96
Global Health NOW: Tuberculosis Prevention Cuts in India; Kennedy Faces Congress; and Lollipop Guilt: Click and Ye Shall Receive
May 15, 2025
GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORT
Dr. Renu Singh checks a patient for possible signs of tuberculosis in the district TB center in Patna, Bihar, India. August 10, 2010. Lynsey Addario via Getty
Tuberculosis Prevention Cuts in India
DELHI, India鈥擨ndia鈥檚 path to eliminating tuberculosis has multiple barriers. The latest: U.S. funding cuts to prevention programs.
Example: The supported a 鈥淭B buddy鈥 system that helps TB patients with documentation, offers emotional support, and ensures treatment completion.
The Quote: 鈥淭he [TB] doctors in 鈥 hospitals cater to hundreds of patients a day and have minimal time for explanations or comprehensive care 鈥 which leads to many patients dropping out of the program,鈥 says Akshata Acharya, a MDR-TB survivor and author of a book about overcoming TB. 鈥淭his is where NGOs have played a significant role in ensuring the patients continue their treatment.鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
U.S. overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen; the ~30,000 reduction in deaths has been attributed to a range of factors from naloxone availability and expanded addiction treatment to shifts in drug use trends.
The WHO has cut its management team by half and will scale back operations as the organization鈥檚 2026鈥2027 budget is reduced 21% following the U.S. decision to leave the agency and drop funding.
Suicide is the leading cause of death for medical residents, ; the risk is especially high during the first academic quarter of the first residency year.
Treating parasitic worms known as helminths may become easier, as researchers have developed a new formulation of the only drug used to treat the worms, ; the updates include making doses smaller, water soluble, and more efficiently absorbed. U.S. HEALTH POLICY Kennedy Faces Congress
U.S. lawmakers from both parties sharply questioned HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during congressional hearings yesterday, asking him about deep staffing cuts, funding freezes, and vaccine messaging, as Kennedy defended his goals for restructuring the nation鈥檚 health department, .
Takeaways:
Budget cuts and department restructuring: Lawmakers described how thousands of job cuts and funding freezes have impacted their districts, including interruptions in constituents鈥 medical care, .
Vietnam鈥檚 tobacco products remain cheap and widely accessible compared to other countries, leading to high tobacco usage and a growing health toll, say the nation鈥檚 health officials.
Low tax, high usage: Vietnam鈥檚 tobacco retail tax rate is just 36%, far below WHO鈥檚 recommended rate of 70鈥75%.
Reform needed: Vietnam health leaders are urging regular tax hikes to outpace income growth and align with international standards.
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Lollipop Guilt: Click and Ye Shall Receive
If you thought ordering a viral face cream at 3 a.m. was an impulse purchase, you haven始t met Liam.
With a couple of clicks, the 8-year-old Kentucky boy ordered nearly 70,000 Dum-Dums lollipops on Amazon, .
鈥淢om, my suckers are here!鈥 he exclaimed, intending to host a carnival for his friends.
鈥淚 just about fainted,鈥 said his mom Holly LaFavers, who last weekend found the 鈥渄ouble ramparts of suckers鈥 stacked on her doorstep, and a $4,200 charge that sent her bank account into the red, .
While the retail snafu sucked the fun out of her Sunday, LaFavers was ultimately refunded and found loving homes for the pops. But more shocking than the boy始s dream is that his whimsy could be actualized literally overnight.
Whoever runs the lollipop supply chain is no dum-dum. OPPORTUNITY Apply to the In-Sight Humanitarian Mentorship Program
, a co-learning collaborative of global humanitarian practitioners, activists, nonprofit workers, displaced people, and others is currently accepting applications for its 6-week mentorship program this summer.
The Dangerous Consequences of Funding Cuts to U.S. Global Health Programs 鈥
鈥榃e鈥檙e ready to fight鈥: activists brace as US anti-rights figures descend on Africa 鈥
New Drug Combos Could Cut Heart Failure Mortality by 60% 鈥
Meta-analysis: Zika-infected pregnant moms 4 times more likely to have babies with microcephaly 鈥
A Texas abortion ban sponsor aims to clarify when doctors can do the procedure 鈥
A new generation of birth control skeptics leans right 鈥
Low-quality papers are surging by exploiting public data sets and AI 鈥
The tick-borne disease turning MAGA-supporters vegan 鈥
Are beards really dirtier than toilet seats? 鈥 Issue No. 2726
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 .
DELHI, India鈥擨ndia鈥檚 path to eliminating tuberculosis has multiple barriers. The latest: U.S. funding cuts to prevention programs.
Example: The supported a 鈥淭B buddy鈥 system that helps TB patients with documentation, offers emotional support, and ensures treatment completion.
- The project helped those with latent TB infection (LTBI)鈥攖hose infected with TB bacteria but who do not have the disease.
- ~360,000 Indian children under 5 were eligible for LTBI treatment, with 5%鈥10% at risk of developing active TB (when people feel ill and can spread TB germs to others), .
The Quote: 鈥淭he [TB] doctors in 鈥 hospitals cater to hundreds of patients a day and have minimal time for explanations or comprehensive care 鈥 which leads to many patients dropping out of the program,鈥 says Akshata Acharya, a MDR-TB survivor and author of a book about overcoming TB. 鈥淭his is where NGOs have played a significant role in ensuring the patients continue their treatment.鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
U.S. overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen; the ~30,000 reduction in deaths has been attributed to a range of factors from naloxone availability and expanded addiction treatment to shifts in drug use trends.
The WHO has cut its management team by half and will scale back operations as the organization鈥檚 2026鈥2027 budget is reduced 21% following the U.S. decision to leave the agency and drop funding.
Suicide is the leading cause of death for medical residents, ; the risk is especially high during the first academic quarter of the first residency year.
Treating parasitic worms known as helminths may become easier, as researchers have developed a new formulation of the only drug used to treat the worms, ; the updates include making doses smaller, water soluble, and more efficiently absorbed. U.S. HEALTH POLICY Kennedy Faces Congress
U.S. lawmakers from both parties sharply questioned HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during congressional hearings yesterday, asking him about deep staffing cuts, funding freezes, and vaccine messaging, as Kennedy defended his goals for restructuring the nation鈥檚 health department, .
Takeaways:
Budget cuts and department restructuring: Lawmakers described how thousands of job cuts and funding freezes have impacted their districts, including interruptions in constituents鈥 medical care, .
- Kennedy defended reducing HHS staff by ~20,000 people and consolidating divisions, arguing the agency was inefficient and overly bureaucratic. He said the HHS will 鈥渄o a lot more with less,鈥 but acknowledged that further 2026 budget cuts 鈥渁re going to hurt,鈥 .
- In response to questions about whether he would vaccinate his own child against measles, Kennedy said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think people should be taking medical advice from me,鈥 .
