Health

Laos Gives Unlicensed Beauty Clinics Until November to Obtain Permits Amid Weak Oversight Concerns

The Ministry of Health has ordered unlicensed medical and beauty facilities across Laos to obtain official permits by 30 November, but the directive has raised questions over its delayed public release and how authorities will enforce the deadline. The Ministry issued the directive on 29 May but did not publicize...

Thailand’s HIV Cases Pass 550,000, Laos Reports Rising Infections Among Young People

Thailand has recorded 557,993 cumulative HIV cases, health authorities say, even as new infections...

Trendy ‘Squishy’ Toys Suspended in Laos Over Chemical Safety Concerns

Laos has ordered the immediate suspension of the import and sale of Squishy toys...

Former MRC Chief Anoulak Kittikhoun Named First Lao Head of Mekong Institute

Former Mekong River Commission (MRC) Chief Executive Officer Anoulak Kittikhoun has been appointed Executive...

Laos Turns to Public-Private Partnership to Tighten Product Quality Controls

Laos has launched a new state-backed company to inspect and certify the quality of...

Laos Must Spend More on Healthcare as Costs Rise, World Bank Says

Healthcare in Laos is under growing financial pressure, and the country can no longer rely on donors to fill the gap, according to the...

Laos Breaks Silence on Vang Vieng Tourist Deaths, Files Tiger Vodka Charges

Lao prosecutors will bring criminal charges against the owner of the Tiger Vodka factory after authorities announced the outcome of part of their investigation...

Bear Paws, Pangolin Meat Seized in Vientiane Restaurant Raid Amid Laos’ Wider Crackdown

Lao authorities have stepped up their crackdown on illegal wildlife trade after raiding a Chinese-owned restaurant in central Vientiane, one of several wildlife enforcement...

Laos Releases Dengue-Blocking Mosquitoes in Savannakhet

On 9 June, Savannakhet Province launched its first bacteria-enhanced mosquito release program, becoming the latest province to join Laos' expanding effort to curb dengue...

Rescuers Pull First Survivor Alive From Flooded Cave in Laos

One of the villagers trapped for more than a week inside a flooded cave in Xaysomboun province was brought out alive on Thursday evening,...

Fish Deaths Spread Along Xe Don in Champasak as Water Tests Raise Concerns

Local communities have reported several fish death cases along the Xe Don River in Champasak, with similar incidents previously recorded upstream in Salavan, raising...