Tag: global health
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A One Health approach would help Australia prepare for Nipah virus
Muhammad Saiful Islam, Mohammad Akhtar Hussain, Peter Black, and Andrea Britton Nipah virus (NiV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen from the same virus family as Hendra virus, already found in Australia, which is causing severe infectious disease in parts of the Indo-Pacific region. NiV was first identified during outbreaks of encephalitis in Malaysia and Singapore between October 1998 to June 1999 and was associated with a spillover of the virus from bats into pigs, and then humans. Although no further outbreaks have been reported in Malaysia and Singapore since, India, Bangladesh, and…
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Use a gender justice lens across all aspects of health, Lancet Commission urges
Connie Musolino and Kristen Foley More consistent understanding of gender as a social construct by people across the health sector can help lead to better policies and programs and, ideally, healthier, more equitable populations, authors of a Lancet Commission report say. Recognising why and how there’s been a…
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In the settler colonial state, how do we incorporate decolonisation into curriculum meaningfully and successfully?
Shayal Prasad and Penelope Smith with Gem Allinson, Holly Donaldson, Dr Kath Francis, Isabelle Haklar, Angela Semanda, and Kesang Thrinlek In the following piece, we use the terms First Nation Australians, Indigenous People and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander as per the PHAA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Guide to…
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Tips to manage an international research team for global impact
Professor Dr Muhammad Aziz Rahman Leading research beyond borders is rewarding in terms of global reach and impact, but requires careful team management for successful completion. The purpose of a research project is to generate new evidence that hopefully informs policy and practice. A research team consists of experts in…
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In Trump’s new order, Australia must fight for affordable medicines
Vincent So Donald Trump has returned to the White House with a harder-edged agenda, a more ideologically disciplined inner circle, and little appetite for the old rules of global engagement. His second presidency is more calculative, operating with strategic intent, game-theory logic, and a clear belief in zero-sum outcomes, particularly…
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Now more than ever, Australia needs a Centre for Disease Control
We’re calling on the next Australian Government to complete the establishment of the independent statutory Centre for Disease Control (CDC) by the end of 2025. Find out more on the Public Health Association of Australia’s Federal Election priorities site. This is part of an ongoing series explaining our 2025 Federal…
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Public health campaigns beyond borders
Professor Muhammad Aziz Rahman In Australia and around the world, government, not-for-profit, and private organisations campaign to raise awareness for various public health issues. Specific days, weeks, or months are often used to commemorate or advance global health, like Movember, STEPtember, and World Heart Day. With hundreds of global health…
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Who takes care of our most vulnerable?
Penelope Smith People who migrate to work in health – whether in frontline delivery, program design, or research – are a vital part of the health workforce in Australia and globally. International health workers bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience that, if thoughtfully leveraged, could be powerful.…
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Public health can no longer fence-sit politically, says equity expert
PHAA Communications Commerce, economy, and trade directly touch on many aspects of public health and its regulation, and structure the broader socioeconomic conditions that shape human health and health equity. The upcoming PHAA and VicHealth Commerce, Economy, Trade and Public Health Conference will explore the complex relationship between these factors,…
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WHO Roadmap for public health workforce gathers speed
Adj Assoc Prof Priscilla Robinson and Hon Assoc Prof Leanne Coombe The fourth meeting of the World Health Organization Steering Committee (SC), which is overseeing the National Workforce Capacity to Deliver the Essential Public Health Functions Roadmap (the Roadmap), was held on 22-23 October 2024. The SC meeting was hosted…
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Nations struggle to reach consensus on Pandemic Agreement as negotiations continue
Leanne Coombe and James Scheibner The 77th World Health Assembly (WHA), held from 27 May – 1 June 2024, promised to be historic. In the wake of COVID-19, the event marked the deadline for countries to come together on an agreement for how countries collaborate to prepare for, and prevent,…
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New global treaty to combat ‘biopiracy’ of traditional knowledge
Miri (Margaret) Raven, Alana Gall, Bibi Barba, Daniel Robinson Last week, at a conference in Geneva, the member states of the World Intellectual Property Organisation agreed on a new treaty aimed at preventing the for-profit piracy of traditional knowledge. So-called “biopiracy”, in which companies lift ideas from traditional knowledge and patent…
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Decolonising public health: reclaiming Indigenous wisdom for an equitable future
Elisapeta Agnes Anitelea, Kesang Thrinlek, Tshering Denka, with support from Penelope Smith and Dr Alana Gall The historical legacy of colonisation has profoundly influenced global health paradigms. Indigenous communities and their leaders, who have been directly affected, are not passive recipients, but active agents in the decolonisation process. Their resilience…
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Robust Pandemic Agreement needed to ensure equitable access to medicines in future
Leanne Coombe and Hope de Rooy-Underhill The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the world’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic represented a “catastrophic failure of the international community in showing solidarity and equity.” Pharmaceutical companies, supported by high-income countries seeking to be first in the vaccine queue, fought to protect…
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Global field experience to benefit future health professionals
