This week marks the beginning of a fun, festive period of celebration in many Asian countries as they commemorate the Lunar New Year. Vibrant decorations adorn many houses or shops, and the streets are brimming with visitors and well-wishers. Firecrackers, festivals and special events are just some of the ways the beginning of the New Year is celebrated in China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Vietnam, and Tibet. Commonly referred to as the Spring Festival, the Lunar New Year occurs on the second new moon after the winter solstice, falling on February 19th this year.

This important annual event is celebrated for several days, and there are many customs that involve food, gifts, greetings and events. On the eve of the New Year, people prepare by shopping for food, clothes, and decorations. They also spend time thoroughly cleaning their houses. This represents bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new one. Homes are decorated with red lanterns, paintings, and paper cutouts. These are meant to carry best wishes and create a prosperous atmosphere by depicting subjects such as gods, flowers, legends, and popular creatures.

Like many festivals, the New Year has its origins in myths and stories. A popular legend recounts a mythical beast, Nian, who was notorious for eating livestock and crops on the eve of a new year. However, a wise man found out the beast was scared of loud noises and red colors; this started traditions like using fireworks and red symbols.

Asian countries experience a surge in travel during this time of year, as family members who live overseas travel back home to celebrate and share a reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve.

In China, a traditional dinner dish is jiaozi, or dumplings. Another common course is whole fish, whose name, yu, is synonymous with “abundance” or “surplus”. On New Year’s Day and the days following, visits to relatives and family friends are common. When guests are over, it is important to serve food that symbolizes luck, fertility, and prosperity. It is common to make pilgrimages to holy sites, visit pageants and performances, and spend time with family members. Businesses and shops are traditionally closed as families enjoy the many rituals and celebrations the Lunar New Year brings.

The lantern festival marks the end of the New Year, and it takes place on the fifteenth day of festivities. Emphasis is placed on the craftsmanship of lanterns, and inscriptions or wishes are written on them before they are lit and drift away. This video below shows parts of the Hong Kong ceremony in 2014, surely a sight to behold and a great reason to travel to China!

Are you taking part in the festivities surrounding the Lunar New Year? If so, plan ahead for a healthy trip as you take part in one of the most cheerful and colorful celebrations in the Asian world. If you have visited these countries in the past for the Lunar New Year, please tell us about your experience in the comment section below or on the Passport Health Facebook page!

If someone told you that by the year 2050, the number of deaths caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria would surpass cancer deaths, would you believe them? Hard to believe as it may be, that statistic is exactly what experts are citing when referring to the progressive rise of deadly superbugs that become immune to the effects of antibiotics. Greater drug resistance is becoming a problem that will continue to evolve if novel therapies do not come into play to help mitigate this global issue.

Superbugs

Since the 1940s, antibiotics have had mainstream use in helping to reduce illness and death from common infections. They were hailed as miracles and came to be used widely and frequently. However, the microorganisms that the drugs targeted were able to evolve, making the antibiotics less effective over time in the treatment of disease. Moreover, overuse of antibiotics drives resistance. An estimated 700,000 deaths occur across the globe on an annual basis due to drug-resistant bacteria, and, if left unchecked, this problem could cause serious problems not only in the medical realm but also in the economic sphere. Experts say that superbugs could cost the global economy up to $100 trillion between now and 2050.

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Climate change has resulted in decreased air quality, severe weather events, and many other environmental problems, but a CDC recent panel warns of a new consequence of global warming: alterations in the world’s climate may lead to infectious diseases spreading to areas where they are not commonly seen. Rising world temperatures are changing local weather events, and warmer weather can give rise to mosquito and insect populations, which spread diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. The impact of climate change will be widespread, and there is indication that preparing for prospective health risks is necessary. Although it will be challenging to predict exactly how climate change will change disease incidence, there is a lot travelers can do to adapt to changing conditions.

Impact on Human Health

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Image Courtesy of Pixabay

A new rabies treatment may help save the lives of those infected with the deadly disease, especially in the developing world.

Currently, the best way to treat rabies is through vaccination before exposure or before symptoms begin to set in after being exposed to the disease. However, a new late stage treatment shows promise, and it may be able to bring people back to a healthy state after physical symptoms set in.

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Image Courtesy of Wikimedia

Being sick with the flu is miserable. Once sick, all anyone wants is to be flu-free as quickly as possible. For years, Tamiflu has promised to assist with just that. Since it was released, however, the drug has been under a microscope of criticism with some claiming it is nothing more than a placebo. Contrary to what its critics say, a recent study led by doctors from the University of Michigan and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has shown that Tamiflu reduces the duration of flu symptoms by 21 percent compared to a placebo.

The study reviewed files from nine previous trials, a sample size of 4,328 patients, to determine how effective Tamiflu had been overall. Of the nine trials, only one showed recovery time being equal to or greater than that of the placebo, and the other trials showed reductions in recovery times over the placebo, with total recovery times ranging from 65 hours to as low as 9 hours.

“[It] is not a perfect drug but does what you might expect of an antiviral given relatively late in the course of an acute infection,” said Peter Openshaw, a respiratory infections expert at Imperial College in London who was interviewed by Reuters about the findings.

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