Vietnam鈥檚 tobacco products remain cheap and widely accessible compared to other countries, leading to high tobacco usage and a growing health toll, say the nation鈥檚 health officials.
Low tax, high usage: Vietnam鈥檚 tobacco retail tax rate is just 36%, far below WHO鈥檚 recommended rate of 70鈥75%.
- It is also far lower than regional peers including the Philippines (71.3%), Singapore (67.5%), and Thailand (78.6%).
- The affordability means cigarettes are easily accessible to first-time users and even children.
Reform needed: Vietnam health leaders are urging regular tax hikes to outpace income growth and align with international standards.
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Lollipop Guilt: Click and Ye Shall Receive
If you thought ordering a viral face cream at 3 a.m. was an impulse purchase, you haven始t met Liam.
With a couple of clicks, the 8-year-old Kentucky boy ordered nearly 70,000 Dum-Dums lollipops on Amazon, .
鈥淢om, my suckers are here!鈥 he exclaimed, intending to host a carnival for his friends.
鈥淚 just about fainted,鈥 said his mom Holly LaFavers, who last weekend found the 鈥渄ouble ramparts of suckers鈥 stacked on her doorstep, and a $4,200 charge that sent her bank account into the red, .
While the retail snafu sucked the fun out of her Sunday, LaFavers was ultimately refunded and found loving homes for the pops. But more shocking than the boy始s dream is that his whimsy could be actualized literally overnight.
Whoever runs the lollipop supply chain is no dum-dum. OPPORTUNITY Apply to the In-Sight Humanitarian Mentorship Program
, a co-learning collaborative of global humanitarian practitioners, activists, nonprofit workers, displaced people, and others is currently accepting applications for its 6-week mentorship program this summer.
- Designed to help anyone in鈥攐r considering a career in鈥攊nternational relations, peace building, humanitarian work, or related fields learn more about leadership in the humanitarian sector.
- The program, with five cohorts, is offered in English, Spanish, and Arabic, and will run from June 30 to August 11, 2025.
- Application deadline: June 13, 2025
The Dangerous Consequences of Funding Cuts to U.S. Global Health Programs 鈥
鈥榃e鈥檙e ready to fight鈥: activists brace as US anti-rights figures descend on Africa 鈥
New Drug Combos Could Cut Heart Failure Mortality by 60% 鈥
Meta-analysis: Zika-infected pregnant moms 4 times more likely to have babies with microcephaly 鈥
A Texas abortion ban sponsor aims to clarify when doctors can do the procedure 鈥
A new generation of birth control skeptics leans right 鈥
Low-quality papers are surging by exploiting public data sets and AI 鈥
The tick-borne disease turning MAGA-supporters vegan 鈥
Are beards really dirtier than toilet seats? 鈥 Issue No. 2726
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
In just two years, between 2019 and 2021, life expectancy worldwide fell by 1.8 years 鈥 the largest fall in recent history according to the World Health Organization (WHO), in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Forced From Home; South Africa鈥檚 Backstreet Abortion Problem; and Scaling Up Desalination
May 14, 2025
Displaced Sudanese girls, who fled the Zamzam camp, look on as they gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur, on February 14. AFP via Getty
Forced From Home
Conflicts and disasters drove a record number of people worldwide from their homes in 2024, with 83.4 million living in internal displacement, .
The FDA is seeking to ban prescription fluoride supplements for children from the market, with the saying ingested fluoride changes the human microbiome, even though research is inconclusive; the move contradicts years of medical best practices.
Nasal boosters can trigger strong local immune protection in the lungs and airways against respiratory diseases like COVID-19, 鈥攆indings that may help researchers design more safe and effective nasal vaccines.
Half of women鈥檚 aid organizations are at risk of shutting down in six months due to global aid cuts, ; such closures are looming as women鈥檚 aid needs are intensifying amid conflict and displacement. U.S. and Global Heatlh Policy News Brown Professor Sounds an Alarm: An Interview with Dr. Craig Spencer 鈥 NSF board member resigns in protest of Trump policies at agency 鈥
Trump鈥檚 Focus on Punishing Drug Dealers May Hurt Drug Users Trying to Quit 鈥
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signs order restricting autism data collection 鈥
A matchmaking service with a twist: Connecting big givers to programs cut by USAID 鈥 REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS South Africa鈥檚 Backstreet Abortion Problem Although abortion is legal in South Africa, unsafe abortion clinics are thriving: a result of scammers, social media misinformation, and a lack of knowledge about legal options.
Real information: Efforts to deliver science-based, nonjudgmental help鈥攅specially for teenagers who become pregnant鈥攕eek to flip the script on social media.
Related:
More than 50 cross-party MPs back amendment to decriminalise abortion 鈥
Digging into the math of a study attacking the safety of the abortion pill 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES WATER Scaling Up Desalination
Hundreds of thousands of people in the Arabian Gulf are gaining access to a stable source of drinking water, as innovations in desalination lower barriers.
Energy efficiencies like solar-powered reverse osmosis have lowered costs from $5 to under $0.50 per cubic meter over a decade.
Growing demand: Desalination is rapidly expanding in both historically arid regions and regions newly grappling with water scarcity.
The Quote: 鈥淎ccess to safe drinking water is key to public health, and 鈥 desalination is not just a utility鈥攊t鈥檚 a lifeline,鈥 said Jasim al-Zarai, a resident of Jalan Bani Bu Ali in Oman.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS The deadly riddle of blackwater fever: the search for answers over illness killing Uganda鈥檚 children 鈥
US brain drain: the scientists seeking jobs abroad amid Trump鈥檚 assault on research 鈥
Indonesia builds AI model for malaria diagnosis 鈥
A Different Way to Think About Medicine鈥檚 Most Stubborn Enigma 鈥
What鈥檚 Behind the Rise in Serious Injuries on New York City鈥檚 Streets? 鈥
So you want to increase your country鈥檚 birth rate? Experts say it鈥檚 tough 鈥
Bill Gates says the world will be better in 20 years: 'My optimism hasn't been shaken' 鈥
The 'Oscar' of food prizes goes to a Brazilian who harnessed the power of bacteria 鈥 Issue No. 2725
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 .
Conflicts and disasters drove a record number of people worldwide from their homes in 2024, with 83.4 million living in internal displacement, .
- That is 2X the number from 2018, reflecting "both a policy failure and a moral stain on humanity," said Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, . Cuts to humanitarian aid only heighten and prolong the crisis, he said.
- Sudan reported 11.6 million internally displaced people, the highest ever for one country.
- Tens of millions live in 鈥減rotracted displacement鈥 in Afghanistan, Colombia, Syria, and Yemen.
- The U.S. saw 11 million displacements鈥攖he highest ever for a single country鈥攁s storms and other disasters inflicted mass damage and evacuations.
