Women’s Health, Epidemic Preparedness, and Cold-Chain Supply

Editor's Note

Reproductive health care and women's wellness and are in the headlines this week and they lead our coverage as well. Our first author has devoted her career to improving sexual and reproductive health globally, but a difficult pregnancy and her own challenges accessing reproductive health care have changed her approach to her work. Read about her journey, and why she thinks acknowledging and sharing personal lived experience is an important part of global health work.

During the COVID-19 crisis, many governments that had significant capabilities and relatively early notice about the pandemic were nevertheless unready to mount an effective response. Our next piece, by CFR Senior Fellow Tom Frieden and collaborators, explores how to address that shortcoming. Those authors argue that investing in public health infrastructure, workforce training, and a clear performance standard (which they call 7-1-7) can help nations more rapidly detect and respond to outbreaks before they reach epidemic levels.

Our third author highlights a different shortcoming highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic: the gaps that still exist in many resource-limited settings in the cold-chain technology needed to deliver safe and effective vaccines and other medical products. The article details five ways the private and public sectors can strengthen the cold supply chain.

Finishing the week, we feature an interview with Catholic Cardinal Michael F. Czerny, who discusses the Catholic Church's committed efforts to ensuring access to safe and sustainable water for all.

As always, thank you for reading.—Thomas J. Bollyky