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Wed, 08/06/2025 - 09:45
96 Global Health NOW: China’s ‘Patriotic Public Health’ War on Chikungunya; HHS Halts mƬ֦Ƶ Development; and Rural Romania Battles Vaccine Mistrust August 6, 2025 A worker sprays insecticide at a residential community on July 29, in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China. VCG via Getty China Fights Chikungunya with ‘Patriotic Public Health’
To fight a chikungunya outbreak that has sickened thousands, Chinese authorities have launched an all-out assault on mosquitoes—deploying soldiers “spraying clouds of disinfectant” and drones to track down their breeding grounds, and threatening fines for people who fail to disperse standing water, .
  • The virus, transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes, has infected ~8,000 people in China in four weeks, mostly around Foshan—marking the country’s largest outbreak since 2008, .

  • While rarely fatal, the disease can cause fevers and excruciating pain.
The authorities have also launched a “patriotic public health campaign” that is unhappily reminiscent, for some, of the country’s strict measures against COVID-19.
 
The Quote: “It’s fundamentally no different from the Maoist-style public health campaigns. It involves the mass mobilization of the people. It’s targeting a particular threat to public health and potentially could lead to unintentional consequences,” says Yanzhong Huang, a Council on Foreign Relations senior global health fellow.

Related: What to know about chikungunya virus, as U.S. travel alerts issued –  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   A gonorrhoea vaccination program has been launched in England as the country tries to reduce its soaring infection rates and curb the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant strains; gonorrhoea infections in the country reached a record ~85,000 cases in 2023.

Legionnaires' disease has killed three people in a Ƭ֦Ƶ York cluster that has sickened ~70 people after it emerged in Harlem last week.  

Raw milk consumption has been linked to 21 people in Florida being sickened by E. coli and campylobacter bacteria, including six children under the age of 10 and seven people who were hospitalized, of the risks of drinking unpasteurized milk.

E. coli can evolve antibiotic-resistance during treatment, , which tracked in real time how the bacteria quickly developed a mechanism to escape a drug’s effects by amplifying a resistance gene it already carried. U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs Deep Staff Cuts at a Little-Known Federal Agency Pose Trouble for Droves of Local Health Programs – Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe! 

Has NSF defied a court order by suspending 300 UCLA grants? –

Trump administration violated impoundment law by canceling NIH grants, slowing new awards, GAO finds –

Does SA need a COVID-like ministerial advisory committee to deal with HIV funding cuts? –

CDC to disburse delayed funds for fighting fentanyl and more, staffers say –

Why Trump is targeting these programs that help keep drug users alive –

The GOP is choosing pesticides over the MAHA moms – RESEARCH HHS Pulls the Plug on mƬ֦Ƶ Development
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced yesterday that HHS will cancel 22 federally funded mƬ֦Ƶ vaccine development projects worth $500 million—a move infectious disease specialists and biosecurity experts warned was “dangerous” and “short-sighted,” .

Details: The contracts were between the federal emergency preparedness agency, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and leading pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Moderna to develop vaccines for respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and the flu—building off the breakthroughs credited with slowing the 2020 coronavirus pandemic and saving millions of lives, . 
  • , Kennedy claimed the mƬ֦Ƶ vaccines “fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections,” and that funding will shift to “safer, broader” platforms like whole-virus vaccines.

  • Some late-stage contracts will continue, but no new federal funding will support mƬ֦Ƶ vaccine development. 

  • The HHS said “other uses of mƬ֦Ƶ technology within the department are not impacted by this announcement.”
Public health alarm: Infectious disease researchers said mƬ֦Ƶ technology has proven to be safe and effective—and that abandoning the contracts weakens critical biodefense capabilities for public health emergencies. 
  • “We’re weakening critical countermeasures at the very moment that global health risks are intensifying,” . 
Avian flu airborne? The decision is especially worrisome as concerns over avian flu persist: In , scientists found live virus in the air of milking facilities, . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MEASLES Battling Vaccine Mistrust in Rural Romania
Amid Europe’s worst measles outbreak in 25 years, Romania is the region's most affected country, with around 13,000 of the ~18,000 cases in the European Economic Area registered between June 2024 and May 2025.
  • Romania has the EU’s lowest vaccination rate (62 %), falling short of the 95% the WHO says is needed for effective disease control. 
Doctors are battling deep vaccine mistrust in rural Romanian communities, where misconceptions linking vaccines to autism persist, access to health care is limited, and educational outreach is weak.
 
Factors behind the crisis: poverty, an underfunded medical system, brain drain of health workers, and anti-vaccine rhetoric amplified by far‑right politicians and misinformation during the COVID‑19 pandemic. 

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS ‘Flesh-Eating’ Bacteria Cases Are on the Rise Along the Gulf Coast –

Pregnant people in rural parts of the country are running out of places to give birth –

Respiratory viral infections awaken metastatic breast cancer cells in lungs –

As influencers spread ‘toxic’ claims, what is the truth about sunscreen? –

Many studies of air-cleaning tech say they curb viral spread, but new review raises questions –

Scientific fraud has become an ‘industry,’ alarming analysis finds –

Kids in Pennsylvania Are Breathing (Much) Easier After a Coal Plant Shuttered – Issue No. 2770
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:

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  Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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Categories: Global Health Feed

Tue, 08/05/2025 - 09:31
96 Global Health NOW: The Troubled Fight Against Polio; Plastics: A ‘Grave, Growing’ Danger; and Wartime Russia is Losing the Battle Against HIV August 5, 2025 A health worker administers polio drops to schoolchildren for vaccination during a door-to-door poliovirus eradication campaign. Lahore, Pakistan, April 21. Arif Ali/AFP via Getty The Troubled Fight Against Polio
The WHO and its partners were close in 2021 to scoring a huge win against polio. They recorded just five cases of the natural virus that year. But the poliovirus eluded vaccination efforts and caused 99 cases last year.
 
In a deeply reported investigation, the AP blames misinformation, mismanagement, a flawed strategy, and the oral vaccine.
 
Challenges: Vaccinating children in Afghanistan and Pakistan (the only countries with uninterrupted polio transmission) is a difficult proposition.
  • Some religious leaders tell people to avoid vaccinations, health systems are weak, and hundreds of vaccinators and security officers have been targeted and killed.
Wins: Global Polio Eradication Initiative officials note 3 billion children have been vaccinated and ~20 million people have avoided paralysis since the initiative was founded in 1988.
 
WHO’s response: “There’s so many children being protected today because of the work that was done over the past 40 years,” said Jamal Ahmed, WHO’s polio director. “Let’s not overdramatize the challenges, because that leads to children getting paralyzed.”
 
Polio’s end? Transmission is estimated to end within 18 months, and eradication reached by 2029, Ahmed said.
  • 45 million children in Pakistan and 11 million in Afghanistan need to be vaccinated this year. 

  • Full immunization requires four doses of two drops each.

 
Related: Takeaways from AP’s report on problems in the worldwide campaign to eradicate polio – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Misuse of tourniquets is causing thousands of unnecessary amputations and deaths in Ukraine, surgeons say; one estimates that up to three quarters of the ~100,000 amputations performed on Ukrainian soldiers since 2022 were caused by improper use of tourniquets. 

Adolescents in Rwanda aged 15 or older will be able to access family planning services without parental consent under a new law passed by the country’s parliament aimed at reducing teenage pregnancies. 

An oral anti-COVID-19 treatment passed a clinical trial efficacy test, ; the drug, called CP-COV03 or Xafty, is based on niclosamide, a medication previously used to treat tapeworm infections. 

About two-thirds (59%) of American adults polled will likely skip fall COVID-19 boosters heading into the cold and flu season; about six in ten Republicans say they will “definitely not” get the vaccine.  ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Plastics: A ‘Grave, Growing’ Danger
The planet is awash in a “plastics crisis” that poses a threat to human and planetary health, . 

Surge in production: Plastic output has grown 200X since 1950—driven largely by single-use items.

Toll on health: Plastics are linked to disease and death across all ages, costing ~$1.5 trillion annually in health-related damages.
  • Infants and children are highly susceptible to toxins.
Soaring pollution: 8 billion metric tons of plastic now pollute the globe.
  • <10% of plastic is recycled. 
And humans may be inhaling 100X more microplastics than previously assumed, finds , .   



Related: UN races to close global deal that would curb virgin plastic and toxic additives –  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HIV/AIDS Wartime Russia is Losing the Battle Against HIV
War has significantly disrupted HIV prevention and care in Russia—developments that could have long-lasting impacts.

By the numbers: In the first year of the war alone, the recorded incidence of HIV among military personnel soared by 40X+.
  • And the proportion of Russian HIV patients receiving antiretroviral therapy has now fallen below 50% for the first time in many years.
Barriers to care: War has amplified anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in the country, and also contributed to the removal of NGOs assisting in HIV care.

But war itself is a key factor in transmission, as blood transfusions and the reuse of syringes in field hospitals have increased risks.

HEAT As Temperatures Climb, So Do ER Visits
Emergency room visits increase with higher temperatures, especially among young children, —and the maladies may be unexpected. 
  • While the links between mortality rates and heatwaves have been long studied, heat’s impact on morbidity—illness and poor health—has been less understood. 
Findings: As temperatures increased, more people visited ERs for a range of illnesses, including some unexpected ones like poisoning, respiratory symptoms, and nervous system problems—though researchers say the connections to heat are not yet clear. 
  • Data also showed that children under 5 visited ERs at higher rates than any other age group.
Public health implications: Researchers say that the study shows the need for broader protections for a wider span of the population. 



Related: 

American Summers Are Starting to Feel Like Winter –

Why certain medications can increase your risk in the heat – TONIGHT: WEBINAR ON HEATWAVES QUICK HITS Gates Foundation promises $2.5B for ‘sidelined’ women’s health –

Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ Is More Deadly Than Previously Imagined –

Chicago was supposed to warn residents about toxic lead pipes last year. Most still have no idea –

Caffeine pouch craze: A teenage trend troubling some experts –

Trump officials look to block abortion services at veterans affairs hospitals –  

White House has no plan to mandate IVF care, despite campaign pledge –

Eating ultra-processed foods could make it harder to lose weight –

More elderly Americans are choking to death. Are these devices the answer? –

Unwanted pregnancies surge with alcohol, but not with cannabis, study finds – Issue No. 2769
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

Mon, 08/04/2025 - 11:54
96 Global Health NOW: A ‘Deadly Intersection’ of Crises in Sudan; The Women Protecting Migrants in Brazil’s North; and July Recap August 4, 2025 People gather by the makeshift graves of those buried in Khartoum's southern suburb of al-Azhari, on August 2. Ebrahim Hamid/AFP via Getty A ‘Deadly Intersection’ of Crises in Sudan
Cemeteries in North Darfur in Sudan are expanding as hundreds of thousands of people trapped in conflict across the country face compounding humanitarian crises: relentless artillery attacks, deadly hunger, a growing cholera outbreak, destructive flooding, and perilous heat, .

Widespread hunger: Famine conditions across the region are intensifying as food supplies are blocked and aid convoys are attacked—a part of the ongoing siege of El Fasher by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which seeks to cement its hold on the region in its conflict with the Sudanese military, now in its third year.
  • Bakeries have shut down and prices for any available food have skyrocketed—leading many to rely on animal feed for sustenance, .

  • Severe food shortages led to the deaths of 13 children last month at Lagawa displacement camp in East Darfur state, . 
Cholera outbreak: Cholera is also “ripping” through the region, with ~ 2,140 cases and at least 80 fatalities recorded, that described families forced to “navigate the deadly intersection of conflict, hunger, disease and environmental collapse.” 
  • Children are especially at risk as medical supplies run low and basic infrastructure deteriorates. 
Flooding and heat: Meanwhile, torrential rains have displaced thousands of people across the country and heightened disease risk, , and overwhelmed hospitals are calling for urgent support amid extreme heat.  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Mass rape, forced pregnancy, and sexual torture of women and children by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers in Tigray amount to crimes against humanity, from Physicians for Human Rights and the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa; the authors call on international bodies to investigate.

U.S. childhood vaccination rates continue to decline , which show that vaccination coverage for all children entering kindergarten in the 2024–25 school year declined for all reported vaccines from the year before, and the vaccine exemption rate rose to 3.6%.

Two mƬ֦Ƶ vaccines against HIV induced a “potent” immune response to the virus, ; the trial—only the third to test mƬ֦Ƶ vaccines against HIV—showed 80% of participants who received either of the vaccines produced antibodies against viral proteins.

Teen suicidal behavior and thoughts declined between 2021 and 2024 in the U.S., , which found the prevalence of serious suicidal thoughts in teens fell from nearly 13% to 10%, and the prevalence of suicide attempts declined from 3.6% to 2.7%. GHN EXCLUSIVE Alba Marina Gonzalez Andrade stands outside an informal migrant settlement in Boa Vista, Brazil. Julianna Deutscher The Women Protecting Migrants in Brazil’s North  
BOA VISTA, Brazil—From Pacaraima on the border with Venezuela, to the state capital of Boa Vista, and all the way to Bonfim on Brazil’s frontier with Guyana, traffickers prey on vulnerable migrants.
 
They promise good jobs but ensnare them in sex work or forced labor with meager or even no pay. 
 
:
  • Mayra Figueiras started a nonprofit, Humanidade Mais que Fronteiras, and prevents human trafficking with vocational training, language classes, and—when possible—food baskets.

  • Marcia Maria de Oliveira, a professor and sociologist at the Universidade Federal de Roraima, has led human trafficking investigations for more than two decades. 

  • Sister Ana Maria da Silva prevented machine gun-toting police from deporting dozens of women and children she was protecting from sexual exploitation. For her brave defiance, she’s known as La Monja Loca (The Crazy Nun).
Short profiles of these women and others reveal their deep commitment to breaking the cycle of exploitation.

