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Updated: 33 min 35 sec ago
96
Global Health NOW: February Recap
Funding cuts to AIDS programs amount to a 鈥榙eath sentence,鈥 plus a round-up of GHN's must-read news from February.
March 3, 2025
Client files are seen stacked on a table during an HIV clinic day at TASO Mulago service center. February 17, Kampala, Uganda. Hajarah Nalwadda/Getty
A 鈥楧eath Sentence鈥 for AIDS Programs鈥攁nd Patients
Organizations working with HIV and AIDS across Africa are laying off staff and shuttering services this week鈥攁 sea change that could translate to 鈥渁 death sentence鈥 for hundreds of thousands of people over the next decade, .
Desperate attempts, dire end: There had been some hope that global HIV/AIDS efforts would be spared USAID cuts as part of waivers offered to 鈥渓ife-saving鈥 projects.
Water contamination could be the cause of illness in northwestern Congo, which has caused the death of 60 people and sickened 1,000+ others, WHO officials say.
As measles cases increase in Texas, U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged people to get vaccinated鈥攚hile also emphasizing the 鈥減ersonal鈥 nature of the choice, ; meanwhile, the case count grew to 146 people last week, .
States are easing licensing requirements for internationally trained physicians, meaning they may not have to repeat residencies in the U.S.; the shift could help alleviate physician shortages in rural areas. FEBRUARY MUST-READS Twice Bitten: Two Snakebite Deep Dives
The 鈥榃ild West鈥 of Antivenoms in Africa: In sub-Saharan Africa, a venomous snakebite is too often a death sentence: ~20,000 people in the region are killed each year, with rural populations especially impacted by severe antivenom shortages.
But even getting an antivenom is no guarantee of survival, as diluted and fraudulent antivenoms have flooded the poorly regulated market, .
U.S. foreign aid freeze imperils Eswatini鈥檚 hard-won success,
Gun Violence: Tales From Two Countries
Sweden鈥檚 Influx of Firearms: On February 4, Sweden suffered its worst mass shooting in history, at an adult education campus in Orebro that killed 11鈥攆orcing the country to reckon with a growing gun violence scourge, reports.
When COVID-19 swept through Latin America, it exposed the region鈥檚 lack of coordinated public health response mechanisms鈥攁ccounting for , despite making up just 8.2% of the global population.
Today, Latin America remains structurally vulnerable to the next pandemic, write a trio of public health leaders from Mexico and Peru. Pointing to the Africa CDC Model, they argue that Latin America needs a similar regional agency that would work alongside PAHO to ensure faster, more efficient responses to health emergencies鈥-and detail what it would take to make the Latin America CDC a reality鈥攁 message they also brought to the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, February 20-23 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Nota del editor: GHN ha publicado.
CUGH exclusive coverage by Brian W. Simpson:
Twenty years ago, Guinea had the of sleeping sickness cases in West Africa. But as of this year, the country managed to eliminate the NTD transmitted by the Trypanosoma parasite and spread by tsetse flies, .
What did it take? After elimination efforts including mass screening and treatment proved ineffective, the focus shifted to vector control.
Related: Niger鈥檚 historic triumph over river blindness is a beacon of hope for Africa 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POPULATIONS A Future With Fewer Children
Declining fertility is a 鈥渘ear-universal phenomenon鈥濃攁ffecting countries across a wide spectrum of incomes and cultural backgrounds.
Still, long-term impacts remain a topic of debate, and government-led efforts to reverse the trend have proven elusive:
RFK Jr. moves to eliminate public comment on HHS decisions 鈥
CDC Staff Prohibited From Co-Authoring Papers With World Health Organization Personnel 鈥
Renowned geneticist Francis Collins retires from NIH, urging 鈥榬espect鈥 for embattled workers 鈥
Iowa has high cancer rates. Trump's cuts to CDC and NIH are already hitting the state -
A Study of Mint Plants. A Device to Stop Bleeding. This Is the Scientific Research Ted Cruz Calls 鈥淲oke.鈥 鈥
Scented products cause indoor air pollution on par with car exhaust 鈥 Thanks for the tip, Xiaodong Cai! Issue No. 2684
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Organizations working with HIV and AIDS across Africa are laying off staff and shuttering services this week鈥攁 sea change that could translate to 鈥渁 death sentence鈥 for hundreds of thousands of people over the next decade, .
Desperate attempts, dire end: There had been some hope that global HIV/AIDS efforts would be spared USAID cuts as part of waivers offered to 鈥渓ife-saving鈥 projects.
- But last week the State Department terminated 90% of foreign aid contracts issued by USAID鈥攁 death knell for many programs.
- At a press conference last week, clinicians and researchers in South Africa said programs were 鈥渂eing pushed off a cliff,鈥 .
- 鈥淭his will be a bloodbath. Millions will suffer as a result of these actions, and global health鈥攁nd the very notion of solidarity鈥攚ill be unrecognizable,鈥 said Jirair Ratevosian, former chief of staff at PEPFAR.
Water contamination could be the cause of illness in northwestern Congo, which has caused the death of 60 people and sickened 1,000+ others, WHO officials say.
As measles cases increase in Texas, U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged people to get vaccinated鈥攚hile also emphasizing the 鈥減ersonal鈥 nature of the choice, ; meanwhile, the case count grew to 146 people last week, .
States are easing licensing requirements for internationally trained physicians, meaning they may not have to repeat residencies in the U.S.; the shift could help alleviate physician shortages in rural areas. FEBRUARY MUST-READS Twice Bitten: Two Snakebite Deep Dives
The 鈥榃ild West鈥 of Antivenoms in Africa: In sub-Saharan Africa, a venomous snakebite is too often a death sentence: ~20,000 people in the region are killed each year, with rural populations especially impacted by severe antivenom shortages.
But even getting an antivenom is no guarantee of survival, as diluted and fraudulent antivenoms have flooded the poorly regulated market, .
U.S. foreign aid freeze imperils Eswatini鈥檚 hard-won success,
- Eswatini reported zero snakebite deaths last summer鈥攁n important first, as snakebites caused, at one point, more than 60 deaths a year in the country.
- But aid cuts forced the Luke Commission, a destination hospital for people with serious snakebites that led that progress, to close earlier this month to most patients.
Gun Violence: Tales From Two Countries
Sweden鈥檚 Influx of Firearms: On February 4, Sweden suffered its worst mass shooting in history, at an adult education campus in Orebro that killed 11鈥攆orcing the country to reckon with a growing gun violence scourge, reports.
- The shooting highlights Sweden鈥檚 shift from a 鈥減eaceful, high-trust society鈥 to one struggling with gang-related crime, right-wing nationalism, and easier firearm access as illegal firearms are being trafficked in from the Balkans.
- In a must-read profile of Schamis, reporter Emily Baumgaertner Nunn recounts the ongoing toll the trauma has taken on the teacher and her students, and how Schamis continues to be a lifeline for her students鈥攁ll while struggling with her own grief.
When COVID-19 swept through Latin America, it exposed the region鈥檚 lack of coordinated public health response mechanisms鈥攁ccounting for , despite making up just 8.2% of the global population.
Today, Latin America remains structurally vulnerable to the next pandemic, write a trio of public health leaders from Mexico and Peru. Pointing to the Africa CDC Model, they argue that Latin America needs a similar regional agency that would work alongside PAHO to ensure faster, more efficient responses to health emergencies鈥-and detail what it would take to make the Latin America CDC a reality鈥攁 message they also brought to the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, February 20-23 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Nota del editor: GHN ha publicado.
CUGH exclusive coverage by Brian W. Simpson:
Twenty years ago, Guinea had the of sleeping sickness cases in West Africa. But as of this year, the country managed to eliminate the NTD transmitted by the Trypanosoma parasite and spread by tsetse flies, .
What did it take? After elimination efforts including mass screening and treatment proved ineffective, the focus shifted to vector control.
- Researchers discovered that tsetse flies are attracted to the color blue, so they developed tiny blue fabric screens coated with insecticide to attract and kill tsetse鈥攁 so-called 鈥渢iny targets鈥 approach that has made a massive dent in cases.
Related: Niger鈥檚 historic triumph over river blindness is a beacon of hope for Africa 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POPULATIONS A Future With Fewer Children
Declining fertility is a 鈥渘ear-universal phenomenon鈥濃攁ffecting countries across a wide spectrum of incomes and cultural backgrounds.
- 2023 may have been the first year ever the world鈥檚 population dipped below the replacement threshold.
Still, long-term impacts remain a topic of debate, and government-led efforts to reverse the trend have proven elusive:
- 鈥淎 theory of fertility is necessarily a theory of everything鈥攇ender, money, politics, culture, evolution,鈥 writes Lewis-Kraus.
RFK Jr. moves to eliminate public comment on HHS decisions 鈥
CDC Staff Prohibited From Co-Authoring Papers With World Health Organization Personnel 鈥
Renowned geneticist Francis Collins retires from NIH, urging 鈥榬espect鈥 for embattled workers 鈥
Iowa has high cancer rates. Trump's cuts to CDC and NIH are already hitting the state -
A Study of Mint Plants. A Device to Stop Bleeding. This Is the Scientific Research Ted Cruz Calls 鈥淲oke.鈥 鈥
Scented products cause indoor air pollution on par with car exhaust 鈥 Thanks for the tip, Xiaodong Cai! Issue No. 2684
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: A 鈥楧eath Sentence鈥 for AIDS Programs鈥攁nd Patients; February Recap; and A Future With Fewer Children
March 3, 2025
Client files are seen stacked on a table during an HIV clinic day at TASO Mulago service center. February 17, Kampala, Uganda. Hajarah Nalwadda/Getty
A 鈥楧eath Sentence鈥 for AIDS Programs鈥攁nd Patients
Organizations working with HIV and AIDS across Africa are laying off staff and shuttering services this week鈥攁 sea change that could translate to 鈥渁 death sentence鈥 for hundreds of thousands of people over the next decade, .
Desperate attempts, dire end: There had been some hope that global HIV/AIDS efforts would be spared USAID cuts as part of waivers offered to 鈥渓ife-saving鈥 projects.
Water contamination could be the cause of illness in northwestern Congo, which has caused the death of 60 people and sickened 1,000+ others, WHO officials say.
As measles cases increase in Texas, U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged people to get vaccinated鈥攚hile also emphasizing the 鈥減ersonal鈥 nature of the choice, ; meanwhile, the case count grew to 146 people last week, .
States are easing licensing requirements for internationally trained physicians, meaning they may not have to repeat residencies in the U.S.; the shift could help alleviate physician shortages in rural areas. FEBRUARY MUST-READS Twice Bitten: Two Snakebite Deep Dives
The 鈥榃ild West鈥 of Antivenoms in Africa: In sub-Saharan Africa, a venomous snakebite is too often a death sentence: ~20,000 people in the region are killed each year, with rural populations especially impacted by severe antivenom shortages.
But even getting an antivenom is no guarantee of survival, as diluted and fraudulent antivenoms have flooded the poorly regulated market, .
U.S. foreign aid freeze imperils Eswatini鈥檚 hard-won success,
Gun Violence: Tales From Two Countries
Sweden鈥檚 Influx of Firearms: On February 4, Sweden suffered its worst mass shooting in history, at an adult education campus in Orebro that killed 11鈥攆orcing the country to reckon with a growing gun violence scourge, reports.
When COVID-19 swept through Latin America, it exposed the region鈥檚 lack of coordinated public health response mechanisms鈥攁ccounting for , despite making up just 8.2% of the global population.
Today, Latin America remains structurally vulnerable to the next pandemic, write a trio of public health leaders from Mexico and Peru. Pointing to the Africa CDC Model, they argue that Latin America needs a similar regional agency that would work alongside PAHO to ensure faster, more efficient responses to health emergencies鈥-and detail what it would take to make the Latin America CDC a reality鈥攁 message they also brought to the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, February 20-23 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Nota del editor: GHN ha publicado.
CUGH exclusive coverage by Brian W. Simpson:
Twenty years ago, Guinea had the of sleeping sickness cases in West Africa. But as of this year, the country managed to eliminate the NTD transmitted by the Trypanosoma parasite and spread by tsetse flies, .
What did it take? After elimination efforts including mass screening and treatment proved ineffective, the focus shifted to vector control.
Related: Niger鈥檚 historic triumph over river blindness is a beacon of hope for Africa 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POPULATIONS A Future With Fewer Children
Declining fertility is a 鈥渘ear-universal phenomenon鈥濃攁ffecting countries across a wide spectrum of incomes and cultural backgrounds.
Still, long-term impacts remain a topic of debate, and government-led efforts to reverse the trend have proven elusive:
RFK Jr. moves to eliminate public comment on HHS decisions 鈥
CDC Staff Prohibited From Co-Authoring Papers With World Health Organization Personnel 鈥
Renowned geneticist Francis Collins retires from NIH, urging 鈥榬espect鈥 for embattled workers 鈥
Iowa has high cancer rates. Trump's cuts to CDC and NIH are already hitting the state -
A Study of Mint Plants. A Device to Stop Bleeding. This Is the Scientific Research Ted Cruz Calls 鈥淲oke.鈥 鈥
Scented products cause indoor air pollution on par with car exhaust 鈥 Thanks for the tip, Xiaodong Cai! Issue No. 2684
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Organizations working with HIV and AIDS across Africa are laying off staff and shuttering services this week鈥攁 sea change that could translate to 鈥渁 death sentence鈥 for hundreds of thousands of people over the next decade, .
Desperate attempts, dire end: There had been some hope that global HIV/AIDS efforts would be spared USAID cuts as part of waivers offered to 鈥渓ife-saving鈥 projects.
- But last week the State Department terminated 90% of foreign aid contracts issued by USAID鈥攁 death knell for many programs.
- At a press conference last week, clinicians and researchers in South Africa said programs were 鈥渂eing pushed off a cliff,鈥 .
- 鈥淭his will be a bloodbath. Millions will suffer as a result of these actions, and global health鈥攁nd the very notion of solidarity鈥攚ill be unrecognizable,鈥 said Jirair Ratevosian, former chief of staff at PEPFAR.
Water contamination could be the cause of illness in northwestern Congo, which has caused the death of 60 people and sickened 1,000+ others, WHO officials say.
As measles cases increase in Texas, U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged people to get vaccinated鈥攚hile also emphasizing the 鈥減ersonal鈥 nature of the choice, ; meanwhile, the case count grew to 146 people last week, .
States are easing licensing requirements for internationally trained physicians, meaning they may not have to repeat residencies in the U.S.; the shift could help alleviate physician shortages in rural areas. FEBRUARY MUST-READS Twice Bitten: Two Snakebite Deep Dives
The 鈥榃ild West鈥 of Antivenoms in Africa: In sub-Saharan Africa, a venomous snakebite is too often a death sentence: ~20,000 people in the region are killed each year, with rural populations especially impacted by severe antivenom shortages.
But even getting an antivenom is no guarantee of survival, as diluted and fraudulent antivenoms have flooded the poorly regulated market, .
U.S. foreign aid freeze imperils Eswatini鈥檚 hard-won success,
- Eswatini reported zero snakebite deaths last summer鈥攁n important first, as snakebites caused, at one point, more than 60 deaths a year in the country.
- But aid cuts forced the Luke Commission, a destination hospital for people with serious snakebites that led that progress, to close earlier this month to most patients.
Gun Violence: Tales From Two Countries
Sweden鈥檚 Influx of Firearms: On February 4, Sweden suffered its worst mass shooting in history, at an adult education campus in Orebro that killed 11鈥攆orcing the country to reckon with a growing gun violence scourge, reports.
- The shooting highlights Sweden鈥檚 shift from a 鈥減eaceful, high-trust society鈥 to one struggling with gang-related crime, right-wing nationalism, and easier firearm access as illegal firearms are being trafficked in from the Balkans.
- In a must-read profile of Schamis, reporter Emily Baumgaertner Nunn recounts the ongoing toll the trauma has taken on the teacher and her students, and how Schamis continues to be a lifeline for her students鈥攁ll while struggling with her own grief.
When COVID-19 swept through Latin America, it exposed the region鈥檚 lack of coordinated public health response mechanisms鈥攁ccounting for , despite making up just 8.2% of the global population.
Today, Latin America remains structurally vulnerable to the next pandemic, write a trio of public health leaders from Mexico and Peru. Pointing to the Africa CDC Model, they argue that Latin America needs a similar regional agency that would work alongside PAHO to ensure faster, more efficient responses to health emergencies鈥-and detail what it would take to make the Latin America CDC a reality鈥攁 message they also brought to the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, February 20-23 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Nota del editor: GHN ha publicado.
CUGH exclusive coverage by Brian W. Simpson:
Twenty years ago, Guinea had the of sleeping sickness cases in West Africa. But as of this year, the country managed to eliminate the NTD transmitted by the Trypanosoma parasite and spread by tsetse flies, .
What did it take? After elimination efforts including mass screening and treatment proved ineffective, the focus shifted to vector control.
- Researchers discovered that tsetse flies are attracted to the color blue, so they developed tiny blue fabric screens coated with insecticide to attract and kill tsetse鈥攁 so-called 鈥渢iny targets鈥 approach that has made a massive dent in cases.
Related: Niger鈥檚 historic triumph over river blindness is a beacon of hope for Africa 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POPULATIONS A Future With Fewer Children
Declining fertility is a 鈥渘ear-universal phenomenon鈥濃攁ffecting countries across a wide spectrum of incomes and cultural backgrounds.
- 2023 may have been the first year ever the world鈥檚 population dipped below the replacement threshold.
Still, long-term impacts remain a topic of debate, and government-led efforts to reverse the trend have proven elusive:
- 鈥淎 theory of fertility is necessarily a theory of everything鈥攇ender, money, politics, culture, evolution,鈥 writes Lewis-Kraus.
RFK Jr. moves to eliminate public comment on HHS decisions 鈥
CDC Staff Prohibited From Co-Authoring Papers With World Health Organization Personnel 鈥
Renowned geneticist Francis Collins retires from NIH, urging 鈥榬espect鈥 for embattled workers 鈥
Iowa has high cancer rates. Trump's cuts to CDC and NIH are already hitting the state -
A Study of Mint Plants. A Device to Stop Bleeding. This Is the Scientific Research Ted Cruz Calls 鈥淲oke.鈥 鈥
Scented products cause indoor air pollution on par with car exhaust 鈥 Thanks for the tip, Xiaodong Cai! Issue No. 2684
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Macro Impacts of Microplastics; The Closure of a 鈥楥ritical鈥 Global Health Data Resource; and Birkenstocks Aren始t Art
鈥淭here are at least 16,000 chemicals in plastics. Nobody really knows.鈥
February 27, 2025
Volunteers remove plastic and other debris from a beach in Kedonganan, Indonesia, on December 31, 2024. Keyza Widiatmika/NurPhoto via Getty
The Macro Impacts of Microplastics
ATLANTA鈥擨nexpensive and convenient, plastics have become the building blocks of modern life, but they鈥檙e also a threat to human health.
Tiny threats: Microplastics鈥攑lastic bits less than 5 millimeters long鈥攁re found across the globe from the snows of the Himalayas to the interior of individual human cells.
Read the story for possible solutions.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Influencers are 鈥渇earmongering鈥 on social media to promote health tests like genetic testing, MRIs, gut microbiome tests, and egg count tests, finds a published in ; such posts can be 鈥渙verwhelmingly misleading鈥 and carry a risk for overdiagnosis, researchers say.
Satellite imagery of Sudan is providing researchers with clues about the scope of devastation in the Darfur region, as large parts of the country are inaccessible to humanitarian and data-gathering efforts amid intense conflict; data show 鈥渕ore people are dying of starvation and disease than bullets and bombs.鈥
The CDC is investigating the hospitalizations of five people who received the chikungunya virus vaccine IXCHIQ, per a ; the people are all aged 65+ and were hospitalized for cardiac or neurologic events following recent vaccination.
Children with long COVID can experience 鈥渟ignificant鈥 lung injuries stemming from loss of blood flow in the lungs, per new published in Radiology; the condition can lead to severe chronic fatigue. Trump Administration News Musk claims DOGE 鈥榬estored鈥 Ebola prevention effort. Officials disagree. 鈥
C.D.C. Suggests Terms Like 鈥楻ace鈥 and 鈥楬ealth Equity鈥 Are Off-Limits, Then Backtracks 鈥
U.S. will spend up to $1 billion to combat bird flu, USDA secretary says 鈥
Trump Team Weighs Pulling Funds for Moderna Bird Flu Vaccine 鈥
FDA cancels pivotal advisory meeting about next season's flu vaccine 鈥
RFK Jr. Dismisses Measles Outbreak As 鈥楴ot Unusual鈥 After Child's Death 鈥
Title 42 Isn鈥檛 About Public Health 鈥 It鈥檚 About Keeping Immigrants Out 鈥 FOREIGN AID FREEZE The Closure of a 鈥楥ritical鈥 Global Health Data Resource
A data collection program that provided 鈥渋ndispensable鈥 public health information to about half of the world鈥檚 nations will be shuttered following the Trump administration鈥檚 foreign aid freeze.
The Demographic and Health Surveys have collected data in 90 low- and middle-income nations since 1984, and helped leaders to set health benchmarks at the local, national, and global levels鈥攊ncluding the UN鈥檚 2030 SDGs.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ORGAN DONATION A Kidney Black Market Takes Hold in Burma
An illegal kidney market has a growing list of Burmese sellers, as the country鈥檚 civil war has forced half of the nation鈥檚 population into poverty, a BBC investigation has found.
One story: Reporters followed one Burmese man through the kidney sale process, which included using a broker to oversee medical testing, link him to a Burmese buyer, and forge documents that claimed the two were family members.
Related: How Much Is Your Kidney Worth? 鈥 GUN VIOLENCE A Forever Teacher
It鈥檚 been seven years since the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School killed 17 people. The Parkland, Florida, school building was bulldozed last year.
But former teacher Ivy Schamis remains deeply connected to her old classroom鈥擱oom 1214鈥攁nd the 30 surviving students who were with her on that day.
