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96
Global Health NOW: 9 Million Deaths May Follow Aid Cuts
Plus: Egypt’s Child Health Gains Jeopardized
February 3, 2026
TOP STORIES
Ultra-processed foods are more similar to cigarettes than other foods and should be regulated as such, according to that highlights how both products encourage addiction and are marketed to maximize consumption.
Young people in Ontario are being diagnosed with psychotic disorders more frequently compared to their older peers, according to a from the Canadian province; studies from and have identified a similar trend.
An emerging bat-borne virus, Pteropine orthoreovirus, was discovered in stored throat swabs and viral cultures of five patients thought to be infected with Nipah virus, ; the patients, hospitalized from December 2022 to March 2023, had eaten raw date palm sap, a route of NiV spillover.
Lead exposure among a small group of people in Utah is 100X lower today than in the 1960s, ; researchers relied partly on an unconventional source: hair clippings from 100-year-old scrapbooks. IN FOCUS Pharmacist Joseph Njer Airo inspects boxes of antiretroviral drugs labeled "USAID," at Migosi Sub-county Hospital, in Kisumu, Kenya, on April 24, 2025. Michel Lunanga/Getty Images 9 Million Deaths May Follow Aid Cuts
If current trends in global health funding cuts continue, 9.4 million excess deaths will occur by 2030, published in The Lancet Global Health yesterday. That’s the “mild†scenario.
Egypt made major strides in children’s health outcomes in the last three decades—cutting child mortality from 108 deaths per 1,000 children under 5 in 1988, to 26 deaths per 1,000 in 2024 through policies including:
Considering a career in public health? The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is now offering online, noncredit courses for adult learners who are thinking about a career change, are seeking ways to be more helpful in their local communities, or are simply curious about how public health works. Explore available courses and register today to get a preview into a formal public health education. QUICK HITS Six years after COVID-19’s global alarm: Is the world better prepared for the next pandemic? – Synthetic compound targets malaria at multiple stages to prevent its transmission –
Indonesia Delays Sugary Drink Taxes, Yet Again –
Eye Protection for Tear Gas and other Hazards: A Protest Safety Guide – Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner! 2 or more alcoholic drinks a day linked to 91% higher colorectal cancer risk – Thanks for the tip, Xiadong Cai! Why scientists are so excited about a nasal spray vaccine for bird flu – Issue No. 2857
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Young people in Ontario are being diagnosed with psychotic disorders more frequently compared to their older peers, according to a from the Canadian province; studies from and have identified a similar trend.
An emerging bat-borne virus, Pteropine orthoreovirus, was discovered in stored throat swabs and viral cultures of five patients thought to be infected with Nipah virus, ; the patients, hospitalized from December 2022 to March 2023, had eaten raw date palm sap, a route of NiV spillover.
Lead exposure among a small group of people in Utah is 100X lower today than in the 1960s, ; researchers relied partly on an unconventional source: hair clippings from 100-year-old scrapbooks. IN FOCUS Pharmacist Joseph Njer Airo inspects boxes of antiretroviral drugs labeled "USAID," at Migosi Sub-county Hospital, in Kisumu, Kenya, on April 24, 2025. Michel Lunanga/Getty Images 9 Million Deaths May Follow Aid Cuts
If current trends in global health funding cuts continue, 9.4 million excess deaths will occur by 2030, published in The Lancet Global Health yesterday. That’s the “mild†scenario.
Worst case: A “severe†scenario based on even greater funding cuts would lead to 22.6 million additional deaths by 2030, per Barcelona Institute for Global Health researchers and colleagues.
What’s at stake? HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as hunger, may resurge across the globe, .
- “It is the dismantling of an architecture that took 80 years to build,†said Rockefeller Foundation President and former USAID chief Rajiv Shah. “The scale of the cuts and the scale of the reduction far outstrip the scale of philanthropy to step in and solve the problem.â€&²Ô²ú²õ±è;
Flashback: Development assistance was associated with declines of 70% in HIV/AIDS, 56% for malaria, and 56% for nutritional deficiencies from 2002 to 2021, per the study.
Meanwhile in Geneva: Despite funding cuts, the WHO has 85% of funds needed for its current biennium budget, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the 158th Executive Board meeting, .
Related:
This global health leader praises Trump's aid plan — and gears up to beat malaria –
Days After US Leaves WHO, Israel Warns it Faces Pressure to Withdraw –
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CHILD MORTALITY Egypt’s Child Health Gains JeopardizedEgypt made major strides in children’s health outcomes in the last three decades—cutting child mortality from 108 deaths per 1,000 children under 5 in 1988, to 26 deaths per 1,000 in 2024 through policies including:
- School-based insurance that helped families access medical care and medicine.
- Vaccine coverage, especially for polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, and measles.
- Widespread hepatitis C screening.
But that progress is threatened as economic turmoil and post-pandemic fallout lead to care setbacks, including:
- A physician exodus, with ~18,000 doctors resigning since 2019 due to low pay.
- Hospital bed shortages.
- Pandemic disruptions in maternal care, which led to a spike in C-sections and prematurity.
Considering a career in public health? The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is now offering online, noncredit courses for adult learners who are thinking about a career change, are seeking ways to be more helpful in their local communities, or are simply curious about how public health works. Explore available courses and register today to get a preview into a formal public health education. QUICK HITS Six years after COVID-19’s global alarm: Is the world better prepared for the next pandemic? – Synthetic compound targets malaria at multiple stages to prevent its transmission –
Indonesia Delays Sugary Drink Taxes, Yet Again –
Eye Protection for Tear Gas and other Hazards: A Protest Safety Guide – Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner! 2 or more alcoholic drinks a day linked to 91% higher colorectal cancer risk – Thanks for the tip, Xiadong Cai! Why scientists are so excited about a nasal spray vaccine for bird flu – Issue No. 2857
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Measles Strengthens Its U.S. Foothold; and Pregnant, Breastfeeding, and Detained by ICE
February 2, 2026
TOP STORIES
The 10 Guinea worm infection cases reported last year–â¶Ä“confined to three countries: Chad, Ethiopia, and South Sudan–â¶Ä“mark a historic low and a 33% decline from 2024’s 15 cases.
An autism advisory panel to the U.S. government has been overhauled by HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who replaced members of the panel with outspoken activists who say vaccines are linked to autism.
Pancreatic tumors were eliminated in mice through a triple combination therapy administered , which found that the therapy prevented tumor recurrence and may point the way to new clinical trials for treating pancreatic cancer.
Severe acute pancreatitis has been linked with GLP-1 injections, a UK medication regulator has warned; while the risk is small, the guidance was updated after 1,143 cases of acute and chronic pancreatitis were reported in 2025 among patients taking semaglutide or tirzepatide.
IN FOCUS
Parkside Pediatrics providers Chandler Hash (left) and Nathan Heffington assess a patient with measles symptoms in Spartanburg, SC, on January 30. The Washington Post via Getty
Measles Strengthens Its U.S. Foothold
U.S. doctors are learning to recognize a disease most have encountered only in textbooks as measles strengthens its grip nationwide—including in South Carolina, which is now home to the largest U.S. measles outbreak since the disease was eliminated 25+ years ago, .
South Carolina’s outbreak has surpassed the case count of last year’s outbreak in West Texas and now includes 840+ infections—mostly among unvaccinated children and adults in the Spartanburg area. Hundreds have quarantined for weeks, and ~19 have been hospitalized, .
Wider U.S. risks: The outbreak has already seeded cases in states as close as North Carolina and as far away as Washington—contributing to 500+ U.S. cases in January alone, and imperiling the country’s measles-free status as plunging vaccination rates create pockets where the virus can rapidly spread.
Michelle A. Williams: The EPA just erased a century of public health progress –
EU sets toxin limit amid global infant formula recalls – 2 or more alcoholic drinks a day linked to 91% higher colorectal cancer risk – Thanks for the tip, Xiaodong Cai!
Converging global crises and the re-emergence of neglected tropical diseases: the case of noma – David Wallace-Wells: The Real Reason MAHA Hates Vaccines – Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff! It’s freezing cold and you’ve lost power. Here’s what emergency doctors want you to do – Helping with grandkids may slow cognitive decline – Issue No. 2856
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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- “I don’t see a clear end to this,†said epidemiologist Scott Thorpe, who runs the nonprofit Southern Alliance for Public Health Leadership.
- The facility, which holds about ~1,200 people, including 400+ children, has already been scrutinized for its medical care of detained families, including a child hospitalized after symptoms of appendicitis went undiagnosed,
- She has not had routine prenatal care, despite complications that include heavy bleeding, advocates say. And one of her children was still breastfeeding.
- “The fact that parents aren’t with the kids, that she’s breastfeeding an infant, pregnant and having complications—those kinds of things are not being looked at or considered as relevant—it’s inhumane from my perspective,†said immigration lawyer Kerry Doyle.
Michelle A. Williams: The EPA just erased a century of public health progress –
EU sets toxin limit amid global infant formula recalls – 2 or more alcoholic drinks a day linked to 91% higher colorectal cancer risk – Thanks for the tip, Xiaodong Cai!
Converging global crises and the re-emergence of neglected tropical diseases: the case of noma – David Wallace-Wells: The Real Reason MAHA Hates Vaccines – Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff! It’s freezing cold and you’ve lost power. Here’s what emergency doctors want you to do – Helping with grandkids may slow cognitive decline – Issue No. 2856
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Reproductive Care Collapses in Afghanistan
Plus: Time to Chart a New Path to Africa’s Malaria-Free Future
January 29, 2026
TOP STORIES
Malaria deaths could spike to half a million across Africa over the next 25 years due to climate change, —which finds that shifting and extreme weather patterns could lead to an additional 123 million malaria cases across the continent.
Two animal-borne pathogens pose a growing threat to humans, warns a new ; the viruses, influenza D virus and canine coronavirus, have been “flying under the radar,†but conditions are shifting that have improved their capacity to spread among humans, researchers say.
HPV screening rates among underserved groups in Australia were “substantially boosted†through cervical sample self-collection programs, ; participation was especially high among women who were 10+ years overdue for screening and those living in very remote areas.
Twice-yearly PrEP is slowly becoming more accessible to people in the U.S., as insurers gradually agree to cover the high-cost drug, Yeztugo—an injection of the drug lenacapavir.
IN FOCUS
Farida, 30, a midwife, monitors pregnant women close to delivering, at the provincial hospital's maternity department, on August 27, 2025, in Ghazni, Afghanistan. Elise Blanchard/Getty Images
Reproductive Care Collapses in Afghanistan
Women in Afghanistan increasingly have nowhere to turn to prevent pregnancies or find basic prenatal services, as the country’s reproductive care system deteriorates under the Taliban. Birth control banned: The started in 2023, with contraceptives swiftly disappearing from shelves and doctors forbidden from dispensing them—even for women whose lives could be threatened by pregnancy. Clinic closed: Clinics accused of violating the Taliban’s orders face risk of closure; doctors have also been forced to close their doors after the sudden drop in international aid last year.
As wealthy countries cut assistance and malaria surges in parts of Africa, the continent’s leaders must chart a new path to a malaria-free future, write Corine Karema, Francine Ntoumi, and Garry Aslanyan .
OPPORTUNITY Wellbeing With AI: What's Possible?
Join the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of Mental Health for an urgent discussion on the risks, benefits, and practical applications of AI in mental health care. Laura Reiley, whose , will share her story.
Year after year, epic snowstorms prove that behind every winter weather report is a comedian waiting in the wings. This week was no different across the U.S., with reporters and officials resorting to jokes and light shaming to keep people indoors. A sampling: “OPERATION BREAD AND MILK:†The to chill out on hoarding supplies. “We’ve already seen the frantic look in your eyes,†they wrote. “You are … not launching a three-year mission to Mars.â€&²Ô²ú²õ±è; “Park it on the couch,†Kansas City, Missouri. The local fire department —or people trying to squeeze in a mani-pedi: “ Hush Jessica.â€&²Ô²ú²õ±è; These gems are important reminders of iconic past weather reports: An anchorman’s “.â€&²Ô²ú²õ±è;A reporter delivered breaking updates using a rubber chicken for reference, and struggled to make a snow angel. “Is it great snowman snow? No, man, no.†Cincinnati, Ohio, 2025 “Honestly the hardest I’ve ever worked.†A named Big Papi. Manchester, New Hampshire, 2022 “Oh, boy.†Less forecast, more Shakespearean monologue. A local weatherman warned that our ҠBaltimore, Maryland, 2010 QUICK HITS Radical changes could be coming to ‘psychiatry’s bible’ –
Risk of maternal death during pregnancy greatly underestimated, study finds –
‘Rise in insecurity, hostile environment affecting NTDs programme’ –
Tanzania Among Seven Countries Included in the New Network to Strengthen Collaborative Disease Surveillance –
On Public Health and Human Rights in Minneapolis –
Eating snow cones or snow cream can be a winter delight, if done safely – Issue No. 2855
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Women in Afghanistan increasingly have nowhere to turn to prevent pregnancies or find basic prenatal services, as the country’s reproductive care system deteriorates under the Taliban. Birth control banned: The started in 2023, with contraceptives swiftly disappearing from shelves and doctors forbidden from dispensing them—even for women whose lives could be threatened by pregnancy. Clinic closed: Clinics accused of violating the Taliban’s orders face risk of closure; doctors have also been forced to close their doors after the sudden drop in international aid last year.
