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Mon, 12/15/2025 - 09:29
96 Global Health NOW: Mosquito-Borne Illnesses Engulf Cuba; and Prosecutions Climb in a Post-Roe Landscape December 15, 2025 TOP STORIES A military air strike on a hospital in Burma (Myanmar) killed at least 31 and injured dozens more last Wednesday; the attack left the Rakhine state hospital, which was stretched thin and overflowing with patients before being struck, in ruins.

The U.S. FDA may place a “black-box” warning on COVID-19 vaccines, ; a decision on whether to place the label—used to flag serious threats to life and health—is expected by the end of this month.

The FDA also approved two antibiotics, zoliflodacin and gepotidacin, to treat gonorrhea late last week; the approval comes as Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium that causes the STI, has “outsmarted every previous antibiotic deployed against it, including the sole therapy that remains effective.”  

A $2.5 billion aid deal between Kenya and the U.S. has been suspended by a Kenyan court over data privacy concerns, after a consumer rights group sounded the alarm that under the deal Kenyans’ personal medical data could be viewed by U.S. officials. IN FOCUS An employee of Cuba's Ministry of Public Health fumigates a house in the Jesus Maria neighborhood of Havana, on November 20. Adalberto Roque/AFP via Getty Images Mosquito-Borne Illnesses Engulf Cuba    Mosquito-borne illnesses are sweeping through Cuba’s population amid medicine shortages, overcrowded hospitals, and a lack of government action and transparency, .    On the ground: Health officials and independent advocates report a mix of dengue, chikungunya, Oropouche, and other respiratory viruses circulating simultaneously. 
  • Many Cubans simply refer to the illnesses as “the virus”—reflecting confusion about what they are suffering from amid little to no diagnostic resources. 
  • Symptoms include high fever, rashes, swelling of joints, vomiting, diarrhea, and persistent pain that leaves many unable to walk normally. 
Rapid rise in cases: Official data show 42,000+ chikungunya cases and ~26,000 dengue infections reported this year, with the latter virus’s incidence surging 71%+ in one week, . 
  •  last month suggested that one-third of the Cuban population was infected.  
And 47 arbovirus deaths have been reported—though health workers and families say the real number is much higher, as death certificates have been mislabeled, . 
  • Children and older people have been especially affected. 

Conditions are exacerbated by severe food and medicine shortages, sanitation failures, prolonged power blackouts, and failed vector control. 

  • “Nobody is okay here. … We are an army of zombies,” 57-year-old Mercedes Interian told El País. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH Prosecutions Climb in a Post-Roe Landscape    More than three years after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, pregnancy complications—including life-threatening conditions and pregnancy loss—are increasingly subject to legal scrutiny in U.S. states with strict anti-abortion laws.     By the numbers: A  found at least 412 pregnancy-related prosecutions in the two years after Roe’s reversal.    Three types of cases: Charges include mishandling fetal remains, murder accusations after miscarriages or stillbirths, and alleged substance use during pregnancy.    Chilling effect on care: Fear of criminalization is leading to delays in care, interstate travel for treatment, and dangerous, nonviable pregnancies being carried to term.      
  Related: Fewer characters on TV had abortions this year — and more stories reinforced shame –  QUICK HITS Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera. –     Nearly half of Japanese have experienced loneliness and isolation –      New clues about long covid’s cause could unlock treatments –     Harvard Replaces Leader of Health Center Said to Have Focused on Palestinians – 
  AI finds a surprising monkeypox weak spot that could rewrite vaccines –     The Epidemic of Tobacco Harms among People with Mental Health Conditions –     What's behind the wellness claims for the synthetic dye methylene blue? –     The gift that shaped my career in science –   Issue No. 2837
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

Thu, 12/11/2025 - 09:49
96 Global Health NOW: Ukraine Births Under Siege; and Slovenia’s Preventive Care Pays Off December 11, 2025 TOP STORIES Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis is deepening with the deterioration of basic human rights, especially for women and girls, warn senior UN officials—who say nearly half of the country’s population will need protection and humanitarian assistance amid economic decline, displacement, and diminishing aid.     South Carolina’s measles outbreak is “accelerating” due to holiday travel and undervaccination, ; of the 111 measles cases recorded in the state’s northwest region, 105 involved people who were unvaccinated while three were partially vaccinated. 

An international study has identified a blood-based indicator of intestinal damage and inflammation that strongly predicts mortality in sick children; the new biomarker could help to identify children at greatest risk of dying post-hospitalization in low-resource parts of the world. 

Even a small proportion of citizens who do not comply with public health measures can amplify an epidemic’s spread in large cities, in Turin, Milan, and Palermo that analyzed the role of individual behavior in the spread of contagions.  IN FOCUS Bogdana Zhupanyna surveys the damage to her apartment days after it was struck by a drone during a Russian bombardment. July 23, Kharkiv, Ukraine. Scott Peterson/Getty Ukraine Births Under Siege    Childbirth in Ukraine has grown increasingly perilous, as relentless bombardments and displacement fuel a maternal mortality crisis and contribute to plunging birth rates that threaten the country’s future.     Dangerous delivery: Maternal deaths in Ukraine spiked 37% between 2023 and 2024, reaching 25.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, .  
  • Doctors report a sharp increase in complications, including more premature births, a 44% rise in uterine ruptures, and dangerous spikes in C-section rates—up to 46% in frontline regions like Kherson. 
Compromised care: 80+ maternity centers across Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed since Russia’s 2022 invasion, putting pregnant women and newborns at severe risk and forcing hundreds of births to occur in underground shelters, .  
  • Last week, a maternity hospital in Kherson was attacked, further compromising severely strained medical services,  
  • Power outages and supply shortages further contribute to rising risks.  
Demographic disaster: Ukraine now has the highest death rates and lowest birth rates in the world, measuring three deaths for every birth, .  
  • That has led to fears of population collapse, with the country’s population plummeting from 42 million in 2022 to a projected 25 million by 2051. 
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES 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 basics: Slovenia’s system emphasizes primary care, screening, and coaching—and, per Rade Pribaković, of the country’s National Institute of Public Health, “kind of nagging the population,” to have regular checks at health promotion centers which reach ~50,000 Slovenians a year.  
  • Such hubs are staffed with community nurses, dentists, gynecologists, and other specialists, and offer workshops on topics like nutrition, stress, and obesity.  
Results: Slovenia’s chronic disease death rates have fallen sharply, and its life expectancy has steadily increased: Last year, it reached 82.3 years—higher than the EU average of 81.7 years and the U.S. average of 78.4 years.      CORRECTION The Cause of Cholera
In yesterday’s GHN, in a story about the , we referred to the disease as a virus, but cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. We regret the error. Thanks to Hasanain Odhar for pointing out the mistake!  ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Will This Christmas Kill ‘Last Christmas’?       Think of it as —but for a Christmas song. And no one gets rich.      After decades of relentless overplay from Halloween til Christmas, a group of pals in Europe has organized the masses in a takedown of the loathed holiday track.   
  The first rule of Whamageddon: .      Us versus the airwaves: Refereed only by the honor system, players 
must publicly forfeit themselves if they’re “hit” by the signature synth. WHAMbushing others is a no-no and radio hosts, who can send countless players to dreaded “Whamhalla” with a single play,     Full disclosure: Until now, we actually didn’t realize we were supposed to hate the song and are now trying to catch up. If you’re in the same boat,  of its “inanity” and narrative incoherence.      But we will say: If making sense is how this YouTube scrooge rates music, we’d love to hear his take on    QUICK HITS The fight to beat neglected tropical diseases was going well. 2025 could change that –     Meta shuts down global accounts linked to abortion advice and queer content –       U.S. mass killings drop to 20-year low. Some policy shifts might be helping. –     EU officials acted to aid tobacco giant abroad, documents show –     Climate Change Is an Information Crisis; Public Health Already Knows How to Fight Those –     Japan turns to AI, robot caregivers to tackle dementia crisis –   Issue No. 2836
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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Categories: Global Health Feed

