Millions of deaths could be avoided from meningitis if countries are able to adopt new guidelines designed to diagnose and treat the disease more effectively, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Breakthrough Clues in an Mpox Mystery; Afghanistans Escort Rules Fuel Maternal Deaths; and San Francisco Rethinks Harm Reduction
April 9, 2025
A fire-footed rope squirrel (Funisciurus pyrropus) in southern Mali, in 2010. Laurent Granjon/Jean-Marc Duplantier via iNaturalist
Breakthrough Clues in an Mpox Mystery
Researchers have been trying to unravel one of the great mysteries of mpox: What are its animal reservoir hosts?
Now, a team of scientists say they have landed on a key culprit: a squirrel. And their preprint research could have significant implications for tracking and preventing future spillovers, .
Background: The name monkeypox comes from the 1958 discovery of the virus in lab monkeys. But researchers have long suspected small mammals of being sources for cross-species spillover.
Surveillance sleuthing: The latest discovery started with an mpox outbreak in sooty mangabey monkeys in Ta簿 National Park in C繫te dIvoire, .
More work needed: More evidence is needed to determine whether the squirrels can carry and shed the virus long-term without getting sicka key feature of a reservoir host, scientists say.
Related:
Fears new mpox strain spreading in UK after case with no travel history
Chinas first monkeypox vaccine enters phase I clinical trials, planning to recruit volunteers GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Cholera cases in Kenya have risen to nearly 100, with six reported fatalities, per the nations health ministry, which is redoubling its surveillance efforts.
Teen gun license applicants in Canada spiked 11% between 2023 and 2024raising concerns that as teens reach voting age, there will be greater calls for loosening gun restrictions.
Floods in Queensland have led to 10 new infections of melioidosis, a soil-borne bacterial disease that has killed 26 people in the Australian state this year; more infections are expected, health experts say.
Invasive Streptococcus A infections more than doubled in the U.S. between 2013 and 2022, of 10 states published in JAMA that linked the rise to increasing prevalence of underlying health conditions, and found growing levels of antibiotic resistance. U.S. Policy News NSF slashes prestigious PhD fellowship awards by half
Trump has blown a massive hole in global health fundingand no one can fill it
Dr. Oz Pushed for AI Health Care in First Medicare Agency Town Hall
What do Americans think of Trump's foreign policies?
It's sexual assault awareness month and HHS just gutted its rape prevention unit
Trump administration says it cut funding to some life-saving UN food programs by mistake
A closer look at the nationwide impact of NIH cuts MATERNAL MORTALITY Escort Rules Lead to Maternal Deaths
Under the Taliban in Afghanistan, women and girls are prevented from accessing medical care without a male escort, leading to rising mortality rates for women and infants.
Related: USAID enabled 208 Afghan women to defy the Taliban ban on college until now GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HARM REDUCTION A Policy Shift in San Francisco
San Francisco has long prioritized harm reduction in its drug policies, such as with programs to distribute on the streets free, clean paraphernalia for fentanyl smoking, no questions asked.
But the citys new mayor, Daniel Lurie, says the citys policies have become too permissive and will scale them back in an effort to steer more people into treatment.
QUICK HITS Ontario's measles outbreak is so big, even New York health officials are taking notice
Man whose blood helped develop measles vaccine weighs in on recent outbreak
State lawmakers are weighing bills that would treat abortion as homicide
Achieving gender justice for global health equity: the Lancet Commission on gender and global health
Menopause makes it on the policy map
Improving the Global Health Workforce Is a Bipartisan Imperative
How the Alcohol Industry Steers Governments Away From Effective Strategies to Curb Drink Driving
A new BEACON for global health set to launch in Boston
Meet Siku, the itchy polar bear: How allergies are affecting animals Thanks for the tip, Xiaodong Cai! Issue No. 2705
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Researchers have been trying to unravel one of the great mysteries of mpox: What are its animal reservoir hosts?
Now, a team of scientists say they have landed on a key culprit: a squirrel. And their preprint research could have significant implications for tracking and preventing future spillovers, .
Background: The name monkeypox comes from the 1958 discovery of the virus in lab monkeys. But researchers have long suspected small mammals of being sources for cross-species spillover.
Surveillance sleuthing: The latest discovery started with an mpox outbreak in sooty mangabey monkeys in Ta簿 National Park in C繫te dIvoire, .
- Scientists then located the identical virus in a sample from a fire-footed rope squirrel found dead three months before the outbreak started.
- Researchers pinpointed the squirrel DNA in fecal samples from the mangabeys, suggesting the monkeys became infected after eating the squirrels.
More work needed: More evidence is needed to determine whether the squirrels can carry and shed the virus long-term without getting sicka key feature of a reservoir host, scientists say.
Related:
Fears new mpox strain spreading in UK after case with no travel history
Chinas first monkeypox vaccine enters phase I clinical trials, planning to recruit volunteers GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Cholera cases in Kenya have risen to nearly 100, with six reported fatalities, per the nations health ministry, which is redoubling its surveillance efforts.
Teen gun license applicants in Canada spiked 11% between 2023 and 2024raising concerns that as teens reach voting age, there will be greater calls for loosening gun restrictions.
Floods in Queensland have led to 10 new infections of melioidosis, a soil-borne bacterial disease that has killed 26 people in the Australian state this year; more infections are expected, health experts say.
Invasive Streptococcus A infections more than doubled in the U.S. between 2013 and 2022, of 10 states published in JAMA that linked the rise to increasing prevalence of underlying health conditions, and found growing levels of antibiotic resistance. U.S. Policy News NSF slashes prestigious PhD fellowship awards by half
Trump has blown a massive hole in global health fundingand no one can fill it
Dr. Oz Pushed for AI Health Care in First Medicare Agency Town Hall
What do Americans think of Trump's foreign policies?
It's sexual assault awareness month and HHS just gutted its rape prevention unit
Trump administration says it cut funding to some life-saving UN food programs by mistake
A closer look at the nationwide impact of NIH cuts MATERNAL MORTALITY Escort Rules Lead to Maternal Deaths
Under the Taliban in Afghanistan, women and girls are prevented from accessing medical care without a male escort, leading to rising mortality rates for women and infants.
- Before the Taliban took power, maternal mortality was already 3X higher than the world average.
- By 2026, a womans estimated risk of death during childbirth will rise by 50%.
- Every day, 24 mothers and 167 infants die in Afghanistan.
Related: USAID enabled 208 Afghan women to defy the Taliban ban on college until now GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HARM REDUCTION A Policy Shift in San Francisco
San Francisco has long prioritized harm reduction in its drug policies, such as with programs to distribute on the streets free, clean paraphernalia for fentanyl smoking, no questions asked.
But the citys new mayor, Daniel Lurie, says the citys policies have become too permissive and will scale them back in an effort to steer more people into treatment.
- We are no longer going to sit by and allow people to kill themselves on the streets, said Lurie.
- Paraphernalia can be distributed only to people who undergo lengthy counseling sessions.
- Nonprofits will be able to distribute smoking supplies only in city-sanctioned buildings.
QUICK HITS Ontario's measles outbreak is so big, even New York health officials are taking notice
Man whose blood helped develop measles vaccine weighs in on recent outbreak
State lawmakers are weighing bills that would treat abortion as homicide
Achieving gender justice for global health equity: the Lancet Commission on gender and global health
Menopause makes it on the policy map
Improving the Global Health Workforce Is a Bipartisan Imperative
How the Alcohol Industry Steers Governments Away From Effective Strategies to Curb Drink Driving
A new BEACON for global health set to launch in Boston
Meet Siku, the itchy polar bear: How allergies are affecting animals Thanks for the tip, Xiaodong Cai! Issue No. 2705
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: High Costs for Kids of PEPFARs Demise; Chinas Older HIV Population; and South Africas Struggle to Protect Women
April 8, 2025
Sister Sally Naidoo administers an HIV test on a young boy at the Right To Care AIDS clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa, on January 27, 2012. Foto24/Gallo Images/Getty
High Costs for Kids of PEPFARs Demise
If PEPFAR programs do not continue, an additional 1 million children will become infected with HIV, 500,000 additional children will die of AIDS, and another 2.8 million children will become orphans because of AIDS by 2030, according to models published today.
The authors, from African countries and elsewhere, argue for a five-year transition to country-led sustainability, noting that PEPFAR-supported countries had already increased their share of support from $13.7 billion per year in 2004 to $42.6 billion in 2021.
Benefits of the successful transition of PEPFAR programs include better health security for both African countries and the U.S. by:
Bleak future: As part of the reorganization of HHS in the U.S., CDC officials responsible for the care of 500,000+ children and 600,000+ pregnant women with HIV in low-income countries have been fired or reassigned, .
