The End of the Covid Public Health Emergency: NEW APPROACHES TO AN ONGOING PANDEMIC

By Kirby Sokolow
From PHN Issue 54, Fall 2023

On May 5, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the COVID-19 pandemic “no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).” Days later, the U.S.’s federal public health emergency (PHE) also ended.

These announcements left the world wondering: What does it mean to end a public health emergency? Do the two declarations mean the same thing? Is COVID finally “over”?

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Incarcerated by Cancer

By Shawn Harris
From PHN Issue 53, Summer 2023

“There is a list of 132 inmates diagnosed with cancer,” announced the psychologist assigned to my block. She was sitting in front of her computer as the Psychology Department head and I discussed the commencement of the first-ever Cancer Support Group at my prison. I had for the past year been stressing the importance of having a cancer support group at my facility. We were having a meeting to finalize the date and time when the group would start. We weren’t certain if there were even enough inmates diagnosed in the prison to warrant a support group. In fact, the Psychology Department head specifically asked me how many inmates I knew were currently battling the illness. He even struggled to recall one or two he remembered working with in recent days. So, when the psychologist said the number, we were all stunned.

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A Word About Syphilis

By Thomas Michael Simons, IPE
From PHN Issue 52, Spring 2023

While its origin is not completely known, the earliest evidence of syphilis was found in the Pre-Columbian Indigenous population of South America. Syphilis is caused by the Treponema pallidum spirochete bacterium, and it can cause serious health problems if not treated. It is transmitted by coming into contact with a syphilitic sore during anal, oral, or vaginal sex. These sores appear on or around the anus, penis, or vagina (they’re found in the rectum, on the lips, or in the mouth). It can be congenitally (present before birth) spread from a pregnant person to a fetus or baby.

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