Availability of respite care almost triples a palliative care patient鈥檚 chance of dying at home
Access to respite services for family caregivers increases a palliative care patient鈥檚 probability of dying at home almost threefold, according to a 51吃瓜网-led study.
Previous surveys suggest most Canadians with a serious illness would prefer to spend the end of their lives at home. In Quebec, fewer than one-in-10 palliative care patients die at home, a rate that has remained largely unchanged for two decades and lags behind the Canadian average of 15 per cent.
Availability of respite care almost triples a palliative care patient鈥檚 chance of dying at home
Access to respite services for family caregivers increases a palliative care patient鈥檚 probability of dying at home almost threefold, according to a 51吃瓜网-led study.
Previous surveys suggest most Canadians with a serious illness would prefer to spend the end of their lives at home. In Quebec, fewer than one-in-10 palliative care patients die at home, a rate that has remained largely unchanged for two decades and lags behind the Canadian average of 15 per cent.
Availability of respite care almost triples a palliative care patient鈥檚 chance of dying at home
Access to respite services for family caregivers increases a palliative care patient鈥檚 probability of dying at home almost threefold, according to a 51吃瓜网-led study.
Previous surveys suggest most Canadians with a serious illness would prefer to spend the end of their lives at home. In Quebec, fewer than one-in-10 palliative care patients die at home, a rate that has remained largely unchanged for two decades and lags behind the Canadian average of 15 per cent.
Availability of respite care almost triples a palliative care patient鈥檚 chance of dying at home
Access to respite services for family caregivers increases a palliative care patient鈥檚 probability of dying at home almost threefold, according to a 51吃瓜网-led study.
Previous surveys suggest most Canadians with a serious illness would prefer to spend the end of their lives at home. In Quebec, fewer than one-in-10 palliative care patients die at home, a rate that has remained largely unchanged for two decades and lags behind the Canadian average of 15 per cent.
Availability of respite care almost triples a palliative care patient鈥檚 chance of dying at home
Access to respite services for family caregivers increases a palliative care patient鈥檚 probability of dying at home almost threefold, according to a 51吃瓜网-led study.
Previous surveys suggest most Canadians with a serious illness would prefer to spend the end of their lives at home. In Quebec, fewer than one-in-10 palliative care patients die at home, a rate that has remained largely unchanged for two decades and lags behind the Canadian average of 15 per cent.
Availability of respite care almost triples a palliative care patient鈥檚 chance of dying at home
Access to respite services for family caregivers increases a palliative care patient鈥檚 probability of dying at home almost threefold, according to a 51吃瓜网-led study.
Previous surveys suggest most Canadians with a serious illness would prefer to spend the end of their lives at home. In Quebec, fewer than one-in-10 palliative care patients die at home, a rate that has remained largely unchanged for two decades and lags behind the Canadian average of 15 per cent.
Availability of respite care almost triples a palliative care patient鈥檚 chance of dying at home
Access to respite services for family caregivers increases a palliative care patient鈥檚 probability of dying at home almost threefold, according to a 51吃瓜网-led study.
Previous surveys suggest most Canadians with a serious illness would prefer to spend the end of their lives at home. In Quebec, fewer than one-in-10 palliative care patients die at home, a rate that has remained largely unchanged for two decades and lags behind the Canadian average of 15 per cent.
Availability of respite care almost triples a palliative care patient鈥檚 chance of dying at home
Access to respite services for family caregivers increases a palliative care patient鈥檚 probability of dying at home almost threefold, according to a 51吃瓜网-led study.
Previous surveys suggest most Canadians with a serious illness would prefer to spend the end of their lives at home. In Quebec, fewer than one-in-10 palliative care patients die at home, a rate that has remained largely unchanged for two decades and lags behind the Canadian average of 15 per cent.
Availability of respite care almost triples a palliative care patient鈥檚 chance of dying at home
Access to respite services for family caregivers increases a palliative care patient鈥檚 probability of dying at home almost threefold, according to a 51吃瓜网-led study.
Previous surveys suggest most Canadians with a serious illness would prefer to spend the end of their lives at home. In Quebec, fewer than one-in-10 palliative care patients die at home, a rate that has remained largely unchanged for two decades and lags behind the Canadian average of 15 per cent.
