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96
How Concerning Are Microplastics? The Jury Is Still Out.
January 15, 2026
TOP STORIES
Reproductive care in Gaza has faced widespread destruction, leading to limited access to medical facilities, severe malnutrition, and restrictions on humanitarian aid, and resulting in poor birth outcomes and death, and in 鈥渞eproductive violence in violation of international law,鈥 by Physicians for Human Rights.
Earth's average 2025 temperature was one of the three hottest on record, and the pattern of the past three years indicates that warming could be accelerating, international climate monitoring teams say.
Vaccine exemptions among kindergarteners for religious or personal beliefs have risen steadily in counties throughout the U.S. since the COVID-19 pandemic, finds , which showed the median rate for such exemptions rising from 0.6% in 2010-2011 to 3.1% in 2023-2024.
Mosquitoes are increasingly using humans as a blood source instead of wildlife as deforestation expands, 鈥攁 shift researchers say will continue to raise the potential for the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. EDITORS' NOTE No GHN Monday
Widely publicized studies claiming that microplastics are pervasive in human tissue and organs are being increasingly debated by scientists, some of whom argue that limits and flaws in the nascent research field may have led to distorted results, . A young field: While researchers agree plastic pollution is ubiquitous and its impact on the body merits urgent study, there is no consensus on how the tiniest particles may infiltrate and impact the body, leaving the true risk鈥攁nd appropriate level of public concern鈥攁n open question.
When Poland saw a rapid influx of 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees in 2022, health officials were on high alert for drug-resistant tuberculosis, as Ukraine has one of the highest TB burdens in the world.
But the crisis laid bare Poland鈥檚 own outdated tuberculosis response system, which involved long, isolated hospital stays and multiyear, often toxic, drug regimens.
Rapid revitalization: Poland swiftly overhauled its care model, implementing a pilot program that included a six鈥憁onth course of an oral drug combination known as BPaL/M, which has far higher cure rates than Poland鈥檚 previous standard protocol of various drugs.
This week in YOLO news: He wanted the fastest trash can on wheels, and he made it so.
Completing 鈥渓iterally the most rubbish project鈥 he鈥檇 ever worked on, U.K. inventor Michael Wallhead鈥檚 motorized bin鈥攌nown as the Great General Waste鈥攁ccelerated to an unprecedented 55mph, beating out the previous Guinness world record by 10mph.
The speeds are impressive, but we鈥檙e more interested in pun-ability. Suggested names included:
One bin of contention: Wallhead demonstrated his warp-speed wheelie bin by riding in it. But we鈥檇 much rather it drag our trash to the curb without us going near it, let alone inside it. Please and thank you. QUICK HITS HHS terminates, then reinstates, thousands of grants for substance use, mental health 鈥 Hundreds of laid-off researchers at US workplace safety center are being reinstated 鈥 Medical groups will ask court to block new CDC vaccine recommendations 鈥 25,000 TB Cases Unreported ... Ghana Risks Missing WHO Target - Dr Amenyo 鈥 Should younger and older people receive different treatments for the same infection? 鈥 Researchers uncover hundreds of emojis in patient records 鈥 Issue No. 2848
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 2026 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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Earth's average 2025 temperature was one of the three hottest on record, and the pattern of the past three years indicates that warming could be accelerating, international climate monitoring teams say.
Vaccine exemptions among kindergarteners for religious or personal beliefs have risen steadily in counties throughout the U.S. since the COVID-19 pandemic, finds , which showed the median rate for such exemptions rising from 0.6% in 2010-2011 to 3.1% in 2023-2024.
Mosquitoes are increasingly using humans as a blood source instead of wildlife as deforestation expands, 鈥攁 shift researchers say will continue to raise the potential for the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. EDITORS' NOTE No GHN Monday
We will not be sending out the newsletter on Monday, January 19, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
We鈥檒l be back Tuesday with more news!