- 440+ hospitals and clinics have closed or reduced services in Afghanistan in the last year, .
- Since then, women have been left largely to fend for themselves, with minimal to no prenatal care amid risky pregnancies, complications, and miscarriages.
As wealthy countries cut assistance and malaria surges in parts of Africa, the continent’s leaders must chart a new path to a malaria-free future, write Corine Karema, Francine Ntoumi, and Garry Aslanyan .
- The recent dramatic reduction in aid is disrupting core activities like disease surveillance, supply chains for medicines, and delivery of care.
- All governments where malaria is endemic should have national elimination plans.
- African institutions should set priorities, align partners around national plans, and demand accountability for results.
- The African Union and other organizations can help coordinate efforts at the regional level, keeping malaria high on the political agenda.
- Malaria programs need to engage other programs—like routine immunization, antenatal care, and community outreach—to get the newly approved malaria vaccines RTS,S and R21/ Matrix–M to people.
OPPORTUNITY Wellbeing With AI: What's Possible?
Join the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of Mental Health for an urgent discussion on the risks, benefits, and practical applications of AI in mental health care. Laura Reiley, whose , will share her story.
She will be joined by Thomas Insel, who formerly served as director of the National Institute of Mental Health and more recently led the Mental Health team at Verily (formerly known as Google Life Sciences), and Holly Wilcox, director and founder of the Johns Hopkins Center for Suicide Prevention.
The livestream of the event is open to the public, but registration is required. You will receive a link to the livestream with your registration confirmation.
- Monday, February 2, 2026, 12 p.m.–1:30 p.m. EST
Year after year, epic snowstorms prove that behind every winter weather report is a comedian waiting in the wings. This week was no different across the U.S., with reporters and officials resorting to jokes and light shaming to keep people indoors. A sampling: “OPERATION BREAD AND MILK:†The to chill out on hoarding supplies. “We’ve already seen the frantic look in your eyes,†they wrote. “You are … not launching a three-year mission to Mars.â€&²Ô²ú²õ±è; “Park it on the couch,†Kansas City, Missouri. The local fire department —or people trying to squeeze in a mani-pedi: “ Hush Jessica.â€&²Ô²ú²õ±è; These gems are important reminders of iconic past weather reports: An anchorman’s “.â€&²Ô²ú²õ±è;A reporter delivered breaking updates using a rubber chicken for reference, and struggled to make a snow angel. “Is it great snowman snow? No, man, no.†Cincinnati, Ohio, 2025 “Honestly the hardest I’ve ever worked.†A named Big Papi. Manchester, New Hampshire, 2022 “Oh, boy.†Less forecast, more Shakespearean monologue. A local weatherman warned that our ҠBaltimore, Maryland, 2010 QUICK HITS Radical changes could be coming to ‘psychiatry’s bible’ –
Risk of maternal death during pregnancy greatly underestimated, study finds –
‘Rise in insecurity, hostile environment affecting NTDs programme’ –
Tanzania Among Seven Countries Included in the New Network to Strengthen Collaborative Disease Surveillance –
On Public Health and Human Rights in Minneapolis –
Eating snow cones or snow cream can be a winter delight, if done safely – Issue No. 2855
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Grasping for Hope as Haiti Unravels; and Volunteer Vector Control in Bangladesh
January 28, 2026
TOP STORIES
The U.S. maternal syphilis rate spiked 28% from 2022 to 2024, ; the latest uptick is part of a worsening trend that has involved a 200%+ rise in maternal syphilis over the past decade, which is leading to a surge of congenital syphilis in infants.
The Trump administration has directed Gavi to eliminate vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal as a precondition for continued funding; anti-vaccine groups have claimed that thimerosal causes autism, despite scientific evidence to the contrary.
Humanity’s risk of self-annihilation is closer than ever, say scientists who set the symbolic “Doomsday Clock†to 85 seconds to catastrophe yesterday—noting existential threats including nuclear war, climate change, risks of artificial intelligence, and biological disaster. The WHO has issued global guidance for school lunches—limiting sugars, saturated fats, and sodium, while expanding pulses and whole grains; the agency says it will provide technical assistance to support countries in meeting the goal. IN FOCUS A person walks past cars burned and used as a barricade by armed gangs during clashes last week with Haitian security forces in Port-au-Prince. January 16. Clarens Siffroy/AFP via Getty Grasping for Hope as Haiti Unravels Violence continues to roil Haiti as powerful gangs clash with state police—displacing civilians, gutting health care, and precipitating an ongoing exodus of foreign aid that the country has long depended on.
Continued escalation: 100+ violence victims have been treated in Port-au-Prince in just two weeks, —one of the few groups still providing medical care amid attacks from gangs, which control ~90% of the capital and have displaced more than 1.4 million people.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Humanity’s risk of self-annihilation is closer than ever, say scientists who set the symbolic “Doomsday Clock†to 85 seconds to catastrophe yesterday—noting existential threats including nuclear war, climate change, risks of artificial intelligence, and biological disaster. The WHO has issued global guidance for school lunches—limiting sugars, saturated fats, and sodium, while expanding pulses and whole grains; the agency says it will provide technical assistance to support countries in meeting the goal. IN FOCUS A person walks past cars burned and used as a barricade by armed gangs during clashes last week with Haitian security forces in Port-au-Prince. January 16. Clarens Siffroy/AFP via Getty Grasping for Hope as Haiti Unravels Violence continues to roil Haiti as powerful gangs clash with state police—displacing civilians, gutting health care, and precipitating an ongoing exodus of foreign aid that the country has long depended on.
Continued escalation: 100+ violence victims have been treated in Port-au-Prince in just two weeks, —one of the few groups still providing medical care amid attacks from gangs, which control ~90% of the capital and have displaced more than 1.4 million people.
- In 2025, 686 patients with violence-related injuries were admitted to MSF’s Tabarre Hospital. 47 were children under 14.
- The aid exodus has also revealed the scale of national institutions’ dependence on foreign aid—something local leaders say must change, .
- The trash, combined with rainier, hotter weather, creates ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes.
- “We are trying to change people’s mindset,†said university student Umme Kulsum Siddiki Brishti.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Measles Marches Across Europe; Tributes to William Foege; and Classifying Postpartum Psychosis
January 27, 2026
TOP STORIES
Meanwhile in the U.S.: The 2,400+ cases in the last year are the “cost of doing business†in a free country that has lots of global travelers, CDC principal deputy director Ralph Abraham told reporters last week, .
“ …if I remain in India, too much attention would be directed toward the external support that India received, and it is very important that recognition be given to the accomplishments of the hundreds of thousands of Indians who really did the work.†‪–â¶Ä“Foege on his decision to leave India after the country was certified to be free of smallpox, recounted in Madhukar Pai’s tribute: William H. Foege, Key Figure in the Eradication of Smallpox, Dies at 89 –
“If you look at the simple metric of who has saved the most lives, he is right up there with the pantheon. Smallpox eradication has prevented hundreds of millions of deaths.†–â¶Ä“Tom Frieden, quoted in Leader in smallpox eradication, Dr. William Foege, dies at 89 – MATERNAL HEALTH Classifying Postpartum Psychosis As awareness of postpartum psychosis grows, U.S. psychiatrists are debating where the condition might fit into the DSM—psychiatry’s core diagnostic manual. Background: Postpartum psychosis is a psychiatric disorder occurring in 1–2 out of 1,000 births. Weeks after delivery, symptoms of the disorder in new mothers—including those with no history of mental illness—can include paranoia or delusions. In the worst cases, it can lead to suicide or infanticide. The debate: Advocates say a stand-alone DSM category would improve doctor training, research, and courts’ handling of such cases.
Explore public health at your own pace with the first four courses in a series of 12 non-credit learning experiences from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Designed for those interested in public health careers, these flexible courses build foundational knowledge in key areas and deepen professional skillsets.
QUICK HITS Ethiopia Declares End of Marburg Outbreak That Killed Nine – Tobacco companies win — again — in South Korean lawsuit over costs to treat sick smokers – Russia Cuts Its Disability Count As War Against Ukraine Wounds Hundreds of Thousands – Rejecting Decades of Science, Vaccine Panel Chair Says Polio and Other Shots Should Be Optional – CDC Restores $5 Billion in Public Health Grants After 24-Hour Pause –
Has the golden age of global health ended? The health takeaways from Davos 2026 – Ancient DNA Reveals Twisted Roots of Syphilis Go Back 5,500 Years – Issue No. 2853
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Mozambique’s worst floods in decades are sparking fears of cholera and other threats; several people have been killed by crocodiles roaming waterlogged neighborhoods and 300,000+ have fled their homes.
Airports in Thailand, Nepal, Taiwan and other Asian countries are stepping up health-screening measures after the confirmation of five Nipah virus cases in India’s West Bengal state, where ~100 people are quarantined following detection of the virus in a hospital last week.
The prevalence of two proteins connected to inflammation and stress supports the “weathering hypothesis†that systemic racism accounts for much of the difference between the average life expectancy of Black and white adults, per a new study published in .
Australia is enduring a brutal heat wave as temperatures near 50C (122F) in parts of the country today; no deaths have been reported, though three wildfires are burning in Victoria.
- The WHO called for increased vaccination rates in the U.K., Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, the countries removed from the list of measles-free countries, .
- European countries reported 127,000+ measles cases last year—the highest number since 1997, .
Meanwhile in the U.S.: The 2,400+ cases in the last year are the “cost of doing business†in a free country that has lots of global travelers, CDC principal deputy director Ralph Abraham told reporters last week, .
- “We have these communities that choose to be unvaccinated,†Abraham said. “That’s their personal freedom.â€&²Ô²ú²õ±è;
- The measles-free status of the U.S. depends on proof that the virus “has not circulated continuously in the nation for a year, between Jan. 20, 2025, and Jan. 20, 2026,†Undark reports. Scientists are reviewing South Carolina, Utah, Arizona, and Texas outbreaks to determine if they are linked.
- The research will be completed in approximately two months.
“ …if I remain in India, too much attention would be directed toward the external support that India received, and it is very important that recognition be given to the accomplishments of the hundreds of thousands of Indians who really did the work.†‪–â¶Ä“Foege on his decision to leave India after the country was certified to be free of smallpox, recounted in Madhukar Pai’s tribute: William H. Foege, Key Figure in the Eradication of Smallpox, Dies at 89 –
“If you look at the simple metric of who has saved the most lives, he is right up there with the pantheon. Smallpox eradication has prevented hundreds of millions of deaths.†–â¶Ä“Tom Frieden, quoted in Leader in smallpox eradication, Dr. William Foege, dies at 89 – MATERNAL HEALTH Classifying Postpartum Psychosis As awareness of postpartum psychosis grows, U.S. psychiatrists are debating where the condition might fit into the DSM—psychiatry’s core diagnostic manual. Background: Postpartum psychosis is a psychiatric disorder occurring in 1–2 out of 1,000 births. Weeks after delivery, symptoms of the disorder in new mothers—including those with no history of mental illness—can include paranoia or delusions. In the worst cases, it can lead to suicide or infanticide. The debate: Advocates say a stand-alone DSM category would improve doctor training, research, and courts’ handling of such cases.
- But experts can’t agree where in the manual the condition fits—bipolar, depressive, or psychotic disorder—and they fear a flawed definition could lead to misguided treatment or coercive interventions.
Explore public health at your own pace with the first four courses in a series of 12 non-credit learning experiences from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Designed for those interested in public health careers, these flexible courses build foundational knowledge in key areas and deepen professional skillsets.