Dr Muhammad Aziz Rahman, Professor of Public Health Health and wellbeing are determined by many sociocultural factors aside from the structure of the health system and available resources. In developed countries like Australia, it can be less obvious how factors such as religion, gender, and socioeconomic status impact health, as…
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The CODE COVID-19 International Update, 6 December 2022
Dr Priscilla Robinson The Code COVID19 International Update is a weekly snapshot of the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing efforts by nations around the world to test, track and fight the virus. It’s compiled by Dr Priscilla Robinson, a London-based Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, and an…
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The CODE COVID-19 International Update, 15 September 2022
Dr Priscilla Robinson The Code COVID19 International Update is a weekly snapshot of the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing efforts by nations around the world to test, track and fight the virus. It’s compiled by Dr Priscilla Robinson, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, and an editor…
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The CODE COVID-19 International Update, 8 September 2022
Dr Priscilla Robinson The Code COVID19 International Update is a weekly snapshot of the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing efforts by nations around the world to test, track and fight the virus. It’s compiled by Dr Priscilla Robinson, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, and an editor…
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The CODE COVID-19 International Update, 1 September 2022
Dr Priscilla Robinson The Code COVID19 International Update is a weekly snapshot of the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing efforts by nations around the world to test, track and fight the virus. It’s compiled by Dr Priscilla Robinson, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, and an editor…
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The CODE COVID-19 International Update, 25 August 2022
Dr Priscilla Robinson The Code COVID19 International Update is a weekly snapshot of the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing efforts by nations around the world to test, track and fight the virus. It’s compiled by Dr Priscilla Robinson, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, and an editor…
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The CODE COVID-19 International Update, 18 August 2022
Dr Priscilla Robinson The Code COVID19 International Update is a weekly snapshot of the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing efforts by nations around the world to test, track and fight the virus. It’s compiled by Dr Priscilla Robinson, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, and an editor…
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Food and drinks are getting sweeter. Even if it’s not all sugar, it’s bad for our health
Cherie Russell, Deakin University; Carley Grimes, Deakin University; Mark Lawrence, Deakin University; Phillip Baker, Deakin University, and Rebecca Lindberg, Deakin University Humans have an evolutionary preference for sweetness. Sweet foods, like fruit and honey, were an important energy source for our ancestors. However, in the modern world, sweetened foods are…
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The CODE COVID-19 International Update, 11 August 2022
Dr Priscilla Robinson The Code COVID19 International Update is a weekly snapshot of the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing efforts by nations around the world to test, track and fight the virus. It’s compiled by Dr Priscilla Robinson, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, and an editor…
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The CODE COVID-19 International Update, 4 August 2022
Dr Priscilla Robinson The Code COVID19 International Update is a weekly snapshot of the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing efforts by nations around the world to test, track and fight the virus. It’s compiled by Dr Priscilla Robinson, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, and an editor…
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Should ACDC go global?
Meru Sheel and Joel Negin The new government’s proposed Australian Centre for Disease Control (and Prevention) faces a daunting task coordinating across eight states and territories and providing national leadership. And yet, there is an important discussion required about adding a further, extremely complicated element of scope to the initiative:…
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Monkeypox in Australia: should you be worried? And who can get the vaccine?
Jaya Dantas, Curtin University On July 23, World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus took the unprecedented step and declared the monkeypox outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” – the highest global alert level for a disease outbreak. Following this and with 45 cases in Australia, Chief Medical…
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The CODE COVID-19 International Update, 28 July 2022
Dr Priscilla Robinson The Code COVID19 International Update is a weekly snapshot of the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing efforts by nations around the world to test, track and fight the virus. It’s compiled by Dr Priscilla Robinson, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, and an editor…
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The CODE COVID-19 International Update, 21 July 2022
Dr Priscilla Robinson The Code COVID19 International Update is a weekly snapshot of the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing efforts by nations around the world to test, track and fight the virus. It’s compiled by Dr Priscilla Robinson, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, and an editor…
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The CODE COVID-19 International Update, 14 July 2022
Dr Priscilla Robinson The Code COVID19 International Update is a weekly snapshot of the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing efforts by nations around the world to test, track and fight the virus. It’s compiled by Dr Priscilla Robinson, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, and an editor…
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The CODE COVID-19 International Update, 7 July 2022
Dr Priscilla Robinson The Code COVID19 International Update is a weekly snapshot of the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing efforts by nations around the world to test, track and fight the virus. It’s compiled by Dr Priscilla Robinson, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Health at La Trobe University, and an editor…