In a must-read profile of Schamis, reporter Emily Baumgaertner Nunn recounts the ongoing toll the trauma has taken on the teacher and her students, and lengths to which Schamis continues to be a lifeline for her students: from connecting them with mental health resources to coaching them through life transitions.
All the while, she has struggled with her own grief.
For those in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area, we hope you始ll join GHN in person for a special live storytelling event spotlighting the remarkable experiences of refugees working in global health. But if you can始t attend in person, GHN will be livestreaming the event!
Bloomberg School graduates from Afghanistan, Myanmar, South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria will share firsthand accounts of living and working amid humanitarian crises, fleeing conflict, and shaping impactful roles in public health.
All are welcome for this evening of inspiring stories, hosted by the Center for Humanitarian Health and Global Health NOW, at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C.
or . ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Birk Is It Art?
No!
It took years of litigation鈥攄uring which copycat Birkenstocks multiplied across the globe鈥攂ut a German federal court has put its (probably cork-clad) foot down: Birkenstocks are not 鈥渃opyright-protected works of applied art.鈥
The German shoemaker figured that if such status could be granted to Le Corbusier furniture and Bauhaus lighting, why not your Dad始s favorite bunion-proof sandals cum fashion item?
But Birkenstock始s loss is our win. The makers of the iconic yet divisive sandals sued three unnamed competitors and asked that knockoffs be recalled and destroyed鈥攁 request that, if enforced, would require an all-feet-on-deck, global seizure of counterfeit corkware. But fear not, your Target two-straps are safe!
Now that that matter is settled in court, we can return to the core question鈥攏ot whether Birks should be displayed in a gallery, but whether they deserve to be placed on a human foot.
QUICK HITS Life in the shadow of a toxic mountain of plastic waste 鈥
Tricky to spot and cumbersome to treat, visceral leishmaniasis turns deadly in arid east Africa 鈥
You need to start taking airborne fungal outbreaks seriously 鈥
South Korea birthrate rises for first time in nine years amid surge in marriages 鈥
Epigenetic echoes: Violence can leave genetic marks on future generations 鈥
"Power of Joy": New Film on Childbirth During Ethiopia's Civil War 鈥 Issue No. 2683
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
ATLANTA鈥擨nexpensive and convenient, plastics have become the building blocks of modern life, but they鈥檙e also a threat to human health.
- About 75% of 8鈥10 billion tons of plastics produced since the mid-20th century are circulating in the environment, Philip Landrigan, director of Boston College鈥檚 Global Observatory on Planetary Health, told attendees at a Consortium of Universities for Global Health session last week.
- 鈥淭here are at least 16,000 chemicals in plastics. Nobody really knows,鈥 Landrigan said. 鈥淎nd the real kicker is that more than 80% of the chemicals in plastic have never been tested for toxicity.鈥
Tiny threats: Microplastics鈥攑lastic bits less than 5 millimeters long鈥攁re found across the globe from the snows of the Himalayas to the interior of individual human cells.
- Italian scientists discovered that heart disease patients who had microplastics in their carotid plaque had a 450% increased risk of heart attack, stroke, or death, according to a March 2024 .
Read the story for possible solutions.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Influencers are 鈥渇earmongering鈥 on social media to promote health tests like genetic testing, MRIs, gut microbiome tests, and egg count tests, finds a published in ; such posts can be 鈥渙verwhelmingly misleading鈥 and carry a risk for overdiagnosis, researchers say.
Satellite imagery of Sudan is providing researchers with clues about the scope of devastation in the Darfur region, as large parts of the country are inaccessible to humanitarian and data-gathering efforts amid intense conflict; data show 鈥渕ore people are dying of starvation and disease than bullets and bombs.鈥
The CDC is investigating the hospitalizations of five people who received the chikungunya virus vaccine IXCHIQ, per a ; the people are all aged 65+ and were hospitalized for cardiac or neurologic events following recent vaccination.
Children with long COVID can experience 鈥渟ignificant鈥 lung injuries stemming from loss of blood flow in the lungs, per new published in Radiology; the condition can lead to severe chronic fatigue. Trump Administration News Musk claims DOGE 鈥榬estored鈥 Ebola prevention effort. Officials disagree. 鈥
C.D.C. Suggests Terms Like 鈥楻ace鈥 and 鈥楬ealth Equity鈥 Are Off-Limits, Then Backtracks 鈥
U.S. will spend up to $1 billion to combat bird flu, USDA secretary says 鈥
Trump Team Weighs Pulling Funds for Moderna Bird Flu Vaccine 鈥
FDA cancels pivotal advisory meeting about next season's flu vaccine 鈥
RFK Jr. Dismisses Measles Outbreak As 鈥楴ot Unusual鈥 After Child's Death 鈥
Title 42 Isn鈥檛 About Public Health 鈥 It鈥檚 About Keeping Immigrants Out 鈥 FOREIGN AID FREEZE The Closure of a 鈥楥ritical鈥 Global Health Data Resource
A data collection program that provided 鈥渋ndispensable鈥 public health information to about half of the world鈥檚 nations will be shuttered following the Trump administration鈥檚 foreign aid freeze.
The Demographic and Health Surveys have collected data in 90 low- and middle-income nations since 1984, and helped leaders to set health benchmarks at the local, national, and global levels鈥攊ncluding the UN鈥檚 2030 SDGs.
- The surveys recorded 鈥渃ritical aspects鈥 of household health鈥攊ncluding mortality data, nutrition status, reproductive health and HIV status, as well as access to clean water.
- They were the only sources of information many countries had about some health indicators.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ORGAN DONATION A Kidney Black Market Takes Hold in Burma
An illegal kidney market has a growing list of Burmese sellers, as the country鈥檚 civil war has forced half of the nation鈥檚 population into poverty, a BBC investigation has found.
One story: Reporters followed one Burmese man through the kidney sale process, which included using a broker to oversee medical testing, link him to a Burmese buyer, and forge documents that claimed the two were family members.
- The seller explained he 鈥渃hose this desperate way鈥 as he was struggling with debt.
Related: How Much Is Your Kidney Worth? 鈥 GUN VIOLENCE A Forever Teacher
It鈥檚 been seven years since the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School killed 17 people. The Parkland, Florida, school building was bulldozed last year.
But former teacher Ivy Schamis remains deeply connected to her old classroom鈥擱oom 1214鈥攁nd the 30 surviving students who were with her on that day.
In a must-read profile of Schamis, reporter Emily Baumgaertner Nunn recounts the ongoing toll the trauma has taken on the teacher and her students, and lengths to which Schamis continues to be a lifeline for her students: from connecting them with mental health resources to coaching them through life transitions.
All the while, she has struggled with her own grief.
- 鈥淓veryone talks about how the students feel, but no one really pays attention to the teachers,鈥 said former student Hannah Carbocci.
For those in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area, we hope you始ll join GHN in person for a special live storytelling event spotlighting the remarkable experiences of refugees working in global health. But if you can始t attend in person, GHN will be livestreaming the event!
Bloomberg School graduates from Afghanistan, Myanmar, South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria will share firsthand accounts of living and working amid humanitarian crises, fleeing conflict, and shaping impactful roles in public health.
All are welcome for this evening of inspiring stories, hosted by the Center for Humanitarian Health and Global Health NOW, at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C.
or . ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Birk Is It Art?
No!
It took years of litigation鈥攄uring which copycat Birkenstocks multiplied across the globe鈥攂ut a German federal court has put its (probably cork-clad) foot down: Birkenstocks are not 鈥渃opyright-protected works of applied art.鈥
The German shoemaker figured that if such status could be granted to Le Corbusier furniture and Bauhaus lighting, why not your Dad始s favorite bunion-proof sandals cum fashion item?
But Birkenstock始s loss is our win. The makers of the iconic yet divisive sandals sued three unnamed competitors and asked that knockoffs be recalled and destroyed鈥攁 request that, if enforced, would require an all-feet-on-deck, global seizure of counterfeit corkware. But fear not, your Target two-straps are safe!
Now that that matter is settled in court, we can return to the core question鈥攏ot whether Birks should be displayed in a gallery, but whether they deserve to be placed on a human foot.
QUICK HITS Life in the shadow of a toxic mountain of plastic waste 鈥
Tricky to spot and cumbersome to treat, visceral leishmaniasis turns deadly in arid east Africa 鈥
You need to start taking airborne fungal outbreaks seriously 鈥
South Korea birthrate rises for first time in nine years amid surge in marriages 鈥
Epigenetic echoes: Violence can leave genetic marks on future generations 鈥
"Power of Joy": New Film on Childbirth During Ethiopia's Civil War 鈥 Issue No. 2683
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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You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: A Medical Ground Zero; As Sports Betting Grows, So Do Addiction Concerns; and Could Labels Curb Canada鈥檚 Drinking Risks?
February 26, 2025
A composite image showing al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on December 27, 2023 (left), and January 19, 2025 (right). Abed Zagout, Hani Alshaer/Anadolu via Getty
A Medical Ground Zero
As Palestinians return to their homes amid a fragile ceasefire with Israel, they face a 鈥渄ecimated health system鈥濃攗nable to find basic medical care or help for emergencies like heart attacks, per a .
Infectious diseases 鈥渃ontinue to run rampant鈥 in the overcrowded, malnourished communities, which have little access to water and hygiene and no waste disposal.
Meanwhile, cold conditions in the enclave have led to hypothermia deaths of 15 children, including six infants, .
The ceasefire鈥檚 first phase ends on Saturday. If fighting resumes, the flow of humanitarian aid is expected to drop.
Related: Israelis bid farewell to a mother and her two young sons killed in captivity in Gaza 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
6,000+ people in Haiti have been displaced by 鈥渁 wave of extreme brutality鈥 by gangs over the course of a month, and the violence is also obstructing humanitarian efforts.
Kids vaccinated against COVID-19 had a 57%鈥73% lower risk of long COVID symptoms, suggests a new CDC-led published in JAMA Network Open.
A U.S. federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to resume USAID payments by tomorrow; the funding was ordered to be reopened Feb. 13, but so far there is no evidence that the administration has complied, the judge said.
1.1 million people with HIV in South Africa will be put on treatment as a part of the country鈥檚 efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. BEHAVIORAL HEALTH As Sports Betting Grows, So Do Addiction Concerns
A growing number of people in the U.S. are seeking help for gambling addiction, a published last week in JAMA Internal Medicine has found.
Background: Researchers sought to track the impact of the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that eliminated a prohibition on online sports betting, which in 2024 was legal in .
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ALCOHOL Could Labels Curb Canada鈥檚 Drinking Risks?
Canadian health officials are watching the effect of the warnings about alcohol use and cancer risk voiced by the former U.S. surgeon general鈥攁nd mulling the potential effect of stronger deterrents in their own country.
Only about half of adults in Canada are aware of the link between alcohol and cancer.
OPPORTUNITY Calling All Filmmakers and Reviewers!
The APHA 2025 Public Health Film Festival, which showcases local, national, and global public health films, is now accepting submissions and reviewers.
Criteria for films: Independent, community-created, or youth-created films from all disciplines of public health will be considered, but films related to the APHA 2025 theme 鈥淢aking the Public鈥檚 Health a National Priority鈥 are highly encouraged.
Reviewers: APHA is also seeking volunteers to serve as film reviewers. Become a reviewer for a chance to win one of 10 complimentary registrations to APHA 2025 (November 2鈥5, 2025, in Washington, D.C.).
Can we unplug global health education from The Matrix? 鈥
South Africa faces HIV crisis as Trump鈥檚 aid freeze halts treatment and research 鈥
What RFK Jr. has said about the ongoing measles outbreak 鈥
CDC will no longer process transgender data 鈥
Flu vaccine this season may be poorly matched, early CDC data suggests 鈥
Researchers Study How Corporate Manipulation Impacts Health 鈥
New paper examines why COVID-19 mortality was higher in the U.S. than in some East Asian countries 鈥
How Cairo鈥檚 鈥淕arbage City鈥 became the envy of the world 鈥 Issue No. 2682
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
As Palestinians return to their homes amid a fragile ceasefire with Israel, they face a 鈥渄ecimated health system鈥濃攗nable to find basic medical care or help for emergencies like heart attacks, per a .
Infectious diseases 鈥渃ontinue to run rampant鈥 in the overcrowded, malnourished communities, which have little access to water and hygiene and no waste disposal.
- 鈥淲e don鈥檛 count the people who have died as a result of the lack of medical services,鈥 said M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res鈥 Mohammed Abu Mughaiseeb. 鈥淎 lot of people who had cardiac problems died. A lot of people with renal failure died. A lot of people with cancer鈥攃hildren and adults鈥攄ied because of a lack of treatment and services.鈥
Meanwhile, cold conditions in the enclave have led to hypothermia deaths of 15 children, including six infants, .
The ceasefire鈥檚 first phase ends on Saturday. If fighting resumes, the flow of humanitarian aid is expected to drop.
Related: Israelis bid farewell to a mother and her two young sons killed in captivity in Gaza 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
6,000+ people in Haiti have been displaced by 鈥渁 wave of extreme brutality鈥 by gangs over the course of a month, and the violence is also obstructing humanitarian efforts.
Kids vaccinated against COVID-19 had a 57%鈥73% lower risk of long COVID symptoms, suggests a new CDC-led published in JAMA Network Open.
A U.S. federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to resume USAID payments by tomorrow; the funding was ordered to be reopened Feb. 13, but so far there is no evidence that the administration has complied, the judge said.
1.1 million people with HIV in South Africa will be put on treatment as a part of the country鈥檚 efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. BEHAVIORAL HEALTH As Sports Betting Grows, So Do Addiction Concerns
A growing number of people in the U.S. are seeking help for gambling addiction, a published last week in JAMA Internal Medicine has found.
Background: Researchers sought to track the impact of the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that eliminated a prohibition on online sports betting, which in 2024 was legal in .
- Sports wagers soared from $4.9 billion in 2017 to more than $121 billion in 2023.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ALCOHOL Could Labels Curb Canada鈥檚 Drinking Risks?
Canadian health officials are watching the effect of the warnings about alcohol use and cancer risk voiced by the former U.S. surgeon general鈥攁nd mulling the potential effect of stronger deterrents in their own country.
Only about half of adults in Canada are aware of the link between alcohol and cancer.
- But a 2017 showed that after two months of labeling, public knowledge of the link increased 10%鈥攁nd that newly aware consumers were ~2X as likely to support alcohol taxation policies.
OPPORTUNITY Calling All Filmmakers and Reviewers!
The APHA 2025 Public Health Film Festival, which showcases local, national, and global public health films, is now accepting submissions and reviewers.
Criteria for films: Independent, community-created, or youth-created films from all disciplines of public health will be considered, but films related to the APHA 2025 theme 鈥淢aking the Public鈥檚 Health a National Priority鈥 are highly encouraged.
Reviewers: APHA is also seeking volunteers to serve as film reviewers. Become a reviewer for a chance to win one of 10 complimentary registrations to APHA 2025 (November 2鈥5, 2025, in Washington, D.C.).
- Deadline to submit films: April 7, 2025
Can we unplug global health education from The Matrix? 鈥
South Africa faces HIV crisis as Trump鈥檚 aid freeze halts treatment and research 鈥
What RFK Jr. has said about the ongoing measles outbreak 鈥
CDC will no longer process transgender data 鈥
Flu vaccine this season may be poorly matched, early CDC data suggests 鈥
Researchers Study How Corporate Manipulation Impacts Health 鈥
New paper examines why COVID-19 mortality was higher in the U.S. than in some East Asian countries 鈥
How Cairo鈥檚 鈥淕arbage City鈥 became the envy of the world 鈥 Issue No. 2682
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Topic Everyone Was Talking About at CUGH 2025; A Setback For Eswatini's Success; and Community Health Workers Forced to Adapt
February 25, 2025
Hundreds of CUGH 2025 attendees gather on Feb. 22 for the annual great global health debate. Brian W. Simpson
The Topic Everyone Was Talking About at CUGH 2025
ATLANTA鈥擨n hallways, sessions, keynotes, and receptions, last week鈥檚 2025 Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) conference.
No surprise: It was the rapid change in U.S. government research funding and support for keystone global health programs like PEPFAR.
Worry, wariness, and uncertainty mixed with resilient commitments to the global health mission as the 1,300+ conference attendees from 61 nations gathered to share the latest knowledge gleaned from research worldwide.
鈥淲hen many people feel bereft and are fearful of what the future may hold, CUGH 2025 provided an opportunity to provide a positive path forward [and] show that we have a robust community that will stick together, will support each other,鈥 said Keith Martin, CUGH executive director.
Related topics included:
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners At least 160 health care workers from Gaza, including more than 20 doctors, are believed to be still imprisoned in Israel; the WHO expressed concern for their safety after previously detained doctors claimed they were subjected to abuse in Israeli facilities.
More than 50 people in northwestern Congo have died since January 21 of an undetermined illness that has progressed from onset of hemorrhagic fever symptoms to death within two days in many cases; tests have been negative for Ebola and Marburg, but some tests were positive for malaria.
Brewing tea naturally removes heavy metals like lead and cadmium from drinks, per new that showed the heavy metal ions stick to the surface of tea leaves; the researchers found that cellulose bags work best鈥攁nd don't release microplastics.
Swedish researchers found an association between the use of certain antidepressants and increased cognitive impairment in people with dementia, , though more research is needed; some experts cautioned that because the severity of depression in dementia patients wasn鈥檛 fully accounted for, it could bias the results. NEGLECTED DISEASES A Setback For Eswatini's Success
While snakebite is a lethal threat in many sub-Saharan countries, Eswatini has been an 鈥渆xtraordinary success story鈥:
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CLIMATE CHANGE Community Health Workers Forced to Adapt
Bolivia is among the countries to climate change, which is disrupting health care access and hampering the efforts of promotores鈥攐r community health workers鈥攊n rural areas.
Safeguarding care: CHWs need to be better equipped for climate resilience, advocates say鈥攊ncluding disaster preparedness training. They also need a seat at the table when it comes to shaping health care systems of the future.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY Attention LMIC Researchers
Cures Within Reach has reopened its ReGRoW funding opportunity for clinical repurposing trials led by underresourced researchers based in low- and lower-middle income countries.
U.S. joins WHO-led flu vaccine meeting, despite planned withdrawal from agency 鈥
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirms US $500 million commitment to global polio eradication effort 鈥
Two people in US hospitalized with bird flu, CDC reports 鈥
Utah close to fully banning fluoride in water, stripping cities鈥 ability to decide 鈥
Dozens sickened and 12 dead in Listeria outbreak linked to frozen shakes 鈥
Postdocs and PhD students hit hard by Trump鈥檚 crackdown on science 鈥
During pandemic, ivermectin use rose 10-fold, hydroxychloroquine use doubled, study reveals 鈥
A farewell to HPH readers 鈥
A breath of fresh air: How Kigali鈥檚 car-free Sundays keep people moving 鈥 Issue No. 2681
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
ATLANTA鈥擨n hallways, sessions, keynotes, and receptions, last week鈥檚 2025 Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) conference.
No surprise: It was the rapid change in U.S. government research funding and support for keystone global health programs like PEPFAR.
Worry, wariness, and uncertainty mixed with resilient commitments to the global health mission as the 1,300+ conference attendees from 61 nations gathered to share the latest knowledge gleaned from research worldwide.
鈥淲hen many people feel bereft and are fearful of what the future may hold, CUGH 2025 provided an opportunity to provide a positive path forward [and] show that we have a robust community that will stick together, will support each other,鈥 said Keith Martin, CUGH executive director.
Related topics included:
- Viewing the funding crisis as an opportunity to improve an already 鈥渟haky鈥 global public health system.
- Doing more to engage with politicians.
- Fulfilling the moral imperative of continuing to deliver lifesaving antiretrovirals.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners At least 160 health care workers from Gaza, including more than 20 doctors, are believed to be still imprisoned in Israel; the WHO expressed concern for their safety after previously detained doctors claimed they were subjected to abuse in Israeli facilities.
More than 50 people in northwestern Congo have died since January 21 of an undetermined illness that has progressed from onset of hemorrhagic fever symptoms to death within two days in many cases; tests have been negative for Ebola and Marburg, but some tests were positive for malaria.
Brewing tea naturally removes heavy metals like lead and cadmium from drinks, per new that showed the heavy metal ions stick to the surface of tea leaves; the researchers found that cellulose bags work best鈥攁nd don't release microplastics.
Swedish researchers found an association between the use of certain antidepressants and increased cognitive impairment in people with dementia, , though more research is needed; some experts cautioned that because the severity of depression in dementia patients wasn鈥檛 fully accounted for, it could bias the results. NEGLECTED DISEASES A Setback For Eswatini's Success
While snakebite is a lethal threat in many sub-Saharan countries, Eswatini has been an 鈥渆xtraordinary success story鈥:
- At its peak snakebites caused ~60+ deaths a year in the country. But last summer, zero snakebite deaths were recorded for the first time.
- Leading Eswatini鈥檚 progress has been the Luke Commission鈥攁 destination hospital for people with serious snakebites, which has treated 1,000+ patients over the past six years.
- Earlier this month, the Luke Commission closed its doors to most patients following sudden USAID cuts, which had supported the hospital for 15 years.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CLIMATE CHANGE Community Health Workers Forced to Adapt
Bolivia is among the countries to climate change, which is disrupting health care access and hampering the efforts of promotores鈥攐r community health workers鈥攊n rural areas.
- 鈥淲hen the weather is bad, we can鈥檛 do our job. Patients won鈥檛 visit our headquarters in heavy rain, and it鈥檚 also unsafe for us to visit people鈥檚 homes,鈥 said Mar铆a, a Bolivian promotora.
Safeguarding care: CHWs need to be better equipped for climate resilience, advocates say鈥攊ncluding disaster preparedness training. They also need a seat at the table when it comes to shaping health care systems of the future.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY Attention LMIC Researchers
Cures Within Reach has reopened its ReGRoW funding opportunity for clinical repurposing trials led by underresourced researchers based in low- and lower-middle income countries.