Availability of respite care almost triples a palliative care patient鈥檚 chance of dying at home
Access to respite services for family caregivers increases a palliative care patient鈥檚 probability of dying at home almost threefold, according to a 51吃瓜网-led study.
Previous surveys suggest most Canadians with a serious illness would prefer to spend the end of their lives at home. In Quebec, fewer than one-in-10 palliative care patients die at home, a rate that has remained largely unchanged for two decades and lags behind the Canadian average of 15 per cent.
Availability of respite care almost triples a palliative care patient鈥檚 chance of dying at home
Access to respite services for family caregivers increases a palliative care patient鈥檚 probability of dying at home almost threefold, according to a 51吃瓜网-led study.
Previous surveys suggest most Canadians with a serious illness would prefer to spend the end of their lives at home. In Quebec, fewer than one-in-10 palliative care patients die at home, a rate that has remained largely unchanged for two decades and lags behind the Canadian average of 15 per cent.
Availability of respite care almost triples a palliative care patient鈥檚 chance of dying at home
Access to respite services for family caregivers increases a palliative care patient鈥檚 probability of dying at home almost threefold, according to a 51吃瓜网-led study.
Previous surveys suggest most Canadians with a serious illness would prefer to spend the end of their lives at home. In Quebec, fewer than one-in-10 palliative care patients die at home, a rate that has remained largely unchanged for two decades and lags behind the Canadian average of 15 per cent.
Political interference alleged: Yesterday, former CDC director Susan Monarez and chief medical officer Debra Houry testified before a Senate committee that under health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a culture of fear had taken hold at the agency鈥攁lready hollowed out by mass firings and traumatized by a shooting at agency headquarters last month, .
- As CDC scientists are sidelined, they are being replaced with appointees internally dubbed 鈥減oliticals,鈥� who have little to no scientific background, said Houry.
- Monarez said she feared infectious diseases like polio could be poised for a comeback: 鈥淚 believe we will have our children harmed by things they don鈥檛 need to be harmed by.鈥�
States offer alternative guidance: Groups of states, including some on the West Coast and in the Northeast, are now forming health 鈥渁lliances鈥� to maintain evidence-based recommendations that the CDC is now rebuffing. Related: Turning Against Vaccines, America Is a Global Outlier 鈥� Who to Trust if You Can鈥檛 Trust the CDC 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Several hundred mercenaries from Colombia鈥攎any of them young men 鈥渂arely out of their teens鈥濃�攁re fighting alongside Rapid Support Forces on the frontlines in Sudan鈥檚 war; one of the men says he and many others were tricked by false promises of private security jobs in the UAE, then sent to Sudan.
Views of U.S. mental health policy are consistent across political party lines when it comes to a need to expand voluntary, community-based mental health services, a cross-sectional study found; however, the public is less supportive of involuntary mental health care policies, though Republicans expressed more support than others. Eye care in Uganda is among the most underfunded health services in the country, meaning people there face a higher risk of blindness due to a paucity of eye care services, Switching clocks twice a year in the U.S. is harmful to health in numerous ways, disrupting circadian rhythms in ways that contribute to stroke and obesity, finds a which found that remaining in either standard time or in daylight saving time reduced such risks. SMOKING Malawi鈥檚 Inner Turmoil Over Tobacco Tobacco is considered 鈥済reen gold鈥� in Malawi, contributing to 15% of Malawi鈥檚 GDP, 60% of exports, and 23% of tax revenue.
That makes it difficult to enact critically needed policy reforms that could reduce smoking and save lives, health advocates say. Wreaking havoc on health: Smoking is widespread among youth, with tobacco use contributing to rising cases of tuberculosis, along with cancer, and other diseases.
- It has been linked to ~ 5,400 deaths, 7.4% of the country鈥檚 total mortality.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH A Stranded Stockpile of Contraceptives In a warehouse in Belgium, $9.7 million worth of contraceptives are sitting in limbo. Background: Before the Trump administration鈥檚 freeze on foreign aid, the medications and devices were once destined for five low-income countries in Africa. Now, they鈥檙e scheduled for incineration. Call for release: But this week, Belgian officials have reported they are still intact, for the contraceptives, which have already been paid for, to be passed along to their intended recipients before they expire between 2027 and 2031. Impact by the numbers: , the destruction of the stockpile could lead to:
- 362,000 unintended pregnancies
- 161,000 unplanned births
- 110,000 unsafe abortions
- 718 preventable maternal deaths
Not her first record rodeo: A 93-hour cook-off in 2023 gave Baci her first brush with Guinness greatness, only to be dethroned just a year later.