Editor’s note: Julianna Deutscher, MD, MPH, reported this article—the third in a series—with support from the . Read the and articles here. JULY MUST-READS How Do the Amish Avoid Allergies?
As rates of allergic diseases increase worldwide, one group remains far less affected: the Amish.
  • Why? Childhood exposure to microbes such as those found in farm dust and farm animal exposure can contribute to the development of a healthy immune system. But researchers are still trying to pinpoint environmental factors unique to the Amish, who have fewer allergies than other traditional farming families worldwide.

Hanoi’s Concrete-Driven Air Quality Crisis 
Over the last year, Hanoi repeatedly topped global air pollution charts as smog draped the city. 
  • What’s fueling the pollution? Urbanization in Vietnam has led to a rapid increase in development, which includes widespread use of concrete for highways, metro lines, and buildings; Vietnam uses more cement per capita than any country except China, and almost 2X than the U.S.

America’s Insomnia Epidemic
Insomnia can cause a cascade of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, depression, and injuries—yet it remains underdiagnosed, undertreated, and poorly understood.
  • “The public and private sectors alike are barely doing a thing to address what is essentially a national health emergency,” writes Jennifer Senior, who chronicles her own struggle and exhaustive efforts to find solutions and calls for broader cultural and structural changes to address the sleep crisis.
JULY RECAP: GHN EXCLUSIVE A mother holds up the cash incentive she received at the Farfaru clinic upon vaccinating her child. Sokoto, Nigeria. February 2025. Abiodun Jamiu Fighting Infant Mortality With Vaccines and Cash in Northern Nigeria
SOKOTO, Nigeria—In the region surrounding Farfaru’s primary health care center, health workers often had to persuade women to vaccinate their children.
  • That began to change with the 2014 introduction of the Ƭ֦Ƶ Incentives cash rewards program, which spurred a surge in mothers bringing their children in for childhood immunizations to protect against diseases such as diphtheria, pertussis, hepatitis B, and polio.

  • The clinic now sees ~30–40 babies a day across 11 northern states—where vaccine hesitancy and misinformation run rampant and missed vaccinations contribute to rising infant mortality rates.
JULY'S GOOD NEWS Two Countries Validated as Trachoma-Free
Trachoma has officially been eliminated in Burundi and Senegal, making them the eighth and ninth countries in the African region to reach that public health milestone. 
  • The disease—the first eliminated neglected tropical disease in Burundi, and the second in Senegal—can lead to scarring, in-turned eyelids, and blindness, and primarily affects regions where clean water and sanitation are scarce, . 90% of the global trachoma burden is in Africa. 
How they did it: Both countries implemented WHO-recommended SAFE strategy elimination interventions for trachoma, which include surgery for the late blinding stage, mass administration of azithromycin, public awareness campaigns, and improved water and sanitation access.
More Solutions Ƭ֦Ƶs:
Tasteful solutions: A key drug to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is moxifloxacin, an extremely bitter medication that young children often refuse to take due to the taste. In trials, children reported that sweeter or flavored drugs were easier to take than the original. 

Coverage when temperatures climb: As more regions face record heat waves, a heat insurance program in India is offering new financial relief for daily wage workers who lose income or are forced to stop working during extreme heat—with “parametric” payouts triggered by a measurable event, like temperature exceeding a set threshold.

Swinging toward mobility: A physical therapist in Rio de Janeiro has helped dozens of people with Parkinson’s improve and maintain movement through capoeira—a blend of martial arts and a dance practiced for centuries by Afro-Brazilians that combines exercise, ritual, and music.  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Mpox testing initiative launched in Africa as outbreaks continue –

AMA and other medical associations are kicked out of CDC vaccine workgroups –

Data vs. Doubt: Danish Scientist Responds to U.S. HHS Secretary Critique of Aluminum Vaccine Study –

What will rescission do to foreign aid? Details are murky. Here's what we found out –

Their children can't eat, speak or walk - so forgotten Zika mothers raise them together –

More than a dozen states sue to protect gender-affirming care from federal investigations –

‘Well, no, you don’t have to have children’: what African women over the age of 60 have learned about life –

What makes Finland the ‘world’s happiest nation’? In a word, simplicity. – Issue No. 7-2025-July Monthly
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

Mon, 08/04/2025 - 09:41
96 Global Health NOW: A ‘Deadly Intersection’ of Crises in Sudan; The Women Protecting Migrants in Brazil’s North; and July Recap August 4, 2025 People gather by the makeshift graves of those buried in Khartoum's southern suburb of al-Azhari, on August 2. Ebrahim Hamid/AFP via Getty A ‘Deadly Intersection’ of Crises in Sudan
Cemeteries in North Darfur in Sudan are expanding as hundreds of thousands of people trapped in conflict across the country face compounding humanitarian crises: relentless artillery attacks, deadly hunger, a growing cholera outbreak, destructive flooding, and perilous heat, .

Widespread hunger: Famine conditions across the region are intensifying as food supplies are blocked and aid convoys are attacked—a part of the ongoing siege of El Fasher by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which seeks to cement its hold on the region in its conflict with the Sudanese military, now in its third year.
  • Bakeries have shut down and prices for any available food have skyrocketed—leading many to rely on animal feed for sustenance, .

  • Severe food shortages led to the deaths of 13 children last month at Lagawa displacement camp in East Darfur state, . 
Cholera outbreak: Cholera is also “ripping” through the region, with ~ 2,140 cases and at least 80 fatalities recorded, that described families forced to “navigate the deadly intersection of conflict, hunger, disease and environmental collapse.” 
  • Children are especially at risk as medical supplies run low and basic infrastructure deteriorates. 
Flooding and heat: Meanwhile, torrential rains have displaced thousands of people across the country and heightened disease risk, , and overwhelmed hospitals are calling for urgent support amid extreme heat.  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Mass rape, forced pregnancy, and sexual torture of women and children by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers in Tigray amount to crimes against humanity, from Physicians for Human Rights and the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa; the authors call on international bodies to investigate.

U.S. childhood vaccination rates continue to decline , which show that vaccination coverage for all children entering kindergarten in the 2024–25 school year declined for all reported vaccines from the year before, and the vaccine exemption rate rose to 3.6%.

Two mƬ֦Ƶ vaccines against HIV induced a “potent” immune response to the virus, ; the trial—only the third to test mƬ֦Ƶ vaccines against HIV—showed 80% of participants who received either of the vaccines produced antibodies against viral proteins.

Teen suicidal behavior and thoughts declined between 2021 and 2024 in the U.S., , which found the prevalence of serious suicidal thoughts in teens fell from nearly 13% to 10%, and the prevalence of suicide attempts declined from 3.6% to 2.7%. GHN EXCLUSIVE Alba Marina Gonzalez Andrade stands outside an informal migrant settlement in Boa Vista, Brazil. Julianna Deutscher The Women Protecting Migrants in Brazil’s North  
BOA VISTA, Brazil—From Pacaraima on the border with Venezuela, to the state capital of Boa Vista, and all the way to Bonfim on Brazil’s frontier with Guyana, traffickers prey on vulnerable migrants.
 
They promise good jobs but ensnare them in sex work or forced labor with meager or even no pay. 
 
:
  • Mayra Figueiras started a nonprofit, Humanidade Mais que Fronteiras, and prevents human trafficking with vocational training, language classes, and—when possible—food baskets.

  • Marcia Maria de Oliveira, a professor and sociologist at the Universidade Federal de Roraima, has led human trafficking investigations for more than two decades. 

  • Sister Ana Maria da Silva prevented machine gun-toting police from deporting dozens of women and children she was protecting from sexual exploitation. For her brave defiance, she’s known as La Monja Loca (The Crazy Nun).
Short profiles of these women and others reveal their deep commitment to breaking the cycle of exploitation.

Editor’s note: Julianna Deutscher, MD, MPH, reported this article—the third in a series—with support from the . Read the and articles here. JULY MUST-READS How Do the Amish Avoid Allergies?
As rates of allergic diseases increase worldwide, one group remains far less affected: the Amish.
  • Why? Childhood exposure to microbes such as those found in farm dust and farm animal exposure can contribute to the development of a healthy immune system. But researchers are still trying to pinpoint environmental factors unique to the Amish, who have fewer allergies than other traditional farming families worldwide.

Hanoi’s Concrete-Driven Air Quality Crisis 
Over the last year, Hanoi repeatedly topped global air pollution charts as smog draped the city. 
  • What’s fueling the pollution? Urbanization in Vietnam has led to a rapid increase in development, which includes widespread use of concrete for highways, metro lines, and buildings; Vietnam uses more cement per capita than any country except China, and almost 2X than the U.S.

America’s Insomnia Epidemic
Insomnia can cause a cascade of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, depression, and injuries—yet it remains underdiagnosed, undertreated, and poorly understood.
  • “The public and private sectors alike are barely doing a thing to address what is essentially a national health emergency,” writes Jennifer Senior, who chronicles her own struggle and exhaustive efforts to find solutions and calls for broader cultural and structural changes to address the sleep crisis.
JULY RECAP: GHN EXCLUSIVE A mother holds up the cash incentive she received at the Farfaru clinic upon vaccinating her child. Sokoto, Nigeria. February 2025. Abiodun Jamiu Fighting Infant Mortality With Vaccines and Cash in Northern Nigeria
SOKOTO, Nigeria—In the region surrounding Farfaru’s primary health care center, health workers often had to persuade women to vaccinate their children.
  • That began to change with the 2014 introduction of the Ƭ֦Ƶ Incentives cash rewards program, which spurred a surge in mothers bringing their children in for childhood immunizations to protect against diseases such as diphtheria, pertussis, hepatitis B, and polio.

  • The clinic now sees ~30–40 babies a day across 11 northern states—where vaccine hesitancy and misinformation run rampant and missed vaccinations contribute to rising infant mortality rates.
JULY'S GOOD NEWS Two Countries Validated as Trachoma-Free
Trachoma has officially been eliminated in Burundi and Senegal, making them the eighth and ninth countries in the African region to reach that public health milestone. 
  • The disease—the first eliminated neglected tropical disease in Burundi, and the second in Senegal—can lead to scarring, in-turned eyelids, and blindness, and primarily affects regions where clean water and sanitation are scarce, . 90% of the global trachoma burden is in Africa. 
How they did it: Both countries implemented WHO-recommended SAFE strategy elimination interventions for trachoma, which include surgery for the late blinding stage, mass administration of azithromycin, public awareness campaigns, and improved water and sanitation access.
More Solutions Ƭ֦Ƶs:
Tasteful solutions: A key drug to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is moxifloxacin, an extremely bitter medication that young children often refuse to take due to the taste. In trials, children reported that sweeter or flavored drugs were easier to take than the original. 

Coverage when temperatures climb: As more regions face record heat waves, a heat insurance program in India is offering new financial relief for daily wage workers who lose income or are forced to stop working during extreme heat—with “parametric” payouts triggered by a measurable event, like temperature exceeding a set threshold.

Swinging toward mobility: A physical therapist in Rio de Janeiro has helped dozens of people with Parkinson’s improve and maintain movement through capoeira—a blend of martial arts and a dance practiced for centuries by Afro-Brazilians that combines exercise, ritual, and music.  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Mpox testing initiative launched in Africa as outbreaks continue –

AMA and other medical associations are kicked out of CDC vaccine workgroups –

Data vs. Doubt: Danish Scientist Responds to U.S. HHS Secretary Critique of Aluminum Vaccine Study –

What will rescission do to foreign aid? Details are murky. Here's what we found out –

Their children can't eat, speak or walk - so forgotten Zika mothers raise them together –

More than a dozen states sue to protect gender-affirming care from federal investigations –

‘Well, no, you don’t have to have children’: what African women over the age of 60 have learned about life –

What makes Finland the ‘world’s happiest nation’? In a word, simplicity. – Issue No. 2768
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

Thu, 07/31/2025 - 09:50
96 Global Health NOW: CTE in the Spotlight; Inside Brazil’s Human-Trafficking Crisis; and Mercury’s Toll on Mental Health July 31, 2025 Flowers and a balloon reading "love one another" that were left outside the 345 Park Avenue building, the scene of a July 28 deadly shooting in Midtown Manhattan, Ƭ֦Ƶ York. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty CTE in the Spotlight 
  The gunman who killed four people in a Manhattan office shooting this week said in a note that he believed he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the degenerative disease that stems from repeated hits to the head. 

It is unclear whether he had the condition, as it can only be diagnosed posthumously in an autopsy. But the violence has brought renewed attention to CTE—along with scrutiny about how the shooter was able to access a gun despite documented mental health hospitalizations, and deploy it in a city with some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, . 

Concerns about CTE and full-contact sports have been building for two decades, as more studies have shown how repeated blows to the head lead to the buildup of brain-damaging proteins, . 
  • A number of former football players who turned to violence—particularly suicide—were found posthumously to have CTE, . 

  • But self-diagnosis comes with its own dangers, —especially as links between CTE and high school football, which the gunman played, remain understudied. 

  • And the majority of people with CTE never engage in violence, Daniel H. Daneshvar, chief of brain injury rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School : “I would never draw a direct line between someone’s brain pathology and any specific violent act.” 
Loopholes in gun laws: The perpetrator had twice been hospitalized for mental health reasons, but was still able to have a concealed carry license and access a gun in his home state of Nevada, which does not automatically disqualify someone from possessing or buying guns, despite having had emergency hospitalizations, .
  • And such laws may not have mattered: The NYPD has said the shooter’s AR-style rifle was likely assembled using parts.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Cholera threatens ~80,000 children across West and Central Africa, with active outbreaks in DRC and Nigeria posing a high risk of cross-border transmission; hardest-hit DRC reports 38,000+ cases, 951 deaths, and an alarming 8% case fatality rate in July.
 
