Southern Africa has achieved clinical excellence in its HIV response. Even so, new infections continue to cluster predictably among adolescent girls, migrants, and marginalized communities, meaning the region’s HIV crisis is no longer primarily medical but structural. This article examines evidence from Soweto, Lesotho, and across the region to demonstrate how rigid health systems systematically
Health-related goals have been important global priorities under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but progress has been mixed. To reinvigorate progress toward health-related SDGs, in 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) set the ambitious “Triple Billion targets,” aiming for 1 billion more people benefiting from universal health
Oral rehydration solution (ORS) is one of the most effective ways to treat dehydration and has saved the lives of millions of children all over the world over the past few decades. Even so, diarrheal dehydration continues to kill hundreds of thousands of children each year. A recent research in Bangladesh, along with studies from
Pollution is silently undermining educational outcomes for millions of children across India. From toxic air, to contaminated water, to relentless urban noise, new evidence shows how various forms of environmental pollution are eroding children’s ability to learn and thrive. This blog explores emerging research on these hidden costs and argues that pathways to tackling pollution
Healthcare systems have changed substantially in recent years, particularly in lower-income countries. The article argues that while many nations have replaced community-led mutual aid systems with institutionalized frameworks like health insurance, it is worth re-visiting traditional approaches to service-delivery based on solidarity. Over time, many societies have changed how they manage health risks and finance
Climate change significantly impacts public health, with effects that are complex, context-specific, and often tied to particular climatic events. In Bangladesh’s coastal regions, rising salinity in drinking water is harming public health, especially women’s reproductive health. Despite national efforts to build climate-resilient health systems, current policies overlook the critical issue of salinity and its gendered
Menstrual hygiene management remains a critical public health challenge in East Africa, with far-reaching social and economic consequences. Addressing the stigma around menstruation requires effective strategies that improve health and education outcomes as well as foster economic empowerment. By learning from successful policy interventions, there is an opportunity to reframe menstrual hygiene as a public
While the individual measures on gambling aim to alleviate conditions such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse, they address only the symptoms rather than the root causes. Systemic problems—such as weak structural regulations that permit over 100 betting firms to operate without limits on daily wagers—continue to drive industry growth. This regulatory void, coupled with
A lack of continuity of care for people living with HIV during natural disasters and other crises can have highly damaging consequences. This column reports on the experiences of Mozambique in seeking to maintain the effectiveness of HIV treatment in the face of adverse shocks over the past ten years. Lessons from the country’s response
Past progress in human development in South Asia looks insufficient to produce success during the era of the Sustainable Development Goals. This column argues that if government spending on education and health were to be raised to levels comparable to those in other developing regions, alongside improvements in state effectiveness in delivering public goods, much more could
