This article in The New York Times describes the prevalence of polio in certain regions of the world as well as recent efforts to mitigate the continued presence of the disease. Nigeria, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan continue to suffer the effects of polio, even though the vaccine for this devastating disease exists and worldwide efforts [...]
Professor Laura Harrington is an associate professor in the Department of Entomology here at Cornell University. She studies medical entomology, with an emphasis on mosquito biology and vector-borne disease ecology. Her time spent overseas in countries that are hotspots of tropical diseases has contributed to her unique perspective on academic research, which blends social aspects [...]
With nothing left in sight to feed her children, Sadia Mohamed Afrah was forced to leave her kids and go search for food and water. After two hours, she returned to the tree where she left them only to find her children dead. Sadia had struggled to fend off starvation, but it had finally taken [...]
In a landmark decision which has provoked strong emotions from both proponents and opponents of the law, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled in August 2008 to uphold a Mexico City statute which allows for “unrestricted abortions in the first trimester of pregnancy.” The decision is surprising, considering the fervent opposition it received from both the [...]
I shivered as I walked through the foothills towards the city lights. The sun was quickly dropping below the horizon line, yet the fear of being alone in the dark was overshadowed by my inability to continue running. After only two miles – a third of what I set out to run – my head [...]
It’s 2:00 A.M. at a small airport in Arizona as an ambulance pulls up to a small plane on the runway, several people hop out of the ambulance, unload a man in a stretcher and carry him onto the plane. They return to their ambulance and drive off into the night, leaving the few onlookers [...]
Hidden within Rwanda, deep in the rural villages, there is a growing epidemic among orphaned, youth heads-of-household. The 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which left over 800,000 people dead, and the fact that over 190,000 Rwandans are currently living with HIV, has created an enormous orphan population within the African nation [1,2]. In 2005, it was [...]
While we repeatedly hear of infectious diseases, of the AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis epidemics, the subject of mental health often goes unmentioned. In part, this global neglect stems from the taboo nature of the subject. Consequently, there is a lack of substantial policy, of protective laws for those with mental disabilities, and of adequate funds [...]
When I met Malebogo, a beautiful, young Batswanan woman, I never would have guessed she was HIV-positive. Vibrant and healthy, her face was full of life and joy. I was completely shocked when she informed me that she had been HIV-positive for ten years. “Do you wish to know how I became infected with HIV?” [...]
Nearly six hundred years ago, in the streets of Strasbourg, France one woman began to dance. Jiving only to the tune in her own head she danced for days without pause. Within a week the “fever” had spread to one hundred more [1]. What do you do with one hundred spontaneous dancers congesting the cobble-stoned [...]