As deadly heat waves sweep East Asia, South Korea has recorded 13 heat-related deaths so far this year—3X the same period last year—and Japan recorded its highest-ever temperature of 41.2 degrees Celsius in Tamba.

A large fungal meningitis outbreak in the U.S. that sickened 24 patients and killed 12 occurred among people who received epidural anesthesia for cosmetic surgeries in Matamoros, Mexico, in 2023, , which highlights the need for more rigorous diagnostic measures.

Dormant breast cancer cells in the lungs can be awakened by respiratory infections like COVID-19 or the flu, has found; the data could have implications for human cases, as SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection has been linked with a nearly 2X increase in cancer-related death. U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs The Role of International Aid in Supporting Ukraine’s Recovery Efforts –

Abortion shield laws are under fire –

Trump Prepares to Revoke Lifesaving Abortion Care for Veterans –

Ousted vaccine panel members say rigorous science is being abandoned –

Top FDA vaccine regulator under Trump ousted amid conservative criticism – GHN EXCLUSIVE A sunset in January over the Branco River in Roraima, Brazil's capital city, Boa Vista (Good View). Julianna Deutscher From Displacement to Exploitation: Inside Brazil’s Human-Trafficking Crisis
BOA VISTA, Brazil—The capital of northern Brazil’s Roraima state is known for the placid Branco River, gorgeous sunsets, and beautiful landscapes.

Yet behind the attractive façade, desperate  in drugs, weapons, gold, people, and organs.

Persistent risks: Many fall prey to Brazilian and Venezuelan criminal groups that lure migrants to the garimpos (illegal gold mines) with false promises but then trap them in modern slavery. Women are forced into sex work, often at the mines, posadas (motels), and restaurants.

Migrants are often bound not by physical captivity but by “invisible chains”—fear for a loved one’s safety, dependence on shelter, language barriers, or the urgent need to feed their children.

Back story: A year after the contentious reelection of President Nicolás Maduro, hundreds of Venezuelans still arrive daily through a small Brazilian border town north of Boa Vista.

In this second part of a series on Venezuelan migrants’ experiences in Brazil, Julianna Deutscher describes the migrants’ plight and the policy and funding barriers to their protection.

Editor’s note: Julianna Deutscher, MD, MPH, reported this article—the second in a series—with support from the . Read the first article . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Mercury’s Toll on Mental Health 
Widespread mercury poisoning has been linked to high attempted suicide rates among youth in the Indigenous Grassy Narrows First Nation in Ontario, . 

Background: Mercury contamination in the region began in the 1960s–70s, when a paper mill dumped ~10 tons of mercury into local rivers used for fishing.  
  • Over the years, the Grassy Narrows First Nation community has seen suicide attempts increase dramatically—3X higher than in other First Nation communities in Canada.
Findings: Researchers analyzed mercury levels in 162 children and 80 mothers, finding three generations of mercury exposure linked to emotional and behavioral problems—particularly among women who ate fish during pregnancy. 

The Quote: “Our way of life has been totally destroyed,” said Grassy Narrows First Nation Chief Rudy Turtle

  ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Literary Tails 
Bookshop pets have a pretty tough gig, considering their full-time job is to literally curl up with a good book.

And these days, they have even more responsibility thanks to social media—which has conferred main-character status upon the cockatiels, cats, and King Charles Spaniels inhabiting the stacks.
  • “We get a whole bunch of readers, but people really come to see the animals,” said Anna Hersh, a co-owner and “animal care coordinator” of Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis—a mythic menagerie of birds, cats, fish, and a pair of chinchillas named Ƭ֦Ƶbery and Caldecott. 
Where the Wild Things Are:
  • Bear Pond Books in Vermont is under the supervision of Veruca Salt, , who hosts an annual birthday party with cake and stories—notably The Tortoise and the Hare.

  • The Literary Cat Co. in Kansas partners with a local animal rescue to fostered at the shop. 

  • Scattered Books in Ƭ֦Ƶ York hires booksellers based on their bunny expertise—and not just knowledge of the plotlines of Peter Rabbit or Watership Down: 

    • “People come in and they’re like, ‘I love to read.’ I’m like, ‘How are you with rabbits?’” said owner Laura Schaefer, whose “” have top shelf status (despite being confined to empty bottom shelves). 

QUICK HITS Canada’s Measles Outbreak Exceeds Cases in the U.S. –

Safety of JN.1-Updated mƬ֦Ƶ COVID-19 Vaccines –

The status of ownership and utilization of long-lasting insecticidal treated nets in war-torn Tigray, Ethiopia –

U.S. Visa Bureaucracy and Its Burdens Among Early Career Scholars –

Scientists just invented a safer non-stick coating—and it’s inspired by arrows –

She ended up with a bat in her mouth — and $21,000 in medical bills –  Issue No. 2767
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Categories: Global Health Feed

Wed, 07/30/2025 - 09:37
96 Global Health NOW: Migration Response Done Right: Brazil’s Model; EPA Aims to Gut Key Climate Ruling; and Sierra Leone Ordered to Criminalize FGM July 30, 2025 GHN EXCLUSIVE Venezuelan refugees walk after crossing the border between Venezuela and Brazil in the city of Pacaraima, Roraima State, Brazil, on September 13, 2024. Alan Chaves/AFP via Getty Migration Response Done Right: Brazil’s Model for a World in Crisis
PACARAIMA, Brazil—Maria* steps out of a white truck on January 10 and walks toward a crowd of newly arrived Venezuelans.
  • Alone and far from home, women and girls like Maria have faced gender-based violence and human trafficking as they fled Venezuela’s political and economic collapse, in Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru.
A warm welcome: Migrants in Brazil had much more positive experiences than those in the other countries. The difference, says study author Susan Bartels, is the work of Operação Acolhida (Operation Welcome).
  • The Brazilian government launched the program in 2018, as a unique collaboration with UN agencies and NGOs. The partnership blends military logistical support with respect for humanitarian autonomy, a rare balance in crisis response. 
A streamlined process: Maria is connected to free essential services, applies for asylum or permanent residency, and receives information about universal health care.
  • She can also get free transportation to be reunited with family or friends across Brazil and is connected with employment services.
Challenges remain: U.S. government cuts to foreign aid are forcing some organizations to scale back their support of Operação Acolhida​​, but on this day, Maria’s new life begins. 

*Maria’s name was changed to protect her privacy.

Editor’s note: Julianna Deutscher, MD, MPH, reported this article—the first in a series marking today’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons—with support from the . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Cholera is a “full-blown public health emergency” in DRC six months into renewed fighting that has obliterated sanitation and water supply systems, per Oxfam’s DRC director, Manenji Mangundu—with ~35,000 suspected cases and at least 852 related deaths since January, a 62% increase compared to 2024.

Liver cancer cases are projected to double—from ~870,000 cases in 2022 to 1.52 million cases by 2050—but at least 60% of those cancers could be preventable,  published Monday. 

Undocumented immigrants faced a much higher risk of death at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic—with Latino essential workers in particular showing a staggering 91% increase in deaths compared with 8% for the white U.S.-born subgroup—. 

All NIH research funding was temporarily halted Tuesday because of a footnote from an Office of Management and Budget document that limited NIH funding to staff salaries and expenses, not to research grants; the billions of funds were restored hours later in a turnabout NIH officials described as “chaos.” U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs Budget cuts knock down a ‘pillar of public health,’ ending nutrition education –

US placed on rights watchlist over health of its civil society under Trump –

There's a major publishing slowdown at CDC's flagship journal –

Susan Monarez confirmed as Trump’s CDC director –

Dozens of state laws take aim at food dyes, amid a wave support for MAHA – CLIMATE CHANGE EPA Aims to Gut Key Climate Ruling 
The U.S. EPA will seek to rescind a key scientific finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare—a move that could dismantle the legal basis for much of the country’s climate policy, . 

Background: In 2009, the EPA determined that CO2 and other greenhouse gases can be regulated under the Clean Air Act because they harm human health. That “” has since underpinned regulations on emissions standards for everything from factories to cars, . 

Repeal: Yesterday while at a car dealership, EPA head Lee Zeldin announced to eliminate the standards, .
  • The move is the latest Trump administration effort to roll back climate initiatives, including the country’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, . 

  • One ecologist likened a repeal to “a driver who is speeding towards a cliff taking his foot off the brake and instead pressing the accelerator.”
What’s next: The proposal must undergo public comment and is likely to face legal challenges from environmental groups and states.

Meanwhile, the WHO is at a global climate and health conference in Brasília—as the “lived reality” of climate change “threatens to undo decades of global health progress.” GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HUMAN RIGHTS Sierra Leone’s President Ordered to Ban FGM
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) court of justice has ordered Sierra Leone to criminalize female genital mutilation (FGM), calling it “one of the worst forms of violence against women.” 
  • A 2019 survey found that 83% of women in Sierra Leone had undergone FGM—71% of them before age 15. 
In early July, Sierra Leone passed the Child Rights Act 2025, which prohibits all forms of mental and physical violence against children—but as it does not specifically address FGM, human rights advocates are encouraging President Julius Maada Bio to send the act back to parliament for revision. 
  • Despite recently becoming chair of ECOWAS, Bio has yet to publicly acknowledge the court’s ruling.
QUICK HITS People are dying of malnutrition in Gaza. How does starvation kill you? –

Colombia Opens South America's First Safe Injection Sites –

Kratom and 7-OH: What to know about the "legal morphine" compound –

AMR surveillance project in Nigeria delivers life-saving impacts –

In Uganda a new epidemic alert system is helping fight mpox –

The Dutch Intersection Is Coming to Save Your Life – Issue No. 2766
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Categories: Global Health Feed

Tue, 07/29/2025 - 09:49
96 Global Health NOW: A Temporary Dip in Global Hunger?; Why European Vaccine Policies Don’t Fit the U.S.; and Remembering David Nabarro July 29, 2025 A South Sudanese refugee carrying her child on her back works at her vegetable crops. Turkana County, Kenya, October 2, 2019. Luis Tato/AFP via Getty A Temporary Dip in Global Hunger? 
Global hunger decreased slightly last year, but rising food prices and falling aid contributions mean that momentum will be unlikely to continue in the coming years, according to the  published yesterday.

Takeaways:
  • 8.2% of people worldwide, or 673 million people, were estimated to have experienced hunger last year, a drop from 8.5% in 2023 and 8.7% in 2022.

  • 22 million fewer people experienced hunger last year compared to 2022.

  • 2.3 billion people were considered moderately or severely food insecure last year, according to the report from five UN agencies.

  • Advances in Southeastern Asia, Southern Asia, and South America were largely responsible for the lower global hunger numbers.
Threats:
  • Hunger in much of Africa and Western Asia continues to rise.

  • Global food inflation, driven by the pandemic, climate change, and the war in Ukraine, rocketed to almost 17% in early 2023 from 2% in late 2020, .
Food violence: At least two people were shot and killed yesterday by police battling desperate refugees in a northern Kenya refugee camp experiencing a food crisis, .

The Quote: “These figures … are alarming enough, but the worst may be yet to come,” Kate Munro, of Action Against Hunger UK, told The Telegraph. “Cuts in international aid will hit the most vulnerable populations hardest.” GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Danish researchers combed the records of 1.2 million+ children over a 24-year period and found no evidence that the use of aluminum salts in vaccines increased the risk of asthma, autism, and a wide range of conditions diagnosed in childhood, per . 

Common pollutants like PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide, and soot are all linked to a significantly higher risk of dementia, per a sweeping review of studies  that drew on data from nearly 30 million people. 

Nearly a quarter of African American adults had eye disease that went  undetected,  ages 40 and older with eye conditions in a Los Angeles suburb; diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration were especially common.  Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe!

The Chinese government will offer parents a $500 subsidy per year for each child under the age of three, aimed at boosting the country’s slumping birth rate, but some economic analysts say the sums are too small to make an impact. U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs Odds of winning NIH grants plummet as new funding policy and spending delays bite –

Group criticizes NIH over suspended funding for TB research –

Judge blocks Trump administration’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood –

Senate to vote on Trump’s pick to lead the CDC – THE QUOTE
  "Venoms are evolutionary masterpieces, yet their antimicrobial potential has barely been explored. " —ĔĔĔĔ César de la Fuente of the University of Pennsylvania, senior author of a research project that used AI to sift through global venom libraries and uncovered dozens of promising drug candidate.&Բ;— VACCINES Why European Immunization Policies Don’t Fit the U.S.
As Trump administration health officials question the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule, they are pointing to European countries as a model for a more minimalist approach that requires fewer immunizations than U.S. guidelines call for.

Apples and oranges: But global health experts argue that differences in vaccine schedules are not due to disagreements about safety, but instead are shaped by local disease risks, demographics, and health systems. 
  • In the U.S., a more fractured and inaccessible health system means a broader vaccine schedule allows for continuity and protection that might otherwise be lost. 
The key question: “Given our specific disease burden and public-health goals, are we effectively protecting the most vulnerable people? Based on overwhelming evidence? The answer is yes,” said Jake Scott, an infectious disease physician at Stanford University. 

OBIT Remembering David Nabarro, ‘A Great Champion of Global Health’
David Nabarro, a key figure in global health who helped lead the international response to health threats ranging from Ebola to the COVID-19 pandemic, died Friday at age 75.
  • “David was a great champion of global health and health equity,” WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus wrote.
Legacy of service: Nabarro was a physician whose early career focused on nutrition and child health throughout Iraq, South Asia, and East Africa. 
  • He also helped coordinate the WHO’s response to the 2004 Indian earthquake, and took part in efforts to contain AIDS, malaria, bird flu, and the 2014 Ebola outbreak. He led the WHO’s messaging during COVID-19—a role that earned him a knighthood. 
“The Gandalf of the UN”: Colleagues praised Nabarro’s humility and his way of “quietly bringing people to the table who otherwise would not speak to each other.” 

