The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has launched a bold new national initiative aimed at eliminating AIDS among children by 2030 – a move hailed by the United Nations as “a beacon of hope” amid growing global funding constraints.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The ‘Tragedy’ of Faulty Chemotherapy Drugs; City Smarts Challenge Big Tobacco’s Sales Pitch; and The Italian Tow Job
June 26, 2025
Illustrator: Anuj Shrestha, Courtesy of TBIJ
The ‘Tragedy’ of Faulty Chemotherapy Drugs
A wide range of generic cancer drugs used in 100+ countries have failed quality tests, making them ineffective or dangerous, a .
Findings: , showing too little or too much active ingredient. Some pills from the same pack had inconsistent potency.
Global reach: Substandard drugs were found in both poor and rich nations, including Ethiopia, Nepal, Malawi, the U.S., the U.K., and Saudi Arabia.
Patient harm: Doctors described seeing patients experience sudden treatment failures or severe side effects after starting drug regimens.
Avoidable sepsis deaths are occuring in UK NHS facilities because doctors and nurses are too slow to spot the signs, warns the watchdog Health Services Safety Investigations Body.
ADHD medication can reduce risks of injuries, traffic crashes, and crime, finds a study that tracked ~250,000 Swedish people for 14 years; however, its protective effects have diminished over time as prescription rates have risen and patient populations have shifted.
Latino neighborhoods across California experience ~23 more extreme-heat days per year than non-Latino white neighborhoods, from UCLA researchers that highlights “significant” environmental health disparities across 23 counties. GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY An image from Rio de Janeiro's new social media campaign. Image courtesy of Vital Strategies. City Smarts Challenge Big Tobacco’s Sales Pitch
A recent features a fashionable young woman applying makeup and impersonating a talking e-cigarette: “I have so many looks! I use perfume!” Smiling and playful at first, her expression suddenly turns sinister as she tells her Gen Z peers that they have been horribly fooled by e-cigarettes’ fun flavors, scents, and designs.
It’s an example of how cities like Rio de Janeiro and Ƭ֦Ƶ York City—members of the —are fighting back against Big Tobacco. Traditional regulation and enforcement combined with targeted communication strategies—featuring the voices of industry targets, like teens and young adults—has proven to be the best way to push back, Michelle Morse, the acting health commissioner and chief medical officer of the Ƭ֦Ƶ York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and Daniel Soranz, the secretary of health for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, .
City strength: City governments have long been at the forefront of efforts to stem tobacco’s devastating health impacts, drawing on knowledge of their communities’ unique vulnerabilities and opportunities to strengthen protective factors, Morse and Soranz write.
“The tobacco industry’s tricks are constantly evolving; so too must our cities’ tactics,” write Morse and Solanz, who share strategies to create targeted messaging that puts those most affected front and center and encourage other cities around the world to join their fight against Big Tobacco. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES VACCINES A Pivotal Moment for the Global Immunization Effort
It has been 50+ years since the WHO launched its global immunization program—an effort that has reached 4.4 billion people and saved 154 million lives, .
But the program is at a critical juncture: Since 2010, progress has stalled or reversed in many countries. And funding cuts, misinformation, and conflict continue to threaten gains, .
Cut funding for Gavi: HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has said the U.S. will halt all contributions to the international vaccine alliance, Gavi, accusing it of not following scientific data—a criticism Gavi rejected, .
Related:
4 in 5 Americans support childhood vaccine requirements, poll finds –
Trump’s CDC pick treads carefully in Senate debut – ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION The Italian Tow Job
When a hotel staffer first spotted a Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan ker-thunking down Rome’s Spanish Steps around 4 a.m. last week, he thought a movie was being filmed.
“Then I realized, no, it was not like that,” said the worker, Sowad Mujibulla, who filmed the incident, .
It was not. The driver, an 80-year-old Roman resident who tested negative for drugs or alcohol, told police he had somehow taken a wrong turn in the predawn darkness. The fire department later used a crane to lift the car off the famed 18th century stairway.
The steps have endured their share of : In 2022, a man was charged with “aggravated damage to cultural heritage” after driving a rented Maserati down the 135 steps; and that same year, two American tourists were fined after damaging the travertine steps with their electric scooters, .
But joyriding isn’t always to blame: Errant drivers worldwide have increasingly found themselves wedged between buildings and marooned mid-staircase after placing too much trust in GPS, . QUICK HITS Can Kenyan youth protests spark real police reform one year on? –
Ƭ֦Ƶ Report Highlights U.S. 2023 Gun Deaths: Suicide by Firearm at Record Levels for Third Straight Year –
Saia Ma’u Piukala: From inequity to action: Eliminating cervical cancer in the Western Pacific –
'They're not breathing': Inside the chaos of ICE detention center 911 calls –
He sued for marriage equality and won. 10 years later, he fears for LGBTQ+ rights –
Indonesia to be vaccine self-sufficient by 2037, says health minister –
Rising Temperatures, Rising Inequalities: How a Ƭ֦Ƶ Insurance Protects India’s Poorest Women –
Congress Is Pushing for a Medicaid Work Requirement. Here’s What Happened When Georgia Tried It. –
Brace Yourself for Watery Mayo and Spiky Ice Cream – Issue No. 2748
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 wide range of generic cancer drugs used in 100+ countries have failed quality tests, making them ineffective or dangerous, a .
Findings: , showing too little or too much active ingredient. Some pills from the same pack had inconsistent potency.
Global reach: Substandard drugs were found in both poor and rich nations, including Ethiopia, Nepal, Malawi, the U.S., the U.K., and Saudi Arabia.
- Most failed drugs came from Indian manufacturers.
Patient harm: Doctors described seeing patients experience sudden treatment failures or severe side effects after starting drug regimens.
- “When [cancer patients] end up with a medicine that won’t cure them, that’s another tragedy,” said a cancer pharmacist in Ethiopia.
Avoidable sepsis deaths are occuring in UK NHS facilities because doctors and nurses are too slow to spot the signs, warns the watchdog Health Services Safety Investigations Body.
ADHD medication can reduce risks of injuries, traffic crashes, and crime, finds a study that tracked ~250,000 Swedish people for 14 years; however, its protective effects have diminished over time as prescription rates have risen and patient populations have shifted.
Latino neighborhoods across California experience ~23 more extreme-heat days per year than non-Latino white neighborhoods, from UCLA researchers that highlights “significant” environmental health disparities across 23 counties. GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY An image from Rio de Janeiro's new social media campaign. Image courtesy of Vital Strategies. City Smarts Challenge Big Tobacco’s Sales Pitch
A recent features a fashionable young woman applying makeup and impersonating a talking e-cigarette: “I have so many looks! I use perfume!” Smiling and playful at first, her expression suddenly turns sinister as she tells her Gen Z peers that they have been horribly fooled by e-cigarettes’ fun flavors, scents, and designs.
It’s an example of how cities like Rio de Janeiro and Ƭ֦Ƶ York City—members of the —are fighting back against Big Tobacco. Traditional regulation and enforcement combined with targeted communication strategies—featuring the voices of industry targets, like teens and young adults—has proven to be the best way to push back, Michelle Morse, the acting health commissioner and chief medical officer of the Ƭ֦Ƶ York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and Daniel Soranz, the secretary of health for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, .
City strength: City governments have long been at the forefront of efforts to stem tobacco’s devastating health impacts, drawing on knowledge of their communities’ unique vulnerabilities and opportunities to strengthen protective factors, Morse and Soranz write.
“The tobacco industry’s tricks are constantly evolving; so too must our cities’ tactics,” write Morse and Solanz, who share strategies to create targeted messaging that puts those most affected front and center and encourage other cities around the world to join their fight against Big Tobacco. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES VACCINES A Pivotal Moment for the Global Immunization Effort
It has been 50+ years since the WHO launched its global immunization program—an effort that has reached 4.4 billion people and saved 154 million lives, .
But the program is at a critical juncture: Since 2010, progress has stalled or reversed in many countries. And funding cuts, misinformation, and conflict continue to threaten gains, .
- "The world is going to have to pick a trajectory. Are we going to turn our backs on one of the most remarkable public health achievements that the world has ever seen?" said Jonathan Mosser, one of the study authors.
Cut funding for Gavi: HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has said the U.S. will halt all contributions to the international vaccine alliance, Gavi, accusing it of not following scientific data—a criticism Gavi rejected, .
- The U.K. will also cut its Gavi funding by 40% as it also reduces its aid budgets.
Related:
4 in 5 Americans support childhood vaccine requirements, poll finds –
Trump’s CDC pick treads carefully in Senate debut – ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION The Italian Tow Job
When a hotel staffer first spotted a Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan ker-thunking down Rome’s Spanish Steps around 4 a.m. last week, he thought a movie was being filmed.
