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Study has implications beyond medical education, suggesting other fields could benefit from AI-enhanced training

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a powerful new tool in training and education, including in the field of neurosurgery. Yet a new study suggests that AI tutoring provides better results when paired with human instruction.

96 Global Health NOW: China鈥檚 鈥楶atriotic Public Health鈥� War on Chikungunya; HHS Halts mRNA Development; and Rural Romania Battles Vaccine Mistrust August 6, 2025 A worker sprays insecticide at a residential community on July 29, in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China. VCG via Getty China Fights Chikungunya with 鈥楶atriotic Public Health鈥�
To fight a chikungunya outbreak that has sickened thousands, Chinese authorities have launched an all-out assault on mosquitoes鈥攄eploying soldiers 鈥渟praying clouds of disinfectant鈥� and drones to track down their breeding grounds, and threatening fines for people who fail to disperse standing water, .

• The virus, transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes, has infected ~8,000 people in China in four weeks, mostly around Foshan鈥攎arking the country鈥檚 largest outbreak since 2008, .


• While rarely fatal, the disease can cause fevers and excruciating pain.

The authorities have also launched a 鈥減atriotic public health campaign鈥� that is unhappily reminiscent, for some, of the country鈥檚 strict measures against COVID-19.
 
The Quote: 鈥淚t鈥檚 fundamentally no different from the Maoist-style public health campaigns. It involves the mass mobilization of the people. It鈥檚 targeting a particular threat to public health and potentially could lead to unintentional consequences,鈥� says Yanzhong Huang, a Council on Foreign Relations senior global health fellow.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The GOP is choosing pesticides over the MAHA moms 鈥� RESEARCH HHS Pulls the Plug on mRNA Development
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced yesterday that HHS will cancel 22 federally funded mRNA vaccine development projects worth $500 million鈥攁 move infectious disease specialists and biosecurity experts warned was 鈥渄angerous鈥� and 鈥渟hort-sighted,鈥� .

Details: The contracts were between the federal emergency preparedness agency, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and leading pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Moderna to develop vaccines for respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and the flu鈥攂uilding off the breakthroughs credited with slowing the 2020 coronavirus pandemic and saving millions of lives, . 

• , Kennedy claimed the mRNA vaccines 鈥渇ail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections,鈥� and that funding will shift to 鈥渟afer, broader鈥� platforms like whole-virus vaccines.


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


• The HHS said 鈥渙ther uses of mRNA technology within the department are not impacted by this announcement.鈥�

Public health alarm: Infectious disease researchers said mRNA technology has proven to be safe and effective鈥攁nd that abandoning the contracts weakens critical biodefense capabilities for public health emergencies. 

• 鈥淲e鈥檙e weakening critical countermeasures at the very moment that global health risks are intensifying,鈥� . 

Avian flu airborne? The decision is especially worrisome as concerns over avian flu persist: In , scientists found live virus in the air of milking facilities, . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MEASLES Battling Vaccine Mistrust in Rural Romania
Amid Europe鈥檚 worst measles outbreak in 25鈥痽ears, Romania is the region's most affected country, with around 13,000 of the ~18,000 cases in the European Economic Area registered between June 2024 and May 2025.

• Romania has the EU鈥檚 lowest vaccination rate (62鈥�%), falling short of the 95% the WHO says is needed for effective disease control. 

Doctors are battling deep vaccine mistrust in rural Romanian communities, where misconceptions linking vaccines to autism persist, access to health care is limited, and educational outreach is weak.
 
Factors behind the crisis: poverty, an underfunded medical system, brain drain of health workers, and anti-vaccine rhetoric amplified by far鈥憆ight politicians and misinformation during the COVID鈥�19 pandemic. 

