Photography is a powerful tool in storytelling and scientific communication. But it can also cause harm when used unethically.
One of our colleagues pointed out that the image was of women in Nigeria going to church. We wondered whether an image of nuns would have been used for a health presentation to a European audience. While the concept of patient confidentiality is closely guarded in many countries, global health seems to slip through the net of regulation or guidelines. For instance, taking candid photos of patients, especially in healthcare settings, is strictly prohibited for research- and healthcare-related activities. Any such practices must be subject to strict ethical review processes and informed consent.
Overall, we found representations of people of colour and women and children from the global south to be more likely to be represented in ways that were inequitable and unethical. The persistent use of intrusive images was of particular concern.In the field of infectious diseases, global health and tropical medicine emerged as disciplines to protect white colonisers from the tropical climates and communicable diseases of the countries being colonised.