Europe

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Aging
A man walks in a snow covered park in Sofia, Bulgaria, January 23, 2024. Bulgaria witnessed higher excess mortality rates during the pandemic, according to a new study of global life expectancy.

Global Life Expectancy Declines for First Time in 30 Years

by Carrie Arnold

Overall life expectancy is struggling, according to a highly anticipated update to the Global Burden of Disease study

Environment
CDC biologists a and Congolese scientist wear blue surgical gowns and respirators, as they examine animals caught in the jungle who may carry the MonkeyPox virus, in Manfuette, Republic of Congo on August 29, 2017

Monkeypox Timeline

by Lillian Posner, Isabella Turilli

A frequently updated tracker of emerging developments from the beginning of the 2022 monkeypox outbreak

A masked pedestrian walks over Westminster Bridge in London, on January 27, 2022.
Governance

What to Know About "Stealth" Omicron 

Professor Ali H. Mokdad gives the rundown on the omicron subvariant BA.2

A man, wearing a protective face mask, walks past a closed shop after the Austrian government announced a lockdown including the closure of all non-essential shops, as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues, in Vienna, Austria on November 17, 2020
Governance

A Disparate Group of Places Lead the Way Through a Grim Pandemic Winter

by Ali H. Mokdad, Maja Pašović

Minnesota, Austria, and Saudi Arabia are using evidence-based strategies to save lives and protect health systems

World map shows colors that correspond to the number of health security measures countries took during national elections in 2020.
Governance

Spare the Vote, Spoil the Virus?

by Samantha Kiernan, Caroline Kantis, Priyanka Sethy

Health security measures taken for elections by country

Volunteers wait for their names to be called before testing and taking part in a COVID-19 clinical trial at the Wits RHI Shandukani Research Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 27, 2020. Picture shows a waiting room full of people. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
Trade

Vaccine Nationalism and Africa

by Evaborhene Aghogho Nelson 

African Union calls for a “People's Vaccine” as African Academy of Sciences begins mapping local clinical trials sites

A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Vaccine COVID-19" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken on April 10, 2020, in Bosnia. The photo shows a woman holding a small vial to her face. She is wearing a mask and gloves and the vial reads, COVID-19. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Trade

A New Way to Drive COVID-19 Vaccine Development

by Adrian Towse, Kalipso Chalkidou, Rachel Silverman

How a "benefit-based advance market commitment" could build on existing Gavi COVAX and EU Joint Procurement initiatives

The "Fearless Girl" statue is seen outside the New York Stock Exchange following first trading session since its March coronavirus lockdown in the Manhattan borough of New York City on May 26, 2020. The photo shows the statue with a huge American flag in the background. REUTERS/Mike Segar
Trade

Patent Pools and the Pandemic—A Renewed Debate

by Bashar Malkawi

In light of COVID-19 we need to revisit patent pools and their potential for pro-competitive and anticompetitive effects

Firefighters wearing protective suits spray disinfectant at the National Monument area to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 17, 2020. Photo shows several workers in bright red protective suits walking though an open area spraying from tanks they carry on their backs. A monument can be seen in the background. REUTERS/Antara Foto/Wahyu Putro
Governance

Southeast Asia Needs Its Own CDC

by Swee Kheng Khor, Jeremy Lim, Li Yang Hsu, Jemilah Mahmood

COVID-19 is a baptism by fire and highlights the need for an effective, durable disease control authority in the region

In a country that didn't lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic, a sign assures people that the bar is open during the COVID-19 outbreak—outside a pub in Stockholm, Sweden, on March 26, 2020. Picture Shows two side-by-side chalk placards in front of a restaurant advertising a happy hour inside. One of the signs reads, "I assure you WE'RE OPEN." REUTERS/Colm Fulton
Governance

Separated by a Common Infection

by Amar Bhidé, Leif Pagrotsky

A mess of coronavirus responses—from Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, and the U.S. federal government to U.S. states

George Washington is seen with a printed medical mask on the one-dollar bill near fifty-Euro banknotes in this illustration created during the coronavirus pandemic on March 31, 2020. The photo shows a bunch of paper money, dollars and euros, with a blue surgical-style mask on one of the bills. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Governance

Coronavirus in Europe: Who If Not Us?

by Ilona Kickbusch, Susan Bergner

Can the EU balance internal recovery with geopolitical influence and lift its gaze towards the international sphere?

A boiler stack at the Sugar Cane Growers cooperative in Belle Glade, Florida on January 6, 2010. The image shows a large smokestack belching out black billows and blocking the cloudy sky.
Governance

COVID-19 Is Smoke and Mirrors—What Matters Is International Law

by Ilona Kickbusch

Health is political, and the best political choice at the moment would be to strengthen WHO's legal power—not destroy it

We are facing a digital moment of truth as a result of the new coronavirus. A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration and picture produced on May 13, 2017. the image shows the silhouette of a man on a laptop with green ones and zeroes, reminiscent of the film "The Matrix" projected over the image. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration
Urbanization

Bridging the Digital Divide in COVID-19

by Anne Peacock

Global pandemic should catalyze long-term solutions to increase internet access inside more homes for social resilience

A woman wearing a mask during the coronavirus pandemic walks along the empty main street Khreshchatyk in central Kyiv, Ukraine on March 30, 2020—a colorful sign behind her bears the name of the city. This is a striking photo with a stylish woman walking in front of a sign with the city's name. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Governance

Coronavirus in Ukraine

by Judy Twigg

In heat of pandemic, Ukraine’s American and European partners shouldn’t let their support of one valuable ally grow cold