A five-year-old disabled victim of Agent Orange rests on his cot in a Ho Chi Minh City hospital in 2005. Photo: Reuters
Vietnam war: 44 years on, birth defects from America’s Agent Orange are increasing
- Infants are still being born with birth defects linked to a toxic herbicide used by the US military to weed out Viet Cong fighters
- Environmentalists say the country could see six to 12 more generations of victims, but US courts are so far not satisfied with evidence indicating a link
Topic |
Vietnam
A five-year-old disabled victim of Agent Orange rests on his cot in a Ho Chi Minh City hospital in 2005. Photo: Reuters
Nguyen Thi Tai has brain damage and muscular dystrophy, and relies on her mother Tran Thi Gai for care. Photo: Khairul Anwar
‘I hope my son dies before me’: 44 years after US-Vietnam war, Agent Orange victims are treating brain damage with painkillers
- The market for low-cost painkillers is ballooning as poverty-stricken victims of the US military’s toxic herbicide search for relief
- But many living in rural areas without proper care cannot be weaned off their medication, which doctors say is worrying because of long-term health risks
Topic |
Vietnam
Nguyen Thi Tai has brain damage and muscular dystrophy, and relies on her mother Tran Thi Gai for care. Photo: Khairul Anwar