成人VR视频

96 Global Health NOW: Manila鈥檚 Massive Fire; How 鈥楥lick鈥� Cigarettes Hook Latin American Teens; and (Mostly) Defying Gravity November 26, 2024 A man watches houses on fire at Tondo, in Manila, on November 24. Jam Sta Rosa/AFP via Getty Manila鈥檚 Massive Fire  
Fire raced through a crowded, informal settlement in Manila, Philippines, on Sunday, leaving up to 10,000 people homeless, .

• News reports estimate 1,000 to 2,000 families are now homeless.


• Manila鈥檚 Mayor Honey Lacuna said the city would provide evacuees with 鈥渃ash aid, food, and materials for rebuilding their homes.鈥�

Houses in the Isla Puting Bato residential area, next to the capital city鈥檚 port, were built with scavenged wood and other materials and were built on stilts, .
 
Drone video shared by shows a wall of flame engulfing a large portion of the neighborhood and later, twisted black tin sheets and ash.
 
The Quote: 鈥淚 feel bad because we have no livelihood and no home. We don鈥檛 know how we can eat,鈥� resident Elvira Valdemoro told a reporter in the video.
 
No deaths have been reported from the fire, and the cause hasn鈥檛 been determined. EDITORS鈥� NOTE Thanksgiving Break
GHN will not be published from tomorrow, Wednesday, November 27, through Friday, November 29, for the observance of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.
 
On the topic of thanks: We鈥檙e very thankful for all of our readers and the many ways you strengthen GHN. Special shout-out to all of you who submitted ideas for our Untold Stories contest; we hope to announce the winners within a couple of weeks.
 
We鈥檒l be back on Monday, December 2, with more news! 鈥�The Editors DATA POINT The Latest One-Liners   Pesticide-tainted food in small convenience shops in South Africa may be to blame for a spate of food poisoning deaths in recent months, including at least 23 children; the country has declared a national disaster to address the crisis.
 
Queensland, Australia is in the throes of its worst recorded whooping cough outbreak, with the death of one baby, 23X as many cases as this point last year, and rising hospital admissions鈥攑articularly among infants; vaccination rates among pregnant women plunged 6.5% between 2020 and 2023.

The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday declined to hear a challenge by major tobacco sellers to an FDA rule mandating the inclusion of graphic anti-smoking images on cigarette packs and ads.

Drugmaker Cassava Sciences halted all ongoing studies of its controversial Alzheimer鈥檚 drug, simufilam, after it showed no signs of working in a phase 3 clinical trial. The Latest: US Trump Transition Health News
鈥榃e learned the hard way鈥�: Samoa remembers a deadly measles outbreak and a visit from RFK Jr 鈥�

How RFK Jr. could use levers of HHS to shape vaccine and drug outcomes 鈥�

In the MAHA-verse, ex-Bernie die-hards and conservative moms find a political home 鈥�

CDC chief urges focus on health threats as agency confronts political changes 鈥�

Trump's Medical 'Contrarians' Herald New Era of Vaccine Scrutiny 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TOBACCO How 鈥楥lick鈥� Cigarettes Hook Latin American Teens
A dizzying array of cigarette flavors鈥攍emonade, apple, lollipop, strawberry鈥攁re enticing young people across Latin America to try smoking, and keeping them hooked. 

Despite promises to phase out traditional tobacco products, Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco have made these 鈥渇lavor capsule鈥� or 鈥渃lick鈥� cigarettes a staple. 

Crawford Moodie, a researcher with the University of Stirling in Scotland who studies flavored cigarettes, calls them 鈥渁 huge, global public health threat.鈥�

• In Chile, flavored brands like Lucky Strike Fresh Wild account for 42% of cigarette sales. 

• In Peru, flavored cigarettes make up more than half of sales. 

• In Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and M茅xico, more than a fifth of cigarettes sold contain flavor capsules.

Related: The huge stakes in a Supreme Court case about vaping 鈥� CHILD AND ADOLESCENT HEALTH Behind the Child Mortality Reversal 
Child death rates in the U.S. dropped for decades due to medical advances and public health policies. But a sharp reversal occurred from 2019 to 2021, with the mortality rate surging more than 10%.

The driver: Injuries. Gun violence鈥攏ow the leading cause of death among children鈥攁ccounted for nearly half of the increase. Overdoses more than doubled, and fatal car accidents spiked 16%

Disproportionately affected: Black and Native American children, who have been dying at much higher rates than white children. 