“Then I realized, no, it was not like that,” said the worker, Sowad Mujibulla, who filmed the incident, .
It was not. The driver, an 80-year-old Roman resident who tested negative for drugs or alcohol, told police he had somehow taken a wrong turn in the predawn darkness. The fire department later used a crane to lift the car off the famed 18th century stairway.
The steps have endured their share of : In 2022, a man was charged with “aggravated damage to cultural heritage” after driving a rented Maserati down the 135 steps; and that same year, two American tourists were fined after damaging the travertine steps with their electric scooters, .
But joyriding isn’t always to blame: Errant drivers worldwide have increasingly found themselves wedged between buildings and marooned mid-staircase after placing too much trust in GPS, . QUICK HITS Can Kenyan youth protests spark real police reform one year on? –
Ƭ֦Ƶ Report Highlights U.S. 2023 Gun Deaths: Suicide by Firearm at Record Levels for Third Straight Year –
Saia Ma’u Piukala: From inequity to action: Eliminating cervical cancer in the Western Pacific –
'They're not breathing': Inside the chaos of ICE detention center 911 calls –
He sued for marriage equality and won. 10 years later, he fears for LGBTQ+ rights –
Indonesia to be vaccine self-sufficient by 2037, says health minister –
Rising Temperatures, Rising Inequalities: How a Ƭ֦Ƶ Insurance Protects India’s Poorest Women –
Congress Is Pushing for a Medicaid Work Requirement. Here’s What Happened When Georgia Tried It. –
Brace Yourself for Watery Mayo and Spiky Ice Cream – Issue No. 2748
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 Hospital Attack Kills Children, Adults, Medics; Costs of Global Health Cuts; and A Swedish Town’s Fight Against PFAS
June 25, 2025
A man walks through a shrapnel-riddled hospital ward in Khartoum, Sudan, on April 28. AFP via Getty
Children, Civilians, Medics Killed in Sudan Hospital Attack
A strike on a hospital in Sudan killed 40+ people, including six children and five medics, , in an attack WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has condemned as “appalling.”
Details: The targeted Al-Mujlad Hospital in West Kordofan state, “the only functioning healthcare facility in the area” , was close to one of the frontlines of the conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces—a war .
Children in conflict: for Sudanese children this week, as a new finds that children worldwide suffered record levels of violence in conflict zones in 2024, . Findings documented:
Asia is warming ~2X as fast as the global average, by the World Meteorological Organization; last year, Asia endured its warmest or second-warmest year on record with widespread heatwaves and other extreme weather events.
National pandemic research output correlated most strongly with pre‑pandemic research activity—much more so than with other country characteristics such as GDP, population, or case numbers—per an analysis of global publication and clinical trial data; the findings underscore national research capacity’s importance in health emergency preparedness.
Just 13% of Americans correctly identified testicular cancer as most commonly affecting men under 40, by the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, suggesting more can be done to educate the public about the disease. U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs In the face of anti-science politics, silence is not without cost –
Trump admin cuts contracts with scientific publishing giant –
Health Secretary RFK Jr. questioned about vaccine policy, transparency in House hearing on funding request –
Federal budget cuts slow pace of breakthrough autoimmune therapies –
The Trump administration is investigating the University of Michigan health system over a transgender care case. –
She hoped key research could help save her eyesight. Then the Trump funding cuts came – FOREIGN AID Illustration by Dung Hoang The Costs of Global Health Funding Cuts
Though global health aid , it supports crucial systems around the world: conducting disease surveillance, training health workers, building public health infrastructure, and responding to outbreaks.
The U.S. withdrawal from the WHO and funding cuts to USAID and NIH are dismantling these systems and the decades of partnerships underpinning them, experts say.
Already halted or scaled back:
Related: What Remains of U.S.A.I.D. After DOGE's Budget Cuts? – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH One Swedish Town and the Global PFAS Fight
In 2013 residents of Ronneby, Sweden, received startling news: Their tap water, historically revered for its purity, had been contaminated with PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that had seeped into the supply from firefighting foam used at a nearby air base.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS In the Gaza Strip, We are Dying Silently –
Analysis highlights very low level of HPV vaccine uptake globally –
Malaria Vaccines Free Up Clinics to Improve Child Health in Cameroon –
Evictions are harmful to Black mothers’ health, their families and their communities –
China Tightens Controls on Fentanyl but Calls It a U.S. Problem –
Women approaching menopause drive GLP-1 boom –
The disease-fighting farm robot helping to feed Africa –
Can adult tummy time undo the dreaded ‘tech neck’ that comes from hunching over a screen? – Issue No. 2747
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 strike on a hospital in Sudan killed 40+ people, including six children and five medics, , in an attack WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has condemned as “appalling.”
Details: The targeted Al-Mujlad Hospital in West Kordofan state, “the only functioning healthcare facility in the area” , was close to one of the frontlines of the conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces—a war .
- The doctors’ group blamed the army for the strike and said RSF fighters were stationed inside the hospital.
Children in conflict: for Sudanese children this week, as a new finds that children worldwide suffered record levels of violence in conflict zones in 2024, . Findings documented:
- 41,370 acts of violence against children in countries including Gaza, the DRC, Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti.
- A 44% rise in attacks on schools, a 35% rise in sexual violence against children, and a 25% increase in incidents compared with 2023.
Asia is warming ~2X as fast as the global average, by the World Meteorological Organization; last year, Asia endured its warmest or second-warmest year on record with widespread heatwaves and other extreme weather events.
National pandemic research output correlated most strongly with pre‑pandemic research activity—much more so than with other country characteristics such as GDP, population, or case numbers—per an analysis of global publication and clinical trial data; the findings underscore national research capacity’s importance in health emergency preparedness.
Just 13% of Americans correctly identified testicular cancer as most commonly affecting men under 40, by the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, suggesting more can be done to educate the public about the disease. U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs In the face of anti-science politics, silence is not without cost –
Trump admin cuts contracts with scientific publishing giant –
Health Secretary RFK Jr. questioned about vaccine policy, transparency in House hearing on funding request –
Federal budget cuts slow pace of breakthrough autoimmune therapies –
The Trump administration is investigating the University of Michigan health system over a transgender care case. –
She hoped key research could help save her eyesight. Then the Trump funding cuts came – FOREIGN AID Illustration by Dung Hoang The Costs of Global Health Funding Cuts
Though global health aid , it supports crucial systems around the world: conducting disease surveillance, training health workers, building public health infrastructure, and responding to outbreaks.
The U.S. withdrawal from the WHO and funding cuts to USAID and NIH are dismantling these systems and the decades of partnerships underpinning them, experts say.
Already halted or scaled back:
- Outbreak surveillance programs for Ebola, mpox, measles, and H5N1.
- Famine monitoring systems.
- Support for HIV treatment through PEPFAR.
Related: What Remains of U.S.A.I.D. After DOGE's Budget Cuts? – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH One Swedish Town and the Global PFAS Fight
In 2013 residents of Ronneby, Sweden, received startling news: Their tap water, historically revered for its purity, had been contaminated with PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that had seeped into the supply from firefighting foam used at a nearby air base.
- PFAS levels were the highest ever discovered in any municipal drinking water: .
- Children in the area had PFAS levels 37X higher than those of kids outside the contaminated zone.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS In the Gaza Strip, We are Dying Silently –
Analysis highlights very low level of HPV vaccine uptake globally –
Malaria Vaccines Free Up Clinics to Improve Child Health in Cameroon –
Evictions are harmful to Black mothers’ health, their families and their communities –
China Tightens Controls on Fentanyl but Calls It a U.S. Problem –
Women approaching menopause drive GLP-1 boom –
The disease-fighting farm robot helping to feed Africa –
Can adult tummy time undo the dreaded ‘tech neck’ that comes from hunching over a screen? – Issue No. 2747
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
Although nearly 92 per cent of the global population now has basic access to electricity, more than 666 million people still live without it, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to urge greater financial support for renewable energy.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: North America’s Measles Problem; the Global Tobacco Control Efforts Gain Ground; and North Koreans Left on Their Own During COVID
June 24, 2025
North America’s Measles Problem
Measles outbreaks, fueled by low vaccination rates, continue to drive new cases across the U.S. and Canada.
“I feel like I’ve been lied to,” the father, Kiley Timmons, texted his wife, as his temperature hit 40° C (104° F). He treated himself with cod liver oil and vitamin D, as recommended by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
When his oxygen level fell to 85%, his wife drove him to the ER.
Low vaccination rates: U.S. measles vaccination coverage for children has fallen to 92%—below the 95% coverage required to stop measles’ spread in a community.