Wed, 12/10/2025 - 09:23
96 Global Health NOW: COVID Vaccines’ Safety Confirmed Amid U.S. Scrutiny; and How to Read a Scientific Study December 10, 2025 TOP STORIES In DRC’s worst cholera outbreak in 25 years, children account for nearly a quarter of the 64,427 total cases so far this year; in “one of the most tragic” instances, 16 of 62 children died when the virus swept through a Kinshasa orphanage.  
The first single-dose dengue vaccine has been approved for use in Brazil; the shot, Butantan-DV, protects against four strains of dengue and will initially be given to 1 million people in January.  
  Children exposed to extreme heat are less likely to meet basic developmental milestones than children living nearby in cooler areas, ; low-income children are especially vulnerable.  
  Civicus downgraded  from “narrowed” to “obstructed,” citing a “sharp deterioration of fundamental freedoms in the country” this year and placing the U.S. in the same classification as 39 other countries including Hungary, Brazil, and South Africa.   IN FOCUS People waiting to receive a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the Clermont-Tonnerre military hospital in Brest, France. April 6, 2021. Loic Venance/AFP via Getty COVID Vaccines’ Safety Confirmed Amid U.S. Scrutiny    A major French study is offering one of the clearest looks yet at the long-term safety of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, concluding that the vaccines did not increase mortality rates in France, . 
  • The research arrives amid renewed debate of the vaccines’ safety in the U.S. sparked by an FDA memo that alleged vaccine-related deaths—claims rejected by former FDA leaders and unsupported by data.  
The study: The “enormous” study  analyzed the health records of 28.7 million adults ages 18–59 in the French health system; 22.8 million of those received an mRNA vaccine in 2021, .
  • The team tracked all causes of death for four years—far longer than most prior studies.  
Key results: Vaccinated people had a 74% lower risk of dying from COVID-19 in the hospital, and all-cause mortality over those four years was also lower: 0.4% among the vaccinated versus 0.6% among the unvaccinated.    Meanwhile in the U.S.: The FDA has broadened an internal review into whether COVID-19 vaccines may be linked to deaths in adults as well as children, , following FDA head Vinay Prasad’s unsubstantiated claims that the shots caused at least 10 pediatric deaths.   
  • Prasad also said he plans to implement tighter vaccine-approval standards, though it is unclear what data sources the FDA is using to assess the safety of the vaccines or the approval process, .  
Related: Doctor groups form united front against RFK Jr’s efforts to limit vaccine access –   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES RESEARCH How to Read a Scientific Study    Research studies are no longer limited to an audience of scientists—they are now a frequent feature of podcasts, YouTube videos, and social media posts.  
  • How can nonscientists avoid falling for oversimplification, distortion, or manipulation?  
The first step: Learn how to read the studies. Epidemiologist Emily Gurley offers some key guidance, including:  
  • Eye the essentials: Know the journal and its quality; understand the abstract section; look at the introduction to understand the study’s  purpose, and read the discussion section to learn more about how to interpret the study. 
  • Consider possible limitations, including sample size, participant demographics, and what needs further study. 
  • Distinguish between correlation and causation.  
  QUICK HITS How a rare drug made from scientists’ blood saves babies from botulism –     Synthetic chemicals in food system creating health burden of $2.2tn a year, report finds –     After NIH grant cuts, breast cancer research at Harvard slowed, and lab workers left –     What to know about the surprising MERS coronavirus cases discovered in France –     Punished for bleeding: How periods in prison become a trap –     Malaria No More taps Trump insider for ‘new era’ of global health –     Five important financial moves for PhD students –   Issue No. 2835
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

Tue, 12/09/2025 - 09:49
96 Global Health NOW: Polio: An Influx of Cash—and a Funding Shortfall December 9, 2025 TOP STORIES A hospital and kindergarten in Sudan came under drone strikes last week, killing 114 people, including 63 children; 35 were injured, many of whom tried to get victims to the hospital, according to the WHO; Sudan officials attributed the Kalogi massacre to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, a group responsible for other atrocities in Sudan’s civil war.  

Countries must jointly enact policies and fund programs against climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, and pollution, ; the report, based on the work of 287 scientists, calls for unprecedented transformation of government, the financial sector, and industry.  

A multidrug-resistant bacterial colonization of the gastrointestinal tract is prevalent worldwide, ; carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales often precedes infections in critically ill hospital patients.  

Returning to school after the COVID-19 pandemic improved children’s mental health, according to a California-based study that found kids’ probability of being diagnosed with a mental health condition dropped 43% nine months after school reopening compared to pre-opening levels.   IN FOCUS A child is vaccinated against polio by Thane Municipal Corporation Health Department on December 8, 2024, in Mumbai, India. Praful Gangurde/Hindustan Times via Getty Images Polio: An Influx of Cash—and a Funding Shortfall 
International donors committed to $1.9 billion against polio yesterday, but is it enough?                                               
  • The funds will be used to vaccinate 370 million children against polio each year as well as build up health systems, (GPEI). 
     
  • The Gates Foundation pledged $1.2 billion, and Rotary International committed to $450 million, . 

Shortfall: Despite the pledges, there’s still a $440 million gap in support for GPEI through 2029. 

  • The U.K., Germany, and other countries have pulled back plans for development assistance and health funding in 2026, and U.S. support for polio efforts is unclear for 2026.  
  • GPEI expects to cut its budget by 30% next year because of the global retreat in foreign aid, . 

The Quote: Without the full $6.9 billion needed for GPEI’s strategy, “children will be left unprotected against polio,” GPEI spokesperson Ally Rogers told CNN. 

Polio memories: , the University of Toronto Mississauga’s Madeleine Mant interviewed 65 people who had polio between 1941 and 1977. Their message: Young people shouldn’t have to experience polio or other vaccine-preventable diseases, .

Related: Bill Gates renews call to eradicate polio and malaria with UAE as key partner –  

DATA POINT

4.6 billion
—ĔĔĔĔē
The estimated number of people worldwide who still lack access to essential health services; while countries have advanced toward universal health coverage, major challenges remain. —
  HEALTH SYSTEMS A Health Care Breakdown in a Health Care Town 
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital is southwest Georgia’s largest health provider—but also the region’s dominant employer and economic power center.  
 
And yet: Locals describe a system fraught with access limitations, poor outcomes, high prices, and fractured care—including dismissive treatment reported by uninsured residents. 
 
Inflection point: When the region became one of the nation’s first COVID-19 hot spots in 2020, the crisis exposed frayed relationships between the hospital and the community, especially poor and Black residents who suffered the worst outcomes. 
 
Bigger picture: The more hospitals operate as behemoth businesses, “the fewer incentives there are to lower costs or improve quality and the less communities can do about either.” 
 
QUICK HITS More Americans refusing vitamin K shots for newborns, new study finds –     Warning issued after new mpox strain identified in England –     Why Some Doctors Say There Are Cancers That Shouldn’t Be Treated –     Surprise! Your health care provider added a fee for that questionnaire you filled out –  
  Zimbabwe’s only female heart surgeon on medicine, misogyny and making a difference –   Issue No. 2834
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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Categories: Global Health Feed

Mon, 12/08/2025 - 09:09
96 Global Health NOW: The Hepatitis B Vote: A Pivotal Moment for U.S. Vaccine Policy December 8, 2025 TOP STORIES 20+ babies in Hungary have died of maternally contracted syphilis, and 63 cases have been confirmed in the country this year as syphilis cases increase worldwide.  

2 MERS cases have been reported in France; both patients had been on the same trip to the Arabian Peninsula; no secondary transmission has been detected.  

Kenya signed a $2.5 billion, five-year agreement to accept U.S. funding to help fight infectious diseases, becoming the first country to sign a deal aligned with the Trump administration’s foreign policy goals; the agreement sparked concerns about the security of sensitive health data.

Environmental advocates in Canada are pushing for a moratorium on the use of glyphosate, the key ingredient in RoundUp, after a 25-year-old foundational research paper on the herbicide’s safety was following revelations that RoundUp’s maker, Monsanto, may have helped produce the paper. IN FOCUS Members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the CDC headquarters. Atlanta, Georgia, December 5. Megan Varner/Bloomberg via Getty The Hepatitis B Vote: A Pivotal Moment for U.S. Vaccine Policy     It’s a tectonic shift in U.S. immunization policy: The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted Friday to withdraw a long-standing recommendation that newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccination at birth. 
  • The decision was made without new evidence and against the strong consensus of medical groups that the change puts children at unnecessary risk, .   
New recommendations, established efficacy: The panel now suggests delaying the first hepatitis B dose until at least two months for infants born to virus-negative mothers. 
  • But the vaccine’s safety is well established, , which outlines the history of the shot, its timing, and its role in bringing down infections in young people by 99%. 
Sharp pivot:&Բ;’s&Բ; sets the stage for broader reconsideration of childhood immunization policy, .  
  • President Trump  Friday, urging health officials to review the entire childhood vaccine schedule, calling the U.S. an “outlier,” .  
³󲹳’s&Բ;Ա: The decision about actually changing the vaccine guidelines now sits with the CDC’s acting director. 
  • But states are already pushing back against ACIP’s recommendation: New York , and Ohio officials . 
Related:     4 fact-checks after CDC vaccine panel ends universal newborn hep B vaccine recommendations –      Three-fourths of Americans support hepatitis B vaccine for newborns, poll finds –   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CHILD HEALTH Australia’s Sweeping Social Media Ban    A strict ban on social media accounts for users under 16 takes effect in 
Australia this week, prompting platforms like Meta, TikTok, Snap, and YouTube to deactivate hundreds of thousands of accounts, .  
  • Other governments worldwide are watching the move, which Australian officials call the “first domino” in such regulation. 
Details of the ban: Unlike current age-restrictions that are easy to work around and difficult to enforce, Australia has multiple compliance requirements, , including: 
  • A “layered safety approach,” including AI-informed age detection, activity-pattern analysis, and mandatory age verification. 
  • Protections to block circumvention attempts, and parent reporting. 
  • Fines of up to $49.5 million for platforms.  
The Quote: “Social media was a big social experiment. In some ways, this is an antidote social experiment,” said eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.   QUICK HITS Trump DoJ ‘immediately’ stops enforcing prison rape protections for trans and intersex people, according to leaked memo – 

Faulty glucose monitors linked to 7 deaths and more than 700 injuries, FDA warns – 

'Very concerning': Opioids for sickle cell pain often not administered fast enough in ED – 

How the new H-1B visa fee is upending health care in rural America –     Editors’ pick 2025: Our favourite essays and longform stories on public health in South Africa –     Ashish Jha to leave Brown University School of Public Health –     ‘One bite and he was hooked’: from Kenya to Nepal, how parents are battling ultra-processed foods –   Issue No. 2833
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

Thu, 12/04/2025 - 09:29
96 Global Health NOW: Child Deaths Are Rising—And Avoidable December 4, 2025 TOP STORIES Baby formula in the U.K. will soon be purchasable using supermarket loyalty points and vouchers, as government officials seek affordability solutions in the face of dramatically increasing formula costs.  