Behind the data: Studies into gun violence have stalled for years due to political interference. While congressional funding in 2019 brought about a resurgence of research, a shifting political climate could jeopardize that work. 

THANKSGIVING DIVERSION (Mostly) Defying Gravity
This Thursday, 60-foot giants will once again stalk the streets of Manhattan鈥攁nd crowds of adoring fans will cheer them on. 

The balloons of the annual Macy鈥檚 Thanksgiving Day Parade seem to amble through New York City without a care in the world. But walking on air takes tremendous groundwork, : 

Floating numbers: Bringing the 17 鈥渃haracter balloons,鈥� 15 鈥渉eritage and novelty balloons,鈥� and 22 parade floats to life requires 18 months of prep and 60 artisans working thousands of hours.

• Each new balloon creation takes about six months, and balloons are tested in New Jersey at the in the weeks before the parade. 

When balloon dreams burst: Even the most calculated planning can鈥檛 prevent certain disasters鈥攍ike a fateful face-off between a tree and Kermit the Frog which left Kermit faceless, and a deluge unleashed from a rain-drenched Popeye鈥檚 cap, . 

Related: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Boss Takes Us Behind the Scenes of This Year's Spectacle - QUICK HITS A triple emergency in Kenya amid malaria and measles outbreaks 鈥�

It's a virus you may not have heard of. Here's why scientists are worried about it 鈥�

In search of a vaccine for leishmaniasis 鈥�

America's Alarming Bird-Flu Strategy: Hope for the Best 鈥�

Drugs like Wegovy, Ozempic would be covered by Medicare, Medicaid under Biden proposal 鈥�

A pathway for skin NTD diagnostic development 鈥�

Could games help people stick to HIV treatment? 鈥�

The disappearance of empathetic touch in medicine 鈥�

Do not wash your turkey and other Thanksgiving tips to keep your food safe 鈥� Issue No. 2821
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: Mpox Still an Emergency; Neglected Diseases Are Fierce, But So Is Monique Wasunna; A Multipronged Assault on Mosquitoes November 25, 2024 Patients wait for consultations in the mpox isolation ward at the Kavumu hospital in DRC's South Kivu region. September 3. Arlette Bashizi/Bloomberg via Getty Mpox Still an Emergency 
Mpox is still a public health emergency of international concern, a WHO committee decided Friday, due to rising cases, continued geographic spread, and 鈥渙ngoing challenges in the field,鈥� . 

Vaccine impact emerging: The decision comes as the agency confirmed that new cases appear to be 鈥減lateauing鈥� in the epicenter DRC since the first batch of vaccinations was rolled out鈥攂ut officials cautioned that the disease is still spreading across the continent, and that it remains too early to ascertain the vaccine鈥檚 overall impact, .

• The WHO will publish the emergency committee鈥檚 full report this week, along with its updated recommendations, . 

Children remain unvaccinated: While children are most vulnerable to the effects of mpox, they remain ineligible for current vaccines鈥攁 decision opposed by a growing number of local doctors and international agencies, .

• That could be changing, as a DRC immunization official said a vaccination plan for children has been drafted. 

Related: Protecting Kids: Mpox Guidelines for Schools 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Fatal attacks on health workers in Lebanon have reached a 鈥渉igher percentage than in any active conflict today across the globe,鈥� 鈥攚ith 47% of all attacks on health facilities causing the death of a health worker.

M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res has in Port-au-Prince for the first time in 30+ years after repeated attacks and violent threats against staff by the national police and armed vigilantes; the charity was one of the last health providers in the besieged city.
Scientists are bracing for the impact of president-elect Trump鈥檚 promised travel bans, which stand to stress an already shrinking academic workforce, stymie collaborations, and stall progress on research; at least two U.S. universities have advised international students to return to campus before Jan. 20, when Trump will be able to issue executive orders.
  Smoking could cause ~300,000 cancer cases in the UK over the next five years, per a new analysis from Cancer Research UK, which said the 鈥渕agnitude of damage鈥� from smoking warrants further government intervention. GHN EXCLUSIVE Monique Wasunna delivering a keynote address at the ASTMH annual meeting in New Orleans, November 13. Brian W. Simpson Neglected Diseases Are Fierce, But So Is Monique Wasunna
NEW ORLEANS鈥擬onique Wasunna鈥檚 dramatic efforts as a young doctor in Kenya to save an 11-year-old boy with visceral leishmaniasis鈥攔acing him in her own car to a referral hospital鈥攕haped her career.
  鈥淚 said to myself 鈥� I will do anything in my power to help other patients. I will be their advocate. My mind was made up. Leishmaniasis it was, NTDs it was,鈥� the DNDi Africa Ambassador told GHN in a . She reflected on her efforts to fight visceral leishmaniasis and other neglected diseases and shared insights on the work ahead, touching on:

• The NTD most likely to hit the global elimination milestone next (hint: the earlier treatment was an arsenic compound that patients said feels like 鈥渇ire in the veins鈥�).