The FDA is seeking to ban prescription fluoride supplements for children from the market, with the saying ingested fluoride changes the human microbiome, even though research is inconclusive; the move contradicts years of medical best practices.
Nasal boosters can trigger strong local immune protection in the lungs and airways against respiratory diseases like COVID-19, 鈥攆indings that may help researchers design more safe and effective nasal vaccines.
Half of women鈥檚 aid organizations are at risk of shutting down in six months due to global aid cuts, ; such closures are looming as women鈥檚 aid needs are intensifying amid conflict and displacement. U.S. and Global Heatlh Policy News Brown Professor Sounds an Alarm: An Interview with Dr. Craig Spencer 鈥 NSF board member resigns in protest of Trump policies at agency 鈥
Trump鈥檚 Focus on Punishing Drug Dealers May Hurt Drug Users Trying to Quit 鈥
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signs order restricting autism data collection 鈥
A matchmaking service with a twist: Connecting big givers to programs cut by USAID 鈥 REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS South Africa鈥檚 Backstreet Abortion Problem Although abortion is legal in South Africa, unsafe abortion clinics are thriving: a result of scammers, social media misinformation, and a lack of knowledge about legal options.
- 16% of deaths from miscarriages were attributed to unsafe abortion, from South Africa鈥檚 health department. But that鈥檚 likely an undercount, as abortions obtained at unsafe or illegal clinics are often concealed.
Real information: Efforts to deliver science-based, nonjudgmental help鈥攅specially for teenagers who become pregnant鈥攕eek to flip the script on social media.
- On TikTok, posts videos like 鈥渉ow to put on a condom鈥 and 鈥渉ow to avoid getting scammed鈥 by illegal abortion providers.
Related:
More than 50 cross-party MPs back amendment to decriminalise abortion 鈥
Digging into the math of a study attacking the safety of the abortion pill 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES WATER Scaling Up Desalination
Hundreds of thousands of people in the Arabian Gulf are gaining access to a stable source of drinking water, as innovations in desalination lower barriers.
Energy efficiencies like solar-powered reverse osmosis have lowered costs from $5 to under $0.50 per cubic meter over a decade.
- Some Gulf nations now rely on desalination for up to 90% of their drinking water.
Growing demand: Desalination is rapidly expanding in both historically arid regions and regions newly grappling with water scarcity.
The Quote: 鈥淎ccess to safe drinking water is key to public health, and 鈥 desalination is not just a utility鈥攊t鈥檚 a lifeline,鈥 said Jasim al-Zarai, a resident of Jalan Bani Bu Ali in Oman.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS The deadly riddle of blackwater fever: the search for answers over illness killing Uganda鈥檚 children 鈥
US brain drain: the scientists seeking jobs abroad amid Trump鈥檚 assault on research 鈥
Indonesia builds AI model for malaria diagnosis 鈥
A Different Way to Think About Medicine鈥檚 Most Stubborn Enigma 鈥
What鈥檚 Behind the Rise in Serious Injuries on New York City鈥檚 Streets? 鈥
So you want to increase your country鈥檚 birth rate? Experts say it鈥檚 tough 鈥
Bill Gates says the world will be better in 20 years: 'My optimism hasn't been shaken' 鈥
The 'Oscar' of food prizes goes to a Brazilian who harnessed the power of bacteria 鈥 Issue No. 2725
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
In a remote village clinic in the Bamyan Province in Afghanistan last week, a group of teenage girls were given potentially life-saving reproductive health advice, excited by the small kit of menstrual supplies they had been given.
Categories: Global Health Feed
More than 40,000 Sudanese have fled to eastern Chad in the past month to escape intensifying violence in Darfur.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Famine Stalks Gaza; Complications in the Chikungunya Fight and Africa Facing the Full Spectrum of Extreme Weather
500,000 people in Gaza face starvation, report finds.
May 13, 2025
Palestinians queue to receive food distributed by charity organizations amid the ongoing Israeli attacks and blockade, in Nuseirat camp, Gaza on May 13. Moiz Salhi/Anadolu via Getty
Famine Stalks Gaza
Gaza is sliding into famine as 500,000 people face starvation and food supplies dwindle, according to by a hunger monitoring group.
Key report takeaways:
The Quote: 鈥淔amilies in Gaza are starving while the food they need is sitting at the border,鈥 said Cindy McCain, executive director of the WFP, per . 鈥淚f we wait until after a famine is confirmed, it will already be too late for many people.鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
The first all-oral treatment for an acute form of sleeping sickness is now freely available for special treatment-center patients in Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe; health ministries in Africa have green-lit use of Fexinidazole Winthrop against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense.
The U.S. has suspended live cattle, horse, and bison imports along the Southern border because of the New World Screwworm鈥檚 spread in Mexico; screwworm larvae burrow into the flesh of warm-blooded animals (including, rarely, people) and can kill.
A drug approved to treat migraine headaches鈥攗brogepant鈥攊s the first that can also alleviate early 鈥減rodrome鈥 symptoms including fatigue, neck pain, light sensitivity, and trouble concentrating, per described in Nature Medicine. VACCINES Complications in the Chikungunya Fight
Chikungunya is resurging on R茅union Island in the Indian Ocean, leading to ~50,000 cases and 12 deaths, and spreading to nearby islands like Mauritius.
Vaccine setbacks: While a live-attenuated vaccine, Ixchiq, was approved by a range of regulatory bodies last year, several reports of adverse effects and two deaths on R茅union have led the European Medicines Agency to while a review is conducted.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CLIMATE CRISIS Africa Facing the Full Spectrum of Extreme Weather
Climate change is impacting 鈥渆very single aspect of socio-economic development in Africa,鈥 leading to displacement, hunger, and insecurity, has found.
By the numbers: The average surface temperature of the continent in 2024 was ~0.86掳C above the 1991-2020 average.
QUICK HITS A quarter of children have a parent with substance use disorder, a study finds 鈥
Development experts mull cash transfers amid shrinking aid budgets 鈥
Elizabeth Holmes rises again 鈥 or at least her partner does 鈥
The constant surveillance of modern life could worsen our brain function in ways we don't fully understand, disturbing studies suggest 鈥
New AI tool predicts your biological age from a selfie 鈥 Issue No. 1864
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, 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 .
Gaza is sliding into famine as 500,000 people face starvation and food supplies dwindle, according to by a hunger monitoring group.
Key report takeaways:
- All of Gaza will face a nutrition emergency (the IPC phase before catastrophe) by September, per the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) initiative.
- The Israeli blockade and increasing conflict since March has 鈥渄isrupted access to humanitarian assistance, markets, health, water and sanitation services.鈥
- All 25 World Food Programme (WFP)-supported bakeries closed last month because of a lack of supplies.
- Most of the 177 hot meal kitchens in Gaza are reportedly out of food.