A “pre-pandemic” plan to address bird flu risks has been shared with EU health officials by the European CDC, which is urging increased surveillance and hospital capacity as H5N1 spreads in birds and as risk of mutation and human spread grows.

A single HPV vaccination could be as effective as two doses to prevent the virus that causes cervical cancer, finds a new U.S. National Cancer Institute-led , which enrolled more than 20,000 girls and tracked them for five years.

The vaccine advisory panel to the U.S. CDC is expected to vote later today on whether to abandon the universal hepatitis B vaccine recommendation for newborns; posted online late Wednesday suggest a shift to “individual-based decision-making” for the newborn shot and a recommendation to delay administering the vaccine until babies are 2 months old. IN FOCUS Denish Odule, a Village Health Team officer, takes a blood sample to do a malaria rapid diagnostic test, in Apac District, Uganda, on April 7. Hajarah Nalwadda/Getty Images Child Deaths Are Rising—And Avoidable 
Global child mortality is projected to rise for the first time this century, as countries and major donors cut foundational health funding and as diseases like malaria gain a stronger foothold, find two major reports released this week by the Gates Foundation and the WHO. 
  • “It is 100% avoidable. There is no reason why those children should be dying,” said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation, which released its annual yesterday.  

Deaths of children under age 5 are expected to reach 4.8 million in 2025, per that report, which is ~200,000 more than last year, And further aid reductions of 20%–30% could lead to 12–16 million additional child deaths by 2045.  

Malaria’s mounting toll: Meanwhile, young children made up the greatest share of ~610,000 deaths in 2024, —an increase from 2023, which does not account for 2025 funding cuts, .  

  • Many of the deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa, as funding shortfalls stall progress and as rising drug resistance and climate change threaten resurgence, warned WHO leaders, . 

Clear solutions: Well-established solutions like improved primary health care and routine immunizations are the “best bet” at strengthening protections for children—if they can be funded. 

  • “We could be the generation who had access to the most advanced science and innovation in human history—but couldn’t get the funding together to ensure it saved lives,” said Bill Gates.  

Related: Over 5,000 Ugandans Died of Malaria in 2024 as WHO Warns of Rising Drug Resistance –   

GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORT Phasing Out Mercury Fillings 
Mercury will no longer be used as a key ingredient in dental fillings, after countries agreed to phase out its usage at COP-6 last month.

Background: While mercury-based dental amalgams have been used for 150 years, more countries have begun banning the metal’s usage as its harmful environmental and health impacts come to light. 

The rollback: In the agreement, countries pledged to phase out mercury by 2034.  

  • After years of debate, the decision was carried over the finish line by late backing from the WHO, Brazil, and the U.S.—which reversed its longstanding opposition to a ban.  

 

OPPORTUNITY Calling All Humanitarians 
is accepting applications for a (February 16–April 27, 2026), designed for anyone interested in learning more about humanitarian leadership, whether they’re new to the sector or are seasoned humanitarian professionals.  
  • To keep the program accessible to people from all socioeconomic backgrounds, attendees are asked to “pay what they can” for participation. 
  •  
  • Deadline: January 30, 2026 
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION The Slop of Nightmares 
“ChatGPT, design me a massive holiday mural that’s less festive and more epic hellscape.”

Something like this, surely, was the AI prompt behind the in an otherwise-charming London suburb.  

Because “you know what’s Christmassy? A snowman with a [expletive] eye on his cheek,” .  

Reportedly “commissioned” by a Kingston upon Thames building landlord, —but was giving Hieronymus Bosch.  

Yet somehow, it was still a gift—a horror to look at, but a joy to put into words: 

  • “The disturbing scene appeared to contain large troops of men with misshapen bodies and contorted faces attempting to skate over shallow, foamy waters. Elsewhere, groups filled an infeasibly large wooden boat. Heavily-disfigured dogs bounded about, some appearing to transmogrify into birds,” . 

If this description turns out to be AI-generated, well, we’ll just cry. 

QUICK HITS Congo hosts Africa’s first simulation exercise on antimicrobial resistance surveillance –      Researchers slightly lower study’s estimate of drop in global income due to climate change –     A dozen former FDA commissioners condemn plan to tighten vaccine approvals –     FDA names Tracy Beth Høeg, fresh from vaccine safety probe, as acting head of drug center –     WHO launches new, unified plan for countries to manage coronaviruses: COVID-19 and beyond –   Issue No. 2832
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

Wed, 12/03/2025 - 09:30
96 Global Health NOW: A New Era for GLP-1 Drugs; and The Toxic Toll of Battery Recycling December 3, 2025 TOP STORIES

Nearly one in five child deaths worldwide is linked to growth failure, with ~1 million children failing to reach their fifth birthday each year due to devastating health impacts, , which recorded the most deaths in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

UK support for a key anti-FGM program will end next year, a major step back for the country after years of leading global efforts to stop female genital mutilation; the move will defund the 10+-year-old initiative, The Girl Generation, which supports grassroots organizations trying to end FGM.

A U.S. vaccine advisory committee convening later this week appears likely to delay hepatitis B shots routinely administered to newborns and may broadly revise the use of other vaccines, based on preliminary comments by officials.

A special type of immune cell plays an essential role in the tiny percentage of HIV patients who achieve a “functional cure,” allowing them to live for years without taking antiretroviral drugs; the discovery by two independent groups of scientists signals a possible new path in the search for a cure.

IN FOCUS A pharmacy owner speaks with a customer in Pristina, Kosovo, on March 27. Armend Nimani/AFP via Getty A New Era for GLP-1 Drugs    The WHO has released its first guidelines on GLP-1 weight-loss medicines, signaling a continued sea change in global health policy and the clinical approach to address the growing obesity crisis, .      The stakes: The WHO warns that one billion+ people worldwide live with obesity—a number that could double by 2030.    A shifting response: GLP-1 therapies including semaglutide, tirzepatide, and liraglutide are not a standalone solution, but the drugs have potential to “help millions overcome obesity and reduce its associated harms,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.     Access issues: The WHO warned that high costs and scarce supply have led to unequal access: fewer than 10% of eligible patients are expected to access GLP-1 therapies by 2030, .   Broader impact: Researchers are exploring whether GLP-1 drugs might also reduce cravings for alcohol, nicotine, and opioids, .     And a new era of GLP-1 drugs is on the horizon, with innovations that include more potent injectables and once-daily pills, for which drugmakers hope to secure approval and release within the next year, .     Meanwhile, San Francisco is suing major food manufacturers over health harms linked to ultraprocessed foods, claiming the companies “engineered a public health crisis,” .   DATA POINT

Every 3 minutes
—ĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔ
A child dies of tuberculosis—amounting to ~175,000 deaths among children in 2024 from a disease we have the tools to diagnose, prevent, and cure. —
  POLLUTION 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, The Examination and The New York Times report.  
  • Repeatedly, they and battery companies opted not to act when warned of the dangers—excluding lead from environmental policies and blocking advocates’ attempts to intervene.  
    Related: The ‘Clean’ Technology That’s Poisoning People –    GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Fiji faces major HIV outbreak –  (free registration required)     More cities are seeing PFAS pollution in drinking water. Here's what Louisville found –     The changing shape of Chinese aid to Africa –     South Africa finally declares GBV a national disaster –     For those living with dementia, new study suggests shingles vaccine could slow the disease –     A Different Type of Dementia Is Changing What’s Known About Cognitive Decline –      A short social media detox improves mental health, a study shows. Here's how to do it –   Issue No. 2831
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

Tue, 12/02/2025 - 09:19
96 Global Health NOW: Dispensing ‘Free Chances at Life’: Public Health Vending Machines Are More Than a Novelty December 2, 2025 TOP STORIES

More than 1,250 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand have been killed in floods and landslides following two recent cyclones and a typhoon; 1.1 million people have been displaced in Sri Lanka alone.  

Ethiopia’s Marburg virus outbreak has now claimed eight lives total, after authorities reported three new deaths yesterday; 12 cases have been confirmed in southern Ethiopia since mid-November.  

A New Jersey faith-based pregnancy center will appear before the Supreme Court today to fight a prosecutor’s subpoena demanding donor information; the prosecutor is investigating whether First Choice Women’s Resource Centers misled clients to discourage abortions.  

A gene in avian flu viruses protects them against heat generated by a human’s fever, essentially neutralizing one of the body’s prime defenses; higher temps even help the viruses replicate, according to Cambridge and Glasgow university scientists.  

IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE A public health vending machine at the Deadwood Tavern, in Iowa City. Ben Mummey Dispensing ‘Free Chances at Life’  
As the overdose crisis swept across the U.S., it became clear to those working in harm reduction that to stem the crisis, the barrier to accessing naloxone had to be lowered.  
  In recent years, more and more  that dispense free doses of the lifesaving overdose reversal medication and often, a range of other harm reduction products including sharps containers and wound care kits.  
  The machines are part of a “new guard” of approaches to an overdose crisis that demanded broader, more accessible services that can reach people who might not use traditional health services and allow users to remain anonymous, says Rosemarie Martin of UMass Chan Medical School.  
  Promising results: Research shows products in the machines are, indeed, helping to save lives. Since 2021, naloxone dispensed by one machine in Cincinnati has helped reverse 5,000 overdoses, according to University of Cincinnati researchers tracking its use.  
  A shifting response: Overdoses in the US are declining overall, and concerted efforts to de-stigmatize and expand access to harm reduction products deserve some credit for that, says Martin. But access to low-barrier harm reduction tools remains uneven across the country—and it’s unclear how well these interventions will be funded long-term, says Martin.   “It’s important that we celebrate the wins … but there’s a lot of work to do.”  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MEASLES  Warnings and Wins in WHO Update
The WHO warned of rising measles cases across the globe, even as it recognizes major progress in combating the disease over the last 25 years, in a .     Significant strides: Globally, measles deaths have fallen 88% since 2000, and 96 countries have now eliminated measles, .  
  • The number of children vaccinated against measles is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels.  
Setbacks: ~11 million infections were reported in 2024—about 800,000 more than before the pandemic. 
  • 59 countries faced major outbreaks last year, nearly triple the 2021 total. 
Behind the rise: Only 76% of children globally received both vaccine doses in 2024, with most under-protected children living in fragile or conflict-affected regions. Misinformation is also taking a toll.     Related: South Carolina’s Measles Outbreak Shows Chilling Effect of Vaccine Misinformation –   GOOD NEWS QUICK HITS With school violence rising, Europe eyes a usual suspect: Social media –     After Roe, Churches Promised to Support Women. Three Years Later, Has Anything Changed? –     The common vaccines that can prevent chronic disease or some cancers –     These Zika mothers went to battle — and their cry was heard –  
Racial bias in medicine can be as simple as dismissing Black patients as a ‘hard stick’ –     Stunning new 3D images reveal yellow fever’s hidden structure –   Issue No. 2830
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

Mon, 12/01/2025 - 09:35
96 Global Health NOW: AIDS Response ‘at a Crossroads’ December 1, 2025 TOP STORIES Famine conditions in Nigeria are returning for the first time in a decade amid growing extremist violence, the World Food Programme has warned, with ~15,000 people in the northern Borno State facing “catastrophic hunger” during the 2026 lean season, and ~35,000 facing severe food insecurity. 

DRC’s Ebola outbreak has ended, after passing 42 consecutive days with no new cases recorded, the country’s health ministry announced today; out of 64 total cases since the outbreak’s September 4 start, 45 people died and 19 recovered. 

Nearly half of landmine victims are children, , with many children injured or killed while searching for scrap metal, tending animals, and cultivating crops; 6,279 casualties were reported in 2024, with Burma the most dangerous country for such accidents.     The U.S. FDA’s top vaccine regulator, Vinay Prasad, proposed broad changes to vaccine trial protocols in a Friday memo, claiming that a new review links 10 children’s deaths to the COVID vaccine; doctors and public health experts questioned the findings absent proof or peer review.   IN FOCUS Nepali activists hold a candlelight vigil on the eve of AIDS Day. Kathmandu, Nepal, November 30. Sanjit Pariyar/NurPhoto via Getty AIDS Response ‘at a Crossroads’    In the face of severe disruptions to the fight against HIV/AIDS,  governments on this World AIDS Day to expand access to new prevention tools—especially the twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir (LEN).    ‘Devastating impact’ of aid cuts: Already, the impact of major international aid funding cuts this year by the U.S., the U.K., and Europe is being felt, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, . 
  • The cuts have led to the closure of clinics and outreach centers worldwide, and left ~2.5 million people without PrEP. And 1.3 million new infections have been recorded—disproportionately among key populations, .  
Leaning into innovation: Despite these setbacks, the WHO hailed the “remarkable momentum” of new LEN approvals in several countries this year, and is calling for HIV services’ integration into primary care to restructure response.     Meanwhile, the U.S. government will no longer commemorate World AIDS Day, —with the State Department directing employees not to use government funds to mark the day and to “refrain from publicly promoting” the day in communication channels.     Related:  
Presidential HIV council warns proposed cuts could reverse decades of progress –      The U.S. government's failure to acknowledge World AIDS Day takes us back to a troubling time –      Drug vending machines revolutionise fight against HIV in Sao Paulo –   EDITOR'S NOTE Virtual Global Health Week    Want to learn more about global health? Curious about public health communications, food security, corruption in health, AI in global health, and other topics? Join  sponsored by the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, running tomorrow through Thursday. The live webinars are free and open to the public.     If you’re interested in the consequences of U.S. foreign aid cuts, please join the  on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET. I’ll be joining journalists Molly Knight Raskin, Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman, and Joanne Cavanaugh Simpson on this Pulitzer Center panel. —Brian  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Twenty-year study shows cleaner water slashes cancer and heart disease deaths – 

Doctor Critical of Vaccines Quietly Appointed as C.D.C.’s Second in Command – 

No soap, no tents, no food: Rohingya families fight for survival as aid plummets – 

Uranium detected in breast milk of Indian mothers – 

The Undermining of the C.D.C. – 

Egypt triumphs over centuries-old fight against trachoma –     New FDA-approved glasses can slow nearsightedness in kids –   Issue No. 2829
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

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 09:42
96 Global Health NOW: Inside India’s Funding Failure in Rare Genetic Disease Care November 25, 2025 TOP STORIES Taps are running dry across Iran; if rain doesn’t come soon, Tehran’s 10 million people may be forced to evacuate amid the country’s worst water crisis in decades—blamed on mismanagement of natural resources exacerbated by climate change.      Semaglutide fell short in “hotly anticipated” Alzheimer’s trials, deflating hopes that anti-obesity drugs could delay the progression of neurodegenerative diseases—but the research could yield clues about potential anti-inflammatory and preventive effects.     A Gavi-UNICEF deal to cut the price of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine—to under $3 a dose—could protect 7 million additional children by 2030; 21 countries have rolled out the vaccine since its introduction in 2024.      A simple, scalable hospital program improved hand hygiene, sped up sepsis treatment, and reduced severe maternal infections by 32%,  that demonstrates the lifesaving potential of small interventions even in resource-limited settings.   EDITOR’S NOTE Thanksgiving Break    GHN will not be publishing for the rest of this week for the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. We’ll be back in your email box on Monday, December 1, with more news!      + Important update: We heard that the form for the  closed prematurely for a spell yesterday, ahead of the 11:59 pm deadline. We are sorry if that affected you, and to make up for it, we will accept entries through Monday, December 1. Thanks to everyone who has already entered! —Dayna IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORT People pass by Mumbai’s King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, one of India’s 13 centers of excellence in rare disease care. Jan. 28, 2017. Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Inside India’s Funding Failure in Rare Genetic Disease Care  
When India launched a rare genetic disease policy in 2021, it was hailed as a turning point in medical care for  afflicted by such diseases.  
  But thousands of children across India have waited for medicines—and some have died—as the government’s best intentions have been unraveled by red tape, withheld funds, and lengthy court battles, . 
  Two main issues: 
  • The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare approves only about 30% of funding requests. 
  • Patients who do receive funding find that expensive medicines can quickly run through the government’s $60,000 per patient spending cap.  
Case study: Arohi Kajabe, a 3-year-old who has Gaucher’s disease, a rare genetic disorder that silently destroys vital organs, died in February after waiting for more than two years for medicines that never came.  
  • Her father, Yogesh Kajabe, a farm laborer, sold his only piece of land and borrowed $6,000 to keep her alive. Each of the two monthly injections she needed cost $1,200. 
Government response: A senior official said the government is planning to raise the rare disease budget to $117 million over the next couple years. 
  The Quote: “The policy is a fragmented patchwork,” says Archana Panda, co-founder of CureSMA India, a spinal muscular atrophy NGO. “Without a permanent national fund and insurance integration, India’s rare disease framework will keep collapsing under its own weight.”   THE QUOTE
  "We’re seeing a massive level of loss." —ĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔ— Atul Gawande, former USAID assistant administrator for Global Health, on the consequences of U.S. government aid cuts. — NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES Is Extreme Heat Driving an ‘Epidemic’ of Kidney Disease?    Over the last two decades, researchers have seen a surge of kidney disease among a demographic not typically at risk for the ailment: young, otherwise healthy outdoor workers who don't have diabetes or genetic risk factors.     The condition has been dubbed CKDu—chronic kidney disease of unknown causes—but researchers say an underlying cause is increasingly evident: extreme heat and chronic dehydration, writes journalist Carrie Arnold, reporting from El Salvador’s Pacific coast.    Far-reaching crisis, few resources: Increasing rates of CKDu have been reported across Central America and among Nepalese migrants who worked in the Middle East. 
  • Many workers struggle to access needed dialysis and medications.  
A push for prevention: Interventions providing water, rest, and shade have .       HAPPY THANKSGIVING! QUICK HITS First death reported from rare bird flu strain –      NIH shake-up to grant decision-making draws concerns of political meddling –      COP30 Ends with No Text on Fossil Fuels Phase-Out - But Plans for a Conference In 2026 –     California Is Tired of Letting People Die –     COVID vaccine tech could limit snake venom damage –   
A bowhead whale's DNA offers clues to fight cancer –   Issue No. 2828
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

