Amy S. Patterson

Este archivo solo abarca los artículos del autor incorporados a este sitio a partir el 1 de mayo de 2007. Para fechas anteriores realice una búsqueda entrecomillando su nombre.

Antismoking advocates are warning that the stress and disruptions of the coronavirus pandemic may have slowed efforts to get more people to quit in the past year. (Dave Martin/AP)

InternacionalSalud Pública

May 31 is World No Tobacco Day, established in 1987 to increase awareness about the dangers of tobacco use. The World Health Organization estimates that tobacco use kills 8 million people annually. It’s a major contributor to health problems such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases, stroke, diabetes, low birth weight and blindness.

World No Tobacco Day this year focuses on urging tobacco users to quit — 100 million users, in fact. Stressing health research that shows tobacco use is associated with higher rates of severe outcomes and mortality from covid-19, the WHO wants millions around the world to kick the tobacco habit.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoÁfrica, , , ,

The number of cases of covid-19 — the newly named coronavirus — has topped 70,000 globally, with over 1,800 deaths. The World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on Jan. 30, citing the lack of scientific knowledge about the new virus, as well as the need to increase preparation in “vulnerable countries and regions”.

As of mid-February, 29 countries have reported cases, including Egypt — with the first confirmed case on the African continent. Trade and migration between Africa and China, as well as the presence of roughly 1 million Chinese nationals on the continent, mean it is possible that other covid-19 cases will appear.…  Seguir leyendo »

A large AIDS ribbon hangs from the North Portico of the White House in Washington, Nov. 30, 2007, in honor of World AIDS Day, which is officially marked around the world Dec. 1. (Ron Edmonds/AP)

InternacionalSalud Pública

Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day, a day intended to increase awareness about a disease that has led to the deaths of more than 35 million people since 1981, when the first cases appeared among gay men in the United States.

From the outset, AIDS has been intensely “political”. Power and inequalities shape vulnerability to HIV infection, and representation and decision-making processes affect resource allocation and policies. To end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, a goal set by the Joint U.N. Programme on HIV/AIDS, means analyzing the politics of the disease.

Over more than a decade, we have interviewed dozens of AIDS advocates, health policymakers and people living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa, Uganda, Swaziland, Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania and the United States.…  Seguir leyendo »

Supporters of pop star turned lawmaker Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, hold a poster of him as they gather in the Kisekka market area of Kampala, Uganda, on Aug. 23. (AP)

MundoÁfrica

On Wednesday, Uganda issued a ban on rallies, anticipating the return of musician turned politician Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, who reportedly has been in the United States seeking urgent medical treatment after being detained by Ugandan security forces.

The government edict is in response to large protests that rocked Kampala, Uganda’s capital. Young people demonstrated in June against the government’s new tax on social media, which they see as regressive. They also turned out in August to protest the arrest of Kyagulanyi, a.k.a. Bobi Wine, a 36-year-old parliamentarian elected in 2017. After Wine’s release, the government initially prohibited him from leaving the country for further medical attention, sparking more protests.…  Seguir leyendo »