- Wheat flour prices in parts of Gaza have increased by 3,000% since February.
The Quote: 鈥淔amilies in Gaza are starving while the food they need is sitting at the border,鈥 said Cindy McCain, executive director of the WFP, per . 鈥淚f we wait until after a famine is confirmed, it will already be too late for many people.鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
The first all-oral treatment for an acute form of sleeping sickness is now freely available for special treatment-center patients in Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe; health ministries in Africa have green-lit use of Fexinidazole Winthrop against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense.
The U.S. has suspended live cattle, horse, and bison imports along the Southern border because of the New World Screwworm鈥檚 spread in Mexico; screwworm larvae burrow into the flesh of warm-blooded animals (including, rarely, people) and can kill.
A drug approved to treat migraine headaches鈥攗brogepant鈥攊s the first that can also alleviate early 鈥減rodrome鈥 symptoms including fatigue, neck pain, light sensitivity, and trouble concentrating, per described in Nature Medicine. VACCINES Complications in the Chikungunya Fight
Chikungunya is resurging on R茅union Island in the Indian Ocean, leading to ~50,000 cases and 12 deaths, and spreading to nearby islands like Mauritius.
Vaccine setbacks: While a live-attenuated vaccine, Ixchiq, was approved by a range of regulatory bodies last year, several reports of adverse effects and two deaths on R茅union have led the European Medicines Agency to while a review is conducted.
- The FDA and CDC have also .
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CLIMATE CRISIS Africa Facing the Full Spectrum of Extreme Weather
Climate change is impacting 鈥渆very single aspect of socio-economic development in Africa,鈥 leading to displacement, hunger, and insecurity, has found.
By the numbers: The average surface temperature of the continent in 2024 was ~0.86掳C above the 1991-2020 average.
- Floods, heatwaves, and droughts displaced ~700,000 people across Africa last year.
- They also devastated livestock and crop yields, contributed to water scarcity, and disrupted children鈥檚 education.
- While climate drivers like El Ni帽o contributed to the volatility, scientists say Africa is bearing the brunt of fossil fuel-driven climate change.
QUICK HITS A quarter of children have a parent with substance use disorder, a study finds 鈥
Development experts mull cash transfers amid shrinking aid budgets 鈥
Elizabeth Holmes rises again 鈥 or at least her partner does 鈥
The constant surveillance of modern life could worsen our brain function in ways we don't fully understand, disturbing studies suggest 鈥
New AI tool predicts your biological age from a selfie 鈥 Issue No. 1864
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, 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
Women鈥檚 organisations operating in crisis settings are being pushed to the brink by widespread funding cuts. In a report published on Tuesday, UN Women 鈥 the UN agency for gender equality 鈥 warned that 47 per cent of these groups may be forced to close within the next six months.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Spread of Schistosomiasis; The Risks at Poland鈥檚 Poultry Farms; and A Gamble With Leafy Greens
May 12, 2025
Bulinus truncatus, a freshwater snail that can be a shistosomiasis carrier. Constantine, Algeria, February 18. Karim Haddad via iNaturalist (cropped),
The Spread of Schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis is spreading to new regions and populations, as scientists warn that climate change, migration, and tourism are reshaping the habitat of the parasitic infection鈥檚 carrier, freshwater snails, .
Background: The that can wreak havoc on the gastrointestinal system affects ~240 million people, with 90% of cases found in sub-Saharan Africa.
New gains: The parasite has begun to spread in European waters over the last decade, researchers shared at a Wellcome Trust gathering last week, with 120+ cases reported in Corsica alone since 2014.
Meanwhile in Malawi, researchers have uncovered new evidence of zoonotic hybrid schistosome species infecting humans, raising concerns about the need for new diagnostic tools, . , describes how overlapping snail habitats have led to cross-species hybridization. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Kerala, India, reported a new case of Nipah virus on May 8, in a 42-year-old woman; it marks the seventh appearance of the virus in Malappuram district since 2018.
President Trump says he will sign an executive order today directing HHS to tie what Medicare pays for some medications to the lowest price paid by other countries.
Los Angeles public health officials have declared a hepatitis A outbreak, citing 3X more cases in 2024 compared to the previous year, and an unusually high 29 cases so far this year鈥攁nd wastewater monitoring suggests that cases are undercounted.
The obesity drug Zepbound led to ~50% more weight loss than rival drug Wegovy, , ; but one of America鈥檚 largest pharmacy benefit managers, CVS Health鈥檚 Caremark, has excluded Zepbound from coverage despite the new research, . U.S. and Global Health Policy News How hard are USAID cuts hitting Africa's healthcare? 鈥
Trump health cuts create 'real danger' around disease outbreaks, workers warn 鈥
NIH鈥檚 key vaccine center slammed by contract cuts 鈥 DATA POINT
50 million
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌
People at risk of hunger in West and Central Africa, a region pounded by conflict, displacement, economic hardship, and extreme weather, the World Food Programme warns. 鈥 AVIAN FLU The Risks at Poland鈥檚 Poultry Farms
Poultry farming has become a major industry in Poland, which exports chicken across Europe. But the rise of avian flu means farming practices in the country are now under intense scrutiny.
Related: Coming home to roost: residents rise up against UK chicken megafarms 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES FOOD SAFETY A Gamble With Leafy Greens
When it comes to foodborne outbreaks in the U.S., a common culprit has emerged: bagged lettuce.
Exacerbating the problem: U.S. food safety oversight has weakened under both the Biden and Trump administrations, with funding cuts leading to reduced inspections and delayed outbreak notifications.
A safer alternative: Whole heads of lettuce carry less risk, say food safety experts.
OPPORTUNITY - LAST DAY TO APPLY! QUICK HITS On International Nurse Day, we remember Kerala鈥檚 braveheart Lini Puthussery who fought Nipah virus 鈥
The rising threat of Nipah virus: a highly contagious and deadly zoonotic pathogen 鈥
Gates can't do it alone 鈥
The proportion of people of 50+ with HIV has doubled in 10 years. What does that mean for healthcare? 鈥
Group targets over 900,000 children in 2025 deworming campaign 鈥
Infertility in women linked to higher risk of heart disease 鈥
FDA will allow three new color additives made from minerals, algae and flower petals 鈥
Should you toss your plastic kitchen tools for health reasons? Here's the scoop 鈥 Issue No. 2723
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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Schistosomiasis is spreading to new regions and populations, as scientists warn that climate change, migration, and tourism are reshaping the habitat of the parasitic infection鈥檚 carrier, freshwater snails, .
Background: The that can wreak havoc on the gastrointestinal system affects ~240 million people, with 90% of cases found in sub-Saharan Africa.
New gains: The parasite has begun to spread in European waters over the last decade, researchers shared at a Wellcome Trust gathering last week, with 120+ cases reported in Corsica alone since 2014.