- Researchers with eligible clinical repurposing trials may submit a brief Letter of Intent (LOI); select researchers will be invited to submit a full proposal.
- Proposed budgets of up to $65,000 are accepted from LMIC researchers (per the World Bank); CWR will provide up to $7,500 in additional funding for required community engagement.
- Projects can be related to any unsolved disease and must repurpose an existing off-patent drug, nutraceutical and/or Indigenous medicine in a new indication.
- Projects that address a high disease burden are preferred.
- Eligible institutions must be 鈥渞esearch ready鈥 and have received previous external, third-party clinical research funding.
- Deadline: LOI submissions due by March 28, 2025.
U.S. joins WHO-led flu vaccine meeting, despite planned withdrawal from agency 鈥
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirms US $500 million commitment to global polio eradication effort 鈥
Two people in US hospitalized with bird flu, CDC reports 鈥
Utah close to fully banning fluoride in water, stripping cities鈥 ability to decide 鈥
Dozens sickened and 12 dead in Listeria outbreak linked to frozen shakes 鈥
Postdocs and PhD students hit hard by Trump鈥檚 crackdown on science 鈥
During pandemic, ivermectin use rose 10-fold, hydroxychloroquine use doubled, study reveals 鈥
A farewell to HPH readers 鈥
A breath of fresh air: How Kigali鈥檚 car-free Sundays keep people moving 鈥 Issue No. 2681
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The 鈥楬ollowing Out鈥 of Public Health; Reckoning With Forced Sterilization; and Renewed Focus on Road Safety
February 24, 2025
Academic professionals, elected officials, and allies protest the Trump administration's freeze on public funding for science research. New York City, February 19. Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty
The 鈥楬ollowing Out鈥 of Public Health
One month into the Trump presidency, the cuts to domestic and international health programs have been staggering, with ordered funding cuts in the billions and terminations in the thousands.
But the deeper toll鈥攐n patient care, lifesaving research, and disease prevention efforts鈥攊s just beginning to be felt, , in an inventory of losses that spans from preventing maternal and infant deaths to keeping tobacco products out of children鈥檚 hands.
International impact: Worldwide, U.S.-funded health programs have shuttered, including a widely used famine warning system that has gone dark, .
A big thanks to the Consortium of Universities for Global Health and host institutions the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Georgia, and Emory University for an excellent and inspiring conference, which wrapped up yesterday in Atlanta.
The opportunity to connect with passionate global health advocates from around the world provided a much-needed balm during a difficult time. For those of you who could not attend, look for GHN鈥檚 exclusive coverage of the conference in the coming days.
We鈥檙e also delighted to welcome new readers from many countries鈥攊ncluding Cameroon, China, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Japan, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, St. Kitts, and Uganda. Thanks for signing up鈥攁nd, if you find GHN useful, please with your colleagues and friends back home! 鈥Dayna & Brian GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners A cholera outbreak in Kosti, Sudan, killed 58 people and sickened about 1,300 others last week; health officials blamed contaminated drinking water after an attack by a paramilitary group wiped out the city鈥檚 water supply facility and said that a vaccination campaign is underway in response.
India has banned the manufacture and export of two opioids, tapentadol and carisoprodol, after a BBC investigation exposed their role in a drug crisis in West Africa.
A preliminary paper suggesting a link between COVID-19 vaccines and symptoms associated with long COVID has been promoted by anti-vaccination proponents since its publication last week on preprint server medRxiv; the study authors emphasize that need further study and should not affect people鈥檚 vaccination decisions.
France will curb 鈥榝orever chemicals,鈥 with its parliament voting last week to limit the production and sale of items containing PFAS鈥攊ncluding cosmetics and clothing. HUMAN RIGHTS Reckoning With Forced Sterilization
Nearly 30 years after forced sterilization ended in Japan, victims there are finally able to apply for government compensation.
Background: Between 1948 and 1996, at least 16,500 people were forcibly sterilized in Japan under the country鈥檚 Eugenic Protection Law, and ~60,000 more underwent abortions without or with only dubious consent.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES INJURIES Renewed Focus on Road Safety
World leaders are poised to adopt a new mandate declaring road safety 鈥渁n urgent public health and development priority鈥 needing increased attention, published last week by 15 heads of UN agencies.
Stakes: Road crashes kill ~1.2 million people each year, amid an 鈥渦nprecedented wave of motorization.鈥
Good news: 10 countries鈥攊ncluding some LMICs鈥攈ave reduced road deaths by more than 50% in a decade, showing 鈥渢hat the target can be met,鈥 reports the WHO. OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS US measles outbreak leaves nearly 100 ill in Texas and New Mexico 鈥
'Exceptionally rare' mutation on H5N1 virus in Canada tied to antiviral drug resistance 鈥
Don鈥檛 like the idea of chlorinated chicken? You ain鈥檛 seen nothing yet 鈥
HKU5-CoV-2, the new bat coronavirus in China sparks global concern 鈥
Climate Change, Vaccine Hesitancy And Vector-borne Diseases Are Driving Encephalitis 鈥
AI is impersonating human therapists. Can it be stopped? 鈥
Improving the Distribution of Green Spaces in Barcelona Could Prevent 178 Premature Deaths Each Year 鈥
How Street Art in Singapore Is Helping People With Dementia Get Around 鈥 Issue No. 2680
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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You can or .
One month into the Trump presidency, the cuts to domestic and international health programs have been staggering, with ordered funding cuts in the billions and terminations in the thousands.
But the deeper toll鈥攐n patient care, lifesaving research, and disease prevention efforts鈥攊s just beginning to be felt, , in an inventory of losses that spans from preventing maternal and infant deaths to keeping tobacco products out of children鈥檚 hands.
- 鈥淲e are hollowing out our government in a way that is going to hurt people and is going to get people killed,鈥 said Amy Paris, who was fired while working on an initiative to overhaul the nation鈥檚 archaic organ donation system.
- A judge extended a temporary block to NIH research funding cuts on Friday, . But many grants remain frozen, as review panels have been barred from scheduling necessary meetings, .
International impact: Worldwide, U.S.-funded health programs have shuttered, including a widely used famine warning system that has gone dark, .
- As of midnight Sunday, the Trump administration is putting nearly all of USAID's 4,700 full-time employees on paid administrative leave, and is terminating 1,600 of those positions, .
Federal Funding Uncertainty Prompts Hiring Freezes 鈥
US FDA asks fired scientists to return, including some reviewing Musk鈥檚 Neuralink 鈥
鈥楧eath by ax.鈥 Fate of millions of research animals at stake in NIH payments lawsuit 鈥
A big thanks to the Consortium of Universities for Global Health and host institutions the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Georgia, and Emory University for an excellent and inspiring conference, which wrapped up yesterday in Atlanta.
The opportunity to connect with passionate global health advocates from around the world provided a much-needed balm during a difficult time. For those of you who could not attend, look for GHN鈥檚 exclusive coverage of the conference in the coming days.
We鈥檙e also delighted to welcome new readers from many countries鈥攊ncluding Cameroon, China, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Japan, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, St. Kitts, and Uganda. Thanks for signing up鈥攁nd, if you find GHN useful, please with your colleagues and friends back home! 鈥Dayna & Brian GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners A cholera outbreak in Kosti, Sudan, killed 58 people and sickened about 1,300 others last week; health officials blamed contaminated drinking water after an attack by a paramilitary group wiped out the city鈥檚 water supply facility and said that a vaccination campaign is underway in response.
India has banned the manufacture and export of two opioids, tapentadol and carisoprodol, after a BBC investigation exposed their role in a drug crisis in West Africa.
A preliminary paper suggesting a link between COVID-19 vaccines and symptoms associated with long COVID has been promoted by anti-vaccination proponents since its publication last week on preprint server medRxiv; the study authors emphasize that need further study and should not affect people鈥檚 vaccination decisions.
France will curb 鈥榝orever chemicals,鈥 with its parliament voting last week to limit the production and sale of items containing PFAS鈥攊ncluding cosmetics and clothing. HUMAN RIGHTS Reckoning With Forced Sterilization
Nearly 30 years after forced sterilization ended in Japan, victims there are finally able to apply for government compensation.
Background: Between 1948 and 1996, at least 16,500 people were forcibly sterilized in Japan under the country鈥檚 Eugenic Protection Law, and ~60,000 more underwent abortions without or with only dubious consent.
- Most were people with intellectual disabilities or hereditary diseases, and a large number of the victims were children.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES INJURIES Renewed Focus on Road Safety
World leaders are poised to adopt a new mandate declaring road safety 鈥渁n urgent public health and development priority鈥 needing increased attention, published last week by 15 heads of UN agencies.
- The so-called Marrakech Declaration will be issued at the in Morocco鈥攚here participants are sharing strategies to reduce road deaths and create safe, sustainable transportation infrastructure, .
Stakes: Road crashes kill ~1.2 million people each year, amid an 鈥渦nprecedented wave of motorization.鈥
Good news: 10 countries鈥攊ncluding some LMICs鈥攈ave reduced road deaths by more than 50% in a decade, showing 鈥渢hat the target can be met,鈥 reports the WHO. OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS US measles outbreak leaves nearly 100 ill in Texas and New Mexico 鈥
'Exceptionally rare' mutation on H5N1 virus in Canada tied to antiviral drug resistance 鈥
Don鈥檛 like the idea of chlorinated chicken? You ain鈥檛 seen nothing yet 鈥
HKU5-CoV-2, the new bat coronavirus in China sparks global concern 鈥
Climate Change, Vaccine Hesitancy And Vector-borne Diseases Are Driving Encephalitis 鈥
AI is impersonating human therapists. Can it be stopped? 鈥
Improving the Distribution of Green Spaces in Barcelona Could Prevent 178 Premature Deaths Each Year 鈥
How Street Art in Singapore Is Helping People With Dementia Get Around 鈥 Issue No. 2680
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: A Deeper Look at Global Suicide; Why Latin America Needs Its Own CDC; and All Verklempt Over a Fish始s Ascent
~740,000 suicides are reported annually worldwide鈥攚hich equals one death every 43 seconds.
February 20, 2025
A mother who lost her 19-year-old son gives a speech next to the "Silent Struggle" statue鈥攁n art project created to break the taboo surrounding suicide, in Nijmegen, Netherlands, November 4, 2024. Ana Fernandez/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty
A Deeper Look at Global Suicide
Over the past 30 years, the global age-standardized suicide mortality rate fell ~40%鈥斺漣ndicating that intervention and prevention are working,鈥 per the at the University of Washington鈥攚hich yesterday published 鈥渢he most comprehensive analysis of the global burden of suicide to date鈥 in .
Key findings include:
More deaths among men: The number of deaths for males was 2X+ that for females.
Later in life: The mean age of death at the time of suicide has been steadily rising. Researchers posited that one reason may be suicide prevention efforts focused on younger people.
The firearms factor: Firearms are considered the most lethal means of suicide, with the US, Uruguay, and Venezuela reporting the highest proportion of firearm-related suicide deaths.
Related: Is suicide prevention finally working in India? Lancet study shows how suicide death rate went down by 30% from 1990 to 2021 鈥 EDITORS始 NOTE Ready for CUGH!
GHN has landed in Atlanta for the . If you鈥檙e here too, let us know鈥攚e鈥檇 love to hear from you!
All best,
Dayna and Brian GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Mass polio vaccination in Gaza is set to continue next week, as health officials aim to reach 591,000+ children under age 10 in response to the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples there.
Muscle-building supplement use has been associated with muscle dysmorphia among Canadian adolescents and young adults, per a new published in PLOS Mental Health; the study found that muscle dysmorphia symptoms increased as the number of supplements used grew.
Malaria susceptibility can vary among ethnic groups due to genetic and lifestyle factors that influence immune responses, finds a new published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, which compared immune cells of children from two West-African ethnic groups.
Cash rewards for mosquito captures are being offered by a village near Manila, as the Philippines faces a 40% increase in dengue cases in the country; health officials fear the move could backfire if people try to propagate mosquitos for the reward. Trump Administration News RFK Jr. targets transgender protections in one of first moves at HHS 鈥
Administration Fires Border Health Inspectors Who Screen For Diseases 鈥
Trump Administration Reverses Plan to End Free COVID Test Program 鈥
What鈥檚 next for the World Health Organization? US exit could reshape agency 鈥
Trump鈥檚 dismantling of USAid raises risk of mpox global emergency, experts warn 鈥 GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY A nurse takes care of a dengue fever patient at the Sergio Bernales National Hospital, in the outskirts of Lima, Peru, on April 17, 2024. Juan Carlos CISNEROS/AFP via Getty Why Latin America Needs Its Own CDC鈥擭ow More Than Ever
Latin American governments must champion the creation of a regional CDC, recognizing that preparedness is essential for health security, three public health leaders from Mexico and Peru argue in an exclusive GHN commentary.
Pandemic lesson: When COVID-19 swept through Latin America, it exposed the region鈥檚 lack of coordinated public health response mechanisms.
Latin America needs a similar regional agency that would work alongside PAHO to ensure faster, more efficient responses to health emergencies, according to the authors.
Read the full commentary for details on next steps required for making the Latin America CDC a reality.
Editor鈥檚 note: Drs. Garcia and Saavedra will discuss the challenges and benefits of creating a LATAM CDC during at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health conference in Atlanta.
Nota del editor: GHN ha publicado . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES USAID Mass Health Care Layoffs Across Africa
In health systems across Africa, tens of thousands of doctors, nurses, lab technicians, and other health workers at U.S.-funded programs have been laid off, as the fallout continues from the Trump administration鈥檚 abrupt freeze on foreign funding.
In Uganda, ~3,000 doctors, nurses, and other health personnel have lost their jobs, per the Ugandan Medical Association.
In Kenya, hundreds of layoffs have already taken effect at key hospitals; ~41,000 health workers in the country are employed with funding from USAID or PEPFAR, health officials estimate.
The Quote: 鈥淚t is the patients who will suffer the most,鈥 said Salome Kimani, a physician at Gikambura Hospital in Kenya, who said that despite a U.S. federal judge鈥檚 ruling to lift the freeze, health workers鈥 futures remain in limbo.
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION All Verklempt Over a Fish始s Ascent
We usually advise readers to follow the science. Today we始re making an exception, choosing to believe that a humpback anglerfish made her way to the ocean始s surface not because she was sick, but because she wanted to take her last breath while basking in the sun.
The viral "," aka the fish with the lightbulb on its head, usually lives thousands of feet into the depths of the ocean.
Burying the lede almost as deep, CBS News celebrated the rare surface sighting in a run-of-the-mill 鈥.鈥 Then TikTok got to the throbbing heart of the story, and now we can始t stop crying.
Much like the little anglerfish rising from the deep, TikTokkers始 tears welled up from their emotional depths, along with many theories.
While one figured that the sick fish simply couldn鈥檛 鈥渕aintain zero buoyancy,鈥 others linked her ascent to magical feminine resilience. 鈥,鈥 sobbed one user.
Who do you believe? QUICK HITS Three years of full-scale war in Ukraine roll back decades of progress for women鈥檚 rights, safety and economic opportunities 鈥
mRNA vaccines show promise in pancreatic cancer in early trial 鈥
Africa鈥檚 cholera resurgence exposes funding failures
Norovirus: UK cases reach record high as hospitals struggle with capacity 鈥
Fog harvesting could provide water for arid cities 鈥
The WHO's Funding Gap: Filling the Medical Diplomacy Void 鈥
Is This Common Herbicide Harming Your Health? 鈥 Issue No. 2679
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Over the past 30 years, the global age-standardized suicide mortality rate fell ~40%鈥斺漣ndicating that intervention and prevention are working,鈥 per the at the University of Washington鈥攚hich yesterday published 鈥渢he most comprehensive analysis of the global burden of suicide to date鈥 in .
- But: ~740,000 suicides are reported annually worldwide鈥攚hich equals one death every 43 seconds.
- And progress is not universal, with increases reported across Central Latin America, Andean Latin America, tropical Latin America, and high-income North America.
Key findings include:
More deaths among men: The number of deaths for males was 2X+ that for females.
Later in life: The mean age of death at the time of suicide has been steadily rising. Researchers posited that one reason may be suicide prevention efforts focused on younger people.
The firearms factor: Firearms are considered the most lethal means of suicide, with the US, Uruguay, and Venezuela reporting the highest proportion of firearm-related suicide deaths.
Related: Is suicide prevention finally working in India? Lancet study shows how suicide death rate went down by 30% from 1990 to 2021 鈥 EDITORS始 NOTE Ready for CUGH!
GHN has landed in Atlanta for the . If you鈥檙e here too, let us know鈥攚e鈥檇 love to hear from you!
- Stop by GHN鈥檚 exhibit booth (#20) to say hi, let us know what you鈥檙e up to, and share any story ideas.
- Find out who won this year鈥檚 Untold Global Health Story contest at the awards ceremony (Saturday, Feb. 22, 3鈥4 p.m., Salon West and East at the Hilton Atlanta).
- Cap off your conference and practice pitching your ideas at the Pulitzer-GHN Communications Workshop (Sunday, Feb. 23, 1:30 p.m., Room 205鈥207).
All best,
Dayna and Brian GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Mass polio vaccination in Gaza is set to continue next week, as health officials aim to reach 591,000+ children under age 10 in response to the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples there.
Muscle-building supplement use has been associated with muscle dysmorphia among Canadian adolescents and young adults, per a new published in PLOS Mental Health; the study found that muscle dysmorphia symptoms increased as the number of supplements used grew.
Malaria susceptibility can vary among ethnic groups due to genetic and lifestyle factors that influence immune responses, finds a new published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, which compared immune cells of children from two West-African ethnic groups.
Cash rewards for mosquito captures are being offered by a village near Manila, as the Philippines faces a 40% increase in dengue cases in the country; health officials fear the move could backfire if people try to propagate mosquitos for the reward. Trump Administration News RFK Jr. targets transgender protections in one of first moves at HHS 鈥
Administration Fires Border Health Inspectors Who Screen For Diseases 鈥
Trump Administration Reverses Plan to End Free COVID Test Program 鈥
What鈥檚 next for the World Health Organization? US exit could reshape agency 鈥
Trump鈥檚 dismantling of USAid raises risk of mpox global emergency, experts warn 鈥 GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY A nurse takes care of a dengue fever patient at the Sergio Bernales National Hospital, in the outskirts of Lima, Peru, on April 17, 2024. Juan Carlos CISNEROS/AFP via Getty Why Latin America Needs Its Own CDC鈥擭ow More Than Ever
Latin American governments must champion the creation of a regional CDC, recognizing that preparedness is essential for health security, three public health leaders from Mexico and Peru argue in an exclusive GHN commentary.
Pandemic lesson: When COVID-19 swept through Latin America, it exposed the region鈥檚 lack of coordinated public health response mechanisms.
- Despite being home to 8.2% of the world鈥檚 population, Latin America accounted for .
- The in the region over the past year have again exposed the limitations of fragmented national responses, they write.
Latin America needs a similar regional agency that would work alongside PAHO to ensure faster, more efficient responses to health emergencies, according to the authors.
Read the full commentary for details on next steps required for making the Latin America CDC a reality.
Editor鈥檚 note: Drs. Garcia and Saavedra will discuss the challenges and benefits of creating a LATAM CDC during at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health conference in Atlanta.
Nota del editor: GHN ha publicado . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES USAID Mass Health Care Layoffs Across Africa
In health systems across Africa, tens of thousands of doctors, nurses, lab technicians, and other health workers at U.S.-funded programs have been laid off, as the fallout continues from the Trump administration鈥檚 abrupt freeze on foreign funding.
In Uganda, ~3,000 doctors, nurses, and other health personnel have lost their jobs, per the Ugandan Medical Association.
In Kenya, hundreds of layoffs have already taken effect at key hospitals; ~41,000 health workers in the country are employed with funding from USAID or PEPFAR, health officials estimate.
The Quote: 鈥淚t is the patients who will suffer the most,鈥 said Salome Kimani, a physician at Gikambura Hospital in Kenya, who said that despite a U.S. federal judge鈥檚 ruling to lift the freeze, health workers鈥 futures remain in limbo.
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION All Verklempt Over a Fish始s Ascent
We usually advise readers to follow the science. Today we始re making an exception, choosing to believe that a humpback anglerfish made her way to the ocean始s surface not because she was sick, but because she wanted to take her last breath while basking in the sun.
The viral "," aka the fish with the lightbulb on its head, usually lives thousands of feet into the depths of the ocean.
Burying the lede almost as deep, CBS News celebrated the rare surface sighting in a run-of-the-mill 鈥.鈥 Then TikTok got to the throbbing heart of the story, and now we can始t stop crying.
Much like the little anglerfish rising from the deep, TikTokkers始 tears welled up from their emotional depths, along with many theories.
While one figured that the sick fish simply couldn鈥檛 鈥渕aintain zero buoyancy,鈥 others linked her ascent to magical feminine resilience. 鈥,鈥 sobbed one user.
Who do you believe? QUICK HITS Three years of full-scale war in Ukraine roll back decades of progress for women鈥檚 rights, safety and economic opportunities 鈥
mRNA vaccines show promise in pancreatic cancer in early trial 鈥
Africa鈥檚 cholera resurgence exposes funding failures
Norovirus: UK cases reach record high as hospitals struggle with capacity 鈥
Fog harvesting could provide water for arid cities 鈥
The WHO's Funding Gap: Filling the Medical Diplomacy Void 鈥
Is This Common Herbicide Harming Your Health? 鈥 Issue No. 2679
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Measles Gains Ground in Texas; Online Daters Kept in the Dark; and Plastic Credits Predicament
February 19, 2025
A road sign delineating the Texas state line and welcoming visitors to Gaines County, Texas. Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty
Measles Gains Ground in Texas
A swiftly spreading measles outbreak in West Texas has grown to 58 cases, and an additional eight people in neighboring eastern New Mexico also have been diagnosed, .