Mon, 11/24/2025 - 09:19
96 Global Health NOW: Roots and Ramifications of Romania’s Measles Crisis; and Ghana’s Dangerously Packed Prisons November 24, 2025 TOP STORIES Five people have now died in Ethiopia’s Marburg virus outbreak, per a Saturday Ministry of Health update that also placed the confirmed case count at 10 and the case fatality rate at 50%.     HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria control “hangs in the balance” after a significant shortfall in donations to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria following the G20 summit; of the organization’s $18 billion budget, just $11.3 billion has been confirmed.     Farm and animal-related workers are being urged by European authorities to get vaccinated for the flu to prevent human and bird influenza strains from genetically mixing, as the region braces for one of the most severe flu seasons in 10+ years.

94% of lung cancer cases in the U.S. could be detected if screening were made available for Americans between the ages of 40 and 85—and ~26,000 deaths could be prevented per year even if just 30% were screened (and separate from on lung cancer screening published last week). IN FOCUS Roots and Ramifications of Romania’s Measles Crisis   Romania has the lowest measles vaccination rate in the EU, with just two-thirds of people fully vaccinated.    The consequences: 30,000+ measles cases and 23 deaths were recorded in 2024, including five infants.    Global warning: The country’s contracting coverage over 30+ years offers critical insights for other countries watching their vaccination rates plummet, global health experts say.  
  • "The outbreaks aren't only a matter of poverty and not understanding the importance of immunization. It's multifactorial,” said Mihai Craiu, a pediatrician at Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy. 
Some of those factors:  
  • Historic backlash: Vaccines were mandatory under Romania’s Communist regime, leading to widespread mistrust of immunizations after the country’s post-1989 shift to democracy.  
  • Further flashpoints: In 2008, the push for HPV vaccination led to politicization and media controversy and deepened vaccine hesitancy. 
  • Diminished infrastructure: Chronic underfunding, lack of access for minorities, and COVID-era disruptions have furthered the spiral.  
Slow and steady solutions: Romanian health leaders are seeking evidence-based approaches to take on mistrust and misinformation, including .        GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HUMAN RIGHTS Ghana’s Dangerously Packed Prisons 
Ghana’s extremely overcrowded prisons are fueling the spread of TB, measles, and a range of neglected tropical diseases, clinicians warn.     By the numbers: The average occupancy rate for Ghana’s 43 prisons is 137%.  
  • Kumasi Central Prison, a 600-inmate facility, has held as many as ~1,900 incarcerated people.  
  • And prison infirmaries have only a fraction of the beds needed.  
‘Ticking time bombs’ for disease: Many prisons in Ghana are converted colonial forts that lack adequate ventilation or hygienic infrastructure. And infections are not contained within prison walls:  
  • “In many cases, prisoners arrive already sick, or return to their communities sick,” said Yaw A. Amoako with the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine.  
  QUICK HITS  Women fleeing Sudan’s El Fasher face a new battle: To keep their families safe –     A battle with my blood –      What To Know About the CDC’s Baseless New Guidance on Autism –     While no one was watching: Tenuous status of CDC prion unit, risk of CWD to people worry scientists –     Can vaping help wean people off cigarettes? Anti-smoking advocates are sharply split –     To keep babies healthy, a New Orleans case manager delivers stability in the face of federal uncertainty –     The Doulas Bringing Babies into the World During Hurricanes –   Issue No. 2827
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

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 09:29
96 Global Health NOW: Violence Against Women Remains a ‘Deeply Neglected Crisis’ November 20, 2025 TOP STORIES Europe has detected 46 cases of mpox clade 1b since August, including at least 14 cases among people with no known travel history or contact links; the highly infectious strain emerged in DRC in 2023 and triggered an epidemic in Africa.  

Maternal infections and deaths were cut by 32% in a multicountry clinical trial involving 430,000+ women, which implemented “a structured, sustainable approach” to preventing maternal sepsis that included a focus on hand hygiene and infection prevention and management strategies.  

62,000 lung cancer deaths could be prevented over a five-year period if more people were screened for it, that found that just 18% of eligible individuals received lung cancer screening.  

Water fluoridation has no link to declining cognition in children or adults, , which examined education and medical records of a nationally representative group of 26,000 Americans.   IN FOCUS Silhouettes form the backdrop of an International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women protest in Mexico City, on November 25, 2024. Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Violence Against Women Remains a ‘Deeply Neglected Crisis’  

~840 million women globally have experienced intimate partner or sexual violence in their lifetimes, released yesterday that describes the problem as a "deeply neglected crisis,” . 

More numbers:    

  • 11% (316 million) of women and girls ages 15 and older were subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner over the past year.
     
  • Violence starts early, affecting 16% of adolescent girls ages 15–19 (12.5 million), . 

Mounting evidence, declining funding: This year’s global health aid cuts especially affect sexual and reproductive health services—important entry points for survivors of violence to access care, . 

What’s needed:  

  • Strengthened survivor-centered health, legal, and social services; investment in data systems to track progress; and bolstered enforcement of existing laws and policies, launched alongside the report.
     
  • Stronger laws and enforcement of online abuse, including harassment, cyberstalking, defamation, and deepfakes, article that also calls on tech companies to step up and provides online safety resources and tips.  

What progress looks like:  

  • Country-level projects like Cambodia’s effort to update domestic violence legislation, improve services, and refurbish shelters, . 
     
  • National action plans in Ecuador, Liberia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uganda that are backed by domestic financing.
OPPORTUNITY Last Chance: Enter the Untold Stories Contest! 

Send your story ideas by Monday to , co-sponsored by GHN and the Consortium of Universities for Global Health to raise awareness of an underreported issue.  

It’s easy:  

  • In 150 words or less, tell us why your issue deserves more attention. If you win, we’ll provide the spotlight it deserves.    

Bonus: You could win a free registration to the !  

  • Deadline: November 24, 11:59 p.m. EST
  •  
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION 86ing 6-7

American educators weary of a certain ubiquitous two-number phrase being blurted out in the classroom have reached their wits' end—only to find another level of insanity exists. 6-7 levels, in fact.  

Despite being named , 6-7 is not a word and has no real definition. But that hasn’t stopped the phrase from taking over Gen Alpha classrooms to the point where teachers are assigning 67–670-word essays for infractions—with limited results, .  

Now 5-0 has gotten involved. This week, school resource officers with the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana banning the phrase and following two officers making citations rain in the cafeteria. 

  • The truth: “Unfortunately, just like the phrase, the law and the tickets have no weight,” .  

A glimmer of hope: Older generations’ embrace of the phrase could deem it “cringe to the younger generation,” .  

GHN is committed to stemming epidemics, so we promise to do our part to eradicate 6-7 with the vaccine of un-coolness ... starting with publishing this Diversion.

QUICK HITS

Under RFK Jr., CDC promotes false vaccines-autism link it once discredited –

As infant botulism cases climb to 31, recalled ByHeart baby formula is still on some store shelves –

New Gene-Editing Strategy Could Help Development of Treatments for Rare Diseases –

How Big Tobacco stalls SA’s smoking and vaping law –

Researchers develop new method to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria using bacteriophages –

