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Young (and occasionally less young) researchers, mostly from LMICs, present their views on global health issues.
On June 11th the leaders of the G7 will meet in Cornwall to ‘build back better’ from coronavirus. As would be expected, global health security is high on the political agenda, and Boris Johnson, who holds the G7 Presidency, has started to roll out his initiatives. This is not unusual, since the G7 has traditionally played an important role i...
On Saturday May 29th the UEFA Champions League final match between Manchester City and Chelsea concluded a football season across Europe that threw up some unexpected first-time winners across the different league and cup competitions. Villareal, for example, won its first (European) trophy ever against European powerhouse Manchester United. Lei...
On January 27, Myanmar administered the first COVID-19 vaccine shot to a senior nurse in the country’s capital, Nay Pyi Taw. Healthcare workers are among the priority groups to receive the much-awaited vaccine. It was such a historic achievement for Myanmar and the overall atmosphere in the country was full of hope as we eagerly looked forward...
In March 2021, India witnessed the start of a horrific second wave of COVID-19 which soon became “world news”. The second wave spread at a pace few imagined and brought an already weak health system to shambles, leaving thousands dead within days. Along with the tragedy of a disease outbreak, essential health services including women’s h...
When the COVID 19 pandemic started last year in China and then soon after struck in Italy, there was a sense of panic in and towards Africa on its preparedness regarding management of the pandemic. With its notoriously weak health systems, there were many skeptics on how Africa would cope, including in Geneva. Whilst pondering this, the pandemic...
“Epidemics are like signposts from which the statesman of stature can read that a disturbance has occurred in the development of his nation—that not even careless politics can overlook.” — Rudolf Virchow (1848) More than 75 years after Bhore committee recommendations for a comprehensive health planning and development in India and decade...
What a week this was. In case I wouldn’t have noticed, on Friday 14th the mayor of the privileged town I live in (Antwerp) warned against “the identification of young Muslims, 14-15-16 years old, with a certain frustration – youngsters who now receive those images, unfiltered through social media and with one-sided interpretation”. I didn...
The devastating second wave of COVID-19 has severely overstrained and pushed India’s public health system to the limit, breaking horrifying world records in terms of daily cases, with the country accounting now for nearly half of the total reported cases worldwide. The death toll is immense, and media show heart-rending visuals of people cryi...
On 20 April 2021, one of the authors of this blog, Shehnaz, organised the Sheiham-Sefularo Memorial Lecture on Health Equity on behalf of the Wits School of Public Health. Dr Nobuhle Judy Dlamini, Chancellor of Wits, delivered the keynote address entitled COVID-19 and the social determinants of health inequalities: reflections on ethical leaders...
