From the editors

Dear Colleagues,
Preparation of the latest issue of the JHI – “Journal of Health Inequalities” – took place in exceptional times. When the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was discovered in China in early 2020, its health consequences seriously impacted development of the health situation on all seven continents. The whole world was turned upside down, and in early March 2020, we heard the electrifying statement by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “We are deeply concerned about both the alarming speed of the virus’s spread and intensity and likewise the alarmingly low amount of action being taken. We have therefore formulated the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic”. In Poland, the first corona virus infections were recorded on March 4th 2020. After 2 years of the pandemic, which claimed almost 18 million victims worldwide, and about 250,000 in Poland, it is expiring. The described development of the health situation is also reflected in the June issue of our Journal. Half of this issue concerns problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Articles from various countries (Norway, Papua New Guinea, and Poland) analyse public health events and health behaviour patterns resulting from the disease.
Particularly worth recommending is the work of Norwegian researchers (Behavioural precautions to avoid transmission of the COVID-19 virus – low educated groups are not always lagging behind, pp. 16-28), analysing behaviour patterns and attitudes that avoid transmission of the infection. This study is very important, given that it comes from a country that of all the European countries was able to control the pandemic best. In the years 2020-2022, the death rate in Norway was 700/1,000,000 of the population, whereas in Poland the figure was about 6,000/1,000,000. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has expired, its long-term effects will be addressed in our Journal for many years to come.
Also noteworthy are the other articles included in present issue of the Journal analysing developments in the health situation in Poland, especially the threats resulting from alcohol consumption and environmental pollution.
We would also like to draw your attention to the 3rd World Conference on Family Health, which took place on June 18-20th this year in Kalisz. In this issue we present a brief report on the conference (pp. 2-15). The contributions of all the speakers will be presented in the next – December issue of the Journal. We would also like to inform you that during the conference, two colleagues from the Journal’s team who passed away in 2022 received an honourable scientific distinction. By a decision of the Kalisz Academy’s Senate, Professor Peter Boyle and Dr. Mateusz Zatoński were awarded the title of doctor honoris causa (see the above-mentioned report on the conference).
Witold A. Zatoński, Kinga Janik-Koncewicz