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS 鈥楩lesh-Eating鈥� Bacteria Cases Are on the Rise Along the Gulf Coast 鈥�

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

Respiratory viral infections awaken metastatic breast cancer cells in lungs 鈥�

As influencers spread 鈥榯oxic鈥� claims, what is the truth about sunscreen? 鈥�

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

Scientific fraud has become an 鈥榠ndustry,鈥� alarming analysis finds 鈥�

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

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

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

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


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96 Global Health NOW: The Troubled Fight Against Polio; Plastics: A 鈥楪rave, Growing鈥� Danger; and Wartime Russia is Losing the Battle Against HIV August 5, 2025 A health worker administers polio drops to schoolchildren for vaccination during a door-to-door poliovirus eradication campaign. Lahore, Pakistan, April 21. Arif Ali/AFP via Getty The Troubled Fight Against Polio
The WHO and its partners were close in 2021 to scoring a huge win against polio. They recorded just five cases of the natural virus that year. But the poliovirus eluded vaccination efforts and caused 99 cases last year.
 
In a deeply reported investigation, the AP blames misinformation, mismanagement, a flawed strategy, and the oral vaccine.
 
Challenges: Vaccinating children in Afghanistan and Pakistan (the only countries with uninterrupted polio transmission) is a difficult proposition.

• Some religious leaders tell people to avoid vaccinations, health systems are weak, and hundreds of vaccinators and security officers have been targeted and killed.

Wins: Global Polio Eradication Initiative officials note 3 billion children have been vaccinated and ~20 million people have avoided paralysis since the initiative was founded in 1988.
 
WHO鈥檚 response: 鈥淭here鈥檚 so many children being protected today because of the work that was done over the past 40 years,鈥� said Jamal Ahmed, WHO鈥檚 polio director. 鈥淟et鈥檚 not overdramatize the challenges, because that leads to children getting paralyzed.鈥�
 
Polio鈥檚 end? Transmission is estimated to end within 18 months, and eradication reached by 2029, Ahmed said.

• 45 million children in Pakistan and 11 million in Afghanistan need to be vaccinated this year. 


• Full immunization requires four doses of two drops each.

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

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

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

About two-thirds (59%) of American adults polled will likely skip fall COVID-19 boosters heading into the cold and flu season; about six in ten Republicans say they will 鈥渄efinitely not鈥� get the vaccine.  ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Plastics: A 鈥楪rave, Growing鈥� Danger
The planet is awash in a 鈥減lastics crisis鈥� that poses a threat to human and planetary health, . 

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

Toll on health: Plastics are linked to disease and death across all ages, costing ~$1.5 trillion annually in health-related damages.

• Infants and children are highly susceptible to toxins.

Soaring pollution: 8 billion metric tons of plastic now pollute the globe.

• <10% of plastic is recycled. 

And humans may be inhaling 100X more microplastics than previously assumed, finds , .   



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

By the numbers: In the first year of the war alone, the recorded incidence of HIV among military personnel soared by 40X+.

• And the proportion of Russian HIV patients receiving antiretroviral therapy has now fallen below 50% for the first time in many years.

Barriers to care: War has amplified anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in the country, and also contributed to the removal of NGOs assisting in HIV care.

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

HEAT As Temperatures Climb, So Do ER Visits
Emergency room visits increase with higher temperatures, especially among young children, 鈥攁nd the maladies may be unexpected. 

• While the links between mortality rates and heatwaves have been long studied, heat鈥檚 impact on morbidity鈥攊llness and poor health鈥攈as been less understood. 

Findings: As temperatures increased, more people visited ERs for a range of illnesses, including some unexpected ones like poisoning, respiratory symptoms, and nervous system problems鈥攖hough researchers say the connections to heat are not yet clear. 

• Data also showed that children under 5 visited ERs at higher rates than any other age group.

Public health implications: Researchers say that the study shows the need for broader protections for a wider span of the population. 



Related: 

American Summers Are Starting to Feel Like Winter 鈥�

Why certain medications can increase your risk in the heat 鈥� TONIGHT: WEBINAR ON HEATWAVES QUICK HITS Gates Foundation promises $2.5B for 鈥榮idelined鈥� women鈥檚 health 鈥�

Louisiana鈥檚 鈥楥ancer Alley鈥� Is More Deadly Than Previously Imagined 鈥�

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

Caffeine pouch craze: A teenage trend troubling some experts 鈥�

Trump officials look to block abortion services at veterans affairs hospitals 鈥�  

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

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

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

Unwanted pregnancies surge with alcohol, but not with cannabis, study finds 鈥� Issue No. 2769
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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

Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->



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


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .

High stakes negotiations got underway at the UN Geneva on Tuesday to agree on a legally binding treaty to curb plastic pollution, attended by delegates from nearly 180 countries. 

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

Widespread hunger: Famine conditions across the region are intensifying as food supplies are blocked and aid convoys are attacked鈥攁 part of the ongoing siege of El Fasher by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which seeks to cement its hold on the region in its conflict with the Sudanese military, now in its third year.

• Bakeries have shut down and prices for any available food have skyrocketed鈥攍eading many to rely on animal feed for sustenance, .


• Severe food shortages led to the deaths of 13 children last month at Lagawa displacement camp in East Darfur state, . 

Cholera outbreak: Cholera is also 鈥渞ipping鈥� through the region, with ~ 2,140 cases and at least 80 fatalities recorded, that described families forced to 鈥渘avigate the deadly intersection of conflict, hunger, disease and environmental collapse.鈥� 

• Children are especially at risk as medical supplies run low and basic infrastructure deteriorates. 

Flooding and heat: Meanwhile, torrential rains have displaced thousands of people across the country and heightened disease risk, , and overwhelmed hospitals are calling for urgent support amid extreme heat.  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Mass rape, forced pregnancy, and sexual torture of women and children by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers in Tigray amount to crimes against humanity, from Physicians for Human Rights and the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa; the authors call on international bodies to investigate.

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

Two mRNA vaccines against HIV induced a 鈥減otent鈥� immune response to the virus, ; the trial鈥攐nly the third to test mRNA vaccines against HIV鈥攕howed 80% of participants who received either of the vaccines produced antibodies against viral proteins.

Teen suicidal behavior and thoughts declined between 2021 and 2024 in the U.S., , which found the prevalence of serious suicidal thoughts in teens fell from nearly 13% to 10%, and the prevalence of suicide attempts declined from 3.6% to 2.7%. GHN EXCLUSIVE Alba Marina Gonzalez Andrade stands outside an informal migrant settlement in Boa Vista, Brazil. Julianna Deutscher The Women Protecting Migrants in Brazil鈥檚 North  
BOA VISTA, Brazil鈥擣rom Pacaraima on the border with Venezuela, to the state capital of Boa Vista, and all the way to Bonfim on Brazil鈥檚 frontier with Guyana, traffickers prey on vulnerable migrants.
 
They promise good jobs but ensnare them in sex work or forced labor with meager or even no pay. 
 
:

• Mayra Figueiras started a nonprofit, Humanidade Mais que Fronteiras, and prevents human trafficking with vocational training, language classes, and鈥攚hen possible鈥攆ood baskets.


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


• Sister Ana Maria da Silva prevented machine gun-toting police from deporting dozens of women and children she was protecting from sexual exploitation. For her brave defiance, she鈥檚 known as La Monja Loca (The Crazy Nun).

Short profiles of these women and others reveal their deep commitment to breaking the cycle of exploitation.

Editor鈥檚 note: Julianna Deutscher, MD, MPH, reported this article鈥攖he third in a series鈥攚ith support from the . Read the and articles here. JULY MUST-READS How Do the Amish Avoid Allergies?
As rates of allergic diseases increase worldwide, one group remains far less affected: the Amish.

• Why? Childhood exposure to microbes such as those found in farm dust and farm animal exposure can contribute to the development of a healthy immune system. But researchers are still trying to pinpoint environmental factors unique to the Amish, who have fewer allergies than other traditional farming families worldwide.

Hanoi鈥檚 Concrete-Driven Air Quality Crisis 
Over the last year, Hanoi repeatedly topped global air pollution charts as smog draped the city. 

• What鈥檚 fueling the pollution? Urbanization in Vietnam has led to a rapid increase in development, which includes widespread use of concrete for highways, metro lines, and buildings; Vietnam uses more cement per capita than any country except China, and almost 2X than the U.S.