• Critical obstacles that donors are neglecting.


• The little-discussed ingredient needed to combat brain drain.

She summed up with encouraging words for emerging leaders exploring the neglected diseases space: 鈥淚f young people reflect upon what their contributions will be, and ask how they can make a difference, we can succeed."

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MALARIA A Multipronged Assault on Mosquitoes  
At Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania, researchers know there is no silver bullet for malaria. 

That鈥檚 why scientists and engineers there are busy crafting an arsenal against the disease and the mosquitoes that carry it鈥攁ll from a network of labs that would 鈥渕ake James Bond鈥檚 Q green with envy.鈥�

The inventory of interventions鈥攆rom the simple to highly sophisticated鈥攊ncludes:

• Mosquito-proof sandals: Simple leather sandals fitted with a woven strap treated with insecticide, which reduced mosquito landings by 48%. 


• Eaves ribbons: Strips of insecticide-treated fabric created to hang at ventilation gaps in mud and brick housing.


• Genetic modification: Ifakara has launched an effort to modify mosquito genes so that the insects cannot transmit the malaria parasite. 

MENTAL HEALTH UnitedHealth鈥檚 Punishing Playbook to Restrict Coverage   
UnitedHealth Group, the U.S.鈥檚 biggest insurance conglomerate, has deployed algorithms and other strategies to identify those 鈥渙verusing鈥� mental health services. 

• It then limits or revokes coverage for some of the nation鈥檚 most vulnerable patients. 

ProPublica鈥檚 must-read investigative story details the company鈥檚 playbook for coverage denials鈥攄espite a series of lawsuits, and regardless, therapists say, of the severity of their patients鈥� issues.

• Federal law blocks companies from making mental health care coverage harder to obtain than physical health coverage, but a regulatory patchwork allows UnitedHealth and other insurance companies to skirt scrutiny鈥攆orcing regulators into a 鈥淲hac-A-Mole鈥� scenario.

One former UnitedHealth employee said he felt like 鈥渁 cog in the wheel of insurance greed.鈥�

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS CDC confirms H5N1 in California child as Hawaii details testing results 鈥�

How recent flooding crisis could fuel neglected topical diseases in Kenya 鈥�

Moscow bans adoption of Russian children to countries that allow gender transition 鈥�

It took years for my Black son to be diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Then it happened to my family again 鈥�

Fold paper. Insert lens. This $2 microscope changes how kids see the world 鈥�

鈥楢 place of joy鈥�: why scientists are joining the rush to Bluesky 鈥� Issue No. 2820
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: Taliban Targets LGBTQ Afghans; Better Road Safety Journalism; and A Human in Bear鈥檚 Clothing LGBTQ people in Afghanistan face beatings, arrests, and detention. November 21, 2024 Yahya, an Afghan who identifies as gay speaks during an interview at an undisclosed location, on September 28, 2021. AFP via Getty LGBTQ Afghans Targeted by the Taliban
Since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021, LGBTQ citizens have endured 鈥渨idespread鈥� physical and sexual violence in detention centers, human rights groups report.

One group, Roshaniya, has documented 825 instances of violence against LGBTQ people in Afghanistan, including beatings, arrests, and detention鈥攁nd emphasized the number was likely an undercount. 

• And transgender and gender non-conforming people are being 鈥渃onsistently鈥� targeted at Taliban checkpoints. 

The Quote: 鈥淚 am a prisoner in a country called Afghanistan,鈥� said Abdul, a 22-year-old gay man. 鈥淚 have to hide from everyone, hide from family, hide from friends, hide from the government, hide from life.鈥�

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
60% of Americans say they will 鈥減robably not鈥� get an updated COVID-19 vaccine, ; reasons given include concerns of potential side effects and belief that the booster is not necessary.