Escalation: Cases have ballooned since the first two cases were Jan. 30. Health officials suspect the true case count is much higher鈥攚ith 200鈥300 people infected but untested, .
Texas health officials say the outbreak is the state鈥檚 largest in ~30 years and that 13 people have been hospitalized.
All eight patients hospitalized in Uganda's Ebola Sudan outbreak have been released after testing negative for the virus twice in tests conducted 72 hours apart, the WHO regional office for Africa announced yesterday; the outbreak鈥檚 toll stands at nine cases and one death.
A surge in dengue infections in the Philippines鈥 capital region鈥攊ncluding 10 recent deaths in Quezon City鈥攕purred Addition Hills village officials to offer residents a token bounty for mosquitoes captured dead or alive.
President Trump issued an executive order aimed at expanding access to IVF yesterday; he directed his assistant for domestic policy to draft policy ideas to protect IVF access and 鈥渁ggressively鈥 reduce out-of-pocket and health plan costs for the treatment within 90 days. Health and Science Cuts: The Latest ______________________________________________ Mass firings decimate U.S. science agencies 鈥
Amid layoffs at HHS, experts warn about impact on public health 鈥
USDA says it accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is trying to rehire them 鈥
Trump cuts reach FDA workers focused on food safety and medical devices 鈥
Former CDC director: Two programs reportedly on the chopping block must be saved 鈥
Censored Science Can鈥檛 Save Lives 鈥 SEXUAL VIOLENCE Online Daters Kept in the Dark
Online romance titan Match Group, owner of over a dozen dating apps, first received reports of Stephen Matthews assaulting another member in September 2020. Numerous reports followed for three years鈥攗ntil he was finally arrested and sentenced to 158 years鈥 incarceration for offenses against 11 women.
But why didn鈥檛 Match ban him after the first report?
The growing plastic credits sector is designed to address the tide of plastic waste.
Worst affected: Developing countries with limited waste management, like Cambodia.
The bigger problem: The system does nothing to stop or incentivize buyers to cease producing or using unrecyclable plastic.
QUICK HITS UN rights office warns of 鈥榙angerous tipping point鈥 as abuses surge in Sudan 鈥
U.S. reverses plan to shut down free covid test program 鈥
The wind may be partly to blame for bird flu spread between farms, a new study suggests 鈥
Japanese encephalitis virus 鈥 JEV 鈥 detected at two Queensland piggeries 鈥
Landmark Study of Chagas Disease in Paraguay Supports Use of Rapid Tests to Improve Access to Diagnosis 鈥
Meet the 鈥榣epers鈥 of Somerset - battling stigma from the West Country 鈥
The Pandemic Treaty's True Cost 鈥
Influencers to urge young people to not vape as part of UK government campaign 鈥 Issue No. 2678
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
A swiftly spreading measles outbreak in West Texas has grown to 58 cases, and an additional eight people in neighboring eastern New Mexico also have been diagnosed, .
Escalation: Cases have ballooned since the first two cases were Jan. 30. Health officials suspect the true case count is much higher鈥攚ith 200鈥300 people infected but untested, .
Texas health officials say the outbreak is the state鈥檚 largest in ~30 years and that 13 people have been hospitalized.
- Most cases are among children who are unvaccinated, and have been concentrated in a 鈥渃lose-knit, undervaccinated鈥 Mennonite community and among children who attend small religious schools or are homeschooled.
- Last year, kindergarten vaccination rates fell below 93%鈥攂elow the necessary to prevent measles outbreaks.
- Yesterday, Kennedy vowed to scrutinize the nation鈥檚 childhood vaccine schedule鈥攄espite a promise to a U.S. senator that he would not alter it, : 鈥淣othing is going to be off limits,鈥 Kennedy said.
All eight patients hospitalized in Uganda's Ebola Sudan outbreak have been released after testing negative for the virus twice in tests conducted 72 hours apart, the WHO regional office for Africa announced yesterday; the outbreak鈥檚 toll stands at nine cases and one death.
A surge in dengue infections in the Philippines鈥 capital region鈥攊ncluding 10 recent deaths in Quezon City鈥攕purred Addition Hills village officials to offer residents a token bounty for mosquitoes captured dead or alive.
President Trump issued an executive order aimed at expanding access to IVF yesterday; he directed his assistant for domestic policy to draft policy ideas to protect IVF access and 鈥渁ggressively鈥 reduce out-of-pocket and health plan costs for the treatment within 90 days. Health and Science Cuts: The Latest ______________________________________________ Mass firings decimate U.S. science agencies 鈥
Amid layoffs at HHS, experts warn about impact on public health 鈥
USDA says it accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is trying to rehire them 鈥
Trump cuts reach FDA workers focused on food safety and medical devices 鈥
Former CDC director: Two programs reportedly on the chopping block must be saved 鈥
Censored Science Can鈥檛 Save Lives 鈥 SEXUAL VIOLENCE Online Daters Kept in the Dark
Online romance titan Match Group, owner of over a dozen dating apps, first received reports of Stephen Matthews assaulting another member in September 2020. Numerous reports followed for three years鈥攗ntil he was finally arrested and sentenced to 158 years鈥 incarceration for offenses against 11 women.
But why didn鈥檛 Match ban him after the first report?
- Users reported for assault are 鈥渂anned鈥 from all Match platforms鈥攂ut members can easily rejoin or switch apps.
- The company has concealed data on users reported for drugging, assaulting, or raping their dates since at least 2016, internal documents show鈥攁nd a transparency report on the offenses, which Match said would be released in 2020, has still not materialized.
The growing plastic credits sector is designed to address the tide of plastic waste.
- Corporations pay for the collection and disposal of plastic waste as a way to offset their environmental footprint鈥攊deally in a process that will result in recycled material.
Worst affected: Developing countries with limited waste management, like Cambodia.
The bigger problem: The system does nothing to stop or incentivize buyers to cease producing or using unrecyclable plastic.
QUICK HITS UN rights office warns of 鈥榙angerous tipping point鈥 as abuses surge in Sudan 鈥
U.S. reverses plan to shut down free covid test program 鈥
The wind may be partly to blame for bird flu spread between farms, a new study suggests 鈥
Japanese encephalitis virus 鈥 JEV 鈥 detected at two Queensland piggeries 鈥
Landmark Study of Chagas Disease in Paraguay Supports Use of Rapid Tests to Improve Access to Diagnosis 鈥
Meet the 鈥榣epers鈥 of Somerset - battling stigma from the West Country 鈥
The Pandemic Treaty's True Cost 鈥
Influencers to urge young people to not vape as part of UK government campaign 鈥 Issue No. 2678
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Stifled Oxygen Access; Gaps at Planned Parenthood; and 鈥楨gg-Harvesting Scheme鈥 Shocks Surrogacy Sector
February 18, 2025
Babies receiving oxygen at Damascus Hospital on January 28 in Damascus, Syria. Spencer Platt/Getty
Stifled Oxygen Access
COVID-19 laid bare the need for medical oxygen鈥攁nd inequities in access, , leading to the formation of a Lancet Global Health Commission on medical oxygen security.
Now鈥攚eeks after the Trump administration freeze on aid programs, including some that could have improved oxygen access鈥, detailing stark disparities:
Call for investment: Medical oxygen is as cost-effective as routine childhood immunization, and if access is expanded, it could 鈥渂enefit many health goals simultaneously,鈥 the committee found.
The collection includes articles detailing innovative solutions鈥攊ncluding one pointing to and another on . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Noncommunicable diseases will cause more deaths in sub-Saharan Africa than infectious diseases by 2030, researchers announced at the recent 4th Global NCD Alliance Forum in Kigali, Rwanda; NCDs are linked to 74% of global deaths, per .
Confirmed illnesses caused by contaminated food in the U.S. rose to 1,392 last year, a 25% increase over 2023, ; almost all of the cases involved either Listeria, Salmonella, or Escherichia coli.
A U.S. pain management company called Pain MD engaged in a long-term fraud scheme that generated millions of dollars in revenue by giving patients 700,000 expensive, unnecessary injections; company president Michael Kestner was convicted of 13 health care fraud felonies in October.
An apparent spillover from wild birds to dairy cattle has made Arizona the 17th U.S. state in which H5N1 has been detected in dairy herds; the virus has been found in nearly 970 herds nationwide since March 2024. Trump Administration News __________________________________________________
South Africa has more people living with HIV than any other country. Trump鈥檚 aid freeze has hit hard 鈥
鈥嬧婼罢础罢 is backing up and monitoring CDC data in real time: See what's changing 鈥
N.I.H. Research Grants Lag $1 Billion Behind Last Year鈥檚 鈥
Health agencies lose staff in key areas as Trump firings set in 鈥
Trump鈥檚 Plan to Defund the NIH Will Ruin a National Treasure 鈥
The Erasing of American Science 鈥 REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE Gaps at Planned Parenthood
Many Planned Parenthood clinics are in crisis, as funding shortages have led to a 鈥渄ire need鈥 of upgrades, employee turnover, and lapses in patient care, an investigation by The New York Times has found.
Lack of resources: The organization has seen its funding strained as its patient population declines, and as state governments block its clinics from receiving Medicaid payments.
And yet: Employees say they are hesitant to speak out due to the threat facing American reproductive rights: 鈥淲e鈥檙e afraid of damaging the mission,鈥 said Damien Hamblin, a former Planned Parenthood medical assistant.
Related:
Republican States Claim Zero Abortions. A Red-State Doctor Calls That 鈥楲udicrous.鈥 鈥
Prayer and prosecutions: the US 鈥榟ate group鈥 waging war over Britain鈥檚 abortion clinic buffer zones 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HUMAN RIGHTS 鈥楨gg-Harvesting Scheme鈥 Shocks Surrogacy Sector
The Georgian Interior Ministry has launched an investigation into human trafficking after several women who sought work there as surrogates reported being forced to have their eggs removed.
Background: Last month, three Thai women were reportedly rescued from a house in Tbilisi. Thai police said the women were brought to Georgia by a Chinese criminal syndicate under the pretense of surrogacy鈥攁nd were then forced to have their eggs removed for others鈥 IVF procedures.
Impact: The accusations have sent 鈥渟hockwaves鈥 through the international surrogacy industry in Georgia, which has seen a boom since Russia鈥檚 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
QUICK HITS With 10 Days Of Talks Left, It's 'Now Or Never' For Pandemic Agreement 鈥
Guillain Barre Syndrome cases rise to 207: Over half of cases are in 5-km radius from Sinhagad Road, shows health dept data 鈥
Updated bird flu vaccine for poultry gets license 鈥
Woman in cancer remission for record 19 years after CAR-T immune treatment 鈥
The Lingering Trauma of COVID Coverage for Italian Journalists 鈥
The Coming Democratic Baby Bust 鈥
Report Recommends States Adopt Firearm Purchaser Licensing Laws That Include Five Core Components 鈥
How an Abba classic raised millions and saved thousands of children from abuse 鈥
What are the best AI tools for research? Nature鈥檚 guide 鈥 Issue No. 2677
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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You can or .
COVID-19 laid bare the need for medical oxygen鈥攁nd inequities in access, , leading to the formation of a Lancet Global Health Commission on medical oxygen security.
Now鈥攚eeks after the Trump administration freeze on aid programs, including some that could have improved oxygen access鈥, detailing stark disparities:
- Fewer than 1 in 3 people who need medical oxygen鈥攆or respiratory diseases, surgical complications, trauma, and maternal and child health emergencies鈥攔eceive it, .
- Most of the ~5 billion people without oxygen access鈥攏early 82%鈥攍ive in LMICs; coverage gaps are even higher in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
Call for investment: Medical oxygen is as cost-effective as routine childhood immunization, and if access is expanded, it could 鈥渂enefit many health goals simultaneously,鈥 the committee found.
The collection includes articles detailing innovative solutions鈥攊ncluding one pointing to and another on . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Noncommunicable diseases will cause more deaths in sub-Saharan Africa than infectious diseases by 2030, researchers announced at the recent 4th Global NCD Alliance Forum in Kigali, Rwanda; NCDs are linked to 74% of global deaths, per .
Confirmed illnesses caused by contaminated food in the U.S. rose to 1,392 last year, a 25% increase over 2023, ; almost all of the cases involved either Listeria, Salmonella, or Escherichia coli.
A U.S. pain management company called Pain MD engaged in a long-term fraud scheme that generated millions of dollars in revenue by giving patients 700,000 expensive, unnecessary injections; company president Michael Kestner was convicted of 13 health care fraud felonies in October.
An apparent spillover from wild birds to dairy cattle has made Arizona the 17th U.S. state in which H5N1 has been detected in dairy herds; the virus has been found in nearly 970 herds nationwide since March 2024. Trump Administration News __________________________________________________
South Africa has more people living with HIV than any other country. Trump鈥檚 aid freeze has hit hard 鈥
鈥嬧婼罢础罢 is backing up and monitoring CDC data in real time: See what's changing 鈥
N.I.H. Research Grants Lag $1 Billion Behind Last Year鈥檚 鈥
Health agencies lose staff in key areas as Trump firings set in 鈥
Trump鈥檚 Plan to Defund the NIH Will Ruin a National Treasure 鈥
The Erasing of American Science 鈥 REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE Gaps at Planned Parenthood
Many Planned Parenthood clinics are in crisis, as funding shortages have led to a 鈥渄ire need鈥 of upgrades, employee turnover, and lapses in patient care, an investigation by The New York Times has found.
Lack of resources: The organization has seen its funding strained as its patient population declines, and as state governments block its clinics from receiving Medicaid payments.
- Despite a fundraising boom since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, most of that money is spent on legal and political battles.
And yet: Employees say they are hesitant to speak out due to the threat facing American reproductive rights: 鈥淲e鈥檙e afraid of damaging the mission,鈥 said Damien Hamblin, a former Planned Parenthood medical assistant.
Related:
Republican States Claim Zero Abortions. A Red-State Doctor Calls That 鈥楲udicrous.鈥 鈥
Prayer and prosecutions: the US 鈥榟ate group鈥 waging war over Britain鈥檚 abortion clinic buffer zones 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HUMAN RIGHTS 鈥楨gg-Harvesting Scheme鈥 Shocks Surrogacy Sector
The Georgian Interior Ministry has launched an investigation into human trafficking after several women who sought work there as surrogates reported being forced to have their eggs removed.
Background: Last month, three Thai women were reportedly rescued from a house in Tbilisi. Thai police said the women were brought to Georgia by a Chinese criminal syndicate under the pretense of surrogacy鈥攁nd were then forced to have their eggs removed for others鈥 IVF procedures.
Impact: The accusations have sent 鈥渟hockwaves鈥 through the international surrogacy industry in Georgia, which has seen a boom since Russia鈥檚 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
QUICK HITS With 10 Days Of Talks Left, It's 'Now Or Never' For Pandemic Agreement 鈥
Guillain Barre Syndrome cases rise to 207: Over half of cases are in 5-km radius from Sinhagad Road, shows health dept data 鈥
Updated bird flu vaccine for poultry gets license 鈥
Woman in cancer remission for record 19 years after CAR-T immune treatment 鈥
The Lingering Trauma of COVID Coverage for Italian Journalists 鈥
The Coming Democratic Baby Bust 鈥
Report Recommends States Adopt Firearm Purchaser Licensing Laws That Include Five Core Components 鈥
How an Abba classic raised millions and saved thousands of children from abuse 鈥
What are the best AI tools for research? Nature鈥檚 guide 鈥 Issue No. 2677
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: U.S. Agencies Brace for More Cuts; Launching a Vaccine Trial During an Ebola Outbreak; and The 鈥榃ild West鈥 of Antivenoms in Africa
February 17, 2025
People at a "Save the Civil Service" rally hosted by the American Federation of Government Employees outside the U.S. Capitol. February 11, Washington, D.C. Kent Nishimura/Getty
U.S. Health and Aid Agencies Brace for (More) Impact
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary last week amid upheaval at the nation鈥檚 health agencies, as deep staffing cuts were announced and the future of international aid and research funding remains tenuous.
Scientists and health leaders say they expect more turmoil.
Tens of thousands go hungry in Sudan after Trump aid freeze 鈥
The mess inside Rubio's 'lifesaving' waivers 鈥
Researchers face impossible decisions as U.S. aid freeze halts clinical trials 鈥
Trump Firings Impact 'Front Line of Surveillance' for Bird Flu Outbreak 鈥
'My wife fears sex, I fear death' - impacts of the USAID freeze 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners A measles outbreak in rural west Texas continues to spread, with 49 cases confirmed, most among unvaccinated school-age children; officials suspect the true number of infections is closer to 200鈥300 cases.
Rural Americans face 鈥渟ignificantly shorter, less healthy lives鈥 than their urban counterparts鈥攚ith rural men in particular facing shorter life spans due to obesity, smoking, and chronic conditions such as heart disease, per published last year in the Journal of Rural Health.
Louisiana public health officials will stop promoting vaccination, the state鈥檚 attorney general announced in a 鈥攃iting the need for the government to 鈥減ull back its tentacles from the practice of medicine.鈥
President Donald Trump directed his administration to evaluate the 鈥渢hreat鈥 to children posed by antidepressants, stimulants, and other common psychiatric drugs as part of an signed Thursday establishing a commission led by newly confirmed health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has criticized the use of those drugs. GHN EXCLUSIVE A nurse injects a dose of an Ebola virus vaccine at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda, on Feb. 3. Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua via Getty Images Launching a Vaccine Trial During an Ebola Outbreak Just four days after Uganda鈥檚 Ministry of Health announced a new Ebola outbreak on Jan. 30, a team of local and international investigators began a trial of a vaccine candidate against the Sudan virus.
Swati Gupta, IAVI vice president, shares details in an interview with GHN about how the clinical trial was launched so quickly. Key points:
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES NEGLECTED DISEASES The 鈥榃ild West鈥 of Antivenoms in Africa
In sub-Saharan Africa, a venomous snakebite is too often a death sentence: ~20,000 people in the region are killed each year, with rural populations especially impacted by lack of access to care and by severe antivenom shortages.
But even getting an antivenom is no guarantee of survival, finds a deep dive by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism:
OPIOID CRISIS Overdose Deaths鈥擳hrough the Lens of One County
Hamilton County, Ohio, has long battled a staggering opioid overdose epidemic. But that is starting to change.
The county鈥攚hich includes Cincinnati鈥攕aw a sharp drop in overdose deaths, from 393 in 2023 to ~270 in 2024.
Reflecting a national trend: National overdose deaths decreased by 20%+ in 2024, per .
Behind the drop: Researchers and frontline responders point to a 鈥渃onfluence of factors,鈥 including:
Landmark Vaccine Deals Signal Africa's Shift Toward Local Manufacturing 鈥
Trump Will Withhold Money From Schools That Require Covid Vaccines 鈥
U.S. bird flu hospitalizations rise to 4 after Ohio discloses case 鈥
The teen loneliness machine 鈥
New Polling: Majority of voters want compassion, not cruelty, for refugees 鈥
Empathy for other peoples' pain peaks in young adulthood 鈥
Are PhDs losing their lustre? Why fewer students are enrolling in doctoral degrees 鈥 Issue No. 2676
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary last week amid upheaval at the nation鈥檚 health agencies, as deep staffing cuts were announced and the future of international aid and research funding remains tenuous.
Scientists and health leaders say they expect more turmoil.
- Kennedy has said he will prioritize research on chronic diseases and would give infectious disease research at the NIH 鈥渁 break鈥 for eight years, .
- The HHS announced Friday that 5,200 workers across the department would be terminated, 鈥攁 move one senior CDC scientist described as 鈥渢aking a wrecking ball to both the deep institutional knowledge of the agency and its future.鈥
- NIH: Layoffs currently total 1,165 people, .
- CDC: Hundreds of agency staffers have been terminated, including 鈥渄isease detectors鈥 who trained laboratory staff; the agency expects ~1,300 layoffs, .
- FDA: Firings appear to focus on employees assessing food safety, medical devices, and tobacco products, .
- But widespread cuts to USAID-funded staff and treatments and other aid organizations are already in effect鈥攁nd deeply felt in places like Zimbabwe, which has seen HIV care halted, .
Tens of thousands go hungry in Sudan after Trump aid freeze 鈥
The mess inside Rubio's 'lifesaving' waivers 鈥
Researchers face impossible decisions as U.S. aid freeze halts clinical trials 鈥
Trump Firings Impact 'Front Line of Surveillance' for Bird Flu Outbreak 鈥
'My wife fears sex, I fear death' - impacts of the USAID freeze 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners A measles outbreak in rural west Texas continues to spread, with 49 cases confirmed, most among unvaccinated school-age children; officials suspect the true number of infections is closer to 200鈥300 cases.
Rural Americans face 鈥渟ignificantly shorter, less healthy lives鈥 than their urban counterparts鈥攚ith rural men in particular facing shorter life spans due to obesity, smoking, and chronic conditions such as heart disease, per published last year in the Journal of Rural Health.
Louisiana public health officials will stop promoting vaccination, the state鈥檚 attorney general announced in a 鈥攃iting the need for the government to 鈥減ull back its tentacles from the practice of medicine.鈥
President Donald Trump directed his administration to evaluate the 鈥渢hreat鈥 to children posed by antidepressants, stimulants, and other common psychiatric drugs as part of an signed Thursday establishing a commission led by newly confirmed health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has criticized the use of those drugs. GHN EXCLUSIVE A nurse injects a dose of an Ebola virus vaccine at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda, on Feb. 3. Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua via Getty Images Launching a Vaccine Trial During an Ebola Outbreak Just four days after Uganda鈥檚 Ministry of Health announced a new Ebola outbreak on Jan. 30, a team of local and international investigators began a trial of a vaccine candidate against the Sudan virus.
Swati Gupta, IAVI vice president, shares details in an interview with GHN about how the clinical trial was launched so quickly. Key points:
- 鈥淧art of the reason that we could get the trial started so quickly is because there was already Sudan virus vaccine in country, and the WHO also had pre-approved protocols and other documentation,鈥 said Gupta.
