ABSTRACT
Global health has been an issue of seemingly low political importance in comparison with issues that have direct bearing on countries' national security. Recently, health has experienced a "political revolution" or a rise in political importance. Today, we face substantial global health challenges, from the spread of infectious disease, gaps in basic maternal and child health care, to the globalization of cancer. A recent estimate states that the "overall lifetime risk of developing cancer (both sexes) is expected to rise from more than one in three to one in two by 2015." These issues pose significant threats to international health security. To successfully combat these grave challenges, the international community must embrace and engage in global health diplomacy, defined by scholars Thomas Novotny and Vicanne Adams as a political activity aimed at improving global health, while at the same time maintaining and strengthening international relations. The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) is an international organization with a unique mandate to "accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health, and prosperity throughout the world." This article discusses global health diplomacy, reviews the IAEA's program activities in human health by focusing on radiation medicine and cancer, and the peaceful applications of atomic energy within the context of global health diplomacy.
Subject(s)
Global Health , Health Promotion , International Agencies , Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Nuclear Energy , Nuclear Medicine/education , Radiation Protection/standards , Humans , Organizational Objectives , Politics , Radiometry , Technology TransferABSTRACT
This is a case report of a pediatric patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and presenting with a rare finding of bilateral pulmonary calcification. The patient's pulmonary calcification was detected as an incidental finding during a routine bone scan performed to evaluate the patient's bone pains. Bone scintigraphy is one of the most sensitive and efficient modalities for detecting extra-osseous calcification.