RESOURCES QUICK HITS Cholera rampant among displaced and refugees in Darfur and eastern Chad – 

Measles Elimination Status: What It Is and How the U.S. Could Lose It –

WHO urges action on hepatitis, announcing hepatitis D as carcinogenic –

Preventing Firearm Suicide In Wyoming –

PAHO/WHO convenes journalists to reshape how road safety is covered in Latin America –  

845,000 dead on U.S. highways. Why not address the main cause? –

Michigan led on safe water after Flint, but mobile home parks are stubborn rough spot –

Looking at a sick person in VR can rev up our bodies’ immune systems – Issue No. 2765
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Categories: Global Health Feed

Mon, 07/28/2025 - 09:42
96 Global Health NOW: Instability in Syria; Ivermectin for Added Protection?; and Nigeria’s Human Flycatchers July 28, 2025 Medical workers disinfect a hospital bed outside Sweida National Hospital, in southern Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, on July 20. Shadi Al-Dubaisi/AFP via Getty Instability in Syria 
Deadly sectarian clashes in Syria’s southern Sweida province have led to mass displacement, hundreds of deaths, and a paralyzed health system—threatening the country’s tenuous postwar stability, . 

Background: The violence was sparked earlier this month by kidnappings between Bedouin tribal fighters and armed factions of the Druze minority group, . 
  • 800+ people have been killed, , and so far ~176,000 people have been displaced, . 

  • Syrian government forces have intervened and established a ceasefire, but they are accused of siding with the clans and targeting civilians. 
Health system ‘under immense strain’: The , including the killing of two doctors and obstruction of ambulances. 
  • Hospital workers and patients described violence within wards and bodies piling up inside as the city morgue reached capacity. 

  • Hospitals are now under “immense strain,” said WHO representative Christina Bethke—facing severe shortages of personnel, water, electricity, and essential supplies.
Aid access blocked: Poor security conditions are limiting the ability of the UN and partners to deliver medical supplies and other aid to those affected by the violence—leading to “severe humanitarian consequences for civilians,” . 

Related Webinar Tomorrow: Stabilizing Syria: Rehabilitating Syria’s Public Health System in a Fragile Transition, hosted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies Middle East Program, featuring keynote remarks by Syria’s Transitional Minister of Health Musaab Nazzal Al-Ali and a panel discussion with Syria experts Bachir Tajaldin, Lolwa Al-Abdulmalek, and Diana Rayes, moderated by Mona Yacoubian.
  • Tuesday, July 29, 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m. EDT
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES Today Is World Hepatitis Day The Latest One-Liners   Timor-Leste has been certified malaria-free by the WHO, which praised the country for “strong political will, smart interventions, sustained domestic and external investment and dedicated health workers” in its efforts; the designation marks the malaria-free, and the third to be certified in the WHO’s South-East Asia region.

At least 300 people—mainly children in Africa and Asia—have died since 2022 from cough and paracetamol syrups containing toxic industrial chemicals, that says “criminal networks” exploit weak regulations to use the chemicals as cheap substitutes for medicinal glycol.

A dengue outbreak in Samoa has led to a government-ordered closure of all schools in the country for a week, as children are most affected; 900+ cases were reported last week alone, , with 2,254 cases reported since January.

A Salmonella outbreak tied to raw milk from a California dairy farm sickened 171 people, including 120 children and adolescents, between October 2023 and March 2024, published last week. U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs Lesotho mothers fear passing HIV to their babies as US aid cuts halt testing –

Rural Oklahoma kids were getting more counselors — then federal cuts pulled funding –

Trump targets supervised consumption of drugs and harm reduction in executive order –

As the ADA turns 35, groups fighting for disability rights could see their federal dollars slashed –

Congressional panels resist White House proposals for sharp cuts in indirect cost rates – MALARIA Ivermectin for Added Protection?
A new malaria control strategy involving mass administration of the antiparasitic drug ivermectin is showing promise, per results from a large trial in Kenya . 

Background: Ivermectin makes human blood toxic to mosquitoes—allowing humans to target mosquitoes via their food source, . 

Trial details: The trial, which targeted school-age children, involved 20,000+ participants across 84 communities who received ivermectin or a control drug during the rainy season. 
  • The communities that administered ivermectin saw a 26% reduction in new malaria infections. 

  • The intervention showed added protection beyond existing bed net use—meaning it shows potential as a complementary tool, . 
Mixed reception: While some researchers praised the findings and described the drug as an “addition to the malaria control arsenal,” others questioned the modest impact and “questionable public health benefits,” including ivermectin’s unsuitability for pregnant women and very young children.

What’s next: The WHO has said more evidence will be needed before it can endorse the approach. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES NEGLECTED DISEASES Nigeria’s Human Flycatchers 
In the battle against onchocerciasis, the parasitic disease that causes river blindness, researchers in Nigeria are relying on “human landing catches” to help them mark progress.
  • 40 million people are at risk of onchocerciasis in Nigeria, where there are 120,000 cases of related blindness.
How it works: Volunteers expose their skin to lure and trap the black flies that transmit the disease.

Why? The main strategy to curb transmission is mass drug administration to prevent the parasite’s spread. But researchers can only know how the effort is working by testing flies. 

A push for alternatives? Using humans as bait has long raised ethical concerns. Researchers are currently testing other trap models to potentially use instead.

QUICK HITS Israel pauses attacks in some of Gaza to allow limited aid, as global criticism grows –

‘Changed my life’: hepatitis treatment offers hope but not enough receiving care, report finds –

Native leaders push back on gender-affirming care restrictions for tribal citizens –

E.U. regulator approves injectable HIV drug that experts say could help stop transmission –

Coercive Care: Southern Europe’s Reliance on Elder Restraints –

Other nations had a pandemic reckoning. Why hasn’t the US? –

America is in denial about its flood risks –

WHO unveils health and environment scorecards for 194 countries –

The Ghost in the Therapy Room – Issue No. 2764
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Categories: Global Health Feed

Thu, 07/24/2025 - 09:45
96 Global Health NOW: Hunger Grips Gaza; The Complex Quest for a Long-COVID Drug; and Cracking On July 24, 2025 Yasmine, a 22-year-old Palestinian mother, holds her malnourished 2-month-old daughter Teen as they await treatment at the Nasser hospital, in Khan Yunis. Gaza Strip, July 24. AFP via Getty Hunger Grips Gaza
Gazans are trapped in a deepening crisis of “man-made starvation,” the WHO’s chief said yesterday—joining that Israel’s blockade of food and aid supplies has led to “chaos, starvation, and death,” . 
  • 111 people have now died from hunger, including 80 children, even as supplies remain stuck at borders. 

  • The WHO estimates ~100,000 women and children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, while doctors have reported seeing record numbers of malnourished children and older people, . 
Doctors and aid workers are also starving, as hospitals and humanitarian organizations report “witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes,” . 
  • Medical staff are becoming too weak to treat patients—even as hospitals fill with people who are malnourished and injured, . 
Meanwhile, 1,000+ Palestinians have been killed trying to access food since the Israeli- and U.S.- backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation took over aid distribution in May,

And a WHO staff member remains in Israeli detention following an attack on a WHO warehouse and facilities, . 

Related: Gaza has been at risk of famine for months, experts say. Here’s why they haven’t declared one. –   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Editing mosquitoes' genome can make them highly resistant to spreading malaria by changing just one amino acid, —an adjustment that could be engineered to spread through an entire mosquito population.

Diet is the key driver of obesity, not lack of exercise, —which compared the daily total calorie burn for people from 34 different countries and cultures around the world.

Immunity to seasonal flu is protective against severe illness from avian flu in ferrets, finds a study in that looked at how the H1N1 virus that began circulating in 2009 lowered susceptibility to currently circulating H5N1.

A €10 million stockpile of USAID-funded condoms, pills, and other contraceptives will be incinerated in France; the U.S. rejected NGO offers to buy up the supplies, warehoused in Belgium since the U.S. froze foreign aid programs in January.  U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs Michael R. Bloomberg: RFK Jr. Is Making America Sick Again. Republicans Need a Cure –
UK government shutters aid program to fight antimicrobial resistance –

U.S. Quietly Drafts Plan to End Program That Saved Millions From AIDS –

Trump's plan to slash global health spending rejected by key spending panel –

RFK Jr.'s Vaccine-Safety Analyst Has Already Disqualified Himself –

Ƭ֦Ƶ EPA proposal aims to strike down landmark climate "endangerment finding" – COVID-19 The Complex Quest for a Long-COVID Drug
The failure of a once-promising long-COVID drug trial highlights the challenges of trying to treat the complex condition, and is prompting a reevaluation of how study design should work. 

Background: Long-COVID patients and practitioners had been closely watching developments from German start-up Berlin Cures on its novel drug, called BC 007 (rovunaptabin). But phase II trials ended unsuccessfully last November.

Defects in design: While some participants did see improvement in their symptoms following BC 007 infusions, critics say failures in study design meant that such changes could not be adequately measured. 

Participant problem: The trial also demonstrates the challenge of casting “too wide a net” for trial participants: The trial used a blood test to select participants—but long COVID includes a wide range of diseases and conditions, which may respond differently to treatments. 



Related:

From Long Flu to Long COVID: A Brief History of Postviral Illness –

COVID-19 cases are rising in these states amid summer wave, CDC data shows
DATA POINT

82%
—ĔĔ
The percentage of the population of Tuvalu seeking a landmark climate visa to live in Australia; the low-lying Pacific nation is one of the “most climate-threatened corners of the planet.” —
  INFECTIOUS DISEASES A Sweet Success for Tuberculosis Medication 
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) has risen among children globally from 1990 to 2019. 

A key drug to treat MDR TB is moxifloxacin, an extremely bitter medication that young children often refuse to take due to the taste. 
  • Annually, there are 32,000 new cases of RR/MDR TB, a strain resistant to two first-line treatments in children under 14—an age range especially sensitive to taste.
Tasteful solutions: Sweeter, bitter-masked versions of drugs may help with medication adherence. In trials, children reported that sweeter or flavored drugs were easier to take than the original. 

ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Cracking On
Between a quarter to half of all people pop their knuckles, which means there is a very large population who just really wants them to stop. 

But the latter group’s key bit of leverage—warning persistent knuckle-crackers that they are destined to have arthritis—has been snapped: 
  • Studies have repeatedly found that knuckle-cracking has no bearing on arthritis.
Knuckling down on research: When people crack their knuckles, they temporarily open up the tight space of the knuckle joint, leading to a drop in pressure and the formation of bubbles that then burst, causing the popping sound, explains a rheumatologist who called the arthritis query a “common question I get asked over the dinner table.”
  • Arthritis can be affected by genetics and joint trauma, but not popping. 
Single-handed study: One doctor’s pursuit to prove his mother wrong on the matter led him to crack the knuckles on just one hand every day for 60+ years. 
  • When he finally had both hands assessed, there were no signs of arthritis in either—, and the ultimate “toldja so.”
QUICK HITS In Syria, Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance Haunt the Return Home –

Is Bird Flu Gone for Good? –

CDC says COVID-related emergency room visits climbing especially among young children –

Doctors are biased against higher-weight patients. Can nutrition education help them change? –

Smoking avatars and online games: how big tobacco targets young people in the metaverse –

Researchers move closer to a universal cancer vaccine –

In Darfur’s displacement epicentre, community kitchens shoulder the load –

Talc Is Suddenly in the Spotlight. Is it Bad for You? – Issue No. 2763
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Categories: Global Health Feed

Wed, 07/23/2025 - 09:29
96 Global Health NOW Malaria’s Rebound; How Do the Amish Avoid Allergies?; and Swinging Toward Mobility July 23, 2025 A malaria warning sign. Mbire, Zimbabwe. May 15, 2021. Cynthia R Matonhodze/Bloomberg via Getty Malaria’s Rebound
Malaria is surging in southern Africa, as heavy rains drive mosquito activity and as USAID funding cuts disrupt access to critical tools like insecticide-treated bed nets—“leaving communities exposed and placing further strain on already stretched health systems,” .

‘Back with a vengeance’ in Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe has reported 111,998 cases and 310 deaths compared to 29,031 cases with 49 deaths in the same period last year.
  • USAID cuts this year crippled the Zimbabwe Entomological Support Programme in Malaria and led to a shortfall of 600,000 insecticide-treated nets, . 

  • “When the supply of test kits and first-line treatments is disrupted, malaria cases and deaths will spiral,” said Itai Rusike, director of Zimbabwe’s Community Working Group on Health. 
Botswana, Eswatini, and Namibia are also reporting significant outbreaks, as climate change expands the range of malaria-carrying mosquitoes and impacts people in high-risk livelihoods like mining and agriculture. 

The issue of ‘interconnectedness’: Cross-border transmission occurs easily in southern Africa, highlighting the need for cooperation in surveillance and other efforts. 

Pushing forward: Despite heavy setbacks, African health officials say they are still investing in elimination efforts—pointing to significant progress in countries like Cabo Verde and Egypt.
  • “We have just been disturbed, but our vision is to eliminate malaria by 2030,” said Zimbabwe’s deputy health minister, Sleiman Kwidini.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   A large chikungunya outbreak is spreading rapidly from three Indian Ocean islands to Africa, and parts of South East Asia are also experiencing outbreaks; prevention efforts center on avoiding mosquito bites, though the WHO said it will review trial data on two chikungunya vaccines not yet recommended for global use.

