Article 121 of the Costa Rican Penal Code states that "abortion practiced with the consent of a woman by a doctor or an authorized obstetrician is not punishable if it has been done in order to avoid danger to the life or health of the mother." However, in recent years women in Costa Rica with high-risk pregnancies that threaten their health have found it difficult and at times impossible to us...

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recognized Dr. Stella Bolaños Varela of Costa Rica Monday, September 25, for her outstanding career and longstanding commitment to the quality and management of health services in Costa Rica, by presenting her with the 2017 PAHO Award for Health Services Management and Leadership Services. The award recognizes Bolaños Varela's outstanding contribution...

The group of rheumatologists at the public San Juan de Dios Hospital in San José, Costa Rica opened an arthritis clinic, in order to treat patients in the early stages of the disease. People who present possible symptoms of arthritis are scheduled for medical appointments on Thursday mornings at the clinic for early detection screenings. From January to date, about 300 people have gone throu...

October usually brings several walks to raise awareness about breast cancer and also raise funds for the treatment of patients that are battling different forms of cancer in Costa Rica; this year is no exception. The first event, “Corre por mí” (Run for Me), will take place this Sunday, October 1st at 6:30 a.m. going out from the National Stadium in La Sabana. This event offers several modalit...

With criminal proceedings underway on a human organ trafficking case involving the trial of four Costa Rican doctors and their alleged accomplices, many interesting details are coming to light. Intersecting forces of greed, corruption and international black markets are being identified and dissected as evidence is presented in this first of a kind trial in Costa Rica. More details will be fort...

In case you missed it, right here in Costa Rica is one of the world's five "blue zones" - geographic regions with an unusually high longevity. The Nicoya Peninsula communities of Hojancha, Nandayure, Santa Cruz, Carrillo and Nicoya in Guanacaste province make up the area in Latin America with the highest longevity. World experts are seeking to learn more about the secrets behind the Nicoyan ...

The CCSS, which are the initials for Costa Rica's public healthcare system, the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social, is launching an innovative breast cancer prevention program targeting healthy women aged 45 - 69, said the institution this week. By 2020, and with an investment of over 9 billion colones (over US$15 million), the CCSS hopes to have all women in Costa Rica in that age range inclu...

Couples who are lined up to receive in vitro fertilization treatments are unhappy about delays in provision of the service by Costa Rica's public health system. They have requested a meeting with Executive President of the Costa Rican Social Security Agency (CCSS) Fernando Llorca to express their concerns over the delays, given that the country has a commitment under international human rights ...

The Costa Rica Health Ministry has declared sanitary alert in the country for malaria due to an increase in the risk of transmission after knowing of an important number of infected patients in Nicaragua. Although between the years 2012 and 2015 Costa Rica had not had any malaria cases there were a few patients in 2016 and this year there have been isolated native cases, four in Matina (Limón),...

  Starting this week and lasting until November 30, hearings are taking place at the San José Criminal Court on the case of five men who are accused of illicit trafficking of human organs in Costa Rica. The defendants are Mauro, Fonseca, Monge, Katsigiannis and Mora and are allegedly part of a transnational organization dedicated to human organ trafficking. The men were arrested in 2...

Listeria may not be part of your daily lexicon, but if you've ever been pregnant it probably was once on your radar. The bacteria can be spread by contaminated food, and can cause a rare infection that can be deadly in 20-30 percent of infections. Pregnant women are 10 times more likely than other people to get a Listeria infection, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control. ...

The scourge of drug abuse and addiction can affect anyone, regardless of gender, social status, education or age. Teens are no exception, to the point where opioid drug overdose deaths among teenagers 15 to 19 years-old increased by 15% for males from 2014 to 2015 and an astonishing 35% for females from 2013 to 2015 according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ...

Ninety low-income women in Costa Rica will benefit from a donation of mammograms by the country's most widely read tabloid, Diario Extra, said that paper in a recent report. The women will be selected by the Lazos or "ties" program at the San José Bíblica Hospital, which is a support program for breast cancer victims sponsored by Grupo Mutual and Banca Kristal. "We are working hand in hand wit...

