Leading Indicator

More than one in four Japanese women drinks alcohol on a near daily basis, a figure that has grown steadily over the past years, according to a recently released survey. Twenty-eight percent of Japanese women say they drink at least five times a week, six points higher than when the survey was first taken in 1998. Another 34 percent of women drink at least twice a week. More than half of the women say they drink to get rid of stress, with relaxing given as the second top reason. Having fun with friends comes behind that, although it is a more popular option among younger women. Beer is the most popular drink. The survey by Japan's second largest brewer Kirin was of 12,000 women aged 20 or over.

08:17 PM PDT Permalink |

This from the CDC on the Avian Flu

This Fact Sheet alerts Americans to the occurrence of Influenza A H5N1 (avian influenza strain) in Asia. A number of countries have reported avian influenza, commonly referred to as "bird flu". The H5N1 strain of influenza causes severe disease in fowl. In addition, Thailand and Vietnam have reported a number of bird-to-human transmissions of the avian flu, thought to have been caused by individuals' contact with infected poultry populations. While there are reported deaths from the avian influenza virus, there have been no documented human-to-human transmissions of the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are concerned about the potential for human-to-human transmission of this highly dangerous flu strain and are working closely with other partners in an effort to address the outbreak.

At this time, CDC and the WHO have not issued any travel alerts or advisories for avian flu-infected areas. However, CDC advises travelers to countries in Asia with documented H5N1 outbreaks to avoid poultry farms, contact with animals in live food markets, and any surfaces that appear to be contaminated with feces from poultry or other animals. CDC advises travelers to clean their hands often with soap and water or waterless alcohol-based hand-rubs to help prevent disease transmission. In addition, as a precaution, all foods from poultry, including eggs, should be thoroughly cooked. CDC further advises travelers with a febrile respiratory illness returning from countries affected by H5N1 virus (bird flu) to seek prompt medical attention.

The WHO does not at present conclude that any processed poultry products (whole refrigerated or frozen carcasses and products derived from these) or eggs pose a risk to public health.

Americans who are planning travel to a country that has reported the virus or who are concerned about the Avian flu are advised to monitor the CDC and the WHO web sites, for the latest information.

Additional country information can be obtained from the Department of State's Consular Information Sheets at http://travel.state.gov and from the Department of State's toll-free number, 1-888-407-4747, or if calling from overseas, 317-472-2328.

CDC Contact Information: Public Inquiries: English (888) 246-2675 Spanish (888) 246-2857 TTY (866) 874-2646 Mon-Fri 8am-11pm EST Sat-Sun 10am-8pm EST Address: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Rd. Atlanta, GA 30333 USA (404) 639-3311 WHO Liaison Office in Washington, DC Contact Information: Telephone: (202) 331-9081 Facsimile: (202) 331-9097 Address: WHO Liaison Office 1775 K Street, N.W., Suite 430 Washington, D.C. 20006 USA September 2004


11:39 PM PDT Permalink |

Asia's Population

In 2000, there were 3.36 billion people in Asia, over half of the total world population (6,079,006,982)

China - 1,266,483,000
India - 1,013,615,000
Indonesia - 218,506,000
Pakistan - 142,069,000
Bangladesh - 132,094,000
Japan - 126,918,000
Vietnam - 71,502,000
Philippines - 64,264,000
Thailand - 60,881,000
Myanmar - 49,209,000
Korea - 46,997,000
Nepal - 24,240,000
Korea DPR - 24,060,000
Afghanistan - 23,193,000
Malaysia - 22,203,000
Sri Lanka - 19,935,000
Australia - 19,304,000
Cambodia - 10,701,000
Laos - 4,925,000
Papua New Guinea - 4,554,000
New Zealand - 3,595,000
Singapore - 3,276,000
Mongolia - 2,374,000
Bhutan - 1,679,000
East Timor - 922,000
Fiji - 809,000
Taiwan - 764,000
Macau - 444,000
Brunei - 337,000
Maldives - 282,000

07:53 AM PST Permalink |