- There is currently no licensed vaccine for Sudan virus, which causes severe hemorrhagic fever disease and has an average case fatality rate of up to 50%.
- The trial of IAVI鈥檚 VSV Sudan vaccine involves the WHO, Makerere University, the Uganda Virus Research Institute, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and others.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES NEGLECTED DISEASES The 鈥榃ild West鈥 of Antivenoms in Africa
In sub-Saharan Africa, a venomous snakebite is too often a death sentence: ~20,000 people in the region are killed each year, with rural populations especially impacted by lack of access to care and by severe antivenom shortages.
But even getting an antivenom is no guarantee of survival, finds a deep dive by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism:
- Diluted and fraudulent antivenoms have flooded the poorly regulated market.
- Some corporations knowingly sell ineffective products鈥攕uch as antivenoms made for Indian snakes, which are ineffective in Africa.
OPIOID CRISIS Overdose Deaths鈥擳hrough the Lens of One County
Hamilton County, Ohio, has long battled a staggering opioid overdose epidemic. But that is starting to change.
The county鈥攚hich includes Cincinnati鈥攕aw a sharp drop in overdose deaths, from 393 in 2023 to ~270 in 2024.
Reflecting a national trend: National overdose deaths decreased by 20%+ in 2024, per .
Behind the drop: Researchers and frontline responders point to a 鈥渃onfluence of factors,鈥 including:
- Broadened access to naloxone and opioid addiction treatment
- More outreach programs
- Crackdowns on Chinese chemical suppliers and Mexican criminal groups manufacturing fentanyl
- And potentially鈥攁 diminished population of at-risk people because so many have already succumbed to overdoses
Landmark Vaccine Deals Signal Africa's Shift Toward Local Manufacturing 鈥
Trump Will Withhold Money From Schools That Require Covid Vaccines 鈥
U.S. bird flu hospitalizations rise to 4 after Ohio discloses case 鈥
The teen loneliness machine 鈥
New Polling: Majority of voters want compassion, not cruelty, for refugees 鈥
Empathy for other peoples' pain peaks in young adulthood 鈥
Are PhDs losing their lustre? Why fewer students are enrolling in doctoral degrees 鈥 Issue No. 2676
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Eyes on RFK Jr; Re-mapping Medicine in Burma; and Cat Diplomat Naps on the Job
The U.S. Senate will vote today on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation as the nation鈥檚 Health Secretary.
February 13, 2025
RFK Jr., President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, arrives for his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing on January 29, in Washington, D.C. Anna Moneymaker via Getty
Eyes on RFK Jr.
The U.S. Senate is poised to vote on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation as the nation鈥檚 Health Secretary today, amid concerns about his vaccine skepticism and conflicts of interest,
Dynamics at play: Despite some Republicans鈥 skepticism about Kennedy鈥檚 views, he is expected to be confirmed, with most GOP senators embracing Kennedy鈥檚 鈥淢ake America Healthy Again鈥 vision.
More Trump Transition News:
This is what happens to the body when HIV drugs are stopped for millions of people 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
83% of mpox cases in the DRC鈥檚 outbreak have been linked to sex work, finds a new of Clade 1b鈥檚 epidemiologic and genomic evolution published in Nature Medicine.
Multidrug-resistant TB in children is rising, especially in low-income regions, finds a new published in Pediatric Research; younger children were found to be at the highest risk of mortality.
The reemergence of dengue virus serotype 3 in Brazil after 17 years could lead to new outbreaks of the disease, as the population there has not been immunized against that type, warns an published in the Journal of Clinical Virology.
Once-weekly semaglutides used to treat obesity could help curb alcohol cravings, a small new published in JAMA Psychiatry has found; researchers say the findings bear further study. CONFLICT Re-mapping Medicine in Burma
Health care in Burma 鈥渋s in collapse,鈥 following four brutal years of civil war, per a recent .
But a 鈥減atchwork of facilities鈥 in opposition-held territory have sprung up, where displaced doctors aim to provide care in wartime conditions.
Background: Tens of thousands of doctors and nurses refused to work for the military junta after its coup in 2021. But a violent crackdown targeted those health workers鈥攍eading many to seek refuge in regions controlled by opposition groups.
They are now building a new health infrastructure despite a host of obstacles, including , a rise in communicable diseases, and the U.S. aid freeze鈥攚hich doctors say could 鈥減rove a near-fatal blow鈥 for the fledgling operations.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES GUNS Disarming Domestic Abusers
In Tennessee, ~40% of women killed in domestic violence shootings were shot by someone who was barred from having a gun at the time of the crime.
Proposed legislation seeks to prevent that鈥攗sing simple changes in enforcement.
Background: While Tennessee prohibits those convicted of domestic violence from owning firearms, it does not require them to disclose the names of the people they gave the guns to鈥攚hich would allow for follow-up or recourse if a convicted abuser maintains access, by ProPublica and WPLN found.
Effective intervention: Follow-up reporting the efforts of rural Scott County, which requires gun-dispossession forms to include the names of gun recipients. The new GOP-sponsored bill is modeled on this policy and requires more transparency.
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Cat Diplomat to Nap on the Job
鈥嬧嬧淪orry, I始m retired鈥 is a great way to avoid pesky requests. But if the new gig is in Bermuda 鈥 that may change things.
It did for Palmerston the cat, former chief mouser at the UK Foreign Office.
Because a 鈥渜uieter and easier鈥 life in the British countryside wasn始t relaxing enough, the diplomat came out of retirement to join his adoptive father for the 鈥減urr-fect鈥 gig in the pink sand paradise, .
Key cat asset: It始s well known that humans just want to be liked by cats, and Palmerston始s feline air of indifference could derail diplomatic talks with a single side-eye. Not to mention his considerable soft鈥攁nd fluffy鈥攑ower. 鈥淚 just welled up over a cat retiring,鈥 after his 2020 departure from official duties.
Now he始s back, but with boundaries. In a silent attack on 始this could have been an email始-ism, Palmerston 鈥渨ill attend only the meetings he deems important, offering advice when necessary,鈥 between naps. QUICK HITS J&J, Sanofi stop E.coli vaccine trial due to low effectiveness 鈥
Some red states report zero abortions. Doctors and researchers say it's not true 鈥
MSF urges govt to prioritise, eliminate noma disease 鈥
As Oropouche cases continue in the Americas, PAHO urges countries to keep their guard up 鈥
An asteroid could hit Earth in 2032. Don't panic 鈥 yet 鈥 Issue No. 2675
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
The U.S. Senate is poised to vote on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation as the nation鈥檚 Health Secretary today, amid concerns about his vaccine skepticism and conflicts of interest,
Dynamics at play: Despite some Republicans鈥 skepticism about Kennedy鈥檚 views, he is expected to be confirmed, with most GOP senators embracing Kennedy鈥檚 鈥淢ake America Healthy Again鈥 vision.
- Democrats, however, oppose Kennedy, and it is unclear whether he will win support from Sen. Mitch McConnell, a polio survivor and vaccine supporter, .
- But reports that the paper Kennedy cites was funded by an anti-vaccine organization and published in a fringe journal run by people with ties to Kennedy鈥攔aising larger fears that Kennedy will 鈥渉ave wide powers to advance his favored research studies,鈥 said Lawrence O. Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University.
- Critics have also voiced concern over Kennedy financially benefiting from his oversight; he has profited from referring clients to a law firm suing the makers of Gardasil.
- He has vowed to overhaul agencies like the NIH, FDA, and CDC.
More Trump Transition News:
Medicare removes sexual orientation, gender identity questions from enrollment forms 鈥
US actions have serious impact on global health, WHO chief says 鈥This is what happens to the body when HIV drugs are stopped for millions of people 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
83% of mpox cases in the DRC鈥檚 outbreak have been linked to sex work, finds a new of Clade 1b鈥檚 epidemiologic and genomic evolution published in Nature Medicine.
Multidrug-resistant TB in children is rising, especially in low-income regions, finds a new published in Pediatric Research; younger children were found to be at the highest risk of mortality.
The reemergence of dengue virus serotype 3 in Brazil after 17 years could lead to new outbreaks of the disease, as the population there has not been immunized against that type, warns an published in the Journal of Clinical Virology.
Once-weekly semaglutides used to treat obesity could help curb alcohol cravings, a small new published in JAMA Psychiatry has found; researchers say the findings bear further study. CONFLICT Re-mapping Medicine in Burma
Health care in Burma 鈥渋s in collapse,鈥 following four brutal years of civil war, per a recent .
But a 鈥減atchwork of facilities鈥 in opposition-held territory have sprung up, where displaced doctors aim to provide care in wartime conditions.
Background: Tens of thousands of doctors and nurses refused to work for the military junta after its coup in 2021. But a violent crackdown targeted those health workers鈥攍eading many to seek refuge in regions controlled by opposition groups.
They are now building a new health infrastructure despite a host of obstacles, including , a rise in communicable diseases, and the U.S. aid freeze鈥攚hich doctors say could 鈥減rove a near-fatal blow鈥 for the fledgling operations.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES GUNS Disarming Domestic Abusers
In Tennessee, ~40% of women killed in domestic violence shootings were shot by someone who was barred from having a gun at the time of the crime.
Proposed legislation seeks to prevent that鈥攗sing simple changes in enforcement.
Background: While Tennessee prohibits those convicted of domestic violence from owning firearms, it does not require them to disclose the names of the people they gave the guns to鈥攚hich would allow for follow-up or recourse if a convicted abuser maintains access, by ProPublica and WPLN found.
Effective intervention: Follow-up reporting the efforts of rural Scott County, which requires gun-dispossession forms to include the names of gun recipients. The new GOP-sponsored bill is modeled on this policy and requires more transparency.
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Cat Diplomat to Nap on the Job
鈥嬧嬧淪orry, I始m retired鈥 is a great way to avoid pesky requests. But if the new gig is in Bermuda 鈥 that may change things.
It did for Palmerston the cat, former chief mouser at the UK Foreign Office.
Because a 鈥渜uieter and easier鈥 life in the British countryside wasn始t relaxing enough, the diplomat came out of retirement to join his adoptive father for the 鈥減urr-fect鈥 gig in the pink sand paradise, .
Key cat asset: It始s well known that humans just want to be liked by cats, and Palmerston始s feline air of indifference could derail diplomatic talks with a single side-eye. Not to mention his considerable soft鈥攁nd fluffy鈥攑ower. 鈥淚 just welled up over a cat retiring,鈥 after his 2020 departure from official duties.
Now he始s back, but with boundaries. In a silent attack on 始this could have been an email始-ism, Palmerston 鈥渨ill attend only the meetings he deems important, offering advice when necessary,鈥 between naps. QUICK HITS J&J, Sanofi stop E.coli vaccine trial due to low effectiveness 鈥
Some red states report zero abortions. Doctors and researchers say it's not true 鈥
MSF urges govt to prioritise, eliminate noma disease 鈥
As Oropouche cases continue in the Americas, PAHO urges countries to keep their guard up 鈥
An asteroid could hit Earth in 2032. Don't panic 鈥 yet 鈥 Issue No. 2675
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: 鈥楥atastrophic鈥 Interruptions in HIV/AIDS Care; Judge Orders Agencies to Restore Health Data; The 鈥楺ueen of Cholera鈥
February 12, 2025
Sister Sally Naidoo administers an HIV test on a young boy at the Right To Care AIDS clinic. January 27, 2012, Johannesburg, South Africa. Foto24/Gallo Images via Getty
鈥楥atastrophic鈥 Interruptions in HIV/AIDS Care
Storytellers from Afghanistan, Myanmar, South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria will share firsthand accounts of living and working amid humanitarian crises, fleeing conflict, and shaping impactful roles in public health.
Frances Stead Sellers, an associate editor of the Washington Post and a host of Washington Post Live, will moderate the event. Sellers has reported extensively on public health and disaster response.
All are welcome for this evening of inspiring stories. If you are in the D.C. area, we hope you始ll join us.
. Reception to follow.
Extraordinary Journeys: Stories of Refugees Fleeing Conflict and Shaping Global Health
Doctors and patients in China are raising alarms over what they say are ineffective generic drugs procured through a process favoring the lowest cost鈥攁 system that could encourage manufacturers to cut corners to win contracts.
Most U.S. workers with chronic conditions that need to be managed during work hours鈥攕uch as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and asthma鈥攈aven鈥檛 told their employers, a has found.
STI cases in Europe spiked in 2023, with notable increases among young people, from the European CDC; gonorrhea in particular surged 31%, and antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea was cited as an emerging threat. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DATA Judge Orders Agencies to Restore Health Data
A U.S. federal judge yesterday ordered federal health agencies to restore websites and datasets pulled late last month by the Trump administration, reports.
Judge John Bates said the sudden loss of the data jeopardizes the work of clinicians and public health, ultimately harming everyday Americans. He issued the in response to a lawsuit filed by advocacy groups representing physicians and consumers.
Data slated to return:
The big question: Will the Trump administration comply with court orders? that the Trump administration is adopting a combative stance, arguing that it鈥檚 the judiciary that鈥檚 overstepping鈥攃alling into question the longstanding balance of powers.
More headlines:
Democrats unveil legislation in bid to halt USAID elimination 鈥
Johns Hopkins leaders: NIH cuts put lifesaving medical research and care at immediate risk 鈥
Trump鈥檚 NIH challenges the model that underlies U.S. scientific dominance 鈥 INFECTIOUS DISEASES The 鈥楺ueen of Cholera鈥
The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) is known internationally as a crown jewel of South Asian science.
Its queen? Firdausi Qadri, who has spent her career studying enteric diseases鈥攆ocusing mainly on demonstrating the benefits of simple, cheap oral cholera vaccines and advocating for their use.
But her work is an uphill battle. Oral vaccines have not eliminated cholera, and plans to curtail the disease both globally and in Bangladesh are off track:
Related: Dirty water and endless wars: why cholera outbreaks are on the rise again 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Survey shows nurses around the world suffered high levels of pandemic stress 鈥
As vaccination rates decline, widespread outbreaks of diseases like measles and polio could reemerge 鈥
Cash as medicine: How Brazil slashed TB by tackling poverty 鈥
In one of the Marines鈥 most iconic jobs, a stunning pattern of suicide 鈥
鈥楾he new generation is different鈥: In Djibouti, activists lobby to end female genital mutilation 鈥
Your brain is full of microplastics: are they harming you? 鈥
For Many, Weight-Loss Drugs Are Pricey. Expanding Access Is Hard. 鈥
Asian five-year-olds in England 70% more likely to have tooth decay than average 鈥
Want to Smoke Outdoors in Milan? Better Be Far From Other People. 鈥 Issue No. 2674
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
The American aid freeze is already disrupting HIV/AIDS care and research that could cost lives and 鈥渟et back efforts to beat the AIDS epidemic by years,鈥 .
Current landscape: Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said there would be a 90-day reprieve for 鈥渓ife-saving鈥 HIV treatment funded by PEPFAR鈥攂ut many programs have already closed.
-
The reprieve does not cover prevention services; preventive anti-HIV medicine is available only to pregnant and breastfeeding women. Condom services and educational programs also remain shuttered.
-
Plus: Major African HIV vaccine and prevention trials are on hold.
South Africa in the spotlight: The Trump administration鈥檚 decision to target South Africa for funding cuts is a major blow to the country with the highest number of people living with HIV globally, .
-
While PEPFAR-funded projects are allowed to apply for waivers, many clinics are uncertain if they are eligible, .
Impact on women and girls: In sub-Saharan Africa, the aid freeze is having a 鈥渃atastrophic鈥 impact on women and girls鈥攚ho are disproportionately affected by the virus, .
-
Toll: The this week that dropped U.S. support could lead to 6.3 million AIDS deaths by the end of the decade.
Related:
How the gutting of USAID is reverberating around the world: Worry, despair, praise 鈥
How USAID dismantling could impact noncommunicable diseases 鈥
OPPORTUNITY Join GHN in DC for an Evening of Remarkable Stories GHN and the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health will host a special live storytelling event spotlighting the remarkable experiences of refugees in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health community.Storytellers from Afghanistan, Myanmar, South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria will share firsthand accounts of living and working amid humanitarian crises, fleeing conflict, and shaping impactful roles in public health.
Frances Stead Sellers, an associate editor of the Washington Post and a host of Washington Post Live, will moderate the event. Sellers has reported extensively on public health and disaster response.
All are welcome for this evening of inspiring stories. If you are in the D.C. area, we hope you始ll join us.
. Reception to follow.
Extraordinary Journeys: Stories of Refugees Fleeing Conflict and Shaping Global Health
- Wednesday, March 5, 6鈥7:30 p.m.
- Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C. (555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW)
Doctors and patients in China are raising alarms over what they say are ineffective generic drugs procured through a process favoring the lowest cost鈥攁 system that could encourage manufacturers to cut corners to win contracts.
Most U.S. workers with chronic conditions that need to be managed during work hours鈥攕uch as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and asthma鈥攈aven鈥檛 told their employers, a has found.
STI cases in Europe spiked in 2023, with notable increases among young people, from the European CDC; gonorrhea in particular surged 31%, and antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea was cited as an emerging threat. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DATA Judge Orders Agencies to Restore Health Data
A U.S. federal judge yesterday ordered federal health agencies to restore websites and datasets pulled late last month by the Trump administration, reports.
Judge John Bates said the sudden loss of the data jeopardizes the work of clinicians and public health, ultimately harming everyday Americans. He issued the in response to a lawsuit filed by advocacy groups representing physicians and consumers.
Data slated to return:
- Information for patients about HIV testing and HIV prevention medication.
- Guidance on contraceptives.
- Datasets that show vulnerability to natural disasters and emergencies.
- An action plan to improve enrollment of underrepresented populations in clinical trials.
The big question: Will the Trump administration comply with court orders? that the Trump administration is adopting a combative stance, arguing that it鈥檚 the judiciary that鈥檚 overstepping鈥攃alling into question the longstanding balance of powers.
More headlines:
Democrats unveil legislation in bid to halt USAID elimination 鈥
Johns Hopkins leaders: NIH cuts put lifesaving medical research and care at immediate risk 鈥
Trump鈥檚 NIH challenges the model that underlies U.S. scientific dominance 鈥 INFECTIOUS DISEASES The 鈥楺ueen of Cholera鈥
The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) is known internationally as a crown jewel of South Asian science.
Its queen? Firdausi Qadri, who has spent her career studying enteric diseases鈥攆ocusing mainly on demonstrating the benefits of simple, cheap oral cholera vaccines and advocating for their use.
But her work is an uphill battle. Oral vaccines have not eliminated cholera, and plans to curtail the disease both globally and in Bangladesh are off track:
- The number of available vaccines is limited, due to global demand.
- Bangladesh鈥檚 government isn鈥檛 investing in vaccination.
- The vaccine鈥檚 protection window is limited.
- Many cholera-prone countries still lack clean drinking water and sanitation.
Related: Dirty water and endless wars: why cholera outbreaks are on the rise again 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Survey shows nurses around the world suffered high levels of pandemic stress 鈥
As vaccination rates decline, widespread outbreaks of diseases like measles and polio could reemerge 鈥
Cash as medicine: How Brazil slashed TB by tackling poverty 鈥
In one of the Marines鈥 most iconic jobs, a stunning pattern of suicide 鈥
鈥楾he new generation is different鈥: In Djibouti, activists lobby to end female genital mutilation 鈥
Your brain is full of microplastics: are they harming you? 鈥
For Many, Weight-Loss Drugs Are Pricey. Expanding Access Is Hard. 鈥
Asian five-year-olds in England 70% more likely to have tooth decay than average 鈥
Want to Smoke Outdoors in Milan? Better Be Far From Other People. 鈥 Issue No. 2674
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Disappearing Databases; Judge Halts NIH Payment Cuts; and Sweden鈥檚 Influx of Firearms
February 11, 2025
A CDC worker at the Emergency Operations Center activated to assist public health partners in responding to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Courtesy James Gathany/CDC; photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
Disappearing Databases
Researchers are alarmed by the Trump administration鈥檚 removal of crucial health data from federal websites鈥攁nd fear other databases may follow, .
Fifteen measles cases鈥攎ostly in school-aged children鈥攈ave been reported in South Plains, Texas, a small county with one of the state鈥檚 highest rates of vaccine exemptions; some of the cases appear to be connected to private religious schools.
PAHO warned of an increased risk of dengue outbreaks amid increased circulation of serotype three (DENV-3) in the southern hemisphere of the Americas.
Nevada confirmed the state鈥檚 first human infection from H5N1 avian flu yesterday in a Churchill County dairy farm worker exposed to sick cows; while the report didn鈥檛 specify a genotype, the D1.1 genotype鈥攄ifferent than the B3.13 involved in early dairy cattle outbreaks鈥攚as identified in the county鈥檚 cattle recently. Trump Transition News US foreign aid freeze wreaks havoc for HIV treatment in Africa 鈥
U.S. exit from WHO: Potential impacts for smallpox virus biosafety 鈥
The USAID "Lifesaving" Waiver Is a Mirage Without Sufficient Staffing 鈥
USAID and CDC Halt of Support to Global Polio Eradication Threatens Worldwide Campaign 鈥
US decision to cut ties with WHO hurting polio eradication efforts 鈥
Trump鈥檚 USAID cuts raise concerns over Ebola outbreak in Uganda 鈥
The World Health Organization makes us all safer 鈥
Don鈥檛 expect the courts to save us from Donald Trump 鈥 RESEARCH Judge Halts NIH Payment Cuts
In response to a lawsuit by 22 states attorneys general, a federal judge yesterday temporarily stopped the Trump administration from making dramatic cuts to NIH payments for research.
The Quote: 鈥淚f the NIH notice remains in effect, SUNY institutions will face a Sophie鈥檚 Choice鈥攅ither redirect funding from other essential programs or be forced to end lifesaving NIH-funded research programs prematurely,鈥 said Ben Friedman, chief operating officer of the Research Foundation for the State University of New York, said in a to the court.