People’s brains aged faster than expected during the pandemic—even those of people who weren’t infected, per a of nearly 1,000 people published yesterday; researchers found that the brains of people who had lived through the pandemic had aged 5.5 months faster than those of people in a control group.

How to reduce the frequent E. coli outbreaks linked to romaine lettuce? Stop spraying leaves with untreated surface water and improve cold storage from field to produce delivery, write Cornell University researchers and colleagues in a recent .

Australia’s winter flu surge has led to a 50% increase in hospital admissions over two weeks, per new data that also show the national rate of influenza vaccine coverage to be below 30%. U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs Small win for activists, but SA’s HIV projects won’t get reopened
&Բ;–

Viewpoints: Cuts To NIH And Global Health Research Are Dangerous And May Accelerate The Next Pandemic –

WHO’s Tedros: US Rejection of International Rules on Health Threats is Based on ‘Inaccuracies’ –

Kentucky’s campaign to improve rural cancer care is a national model. Federal cuts threaten its progress –

Disabled Americans fear what Medicaid cuts could do to them –

FDA taps biotech industry veteran as RFK Jr.’s top drug regulator – IMMUNOLOGY How Do the Amish Avoid Allergies? 


As rates of allergic diseases increase worldwide, one group remains largely immune: the Amish. 

  • Just 7% of Amish children had a positive response to one or more common allergens, compared with more than half of the general U.S. population, .

  • They also have fewer allergies than other traditional farming families worldwide.
Why? Researchers have found that childhood exposure to microbes such as those found in farm dust and farm animal exposure can contribute to the development of a healthy immune system. 
  • But they are still trying to pinpoint “time-honored and very stable” environmental factors unique to the Amish, in hopes of developing more protective therapies and interventions.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES PARKINSON'S Swinging Toward Mobility 
The damage Parkinson’s disease does to a person’s sense of balance and stability can often lead them to feel physically and mentally stuck. 

But a physical therapist in Rio de Janeiro has helped dozens of people with Parkinson’s improve and maintain movement through capoeira—a blend of martial arts and a dance practiced for centuries by Afro-Brazilians that combines exercise, ritual, and music.
  • The initiative, “Parkinson na ginga” (“Parkinson’s in the swing”), started in 2018, and helps participants build strength and balance in a fun and social environment.
The Quote: “Capoeira gives me freedom to work on my body,” said participant Teles de Freitas. 

NEW RESOURCE QUICK HITS A lifeline lies in ruins: Iranian missile destroys a rehab center for disabled kids –  Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe! 

Russia Accused Of 'Stealing' Ukraine's Future With Forced Deportation Of Children –

A gut-wrenching problem we can solve –

Indonesian military’s new pharma role sparks fears of expanded powers –

Louisiana Upholds Its HIV Exposure Law as Other States Change or Repeal Theirs –

Austin Public Health finds measles in the water –  

Flu vaccine averted up to 42% of US flu cases in 2022-23, despite lower uptake –

The new strategy to restrict abortion nationwide — without saying ‘ban’ –

The optimistic brain: scans reveal thought patterns shared by positive thinkers –   Issue No. 2762
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Categories: Global Health Feed

Tue, 07/22/2025 - 09:50
96 Global Health NOW: Asia’s Floods Highlight Need for Faster Warnings; Tracing Ƭ֦Ƶ H5N1 Transmission Routes; and Two More Countries Now Trachoma-Free July 22, 2025 A young boy pushes a tuk-tuk through a flooded street in Manila on July 22, after heavy rains caused flooding worsened by a monsoon. Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Asia’s Floods Highlight Need for Faster Warnings
As typhoons lash parts of Asia and cause flooding, evacuations, and hundreds of deaths, a UN agency says that current warning systems are inadequate against today’s more frequent, more intense storms.
  • Typhoon Wipha struck the Philippines on Monday and early today with torrential rains that left parts of the country with knee- to waist-deep flooding, .

  • Nearly 50,000 people living near the Marikina River in the Manila region and in the Quezon and Caloocan cities have been evacuated, . At least five people are dead and seven missing.

  • Vietnam is bracing for 500mm (~20 inches) of rain as well as flooding and landslides caused by Wipha, now downgraded to a tropical storm.

  • More than 120 people in Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, have died in “exceptional high” floods since monsoon rains started June 26, .
A better warning system: World Meteorological Organization officials said yesterday that they are seeking to expand the  flood forecasting system worldwide by 2027, . The system, currently used in 70+ countries, draws on satellite data, radar, and weather modeling to provide hours of advance warning.

Related: Texas Lawmakers Largely Ignored Recommendations Aimed at Helping Rural Areas Like Kerr County Prepare for Flooding – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
War-wounded Ukrainian patients treated at Helsinki University Hospital in Finland showed a high rate of multidrug-resistant bacterial infection —indicating that war-related hospitalizations represent a distinct and urgent risk of antimicrobial-resistance, the researchers say. 

Over one-third of contributors to the development of 2023 American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines on evaluating and treating children and adolescents with obesity—which leaned toward the use of obesity medications—had undisclosed financial ties to obesity drugmakers, . 

A million+ people in France have signed a petition against the so-called “Duplomb law” adopted on July 8 permitting a return of a pesticide, acetamiprid, known to be toxic to pollinators such as bees and ecosystems. 

Switching to a four-day work week created happier, healthier, more productive workers—reducing burnout and increasing job satisfaction,  of such an intervention that encompassed six countries: Australia, Ƭ֦Ƶ Zealand, the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Ireland.  U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs ________________________________________________________________ Planned Parenthood wins partial victory in legal fight with Trump administration over funding cuts –

FDA Panel Takes Aim at SSRI Use During Pregnancy –

Advocates Fear US Agents Are Using ‘Wellness Checks’ on Children as a Prelude to Arrests –

States sue over citizenship curbs on Head Start, clinics –

GOP megabill’s final score: $3.4T in red ink and 10 million kicked off health insurance, CBO says –

The quick return of medical debt to credit reports is another blow to cancer patients – AVIAN FLU Tracing Ƭ֦Ƶ Routes of H5N1 Transmission
Scientists are gaining new insights into how H5N1 could spread among dairy cattle, particularly two potential routes: contamination from house flies, and from cows and calves nursing.

Background: When H5N1 first emerged in dairy cattle, researchers believed contaminated equipment and movement of infected cattle were key factors in virus spread. 
  • But when outbreaks continued after addressing those issues, scientists expanded their investigation and found new insights:
Flies: Avian influenza detected in house flies leads scientists to believe that the insects can “mechanically” acquire and move the virus. 

“M-Բٳ󾱲Բ”: found that H5N1 may infect mammary glands via mouth-to-teat transmission through nursing, and via cows that “steal milk” through mutual nursing. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES NEGLECTED DISEASES Two Countries Validated as Trachoma-Free
Trachoma has officially been eliminated in Burundi and Senegal, making them the eighth and ninth countries in the African region to reach that public health milestone.
  • The disease—the first eliminated neglected tropical disease in Burundi—can lead to scarring, in-turned eyelids, and blindness, and primarily affects regions where clean water and sanitation are scarce, .

  • In Senegal, trachoma is the second neglected tropical disease to be eliminated after being declared free of dracunculiasis (Guinea-worm disease) transmission in 2004, .

  • 90% of the global trachoma burden is in Africa. 

  • 93 million people live in at-risk areas as of April 2024. 
Success in action: Both countries implemented WHO-recommended SAFE strategy elimination interventions for trachoma, which include surgery to treat the late-blinding stage of the disease, antibiotic mass drug administration of azithromycin, public awareness campaigns, and improved water supply and sanitation access.

Related:

WHO plans trachoma elimination intervention in Nigeria, 19 others –

Breaking the cycle of neglected diseases – OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Why England can learn from Scotland after first measles death in a decade –

High prevalence of colistin-resistant Klebsiella found in Africa –

Battling Lassa Fever: Liberia’s Strides in Preparedness and Response –

A creek with atomic waste from WWII is linked to increased cancer risk –

Air Pollution in Baltimore’s Curtis Bay Community Linked to Nearby Coal Terminal Activities and Wind –  

The potential gains of replenishing the Global Fund –

Birth control access: Scorecard evaluates family planning policies across the U.S. – Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe! 

The Ƭ֦Ƶ Sun Worship –

Engineers transform dental floss into needle-free vaccine – Issue No. 2761
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Categories: Global Health Feed

Mon, 07/21/2025 - 09:47
96 Global Health NOW: As Measles Spreads, Strategies Shift; The Role of Reward in Quitting Meth; and Coverage When Temperatures Climb July 21, 2025 A Southwestern Public Health sign advises patients who suspect they have measles to call ahead before seeking medical attention. St. Thomas, Ontario, July 9. Geoff Robins/AFP via Getty As Measles Spreads, Strategies Shift 
As countries continue to reckon with the worst measles outbreaks in years, many health practitioners say they are shifting mitigation tactics in real time—moving from a vaccine-centric approach to improved overall messaging and health care access. 

In Canada: 3,800 cases have been reported, nearly 3X the number of U.S. cases, . 
  • Vaccine uptake has dropped significantly since the pandemic, researchers say. Vaccine opposition is a key contributor to that, but so are pandemic-related disruptions. 

  • As clinics respond to an outbreak among Ontario’s Mennonite community, health workers are seeking to address language barriers, build trust, and “change how Low German–speaking families and the medical system interact with each other,” writes a . 
In England: 500+ cases have been reported this year, with 68% among children under 10, . 
  • While vaccine hesitancy has driven lower MMR vaccine uptake, poverty-driven inequality is also contributing to missed appointments, say researchers calling for improved access, . 
In the U.S.: Infections have surpassed 1,300, with Texas alone logging 760+, . 
  • Health workers in the state say that going forward, they may pivot from a vaccine-focused approach and emphasize better testing and offering additional treatments to build trust, .
Related: 

Measles Can Erase Your Immune System's Memory, Expert Says –

Bolivia stepping up efforts to tackle measles – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   49% of Black women in the UK who expressed concerns during labor didn’t receive adequate support, , which also found that 23% did not receive requested pain support.

~1,200 chikungunya cases have been reported in south China’s Guangdong province, prompting widespread mosquito control efforts and health alerts in nearby Hong Kong.

A cholera case in Poland is the country’s first in six years; the country’s chief sanitary inspector said the disease was confirmed in an elderly woman in Stargard who had not left the country, and that 20 of her contacts were now in quarantine.

Exposure limits to toxic airborne fungi indoors have been proposed for the first time via , which provides species-specific health risk estimates in an effort to address a “major gap in indoor air safety policy.”  U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs US rejects amendments to WHO international health regulations – 

Clawing back foreign aid is tied to 'waste, fraud and abuse.' What's the evidence? –
U.S. research community says new indirect cost model is still too complicated –

GOP tax law will increase overdose deaths by 1,000 each year, analysis finds –

Trump administration pulls back on work combating human trafficking, long a top GOP priority –

​ACA health insurance will cost the average person 75% more next year, research shows –
‘A disaster for all of us’: US scientists describe impact of Trump cuts – DATA POINT

$1.7 trillion
—ĔĔĔĔ——
Potential annual reduction in global economic output by 2050 if countries fail to contain drug resistance, per an AMR “fallout forecast” modeling study that showed China and the U.S. would lose the most, at $722 billion and $296 billion, respectively. — SUBSTANCE USE The Role of Reward in Quitting Meth 
Treating meth addiction remains a critical challenge for many U.S. communities, as no effective medication is available to help manage dependence. 
  • With few options, an innovative strategy is gaining traction: contingency management (CM), which rewards patients for abstaining from meth.
How it works: Patients who test negative for meth at a clinic receive vouchers or cash rewards that increase with continued abstinence—typically totaling ~$600 over three to six months. 

Outcomes: Research has shown that CM outperforms counseling or therapy for stimulant addiction; about half of patients who complete CM remain drug-free after one year.

Growth—but for how long? CM programs have expanded to 600+ sites nationwide, aided by federal support and private insurers. 
  • But the Trump administration’s health overhauls may impact such programs’ future. 
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HEAT Coverage When Temperatures Climb
A heat insurance program in India is offering new financial relief for daily wage workers who lose income or are forced to stop working during extreme heat.
  • The coverage is “parametric,” which means payouts are triggered by a measurable event, like temperature exceeding a set threshold, and no claims are required. 
Background: Such plans are seen as critical as more regions face record heat waves. One in the city of Ahmedabad that now covers ~50,000 members was set up through collaboration of the Indian trade union Employed Women’s Association and the nonprofit Climate Resilience for All. 

Impact: The payouts not only help people avoid exploitative loans to pay bills; they also give workers a chance to rest or fund alternative business opportunities until they can resume work. 

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Nearly 100 people killed seeking aid in Gaza on Sunday, Palestinian officials say –

South Korea flood death toll rises to 18 as southern regions battered by record rain –

FDA reverses ban on sale of Juul e-cigarettes –

Most Americans Support Limits on Guns in Bars, Stadiums, and Protests, Ƭ֦Ƶ Study Finds –

A Push for More Organ Transplants Is Putting Donors at Risk –

Fitness classes help elderly Ugandan women fight rising rates of obesity and diabetes –

Do Indoor Pools Really Need to Close for Lightning? – Issue No. 2760
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Categories: Global Health Feed

Thu, 07/17/2025 - 09:44
96 Global Health NOW: Accelerating Alzheimer’s Research; Replacing Aid With ‘Sin Taxes’; and Molar Express July 17, 2025 A nurse examines a patient living with Alzheimer's and dementia in Kathmandu, Nepal. October 5, 2023. Skanda Gautam/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Accelerating Alzheimer’s Research: A Gold Mine of Global Collaboration
Key insights in Alzheimer’s research are being fueled by a “massive” new trove of globally shared data—with breakthroughs showing the power and potential of multinational collaboration, . 

