Measles, War-Proofing Ukraine’s Health-Care System, and Hurricane Katrina

Editors' Note

A raging measles outbreak threatens what remains of Afghanistan's health system a year after the U.S. military pulled the last of its troops out of the country and the Taliban re-seized the government. This week, measles experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) write about the outbreak and discuss how a massive malnutrition crisis is further complicating the situation.

Ukraine's recent battlefield successes in the Kherson and Kharkiv regions have improved the country's prospects of withstanding Russia's invasion, but the societal costs of the conflict have been staggeringly high. We interview Pavlo Kovtoniuk, former deputy minister of health of Ukraine, about the challenges facing the country's health-care system after seven months of war and his thoughts on health-system resilience during conflict.

Generously supporting the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and creating the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program are among the United States' most meaningful deeds in global health, writes David P. Fidler. Whether or not those entities can be used to enhance U.S. security and global solidarity on public health going forward remains to be seen, he says.

Our next piece examines the knowledge gaps, data deficits, and stigmatization that continue to hinder health care access for people with disabilities in Zambia and other low- and middle-income nations. Finally, as we head into the weekend, our ongoing Culture Friday series reviews (and recommends) the new HBO film Katrina Babies, about the kids—now adults—who lived through the devastating 2005 hurricane in the southern United States.

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