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In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, member states of the World Health Organisation (WHO) agreed to ‘draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response’ (Pandemic Treaty).
Proposals for a Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System were included from the earliest drafts of the Pandemic Treaty. Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) is a transactional mechanism with its origins in international environmental law, where access to genetic resources for use in research and development is provided in exchange for a share of the benefits associated with their use. The purpose is to generate benefits that can be channelled into environmental conservation and sustainable use activities in countries where the genetic resources originate.
The PABS System could be a mechanism for incorporating One Health considerations into the Pandemic Treaty, but this will depend on its design and implementation. This chapter analyses the proposed PABS System in the Pandemic Treaty negotiating texts to determine whether it constitutes a genuine attempt to apply a One Health approach to pathogen ABS.
Cross-cutting issues like nutrition have not been adequately addressed for children with severe visual impairment studying in integrated schools of Nepal. To support advocacy, this study aimed to determine the nutritional status of this vulnerable group, using a descriptive cross-sectional design involving 101 students aged 5–19 years from two integrated public schools near Kathmandu Valley and two in western Nepal. The weight-for-age z-score (WAZ), height-for-age z-score (HAZ), and body mass index-for-age z-score (BAZ) were computed and categorised using World Health Organization cut-off values (overnutrition: z-score > +2.0 standard deviations (SD), healthy weight: z-score −2.0SD to +2.0SD, moderate undernutrition: z-score ≥ −3.0SD to <−2.0SD, severe undernutrition: z-score < −3.0 SD) to assess nutritional status. A child was considered to have undernutrition for any z-scores <−2.0SD. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyse variables linked to undernutrition. The mean age of participants was 11.86 ± 3.66 years, and the male-to-female ratio was nearly 2:1. Among the participants, 71.29% had blindness, and 28.71% had low vision. The mean BAZ and HAZ scores decreased with age. The WAZ, HAZ, and BAZ scores indicated that 6.46% were underweight, 20.79% were stunted, and 5.94% were thin, respectively. Overall, 23.76% of students had undernutrition and 7.92% had overnutrition. More than three in ten students had malnutrition and stunting was found to be prevalent. Older students and females were more likely to have undernutrition. These findings highlight the need for nutrition interventions within inclusive education settings, particularly targeting girls with visual impairments who may face compounded vulnerabilities.
The Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 (NNR2023) serve as the scientific foundation for national dietary guidelines and nutrient recommendations across the Nordic and Baltic countries. We reviewed how NNR2023 was adapted into national food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) in the Nordic countries and Estonia, focusing specifically on sustainability considerations and policy implications. National FBDG integrated both health and environmental aspects in all countries, except Norway, which addressed environmental aspects only in a separate report. Health impacts served as the primary principle in all countries. Additionally, national policy perspectives, such as domestic food security, were addressed in some countries, while the integration of social and economic sustainability remained very limited. In adopting NNR2023, all countries modelled how implementation would affect nutrient adequacy or health within their food environments, making minor adjustments based on these findings. Guidelines for animal source food groups showed the most variation between countries; Estonia and Denmark established the strictest recommended limits for red meat and total meat, respectively, while Norway was most liberal regarding milk products. Stakeholders participated in the consultation process. The agricultural sector and meat industry primarily maintained pro-meat discourse, which was particularly intense in Norway and Sweden. Transition towards healthy and sustainable diets demands multiple policy instruments – FBDG being just one – alongside a supportive environment and participation from all food system actors.
Infants born at high altitudes, such as in the Puno region, typically exhibit higher birthweights than those born at low altitudes; however, the influence of ethnicity on childhood anthropometric patterns in high-altitude settings remains poorly understood. This study aimed to characterise the nutritional status, body composition and indices, and somatotype of Quechua and Aymara children aged 6–10 years. A cross-sectional, descriptive, and comparative design was employed, with a simple random sampling of children from six provinces representative of the Puno region, including 1,289 children of both sexes. Twenty-nine anthropometric measurements were taken, and fat, muscle, and bone components were assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Standardised equations were applied to determine body indices. Among the findings, most children presented normal nutritional status according to BMI-for-age and height-for-age Z-scores. However, high rates of overweight and obesity were observed in Aymara (39%) and Quechua (28.4%) children, with differences in fat content between ethnic groups at the 5th, 10th, 50th, and 75th percentiles. Both groups were characterised by brachytypy and brachybrachial proportions; Quechua children were mesoskelic and Aymara brachyskelic, with macrocormic proportions, rectangular trunks, and broad backs. The predominant somatotype was mesomorphic, with a stronger endomorphic tendency among Aymara. It is concluded that both groups exhibit normal nutritional status; however, Aymara children show a greater tendency towards fat accumulation and notable morphological differences. Differences were also observed in limb proportions, particularly a relatively shorter lower limb.