UCLA professor loses millions in funding for HIV research project
Is This the End of Progress on H.I.V.?
The global fight against HIV/AIDS, in chaos GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners U.S. health secretary RFK Jr. called for an end to adding fluoride to public drinking water supplies, saying "It makes no sense to have it in our water supply, and praising Utahs plans for a ban; the EPA has now launched a new review of fluoride's health effects.
Health systems implementing the Zero Suicide Model saw a fall in suicides and attempts, ; the model, developed by Detroit-based Henry Ford Health, emphasizes patient screening, safety planning, and mental health counseling.
Children born to mothers with diabetes in pregnancy showed a 28% higher risk of having any neurodevelopmental disorder compared to children born to mothers without the condition, led by Chinese researchers who cautioned that while more research is needed, diligent monitoring of blood sugar levels in pregnancy is merited.
A newly developed blood test for Alzheimers disease can help diagnose the condition with up to 83% accuracyand indicate how far it has progressedyears before symptoms begin, led by Swedish researchers. U.S. Policy News How will the deep cuts at the Centers for Disease Control affect global programs?
Long COVID activists fought Trump teams research cuts and won for now
Trump Said Cuts Wouldnt Affect Public Safety. Then He Fired Hundreds of Workers Who Help Fight Wildfires.
Transfer to Alaska? Offer to health leaders called 'insult' to Indian Health Service EDUCATION Johns Hopkins Tops Rankings of U.S. Public Health Schools
Over three decades, South Africa has seen significant progress in curbing femicide and violence against women.
RESOURCES How to Introduce Kids to Health Policy
collection of Athenas Adventures in Health Policyall 15 booksis now available online for free.
The series aims to inspire the next generation of public health professionals and show them the importance and impact of health policies. These engaging books bring health policy to life, making complex topics accessible and thought-provoking for young readers.
nowfor free!
Prefer a printed copy? The books are also available to purchase on Amazon. $1 from the sale of each book is donated to Global Health NOW. HIV/AIDS Chinas Older HIV Population
In China, a growing number of studies are signaling an impending health crisis: Older people are quickly becoming a high-risk group for HIV infection.
Scientists identify Nigeria hotspots where malaria, STH overlap, indicating high co-morbidity
Court tosses Biden nursing home staffing standard
In Final Days of Pandemic Talks, Countries Urged to Budget for Both Bombs and Bugs
From the hospital to the lab: How we reported the snakebite scandal
Transparency in government is good for global health
Public Health in the Age of AI and Climate Change
AI for research: the ultimate guide to choosing the right tool Issue No. 2704
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 .
If PEPFAR programs do not continue, an additional 1 million children will become infected with HIV, 500,000 additional children will die of AIDS, and another 2.8 million children will become orphans because of AIDS by 2030, according to models published today.
The authors, from African countries and elsewhere, argue for a five-year transition to country-led sustainability, noting that PEPFAR-supported countries had already increased their share of support from $13.7 billion per year in 2004 to $42.6 billion in 2021.
Benefits of the successful transition of PEPFAR programs include better health security for both African countries and the U.S. by:
- Cutting forced migration.
- Boosting control of emerging infectious disease threats.
Bleak future: As part of the reorganization of HHS in the U.S., CDC officials responsible for the care of 500,000+ children and 600,000+ pregnant women with HIV in low-income countries have been fired or reassigned, .
- Their programs sought to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV and to deliver treatment for children living with HIV.
- The officials had been helping direct medications to areas where stocks were running low.
UCLA professor loses millions in funding for HIV research project
Is This the End of Progress on H.I.V.?
The global fight against HIV/AIDS, in chaos GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners U.S. health secretary RFK Jr. called for an end to adding fluoride to public drinking water supplies, saying "It makes no sense to have it in our water supply, and praising Utahs plans for a ban; the EPA has now launched a new review of fluoride's health effects.
Health systems implementing the Zero Suicide Model saw a fall in suicides and attempts, ; the model, developed by Detroit-based Henry Ford Health, emphasizes patient screening, safety planning, and mental health counseling.
Children born to mothers with diabetes in pregnancy showed a 28% higher risk of having any neurodevelopmental disorder compared to children born to mothers without the condition, led by Chinese researchers who cautioned that while more research is needed, diligent monitoring of blood sugar levels in pregnancy is merited.
A newly developed blood test for Alzheimers disease can help diagnose the condition with up to 83% accuracyand indicate how far it has progressedyears before symptoms begin, led by Swedish researchers. U.S. Policy News How will the deep cuts at the Centers for Disease Control affect global programs?
Long COVID activists fought Trump teams research cuts and won for now
Trump Said Cuts Wouldnt Affect Public Safety. Then He Fired Hundreds of Workers Who Help Fight Wildfires.
Transfer to Alaska? Offer to health leaders called 'insult' to Indian Health Service EDUCATION Johns Hopkins Tops Rankings of U.S. Public Health Schools
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health again ranks #1 among public health schools and programs in the U.S., based on peer-assessment ratings released this morning by U.S. News & World Report.
This years top 10 schools:
1. Johns Hopkins University
2. Emory University
2. Harvard University
2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
2. University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
6. Columbia University
7. Boston University
8. University of California - Berkeley
8. University of California - Los Angeles
10. Tulane University
This years rankings include 219 schools and programs of public health accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.
Over three decades, South Africa has seen significant progress in curbing femicide and violence against women.
- Between 1999 and 2017, the intimate partner femicide rate fell from 9.5 per 100,000 women in 1999 to 4.9, with researchers pointing to womens economic empowerment and a groundswell of vocal anti-violence advocacy contributing to the shift.
- Femicide has increased 30%+ since 2021.
- Last year, 36% of South African women reported experiencing physical or sexual violence at some time.
RESOURCES How to Introduce Kids to Health Policy
collection of Athenas Adventures in Health Policyall 15 booksis now available online for free.
The series aims to inspire the next generation of public health professionals and show them the importance and impact of health policies. These engaging books bring health policy to life, making complex topics accessible and thought-provoking for young readers.
nowfor free!
Prefer a printed copy? The books are also available to purchase on Amazon. $1 from the sale of each book is donated to Global Health NOW. HIV/AIDS Chinas Older HIV Population
In China, a growing number of studies are signaling an impending health crisis: Older people are quickly becoming a high-risk group for HIV infection.
- Some studies have predicted that by 2035, nearly 33% of HIV-positive people in China will be aged 60+.
- Because HIV prevention and testing campaigns are focused on young people, older patients usually dont find out theyre HIV positive until the disease is very advanced, said Chinese AIDS expert Wan Yanhai.
- A growing number of older men across China are engaging in commercial sex, research shows.
- Little is being done to address seniors sexual health, with surveys revealing a pervasive cultural assumption that seniors have little if any sexa belief that does not bear out in research.
Scientists identify Nigeria hotspots where malaria, STH overlap, indicating high co-morbidity
Court tosses Biden nursing home staffing standard
In Final Days of Pandemic Talks, Countries Urged to Budget for Both Bombs and Bugs
From the hospital to the lab: How we reported the snakebite scandal
Transparency in government is good for global health
Public Health in the Age of AI and Climate Change
AI for research: the ultimate guide to choosing the right tool Issue No. 2704
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: A Crossroads for Maternal Mortality; March Recap; and Insurance Executives Pull Back the Curtain
April 7, 2025
A health worker performs an ultrasound on a pregnant woman at a health center in the Ramechhap district, east of Kathmandu, Nepal, on June 8, 2018. Bikram Rai/AFP via Getty
A Crossroads for Maternal Mortality
More women face risk of death in pregnancy and childbirth, as drastic U.S. aid cuts threaten hard-won gains in maternal survival, and could have pandemic-like effects on maternal services worldwide, the WHO is warning, .
Fragile progress: Deaths due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth declined 40% globally between 2000 and 2023, but gains have slowed since 2016, . And rates are off track to meet 2030 maternal survival targets.
Pandemic preview: Maternal deaths rose by 40,000 in 2021 due to pandemic-related disruptions, new data in the report show.
World Health Day: Focusing on womens physical and mental health around the world
Trump administration eviscerates maternal and child health programs GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES More Measles News RFK: MMR vaccine is the "most effective way" to prevent measles spread
RFK Jr. visits epicenter of Texas measles outbreak after death of second child who was infected
U.S. may be reverting to a time when measles deaths were not very rare, experts warn
As measles spreads, some doctors are seeing the virus for the first time The Latest One-Liners The NIH may not cap funding for indirect costs associated with its grants at 15%, a U.S. federal judge ruled Friday, making permanent a temporary order issued in February; the Trump administration had asked for this verdict so it could move forward with an appeal.