IN FOCUS Plastic fragments on a person's fingers. Peter Dazeley/Getty Images Microplastics Research Faces Tough CritiquesWidely publicized studies claiming that microplastics are pervasive in human tissue and organs are being increasingly debated by scientists, some of whom argue that limits and flaws in the nascent research field may have led to distorted results, . A young field: While researchers agree plastic pollution is ubiquitous and its impact on the body merits urgent study, there is no consensus on how the tiniest particles may infiltrate and impact the body, leaving the true risk鈥攁nd appropriate level of public concern鈥攁n open question.
- Critics of recent papers say that microplastic and nanoplastic particles are so small they are at the limit of today鈥檚 analytical techniques and instruments.
- Amid the rush to publish research, scientists say routine scientific checks have been missed, potentially leading to false positives, contamination, and weak lab controls.
- But in November a group of scientists published citing 鈥渕ethodological challenges.鈥 It is one of many studies being questioned for the same reason.
- 鈥淲e do have plastics in us鈥擨 think that is safe to assume. But real hard proof on how much is yet to come,鈥 said Dusan Materic, one of the researchers who signed the letter to Nature.
When Poland saw a rapid influx of 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees in 2022, health officials were on high alert for drug-resistant tuberculosis, as Ukraine has one of the highest TB burdens in the world.
But the crisis laid bare Poland鈥檚 own outdated tuberculosis response system, which involved long, isolated hospital stays and multiyear, often toxic, drug regimens.
Rapid revitalization: Poland swiftly overhauled its care model, implementing a pilot program that included a six鈥憁onth course of an oral drug combination known as BPaL/M, which has far higher cure rates than Poland鈥檚 previous standard protocol of various drugs.
- The pilot inspired a new national TB program set to be implemented by 2030.
This week in YOLO news: He wanted the fastest trash can on wheels, and he made it so.
Completing 鈥渓iterally the most rubbish project鈥 he鈥檇 ever worked on, U.K. inventor Michael Wallhead鈥檚 motorized bin鈥攌nown as the Great General Waste鈥攁ccelerated to an unprecedented 55mph, beating out the previous Guinness world record by 10mph.
The speeds are impressive, but we鈥檙e more interested in pun-ability. Suggested names included:
- Light-bin McQueen
- Bin Diesel
- Gone Bin 60 Seconds
One bin of contention: Wallhead demonstrated his warp-speed wheelie bin by riding in it. But we鈥檇 much rather it drag our trash to the curb without us going near it, let alone inside it. Please and thank you. QUICK HITS HHS terminates, then reinstates, thousands of grants for substance use, mental health 鈥 Hundreds of laid-off researchers at US workplace safety center are being reinstated 鈥 Medical groups will ask court to block new CDC vaccine recommendations 鈥 25,000 TB Cases Unreported ... Ghana Risks Missing WHO Target - Dr Amenyo 鈥 Should younger and older people receive different treatments for the same infection? 鈥 Researchers uncover hundreds of emojis in patient records 鈥 Issue No. 2848
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 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: U.S. Aid Cuts Threaten Progress Against AIDS Orphanhood; and America鈥檚 New 鈥楾rade for Aid鈥 Global Health Paradigm
January 14, 2026
TOP STORIES
124 new measles cases have been confirmed in South Carolina since Friday鈥攊ncluding six fully vaccinated people鈥攂ringing the total infected to 434 since the start of the outbreak last September.
U.S. kidney donations from recently deceased people fell for the first time in over a decade last year鈥攆rom 15,937 in 2024 to 15,274, ; the decline follows heightened scrutiny of the transplant system that prompted thousands to remove themselves from U.S. organ donor registries.
Sugary drinks and alcohol are getting relatively cheaper, fueling diseases like diabetes and cancer, and prompting the WHO to call for tax increases on such products to stem consumption levels and allow countries to capture funds for health services.
