scholarly journals THE GLOBAL POLITICAL IMPACT OF THE CORONA-VIRUS PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (72) ◽  
pp. 29-47
Author(s):  
Mihaela HUȘANU

The Coronavirus pandemic has put profound pressure on the democratic electoral system around the world. Many national and regional elections, as well as referendums werepostponed, while others took place in a form adapted to the acute health crisis. The pandemic affected not only the actual conduct of election campaigns, which, due to health restrictions,used the online environment extensively, but also national public agendas. Issues such as public health, social and economic inequality, violations of individual rights and freedoms, as a resultof measures to prevent the risk of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, have come to the fore. The crisis has generated unpredictable and potentially disastrous results, from the collapse ofmainstream (traditional) parties to the emergence of new leaders and new political parties, some with strong extremist orientations. How has the Coronavirus pandemic changed theperception of the electorate and how has this perception influenced voting in times of crisis?Keywords: pandemic; Coronavirus; crisis; democracy; elections; impact

Author(s):  
Alyshia Gálvez

In the two decades since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect, Mexico has seen an epidemic of diet-related illness. While globalization has been associated with an increase in chronic disease around the world, in Mexico, the speed and scope of the rise has been called a public health emergency. The shift in Mexican foodways is happening at a moment when the country’s ancestral cuisine is now more popular and appreciated around the world than ever. What does it mean for their health and well-being when many Mexicans eat fewer tortillas and more instant noodles, while global elites demand tacos made with handmade corn tortillas? This book examines the transformation of the Mexican food system since NAFTA and how it has made it harder for people to eat as they once did. The book contextualizes NAFTA within Mexico’s approach to economic development since the Revolution, noticing the role envisioned for rural and low-income people in the path to modernization. Examination of anti-poverty and public health policies in Mexico reveal how it has become easier for people to consume processed foods and beverages, even when to do so can be harmful to health. The book critiques Mexico’s strategy for addressing the public health crisis generated by rising rates of chronic disease for blaming the dietary habits of those whose lives have been upended by the economic and political shifts of NAFTA.


2020 ◽  

In the past 100 years, the world has faced four distinctly different pandemics: the Spanish flu of 1918-1919, the SARS pandemic of 2003, the H1N1 or “swine flu” pandemic of 2012, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Each public health crisis exposed specific systemic shortfalls and provided public health lessons for future events. The Spanish flu revealed a nursing shortage and led to a great appreciation of nursing as a profession. SARS showed the importance of having frontline clinicians be able to work with regulators and those producing guidelines. H1N1 raised questions about the nature of a global organization such as the World Health Organization in terms of the benefits and potential disadvantages of leading the fight against a long-term global public health threat. In the era of COVID-19, it seems apparent that we are learning about both the blessing and curse of social media.


European View ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-163
Author(s):  
Nad’a Kovalčíková ◽  
Ariane Tabatabai

As governments and citizens around the world have struggled with the novel coronavirus, the information space has turned into a battleground. Authoritarian countries, including Russia, China and Iran, have spread disinformation on the causes of and responses to the pandemic. The over-abundance of information, also referred to as an ‘infodemic’, including manipulated information, has been both a cause and a result of the exacerbation of the public health crisis. It is further undermining trust in democratic institutions, the independent press, and facts and data, and exacerbating the rising tensions driven by economic, political and societal challenges. This article discusses the challenges democracies have faced and the measures they have adopted to counter information manipulation that impedes public health efforts. It draws seven lessons learned from the information war and offers a set of recommendations on tackling future infodemics related to public health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (03) ◽  
pp. 366-369
Author(s):  
Rooh Ullah ◽  
Muhammad Suleman Rana ◽  
Mehmood Qadir ◽  
Muhammad Usman ◽  
Niaz Ahmed

Pandemic of novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in China is now become global public health crisis. At present 87.64% of the world is infected by this deadly illness. The risk from this epidemic depends on the nature of the virus, including how well it transmits from person to person, and the complications resulting from this current illness. The novel coronavirus has killed thousands of people in China and other countries as well; its rate of mortality is increasing day by day. There is an urgent need to control the virus by developing vaccine or any other antiviral drugs to save the world from this deadly viral infection.


Author(s):  
Yolanda Fernández Vivas

El trabajo que aquí presentamos es un análisis del sistema electoral alemán, que se caracteriza por ser un modelo de referencia en el mundo, al combinar elementos del sistema mayoritario y proporcional y en el que se presta especial atención al procedimiento de elaboración de candidaturas en el seno de los partidos políticos. Además, se analizan las últimas reformas efectuadas en el procedimiento de asignación de escaños y la labor desempeñada por el Tribunal Constitucional federal en la delimitación del sistema.This paper analyzes the German electoral system, which is characterized by being a reference model in the world, combining elements of both majority and proportional systems and in which the candidates` nomination within political parties is especially relevant. In addition, there is an analysis of the latest legal reforms that affected the seat allocation procedure and the influence of the Federal Constitutional Court in the delimitation of the whole system.


