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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AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine withdrawn – right to the end it was the victim of misinformation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 Steady as Markets Await U.S. Inflation Data

Asian currencies and the U.S. dollar traded in narrow ranges on Tuesday as investors stayed cautious ahead of key U.S. inflation data that could influence expectations for the Federal Reserves interest-rate outlook. The...

Asian Stocks Mixed as RBA Holds Rates, Oil Risks Rise

Asian stocks traded mixed on Tuesday as gains in South Korea and Singapore offset weakness across several regional markets. Investors assessed the Reserve Bank of Australias latest interest rate decision while monitoring...

Oil Prices Rise as US-Iran Talks Stall, Inflation Risks Grow

Oil prices climbed on Tuesday as stalled U.S.-Iran peace negotiations and uncertainty over reopening the Strait of Hormuz renewed concerns about global energy supplies. Asian stock markets, meanwhile, traded cautiously as...

Singapore Raises 2026 GDP Growth Forecast to 4.5%-5.5% as AI Boom Fuels Economy

Singapore has sharply upgraded its 2026 economic growth forecast, citing stronger global artificial intelligence investment, resilient external demand and a less severe economic impact from the Middle East conflict than...

Gold Price Hits Two-Month High as Investors Await US Inflation Data

Gold prices extended their rally on Tuesday, climbing to their highest level in more than two months as strong investor demand, safe-haven buying and bullish momentum outweighed pressure from higher U.S. Treasury yields, a...

Politics

Ukraine Accuses Russia of Systematic Torture of POWs and Civilian Detainees

Former Ukrainian detainees and government officials have accused Russia of widespread and systematic torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees, alleging beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence and...

Houthi Attack on Yemen’s Mocha Port Kills 7, Injures 30

At least seven people were killed and 30 others wounded after Houthi forces launched a major attack on Yemens Red Sea port city of Mocha, according to the Yemeni military. The military said in a statement early Monday that...

Trump Media Says Truth API Draws 10+ Customers as Conflict Concerns Grow

Trump Media Technology Group said Monday that more than 10 customers have signed up for its upcoming Truth API, a real-time data service designed to provide rapid access to posts from prominent Truth Social accounts,...

Trump Secretly Switched Planes in Turkey After Iran Threat, Report Says

U.S. President Donald Trump secretly switched to a smaller military aircraft while leaving Turkey last month due to a potential Iranian security threat, according to a Washington Post report published Monday. Trump had...

FCC Steps Up China Tech Crackdown as Beijing Pushes Back

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has emerged as a key force in the Trump administrations technology and national security strategy toward China, expanding its role far beyond traditional oversight of...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

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...

Technology

Anthropic Signs $9.1B AI Data Center Deal With Riot Platforms

Anthropic has reportedly signed a $9.1 billion long-term agreement with Riot Platforms (NASDAQ: RIOT) to secure large-scale AI computing capacity, marking another major investment by the Claude developer as demand for...

Nvidia Secures $500 Billion AI Infrastructure Push With Wall Street Giants

Nvidia is expanding its influence beyond semiconductors after announcing agreements aimed at mobilizing up to $500 billion in third-party capital for artificial intelligence infrastructure. The move brings the AI chip...

SEC Clears Path for Data Center Securitizations as AI Financing Demand Surges

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has provided regulatory clarification that could make it easier for data center owners and operators to access capital markets as the artificial intelligence boom drives...

Apple Tests China’s CXMT Memory Chips for iPhones and MacBooks Amid AI Supply Crunch

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is reportedly testing memory chips from Chinese semiconductor manufacturer CXMT Corp as the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure puts increasing pressure on global memory...

Sony, TSMC Eye $6.3 Billion Japan Chip Venture for Next-Gen Image Sensors

Sony Group and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) are reportedly preparing to invest about 1 trillion yen ($6.32 billion) in a new Japanese semiconductor venture focused on next-generation chips for image...