Related:
Balkanization of vaccine policy raises concerns about vaccine uptake, insurance coverage, experts warn –
How medical groups may preserve vaccine access — and bypass RFK Jr. – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Child abductions by an armed group linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) are surging in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province; most of the kidnapped children are being used for forced labor, forced marriages, or as child soldiers.
U.K. lawmakers voted last Friday to allow terminally ill adults over age 18 to end their lives through “assisted dying,” with a majority of 23 (down from 55 in a debate last fall); the bill, which applies to England and Wales, but not Northern Ireland or Scotland, heads to the House of Lords next.
The combination of extreme heat and wildfire smoke may pose a particularly serious threat to human health, that examined 21,000+ deaths in the greater Vancouver area between 2010 and 2022.
Obesity drugs—specifically liraglutide—reduced headaches by almost half in a of 31 people in Italy with obesity who suffer from migraines, even with minimal weight loss—suggesting that the drug is impacting pain pathways and potentially justifying additional studies. COVID-19 North Koreans Forced to ‘Fend for Themselves’ During Pandemic
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un declared a “brilliant victory” over COVID-19 in 2022, reporting just 74 deaths in the three months after the country’s first officially reported case earlier that year.
But interviews with 100 people inside the country tell a much different story, .
Key findings:
Related: 5 Years Later: America Looks Back at the Impact of COVID-19 – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TOBACCO Control Efforts Gain Ground Worldwide
As tobacco control initiatives make strides worldwide—protecting ~6.1 billion people—industry evolution threatens their momentum, released yesterday at the .
Marks of progress:
In the last 18 months, drastic cuts to Argentina’s health systems under President Javier Milei’s austerity measures have forced patients and their families to resort to desperate measures to access vital care, including turning to Facebook to obtain donated cancer drugs.
Before Milei, Argentina’s public health system ensured that health care was free for most who couldn’t afford private insurance.
Since the election: Milei has slashed the country’s health budget by 48% and laid off 2,000+ health ministry workers.
ICYMI: Disrupted but Determined: Lessons From Argentine Scientists – QUICK HITS ‘Man-eating’ screw worm turns hospital into horror show –
Dangerous Heat Dome to Bring Record Temperatures to Much of the U.S. –
Will Gates and other funders save massive public health database at risk from Trump cuts? – Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff!
Cambodia logs fifth death from H5N1 avian flu as USDA weighs poultry vaccination –
Tick risks vary by region. Here's where diseases have spread and how to stay safe –
TikTok bans #SkinnyTok. But content promoting unhealthy eating persists –
Why al dente pasta is better for your health – Issue No. 2746
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 .
Measles outbreaks, fueled by low vaccination rates, continue to drive new cases across the U.S. and Canada.
- Confirmed U.S. cases have topped 1,200 this year, .
- North America’s longest outbreak began in Ontario, Canada, in mid-October, leading to 2,100+ cases and one death, .
- An outbreak in Alberta, Canada, has surpassed 1,000 cases, leading an Edmonton physician to warn, “This is out of control,” .
“I feel like I’ve been lied to,” the father, Kiley Timmons, texted his wife, as his temperature hit 40° C (104° F). He treated himself with cod liver oil and vitamin D, as recommended by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
When his oxygen level fell to 85%, his wife drove him to the ER.
Low vaccination rates: U.S. measles vaccination coverage for children has fallen to 92%—below the 95% coverage required to stop measles’ spread in a community.
- In parts of West Texas, coverage is below 80%.
Related:
Balkanization of vaccine policy raises concerns about vaccine uptake, insurance coverage, experts warn –
How medical groups may preserve vaccine access — and bypass RFK Jr. – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Child abductions by an armed group linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) are surging in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province; most of the kidnapped children are being used for forced labor, forced marriages, or as child soldiers.
U.K. lawmakers voted last Friday to allow terminally ill adults over age 18 to end their lives through “assisted dying,” with a majority of 23 (down from 55 in a debate last fall); the bill, which applies to England and Wales, but not Northern Ireland or Scotland, heads to the House of Lords next.
The combination of extreme heat and wildfire smoke may pose a particularly serious threat to human health, that examined 21,000+ deaths in the greater Vancouver area between 2010 and 2022.
Obesity drugs—specifically liraglutide—reduced headaches by almost half in a of 31 people in Italy with obesity who suffer from migraines, even with minimal weight loss—suggesting that the drug is impacting pain pathways and potentially justifying additional studies. COVID-19 North Koreans Forced to ‘Fend for Themselves’ During Pandemic
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un declared a “brilliant victory” over COVID-19 in 2022, reporting just 74 deaths in the three months after the country’s first officially reported case earlier that year.
But interviews with 100 people inside the country tell a much different story, .
Key findings:
- The virus—and deaths—were widespread as early as 2020.
- Citizens were left to “fend for themselves” with no access to vaccines or medicine.
- The government enforced severe restrictions and lockdowns; violating protocols led to forced labor and execution.
- The pandemic led to a halt in trade and humanitarian aid, worsening food shortages.
Related: 5 Years Later: America Looks Back at the Impact of COVID-19 – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TOBACCO Control Efforts Gain Ground Worldwide
As tobacco control initiatives make strides worldwide—protecting ~6.1 billion people—industry evolution threatens their momentum, released yesterday at the .
Marks of progress:
- 110 countries now require graphic health warnings on tobacco products, up from just 9 in 2007.
- 36% of the global population now lives in countries that have run best-practice anti-tobacco campaigns, up from 19% in 2022.
- 79 countries have implemented smoke-free environments, impacting one-third of the world’s population.
- 60+ countries still lack laws regulating e-cigarettes.
- Cigarettes remain affordable in 134 countries, with minimal tax increases.
- Just 33% of people globally have access to cost-covered quit services.
In the last 18 months, drastic cuts to Argentina’s health systems under President Javier Milei’s austerity measures have forced patients and their families to resort to desperate measures to access vital care, including turning to Facebook to obtain donated cancer drugs.
Before Milei, Argentina’s public health system ensured that health care was free for most who couldn’t afford private insurance.
Since the election: Milei has slashed the country’s health budget by 48% and laid off 2,000+ health ministry workers.
- Defunded programs include early cancer detection services, free cancer medications, vaccine campaigns, HIV and TB testing, and reproductive health services.
ICYMI: Disrupted but Determined: Lessons From Argentine Scientists – QUICK HITS ‘Man-eating’ screw worm turns hospital into horror show –
Dangerous Heat Dome to Bring Record Temperatures to Much of the U.S. –
Will Gates and other funders save massive public health database at risk from Trump cuts? – Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff!
Cambodia logs fifth death from H5N1 avian flu as USDA weighs poultry vaccination –
Tick risks vary by region. Here's where diseases have spread and how to stay safe –
TikTok bans #SkinnyTok. But content promoting unhealthy eating persists –
Why al dente pasta is better for your health – Issue No. 2746
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
Nearly three months after Myanmar’s strongest earthquake in a century, more than six million people remain in urgent need of assistance, as the disaster compounds a humanitarian crisis driven by years of conflict, political turmoil and mass displacement.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: A Tipping Point in Iran; A Closer Look at Cheap Cigarettes in Laos; Ketamine in South Africa: Breakthrough or Blight?
June 23, 2025
Satellite imagery shows the ridge above Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant post-missile strike on June 22. Maxar Technologies
A Tipping Point in Iran
The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran and the weekend strikes by the U.S. on Iranian nuclear facilities mark “a perilous turn” for a region already engulfed in conflict, at an emergency meeting of the Security Council yesterday, .
Widening safety concerns: The head of the UN’s atomic energy watchdog, (IAEA), said that while no radiation leaks have been reported that could cause health or environmental threats outside of struck sites, the attacks have triggered “a sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security” at targeted sites.
The U.S. government announced last week that it will end the national suicide hotline’s specialized support for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults—who report higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors than their cisgender and heterosexual peers—beginning July 17.
Stem cell–based treatment may have cured 10 out of 12 people with the most severe form of type 1 diabetes, with those 10 people no longer needing insulin a year after a single infusion, finds .
Excessive drinking has been linked to an uptick in high blood pressure deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, , which found the estimated average number of hypertension deaths from excessive alcohol use was 51.6% higher in 2020–2021 than in 2016–2017. U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs Trump Travel Restrictions Bar Residents Needed at U.S. Hospitals –
Administration to phase out NIH support of HIV clinical guidelines –
How doctors are preparing for RFK Jr.’s shifts on vaccine policy –
The immigrants caring for the nation's elderly are losing their jobs – TOBACCO A Closer Look at Cheap Cigarettes in Laos
Cigarette prices in Laos are among some of the lowest in the world, contributing to some of the highest smoking rates in the region and smoking-related diseases that account for 1 in 7 deaths in the country.
Behind the low prices: a 2001 contract signed behind closed doors with Imperial Brands tobacco, which included a 25-year tax freeze.