Cancer survival rates have reached a major new milestone, as 70% people now survive five years+ after diagnosis of all cancers, ; in the 1970s, just half of those diagnosed survived that length of time. IN FOCUS A client waits to be seen by a doctor during an HIV clinic day at TASO Mulago service center. Kampala, Uganda, February 17. Hajarah Nalwadda/Getty U.S. Aid Cuts Threaten Progress Against AIDS Orphanhood Expanded access to HIV treatment and prevention has led to a major decline in AIDS-related orphanhood in sub-Saharan African countries like Uganda鈥攇ains that have been jeopardized by abrupt U.S. cuts to such programs, . The research: A Uganda-based found that scaling up antiretroviral therapy cut AIDS-related orphanhood in Rakai, Uganda, by ~70%鈥攆rom 21.5% in 2003 to 6.3% in 2022. Still vulnerable: Despite this progress, ~10.3 million children in sub-Saharan Africa have already lost a parent to HIV.
1 in 4
鈥斺赌斺赌
UK teenagers in care, including foster, residential, and kinship care, have attempted suicide, and are 4X more likely to do so than their peers with no care experience, per UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies researchers.
鈥
HEALTH POLICY America鈥檚 New 鈥楾rade for Aid鈥 Global Health Paradigm As the U.S. negotiates new international aid deals with African governments, a new framework is taking shape鈥攚ith funding linked directly to trade and geopolitical goals. The basics: The U.S. has pledged ~$16 billion and signed 14 deals with countries in recent weeks as part of the new 鈥淎merica First鈥 aid strategy. Agreements in the works include:
Inside Trump's $11 billion health plan to replace 鈥渘eo-colonial鈥 USAID 鈥
KFF Tracker: America First MOU Bilateral Global Health Agreements - GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Cocoa, Child Labour and C么te d鈥橧voire: The Emerging Change 鈥
New RFK Jr. pick for vaccine panel: 鈥業 was not anti-vaccine. I am now.鈥 鈥 Lawsuit dismissed after Trump admin quietly restored tens of millions to Planned Parenthood 鈥 Harvard Chan researchers win $100 million MacArthur grant for infectious disease surveillance system 鈥 Sleeping less than 7 hours could cut years off your life 鈥
鈥業t鈥檚 not the 90s any more鈥: the all-women team reinventing abortion advice for the TikTok age 鈥 Issue No. 2847
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 2026 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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U.S. kidney donations from recently deceased people fell for the first time in over a decade last year鈥攆rom 15,937 in 2024 to 15,274, ; the decline follows heightened scrutiny of the transplant system that prompted thousands to remove themselves from U.S. organ donor registries.
Sugary drinks and alcohol are getting relatively cheaper, fueling diseases like diabetes and cancer, and prompting the WHO to call for tax increases on such products to stem consumption levels and allow countries to capture funds for health services.
Cancer survival rates have reached a major new milestone, as 70% people now survive five years+ after diagnosis of all cancers, ; in the 1970s, just half of those diagnosed survived that length of time. IN FOCUS A client waits to be seen by a doctor during an HIV clinic day at TASO Mulago service center. Kampala, Uganda, February 17. Hajarah Nalwadda/Getty U.S. Aid Cuts Threaten Progress Against AIDS Orphanhood Expanded access to HIV treatment and prevention has led to a major decline in AIDS-related orphanhood in sub-Saharan African countries like Uganda鈥攇ains that have been jeopardized by abrupt U.S. cuts to such programs, . The research: A Uganda-based found that scaling up antiretroviral therapy cut AIDS-related orphanhood in Rakai, Uganda, by ~70%鈥攆rom 21.5% in 2003 to 6.3% in 2022. Still vulnerable: Despite this progress, ~10.3 million children in sub-Saharan Africa have already lost a parent to HIV.
- And a high burden of orphanhood persisted in 2022鈥攕howing that 鈥渟ustained investment and adaptation鈥 of HIV programs is critical to prevent a new wave of orphanhood and instability.
- And the U.S. is pulling back support for primary prevention tools鈥攁 move advocates called 鈥渢he most short-sighted policy imaginable.鈥
1 in 4
鈥斺赌斺赌
UK teenagers in care, including foster, residential, and kinship care, have attempted suicide, and are 4X more likely to do so than their peers with no care experience, per UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies researchers.
