Conscientious objection: protecting sexual and reproductive health rights

Healthcare providers' conscientious objection to involvement in certain procedures is grounded in the right to freedom of religion, conscience and thought. However, such conscientious objection can have serious implications for the human rights of healthcare users, including their sexual and reproductive health rights. This briefing paper examines the implications of conscientious objection, by healthcare providers, for the protection of sexual and reproductive health rights, and concludes with a set of recommendations for States' policies and laws

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

No more looting and destruction! : we the peoples of the south are ecological creditors

Translated from Spanis

The right to the highest attainable standard of health

This chapter introduces the right to the highest attainable standard of health, which is enshrined in several international treaties, as well as numerous national constitutions, giving rise to legally binding obligations on States. It outlines the complementary relationship between public health and the right to the highest attainable standard of health, and provides a framework for analysing this human right. This analytical framework, which deepens understanding of, and helps to identify appropriate responses to, public health issues, is then applied, by way of illustration, to neglected diseases, mental disability, sexual and reproductive health, and water and sanitation. The conclusion identifies the key features of a health system from the perspective of the right to the highest attainable standard of health