Homicides have fallen sharply in these five cities — and across the U.S. –

Issue No. 2826
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

Wed, 11/19/2025 - 09:16
96 Global Health NOW: Lenacapavir Rollout Reaches Africa; and The Perils of Migrating While Pregnant November 19, 2025 TOP STORIES Ultra-processed foods are linked to harm in every major human organ, that calls out profit-driven global food corporations and emphasizes that relying on individual behavior change isn’t enough.      A new TB treatment that includes the antibiotic sorfequiline could improve cure rates and shorten treatment time by months, per clinical trial results presented Wednesday by TB Alliance researchers at the Union Conference on Lung Health in Copenhagen.     Most Americans trust childhood vaccines’ effectiveness, finds a new , in which 63% of surveyed Americans reported being extremely or very confident that childhood vaccines work in preventing serious illnesses; however, Republican voters’ support for vaccines and vaccine requirements continues to fall.     A new Lyme disease test can identify a range of different bacterial cells related to the disease through molecular testing—a more rapid and reliable method than current processes, per research presented last week at the Association for Molecular Pathology Annual Meeting & Expo.   IN FOCUS A volunteer counselor with a mobile testing team talks to a villager before she has an HIV test, in Sikwaazwa village, Zambia, on November 12, 2003. Gideon Mendel for The International HIV/AIDS Alliance/Corbis via Getty Lenacapavir Rollout Reaches Africa    The breakthrough HIV prevention shot lenacapavir has arrived in Eswatini and Zambia just months after U.S. approval, marking what advocates call an unusually fast global deployment of a game-changing drug to LMICs that need it most, .     A small, but significant start: Each country received 500 doses of the twice-yearly injection, which provides near-complete protection against HIV. 
  • The deliveries mark the first step toward providing ~2 million doses by 2028 through the Global Fund, the U.S. State Department, and Gilead Sciences, which developed the vaccine.  
Disrupted delivery: The vaccine arrives as U.S. aid cuts have weakened health systems’ ability to administer it, say health advocates.  
  • “We are starting from a deficit that we didn’t have to,” said Mitchell Warren, executive director of AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition.  
South Africa cut out: Though South Africa has the world’s largest HIV-positive population, the country is being excluded from the U.S.-funded doses, , a decision critics described as “self-defeating” and driven by President Trump’s political tensions with the country.     Looking ahead: Gilead has sought approval across multiple high-burden African countries; but demand is expected to exceed supply as rollouts expand, .   THE QUOTE
  “The process at HHS has moved ‘from evidence-based decision-making to decision-based evidence-making.’” —ĔĔĔĔĔĔĔĔ—— –Daniel Jernigan, 30-year veteran of CDC who resigned in August, .
  MATERNAL HEALTH The Perils of Migrating While Pregnant    For pregnant women among the nomadic herders in Jammu and Kashmir, the annual springtime journey across the 3,500-meter-high Pir Panjal pass on foot is especially dangerous: The women often carry heavy loads and eventually give birth along the trail—sometimes after days without proper food or rest.  
  • Exhaustion, anemia, and infections are common problems among the women who make it to clinics, but many never do.
  • “We survive by luck. But every year, another woman does not,” said Fatima Deader, a pastoralist who gave birth while trekking.  
Global angle: Mobile-clinic models in Mongolia, Ethiopia, and Somalia offer maternal care models for pastoralist women. But such support in Kashmir has yet to materialize.      OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS The next pandemic is already here: Antimicrobial resistance is upending a century of achievements in global health –     Tuberculosis: MSF findings show WHO algorithms could double the number of children diagnosed and treated –      Aid for data: Trump administration trades funding for health information –     WHO to lose nearly a quarter of its workforce – 2,000 jobs – due to US withdrawing funding –     Flu season could be nasty this winter –      As 'California sober' catches on, study suggests cannabis use reduces short-term alcohol consumption –   Issue No. 2825
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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Tue, 11/18/2025 - 10:02
96 Global Health NOW: Low-Hanging Fruit for the ‘America First’ Global Health Strategy; and Vision for a Dementia Village November 18, 2025 TOP STORIES 74,000+ patients were enrolled in the 383 clinical trials interrupted by NIH funding cuts this year, per a new —raising concerns about avoidable waste, data quality, and ethical obligations to patients.
  22 million people+, including many children, could die from preventable causes by 2030 as a result of U.S. and European aid cuts—the first time in decades that France, Germany, the U.K., and the U.S. are all cutting aid at the same time, per a new analysis submitted to The Lancet Global Health (not yet published, pending peer review).  

Nestlé is still adding sugar to most baby cereals sold across Africa, per an investigation by Public Eye—a Swiss group that accuses the company of contributing to “a preventable public health catastrophe” amid rising childhood obesity rates in Africa.  
A group of South Carolina lawmakers are advancing a bill that would allow judges to sentence women who get abortions to decades in prison; it could also restrict the use of IUDs and in vitro fertilization. IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE Medical doctor and surgeon Bibi Khadija Sadat completes a C-section after assisting another surgeon at the maternity unit of the provincial hospital in Ghazni, Afghanistan, on August 27. Elise Blanchard/Getty Low-Hanging Fruit for the ‘America First’ Global Health Strategy     The new America First Global Health Strategy makes no mention of global surgery—but it should, .      Why? Solving the surgical care gap may be “the proven cost-effective, lifesaving target that the U.S. Department of State seeks,” write the authors from Harvard Medical School’s Program in Global Surgery and Social Change. 
  • are lost annually to diseases, mostly noncommunicable, that require surgery—far surpassing the toll of historic U.S. foreign aid priorities that emphasized infectious diseases. 
Synergies with surgery: Momentum to close the surgical care gap is already underway.  
  • ~30 LMICs have already developed that “seamlessly align with the tenets of the U.S.'s new global health strategy,” which requires aid-receiving countries to coinvest as a bridge to self-sufficiency. 
  • The NSOAPs identify specific infrastructure, workforce, and information technology goals, three pillars of the U.S. plan. 
Strengthening the surgical system strengthens the entire health system—and that’s “the best defense against pandemics—a core pillar of the U.S. plan,” write Dawood and Park, who also detail more of the strategy’s silver linings––and opportunities for integration that “aid-seeking countries cannot afford to overlook.”       GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DEMENTIA Rethinking Elder Care     Efforts to build “dementia villages” in Washington, D.C., are gaining traction, as advocates push to overhaul the caregiving model for a rapidly growing dementia population.  
  • D.C. has the nation’s highest dementia rate, affecting 16% of its seniors—many of whom are Black and more likely to live alone.  
The model: a community in the Netherlands called , where residents are able to live in small households, shop, garden, and move freely with support.     The bigger picture: With U.S. dementia cases projected to double by 2060, specialists say a paradigm shift in care—including housing and caregiver support—are urgently needed.         Related: Dementia housing without locked wards? It's a small but growing movement –   QUICK HITS In Gaza and Beyond, Child Marriage Persists Long After a Ceasefire –     DOGE Man Drives US Bilateral Health Agreements With African Countries –     C.D.C. Links Measles Outbreaks in Multiple States for First Time –     Texas measles outbreak may have spurred parents to vaccinate infants before CDC responded –     Health data staggers back post-shutdown –     Why I moved my research to China from Germany: a biologist’s experience –   Issue No. 2824
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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Mon, 11/17/2025 - 09:16
96 Global Health NOW: A New Climate-Health Blueprint; and Lithuania Lowers Its Suicide Rate November 17, 2025 TOP STORIES

Ethiopia confirmed three deaths from the Marburg outbreak today, ; the Africa CDC reported earlier that at least nine cases have been detected so far and that the virus strain is the same one reported in outbreaks in East Africa.

Washington state has confirmed the U.S.’s first human case of bird flu in at least eight months; the type, H5N5, has previously not been reported in humans, but officials say the risk to the public remains low.  

Mosquito-borne illnesses in Cuba are having an “acute” impact nationwide, with diseases like dengue and chikungunya affecting nearly one-third of the country’s population.

The first known death from alpha-gal syndrome—a red meat allergy caused by tick bites—has been , after researchers linked the sudden death of a 47-year-old New Jersey man to the allergy.  

IN FOCUS The flooded entrance of the Mae de Deus Hospital after heavy rains battered Brazilian State of Rio Grande Do Sul. May 6, 2024, Porto Alegre, Brazil. Max Peixoto/Getty A New Climate-Health Blueprint 
As climate change takes an increasing toll on human health and health systems worldwide, dozens of , a voluntary framework outlining a series of actions for stronger disease surveillance, climate-resilient health facilities, and protections for vulnerable communities, .    Health systems under strain: Extreme heat, floods, and droughts are already driving disease outbreaks and food insecurity, and overwhelming health services.  
  • “The time of warnings has finished. Now we are living in a time of consequences,” said Brazil’s health minister Alexandre Padilha.  
Plan particulars: The plan emphasizes early-warning systems and cleaner and more reliable energy for clinics, . 
  • Yet the plan “only gestures at water, sanitation, and hygiene and fails to provide concrete strategies for improving access to clean water,” .
Big ambition, minimal funding: Despite broad endorsements, no new government financing accompanied the launch. 
  • A one-time $300 million philanthropic pledge falls far short of the tens of billions in annual funding experts say LMICs need for basic adaptation. 
Related: Small Island Nations Remain Sidelined at Climate Conferences –   DATA POINT

1 million+
—ĔĔĔĔĔ
Lives in lower-income countries saved by cervical cancer vaccines after a three-year effort––a milestone announced on the first World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day today. —
  MENTAL HEALTH Lithuania Lowers Its Suicide Rate    In the 20 years since Lithuania joined the EU, the country has more than halved its suicide rate, from ~44 deaths per 100,000 people in 2004 to 19.5.     This turnaround follows years of national initiatives, community-based services, and a cultural shift away from the stigma surrounding mental health. 
  Key interventions:  
  • A network of 10,000 “gatekeepers” trained to recognize and support at-risk people. 
  • Free municipal psychological well-being centers. 
  • A national suicide-prevention algorithm to flag suicide risk. 
  • A helpline for seniors, who are especially at risk. 
  • Stricter alcohol control laws. 
Remaining gaps:  
  • Older adults are vulnerable as services move online. 
  • Many of Lithuania’s ~42,000 Ukrainian refugees need mental health support.  
  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Hey Parliament, our kids are getting addicted to vapes. Let’s put an end to it –      Iran's Water Crisis Nears Point Of No Return –     A stock of U.S.-bought birth control, meant for sub-Saharan Africa, goes bad in Belgium –     UK warned that 15% cut to health fund will force ‘impossible choices’ on Africa –     National Institutes of Health staffer put on nondisciplinary leave after criticizing NIH politicization –     Finnish-Style Baby Boxes Get a New York Twist –   Issue No. 2823
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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Thu, 11/13/2025 - 08:57
96 Global Health NOW: New Hope for Malaria Treatment; and The Curious Case of “Fedora Man” November 13, 2025 TOP STORIES Hypertension rates among children and adolescents worldwide have almost doubled since 2000 to 6.5% for boys and 5.8% for girls, per a new study by Zhejiang University researchers and colleagues in .  

