Editor's note

World Antibiotics Awareness Week invites us all to celebrate the contribution these medicines have made to public health. It’s also a reminder of the threat they face from bacterial resistance. Marc Mendelson explains why there’s such urgency around the need to educate people about what’s best practice when it comes to taking antibiotics. And what every individual can do about protecting the future efficacy of the drugs.

We’ve gathered together some essential reading for anyone trying to decide who was telling the truth in the debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn in the run up to the election in the UK.

Ina Skosana

Health + Medicine Editor

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The world needs ‘antibiotic guardians’ to safeguard their future use

Marc Mendelson, University of Cape Town

We are seeing the end of modern medicine slowly being played out due to antibiotic resistance. But we can act together to alter the situation.

Politics + Society

Old religious tensions resurge in Bolivia after ouster of longtime indigenous leader

Matthew Peter Casey, Arizona State University

Indigenous people, symbols and religious practices filled the halls of power in Bolivia during Evo Morales' 14-year tenure. Now a new conservative Christian leader seems to be erasing that legacy.

Why Hindu nationalists are cheering moves to build a temple, challenging a secular tradition

Sumit Ganguly, Indiana University

India's Supreme Court has allowed a Hindu temple to be built on the disputed site of a 16th-century mosque. The verdict could have long-term ramifications for India's tradition of religious diversity.

Health + Medicine

Stop medicalising loneliness – history reveals it’s society that needs mending

Fay Bound Alberti, University of York

More attention needs to be paid to loneliness’s complex history.

The anti-inflammatory properties of Madagascar’s Tsontso plant

Tianarilalaina Tantely, Andriamampianina, Université d’Antananarivo

Unlike a large number of anti-inflammatory drugs on the market, "tsontso" doesn't cause stomach ulcers

En français

Les Français face à leurs territoires : résultats d’une enquête inédite

Claude Grasland, Université Paris Diderot; Clarisse Didelon Loiseau, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

Premiers résultats d’une enquête inédite concernant l’attitude des Français face aux territoires dans lesquels s’élaborent les politiques publiques.

Féminicides et violences conjugales : une dérogation au secret médical s’impose

Emmanuel Hirsch, Université Paris-Saclay

Que doit faire un soignant qui soupçonne des violences conjugales, voire craint un féminicide ? Peut-il faire fi du secret médical, au risque de rompre la confiance et d’engager sa responsabilité ?