- 鈥淥nce one snail is infected, they infect a whole population of snails which then infect a whole population of humans,鈥 said Bonnie Webster, researcher at the Schistosome Snail Resource at London鈥檚 Natural History Museum.
Meanwhile in Malawi, researchers have uncovered new evidence of zoonotic hybrid schistosome species infecting humans, raising concerns about the need for new diagnostic tools, . , describes how overlapping snail habitats have led to cross-species hybridization. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Kerala, India, reported a new case of Nipah virus on May 8, in a 42-year-old woman; it marks the seventh appearance of the virus in Malappuram district since 2018.
President Trump says he will sign an executive order today directing HHS to tie what Medicare pays for some medications to the lowest price paid by other countries.
Los Angeles public health officials have declared a hepatitis A outbreak, citing 3X more cases in 2024 compared to the previous year, and an unusually high 29 cases so far this year鈥攁nd wastewater monitoring suggests that cases are undercounted.
The obesity drug Zepbound led to ~50% more weight loss than rival drug Wegovy, , ; but one of America鈥檚 largest pharmacy benefit managers, CVS Health鈥檚 Caremark, has excluded Zepbound from coverage despite the new research, . U.S. and Global Health Policy News How hard are USAID cuts hitting Africa's healthcare? 鈥
Trump health cuts create 'real danger' around disease outbreaks, workers warn 鈥
NIH鈥檚 key vaccine center slammed by contract cuts 鈥 DATA POINT
50 million
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌
People at risk of hunger in West and Central Africa, a region pounded by conflict, displacement, economic hardship, and extreme weather, the World Food Programme warns. 鈥 AVIAN FLU The Risks at Poland鈥檚 Poultry Farms
Poultry farming has become a major industry in Poland, which exports chicken across Europe. But the rise of avian flu means farming practices in the country are now under intense scrutiny.
- The country has reported ~80 of the EU鈥檚 200 confirmed outbreaks this year.
- But even without those problems, the virus鈥檚 appearance in a region with so many closely sited farms is like 鈥渢hrowing a spark into a powder keg,鈥 one epidemiologist said.
Related: Coming home to roost: residents rise up against UK chicken megafarms 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES FOOD SAFETY A Gamble With Leafy Greens
When it comes to foodborne outbreaks in the U.S., a common culprit has emerged: bagged lettuce.
- Leafy greens, particularly romaine lettuce, caused most of the U.S.鈥檚 foodborne outbreaks in 2022. Last year, an E. coli outbreak tied to romaine sent 36 people to the hospital across 15 states.
Exacerbating the problem: U.S. food safety oversight has weakened under both the Biden and Trump administrations, with funding cuts leading to reduced inspections and delayed outbreak notifications.
A safer alternative: Whole heads of lettuce carry less risk, say food safety experts.
OPPORTUNITY - LAST DAY TO APPLY! QUICK HITS On International Nurse Day, we remember Kerala鈥檚 braveheart Lini Puthussery who fought Nipah virus 鈥
The rising threat of Nipah virus: a highly contagious and deadly zoonotic pathogen 鈥
Gates can't do it alone 鈥
The proportion of people of 50+ with HIV has doubled in 10 years. What does that mean for healthcare? 鈥
Group targets over 900,000 children in 2025 deworming campaign 鈥
Infertility in women linked to higher risk of heart disease 鈥
FDA will allow three new color additives made from minerals, algae and flower petals 鈥
Should you toss your plastic kitchen tools for health reasons? Here's the scoop 鈥 Issue No. 2723
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: Mosquito Nets and Geopolitical Bets; Children Face 鈥楨xtremely High鈥 Prevalence of Sexual Violence; and It始s Giving 鈥 #MetGala
Malaria programs in peril amid U.S. funding withdrawal
May 8, 2025
A child receives a free malaria test. Lagos, Nigeria, April 24, 2022. Emma Houston/Xinhua via Getty
Mosquito Nets and Geopolitical Bets
IBADAN, Nigeria鈥擜t the Alegongo Primary Health Centre clinic, a nurse can efficiently diagnose a feverish child with malaria and dispense free antimalarial medication within minutes.
But amid broader uncertainties surrounding the withdrawal of U.S. funding for anti-malaria programs in Africa, that progress could soon unravel.
The Quote: 鈥淲hat people don鈥檛 see now are the logistical strings being cut. 鈥 Those supply chains, once broken, don鈥檛 repair easily,鈥 notes one person who worked with CCP in Abuja until this past March.
Ed. Note: This article was produced in collaboration with magazine and is part of a series that examines frontline impacts of cuts in U.S. funding. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
COVID鈥檚 evolutionary journey appears to parallel that of SARS, jumping from bats to other wild mammals and eventually to humans via wildlife markets, that analyzed the genomes of the two coronaviruses.
Carcinogens like formaldehyde are in a wide range of beauty products used on a weekly basis by 53% of Black and Latina women surveyed in Los Angeles, ; the products range from lotion and shampoo to eyeliner and eyelash glue.
The EU has secured 鈥渢he largest and most diverse supply chain鈥 to manufacture ~478 million reserve doses of pandemic flu vaccine in its effort to prepare for a possible bird flu outbreak in humans.
Long COVID continues to impose 鈥渁 significant burden鈥 on survivors' physical and mental health post-infection, 鈥攚ith patients self-reporting compromised health and daily task efficiency for 13+ days a month. U.S. Policy News CDC terminates infection control advisory committee 鈥
Trump picks Casey Means for surgeon general, after first nominee withdraws 鈥
Health Sec. Kennedy launches autism project using Medicare and Medicaid data 鈥
Exclusive: Kennedy aide and vaccine critic questions recent expert recommendations 鈥
US poll finds shifting vaccine trust amid health agency overhauls 鈥 CHILD & ADOLESCENT HEALTH Children Face 鈥楨xtremely High鈥 Prevalence of Sexual Violence
Globally, at least 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 7 boys have experienced sexual violence before age 18, , considered 鈥渙ne of the most comprehensive assessments to date,鈥 .
A closer look: The study analyzed data from all countries spanning 1990鈥2023.
Tobacco industry lobbyists have made significant inroads among officials in the Philippines, giving them behind-the-scenes influence over national and even international tobacco regulations.
Pulling strings at public health forums? Tobacco lobbyists are barred from attending the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Yet at the most recent conference in 2024, Filipino officials actively sought to protect the industry鈥檚 interests and worked to block the creation of new regulations.
For one glorious night a year, the fashion elites toss the internet this sartorial bone: The chance to curl up in its pajamas, crack its knuckles 鈥 and viciously critique Met Gala outfits. .