Modern conflicts are characterized by wide-spread use of conventional explosive ordnance (EO), improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and other air-launched explosives. In contrast to advances in military medicine and high-income civilian trauma systems since the United States-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the mortality rate among civilian EO casualties has not decreased in decades. Although humanitarian mine action (HMA) stakeholders have extensive presence and medical capabilities in EO-affected settings, coordination between HMA and health actors has not been leveraged systematically.
Methods:
Data from a prior systematic review of emergency care interventions feasible within the context of HMA activities and low-resource health care systems were used to model mortality reduction among EO victims. Interventions were categorized using the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Care System Framework sites of “scene,” “transport,” and “facility.” The cumulative impact of the interventions on EO-related mortality was estimated using pooled effect estimates and simulation modeling.
Results:
The meta-analysis included 16 reports from 13 countries, representing 127,505 injured persons. Pooled effect estimates across subcategories of emergency care interventions were 0.42 for layperson transportation (95%CI, 0.24-0.74), 0.79 for prehospital notification systems (95%CI, 0.51-1.19), 0.52 for prehospital trauma care training courses (95%CI, 0.46-0.59), 0.67 for facility-based trauma care training courses (95%CI, 0.48-0.92), and 0.66 for facility-based trauma team organization and activation protocols (95%CI, 0.45-0.97). A 68% reduction in mortality (95%UI, 57%-79%) was observed when implementing the full set of interventions in a region with no prior implemented interventions.
Conclusion:
Enhanced coordination between HMA and health actors to implement a structured set of emergency care interventions holds potential to significantly reduce preventable death among civilian EO casualties.
The adoption of the main text of the Pandemic Agreement at the 2025 World Health Assembly is a milestone in global health law. The adopted text makes several key contributions, but there were several missed opportunities in the negotiating process, and key roadblocks remain for the future of the Pandemic Agreement.
We aimed to compare the mean sodium content of New Zealand (NZ) packaged breads in 2013 and 2023 and assess compliance with the NZ Heart Foundation (HF) and World Health Organization (WHO) sodium reduction benchmarks. Sodium data were obtained from a supermarket food composition database. Mean differences between years were assessed using independent samples t-tests and chi-square tests. There was a significant reduction in the sodium content of all bread from 2013 (n=345) to 2023 (n=309) of 46 mg/100g (p<0.001). In 2013, 20% (n=70/345) of breads met the HF benchmarks, and 10% (33/345) met the WHO benchmarks; corresponding values for 2023 were 45% (n=138/309) and 18% (n=57/309) (p<0.001 for both). If continued, the modest reduction in sodium content and increase in the percentage of NZ breads meeting relevant sodium reduction benchmarks could positively affect public health, particularly if extended across the packaged food supply.
Blast injuries can occur by a multitude of mechanisms, including improvised explosive devices (IEDs), military munitions, and accidental detonation of chemical or petroleum stores. These injuries disproportionately affect people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where there are often fewer resources to manage complex injuries and mass-casualty events.
Study Objective:
The aim of this systematic review is to describe the literature on the acute facility-based management of blast injuries in LMICs to aid hospitals and organizations preparing to respond to conflict- and non-conflict-related blast events.
Methods:
A search of Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus, Global Index Medicus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases was used to identify relevant citations from January 1998 through July 2024. This systematic review was conducted in adherence with PRISMA guidelines. Data were extracted and analyzed descriptively. A meta-analysis calculated the pooled proportions of mortality, hospital admission, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, intubation and mechanical ventilation, and emergency surgery.