Background: , launched in 2023, is now the largest neurodegenerative disease data-sharing effort, including 40,000+ clinical samples and 250 million protein measurements that allow for “unprecedented” research—potentially speeding up the development of diagnostics and therapies by decades.

Discoveries include: 
  • Ƭ֦Ƶ insights about APOE4, a gene variant that most strongly increases risk for developing Alzheimer’s, and new proteins associated with the gene. 

  • Ƭ֦Ƶ evidence linking different neurodegenerative diseases with aging in other organs, including the liver, intestines, and muscles. 

  • Identification of protein pathways shared across several neurodegenerative diseases.
Call to collaboration: “Some of the biggest medical discoveries of the past half-century were made possible through global partnerships,” warning that “the rising tides of nationalism and isolationism threaten to stop scientific progress in its tracks.” 

Other breakthroughs: Meanwhile, new research shows that Alzheimer’s-related biomarkers can be detected in the blood of adults as young as 41, —suggesting the disease could be identified decades before symptoms appear, . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   The U.S. Senate approved the claw back of $9 billion in funding for foreign aid and other areas in an early morning vote today; to win necessary votes, Republican leaders agreed to preserve $400 million in funding for PEPFAR. 

Nearly 500 tons of high-energy biscuits—emergency food intended for 27,000 starving children in Afghanistan and Pakistan—expired in a warehouse in Dubai this month and will be incinerated; a U.S. official said it was “a casualty of the shutdown of USAID.” 

COVID-19 hospitalization rates were highest among Black and Hispanic children during the pandemic, according to  published in JAMA Network Open; from October 2021 to September 2022, cumulative hospitalization rates per 100,000 population were 113.2 for Black, 113.0 for Hispanic, 77.6 for white, and 64.8 for Asian or Pacific Islander children. 

A Golden Retriever named Bumper and a Black Labrador called Peanut reliably identified Parkinson’s disease in patients based on their odor, per  in The Journal of Parkinson's Disease.  U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs Trump officials halt ‘dangerous’ research, overriding NIH career scientists –

RFK Jr. shakes up top staff at health department –

Do Doctors Profit Off Vaccines? Fact-Checking RFK Jr.'s Claims –

World’s Premier Cancer Institute Faces Crippling Cuts and Chaos –

Rio Grande Valley’s biggest free health clinic event of the year is canceled due to federal cuts – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES Replacing Aid With ‘Sin Taxes’
The WHO has launched a major push to introduce ‘sin taxes’ in developing countries, with the aim of easing the burden of noncommunicable disease and filling the gap from slashed global aid spending.

The plan, called ‘3 by 35’, aims to raise the price of tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks in developing countries by at least 50% by 2035.

The move comes as NCDs surge in the developing world, driven by rising incomes, booming populations, and skyrocketing rates of smoking, drinking, and the consumption of processed foods.

The concept: Higher prices mean people buy less of what makes them unhealthy. When people do buy alcohol, cigarettes, or junk food, the money goes to vital services related to HIV, nutrition, and maternal and child health that were once funded by foreign aid.

The WHO estimates that the price hike could prevent ~50 million premature deaths over the next 50 years across the developing world.

ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Molar Express
Some mornings, the tooth fairy has some explaining to do: A pillow is lifted, and a baby cuspid sits where a coin should be. Some panicked parents and crestfallen kids have gone straight to the source, dashing off queries to an official-sounding tooth fairy email address—not necessarily expecting a response. 

But for two decades they’ve gotten one.

Filling in the gaps: A Seattle dentist, Purva Merchant, has been voluntarily moonlighting as the tooth fairy ever since the email address—created to organize her dental school applications—received a desperate message entitled “Calum’s tooth.” It was a letter from a parent seeking to appease a forlorn child. Merchant wrote back that she was indeed on the case.
 
Crowning achievement: That was the first of ~6,000 missives Merchant has now written from the address, fielding questions that range from the fate of teeth that have slipped down drains (she can find them); about international exchange rates (she can do the math); and explaining what exactly she does with the teeth (building a castle). 

Drilling for the truth: Children’s emails range from fan mail (“I’m so sorry I swallowed my tooth. And I love you.”) to directional (“Don’t bump into the heater.”) Merchant always drafts a diplomatic response before reminding her gaptoothed correspondents to brush, floss, and be “happy growing up!” 

QUICK HITS An overlooked demographic has the highest suicide risk — and it’s been rising –

Can US Measles Outbreaks Be Stopped? –

LGBTQ+ youth lose specialized 988 suicide line support –

High prices, blackouts and half the money: Inside Puerto Rico’s stagnant food aid system –

‘Landmark’ study: three-person IVF leads to eight healthy children –

A Venerable AIDS Activist Returns to Battle –

Review shows ethical considerations in infectious disease guidelines lacking –

Health trajectory of mothers of children with developmental disabilities shows a ‘wear-and-tear’ effect starting around age 65 – Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe! 

Meet the diabetes researcher behind Barbie’s new pink (insulin) pumps – Issue No. 2759
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Categories: Global Health Feed

Wed, 07/16/2025 - 09:30
96 Global Health NOW: PEPFAR Preserved?; The Dramatic Impact of Emergency Immunizations; and A Hidden Health Crisis in South Asia July 16, 2025 A cyclist rides past a PEPFAR sign. Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, July 12. Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty PEPFAR Preserved? 
U.S. Senate Republicans and the White House have agreed to drop a proposed $400 million cut to PEPFAR, the U.S. global HIV/AIDS program, in an effort to push forward a $9 billion rescissions bill—which still includes $8.3 billion in cuts to USAID, . 
  • Several key GOP senators had vocally opposed the cuts to PEPFAR, citing the historically bipartisan program’s success in saving 25 million+ lives since 2003.

  • Other revisions to the bill reportedly include language to “protect” programs related to malaria, tuberculosis, maternal health, and food aid, . 
Ongoing disruption: While the program may be spared, it will still be impacted by deep cuts to foreign aid programs—most notably USAID, which was PEPFAR’s main implementing agency. 

Impact of misinformation: White House officials had previously justified PEPFAR cuts by claiming it was supporting abortion services, with budget director Russell Vought falsely saying the program funded abortions in Russia—where PEPFAR has not operated since 2012, .  

What’s next: The full Senate is expected to vote on the modified bill by Thursday, and it will need to be reapproved by the House, where it passed by a narrow margin last month.

“A new era of austerity”: Meanwhile, warns that global health aid, largely driven by U.S. funding, has plunged to a 15-year low—threatening disease prevention efforts in vulnerable nations, . 

Related: On the Cusp of Eliminating HIV –  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   U.K. aid cuts have forced the closure of a major program to address antimicrobial resistance; the Fleming Fund has worked to combat AMR in the developing world for a decade.

Canadian hospitals are reporting an “exponential” increase in incidence of the drug-resistant carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) infection, ; the rate is still low, with transmission primarily occurring in hospitals.

Two Nipah virus vaccines are poised to enter human clinical trials in Bangladesh—with one showing potential for emergency use authorization; meanwhile, new monoclonal antibody drugs are showing promise for treating and preventing infection.

The abortion access battle between U.S. states could be headed for a U.S. Supreme Court showdown after a Ƭ֦Ƶ York county clerk rejected an effort by Texas to fine a Ƭ֦Ƶ York-based doctor accused of shipping abortion pills across state lines. U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs In Kenya, humanitarian workers ponder life after USAID –

HHS efficiency review blamed for delaying patient care at Indian Health Service –

Trump team withholds $140 million budgeted for fentanyl fight –

These States Now Allow OTC Ivermectin, and More May Follow –

Medical students could feel burn from Trump's new law – THE QUOTE
  “The islands’ health security is being undermined, not by disease or poverty, but by bullets.” —ĔĔĔĔ—ĔĔĔĔ— —The Telegraph (, about Trinidad & Tobago.)  VACCINES The Dramatic Impact of Emergency Immunizations
Emergency vaccination campaigns conducted amid disease outbreaks have reduced deaths and infections by nearly 60% since 2000, .
  • The efforts generated $32 billion in economic benefits from deaths and disabilities prevented.
The study, which was backed by the Gavi vaccine alliance, studied emergency immunization during 210 outbreaks in 49 low-income countries, and is the first of its kind “to comprehensively quantify the benefit, in human and economic terms” of such campaigns, said Gavi chief Sania Nishtar.

Major impacts: Yellow fever deaths dropped by 99%, and Ebola deaths by 76% because of emergency vaccination campaigns.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ANEMIA A Hidden Health Crisis in South Asia
Anemia is one the “quietest but most pervasive health crises” in South Asia, affecting 259 million women and girls, and 18 million more cases are projected by 2030, warns the UN. 

The toll: Anemia contributes to 40% of global low birth weight cases, and costs South Asia ~$32.5 billion annually, limiting women’s education and economic potential. It disproportionately affects the region’s poorest women and girls.
  • “When half of all adolescent girls and women in South Asia are anemic, it is not only a health issue—it is a signal that systems are failing them,” said Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF’S regional director.
Integrated efforts: Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Bhutan are making strides through targeted, community-based nutrition and maternal care programs.

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS A Crisis of Contagion and Collapse: Why Cholera Continues To Be a Problem in the DRC –

A Revolutionary Drug For Extreme Hunger Transforms Life For Those With Prader-Willi – Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe! 

This fuel is 50% plastic — and it’s slipping through a loophole in international waste law –

With fewer protections and more paperwork, LGBTQ+ Americans face a Medicaid coverage cliff –

Even grave errors at rehab hospitals go unpenalized and undisclosed –

Medical charlatans have existed through history. But AI has turbocharged them –

Amniotic stem cells can be collected from vaginal fluid rather than more invasive techniques –
  FDA approves new blue food dye derived from gardenia fruit&Բ;– Issue No. 2758
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Categories: Global Health Feed

Tue, 07/15/2025 - 09:43
96 Global Health NOW: Danish Study Finds Aluminum in Vaccines Safe; Abortion Access in Sicily; and Missed Flood Warnings in Texas and North Carolina July 15, 2025 Eleven-year-old Sarah Bülow Carlsen receives a vaccination against the novel coronavirus in Amagar, Denmark. November 28, 2021. Olafur Steinar Gestsson/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Large Danish Study Finds Aluminum in Vaccines Safe  
A new Danish study of vaccination and medical records from 1.2 million children over a 24-year period effectively quashes theories about the dangers of the use of aluminum salts in vaccines, .
  • The salts, which are added to vaccines to create a stronger immune response, do not lead to statistically significant increased risks of developing autism, asthma, or 48 other conditions, .
The takeaway: “We should not be concerned about aluminum used as an adjuvant in childhood vaccines,” Anders Hviid, the study’s senior author and head of epidemiology at Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut, told STAT. “I think that’s the core message.”
 
More vaccine news: Almost 20 million infants missed at least one dose of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP)-containing vaccine last year,  today. 
  • In 2024, 89% of infants worldwide (about 115 million infants) got at least one DTP vaccine dose. And 85% received all three doses. Those percentages reflect an increase over 2023 of 171,000 infants receiving at least one DTP dose and one million getting all three doses.

  • About 14.3 million children never received a single dose of any vaccine.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   One in ten children screened at UN-run health clinics in Gaza suffers from malnutrition, and malnutrition rates have been increasing since the intensifying of the siege in March, per the UN’s refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA). 

The WHO released new guidelines recommending use of the twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir as an additional option for HIV prevention, adding that it should be made available “immediately” at pharmacies, clinics, and via online consultations. 

Karolinska Institutet researchers identified 250+ blood proteins altered by malaria, —a discovery that the authors say could predict which patients are most at risk and supports earlier, more targeted malaria treatment. 
 
Candy-like nicotine pouches caused a 763% spike in child poisonings between 2020 and 2023 in the U.S.—even as ingestion rates for other nicotine products fell,  that underscores the need for stronger regulations, a ban on flavored nicotine products, and secure storage practices.  U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs _______________________________________________ Countries to budget more for HIV/AIDS measures as U.S. withdraws aid  –

NIH to dismiss dozens of grant reviewers to align with Trump priorities –

A million veterans gave DNA for medical research. Now the data is in limbo –

A clinic blames its closing on Trump’s Medicaid cuts. Patients don’t buy it. –   REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS Reframing Abortion Access in Sicily
Abortion has been legal in Italy since 1978—but 80%+ of gynecologists in Sicily refuse to perform the procedure for moral or religious reasons. 
  • As of 2022, abortions were available in only about half of Sicily's hospitals, compared to 70% in central and northern Italy.
A new law seeks to open up more access to Sicilian women: 
  • In May, Sicily’s regional council passed a law requiring all public hospitals to establish dedicated abortion wards and hire staff willing to perform the procedure.
But staffing the wards may be difficult: Some doctors argue Sicily's hospital staff shortages and poor working conditions make it harder for gynecologists to provide abortions on top of other duties.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DISASTERS Missed Flood Warnings in Texas and North Carolina
In the reckoning after the flash floods in central Texas, reactions from public officials echo those from western North Carolina in the days after Hurricane Helene: There was not enough warning for evacuations.

But both weather scenarios—while extreme—were forecasted; and accurate weather alerts were issued hours in advance. Some local officials acted, but others did not, leading to preventable tragedies.

Where’s the breakdown? Both disasters have exposed gaps in emergency communication, especially in rural areas where people may not receive alerts due to poor cell service and where flood warning systems are not in place.

Calls for accountability: While public outcry in Texas has led to a special legislative session on disaster readiness, North Carolina legislators have yet to deliberate on the matter. 