What netizens noticed:
Pancreatic, colorectal cancer incidence rising fastest among younger individuals 鈥
US surpasses 1,000 measles cases in 2025, second worst year since disease was declared eliminated 鈥
Kenya launches National Public Health Institute with WHO backing 鈥
Baltimore Banner wins Pulitzer Prize for coverage of overdose crisis 鈥
Guatemala Announces Crucial Water Law Dialogue 鈥
The future to fighting airborne viruses is in鈥amps? 鈥 Issue No. 2722
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 .
IBADAN, Nigeria鈥擜t the Alegongo Primary Health Centre clinic, a nurse can efficiently diagnose a feverish child with malaria and dispense free antimalarial medication within minutes.
But amid broader uncertainties surrounding the withdrawal of U.S. funding for anti-malaria programs in Africa, that progress could soon unravel.
- Nigeria bears the highest malaria burden, .
- However, rates since 2017鈥攖hanks in part to a finely tuned malaria prevention and treatment supply chain that U.S.-funded groups like the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP) helped make possible.
The Quote: 鈥淲hat people don鈥檛 see now are the logistical strings being cut. 鈥 Those supply chains, once broken, don鈥檛 repair easily,鈥 notes one person who worked with CCP in Abuja until this past March.
Ed. Note: This article was produced in collaboration with magazine and is part of a series that examines frontline impacts of cuts in U.S. funding. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
COVID鈥檚 evolutionary journey appears to parallel that of SARS, jumping from bats to other wild mammals and eventually to humans via wildlife markets, that analyzed the genomes of the two coronaviruses.
Carcinogens like formaldehyde are in a wide range of beauty products used on a weekly basis by 53% of Black and Latina women surveyed in Los Angeles, ; the products range from lotion and shampoo to eyeliner and eyelash glue.
The EU has secured 鈥渢he largest and most diverse supply chain鈥 to manufacture ~478 million reserve doses of pandemic flu vaccine in its effort to prepare for a possible bird flu outbreak in humans.
Long COVID continues to impose 鈥渁 significant burden鈥 on survivors' physical and mental health post-infection, 鈥攚ith patients self-reporting compromised health and daily task efficiency for 13+ days a month. U.S. Policy News CDC terminates infection control advisory committee 鈥
Trump picks Casey Means for surgeon general, after first nominee withdraws 鈥
Health Sec. Kennedy launches autism project using Medicare and Medicaid data 鈥
Exclusive: Kennedy aide and vaccine critic questions recent expert recommendations 鈥
US poll finds shifting vaccine trust amid health agency overhauls 鈥 CHILD & ADOLESCENT HEALTH Children Face 鈥楨xtremely High鈥 Prevalence of Sexual Violence
Globally, at least 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 7 boys have experienced sexual violence before age 18, , considered 鈥渙ne of the most comprehensive assessments to date,鈥 .
A closer look: The study analyzed data from all countries spanning 1990鈥2023.
- Rates of affected girls were highest in South Asia, at 26.8%; and highest in sub-Saharan Africa for boys, at 18.6%, .
- However, the prevalence is 鈥渆xtremely high鈥 worldwide, and the numbers are likely an underestimate.
- 鈥淪exual violence against children is a widespread human rights and public health issue, and the world is clearly failing to end it,鈥 said study author Emmanuela Gakidou.
Tobacco industry lobbyists have made significant inroads among officials in the Philippines, giving them behind-the-scenes influence over national and even international tobacco regulations.
Pulling strings at public health forums? Tobacco lobbyists are barred from attending the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Yet at the most recent conference in 2024, Filipino officials actively sought to protect the industry鈥檚 interests and worked to block the creation of new regulations.
- The moves were so clearly pro-tobacco that a coalition of nonprofits awarded the Philippine delegation a 鈥淒irty Ashtray鈥 award for the alleged adoption of 鈥渢obacco industry tactics.鈥
For one glorious night a year, the fashion elites toss the internet this sartorial bone: The chance to curl up in its pajamas, crack its knuckles 鈥 and viciously critique Met Gala outfits. .
What netizens noticed:
- While this year始s official theme celebrated Black dandyism, the unofficial dress code appeared to be 鈥!鈥
- And while even pantsless stars concealed their looks under long coats, the rapper Doechii opted to .
- Demi Moore while her 1-pound chihuahua wore an absolutely tiny one.
- There were 鈥攁nd stylist shock when she . Gasp!
Pancreatic, colorectal cancer incidence rising fastest among younger individuals 鈥
US surpasses 1,000 measles cases in 2025, second worst year since disease was declared eliminated 鈥
Kenya launches National Public Health Institute with WHO backing 鈥
Baltimore Banner wins Pulitzer Prize for coverage of overdose crisis 鈥
Guatemala Announces Crucial Water Law Dialogue 鈥
The future to fighting airborne viruses is in鈥amps? 鈥 Issue No. 2722
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
An estimated 3,800 people have died as a result of the devastating earthquakes that struck Myanmar on 28 March. Six weeks on, the situation in Myanmar remains dire, with whole communities still traumatised and vulnerable.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Redrawing Battle Lines in the AIDS Fight; Twists in Abortion Lawsuit; and The Lifesaving Potential of Self-Driving Cars
May 7, 2025
Students from the University of the Witwatersrand explain how to use a self HIV testing kit, in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, on March 19, 2018. Mujahid Safodien/AFP via Getty
Redrawing Battle Lines in the AIDS Fight
Global strategies to fight AIDS are quickly being reshaped, as cascading funding losses triggered by U.S. cuts continue to undermine footholds gained against the virus.
The latest:
UNAIDS is cutting its workforce by more than half and moving its offices to cheaper locations, with leaders saying that decades-long gains 鈥渁re at risk of being reversed,鈥 .
In Liberia, doctors are already seeing the impacts of fewer people receiving antiretroviral medication as clinic workers have been laid off, ; they worry about increased illness鈥攁nd increased transmission.
In the American South, community health programs are scaling back spending on HIV testing and outreach, .
Related:
In Historic First, the Global Fund Procures African-Made First-Line HIV Treatment 鈥
The Trump Administration鈥檚 Foreign Aid Review: Status of PEPFAR 鈥
Want to Rebuild US Foreign Aid? Look to PEPFAR 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners A hospital bombing in South Sudan last weekend was the latest in a series of attacks on health facilities as escalating violence hampers civilians鈥 access to basic medical care, and could lead to the closure of more clinics.
A lack of female-only medical trials in the UK is forcing doctors to make decisions in 鈥渁 vacuum of evidence鈥 when it comes to women鈥檚 health; male-only trials were nearly twice as common as female-only studies among the thousands reviewed.
Consuming cannabis while pregnant appears to increase the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and infant death, .
