In The News

Thank You for Not Smoking

Heather Wipfli October 7, 2015
The passage of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, or FCTC, offers a critical case study of how international law can be harnessed to address public health issues. Heather Wipfli is author of “Global War on Tobacco: Mapping the World's First Public Health Treaty,” and an excerpt of her book was published in Foreign Affairs. With nearly 6 million tobacco-...

Too Big to Ail

December 23, 2014
The best government prevents rather than reacts to problems, and this is especially true for health challenges. But good prevention is rarely appreciated as much as leadership during crisis. For the World Health Organization, countries balk at paying fees. “Ebola exposed weaknesses in the WHO’s ability to respond to disease outbreaks,” suggests an essay in the Economist. “But it also highlighted...

The Economics of Ebola

Amara Konneh August 14, 2014
The Ebola threat disrupts daily routines in the four countries where infections are spreading and concern is high in neighboring nations and beyond about doing business or accepting travelers and students from the region. The numbers of infections are small. Meticulous attention to precautionary measures can prevent the spread, but a 60 percent fatality rate is alarming. “The reason this...

Ebola’s Escape From Africa Unlikely Though Not Impossible

Simeon Bennett and Marie French July 30, 2014
The Ebola outbreak in Africa is terrifying: Flu-like symptoms appear two days to three weeks after infection; about half of the people who contract the disease die, though early treatment could reduce the fatality rate. There is no cure, and Ebola is spread by direct contact with infected person’s bodily fluids: “While an infected person who sneezes or coughs directly in another person’s face...

MERS Outbreak Could Spread With Annual Pilgrimage: Officials

Maggie Fox June 23, 2014
Outbreaks of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, may not be a global emergency, but the annual mass pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, known as the Hajj could allow the virus to spread. The syndrome first appeared in 2012. The disease has since caused 500 fatalities and spread to 16 nations. Research from the World Health Organization suggests that camels are carriers, with no evidence of human-...

Polio’s Return After Near Eradication Prompts a Global Health Warning

Donald G. McNeil Jr. May 7, 2014
The spread of polio in Pakistan, Syria, Cameroon, Afghanistan, Iraq and Equatorial Guinea has prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency and impose travel restrictions on the first three countries. “Just two years ago – after a 25-year campaign that vaccinated billions of children – the paralyzing virus was near eradication; now health officials say that goal...

Ebola Virus Continues to Rage in West Africa

April 14, 2014
Ebola is a highly contagious virus without a preventive vaccine or cure. The disease emerged in Guinea in February, then spread to Liberia, with 200 cases in this first outbreak reported for West Africa. “So far, Ebola outbreaks have only been recorded in Central Africa, such as in Sudan, Congo or Uganda,” reports Deutsche Welle. “According to the World Health Organization, there have been 15...