Nevertheless, Baci鈥檚 ambitions inspired others who dream of doing the most 鈥� of anything, really, including , or giving . The only thing harder than achieving that accolade, surely, is listening to it. QUICK HITS Afghanistan faces 鈥榩erfect storm鈥� of crises, UN warns 鈥� Can Drug Users Be Forced Into Rehab? Trump Says Yes. So Do 34 States. 鈥� Putin Marks Another Break From International Norms As Russia Exits Anti-Torture Pact 鈥� How UK aid cuts will lead to global health programme closures鈥攁nd deaths 鈥� Bipartisan bill seeks to reinstate national suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ youth 鈥�
Special Olympics Launches Global Health Report to Tackle Inequities faced by People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities 鈥�
Gas stove makers quietly delete air pollution warnings as they fight mandatory health labels 鈥� As California installs more artificial turf, health and environmental concerns multiply 鈥� How one op-ed sparked high-level talks at Nedlac, treasury and the presidency on cheaper food 鈥� Issue No. 2790
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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- Israel has rejected the report, calling it based on 鈥淗amas falsehoods鈥� and saying the October 7 massacre two years ago was an act of genocide. The U.S. is expected to oppose the findings.
- Meanwhile, five British MPs have urged their government to back a UN-led military intervention, .
- Meanwhile, Israel has launched a new ground invasion in Gaza City鈥攁s international pressure grows for a ceasefire, .
Opioid-related deaths in England and Wales in the past decade were 55% higher than previously recorded, amounting to 13,000+ heroin and opioid deaths missed in official statistics from 2011 to 2022, according to a . The CDC has revoked telework permissions for employees with disabilities and paused all new approvals for such accommodations pending HHS updates to a broader telework policy; the move follows the Trump administration鈥檚 January directive to 鈥渢erminate remote work arrangements鈥� for federal employees. A whistleblower lawsuit brought by a former kidney transplant program director alleges sweeping corruption, bias, and greed across the U.S. organ donation and transplant system, taking aim at stakeholders including nonprofits, government contractors, and transplant centers. An algorithm that projects outbreaks鈥� impacts even with incomplete data could guide decisions on when to implement or relax policies like masking, social distancing, or quarantine, Sept. 3; the algorithm uses data as it鈥檚 available versus preset schedules and thresholds to determine optimal timing for nonpharmaceutical interventions. U.S. and Global Health Policy News Kennedy's vaccine panel expected to recommend delaying hepatitis B shot in children 鈥� House panels charge U.S. National Academies with producing partisan studies 鈥� Mississippi declares infant deaths emergency as CDC program that could have helped is halted 鈥� Experts warn loss of USAID endangers the fight against deadly TB 鈥� Scientists decry NIH pledge to end some human fetal tissue research 鈥� POLICY Researchers鈥� Growing Resistance Scientists in the U.S. are increasingly pushing back against drastic cuts to government research, using a range of tactics: Legal action: Growing numbers of researchers are joining class action lawsuits to reinstate grants and preserve funding for institutions like the NIH. Tracking grants: Activists are cataloging cuts through public databases like , tracking hundreds of terminated grants, revealing disproportionate cuts to research supporting certain minority groups. Whistle-blowing: Government scientists are informing lawmakers and journalists about internal policy violations.
Public outreach: Outward-facing projects like and aim to rebuild public trust by connecting scientists and their work with their local communities. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MENTAL HEALTH Pioneering Gaming Addiction Treatment in Australia Since 2022, ~300 people have sought treatment for gaming addiction at Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth, Australia鈥攖he nation鈥檚 first public hospital to treat the increasingly prevalent disorder.
- ~500,000 Australians may be affected by addiction to videogaming, say researchers, who describe isolation, depression, and aggression as common symptoms as compulsive gaming disrupts school, work, and family life.