QUICK HITS Ethiopia Declares End of Marburg Outbreak That Killed Nine – Tobacco companies win — again — in South Korean lawsuit over costs to treat sick smokers – Russia Cuts Its Disability Count As War Against Ukraine Wounds Hundreds of Thousands – Rejecting Decades of Science, Vaccine Panel Chair Says Polio and Other Shots Should Be Optional – CDC Restores $5 Billion in Public Health Grants After 24-Hour Pause –
Has the golden age of global health ended? The health takeaways from Davos 2026 – Ancient DNA Reveals Twisted Roots of Syphilis Go Back 5,500 Years – Issue No. 2853
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Global Health sNOW Day
January 26, 2026
Edmund Lowe Photography / Getty Creative
Global Health SNOW Day
GHN is off today due to inclement weather and reduced operations at Johns Hopkins University. We plan to be back tomorrow with all the latest global health news! —Dayna Issue No. 2852
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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GHN is off today due to inclement weather and reduced operations at Johns Hopkins University. We plan to be back tomorrow with all the latest global health news! —Dayna Issue No. 2852
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The U.S. Has Left the WHO. What Now?
January 22, 2026
TOP STORIES
An ‘era of global water bankruptcy’ is now in effect, with irreversible consequences that mean “many regions are living beyond their hydrological means,†that calls for a shift from emergency thinking to long-term response and restructuring.
Cardiovascular disease fatalities dropped in the U.S. by 2.7% between 2022 and 2023, —but heart disease and stroke are still the nation’s leading cause of death, accounting for more than a quarter of all deaths in the U.S. in 2023.
An infant formula recall affecting 18 countries has been issued by French dairy company Lactalis after some batches were flagged for a dangerous toxin; the recall marks the third major infant formula recall this year following other contamination incidents from Nestlé and Danone.
Maternal genetic factors may shed new light on common factors behind pregnancy loss, , which analyzed ~140,000 IVF embryos and found links between specific variations in a mother's DNA and their risk of miscarriage. IN FOCUS A sign with the WHO logo outside their headquarters in Geneva, on August 17, 2020. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images The U.S. Has Left the WHO
The U.S. formally leaves the WHO today, completing a yearlong withdrawal process begun on President Trump’s first day in office in 2025, and leaving a budgetary crisis and ruptured global health security in its wake, .
Global fallout: The loss of the U.S.—once the WHO’s largest donor—has led the agency to make deep budget cuts and plan layoffs for nearly a quarter of its staff.
A path to return?: While global health leaders say they do not anticipate a U.S. return to the organization in the near future, that some WHO reforms, including results-based accountability, could eventually lure the U.S. back.
Related: Maga-backed researchers call for WHO to be ‘reformed or replaced’ on eve of US withdrawal – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ZOONOTIC DISEASES Pangolins and Pandemic Risk
Pangolins are one of the most trafficked animals in the world, as demand for their scales and meat remains high in places like Laos—a major hub of illegal wildlife trade. Rampant trafficking threatens the mammal with extinction and poses a global health security threat, say epidemiologists.
Flinging the windows open for some fresh air: It’s an invigorating feeling now and again.
Dozens Are Sickened by a Rare Fungal Infection in Tennessee –
Study highlights impact of gender dynamics on antibiotic use –
Vitamin D can help protect you against the flu, study suggests –
ActionAid to rethink child sponsorship as part of plan to ‘decolonise’ its work –
Can your health records be sold for profit? A lawsuit says it’s happening. –
Trees — not grass and other greenery — associated with lower heart disease risk in cities –
Global buzzwords that will be buzzing in your ear in 2026 – Issue No. 2851
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Cardiovascular disease fatalities dropped in the U.S. by 2.7% between 2022 and 2023, —but heart disease and stroke are still the nation’s leading cause of death, accounting for more than a quarter of all deaths in the U.S. in 2023.
An infant formula recall affecting 18 countries has been issued by French dairy company Lactalis after some batches were flagged for a dangerous toxin; the recall marks the third major infant formula recall this year following other contamination incidents from Nestlé and Danone.
Maternal genetic factors may shed new light on common factors behind pregnancy loss, , which analyzed ~140,000 IVF embryos and found links between specific variations in a mother's DNA and their risk of miscarriage. IN FOCUS A sign with the WHO logo outside their headquarters in Geneva, on August 17, 2020. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images The U.S. Has Left the WHO
The U.S. formally leaves the WHO today, completing a yearlong withdrawal process begun on President Trump’s first day in office in 2025, and leaving a budgetary crisis and ruptured global health security in its wake, .
Global fallout: The loss of the U.S.—once the WHO’s largest donor—has led the agency to make deep budget cuts and plan layoffs for nearly a quarter of its staff.
- These losses, combined with the loss of U.S. cooperation, leaves the world less equipped to handle worldwide disease detection, response coordination, and intelligence sharing—crucial collaborations during recent global health crises like COVID-19 and the Ebola outbreak.
A path to return?: While global health leaders say they do not anticipate a U.S. return to the organization in the near future, that some WHO reforms, including results-based accountability, could eventually lure the U.S. back.
Related: Maga-backed researchers call for WHO to be ‘reformed or replaced’ on eve of US withdrawal – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ZOONOTIC DISEASES Pangolins and Pandemic Risk
Pangolins are one of the most trafficked animals in the world, as demand for their scales and meat remains high in places like Laos—a major hub of illegal wildlife trade. Rampant trafficking threatens the mammal with extinction and poses a global health security threat, say epidemiologists.
- Pangolins' unique immune tolerance allows them to host pathogens undetected, and the animals’ long captivity with other species and humans in unsanitary spaces creates a risk for spillover.
Flinging the windows open for some fresh air: It’s an invigorating feeling now and again.
In Germany, it’s much more than that. The practice of multiple daily airings—no matter the weather—is ingrained from childhood and for tenants, often a contractual obligation.
³¢Ã¼´Ú³Ù±ð²Ô-±ô¾±³Ù±ð: But now, much to some Germans’ chagrin, American influencers have co-opted lüften under a new name: “house burping,†presenting it . A refreshing home hack, with no threat of eviction for noncompliance—or warning that over-commitment may ruin your relationship.
Breeze-crossed lovers: For one German-American couple, the partner doing the heavy lüften-ing invited in cold air, chilly feelings, and one time, three bats, . His practice, which exceeded the lüften minimums required by his lease, left his American girlfriend cold and “confused,†and their love went out the open window like stale air caught in a crossbreeze. “Lüften is largely responsible for the fact that they’re no longer together.â€&²Ô²ú²õ±è;
QUICK HITS The US is on the verge of losing its measles elimination status. Here’s why that matters –Dozens Are Sickened by a Rare Fungal Infection in Tennessee –
Study highlights impact of gender dynamics on antibiotic use –
Vitamin D can help protect you against the flu, study suggests –
ActionAid to rethink child sponsorship as part of plan to ‘decolonise’ its work –
Can your health records be sold for profit? A lawsuit says it’s happening. –
Trees — not grass and other greenery — associated with lower heart disease risk in cities –
Global buzzwords that will be buzzing in your ear in 2026 – Issue No. 2851
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Mpox’s Silent Spread; and U.K. Seeks a Road Safety Overhaul
January 21, 2026
TOP STORIES
U.S. lawmakers are pushing back against NIH cuts proposed by the Trump administration with a new Congressional bill that rejects a proposed 40% cut to the NIH budget and instead includes a $415 million increase and language that limits White House influence over grant funding.
The Africa CDC confirmed the cancelation yesterday of a U.S.-funded study on hepatitis B vaccines involving newborns in Guinea-Bissau, citing ethical concerns over the proposed research design—particularly the possibility of delaying access to a lifesaving vaccine for some newborn participants.
Prenatal exposure to wildfire smoke may be associated with an increased likelihood of autism diagnosis by age 5, ; the strongest association was found among those exposed to more than 10 days of wildfire smoke in the third trimester.
A coalition of U.S. health groups has expanded a lawsuit against HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., challenging his agency’s “egregious, reckless, and dangerous†changes to the childhood vaccine schedule; the plaintiffs—which include the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, and the American Public Health Association—had already sued over the agency’s changes to COVID-19 vaccine policy. IN FOCUS Social mobilizers wait for community members ahead of the launch of an mpox vaccination campaign at the General Hospital in Goma, DRC. October 5, 2024. Aubin Mukoni/AFP via Getty Mpox’s Silent Spread
Mpox may be spreading asymptomatically in parts of Africa, new research shows—a revelation that could have significant implications for understanding and preventing transmission, .
Researchers analyzed new and historic blood samples from 176 Nigerian adults with no known mpox exposure and discovered something unexpected: ~3% had developed new mpox antibodies over nine months—indicating recent infection, , which was conducted by scientists at the University of Cambridge and the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria.
U.K. officials have unveiled the country’s first comprehensive road safety strategy in over a decade, aiming to cut road deaths and serious injuries by 65% by 2035.
Background: Advocates and officials say the reforms come after years of inaction, as the country falls further behind European road standards.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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The Africa CDC confirmed the cancelation yesterday of a U.S.-funded study on hepatitis B vaccines involving newborns in Guinea-Bissau, citing ethical concerns over the proposed research design—particularly the possibility of delaying access to a lifesaving vaccine for some newborn participants.
Prenatal exposure to wildfire smoke may be associated with an increased likelihood of autism diagnosis by age 5, ; the strongest association was found among those exposed to more than 10 days of wildfire smoke in the third trimester.
A coalition of U.S. health groups has expanded a lawsuit against HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., challenging his agency’s “egregious, reckless, and dangerous†changes to the childhood vaccine schedule; the plaintiffs—which include the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, and the American Public Health Association—had already sued over the agency’s changes to COVID-19 vaccine policy. IN FOCUS Social mobilizers wait for community members ahead of the launch of an mpox vaccination campaign at the General Hospital in Goma, DRC. October 5, 2024. Aubin Mukoni/AFP via Getty Mpox’s Silent Spread
Mpox may be spreading asymptomatically in parts of Africa, new research shows—a revelation that could have significant implications for understanding and preventing transmission, .
Researchers analyzed new and historic blood samples from 176 Nigerian adults with no known mpox exposure and discovered something unexpected: ~3% had developed new mpox antibodies over nine months—indicating recent infection, , which was conducted by scientists at the University of Cambridge and the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria.
- The research points not to “explosive spreadâ€â€”but rather to persistent transmission via “sporadic chains of infection†shaped and potentially contained by past smallpox vaccination, .
- The study also found no major differences in immune responses between health care workers and the general population—meaning exposure isn’t limited to medical settings, .
- “If we only look for obvious disease, we will miss part of the picture,†said Alash'le Abimiku, executive director of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria.
U.K. officials have unveiled the country’s first comprehensive road safety strategy in over a decade, aiming to cut road deaths and serious injuries by 65% by 2035.
Background: Advocates and officials say the reforms come after years of inaction, as the country falls further behind European road standards.
- “For too long, progress on road safety has stalled. This strategy marks a turning point,†said U.K. transport secretary Heidi Alexander.
- Stricter alcohol limits and higher penalties for violators.
- Mandatory eye tests for drivers ages 70+.
- Longer learning periods for new drivers.
- Automatic emergency braking in all new cars.
- Increased penalties for uninsured motorists and those not wearing seatbelts.
- Improved crash testing.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Bacterial Detective Battling Superbugs in Nigeria; and Historic Clues for a Modern Medical Mystery
January 20, 2026
TOP STORIES
Unusually heavy rains across Mozambique in the last few weeks have triggered a “rapidly escalating emergency†affecting 513,000+ people—over half of them children, who are at an especially high risk in disease outbreaks, given compromised access to safe water and preexisting high malnutrition rates.
Chinese authorities are blocking online searches about the country's plunging births after official figures released yesterday showed the country's birth rate dipped to 5.63 per 1,000 last year—the lowest since the 1949 founding of the People's Republic. A personalized experimental drug based on mRNA technology halved melanoma patients’ risk of recurrence or death after five years compared with patients treated only with immunotherapy, per Moderna.
A new meta-analysis and systematic review of 43 studies concluded that taking Tylenol (also known as paracetamol) during pregnancy does not cause autism in children, ; the review follows President Trump’s warning against taking the medication during pregnancy. IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE Iruka Okeke and her small team run a national surveillance project tracking antimicrobial resistance in Nigeria. Andrew Esiebo The Bacterial Detective Battling Superbugs in Nigeria IBADAN, Nigeria—Inside a crowded University of Ibadan lab, Iruka Okeke and her dozen students are running a national surveillance project for one of Nigeria's—and Africa's—most understudied problems: antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
980,000
—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”—
The number of midwives needed across 181 countries—90% of them LMICs; improved access could potentially save 4.3m lives a year by 2035, by the International Confederation of Midwives. —
CANCER Historic Clues for a Modern Medical Mystery U.K. scientists seeking to understand why colorectal cancer continues to rise sharply among young people are looking to hospital archives for leads. The clues: A vast collection of century-old cancer samples stored at St. Mark’s Hospital in London.