鈥
HEALTH POLICY America鈥檚 New 鈥楾rade for Aid鈥 Global Health Paradigm As the U.S. negotiates new international aid deals with African governments, a new framework is taking shape鈥攚ith funding linked directly to trade and geopolitical goals. The basics: The U.S. has pledged ~$16 billion and signed 14 deals with countries in recent weeks as part of the new 鈥淎merica First鈥 aid strategy. Agreements in the works include:
- A $1.5 billion deal with Zambia that is reportedly contingent on mining access.
- A $2.1 billion deal with Nigeria鈥攎ade with the condition that the country increase its own health spending and promote Christian faith-based health care providers.
Inside Trump's $11 billion health plan to replace 鈥渘eo-colonial鈥 USAID 鈥
KFF Tracker: America First MOU Bilateral Global Health Agreements - GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Cocoa, Child Labour and C么te d鈥橧voire: The Emerging Change 鈥
New RFK Jr. pick for vaccine panel: 鈥業 was not anti-vaccine. I am now.鈥 鈥 Lawsuit dismissed after Trump admin quietly restored tens of millions to Planned Parenthood 鈥 Harvard Chan researchers win $100 million MacArthur grant for infectious disease surveillance system 鈥 Sleeping less than 7 hours could cut years off your life 鈥
鈥業t鈥檚 not the 90s any more鈥: the all-women team reinventing abortion advice for the TikTok age 鈥 Issue No. 2847
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 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Frontline Genomics With AI; and Ghana鈥檚 Long Quest for the Hepatitis B Shot
January 13, 2026
TOP STORIES
Russia has opened a criminal investigation into the deaths of nine newborns this month in a Siberian maternity hospital in the city of Novokuznetsk, citing suspected negligence; an announcement on the hospital鈥檚 website says that admissions have been suspended because of an excess of respiratory infections.
Most COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy stems from surmountable concerns, that followed 1.1 million+ people in England during the pandemic, from January 2021 to March 2022; Imperial College London researchers found that 65% of participants initially hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine went on to receive at least one shot.
U.S. Congress votes tomorrow on a bipartisan funding bill that includes $9.4 billion for global health鈥攎ore than 2X the amount the State Department requested鈥攁nd would restore funding for reproductive health and family planning, neglected diseases, and Gavi cut last year by the Trump administration.
A federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to restore nearly $12 million in American Academy of Pediatrics funding, citing evidence of a 鈥渞etaliatory motive鈥 in the termination of seven grants for public health programs, including rural health care and efforts to prevent sudden infant death. IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE A West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens researcher runs a genome sequencer at their laboratory. Courtesy: WACCBIP Frontline Genomics With AI New technology working in tandem with powerful AI-based software is eliminating the need to send samples for genomic sequencing to distant reference labs鈥攁nd wait a week for results.
鈥淲hat the world now calls 'calm' would be considered a crisis anywhere else.鈥 鈥斺赌斺赌斺斺赌斺赌斺斺赌斺赌 鈥撯赌UNICEF鈥檚 James Elder at
after noting that roughly one child has been killed
every day in Gaza since the ceasefire began in October. VACCINES Ghana鈥檚 Long Quest for the Hepatitis B Shot
As the U.S. rolls back its long-established hepatitis B vaccination recommendation for newborns, doctors in Ghana are fighting for access to the shot. ~1/10 people in Ghana live with chronic hepatitis B, with ~10,000 new infections reported each year.
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 2026 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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U.S. Congress votes tomorrow on a bipartisan funding bill that includes $9.4 billion for global health鈥攎ore than 2X the amount the State Department requested鈥攁nd would restore funding for reproductive health and family planning, neglected diseases, and Gavi cut last year by the Trump administration.
A federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to restore nearly $12 million in American Academy of Pediatrics funding, citing evidence of a 鈥渞etaliatory motive鈥 in the termination of seven grants for public health programs, including rural health care and efforts to prevent sudden infant death. IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE A West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens researcher runs a genome sequencer at their laboratory. Courtesy: WACCBIP Frontline Genomics With AI New technology working in tandem with powerful AI-based software is eliminating the need to send samples for genomic sequencing to distant reference labs鈥攁nd wait a week for results.
- Now, a rough bacterial genome can be sequenced in a hospital or clinic within hours, using a portable harmonica-size genome sequencer and AI.
- Since then, ACEGID has sequenced Africa鈥檚 first SARS-CoV-2 genome within 48 hours of detection, trained thousands of African scientists, and helped national labs with real-time sequencing.
- The center has become a major hub for genome sequencing and bioinformatics training, supporting spoke labs in West and Central Africa to establish capacity for genomic surveillance.
鈥淲hat the world now calls 'calm' would be considered a crisis anywhere else.鈥 鈥斺赌斺赌斺斺赌斺赌斺斺赌斺赌 鈥撯赌UNICEF鈥檚 James Elder at
after noting that roughly one child has been killed
every day in Gaza since the ceasefire began in October. VACCINES Ghana鈥檚 Long Quest for the Hepatitis B Shot
As the U.S. rolls back its long-established hepatitis B vaccination recommendation for newborns, doctors in Ghana are fighting for access to the shot. ~1/10 people in Ghana live with chronic hepatitis B, with ~10,000 new infections reported each year.
- While the country has a vaccine that can be administered to one-month-old babies, it has long sought access to vaccines for newborns鈥攚ho are most vulnerable to transmission.
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 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Deadly Crackdown on Iran鈥檚 Intensifying Protests; and Drones Deliver Lifesaving Care in Ghana
January 12, 2026
TOP STORIES
Sudan is the world鈥檚 largest humanitarian emergency, UN agencies say, with the health system nearing collapse, 20 million+ people needing health assistance, and 21 million facing acute food insecurity; children bear the heaviest burden, making up more than half of the 33.7 million people expected to need humanitarian assistance in 2026.
A new single-dose oral cholera vaccine has shown promise 鈥攐ffering hope that more effective oral vaccines for the disease may be on the horizon.
Gambia鈥檚 FGM ban is being challenged by a group of religious and government leaders, who have launched an effort to overturn the ban at the country鈥檚 supreme court in a move women鈥檚 rights activists described as part of a wider 鈥渞egression on women鈥檚 rights.鈥
Nearly 15,000 nurses in New York City began walking off their jobs at several major hospital systems today; they are striking to demand salary increases and continued protections against understaffing, and for their contracts to address artificial intelligence and workplace violence.
IN FOCUS
People gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on January 9. Khoshiran / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty
Deadly Crackdown on Iran鈥檚 Intensifying Protests
Health care workers across Iran are describing overwhelmed hospitals and morgues as protests are being met with a violent crackdown by government security forces, .
Background: Protests that began in late December over economic collapse and political repression have now spread to all Iranian provinces. The government has responded with intensifying force, including an internet and phone blackout鈥攚hich has meant the true toll of the violence remains unclear. 鈥楬orrible scenes鈥: Health workers who have managed to reach contacts outside the country report that protestors have been shot with live ammunition and pellets, with young people targeted, .
A fleet of drones is transforming health care in rural Ghana, delivering millions of critical vaccines, medications, antivenoms, and blood units to remote facilities with limited access to such inventory.
The long shadow of the one-child policy: China pays for its biggest social experiment with a demographic crisis 鈥
10 Considerations for Global Health Reform in 2026 鈥 A child is born: Italians celebrate village鈥檚 first baby in 30 years 鈥 Issue No. 2845
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 2026 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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Background: Protests that began in late December over economic collapse and political repression have now spread to all Iranian provinces. The government has responded with intensifying force, including an internet and phone blackout鈥攚hich has meant the true toll of the violence remains unclear. 鈥楬orrible scenes鈥: Health workers who have managed to reach contacts outside the country report that protestors have been shot with live ammunition and pellets, with young people targeted, .
