“Prevent, detect, contain and treat”: following the pillars of its pandemic preparedness and response framework, Germany’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has been praised for its low fatality rate.  However, the conventional prioritization of immediate biomedical needs as the primary guiding principle in outbreak management arguably came at a cost for other systemic issues. Numerous groups paid […]

By Alice Murage The global monkeypox virus outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization in July 2022 when cases were reported in over 70 countries and territories. In Canada, and many similar countries, the government responded by initiating a vaccination campaign targeting those identifying as gay or […]

For many people across the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic presented various challenges— movement was restricted, many businesses were shuttered, and learning was temporarily halted. The health systems in some regions, particularly those in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), were tested; understaffing, low budgets, and poor infrastructure were common features before being compelled to reroute, reorganise […]

Long COVID has negatively impacted over 100 million people worldwide with residual symptoms that could persist many months or potentially a lifetime after resolution of the acute infection. After a year of devastating losses from COVID-19 infection, the beginning of 2021 offered hope with vaccine distribution. However, with progression of the pandemic into 2022, discussions […]

Shirin M Rai, Shahnaz Akhter and Jayanthi Lingham We have been working on issues related to care, caring and carers during COVID-19, as part of the CoPower: Consortium on Practices of Well-being and Resilience in BAME Families and Communities, funded by UKRI. Shirin Rai led the research team. Dr Shahnaz Akhter and Dr Jayanthi Lingham […]

In the past two years, a vast amount of research and advocacy efforts have highlighted the gendered effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nabamallika Dehingia, Erin Oakley, Amanda P. Miller, Arjun Neupane, Anamika Priyadarshini , Anita Raj, Namratha Rao and Jennifer Wagman blog on behalf of EMERGE. EMERGE is an initiative focused on building the quality […]

This blog argues that the menstrual health of people living with disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria should be factored into pandemic responses.   The theme of the 2021 International Day of Persons with Disabilities was “towards an inclusive, accessible, and sustainable post COVID-19 world.”  This theme comes at a crucial point in time, where the participation […]

Anyone hoping for a more peaceful year in 2022 will be sorely disappointed. All eyes are focused on Ukraine, while conflict and instability continue in Afghanistan, Myanmar and Ethiopia, among others. The IPCCC has just issued its most stark assessment about irreversible climate change to date, and the COVID pandemic is far from over. Although […]