New research shows improving nutrition could prevent child stunting, reduce chronic disease, and protect national income in two countries facing different stages of the nutrition transition.
Unhealthy diets are now recognised as a leading contributor to global ill health, linked both to persistent undernutrition in early life…
By Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia Region
PM Modi warns of the threat from antimicrobial resistance
In December 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a timely warning about one of the most serious yet under-recognised global health threats: antimicrobial resistance (AMR). PM Modi alerted…
By Sunit Bagree (Senior Policy Advocacy Officer at Results UK and Research Associate in International Development at the University of Sussex)
A recent article in Health Policy and Planning by Jain et al laid bare the enormous costs of inaction on undernutrition.
By Manuela Colombini1 and Satya Shrestha2
1: Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom
2: Nursing and Midwifery Program, Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences, Nepal
When we talk about domestic violence (DV), it is not just a private matter confined within…
By Dylan Walters (Nutrition International) and Sandra Remancus (Alive & Thrive)
Every year, a lack of concerted support for breastfeeding from governments around the world costs the global economy more than US$570 billion. These losses, the cumulative result of child and maternal mortality, increased healthcare costs, and depleted human…
By: Professor Martin Antonio (LSHTM and WHO Collaborating Centre for New Vaccines Surveillance)
The global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (renamed COVID-19) has brought to attention the preparedness of African countries and health systems to be able to address the COVID-19 outbreak. On 31 Jan 2020 the WHO…
By Natasha Salaria (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine)
Health Policy and Planning publishes health policy and systems research focusing on low- and middle-income countries. The journal consists of four sections; Health Systems Research, Health Economics, Health Policy Processes and Implementation Research and Evaluation.
2019 was another…
By: Carrie-Brooke Sumner (Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council & University of Cape Town)
Health systems under pressure
If you work in a health system or health systems research, you’re no stranger to messages about budget cuts, the need for efficiencies, ‘working…
By Mishal Khan (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine)
This is the first World Tuberculosis (TB) Day since high-level UN General Assembly meeting on TB in September 2018. Strong commitments were made by political leaders and hopes are high. Enthusiasm for a revolutionary shift in tackling infectious diseases…
By Michael R. Snyder (Johns Hopkins University)
With the five-year anniversary of the West Africa Ebola outbreak declaration approaching, now is an appropriate time to reflect on progress made in improving global public health preparedness. Has the international community learned the lessons of the 2014-16 Ebola epidemic? What…
