Cholera under the microscope The acute intestinal infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae is wreaking havoc in at least four countries in the Americas, and it may soon arrive in Costa Rica. The Ministry of Public Health has been preparing for what officials believe will be an imminent return of cholera across Central America, and two suspected cases were recently ruled out. As def...

Source: Flickr CC As Costa Rica gets closer to joining the ranks of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the number of grossly overweight and obese people in this country is increasing accordingly. In early 2014, a BBC report highlighted that obesity has quadrupled in developing countries and is beginning to match statistics associated with North America and Europ...

On March 12, Costa Rican authorities in conjunction with animal protection groups rescued 17 dogs allegedly subjected to a hoarding situation. Humane Society International-Latin America, the Costa Rican Department of Animal Health (SENASA) and the Asociación para el Bienestar y Amparo Animal (Association for Animal Protection and Welfare, ABBA) participated in the operation. All the animals were ...

Source: Embassy of Japan in Costa Rica Under the direction of Ambassador Mamoru Shinohara, the Embassy of Japan in Costa Rica has been very active over the last few months. One of the Embassy's latest contributions strikes the heart of the social fabric in Costa Rica. On Tuesday, February 18th, Ambassador Shinohara signed a funding commitment of $87,928 to the Remodeling and Expansion of the Na...

Source: TV5 Monde screen capture. San Jose, the capital city of Costa Rica greets tens of thousands of foreign visitors each week, but it does not even come close to the French capital of Paris, where more than 15 million visitors arrive each year. Aside from tourism, Paris and San Jose do not share much in common; however, some observers believe that San Jose is one of the most contaminated c...

A replica of La Negrita. Source: Flickr A replica of the holiest religious effigy in Costa Rica will be enthroned at the Pontifical Parrish of Saint Anna in the Vatican on April 26th. Affectionately known as “La Negrita” and formally called “Our Lady of the Angels,” the Patriot Saint and Guardian of Costa Rica is part of a beloved Roman Catholic tradition that involves veneration and an annual...

When the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of the United States was mentioned for the first time, analysts of the medical tourism industry wondered how “Obamacare” would impact the business of health travel. Now that enrollment in federal health insurance has been in effect for a few months, continuous growth of medical tourism in Costa Rica is expected due to three factors: Affordability...

The Central Pacific Coast boasts some of the most gorgeous and most expansive beaches in the country. At one point, there is seventeen miles of uninterrupted beach to jog along, surf or fish in, or lounge by in appreciation of it’s magnificent power and beauty. January 19th was a sad day along the Central Pacific Coast where the ocean displayed it’s power. It was a typical Sunday, the beaches w...

When a devastating earthquake hit Haiti in July 2010, within 30 frightening seconds, 220,000 were left dead. In the wake of this tragedy, nearly one million children were orphaned or abandoned. To simply sit back and only contemplate the atrocity of this situation was not an option for Nosara resident Kristin O’Connell. She felt the need to act. After volunteering as a midwife in Haiti in 2010,...

Many foreigners visit Costa Rica specifically for the purpose of getting quality medical attention and medications at very affordable prices, and a few of these medical tourists become interested in returning for an extended visit. Now that the two major medical centers CIMA and Clinica Biblica have expanded to Guanacaste, some medical tourists are intrigued by the expat lifestyle. As foreign resi...

Around the same time violent civil unrest situations in Thailand, Ukraine and Venezuela were unfolding and making uncomfortable headlines around the world, international groups dedicated to making peace an inalienable human right were meeting in Costa Rica in an effort to advance their efforts towards a declaration before the United Nations. The meeting took place in San Jose on February 11th, ...

Summer has arrived in force, and with the rise in temperature comes the temptation to try and escape the heat with air conditioning. However, there have always been theories that air conditioning causes sickness and promotes infection among people in closed spaces. In general, lack of maintenance is responsible for respiratory infections ranging from simple nasal colds to severe pneumonia, bron...

Horse infected with equine anemiaSome Nosara horse owners are concerned about a possible outbreak of infectious equine anemia among animals in the area, due to the death of one horse that tested positive for the disease on February 8th. Carrie Anderson, a resident of Nosara, said that “Tornado” was the name of the horse that had the sickness, in addition to an ailment known as Laminitis that a...

Many people who suffer from inflammatory diseases of their connective tissues tend to develop an uncanny ability to predict bad weather. Osteoarthritis and its many related conditions are often cited as the reasons some expats move to Costa Rica, specifically to places such as Atenas and Guanacaste. The relation between joint pain and climate has always been questioned, but a recent study by medic...