The restoration of full SNAP food aid in the U.S. is on an uncertain timeline for the 42 million Americans who depend on the program to buy groceries, even as the federal government reopens; U.S. officials say the funds should be loaded onto cards within 24 hours for most states, but the process could be more complicated in some places.

The Epstein-Barr virus, harmless for most people, may be behind nearly all lupus cases, per a new study by Stanford researchers in ; the discovery opens up possibilities for next-generation treatments.      A South African pharma company is launching trials of a cholera vaccine made from scratch—the first such effort in Africa and an important step toward the continent’s goal of producing 60% of its routine vaccines.    IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE GanLum product sachets and granules at Novartis manufacturing site in Slovenia, October 2024. Novartis New Hope for Malaria Treatment    For the first time in 20+ years, a next-generation anti-malarial drug is on the horizon—a critical development amid rising drug resistance to current treatments, per findings presented Tuesday at the .    The current landscape: The standard treatment used in 90% of malaria cases now is a class of drugs known as artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). But partial resistance to artemisinin is growing.     The new drug: The alternative treatment—ganaplacide/lumefantrine, or GanLum—is a compound that targets malaria parasites at two key developmental stages to both treat infection and block transmission. 
  • GanLum, which was developed by Novartis and the Medicines for Malaria Venture, showed a 99.2% cure rate in a Phase III trial among 1,688 adults and children across 12 African countries, outperforming ACTs.  
  • The drug was given as a sachet of granules once a day for three days.  
What’s next: Pending approval, the drug could reach patients within ~18 months, potentially expanding the arsenal of drugs against a disease that kills ~600,000 people annually.  
  • Malaria experts say GanLum should be prioritized in at-risk countries—though cost may dictate its rollout.  
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES OPPORTUNITY Call for Applications 
The UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) invites applications to stimulate implementation research to advance visceral leishmaniasis (VL) elimination efforts in eastern Africa.  
Eligibility is limited to applicants from LMICs who have been engaged and have expertise in implementation research and in VL prevention and control. 
  Successful applicants (up to four) will each receive funding for up to $25,000 per proposal to conduct research in one or more designated areas of focus. 
  •  
  • Deadline for submissions: November 19 (17:00 CET) 
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION The Curious Case of “Fedora Man”    In the news footage surrounding the Louvre crown jewels heist last month, one AP photo was especially arresting. In it, three police officers guard a museum entrance while a mysterious man bedecked in a fedora and waistcoat strides forward with an umbrella—“a flash of film noir in a modern-day manhunt.”     The mystery: Who was “Fedora Man,” as he was instantly dubbed by the internet? An old-school sleuth? An Indiana Jones-esque treasure hunter? Or an A.I.-generated hoax?     The reveal: Turns out the fashionable photobomber was 15-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux, a museum visitor who had chosen the look for a Louvre trip with his family because, in his words, “I like to be chic.”      The plot twist: When Pedro realized he was the accidental subject of a viral sensation, he did not rush to publicly identify himself. Instead, the teen—a fan of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot—chose to savor the speculation. 
  • “With this photo there is a mystery, so you have to make it last,” he said.  
  QUICK HITS Exclusive: Wild form of polio found in German sewage sample, health institute says –     Warnings rise for U.S. as severe flu strain causes outbreaks in Canada, U.K. –      ‘Utter hypocrisy’: tobacco firm lobbied against rules in Africa that are law in UK –     Antibodies against Lyme disease resurge after booster dose of Valneva's vaccine candidate, phase 2 data show –     Scientists Grow More Hopeful About Ending a Global Organ Shortage –   Issue No. 2822
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

Wed, 11/12/2025 - 09:30
96 Global Health NOW: Turning the Tide on TB—For Now; and Steps and Setbacks in Pakistan’s First HPV Campaign November 12, 2025 TOP STORIES Texas has seen 3,500 cases of whooping cough so far this year—10X the number in 2023 and the highest in 11 years, coinciding with slipping vaccination rates.  
UN agencies say that Israel is blocking shipments of baby bottles and vaccination supplies from entering Gaza; Israel claims the items are “dual-use” (usable for both military and civilian purposes).  
Mpox infection can trigger strong immunity against future infections for up to two years—longer-term protection than current vaccines confer, .     Cooling demand could more than triple by 2050—doubling AC-related greenhouse gas emissions to ~7.2 billion tons by 2050, compared to 2022 levels, that includes a strategy to slash those emissions to ~2.6 billion tons.   IN FOCUS A patient with tuberculosis holds his chest x-rays during a routine consultation with a doctor at a Médecins Sans Frontières clinic. Mumbai, India, March 22, 2022. Punit Paranjpe/AFP via Getty Turning the Tide on TB—For Now     Tuberculosis cases and deaths have declined for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 2% reduction in cases and 3% drop in deaths between 2023 and 2024 reflecting hard-won gains in diagnosis and treatment.  
And yet: TB was still the world’s deadliest infectious disease last year, killing 1.2 million+ people and infecting ~10.7 million.  
  • And funding gaps threaten to undermine fragile progress. 
Those are some of the key findings of the .     Other insights:  
  • 65 countries saw a 35%+ drop in TB-related deaths. The African and European regions especially saw steep declines, with deaths dropping 46% and 49%, respectively. 
  • Rapid testing coverage rose to 54% from 48%, and ~78% of people who fell ill with TB worldwide were diagnosed and treated. The highest burdens of disease were reported in India (25%) and Indonesia (10%).  
Funding crisis looms: Despite advances, significant funding gaps persist, exacerbated by cuts to international donor funding—which could result in ~2 million additional deaths between 2025 and 2035. 
  • Along those lines, UK officials confirmed yesterday that the country will cut its financial contribution to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by 15%, .  
Related:     'Needle in a haystack' experiments reveal targets for new tuberculosis vaccines –

Tuberculosis: stigma is fading but the threat remains –      UCT-led study finds four in five adults with TB have no symptoms –   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CERVICAL CANCER Steps and Setbacks in Pakistan’s First HPV Campaign    Pakistan rolled out its first-ever HPV vaccination campaign this fall in an effort to protect girls from cervical cancer, the country’s third most common cancer.     But uptake fell far below targets set by health officials, who said widespread misinformation led to parental resistance.    
Mixed results: The campaign, supported by Gavi, UNICEF, and WHO, aimed to reach 90% of roughly 13 million eligible girls ages 9–14, but achieved ~70% coverage. 
Barriers: Many parents and schools opted out, citing cultural sensitivities around sexual health or social media-driven rumors that the vaccine affects fertility.  
  • “Our biggest challenge was to counter misinformation,” said Khurram Akram, technical director at Pakistan Federal Directorate of Immunizations.  
  QUICK HITS Israel’s longest war is leaving a trail of traumatized soldiers, with suicides also on the rise –

Third of donated Japanese mpox vaccines going to waste in Congo amid storage challenge –

African countries boost family planning funding in ‘shift from dependency’ after aid cuts –     The MAHA-Fueled Rise of Natural Family Planning –     The Cancer Misinformation Train: When Influencers Co-Opt Care –     Want a younger brain? Learn another language –

