Reducing the risks of nuclear war—The role of health professionals

Kamran  Abbasi; Parveen  Ali; Virginia  Barbour; Kirsten  Bibbins-Domingo; Marcel GM  Olde Rikkert; Andy  Haines; Ira  Helfand; Richard  Horton; Robert  Mash; Arun  Mitra; Carlos  Monteiro; Elena N.  Naumova; Eric J.  Rubin; Tilman  Ruff; Peush  Sahni; James  Tumwine; Paul  Yonga; Chris  Zielinski

doi:10.17305/bb.2023.9533

Authors

Kamran Abbasi Editor-in-Chief, British Medical Journal, London, UK
Parveen Ali Editor-in-Chief, International Nursing Review; Professor of Nursing at Health Sciences School, University of Sheffield and Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals; Lead, Sheffield University Interpersonal Violence Research Group, Sheffield, UK
Virginia Barbour Editor-in-Chief, Medical Journal of Australia, Brisbane, Australia
Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo Editor-in-Chief, JAMA; Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA
Marcel GM Olde Rikkert Editor-in-Chief, Dutch Journal of Medicine; Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Andy Haines Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
Ira Helfand Past President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Springfield, USA
Richard Horton Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet, London, UK
Robert Mash Editor-in-Chief, African Journal of Primary Health Care and Family Medicine; Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Arun Mitra Past President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War; President, Indian Doctors for Peace and Development, Ludhiana, India
Carlos Monteiro Editor-in-Chief, Revista de Saúde Pública; Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paolo, Brazil
Elena N. Naumova Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Public Health Policy; Professor and Chair, Tufts University, Boston, USA
Eric J. Rubin Editor-in-Chief, New England Journal of Medicine, Cambridge, USA
Tilman Ruff Past President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Peush Sahni Editor-in-Chief, National Medical Journal of India; Professor and Head, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India
James Tumwine Editor-in-Chief, African Health Sciences; Professor and Dean, School of Medicine at Kabale University, Kampala, Uganda
Paul Yonga Editor-in-Chief, East African Medical Journal; CA Medlynks Medical Centre and Laboratory, Nairobi, Kenya
Chris Zielinski Vice President, World Association of Medical Editors (WAME); Visiting Fellow, University of Winchester, Wichester, UK https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6596-698X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17305/bb.2023.9533

Keywords:

Editorial, nuclear war risks, health professionals role in nuclear risk, nuclear risk and health

Abstract

In January, 2023, the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the hands of the Doomsday Clock forward to 90s before midnight, reflecting the growing risk of nuclear war. In August, 2022, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the world is now in “a time of nuclear danger not seen since the height of the Cold War.” The danger has been underlined by growing tensions between many nuclear armed states.