Poliovirus detected in Warsaw wastewater is prompting Poland鈥檚 health authorities to urge that children be vaccinated; about 86% of the country鈥檚 3-year-olds have been vaccinated against the virus.  

Women with endometriosis or growths in their uterus have a slightly higher risk of dying before age 70, .  

A new malaria vaccination strategy involves boosting immunity via genetically engineered parasites, ; the strategy protected ~90% of study participants from 鈥渃ontracting the disease after being bitten by malaria mosquitoes.鈥�   GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY Police in Bogota conduct speeding checkpoints a key part of a comprehensive road safety strategy in 2022. Bogota Secretariat of Mobility Language Reform Drives Change in Road Safety Journalism
With a staggering global toll of  deaths per year, road crashes are the leading cause of death for people age 鈥攁nd they are almost always preventable.
 
Yet many people consider road traffic crashes happenstances鈥撯�揳nd media messaging reinforces that narrative, often depicting them as 鈥渁ccidents,鈥� 鈥渂ad luck,鈥� and or the victim鈥檚 fault, writes Vital Strategies鈥� Kristi Saporito.
 
Framing crashes as isolated and inevitable 鈥渁ccidents鈥� beyond our control implies that they鈥檙e inevitable鈥攂ut solutions, including protective policies, exist.
 
Words matter: By communicating that road safety is a public health issue and that crashes are largely preventable, the media has the power to shift attitudes, Saporito writes.

• Journalism trainings in Colombia, supported by  and the , advised reporters on neutral road-incident vocabulary and placing traffic crashes in the context of broader road safety issues鈥攁nd led to measurable improvements in reporting language. 

Next steps: Improving road safety media coverage will require sustained discourse between journalists, road safety stakeholders, and public health experts.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES U.S. ELECTION What Does Dr. Oz鈥檚 Appointment Mean for Medicare? 
Dr. Oz鈥攖he heart surgeon, turned TV star, turned Trump appointee to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services鈥攊s a familiar face for his daytime television persona as 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Doctor.鈥�

Less familiar? His policy positions regarding the federal agency that oversees coverage for 145 million Americans, its $1 trillion budget, and what kind of influence he could bring to coverage decisions, drug price negotiations, and the Affordable Care Act, . 

Puzzling positions: 

• Oz has championed healthy lifestyle habits and criticized Big Pharma鈥攁nd he has also spread misinformation about Covid-19, promoted unproven supplements, and profited from the pharmaceutical industry he鈥檚 criticized. 

• He has previously expressed support for Medicare privatization. He has not revealed his views on Medicaid鈥攖hough some Republicans in Congress have called for changes that shrink the program鈥檚 budget, . 

ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION A Human in Bear鈥檚 Clothing
It鈥檚 hard to be funny. But you know what鈥檚 even harder? Taking something objectively hilarious and pretending it isn鈥檛. So, a big GHN kudos to whoever does the press releases for the California Department of Insurance.
 
The staffer : Four suspects were arrested on charges of insurance fraud after claiming their luxury vehicles were vandalized by bears鈥斺�渂ut it was actually a person in a bear costume.鈥�
 
It bears (ahem) mentioning: Video footage  effortlessly opening car doors and rifling about in a suspiciously sapiens manner.
 
Still, investigators needed to be sure, so they enlisted a biologist who 鈥渙pined it was clearly a human in a bear suit.鈥�
 
Further confirming the obvious: A was found in a suspect鈥檚 home. QUICK HITS US CDC expects COVID and RSV levels to increase in coming weeks 鈥�

New study finds climate change is increasing the power of hurricanes 鈥�

鈥業ncreasing risk鈥� of tropical infections as new blood donor monitoring launched 鈥�

Less-potent fentanyl pills may be playing a role in decrease of US overdose deaths, DEA says 鈥�

Scientists taught rats to drive 鈥� now they love getting behind the wheel 鈥� Issue No. 2819
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: Superbugs Thriving in War; Growing Older Solo鈥擶ith Support; and Envisioning Greener Health Care in SA November 20, 2024 Superbugs Thriving in War
A 鈥済rowing and dire鈥� crisis of antimicrobial resistance is taking hold in Gaza, as attacks on hospitals and blockades leave doctors with few tools to fight infections, . 

Open wounds: Amid a constant backlog of patient care, many patients鈥� wounds are left open for long periods of time, leading to acute infections, say researchers with M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res.

• Critical antibiotics remain unavailable, and many infections are unresponsive to the limited antibiotics at hand鈥攔esulting in amputations and death. 


