This book explores issues surrounding measles and vaccination in Pakistan. Drawing on long-term ethnographic research, it focuses on two major outbreaks in Sindh Province and on Pakistan’s vaccination campaigns. The chapters examine the responses to outbreaks and vaccination from various stakeholders including local people, the Pakistani government and the WHO. Inayat Ali reflects on the competing agendas, differing conceptualizations of measles and vaccination, and the factors that lie behind these contestations. Situating outbreaks within the institutionalized form of disparities, he analyzes the rituals used to deal with measles and local resistance to vaccines in Pakistan. The distinct imaginaries and practices related to measles and vaccination are considered in national and global context, and the book makes a valuable contribution to the development of an anthropology of vaccination and medical anthropology of Pakistan.

This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. Mass vaccination campaigns are political projects that presume to protect individuals, communities, and societies. Like other pervasive expressions of state power - taxing, policing, conscripting - mass vaccination arouses anxiety in some people but sentiments of civic duty and shared solidarity in others. This collection of essays gives a comparative overview of vaccination at different times, in widely different places and under different types of political regime. Core themes in the chapters include immunisation as an element of state formation; citizens' articulation of seeing (or not seeing) their needs incorporated into public health practice; allegations that donors of development aid have too much influence on third-world health policies; and an ideological shift that regards vaccines more as profitable commodities than as essential tools of public health.

This book focuses on syndemics in the Global South and uses COVID‐19 as a window to understand clusters of disparities and disease comorbidities. The pandemic has exposed and multiplied structural inequalities and certain subpopulations were more exposed to COVID‐19 as well as experienced greater morbidity and mortality. The effects of the pandemic differ between countries but have had an especially major impact, although in varying ways, in the Global South. The contributions in this volume explore the differential impacts of COVID‐19 at individual, community, national, or regional levels, considering how structural violence is institutionalized in a way that creates vulnerable situations and disproportionate suffering. The book will be of interest to anthropologists and sociologists as well as to those working in global and public health.

This book uses the notion of “discretionary medicine” to explore the landscape of contemporary healthcare in Pakistan. It considers how patients frequently experience health interventions as out of touch with the suffering of everyday life and how healthcare provisions are viewed as intrusive, corrupted, and lacking in empathy towards the sick. The study focuses on mental health, acknowledging that the experience of mental illness in Pakistan is increasingly inseparable from conditions of chronic poverty caused directly by deepening inequality. The chapters address the establishment of priorities by the Pakistani healthcare system in conjunction with global disease programs and investigate the misalignments between the priorities of global institutes and local expectations/realities. It is argued that the discretionary nature of medicine is caused by the remnants of colonial-era laws, which link the maintenance of public health with questions of security. This, the author suggests, frequently contributes to forms of care that are riddled with bureaucratic violence. Using a combination of archival and ethnographic research, the book offers a multi-sited and interdisciplinary perspective on healthcare, ranging from care within low-income households and neighborhoods to diasporic communities and state institutions. It will be of interest to scholars and students of medical/psychiatric anthropology, global health, and history of medicine, as well as South Asian and Pakistan studies.

Vaccination programmes are of vital importance to public health and are present in virtually every country in the world. By promoting an understanding of the diverse effects of vaccination programmes, this textbook discusses how epidemiologic methods can be used to study, in real life, their impacts, benefits and risks. Written by expert practitioners in an accessible and concise style, this book is interspersed with practical examples which allow readers to acquire understanding through real-life data and problems. Part I provides an overview of basic concepts in vaccinology, immunology, vaccination programmes, infectious disease transmission dynamics, the various impacts of vaccination programmes and their societal context. Part II covers the main field tools used for the epidemiological evaluation of vaccination programmes: monitoring coverage and attitudes towards vaccination, surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases and pathogens, seroepidemiological studies, methods to assess impact and outbreak investigation. Part III is dedicated to vaccine effectiveness and its assessment. Part IV includes an overview of the potential risks of vaccination and how to study these. Lastly, Part V deals with methods for an integrated assessment of benefits and risks of vaccination programmes. Suitable for professionals working in public health, epidemiology, biology and those working in health economics and vaccine development, Vaccination Programmes also serves as a textbook for postgraduate students in public health, epidemiology and infectious diseases. The book is aimed at all those involved in the many aspects of vaccination programmes, including public health professionals and epidemiologists. Its primary target audiences are master and doctoral students in infectious disease epidemiology and public health, post-doctoral participants of field epidemiology training programmes and public health professionals working in the post-implementation epidemiological evaluation of vaccines and vaccination programmes. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license

Controlling a major infectious disease outbreak or reducing rising rates of diabetes worldwide is not just about applying medical science. Protecting and promoting health is inherently a political endeavor that requires understanding of who gets what, where, and why. The Oxford Handbook of Global Health Politics presents the most comprehensive overview of how and why power lies at the heart of global health determinants and outcomes. The chapters are written by internationally recognized experts working at the intersection of politics and global health. The wide-ranging chapters provide key insights for understanding how advances in global health cannot be achieved without attention to political actors, processes, and outcomes.

This book delves into the intricate landscape of respiratory diseases among older people, shedding light on their biosocial encounters while grappling with chronic breathlessness. While respiratory ailments predominantly afflict older people, often stemming from lifestyle choices like smoking, contemporary factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and escalating air pollution further exacerbate respiratory health challenges. Rooted in ethnographic research conducted in the UK, the narrative captures the quotidian struggles associated with abnormal breathing—an aspect typically overlooked despite its indispensability to life. Through poignant accounts, the book elucidates the profound transformations engendered by medical diagnoses, delving into their ripple effects on personal relationships and social engagements, while also offering insights into coping mechanisms. Chapters traverse the contours of patient identity, societal perceptions, community healthcare dynamics, advocacy endeavours, and the intrinsic link between health and human rights. Notably, the author delves into the pivotal role of support groups such as Breathe Easy, the empowering realm of “self-help”, and the organic formation of communities to address diverse social needs. With its multidisciplinary approach, this book appeals to a broad spectrum of scholars spanning anthropology, sociology, gerontology, and public health, offering a rich tapestry of insights into the complex interplay between health, society, and individual experiences.