What science says about how weight-loss drugs affect cancer risk –
Sugar Land resident advances global cancer research while still an undergrad – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Napkins for bandages: How 11 doctors survived the siege of El Fasher – The near death — and last-minute reprieve — of a trial for an HIV vaccine – The Obituary Of The US Childhood Immunization Schedule – Drug use disorders a growing public health concern in the Americas, PAHO study finds – Public Views About Opioid Overdose and People With Opioid Use Disorder – More than half of mpox patients in 2022 outbreak experienced lasting physical effects: Study – Alzheimer's finger-prick test could help diagnosis – Issue No. 2849
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Chinese authorities are blocking online searches about the country's plunging births after official figures released yesterday showed the country's birth rate dipped to 5.63 per 1,000 last year—the lowest since the 1949 founding of the People's Republic. A personalized experimental drug based on mRNA technology halved melanoma patients’ risk of recurrence or death after five years compared with patients treated only with immunotherapy, per Moderna.
A new meta-analysis and systematic review of 43 studies concluded that taking Tylenol (also known as paracetamol) during pregnancy does not cause autism in children, ; the review follows President Trump’s warning against taking the medication during pregnancy. IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE Iruka Okeke and her small team run a national surveillance project tracking antimicrobial resistance in Nigeria. Andrew Esiebo The Bacterial Detective Battling Superbugs in Nigeria IBADAN, Nigeria—Inside a crowded University of Ibadan lab, Iruka Okeke and her dozen students are running a national surveillance project for one of Nigeria's—and Africa's—most understudied problems: antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
- More than 1 million deaths in the were associated with bacterial AMR.
- “AMR deaths threaten Africa’s future,†says Okeke.
- She and her team use whole genome sequencing and other tools to understand how microbes inherit and spread resistant traits.
- They’ve already investigated more than a dozen suspected outbreaks.
- The lab—Nigeria’s first reference lab for AMR surveillance—obtains samples from three sentinel hospitals in Ibadan and sequences pathogenic bacteria, sharing data with the Nigeria CDC.
- “There are days I wake up, and I think, ‘Oh, gosh, there’s too many problems to solve—like how are you going to keep the electricity uninterrupted?’†Okeke says. “And then, there are days I wake up and think, ‘It’s amazing we’re doing this stuff that nobody else is doing.’â€
980,000
—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”—
The number of midwives needed across 181 countries—90% of them LMICs; improved access could potentially save 4.3m lives a year by 2035, by the International Confederation of Midwives. —
CANCER Historic Clues for a Modern Medical Mystery U.K. scientists seeking to understand why colorectal cancer continues to rise sharply among young people are looking to hospital archives for leads. The clues: A vast collection of century-old cancer samples stored at St. Mark’s Hospital in London.
- The samples, which have been preserved in wax, are being sent to the Institute of Cancer Research for molecular tests that can identify DNA damage “signatures,†revealing possible triggers.
What science says about how weight-loss drugs affect cancer risk –
Sugar Land resident advances global cancer research while still an undergrad – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Napkins for bandages: How 11 doctors survived the siege of El Fasher – The near death — and last-minute reprieve — of a trial for an HIV vaccine – The Obituary Of The US Childhood Immunization Schedule – Drug use disorders a growing public health concern in the Americas, PAHO study finds – Public Views About Opioid Overdose and People With Opioid Use Disorder – More than half of mpox patients in 2022 outbreak experienced lasting physical effects: Study – Alzheimer's finger-prick test could help diagnosis – Issue No. 2849
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
How Concerning Are Microplastics? The Jury Is Still Out.
January 15, 2026
TOP STORIES
Reproductive care in Gaza has faced widespread destruction, leading to limited access to medical facilities, severe malnutrition, and restrictions on humanitarian aid, and resulting in poor birth outcomes and death, and in “reproductive violence in violation of international law,†by Physicians for Human Rights.
Earth's average 2025 temperature was one of the three hottest on record, and the pattern of the past three years indicates that warming could be accelerating, international climate monitoring teams say.
Vaccine exemptions among kindergarteners for religious or personal beliefs have risen steadily in counties throughout the U.S. since the COVID-19 pandemic, finds , which showed the median rate for such exemptions rising from 0.6% in 2010-2011 to 3.1% in 2023-2024.
Mosquitoes are increasingly using humans as a blood source instead of wildlife as deforestation expands, —a shift researchers say will continue to raise the potential for the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. EDITORS' NOTE No GHN Monday
Widely publicized studies claiming that microplastics are pervasive in human tissue and organs are being increasingly debated by scientists, some of whom argue that limits and flaws in the nascent research field may have led to distorted results, . A young field: While researchers agree plastic pollution is ubiquitous and its impact on the body merits urgent study, there is no consensus on how the tiniest particles may infiltrate and impact the body, leaving the true risk—and appropriate level of public concern—an open question.
When Poland saw a rapid influx of 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees in 2022, health officials were on high alert for drug-resistant tuberculosis, as Ukraine has one of the highest TB burdens in the world.
But the crisis laid bare Poland’s own outdated tuberculosis response system, which involved long, isolated hospital stays and multiyear, often toxic, drug regimens.
Rapid revitalization: Poland swiftly overhauled its care model, implementing a pilot program that included a six‑month course of an oral drug combination known as BPaL/M, which has far higher cure rates than Poland’s previous standard protocol of various drugs.
This week in YOLO news: He wanted the fastest trash can on wheels, and he made it so.
Completing “literally the most rubbish project†he’d ever worked on, U.K. inventor Michael Wallhead’s motorized bin—known as the Great General Waste—accelerated to an unprecedented 55mph, beating out the previous Guinness world record by 10mph.
The speeds are impressive, but we’re more interested in pun-ability. Suggested names included:
One bin of contention: Wallhead demonstrated his warp-speed wheelie bin by riding in it. But we’d much rather it drag our trash to the curb without us going near it, let alone inside it. Please and thank you. QUICK HITS HHS terminates, then reinstates, thousands of grants for substance use, mental health – Hundreds of laid-off researchers at US workplace safety center are being reinstated – Medical groups will ask court to block new CDC vaccine recommendations – 25,000 TB Cases Unreported ... Ghana Risks Missing WHO Target - Dr Amenyo – Should younger and older people receive different treatments for the same infection? – Researchers uncover hundreds of emojis in patient records – Issue No. 2848
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Earth's average 2025 temperature was one of the three hottest on record, and the pattern of the past three years indicates that warming could be accelerating, international climate monitoring teams say.
Vaccine exemptions among kindergarteners for religious or personal beliefs have risen steadily in counties throughout the U.S. since the COVID-19 pandemic, finds , which showed the median rate for such exemptions rising from 0.6% in 2010-2011 to 3.1% in 2023-2024.
Mosquitoes are increasingly using humans as a blood source instead of wildlife as deforestation expands, —a shift researchers say will continue to raise the potential for the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. EDITORS' NOTE No GHN Monday
We will not be sending out the newsletter on Monday, January 19, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
We’ll be back Tuesday with more news!
IN FOCUS Plastic fragments on a person's fingers. Peter Dazeley/Getty Images Microplastics Research Faces Tough CritiquesWidely publicized studies claiming that microplastics are pervasive in human tissue and organs are being increasingly debated by scientists, some of whom argue that limits and flaws in the nascent research field may have led to distorted results, . A young field: While researchers agree plastic pollution is ubiquitous and its impact on the body merits urgent study, there is no consensus on how the tiniest particles may infiltrate and impact the body, leaving the true risk—and appropriate level of public concern—an open question.
- Critics of recent papers say that microplastic and nanoplastic particles are so small they are at the limit of today’s analytical techniques and instruments.
- Amid the rush to publish research, scientists say routine scientific checks have been missed, potentially leading to false positives, contamination, and weak lab controls.
- But in November a group of scientists published citing “methodological challenges.â€&²Ô²ú²õ±è;It is one of many studies being questioned for the same reason.
- “We do have plastics in us—I think that is safe to assume. But real hard proof on how much is yet to come,†said Dusan Materic, one of the researchers who signed the letter to Nature.
When Poland saw a rapid influx of 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees in 2022, health officials were on high alert for drug-resistant tuberculosis, as Ukraine has one of the highest TB burdens in the world.
But the crisis laid bare Poland’s own outdated tuberculosis response system, which involved long, isolated hospital stays and multiyear, often toxic, drug regimens.
Rapid revitalization: Poland swiftly overhauled its care model, implementing a pilot program that included a six‑month course of an oral drug combination known as BPaL/M, which has far higher cure rates than Poland’s previous standard protocol of various drugs.
- The pilot inspired a new national TB program set to be implemented by 2030.
This week in YOLO news: He wanted the fastest trash can on wheels, and he made it so.
Completing “literally the most rubbish project†he’d ever worked on, U.K. inventor Michael Wallhead’s motorized bin—known as the Great General Waste—accelerated to an unprecedented 55mph, beating out the previous Guinness world record by 10mph.
The speeds are impressive, but we’re more interested in pun-ability. Suggested names included:
- Light-bin McQueen
- Bin Diesel
- Gone Bin 60 Seconds
One bin of contention: Wallhead demonstrated his warp-speed wheelie bin by riding in it. But we’d much rather it drag our trash to the curb without us going near it, let alone inside it. Please and thank you. QUICK HITS HHS terminates, then reinstates, thousands of grants for substance use, mental health – Hundreds of laid-off researchers at US workplace safety center are being reinstated – Medical groups will ask court to block new CDC vaccine recommendations – 25,000 TB Cases Unreported ... Ghana Risks Missing WHO Target - Dr Amenyo – Should younger and older people receive different treatments for the same infection? – Researchers uncover hundreds of emojis in patient records – Issue No. 2848
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: U.S. Aid Cuts Threaten Progress Against AIDS Orphanhood; and America’s New ‘Trade for Aid’ Global Health Paradigm
January 14, 2026
TOP STORIES
124 new measles cases have been confirmed in South Carolina since Friday—including six fully vaccinated people—bringing the total infected to 434 since the start of the outbreak last September.
U.S. kidney donations from recently deceased people fell for the first time in over a decade last year—from 15,937 in 2024 to 15,274, ; the decline follows heightened scrutiny of the transplant system that prompted thousands to remove themselves from U.S. organ donor registries.
Sugary drinks and alcohol are getting relatively cheaper, fueling diseases like diabetes and cancer, and prompting the WHO to call for tax increases on such products to stem consumption levels and allow countries to capture funds for health services.
Cancer survival rates have reached a major new milestone, as 70% people now survive five years+ after diagnosis of all cancers, ; in the 1970s, just half of those diagnosed survived that length of time. IN FOCUS A client waits to be seen by a doctor during an HIV clinic day at TASO Mulago service center. Kampala, Uganda, February 17. Hajarah Nalwadda/Getty U.S. Aid Cuts Threaten Progress Against AIDS Orphanhood Expanded access to HIV treatment and prevention has led to a major decline in AIDS-related orphanhood in sub-Saharan African countries like Uganda—gains that have been jeopardized by abrupt U.S. cuts to such programs, . The research: A Uganda-based found that scaling up antiretroviral therapy cut AIDS-related orphanhood in Rakai, Uganda, by ~70%—from 21.5% in 2003 to 6.3% in 2022. Still vulnerable: Despite this progress, ~10.3 million children in sub-Saharan Africa have already lost a parent to HIV.
1 in 4
—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”
UK teenagers in care, including foster, residential, and kinship care, have attempted suicide, and are 4X more likely to do so than their peers with no care experience, per UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies researchers.
—
HEALTH POLICY America’s New ‘Trade for Aid’ Global Health Paradigm As the U.S. negotiates new international aid deals with African governments, a new framework is taking shape—with funding linked directly to trade and geopolitical goals. The basics: The U.S. has pledged ~$16 billion and signed 14 deals with countries in recent weeks as part of the new “America First†aid strategy. Agreements in the works include:
Inside Trump's $11 billion health plan to replace “neo-colonial†USAID –
KFF Tracker: America First MOU Bilateral Global Health Agreements - GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Cocoa, Child Labour and Côte d’Ivoire: The Emerging Change –
New RFK Jr. pick for vaccine panel: ‘I was not anti-vaccine. I am now.’ – Lawsuit dismissed after Trump admin quietly restored tens of millions to Planned Parenthood – Harvard Chan researchers win $100 million MacArthur grant for infectious disease surveillance system – Sleeping less than 7 hours could cut years off your life –
‘It’s not the 90s any more’: the all-women team reinventing abortion advice for the TikTok age – Issue No. 2847
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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U.S. kidney donations from recently deceased people fell for the first time in over a decade last year—from 15,937 in 2024 to 15,274, ; the decline follows heightened scrutiny of the transplant system that prompted thousands to remove themselves from U.S. organ donor registries.