• With so few drugs, 鈥渘urses have a bottle of vinegar on the wound-dressing shelf鈥� to treat infections, said Gaza physician Khaled al Shawwa. 

A longer war: Superbugs have long been a . Data collected by MSF from 2019 to 2023 showed that 70%+ of Staphylococcus aureus infections in wounded patients involved a MRSA superbug strain.

Meanwhile, an overconsumption crisis: Global antibiotic usage has climbed 20%+ globally since 2016鈥攄espite a pandemic-era disruption, a new of pharmaceutical sales published in PNAS finds, . 

• Higher consumption levels are largely being driven by LMICs, where weak health care and hygiene systems have exacerbated illnesses and 鈥渋ndiscriminate鈥� antibiotic use.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
A second mpox vaccine has been granted emergency use designation ; Japan鈥檚 stockpiled doses of its LC16m8 mpox vaccine will be sent to the DRC and Burundi, and will be the first mpox vaccine available for children.

53 days post-Hurricane Helene, potable water has been restored in Asheville, North Carolina, after storm damage required extensive repair of the city鈥檚 water treatment and distribution system.

A new nasal vaccine to prevent whooping cough could help slow the disease鈥檚 spread; the vaccine, developed by Tulane University, works to clear bacteria from the upper respiratory tract, limiting contagion. WORLD CHILDREN'S DAY DATA POINT AGING Growing Older Solo鈥擶ith Support
As more Americans face aging alone and far from family, support networks are being redefined as neighbors, friends, and fellow 鈥渟olo agers鈥� step in to help with daily care needs.

• In 2015, 15 million Americans ages 50+ had no nearby family; this number is expected to rise to 21 million by 2060.

Weaving webs of support: Many older adults without a spouse or nearby children have adapted by creating local networks to support their independence, per a . 

Still a challenge: A 2022 AARP survey showed only 25% of solo agers had help with household tasks, and just 38% had support for ongoing care needs.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Envisioning Greener Health Care in SA
The environmental impact of South Africa鈥檚 health care system is massive鈥攂ut so are the opportunities for change.
 
Reconsidering single-use: Although manufacturers and regulators typically designate medical devices for single use, research shows that some could be safely sterilized and reused.

Smaller carbon footprints: Some new hospitals in SA have been designed with energy-efficient features like solar power, and energy-saving measures in Western Cape pilot projects have eliminated thousands of tons of CO2.

Big opportunity: South Africa could join the WHO鈥檚 Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health, which aims to help countries make health care greener. 

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Amid record year for dengue infections, study finds climate change responsible for 19% of rising dengue burden 鈥�

Nationwide IV fluid shortage changing how hospitals manage patient hydration 鈥�

California child tests positive for bird flu with no known exposure to infected animals 鈥�

Djibouti experiments with GM mosquito against malaria 鈥�

60% of Americans say they probably won't get an updated COVID-19 vaccine 鈥�

New FDA rules for TV drug ads: Simpler language and no distractions 鈥�

Elon Musk Asked People to Upload Their Health Data. X Users Obliged. 鈥� Issue No. 2818
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Superbug Fight Needs a Better Business Model; Leading Cause of Maternal Deaths: Homicide; and Dr. ChatBot Is In鈥攁nd Often Right November 19, 2024 GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORT An NG Biotech employee manufactures "Carba" tests, an antibiotic resistance test in Guipry, western France. April 6, 2020. Damien Meyer / AFP via Getty The Superbug Fight Needs a Better Business Model
Antimicrobial resistance is already a leading cause of death worldwide鈥攂ut as AMR deaths spiral, the pipeline for new antibiotics is drying up, not ramping up.   As WHO marks , leading researchers explain why:

• For one, small antibiotic makers can鈥檛 stay in business. Governments and public health programs closely guard novel antibiotics, deploying them as little as possible to avoid resistance, says Kevin Outterson, executive director of CARB-X, a nonprofit that supports antibiotics R&D.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a perfect public health strategy, but a terrible business strategy.鈥�
 
What鈥檚 the Solution?

• Invest in incentives: Countries are starting to get behind 鈥減ush鈥� incentives that fund antibiotics R&D, and 鈥減ull鈥� incentives designed to keep the makers of novel antibiotics afloat.


• Antibiotics for all: It鈥檚 key that these incentives be designed to ensure that research and new drugs reach high-risk populations in LMICs.   