America鈥檚 Insomnia Epidemic
Insomnia can cause a cascade of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, depression, and injuries鈥攜et it remains underdiagnosed, undertreated, and poorly understood.

• 鈥淭he public and private sectors alike are barely doing a thing to address what is essentially a national health emergency,鈥� writes Jennifer Senior, who chronicles her own struggle and exhaustive efforts to find solutions and calls for broader cultural and structural changes to address the sleep crisis.

JULY RECAP: GHN EXCLUSIVE A mother holds up the cash incentive she received at the Farfaru clinic upon vaccinating her child. Sokoto, Nigeria. February 2025. Abiodun Jamiu Fighting Infant Mortality With Vaccines and Cash in Northern Nigeria
SOKOTO, Nigeria鈥擨n the region surrounding Farfaru鈥檚 primary health care center, health workers often had to persuade women to vaccinate their children.

• That began to change with the 2014 introduction of the New Incentives cash rewards program, which spurred a surge in mothers bringing their children in for childhood immunizations to protect against diseases such as diphtheria, pertussis, hepatitis B, and polio.


• The clinic now sees ~30鈥�40 babies a day across 11 northern states鈥攚here vaccine hesitancy and misinformation run rampant and missed vaccinations contribute to rising infant mortality rates.

JULY'S GOOD NEWS Two Countries Validated as Trachoma-Free
Trachoma has officially been eliminated in Burundi and Senegal, making them the eighth and ninth countries in the African region to reach that public health milestone. 

• The disease鈥攖he first eliminated neglected tropical disease in Burundi, and the second in Senegal鈥攃an lead to scarring, in-turned eyelids, and blindness, and primarily affects regions where clean water and sanitation are scarce, . 90% of the global trachoma burden is in Africa. 

How they did it: Both countries implemented WHO-recommended SAFE strategy elimination interventions for trachoma, which include surgery for the late blinding stage, mass administration of azithromycin, public awareness campaigns, and improved water and sanitation access.
More Solutions News:
Tasteful solutions: A key drug to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is moxifloxacin, an extremely bitter medication that young children often refuse to take due to the taste. In trials, children reported that sweeter or flavored drugs were easier to take than the original. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

鈥榃ell, no, you don鈥檛 have to have children鈥�: what African women over the age of 60 have learned about life 鈥�

What makes Finland the 鈥榳orld鈥檚 happiest nation鈥�? In a word, simplicity. 鈥� Issue No. 7-2025-July Monthly
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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

Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->



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


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .

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

Widespread hunger: Famine conditions across the region are intensifying as food supplies are blocked and aid convoys are attacked鈥攁 part of the ongoing siege of El Fasher by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which seeks to cement its hold on the region in its conflict with the Sudanese military, now in its third year.

• Bakeries have shut down and prices for any available food have skyrocketed鈥攍eading many to rely on animal feed for sustenance, .


• Severe food shortages led to the deaths of 13 children last month at Lagawa displacement camp in East Darfur state, . 

Cholera outbreak: Cholera is also 鈥渞ipping鈥� through the region, with ~ 2,140 cases and at least 80 fatalities recorded, that described families forced to 鈥渘avigate the deadly intersection of conflict, hunger, disease and environmental collapse.鈥� 

• Children are especially at risk as medical supplies run low and basic infrastructure deteriorates. 

Flooding and heat: Meanwhile, torrential rains have displaced thousands of people across the country and heightened disease risk, , and overwhelmed hospitals are calling for urgent support amid extreme heat.  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Mass rape, forced pregnancy, and sexual torture of women and children by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers in Tigray amount to crimes against humanity, from Physicians for Human Rights and the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa; the authors call on international bodies to investigate.

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

Two mRNA vaccines against HIV induced a 鈥減otent鈥� immune response to the virus, ; the trial鈥攐nly the third to test mRNA vaccines against HIV鈥攕howed 80% of participants who received either of the vaccines produced antibodies against viral proteins.