350,000+ U.S. health workers face a risk of deportation in the countrys immigration crackdown, published in JAMA, which found that ensuing worker shortages could affect hospitals and other clinical settings.
Mobile health care units providing ART and PrEP medications reduced the risk for death by ~70% among people who inject drugs, presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.
Unsanitary practices continue at Abbott Laboratories, one of the largest baby formula factories in the U.S., workers report; the factorys 2022 shutdown led to severe formula shortages, and now oversight is in question due to mass FDA layoffs. MARCH MUST-READS Moving Beyond Stigma in Mexico
For years, Mexico has taken a prohibitionist, hardline approach to drug use, reinforcing a stigma that ties drug use to other criminal activities. But recently, health advocates have been taking a different tacktoward harm reduction.
Interrupted Agent Orange Cleanup
USAID cuts abruptly halted efforts to clean up an enormous chemical spill at Vietnams Bien Hoa air baseleaving pits with dioxin-contaminated soil exposed at the cusp of the countrys rainy season and putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk of poisoning.
The Bureaucrat Bridging Gaps
Consider this maddening prospect: A 5-year-old girl in Texas is diagnosed with a rare, brain-eating amoeba, but her doctors havent heard about an effective antibiotic remedy discovered by California researchersa tragic disconnect that all too frequently leads to preventable suffering and death.
Over 90% of U.S. parents and guardians support their children receiving comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in schoolbut there is no national requirement, and only 38% of all high schools and 14% of middle schools in the U.S. cover all of the CDC宎s priority sexual health topics, including condom use and STD prevention.
Compare that to the Netherlands, where sex ed is mandated in primary through lower secondary schools. And, at 2.1 births per 1,000 women ages 1519, the Netherlands宎 teen birth rate is the lowest in the EUand far lower than the U.S. teen birth rate of 13.2 births per 1,000.
Chilling effect: While there haven't been direct attacks on U.S. sex education, policy recommendations targeting DEI, gender identity, and restroom access for trans people raise concerns about the funding future for CSE providersbut advocates remain determined to broaden access to CSE.
March Commentaries:
Revisiting Extraordinary Journeys
If you weren宎t able to join GHN in March for Extraordinary Journeys: Stories of Refugees Fleeing Conflict and Shaping Global Health, of each story from this special event, co-hosted by GHN and the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, spotlighting the remarkable experiences of public health practitioners from Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria with lived experience as refugees. MARCH'S BEST NEWS Lifesaving Ultrasounds
New ultrasound technology is reshaping prenatal care in sub-Saharan Africa, allowing improved access to the critical scan at hundreds of health facilities.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HEALTH POLICY Insurance Executives Pull Back the Curtain
Amid sharper public criticism of the U.S. health insurance system, former industry executives turned whistleblowers are speaking out about unethical practices they say are baked into the for-profit system.
Some of the industry tenets they described:
Patients are the lowest priority, as their needs are fundamentally at odds with Wall Street demands and financial incentives.
Execute a few hostages mentality: One executive described decisions to arbitrarily terminate doctors out of network without cause to show them whos boss.
Champagne during COVID-19: Another executive described how his company had champagne delivered to leaders homes during the lockdown to celebrate financial gains accrued while people were forced to forgo elective care.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Mexico confirms country's first human case of bird flu in a 3-year-old girl
'I could live 30 years but plan to die': How assisted dying law is dividing Canadians
Major endometriosis study reveals impact of gluten, coffee, dairy and alcohol
In banning Glock switches, red and blue states find common ground on gun law
Understanding the resurgence of mpox: key drivers and lessons from recent outbreaks in Africa
Tariffs hit science labs: Trump levies raise cost of supplies
Behind the Plate: Keeping Our Food Safe
An antiviral chewing gum to reduce influenza and herpes simplex virus transmission Issue No. 2703
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 .
More women face risk of death in pregnancy and childbirth, as drastic U.S. aid cuts threaten hard-won gains in maternal survival, and could have pandemic-like effects on maternal services worldwide, the WHO is warning, .
Fragile progress: Deaths due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth declined 40% globally between 2000 and 2023, but gains have slowed since 2016, . And rates are off track to meet 2030 maternal survival targets.
- ~260,000 women died in 2023 from pregnancy-related causes, a reality that one WHO official described as a real travesty of justice.
- Most vulnerable: Pregnant women in conflict zones, who already face a 5X greater risk of death than elsewhere.
- Poor countries reported a maternal mortality rate nearly 35X the rate in rich countries.
Pandemic preview: Maternal deaths rose by 40,000 in 2021 due to pandemic-related disruptions, new data in the report show.
- This years funding cuts could cause a similar acute shock to the systemespecially as countries didnt have time to prepare for the cuts.
World Health Day: Focusing on womens physical and mental health around the world
Trump administration eviscerates maternal and child health programs GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES More Measles News RFK: MMR vaccine is the "most effective way" to prevent measles spread
RFK Jr. visits epicenter of Texas measles outbreak after death of second child who was infected
U.S. may be reverting to a time when measles deaths were not very rare, experts warn
As measles spreads, some doctors are seeing the virus for the first time The Latest One-Liners The NIH may not cap funding for indirect costs associated with its grants at 15%, a U.S. federal judge ruled Friday, making permanent a temporary order issued in February; the Trump administration had asked for this verdict so it could move forward with an appeal.
350,000+ U.S. health workers face a risk of deportation in the countrys immigration crackdown, published in JAMA, which found that ensuing worker shortages could affect hospitals and other clinical settings.
Mobile health care units providing ART and PrEP medications reduced the risk for death by ~70% among people who inject drugs, presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.
Unsanitary practices continue at Abbott Laboratories, one of the largest baby formula factories in the U.S., workers report; the factorys 2022 shutdown led to severe formula shortages, and now oversight is in question due to mass FDA layoffs. MARCH MUST-READS Moving Beyond Stigma in Mexico
For years, Mexico has taken a prohibitionist, hardline approach to drug use, reinforcing a stigma that ties drug use to other criminal activities. But recently, health advocates have been taking a different tacktoward harm reduction.
- One example: Checa tu Sustanciae (Check Your Substance) provides a way for people at events like music festivals to test drugs for fentanyl and other adulterants, and also equips those people with naloxone and practical information.
Interrupted Agent Orange Cleanup
USAID cuts abruptly halted efforts to clean up an enormous chemical spill at Vietnams Bien Hoa air baseleaving pits with dioxin-contaminated soil exposed at the cusp of the countrys rainy season and putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk of poisoning.
- A $430 million+ U.S. government remediation effort had begun in 2019 to clean up widespread dioxin contamination that dates back to the Vietnam Warwhen the U.S. brought the toxin to the country.
The Bureaucrat Bridging Gaps
Consider this maddening prospect: A 5-year-old girl in Texas is diagnosed with a rare, brain-eating amoeba, but her doctors havent heard about an effective antibiotic remedy discovered by California researchersa tragic disconnect that all too frequently leads to preventable suffering and death.
- Michael Lewis examines the mission of an FDA worker buried under six layers on an agency organizational chart who is seeking to solve the problem by creating a database for rare diseases and treatments, called CURE ID. A big question: Will anyone use it?
Over 90% of U.S. parents and guardians support their children receiving comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in schoolbut there is no national requirement, and only 38% of all high schools and 14% of middle schools in the U.S. cover all of the CDC宎s priority sexual health topics, including condom use and STD prevention.
Compare that to the Netherlands, where sex ed is mandated in primary through lower secondary schools. And, at 2.1 births per 1,000 women ages 1519, the Netherlands宎 teen birth rate is the lowest in the EUand far lower than the U.S. teen birth rate of 13.2 births per 1,000.
Chilling effect: While there haven't been direct attacks on U.S. sex education, policy recommendations targeting DEI, gender identity, and restroom access for trans people raise concerns about the funding future for CSE providersbut advocates remain determined to broaden access to CSE.
March Commentaries:
- Jirair Ratevosian
- Siddhesh Zadey and Dhananjaya Sharma
Revisiting Extraordinary Journeys
If you weren宎t able to join GHN in March for Extraordinary Journeys: Stories of Refugees Fleeing Conflict and Shaping Global Health, of each story from this special event, co-hosted by GHN and the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, spotlighting the remarkable experiences of public health practitioners from Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria with lived experience as refugees. MARCH'S BEST NEWS Lifesaving Ultrasounds
New ultrasound technology is reshaping prenatal care in sub-Saharan Africa, allowing improved access to the critical scan at hundreds of health facilities.