Bilingual and friendly doctors and dentists await you in Costa Rica. The global health tourism industry has grown significantly despite a lack of substantial publicity or marketing. To this effect, Costa Rica is the leading destination in the Americas for medical tourists and visitors seeking quality and affordable treatment options; there are several reasons why this country enjoys this statu...

Natural gas is used extensively throughout homes in Costa Rica, a power source for cooking. Unlike in other countries, like Canada, the United States and Colombia, for example, in Costa Rica natural gas is not piped into homes: it is purchased in cylinders. According to a study by the School of Statistics at the University of Costa Rica (UCR ), which was released on Tuesday by the Autoridad Reg...

Photo of Christine Laemer at Tropical Garden Cooking Classes, by Arianna McKinney for Voice of GuanacasteA year ago, in August of 2012, Christine Laemer went for a mammogram and found out she had breast cancer. This news changed her lifestyle and diet completely, and now she is sharing some of what she has learned about health and nutrition through Tropical Garden Cooking Classes. Originally f...

Parks and protected areas are on alert nationwide for forest fires. The alert went into effect on January 15th, but even before then one major fire had already broken out in the Nicoya area. On Saturday, December 28th, 9 hectares (22 acres) were burned in Corral de Piedra, according to Gabino Carrillo Arias, MINAE park ranger in charge of control. It is believed that the fire was caused by ...

“Eat my dust” is no joke hereabouts. The solution, we are told, is asphalt or concrete paving. For what it is worth, paving is my least favorite solution to finding health and happiness on our roadways. So, let’s look at the problems with paving and examine alternatives. The problems with paving are legion. Paving increases both traffic and traffic speed considerably. Without signals and posted...

A large car hit this dog on February 2nd. His left front leg had to be amputated and his head injury treatedDog owners in the Nosara area are keeping a closer eye and hold on their pets these days. On January 29th yet another dog was run over and killed by a car in Playa Pelada. Amid high season volume, the roads are at their busiest with speeding cars, trucks, quads and motos. Without sidewalk...

The first full-length documentary film produced by the University of Costa Rica (UCR) had its debut on the social video network YouTube on January 29th at 8:00 p.m. La Caja de Pandora: El Juego Oculto Contra el Seguro Social (Pandora's Box: Foul Play Against Social Security), a critical look at the gradual decline of Costa Rica's most treasured public institution, has been watched more than 60...

Guanacaste is the province with the highest rate of domestic violence in Costa Rica. According to statistics compiled by the Ministry of Public Health (Spanish initials: MSP), the northern province registered 346.6 cases of domestic violence per 100,000 residents. This figure, which is from 2012, is part of an ongoing qualitative analysis that the MSP is conducting so that proper action can be tak...

Bottle of Coyol Wine, made from the sap of Coyol PalmsWith the arrival of the midday sun, the bottle of coyol wine (made from the sap of coyol palms) sits on a light blue wooden table that is covered with a checkered tablecloth and protected by a plastic cover with pieces of reflective tape on the sides, to immediately catch the attention of drivers passing by. The bottled sap looks clean and foa...

The Social Protection Commission (Spanish acronym: JPS) recently announced the donation of six wheelchairs to low-income residents of Guanacaste who live with disabilities. The new wheelchairs were presented to their owners during modest ceremonies at Chupis and Importaciones Melodia, two major providers of medical equipment in Costa Rica. The wheelchairs were specially designed to adjust to the n...

Arsenic in the drinking water of various regions throughout Guanacaste Costa RIcaThe Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA - Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados) confirmed that they had hired the company Turbina S.A. to remove arsenic from the water of seven communities in Guanacaste and northern Alajuela on Wednesday, January 29th. The company will be placed i...

Costa Rica summer is yoga season at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas and Yoga Retreat on Santa Teresa Beach. Pranamar is offering 14 exceptional yoga retreats between February and June 2014. Whether you are looking to deepen your yoga practice, or try yoga for the first time, a yoga retreat is an excellent opportunity for both. Retreats also add in fun activities like surfing or stand-up paddle boar...

As a surfer, wouldn’t you like to be able to surf for longer without getting tired, have more strength and flexibility and better balance, get a quicker pop-up, relax your breathing and sharpen your mental focus? Yoga can help you do this. Pro surfers know that yoga keeps their performance constantly improving and aids in preventing injuries. Here are 10 yoga poses for surfers that will imp...

