Ending nuclear weapons, before they end us

Kamran Abbasi¹, Parveen Ali², Virginia Barbour³, Marion Birch⁴, Inga Blum⁵, Peter Doherty⁶, Andy Haines⁷, Ira Helfand⁸, Richard Horton⁹, Kati Juva¹⁰, Jose F Lapena Jr¹¹, Robert Mash¹², Olga Mironova¹³, Arun Mitra¹⁴, Carlos Monteiro¹⁵, Elena N Naumova¹⁶, David Onazi¹⁷, Tilman Ruff¹⁸, Peush Sahni¹⁹, James Tumwine²⁰, Carlos Umaña²¹, Paul Yonga²², Chris Zielinski²³

Affiliations

¹ Editor-in-Chief, British Medical Journal, London, UK.
² Editor-in-Chief, International Nursing Review; Professor of Nursing at Health Sciences School, University of Sheffield and Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals; Lead, Sheffield University Interpersonal Violence Research Group, Sheffield, UK.
³ Editor-in-Chief, Medical Journal of Australia, Brisbane, Australia.
⁴ Editor-in-Chief, Medact & University College London.
⁵ At large Board Member, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.
⁶ Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Melbourne at the Doherty Institute, Australia.
⁷ Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
⁸ Past President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Springfield, USA.
⁹ Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet, London, UK.
¹⁰ Neurologyist and University lecturer in Helsinki University Central Hospital, Division of Psychiatry, Helsinki, Finland.
¹¹ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Ward 10, Philippine General Hospital, Ermita, Manila, Philippines.
¹² Editor-in-Chief, African Journal of Primary Health Care and Family Medicine; Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
¹³ Cardiologist, Russian Cardiology Research and Production Complex; Professor of the chair of Faculty Therapy in Sechenov University, Russia.
¹⁴ Past President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War; President, Indian Doctors for Peace and Development, Ludhiana, India.
¹⁵ Editor-in-Chief, Revista de Saúde Pública; Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paolo, Brazil.
¹⁶ Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Public Health Policy; Professor and Chair, Tufts University, Boston, USA.
¹⁷ Senior Emergency Doctor working with a private hospital; International Councilor, Society of Nigerian Doctors for the Welfare of Mankind, Abuja, Nigeria.
¹⁸ Past President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
¹⁹ Editor-in-Chief, National Medical Journal of India; Professor and Head, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.
²⁰ Editor-in-Chief, African Health Sciences; Professor and Dean, School of Medicine at Kabale University, Kampala, Uganda.
²¹ General practitioner; Epidemiological Surveillance Officer, Costa Rican Ministry of Health, Costa Rica.
²² Editor-in-Chief, East African Medical Journal; CA Medlynks Medical Centre and Laboratory, Nairobi, Kenya.
²³ Vice President, World Association of Medical Editors (WAME); Visiting Fellow, University of Winchester, Wichester, UK.

PMID: 40459375
PMCID: PMC12452134
DOI: 10.17305/bb.2025.12736

Editorial

Ending nuclear weapons, before they end us

Kamran Abbasi et al. Biomol Biomed. 2025.

. 2025 Jun 3;25(11):2404-2406.

doi: 10.17305/bb.2025.12736.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Editor-in-Chief, British Medical Journal, London, UK.
² Editor-in-Chief, International Nursing Review; Professor of Nursing at Health Sciences School, University of Sheffield and Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals; Lead, Sheffield University Interpersonal Violence Research Group, Sheffield, UK.
³ Editor-in-Chief, Medical Journal of Australia, Brisbane, Australia.
⁴ Editor-in-Chief, Medact & University College London.
⁵ At large Board Member, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.
⁶ Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Melbourne at the Doherty Institute, Australia.
⁷ Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
⁸ Past President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Springfield, USA.
⁹ Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet, London, UK.
¹⁰ Neurologyist and University lecturer in Helsinki University Central Hospital, Division of Psychiatry, Helsinki, Finland.
¹¹ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Ward 10, Philippine General Hospital, Ermita, Manila, Philippines.
¹² Editor-in-Chief, African Journal of Primary Health Care and Family Medicine; Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
¹³ Cardiologist, Russian Cardiology Research and Production Complex; Professor of the chair of Faculty Therapy in Sechenov University, Russia.
¹⁴ Past President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War; President, Indian Doctors for Peace and Development, Ludhiana, India.
¹⁵ Editor-in-Chief, Revista de Saúde Pública; Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paolo, Brazil.
¹⁶ Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Public Health Policy; Professor and Chair, Tufts University, Boston, USA.
¹⁷ Senior Emergency Doctor working with a private hospital; International Councilor, Society of Nigerian Doctors for the Welfare of Mankind, Abuja, Nigeria.
¹⁸ Past President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
¹⁹ Editor-in-Chief, National Medical Journal of India; Professor and Head, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.
²⁰ Editor-in-Chief, African Health Sciences; Professor and Dean, School of Medicine at Kabale University, Kampala, Uganda.
²¹ General practitioner; Epidemiological Surveillance Officer, Costa Rican Ministry of Health, Costa Rica.
²² Editor-in-Chief, East African Medical Journal; CA Medlynks Medical Centre and Laboratory, Nairobi, Kenya.
²³ Vice President, World Association of Medical Editors (WAME); Visiting Fellow, University of Winchester, Wichester, UK.

PMID: 40459375
PMCID: PMC12452134
DOI: 10.17305/bb.2025.12736

Abstract

This May, the World Health Assembly (WHA) will vote on re-establishing a mandate for the World Health Organization (WHO) to address the health consequences of nuclear weapons and war (1). Health professionals and their associations should urge their governments to support such a mandate and support the new UN comprehensive study on the effects of nuclear war. Read more in the PDF https://www.bjbms.org/ojs/index.php/bjbms/article/view/12736/3911.

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References

1. Effects of nuclear weapons and war on health and health services. World Health Organization. EB156/CONF./10, Executive Board [Internet]. 2025 Feb 5 Available from: https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB156/B156_CONF10-en.pdf (accessed 4/3/2025).
1. Tomonaga M. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: a summary of the human consequences, 1945-2018, and lessons for Homo sapiens to end the nuclear weapon age. J Peace Nucl Disarm. 2019;2(2):491–517. https://doi.org/10.1080/25751654.2019.1681226.
1. The nobel peace prize. [Internet]. 2024. NobelPrize.org. Available from: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2024/summary/ (accessed 25/2/2025).
1. Nobel Prize Outreach 2025. Award ceremony speech. NobelPrize.org [Internet]. 2025 Feb 25 Available from: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2024/ceremony-speech/ (accessed 25/2/2025).
1. Tannenwald N. The nuclear taboo: the United States and the normative basis of nuclear non-use. Int Organ. 1999;53(3):433–68. https://doi.org/10.1162/002081899550959. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2601286 (accessed 3/3/2025).

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Ending nuclear weapons, before they end us

Affiliations

Ending nuclear weapons, before they end us

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