Results:
Reviewers screened 3,731 titles and abstracts and 173 full texts. Seventy-five articles from 22 countries were included for analysis. Only 14.7% of included articles came from low-income countries (LICs). Sixty percent of studies were conducted in tertiary care hospitals. The mean proportion of patients who were admitted was 52.1% (95% CI, 0.376 to 0.664). Among all in-patients, 20.0% (95% CI, 0.124 to 0.288) were admitted to an ICU. Overall, 38.0% (95% CI, 0.256 to 0.513) of in-patients underwent emergency surgery and 13.8% (95% CI, 0.023 to 0.315) were intubated. Pooled in-patient mortality was 9.5% (95% CI, 0.046 to 0.156) and total hospital mortality (including emergency department [ED] mortality) was 7.4% (95% CI, 0.034 to 0.124). There were no significant differences in mortality when stratified by country income level or hospital setting.
Conclusion:
Findings from this systematic review can be used to guide preparedness and resource allocation for acute care facilities. Pooled proportions for mortality and other outcomes described in the meta-analysis offer a metric by which future researchers can assess the impact of blast events. Under-representation of LICs and non-tertiary care medical facilities and significant heterogeneity in data reporting among published studies limited the analysis.
Women and children are priority populations in Cambodia, however no dietary intake information exists on breastfeeding women for informing nutritional intervention. The aim was to assess nutritional adequacy of dietary intakes of Cambodian women, by breastfeeding status and locality. A cross-sectional assessment of dietary intake was conducted with non-pregnant women ≥18 years of age with at least one child under 5 years in rural, semi-rural and urban locations in Siem Reap province, Cambodia. Women used a bespoke smartphone application to capture three-day image-voice records on two occasions. Data were analysed using a semi-automated web platform incorporating a tailored Cambodian food composition database. Estimated Average Requirements were used to assess adequacy of nutrient intakes. Of 119 women included in the analysis, 58% were breastfeeding, and 63% were rural or semi-rural. Protein, carbohydrate, vitamin B12, iron, and sodium were adequate for over 65% of women. Less than 10% of women had adequate vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamine, calcium, and zinc intakes, in contrast to low deficiency rates reported for Cambodian women. Despite breastfeeding women recording higher dietary intakes, adequate intakes of protein, carbohydrate, vitamin A, thiamine, and zinc were lower than non-breastfeeding women due to higher requirements. Rural women generally had higher nutrient intakes, and urban women had inadequate folate intake. This study indicates dietary intakes of Cambodian women in Siem Reap province, particularly breastfeeding women, are not nutritionally adequate. Data collected using image-voice dietary assessment could inform nutrition interventions and policies in Cambodia to improve dietary intakes and nutrition-related health outcomes.
Social medicine, as it was conceived of by left-wing medical doctors in Scandinavia from the 1930s became influential in the creation of a new role for medicine in the making of “the good society” and the political radicalism of social medicine was assimilated into the dominant, social democratic ideology. Several of the pioneers of the left-wing social medicine that had previously aimed for a disruption of the power balances in society, acquired hegemonic positions within the state medical bureaucracy. They constituted an expertise that, by and large, was responsible for the shaping of the national health policies in the “golden age” of the Scandinavian social democratic welfare states (1940s–70s). In this chapter, we discuss the coming into being and passing away of social medicine in the Scandinavian welfare states, exploring how it unfolded in the late twentieth century, in the clinic, in academia, and in health policy. We argue that in spite of its dominance within the central health bureaucracy, social medicine never managed to penetrate mainstream medicine and it left perhaps its strongest footprint abroad, in the field of international health.
This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the correlation between magnesium consumption and periodontitis in different body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) groups. 8385 adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during 2009–2014 were included. The correlation between dietary magnesium intake and periodontitis was first tested for statistical significance by descriptive statistics and weighted binary logistic regression. Subgroup analysis and interaction tests were performed to investigate whether the association was stable in different BMI and WC groups. There was a statistical difference in magnesium intake between periodontitis and non-periodontitis populations. In model 3, participants with the highest magnesium consumption had an odds ratio of 0.72 (0.57-0.92) for periodontitis compared to those with the lowest magnesium consumption. However, in subgroup analysis, the relationship between magnesium intake and periodontitis remained significant only in the non-general obese (BMI ≤ 30 kg/m2) and non-abdominal obese populations (WC ≤ 102 cm in men and ≤ 88 cm in women). Dietary magnesium intake might decrease the periodontitis prevalence in the American population, and this beneficial periodontal health role of magnesium consumption might only be evident in non-general obese and non-abdominal obese populations.