- Most patients at the Fiona Stanley facility are 15鈥�19 years old. At the clinic, they are slowly reconnected to daily activities and routines.
QUICK HITS Amid rising violence in Colombia, girls and women are being held as sex slaves: 鈥楴o woman is safe鈥� 鈥�
Studies show mostly poor long-COVID protection for Paxlovid 鈥�
Fentanyl: Germany prepares for synthetic drugs crisis 鈥� Injury prevention is in danger from federal cuts 鈥� (commentary) How billions of hacked mosquitoes and a vaccine could beat the deadly dengue virus 鈥� Issue No. 2789
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Women鈥檚 health gains in past decades have been overshadowed by persistent challenges and inequities compared with men, per published yesterday.
Warnings:
- 10% of women still live in extreme poverty, and 351 million women and girls will face extreme poverty by 2030.
- 64 million more women than men are food insecure.
- Anemia rates in women ages 15鈥�49 are expected to rise to 33% in 2030 from 31.1% today.
- 676 million women and girls lived within 50 kilometers of a 鈥渄eadly conflict event鈥� in 2024鈥攁 number not seen since the 1990s.
- Maternal mortality fell by 39.3% from 2000 to 2023.
- More girls than boys are enrolling in and completing school worldwide.
Funds infusion needed: The world spends each year, but $420 billion annually could advance gender equality, said UN Women鈥檚 Sarah Hendriks.
The Quote: 鈥淚t can seem very hopeless, but in actual fact, we can choose a world where millions more women do not remain trapped in poverty or sidelined from power or exposed to violence,鈥� Hendriks said. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
100,000+ people in northern South Sudan have been displaced by floods and another 300,000 people are at risk in the coming weeks, per a UNHCR official; the inundation threatens to cut off communities and worsen food insecurity.
Pakistan launched its first-ever human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign yesterday, targeting girls ages 9鈥�14 in Sindh, Punjab, Azad Kashmir, and Islamabad; the two-week effort seeks to protect millions from cervical cancer caused by HPV. Rwanda is seeing an alarming uptick in malaria cases鈥攔ising 45% in 2024鈥攁fter nearly a decade of steady declines, according to officials; the country is now reconsidering whether to accept malaria vaccines it once declined.
An analysis of 26 countries across the Americas highlights the persistent challenge of drowning in the region even as some countries make progress with disaster warning systems and water safety campaigns; found that just two of the countries studied have a government-led national drowning prevention strategy. DRUG RESISTANCE European Hospitals鈥� Formidable Fungal Threat A drug-resistant fungal infection has gained a foothold in European hospitals, proliferating 鈥渇rom isolated cases to becoming widespread in some countries,鈥� the European Centre for Disease Control . Rapid rise: The fungus Candidozyma auris has only been detected within the last decade; but since 2013, 4,000+ people have been infected across 18 countries.
- 1,346 cases were reported in 2023 alone鈥攁 67% jump from the previous year.
- ~60% of infected patients die within 90 days.
- The effort also seeks to support local farmers and teach children about the Indigenous foods within their vicinity.
- Improved attendance and energy levels have also been reported, leading local officials to scale up the project.
Online misinformation putting women off contraceptive pill, study finds 鈥� Study reveals hidden causes of heart attacks in younger adults, especially women 鈥� Why 1 in 6 U.S. parents are rejecting vaccine recommendations 鈥� Over half of US healthcare workers plan to switch jobs by next year, survey finds 鈥� Another Mediterranean diet benefit: Better gum health, say UK scientists 鈥� Reducing Tobacco Use Worldwide 鈥� A New Perspective Series 鈥� When鈥檚 the best time to get a flu shot? Doctors explain 鈥� Issue No. 2788
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Hospitals in Bangladesh have been overwhelmed by 鈥渋ntense, overlapping outbreaks鈥� of both dengue and chikungunya鈥攁 trend that doctors say is becoming more frequent and severe, .
- 33,800+ dengue cases and 132 deaths have been reported this year.
-
Chikungunya, in decline since 2017, is rapidly resurging.
