On Tuesday, the United States and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire fire deal after nearly six weeks of war. Although it is too soon to gauge whether the calm will hold, the pause gives respite to a region already battered by war.
Rebuilding could last years, and the less visible consequences could take even longer to remedy. Abraham Marshall Nunbogu leads a group of authors from the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health who describe how March 7 attacks on two of Iran’s major oil depots created “black rain,” a form of environmental pollution so ruinous that it could yield a prolonged health crisis that transcends borders.
As countries recalibrate their spending following last year’s aid cuts, the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Director of Health Emergencies Chikwe Ihekweazu and Global Engagement Manager Garry Aslanyan outline why every country should have a public health agency to foster political accountability and streamline the chains of command that spur action.
To continue coverage of ongoing debates in global health reform, Expertise France’s Eric Fleutelot responds to a TGH article from January 7 that offers 10 considerations to guide new health initiatives. Rather than focus on consolidation, which can entail higher coordination costs and more complex governance arrangements, Fleutelot suggests that smaller or more specialized organizations are better positioned to adapt to emerging health challenges.
Circling back to the Middle East, Project HOPE’s Safaa Al Hourany reflects on how heavy rainfall this winter in Gaza damaged thousands of shelters, leading to at least 11 deaths among children due to hypothermia and leaving more than 3,000 displaced people vulnerable to the medical condition. As the Strait of Hormuz reopens, Al Hourany says that aid organizations should prioritize fuel supplies and materials so that Palestinians can recover from the harsh winter.
To cap off the edition, Uzma Rentia, a George Washington University medical student, describes how a group of Syrian American physicians is leading an initiative to establish Syria’s first screening and prevention program for retinopathy of prematurity, a preventable disease that can cause blindness in premature infants.
Until next week!—Nsikan Akpan, Managing Editor, and Caroline Kantis, Associate Editor
