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  • Poverty
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Think Global Health

Restrictive NGO Legislations, Women's Health in Iran, and the Super Bowl

February 10, 2023

 

Editors' Note

COVID-19 led to a massive increase in development assistance for health—the largest year-over-year increase on record—bringing the total amount of global health aid spent in 2021 to an estimated $67.4 billion. The challenge now is to sustain and extend that commitment to preparing for future pandemics, write researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. 

Two London School of Economics and Political Science experts explain that when authoritarian leaders restrict international non-governmental  organizations (NGOs) working in their countries, those laws have an effect that those leaders probably did not intend: they seriously damaged their populations' health and cost thousands of lives. 

Five months into the women-led revolution in Iran, hundreds of people have died, and thousands have been arrested and detained. Two mental health experts discuss the intricate relationship between human rights and mental health, and violence's temporary and long-lasting toll on people in Iran, especially women and children. 

As we head into Super Bowl LVII weekend, a sports medicine expert shares tales from team doctors who treat athletes (and sometimes fans) around the world. 

As always, thank you for reading.—Thomas J. Bollyky and Mary Brophy Marcus, Editors  

 

This Week's Highlights

GOVERNANCE

COVID-19 Fueled Record-Breaking Investments in Global Health  

by Kevin O'Rourke, Angela E. Micah, and Joseph L. Dieleman 

Examining opportunities and challenges related to development spending  

Read this story

GOVERNANCE

Image

Why Harassing International NGOs Is Bad for Health    

by Mirko Heinzel and Mathias Koenig-Archibugi

Authoritarian leaders inadvertently weaken their countries' health infrastructure when they legislate against nonprofits   

Read this story

GENDER

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The Toll of Violence on Women and Youth in Iran  

by Behnaz Darban and Natasha Poulopoulos

A "pervasive trauma is seeping through Iran," affecting the mental health of women and children  

Read this story

 

Stat of the Week

2,400 Years

Sports medicine has a rich history dating back over 2,400 years to ancient Greece

Read this story

 

Recommended Feature

GOVERNANCE

Image

Globe Trotters  

by Adam Pyle

A sports medicine expert shares tales from team doctors who treat athletes around the world   

Read this story

 

What We're Reading

Death Toll in Turkey and Syria From Earthquake Passes 20,000 (New York Times) 

Sickle Cell Anemia and India's Health Budget– What Is All the Buzz About? (Nivarana)

Australia the First Nation to Approve the Legal Use Of MDMA And Psilocybin (Forbes)

Climate Change Is Contributing to the Rise of Superbugs, New UN Report Says (CNN)

 

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