Teen suicidal behavior and thoughts declined between 2021 and 2024 in the U.S., , which found the prevalence of serious suicidal thoughts in teens fell from nearly 13% to 10%, and the prevalence of suicide attempts declined from 3.6% to 2.7%. GHN EXCLUSIVE Alba Marina Gonzalez Andrade stands outside an informal migrant settlement in Boa Vista, Brazil. Julianna Deutscher The Women Protecting Migrants in Brazil鈥檚 North  
BOA VISTA, Brazil鈥擣rom Pacaraima on the border with Venezuela, to the state capital of Boa Vista, and all the way to Bonfim on Brazil鈥檚 frontier with Guyana, traffickers prey on vulnerable migrants.
 
They promise good jobs but ensnare them in sex work or forced labor with meager or even no pay. 
 
:

• Mayra Figueiras started a nonprofit, Humanidade Mais que Fronteiras, and prevents human trafficking with vocational training, language classes, and鈥攚hen possible鈥攆ood baskets.


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


• Sister Ana Maria da Silva prevented machine gun-toting police from deporting dozens of women and children she was protecting from sexual exploitation. For her brave defiance, she鈥檚 known as La Monja Loca (The Crazy Nun).

Short profiles of these women and others reveal their deep commitment to breaking the cycle of exploitation.

Editor鈥檚 note: Julianna Deutscher, MD, MPH, reported this article鈥攖he third in a series鈥攚ith support from the . Read the and articles here. JULY MUST-READS How Do the Amish Avoid Allergies?
As rates of allergic diseases increase worldwide, one group remains far less affected: the Amish.

• Why? Childhood exposure to microbes such as those found in farm dust and farm animal exposure can contribute to the development of a healthy immune system. But researchers are still trying to pinpoint environmental factors unique to the Amish, who have fewer allergies than other traditional farming families worldwide.

Hanoi鈥檚 Concrete-Driven Air Quality Crisis 
Over the last year, Hanoi repeatedly topped global air pollution charts as smog draped the city. 

• What鈥檚 fueling the pollution? Urbanization in Vietnam has led to a rapid increase in development, which includes widespread use of concrete for highways, metro lines, and buildings; Vietnam uses more cement per capita than any country except China, and almost 2X than the U.S.

America鈥檚 Insomnia Epidemic
Insomnia can cause a cascade of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, depression, and injuries鈥攜et it remains underdiagnosed, undertreated, and poorly understood.

• 鈥淭he public and private sectors alike are barely doing a thing to address what is essentially a national health emergency,鈥� writes Jennifer Senior, who chronicles her own struggle and exhaustive efforts to find solutions and calls for broader cultural and structural changes to address the sleep crisis.

JULY RECAP: GHN EXCLUSIVE A mother holds up the cash incentive she received at the Farfaru clinic upon vaccinating her child. Sokoto, Nigeria. February 2025. Abiodun Jamiu Fighting Infant Mortality With Vaccines and Cash in Northern Nigeria
SOKOTO, Nigeria鈥擨n the region surrounding Farfaru鈥檚 primary health care center, health workers often had to persuade women to vaccinate their children.

• That began to change with the 2014 introduction of the New Incentives cash rewards program, which spurred a surge in mothers bringing their children in for childhood immunizations to protect against diseases such as diphtheria, pertussis, hepatitis B, and polio.


• The clinic now sees ~30鈥�40 babies a day across 11 northern states鈥攚here vaccine hesitancy and misinformation run rampant and missed vaccinations contribute to rising infant mortality rates.

JULY'S GOOD NEWS Two Countries Validated as Trachoma-Free
Trachoma has officially been eliminated in Burundi and Senegal, making them the eighth and ninth countries in the African region to reach that public health milestone. 

• The disease鈥攖he first eliminated neglected tropical disease in Burundi, and the second in Senegal鈥攃an lead to scarring, in-turned eyelids, and blindness, and primarily affects regions where clean water and sanitation are scarce, . 90% of the global trachoma burden is in Africa. 

