Health Articles

Cholera – A Disease at the Mercy of Environmental Change and Vaccine Limitations

by Tharien van Eck, AWC Antwerp and Health Team Co-Chair 

What is cholera? 

It is an acute diarrheal infection caused by the intake of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Cholera remains a global threat to public health and an indicator of inequality and lack of social development.

A few general facts about the disease

• Most people...

Bone on Bone

by Margie O’Rourke, AWC Dublin

At sixty-seven years of age, I couldn’t walk without both knees collapsing on me. My legs weren’t working, but my hands were, so I wrote a letter to my orthopedic surgeon. Yes, I have an orthopedic surgeon on dial-up, as my right hip was replaced years ago. I didn’t go outdoors for weeks for...

Being a Caregiver from Abroad

by Adrianne Lind, American Women’s Club in Gothenburg and American International Club in Malmö

Suddenly, things change

I moved from the United States to Belgium in 2002, yet I always knew that I would come back to the US to help my family when they needed me. I couldn’t imagine it being any other way. At the time of my...

Autism Acceptance Month

by Deb Hadley, AIWC Düsseldorf and Health Team Co-Chair 

What do Jerry Seinfed, Woody Allen, Greta Thunberg and Albert Einstein have in common? Such different people with different talents, skills, personalities and interests. The thing that unites them all is that they are on the autism spectrum. April is Autism Acceptance Month, and these four individuals serve as a good reminder...

No Seafarers, No Shipping, No Shopping!

by Tharien van Eck, AWC Antwerp and Health Team Co-Chair 

Have you ever considered the health of seafarers, a group of people that we rarely think about? 

Seafarers are an essential workforce of almost 2 million strong, responsible for transporting approximately 90% of goods worldwide. But they are not necessarily a healthy group! The Philippines, the Russian Federation, Indonesia, China,

The Impact of Environmental Changes on Health: Food Security and Hunger

by Tharien van Eck, Health Team Co-Chair, AWC Antwerp

The change of the Target Project theme from health to environment necessitates a look at the impact of environmental changes on health. The impact is vast – potentially devastating in many parts of the world. Droughts, flooding, heat waves, water pollution (seas, groundwater and rivers) and air pollution all have outcomes...