

According to him, the new center was initially to be built at the expenses of the Society for the hearing impaired. But, the society's enterprises have been at standstill for a long stretch of time, crippling the funding, he said.

TB RATE RISING

The number of tuberculosis cases has been on the increase lately, says senior lung doctor of Azerbaijan Manaf Novruzov. According to him, as where in early 1990 there were 45 TB patients per 100,000 people, in 1999 the figure rose to 57. He highlighted the growing number of tuberculosis cases among refugees (70 per 100,000).

According to Mr. Novruzov, in Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine tuberculosis has already assumed epidemic proportions. The World Health Organization predicts that by the year 2010 a total of 1 billion people will be infected world over, 200 million will be suffering from the disease, while 70 million will die.

SPECIALIST PREDICTS NO FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE IN AZERBAIJAN

Vaccination of livestock against foot-and-mouth disease has completed in all bordering provinces, excluding those occupied by Armenians. In other regions, it is expected to end in late March. As part of the preventive activities, wheels of all the vehicles, entering the country are being currently disinfected in border-check points in an attempt to prevent dissemination of the disease in the country, deputy head of the department for veterinarian control under the Ministry of Agriculture Emin Shahbazov told AssA-Irada Monday, adding that there doesn't exist the threat of the disease for local stock.

Commenting on mad cow disease cases, registered in 15 European countries, Mr. Shahbazov said that the ban for importing meat and meat products from these countries has been already introduced.