The role of taxes: Raising cigarette taxes is among the most effective ways to reduce smoking, research shows.
Related:
Government of Viet Nam Approves Life-Saving Taxes on Tobacco and Sugar-sweetened Beverages –
Supreme Court allows vape companies to pick courts to hear challenges – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MENTAL HEALTH Ketamine in South Africa: Breakthrough or Blight?
In South Africa, an increasing number of psychiatrists have been using ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. But the drug is also being administered off-label and in unregulated clinics—which doctors say could lead to misuse and overuse.
Treatment guidelines: Ketamine has to be prescribed by a doctor and administered in IV form in the presence of a health care provider, .
Unregulated use: South Africa has become home to which provide the drug to people without the involvement of a medical professional—a trend that doctors say could lead to dangerous forms of consumption that carry the risk of seizure or death.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran and the weekend strikes by the U.S. on Iranian nuclear facilities mark “a perilous turn” for a region already engulfed in conflict, at an emergency meeting of the Security Council yesterday, .
Widening safety concerns: The head of the UN’s atomic energy watchdog, (IAEA), said that while no radiation leaks have been reported that could cause health or environmental threats outside of struck sites, the attacks have triggered “a sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security” at targeted sites.
- Mounting risks stem not only from direct attacks, but also from “hurried transport and improper storage conditions” of toxic materials, .
- While radioactivity outside the sites remains normal, the IAEA and neighboring countries are closely monitoring levels, .
- And Israel evacuated a key hospital in Beersheba last week that was targeted in Iranian airstrikes, .
The U.S. government announced last week that it will end the national suicide hotline’s specialized support for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults—who report higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors than their cisgender and heterosexual peers—beginning July 17.
Stem cell–based treatment may have cured 10 out of 12 people with the most severe form of type 1 diabetes, with those 10 people no longer needing insulin a year after a single infusion, finds .
Excessive drinking has been linked to an uptick in high blood pressure deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, , which found the estimated average number of hypertension deaths from excessive alcohol use was 51.6% higher in 2020–2021 than in 2016–2017. U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs Trump Travel Restrictions Bar Residents Needed at U.S. Hospitals –
Administration to phase out NIH support of HIV clinical guidelines –
How doctors are preparing for RFK Jr.’s shifts on vaccine policy –
The immigrants caring for the nation's elderly are losing their jobs – TOBACCO A Closer Look at Cheap Cigarettes in Laos
Cigarette prices in Laos are among some of the lowest in the world, contributing to some of the highest smoking rates in the region and smoking-related diseases that account for 1 in 7 deaths in the country.
Behind the low prices: a 2001 contract signed behind closed doors with Imperial Brands tobacco, which included a 25-year tax freeze.
- The deal steered millions toward an in-law of the president at the time, Bounnhang Vorachit.
The role of taxes: Raising cigarette taxes is among the most effective ways to reduce smoking, research shows.
Related:
Government of Viet Nam Approves Life-Saving Taxes on Tobacco and Sugar-sweetened Beverages –
Supreme Court allows vape companies to pick courts to hear challenges – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MENTAL HEALTH Ketamine in South Africa: Breakthrough or Blight?
In South Africa, an increasing number of psychiatrists have been using ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. But the drug is also being administered off-label and in unregulated clinics—which doctors say could lead to misuse and overuse.
Treatment guidelines: Ketamine has to be prescribed by a doctor and administered in IV form in the presence of a health care provider, .
Unregulated use: South Africa has become home to which provide the drug to people without the involvement of a medical professional—a trend that doctors say could lead to dangerous forms of consumption that carry the risk of seizure or death.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS
Gaza: UN warns of ‘weaponised hunger’ and growing death toll amid food chaos –
The Workers, the Waste, and the Warnings from Bomb Country –
HIV is surging in over-50s—But campaigns still target the young –
The number of abortions kept rising in 2024 because of telehealth prescriptions, report finds –
Ƭ֦Ƶ Israeli-developed bioengineered skin could heal burn wounds twice as fast –
How E-Scooters Conquered (Most of) Europe –
Early grant success attracts more funding: study of 100,000 applicants hints at why –
For the first time, women scientists win $1 million climate research prize –
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
Tobacco use still claims over seven million lives a year, the World Health Organization warned on Monday, calling for greater efforts to limit its use amid rising interference from the global tobacco industry.
Categories: Global Health Feed
In an age marked by conflicts, disease, dysfunction and mental health challenges, yoga offers a steady, time-trusted path to help find calm and harmony within – and without.
Categories: Global Health Feed
The world is facing a health financing emergency, according to Dr. Kalipso Chalkidou, Director for Health Financing and Economics for the World Health Organization (WHO).
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: UK Parliament Votes to Decriminalize Abortion; ‘Gardeningʼ in the Gut; Funding Disruptions Threaten Uganda’s HIV Fight
June 18, 2025
Pro-choice protestors gather near Parliament, where MPs were voting on the decriminalization of abortion. June 17. London, U.K. Alishia Abodunde/Getty
UK Parliament Votes to Decriminalize Abortion
The UK House of Commons voted 379–137 yesterday to decriminalize abortion in England and Wales—the most significant change to abortion law in ~60 years, .
Details: The amendment removes the threat of prosecution for women who seek to terminate pregnancies.
What’s next: The amendment is part of a broader crime bill expected to pass the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Related:
Ohio lawmakers to introduce bill banning abortion, criminalizing the procedure –
A brain-dead Georgia woman is set to be taken off of life support after her baby was delivered –
Abortion Bans Worsen Violence in Relationships, Study Finds – EDITORS’ NOTE No GHN Tomorrow, June 19 Please note that our office will be closed tomorrow in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. We’ll be back with more news on Monday, June 23!
—The Editors GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Global conflict levels are the highest they’ve been since the end of World War II, with 59 active conflicts in 35+ countries, according to the ; the report also shows declining geopolitical influence of the U.S., Russia, and China as smaller countries emerge as regional powers.
A group of bat viruses related to MERS could be one mutation away from being capable of spilling over into humans, that focuses on the virus group, known as HKU5.
U.S. alcohol guidance could be soon changed from recommending one or two drinks per day to a brief statement encouraging drinking in moderation, in what could be a major win for the alcohol industry; the updates to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines are still under development by the HHS and USDA.
Microplastics in coastal waters could heighten cardiometabolic disease risk among nearby residents, , which found “significantly” higher rates of type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and stroke among U.S. residents living near highly polluted waters compared with people who lived near less-polluted waters. GHN EXCLUSIVE Q&A 622A_cecum: Section through a healthy mouse cecum stained with Haematoxylin-eosin. Courtesy of Emma Slack ‘Gardeningʼ in the Gut
The pipeline for new drugs to fight antibiotic-resistant infections is rife with challenges, but one promising solution offers a workaround: tackling drug-resistant bacteria in the gut.
The method combines oral vaccinations with harmless bacteria that outcompete the bacteria for food and “starve them out,” Emma Slack, a professor at ETH Zurich and the University of Oxford’s Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, told GHN.
It may be five to 10 years from clinical use, but the method could one day be applied to “anything where immunosuppression is one of the side effects,” says Slack. Patients could be treated before transplant surgery, or during high-risk pregnancies to head off the risk of infection in premature babies.
The most exciting prospect: reversing the “antimicrobial resistance crisis for gut-colonizing, opportunistic pathogens,” says Slack. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HIV/AIDS Funding Disruptions Threaten Uganda’s HIV Fight
Since 1987, the Rakai Health Sciences Program (RHSP) in Uganda has achieved remarkable milestones. In areas it serves, the program has:
Related: ‘HIV-ending’ drug could be made for just $25 per patient a year, say researchers – OPPORTUNITY HUMAN RIGHTS The Oppressors at Home
In the Taliban’s Afghanistan, oppression against women has led to men being “foot soldiers” against their female relatives.
Vice and virtue laws, which include strict rules that women must cover themselves, not talk too loudly, or appear in public without a male escort, are meant to be enforced by “morality police.” But often, husbands and brothers take on this role.
Rising fear: Under the Taliban, male relatives could face fines or prison if women are caught breaking morality laws. This has led to a rise in domestic violence, isolation, and psychological damage to Afghan women.
