PHM-Exch> Fwd: Bulletin #52: The many faces of health inequities

[Health PD]

This fortnight   Discussions in global health continue to center around
decisions made in Geneva after the 76th World Health Assembly. The ongoing
negotiations on the Pandemic Treaty raise doubts about whether the final
draft will incorporate lessons from previous outbreaks. Francisco Viegas of
the Médecins Sans Frontières Access campaign spoke to Jyotsna Singh from
the People's Health Movement about the necessary lessons to be learned from
Ebola outbreaks. Among the topics negotiated at the W

Bulletin #52: The many faces of health inequities
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/e2cf8638?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>
By People's Health Dispatch • 16 Jun 2023 View in browser
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This fortnight

Discussions in global health continue to center around decisions made in
Geneva after the 76th World Health Assembly. The ongoing negotiations on
the Pandemic Treaty raise doubts about whether the final draft will
incorporate lessons from previous outbreaks. Francisco Viegas
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/fe02851f?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>
of the Médecins Sans Frontières Access campaign spoke to Jyotsna Singh from
the People's Health Movement about the necessary lessons to be learned from
Ebola outbreaks.

Among the topics negotiated at the World Health Assembly, there was a
positive outcome regarding a landmark resolution
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/1c5cceb2?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>on
the health of Indigenous peoples, led by the movement in Brazil. The WHO
Watch team interviewed Ricardo Weibe Nascimento Costa, Vice-minister for
the Health of Indigenous Peoples in Brazil, to gain insight into the
potential impact of the resolution.

In the United States
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/f59a5d60?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>,
millions of people are forced to ration prescription medicines due to
financial constraints, while pharmaceutical companies continue to oppose
measures that could regulate drug prices.

Contrasting with this situation is Cuba, where the government has
prioritized the health of its people since the revolution. Reporters from
Outra Saúde met with Ileana Morales from the Cuban Ministry of Public
Health to discuss the country's successful COVID-19
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/37a6d6f4?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>
response and overall approach to health
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/794102f2?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>
.

Not so far from Cuba, in Martinique
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/4a2b4955?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>
and Guadeloupe, a determined people's movement is fighting for health
justice and reparations from the French state after decades of
environmental degradation and the poisoning of people and crops with
chlordecone.

In Scotland
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/b787890f?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>,
the local chapter of the People's Health Movement organized a health
assembly to promote unity among various groups fighting against health
inequities. Activists addressed issues related to food security and
sovereignty, among other things, which remain critical in the face of the
ongoing cost of living crisis in the United Kingdom. Of particular concern
is recent information about child nutrition
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/30b6475a?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>
trends in the UK, indicating that the majority of children rely heavily on
ultra-processed foods for their diet.
------------------------------

*Video: What Ebola teaches us about facing pandemics
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/c05339db?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>*

Jyotsna Singh of Peoples Health Dispatch talks to Francisco Viegas of the
MSF Access Campaign on a recent report by the organization on treatments
available for Ebola which have not been accessible to people in Africa. He
analyzes the challenges to equity and access, and how these factors need to
be integral to the upcoming Pandemic Treaty

<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/daef2046?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>
------------------------------
Featured articles

*World Health Assembly resolution on the health of Indigenous peoples is a
landmark moment
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/85ce68c2?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>*

Ricardo Weibe Nascimento Costa, Vice-minister for the Health of Indigenous
Peoples in Brazil, reflects on the importance of the historic resolution on
the health of Indigenous peoples at the 76th World Health Assembly

*Mobilizations against effects of chlordecone poisoning gain momentum in
Martinique and Guadeloupe
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/fa12a2f7?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>*

The people of Martinique and Guadeloupe have been facing the consequences
of chlordecone poisoning for decades. A new initiative has announced it is
ready to take forward the struggle for justice

*Access, equity and solidarity: the foundations of Cuba’s health system
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/2c7c2327?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>*

Ileana Morales from the Cuban Ministry of Public Health talks about the how
the country is resisting the US blockade and the secret of the country’s
renowned medical system

*Millions of people in the US ration medicine as Big Pharma fights to keep
prices high
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/8ab46062?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>*

A new CDC study shows that 9 million people are trying to save money by
rationing medication, as pharmaceutical giants rally against price checks

*Social movements in Scotland come together to build unity in the struggle
for health equity
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/07c97435?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>*

The recently concluded People’s Health Assembly in Scotland brought
together 20 organizations working on problems related to health inequities
with the aim of furthering unity and fostering change

*Ultra-processed food dominates child nutrition in the UK*
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/7e9aff1b?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>

A recent report reveals that the majority of children in the UK have
adopted dietary patterns influenced by marketing strategies employed by
major corporations. These children heavily rely on consuming
ultra-processed food
------------------------------
Data speaks

UNICEF's report
<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/66d89cbe?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>'The
State of the World's Children 2023' reminds us that poverty plays a central
role in determining whether a child receives immunization against diseases
that can be prevented with vaccines. This is particularly important since
vaccination rates have generally fallen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report makes note that in the poorest households, about 22.6 percent of
children did not receive any vaccines, while in the wealthiest group, only
4.9 percent were not vaccinated. The largest disparity between rich and
poor was found in West and Central Africa, where 48.6 percent of children
from the poorest households were not vaccinated, compared to 6.3 percent in
the wealthiest households.

In many communities, mothers are the primary caregivers, and thus the ones
ensuring their children's health. However, gender inequalities most often
limit women’s decision-making power, making it harder for them to take
action for their own and their children's health. As a result, women often
face challenges such as time and distance when trying to get children
immunized. They are the ones who have to take time off work and travel to
ensure their children receive vaccinations.

Since women make most of the health-related decisions for children, it does
not come as a surprise that their education level can impact the number of
children who receive vaccines. The analysis of data from 74 countries
confirms that: as a mother's education level increases, the number of
children who have not received any vaccines decreases.
------------------------------
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<https://peoples-health-dispatch.ghost.io/r/f7731afc?m=7fbe802b-41b0-46c0-a257-5e71e0284f0a>
*People’s Health Dispatch is an initiative of Peoples Dispatch and the
People's Health Movement*
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