Sugary drinks and alcohol are getting relatively cheaper, fueling diseases like diabetes and cancer, and prompting the WHO to call for tax increases on such products to stem consumption levels and allow countries to capture funds for health services.
Cancer survival rates have reached a major new milestone, as 70% people now survive five years+ after diagnosis of all cancers, ; in the 1970s, just half of those diagnosed survived that length of time. IN FOCUS A client waits to be seen by a doctor during an HIV clinic day at TASO Mulago service center. Kampala, Uganda, February 17. Hajarah Nalwadda/Getty U.S. Aid Cuts Threaten Progress Against AIDS Orphanhood Expanded access to HIV treatment and prevention has led to a major decline in AIDS-related orphanhood in sub-Saharan African countries like Uganda—gains that have been jeopardized by abrupt U.S. cuts to such programs, . The research: A Uganda-based found that scaling up antiretroviral therapy cut AIDS-related orphanhood in Rakai, Uganda, by ~70%—from 21.5% in 2003 to 6.3% in 2022. Still vulnerable: Despite this progress, ~10.3 million children in sub-Saharan Africa have already lost a parent to HIV.
- And a high burden of orphanhood persisted in 2022—showing that “sustained investment and adaptation†of HIV programs is critical to prevent a new wave of orphanhood and instability.
- And the U.S. is pulling back support for primary prevention tools—a move advocates called “the most short-sighted policy imaginable.â€&²Ô²ú²õ±è;
1 in 4
—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”
UK teenagers in care, including foster, residential, and kinship care, have attempted suicide, and are 4X more likely to do so than their peers with no care experience, per UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies researchers.
—
HEALTH POLICY America’s New ‘Trade for Aid’ Global Health Paradigm As the U.S. negotiates new international aid deals with African governments, a new framework is taking shape—with funding linked directly to trade and geopolitical goals. The basics: The U.S. has pledged ~$16 billion and signed 14 deals with countries in recent weeks as part of the new “America First†aid strategy. Agreements in the works include:
- A $1.5 billion deal with Zambia that is reportedly contingent on mining access.
- A $2.1 billion deal with Nigeria—made with the condition that the country increase its own health spending and promote Christian faith-based health care providers.
Inside Trump's $11 billion health plan to replace “neo-colonial†USAID –
KFF Tracker: America First MOU Bilateral Global Health Agreements - GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Cocoa, Child Labour and Côte d’Ivoire: The Emerging Change –
New RFK Jr. pick for vaccine panel: ‘I was not anti-vaccine. I am now.’ – Lawsuit dismissed after Trump admin quietly restored tens of millions to Planned Parenthood – Harvard Chan researchers win $100 million MacArthur grant for infectious disease surveillance system – Sleeping less than 7 hours could cut years off your life –
‘It’s not the 90s any more’: the all-women team reinventing abortion advice for the TikTok age – Issue No. 2847
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Frontline Genomics With AI; and Ghana’s Long Quest for the Hepatitis B Shot
January 13, 2026
TOP STORIES
Russia has opened a criminal investigation into the deaths of nine newborns this month in a Siberian maternity hospital in the city of Novokuznetsk, citing suspected negligence; an announcement on the hospital’s website says that admissions have been suspended because of an excess of respiratory infections.
Most COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy stems from surmountable concerns, that followed 1.1 million+ people in England during the pandemic, from January 2021 to March 2022; Imperial College London researchers found that 65% of participants initially hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine went on to receive at least one shot.
U.S. Congress votes tomorrow on a bipartisan funding bill that includes $9.4 billion for global health—more than 2X the amount the State Department requested—and would restore funding for reproductive health and family planning, neglected diseases, and Gavi cut last year by the Trump administration.
A federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to restore nearly $12 million in American Academy of Pediatrics funding, citing evidence of a “retaliatory motive†in the termination of seven grants for public health programs, including rural health care and efforts to prevent sudden infant death. IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE A West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens researcher runs a genome sequencer at their laboratory. Courtesy: WACCBIP Frontline Genomics With AI New technology working in tandem with powerful AI-based software is eliminating the need to send samples for genomic sequencing to distant reference labs—and wait a week for results.
“What the world now calls 'calm' would be considered a crisis anywhere else.†—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”— –â¶Ä“UNICEF’s James Elder at
after noting that roughly one child has been killed
every day in Gaza since the ceasefire began in October. VACCINES Ghana’s Long Quest for the Hepatitis B Shot
As the U.S. rolls back its long-established hepatitis B vaccination recommendation for newborns, doctors in Ghana are fighting for access to the shot. ~1/10 people in Ghana live with chronic hepatitis B, with ~10,000 new infections reported each year.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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U.S. Congress votes tomorrow on a bipartisan funding bill that includes $9.4 billion for global health—more than 2X the amount the State Department requested—and would restore funding for reproductive health and family planning, neglected diseases, and Gavi cut last year by the Trump administration.
A federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to restore nearly $12 million in American Academy of Pediatrics funding, citing evidence of a “retaliatory motive†in the termination of seven grants for public health programs, including rural health care and efforts to prevent sudden infant death. IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE A West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens researcher runs a genome sequencer at their laboratory. Courtesy: WACCBIP Frontline Genomics With AI New technology working in tandem with powerful AI-based software is eliminating the need to send samples for genomic sequencing to distant reference labs—and wait a week for results.
- Now, a rough bacterial genome can be sequenced in a hospital or clinic within hours, using a portable harmonica-size genome sequencer and AI.
- Since then, ACEGID has sequenced Africa’s first SARS-CoV-2 genome within 48 hours of detection, trained thousands of African scientists, and helped national labs with real-time sequencing.
- The center has become a major hub for genome sequencing and bioinformatics training, supporting spoke labs in West and Central Africa to establish capacity for genomic surveillance.
“What the world now calls 'calm' would be considered a crisis anywhere else.†—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”— –â¶Ä“UNICEF’s James Elder at
after noting that roughly one child has been killed
every day in Gaza since the ceasefire began in October. VACCINES Ghana’s Long Quest for the Hepatitis B Shot
As the U.S. rolls back its long-established hepatitis B vaccination recommendation for newborns, doctors in Ghana are fighting for access to the shot. ~1/10 people in Ghana live with chronic hepatitis B, with ~10,000 new infections reported each year.
- While the country has a vaccine that can be administered to one-month-old babies, it has long sought access to vaccines for newborns—who are most vulnerable to transmission.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Deadly Crackdown on Iran’s Intensifying Protests; and Drones Deliver Lifesaving Care in Ghana
January 12, 2026
TOP STORIES
Sudan is the world’s largest humanitarian emergency, UN agencies say, with the health system nearing collapse, 20 million+ people needing health assistance, and 21 million facing acute food insecurity; children bear the heaviest burden, making up more than half of the 33.7 million people expected to need humanitarian assistance in 2026.
A new single-dose oral cholera vaccine has shown promise —offering hope that more effective oral vaccines for the disease may be on the horizon.
Gambia’s FGM ban is being challenged by a group of religious and government leaders, who have launched an effort to overturn the ban at the country’s supreme court in a move women’s rights activists described as part of a wider “regression on women’s rights.â€&²Ô²ú²õ±è;
Nearly 15,000 nurses in New York City began walking off their jobs at several major hospital systems today; they are striking to demand salary increases and continued protections against understaffing, and for their contracts to address artificial intelligence and workplace violence.
IN FOCUS
People gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on January 9. Khoshiran / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty
Deadly Crackdown on Iran’s Intensifying Protests
Health care workers across Iran are describing overwhelmed hospitals and morgues as protests are being met with a violent crackdown by government security forces, .
Background: Protests that began in late December over economic collapse and political repression have now spread to all Iranian provinces. The government has responded with intensifying force, including an internet and phone blackout—which has meant the true toll of the violence remains unclear. ‘Horrible scenes’: Health workers who have managed to reach contacts outside the country report that protestors have been shot with live ammunition and pellets, with young people targeted, .
A fleet of drones is transforming health care in rural Ghana, delivering millions of critical vaccines, medications, antivenoms, and blood units to remote facilities with limited access to such inventory.
The long shadow of the one-child policy: China pays for its biggest social experiment with a demographic crisis –
10 Considerations for Global Health Reform in 2026 – A child is born: Italians celebrate village’s first baby in 30 years – Issue No. 2845
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Background: Protests that began in late December over economic collapse and political repression have now spread to all Iranian provinces. The government has responded with intensifying force, including an internet and phone blackout—which has meant the true toll of the violence remains unclear. ‘Horrible scenes’: Health workers who have managed to reach contacts outside the country report that protestors have been shot with live ammunition and pellets, with young people targeted, .
- One hospital worker in Tehran said there were so many wounded that staff did not have time to perform CPR, per the BBC. Others have described creating makeshift operating rooms and activating new morgues as existing facilities are strained.
A fleet of drones is transforming health care in rural Ghana, delivering millions of critical vaccines, medications, antivenoms, and blood units to remote facilities with limited access to such inventory.
About the program: The delivery service is funded by Ghana’s government and implemented by the California-based company Zipline, which built a digital platform connecting ~3,000 health facilities to six distribution hubs.
- Mobile requests are sent to these hubs, where products are placed in temperature-controlled packaging and delivered via drone and parachute.
Impact: The drones have delivered 8.4 million medical products in Ghana from 2019 to 2025—drops credited with saving ~9,700 lives.
Ongoing obstacles: Weak mobile signals in remote areas sometimes stymie orders, highlighting the need for improved mobile infrastructure.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Measles response puts personal choice over orders – Bird Flu Viruses Raise Mounting Concerns Among Scientists – Face masks ‘inadequate’ and should be swapped for respirators, WHO is advised – California's School-Based Tobacco Use Prevention Program After Proposition 56: Results From a Statewide Evaluation –
The long shadow of the one-child policy: China pays for its biggest social experiment with a demographic crisis –
10 Considerations for Global Health Reform in 2026 – A child is born: Italians celebrate village’s first baby in 30 years – Issue No. 2845
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Unpacking America’s New Dietary Guidelines
January 8, 2026
TOP STORIES
The U.S. will withdraw from dozens of international and U.N. organizations, President Donald Trump announced—including the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, U.N. Women, and the U.N. Population Fund—with the administration saying they “operate contrary to U.S. national interests.â€&²Ô²ú²õ±è;
Burning plastic for household heating and cooking is far more widespread than previously known, ; the practice presents a growing health and environmental threat especially in low- and middle-income countries, researchers say.
Strains of drug-resistant typhoid capable of resisting the strongest available antibiotics have emerged in South Asia, escalating fears over the rapid spread of drug-resistant infections; the samples collected from hospitals in India contain a gene capable of breaking down the powerful antibiotic class known as carbapenems.
The U.S. House is set to vote today on a measure that would renew health insurance subsidies that expired at the end of last year; the three-year extension is expected to pass the House, but its future in the Senate is unclear. IN FOCUS A social media post from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showing the revised food pyramid in Lafayette, California, on January 7. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images Unpacking America’s New Dietary Guidelines
The U.S. food pyramid is again being overhauled, as released by the Trump administration yesterday, call for avoiding processed foods in favor of whole, fresh foods and increased protein, .
When health workers in Cameroon learned last year that the U.S. was cutting critical malaria funding to the country, they feared a total loss of hard-won gains against the disease.
A sampling of 2026 banishments for, hopefully, the last time.
Why trust LSSU? Because this is an institution that and . (Stick to enchanted forests, and bring pinking shears, “serious intent,†and sweet talk.)
Where do we apply? QUICK HITS Why a fatal ‘black fungus’ struck India during the COVID-19 pandemic –
Three hospitals are under investigation for providing gender-affirming care to trans youth –
COVID continues to exact heavy toll on older US adults, study suggests –
Blue zones: Are global longevity hotspots a myth? New study shows where people really live longer –
How a parasite 'gave up sex' to find more hosts—and why its victory won't last – Issue No. 2844
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Burning plastic for household heating and cooking is far more widespread than previously known, ; the practice presents a growing health and environmental threat especially in low- and middle-income countries, researchers say.
Strains of drug-resistant typhoid capable of resisting the strongest available antibiotics have emerged in South Asia, escalating fears over the rapid spread of drug-resistant infections; the samples collected from hospitals in India contain a gene capable of breaking down the powerful antibiotic class known as carbapenems.
