Health stories from BIMC.
Guidance on staying well in Bali, travel-health advice and updates from across the BIMC network — written by our medical teams.
783 articles
closeClear filtersFood Allergy
An adverse reaction to a food can be the result of either food allergy or food intolerance. Many people think these two terms mean the same thing, but they do not. A food allergy occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks a food protein. Ingestion of the offending food may trigger the sudden release of
Facts On Travel and Health
You might want to know the health facts for travelers. Here are the facts, including estimation of the risk of getting sick from traveling. The basic facts 8 million travelers travel to a developing country. 1 in 10 seek medical care after travel 64% report 1 or more illnesses during travel 26% are ill upon
Kidney Failure
Your kidneys filter waste from your blood and also regulate other functions of your body. Healthy kidneys clean your blood by removing excess fluid, minerals, and waste. They also produce hormones that keep your bones strong and your blood healthy. When your kidneys fail, harmful waste build up in your body, your blood pressure may
BIMC Hospital Participates in the Annual Sanur Village Festival 2011
The Sanur Village Festival was held for the sixth time this year 19 – 23 November 2011. This year, the event was held at Matahari Terbit Beach in Sanur. The timing and larger location was deliberately chosen to accommodate the collaboration of the National Flora Week 2011 which merged with the festival this year. National
BIMC Hospital Participates in the 11th Rock n’ Run Charity Event
This year’s Rock n’ Run marks the events eleventh consecutive year. The proceeds of this year’s charity event were donated to the Smile Foundation. The funds are designated to help children in need of cleft lip and palate operations, bringing a smile to the children and helping them to live a normal life. The 5k
Chicken Pox
Chickenpox, also known as varicella, is a highly contagious and self-limited infection that most commonly affects children between 5-10 years of age. The disease has a worldwide distribution and is reported throughout the year in regions of temperate climate. Lifelong immunity for chickenpox generally follows the disease. If the patient’s immune system does not totally
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
The carpal tunnel syndrome is compression of the median nerve which passes through the carpal tunnel in the wrist. This is a very common syndrome mostly complained by women aged 30 to 50. The incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome is 1-3 cases per 1000 subjects per year; prevalence is approximately 50 cases per 1000 subjects
BIMC Hospital Participates in The Annual Food Festival
BIMC Hospital continues to support the annual Food Festival which is one of the biggest events in Bali. This year the set up of Food Festival was a bit different from previous years. The Food Festival was held from the 14th – 16th October and was set up right on Kuta beach. This year the
Helicobacter Pyloria Infection
Helicobacter pylori, also known as H. pylori, are a bacterium that is commonly found in the stomach. It is present in approximately one-half of the world’s population. H. pylori are probably spread by consuming food or water contaminated with fecal matter. H. pylori cause changes to the stomach and duodenum, the first part of the
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is acute inflammation of the vermiform appendix. The appendix is a small ‘dead end’ pouch, like a little tube, that comes off the caecum. The caecum is the first part of the large intestine (large bowel) just before the colon. The small intestine digests and absorbs food. The parts of the food that are
Herpes
Herpes simplex is a common infection caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) which can cause a vesicular rash anywhere on the skin or mucous membranes. There are two major strains, HSV-1 and HSV-2. Both types of herpes simplex virus can cause oral or genital infection. Most often, HSV-1 cause infection in the mouth (gingivostomatitis),
Bali Pink Ribbon Walk 2011
WILL YOU WALK WITH US ON 22nd OCTOBER 2011 IN NUSA DUA? Pink Ribbon Fever is spreading like wildfire through Bali, as momentum builds up for the third annual Pink Ribbon Walk at Nusa Dua on 22nd October. Given the outstanding success of the previous Pink Ribbon Walks, the 2011 Event, planned for Breast
Electrical Injury
Electrical injury occurs when an electric current runs through a portion of the body, usually from either a man-made source or lightning. The outside of the person’s body may appear to have only minor injuries, but internal injuries may still be significant. As current enters the body (source), it causes surface to deep burns, damages muscle and organs
Diarrhea
Diarrhoea is defined as the abrupt onset of abnormally high fluid content in the stool: more than the normal value of approximately 10 mL/kg/d in the infant and young child, and more than 200 g/d in the teenager and adult, in the setting of western diet (low fibre diet). This term is also used to
Toxoplasmosis
Human exposure to toxoplasmosis is common wherever cats are found. About 20 to 40% of healthy adults in the US are sero-positive, these are people who are evidently found infected but have no symptoms. The health consequence of toxoplasmosis is actually small, but it may be fatal for the unborn or people with a low
Nose Bleed
Nose bleeding is a very common symptom that can happen to anyone from children to the elderly. The medical term is epistaxis. One out of every seven people will develop a nosebleed at some time in their lives. Nosebleeds tend to occur more often during winter months and in dry, cold climates. They can occur
BIMC Hospital participates in the 2nd Bali Ocean Swim
With the success of the 1st Bali Ocean Swim, a 2nd Bali Ocean Swim was held on Sunday 10th July 2011 at Kuta Beach. This fundraising event was organized by Bali Sports Foundation. The swim categories were 10km, 5km, and 1.2km and were started in that order. BIMC Hospital participated in this event by providing
Kidney Stones
The human body is an amazing “machine” with an amazing “filter” organ, the kidneys. Unused metabolites will be transported through the blood stream and filtered by the kidneys, then excreted in the urine. When there is an imbalance of water, salt and mineral, these substances get stuck in the filter and accumulate becoming stones. They
Typhoid Fever
Ever since the first bacterium of Salmonella was found in 1894, scientists have identified over 2300 Salmonella organisms. Salmonella typhi is one most important species in travel medicine as the cause of typhoid fever. The bacteria can be introduced in the human body from contaminated food or water. Most bacteria will be killed when it
Alcohol
Humans and alcoholic drinks have been linked up to 10.000 BC, where archeologist discovered the fact of purposely fermented drinks. From this prehistoric drink, approximately 7-12% of the world’s population has an alcohol related disease. What Happens After Drinking Alcohol? Alcohol affects virtually every organ system in the body. The main immediate effect is in
Pain Pills
Pain, aches, or sores are the main complaint of up to 80% of people who seek medical attention. Though unpleasant, pain is actually our body’s defense mechanism to withdraw from potentially damaging situations, protect a damaged body part while it heals, and avoid those situations in the future. Though this is an important body response
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a skin condition where the skin has hyperactive growth resulting in thick, white, silvery, or red patches of skin. Normally the skin grows layer by layer and by time the outer layer will flake off. This turnover time, the time when the inner layer becomes the outer layer, is around 4 weeks, but
Cold sores
Up to 30% of adult people in US had a history of having blisters around the lip. 80-90% of people under 50 years old actually carry the HSV 1. These blisters are known as cold sores or fever blisters. This is actually a virus infection caused by herpes simplex virus type 1, which becomes reactivated
Scabies
Dotted lined skin rash on the palms and soles. Unbearable night itch worsening by time. It might be a sign of scabies. Scabies is a skin condition caused by parasite infestation, the itch mite Sarcoptes scabies. They are eight-legged parasites, just 1/3 mm long. The mite digs in the skin creating a burrow, they look