Related: Trump maintains funding freeze at NIH, defying court order 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES GUNS Sweden鈥檚 Influx of Firearms
As Sweden faces its worst mass shooting in history, the country is being forced to reckon with a growing gun violence scourge.
NEGLECTED DISEASES How Guinea Stopped Sleeping Sickness
Twenty years ago, Guinea was once the country with the of sleeping sickness cases in West Africa. But as of this year, the country managed to eliminate the NTD as a public health problem, .
What did it take? Shifting strategies鈥攁nd a great deal of perseverance.
Background: Sleeping sickness, or Human African Trypanosomiasis, is transmitted by the Trypanosoma parasite spread by tsetse flies. The disease can lead to sleep disorders and psychosis鈥攁nd can be fatal.
Treatment gains traction: The development of the drugs fexinidazole and acoziborole offers further hope that the disease can be vanquished.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS 鈥楲eft like luggage鈥: Disabled, sick and injured victims flee Sudan鈥檚 genocide 鈥
Cholera Outbreak Kills Over 100 in Angola 鈥 Ministry 鈥
Flu season in the US is the most intense it鈥檚 been in at least 15 years 鈥
As measles cases rise, a new book warns parents not to underestimate the disease 鈥
Hundreds Of Russian Soldiers Hospitalized, Treated In North Korea, Report Says 鈥
Man dies of asthma attack after inhaler cost skyrockets to more than $500 鈥
Congestion Relief Zone is Also a CRASH Relief Zone: Data 鈥
Zimbabweans try to outpace death at an exercise club in a cemetery 鈥 Issue No. 2673
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Researchers are alarmed by the Trump administration鈥檚 removal of crucial health data from federal websites鈥攁nd fear other databases may follow, .
- Regular CDC reports that have been delayed or are incomplete include FluView and HIV surveillance data.
- The release of three bird flu studies has been stalled for weeks.
- Teams of researchers are rushing to compile their own datasets and DIY sites.
Fifteen measles cases鈥攎ostly in school-aged children鈥攈ave been reported in South Plains, Texas, a small county with one of the state鈥檚 highest rates of vaccine exemptions; some of the cases appear to be connected to private religious schools.
PAHO warned of an increased risk of dengue outbreaks amid increased circulation of serotype three (DENV-3) in the southern hemisphere of the Americas.
Nevada confirmed the state鈥檚 first human infection from H5N1 avian flu yesterday in a Churchill County dairy farm worker exposed to sick cows; while the report didn鈥檛 specify a genotype, the D1.1 genotype鈥攄ifferent than the B3.13 involved in early dairy cattle outbreaks鈥攚as identified in the county鈥檚 cattle recently. Trump Transition News US foreign aid freeze wreaks havoc for HIV treatment in Africa 鈥
U.S. exit from WHO: Potential impacts for smallpox virus biosafety 鈥
The USAID "Lifesaving" Waiver Is a Mirage Without Sufficient Staffing 鈥
USAID and CDC Halt of Support to Global Polio Eradication Threatens Worldwide Campaign 鈥
US decision to cut ties with WHO hurting polio eradication efforts 鈥
Trump鈥檚 USAID cuts raise concerns over Ebola outbreak in Uganda 鈥
The World Health Organization makes us all safer 鈥
Don鈥檛 expect the courts to save us from Donald Trump 鈥 RESEARCH Judge Halts NIH Payment Cuts
In response to a lawsuit by 22 states attorneys general, a federal judge yesterday temporarily stopped the Trump administration from making dramatic cuts to NIH payments for research.
- Judge Angel Kelley in Boston set a hearing for Feb. 21,
- The AGs said the change that caps at 15% payments for indirect costs鈥攊ncluding administrative and facilities costs鈥攚ould have 鈥渋mmediate and devastating鈥 effects, . Average indirect costs are 28% of direct research cost.
- Associations connected to the nation鈥檚 medical, pharmacy, and public health schools, as well as hospitals in Boston and the New York area filed , STAT reports. In response, late last night Judge Kelley ordered a nationwide temporary pause on the NIH plans to slash the indirect cost payments, .
- The came from education organizations and public and private universities.
The Quote: 鈥淚f the NIH notice remains in effect, SUNY institutions will face a Sophie鈥檚 Choice鈥攅ither redirect funding from other essential programs or be forced to end lifesaving NIH-funded research programs prematurely,鈥 said Ben Friedman, chief operating officer of the Research Foundation for the State University of New York, said in a to the court.
Related: Trump maintains funding freeze at NIH, defying court order 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES GUNS Sweden鈥檚 Influx of Firearms
As Sweden faces its worst mass shooting in history, the country is being forced to reckon with a growing gun violence scourge.
- The shooting at an adult education campus in Orebro killed 11, and highlights Sweden鈥檚 shift from a 鈥減eaceful, high-trust society鈥 to one struggling with gang-related crime, right-wing nationalism, and easier firearm access.
- 鈥淵ou ask yourself, 鈥楥an you be safe in today鈥檚 Sweden?鈥欌 said Andreas Sundling, a student at the school.
NEGLECTED DISEASES How Guinea Stopped Sleeping Sickness
Twenty years ago, Guinea was once the country with the of sleeping sickness cases in West Africa. But as of this year, the country managed to eliminate the NTD as a public health problem, .
What did it take? Shifting strategies鈥攁nd a great deal of perseverance.
Background: Sleeping sickness, or Human African Trypanosomiasis, is transmitted by the Trypanosoma parasite spread by tsetse flies. The disease can lead to sleep disorders and psychosis鈥攁nd can be fatal.
- Initial elimination efforts鈥攊ncluding mass screening and treatment鈥攚ere ineffective. From 2012 onward, the focus shifted to vector control.
Treatment gains traction: The development of the drugs fexinidazole and acoziborole offers further hope that the disease can be vanquished.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS 鈥楲eft like luggage鈥: Disabled, sick and injured victims flee Sudan鈥檚 genocide 鈥
Cholera Outbreak Kills Over 100 in Angola 鈥 Ministry 鈥
Flu season in the US is the most intense it鈥檚 been in at least 15 years 鈥
As measles cases rise, a new book warns parents not to underestimate the disease 鈥
Hundreds Of Russian Soldiers Hospitalized, Treated In North Korea, Report Says 鈥
Man dies of asthma attack after inhaler cost skyrockets to more than $500 鈥
Congestion Relief Zone is Also a CRASH Relief Zone: Data 鈥
Zimbabweans try to outpace death at an exercise club in a cemetery 鈥 Issue No. 2673
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: A Deep Cut to NIH-Funded Research; Delving into D1.1; and New City, Old Threats
February 10, 2025
Lab technicians at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Nashville, Tennessee, August 28, 2020. Brett Carlsen/Bloomberg via Getty
A Deep Cut to NIH-Funded Research
America鈥檚 research institutions are reeling after the Trump administration to research grants last Friday鈥攁 move universities and medical centers say could imperil the nation鈥檚 future in scientific research, .
What's targeted: The NIH cuts are aimed at 鈥渋ndirect costs鈥 in research grants鈥攆unding that universities and research centers depend on to cover essential operations like lab equipment, utilities, and staffing, .
Sweden鈥檚 government announced plans to tighten gun laws, including restricting AR15-style rifles and clarifying ownership eligibility rules, following a mass shooting last week that killed 10 people.
The UK鈥檚 contributions to the global vaccination group Gavi may be significantly reduced, with the government鈥檚 aid budget cut from 0.7% to 0.5% of GDP and more funds being used to support asylum seekers in the UK.
Black U.S. women died at a rate nearly 3.5X higher than white women around the time of childbirth in 2023, 鈥攚hich show that although maternal mortality fell below prepandemic levels that year, racial gaps widened. Trump Transition News All USAID staff on administrative leave reinstated until Feb. 14 鈥
Morale plummets at the CDC as staff fear job losses 鈥
鈥楳y boss was crying.鈥 NSF confronts potentially massive layoffs and budget cuts 鈥
Donald Trump's NIH Pick Just Launched a Controversial Scientific Journal 鈥
In Breaking USAID, the Trump Administration May Have Broken the Law 鈥 AVIAN FLU Delving into D1.1
The that dairy cows in Nevada have been infected with a new form of the bird flu is raising new concerns as the virus continues to spread across the U.S. and beyond, .
The basics: Previously, herds in the U.S. were infected with the B.3.13 strain. The cows in Nevada were infected with D1.1, a strain that has been spreading in wild birds and poultry.
New York poultry markets ordered to close temporarily as bird flu concerns spread 鈥
How worried should you be about bird flu? A Q&A with infectious disease specialist Dr. John Swartzberg 鈥
C.D.C. Posts, Then Deletes, Data on Bird Flu Spread Between Cats and People 鈥
It's like 'dead birds flying': How bird flu is spreading in the wild 鈥
Virginia lawmakers to CDC: Restart bird flu reports now 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MALARIA New City, Old Threats
As Indonesia constructs a new megacity that will one day be its capital, scientists are warning of an old danger lurking in the surrounding areas: malaria.
The new city, Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN), is being constructed in East Kalimantan, Borne鈥攁 鈥渕alaria and biodiversity hotspot,鈥 per a about IKN鈥檚 public health risks.
WHO chief asks countries to push Washington to reconsider its withdrawal 鈥
Russia Opposes Updated WHO Assessment Of Health Effects Of Nuclear Weapons 鈥
PEPFAR under review: what's at stake for PEPFAR's future 鈥
COVID vaccination saved more than 5,000 US lives in 7 months in 2023-24, CDC estimates 鈥
In Mexico, budget cuts dim hopes for a science funding revival 鈥
New drug halves number of children hospitalised with RSV 鈥
Super Bowl can cause elevated heart attack risk, especially among at risk patients 鈥
Men Who Have Gotten Vasectomies Are Sharing Their Stories And Some Of Them May Surprise You 鈥 Issue No. 2672
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
America鈥檚 research institutions are reeling after the Trump administration to research grants last Friday鈥攁 move universities and medical centers say could imperil the nation鈥檚 future in scientific research, .
What's targeted: The NIH cuts are aimed at 鈥渋ndirect costs鈥 in research grants鈥攆unding that universities and research centers depend on to cover essential operations like lab equipment, utilities, and staffing, .
- The NIH announced the rate will be slashed to 15%鈥攁 heavy reduction from the 30%+ many institutions previously received. In 2023, NIH spent nearly $9 billion on indirect costs. The new policy aims to cut $4 billion.
- The new rate, which goes into effect today, will apply to all new and existing grants, .
- "This is a surefire way to cripple lifesaving research and innovation," said Matt Owens, president of the Council on Government Relations.
- Long term, the cuts could 鈥渋rreparably damage the backbone of American scientific innovation鈥濃攅specially harming the future of young researchers, per one .
Sweden鈥檚 government announced plans to tighten gun laws, including restricting AR15-style rifles and clarifying ownership eligibility rules, following a mass shooting last week that killed 10 people.
The UK鈥檚 contributions to the global vaccination group Gavi may be significantly reduced, with the government鈥檚 aid budget cut from 0.7% to 0.5% of GDP and more funds being used to support asylum seekers in the UK.
Black U.S. women died at a rate nearly 3.5X higher than white women around the time of childbirth in 2023, 鈥攚hich show that although maternal mortality fell below prepandemic levels that year, racial gaps widened. Trump Transition News All USAID staff on administrative leave reinstated until Feb. 14 鈥
Morale plummets at the CDC as staff fear job losses 鈥
鈥楳y boss was crying.鈥 NSF confronts potentially massive layoffs and budget cuts 鈥
Donald Trump's NIH Pick Just Launched a Controversial Scientific Journal 鈥
In Breaking USAID, the Trump Administration May Have Broken the Law 鈥 AVIAN FLU Delving into D1.1
The that dairy cows in Nevada have been infected with a new form of the bird flu is raising new concerns as the virus continues to spread across the U.S. and beyond, .
The basics: Previously, herds in the U.S. were infected with the B.3.13 strain. The cows in Nevada were infected with D1.1, a strain that has been spreading in wild birds and poultry.
- 鈥淚t鈥檚 no longer just one virus,鈥 said influenza expert Richard Webby. 鈥淭his, to me, suggests that it鈥檚 going to be a lingering problem.鈥
- D1.1 has been associated with two severe human infections in North America, including one death.
New York poultry markets ordered to close temporarily as bird flu concerns spread 鈥
How worried should you be about bird flu? A Q&A with infectious disease specialist Dr. John Swartzberg 鈥
C.D.C. Posts, Then Deletes, Data on Bird Flu Spread Between Cats and People 鈥
It's like 'dead birds flying': How bird flu is spreading in the wild 鈥
Virginia lawmakers to CDC: Restart bird flu reports now 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MALARIA New City, Old Threats
As Indonesia constructs a new megacity that will one day be its capital, scientists are warning of an old danger lurking in the surrounding areas: malaria.
The new city, Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN), is being constructed in East Kalimantan, Borne鈥攁 鈥渕alaria and biodiversity hotspot,鈥 per a about IKN鈥檚 public health risks.
- Researchers are especially worried about a rare form of malaria caused by the parasite Plasmodium knowlesi, which thrives in degraded forests.
- More research, surveillance, and control measures are crucial before moving ~1 million people to IKN from Jakarta, the commentary urges.
WHO chief asks countries to push Washington to reconsider its withdrawal 鈥
Russia Opposes Updated WHO Assessment Of Health Effects Of Nuclear Weapons 鈥
PEPFAR under review: what's at stake for PEPFAR's future 鈥
COVID vaccination saved more than 5,000 US lives in 7 months in 2023-24, CDC estimates 鈥
In Mexico, budget cuts dim hopes for a science funding revival 鈥
New drug halves number of children hospitalised with RSV 鈥
Super Bowl can cause elevated heart attack risk, especially among at risk patients 鈥
Men Who Have Gotten Vasectomies Are Sharing Their Stories And Some Of Them May Surprise You 鈥 Issue No. 2672
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Argentina to Exit the WHO; A Potent New Way to Treat Pain; and Fat Bear Week in Altadena
Javier Milei attributed his decision to the WHO鈥檚 management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
February 6, 2025
Argentina's President Javier Milei leaves the Holocaust Museum after attending an event to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Buenos Aires, on January 27. Luis Robayo/AFP via Getty
Following Trump始s Lead, Argentina to Exit WHO
Argentina鈥檚 president Javier Milei has announced the country will leave the WHO, following U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 lead, .
Rationale: Milei attributed his decision to the WHO鈥檚 management of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling the lockdowns a 鈥渃aveman quarantine鈥 and 鈥渙ne of the most outlandish crimes against humanity in history.鈥
鈥淲HO flu鈥: The bigger concern, health advocates say, is a growing trend CIDRAP鈥檚 director 鈥淲HO flu鈥濃攊n which countries pull out of the global health organization for political reasons.
Reaction: The announcement sparked immediate criticism from health organizations who say the move reduces Argentina鈥檚 access to health funding and resources. Opposition leaders said the decision would need to be approved by the country鈥檚 congress.
Meanwhile: The Trump administration has been considering plans for WHO reform鈥攊ncluding putting an American in charge of the agency in order for it to remain a member of the global body, . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
A newer strain of bird flu has been detected in six dairy herds in Nevada; the strain, D1.1, is different from the one that has already been circulating in U.S. dairy herds, and that has been associated with severe infections in birds and humans.
Patients using diabetes apps can potentially miss critical blood glucose level alerts due to improper settings especially after software and hardware updates, per a new and recommendations.
Travelers to Uganda are being urged to take 鈥渆nhanced precautions鈥 because of the Ebola outbreak there, per alerts put out by , , and the .; recommendations include avoiding health care centers.
A kidney cancer vaccine is showing early promise, as Phase I trial results showed that nine patients at high risk for cancer recurrence remained cancer-free after three years; results suggest that the vaccines could someday be used for a wider variety of cancers. NEGLECTED DISEASES Niger鈥檚 Historic Victory Over River Blindness
Niger鈥檚 elimination of 鈥攁 parasitic disease more commonly known as river blindness鈥攊s being lauded as a 鈥渂eacon of hope鈥 in the quest to end NTDs.
Niger is the first country in the African continent to eliminate the disease, which can cause severe vision problems and blindness, plunging families into poverty.
What it took: The effort was 45 years in the making, and required extensive tracking, vector control, medication distribution鈥攁nd partnering with the global Onchocerciasis Elimination Committee, a global network of NGOs and disease experts.
Building on momentum: Eliminating river blindness in Niger alone is estimated to have added $2.3 billion USD to the country鈥檚 economy between 1976 and 2019 as prevention programs accelerated.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES PHARMACEUTICALS A Potent New Way to Treat Pain
The last week to greenlight a non-opioid pain medication鈥攖he first in 20+ years鈥攊s being heralded as 鈥済roundbreaking鈥 and a 鈥減ublic health milestone,鈥 .
The basics: The new analgesic drug, suzetrigine, will be sold under the brand name Journavx and used to treat moderate to severe acute pain, .
How it works: Whereas opioids bind to receptors in the brain, the new drug targets a pain-signaling pathway in the peripheral nervous system before pain signals reach the brain.
For one 525-pound California black bear, the Los Angeles wildfires weren始t a compelling enough reason to leave a cozy basement in Altadena.
After evacuating, Samy Arbid returned home to find his tubby tenant had doubled down(stairs), waiting out the emergency in the basement. Beary, aka Victor, was 鈥減robably trying to lay low, conserve energy and sleep for a while,鈥 according to Kevin Howells, an environmental scientist who helped lure Beary from his lair, the .
We始d have made a case here for ursine eminent domain, but animal control had other ideas. A tranquilizer wasn始t gonna cut it on this majestic creature, so they lured him鈥攙ery slowly and adorably鈥攚ith a buffet of rotisserie chicken, sardines, tomato sauce, peanut butter, and promise of a new life in Angeles National Forest, .
But will forest cuisine suit this urbanite始s palate? As one neighbor explained to : 鈥淗e just wants some good trash, like we all like some good trash.鈥 (Wait ... do we, though!?) QUICK HITS Sudanese relief workers in the capital fear reprisals from army 鈥
Sweden searches for answers after country's deadliest shooting 鈥
Public health group alarmed by online 鈥楧EI Watchlist鈥 targeting federal staff 鈥
Spinal cord electrical stimulation restores neural function in clinical trial 鈥
Time blindness is a psychological phenomenon. Here are steps to combat it. 鈥 Issue No. 2671
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Argentina鈥檚 president Javier Milei has announced the country will leave the WHO, following U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 lead, .
Rationale: Milei attributed his decision to the WHO鈥檚 management of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling the lockdowns a 鈥渃aveman quarantine鈥 and 鈥渙ne of the most outlandish crimes against humanity in history.鈥
- Milei鈥檚 actions have echoed other Trump policies, including a new crackdown on transgender care for minors.
鈥淲HO flu鈥: The bigger concern, health advocates say, is a growing trend CIDRAP鈥檚 director 鈥淲HO flu鈥濃攊n which countries pull out of the global health organization for political reasons.
Reaction: The announcement sparked immediate criticism from health organizations who say the move reduces Argentina鈥檚 access to health funding and resources. Opposition leaders said the decision would need to be approved by the country鈥檚 congress.
Meanwhile: The Trump administration has been considering plans for WHO reform鈥攊ncluding putting an American in charge of the agency in order for it to remain a member of the global body, . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
A newer strain of bird flu has been detected in six dairy herds in Nevada; the strain, D1.1, is different from the one that has already been circulating in U.S. dairy herds, and that has been associated with severe infections in birds and humans.
Patients using diabetes apps can potentially miss critical blood glucose level alerts due to improper settings especially after software and hardware updates, per a new and recommendations.
Travelers to Uganda are being urged to take 鈥渆nhanced precautions鈥 because of the Ebola outbreak there, per alerts put out by , , and the .; recommendations include avoiding health care centers.
A kidney cancer vaccine is showing early promise, as Phase I trial results showed that nine patients at high risk for cancer recurrence remained cancer-free after three years; results suggest that the vaccines could someday be used for a wider variety of cancers. NEGLECTED DISEASES Niger鈥檚 Historic Victory Over River Blindness
Niger鈥檚 elimination of 鈥攁 parasitic disease more commonly known as river blindness鈥攊s being lauded as a 鈥渂eacon of hope鈥 in the quest to end NTDs.
Niger is the first country in the African continent to eliminate the disease, which can cause severe vision problems and blindness, plunging families into poverty.
What it took: The effort was 45 years in the making, and required extensive tracking, vector control, medication distribution鈥攁nd partnering with the global Onchocerciasis Elimination Committee, a global network of NGOs and disease experts.
Building on momentum: Eliminating river blindness in Niger alone is estimated to have added $2.3 billion USD to the country鈥檚 economy between 1976 and 2019 as prevention programs accelerated.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES PHARMACEUTICALS A Potent New Way to Treat Pain
The last week to greenlight a non-opioid pain medication鈥攖he first in 20+ years鈥攊s being heralded as 鈥済roundbreaking鈥 and a 鈥減ublic health milestone,鈥 .
The basics: The new analgesic drug, suzetrigine, will be sold under the brand name Journavx and used to treat moderate to severe acute pain, .
How it works: Whereas opioids bind to receptors in the brain, the new drug targets a pain-signaling pathway in the peripheral nervous system before pain signals reach the brain.
- 鈥淎s a result, you shouldn鈥檛 get euphoria,鈥 explained neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta in a this week.
For one 525-pound California black bear, the Los Angeles wildfires weren始t a compelling enough reason to leave a cozy basement in Altadena.
After evacuating, Samy Arbid returned home to find his tubby tenant had doubled down(stairs), waiting out the emergency in the basement. Beary, aka Victor, was 鈥減robably trying to lay low, conserve energy and sleep for a while,鈥 according to Kevin Howells, an environmental scientist who helped lure Beary from his lair, the .