Wider outbreaks: The two diseases are from different viral families and require different medical treatments, but are spread by the same mosquitoes, leading to simultaneous outbreaks and strained health systems in places like Brazil and Sri Lanka.
Compounded by climate change: ~18% of dengue cases can be attributed to rising temperatures鈥攚hich may lead to 4.6 million additional infections annually, .
-
鈥淭his is not just hypothetical future change, but a large amount of human suffering that has already happened because of warming-driven dengue transmission,鈥� said study author Erin Mordecai, .
Inequality鈥檚 impact: The mosquito-borne diseases disproportionately affect marginalized populations in places like Brazil, 鈥攚ith higher hospitalization, mortality rates, and years of life lost among Black and Indigenous groups, .
Meanwhile in Europe: France reported 382 local chikungunya cases this summer, up from just one last year, .
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-LinersThe U.S. government destroyed $10 million of contraceptives destined for low-income countries; a USAID spokesperson said the stockpile included products that induce abortion, but an inventory list 鈥渟howed this statement was false.鈥� Nearly 60% of Japanese in their 20s either never drink alcohol or consume it less than once per month, according to a new marketing survey; young people cited poor tolerance for alcohol, taste, and health concerns. Mothers and babies in England are endangered by a 鈥渢oxic鈥� cover-up culture pervasive in the NHS, in which doctors and hospital staff fail to report problems, say health leaders involved in a national maternity investigation focusing on 14 NHS trusts. Labor laws to protect workers in extreme heat are increasing worldwide, but they are barely keeping pace with the rapidly intensifying risks brought on by climate change. CONFLICT Supporting Medics鈥� Mental Health
As the war in Ukraine grinds on, many of the country鈥檚 battlefield medics caring for injured soldiers are themselves facing increasing mental strain.
- 30% of Ukrainian medical workers say they struggle to manage emotions 鈥渨ithout self-harm or harming others,鈥� .
- Many medics came from civilian professions and had minimal preparation for the physical and emotional toll of war.
Related: Ukraine: Life in a mined village 鈥� (video) GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CLIMATE Nairobi's Shrinking Green Spaces
Air quality in Nairobi is steadily worsening, with pollution levels 3.5X above the WHO鈥檚 safe limit for particulate matter (PM2.5)鈥攍evels that have been linked to chronic illnesses and up to ~1,400 premature deaths annually. Driving the problem: Emissions from traffic, industry, and burning; but also the ongoing loss of 鈥済reen buffers鈥濃�攑arks, tree-lined corridors, and urban canopies鈥攖o development.
- Nairobi has 6.56 square meters of green spaces per capita, below the WHO's guideline of 9鈥�10 square meters.
- The vanishing green means the loss of essential air filtration, even as emissions increase.
Related: Warning of climate breakdown and soaring heat deaths a 鈥榳ake up call鈥� for Australia, PM says 鈥� OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Congo's Ebola outbreak spreads as cases double 鈥� 鈥楾hey raped us one by one鈥�: East Timor鈥檚 forgotten women of war 鈥�
Child dies from complication of measles contracted years earlier 鈥� Hot spots shift in Africa鈥檚 mpox battle as cholera activity spikes in Chad and Republic of Congo 鈥� Methanol poisoning: a diffuse health disaster 鈥� Being too thin can be deadlier than being overweight, Danish study reveals 鈥� Water and sanitation fall through the cracks of development 鈥� The government wants more people to breastfeed. Experts say paid parental leave could help. 鈥� Issue No. 2787
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Scientists reveal how the brain uses objects to find direction
We take our understanding of where we are for granted, until we lose it. When we get lost in nature or a new city, our eyes and brains kick into gear, seeking familiar objects that tell us where we are.
How our brains distinguish objects from background when finding direction, however, was largely a mystery. A new study provides valuable insight into this process, with possible implications for disorientation-causing conditions such as Alzheimer鈥檚.
Scientists reveal how the brain uses objects to find direction
We take our understanding of where we are for granted, until we lose it. When we get lost in nature or a new city, our eyes and brains kick into gear, seeking familiar objects that tell us where we are.
How our brains distinguish objects from background when finding direction, however, was largely a mystery. A new study provides valuable insight into this process, with possible implications for disorientation-causing conditions such as Alzheimer鈥檚.