Attacks on health care – which are potential war crimes – are increasingly observed in contemporary armed conflicts. The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine is no exception to this worrisome trend. War crime prosecutions of suspected deliberate attacks on health care facilities require proof that they were the intended target, which is extremely challenging. If health care facilities are attacked more than once, this may increase the likelihood of intent. The Ukrainian Healthcare Center (UHC) began documenting attacks on health infrastructure since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. In this study, the aim was to assess repetitive attacks on Ukrainian health care facilities from February 24, 2022 through October 24, 2023.
Methods:
The Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigations was used to identify and document health care attacks. Data collection for this study included temporal factors, location and type of facility, attack and weapon type, the number of health care personnel and civilians killed and injured, and whether the afflicted facilities were damaged, destroyed, and/or repeatedly attacked.
Results:
During the study period, there were 397 attacks on 281 Ukrainian health care facilities, damaging 237 facilities and destroying another 44. Fifty-three facilities (18.9%) were attacked more than once (total: 163 attacks; mean 3.1; median 2; range 2-10 attacks), and 27.7% of all health care attacks (110/397) concerned repeat attacks. The median time between attacks was 18 days (range: 0-289 days).
Conclusions:
From February 24, 2022 through October 24, 2023, one-in-five targeted health care facilities in Ukraine experienced repetitive attacks. Furthermore, one-in-four attacks on health care involved recurrent attacks. This observed pattern raises the possibility that health care facilities in Ukraine are being intentionally targeted.
The aim of this study was to systematically review evidence that supports best practice post-crash response emergency care.
Study Design:
The research questions to achieve the study objective were developed using the Patient, Intervention, Control, Outcome standard following which a systematic literature review (SLR) of research related to prehospital post-road-crash was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
Results:
A total of 89 papers were included in the analysis, presented according to the PRISMA guidelines.
Conclusions:
This research explored and identified key insights related to emergency care post-road-crash response. The findings showed that interservice coordination and shared understanding of roles was recommended. Application of traditional practice of the “Golden Hour” has been explored and contested as a standard for all care. Notwithstanding this, timeliness of provision of care remains important to certain patient groups suffering certain injury types and is supported as part of a trauma system approach for patient care.
This study aimed to assess the extent to which first-morning void (FMV) urine samples can estimate sodium and potassium excretion compared with 24-hour (24-h) urine samples at the population level. We conducted a cross-sectional study collecting urine samples (FMV and 24-h) and two non-consecutive 24-h dietary recalls in a sub-sample from the Portuguese IAN-AF sampling frame. Six predictive equations were used to estimate 24-h sodium and potassium excretion from FMV urine samples. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to compare the association between FMV and 24-h urine collections. Cross-classifications into tertiles were computed to calculate the agreement between measured and estimated excretion with and without calibration. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to compare the excretion estimation from FMV and reported intake from 24-h dietary recalls. Bland–Altman plots assessed the agreement between two-day dietary recall and the best-performing calibrated equation. Data from eighty-six subjects aged 18–84 were analysed. Estimated sodium and potassium concentrations from the predictive equations moderate or strongly correlated with the measured 24-h urine samples. The Toft equation was the most predictive and reliable, displaying a moderate correlation (r=0.655) with no risk of over or underestimation of sodium excretion (p=0.096). Tanaka and Kawasaki equations showed a similar moderate correlation (r=0.54 and r=0.58, respectively) but tended to underestimate the 24-h urine excretion of potassium (p<0.001). Calibrated predictive equations using FMV urine samples provide a moderately accurate alternative and resource-efficient option for large-scale nutritional epidemiology studies when 24-h urine collection is impractical.