We始d have made a case here for ursine eminent domain, but animal control had other ideas. A tranquilizer wasn始t gonna cut it on this majestic creature, so they lured him鈥攙ery slowly and adorably鈥攚ith a buffet of rotisserie chicken, sardines, tomato sauce, peanut butter, and promise of a new life in Angeles National Forest, .
But will forest cuisine suit this urbanite始s palate? As one neighbor explained to : 鈥淗e just wants some good trash, like we all like some good trash.鈥 (Wait ... do we, though!?) QUICK HITS Sudanese relief workers in the capital fear reprisals from army 鈥
Sweden searches for answers after country's deadliest shooting 鈥
Public health group alarmed by online 鈥楧EI Watchlist鈥 targeting federal staff 鈥
Spinal cord electrical stimulation restores neural function in clinical trial 鈥
Time blindness is a psychological phenomenon. Here are steps to combat it. 鈥 Issue No. 2671
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: 鈥楢bsolute Emergency鈥 in Goma; Female 鈥楬onor鈥 Killings on the Rise in Iran; and India Grapples with the Future of Gas Stoves
February 5, 2025
Residents watch as members of the Congolese Red Cross and the Civilian Protection bury dozens of bodies in a cemetery in Goma on February 3. Alexis Huguet/AFP via Getty
鈥楢bsolute Emergency鈥 in Goma
Extreme violence in the eastern DRC over the last two weeks has left 900+ dead, ~2,880 injured, and a displaced population facing heightened risk of sexual violence and disease outbreaks, .
Background: , rebels with the Rwandan-backed M83 militia have seized large areas of Goma, the regional capital of North Kivu, severely restricting humanitarian access to a region that is already home to 696,000+ internally displaced people.
The latest: A ceasefire allowed residents to assess the devastation and to hurriedly bury ~2,000 bodies amid feared spread of disease, .
Risk of outbreaks: The WHO is of heightened disease risk, including cholera, mpox, and measles, .
Exacerbating the crisis: A 90-day suspension of U.S. humanitarian funding is 鈥渟everely impacting鈥 relief efforts, says the UN. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Inadequate breast cancer screening and care systems could lead to the deaths of an estimated 135,000 women in sub-Saharan Africa by 2040, a new finds; in 2022, half of the women diagnosed with breast cancer in the region died from the disease.
Trans health and research programs are being halted by the Trump administration, with notices sent in recent days that terminate funding and block ongoing research鈥攍eaving many researchers, medical organizations, and advocates in limbo.
Flies in hospital wards may be carrying drug-resistant bacteria between patients, Nigerian researchers have found in a published in Environment International, which found that some flies were carrying bacteria most common in hospital-acquired infections.
Health care affordability and access were ranked by Americans as the highest public health priority for government leaders to address, per a new public health by Emory University鈥檚 Rollins School of Public Health and Gallup. Trump Transition News Public Health Journal Won't Be Complicit in Trump Admin's Censorship 鈥
Medical journal editors must resist CDC order and anti-gender ideology 鈥
Exclusive: how NSF is scouring research grants for violations of Trump鈥檚 orders 鈥
Senate committee advances RFK Jr.'s nomination for HHS secretary in party-line vote 鈥
Federal health workers terrified after 'DEI' website publishes list of 'targets' 鈥
America Can鈥檛 Just Unpause USAID 鈥 VIOLENCE Female 鈥楬onor鈥 Killings on the Rise in Iran
At least 133 women and girls鈥攁bout one every two days鈥攚ere killed in 2024 by male family members, with most of the deaths identified as 鈥渉onor鈥 killings, according to an analysis by RFE/RL's Radio Farda.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH India Grapples with the Future of Gas Stoves
In an effort to curb air pollution in India鈥攅specially inside homes鈥攈ealth advocates have long pushed for a transition from cooking with stoves that burn wood or dung to stoves that use liquefied petroleum gas.
10 Things to Know About U.S. Funding for Global Health 鈥
Syria landmine crisis spirals as millions begin to return home 鈥
鈥業 could feel the worms鈥: Neglected victims of Loiasis find hope in a remote research station 鈥
How Sudan virus binds to human cells 鈥
This program in Nigeria sends children from the streets into the classroom 鈥
BMJ study calls for maximisation of women鈥檚 potential in healthcare 鈥 Issue No. 2670
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Extreme violence in the eastern DRC over the last two weeks has left 900+ dead, ~2,880 injured, and a displaced population facing heightened risk of sexual violence and disease outbreaks, .
Background: , rebels with the Rwandan-backed M83 militia have seized large areas of Goma, the regional capital of North Kivu, severely restricting humanitarian access to a region that is already home to 696,000+ internally displaced people.
The latest: A ceasefire allowed residents to assess the devastation and to hurriedly bury ~2,000 bodies amid feared spread of disease, .
- The Goma airport remains closed, paralyzing relief operations. 鈥淓very hour lost puts more lives at risk. This is an absolute emergency,鈥 said Bruno Lemarquis, the UN鈥檚 top humanitarian official in the DRC.
Risk of outbreaks: The WHO is of heightened disease risk, including cholera, mpox, and measles, .
Exacerbating the crisis: A 90-day suspension of U.S. humanitarian funding is 鈥渟everely impacting鈥 relief efforts, says the UN. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Inadequate breast cancer screening and care systems could lead to the deaths of an estimated 135,000 women in sub-Saharan Africa by 2040, a new finds; in 2022, half of the women diagnosed with breast cancer in the region died from the disease.
Trans health and research programs are being halted by the Trump administration, with notices sent in recent days that terminate funding and block ongoing research鈥攍eaving many researchers, medical organizations, and advocates in limbo.
Flies in hospital wards may be carrying drug-resistant bacteria between patients, Nigerian researchers have found in a published in Environment International, which found that some flies were carrying bacteria most common in hospital-acquired infections.
Health care affordability and access were ranked by Americans as the highest public health priority for government leaders to address, per a new public health by Emory University鈥檚 Rollins School of Public Health and Gallup. Trump Transition News Public Health Journal Won't Be Complicit in Trump Admin's Censorship 鈥
Medical journal editors must resist CDC order and anti-gender ideology 鈥
Exclusive: how NSF is scouring research grants for violations of Trump鈥檚 orders 鈥
Senate committee advances RFK Jr.'s nomination for HHS secretary in party-line vote 鈥
Federal health workers terrified after 'DEI' website publishes list of 'targets' 鈥
America Can鈥檛 Just Unpause USAID 鈥 VIOLENCE Female 鈥楬onor鈥 Killings on the Rise in Iran
At least 133 women and girls鈥攁bout one every two days鈥攚ere killed in 2024 by male family members, with most of the deaths identified as 鈥渉onor鈥 killings, according to an analysis by RFE/RL's Radio Farda.
- Most femicide cases in Iran are excused as family disputes in which a female member is targeted for allegedly violating societal or religious traditions, per human rights advocates.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH India Grapples with the Future of Gas Stoves
In an effort to curb air pollution in India鈥攅specially inside homes鈥攈ealth advocates have long pushed for a transition from cooking with stoves that burn wood or dung to stoves that use liquefied petroleum gas.
However: A recent multicenter study found no statistically significant health benefits for children in homes with gas stoves鈥攄espite a marked improvement in the homes鈥 air quality.
Current debate:- Critics are calling for a pivot to alternatives like electricity, which could provide broader environmental and health benefits.
- But proponents say India鈥檚 grid is not ready for such expansion鈥攁nd argue that the air quality improvement is reason enough to invest in the expansion of gas stoves.
10 Things to Know About U.S. Funding for Global Health 鈥
Syria landmine crisis spirals as millions begin to return home 鈥
鈥業 could feel the worms鈥: Neglected victims of Loiasis find hope in a remote research station 鈥
How Sudan virus binds to human cells 鈥
This program in Nigeria sends children from the streets into the classroom 鈥
BMJ study calls for maximisation of women鈥檚 potential in healthcare 鈥 Issue No. 2670
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Sudan鈥檚 Surgeons Go Underground; Truck Stop Education; and Mosquito Magnetism
February 4, 2025
Sudan鈥檚 Surgeons Go Underground
In north Darfur, indiscriminate violence and continuous shelling鈥攊ncluding attacks on hospitals鈥攈ave devastated the health care infrastructure, forcing the area鈥檚 last standing hospital, the Al-Saudi Maternal Teaching Hospital, to perform surgeries in underground bunkers, .
鈥淭he failure to act is a choice, and it鈥檚 killing people,鈥 says Marcella Kraay, MSF鈥檚 emergency coordinator.
Impact of Trump orders: Sudden stop-work orders from the Trump administration last week came at a devastating time for Sudan, interrupting vital aid operations for severely malnourished children at a half dozen U.S.-funded medical facilities in Sudan, in an article detailing the impact of the interruptions鈥攄espite the Trump administration鈥檚 follow-up announcements ostensibly allowing lifesaving operations to proceed.
U.S. CDC webpages that include data on gender identity and LGBTQ issues remain inaccessible, following an executive order by President Trump targeting the topics; public health and medical experts have decried the disappearance of information needed to protect the health of marginalized populations.
People who have microplastics or nanoplastics embedded in fatty plaques in their blood vessels had a 4.5X greater risk of heart attacks, strokes, or death over a three-year period than patients who were plastic-free, according to a small study published in today.
Lung cancer in people who have never smoked is now believed to be the fifth highest cause of global cancer deaths; adenocarcinoma is the main cancer among never-smokers, and ~200,000 adenocarcinoma cases were linked to air pollution in 2022, per the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Trump Transition News Senate committee to vote today on RFK Jr.'s nomination 鈥
RFK Jr. misled the US Senate on measles deaths, Samoa鈥檚 health chief says 鈥
The Status of President Trump鈥檚 Pause of Foreign Aid and Implications for PEPFAR and other Global Health Programs -
USAID may be reorganized, absorbed by the State Department, Rubio says 鈥
Removal of DEI content from a microbiology group鈥檚 website shows reach of Trump executive orders 鈥 HIV/AIDS Truck Stop Education
India鈥檚 truck drivers are a high-risk group for HIV, with a 7X times higher than .
In an effort to bring down rates, a foundation set up by the country鈥檚 largest tire manufacturer has enlisted commercial sex workers at truck stops to help with HIV prevention efforts鈥攚ith the workers educating drivers about risks, symptoms, and treatment.
Incarcerated trans people are facing a 鈥減recarious鈥 future following the White House that directs the Bureau of Prisons to ensure 鈥渢hat males are not detained in women鈥檚 prisons.鈥
Risks: The Bureau of Prisons鈥 2022 manual on trans inmates stated that trans women living in men鈥檚 prisons face a disproportionate risk of violence and sexual assault.
ZIKA Mosquito Magnetism
While Zika has gained powerful traction over the last decade, scientists are just beginning to understand why it鈥檚 so transmissible. One big reason: It changes human skin to become more mosquito-friendly.
Implications: The insights could help scientists 鈥渦nlock new strategies鈥 like genetic interventions to disrupt mosquito-attracting signals.
QUICK HITS Conflict in eastern DRC hampers fight against mpox 鈥 Africa CDC 鈥
Bird flu crisis enters new phase 鈥
Here is how we know that vaccines do not cause autism 鈥
Study Finds More Than 300 Juveniles Were Shot by Police Between 2015 and 2020, One-Third of Them Fatally 鈥
Five ways to bridge the 'know鈥揹o' continuum in global health 鈥
The long quest for artificial blood 鈥
Families buy more sugary cereal if advertising targets kids, not adults 鈥 Issue No. 2669
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
In north Darfur, indiscriminate violence and continuous shelling鈥攊ncluding attacks on hospitals鈥攈ave devastated the health care infrastructure, forcing the area鈥檚 last standing hospital, the Al-Saudi Maternal Teaching Hospital, to perform surgeries in underground bunkers, .
- The hospital, in the besieged town of Al-Fasher, has been attacked 15 times, including a drone attack on the hospital that killed 70+ people on January 24.
- Medics perform up to 12 surgeries a day by flashlight in nearby shelters built out of abandoned UN shipping containers and buried under sandbags.
鈥淭he failure to act is a choice, and it鈥檚 killing people,鈥 says Marcella Kraay, MSF鈥檚 emergency coordinator.
Impact of Trump orders: Sudden stop-work orders from the Trump administration last week came at a devastating time for Sudan, interrupting vital aid operations for severely malnourished children at a half dozen U.S.-funded medical facilities in Sudan, in an article detailing the impact of the interruptions鈥攄espite the Trump administration鈥檚 follow-up announcements ostensibly allowing lifesaving operations to proceed.
- Aid workers鈥攔ealizing that compliance with the stop-work order would mean that up to 100 babies and toddlers would die鈥斺渃hose the children,鈥 and continued to do their job.
U.S. CDC webpages that include data on gender identity and LGBTQ issues remain inaccessible, following an executive order by President Trump targeting the topics; public health and medical experts have decried the disappearance of information needed to protect the health of marginalized populations.
People who have microplastics or nanoplastics embedded in fatty plaques in their blood vessels had a 4.5X greater risk of heart attacks, strokes, or death over a three-year period than patients who were plastic-free, according to a small study published in today.
Lung cancer in people who have never smoked is now believed to be the fifth highest cause of global cancer deaths; adenocarcinoma is the main cancer among never-smokers, and ~200,000 adenocarcinoma cases were linked to air pollution in 2022, per the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Trump Transition News Senate committee to vote today on RFK Jr.'s nomination 鈥
RFK Jr. misled the US Senate on measles deaths, Samoa鈥檚 health chief says 鈥
The Status of President Trump鈥檚 Pause of Foreign Aid and Implications for PEPFAR and other Global Health Programs -
USAID may be reorganized, absorbed by the State Department, Rubio says 鈥
Removal of DEI content from a microbiology group鈥檚 website shows reach of Trump executive orders 鈥 HIV/AIDS Truck Stop Education
India鈥檚 truck drivers are a high-risk group for HIV, with a 7X times higher than .
In an effort to bring down rates, a foundation set up by the country鈥檚 largest tire manufacturer has enlisted commercial sex workers at truck stops to help with HIV prevention efforts鈥攚ith the workers educating drivers about risks, symptoms, and treatment.
- Since 2022, the foundation has focused on recruiting 100+ transgender sex workers as part of its efforts, allowing it to reach 100,000+ truck drivers.
- Both the sex workers and the truckers are marginalized groups, which fosters mutual trust, say advocates.
Incarcerated trans people are facing a 鈥減recarious鈥 future following the White House that directs the Bureau of Prisons to ensure 鈥渢hat males are not detained in women鈥檚 prisons.鈥
- The order also prohibits inmates from receiving gender-affirming health care using federal funds.
Risks: The Bureau of Prisons鈥 2022 manual on trans inmates stated that trans women living in men鈥檚 prisons face a disproportionate risk of violence and sexual assault.
- That previously-public manual has from the bureau鈥檚 website.
ZIKA Mosquito Magnetism
While Zika has gained powerful traction over the last decade, scientists are just beginning to understand why it鈥檚 so transmissible. One big reason: It changes human skin to become more mosquito-friendly.
- 鈥淶ika virus isn鈥檛 just passively transmitted, but it actively manipulates human biology to ensure its survival,鈥 said the study鈥檚 co-lead author Noushin Emami.
Implications: The insights could help scientists 鈥渦nlock new strategies鈥 like genetic interventions to disrupt mosquito-attracting signals.
QUICK HITS Conflict in eastern DRC hampers fight against mpox 鈥 Africa CDC 鈥
Bird flu crisis enters new phase 鈥
Here is how we know that vaccines do not cause autism 鈥
Study Finds More Than 300 Juveniles Were Shot by Police Between 2015 and 2020, One-Third of Them Fatally 鈥
Five ways to bridge the 'know鈥揹o' continuum in global health 鈥
The long quest for artificial blood 鈥
Families buy more sugary cereal if advertising targets kids, not adults 鈥 Issue No. 2669
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Push to Dismantle USAID; January Recap; and Saving Children鈥檚 Eyesight in Mozambique
February 3, 2025
Sandra Ramos and her children stand by an improvised shack she built with the help of USAID after hurricanes Eta and Iota. La Lima, Honduras. July 15, 2022.
Orlanda Sierra/AFP via Getty
The Push to Dismantle USAID
The fate of the U.S. Agency for International Development is tenuous following a turbulent weekend for the agency, .
Immediate impact: Meanwhile, lifesaving health programs and research have already been shut down worldwide in response to the 90-day freeze on foreign aid, 鈥攚ith grave consequences for efforts like malaria prevention, .
Data disappearing: An increasing number of federal health datasets including standard surveillance reports have been taken offline or appear to have been modified, .
Related:
WHO proposes budget cut after US exit, defends its work 鈥
Too little, too late: What a Pepfar waiver can鈥檛 do 鈥
National Science Foundation suspends salary payments, leaving researchers unable to pay their bills 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners An Ebola vaccine trial is poised to begin in Uganda in an effort to stem an outbreak that has killed a nurse in Kampala, a top health official said yesterday; the vaccine maker was not announced.
Black lupus patients in England are 8X more likely to be hospitalized for the condition, NHS figures show鈥攚ith health advocates saying the 鈥渟tark鈥 disparity could be because of delayed diagnoses.
Four cases of measles鈥攊ncluding two affecting school-aged children鈥攈ave been reported in Texas in less than two weeks, per an from the state鈥檚 health agency; none of the patients had received measles vaccinations.
The link between autism and maternal health during pregnancy may be largely attributable to inherited genetic variants鈥攙ersus a direct cause-and-effect relationship between certain health conditions and autism鈥攁 large new of 1 million+ Danish children and families has found. JANUARY MUST-READS The Global Repercussions of Burma鈥檚 Crisis
Years of conflict and instability have devastated Burma鈥檚 (Myanmar鈥檚) disease prevention efforts鈥攁nd the consequences could transcend borders, write Maw Lay and Khin, journalists with Delta News Agency.
Indigenous Panamanians Face an 鈥楿ncontrolled Epidemic鈥
An 鈥渦ncontrolled epidemic鈥 of untreated HIV threatens the young people of Panama鈥檚 Ng盲be-Bugl茅 Indigenous territory.
Overlooked Agony
Misbah Khan鈥檚 reporting surfaces the neglected issue of UTIs and the acute pain they cause鈥攚ith no targeted treatments beyond antibiotics, and scant research into why they occur鈥攄espite afflicting over 400 million people, primarily women, a year.
A Window Into Russia鈥檚 鈥榊ear of the Family鈥 Restrictions
Staring down a decades-long demographic crisis鈥攅xacerbated by losses in the Ukraine war鈥擱ussia鈥檚 president Vladimir Putin is pushing 鈥減ro-family鈥 policies.
MUMBAI, India鈥擜s recent summer temperatures in the city topped 39掳C (102掳F), the nearby playground was often empty.
12-year-old Sandesh Gholap tended to stay indoors. He gained 10 kilograms (22 pounds) in the past year, has experienced bullying, and stopped participating in social activities.
More January exclusives:
Over the course of our lives, every one of us will experience a decline in hearing.
Less common: getting regular hearing tests to understand how our hearing changes over time.
In Mozambique, many children suffer from easily treatable eye problems simply because vision screening programs are so limited and providers are so few:
QUICK HITS WHO chief asks for help pushing US to reconsider its withdrawal from health agency 鈥
On the frontline against bird flu, egg farmers fear they're losing the battle 鈥
New York Doctor Indicted in Louisiana for Sending Abortion Pills There 鈥
GAO: Public-health workforce shortage undermines ability to respond to outbreaks, other emergencies 鈥
What to know about polio vaccines, in 4 charts 鈥
Alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations spiked during the pandemic. Could policy have made a difference? 鈥
They help seniors push back against a deluge of health misinformation 鈥 Issue No. M-Feb. 2025
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
The fate of the U.S. Agency for International Development is tenuous following a turbulent weekend for the agency, .
- Already, hundreds of workers for the humanitarian agency have been laid off, and its work has been almost totally suspended, .
- Elon Musk, who leads the new Department of Government Efficiency, repeatedly denigrated the agency and said that it was 鈥渢ime for it to die.鈥
- DOGE workers demanded access to USAID restricted spaces鈥攁nd put on leave the two USAID security officials who refused to grant it.
- The agency鈥檚 , along with its social media accounts.
- USAID is 鈥渆nduring an unlawful shutdown, purge, and dismantling,鈥 Atul Gawande, former global health lead at USAID.
Immediate impact: Meanwhile, lifesaving health programs and research have already been shut down worldwide in response to the 90-day freeze on foreign aid, 鈥攚ith grave consequences for efforts like malaria prevention, .
Data disappearing: An increasing number of federal health datasets including standard surveillance reports have been taken offline or appear to have been modified, .
Related:
WHO proposes budget cut after US exit, defends its work 鈥
Too little, too late: What a Pepfar waiver can鈥檛 do 鈥
National Science Foundation suspends salary payments, leaving researchers unable to pay their bills 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners An Ebola vaccine trial is poised to begin in Uganda in an effort to stem an outbreak that has killed a nurse in Kampala, a top health official said yesterday; the vaccine maker was not announced.
Black lupus patients in England are 8X more likely to be hospitalized for the condition, NHS figures show鈥攚ith health advocates saying the 鈥渟tark鈥 disparity could be because of delayed diagnoses.
Four cases of measles鈥攊ncluding two affecting school-aged children鈥攈ave been reported in Texas in less than two weeks, per an from the state鈥檚 health agency; none of the patients had received measles vaccinations.
The link between autism and maternal health during pregnancy may be largely attributable to inherited genetic variants鈥攙ersus a direct cause-and-effect relationship between certain health conditions and autism鈥攁 large new of 1 million+ Danish children and families has found. JANUARY MUST-READS The Global Repercussions of Burma鈥檚 Crisis
Years of conflict and instability have devastated Burma鈥檚 (Myanmar鈥檚) disease prevention efforts鈥攁nd the consequences could transcend borders, write Maw Lay and Khin, journalists with Delta News Agency.
- Medical resources have been depleted, monitoring programs have been dismantled, and health workers have been attacked. Malaria and tuberculosis cases have increased 7X; HIV cases are up 10%.