• Not just new drugs: Improving diagnostics and basic hospital hygiene are indispensable tools to protect antibiotics from resistance, says AMR researcher Caline Mattar. 

鈥淲hen you have hospitals that don鈥檛 have electricity or running water, and health care workers cannot even wash their hands before going from one patient to the other鈥攖his is an issue that would not be solved with new antibiotics.鈥�
  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Approximately 1 in 6 war-wounded trauma patients treated at Bashair Teaching Hospital in south Khartoum, Sudan, so far in 2024 are children under 15; many arrive with wounds from gunshots, blasts, or shrapnel, x-rays show.

Genetic sequencing of the H5N1 bird flu virus that infected a British Columbia teenager reveals that the virus underwent mutational changes that would make it easier to infect humans; there鈥檚 no evidence the teen infected anyone else, but the source of infection is unclear.

President Putin signed a decree today to allow for Russia鈥檚 use of nuclear weapons in response to an attack by a nonnuclear actor backed by a nuclear power, days after U.S. President Biden reportedly gave Ukraine permission to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles on targets deep inside Russia.

A state judge struck down Wyoming's overall abortion ban, including an explicit ban (the nation鈥檚 first) on the use of pregnancy-ending medication. VIOLENCE Leading Cause of Maternal Deaths: Homicide
More pregnant women and new mothers in the U.S. die at the hands of intimate partners than from medical causes, published in in JAMA Network Open. 

Going deeper: The study, which analyzed CDC data from 2018 to 2021, found that laws that restrict access to divorce and abortion during pregnancy can raise the risk of intimate partner violence.

• Researchers also emphasized a vital need for safe housing, protective orders, and additional resources for pregnant women in abusive relationships. 

Most at risk: Individuals younger than 25 and Black women. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TECH & INNOVATION Dr. ChatBot Is In鈥攁nd Often Right 
ChatGPT outperformed human physicians in assessing a series of medical case histories, a published in JAMA Network Open found鈥攄emonstrating the power of A.I. systems to be 鈥渄octor extenders,鈥� providing niche insights or second opinions.

The study: 50 doctors and ChatGPT鈥攁nd some doctors equipped with ChatGPT鈥� were all fed the same medical case details and asked to provide a diagnosis. Each was graded on their ability to diagnose correctly, and on their ability to explain why they landed on potential diagnoses. 

The results: The doctors operating alone had an average score of 74%. ChatGPT scored an average of 90%. Doctors using the chatbot got an average score of 76%鈥攗nderscoring how doctors are often wedded to their own conclusions, despite the chatbot鈥檚 suggestions.

CORRECTION The 鈥楴ever-Before-Seen Virus鈥� 鈥� Except in 2019  
We'd received a Google Alert about the MSN story that we shared in a one-liner yesterday, about a mysterious malaria-like illness in Peru caused by a previously unknown phlebovirus; the case, however, was detected in 2019 and reported in 2023. We aim to limit one-liners to news stories that are not more than a day or two old, so that definitely did not meet our editorial guidelines鈥攁nd we apologize for the oversight. Thanks to GHN reader Rebecca Wurtz for flagging our error! QUICK HITS

They fled war in Sudan. Now, women in refugee camps say they鈥檙e being forced to have sex to survive 鈥�

Urban mosquito sparks malaria surge in East Africa 鈥�

Abortion pills may be FDA's first test under Trump 鈥�

How Trump's reelection could impact reproductive health in low income countries 鈥�

Effect of health education on knowledge, perception, and intended contraceptive use for family planning among university students in Pakistan 鈥�

Falls, assaults, accidental poisoning among leading causes of injury hospitalisations and deaths in Australia 鈥�

Biden administration backs away from plastic production limits in UN treaty 鈥�

Over 4 tonnes of batteries collected to reduce environmental, health impacts 鈥�

Issue No. 2817
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: As Measles Cases Rise, Alarm Grows Over RFK鈥檚 Anti-Vaccine Rhetoric; A Memorable ASTMH; and 鈥楳entor Mothers鈥� in Rural Africa November 18, 2024 Hawaii aid workers help out with MMR vaccinations on December 6, 2019, in Apia, Samoa. Yoshida/Getty As Measles Cases Rise, Alarm Grows Over RFK鈥檚 Anti-Vaccine Rhetoric
Measles cases surged 20% globally last year鈥攁 trend health leaders worry will only continue if vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. takes the helm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

• Measles cases jumped from 8.6 million to 10.3 million between 2022 and 2023 鈥攄riven largely by a COVID-19 pandemic-era drop in vaccinations, . 