- Portable point-of-care ultrasound devices are designed specifically for providers in low-resource areas who may not have access to radiology equipment.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HEALTH POLICY Insurance Executives Pull Back the Curtain
Amid sharper public criticism of the U.S. health insurance system, former industry executives turned whistleblowers are speaking out about unethical practices they say are baked into the for-profit system.
Some of the industry tenets they described:
Patients are the lowest priority, as their needs are fundamentally at odds with Wall Street demands and financial incentives.
Execute a few hostages mentality: One executive described decisions to arbitrarily terminate doctors out of network without cause to show them whos boss.
Champagne during COVID-19: Another executive described how his company had champagne delivered to leaders homes during the lockdown to celebrate financial gains accrued while people were forced to forgo elective care.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Mexico confirms country's first human case of bird flu in a 3-year-old girl
'I could live 30 years but plan to die': How assisted dying law is dividing Canadians
Major endometriosis study reveals impact of gluten, coffee, dairy and alcohol
In banning Glock switches, red and blue states find common ground on gun law
Understanding the resurgence of mpox: key drivers and lessons from recent outbreaks in Africa
Tariffs hit science labs: Trump levies raise cost of supplies
Behind the Plate: Keeping Our Food Safe
An antiviral chewing gum to reduce influenza and herpes simplex virus transmission Issue No. 2703
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
Unprecedented aid cuts are putting global progress to end maternal deaths at risk, three UN agencies warned in a new report that calls for greater investment in midwives and other health workers.
Categories: Global Health Feed
Mondays World Health Day highlights a critical issue for global health: the particular vulnerabilities faced by women and girls.
Categories: Global Health Feed
A global surge in cholera is threatening vulnerable people from Angola to Myanmar, fuelled by conflict, natural disasters and climate change, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Taking Cuts to Court; Beijing+30: A New Generation Needed to Advance Womens Rights; and Minding the Lexical Gap
April 3, 2025
Demonstrators protest funding cuts outside of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, on March 8. Michael Mathes/AFP via Getty
Taking Cuts to Court
The Trump administration is facing a new wave of litigation from scientists, unions, and health advocacy groups, alleging that the administrations cuts to research are illegaland that the ideological purge behind them poses an existential threat to American scientific enterprise, .
Details: The argues that NIH grant cuts were not guided by federal funding rules, which include a science-based review process designed to insulate the grant process from politicization. Such cuts have been extremely rare in previous administrations.
Trumps cruel calculus on public health is slashing lifelines for the most vulnerable
C.D.C. Cuts Threaten to Set Back the Nations Health, Critics Say
The USAID List of Terminated Global Health Awards What Does it Tell Us?
Doctor Behind Award-Winning Parkinsons Research Among Scientists Purged From NIH
Slashing the public health workforce hurts the U.S. economy GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners More than half of the worlds pediatric cancer deaths occur in war-torn countries, which St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital and Duke researchers tied to disruptions in diagnosis and treatment that analyzed three decades of data.
A two-year-old girl in Andhra Pradesh, India, died after contracting H5N1, marking Indias first death from the virus since 2021; the child, whose family members all tested negative for the virus, may have been infected by consuming raw chicken.
The latest COVID variant on the rise is LP.8.1, an offshoot of Omicron that features genetic changes allowing it to spread more easily; it is swiftly becoming dominant in the U.K.
The shingles vaccine is linked to reduced dementia risk, that analyzed health records of 280,000+ older adults in Wales; those who received the shingles vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years than those who did not receive the vaccine. GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY A Marie Stopes International mobile clinical outreach team on a site visit to Laniar health center in Senegal. August 14, 2014. Jonathan Torgovnik for The Hewlett Foundation/Reportage by Getty Beijing+30: A New Generation Needed to Advance Womens Rights
Despite notable advances in womens rights in the last 30 years since the adoption of the , gender-based violence, maternal mortality, and other issues still need to be addressed, , a lawyer and global health scholar from Tanzania.
Successes include:
Tens of thousands of doctors across India are being trained to promote the HPV vaccine, in an effort to eliminate cervical cancer in the country.
George Washington Universitys Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity program is a one-year, non-residential program that allows early- to mid-career professionals to develop their leadership skills and build their capacity through support for a health equity project to be completed at a fellows professional organization.
Fellows benefit from in-person and virtual training opportunities, coaching and mentoring from health equity experts, and integration into a lifelong senior fellowship network.
It can easily take a dozen English wordsand frantic gesturing of clenched hands and gritted teethto describe the sensation of cute aggression toward, say, an adorable kitten.
Tagalog has it boiled down to one word: gigil (ghee-gill). It宎s among dozens of non-English words now inducted into the Oxford English Dictionary, helping to fill a lexical gap with untranslatable words found in one language but not others, .
Lost for words no more! Thanks to the new additions, one needn宎t clutch at verbal straws trying to evoke the joy of drinking a beer outside (utepils, thanks Norway!), or seeing sunlight dappling through leaves (komorebi, h/t Japan).
In-kind donation: As a gesture of thanks, might we offer up some in exchange? Surely acersecomickeone whose hair was never cutdeserves broader use. Or what about flingee, a handy term to describe one at whom anything is flungbe it a snowball, or a barrage of new words. QUICK HITS They were forced to scam others worldwide. Now thousands are detained on the Myanmar border
Africa's Quiet Response to U.S. Realignment of Foreign Aid
Farm workers avoiding bird flu testing because of deportation threat, officials fear
World is failing people with disabilities: UN deputy chief
Two infants die of whooping cough in Louisiana as cases climb nationally
Supreme Court rules in favor of FDA in dispute over flavored vapes
Do smartphones and social media really harm teens mental health?
Why we study shrimp on treadmills: The case for curiosity-driven research Issue No. 2702
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
The Trump administration is facing a new wave of litigation from scientists, unions, and health advocacy groups, alleging that the administrations cuts to research are illegaland that the ideological purge behind them poses an existential threat to American scientific enterprise, .
Details: The argues that NIH grant cuts were not guided by federal funding rules, which include a science-based review process designed to insulate the grant process from politicization. Such cuts have been extremely rare in previous administrations.
- To have it undermined in this way is really to give ourselves a black eye as a country, said plaintiff Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, .
- The suit also argues that ending projects midstream could put patients undergoing NIH-funded treatment at risk, and waste taxpayer money.
- The Trump administration is demanding the CDCwhich has laid off one-fifth of its workforceto now cut $2.9 billion of contract spending, a move one CDC scientist described as cutting off our arms and legs.
Trumps cruel calculus on public health is slashing lifelines for the most vulnerable
C.D.C. Cuts Threaten to Set Back the Nations Health, Critics Say
The USAID List of Terminated Global Health Awards What Does it Tell Us?
Doctor Behind Award-Winning Parkinsons Research Among Scientists Purged From NIH
Slashing the public health workforce hurts the U.S. economy GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners More than half of the worlds pediatric cancer deaths occur in war-torn countries, which St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital and Duke researchers tied to disruptions in diagnosis and treatment that analyzed three decades of data.
A two-year-old girl in Andhra Pradesh, India, died after contracting H5N1, marking Indias first death from the virus since 2021; the child, whose family members all tested negative for the virus, may have been infected by consuming raw chicken.
The latest COVID variant on the rise is LP.8.1, an offshoot of Omicron that features genetic changes allowing it to spread more easily; it is swiftly becoming dominant in the U.K.
The shingles vaccine is linked to reduced dementia risk, that analyzed health records of 280,000+ older adults in Wales; those who received the shingles vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years than those who did not receive the vaccine. GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY A Marie Stopes International mobile clinical outreach team on a site visit to Laniar health center in Senegal. August 14, 2014. Jonathan Torgovnik for The Hewlett Foundation/Reportage by Getty Beijing+30: A New Generation Needed to Advance Womens Rights
Despite notable advances in womens rights in the last 30 years since the adoption of the , gender-based violence, maternal mortality, and other issues still need to be addressed, , a lawyer and global health scholar from Tanzania.
Successes include:
- .
- 162 countries have criminalized gender-based violence (GBV).
- A significant increase in .
- lose their lives every day to preventable maternal causes.
- GBV continues to be a critical concern, with having experienced physical or sexual violence, often by an intimate partner.
Tens of thousands of doctors across India are being trained to promote the HPV vaccine, in an effort to eliminate cervical cancer in the country.
- One in five occur in India caused by HPV.
- HPV vaccination has been since 2008, but uptake has been low: Until recently, imported vaccines were expensive and during an HPV vaccine trial left citizens distrustful.
- India recently its own HPV vaccine, with to make it part of the national vaccination program by early 2026.
George Washington Universitys Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity program is a one-year, non-residential program that allows early- to mid-career professionals to develop their leadership skills and build their capacity through support for a health equity project to be completed at a fellows professional organization.
