Many of the topics in this week’s column – disinformation, how climate change is harming health, the unpredictable spread of infectious diseases, and warnings about COVID-related brain fog – underscore widespread concerns about the lack of Federal Government investment in the Australian Centre for Disease Control and the National Health and Climate Strategy.
A First Nations women in public policy lecture by Professor Megan Davis, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Congress, and recommended new books are also covered.
The quotable?
Climate change will simultaneously reshape the epidemiology of many non-infectious diseases, threaten health infrastructure, affect the health workforce and alter other foundational determinants of human health. These parallel effects will exacerbate the challenge presented by the evolving epidemiology of infectious diseases…”
World Health Assembly
Health Policy Watch reports that some of the most vocal global right-wing conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers are heading to Geneva at the end of May to agitate against the World Health Organization (WHO) and its pandemic agreement.
On 1 June the group plans to host an invitation-only press conference and a public protest to coincide with the end of the World Health Assembly (WHA). The group’s media statement says people from Australia and New Zealand will be joining “the convergence”.
Health Policy Watch: Disinformation: Anti-WHO Convoy Heads to Geneva for World Health Assembly
Climate resolution
Meanwhile, the Global Climate and Health Alliance is calling on WHO member states to adopt a proposed resolution on Climate Change and Health at the WHA.
“Adoption of the Climate Change and Health resolution during this month’s World Health Assembly would demonstrate a clear political commitment by governments and WHO to scale up climate action as a public health priority in order to protect people from the increasing health impacts of climate change”, said Rosie Tasker, Clean Air Liaison at the Global Climate and Health Alliance in a statement.
“Following years of calls for greater action by civil society organisations and the Director General and other senior leadership of WHO, the resolution also clearly connects health to climate mitigation, adaptation, and for the first time, loss and damage. If adopted next week, this resolution has enormous potential to influence how WHO and the global health community respond to the challenges of the climate crisis, including working more closely with the UNFCCC, and building on the COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health”.
The proposed resolution on Climate Change and Health also highlights how climate change is exacerbating gender vulnerabilities, and promotes intersectoral collaboration among government ministries, such as health and environment. It also calls for WHO to develop a Global Plan of Action (GPoA) on Climate Change and Health to guide implementation of the resolution.
Tasker notes, however, that the resolution text does not touch on several crucial issues, and “lacks any mention of how fossil fuels are driving the climate crisis, or the need for a just transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy as a public health imperative”.
Following adoption of the resolution, the World Health Organization is expected to work on developing a Global Plan of Action on Climate Change and Health, alongside its strategy to make its own operations climate neutral by 2030.
Other climate developments
Researchers have called for a greater focus on the likely impact of climate change on malaria, dengue, trachoma and other neglected tropical diseases.
“A distinct feature of the climate crisis is the pace of change in underlying global ecosystems,” they write.
“This generates uncertainty about the future epidemiology of multiple diseases: not only those that have historically manifested as epidemics, but also those formerly considered as stable and endemic, and those being driven towards elimination or eradication.
“Climate change will simultaneously reshape the epidemiology of many non-infectious diseases, threaten health infrastructure, affect the health workforce and alter other foundational determinants of human health. These parallel effects will exacerbate the challenge presented by the evolving epidemiology of infectious diseases…the lack of predictability, even over relatively short timescales, calls for existing surveillance and intervention systems to be reinforced and regularly reviewed.”
Integrated surveillance and intervention systems, covering multiple diseases and taking a One Health approach, could offer efficiencies, they say.
It’s timely reading given the silence in the Federal Budget about investment in the Australian Centre for Disease Control and the National Health and Climate Strategy.
Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene: Climate change, malaria and neglected tropical diseases: a scoping review
Below are just some of the climate-related headlines from the past week.
COVID updates
A review of the use of masks and respirators for prevention of respiratory infections is summarised by the authors below.
They write: This narrative review and meta-analysis summarizes a broad evidence base on the benefits – and also the practicalities, disbenefits, harms and personal, sociocultural and environmental impacts – of masks and masking. Our synthesis of evidence from over 100 published reviews and selected primary studies, including re-analysing contested meta-analyses of key clinical trials, produced seven key findings.
First, there is strong and consistent evidence for airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and other respiratory pathogens.
Second, masks are, if correctly and consistently worn, effective in reducing transmission of respiratory diseases and show a dose-response effect.
Third, respirators are significantly more effective than medical or cloth masks.
Fourth, mask mandates are, overall, effective in reducing community transmission of respiratory pathogens.
Fifth, masks are important sociocultural symbols; non-adherence to masking is sometimes linked to political and ideological beliefs and to widely circulated mis- or disinformation.
Sixth, while there is much evidence that masks are not generally harmful to the general population, masking may be relatively contraindicated in individuals with certain medical conditions, who may require exemption. Furthermore, certain groups (notably D/deaf people) are disadvantaged when others are masked. Finally, there are risks to the environment from single-use masks and respirators.
The review proposes an agenda for future research, including improved characterisation of the situations in which masking should be recommended or mandated; attention to comfort and acceptability; generalised and disability-focused communication support in settings where masks are worn; and development and testing of novel materials and designs for improved filtration, breathability, and environmental impact.
Read the article: Masks and respirators for prevention of respiratory infections: a state of the science review, and see a summary on X/Twitter by Professor Trisha Greenhalgh 
BMJ: What do we know about COVID-19’s effects on the brain?
Professor Stephen Griffin, virologist at the University of Leeds, warns that the long term consequences of COVID aren’t being considered enough when planning vaccination and other prevention strategies in the UK—“which would seem most unwise given the accumulating evidence of long term harm in neurological and indeed other tissues.”
Submissions by the Department of Health and Aged Care, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and other groups to a Senate inquiry into excess mortality have been published.
Other global health news
CIDRAP reports that the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said officials are moving forward with a plan to produce 4.8 million doses of H5N1 avian flu vaccine for pandemic preparedness.
The UK inquiry’s report into infected blood, which it describes as“the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS”, has seven volumes and documents a history of systemic failures.
Read the rest of the thread on X/Twitter.
Public health updates
In Aotearoa/New Zealand, the Public Health Advisory Committee has published a report, Rebalancing Our Food System, which also makes timely reading for other countries.
Recommendations (pp 44-46) include for the Minister of Health work with colleagues in Government to centre health and health equity within food system decision-making, to resource and enable community leadership for local food systems, and to strengthen actions to tackle poverty and reduce cost-of-living and food affordability pressures, including through fiscal measures to reduce the cost of fruit and vegetables and other core foods or increase income available for healthy food.
#AusPol
Conference Watch
Warm thanks to Professor Marie Bismark for tweeting from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Congress.
Launch of Australian Comprehensive Cancer Network
2024 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Conference
17th World Congress on Environmental Health
#CroakeyREAD
Upcoming events
See previous editions of ICYMI