How they did it: Both countries implemented WHO-recommended SAFE strategy elimination interventions for trachoma, which include surgery for the late blinding stage, mass administration of azithromycin, public awareness campaigns, and improved water and sanitation access.
More Solutions News:
Tasteful solutions: A key drug to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is moxifloxacin, an extremely bitter medication that young children often refuse to take due to the taste. In trials, children reported that sweeter or flavored drugs were easier to take than the original. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

鈥榃ell, no, you don鈥檛 have to have children鈥�: what African women over the age of 60 have learned about life 鈥�

What makes Finland the 鈥榳orld鈥檚 happiest nation鈥�? In a word, simplicity. 鈥� Issue No. 2768
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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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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涩里番 researchers have developed and are licensing a digital tool to help safely reduce patients鈥� use of medications that may be unnecessary or even harmful to them.

When clinicians review a patient鈥檚 file, flags potentially inappropriate medications. In a , the software helped deprescribe such medications in 36 per cent of long-term care residents, nearly triple as many as when reviews were done without the tool.

涩里番 researchers have developed and are licensing a digital tool to help safely reduce patients鈥� use of medications that may be unnecessary or even harmful to them.

When clinicians review a patient鈥檚 file, flags potentially inappropriate medications. In a , the software helped deprescribe such medications in 36 per cent of long-term care residents, nearly triple as many as when reviews were done without the tool.

涩里番 researchers have developed and are licensing a digital tool to help safely reduce patients鈥� use of medications that may be unnecessary or even harmful to them.

When clinicians review a patient鈥檚 file, flags potentially inappropriate medications. In a , the software helped deprescribe such medications in 36 per cent of long-term care residents, nearly triple as many as when reviews were done without the tool.

涩里番 researchers have developed and are licensing a digital tool to help safely reduce patients鈥� use of medications that may be unnecessary or even harmful to them.

When clinicians review a patient鈥檚 file, flags potentially inappropriate medications. In a , the software helped deprescribe such medications in 36 per cent of long-term care residents, nearly triple as many as when reviews were done without the tool.

涩里番 researchers have developed and are licensing a digital tool to help safely reduce patients鈥� use of medications that may be unnecessary or even harmful to them.

When clinicians review a patient鈥檚 file, flags potentially inappropriate medications. In a , the software helped deprescribe such medications in 36 per cent of long-term care residents, nearly triple as many as when reviews were done without the tool.

涩里番 researchers have developed and are licensing a digital tool to help safely reduce patients鈥� use of medications that may be unnecessary or even harmful to them.

When clinicians review a patient鈥檚 file, flags potentially inappropriate medications. In a , the software helped deprescribe such medications in 36 per cent of long-term care residents, nearly triple as many as when reviews were done without the tool.

涩里番 researchers have developed and are licensing a digital tool to help safely reduce patients鈥� use of medications that may be unnecessary or even harmful to them.

When clinicians review a patient鈥檚 file, flags potentially inappropriate medications. In a , the software helped deprescribe such medications in 36 per cent of long-term care residents, nearly triple as many as when reviews were done without the tool.

Cholera is ripping through North Darfur, Sudan, threatening thousands of children already weakened by hunger and displacement, UN Children鈥檚 Fund (UNICEF) warned on Sunday, as aid convoys struggle to reach cut-off communities amid escalating conflict.

Sub-Saharan Africa has taken a cautious but critical step toward greater health self-reliance as locally produced HIV medicines and diagnostic tests begin reaching national programmes 鈥� including, for the first time, procurement of African-made treatment for Mozambique.

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

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

Concerns about CTE and full-contact sports have been building for two decades, as more studies have shown how repeated blows to the head lead to the buildup of brain-damaging proteins, . 

• A number of former football players who turned to violence鈥攑articularly suicide鈥攚ere found posthumously to have CTE, . 


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


• And the majority of people with CTE never engage in violence, Daniel H. Daneshvar, chief of brain injury rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School : 鈥淚 would never draw a direct line between someone鈥檚 brain pathology and any specific violent act.鈥� 

Loopholes in gun laws: The perpetrator had twice been hospitalized for mental health reasons, but was still able to have a concealed carry license and access a gun in his home state of Nevada, which does not automatically disqualify someone from possessing or buying guns, despite having had emergency hospitalizations, .