Fellows benefit from in-person and virtual training opportunities, coaching and mentoring from health equity experts, and integration into a lifelong senior fellowship network.
- Deadline: April 10, 2025
It can easily take a dozen English wordsand frantic gesturing of clenched hands and gritted teethto describe the sensation of cute aggression toward, say, an adorable kitten.
Tagalog has it boiled down to one word: gigil (ghee-gill). It宎s among dozens of non-English words now inducted into the Oxford English Dictionary, helping to fill a lexical gap with untranslatable words found in one language but not others, .
Lost for words no more! Thanks to the new additions, one needn宎t clutch at verbal straws trying to evoke the joy of drinking a beer outside (utepils, thanks Norway!), or seeing sunlight dappling through leaves (komorebi, h/t Japan).
In-kind donation: As a gesture of thanks, might we offer up some in exchange? Surely acersecomickeone whose hair was never cutdeserves broader use. Or what about flingee, a handy term to describe one at whom anything is flungbe it a snowball, or a barrage of new words. QUICK HITS They were forced to scam others worldwide. Now thousands are detained on the Myanmar border
Africa's Quiet Response to U.S. Realignment of Foreign Aid
Farm workers avoiding bird flu testing because of deportation threat, officials fear
World is failing people with disabilities: UN deputy chief
Two infants die of whooping cough in Louisiana as cases climb nationally
Supreme Court rules in favor of FDA in dispute over flavored vapes
Do smartphones and social media really harm teens mental health?
Why we study shrimp on treadmills: The case for curiosity-driven research Issue No. 2702
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Deep, Degrading Cuts to U.S. Health Offices; Sierra Leone Weighs Abortion Bill; and Zambias Most Contaminated Site
April 2, 2025
Employees of the Department of Health and Human Services stand in line to enter the Mary E. Switzer Memorial Building yesterday in Washington, D.C. Kevin Dietsch/Getty
Deep, Degrading Cuts to U.S. Health Offices
Mass layoffs are underway in Americas federal health offices, with thousands of positions cut yesterday in a chaotic process described by one FDA employee as a bloodbath, .
Included in the layoffs were thousands of scientists, doctors, senior leaders, and support staffincluding entire teams that track disease outbreaks, conduct medical research, work to reduce injuries, monitor food and medicine safety, and administer health insurance programs for nearly half of the U.S. population, .
Scope of the cuts,
Related:
RFK Jr. purges CDC and FDA's public records teams, despite "transparency" promises
States sue Trump administration for rescinding billions in health funding GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Middle East and North Africa HIV cases more than doubled over the last decade amid ongoing conflicts, displacement, and high levels of stigma for vulnerable populations, ; infections in Jordan, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, and Lebanon soared by 116% since 2010 and are expected to keep rising.
Mpox presents a growing epidemic and pandemic risk, as human interaction with the virus reshapes its entire endemic range and as knowledge gaps on its biologic makeup hamper virus control.
A dearth of antifungal treatments is making invasive fungal diseases a greater threat, especially as they become more drug-resistant, released yesterday that described an urgent need for innovative research and development.
Family planning grants have been paused in the U.S., with the federal government withholding $27.5 million from organizations that provide contraception, cancer screenings, and STI services as officials investigate whether theyre complying with laws and executive orders. REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH Sierra Leone Weighs Abortion Bill
Sierra Leone could soon decriminalize abortion in some cases pending a parliamentary vote in the coming weeks. If passed, it would make Sierra Leone the second West African country (after Benin) to legalize the procedure.
Sierra Leones numbers:
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH The Future of Zambias Most Contaminated Site
For decades, residents of Kabwe, Zambia, have grown severely sickespecially children. Many have died far too young.
Hundreds of blood samples from residents over the decades have clearly identified the problem: severe lead poisoning.
Behind the pollution: From 1906 to 1994, Kabwe was home to one of the world's largest lead and zinc mines. Lead particles infiltrated soil and waterways, and the pervasive dust continues to affect residents.
DEMENTIA Lack of Deep Sleep Increases Alzheimers Risk
One in three American adults dont get enough sleepand according to a , a lack of REM sleep may speed the decline in parts of the brain associated with Alzheimers.
Related:
Latest Alzheimer's lab tests focus on memory loss, not brain plaques
Lowering bad cholesterol may cut risk of dementia by 26%, study suggests
WHO calls for urgent action on dementia among refugees and migrants
European committee says Lilly Alzheimers drug shouldnt get marketing approval OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Guterres calls for greater equality and inclusion as world marks Autism Awareness Day
Communities in crisis: The collapse of HIV lifelines in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
A Prison Death Highlights an L.G.B.T.Q. Crackdown in Russia
How Houston's mayor kept Texas prisons hot as 'living hell,'
Analysis: Tariffs on Canadian drugs will strain US supply chain
Long COVID Showed Me the Bottom of American Health Care
The Role of Clinicians in the Climate Crisis
How Dating Apps Could Unlock At-Home HIV Testing
The Sound of Science Issue No. 2701
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 .
Mass layoffs are underway in Americas federal health offices, with thousands of positions cut yesterday in a chaotic process described by one FDA employee as a bloodbath, .
Included in the layoffs were thousands of scientists, doctors, senior leaders, and support staffincluding entire teams that track disease outbreaks, conduct medical research, work to reduce injuries, monitor food and medicine safety, and administer health insurance programs for nearly half of the U.S. population, .
Scope of the cuts,
- The CDC will eliminate ~ 2,400 workers, slashing divisions focused on workplace safety, violence and injury prevention, drug use, and asthma.
- The FDA is set to lose ~3,500 staffers, including those who set policy for tobacco products and who review new drugs.
- The NIH will cut ~1,200 additional employees, including scientists, computer specialists, and nearly the entire communications staff.
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will lay off ~300 staffers.
- This is a sad and inhumane way to treat people, said former FDA commissioner Robert Califf, who described the agency as finished.
Related:
RFK Jr. purges CDC and FDA's public records teams, despite "transparency" promises
States sue Trump administration for rescinding billions in health funding GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Middle East and North Africa HIV cases more than doubled over the last decade amid ongoing conflicts, displacement, and high levels of stigma for vulnerable populations, ; infections in Jordan, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, and Lebanon soared by 116% since 2010 and are expected to keep rising.
Mpox presents a growing epidemic and pandemic risk, as human interaction with the virus reshapes its entire endemic range and as knowledge gaps on its biologic makeup hamper virus control.
A dearth of antifungal treatments is making invasive fungal diseases a greater threat, especially as they become more drug-resistant, released yesterday that described an urgent need for innovative research and development.
Family planning grants have been paused in the U.S., with the federal government withholding $27.5 million from organizations that provide contraception, cancer screenings, and STI services as officials investigate whether theyre complying with laws and executive orders. REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH Sierra Leone Weighs Abortion Bill
Sierra Leone could soon decriminalize abortion in some cases pending a parliamentary vote in the coming weeks. If passed, it would make Sierra Leone the second West African country (after Benin) to legalize the procedure.
Sierra Leones numbers:
- An estimated 90,000 abortions are performed each year.
- Tens of thousands of women and girls attempt to self-terminate pregnancies each year.
- Over 20% of girls ages 1519 become pregnant.
- Unsafe abortions account for ~10% of the countrys maternal deaths; health workers say thats likely a vast undercount.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH The Future of Zambias Most Contaminated Site
For decades, residents of Kabwe, Zambia, have grown severely sickespecially children. Many have died far too young.
Hundreds of blood samples from residents over the decades have clearly identified the problem: severe lead poisoning.
Behind the pollution: From 1906 to 1994, Kabwe was home to one of the world's largest lead and zinc mines. Lead particles infiltrated soil and waterways, and the pervasive dust continues to affect residents.
- A identified the site as a sacrifice zoneone of the most polluted places on the planet.
DEMENTIA Lack of Deep Sleep Increases Alzheimers Risk
One in three American adults dont get enough sleepand according to a , a lack of REM sleep may speed the decline in parts of the brain associated with Alzheimers.
- Adults need an average of 78 hours of sleep.
- 20%25% should be spent in deep sleep and the same amount in REM sleep.