Maternal health and nutrition in early pregnancy play a vital role in the growth and development of the foetus. During this time, macro and micronutrients contribute to nutritional programming, which helps form the foundations of the foetus’s life course health outcomes. This study aimed to investigate dietary habits, macro and micronutrient intake, micronutrient status, and folic acid supplement adherence among Emirati pregnant women in their first trimester. Data were collected according to the UAE-BCS study protocol, which was set up to investigate maternal nutrition, health, child growth, and developmental outcomes within the first 1000 days. Pregnant Emirati women with singleton pregnancies within their first trimester of pregnancy (between 8 and 12 weeks of gestation) were enrolled. The 24-hour food recall method was administered to collect dietary intake. The maternal mean average age was 29 years. Participants had high adherence to supplementation during pregnancy compared to preconception. The mean energy intake was 1345kcal, and 56% of participants consumed saturated fats above the acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges (AMDR), while 94% consumed below AMDR for total fibre. The consumption of micronutrients was below the recommended dietary allowance (RDA). Biochemical results show a high prevalence of low haemoglobin (74%) and deficiencies in vitamin D (39%) and vitamin E (96%). There is a need for research into dietary patterns and influences in pregnant women in the UAE. Furthermore, investigations of knowledge practices and attitudes towards supplementation and the factors contributing to folic acid supplement use are needed to inform government strategies and interventions.
Prior studies have shown that plant-based diets are associated with lower cardiovascular risk. However, these diets encompass a large diversity of foods with contrasted nutritional quality that may differentially impact health. We aimed to investigate the pooled cross-sectional association between metabolic syndrome (MetS), its components and healthy and unhealthy plant-based diet indices (hPDI and uPDI), using data from two French cohorts and one representative study from the French population. This study included 16 358 participants from the NutriNet-Santé study, 1769 participants from the Esteban study and 1565 participants from the STANISLAS study who underwent a clinical visit. The MetS was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation definition. The associations between these plant-based diet indices and MetS were estimated by multivariable Poisson and logistic regression models, stratified by gender. Meta-analysis enabled the computation of a pooled prevalence ratio. A higher contribution of healthy plant foods (higher hPDI) was associated with a lower probability of having MetS (PRmen: 0·85; 95 % CI: 0·75, 0·94, PRwomen: 0·72; 95 % CI: 0·67, 0·77), elevated waist circumferences and elevated blood pressure. In women, a higher hPDI was associated with a lower probability of having elevated triacylglyceride (TAG), low HDL-cholesterolaemia and hyperglycaemia; and a higher contribution of unhealthy plant foods was associated with a higher prevalence of MetS (PRwomen: 1·13; 95 % CI: 1·01, 1·26) and elevated TAG. A greater contribution of healthy plant floods was associated with protective effects on metabolic syndrome, especially in women. Gender differences should be further investigated in relation to the current sustainable nutrition transition.
This article discusses the prospects and pitfalls of a legally binding pandemic agreement under the auspices of the World Health Organization, currently under negotiation in Geneva. Such an agreement could foster a rules-based pandemic prevention, preparedness and response as a reaction to the failures by states during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a lack of effective coordination for sharing all kinds of data and the global inequity in the distribution of medical goods fueled by vaccine nationalism. Achieving these goals, however, will depend upon a meaningful engagement by delegations negotiating the agreement, a legally sound formulation of its provisions, and overcoming the currently pervasive emergency-bias in this field of global health law. Thus, as advocated by Lawrence Gostin in his seminal treatise on Global Health Law ten years ago, the pandemic agreement could help realize the transformative potential of law for facing one of the greatest health threats to humanity.
The field of global health law has evolved over the past decade to describe new legal and policy instruments that apply to a changing set of public health threats, non-state actors, and regulatory norms that structure the global response to public health challenges. This special issue—bringing together the O’Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law and the Global Health Law Consortium—examines the expansive evolution of the field of global health law and its continuing development to face new health threats.
The field of global health law encompasses both “hard” law treaties and “soft” law policies that shape global health norms. Transitioning from “international health law” to “global health law and policy,” global health policymakers have increasingly looked to soft law instruments to address public health needs in a rapidly globalizing world – within the World Health Organization and across global health governance. Yet, as policymakers have expanded the landscape of soft law policy instruments to advance global health across state and non-state actors, the COVID-19 response revealed the limitations of this soft law approach to global health threats, with states now seeking hard law reforms to strengthen global health governance. As hard and soft law can provide complementary approaches to preventing disease and promoting health, future research must conceptualize how these normative frameworks interact in advancing global health.