According to the World Health Organization (WHO), viral diseases continue to emerge and represent a serious issue to public health. In the last twenty years, several viral epidemics such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) from 2002 to 2003, and H1N1 influenza in 2009, have been recorded. The new coronavirus, formed a clade within the subgenus Orthocoronavirinae, sarbecovirus subfamily. The first time these cases were published, they were classified as “pneumonia of unknown etiology.” The question then became: are future epidemic risks amenable to forecast from identifiable triggers? Of immediate concern was the integrated research on closed spaces; where they in fact favorable or not to virus transmission subject to certification? We are currently opening diverse research in viral Medical Geology studies, as a new discipline. At present, there appears to be an emergent need for society to be educated on both existing in a world with Covid-19, while simultaneously learning how to prevent the spread of the pandemic. It is certainly important, yet has become insufficient, to impose physical distancing among people, isolation of patients, coughing “vampire” style into your elbow or continuing the usage of hand disinfectants and hand washing. The goal of this most recent work is to prepare a safety certificate for closed spaces which allows us to mandate the minimum number of people who may be present (altogether) with the minimum risk in values of viral transmission. It analyzes four key parameters in the propagation of Covid-19. The Viral Transmission in selected enclosed spaces was calculated according to the mathematical algorithm proposed by Prof. Dr. Luis CRUZ RODRIGUEZ. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a true global public health crisis as well as a devastating financial recession, affecting the entire world. Here we have proposed a certification entitled: “Elidan Certificate”, depicting prolonged safety within enclosed areas, such as inside of buildings or relating to various modes of transportation, suggesting a safe number of people who may occupy those particular places. Our aim is to better understand potential dormant repositories of outbreaks and the potential spread of those repositories, together with potential geological-geogenic terrain factors in closed space and their triggers. Integrated research on closed spaces, whether favorable or not to the virus transmission, would be subject to certification, along with the imminent opening of diversity research in viral Medical Geology studies, as a new discipline is anticipated. In this regard, UVC is a well-known disinfectant for air, water and surfaces, which can help reduce the risk of acquiring Covid-19 when applied correctly. By the way, the IUVA has been given the task of bringing together a group of experts, leaders in the field, from various parts of the world with the aim of developing guides that contribute to an effective use of UVC Technologies (ELIDAN dynamic LLC).


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-119
Author(s):  
Violeta Motulaitė

The initiative of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CFE) stems out of the necessity to re-evaluate the European Union project after the Brexit, the wave of populism and nationalism and the changing geopolitical environment in the world, as well as to reflect upon the European unity ten years after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. As mentioned in this Franco – German initiative, it was meant to address all issues at stake and guide the future of Europe with a view to turning the EU more united and sovereign. It should have focused on policies and it should have identified the main reforms to be implemented as a matter of priority in each block of policies, setting out the types of changes to be made. The current public health crisis has redefined the problems and priorities of the EU. Some issues have become less topical, some have remained relevant and some have emerged as high priorities only now.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 94-102
Author(s):  
Prasaath Sastha K R ◽  
Balasubramanian Arul ◽  
Ramalingam Kothai

It all started in December 2019, a seafood market in Wuhan, China, with a series of pneumonia alike cases admitted with severe acute respiratory depression. Since they were unable to detect the precise cause, they named it "Pneumonia of unknown etiology". Later it was identified as SARS COV 2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome – coronavirus 2). At first, the disease spread locally affecting the people of Wuhan, and then started spreading throughout China, creating a worldwide panic. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 in China as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from China and local healthcare units organized an intensive outbreak investigation program. The causative organism of this infection is a new virus that belongs to the “coronavirus (CoV)” family. After which the disease was called nCoV-19 (Novel coronavirus – 19). On February 11, 2020, the WHO Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, renamed the disease as "COVID-19," which is the acronym of "coronavirus disease 2019". Viral epidemics like SARS-CoV in 2002, H1N1 influenza in 2009, and the most recent one the MERS-CoV Middle East Respiratory Distress Syndrome Coronavirus (first identified in Saudi Arabia) in 2012 threatened the health of mankind in the past two decades. All of these were successfully prevented by systematically approaching the problem to solve it. Healthcare professionals around the world are well trained to manage any type of health crisis. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 as a "PANDEMIC" pointing to over 118,000 cases and 80,000 dead in 110 countries or more. In a media briefing, the WHO Director General said: "This is not just a public health crisis, it is a crisis that will touch every sector, so every sector and every individual must be involved in the fight."


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Gordon Braxton

There is an epidemic of violence in America, but boys are trained to sit on the sidelines. This chapter introduces the reader to key definitions, such as sexual violence, as well as key concepts, such as consent and rape culture. It provides the scope of the identified violence and situates sexual violence as a public health concern. The chapter further explains why boys and men should care about this violence even though they are trained to ignore it. Boys, after all, know survivors and are survivors themselves in many cases. Boys are also positioned to reach other boys who possess problematic attitudes and behaviors. All violent men were once boys learning the ways of the world. Taken altogether, this chapter inspires readers to hold overdue conversations with boys about how they can help.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. Mridula Sharma ◽  
Moni Chaudhary

Drugs and substance abuse and dependence has become a worldwide public health crisis. The abuse of drug is an international problem, which affects almost every country in the world, both developed and developing. The present study was carried out with the objective: To study the prevalence and patterns of drugs and substance abuse among adolescents, living in slum of Meerut. A survey was conducted on slum area of Nauchandi compound, Meerut District. Sample was collected from 110 boys of 12 to 16 years old. The survey was based on drug addiction habits. Results shows that 46.36 % adolescents of the slum area used substance like Gutkha, Tobacco, Smoking, Alcohol, Afeem, Ganja, Thinner and Marijuana. 54.91% admitted to using one time, 23.53% admitted rarely, 15.68% admitted occasionally and 5.88%   admitted that they have craving for drugs, so use frequently. The most common substances used were Gutkha 46.36%, tobacco 40.91%, smoking 37.27%, and alcohol 13.63%.  8.18% substance abusers used multiple substances. Synthetic narcotics and LSD were not used by any of the abusers. Our study revealed that prevalence of substance use among adolescents is high and cause significant problem in this population, therefore there is necessity of targeted interventions to reduce this huge burden.


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