In 2015 the WHO said that smoking is on course to kill 100 million Chinese in this century, and it warned that if the Chinese continue the habit, that rate could increase to 3 million per year by 2050 [...] From Mao Zedong to Deng Xiaoping, China has a long history of luminary smokers. However, “ashtray diplomacy” has abated thanks to a policy introduced in 2013.

Global health diplomacy has been gaining importance and its negotiators need to be well-prepared. Some countries have added a full-time health attaché to their diplomatic staff, in recognition of the importance and complexity of global health deliberations. 

Mammograms for women at risk for breast cancer, ultrasounds for expectant mothers and X-rays for injured and sick children. These diagnostic procedures are standard in U.S. hospitals and the basis for much of the medical care people receive, yet half the world's population has no access to such tests.

Pending government approval, a group of 35 doctors and nurses based in Shanghai will soon become the nation’s first medical team to join the World Health Organization’s emergency response system, specializing in disaster relief. [...] Beijing has since maintained its medical assistance to Africa ever since, renewing its commitment last year to send 1,500 medical professionals to the continent.

Distrust in how best to strategize global development aid works in both directions. Engaging faith-based organizations has historically been met with skepticism from secular aid organizations. [...] “Inter-religious organizations and leaders can help donors overcome these challenges by active engagement as cultural brokers and guides.”

While health officials say they are making headway against the Ebola epidemic in neighboring Liberia, the disease is still raging in Sierra Leone, despite the big international push. In November alone, the World Health Organization has reported more than 1,800 new cases in this country, about three times as many as in Liberia, which until recently had been the center of the outbreak.

The first wave of volunteers from Britain’s National Health Service arrived in Sierra Leone Saturday amid what the World Health Organization has described as an “intense” surge in cases.