Related: Over 400 health centers shut down in Afghanistan following US aid
suspension – ALMOST FRIDAY MINI DIVERSION QUICK HITS IOM Reports 60 Migrants Missing in Two Deadly Shipwrecks off Libya –
How Trump's travel ban could disrupt the way knowledge about health is shared –
Via the False Claims Act, NIH Puts Universities on Edge –
Indonesia steps up efforts to eliminate malaria by 2030 –
Kraft Heinz to remove artificial dyes from U.S. products by end of 2027 –
Study: Early antibiotics tied to higher risk of childhood infections, antibiotic use, and asthma –
Scientists uncover how ticks fight off and carry a virus deadly to humans –
Threat in Your Medicine Cabinet: The FDA’s Gamble on America’s Drugs –
Could the answer to the male fertility crisis be lurking in your cat’s litter tray? – Issue No. 2744
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 UK House of Commons voted 379–137 yesterday to decriminalize abortion in England and Wales—the most significant change to abortion law in ~60 years, .
Details: The amendment removes the threat of prosecution for women who seek to terminate pregnancies.
- However, the current legal framework for procuring an abortion remains, including requiring two doctors’ approval and a 24-week limit. Doctors who breach regulations can still face prosecution.
- UK medical groups and advocacy groups hailed the change as “a victory for women,” while anti-abortion groups argued it would open the door to abortion at any stage of pregnancy.
What’s next: The amendment is part of a broader crime bill expected to pass the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Related:
Ohio lawmakers to introduce bill banning abortion, criminalizing the procedure –
A brain-dead Georgia woman is set to be taken off of life support after her baby was delivered –
Abortion Bans Worsen Violence in Relationships, Study Finds – EDITORS’ NOTE No GHN Tomorrow, June 19 Please note that our office will be closed tomorrow in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. We’ll be back with more news on Monday, June 23!
—The Editors GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Global conflict levels are the highest they’ve been since the end of World War II, with 59 active conflicts in 35+ countries, according to the ; the report also shows declining geopolitical influence of the U.S., Russia, and China as smaller countries emerge as regional powers.
A group of bat viruses related to MERS could be one mutation away from being capable of spilling over into humans, that focuses on the virus group, known as HKU5.
U.S. alcohol guidance could be soon changed from recommending one or two drinks per day to a brief statement encouraging drinking in moderation, in what could be a major win for the alcohol industry; the updates to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines are still under development by the HHS and USDA.
Microplastics in coastal waters could heighten cardiometabolic disease risk among nearby residents, , which found “significantly” higher rates of type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and stroke among U.S. residents living near highly polluted waters compared with people who lived near less-polluted waters. GHN EXCLUSIVE Q&A 622A_cecum: Section through a healthy mouse cecum stained with Haematoxylin-eosin. Courtesy of Emma Slack ‘Gardeningʼ in the Gut
The pipeline for new drugs to fight antibiotic-resistant infections is rife with challenges, but one promising solution offers a workaround: tackling drug-resistant bacteria in the gut.
The method combines oral vaccinations with harmless bacteria that outcompete the bacteria for food and “starve them out,” Emma Slack, a professor at ETH Zurich and the University of Oxford’s Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, told GHN.
- The pairing was significantly more effective than using vaccines or harmless bacteria on their own, testing the method in mice.
It may be five to 10 years from clinical use, but the method could one day be applied to “anything where immunosuppression is one of the side effects,” says Slack. Patients could be treated before transplant surgery, or during high-risk pregnancies to head off the risk of infection in premature babies.
The most exciting prospect: reversing the “antimicrobial resistance crisis for gut-colonizing, opportunistic pathogens,” says Slack. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HIV/AIDS Funding Disruptions Threaten Uganda’s HIV Fight
Since 1987, the Rakai Health Sciences Program (RHSP) in Uganda has achieved remarkable milestones. In areas it serves, the program has:
- Reduced new HIV infections by 90%.
- Extended anti‑retroviral (ARV) coverage to 90% of people living with HIV.
- Medication access interruptions and clinic closures in January prompted HIV rebound fears; though services were quickly restored, experts warn that sustained disruptions could reverse hard-won gains.
- Uganda’s plan to shift HIV treatment from specialized rural clinics to primary care clinics could also disrupt access and medication adherence, as some patients may face longer travel.
Related: ‘HIV-ending’ drug could be made for just $25 per patient a year, say researchers – OPPORTUNITY HUMAN RIGHTS The Oppressors at Home
In the Taliban’s Afghanistan, oppression against women has led to men being “foot soldiers” against their female relatives.
Vice and virtue laws, which include strict rules that women must cover themselves, not talk too loudly, or appear in public without a male escort, are meant to be enforced by “morality police.” But often, husbands and brothers take on this role.
Rising fear: Under the Taliban, male relatives could face fines or prison if women are caught breaking morality laws. This has led to a rise in domestic violence, isolation, and psychological damage to Afghan women.
Related: Over 400 health centers shut down in Afghanistan following US aid
suspension – ALMOST FRIDAY MINI DIVERSION QUICK HITS IOM Reports 60 Migrants Missing in Two Deadly Shipwrecks off Libya –
How Trump's travel ban could disrupt the way knowledge about health is shared –
Via the False Claims Act, NIH Puts Universities on Edge –
Indonesia steps up efforts to eliminate malaria by 2030 –
Kraft Heinz to remove artificial dyes from U.S. products by end of 2027 –
Study: Early antibiotics tied to higher risk of childhood infections, antibiotic use, and asthma –
Scientists uncover how ticks fight off and carry a virus deadly to humans –
Threat in Your Medicine Cabinet: The FDA’s Gamble on America’s Drugs –
Could the answer to the male fertility crisis be lurking in your cat’s litter tray? – Issue No. 2744
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
Almost 4.5 million maternal, stillborn and newborn deaths were recorded in 2023. What if there was a clear path to saving 83 percent of these people? To saving 3.7 million mothers, unborn children and babies annually?
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Mystery of Chronic Mountain Sickness; Dogs as Weapons; and The Decline of Anti-Girl Bias
June 17, 2025
GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORT
The Andes mountain range between Lima and Cerro de Pasco east of Canta. DeAgostini/Getty
The Mystery of Chronic Mountain Sickness
HUAYLLAY, Peru—About 5–10% of people who have lived their whole lives at high altitude eventually come down with the last illness they would expect: altitude sickness.
Research history: Scientists like León-Velarde have been trying to understand the cause of CMS since it was first described by Peruvian doctor Carlos Monge in 1925.
A U.S. judge ordered ~800 terminated NIH research projects, cited in a lawsuit by U.S. researchers and a coalition of 16 states, to be reinstated, calling the cuts discriminatory; the government will likely appeal the ruling.
Fewer than half of young men in the U.K.—46%—believe that abortion should be legal, compared with 71% of the general population, per a new poll ahead of a parliamentary vote today on whether to decriminalize abortion.
Cornell University researchers have identified an antibiotic, rifampin, that is 99.9% effective against Salmonella Typhi, the bacterium that causes typhoid fever, ; drug-resistant strains of the bacterium claim 150,000+ lives a year. U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs South Africa Built a Medical Research Powerhouse. Trump Cuts Have Demolished It. –
Rising Refugee Suicides in West Nile Linked to Food Shortages and Aid Cuts –
Kenya's war on HIV, TB and malaria faces setback as funding drops sharply –
Researchers warn U.S. is on the ‘precipice’ of brain drain as Trump cuts federal grants – CONFLICT Dogs as Weapons
Military and police dogs are being utilized against civilians in Palestine, say human rights groups, who report the use of canines against Palestinians has led to injuries and deaths.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POPULATIONS The Decline of Anti-Girl Bias
In “one of the most important social shifts of our time,” the long-held sex preference for boys at birth has dramatically shifted worldwide.
Over the past 25 years, the number of annual excess male births has fallen from a peak of 1.7 million in 2000 to ~200,000, a biologically standard birth ratio, .
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Nigerian agriculture ministry workers ‘told to fast and pray’ to end hunger crisis –
Ending nuclear weapons, before they end us –
The cost of staying alive could become a lot more expensive for millions of Americans –
Too often, Black patients get late diagnoses of deadly skin cancer –
Eight things you need to know about the new “Nimbus” and “Stratus” COVID-19 variants –
How the cholera bacterium can outsmart a virus –
Ƭ֦Ƶ opioid testing techniques could lead to better therapies –
How technology is helping African countries fight malaria from the skies – Issue No. 2743
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 .
HUAYLLAY, Peru—About 5–10% of people who have lived their whole lives at high altitude eventually come down with the last illness they would expect: altitude sickness.
- While there are no exact numbers, ~7 million people living above 2,500 meters (~8,200 feet) are at risk of chronic mountain sickness (CMS), in the journal High Altitude Medicine & Biology.
- Characterized by low levels of oxygen saturation (hypoxia) and excessive amounts of hemoglobin (polycythemia), CMS can start with blue-tinged fingertips or lips.
- But the illness can progress to life-threatening pulmonary or cerebral edema.
Research history: Scientists like León-Velarde have been trying to understand the cause of CMS since it was first described by Peruvian doctor Carlos Monge in 1925.
- But recent research that led to a 2019 Nobel Prize may offer new insights into the origins of CMS.
