Cookie Policy
Last reviewed: June 2026. This policy explains the cookies and similar storage technologies used on internationalhealthjournal.com, the editorial home of International Health. We treat data handling with the same rigor we apply to our equipment reviews: minimal collection, clear purpose, and an honest account of what is set and why. We do not sell visitor data, and we do not run behavioural advertising networks on this site.
What cookies are
Cookies are small text files placed on your device by your browser when you visit a website. Related technologies — localStorage, sessionStorage, and pixel-free analytics beacons — perform similar functions. Throughout this policy, "cookies" refers to all of these unless stated otherwise. Cookies let the site recognise your browser across page loads, remember settings you have chosen, and produce aggregate readership statistics. They do not give us access to your device or to files stored on it.
The categories of cookies we use
1. Strictly necessary
These cookies are required for the site to function and cannot be switched off through our preference controls. They support core operations such as page routing, load balancing, content-security enforcement, and remembering that you have already responded to this cookie notice. They store no marketing identifiers. Because they are essential to delivering a service you have requested, they do not require consent under most data-protection frameworks. Typical lifespan: the browser session, or up to twelve months for the consent-record cookie itself.
2. Analytics and performance
These cookies help us understand which guides and reviews are read, how readers move between the four editorial pillars — Cold Chain, Field Diagnostics, Outbreak Response, and WASH Infrastructure — and where pages are slow or broken. The data is aggregated and reported at the level of trends, not individuals: page views, approximate region, referral source, and device type. We use this to decide which field-equipment topics warrant deeper coverage and to fix navigation problems. We do not use analytics data to build advertising profiles. Typical lifespan: up to twenty-four months, after which identifiers expire and are regenerated.
3. Subscription and preference
If you sign up for editorial updates or set reading preferences — for example, dismissing a notice, choosing a content region of interest, or indicating your professional role (logistician, procurement officer, field clinician) — these cookies remember those choices so we do not ask again on every visit. They also carry a submission token that prevents duplicate newsletter sign-ups. They contain only the preferences you have set and an opaque token; they do not store your name, email, or password in plain text. Typical lifespan: up to twelve months, or until you clear them.
4. Third-party and embedded media
Some pages embed media or reference external resources (for example, an archived article reference or an embedded chart). The providers of that embedded content may set their own cookies, governed by their own policies, not this one. We keep third-party embeds to a minimum and prefer self-hosted assets where practical. Where an embed is present, it is clearly part of the page content.
What we deliberately do not do
We do not run cross-site behavioural advertising, we do not place cookies that track you across unrelated websites, and we do not sell or rent cookie-derived data to third parties. The site is in an authority-building, editorial phase; its purpose is reference, not retargeting.
How to control or opt out of cookies
You have several layers of control:
- On-site preferences. Where the site offers a cookie or preference notice, you can accept or decline non-essential categories. Declining analytics or subscription cookies does not break access to any editorial content.
- Browser settings. Every major browser lets you view, block, or delete cookies, and most support a "clear on exit" option. Search your browser's help for "manage cookies" or "clear browsing data." Blocking strictly-necessary cookies may degrade core functionality such as remembering that you dismissed this notice.
- Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control. Where your browser sends a recognised opt-out signal, we honour it for non-essential analytics where technically supported.
- Analytics opt-out. You can opt out of aggregate analytics by declining that category in the preference notice or by enabling tracking protection in your browser; the site continues to work normally without it.
Clearing cookies will reset your stored preferences, so you may be shown the cookie notice again and asked to re-select any reading preferences.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the platform evolves or as data-protection guidance changes. Material changes will be reflected in the "Last reviewed" date above. We encourage readers to revisit this page periodically.
Questions
If you have questions about how cookies or related technologies are used on this site, or you wish to exercise a data-protection right, please use the contact page. We aim to respond to reasonable requests promptly and in plain language.