The U.S. House is set to vote today on a measure that would renew health insurance subsidies that expired at the end of last year; the three-year extension is expected to pass the House, but its future in the Senate is unclear. IN FOCUS A social media post from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showing the revised food pyramid in Lafayette, California, on January 7. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images Unpacking America’s New Dietary Guidelines
The U.S. food pyramid is again being overhauled, as released by the Trump administration yesterday, call for avoiding processed foods in favor of whole, fresh foods and increased protein, .
Key changes include:
- Processed in the crosshairs: The guidance urges Americans to ditch highly processed foods, a major shift in formal federal dietary policy. The guidelines also say “no amount†of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners is considered part of a healthy diet.
- Pro-protein: The recommendations call for potentially doubling protein consumption.
- Saturated fat reframing: The guidelines keep limits on saturated fats—but they approve previously avoided sources like butter or beef tallow, .
- Alcohol guidance loosened: The long-standing cap of 1–2 drinks per day is gone, replaced by a simple message to “drink lessâ€â€”drawing pushback from public health groups, .
Reactions: Medical groups praised the move away from processed foods and the emphasis on fresh foods, with American Medical Association president Bobby Mukkamala saying the rules “affirm that food is medicine.â€&²Ô²ú²õ±è;
- But other groups, including the American Heart Association, expressed concerns about how the embrace of animal meat and dairy products could harm cardiovascular health.
Implications: The guidelines’ most direct impact is on federal nutrition programs and in shaping the school meal programs used to feed ~30 million children daily, reports CNN.
- But school leaders say they lack the funding to implement more fresh and from-scratch foods.
Related: Common food preservatives linked to cancer and type 2 diabetes —
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MALARIA Cameroon’s Push to Save Its Malaria ProgramWhen health workers in Cameroon learned last year that the U.S. was cutting critical malaria funding to the country, they feared a total loss of hard-won gains against the disease.
But they persisted: As stocks of essential medications dwindled, nonprofits stepped in at critical junctures, and dedicated health workers continued to work unpaid for months—making door-to-door visits and rushing supplies to those in need via bicycle.
- “We are the people who save small children. Of course we had to keep doing the job,†said health worker Bachirou Agarbe.
°Â³ó²¹³Ù’s&²Ô²ú²õ±è;²Ô±ð³æ³Ù: A proposed compact with the U.S. could lead to the restoration of $399 million over five years, contingent on Cameroon boosting its health spending.
- Meanwhile, Cameroon’s malaria program is restarting with renewed shipments and stipends.
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION These Words Are Tired. Let Them Rest. Whoever suggested the list as “a whimsical New Year’s Eve party idea in 1976†couldn’t have imagined we’d be here, 50 years later, lamenting and celebrating worn-out words, thanks to .
A sampling of 2026 banishments for, hopefully, the last time.
- 6-7: Technically numbers, but certainly deserving of the dishonor.
- Cooked: Or preferably, “all forms of the word cook.†A blow to chefs, or anyone who likes food.
- Incentivize: A painful example in “the longstanding effort to turn nouns into verbs.â€&²Ô²ú²õ±è;
- Reach Out: Deserved to die in emails—but on dance floors, remains immortal.
Why trust LSSU? Because this is an institution that and . (Stick to enchanted forests, and bring pinking shears, “serious intent,†and sweet talk.)
Where do we apply? QUICK HITS Why a fatal ‘black fungus’ struck India during the COVID-19 pandemic –
Three hospitals are under investigation for providing gender-affirming care to trans youth –
COVID continues to exact heavy toll on older US adults, study suggests –
Blue zones: Are global longevity hotspots a myth? New study shows where people really live longer –
How a parasite 'gave up sex' to find more hosts—and why its victory won't last – Issue No. 2844
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Understanding America’s Mounting Malnutrition Rates; and Navigating Zimbabwe’s Deadly Roads
January 7, 2026
TOP STORIES
At least 41 young men in South Africa have died in recent coming-of-age circumcision rites, prompting government officials to call for more accountability measures for traditional schools that hold the ceremonies.
A U.S. appeals court upheld a ruling preventing the NIH from capping overhead payments on grants to academic institutions at 15%, maintaining current reimbursement rates; White House budget officials are, however, working on revisions to the current rules.
Widespread HPV vaccination could substantially reduce the risk of precancerous lesions even among unvaccinated people through herd immunity, that examined rates of cervical lesions among 850,000+ unvaccinated women and girls in Sweden. Quick tuberculosis identification and treatment can significantly improve survival rates for people with HIV-related sepsis, found University of Virginia researchers in a five-year trial in East Africa. IN FOCUS People wait in line for food distribution at La Colaborativa's food pantry in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on November 15, 2025. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Understanding America’s Mounting Malnutrition Rates Malnutrition is America’s fastest-growing cause of death—up 6X in about a decade, now ranking with arterial disease, mental disorders, and deaths from assault, . Why? The pattern is rising across all states, ages, races, and education levels, but the sharpest growth is among those age 85+.
94%
—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”
Reduction in the number of people estimated to be at risk of trachoma and requiring interventions—which fell from ~1.5 billion people at risk in 2002 to 97.1 million as of November 2025.
–â¶Ä“
ROAD SAFETY Navigating Zimbabwe’s Deadly Roads In Zimbabwe, driving instruction is no longer just about helping people obtain a license: It is about teaching new drivers to survive on some of the world’s deadliest roads.
Adults in England eating as much salt a day as in 22 bags of crisps, study show – Issue No. 2843
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Widespread HPV vaccination could substantially reduce the risk of precancerous lesions even among unvaccinated people through herd immunity, that examined rates of cervical lesions among 850,000+ unvaccinated women and girls in Sweden. Quick tuberculosis identification and treatment can significantly improve survival rates for people with HIV-related sepsis, found University of Virginia researchers in a five-year trial in East Africa. IN FOCUS People wait in line for food distribution at La Colaborativa's food pantry in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on November 15, 2025. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Understanding America’s Mounting Malnutrition Rates Malnutrition is America’s fastest-growing cause of death—up 6X in about a decade, now ranking with arterial disease, mental disorders, and deaths from assault, . Why? The pattern is rising across all states, ages, races, and education levels, but the sharpest growth is among those age 85+.
- While food insecurity amid rising costs is one reason for the increase among this demographic, there’s another key factor: data collection.
- Over the last decade, new criteria, clinical and insurance initiatives, and screenings have increased documentation of malnutrition—especially in cases where chronic illness drives weight and appetite loss in geriatric and hospice care.
- And childhood food insecurity has a lifelong impact on health and longevity, reports
- The end of the report marks a “rupture in long-standing data on food security among Americans,†.
94%
—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”
Reduction in the number of people estimated to be at risk of trachoma and requiring interventions—which fell from ~1.5 billion people at risk in 2002 to 97.1 million as of November 2025.
–â¶Ä“
ROAD SAFETY Navigating Zimbabwe’s Deadly Roads In Zimbabwe, driving instruction is no longer just about helping people obtain a license: It is about teaching new drivers to survive on some of the world’s deadliest roads.
- “We teach them to stay alive,†said driving instructor Tafara Muvhevhi.
- Crashes are reported every 15 minutes.
- 5 deaths and 38 injuries are recorded per day.
Adults in England eating as much salt a day as in 22 bags of crisps, study show – Issue No. 2843
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Vaccine Schedule Change Draws Fire; and India’s ‘Preventable Tragedy’
January 6, 2026
TOP STORIES
Sexual violence against children is “entrenched†and rising across DRC, with 35,000+ cases recorded in the first nine months of 2025 alone, which notes that widespread conflict and funding cuts have shuttered many safe spaces, mobile clinics, and community-based protection programs.
New cervical cancer screening guidelines from a U.S. health agency include a home HPV test option using self-collection swabs to send to a lab for analysis; , cite studies demonstrating the potential for self-collection to up screening rates—including in hard-to-reach populations.
The U.S. EPA is dismissing a WHO cancer review agency’s determination that atrazine, the second most common herbicide in the U.S., is “probably carcinogenic to humansâ€; 60+ countries have banned the chemical due to endocrine-disrupting properties and groundwater contamination risks.
New research on stimulants used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) work—but by targeting the brain’s reward and wakefulness centers, not by acting on the brain’s attention circuitry, as had been assumed; , also point to the important role of sleep deprivation in the disorder. IN FOCUS A child sports a Paw Patrol Band-Aid after receiving a flu vaccine during a Los Angeles immunization event on October 24, 2025. Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Vaccine Schedule Change Draws Fire Astonished U.S. health leaders are sharply criticizing the unprecedented reduction in the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule announced yesterday by federal health officials.
Related:
Rotavirus Could Come Roaring Back—Very Soon – US cuts the number of vaccines recommended for every child, a move slammed by physicians – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CERVICAL CANCER India’s ‘Preventable Tragedy’ Cervical cancer kills 75,000+ women in India each year—a crisis driven by a range of preventable factors that lead to increased transmission, late diagnosis, and high mortality. Some contributors:
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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New cervical cancer screening guidelines from a U.S. health agency include a home HPV test option using self-collection swabs to send to a lab for analysis; , cite studies demonstrating the potential for self-collection to up screening rates—including in hard-to-reach populations.
The U.S. EPA is dismissing a WHO cancer review agency’s determination that atrazine, the second most common herbicide in the U.S., is “probably carcinogenic to humansâ€; 60+ countries have banned the chemical due to endocrine-disrupting properties and groundwater contamination risks.
New research on stimulants used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) work—but by targeting the brain’s reward and wakefulness centers, not by acting on the brain’s attention circuitry, as had been assumed; , also point to the important role of sleep deprivation in the disorder. IN FOCUS A child sports a Paw Patrol Band-Aid after receiving a flu vaccine during a Los Angeles immunization event on October 24, 2025. Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Vaccine Schedule Change Draws Fire Astonished U.S. health leaders are sharply criticizing the unprecedented reduction in the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule announced yesterday by federal health officials.
- Recommended vaccines were cut from 17 to 11, .
- U.S. officials said the new schedule would improve public trust, blaming the previous schedule for falling vaccination rates. They referred to limited safety data about vaccines, despite rigorous safety testing.
- “Unfortunately, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we can no longer trust the leadership of our federal government for credible information about vaccines, and that’s a tragedy that will cause needless suffering,†said American Academy of Pediatrics’ chair of its infectious disease committee Sean O’Leary.
- “[T]his will increase confusion and decrease vaccine uptake,†said immunologist Helen Chu.
- “Weakening recommendations for vaccines in the name of ideology over epidemiology undermines America’s leadership in public health and trust in our health authorities,†said John Crowley, Biotechnology Innovation Organization president.
Related:
Rotavirus Could Come Roaring Back—Very Soon – US cuts the number of vaccines recommended for every child, a move slammed by physicians – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CERVICAL CANCER India’s ‘Preventable Tragedy’ Cervical cancer kills 75,000+ women in India each year—a crisis driven by a range of preventable factors that lead to increased transmission, late diagnosis, and high mortality. Some contributors:
- Low vaccine coverage: Despite exhortations from the WHO and other public health leaders, India lacks a nationwide HPV vaccination program.
- Early marriage: Doctors link early marriages and repeated marriages with increased vulnerability.
- Minimal screening: Only ~2% of eligible women have access to routine screening.
- Poor protection: A 2021 report found that fewer than one in 10 men in India use condoms.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Struggle to Stop Maternal Bleeding; and New Year’s Resolutions from the ‘Mother of Injury Prevention’
January 5, 2026
TOP STORIES
The Swiss bar fire that killed 40 people on New Year’s Day involved several preventable safety lapses at the facility, including a ceiling covered in flammable foam and a crowded basement with a narrow staircase exit that became a choke point when the blaze started.
U.S. states will no longer be required to report how many children and pregnant women covered by Medicaid are vaccinated, from the Trump administration to state officials; the move could significantly impact visibility into nationwide vaccination rates, as Medicaid programs cover almost half of U.S. children. Babies who miss getting their first round of vaccines on time—at 2 months old—are more than 7X less likely to get vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella by age 2 (months beyond recommendations), . A UK ban on TV junk food ads before 9 p.m.—and a total ban for online ads—takes effect today as part of a wider effort to tackle childhood obesity; the Advertising Standards Authority will serve as the watchdog and enforcer for the bans. IN FOCUS A woman weakened by childbirth complications rests as her baby is wrapped in a blanket in the maternity ward of the Civil Hospital. Tonj, South Sudan, May 5, 2017. Fabio Bucciarelli/AFP via Getty The Struggle to Stop Maternal Bleeding New efforts to prevent mothers from bleeding to death during childbirth in 10+ countries have stalled since U.S. foreign aid cuts last year—reversing decades of progress in maternal survival and imperiling vulnerable mothers, . Background: Groundbreaking research in 2023 showed postpartum hemorrhage deaths could be cut by 60% through faster diagnosis, a simple blood-measuring drape, and immediate medication interventions.