A trail of trash stretched out along more than two kilometers of Buena Vista Beach, between the communities of Esterones and Samara, on Thursday, January 9. The huge amount of it astounded members of the community and it took four days of volunteer labor and heavy machinery to clean it up. Elizabeth Jenkins, who lives near the beach in Esterones, related that her husband, Frank, was at the beac...

Sebastian and ValeriaA 21-year-old farm worker gave himself up to the OIJ investigative agency in the twin murders of a pair of young musicians in the youth orchestra, Valeria Cortes, 15, and Sebastian Condori, 16. The attractive pair disappeared Monday afternoon and were discovered by searching friends buried in shallow graves in a lonely pasture. The double murder shocked residents of Parais...

The Ministry of Health has come to the aid of the Municipality of San José in combating a serious rat problem in the area of Parque Okayama, in San Francisco de Dos Ríos. The infestation has been ongoing since October 2013, when area residents began complaining of the infestation, a problem that the municipality had budgeted only ¢236,000 colones (US$570 dollars) to eradicate. A meeting at t...

On Friday, January 24, the Samara Organic Market will offer more than healthy food during the third annual art fair, “Que Lindo” (How Lovely). Local artists and artisans will be exhibiting and selling their creations, including paintings and watercolors, mixed media, masks, clothing, jewelry, and fused glass, from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Natural Center Gym and Spa in downtown Samara, next to the sch...

Hector Zuñiga running from Nicoya to GarzaIf you enjoy fitness and are looking to take your routine to the next level, the Voice of Guanacaste (VOG) presents five routes to motivate you to boost your performance. Running from Nicoya to Garza With a pair of good shoes and adequate training you can run for a long time. Hector Zuñiga is an athlete from Garza who participates in at least one ra...

One of the biggest dreams for retirees is moving to a warm, sunny place where you can relax and enjoy the “golden years” of life with no stress. Lower costs to stretch your savings and having good quality health care available are also top considerations. In the Americas, Costa Rica continues to be one of the most popular retirement destinations. HelpAge International, an index that measure...

Costa Rica’s Constitutional Court or Sala IV, as it is commonly referred to, recognized its error in rejecting an appeal against the State for failure to approve In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF). The Court says it annulled the judgement issued on Tuesday in which it flatly rejected an “amparo” (appeal) against the State for failing to pass the law that regulates IVF in the country. Through a sta...

Sebastian and Valeria The disappearance of Sebastian and Valeria, two Cartago youths, ended fatally with the discovery of the bodies. But, they are not the only adolescents gone missing. According to the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ), in 2013 they received 853 reports of missing persons, of which 245 were aged between 13 and 17. November 2013 was the month with the greatest n...

Piper auritum (root beer plant) in Guanacaste As medical tourism continues to grow in certain regions of Costa Rica such as Guanacaste and the Central Valley, many visitors are beginning to take an interest in herbal medicine and holistic treatments. Medical tourism in Costa Rica is mostly focused on conventional medicine and surgical procedures, but more patients are seeking yoga and herbal r...

The culture in Costa Rica is one that frustrates the work of the Bomberos (firefighters), as people insist on covering fire hydrants with garbage bags and drivers who block access with their parked vehicles. Another problem faced by Costa Rica’s firefighters is the continuing lack of hydrants. To that end, a large part of the country’s municipalities are not complying with the installation of h...

Source: Pinterest Playa Tamarindo is one of the most visited beach communities in Costa Rica, and it is easy to see why. This is a beach that seemingly has it all: Great year-round weather, excellent surfing conditions, lots of nature, plenty of amenities for foreigners, a vibrant nightlife scene, etc. What Tamarindo is missing, however, are public restrooms. According to a recent article w...

Tanker trucks may provide water during shortage and rationing periods, throughout San Jose provinceUp to 40,000 people or more could be affected by a water shortage this dry season, as supply tanks of the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) reach minimum levels. The water and sewer utility general manager, Sergui Nuñez, confirmed that the Gran Area Metropolitana (GAM) ...

Barco del Amor Macrobiotic SodaAfter sitting empty in the maritime zone of Garza Beach for about five years, Barco del Amor reopened in December, this time as a macrobiotic store and soda. Rachel Fregosi, a French woman who has been a resident of Costa Rica for 18 years now, was selling macrobiotic products in the streets and wanted to find a permanent location for her business. She noticed th...