The Epidemiologists Are Running for Office –   Issue No. 2821
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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Tue, 11/11/2025 - 09:31
96 Global Health NOW: Big Tobacco’s Legislative Coups; and Senegal’s Disease Sentinel November 11, 2025 TOP STORIES Canada—and, by extension, the entire Americas region—has officially lost its measles elimination status; the designation is reversible, however, if the current outbreak ends and no new cases are reported for a year.      Millions of young children with neglected tropical diseases currently excluded from ivermectin treatment could be safely included, per a double-blinded trial testing the drug’s safety and efficacy on small children with scabies in The Gambia, Kenya, and Brazil.  
  Ukrainian medics are reporting cases of gas gangrene, a bacterial infection not seen in Europe for generations; they blame dramatically slowed evacuations of wounded soldiers caused by drone warfare.
  The FDA lifted a black box warning about stroke, heart attack, dementia, and other risks from hormone-based menopause drugs yesterday; some physicians hailed the move, but others questioned the lack of transparency in the process.   IN FOCUS Customs officers burn cigarettes seized from illegal trade during a press conference in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on July 22. Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP via Getty Big Tobacco’s Legislative Coups    Aggressive tobacco industry tactics have beat back legislation against its products and garnered support from multiple countries in the past two years, that tracks industry interference.  
  Tactics: Industry has won favor by paying for junkets (such as visiting Philip Morris International’s facility in Switzerland), promising investment and jobs, and showcasing corporate social responsibility projects that draw attention from its negative impacts.  
Big Tobacco wins:  
  • Legislative leaders in 14 countries have filed pro-industry bills or delayed passage of new anti-tobacco laws, per the report by the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control and STOP, an industry watchdog. 
  • 20 countries have signed memorandums of understanding with tobacco companies to tackle tobacco smuggling. 
  • 10 countries have delayed or rejected tax increases. 
Better news:  
  • 18 countries have adopted new anti-tobacco measures. 
  • 20+ countries have banned donations from the tobacco industry. 
  • 46 have banned e-cigarettes. 
High costs: Tobacco killed  in 2023, and caused  in health care expenses and losses in productivity. 
The Quote: “Tobacco taxes should go up more so people will smoke less and governments can fund other health priorities,” says report lead author Mary Assunta, . 
Related: Smoked out: How Europe’s illegal tobacco market drains public coffers –   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HEALTH SURVEILLANCE Senegal’s Disease Sentinel 
  When patients at clinics throughout Senegal test positive for diseases like malaria, their cases are linked to a digital “web of surveillance” maintained by hospitals and clinics throughout the country.  
  • The system, Senegal’s Syndromic Sentinel Surveillance System (“4S”), is run by the Institut Pasteur de Dakar, and allows health officials to quickly trace disease patterns in real time.  
  • So far, the system has flagged malaria mutations, dengue outbreaks, and the spread of West Nile virus.  
Regional expansion: The 4S model now spans 10 West African countries, creating a “regional tripwire” that detects outbreaks.  
  Funding threats: U.S. aid cuts this year threaten the network’s growth, even as scientists call it essential to Africa’s epidemic preparedness.    OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS An emerging shutdown deal doesn’t extend expiring health subsidies. Here’s what could happen to them – 

Vaccine advice: how a US centre is filling growing gaps in public-health information –

The anti-vaccine movement isn’t satisfied with winning over the GOP –

‘Why I flew to Cambodia to vaccinate dogs after watching my mum die of rabies’ –

A Grave Condition Caused by C-Sections Is on the Rise –

How a childhood virus can contribute to dementia later and what you can do – 

In Defence of E-Bikes –  Issue No. 2820
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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Mon, 11/10/2025 - 09:13
96 Global Health NOW: A Sharp Climb in Kidney Disease; and The Possibilities and Predicaments of Artificial Wombs November 10, 2025 TOP STORIES One-Liners   Seven Democratic senators agreed to advance an agreement to end the U.S. government shutdown, accepting a Republican promise to vote on “extending Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.”   
Nigeria’s Lassa fever death toll has reached 176 so far this year, with 955 confirmed cases, ; meanwhile, a candidate Lassa fever vaccine has been found safe and created a strong immune response in adults, per .      Indonesian mothers are leading mass protests after thousands of students suffered food poisoning from the country’s new free meals program meant to stem malnutrition and stunted growth.     The U.S. is demanding that countries agree to share information on “pathogens with epidemic potential” in exchange for restoring some health aid—without assurances of fair access to vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics developed from shared information; the bilateral deals could “potentially torpedo” a WHO-led system under negotiation.   IN FOCUS A nurse cares for a hemodialysis patient at the Yuping Dong Autonomous County People's Hospital, in Tongren, Guizhou province, China, on February 26. Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty A Sharp Climb in Kidney Disease    Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is now the ninth leading cause of death globally, up from the 27th in 1990, .     By the numbers: In 2023, CKD affected ~788 million people ages 20+ worldwide, or ~14% of the global population—up from ~12% in 1990.  
  • The disease also claimed 1.48 million lives.  
Driving factors: Researchers say the increase is tied to the global rise in diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity, all of which damage blood vessels and strain the kidneys, . It is also reflective of an aging population.      Global overview: China has the largest population living with CKD at 152 million, followed by India at 138 million, .  
  • Prevalence is highest in North Africa and the Middle East.  
The need for screening: The condition remains underdiagnosed, say nephrologists, who stressed the need for a wider adoption of blood and urine tests for at-risk individuals, .  
  • A range of recently developed drugs and interventions can slow kidney damage—but early diagnosis is critical. 
DATA POINT


250 million
—ĔĔĔĔĔ—
People forced to flee their homes by weather-related disasters over the past decade, coinciding with today’s launch of the 30th annual UN Climate Change conference (COP) in Belém, Brazil. —
  INFANT MORTALITY The Possibilities and Predicaments of Artificial Wombs      Scientists have made significant strides in efforts to develop an “artificial womb” that can help extremely premature babies survive outside of the human body.    A delicate process: One prototype created by Dutch startup AquaWomb is a fluid-filled, temperature-controlled vessel where a baby’s umbilical cord connects to a mechanical placenta that delivers oxygen and nutrients until the infant’s lungs mature.    And an ethical debate: Bioethicists warn that artificial wombs could raise new moral and legal questions around viability, and reframe reproductive policy.     Where development stands: The technology has already been used with fetal lambs. 
  • In 2023, the U.S. FDA convened experts to consider allowing the first human trials; however, the agency has not signaled if or when such trials could be greenlighted.  
  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Waiting for the all-clear: how medics and villagers rallied when Ebola returned to DRC  –     Disinvesting in the future leadership of global health has already begun: What can we do about it? –      The fight over SNAP benefits continues — and so does the mom guilt –  
Doctor in Sudan wins $1 million prize for his extraordinary courage: 'It is my duty' –  
Pressure to publish is rising as research time shrinks, finds survey of scientists –   
Disease of 1,000 faces shows how science is tackling immunity’s dark side –  
Hospital CEO Pay Is Too Damn High – Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe!   Issue No. 2819
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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Thu, 11/06/2025 - 09:18
96 Global Health NOW: Dispatches from Bogotà; and No Crocodile Tears Here November 6, 2025 TOP STORIES Stories of Chinese women severely beaten and even killed by their husbands have rocketed across social media, exposing authorities’ preference for treating domestic violence as a family issue.     A shocking, night-vision video of a rat grabbing and killing a flying bat provides first-ever evidence of how pathogens can move from bats to rats—and then potentially spill over to humans.   
  Rates of drug-resistant bacterial blood infections will surge 22% to 62% among some European populations through 2030, per estimates in a new  based on the aging population and infection trends.      Just 23% of Americans got a Covid jab during the 2024-25 virus season, and that coverage will likely tumble further this year amid confusing access rules after the U.S. government narrowed its Covid vaccine recommendations.   ICFP EXCLUSIVE Illustration courtesy of Rutgers ‘The Law Alone Is Not Protection’ 
Victim-survivors of sexual violence in West and Central Africa face a maze of barriers to obtain abortion care—even when the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest and when safe abortion is legally permitted, released yesterday at the International Conference on Family Planning in Bogotà, Colombia. 
  • Every nine seconds in West and Central Africa, an unsafe abortion puts a woman’s life at risk. 
  • The study collected testimonies from women and girls who, after being raped, tried to end their pregnancies on their own, in five countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, and Cameroon. 
  • Barriers include requirements to prove they were assaulted that retraumatize, health workers who are uncertain on the law, procedural delays, and deep-rooted stigma. 
“Behind every unsafe abortion we recorded was a story of fear, pressure or silence—never one of free choice,” says lead researcher Jonna Both.” The law alone is not protection—that’s really clear in West and Central Africa and across the globe.” 
At an ICFP briefing yesterday, leaders from MSI Reproductive Choices and Jacaranda Health joined the Rutgers researchers to discuss the global nature of the threat, especially as the U.S. budget cuts and policy changes under the Trump administration could lead to more restrictions on access for countries around the world.   
  ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Defending Against Dust Storms     As dust storms in the western U.S grow more frequent and severe due to climate change, researchers are seeking new strategies to protect soil health—and human health.    A “dusty inferno”: Earlier this year, New Mexico experienced a record 50 dust storms, with winds surpassing 70 mph. Researchers say decades of drought have created “the perfect recipe” for such events.    Sweeping health impacts: Beyond causing widespread environmental damage, the storms also spread diseases like Valley Fever and cause lasting damage to respiratory health.     Seeding solutions: In over-grazed places like Lordsburg Playa, New Mexico, officials are using regenerative soil-building practices to restore protective native plants and cover crops that curb dust.      ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION No Crocodile Tears Here    It has been said that trying to explain a joke is like dissecting a frog: the frog always dies in the process.     It seems better then to keep the frogs alive and instead contemplate humor through photos of them being goofy: ; or      These snapshots are just a few among the "cracking collection” of finalists for this year’s , the annual global competition for witty wildlife photography, .  
  • Photographers submitted ~10,000 images from 108 countries this year. 
A gaggle of giggles: Other highlights include a , a trio of , and a . QUICK HITS 20 years of tobacco control in the EU: are we moving towards a tobacco-free future? –      The ‘Worst Test in Medicine’ Is Driving America’s High C-Section Rate –   Covid jab less harmful than the virus itself, study reveals –     ADHD services shutting door to new NHS patients as demand soars, BBC finds –     Public health defends its time-tested approach against the rise of MAHA –   Issue No. 2817
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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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