Allergic rhinitis, an inflammation of the nasal airways, occurs most often among Koreans in the fall, especially in the months of September and October, according to the Health Ministry.Some 601,000 Koreans were treated for the condition last year, and most patients ― 206,261 ― developed the allergic reaction in September, according to a study conducted by the National Health Insurance Service.Allergic rhinitis is often triggered by pollen from seasonal plants, including weeds, trees and grasses

NEW YORK (AP) ― The U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday that Irish drugmaker Shire will pay $56.5 million to settle allegations it broke the law in promoting five different drugs, including its attention deficit disorder drugs Adderall XR and Vyvanse.According to a whistleblower lawsuit, Shire said ADHD patients who took Adderall XR would be “indistinguishable” from people who don’t have the condition. It also suggested that the drug would prevent patients from getting bad grades, losing t

In response to the ruling Saenuri Party’s recent controversial proposal to cut the monthly pension for public servants by 34 percent, unionized public workers nationwide are raising funds to fight against the reform.The Confederation of Korean Government Employees’ Unions, the representative body of some 1 million public servants nationwide, plans to raise a total of 10 billion won ($9.6 million) to pressure the ruling party and its partner the Korean Pension Association to cancel the reform pro

While attending medical school, physician Shin Hyun-young learned there are four things that a doctor should do when examining a patient: see (inspection), listen (auscultation), touch (palpation) and tap (percussion).The doctor, however, is worried she may no longer be able to do what she is supposed to do for her patients if the controversial telemedicine bill goes into effect next year. “As doctors, there are things that must be done in person in order to make the right diagnosis,” Shin, who

Choi Kyoung-gyu. (Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital)Professor and medical doctor Choi Kyoung-gyu, who currently practices at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, was given an award last week by the Health Minister for his contributions to dementia awareness.Choi has served as the head of the Yangcheon-gu Center for Dementia, a state-run institution for dementia patients and their families in Seoul’s district of Yangcheon, since 2008. The doctor was recognized for raising awareness abou

Gender Equality and Family Minister Kim Hee-jung started her term just two months ago, but her interest and activism in women’s issues, including the Korean women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II, started much earlier.It was in 2004 when Kim first met the surviving Korean victims, who were speaking out about the issue in public. Her encounter with the women eventually led to her proposal last year, as a lawmaker, to apply for UNESCO designation for the docu

A Korean orthodontist has found a new way to align crooked molars without using metal brackets, allowing elderly patients to receive this particular orthodontic treatment ― which is often a requirement for dental implant surgery ― in comfort. Orthodontist and professor Jeon Yoon-sik, who currently practices at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, invented a new technology that simply uses a thin wire to align tilted teeth without using metal brackets and rubber bands. The new method reduces

The following is the ninth in a series of articles on Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of Asian women on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the foundation of The Korea Herald on Aug.15. ― Ed.Korean-born, U.S.-based photojournalist Kim Yung-hi first visited the House of Sharing, the residence for former “comfort women” in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, in 1996, to capture the daily lives of the surviving victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery.The candid portraits of the women were featured

Seoul announced Tuesday that it would launch the long-awaited pilot program for telemedicine services in hospitals starting this month, without the support and participation of the largest representative group of doctors here. Telemedicine is the use of information technology and telecommunication in order to provide clinical health care at a distance. The service, if legalized after the pilot project, would benefit the disabled, those who live in remote areas, and immobile, elderly patients wit

A Seoul resident enjoys the warm fall weather at Haneul Park in Sangam-dong, Seoul. (Yonhap)

South Korea’s Health Ministry rejected on Monday a Chinese firm’s plan to build the nation’s first foreign-based, for-profit hospital on Jejudo Island, citing growing doubts over its financial status and emergency medical system. China Stem Cell Health Group, or CSC, has been seeking the Korean government’s approval on the construction of the Shaner Hospital & Health Care Center on Jejudo ― an investment valued at 50 billion won ($48.4 million). But the Health Ministry decided to turn down the p

Just a day after the government announced an 80 percent hike in cigarette prices, the first hearing for the state health insurer’s high-profile lawsuit against major tobacco firms was held on Friday.The National Health Insurance Service filed a lawsuit against three domestic and foreign tobacco makers ― KT&G, British American Tobacco and Philip Morris ― in April, seeking damages of 53.7 billion won ($52 million) for payouts over tobacco-related diseases. The ongoing legal case is the first lawsu

Korean smokers are likely to have to pay nearly twice as much for a pack of cigarettes, which currently costs 2,500 won on average, starting next year. The government announced on Thursday that it would push to raise tobacco prices by 80 percent by January as part of its measures to decrease the country’s high smoking rate among adult males to 29 percent by 2020.“We will seek to raise tobacco prices by 2,000 won ($1.95) per pack and will also try to introduce a pricing system where cigarette pri

While South Korea’s birthrate hit the lowest level on record last year, the number of premature births are on the rise in the country, according to government data.The number of premature births increased to 6.5 percent last year from 5.9 in 2010. In 2000, only 3.8 percent of newborns in the country were born premature, before 37 completed weeks of gestation. The number of low birth-weight babies ― infants weighing less than 2.5 kilograms at birth ― is also on the rise in the country, from 5 per

CHICAGO (AP) ― Hundreds of children in more than 10 U.S. states have been sickened by a severe respiratory illness that public health officials say may be caused by an uncommon virus similar to the germ that causes the common cold.Nearly 500 children have been treated at one hospital alone ― Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, Missouri ― and some required intensive care, according to authorities.The suspected germ, enterovirus 68, is an uncommon strain of a very common family of viruses that typica

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is also known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease,” named after the legendary New York Yankees first baseman who suffered and died from this disease. ALS causes the muscles to become rigid, atrophied and weak due to damage to motor neurons located in the brain and on the side of the spinal cord. Symptoms and progressEarly symptoms of ALS include a lack of strength in the limbs. The weakening of the fingers and ankles causes patients to drop light objects or fall down frequentl

The following is the seventh in a series of articles on Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement of Asian women on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the foundation of The Korea Herald on Aug. 15. ― Ed.Tucked away on a quiet street in Seongsan-dong, Seoul, the Museum of War and Women’s Human Rights is home to memories of victims of Japan’s military slavery during World War II.The museum, which opened in 2012, is filled with images, written texts and video footage related to the victims’ experienc

“We apologize, but due to Ebola virus we are not accepting Africans at the moment.”This is what a bar in Itaewon, a popular area for expats and tourists in Seoul, publicly posted in front of its property last month. The statement triggered thousands of angry comments online, both from expats and locals ― especially after the public learned of reports that the bar admitted a white person from South Africa, while banning almost all dark-skinned individuals, regardless of their nationalities.The in

Seoul’s birthrate was the lowest among all Korean cities and provinces last year, according to Statistics Korea. According to the state agency, women living in Seoul had given birth to an average of 0.968 children as of last year, making it the only Korean city with a birthrate lower than 1. The agency said one of the reasons behind Seoul’s low birthrate is its large number of working women who put off marriage and childbearing for the sake of their career.Women in Seoul also had the highest ave

Children aged 16 or under will be allowed to play online games after midnight if they have their parents’ approval starting next year, the Culture and Gender Equality ministries jointly announced Monday. Under the current law, all Korean teenagers are automatically forced out of online gaming sessions between midnight and 6 a.m. The revision will allow Korean parents to fully engage in their parental rights while giving the local gaming industry a boost, the ministries said.  Gender Equality Min