In this issue, both the special section on the politics of infectious disease, and the other contributions, highlight and return to concerns that have long plagued humanitarianism. For example, all the contributions give insight into the need to understand the political context in which humanitarianism operates, whether to deliver medical care, to prevent aid being co-opted, or to ensure the dignity of aid recipients used by agencies in their fundraising and communications.
This issue is an important and timely reminder that politics matter in any humanitarian response, not least when dealing with infectious disease.
