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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AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine withdrawn – right to the end it was the victim of misinformation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 Slide as Indian Rupee Hits Record Low Amid Iran Tensions

Asian currencies weakened further on Tuesday, led by the Indian rupee, which plunged to a record low as rising Middle East tensions pushed crude oil prices higher and strengthened demand for the U.S. dollar. Investors also...

US, Japan Reaffirm Strong Currency Coordination Amid Yen Volatility

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama reaffirmed strong cooperation on foreign exchange policy during meetings in Tokyo, signaling continued coordination to address excessive...

Rubio Discusses Iran Crisis and Strait of Hormuz Disruptions With UK and Australia

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held separate discussions on Monday with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper regarding the escalating Iran conflict and the ongoing...

Trump Says Iran Ceasefire ‘On Life Support’ as Oil Prices Surge Above $104

Hopes for a peace deal between the United States and Iran weakened Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump said the fragile ceasefire was on life support following Tehrans rejection of a U.S.-backed proposal aimed at...

US Inflation Expected to Rise Again in April as Fed Signals Higher Interest Rates

U.S. consumer prices likely increased at a steady pace for the second consecutive month in April, reinforcing concerns that inflation remains stubbornly high and strengthening expectations that the Federal Reserve will...

Politics

Israel Approves Special Military Tribunal for Hamas October 7 Attack Suspects

Israels parliament has approved a new law establishing a special military tribunal to prosecute Palestinian militants involved in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. The legislation, passed late Monday by a...

GOP Lawmakers Probe Sam Altman and OpenAI Ahead of Potential IPO

Republican lawmakers and several Republican state attorneys general are increasing scrutiny of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over concerns tied to the companys governance and business relationships ahead of a possible OpenAI IPO,...

Trump Weighs Renewed Military Action Against Iran Amid Strait of Hormuz Crisis

U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly giving stronger consideration to restarting major combat operations against Iran as diplomatic efforts and nuclear negotiations continue to stall. According to a CNN report...

Trump Administration Seeks Court Pause to Reinstate 10% Global Tariffs

The Trump administration has asked a U.S. federal court to temporarily pause a recent ruling that challenged the legality of the administrations 10% global tariff policy while the government continues its appeal process....

Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang Pleads Guilty in China Foreign Agent Case

Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of acting as an unregistered foreign agent for the Chinese government, according to U.S. officials. The case has drawn national attention due to...

Science

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

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...

Technology

Kuaishou Stock Jumps on Kling AI IPO Plans and $20 Billion Valuation

Kuaishou Technology (HK:1024) shares surged on Tuesday after reports revealed that the Chinese short-video giant is considering spinning off its Kling artificial intelligence video generation business. The news boosted...

Samsung Shares Slide as Labor Talks Intensify Ahead of Planned Strike

Samsung Electronics shares dropped more than 2% on Tuesday as investors monitored critical negotiations between the tech giant and its labor union over a potential strike that could impact the global semiconductor...

Ibiden Stock Surges as AI Chip Demand Boosts Profit Outlook

Ibiden Co., Ltd. (TYO:4062) shares climbed sharply on Tuesday after the Japanese semiconductor component manufacturer reported strong annual earnings and raised its forecast for the current fiscal year. The companys stock...

OpenAI-Microsoft Deal Sets $38 Billion Revenue-Sharing Cap Ahead of Potential IPO

OpenAI and Microsoft have reportedly agreed to place a $38 billion cap on total revenue-sharing payments, according to a report published Monday by The Information. The move is seen as part of OpenAIs broader effort to...

Nintendo Shares Tumble as Weak Forecast and Rising Switch 2 Costs Worry Investors

Nintendo shares plunged on Monday after the Japanese gaming giant posted annual earnings that missed analyst expectations and issued a weaker-than-expected outlook for the current fiscal year. The disappointing forecast...