• And such laws may not have mattered: The NYPD has said the shooter鈥檚 AR-style rifle was likely assembled using parts.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Cholera threatens ~80,000 children across West and Central Africa, with active outbreaks in DRC and Nigeria posing a high risk of cross-border transmission; hardest-hit DRC reports 38,000+ cases, 951 deaths, and an alarming 8% case fatality rate in July.
 
As deadly heat waves sweep East Asia, South Korea has recorded 13 heat-related deaths so far this year鈥�3X the same period last year鈥攁nd Japan recorded its highest-ever temperature of 41.2 degrees Celsius in Tamba.

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

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

Abortion shield laws are under fire 鈥�

Trump Prepares to Revoke Lifesaving Abortion Care for Veterans 鈥�

Ousted vaccine panel members say rigorous science is being abandoned 鈥�

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

Yet behind the attractive fa莽ade, desperate  in drugs, weapons, gold, people, and organs.

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

Migrants are often bound not by physical captivity but by 鈥渋nvisible chains鈥濃�攆ear for a loved one鈥檚 safety, dependence on shelter, language barriers, or the urgent need to feed their children.

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

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

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

Background: Mercury contamination in the region began in the 1960s鈥�70s, when a paper mill dumped ~10 tons of mercury into local rivers used for fishing.  

• Over the years, the Grassy Narrows First Nation community has seen suicide attempts increase dramatically鈥�3X higher than in other First Nation communities in Canada.

Findings: Researchers analyzed mercury levels in 162 children and 80 mothers, finding three generations of mercury exposure linked to emotional and behavioral problems鈥攑articularly among women who ate fish during pregnancy. 

The Quote: 鈥淥ur way of life has been totally destroyed,鈥� said Grassy Narrows First Nation Chief Rudy Turtle

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

And these days, they have even more responsibility thanks to social media鈥攚hich has conferred main-character status upon the cockatiels, cats, and King Charles Spaniels inhabiting the stacks.

• 鈥淲e get a whole bunch of readers, but people really come to see the animals,鈥� said Anna Hersh, a co-owner and 鈥渁nimal care coordinator鈥� of Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis鈥攁 mythic menagerie of birds, cats, fish, and a pair of chinchillas named Newbery and Caldecott. 

Where the Wild Things Are:

• Bear Pond Books in Vermont is under the supervision of Veruca Salt, , who hosts an annual birthday party with cake and stories鈥攏otably The Tortoise and the Hare.


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


• Scattered Books in New York hires booksellers based on their bunny expertise鈥攁nd not just knowledge of the plotlines of Peter Rabbit or Watership Down: 
  
  
  • 鈥淧eople come in and they鈥檙e like, 鈥業 love to read.鈥� I鈥檓 like, 鈥楬ow are you with rabbits?鈥欌�� said owner Laura Schaefer, whose 鈥溾�� have top shelf status (despite being confined to empty bottom shelves). 

QUICK HITS Canada鈥檚 Measles Outbreak Exceeds Cases in the U.S. 鈥�

Safety of JN.1-Updated mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines 鈥�

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

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

Scientists just invented a safer non-stick coating鈥攁nd it鈥檚 inspired by arrows 鈥�

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

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

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 Myanmar reels from deadly floods, renewed fighting and widespread displacement, the United Nations warned on Thursday that urgent humanitarian needs are going unmet due to escalating violence and blocked access.

Modern medicine is largely reactive鈥攖reating illness only after symptoms emerge. But a new study from the Research Institute of the 涩里番 Health Centre (The Institute) and 涩里番 points to a more proactive future: one where silent signs of infection are detected before we even feel sick.

Modern medicine is largely reactive鈥攖reating illness only after symptoms emerge. But a new study from the Research Institute of the 涩里番 Health Centre (The Institute) and 涩里番 points to a more proactive future: one where silent signs of infection are detected before we even feel sick.

Modern medicine is largely reactive鈥攖reating illness only after symptoms emerge. But a new study from the Research Institute of the 涩里番 Health Centre (The Institute) and 涩里番 points to a more proactive future: one where silent signs of infection are detected before we even feel sick.