50+
—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”
The number of countries that have eliminated at least one NTD in the past decade—helping to reduce the number of people needing NTD interventions by 32%, from 2.2 billion to 1.5 billion in 2023. –â¶Ä“
GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY Sue Baker spent her career preventing injuries to children, truck drivers, pilots, and others. Undated photo New Year’s Resolutions from the ‘Mother of Injury Prevention’ After a bruising year for public health, injury prevention pioneer Sue Baker can provide inspiration and career guidance for 2026, . Baker, a professor emerita at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, changed the perception that injuries were “accidentsâ€â€”inevitable acts of fate. Draisin, who’s writing a book about Baker, sifted through hours of interviews for three important lessons: 1. Don’t be afraid to take on new challenges. As a 36-year-old homemaker with three young children, Baker took a computer programming class so she could get a job with the School’s then-Department of Chronic Diseases. That challenge cracked open a window into public health. “Strike out for the things you really want to see happen, even if it seems unlikely, because some of them will work out,†Baker advises. 2. Go to the field to understand it. To learn how to prevent injuries, Baker drove an 18-wheeler, earned a pilot’s license, and spent a week on an aircraft carrier. 3. Speak the truth—even when it’s unwelcome. From motorcyclists who didn’t like helmets to trucking companies more interested in profits than safety, Baker stood up to opponents with disarming calm. The takeaway: Baker reminds us that the promise of 2026 lies in our willingness to think—and act—boldly, writes Draisin. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DEMOGRAPHICS China Imposes a Contraceptive Tax China has imposed a 13% value-added tax on contraceptive drugs and condoms as the country continues a series of drastic policy reversals around birth rate targets, . History: For 30+ years, contraceptives have been tax-exempt in China as the country sought strict enforcement of its one-child policy. Today: As the nation’s birth rate plummets, Chinese officials have made an about-face, introducing a range of “fertility-friendly†incentives, subsidies, and classes to encourage people to have more children. Backlash: Critics say this measure will have little to no impact on birth rates as economic pressures continue—and they say it will unfairly burden low-income citizens, .
Canadian officials say US health institutions no longer dependable for accurate information – Baltimore Drove Down Gun Deaths. Now Trump Has Slashed Funding for That Work. – Vaccines Are Helping Older People More Than We Knew – Deborah Birx: Public health data should be as available as the weather forecast – What viruses an infectious-disease doctor is watching for in 2026 –
He made beer that’s also a vaccine. Now controversy is brewing – Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner! Issue No. 2841
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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U.S. states will no longer be required to report how many children and pregnant women covered by Medicaid are vaccinated, from the Trump administration to state officials; the move could significantly impact visibility into nationwide vaccination rates, as Medicaid programs cover almost half of U.S. children. Babies who miss getting their first round of vaccines on time—at 2 months old—are more than 7X less likely to get vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella by age 2 (months beyond recommendations), . A UK ban on TV junk food ads before 9 p.m.—and a total ban for online ads—takes effect today as part of a wider effort to tackle childhood obesity; the Advertising Standards Authority will serve as the watchdog and enforcer for the bans. IN FOCUS A woman weakened by childbirth complications rests as her baby is wrapped in a blanket in the maternity ward of the Civil Hospital. Tonj, South Sudan, May 5, 2017. Fabio Bucciarelli/AFP via Getty The Struggle to Stop Maternal Bleeding New efforts to prevent mothers from bleeding to death during childbirth in 10+ countries have stalled since U.S. foreign aid cuts last year—reversing decades of progress in maternal survival and imperiling vulnerable mothers, . Background: Groundbreaking research in 2023 showed postpartum hemorrhage deaths could be cut by 60% through faster diagnosis, a simple blood-measuring drape, and immediate medication interventions.
- Resulting programs in countries with some of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates proved transformative.
- In parts of Malawi, clinics recorded thousands fewer antenatal visits and lost track of hundreds of pregnant women.
- Excessive bleeding rates have returned to pre-2022 levels, and audits suggest that some deaths could have been prevented without the cuts.
50+
—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”
The number of countries that have eliminated at least one NTD in the past decade—helping to reduce the number of people needing NTD interventions by 32%, from 2.2 billion to 1.5 billion in 2023. –â¶Ä“
GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY Sue Baker spent her career preventing injuries to children, truck drivers, pilots, and others. Undated photo New Year’s Resolutions from the ‘Mother of Injury Prevention’ After a bruising year for public health, injury prevention pioneer Sue Baker can provide inspiration and career guidance for 2026, . Baker, a professor emerita at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, changed the perception that injuries were “accidentsâ€â€”inevitable acts of fate. Draisin, who’s writing a book about Baker, sifted through hours of interviews for three important lessons: 1. Don’t be afraid to take on new challenges. As a 36-year-old homemaker with three young children, Baker took a computer programming class so she could get a job with the School’s then-Department of Chronic Diseases. That challenge cracked open a window into public health. “Strike out for the things you really want to see happen, even if it seems unlikely, because some of them will work out,†Baker advises. 2. Go to the field to understand it. To learn how to prevent injuries, Baker drove an 18-wheeler, earned a pilot’s license, and spent a week on an aircraft carrier. 3. Speak the truth—even when it’s unwelcome. From motorcyclists who didn’t like helmets to trucking companies more interested in profits than safety, Baker stood up to opponents with disarming calm. The takeaway: Baker reminds us that the promise of 2026 lies in our willingness to think—and act—boldly, writes Draisin. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DEMOGRAPHICS China Imposes a Contraceptive Tax China has imposed a 13% value-added tax on contraceptive drugs and condoms as the country continues a series of drastic policy reversals around birth rate targets, . History: For 30+ years, contraceptives have been tax-exempt in China as the country sought strict enforcement of its one-child policy. Today: As the nation’s birth rate plummets, Chinese officials have made an about-face, introducing a range of “fertility-friendly†incentives, subsidies, and classes to encourage people to have more children. Backlash: Critics say this measure will have little to no impact on birth rates as economic pressures continue—and they say it will unfairly burden low-income citizens, .
- Meanwhile, health experts fear that the taxes could lead to more sexually transmitted diseases.
Canadian officials say US health institutions no longer dependable for accurate information – Baltimore Drove Down Gun Deaths. Now Trump Has Slashed Funding for That Work. – Vaccines Are Helping Older People More Than We Knew – Deborah Birx: Public health data should be as available as the weather forecast – What viruses an infectious-disease doctor is watching for in 2026 –
He made beer that’s also a vaccine. Now controversy is brewing – Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner! Issue No. 2841
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: 2025's Global Health Bright Spots
December 18, 2025
TOP STORIES
The U.S. House passed a Republican health care bill yesterday that does not extend expiring Obamacare health insurance subsidies and is expected to lead to a spike in health insurance premiums; the bill next goes before the Senate.
Toxic air pollution in Delhi is leading officials to adopt a range of stringent anti-pollution measures including vehicle bans and mandatory work from home for some employees, ; meanwhile, environmentalists and data experts say India’s loose air quality measurement standards mask the true severity of pollution in the country, .
Antiseptic properties of tree sap from the New Guinea Rosewood tree show promise in helping to treat skin ulcers that afflict children in Papua New Guinea, say scientists involved in an ongoing randomized trial there. An early-warning approach for detecting the chronic bacterial skin infection called Buruli ulcer can flag hotspots years before human cases occur; the method relies on surveillance of possum excreta and innovative genomics. EDITOR’S NOTE Our Last Issue Until 2026 It has been a tumultuous year for global and public health, and we know that the news has often been hard to read. But there have also been some tremendous global health wins—and some standout success stories and examples of solidarity from around the world. For our last issue of the year, we’re keeping the focus on the bright notes, bringing you our take on the year’s best global health news. We’ll be back on Monday, January 5, with more news; until then, we hope you have a joyous, restful holiday season! —Dayna IN FOCUS Global Health Wins from 2025
Fast-track your career this January with the Winter Institute. Designed for working professionals and students, our condensed credit or non-credit courses will accelerate your learning goals. Our flexible courses range from a single day to two weeks and cover a variety of public health interest areas.
WINTER READING SEND-OFF A selection of book recommendations from GHN readers. Dayna Kerecman Myers Revisiting GHN Book Recs
In August, some GHN readers shared book recommendations that we're resharing here n case you need some winter reading … or last-minute gift ideas! Thanks again to all who sent in tips.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Antiseptic properties of tree sap from the New Guinea Rosewood tree show promise in helping to treat skin ulcers that afflict children in Papua New Guinea, say scientists involved in an ongoing randomized trial there. An early-warning approach for detecting the chronic bacterial skin infection called Buruli ulcer can flag hotspots years before human cases occur; the method relies on surveillance of possum excreta and innovative genomics. EDITOR’S NOTE Our Last Issue Until 2026 It has been a tumultuous year for global and public health, and we know that the news has often been hard to read. But there have also been some tremendous global health wins—and some standout success stories and examples of solidarity from around the world. For our last issue of the year, we’re keeping the focus on the bright notes, bringing you our take on the year’s best global health news. We’ll be back on Monday, January 5, with more news; until then, we hope you have a joyous, restful holiday season! —Dayna IN FOCUS Global Health Wins from 2025
- Shielding Babies From Mosquitoes: Lesus, traditional baby swaddles used in Uganda, could be used to protect against malaria once treated with mosquito repellent, , which found that malaria infections fell by ~65% among children who used the treated wraps.
- Pandemic Pact Reached: After three years of negotiations, WHO member states signed a historic pandemic agreement—paving the way to future pandemic prevention and response by strengthening disease surveillance and improving global access to vaccines and other drugs; notably, the U.S. did not sign on, despite previous involvement in the pact’s development.
- Leaning into Lenacapavir in the HIV Fight: Amid upheaval in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the WHO urged governments to expand access to prevention tools, especially the new twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir—with health leaders lauding the “remarkable momentum†of the drug’s approval in several countries this year.
- A New Vaccine for the Meningitis Belt: A century of meningitis outbreaks across a wide strip of sub-Saharan Africa may be dramatically reduced thanks to a new vaccine that prevents the lethal disease; Men5CV, developed by India’s Serum Institute of India and the Seattle-based PATH, is expected to cost $3 per dose and has been distributed in Niger and Nigeria, with more to come.
- How Guinea Stopped Sleeping Sickness: A so-called “tiny targets†approach helped make a massive dent in cases: Researchers discovered that the tsetse flies that spread the parasitic disease are attracted to the color blue and developed tiny blue fabric screens coated with insecticide to attract and kill the insects.
- Triple Triumph in the Maldives: This year, the Maldives became the first country in the world to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of three diseases: hepatitis B, HIV, and syphilis, thanks to a combination of strong antenatal care, standardized newborn hepatitis B vaccination, and free diagnostic services and vaccines included in universal health coverage.
- Brazil Turns Around Its Teen Pregnancy Epidemic: Brazil once had the highest teen pregnancy rates in Latin America—but births among Brazilian girls ages 15–19 have plummeted 44% over the last 25 years; expanded birth control access—including free birth control, condoms, and IUDs—is credited, along with poverty reduction and better opportunities for young women.
- Hope for Fistula Survivors in Nigeria: Free fistula repair surgery will soon be available at clinics throughout Nigeria, health officials announced in March—a “groundbreaking move†in a country that sees ~12,000 new cases a year of vesicovaginal fistula, which can be a debilitating and highly stigmatizing condition.
- Standing Up to Stigma: In Rwanda, stigma can lead to social isolation, especially in school-age children, who are often mocked for taking HIV medication in class. New protective measures include trainings for school officials, youth-driven anti-AIDS clubs, and the use of discrete pill boxes in classrooms.
- Slovenia’s Preventive Care Pays Off: More than 20 years ago, Slovenia adopted a chronic disease prevention strategy that is now showing impressive results and becoming a model for other countries; the system emphasizes primary care, screening, and coaching the population to seek regular checks at health promotion hubs.
Fast-track your career this January with the Winter Institute. Designed for working professionals and students, our condensed credit or non-credit courses will accelerate your learning goals. Our flexible courses range from a single day to two weeks and cover a variety of public health interest areas.
WINTER READING SEND-OFF A selection of book recommendations from GHN readers. Dayna Kerecman Myers Revisiting GHN Book Recs
In August, some GHN readers shared book recommendations that we're resharing here n case you need some winter reading … or last-minute gift ideas! Thanks again to all who sent in tips.