Related: Why older rural Americans can be hit hardest after floods and other disasters – OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS SA gets R520-million to buy the twice-a-year anti-HIV jab — but there’s a snag –

CDC Says COVID-19 Cases Rise in 25 States –

Leana S. Wen: Why it matters if the U.S. loses its measles elimination status –

Study: Climate change helps diversify, increase transmissibility of West Nile virus –

Smart brain-zapping implants could revolutionize Parkinson’s treatment –

WHO regional head placed on leave amid corruption allegations –

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: Loneliness and isolation: The hidden threat to global health we can no longer ignore –

AI is about to solve loneliness. That's a problem – Issue No. 2757
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Categories: Global Health Feed

Mon, 07/14/2025 - 09:29
96 Global Health NOW: ‘Inescapable Pattern’ of Atrocities in Sudan; A Libyan Family’s Desperate Quest for Care; and U.S. vs. European Food Policies July 14, 2025 Najat Sharafadin Arbab Saboun, 5, from Darfur, West Sudan, who was shot in the leg by RSF soldiers, sits in an Ambelia camp shelter near Adre, Chad. April 23, 2024. Dan Kitwood/Getty An ‘Inescapable Pattern’ of Atrocities in Sudan
Both sides in Sudan’s civil war are committing war crimes and crimes against humanity against civilians in Darfur, the International Criminal Court has told the UN Security Council—with atrocities including systemic rapes and sexual violence, kidnappings, attacks on aid convoys and medical facilities, and weaponized starvation, .
  • Survivors are reporting an “inescapable pattern” of targeted sexual violence against women from specific ethnic communities, said ICC deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan, . 
‘To hell and back’: Meanwhile, hundreds of children reported stories of “terror and loss” after ~500,000 people—over half of them children—were displaced from Zamzam camp this spring, , which collected children’s accounts of family separation, sexual violence, and detentions in the new report, .  

Aid shortfalls: 30 million+ people need humanitarian assistance as famine conditions deepen and disease spreads. But aid groups warn that the void left by cuts to U.S. funding—which provided 44% of the world’s humanitarian funding for Sudan last year—cannot be filled, . 
  • And malnutrition and food insecurity are expected to escalate as the rainy season progresses, —leaving a “brief, urgent window” to deliver critical aid. 
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
A child in Liverpool died from measles at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, where 16 other children have been hospitalized with measles in recent weeks; the MMR uptake rate in Liverpool is just 73% by age 5, well below the 95% needed for herd immunity.

A northern Arizona resident died of pneumonic plague, health officials confirmed July 11—noting that while plague is being investigated as the possible cause of a recent die-off of prairie dogs in the area, the case is unrelated; human deaths are rare from the illness, which is highly treatable with antibiotics when caught early enough.

~1 in 3 U.S. youths have prediabetes, ; but scientists questioned the release of the 600-word online summary, which did not include raw data or peer-reviewed research.

U.S. counties that endure severe climate-related disasters often experience reduced access to critical health care infrastructure in the years that follow, .

The U.S. dropped charges against Michael Kirk Moore, the Utah doctor accused of destroying $28,000+ worth of government-provided COVID-19 vaccines and administering saline to children instead of the vaccine. U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs US senators poised to reject Trump’s proposed massive science cuts –

The potential impact of reductions in international donor funding on tuberculosis in low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling study –

Making diphtheria great again? Why SA’s public health experts are worried about RFK Jr. –

Trump administration’s NIH funding cuts threaten research on sickle cell disease –

Inside the Collapse of the F.D.A. – Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff! 

NIH suspends dozens of pathogen studies over ‘gain-of-function’ concerns – HEALTH SYSTEMS One Libyan Family’s Desperate Quest for Care
Libya’s failing health care system is in the spotlight after the perilous journey of a 7-year-old with cystic fibrosis and her family seeking care in Italy gained international attention. 

Background: Due to ongoing political instability in Libya, many critical care facilities there are not functional, and essential medicines are scarce.

Sohan’s story: Sohan Aboulsoud has been unable to access medical care there, despite her family’s exhaustive efforts. Finally, the family decided to take the dangerous journey by a smuggler’s boat to Italy. 
  • “We didn’t leave because we wanted to migrate, it was because illness doesn’t wait,” said Sohan’s mother, who took a photo of her weary daughter that soon went viral and sparked protests in Tripoli demanding access to care for Sohan. 
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CHRONIC DISEASES U.S. vs. European Health: More Than the Dye
In the MAHA movement’s quest to overhaul the U.S. food industry, leading voices regularly point to Europe as the model, citing European countries’ restrictions on food dyes, additives, and pesticides.

But that focus overlooks systemic reasons for Europeans’ lower chronic disease rates and longer life expectancy, scientists say. 

Rigorous regulation: To emulate European food policies, the U.S. would have to invest in a raft of regulation, including more review processes, warning labels, and taxes on products like soda. 
  • Instead, the U.S. is cutting funding to regulatory agencies like the FDA. 
Broader factors: The movement also overlooks other key differences, such as the role of universal health care, walkable city design, pollution exposure, and poverty rates. 

OPPORTUNITY Apply for Global Health Emerging Scholars Fellowship
The Global Health Emerging Scholars (GHES) Fellowship—a 12-month, NIH-supported, mentored training in global health research designed to address health inequities and improve population health—is now accepting applications for the 2026–27 fellowship year.
 
The fellowship, hosted by a consortium of Yale University, Stanford University, University of Arizona, and UC Berkeley, typically runs July–June and offers training opportunities in 16 countries.
  • Deadline:  by October 1, 2025, 5 p.m. Eastern Time
QUICK HITS Nipah death in Palakkad leads to alert in six Kerala districts –

Increased vaccine uptake in US kids linked to reduced antibiotic prescriptions –  

Men Might Be the Key to an American Baby Boom –

High rates hurt public healthcare –

PrEParing for HIV prevention among men who have sex with men in China: challenges and solutions –

Why a new opioid alternative is out of reach for some pain patients –

How one elite rehab center is ‘obliterating’ all kinds of cravings with GLP-1s –

Scientists hide messages in papers to game AI peer review – Issue No. 2756
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Categories: Global Health Feed

Thu, 07/10/2025 - 10:03
96 Global Health NOW: Northern Nigeria's Cash Incentives for Vaccines; The ‘Ticking Time Bomb’ of AIDS Shortfalls; and Up a Pole Without a Paddle July 10, 2025 GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORT A mother holds up the cash incentive she received at the Farfaru clinic upon vaccinating her child. Sokoto, Nigeria. April 2025. Abiodun Jamiu Fighting Infant Mortality With Vaccines and Cash in Northern Nigeria
SOKOTO, Nigeria—In the region surrounding Farfaru’s primary health care center, health workers often had to persuade women to vaccinate their children.
 
That began to change with the 2014 introduction of the Ƭ֦Ƶ Incentives cash rewards program, which spurred a surge in mothers bringing their children in for childhood immunizations to protect against diseases such as diphtheria, pertussis, hepatitis B, and polio. The clinic now sees ~30 to 40 babies a day.
  • The initiative operates in government-run health facilities across 11 northern states—where vaccine hesitancy and misinformation run rampant, and missed vaccinations contribute to rising infant mortality rates.

  • At least 41% of Nigeria’s deaths among children under 5 may have been prevented with vaccines, .
More than just the cash: Ƭ֦Ƶ Incentives also conducts a rapid assessment to survey the level of vaccine hesitancy, then reaches out to village leaders and locals to share information about immunizations and demystify deep-rooted misconceptions.
  Is it sustainable? The initiative is commendable, but only feasible as a short-term measure, says , a University of Ilorin professor, citing the risk of caregivers growing dependent on the incentives—which are donor-dependent, with no guarantees in the current funding climate. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Lassa fever has killed 148 people and sickened 790 in Nigeria over the last 6 months by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention; the virus, which causes hemorrhagic fever, has spread to 20 states.

U.S. measles cases have hit their highest level in 33 years; 1,288 cases have been reported this year—the highest total since the U.S. eliminated the disease in 2000.

Fungal infections are getting harder to treat as they become more drug-resistant, , which focused on infections caused by Aspergillus fumigatus—one of the WHO’s top concerns on its .

An initiative to boost taxes on tobacco, sugary drinks, and alcohol has been introduced by the WHO; the “” effort urges international governments to implement such taxes by at least 50% by 2035 in an effort to reduce noncommunicable disease. HIV/AIDS The ‘Ticking Time Bomb’ of AIDS Shortfalls
Last year, the annual UNAIDS global update reported major progress: The number of people who died of AIDS represented the lowest levels seen in 30+ years, and more people than ever were getting access to lifesaving medications.

is far more sobering: The sudden U.S. decision to withdraw funding for AIDS programs worldwide has led to a “systemic shock” to supply chains, clinics, health care staffing, testing, and medication access that, if not addressed, could lead to 4 million+ AIDS-related deaths and 6 million more HIV infections by 2029, . 
  • “This is not just a funding gap—it’s a ticking time bomb,” said UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima.
Meanwhile, countries criminalizing same-sex sexual activity are increasing—with key populations such as gay men and people who inject drugs especially vulnerable, . Countries cracking down on rights include Mali, Trinidad and Tobago, Ghana, and notably, Uganda: 
  Queer Ugandans Face More Tribulations
After Uganda passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act in 2023—which includes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”—many queer Ugandans sought safety in nearby Kenya. 

But soon after the Ugandan act’s passage, Kenya introduced its Family Protection Bill, which not only prohibits same-sex relationships—if made law, it would ban pronouns, gender reassignment, and sex education.
  • Kenya hosts ~1,000 LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers—primarily from Uganda, per a 2021 UNHCR estimate.

  • Most LGBTQ+ asylum seekers from Uganda are sent to Kakuma refugee camp, which is “marked by hate crimes, discrimination and other human rights violations.”
  ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Up a Pole Without a Paddle
It’s summertime in the Netherlands, which means long days, coastal picnics, and athletes using 4-stories-tall poles to fling themselves across canals. 

‘Tis the season of fierljeppen: a sport that is equal parts pole vault, long jump, and cannon-balling into canals that is “really a typically Dutch sport," . 

Vaulting ambitions: Competitors sprint toward a 12-meter pole, launching themselves in a graceful arc over the canal, . They then hastily scale the pole in an effort to jump to a sandbank on the other side. 
  • That’s the goal, anyway: All participants must be good swimmers. 
One-upmanship: The gravity-defying sport’s origins date back centuries, when farmers used poles to cross canals and ditches that separated fields. Legend has it that a series of bar bets led to an informal competition in 1767—and eventually a formal sport that now involves ~600 athletes in organized leagues, . 
  • But fierljeppen hasn’t caught on in other countries, observes De Groot: "I think because in the rest of the world there are not so many canals and also maybe the people are not so crazy.” 
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS USAID Lost: Stories from Colombia, Kenya, and Nepal –

‘Very limited time to react’: Texas flash floods expose challenges in early warning –

Burkina Faso’s only eye doctor for children sees the trauma of both play and conflict –

Symbolic ‘science fair’ showcases research cut by Trump team –

Texas Overhauls Anti-Abortion Program That Spent Tens of Millions of Taxpayer Dollars With Little Oversight –

Do we think enough about parents who care for sick or disabled children – and how not to make things harder? –

The Indonesian doctor tackling tuberculosis via treatment, tweets and TikTok –

How German Cities Are Rethinking Women’s Safety — With Taxis – Issue No. 2755
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Categories: Global Health Feed

Wed, 07/09/2025 - 09:46
96 Global Health NOW: ‘Judgment Day’ Scenes in Gaza; Kabul’s Looming Water Crisis; and America’s Insomnia Epidemic July 9, 2025 Palestinians gather to receive food aid distributed by a charity organization as the Israeli attacks continue in Deir al Balah, Gaza, on July 9. Hassan Jedi/Anadolu via Getty ‘Judgment Day’ Scenes as Gaza Crisis Deepens
As violence grows at food distribution sites in Gaza and the enclave’s medical system collapses, an Israeli defense minister’s plan to move all Palestinians in Gaza into a camp in Rafah is sparking legal and humanitarian concerns, . 

Details of plan: Israel's defense minister has instructed the military to establish a “humanitarian city” to initially house ~600,000 Palestinians, and eventually the whole 2.1 million population, . 
  • Israeli human rights lawyer Michael Sfard described the relocation plan as “an operational plan for a crime against humanity.” 
Violence at new aid distribution sites is overwhelming doctors and humanitarian workers, who describe daily mass casualty incidents since the Israeli- and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began distributing food in May, . 
  • The majority of incidents involve military gunfire, —in scenes that “resemble the horrors of judgment day,” per one Palestinian nursing director.

  • A journalist in Gaza seeking food described facing “Israeli military fire, private U.S. contractors pointing laser beams at my forehead, crowds with knives fighting for rations, and masked thieves,” . 
A doctor’s death leaves a void: Marwan al-Sultan—one of Gaza’s two cardiologists and a hospital director—was killed in an Israeli airstrike, prompting widespread grief and outrage, . 
  • “By losing Dr. Marwan, thousands of people will lose and suffer,” said another hospital director. 

  • 1,500+ health care workers have died in the conflict, . 
Related: USAID review raised ‘critical concerns’ over Gaza aid group days before $30 million US grant – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for the Taliban’s supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and Afghanistan’s chief justice, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, accusing them of crimes against humanity for the persecution of women and girls.

Climate change tripled the death toll of the latest European heatwave, , which attributed ~1,500 of the ~2,300 heat-related deaths over 10 days in 12 cities to climate change.