Related:
Latest Alzheimer's lab tests focus on memory loss, not brain plaques
Lowering bad cholesterol may cut risk of dementia by 26%, study suggests
WHO calls for urgent action on dementia among refugees and migrants
European committee says Lilly Alzheimers drug shouldnt get marketing approval OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Guterres calls for greater equality and inclusion as world marks Autism Awareness Day
Communities in crisis: The collapse of HIV lifelines in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
A Prison Death Highlights an L.G.B.T.Q. Crackdown in Russia
How Houston's mayor kept Texas prisons hot as 'living hell,'
Analysis: Tariffs on Canadian drugs will strain US supply chain
Long COVID Showed Me the Bottom of American Health Care
The Role of Clinicians in the Climate Crisis
How Dating Apps Could Unlock At-Home HIV Testing
The Sound of Science Issue No. 2701
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
Amid alarming reports of sexual violence being used as a weapon of terror across Sudan, UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA, is warning that over 12 million women and girls and increasingly men and boys are estimated to be at risk.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Fast-Spreading Measles and Misinformation; Inside the Plans to Dismantle USAID; and Finding Hope for Fistula Survivors in Nigeria
April 1, 2025
Priscilla Luna and her 3-year-old daughter Avery read a book about immunizations at a Lubbock Public Health Department vaccine clinic. March 1, Lubbock, Texas. Jan Sonnenmair/Getty
Fast-Spreading Measles and Misinformation
Measles continues to spread across under-vaccinated West Texas and is causing outbreaks in four other U.S. statesspreading as quickly as misinformation.
Related:
Colorado measles case reported in Pueblo adult who traveled internationally
Texas Never Wanted RFK Jr.s Unproven Measles Treatment GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners A cholera outbreak in Angola has spread to 16 of the countrys 21 provinces so far this year, rising to 329 deaths and 8,500+ cases as of March 25, , with children and young adults particularly hard hit.
A deadly antibiotic-resistant superbug bacteria, Acinetobacter baumannii, for which there is little research, is spreading in a Malaysian hospital, that found high resistance to multiple antibiotics, especially carbapenemsthe drugs of choice for the treatment of A. baumannii infections.
A U.S. federal judge ruled that Alabama cant prosecute people who help to facilitate out-of-state abortions where the procedure is legal, saying it would violate the constitution and the right to travel.
Deforestation is a leading indicator of Ebola virus spillover from animals to humans in a new CDC-led study; the model could help identify patterns that could guide prevention efforts. U.S. Health Policy News: The head of Africa CDC thought news of a U.S. aid freeze must be 'a joke.' Now what?
The lives of individuals in the US are at stake, researchers warn after HHS cancels hundreds of vaccine grants
FDAs top tobacco official is removed from post in latest blow to health agencys leadership
Trump wants to defund Planned Parenthood. The Supreme Court will hear a case aimed at that.
Public health under Trump 2.0: the first 50 days
How the MAHA Commission Can Improve U.S. Life Expectancy FOREIGN AID Inside the Plans to Dismantle USAID
The Trump administrations plans to break down USAID and shift its surviving operations to the State Department have been outlined in a congressional notification.
The basics: The agency will be abolished as an independent establishment for fiscal year 2026, and all staff will be laid off.
Reordering: Remaining parts of the agency, including food security and global health programs, will be run by the State Department.
Related:
The USAID awards the Trump administration killed and kept
A Youth Friendly Drop-In Centre is Staying Committed to HIV Prevention Amidst USAID Funding Cuts in Kenya
A midwife says of the aid cuts in Afghanistan: 'No one prioritizes women's lives.' GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CLIMATE POLICY The High Impact of Stemming Super Pollutants
In climate policy, mitigating CO2 emissions is the perennial priority. But scientists say addressing a small group of super pollutants could have a swift, meaningful influence on slowing rising temperatures and improving health outcomes.
Related: Exposure to Air Pollution in Childhood Is Associated with Reduced Brain Connectivity SURGERY Finding Hope for Fistula Survivors in Nigeria
Free fistula repair surgery will soon be available at clinics throughout Nigeria, health officials announced earlier this montha groundbreaking move in a country where ~12,000 new fistula cases are reported each year.
Background: Vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) is a condition where an opening forms between the bladder and the vagina. Root causes: Prolonged or obstructed labor and female genital mutilation.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Its beyond description: Bodies pile up in mass graves as Myanmar grapples with quake toll
Gas fire in Malaysia injures more than 100 people and damages 49 houses
An RSF atrocity, a mass evacuation, and another side to mutual aid in Sudan
Epilepsy: The neglected disease eating up families
Who's stockpiling abortion pills amid bans
Scientists scramble to track LA wildfires long-term health impacts
Is breastfeeding exclusive? Barriers facing global health professionals and proposed solutions
How to buy a year of happiness, explained in one chart Issue No. 2700
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Measles continues to spread across under-vaccinated West Texas and is causing outbreaks in four other U.S. statesspreading as quickly as misinformation.
- The Texas outbreak has topped 400 cases and may continue for months. It has also been linked to new cases in Mexico, .
- The U.S. has had more cases in the first three months of the year than all of last year.
- HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has recommended vitamin A as treatment, . But experts warn that high doses of vitamin A can be dangerous.
- A hospital in Lubbock, Texas, reported last week it was treating 10 children suffering from complications caused by measles and exacerbated by abnormal liver function caused by elevated levels of Vitamin A, .
- Public health officials have to get people to understand the value of getting vaccinated, but battling information warfare is not what were taught in public health school, said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of Brown Universitys Pandemic Center.
Related:
Colorado measles case reported in Pueblo adult who traveled internationally
Texas Never Wanted RFK Jr.s Unproven Measles Treatment GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners A cholera outbreak in Angola has spread to 16 of the countrys 21 provinces so far this year, rising to 329 deaths and 8,500+ cases as of March 25, , with children and young adults particularly hard hit.
A deadly antibiotic-resistant superbug bacteria, Acinetobacter baumannii, for which there is little research, is spreading in a Malaysian hospital, that found high resistance to multiple antibiotics, especially carbapenemsthe drugs of choice for the treatment of A. baumannii infections.
A U.S. federal judge ruled that Alabama cant prosecute people who help to facilitate out-of-state abortions where the procedure is legal, saying it would violate the constitution and the right to travel.
Deforestation is a leading indicator of Ebola virus spillover from animals to humans in a new CDC-led study; the model could help identify patterns that could guide prevention efforts. U.S. Health Policy News: The head of Africa CDC thought news of a U.S. aid freeze must be 'a joke.' Now what?
The lives of individuals in the US are at stake, researchers warn after HHS cancels hundreds of vaccine grants
FDAs top tobacco official is removed from post in latest blow to health agencys leadership
Trump wants to defund Planned Parenthood. The Supreme Court will hear a case aimed at that.
Public health under Trump 2.0: the first 50 days
How the MAHA Commission Can Improve U.S. Life Expectancy FOREIGN AID Inside the Plans to Dismantle USAID
The Trump administrations plans to break down USAID and shift its surviving operations to the State Department have been outlined in a congressional notification.
The basics: The agency will be abolished as an independent establishment for fiscal year 2026, and all staff will be laid off.
Reordering: Remaining parts of the agency, including food security and global health programs, will be run by the State Department.
- Programs will be housed within State Department regional bureausa move that could make aid programs more fragmented, warn international development experts.
- As the State Department hires staff for its programs, some USAID staff could be rehired, though it is unclear how the agency will respond to crises like the Burma earthquakes while the transition is ongoing.
Related:
The USAID awards the Trump administration killed and kept
A Youth Friendly Drop-In Centre is Staying Committed to HIV Prevention Amidst USAID Funding Cuts in Kenya
A midwife says of the aid cuts in Afghanistan: 'No one prioritizes women's lives.' GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CLIMATE POLICY The High Impact of Stemming Super Pollutants
In climate policy, mitigating CO2 emissions is the perennial priority. But scientists say addressing a small group of super pollutants could have a swift, meaningful influence on slowing rising temperatures and improving health outcomes.
- Black carbon, methane, and ozone are responsible for , and also have wide-ranging impacts on food security and respiratory health.
- If you reduce them today, well see impacts in our lifetimes, said Claire Henly, executive director of the Super Pollutant Field Catalyst.
Related: Exposure to Air Pollution in Childhood Is Associated with Reduced Brain Connectivity SURGERY Finding Hope for Fistula Survivors in Nigeria
Free fistula repair surgery will soon be available at clinics throughout Nigeria, health officials announced earlier this montha groundbreaking move in a country where ~12,000 new fistula cases are reported each year.
Background: Vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) is a condition where an opening forms between the bladder and the vagina. Root causes: Prolonged or obstructed labor and female genital mutilation.