A U.S. judge ordered ~800 terminated NIH research projects, cited in a lawsuit by U.S. researchers and a coalition of 16 states, to be reinstated, calling the cuts discriminatory; the government will likely appeal the ruling.
Fewer than half of young men in the U.K.—46%—believe that abortion should be legal, compared with 71% of the general population, per a new poll ahead of a parliamentary vote today on whether to decriminalize abortion.
Cornell University researchers have identified an antibiotic, rifampin, that is 99.9% effective against Salmonella Typhi, the bacterium that causes typhoid fever, ; drug-resistant strains of the bacterium claim 150,000+ lives a year. U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs South Africa Built a Medical Research Powerhouse. Trump Cuts Have Demolished It. –
Rising Refugee Suicides in West Nile Linked to Food Shortages and Aid Cuts –
Kenya's war on HIV, TB and malaria faces setback as funding drops sharply –
Researchers warn U.S. is on the ‘precipice’ of brain drain as Trump cuts federal grants – CONFLICT Dogs as Weapons
Military and police dogs are being utilized against civilians in Palestine, say human rights groups, who report the use of canines against Palestinians has led to injuries and deaths.
- Euro Med Human Rights Monitor has documented 146 cases of attack dogs being used against civilians since October 2023.
- The UN has also decried the use of military dogs against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention, citing .
- Israel’s specialist canine unit, Oketz, has said that the dogs are only deployed in anti-terrorism campaigns.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POPULATIONS The Decline of Anti-Girl Bias
In “one of the most important social shifts of our time,” the long-held sex preference for boys at birth has dramatically shifted worldwide.
Over the past 25 years, the number of annual excess male births has fallen from a peak of 1.7 million in 2000 to ~200,000, a biologically standard birth ratio, .
- The reduction in female infanticide and sex-selective abortions has led to the survival of ~7 million girls, the analysis found.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Nigerian agriculture ministry workers ‘told to fast and pray’ to end hunger crisis –
Ending nuclear weapons, before they end us –
The cost of staying alive could become a lot more expensive for millions of Americans –
Too often, Black patients get late diagnoses of deadly skin cancer –
Eight things you need to know about the new “Nimbus” and “Stratus” COVID-19 variants –
How the cholera bacterium can outsmart a virus –
Ƭ֦Ƶ opioid testing techniques could lead to better therapies –
How technology is helping African countries fight malaria from the skies – Issue No. 2743
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
UN Aid Cuts Force ‘Hyper-prioritizedʼ Plan; Deaths on the Street in Portland; and Memory Cafes Bridge a Gap
“Brutal funding cuts leave us with brutal choices,” said Tom Fletcher, undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs.
June 16, 2025
Tents serve as temporary shelters for displaced Palestinians along the coastline of Gaza City, on June 10. Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty Images
UN Aid Cuts Force ‘Hyper-prioritizedʼ Plan
The UN has slashed its 2025 humanitarian aid appeal from $44 billion to $29 billion, as the agency contends with to the aid sector, .
Only $5.6 billion (13%) has been raised so far after severely reduced contributions from the U.S. and others.
Existing aid under attack: Meanwhile, a UN expert is urging the General Assembly to authorize the deployment of armed peacekeepers to protect humanitarian transport and distribution, as aid workers continue to be targeted in areas including Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, and Central African Republic, .
COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 could now make up more than 1 in 3 cases across the U.S., the ; the variant has been linked to a surge of hospitalizations in parts of Asia, and the CDC's airport surveillance program detected cases of it in arriving international travelers last month.
The U.S. health care workforce has recovered from widespread job losses of early 2020, with employment now matching pre-pandemic projections, ; but recovery is uneven, with doctors’ offices exceeding pre-pandemic employment growth while skilled nursing facilities contend with understaffing.
Dengue survivors face an elevated risk for post-infection multi-organ complications, hospitalization, and death, that analyzed 55,870 cases of adults infected between 2017 and 2023.
The FDA has expanded approval of Moderna’s RSV vaccine mResvia to include adults ages 18–59 who are at high risk of severe illness from the virus; previously the vaccine was licensed for use only in adults 60+. HOMELESSNESS Increased Deaths on the Street in Portland
As the homeless population in Portland grew during the pandemic, the city responded with a $1.3 million plan to “reprioritize public health and safety among homeless Portlanders.”
Across the U.S., 600+ memory cafes offer low-cost social support for dementia patients and caregivers, helping alleviate isolation and stress through regular gatherings.
And with $11 billion in federal health funding for state and local health departments now on the chopping block, grassroots-led memory cafes may soon play a critical role for families needing help navigating the struggles of dementia care.
Growing need: U.S. Alzheimer’s cases are projected to double from 6.9 million now to 13.8 million by 2060, while the number of family caregivers is declining.
SUICIDE Curbing Pesticides to Save Lives
Suriname has one of the world's highest suicide rates, largely due to the pesticide paraquat—which is lethal even in tiny doses and is widely available in homes across the country.
Global perspective: Pesticides are one of the leading means of suicide in agricultural areas of developing nations, leading to 100,000+ suicides annually.
Banning paraquat and other pesticides has led to dramatic drops in suicide rates in other countries including Sri Lanka (70%+), South Korea (~50%), and China (60%).
Ongoing efforts: The charity Open Philanthropy funded the launch in 2017 of the , and the was formed in 2023 to phase out use of the deadliest pesticides in agricultural areas where risks have not been managed.
QUICK HITS As mpox escalates in Sierra Leone, activity in other countries reflects mixed picture –
An oral cholera vaccination campaign aims to reach more than 2.6 million people in Sudan’s Khartoum State –
US pharma bets big on China to snap up potential blockbuster drugs –
Small towns are growing fast across Ghana – but environmental planning isn’t keeping up – (commentary)
Ancient miasma theory may help explain Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine moves –
How Covid-19 Changed Hideo Kojima’s Vision For Death Stranding 2 – Issue No. 2742
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 UN has slashed its 2025 humanitarian aid appeal from $44 billion to $29 billion, as the agency contends with to the aid sector, .
Only $5.6 billion (13%) has been raised so far after severely reduced contributions from the U.S. and others.
- “Brutal funding cuts leave us with brutal choices,” said Tom Fletcher, undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs.
Existing aid under attack: Meanwhile, a UN expert is urging the General Assembly to authorize the deployment of armed peacekeepers to protect humanitarian transport and distribution, as aid workers continue to be targeted in areas including Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, and Central African Republic, .
- A record 360+ humanitarian workers were killed last year, as aid restrictions and starvation are increasingly used as weapons of war.
COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 could now make up more than 1 in 3 cases across the U.S., the ; the variant has been linked to a surge of hospitalizations in parts of Asia, and the CDC's airport surveillance program detected cases of it in arriving international travelers last month.
The U.S. health care workforce has recovered from widespread job losses of early 2020, with employment now matching pre-pandemic projections, ; but recovery is uneven, with doctors’ offices exceeding pre-pandemic employment growth while skilled nursing facilities contend with understaffing.
Dengue survivors face an elevated risk for post-infection multi-organ complications, hospitalization, and death, that analyzed 55,870 cases of adults infected between 2017 and 2023.
The FDA has expanded approval of Moderna’s RSV vaccine mResvia to include adults ages 18–59 who are at high risk of severe illness from the virus; previously the vaccine was licensed for use only in adults 60+. HOMELESSNESS Increased Deaths on the Street in Portland
As the homeless population in Portland grew during the pandemic, the city responded with a $1.3 million plan to “reprioritize public health and safety among homeless Portlanders.”
- And yet: Deaths of homeless people quadrupled from 113 in 2019 to 450+ in 2023.
- One 2023 showed that such sweeps raise the risk of overdose by up to 22% for people who inject drugs.
Across the U.S., 600+ memory cafes offer low-cost social support for dementia patients and caregivers, helping alleviate isolation and stress through regular gatherings.
And with $11 billion in federal health funding for state and local health departments now on the chopping block, grassroots-led memory cafes may soon play a critical role for families needing help navigating the struggles of dementia care.
Growing need: U.S. Alzheimer’s cases are projected to double from 6.9 million now to 13.8 million by 2060, while the number of family caregivers is declining.
SUICIDE Curbing Pesticides to Save Lives
Suriname has one of the world's highest suicide rates, largely due to the pesticide paraquat—which is lethal even in tiny doses and is widely available in homes across the country.
Global perspective: Pesticides are one of the leading means of suicide in agricultural areas of developing nations, leading to 100,000+ suicides annually.
Banning paraquat and other pesticides has led to dramatic drops in suicide rates in other countries including Sri Lanka (70%+), South Korea (~50%), and China (60%).