Conversion therapy exposure has been linked with elevated blood pressure, increased systemic inflammation, and higher odds of self-reported hypertension diagnosis, finds a cohort study of 703 sexual and gender minority young adults. U.S. and Global Health Policy News N.I.H. Bans New Funding From U.S. Scientists to Partners Abroad 鈥
USAID Cuts Could Sever HPV Prevention 鈥
Feeding the hungry will be harder than ever for the world's largest food aid agency 鈥
Kennedy aide and vaccine critic questions recent expert recommendations 鈥
New Opioid Data May Not Reflect Harms Accurately, FDA Advisors Warn 鈥 SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY A Wake-Up Call on Social Media鈥檚 Dangers
, a new Bloomberg documentary film, exposes the dark side of social media and its devastating impact on young people鈥攁nd the push to hold tech companies accountable.
The U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal judge on Monday to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to sharply restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone, arguing in its filing that the three states suing the FDA lack legal standing.
The request to dismiss the closely watched case is a notable deviation from the Trump administration鈥檚 positions so far on reproductive rights.
Originally filed in 2022, the lawsuit made its way to the Supreme Court but was thrown out for plaintiffs鈥 lack of standing to sue. Attorneys for the three states amended and revived the suit a few months later.
Makers of autonomous vehicles (AVs) have long touted the safety benefits of their cars: Unlike humans, self-driving cars don鈥檛 text and drive, or drive while sleepy or impaired.
Research is starting to bear those claims out, with a large and comprehensive new study showing significant safety performance compared to human driving, .
Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff! QUICK HITS US government secures production, supply of freeze-dried Jynneos mpox vaccine 鈥
KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: Vaccine Safety and Trust 鈥
How Utah dentists are preparing patients for the first statewide fluoride ban 鈥
Medical AI trained on whopping 57 million health records 鈥
COVID-19 Vaccines Not Linked to Miscarriage 鈥
The power of dogs on your mental health 鈥 Issue No. 2721
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 .
Global strategies to fight AIDS are quickly being reshaped, as cascading funding losses triggered by U.S. cuts continue to undermine footholds gained against the virus.
The latest:
UNAIDS is cutting its workforce by more than half and moving its offices to cheaper locations, with leaders saying that decades-long gains 鈥渁re at risk of being reversed,鈥 .
In Liberia, doctors are already seeing the impacts of fewer people receiving antiretroviral medication as clinic workers have been laid off, ; they worry about increased illness鈥攁nd increased transmission.
In the American South, community health programs are scaling back spending on HIV testing and outreach, .
- The long-term impact on infection rates could be severe, as Southern states have the highest level of poverty, a severe shortage of rural clinics, and depend heavily on federal funding.
- HIV research at Florida universities will face the 鈥渄evastating impact鈥 of millions in DOGE cuts, .
Related:
In Historic First, the Global Fund Procures African-Made First-Line HIV Treatment 鈥
The Trump Administration鈥檚 Foreign Aid Review: Status of PEPFAR 鈥
Want to Rebuild US Foreign Aid? Look to PEPFAR 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners A hospital bombing in South Sudan last weekend was the latest in a series of attacks on health facilities as escalating violence hampers civilians鈥 access to basic medical care, and could lead to the closure of more clinics.
A lack of female-only medical trials in the UK is forcing doctors to make decisions in 鈥渁 vacuum of evidence鈥 when it comes to women鈥檚 health; male-only trials were nearly twice as common as female-only studies among the thousands reviewed.
Consuming cannabis while pregnant appears to increase the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and infant death, .
Conversion therapy exposure has been linked with elevated blood pressure, increased systemic inflammation, and higher odds of self-reported hypertension diagnosis, finds a cohort study of 703 sexual and gender minority young adults. U.S. and Global Health Policy News N.I.H. Bans New Funding From U.S. Scientists to Partners Abroad 鈥
USAID Cuts Could Sever HPV Prevention 鈥
Feeding the hungry will be harder than ever for the world's largest food aid agency 鈥
Kennedy aide and vaccine critic questions recent expert recommendations 鈥
New Opioid Data May Not Reflect Harms Accurately, FDA Advisors Warn 鈥 SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY A Wake-Up Call on Social Media鈥檚 Dangers
, a new Bloomberg documentary film, exposes the dark side of social media and its devastating impact on young people鈥攁nd the push to hold tech companies accountable.
- The film, based on investigative reporting by Bloomberg News鈥 Olivia Carville, takes viewers inside the fight for justice for families whose children suffered tragic consequences as a result of their social media use and makes the case for urgent reform.
The U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal judge on Monday to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to sharply restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone, arguing in its filing that the three states suing the FDA lack legal standing.
The request to dismiss the closely watched case is a notable deviation from the Trump administration鈥檚 positions so far on reproductive rights.
Originally filed in 2022, the lawsuit made its way to the Supreme Court but was thrown out for plaintiffs鈥 lack of standing to sue. Attorneys for the three states amended and revived the suit a few months later.
- If allowed to proceed, the case could have a major impact on abortion access, as abortion pills are used in two-thirds of abortions in the U.S.
Makers of autonomous vehicles (AVs) have long touted the safety benefits of their cars: Unlike humans, self-driving cars don鈥檛 text and drive, or drive while sleepy or impaired.
Research is starting to bear those claims out, with a large and comprehensive new study showing significant safety performance compared to human driving, .
- In a , AV company Waymo analyzed the performance of its AVs over 56.7 million miles driven in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Austin鈥攁ll without a human driver present.
- Researchers compared that data to human driving performance over the same distance on the same kind of roads.
Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff! QUICK HITS US government secures production, supply of freeze-dried Jynneos mpox vaccine 鈥
KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: Vaccine Safety and Trust 鈥
How Utah dentists are preparing patients for the first statewide fluoride ban 鈥
Medical AI trained on whopping 57 million health records 鈥
COVID-19 Vaccines Not Linked to Miscarriage 鈥
The power of dogs on your mental health 鈥 Issue No. 2721
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: Health Inequities鈥 Lethal Impact; A Closer Look at a Dementia Cluster; and China鈥檚 Unregulated Beauty
May 6, 2025
Older adults exercise in a park. Tokyo, Japan, October 1, 2024. David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty
Health Inequities鈥 Lethal Impact
33 years. That鈥檚 the difference in life expectancy between people in Japan (which has the world鈥檚 highest life expectancy at 84.5 years) and Lesotho (which has the lowest at 51.5), .
Solutions: Addressing income inequality, structural discrimination, and disruptions caused by conflict and climate change could overcome health inequities, per WHO.
The Quote: 鈥淚t is a sad indictment on government leaders that social injustice continues to kill on such a grand scale,鈥 said Michael Marmot, who led the 2008 report, . 鈥樷楾he targets we set to close the health gap in a generation will be missed.鈥欌
Related:
All-Cause Mortality and Life Expectancy by Birth Cohort Across US States 鈥
Study reveals stark differences in life expectancy across US states over the past century 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Aiming to 鈥渕ake Europe a magnet for researchers,鈥 the European Union has pledged 鈧500 million in new money over the next two years and vows to protect scientific freedom to lure foreign scientists; separately, France announced plans to dedicate 鈧100 million to attracting foreign researchers.
