Australian Associated Press: Calls for security, police, health to link
“Police and security services should strive to work in conjunction with health authorities, rather than being seen as intruders, Australian researchers say. An article published in The Lancet on Friday warns global decision-makers risk lives and financial cost if segregation of the sectors continues. Co-author University of Melbourne’s Nicholas Thomson says through a combined effort millions of people’s lives could be saved…” (McGinn, 1/17).

ScienceInsider: Q&A: The odd — and sometimes tense — intersection of cops, soldiers, and public health
“…Thomson … realized that the intersection of public health and security, which involves both the police and the military, reached far beyond HIV/AIDS, and today affects responses to polio, Ebola, Zika, malaria, mental health, bioterrorism, and disasters. That rarely acknowledged intersection is the topic of a special series of three papers that Thomson coordinated and were published online [Thursday] in The Lancet. ScienceInsider spoke with Thomson about the topic and the changes he’s advocating…” (Cohen, 1/17).

The Telegraph: Health and military personnel must work together in conflict and disasters
“The military has a key role to play in helping to avert outbreaks of infectious diseases during conflicts and humanitarian disasters, the former surgeon general of the U.K. army has said. Lieutenant-General Louis Lillywhite has called for military and humanitarian agencies to work more closely in advance of emergencies such as disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and conflict. … Lt. Gen. Lillywhite, a senior fellow at the Centre for Global Health Security at the think tank Chatham House, is one of the authors of two papers in The Lancet medical journal urging greater cooperation between the police, military, and health services…” (Gulland, 1/17).

Additional coverage is available from El País.