Ongoing efforts: The charity Open Philanthropy funded the launch in 2017 of the , and the was formed in 2023 to phase out use of the deadliest pesticides in agricultural areas where risks have not been managed.
QUICK HITS As mpox escalates in Sierra Leone, activity in other countries reflects mixed picture –
An oral cholera vaccination campaign aims to reach more than 2.6 million people in Sudan’s Khartoum State –
US pharma bets big on China to snap up potential blockbuster drugs –
Small towns are growing fast across Ghana – but environmental planning isn’t keeping up – (commentary)
Ancient miasma theory may help explain Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine moves –
How Covid-19 Changed Hideo Kojima’s Vision For Death Stranding 2 – Issue No. 2742
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
Since conflict erupted in Sudan, more than a million people have fled to neighbouring South Sudan, seeking refuge from escalating violence that has displaced 12.4 million people and plunged over half the Sudanese population into food insecurity.
Categories: Global Health Feed
Escalating gang violence in Haiti has displaced a record 1.3 million people, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Friday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW Mercury Rising in Worldʼs Rivers; RFK Jr.’s Ƭ֦Ƶ Committee Picks; and Who Squashed the Veg Sculpture Competition?
Mercury increase poses a growing risk to people living near affected waterways, study warns.
June 12, 2025
A child in a canoe near a home on a tributary of the Amazon River near Breves, Para state, Brazil, on Sept. 21, 2022. Jonne Roriz/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Mercury Rising
Mercury carried downstream by rivers has increased nearly 3X worldwide since the Industrial Revolution, surging from 390 to 1,000 megagrams annually due to coal combustion, mining, and manufacturing, .
The mercury increase poses a growing risk to people living near affected waterways, as the neurotoxin has been linked to cancer, heart disease, and developmental harm in children, .
The study: Researchers used computer models and sediment data to establish a pre-industrial mercury baseline before 1850 and simulate mercury transport in rivers, .
Key findings: The data show the most dramatic increases in mercury pollution occurred in North and South America, contributing to 41% of the global increase in riverine mercury since 1850, followed by Southeast Asia (22%) and South Asia (19%).
Last month was the world’s second warmest May on record, per the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service—creating especially dry conditions across Europe as drought concerns rise.
Unethical experiments conducted on Black inmates were used in the development of the antimalarial primaquine in the 1950s and 60s, particularly around genetics’ role in adverse drug reactions, by an ethicist-led research team.
A bill to protect the privacy of women’s reproductive health data, including tracking apps around menstruation, pregnancy, and abortion, has been introduced by three Democratic members of Congress who say such a measure is necessary to protect women in the post-Roe v. Wade era.
Fetuses more exposed to certain air pollutants experience changes in the size of specific brain structures, especially during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, that drew from data collected from 754 mother-fetus pairs between 2018 and 2021. U.S. POLICY RFK Jr.’s Ƭ֦Ƶ Committee Picks
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has appointed eight new members to the CDC’s independent vaccine advisory committee after removing all 17 previous members earlier this week.
What’s next: It is unclear if Kennedy plans to appoint any more members to new ACIP. The panel will meet June 25-27 to review recommendations on vaccines, including for HPV and COVID-19 shots.
More U.S. Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs:
Kennedy’s ouster of US vaccine advisors puts pharma ties under scrutiny –
Vaccine board purge stokes talk of CDC alternatives –
Top RFK Jr. aide attacks US health system while running company that promotes wellness alternatives –
RFK Jr. to tell medical schools to teach nutrition or lose federal funding –
A promising new HIV vaccine was set to start trials. Then came Trump's latest cuts –
Senators press NIH director on killed grants and proposal to slash agency’s funding – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES WEAPONS The Physical Toll of ‘Less-Lethal’ Force
Tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray like those used against demonstrators in Los Angeles this past week may not be designed to kill, but they can cause serious injuries, health problems, and even death.
Tear gas and pepper spray can have both short- and long-term effects, ranging from eye and skin irritation and vomiting to extreme respiratory distress and damage to vision or the nervous system.
Rubber bullet risks: Often made of hard plastic or metal, rubber bullets have caused blindness, brain injury, and death in some cases.
Research gaps: Much existing research into tactics like tear gas is limited to military research of young men in the 1950s-70s, and doesn’t account for modern weapons technology or potential health effects on a broader civilian population.
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Who Squashed the Competition?
Last week we celebrated a wax .
Now, another installment of England-making-things-look-like-other-things: a cornucopia of vegetable likenesses.
At the Lambeth Country Show, held last weekend in Londonʼs Brockwell Park, revelers to enjoy sheep shearing, livestock competitions, and most of all: vegetable sculptures and vegetable puns.
“Every year, this is what we get so excited about,” .
Voting is now closed, but you can still pick your favorite.
Will it be ? Or its Vatican-themed rival, Butternut squash channeling ? ? Broccoli-based ?
All are healthy choices. QUICK HITS Scientists mapped what happens if a crucial system of ocean currents collapses. The weather impact would be extreme –
Global action needed as progress stalls on disability-inclusive development goals – UN Ƭ֦Ƶs –
Journalist, advocate, policy adviser? My strange role in the fight against superbugs –
As a health crisis looms in Vietnam, now is the time for a sugary drink tax: WHO –
36% of Jamaicans tested for NCDs in health ministry campaign present ‘abnormal result’ –
World Food Safety Day : Putting Science into Action to Improve Nutrition and Protect Health in Africa –
Homicide Rates Near Supervised Consumption Sites: A Study from Canada –
Word of the Week: how a bacterium unrelated to fish got its name 'salmonella' – Issue No. 2740
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 .
Mercury carried downstream by rivers has increased nearly 3X worldwide since the Industrial Revolution, surging from 390 to 1,000 megagrams annually due to coal combustion, mining, and manufacturing, .
The mercury increase poses a growing risk to people living near affected waterways, as the neurotoxin has been linked to cancer, heart disease, and developmental harm in children, .
The study: Researchers used computer models and sediment data to establish a pre-industrial mercury baseline before 1850 and simulate mercury transport in rivers, .
Key findings: The data show the most dramatic increases in mercury pollution occurred in North and South America, contributing to 41% of the global increase in riverine mercury since 1850, followed by Southeast Asia (22%) and South Asia (19%).
- In the Amazon region, mercury levels have soared due to both increased mining activities and soil erosion from deforestation.
Last month was the world’s second warmest May on record, per the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service—creating especially dry conditions across Europe as drought concerns rise.
Unethical experiments conducted on Black inmates were used in the development of the antimalarial primaquine in the 1950s and 60s, particularly around genetics’ role in adverse drug reactions, by an ethicist-led research team.
A bill to protect the privacy of women’s reproductive health data, including tracking apps around menstruation, pregnancy, and abortion, has been introduced by three Democratic members of Congress who say such a measure is necessary to protect women in the post-Roe v. Wade era.
Fetuses more exposed to certain air pollutants experience changes in the size of specific brain structures, especially during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, that drew from data collected from 754 mother-fetus pairs between 2018 and 2021. U.S. POLICY RFK Jr.’s Ƭ֦Ƶ Committee Picks
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has appointed eight new members to the CDC’s independent vaccine advisory committee after removing all 17 previous members earlier this week.
- The new appointees to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) include some who have been critics of vaccines—especially COVID-19 vaccines and mƬ֦Ƶ technology—and pandemic lockdowns.
What’s next: It is unclear if Kennedy plans to appoint any more members to new ACIP. The panel will meet June 25-27 to review recommendations on vaccines, including for HPV and COVID-19 shots.
More U.S. Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs:
Kennedy’s ouster of US vaccine advisors puts pharma ties under scrutiny –
Vaccine board purge stokes talk of CDC alternatives –
Top RFK Jr. aide attacks US health system while running company that promotes wellness alternatives –
RFK Jr. to tell medical schools to teach nutrition or lose federal funding –
A promising new HIV vaccine was set to start trials. Then came Trump's latest cuts –
Senators press NIH director on killed grants and proposal to slash agency’s funding – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES WEAPONS The Physical Toll of ‘Less-Lethal’ Force
Tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray like those used against demonstrators in Los Angeles this past week may not be designed to kill, but they can cause serious injuries, health problems, and even death.
Tear gas and pepper spray can have both short- and long-term effects, ranging from eye and skin irritation and vomiting to extreme respiratory distress and damage to vision or the nervous system.
Rubber bullet risks: Often made of hard plastic or metal, rubber bullets have caused blindness, brain injury, and death in some cases.
Research gaps: Much existing research into tactics like tear gas is limited to military research of young men in the 1950s-70s, and doesn’t account for modern weapons technology or potential health effects on a broader civilian population.
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Who Squashed the Competition?
Last week we celebrated a wax .
Now, another installment of England-making-things-look-like-other-things: a cornucopia of vegetable likenesses.
