The Bulletin of the World Health Organization is an international journal of public health with a special focus on developing countries. Since it was first published in 1948 the Bulletin has become one of the world's leading public health journals. As the flagship periodical of the World Health Organization (WHO) the Bulletin draws on WHO experts as editorial advisers reviewers and authors as well as on external collaborators. In this month's issue: Globally consistent coding systems for medical products of human origin; Policy coherence for improved medical innovation and access; Breastfeeding rates in central and western China in 2010: implications for child and population health; Trends in smoking and lung cancer mortality in Japan by birth cohort 1949-2010; Determinants of reduced child stunting in Cambodia: analysis of pooled data from three Demographic and Health Surveys; Episiotomy rate in Vietnamese-born women in Australia: support for a change in obstetric practice in Viet Nam; Recurrence of adverse perinatal outcomes in developing countries; Entry and exit screening of airline travellers during the A(H1N1) 2009 pandemic: a retrospective evaluation; Viral suppression after 12 months of antiretroviral therapy in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review; Health systems and services: the role of acute care.