- One hospital worker in Tehran said there were so many wounded that staff did not have time to perform CPR, per the BBC. Others have described creating makeshift operating rooms and activating new morgues as existing facilities are strained.
A fleet of drones is transforming health care in rural Ghana, delivering millions of critical vaccines, medications, antivenoms, and blood units to remote facilities with limited access to such inventory.
About the program: The delivery service is funded by Ghana鈥檚 government and implemented by the California-based company Zipline, which built a digital platform connecting ~3,000 health facilities to six distribution hubs.
- Mobile requests are sent to these hubs, where products are placed in temperature-controlled packaging and delivered via drone and parachute.
Impact: The drones have delivered 8.4 million medical products in Ghana from 2019 to 2025鈥攄rops credited with saving ~9,700 lives.
Ongoing obstacles: Weak mobile signals in remote areas sometimes stymie orders, highlighting the need for improved mobile infrastructure.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Measles response puts personal choice over orders 鈥 Bird Flu Viruses Raise Mounting Concerns Among Scientists 鈥 Face masks 鈥榠nadequate鈥 and should be swapped for respirators, WHO is advised 鈥 California's School-Based Tobacco Use Prevention Program After Proposition 56: Results From a Statewide Evaluation 鈥
The long shadow of the one-child policy: China pays for its biggest social experiment with a demographic crisis 鈥
10 Considerations for Global Health Reform in 2026 鈥 A child is born: Italians celebrate village鈥檚 first baby in 30 years 鈥 Issue No. 2845
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 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Unpacking America鈥檚 New Dietary Guidelines
January 8, 2026
TOP STORIES
The U.S. will withdraw from dozens of international and U.N. organizations, President Donald Trump announced鈥攊ncluding the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, U.N. Women, and the U.N. Population Fund鈥攚ith the administration saying they 鈥渙perate contrary to U.S. national interests.鈥
Burning plastic for household heating and cooking is far more widespread than previously known, ; the practice presents a growing health and environmental threat especially in low- and middle-income countries, researchers say.
Strains of drug-resistant typhoid capable of resisting the strongest available antibiotics have emerged in South Asia, escalating fears over the rapid spread of drug-resistant infections; the samples collected from hospitals in India contain a gene capable of breaking down the powerful antibiotic class known as carbapenems.
The U.S. House is set to vote today on a measure that would renew health insurance subsidies that expired at the end of last year; the three-year extension is expected to pass the House, but its future in the Senate is unclear. IN FOCUS A social media post from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showing the revised food pyramid in Lafayette, California, on January 7. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images Unpacking America鈥檚 New Dietary Guidelines
The U.S. food pyramid is again being overhauled, as released by the Trump administration yesterday, call for avoiding processed foods in favor of whole, fresh foods and increased protein, .
When health workers in Cameroon learned last year that the U.S. was cutting critical malaria funding to the country, they feared a total loss of hard-won gains against the disease.
A sampling of 2026 banishments for, hopefully, the last time.
Why trust LSSU? Because this is an institution that and . (Stick to enchanted forests, and bring pinking shears, 鈥渟erious intent,鈥 and sweet talk.)
Where do we apply? QUICK HITS Why a fatal 鈥榖lack fungus鈥 struck India during the COVID-19 pandemic 鈥
Three hospitals are under investigation for providing gender-affirming care to trans youth 鈥
COVID continues to exact heavy toll on older US adults, study suggests 鈥
Blue zones: Are global longevity hotspots a myth? New study shows where people really live longer 鈥
How a parasite 'gave up sex' to find more hosts鈥攁nd why its victory won't last 鈥 Issue No. 2844
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 2026 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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Burning plastic for household heating and cooking is far more widespread than previously known, ; the practice presents a growing health and environmental threat especially in low- and middle-income countries, researchers say.
Strains of drug-resistant typhoid capable of resisting the strongest available antibiotics have emerged in South Asia, escalating fears over the rapid spread of drug-resistant infections; the samples collected from hospitals in India contain a gene capable of breaking down the powerful antibiotic class known as carbapenems.
