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Michael Head

Senior Research Fellow in Global Health, University of Southampton
Dr Michael Head is a Senior Research Fellow in Global Health, based in the Clinical Informatics Research Unit at the University of Southampton, UK. He has a background in public health research and infectious disease epidemiology, with research links in Ghana, Togo, Ethiopia and Brazil. His main research interests are pneumonia and also Neglected Tropical Diseases, including scabies and onchocerciasis. Michael also analyses portfolios of research, to review levels of funding for different diseases and to provide insight into research strength, knowledge gaps, and future priorities. He has communicated extensively with the written and TV media throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Europe faces worst measles outbreak since 1997 – new data

Mar 18, 2025 15:08 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

Europe has had the highest number of measles cases since 1997, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). There were 127,350 cases in 2024 about double the number from 2023. Measles is back, and...

Why is whooping cough surging in the UK? Falling vaccination rates may be answer

May 15, 2024 07:27 am UTC| Health

A large outbreak of pertussis (more commonly known as whooping cough) has been ongoing in the UK since the beginning of 2024. There have been 2,793 confirmed cases so far this year. Sadly, five infant deaths due to...

AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine withdrawn – right to the end it was the victim of misinformation

May 09, 2024 07:10 am UTC| Insights & Views Health

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was a critical part of the COVID-19 pandemic response. However, on May 7 2024, the European Commission announced the vaccine is no longer authorised for use. This EU announcement was...

Food prices will climb everywhere as temperatures rise due to climate change – new research

Mar 25, 2024 05:09 am UTC| Insights & Views Life Economy

Climate change, and specifically rising temperatures, may cause food prices to increase by 3.2% per year, according to a new study by researchers in Germany. As climate change continues to worsen, this price inflation will...

Scabies: UK facing unusually large outbreaks – and treatment shortages appear mostly to blame

Jan 08, 2024 22:24 pm UTC| Health

Scabies is an unpleasant skin infection thats common all around the world. Outbreaks happen regularly with an estimated 450 million cases occurring globally each year. But since the start of winter, outbreaks in the UK...

Billions is spent on cancer research globally – but is it money well spent?

Jun 03, 2023 03:27 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

In 2020, 19 million people around the world received a cancer diagnosis. By 2040, that number is expected to reach 28 million. Poorer countries will be especially hard hit, with an increasing number of cases and more...

Leprosy, scabies and yaws - Togo's neglected tropical skin diseases need attention

Mar 28, 2023 14:17 pm UTC| Health

Neglected tropical diseases are a group of 20 diseases found mostly in tropical regions that are strongly associated with poverty. Among them are skin diseases like scabies, leprosy and yaws. They are caused by some...

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Economy

Asian Currencies Rally as Dollar Weakens Amid Iran Ceasefire Hopes

Most Asian currencies gained ground on Thursday as the U.S. dollar extended its losing streak for a ninth consecutive session, driven by renewed optimism surrounding potential U.S.-Iran peace talks ahead of next weeks...

U.S. Crude Oil Exports Surge Toward Record Highs Amid Global Supply Crisis

The United States came remarkably close to becoming a net crude oil exporter last week for the first time since World War Two, as American shipments surged to meet surging international demand. The dramatic shift was...

Chile's Kast Unveils 40-Point Economic Reform Package to Boost Growth

Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast introduced a sweeping economic reform package this week, outlining 40 measures aimed at reinvigorating the countrys economy and stabilizing employment. Addressing the nation for the...

China's Economy Surpasses Q1 2026 Growth Forecasts

Chinas economy outperformed expectations in the first quarter of 2026, with official GDP data released Thursday confirming a 5% year-on-year expansion ahead of the 4.8% analysts had forecast and a notable acceleration...

China's New Home Prices Continue to Fall in March Despite Signs of Recovery in Major Cities

Chinas new home prices extended their downward trend in March, according to fresh data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, though some of the countrys largest cities began showing modest month-on-month...

Politics

Trump Pushes for Lebanon-Israel Dialogue Amid Renewed Hezbollah Conflict

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the leaders of Lebanon and Israel are set to hold direct talks for the first time in roughly 34 years, signaling a diplomatic push to ease escalating tensions between the two...

Russia Launches Deadly Missile and Drone Strikes Across Ukraine, Killing Three Including a Child

Russian forces launched a wave of missile and drone attacks on multiple Ukrainian cities in the early hours of Thursday, leaving three people dead among them a 12-year-old boy and wounding more than 20 others. The...

Federal Judge Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Attempting to Block Hawaii's Climate Case Against Oil Giants

A federal judge in Honolulu has dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit that sought to prevent Hawaii from pursuing climate change litigation against major fossil fuel companies in state court. U.S. District Judge Helen...

Pentagon Taps Auto Giants to Supercharge U.S. Weapons Production

The Pentagon is in early discussions with major American manufacturers including automotive leaders General Motors and Ford Motor about redirecting a portion of their factory capacity and workforce toward producing...

U.S. Senate Blocks Resolutions to Halt $450 Million Weapons Sale to Israel

The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to reject two resolutions that sought to block approximately $450 million in military equipment sales to Israel, including bombs and bulldozers. Republicans united in opposition to the...

Science

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

Technology

TSMC Posts Record Q1 Profit Fueled by AI Chip Demand

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE: TSM), the worlds largest contract chipmaker, delivered a record-breaking first-quarter profit in 2026, surpassing analyst expectations as artificial intelligence continues...

Elon Musk's Terafab Foundry Courts Top Chipmaking Giants for AI Self-Sufficiency Push

Elon Musks ambitious semiconductor venture, Terafab, is moving closer to reality after his team began reaching out to some of the worlds leading chipmaking equipment suppliers. According to Bloomberg, staff representing...

Sam Altman Moves to Dismiss Punitive Damages in Sister's Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, has filed a motion in St. Louis federal court seeking to strike punitive damages from a civil lawsuit brought by his sister, Annie Altman, who accuses him of repeated sexual abuse...

Samsung Races to Deliver Next-Gen HBM4E Memory Samples to Nvidia

Samsung Electronics is pushing hard to deliver engineering samples of its next-generation HBM4E high-bandwidth memory to Nvidia as early as next month, according to South Korean outlet ChosunBiz. The move signals Samsungs...

ASML Raises 2026 Revenue Outlook as AI Chip Demand Surges

ASML Holding N.V. lifted its full-year 2026 revenue forecast after the Dutch semiconductor equipment giant surpassed first-quarter profit and sales expectations. The results were fueled by accelerating AI-driven chip...