- If drug-resistant malaria spreads from Burma, it could reverse global malaria progress, potentially setting back efforts by 10鈥15 years.
Indigenous Panamanians Face an 鈥楿ncontrolled Epidemic鈥
An 鈥渦ncontrolled epidemic鈥 of untreated HIV threatens the young people of Panama鈥檚 Ng盲be-Bugl茅 Indigenous territory.
- ~2,500 people of the ~225,000 in the region live with HIV; it was the leading cause of death in the region in 2022, and in 2024, the area reported new infections at nearly 4X the national rate.
Overlooked Agony
Misbah Khan鈥檚 reporting surfaces the neglected issue of UTIs and the acute pain they cause鈥攚ith no targeted treatments beyond antibiotics, and scant research into why they occur鈥攄espite afflicting over 400 million people, primarily women, a year.
- 鈥淚t鈥檚 a public health problem and it takes people away from their lives and nobody cares,鈥 said Elizabeth Kavaler, a New York-based urologist.
A Window Into Russia鈥檚 鈥榊ear of the Family鈥 Restrictions
Staring down a decades-long demographic crisis鈥攅xacerbated by losses in the Ukraine war鈥擱ussia鈥檚 president Vladimir Putin is pushing 鈥減ro-family鈥 policies.
- Doctors and employers who advise women to get abortions face fines; couples seeking divorce must undergo psychological consultations and a waiting period; and a new law punishes 鈥渃hildfree propaganda鈥 with heavy fines.
- New 鈥渇amily studies鈥 classes in schools emphasize family as the state's foundation.
MUMBAI, India鈥擜s recent summer temperatures in the city topped 39掳C (102掳F), the nearby playground was often empty.
12-year-old Sandesh Gholap tended to stay indoors. He gained 10 kilograms (22 pounds) in the past year, has experienced bullying, and stopped participating in social activities.
- A 1掳C rise in temperature in low-resource countries has been associated with a 4% rise in children鈥檚 BMI and a 2% increase in women鈥檚, according to . Rising temperatures can also lead to changes in diet, reduced nutritional value in plants, and other impacts that influence people鈥檚 weight.
More January exclusives:
Over the course of our lives, every one of us will experience a decline in hearing.
Less common: getting regular hearing tests to understand how our hearing changes over time.
- Now, with free smartphone apps, anyone can learn their 鈥溾濃攖he measure in decibels of the softest speech sound a person can hear.
- Why it matters: More accessible tools to identify hearing changes鈥攃ombined with new interventions, such as over-the-counter hearing aids鈥攃ould help more people optimize their hearing and potentially stave off cognitive decline linked to hearing loss.
In Mozambique, many children suffer from easily treatable eye problems simply because vision screening programs are so limited and providers are so few:
- There are just three pediatric ophthalmologists for a population of 30 million.
- Traveling clinics to teach medical workers about screening and interventions like glasses and simple surgeries.
- Educational outreach for teachers, traditional healers, and community health workers on how to spot vision problems.
QUICK HITS WHO chief asks for help pushing US to reconsider its withdrawal from health agency 鈥
On the frontline against bird flu, egg farmers fear they're losing the battle 鈥
New York Doctor Indicted in Louisiana for Sending Abortion Pills There 鈥
GAO: Public-health workforce shortage undermines ability to respond to outbreaks, other emergencies 鈥
What to know about polio vaccines, in 4 charts 鈥
Alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations spiked during the pandemic. Could policy have made a difference? 鈥
They help seniors push back against a deluge of health misinformation 鈥 Issue No. M-Feb. 2025
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Push to Dismantle USAID; January Recap; and Saving Children鈥檚 Eyesight in Mozambique
February 3, 2025
Sandra Ramos and her children stand by an improvised shack she built with the help of USAID after hurricanes Eta and Iota. La Lima, Honduras. July 15, 2022.
Orlanda Sierra/AFP via Getty
The Push to Dismantle USAID
The fate of the U.S. Agency for International Development is tenuous following a turbulent weekend for the agency, .
Immediate impact: Meanwhile, lifesaving health programs and research have already been shut down worldwide in response to the 90-day freeze on foreign aid, 鈥攚ith grave consequences for efforts like malaria prevention, .
Data disappearing: An increasing number of federal health datasets including standard surveillance reports have been taken offline or appear to have been modified, .
Related:
WHO proposes budget cut after US exit, defends its work 鈥
Too little, too late: What a Pepfar waiver can鈥檛 do 鈥
National Science Foundation suspends salary payments, leaving researchers unable to pay their bills 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners An Ebola vaccine trial is poised to begin in Uganda in an effort to stem an outbreak that has killed a nurse in Kampala, a top health official said yesterday; the vaccine maker was not announced.
Black lupus patients in England are 8X more likely to be hospitalized for the condition, NHS figures show鈥攚ith health advocates saying the 鈥渟tark鈥 disparity could be because of delayed diagnoses.
Four cases of measles鈥攊ncluding two affecting school-aged children鈥攈ave been reported in Texas in less than two weeks, per an from the state鈥檚 health agency; none of the patients had received measles vaccinations.
The link between autism and maternal health during pregnancy may be largely attributable to inherited genetic variants鈥攙ersus a direct cause-and-effect relationship between certain health conditions and autism鈥攁 large new of 1 million+ Danish children and families has found. JANUARY MUST-READS The Global Repercussions of Burma鈥檚 Crisis
Years of conflict and instability have devastated Burma鈥檚 (Myanmar鈥檚) disease prevention efforts鈥攁nd the consequences could transcend borders, write Maw Lay and Khin, journalists with Delta News Agency.
Indigenous Panamanians Face an 鈥楿ncontrolled Epidemic鈥
An 鈥渦ncontrolled epidemic鈥 of untreated HIV threatens the young people of Panama鈥檚 Ng盲be-Bugl茅 Indigenous territory.
Overlooked Agony
Misbah Khan鈥檚 reporting surfaces the neglected issue of UTIs and the acute pain they cause鈥攚ith no targeted treatments beyond antibiotics, and scant research into why they occur鈥攄espite afflicting over 400 million people, primarily women, a year.
A Window Into Russia鈥檚 鈥榊ear of the Family鈥 Restrictions
Staring down a decades-long demographic crisis鈥攅xacerbated by losses in the Ukraine war鈥擱ussia鈥檚 president Vladimir Putin is pushing 鈥減ro-family鈥 policies.
MUMBAI, India鈥擜s recent summer temperatures in the city topped 39掳C (102掳F), the nearby playground was often empty.
12-year-old Sandesh Gholap tended to stay indoors. He gained 10 kilograms (22 pounds) in the past year, has experienced bullying, and stopped participating in social activities.
More January exclusives:
Over the course of our lives, every one of us will experience a decline in hearing.
Less common: getting regular hearing tests to understand how our hearing changes over time.
In Mozambique, many children suffer from easily treatable eye problems simply because vision screening programs are so limited and providers are so few:
QUICK HITS WHO chief asks for help pushing US to reconsider its withdrawal from health agency 鈥
On the frontline against bird flu, egg farmers fear they're losing the battle 鈥
New York Doctor Indicted in Louisiana for Sending Abortion Pills There 鈥
GAO: Public-health workforce shortage undermines ability to respond to outbreaks, other emergencies 鈥
What to know about polio vaccines, in 4 charts 鈥
Alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations spiked during the pandemic. Could policy have made a difference? 鈥
They help seniors push back against a deluge of health misinformation 鈥 Issue No. 2668
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
The fate of the U.S. Agency for International Development is tenuous following a turbulent weekend for the agency, .
- Already, hundreds of workers for the humanitarian agency have been laid off, and its work has been almost totally suspended, .
- Elon Musk, who leads the new Department of Government Efficiency, repeatedly denigrated the agency and said that it was 鈥渢ime for it to die.鈥
- DOGE workers demanded access to USAID restricted spaces鈥攁nd put on leave the two USAID security officials who refused to grant it.
- The agency鈥檚 , along with its social media accounts.
- USAID is 鈥渆nduring an unlawful shutdown, purge, and dismantling,鈥 Atul Gawande, former global health lead at USAID.
Immediate impact: Meanwhile, lifesaving health programs and research have already been shut down worldwide in response to the 90-day freeze on foreign aid, 鈥攚ith grave consequences for efforts like malaria prevention, .
Data disappearing: An increasing number of federal health datasets including standard surveillance reports have been taken offline or appear to have been modified, .
Related:
WHO proposes budget cut after US exit, defends its work 鈥
Too little, too late: What a Pepfar waiver can鈥檛 do 鈥
National Science Foundation suspends salary payments, leaving researchers unable to pay their bills 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners An Ebola vaccine trial is poised to begin in Uganda in an effort to stem an outbreak that has killed a nurse in Kampala, a top health official said yesterday; the vaccine maker was not announced.
Black lupus patients in England are 8X more likely to be hospitalized for the condition, NHS figures show鈥攚ith health advocates saying the 鈥渟tark鈥 disparity could be because of delayed diagnoses.
Four cases of measles鈥攊ncluding two affecting school-aged children鈥攈ave been reported in Texas in less than two weeks, per an from the state鈥檚 health agency; none of the patients had received measles vaccinations.
The link between autism and maternal health during pregnancy may be largely attributable to inherited genetic variants鈥攙ersus a direct cause-and-effect relationship between certain health conditions and autism鈥攁 large new of 1 million+ Danish children and families has found. JANUARY MUST-READS The Global Repercussions of Burma鈥檚 Crisis
Years of conflict and instability have devastated Burma鈥檚 (Myanmar鈥檚) disease prevention efforts鈥攁nd the consequences could transcend borders, write Maw Lay and Khin, journalists with Delta News Agency.
- Medical resources have been depleted, monitoring programs have been dismantled, and health workers have been attacked. Malaria and tuberculosis cases have increased 7X; HIV cases are up 10%.
- If drug-resistant malaria spreads from Burma, it could reverse global malaria progress, potentially setting back efforts by 10鈥15 years.
Indigenous Panamanians Face an 鈥楿ncontrolled Epidemic鈥
An 鈥渦ncontrolled epidemic鈥 of untreated HIV threatens the young people of Panama鈥檚 Ng盲be-Bugl茅 Indigenous territory.
- ~2,500 people of the ~225,000 in the region live with HIV; it was the leading cause of death in the region in 2022, and in 2024, the area reported new infections at nearly 4X the national rate.
Overlooked Agony
Misbah Khan鈥檚 reporting surfaces the neglected issue of UTIs and the acute pain they cause鈥攚ith no targeted treatments beyond antibiotics, and scant research into why they occur鈥攄espite afflicting over 400 million people, primarily women, a year.
- 鈥淚t鈥檚 a public health problem and it takes people away from their lives and nobody cares,鈥 said Elizabeth Kavaler, a New York-based urologist.
A Window Into Russia鈥檚 鈥榊ear of the Family鈥 Restrictions
Staring down a decades-long demographic crisis鈥攅xacerbated by losses in the Ukraine war鈥擱ussia鈥檚 president Vladimir Putin is pushing 鈥減ro-family鈥 policies.
- Doctors and employers who advise women to get abortions face fines; couples seeking divorce must undergo psychological consultations and a waiting period; and a new law punishes 鈥渃hildfree propaganda鈥 with heavy fines.
- New 鈥渇amily studies鈥 classes in schools emphasize family as the state's foundation.
MUMBAI, India鈥擜s recent summer temperatures in the city topped 39掳C (102掳F), the nearby playground was often empty.
12-year-old Sandesh Gholap tended to stay indoors. He gained 10 kilograms (22 pounds) in the past year, has experienced bullying, and stopped participating in social activities.
- A 1掳C rise in temperature in low-resource countries has been associated with a 4% rise in children鈥檚 BMI and a 2% increase in women鈥檚, according to . Rising temperatures can also lead to changes in diet, reduced nutritional value in plants, and other impacts that influence people鈥檚 weight.
More January exclusives:
Over the course of our lives, every one of us will experience a decline in hearing.
Less common: getting regular hearing tests to understand how our hearing changes over time.
- Now, with free smartphone apps, anyone can learn their 鈥溾濃攖he measure in decibels of the softest speech sound a person can hear.
- Why it matters: More accessible tools to identify hearing changes鈥攃ombined with new interventions, such as over-the-counter hearing aids鈥攃ould help more people optimize their hearing and potentially stave off cognitive decline linked to hearing loss.
In Mozambique, many children suffer from easily treatable eye problems simply because vision screening programs are so limited and providers are so few:
- There are just three pediatric ophthalmologists for a population of 30 million.
- Traveling clinics to teach medical workers about screening and interventions like glasses and simple surgeries.
- Educational outreach for teachers, traditional healers, and community health workers on how to spot vision problems.
QUICK HITS WHO chief asks for help pushing US to reconsider its withdrawal from health agency 鈥
On the frontline against bird flu, egg farmers fear they're losing the battle 鈥
New York Doctor Indicted in Louisiana for Sending Abortion Pills There 鈥
GAO: Public-health workforce shortage undermines ability to respond to outbreaks, other emergencies 鈥
What to know about polio vaccines, in 4 charts 鈥
Alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations spiked during the pandemic. Could policy have made a difference? 鈥
They help seniors push back against a deluge of health misinformation 鈥 Issue No. 2668
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Fighting NTDs Amid Political Upheaval; Investigating a Viral Inflection Point; and Do You Be Durkling?
Neglected tropical diseases affect ~1 billion people worldwide, and there are few vaccines and treatments to combat them.
January 30, 2025
A patient waits to be treated at a free specialized clinic for leishmaniasis supported by WHO on October 25, 2010, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Paula Bronstein via Getty
Fighting NTDs Amid Political Upheaval
Major battles are being won in the global fight against neglected tropical diseases, but on health advocates are also raising concerns about changing dynamics that could threaten progress鈥攆rom new political paradigms to dwindling funding.
Background: NTDs affect ~1 billion people worldwide鈥攐ften the world鈥檚 most marginalized communities. There is a and treatments to combat them.
Gains: 54 countries have eliminated an NTD as of 2024. This week, the WHO announced two major successes:
Fading funding: A decline in research and development funding for NTDs could mean lost traction unless new sources are tapped, .
Political upheaval: The global health landscape is being reshaped, with the Trump administration announcing an exit from WHO, a freeze to foreign aid, and an effort to make vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. head of HHS鈥攚hich has 鈥渧ast global reach,鈥 .
The White House rescinded a memo that aimed to freeze spending on federal loans and grants after it sparked widespread confusion and legal challenges, ; meanwhile, the Trump administration has issued guidance on how federal agencies should immediately eliminate transgender initiatives and protections, .
Plain water and milk are the recommended drinks for youth, per new guidelines from major U.S. health organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics; the guidelines recommended that sweetened beverages and drinks with caffeine should be avoided entirely.
Avian flu has struck the second largest U.S. egg producer, Indiana鈥檚 Rose Acre Farms鈥攚hich could further impact the nation鈥檚 egg supply; meanwhile, the USDA has reported more H5N1 detections in mammals, poultry, dairy cows, and wild birds.
A measles outbreak in Ontario and Quebec is spreading, warned Canada鈥檚 chief public health officer鈥攚ho said that a growing number of cases have been locally acquired, and that the majority of cases have been among unvaccinated people鈥攊ncluding children and infants. MPOX Investigating a Viral Inflection Point
In September 2023 epidemiologist Leandre Murhula Masirika was in the eastern jungles of the DRC, looking for the mpox virus in bushmeat hunters and wild animals to assess the threat of a spillover to humans.
But when he got a message about a patient in the eastern DRC mining town of Kamituga covered in worrisome sores, he was stunned: Mpox appeared to be on the move. After traveling to the town to investigate, he was one of the first to raise the alarm of a new strain.
A year and a half later, Masirika has stayed on the front lines of the Kamituga outbreak, seeking to control the spread of the new strain, clade 1b鈥攂ut he has also continued to investigate how that very first case emerged.
His main concern: The point of animal-to-human spillover. 鈥淯ntil we find the virus in an animal, I think it will be difficult to answer this question,鈥 he said.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CERVICAL CANCER Disparities in the Mississippi Delta
Black women in the U.S. face starkly higher mortality rates from cervical cancer: ~65% higher than white women.
And in the Mississippi Delta, the rates are among the nation鈥檚 worst, per new research from Human Rights Watch.
鈥嬧婰ounging around in bed in the morning would be so much better without the inner voice that says 鈥済et up, you lazy [insert insult of choice here].鈥
It turns out all this time, we haven始t been lazy sloths. We始ve been hurkle durkling!
Official meaning: 鈥渢o lie in bed or lounge about when one should be up and about,鈥 , who coined the term some 200 years ago, but lately it始s gone global thanks to deeming it the word of the day, .
鈥淚 do be hurkling and I do be durkling,鈥 Kosarin beamed.
One Scottish woman credited the term with reframing the idea of laziness. I始m not 鈥渨asting my life. I鈥檓 practicing an ancestral right (sic) of passage.鈥
If a cute moniker is the fast track to empowered lounging, let始s use them to normalize more guilty pleasures! Like spending way too long in a store, or not keeping your phone fully charged because you kind of want it to turn off.
And if they already exist, please let us know. QUICK HITS Myanmar on the brink as conflict fuels hunger 鈥
Myanmar refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals shuttered by US aid freeze 鈥
Queensland鈥檚 puberty blockers ban has potential to cause harm, sex discrimination commissioner says 鈥
Citizen Scientists Reclaim Japan鈥檚 Nuclear Disaster Zone 鈥
Cities, health, and the big data revolution 鈥 Issue No. 2647
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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Major battles are being won in the global fight against neglected tropical diseases, but on health advocates are also raising concerns about changing dynamics that could threaten progress鈥攆rom new political paradigms to dwindling funding.
Background: NTDs affect ~1 billion people worldwide鈥攐ften the world鈥檚 most marginalized communities. There is a and treatments to combat them.
Gains: 54 countries have eliminated an NTD as of 2024. This week, the WHO announced two major successes:
- human African trypanosomiasis.
- transmission of the parasite Onchocerca volvulus.
Fading funding: A decline in research and development funding for NTDs could mean lost traction unless new sources are tapped, .
Political upheaval: The global health landscape is being reshaped, with the Trump administration announcing an exit from WHO, a freeze to foreign aid, and an effort to make vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. head of HHS鈥攚hich has 鈥渧ast global reach,鈥 .
- Kennedy was questioned in confirmation hearings yesterday about misleading statements around vaccines and infectious diseases, .
The White House rescinded a memo that aimed to freeze spending on federal loans and grants after it sparked widespread confusion and legal challenges, ; meanwhile, the Trump administration has issued guidance on how federal agencies should immediately eliminate transgender initiatives and protections, .
Plain water and milk are the recommended drinks for youth, per new guidelines from major U.S. health organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics; the guidelines recommended that sweetened beverages and drinks with caffeine should be avoided entirely.
Avian flu has struck the second largest U.S. egg producer, Indiana鈥檚 Rose Acre Farms鈥攚hich could further impact the nation鈥檚 egg supply; meanwhile, the USDA has reported more H5N1 detections in mammals, poultry, dairy cows, and wild birds.
A measles outbreak in Ontario and Quebec is spreading, warned Canada鈥檚 chief public health officer鈥攚ho said that a growing number of cases have been locally acquired, and that the majority of cases have been among unvaccinated people鈥攊ncluding children and infants. MPOX Investigating a Viral Inflection Point
In September 2023 epidemiologist Leandre Murhula Masirika was in the eastern jungles of the DRC, looking for the mpox virus in bushmeat hunters and wild animals to assess the threat of a spillover to humans.
But when he got a message about a patient in the eastern DRC mining town of Kamituga covered in worrisome sores, he was stunned: Mpox appeared to be on the move. After traveling to the town to investigate, he was one of the first to raise the alarm of a new strain.
A year and a half later, Masirika has stayed on the front lines of the Kamituga outbreak, seeking to control the spread of the new strain, clade 1b鈥攂ut he has also continued to investigate how that very first case emerged.
His main concern: The point of animal-to-human spillover. 鈥淯ntil we find the virus in an animal, I think it will be difficult to answer this question,鈥 he said.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CERVICAL CANCER Disparities in the Mississippi Delta
Black women in the U.S. face starkly higher mortality rates from cervical cancer: ~65% higher than white women.
And in the Mississippi Delta, the rates are among the nation鈥檚 worst, per new research from Human Rights Watch.
- Black women living in the Delta were about 1.4X more likely to die of cervical cancer compared to white women living in the same region from 2017 to 2021.
- 10.8% of Mississippi鈥檚 population is uninsured, and the state has not expanded Medicaid.
- The state鈥檚 strict abortion laws have hampered access to gynecological care.
- Black women report higher levels of distrust in health providers.
鈥嬧婰ounging around in bed in the morning would be so much better without the inner voice that says 鈥済et up, you lazy [insert insult of choice here].鈥
It turns out all this time, we haven始t been lazy sloths. We始ve been hurkle durkling!
Official meaning: 鈥渢o lie in bed or lounge about when one should be up and about,鈥 , who coined the term some 200 years ago, but lately it始s gone global thanks to deeming it the word of the day, .
鈥淚 do be hurkling and I do be durkling,鈥 Kosarin beamed.
One Scottish woman credited the term with reframing the idea of laziness. I始m not 鈥渨asting my life. I鈥檓 practicing an ancestral right (sic) of passage.鈥
If a cute moniker is the fast track to empowered lounging, let始s use them to normalize more guilty pleasures! Like spending way too long in a store, or not keeping your phone fully charged because you kind of want it to turn off.
And if they already exist, please let us know. QUICK HITS Myanmar on the brink as conflict fuels hunger 鈥
Myanmar refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals shuttered by US aid freeze 鈥
Queensland鈥檚 puberty blockers ban has potential to cause harm, sex discrimination commissioner says 鈥
Citizen Scientists Reclaim Japan鈥檚 Nuclear Disaster Zone 鈥
Cities, health, and the big data revolution 鈥 Issue No. 2647
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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