Policy & Advocacy
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Immune system damage from COVID-19 is different from HIV/AIDS — but the advocacy has parallels
Lymphopenia is a health condition in which people have low white blood cell count in their blood. Without these cells, the body is unable to defend itself effectively against pathogens. Lymphopenia is one type of way your body can be immunocompromised; it can be caused by many things, including infections, inherited conditions, autoimmune disorders, and…
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COVID-19 advocates are distributing masks to protect Californians from wildfire smoke
As the skies of Los Angeles filled with smoke this week from multiple raging wildfires, many residents quickly recognized failures in local and state governments’ ability to protect them from hazardous air pollution. Community members from local COVID-19 advocacy and mutual aid groups stepped in to fill this gap, providing stockpiled respirators and information about…
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How America lost control of the bird flu, setting the stage for another pandemic
Nearly a year into the first outbreak of the bird flu among cattle, the virus shows no sign of slowing. The U.S. government failed to eliminate the virus on dairy farms when it was confined to a handful of states, by quickly identifying infected cows and taking measures to keep their infections from spreading. Now…
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Dr. Gemma Carey, Australian public health scholar and Long COVID advocate, dies at 43
Dr. Gemma Carey, an Australian academic, author, Long COVID advocate, and disability rights activist from Canberra, passed away on November 24, 2024, at the age of 43. Her work in public health, disability rights, and social justice had a profound impact on the communities she served, particularly those marginalized by conventional healthcare systems.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom declares state of emergency for bird flu
California Governor Gavin Newsom declares State of Emergency for bird flu Earlier today, Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a State of Emergency in California in response to prepare for the potential threat of bird flu, also known as Avian influenza A (H5N1). The Governor’s office said the emergency declaration will help state and local agencies better…
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“Don’t give up hope”: Long COVID advocates and researchers say crucial work will continue under Trump
As incoming President Donald Trump has announced a growing list of top nominees who’ve denied science and public health, people with Long COVID are preparing for an administration likely to be less friendly for research and advocacy. Along with Trump in power, Republican majorities in the House and Senate may lead to reduced funding for…
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Advocacy groups suspend ties with U.K. charity The ME Association over chairman’s op-ed
Earlier this month, the chairman of the United Kingdom charity the ME Association, Neil Riley, published a controversial op-ed in the charity’s magazine arguing that many people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) should increase their movement, counter to research and people’s lived experiences. People with the disease say Riley belittled the reality of severe ME and made…
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We set out to make our ‘invisible illness’ visible in South Africa with SICK Pride
How can people with energy-limiting conditions march for our rights if we have negligible physical capability and exertion worsens our symptoms? My colleague Mlindeni Gabela and I are pioneering a new kind of protest in South Africa: SICK Pride. SICK stands for the Society for the Inclusion of Chronic Knowledge, which we feel is a…
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A brief, oral history of mask blocs: Part 3
U.S. government officials began introducing mask ban proposals and legislation during the summer and fall of 2024, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has killed at least 40,000 Americans this year. Mask blocs in impacted regions were sometimes the only groups poised or willing to respond. In this final piece of a three-part series, mask…
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Kamala Harris responds to voter with Long COVID
Last night during a town hall with the Spanish-language news network Univision, Vice President and presidential nominee Kamala Harris received a question from a person with Long COVID who applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) three years ago and still hasn’t received a decision on her case. Martha, who is 62, had a heart…
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