Australian Bushfires Continue to Wreak Havoc
Hundreds of wildfires have been raging across Australia for more than two months, destroying 7.4 million acres of land and hundreds of homes. While Australia typically experiences bushfires every year, this year’s fires began burning earlier in the season and
Capitalizing on a Crisis: Oxygen for Sale in New Delhi
Air pollution as a business opportunity, clean oxygen as the product. In the midst of the New Delhi air pollution crisis, a bar by the name of Oxy Pure has found a way to turn a profit. Customers pay 500
Why Populism is Dangerous: Public Health at Risk
Populism is dangerous and puts public health and the economy at risk. But it is hard to resist. Populist politicians thrive on fake news: it is so much easier to fuel people’s emotions if you feed them fabricated news of
Climate changes health, how can we adapt to protect it?
The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that climate change will cause 250,000 additional deaths per year between 2030 and 2050. Even accounting for sustained economic growth and health progress, 38,000 additional deaths are expected to be due to heat exposure
My Superhero’s Name is Milly, and She Saves Lives in Uganda
Milly goes door-to-door selling every day goods and medicines in her hometown district of Kyengera. Kyengera is just outside Kampala, Uganda’s fast growing capital. She diagnoses and treats what could otherwise be debilitating and deadly disease and illness like malaria
Sex Work and the Law: A social taboo
Sex work is often seen as a social taboo, despite the fact that there are many millions of adults engaged in consensual sex work globally. There is an active conversation happening among international organizations and national government bodies about whether
What Soda Taxes Tell Us About Lawmaking and Lawmakers
The controversy over soda taxes tells us why effective public health policies are so difficult to enact. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney recently proposed a tax on sugary beverages to help fight obesity. The proposal drew national headlines after both Democratic presidential
Zika Virus Highlights Flaws in Public Health Approaches in the Americas – Part 1
Zika's exponential spread has much of the Americas panicking about how to handle this new epidemic. Countries from Brazil to the US have responded in many ways, but some of these responses have resulted in human rights violations. Zika may just
Getting Trump-ed by Islamophobia
Stigma-inducing discrimination caused by Republican-frontrunner Donald Trump creates mental health disparities amongst minority Americans. People vying to be our leaders should be embracing and promoting diversity Studies have shown that politically conservative people tend to harbor the most negative views of Islam
Women Making Their Own Fertility Decisions
Over the last few weeks, women’s reproductive rights have dominated political coverage in the media globally. However, for every positive advancement, such as the recent ruling in Northern Ireland that its anti-abortion law is in breach of human rights law,