- The condition can be debilitating and highly stigmatizing: In 2022, by their families in the state of Borno.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Its beyond description: Bodies pile up in mass graves as Myanmar grapples with quake toll
Gas fire in Malaysia injures more than 100 people and damages 49 houses
An RSF atrocity, a mass evacuation, and another side to mutual aid in Sudan
Epilepsy: The neglected disease eating up families
Who's stockpiling abortion pills amid bans
Scientists scramble to track LA wildfires long-term health impacts
Is breastfeeding exclusive? Barriers facing global health professionals and proposed solutions
How to buy a year of happiness, explained in one chart Issue No. 2700
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
Although people with autism are making enormous contributions to societies across the globe, they still face significant challenges.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
51勛圖厙Perspectives on Global Health: March 2025 Issue
March 31, 2025
NEWSLETTER
- Authors: Tamara Golosarsky, Zacharias Foti, and Katelyn Spicer --> A single lantern flickers softly, but together their light pushes back the darkness as the first hints of dawn whisper of hope, undimmed by the trials of the night.
- Author: Alexandra Tom --> By embodying different types of advocacy, my generation can shift the current environment of isolationism into a movement that is focused on global solidarity.
- Author: Sophie Naasz --> I learned that success in global health work depends on listening to local partners and adapting to unexpected realities.
- Author: Shreenik Kundu --> In the sustainability field, I see the potential for significant change, but its going to be incredibly challenging. The younger generations are really going to have to push for solutions, and I respect the work theyre doing.
- Authors: Bhavya Bhushan & Drea Garcia Avila --> Mission in Motion
Get ready to be inspired! In this dynamic section, we spotlight global health organizations that are making waves and driving real change around the world. Each month, we showcase their innovative strategies and impactful initiatives as they tackle pressing health challenges and champion equity.
This month, we focus on organizations working to combat tuberculosis (TB), a disease that remains a significant global health challenge. Lets celebrate their dedication and commitment as we highlight their vital contributions to TB research, advocacy, and raising awareness about prevention and treatment.
--> image: https://globalcoalitionagainsttb.org/objectives/ : Is a dynamic network of organizations and advocates dedicated to ending the TB epidemic worldwide. With a focus on policy advocacy, GCAT works to increase funding, raise awareness, and promote global action to combat tuberculosis. By uniting governments, civil society, and the private sector, GCAT aims to ensure equitable access to TB care, innovative treatments, and preventive measures, driving efforts toward the global goal of eliminating TB. --> Image: https://www.tballiance.org/about-who-we-are/ : Is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to developing new, affordable, and effective treatments for tuberculosis (TB). With a focus on accelerating research and innovation, TB Alliance works to bring new therapies to those who need them most, particularly in low-resource settings. Their mission is to eliminate TB as a global health threat by advancing scientific solutions and ensuring equitable access to life-saving medicines. --> In the News
Stay up to date with news and opinions on Global Health Image: https://x.com/NobelPrize/status/1904075230542492129 On March 24, 1882, German physician and Nobel Prize laureate Robert Koch announced the discovery of the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis (TB), a breakthrough commemorated today as #WorldTBDay. about his story! --> Image: https://x.com/WHOWPRO/status/1903995999208845667 Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or spits. While it primarily affects the lungs, TB can also impact other areas of the body.
Contact your healthcare provide if you experience symptoms such as:
鈴 persistent cough
fever
靴nexplained weight loss
Read more ! --> New in Global Health Academic Literature
By: World Health Organization Image: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240101531 The WHO Global tuberculosis report 2024 provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the TB epidemic, and of progress in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease, at global, regional and country levels. This is done in the context of global TB commitments, strategies and targets. --> Opportunities in Global Health
Dates: November 2-5, 2025
Location: Washington DC, USA
Call for submission - The APHA 2025 Call for Films is now open!
Accepting submissions and reviewers for the 2025 Public Health Film Festival. Films from all disciplines of public health will be considered, but films related to the APHA 2025 theme Making the Publics Health a National Priority are highly encouraged. The film festival showcases local, national and global public health films.
The submission deadline is April 7, 2025
Visit their for more details --> Share your Perspective on Global Health
We are excited to announce a Call for Papers in the following areas!
You can submit your article, photo essay or article pitch to us by emailing us at: globalhealthblog@mcgill.ca. --> Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest information and experiences in global health! Follow us on social media --> Copyright 穢 2017 51勛圖厙Global Health Programs, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
globalhealthblog@mcgill.ca
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or
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51勛圖厙Perspectives in Global Health Blog · McIntyre Medical Building, Room 633 · 3655 Promenade Sir William Osler · Montreal, Qc H3G 1Y6 · Canada
NEWSLETTER
This March, we honor World Tuberculosis (TB) Dayobserved on March 24to raise awareness about the devastating impact of TB worldwide and the urgent need for action. Despite being preventable and treatable, TB remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities. This day reminds us of the progress made and the challenges ahead in eliminating TB. Lets advocate for equitable healthcare, invest in innovative solutions, and work toward a world free of TB.
Highlights of this Issue: Select articles from this month
Organizations working to eliminate TB
Learn about the man who discovered the TB baterium
Read the latest World Health Organization 2024 Global tuberculosis report
Thank you for being part of our community. Enjoy the read!
--> Selected Articles for this Month Maybe the only thing to add at a community level is that we need to be better at connecting with those around us. The world has made it too easy to be alone.- Authors: Tamara Golosarsky, Zacharias Foti, and Katelyn Spicer --> A single lantern flickers softly, but together their light pushes back the darkness as the first hints of dawn whisper of hope, undimmed by the trials of the night.
- Author: Alexandra Tom --> By embodying different types of advocacy, my generation can shift the current environment of isolationism into a movement that is focused on global solidarity.
- Author: Sophie Naasz --> I learned that success in global health work depends on listening to local partners and adapting to unexpected realities.
- Author: Shreenik Kundu --> In the sustainability field, I see the potential for significant change, but its going to be incredibly challenging. The younger generations are really going to have to push for solutions, and I respect the work theyre doing.
- Authors: Bhavya Bhushan & Drea Garcia Avila --> Mission in Motion
Get ready to be inspired! In this dynamic section, we spotlight global health organizations that are making waves and driving real change around the world. Each month, we showcase their innovative strategies and impactful initiatives as they tackle pressing health challenges and champion equity.
This month, we focus on organizations working to combat tuberculosis (TB), a disease that remains a significant global health challenge. Lets celebrate their dedication and commitment as we highlight their vital contributions to TB research, advocacy, and raising awareness about prevention and treatment.
--> image: https://globalcoalitionagainsttb.org/objectives/ : Is a dynamic network of organizations and advocates dedicated to ending the TB epidemic worldwide. With a focus on policy advocacy, GCAT works to increase funding, raise awareness, and promote global action to combat tuberculosis. By uniting governments, civil society, and the private sector, GCAT aims to ensure equitable access to TB care, innovative treatments, and preventive measures, driving efforts toward the global goal of eliminating TB. --> Image: https://www.tballiance.org/about-who-we-are/ : Is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to developing new, affordable, and effective treatments for tuberculosis (TB). With a focus on accelerating research and innovation, TB Alliance works to bring new therapies to those who need them most, particularly in low-resource settings. Their mission is to eliminate TB as a global health threat by advancing scientific solutions and ensuring equitable access to life-saving medicines. --> In the News
Stay up to date with news and opinions on Global Health Image: https://x.com/NobelPrize/status/1904075230542492129 On March 24, 1882, German physician and Nobel Prize laureate Robert Koch announced the discovery of the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis (TB), a breakthrough commemorated today as #WorldTBDay. about his story! --> Image: https://x.com/WHOWPRO/status/1903995999208845667 Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or spits. While it primarily affects the lungs, TB can also impact other areas of the body.
Contact your healthcare provide if you experience symptoms such as:
鈴 persistent cough
fever
靴nexplained weight loss
Read more ! --> New in Global Health Academic Literature
By: World Health Organization Image: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240101531 The WHO Global tuberculosis report 2024 provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the TB epidemic, and of progress in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease, at global, regional and country levels. This is done in the context of global TB commitments, strategies and targets. --> Opportunities in Global Health
Dates: November 2-5, 2025
Location: Washington DC, USA
Call for submission - The APHA 2025 Call for Films is now open!
Accepting submissions and reviewers for the 2025 Public Health Film Festival. Films from all disciplines of public health will be considered, but films related to the APHA 2025 theme Making the Publics Health a National Priority are highly encouraged. The film festival showcases local, national and global public health films.
The submission deadline is April 7, 2025
Visit their for more details --> Share your Perspective on Global Health
We are excited to announce a Call for Papers in the following areas!