The U.S. House is set to vote today on a measure that would renew health insurance subsidies that expired at the end of last year; the three-year extension is expected to pass the House, but its future in the Senate is unclear. IN FOCUS A social media post from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showing the revised food pyramid in Lafayette, California, on January 7. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images Unpacking America鈥檚 New Dietary Guidelines
The U.S. food pyramid is again being overhauled, as released by the Trump administration yesterday, call for avoiding processed foods in favor of whole, fresh foods and increased protein, .
Key changes include:
- Processed in the crosshairs: The guidance urges Americans to ditch highly processed foods, a major shift in formal federal dietary policy. The guidelines also say 鈥渘o amount鈥 of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners is considered part of a healthy diet.
- Pro-protein: The recommendations call for potentially doubling protein consumption.
- Saturated fat reframing: The guidelines keep limits on saturated fats鈥攂ut they approve previously avoided sources like butter or beef tallow, .
- Alcohol guidance loosened: The long-standing cap of 1鈥2 drinks per day is gone, replaced by a simple message to 鈥渄rink less鈥濃攄rawing pushback from public health groups, .
Reactions: Medical groups praised the move away from processed foods and the emphasis on fresh foods, with American Medical Association president Bobby Mukkamala saying the rules 鈥渁ffirm that food is medicine.鈥
- But other groups, including the American Heart Association, expressed concerns about how the embrace of animal meat and dairy products could harm cardiovascular health.
Implications: The guidelines鈥 most direct impact is on federal nutrition programs and in shaping the school meal programs used to feed ~30 million children daily, reports CNN.
- But school leaders say they lack the funding to implement more fresh and from-scratch foods.
Related: Common food preservatives linked to cancer and type 2 diabetes 鈥
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MALARIA Cameroon鈥檚 Push to Save Its Malaria ProgramWhen health workers in Cameroon learned last year that the U.S. was cutting critical malaria funding to the country, they feared a total loss of hard-won gains against the disease.
But they persisted: As stocks of essential medications dwindled, nonprofits stepped in at critical junctures, and dedicated health workers continued to work unpaid for months鈥攎aking door-to-door visits and rushing supplies to those in need via bicycle.
- 鈥淲e are the people who save small children. Of course we had to keep doing the job,鈥 said health worker Bachirou Agarbe.
奥丑补迟鈥檚&苍产蝉辫;苍别虫迟: A proposed compact with the U.S. could lead to the restoration of $399 million over five years, contingent on Cameroon boosting its health spending.
- Meanwhile, Cameroon鈥檚 malaria program is restarting with renewed shipments and stipends.
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION These Words Are Tired. Let Them Rest. Whoever suggested the list as 鈥渁 whimsical New Year鈥檚 Eve party idea in 1976鈥 couldn鈥檛 have imagined we鈥檇 be here, 50 years later, lamenting and celebrating worn-out words, thanks to .
A sampling of 2026 banishments for, hopefully, the last time.
- 6-7: Technically numbers, but certainly deserving of the dishonor.
- Cooked: Or preferably, 鈥渁ll forms of the word cook.鈥 A blow to chefs, or anyone who likes food.
- Incentivize: A painful example in 鈥渢he longstanding effort to turn nouns into verbs.鈥
- Reach Out: Deserved to die in emails鈥攂ut on dance floors, remains immortal.
Why trust LSSU? Because this is an institution that and . (Stick to enchanted forests, and bring pinking shears, 鈥渟erious intent,鈥 and sweet talk.)
Where do we apply? QUICK HITS Why a fatal 鈥榖lack fungus鈥 struck India during the COVID-19 pandemic 鈥
Three hospitals are under investigation for providing gender-affirming care to trans youth 鈥
COVID continues to exact heavy toll on older US adults, study suggests 鈥
Blue zones: Are global longevity hotspots a myth? New study shows where people really live longer 鈥
How a parasite 'gave up sex' to find more hosts鈥攁nd why its victory won't last 鈥 Issue No. 2844
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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