Pharmacists in England face inappropriate demands for unnecessary antibiotics despite the threat posed by antimicrobial resistance; according to a National Pharmacy Association survey, 79% of pharmacists report having to refuse requests for antibiotics from patients at least once a day.
Teens with anxiety and depression spend ~50 more minutes per day on social media than their peers, and report more dissatisfaction with aspects of the experience, such as the number of their online friends, per a of 3,340 adolescents in the UK.
Study participants given the shingles vaccine showed a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events including stroke, heart failure, and coronary heart disease for up to 8 years compared to those who did not receive the vaccine, of 1 million+ people ages 50 and up. U.S. and Global Health Policy News Trump restricts funding for 'gain-of-function' research 鈥 calling it dangerous 鈥
More than a dozen states, DC sue Trump administration over 'dismantling' of federal health agencies 鈥
US scientist who touted hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid named to pandemic prevention role 鈥
The Trump administration's approach to extreme weather will damage health 鈥
Key reports addressing violence against Indigenous women are gone from federal sites 鈥
鈥業t鈥檚 been a tough period鈥: NIH鈥檚 new director speaks with Science 鈥 ALZHEIMER'S A Closer Look at a Dementia Cluster
In Starr County, near the border of Texas and Mexico, 鈥渆verybody has somebody in their family鈥 with dementia, said neuroepidemiologist Gladys Maestre.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES SURGERY China鈥檚 Unregulated Beauty
In China, an estimated 80,000 cosmetic surgery venues operate without a license, and 100,000 practitioners are not qualified鈥攁 result of increased demand in the country for plastic surgery. But without enough qualified professionals botched surgeries and dangerous complications are on the rise.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Dossier of alleged Sudan war crimes handed to Metropolitan police 鈥
New salmonella outbreak is linked to backyard poultry, CDC says 鈥
Forgotten disease ravaging Kampala, Wakiso 鈥
Why midwives are worried 鈥
A decade of change: maternal mortality trends in Sudan, 2009鈥2019 鈥
More babies are being admitted to NICUs 鈥
Gloves do not replace hand hygiene 鈥 reminder from WHO 鈥
Popemobile to become health clinic for Gaza children 鈥 Issue No. 2720
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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33 years. That鈥檚 the difference in life expectancy between people in Japan (which has the world鈥檚 highest life expectancy at 84.5 years) and Lesotho (which has the lowest at 51.5), .
- The publication follows a 2008 initial report that set targets to reduce life expectancy disparities between and within countries by 2040. Those targets are not likely to be met.
- Children born in poorer countries are 13X more likely to die before age 5 than those born in wealthier countries.
- 94% of maternal deaths occur in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
- 3.8 billion people lack adequate social protections, such as child/paid sick leave benefits鈥攊mpacting health outcomes.
Solutions: Addressing income inequality, structural discrimination, and disruptions caused by conflict and climate change could overcome health inequities, per WHO.
The Quote: 鈥淚t is a sad indictment on government leaders that social injustice continues to kill on such a grand scale,鈥 said Michael Marmot, who led the 2008 report, . 鈥樷楾he targets we set to close the health gap in a generation will be missed.鈥欌
Related:
All-Cause Mortality and Life Expectancy by Birth Cohort Across US States 鈥
Study reveals stark differences in life expectancy across US states over the past century 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Aiming to 鈥渕ake Europe a magnet for researchers,鈥 the European Union has pledged 鈧500 million in new money over the next two years and vows to protect scientific freedom to lure foreign scientists; separately, France announced plans to dedicate 鈧100 million to attracting foreign researchers.
Pharmacists in England face inappropriate demands for unnecessary antibiotics despite the threat posed by antimicrobial resistance; according to a National Pharmacy Association survey, 79% of pharmacists report having to refuse requests for antibiotics from patients at least once a day.
Teens with anxiety and depression spend ~50 more minutes per day on social media than their peers, and report more dissatisfaction with aspects of the experience, such as the number of their online friends, per a of 3,340 adolescents in the UK.
Study participants given the shingles vaccine showed a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events including stroke, heart failure, and coronary heart disease for up to 8 years compared to those who did not receive the vaccine, of 1 million+ people ages 50 and up. U.S. and Global Health Policy News Trump restricts funding for 'gain-of-function' research 鈥 calling it dangerous 鈥
More than a dozen states, DC sue Trump administration over 'dismantling' of federal health agencies 鈥
US scientist who touted hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid named to pandemic prevention role 鈥
The Trump administration's approach to extreme weather will damage health 鈥
Key reports addressing violence against Indigenous women are gone from federal sites 鈥
鈥業t鈥檚 been a tough period鈥: NIH鈥檚 new director speaks with Science 鈥 ALZHEIMER'S A Closer Look at a Dementia Cluster
In Starr County, near the border of Texas and Mexico, 鈥渆verybody has somebody in their family鈥 with dementia, said neuroepidemiologist Gladys Maestre.
- The condition affects about 1 in 5 adults on Medicare there鈥攎ore than 2X the national rate.
- ~1 in 3 people live in poverty and a quarter lack health insurance.
- The community is almost entirely Hispanic鈥攁 population that faces a significantly higher risk of dementia, yet remains one of the most under-studied groups in dementia research in the U.S.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES SURGERY China鈥檚 Unregulated Beauty
In China, an estimated 80,000 cosmetic surgery venues operate without a license, and 100,000 practitioners are not qualified鈥攁 result of increased demand in the country for plastic surgery. But without enough qualified professionals botched surgeries and dangerous complications are on the rise.
- 20 million people pay for cosmetic procedures annually.
- 80% are women.
- The average age to undergo surgery is 25.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Dossier of alleged Sudan war crimes handed to Metropolitan police 鈥
New salmonella outbreak is linked to backyard poultry, CDC says 鈥
Forgotten disease ravaging Kampala, Wakiso 鈥
Why midwives are worried 鈥
A decade of change: maternal mortality trends in Sudan, 2009鈥2019 鈥
More babies are being admitted to NICUs 鈥
Gloves do not replace hand hygiene 鈥 reminder from WHO 鈥
Popemobile to become health clinic for Gaza children 鈥 Issue No. 2720
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
Midwives are vital frontline workers who can provide up to 90 per cent of essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, and newborn health services 鈥 from safely delivering babies to caring for survivors of sexual violence.
Categories: Global Health Feed
Aid teams in South Sudan warned on Tuesday that repeated attacks on healthcare including the bombing of a hospital in eastern Jonglei state at the weekend are just the latest of the 鈥渕ultiple vulnerabilities鈥 the country鈥檚 people face.
Categories: Global Health Feed