- Indigenous Health
- Mental Health
- Refugee Health
- Immigrant Health
- Climate Change
You can submit your article, photo essay or article pitch to us by emailing us at: globalhealthblog@mcgill.ca. --> Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest information and experiences in global health! Follow us on social media --> Copyright 穢 2017 51勛圖厙Global Health Programs, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
globalhealthblog@mcgill.ca
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or
This email was sent to >" target="_blank" style="color:#404040 !important;"><<Email Address>>
51勛圖厙Perspectives in Global Health Blog · McIntyre Medical Building, Room 633 · 3655 Promenade Sir William Osler · Montreal, Qc H3G 1Y6 · Canada
Categories: Global Health Feed, Perspectives on Global Health Blog
96
Global Health NOW: The Rocky Response to Burmas Earthquake; Revisiting Extraordinary Journeys; and The Dangerous Blights of Skin Bleaching
March 31, 2025
A Buddhist monk walking near a collapsed pagoda after an earthquake in Mandalay, central Burma (Myanmar), on March 30. AP Photo/Thein Zaw shared via a Facebook post
The Rocky Response to Burmas Earthquake
As the death toll in Burma rises from a 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Friday, the difficulty of the disaster response is coming into focus, with the countrys ongoing civil war and recent upheaval in global aid complicating basic recovery efforts, .
The latest: ~2,000 people have died in the earthquake devastation; countless remain buried under rubble as civilian-led efforts to dig out survivorslargely by handcontinue.
South Koreas deadly fire that killed 30 people and destroyed ~4,000 structures is under investigation; a man is suspected of starting the fire while performing an ancestral rite by a family grave.
The WHO, citing a $600 million budget gap for 2025, has proposed slashing its 202627 budget by 21%, to $4.2 billion, and signaled that job cuts are imminent; unconfirmed reports estimate that 20%40% of the agencys 9,000+ jobs globally could be eliminated.
Mexico will ban junk food in schools as a part of its redoubled efforts to mitigate its childhood obesity epidemic, with the guidelines forbidding sugary fruit drinks, packaged chips, and other processed snacks taking effect this week. U.S. Global Health Policy News The NIHs Most Reckless Cuts Yet: Ending clinical trials with no warning can put patients at risk.
The CDC Buried a Measles Forecast That Stressed the Need for Vaccinations
Tuberculosis is the worlds top infectious killer. Aid groups say Trumps funding freezes will cause more deaths
We should have been hammered a long time ago: African countries thank Trump for aid wake-up call
RFK Jr. Expected To Lay Off Entire Office Of Infectious Disease And HIV/AIDS Policy
How Trump is following Project 2025s radical roadmap to defund science
Trump Slashed International Aid. Geneva Is Feeling the Impact. GHN EXCLUSIVE Revisiting Extraordinary Journeys
If you weren宎t able to join GHN earlier this month for Extraordinary Journeys: Stories of Refugees Fleeing Conflict and Shaping Global Health, you can now view recordings of each story.
More urgent warnings are needed about skin lightenings dangers, say physicians in Nigeria, as more people are being treated for skin damage and other health problems, and as more children are being harmed by bleaching products, .
Surging popularity: Sales of skin-lightening products across Africa are to $15.7 billion by 2030. The practice is especially prevalent in Nigeria, where 77% of women use skin-lightening products, .
Bodily toll: The ingredients in the products, which include acids and steroids, not only damage skinthey can wreak havoc and damage internal organs, said Lagos dermatologist Vivian Oputa.
Children at risk: Doctors say they are seeing more childreneven babieswith burning and discoloration after their parents used bleaching products on them, often under social pressure, .
Calls for regulation: Doctors say government regulation is needed to limit access to potent pharmaceutical creams that should require prescriptions. QUICK HITS Israel-Gaza war: Wounded Palestinians dying for lack of supplies, surgeon says
WHO alert on US measles outbreak adds new genetic details
How can Africa sustain its HIV response amid US aid cuts? Thanks for the tip, Elizabeth S. Rose!
Boosting advanced-stage clinical trial capacity in East and Central Africa to combat regional epidemic threats
Morning-after pill to be made free in England pharmacies
How a ban on food dye in West Virginia has forged an unlikely alliance
New 3D technology could soon bring surgeons closer to patients in Africas most remote regions Issue No. 2699
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
As the death toll in Burma rises from a 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Friday, the difficulty of the disaster response is coming into focus, with the countrys ongoing civil war and recent upheaval in global aid complicating basic recovery efforts, .
The latest: ~2,000 people have died in the earthquake devastation; countless remain buried under rubble as civilian-led efforts to dig out survivorslargely by handcontinue.
- A UN assessment found that many health facilities had been damaged and warned that a severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering response efforts.
- The countrys civil war has displaced over 3 million people and has left many regions dangerous for aid groups to reach.
- The quake is compounding an already dire humanitarian situation for millions of children, .
- But U.S. aid operations remain in chaos amid Trump administration cuts, , as many of the systems needed to funnel American aid to Myanmar have been shattered.
- A Thai watchdog had previously flagged concerns about the building, .
South Koreas deadly fire that killed 30 people and destroyed ~4,000 structures is under investigation; a man is suspected of starting the fire while performing an ancestral rite by a family grave.
The WHO, citing a $600 million budget gap for 2025, has proposed slashing its 202627 budget by 21%, to $4.2 billion, and signaled that job cuts are imminent; unconfirmed reports estimate that 20%40% of the agencys 9,000+ jobs globally could be eliminated.
Mexico will ban junk food in schools as a part of its redoubled efforts to mitigate its childhood obesity epidemic, with the guidelines forbidding sugary fruit drinks, packaged chips, and other processed snacks taking effect this week. U.S. Global Health Policy News The NIHs Most Reckless Cuts Yet: Ending clinical trials with no warning can put patients at risk.
The CDC Buried a Measles Forecast That Stressed the Need for Vaccinations
Tuberculosis is the worlds top infectious killer. Aid groups say Trumps funding freezes will cause more deaths
We should have been hammered a long time ago: African countries thank Trump for aid wake-up call
RFK Jr. Expected To Lay Off Entire Office Of Infectious Disease And HIV/AIDS Policy
How Trump is following Project 2025s radical roadmap to defund science
Trump Slashed International Aid. Geneva Is Feeling the Impact. GHN EXCLUSIVE Revisiting Extraordinary Journeys
If you weren宎t able to join GHN earlier this month for Extraordinary Journeys: Stories of Refugees Fleeing Conflict and Shaping Global Health, you can now view recordings of each story.
- This special event, co-hosted by GHN and the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, spotlighted the remarkable experiences of public health practitioners with lived experience as refugees.
- Storytellers from Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria shared firsthand accounts of living and working amid humanitarian crises, fleeing conflict, and shaping impactful roles in public health.
More urgent warnings are needed about skin lightenings dangers, say physicians in Nigeria, as more people are being treated for skin damage and other health problems, and as more children are being harmed by bleaching products, .
Surging popularity: Sales of skin-lightening products across Africa are to $15.7 billion by 2030. The practice is especially prevalent in Nigeria, where 77% of women use skin-lightening products, .
Bodily toll: The ingredients in the products, which include acids and steroids, not only damage skinthey can wreak havoc and damage internal organs, said Lagos dermatologist Vivian Oputa.
Children at risk: Doctors say they are seeing more childreneven babieswith burning and discoloration after their parents used bleaching products on them, often under social pressure, .
Calls for regulation: Doctors say government regulation is needed to limit access to potent pharmaceutical creams that should require prescriptions. QUICK HITS Israel-Gaza war: Wounded Palestinians dying for lack of supplies, surgeon says
WHO alert on US measles outbreak adds new genetic details
How can Africa sustain its HIV response amid US aid cuts? Thanks for the tip, Elizabeth S. Rose!
Boosting advanced-stage clinical trial capacity in East and Central Africa to combat regional epidemic threats
Morning-after pill to be made free in England pharmacies
How a ban on food dye in West Virginia has forged an unlikely alliance
New 3D technology could soon bring surgeons closer to patients in Africas most remote regions Issue No. 2699
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
Over 50 countries, cities, and organizations pledged new commitments on Thursday to tackle air pollution, protect public health, and help halve its deadly impacts by 2040 a goal backed by a petition from 47 million health professionals, patients and advocates demanding clean air be made a public health priority.
Categories: Global Health Feed
Cross-pollinating ideas at the SCSD Research Day
Student presenters at the SCSD Research Day, which took place on February 21, 2025.
Categories: Global Health Feed
Cross-pollinating ideas at the SCSD Research Day
Student presenters at the SCSD Research Day, which took place on February 21, 2025.
Categories: Global Health Feed
Cross-pollinating ideas at the SCSD Research Day
Student presenters at the SCSD Research Day, which took place on February 21, 2025.
Categories: Global Health Feed
Cross-pollinating ideas at the SCSD Research Day
Student presenters at the SCSD Research Day, which took place on February 21, 2025.
Categories: Global Health Feed
Cross-pollinating ideas at the SCSD Research Day
Student presenters at the SCSD Research Day, which took place on February 21, 2025.
Categories: Global Health Feed