At the Lambeth Country Show, held last weekend in Londonʼs Brockwell Park, revelers to enjoy sheep shearing, livestock competitions, and most of all: vegetable sculptures and vegetable puns.
“Every year, this is what we get so excited about,” .
Voting is now closed, but you can still pick your favorite.
Will it be ? Or its Vatican-themed rival, Butternut squash channeling ? ? Broccoli-based ?
All are healthy choices. QUICK HITS Scientists mapped what happens if a crucial system of ocean currents collapses. The weather impact would be extreme –
Global action needed as progress stalls on disability-inclusive development goals – UN Ƭ֦Ƶs –
Journalist, advocate, policy adviser? My strange role in the fight against superbugs –
As a health crisis looms in Vietnam, now is the time for a sugary drink tax: WHO –
36% of Jamaicans tested for NCDs in health ministry campaign present ‘abnormal result’ –
World Food Safety Day : Putting Science into Action to Improve Nutrition and Protect Health in Africa –
Homicide Rates Near Supervised Consumption Sites: A Study from Canada –
Word of the Week: how a bacterium unrelated to fish got its name 'salmonella' – Issue No. 2740
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
With over half of the Sudanese population in need of aid and lean season rapidly approaching, the UN Chief for Humanitarian Affairs once again sounded the alarm about the crisis unfolding in Sudan on Thursday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
Two counties in the Upper Nile State of South Sudan are sliding into famine, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned in a new report released Thursday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Declining ‘Reproductive Agency’ and Fertility Rates; Rescripting Traumatic Memories; Meth Smuggling in the Golden Triangle
June 11, 2025
A doll on a stroller is pictured on a playground in Bicentennial Park, in the commune of Vitacura. Santiago, Chile, September 5, 2024. Raul Bravo/AFP via Getty
A Lack of ‘Reproductive Agency’ as Global Fertility Declines
The “unprecedented” drop in global fertility stems from social and economic barriers—not a rejection of parenthood—.
Key finding: 1 in 5 adults say they expect to have fewer children than they want due to financial barriers and insecurity about the future.
Key factors preventing people from starting families, :
Related:
China to make all hospitals offer epidurals to incentivise childbirth –
Advocates, Clinics Anxiously Ask: When Will Trump Release IVF Recommendations? – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Louisiana lawmakers have passed a bill targeting out-of-state doctors and activists who prescribe, mail, or “coordinate the sale of” abortion pills to residents within the state, where abortion is banned with few exceptions.
Childhood trauma has been linked to a 20% increased risk of developing endometriosis later in life, , which included hundreds of thousands of women in Sweden.
Dementia risk can be tied to vascular risk factors including hypertension, diabetes, or smoking, , which suggests that up to 44% of dementia cases could be attributed to such preventable factors in mid- and late life.
The FDA will use AI to “radically increase efficiency” in approving new drugs and devices, per a ; the adoption of the technology comes after the agency cut nearly 2,000 employees. U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs Vaccine board purge stokes talk of CDC alternatives –
White House says it will spare some AIDS programs that were on the chopping block –
Big changes are being proposed for a US food aid program –
Science’s reform movement should have seen Trump’s call for ‘gold standard science’ coming, critics say –
NIH chief stands by funding cuts to ‘politicized science’ at tense hearing –
The Bleach Community Is Ready for RFK Jr. to Make Their Dreams Come True – DATA POINT
1 in 5
—ĔĔĔĔ
Afghans live in areas littered with landmines and unexploded ordnance. — MENTAL HEALTH Rescripting Memories to Treat PTSD
Finding effective treatments for PTSD in veterans is an ongoing quest for psychologists and one with high stakes, as veterans with the condition .
One therapy getting more attention: Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories (RTM), a structured process that aims to reduce PTSD symptoms by visualizing trauma as a movie, “rewinding” and adjusting elements to lessen emotional impact over time.
The process differs from the dominant treatment, prolonged exposure therapy, by approaching memories less directly, thereby lessening distress and leading to a higher completion rate.
Further study needed: Initial data are promising, with ~70% of those receiving RTM therapy no longer meeting PTSD criteria. But critics say the studies are limited and need more rigor.
Related: Mental healthcare reform 2.0: learning from the global south – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DRUG TRAFFICKING Meth Smuggling Crisis in the Golden Triangle
Thai authorities are struggling to stem a flood of synthetic illicit drugs coming into the country from neighboring war-torn Burma, where drug production is surging.
Meth on the rise: Thailand intercepted 130 tons of meth in 2024, —nearly half of the 236 tons seized in East and Southeast Asia.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Motsoaledi’s big HIV treatment jump: Is it true? –
Arizona confirms first measles cases as totals rise in other states –
Why Texas is spending millions to research an illegal psychedelic –
Việt Nam confirms global family planning commitment through 2030 –
How to speak to a vaccine sceptic: research reveals what works –
How Composting Protects Public Health and Our Planet –
Music festivals have become more open to harm reduction initiatives. How far will it go? –
Word of the Week: how a bacteria unrelated to fish got its name “salmonella” – Issue No. 2739
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 “unprecedented” drop in global fertility stems from social and economic barriers—not a rejection of parenthood—.
Key finding: 1 in 5 adults say they expect to have fewer children than they want due to financial barriers and insecurity about the future.
- “The issue is lack of choice, not desire,” UNFPA head Natalia Kanem .
Key factors preventing people from starting families, :
- Economic insecurity: 39% of respondents cited financial limitations including high housing and childcare costs as the main reason for having fewer children.
- Fear for the future: 19% cited worries around climate change and conflict.
- Gender and labor dynamics: 13% of women cited unequal division of labor as a barrier to having children.
Related:
China to make all hospitals offer epidurals to incentivise childbirth –
Advocates, Clinics Anxiously Ask: When Will Trump Release IVF Recommendations? – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Louisiana lawmakers have passed a bill targeting out-of-state doctors and activists who prescribe, mail, or “coordinate the sale of” abortion pills to residents within the state, where abortion is banned with few exceptions.
Childhood trauma has been linked to a 20% increased risk of developing endometriosis later in life, , which included hundreds of thousands of women in Sweden.
Dementia risk can be tied to vascular risk factors including hypertension, diabetes, or smoking, , which suggests that up to 44% of dementia cases could be attributed to such preventable factors in mid- and late life.
The FDA will use AI to “radically increase efficiency” in approving new drugs and devices, per a ; the adoption of the technology comes after the agency cut nearly 2,000 employees. U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs Vaccine board purge stokes talk of CDC alternatives –
White House says it will spare some AIDS programs that were on the chopping block –
Big changes are being proposed for a US food aid program –
Science’s reform movement should have seen Trump’s call for ‘gold standard science’ coming, critics say –
NIH chief stands by funding cuts to ‘politicized science’ at tense hearing –
The Bleach Community Is Ready for RFK Jr. to Make Their Dreams Come True – DATA POINT
1 in 5
—ĔĔĔĔ
Afghans live in areas littered with landmines and unexploded ordnance. — MENTAL HEALTH Rescripting Memories to Treat PTSD
Finding effective treatments for PTSD in veterans is an ongoing quest for psychologists and one with high stakes, as veterans with the condition .
One therapy getting more attention: Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories (RTM), a structured process that aims to reduce PTSD symptoms by visualizing trauma as a movie, “rewinding” and adjusting elements to lessen emotional impact over time.
The process differs from the dominant treatment, prolonged exposure therapy, by approaching memories less directly, thereby lessening distress and leading to a higher completion rate.
Further study needed: Initial data are promising, with ~70% of those receiving RTM therapy no longer meeting PTSD criteria. But critics say the studies are limited and need more rigor.
Related: Mental healthcare reform 2.0: learning from the global south – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DRUG TRAFFICKING Meth Smuggling Crisis in the Golden Triangle
Thai authorities are struggling to stem a flood of synthetic illicit drugs coming into the country from neighboring war-torn Burma, where drug production is surging.
Meth on the rise: Thailand intercepted 130 tons of meth in 2024, —nearly half of the 236 tons seized in East and Southeast Asia.
- “In the past, to catch like 100,000 methamphetamine tablets was a big deal. Now we catch more than a million pills, and it’s just a normal day,” said one Thai military official.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Motsoaledi’s big HIV treatment jump: Is it true? –
Arizona confirms first measles cases as totals rise in other states –
Why Texas is spending millions to research an illegal psychedelic –
Việt Nam confirms global family planning commitment through 2030 –
How to speak to a vaccine sceptic: research reveals what works –
How Composting Protects Public Health and Our Planet –
Music festivals have become more open to harm reduction initiatives. How far will it go? –
Word of the Week: how a bacteria unrelated to fish got its name “salmonella” – Issue No. 2739
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