- The Education of an Idealist and A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, both by Samantha Power —Lorina McAdam
- Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond —Hannah Schoon
- Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life by John Kaag —Lorenn Walker
- Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio —Michael Kowolik
- Escape on the Pearl: The Heroic Bid for Freedom on the Underground Railroad by Mary Kay Ricks —Stephan Gilbert
- Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green —Caitlin Lavigne
- On Call by Tony Fauci
- The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides
- Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: A ‘Brutal,’ Man-Made Hunger Crisis and the Best Global Health Reporting of 2025
December 17, 2025
TOP STORIES
The U.S. CDC approved updated hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for infants, reversing a decades-old policy offering every newborn a hepatitis B shot; the decision was approved despite criticism from physicians and health systems, who said they would not be changing their practices.
A former leading NIH scientist has sued the Trump administration over her firing, claiming she was illegally terminated for her warning that widespread cuts to the agency were endangering patients—especially those enrolled in clinical trials—and imperiling public health.
Cases of a new, shape-shifting influenza variant—J.2.4.1, or subclade K—are rising globally, now detected in 30+ countries; while the variant is not included in the current flu vaccine composition, the WHO emphasizes that seasonal vaccines still offer the best protection against severe cases.
The UN General Assembly approved a political declaration to combat noncommunicable diseases and promote mental health, with near-unanimous approval from member states except Argentina, Paraguay, and the U.S.—which claimed that the declaration overreached in recommending measures like taxes on unhealthy products.
IN FOCUS
A ‘Brutal,’ Man-Made Hunger Crisis
After the Trump administration’s sudden cuts to food aid early this year, U.S. officials were repeatedly warned by humanitarian advocates that the disruption would cause starvation, violence, and death among refugees in Kenya.
Those warnings were ignored, resulting in what aid workers describe as an American-made crisis.
of the unfolding crisis from multiple angles:
The report expands on depicting how U.S. officials celebrated USAID cuts with cake—even as dire warnings of resulting cholera deaths in South Sudan loomed.
The pair of articles from Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Brett Murphy cap a year of excellent reporting from many global health journalists on the global fallout from slashed foreign aid, leading us into our round-up of 2025’s must-reads. 2025's BEST GLOBAL HEALTH REPORTING The Toxic Toll of Battery Recycling American car companies have long relied on recycled lead for batteries. But the process of recycling is steadily poisoning the communities working and living around the factories throughout Africa.
A Portrait of Measles Resurgence As measles swept through North America amid declining vaccination rates, reporter Eli Saslow chronicled one West Texas family’s battle with the virus—which forced the father and four children to spend days in the hospital.
“As the pandemic rose, I saw my patients get sick and in some cases die, including a 42-year-old mother of two young children whose loss is seared into my soul. As it receded … the overwhelming public sentiment was: never again. Today, it seems: never what?†—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”—â¶Ä”â¶Ä” Siddhartha Mukherjee in a March 10, 2025, commentary in Argentina’s ‘Tidal Wave’ of Health Cuts
Extreme cuts to Argentina’s health systems under President Javier Milei’s austerity measures forced patients and their families to resort to desperate measures to access vital care, including turning to Facebook to obtain donated cancer drugs.
A Scourge of Dud Cancer Drugs
Critical chemotherapy drugs used worldwide have failed key quality tests, leaving cancer patients in 100+ countries at risk of ineffective treatments and life-threatening side effects—exposing dangerous gaps in international drug regulation.
More Notables:
A grad student’s wild idea triggers a major aging breakthrough – Issue No. 2839
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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- The lengths World Food Program workers went to warn of dangers, from emergency cables to appeals made over elaborate dinners in Nairobi.
- Trump administration officials’ studied refusal to acknowledge the urgency.
- And the suffering endured by families in Nairobi’s Kakuma camp, where rations fell to historic lows, malnourished children wasted and died, and families fled rather than starve.
The report expands on depicting how U.S. officials celebrated USAID cuts with cake—even as dire warnings of resulting cholera deaths in South Sudan loomed.
The pair of articles from Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Brett Murphy cap a year of excellent reporting from many global health journalists on the global fallout from slashed foreign aid, leading us into our round-up of 2025’s must-reads. 2025's BEST GLOBAL HEALTH REPORTING The Toxic Toll of Battery Recycling American car companies have long relied on recycled lead for batteries. But the process of recycling is steadily poisoning the communities working and living around the factories throughout Africa.
- Children near one factory cluster outside Lagos, Nigeria, had lead levels that could cause lifelong brain damage.
- Automakers were aware of the lead pollution for nearly 30 years, yet they opted not to act—and actively blocked advocates’ attempts to intervene.
A Portrait of Measles Resurgence As measles swept through North America amid declining vaccination rates, reporter Eli Saslow chronicled one West Texas family’s battle with the virus—which forced the father and four children to spend days in the hospital.
- “‘I feel like I’ve been lied to,’ [the father] Kiley texted his wife, as his temperature hit 40°C (104°F). He treated himself with cod liver oil and vitamin D," as recommended by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“As the pandemic rose, I saw my patients get sick and in some cases die, including a 42-year-old mother of two young children whose loss is seared into my soul. As it receded … the overwhelming public sentiment was: never again. Today, it seems: never what?†—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä”—â¶Ä”â¶Ä” Siddhartha Mukherjee in a March 10, 2025, commentary in Argentina’s ‘Tidal Wave’ of Health Cuts
Extreme cuts to Argentina’s health systems under President Javier Milei’s austerity measures forced patients and their families to resort to desperate measures to access vital care, including turning to Facebook to obtain donated cancer drugs.
A Scourge of Dud Cancer Drugs
Critical chemotherapy drugs used worldwide have failed key quality tests, leaving cancer patients in 100+ countries at risk of ineffective treatments and life-threatening side effects—exposing dangerous gaps in international drug regulation.
- Meanwhile, has found that globally-exported generic medications from major Indian drugmaker Zee Laboratories have been repeatedly flagged as ineffective and dangerous; but a lack of repercussions means the company continues to ship pharmaceuticals worldwide.
More Notables:
- Wielding Obscure Budget Tools, Trump’s ‘Reaper’ Vought Sows Turmoil in Public Health –
- How Imperial Brands’ confidential contract kept cigarette prices low in Laos—while secretly enriching a political insider –
- Trump Halted an Agent Orange Cleanup. That Puts Hundreds of Thousands at Risk for Poisoning. –
A grad student’s wild idea triggers a major aging breakthrough – Issue No. 2839
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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96
Global Health NOW: An ‘Accelerating’ Measles Outbreak; and GHN's Best Exclusives of 2025
December 16, 2025
TOP STORIES
A phase two trial for an Oxford University-developed vaccine against the deadly Nipah virus has been launched in Bangladesh, where the disease has a case fatality rate of up to 71%.
Suspected militants killed two people including a police officer guarding a team of polio workers in northwestern Pakistan today, amid a weeklong nationwide campaign aimed at immunizing 45 million children. Speakers and members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) frequently commented about infectious disease risks from immigrants during this month’s meeting of the CDC panel, sparking concerns about anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Personalized risk-based breast cancer screening was as effective as one-size-fits-all annual mammograms in a large trial of ~46,000 women; the findings suggest a risk-based approach could improve screening by shifting resources from low-risk women to high-risk women. IN FOCUS The heart of downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, on June 13, 2021. J. Michael Jones An ‘Accelerating’ Measles Outbreak The surging South Carolina measles outbreak has topped 120 cases and sent hundreds into 21-day quarantines, as state health officials hunker down for a monthslong fight.
Workers in the area produce 50,000 tons of firecrackers annually—most of India's fireworks—in factories prone to explosions and fires. Journalist Kamala Thiagarajan’s two-part series takes readers inside a poorly regulated factory system that led to at least 100 deaths in 2023–2024.
 &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
Migration Response Done Right: Brazil’s Model PACARAIMA, Brazil—Migrants fleeing Venezuela’s deteriorating political and economic system have found something wondrous at the border with Brazil: Open arms. Since 2018, the Operação Acolhida (Operation Welcome) partnership has blended military logistical support with respect for humanitarian autonomy to provide housing, essential services, and efforts to counter human trafficking, though U.S. foreign aid cuts have forced some organizations to scale back. (with support from the Johns Hopkins-Pulitzer Global Health Reporting Fellowship) Dispensing ‘Free Chances at Life’ In this hard-partying college town of Iowa City, the beloved Deadwood Tavern is known as a great place to relax, watch Iowa football, pick up free naloxone, birth control, emergency contraceptives, gun locks, wound care kits, and needle disposal kits. They’re all available, free and anonymously, from the public health vending machine at the back of the bar—part of a trend taking off in dozens of cities.
Peru’s Illegal Mining Surges … and Destroys LIMA, Peru—Soaring gold prices and plunging U.S. government funds are pushing Peru’s southeastern jungle, scene of a booming illegal mining industry, into a public health crisis—with destroyed forests, mercury poisoning, and fast-spreading infectious diseases. The cancelation of U.S.-supported reforestation and mercury poisoning mitigation projects has been likened to “throwing gasoline on an already hot fire.â€
Why Latin America Needs Its Own CDC—Now More Than Ever (Commentary)
Latin American governments must champion the creation of a regional CDC, similar to the Africa CDC model, that would work alongside PAHO to ensure faster, more efficient responses to health emergencies, according to three public health leaders from the region.
Other Notable Exclusives
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Suspected militants killed two people including a police officer guarding a team of polio workers in northwestern Pakistan today, amid a weeklong nationwide campaign aimed at immunizing 45 million children. Speakers and members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) frequently commented about infectious disease risks from immigrants during this month’s meeting of the CDC panel, sparking concerns about anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Personalized risk-based breast cancer screening was as effective as one-size-fits-all annual mammograms in a large trial of ~46,000 women; the findings suggest a risk-based approach could improve screening by shifting resources from low-risk women to high-risk women. IN FOCUS The heart of downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, on June 13, 2021. J. Michael Jones An ‘Accelerating’ Measles Outbreak The surging South Carolina measles outbreak has topped 120 cases and sent hundreds into 21-day quarantines, as state health officials hunker down for a monthslong fight.
- 126 cases—many among schoolchildren—have been reported in the state’s northwest, . 119 of the measles patients were unvaccinated.
- 303 people are in quarantine (some for the second time), and 13 are in isolation.
- "There's some people who don't want to do it, and that's up to them," McMaster said. "People need to understand it's dangerous just like a lot of other diseases. If there's some way to prevent it, you ought to do it."
- Local people are divided with some skeptical of vaccines and aggrieved by COVID-19 remote learning and shutdowns, while others worry about risks for their youngest children, .
Workers in the area produce 50,000 tons of firecrackers annually—most of India's fireworks—in factories prone to explosions and fires. Journalist Kamala Thiagarajan’s two-part series takes readers inside a poorly regulated factory system that led to at least 100 deaths in 2023–2024.
 &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
Migration Response Done Right: Brazil’s Model PACARAIMA, Brazil—Migrants fleeing Venezuela’s deteriorating political and economic system have found something wondrous at the border with Brazil: Open arms. Since 2018, the Operação Acolhida (Operation Welcome) partnership has blended military logistical support with respect for humanitarian autonomy to provide housing, essential services, and efforts to counter human trafficking, though U.S. foreign aid cuts have forced some organizations to scale back. (with support from the Johns Hopkins-Pulitzer Global Health Reporting Fellowship) Dispensing ‘Free Chances at Life’ In this hard-partying college town of Iowa City, the beloved Deadwood Tavern is known as a great place to relax, watch Iowa football, pick up free naloxone, birth control, emergency contraceptives, gun locks, wound care kits, and needle disposal kits. They’re all available, free and anonymously, from the public health vending machine at the back of the bar—part of a trend taking off in dozens of cities.
Peru’s Illegal Mining Surges … and Destroys LIMA, Peru—Soaring gold prices and plunging U.S. government funds are pushing Peru’s southeastern jungle, scene of a booming illegal mining industry, into a public health crisis—with destroyed forests, mercury poisoning, and fast-spreading infectious diseases. The cancelation of U.S.-supported reforestation and mercury poisoning mitigation projects has been likened to “throwing gasoline on an already hot fire.â€
Why Latin America Needs Its Own CDC—Now More Than Ever (Commentary)
Latin American governments must champion the creation of a regional CDC, similar to the Africa CDC model, that would work alongside PAHO to ensure faster, more efficient responses to health emergencies, according to three public health leaders from the region.
Other Notable Exclusives
- by Rupsa Chakraborty
- by Scovian Lillian
- by Abiodun Jamiu
- by Sanket Jain
- (commentary) by Siddhesh Zadey and Dhananjaya Sharma
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