Ƭ֦Ƶ vaccines for Marburg virus and Sudan ebolavirus have been announced for development by U.S. health officials; the vaccines aim to address “material threats to national health security.”

Breathing polluted air, even at low levels, may cause scarring in heart muscles, leading to heart failure over time, ; the damage occurred in both healthy individuals and people with heart conditions. WATER Kabul’s Looming Crisis 
Kabul’s groundwater could be depleted by 2030—a mounting crisis as the city of ~6 million contends with population growth, climate change, and poor water management. 

By the numbers: 
  • Groundwater levels have dropped by 30 meters in a decade, and half the city’s boreholes have dried up, . 

  • Already, ~80% of Afghans lack access to safe drinking water, and many rely on tanker trucks and arduous journeys to wells. 
Short- and long-term solutions needed: Several remediation projects were planned pre-Taliban takeover, including the construction of the Shahtoot dam and a Panjshir River pipeline. 
  • They could still be effective, but their status is unclear—and aid organizations say water solutions are needed now.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES SLEEP America’s Insomnia Epidemic
Insomnia can cause a cascade of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, depression, and injury from accidents. Yet it remains underdiagnosed, undertreated, and poorly understood.

In a must-read narrative, Jennifer Senior chronicles her own struggle and her exhaustive efforts to find solutions: from medication to new forms of therapy to attending the annual conference for sleep study.

An alarming problem: ~12% of Americans ; 30%–35% suffer from insomnia symptoms at least temporarily. 
  • “The public and private sectors alike are barely doing a thing to address what is essentially a national health emergency,” writes Senior, who calls for broader cultural and structural changes to address the sleep crisis.


Related: RFK Jr. Is Noticeably Quiet About a MAHA Obsession – OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS South Sudan’s longest cholera outbreak enters critical stage –

The Texas Flash Flood Is a Preview of the Chaos to Come –

Dinesh Raj Neupane: When Youth Costs More: The Financial, Physical, and Emotional Toxicity of Being Young with Cancer –

Chagas in Bolivia: The Story of Luis and His 'Double Engine' That Inspires Hope in the Chaco –

Chagas disease transmission: Kissing bugs readily invade human dwellings to feed on humans and companion animals –

Just How Harmful Is Vaping? More Evidence Is Emerging. –

Blood Tests Predict Dementia in Down Syndrome – Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe! 

Stress is wrecking your health: how can science help? – Issue No. 2754
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Categories: Global Health Feed

Tue, 07/08/2025 - 09:16
96 Global Health NOW: U.S. Children: Canaries in the Coal Mine for Health; DRC’s ‘Scattershot’ Vaccine Efforts; and Child Safety in Pakistan July 8, 2025 A child plays in a splash pad on a hot day at the Earvin "Magic" Johnson Recreation Area. Los Angeles, May 20. Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Children’s Health Declines in the U.S.: ‘Canaries in the Coal Mine’
U.S. children's physical and mental health has deteriorated across a range of key indicators over 17 years, —findings that one researcher described as “canaries in the coal mine” reflecting wider problems with Americans’ health, . 

Worsening health trends between 2007–2023, : 

Chronic conditions: U.S. children ages 3–17 are now 15–20% more likely to have chronic conditions than in 2011, including obesity, anxiety, sleep apnea, autism, and ADHD.
  • Early menstruation, poor sleep, and loneliness have also increased.

  • Depressive symptoms among high schoolers rose from 26% in 2009 to ~40% in 2023.
Mortality: U.S. children were about 80% more likely to die than peers in 18 other high-income countries, with leading causes of death including firearms, car crashes, and substance abuse.
  • Lack of health coverage also plays into the disparity, . 
The Quote: “It's a huge wake-up call that we really are failing kids right now," lead study author Christopher Forrest , adding that “the whole ecosystem that kids are growing up in" needs examination.

Call to action: In an , pediatric experts affirmed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s emphasis on children’s health, but they said administration actions like questioning vaccine safety and cuts to health agencies are further endangering kids.  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Malaria medicine for babies made by Novartis AG has secured Swiss regulatory approval; the drug, Coartem, is the first of its kind and can be used to treat infants weighing 2–5 kilograms (4–11 pounds).

741 patients died during clinical trials for stem cell therapy from 1999 to 2017 at India’s Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Center, per a report by the country’s Comptroller and Auditor General; the report also found that the therapy failed in 91% of cases.  

200+ kindergarteners in China were found to have elevated lead levels in their blood tied to food tainted with lead-containing decorative paint; canteen staff at the kindergarten have been detained on suspicion of “producing toxic and harmful food.”

The CDC has ended its H5N1 avian flu emergency response, citing declining animal infections and no human cases reported since February; it will combine future updates with seasonal influenza reports.  U.S. and Global Health Policy Ƭ֦Ƶs 11,000 more TB patients died after Trump's USAID cuts. That number will rise. –

‘It’s a nightmare.’ U.S. funding cuts threaten academic science jobs at all levels –

US adults want the government to focus on child care costs, not birth rates, AP-NORC poll finds –

Defenders of Medicaid cuts are misunderstanding a study I worked on –

The CDC Got Caught Citing a Fake Study. Again. –

FDA Layoffs Could Compromise Safety of Medications Made at Foreign Factories, Inspectors Say – MPOX DRC’s ‘Scattershot’ Vaccination Efforts
The Democratic Republic of the Congo—the country hardest hit by the mpox surge—has vaccinated 700,000+ people since October 2024. 

But a new WHO analysis suggests it has made little difference, due to a lack of targeted distribution.

Obstacles: The country has received a small vaccine supply—but it lacks the surveillance capabilities needed to more effectively prioritize at-risk groups. 

The result: A “confetti strategy,” said Ana Maria Henao-Restrepo, a WHO vaccine specialist who led the analysis. “You distribute a little bit everywhere. The possibility of having an impact is diminished substantially.”

Key insights: African scientists welcomed the analysis, saying it was the first rigorous evaluation of the vaccination program’s impact in the continent. 



Related: 

Health officials encouraged by recent trends in Africa’s mpox outbreaks –

Mpox Surge in Sierra Leone: A Stress Test for National Readiness – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CHILD AND ADOLESCENT HEALTH Promoting Child Safety in Pakistan
Children in Pakistan are highly vulnerable, with ~3% involved in forced labor and 3,600+ abuse cases reported in 2024. 

But prevention efforts are difficult in many conservative communities, as abuse—particularly sexual abuse—is a taboo subject, meaning parents are reluctant to report incidents. 

Rozan’s role: Rozan, a nonprofit founded in 1998 to prevent domestic violence, has sought to overcome such stigma—training 1,000+ volunteers to raise awareness among both parents and children in communities across Pakistan.

  • The group also seeks to teach men to break the cycle of domestic violence. 

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Ordeal of Inuit girls from Greenland given birth control without consent –

Nipah virus infects 2 more in India, 1 fatally –  

Tiny nanobody shows big promise in fighting Nipah and Hendra viruses –  

The Neglected Crisis in Safe Blood Access –

If your cigarette box isn’t disgusting, it’s not doing its job –

The fight for a tobacco-free society is in peril –

Liverpool mobile greengrocer to reach ‘food deserts’ with aid of mapping tool –

454 Hints That a Chatbot Wrote Part of a Biomedical Researcher’s Paper –

Ƭ֦Ƶ research shows Monday stress is etched into your biology – Issue No. 2753
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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Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or . Issue No. 1864
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, and Jackie Powder. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on X .

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Categories: Global Health Feed

Mon, 07/07/2025 - 16:12
96 Global Health NOW: Tragedy in Texas and Your June Recap July 7, 2025 A K-9 Unit with the Texas Game Wardens conducts a search in flood damage area near Camp Mystic in Kerr County, Texas, on July 5. Desiree Rios for The Washington Post via Getty Tragedy in Texas 
Flash floods in central Texas over the weekend killed at least 82 people, including 28 children—and dozens remain missing as widespread search and rescue efforts continue, .

The disaster is prompting scrutiny of how flood warnings are handled in the flood-prone region, which is home to summer camps along the Guadalupe River, as forecasts call for more rain today. 

Sudden flooding: A severe early-morning storm dropped 12 inches of rain within hours across Texas Hill Country, leading to rapidly rising waters and a 
  • Flash floods are the top storm-related cause of death in the U.S., killing an average of 127 people annually, . 
A reckoning over warnings: Many survivors said they received little to no warning, with text alerts that came in the middle of the night or not at all, .
  • The disaster has renewed debates over flood preparedness, with officials and forecasters calling for improved warning systems and better public messaging, . 

  • A flood monitoring and warning system along the river proposed eight years ago was never implemented due to a lack of funding. 
Related: Texas Hill Country Is Underwater, and America’s Emergency Lifeline Is Fraying – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES EDITOR’S NOTE We'd Love To See More of You
Did you know that GHN publishes every Monday through Thursday?

If not, you’re missing out on the full GHN experience—including essential news and commentaries, career advancement opportunities, and our ever-popular Almost Friday Diversions to end the week on a light note. 
  • To try our 4-days-a-week version (or switch back if you’ve just been on a break), just send me a note and let me know.
Either way, we appreciate all of our readers, and we’re always interested in hearing from you. Please send us any requests, story tips, or ideas to help improve GHN. Thanks for reading! — The Latest One-Liners
An Australian man has died after contracting a rare lyssavirus from a bat bite; closely related to rabies, the virus has killed four people in Australia since 1996.

Chikungunya is circulating in the south of France, per Santé publique France; while ~712 imported cases of the virus were recorded May 1–July 1, 14 locally acquired infections were reported in the same period.

The herbicide ingredient diquat, used as a replacement for glyphosate in products like Roundup, can kill gut bacteria and damage organs, ; while the substance is banned in the U.K., EU, and China, it is legal and increasingly used in the U.S.  

An oral rabies vaccine can be spread through vampire bat populations via the bats’ mutual grooming techniques, ; the “innovative” vaccine was applied to the fur as a gel, then spread rapidly as the bats licked each other. JUNE RECAP: MUST-READS Argentina’s ‘Tidal Wave’ of Health Cuts
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; Milei has slashed the country’s health budget by 48% and laid off 2,000+ health ministry workers. 


Related: Milei took a chainsaw to Argentina’s health system. Now it’s ‘bleeding to death’ –

ICYMI: Disrupted but Determined: Lessons From Argentine Scientists –
  North America’s Measles Problem
Eli Saslow chronicled a West Texas family’s measles odyssey that forced the father and four children to spend days in the hospital.

“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.


A Closer Look at Cheap Cigarettes in Laos   
Cigarette prices in Laos are among the lowest in the world, contributing to some of the highest smoking rates in the region and smoking-related diseases, which account for 1 in 7 deaths in the country. 
 
Behind the low prices: A 2001 contract signed behind closed doors with Imperial Brands tobacco set a 25-year tax freeze—and steered millions toward an in-law of then-president Bounnhang Vorachit. This Pulitzer Center–supported story surfaces the issue ahead of the contract’s set expiration next year.
 
JUNE EXCLUSIVES 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.
  • Chronic mountain sickness (CMS), characterized by low levels of oxygen saturation and excessive amounts of hemoglobin, can progress to life-threatening pulmonary or cerebral edema.

  • For a century, scientists have been trying to understand the cause of the “complex and insidious” disease; research that led to a 2019 Nobel Prize may offer new insights. 


Ed. Note: We thank Dulce Alarcón-Yaquetto for sharing the idea for this story, which won a grand prize in the , co-sponsored by GHN and the . 
Zambia Drags Heels on Mercury Amalgam Ban  
LUSAKA, Zambia—Some nations—including Tanzania, Uganda, and Gabon—have already taken decisive steps to ban mercury amalgam in dental fillings, but in Zambia, despite the dangers, progress has stalled.
 
Just 0.6 grams of mercury, the average amount , can pollute 100,000 liters of water, about the size of a swimming pool—and Zambia is especially vulnerable to harmful impacts of mercury due to inadequate disposal systems and mitigation processes. 

 

Ed. Note: Thanks to Michael Musenga for this story idea, which won an honorable mention in the , co-sponsored by GHN and the .  Q&A: ‘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 of ETH Zurich and the University of Oxford’s Sir William Dunn School of Pathology told GHN.
THE QUOTE
  “The tobacco industry’s tricks are constantly evolving; so too must our cities’ tactics.” —ĔĔĔĔ—ĔĔĔĔ— Michelle Morse, acting health commissioner and chief medical officer of the Ƭ֦Ƶ York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and Daniel Soranz, secretary of health for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in an from Rio de Janeiro and Ƭ֦Ƶ York City.
  JUNE'S GOOD NEWS The Clay Floor Advantage
In Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya, the nonprofit EarthEnable is reducing dust and parasites in homes by installing clay-based flooring—which delivers health and environmental benefits over dirt floors at less than half the price of concrete.
  • So far, EarthEnable has installed 39,000+ floors in Rwanda, 5,000+ in Uganda, and 100+ in Kenya.


Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff!

More Solution Stories from June:
 
The floating clinics bringing healthcare to the banks of the Amazon –
 
Stigma in the schoolyard: How Rwanda is protecting HIV-positive students – 

As Federal Health Grants Shrink, Memory Cafes Help Dementia Patients and Their Caregivers – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Measles cases hit highest level since it was declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000 –

Why has polio re-emerged in Angola? – 

Foreign medical residents fill critical positions at US hospitals, but are running into visa issues –

NIH restores grants to South Africa scientists, adds funding option for other halted foreign projects –

Farewell to USAID: Reflections on the agency that President Trump dismantled –

Wellcome CEO Urges Global Health Rethink: 'Science Alone Is Not Enough' –

This paint ‘sweats’ to keep your house cool – Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner!  Issue No. M-June 2025
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, and Jackie Powder. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on X .

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