The HIFA Steering Group is delighted to announce the publication in BMJ Global Health of our new paper (open access):  

Universal access to essential health information: accelerating progress towards universal health coverage and other SDG health targets

authored by three HIFA steering group members (Geof Royston, Chris Zielinski and Neil Pakenham-Walsh). 

The paper highlights the following points:

Congratulations to HIFA members Sara Fischer, Poorva Patil, Chris Zielinski, Lori Baxter, Francisco Javier Bonilla-Escobar, Shabina Hussain, Claudia Lai, Sarah Walpole, Francis Ohanyido, David Flood,  Ambrish Singh and Najeeb Al-Shorbaji - who have co-authored a piece in BMJ Global Health, based on recent HIFA discussions.

Commentary: Is it about the ‘where’ or the ‘how’? Comment on Defining global health as public health somewhere else 

Summary points:

Quote of the month: “The cancer of misinformation continues to spread and metastasize... It is a pervasive and growing threat to global health, driven by increased connectivity and social media. It is not just coronavirus, it is a problem across all areas of health” (HIFA coordinator Neil Pakenham-Walsh, UK)

“Antibiotics are effective in treating the new coronavirus”. “Herbal remedies and other drugs can help treat the new virus”. “New coronavirus only affects older people”.