Both male and female condoms as well as lubricants will be handed out on Costa Rica's recently declared condom promotion day, said the Ministry of Health in a press statement. This year, Monday, September 4 marks the first year of what will become an annual event on that date to promote the use of condoms in the country. The country's public healthcare facilities will be handing out condoms ...

The case of four medical doctors and a Greek businessman suspected of running an illegal organ trafficking operation out of Costa Rica is moving forward. The Office of the Prosecutor Against Organized Crime (FACDO, its initials in Spanish) cited 25 witnesses to appear in court to testify in the case. The Costa Rican Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) and Public Security Ministry uncovered t...

The so-called "morning after" pill can be used by women in most of the world as a form of emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy; but so far not legally in Costa Rica. For the third time the topic is under consideration by government medical authorities, reported the pharmaco-epidemiology committee of the Costa Rican Social Security Agency (CCSS). The pill can be used by women for up t...

Helicopters used to transport people who need medical attention can now land on the northeast side of the Calderón Guardia Hospital  - a major public health facility near downtown San José, Costa Rica, announced Columbia Radio 98.7 FM this week. The first such transport took place over the weekend when a patient with an apparent heart problem was airlifted by medical helicopter from Santa Maria...

Jean Todt, acting in his capacity as the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, met with stakeholders in Costa Rica to promote United Nations road safety legal instruments and share established road safety best practices, said the Costa Rican Ministry of Health. Todt is president of the Geneva, Switzerland-based Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA, an association found...

About 80 representatives from the Costa Rican Social Security Agency (CCSS) will gather later this month to analyze the agency's role in addressing different forms of violence facing communities across the country, said the state public health entity in a statement. The event is part of an institutional program to standardize a public health approach to violence prevention at a time when differ...

Costa Rica inaugurated its new Center for Pain and Palliative Care of the Social Security Administration (CCSS) that will benefit between 10-12 thousand patients. The new infrastructure had a cost of 6,300 million colones (almost 11 million USD) and include 5,950 square meters of construction that provide services such as: specialized medical services, day hospital, palliative care interventi...

One of the main recommendations of a recent report on Costa Rica by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) relates to the country failing to fulfill its human rights obligations regarding women's access to in vitro fertilization treatments. Gladys Jiménez, director of the ombud's office on women, reiterated the report's call for the state to act ...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  The establishment republicans, democrats and mainstream media sure seem to be involved in a conspiracy against President Donald Trump and his agenda for America. There is a lot of good going on in the United States these days, but you won’t hear much about it ...

The Costa Rica Social Security Authority (C.C.S.S.) raised the alert of low reserves of blood to care for hospitalized patients. According to CCSS the blood donation has decreased considerably since November of 2016, going from 550 donors a month to only 320, which has caused at times the suspension of surgeries due to low reserves of blood. The Social Security is calling on the population ...

This fall, a new kind of yoga retreat will be offered at Vida Asana Eco-Lodge Retreat in Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica. Body, Mind, and Spirit Yoga retreat offers a journey of recovery from compulsive overeating and food addiction. This fall, Fort Lauderdale, FL yoga teacher Helene Kopel is offering a retreat connecting the body, mind, and spirit. But, this isn’t your ordinary yoga and meditation r...

There is a direct relation between the increase of heroin use and the epidemic of prescribed opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone (Vicodin), codeine, morphine, among others. According to the New York Times preliminary data shows that drug overdose deaths in 2016 exceeded 59 thousand, an increase of close to 20% in relation with 2015; out of the total overdose deaths an approximate 35 thousand...

The Costa Rican Tennis Federation is inviting tennis players to the tournament “Match Point por la Vida” or Match Point for Life, an event that will raise funds for children who are battling cancer. The tournament is scheduled to take place on August 19, 20, (qualification matches) and 26, 27 (semifinals and finals) at the Los Reyes Country Club and the open categories are: doubles, male and fe...

Costa Rica established a committee tasked with monitoring governmental commitments on responsible   pineapple production and trade Monday, July 31 at a forum supported by the United Nations Development Program.   The initiative - led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG)- also involves the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, and th...

