March 2022 marks two years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the rapid and wide spread of COVID-19 to be a pandemic. It was – sadly - clear that the world wasn’t ready. Two years and more than six million deaths later, and following scores of articles about how countries could have done better, what have we learnt? Are we ready for the next threat?

Those are the words of Olga, a 71-year-old woman who lives just five kilometres from the “contact line”, in Luhansk province, in the government-controlled area (GCA) of Eastern Ukraine, speaking a week before Russia escalated its invasion of Ukraine. Her son, granddaughter and two great grandchildren live on the other side of the stretch of land, in the non-government-controlled area (NGCA). They are separated by ongoing fighting and various checkpoints, making visits difficult and dangerous. Olga lives alone and has difficulty walking because of pain in her legs and joints.

This article is republished from The Lancet Regional Health - Europe. The unprovoked and unjustified Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 is already having terrible consequences for health. As we write, only seven days since Russian troops crossed the border, substantial numbers on both sides have died, many due to Russian attacks on civilian targets in violation of international law.

The Omicron variant is still spreading, and its worst effects have not yet arrived for many.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

This article is republished from The Telegraph. Read the original article.

Cervical screening was a hot topic following the announcement that from 1st January 2022 the routine screening interval for people with a cervix aged 25 to 49 in Wales was extended from three to five years. This caused widespread concern and a petition to overturn the decision has received over 1.2 million signatures to date.  

Malaria infection exerts a tremendous impact on the body, which can have long-term health repercussions, ranging from accrued susceptibility to bacterial infection to cognitive impairment. While some of these nefarious effects are known for the most severe forms of the disease, mounting evidence suggest that this is merely the tip of the iceberg.

Once again COVID is resurging across Europe. But not all countries are in the same position. Why? It’s an easy question to answer, yet confusion reigns in the press, on social media, and even among some scientists and epidemiological modellers. The answer is a basic epidemiological principle - population immunity - a concept that any young epidemiologist learns in early career development, as did I during my first month at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) back in 1976.

In the UK we’re heading full pelt into the normal winter respiratory viral season, something we can all relate to: from a mild snuffle to a week in bed at the mercy of flu. As many parents will be aware, respiratory viral infections are particularly common in children who have lots of contact with others, especially at school.