Journal of Humanitarian Medicine - vol. VIII - n. 3 - July/September 2008

PUBLIC HEALTH SIGNIFICANCE OF URBAN PESTS
WHO Press
by Xavier Bonnefoy, Helge Kampen and Kevin Sweeney
2008, XIV + 569 pages (English)
Swiss fr/US$ 120.00
Developing countries: Swiss fr/US$ 84.00
ISBN 978 92 890 7188 8

Many urban planners and managers erroneously assume that pest-borne diseases are relics of the past. Since the mid-20th century, however, major changes in ecology, climate and human behaviour have favoured the proliferation of urban pests. Alarmingly, the dramatic rise in urban sprawl has led to city suburbs becoming the natural habitat of ticks, rodents and other pests.
These changes make timely a new analysis of the effects of present-day urban pests on health. To this end, WHO invited international experts in various pest-related fields to identify the public health risk posed by various pests and to suggest appropriate prevention and control measures.
This book presents their conclusions and formulates policy options for all levels of decision-making on the future management of pests and pest-related diseases.

REFUGEES AND FORCED DISPLACEMENT
International Security, Human Vulnerability, and the State
Edited by Edward Newman and Joanne van Selm J.
2003, 402 pages, US$ 38.00
UN University Tokyo
ISBN 92 808 1086 3

The orthodox definition of international security puts human displacement and refugees at the periphery. In contrast, Refugees and Forced Displacement demonstrates that human displacement can be both a cause and a consequence of conflict within and among societies. As such, the management of refugee movements and the protection of displaced people should be an integral part of security policy and conflict management.
Refugees and forcibly displaced people can also represent the starkest example of a tension between human security where the primary focus is the individual and communities and more conventional models of national security tied to the sovereign state and military defence of territory. This book explores this tension with respect to a number of pressing problems related to refugees and forced displacement. It also demonstrates how many of these challenges have been exacerbated by the war on terror since September 11, 2001.
“For too long the study of refugee issues has been seen as an isolated and often secondary challenge. It should now be analyzed within a much broader context with the needs and rights of people at the centre, rather than on the periphery. This book represents a substantial input into this developing debate.”
From the foreword by Sadako Ogata, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 1991-2000.

HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOCIETIES IN TRANSITION
Causes, Consequences, Responses
Edited by Shale Horowitz and Albrecht Schnabel
466 pages, US$ 45.00
ISBN 92 808 1092 8

Human rights violations are often particularly severe in societies that are undergoing significant political, social, and economic transformations. Improving human rights practices in transition societies should therefore be a central goal for domestic reformers and the international community. This makes sense not only because of the intrinsic value of improved human rights protection, but also because of the indirect effects that such improvements have on democratization, economic development, and conflict resolution.
This book, a joint effort by political science, sociology, law, and regional studies scholars from various parts of the world, explores the contemporary international human rights regime, the factors predominantly responsible for human rights violations in transition societies, long-term consequences of such violations, and political remedies.