While Costa Rica is quick to tout its lack of military and "culture of peace," the country's growing gap between rich and poor points to gaps that breed injustice, exclusion and poverty. The breaches are often hard to see, but erode poor people's quality of life and often deprive them of basic needs in a country increasingly divided. Costa Rica recently ranked second in Latin America on the wor...

The La Cruz Health Area in Costa Rica's northern Guanacaste province has begun providing contraceptive implants to women under a program supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), reported the Costa Rican Social Security Agency (CCSS) last week. More than 400 women have opted for the new offering, which has been included among the public healthcare area's other birth control metho...

Being constantly stressed has a lot of negative repercussions in our body, our teeth, believe it or not, are also affected by our hectic life. Recently actress Demi Moore, made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and she went on to explain that she had sheared off her front teeth, both of them, because of stress. “Stress over a long period of time, or what is considered chro...

If your travel plans in and out of Costa Rica include any of these South American countries, be advised that to get back into Costa Rica you will need to have an official document attesting to having received a yellow fever vaccine. Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela have yellow fever risk areas in many parts of their territories, and you will be required to present proof of yo...

An international study on pediatric cardiac surgery found outstanding results at the Costa Rican National Children's Hospital, said the Costa Rican Social Security Agency (CCSS) which runs the country's public healthcare system. The study looked at in 55 hospitals worldwide and was carried out by the Boston Children's Hospital in partnership with Harvard University. The findings showed that ...

Ticks are insects commonly found in several animals, from deer to bats, cattle, and of course house pets. There are a variety of tick-borne diseases, the most common ones, but not the only ones, being Lyme disease and ehrlichiosis. In Nicoya, Guanacaste, Costa Rican scientists discovered new bacteria of the group of the Ricckettsiae, which was named “Candidatus Rickettsia Nicoyana”; the bacteri...

The Government of Japan delivered a several devices that will strengthen the diagnostic and treatment capacity of urology services at Costa Rica's National Rehabilitation Center (CENARE), said the Costa Rican government in a statement. "This donation from the Government of Japan allows us to carry out high technology procedures, thereby reducing risks and optimizing care. At the same time, they...

An in-depth health study that looked at Costa Rican's over-100 population - in particular the notable cluster of centenarians on Guanacaste's Nicoya Peninsula - has found some remarkable results. Specialists from the Costa Rican Social Security Agency's (CCSS) National Geriatrics and Gerontology Hospital visited the elderly in their homes and for the first time gathered data to gauge their phys...

Costa Rica's aging population, together with risk factors that are becoming more common such as smoking, alcohol, poor diet, obesity and sedentary lifestyle are some of the reasons for increasing rates of new cancer cases and also deaths due to cancer, said the Costa Rican Ministry of Health. In 2015 - the most recent data available - 4,667 people died from cancer - which averages 12 people per...

Medical tourism in Costa Rica presents a constant growth since 2012, many health care professionals and health care centers know the potential this market represents and have made efforts to appeal to this growing clientele. In 2015 the country received almost 25 thousand more patients than in 2012, going from close to 45 thousand in 2012 to almost 70 thousand in 2015 according to data provided...

Name an area of Costa Rica that is not at risk for volcanic eruptions, mosquito-borne diseases, flooding, landslides, or affected by high crime rates .... take your time. There are hardly any, right? This was part of the highly critical statement published by the Union of Private Sector Businesses today in response to a proposal by the Costa Rican Education Ministry (MEP, in Spanish) to rais...

Clinica Bíblica had already announced an investment of approximately USD $19 million in its new location in Santa Ana which is expected to be ready before the end of 2018 and involves 7,000 square meters of the hospital building and 8,000 square meters for parking lot. This same medical center has also confirmed the construction of two new clinics, one in Heredia and another one in Tres Ríos wi...

The human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes infections of the lungs and respiratory system. It is most common in babies and young children, although it can also affect adults. The Costa Rica Ministry of Health has declared a sanitary alert due to the increase of respiratory infections associated with RSV. The alert calls on public and private health centers to increase vigilance of respira...