• Most affected are the world鈥檚 poorest and conflict-riven countries, especially in Africa, where deaths from measles increased by 37%, . 

Public health officials fear vaccine coverage could drop further under an HHS headed by RFK Jr., a 鈥渓eader 鈥� in instilling mistrust in public health as a system and the people who do that work,鈥� said Robert Wood Johnson Foundation chief Richard Besser.

• In Samoa, where a 2019 measles outbreak infected 5,700+ people and caused 83 deaths, health officials say misinformation spread by Kennedy鈥檚 nonprofit, Children鈥檚 Health Defense, worsened the crisis by contributing to vaccine hesitancy, .

EDITORS' NOTE Street life in downtown New Orleans, November 8, 2019. Getty A Memorable ASTMH Meeting
More than 4,000 scientists, researchers, practitioners, and other experts gathered in New Orleans last week through this weekend for the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene.
 
And GHN was there. We were honored to meet with so many professionals from so many countries (welcome, those of you who just signed up for GHN!) and sit in on so many informative sessions. , including briefs on mpox, Hansen鈥檚 disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and a walking tour through public health history. 鈥�Brian and Dayna GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Kala-azar cases in Kenya are on the rise with 124 people sickened in the last month as doctors call for urgent interventions to constrain the disease鈥檚 spread.

Dengue deaths in Bangladesh have surpassed 400 as the country battles its worst outbreak in years; rising temperatures and a longer monsoon season have driven the surge in infections, with 78,595 patients hospitalized.

A never-before-seen virus that causes a malaria-like illness has been detected in Peru, doctors say; an investigation into an initial case revealed that the virus is a previously unknown phlebovirus.

61,000+ people in Sudan have died during the first 14 months of conflict in the country鈥攁 death toll 鈥渟ignificantly higher than reported,鈥� per a new wartime mortality by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. WOMEN'S RIGHTS Iran to Open Clinic for Hijab Defiance
Officials in Iran have announced plans to open a 鈥渢reatment clinic鈥� for women who resist mandatory hijab laws鈥攁 move decried by human rights advocates.

• The clinic will promote 鈥渟cientific and psychological treatment for hijab removal,鈥� per one Iranian official.

The announcement follows reports of a university student who publicly protested after being assaulted by campus guards for a hijab violation. That student has since been transferred to a psychiatric hospital.

• Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have reported torture and forced medication of dissidents in state-run psychiatric hospitals.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MATERNAL HEALTH 鈥楳entor Mothers鈥� Fill Gaps in Rural African Villages
In the OR Tambo district in the Eastern Cape, pregnant women and new moms living with HIV鈥攁nd their children鈥攁re healthier thanks to trusted peer support workers.

These 鈥渕entor mothers,鈥� who also have HIV, are trained and deployed to this remote area to encourage women to take and stay on antiretroviral treatments.

• More than a third of pregnant women in the region have HIV, but they rarely pass it to their babies.

Through home visits and a mobile clinic, mentor mothers also offer check-ups, track babies鈥� milestones and vaccinations, and provide advice for healthy living.

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS US health officials report 1st case of new form of mpox in a traveler 鈥�

Dengue fever spiked to record levels in 2024: Climate change will make it even worse 鈥�

Jeddah conference closes with adoption of global pledges to tackle antimicrobial resistance 鈥�

The Philippines will not intervene if Interpol arrests Duterte over 鈥榳ar on drugs鈥� 鈥�

E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots sickens people in 18 states 鈥�

Jay Bhattacharya, an NIH critic, emerges as a top candidate to lead the agency 鈥�

RFK Jr. isn't the only one. More than a billion people have parasitic worms 鈥嬧�嬧��

Study to look at why some people with aggressive cancer are 鈥榮uper-survivors鈥� 鈥嬧�嬧�� Issue No. 2816
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: Rising Resistance Threatens a Key Malaria Drug; Uncontrolled Diabetes Reaches New Heights; and Fun, Games鈥攁nd Fame The malaria parasite is acquiring partial resistance to a key medication used to care for children experiencing severe malaria. November 14, 2024 Employees transfer barrels of artemisinin at a pharmaceutical company in southern China on Aug. 27. Huang Xiaobang/Xinhua via Getty Images Rising Resistance Threatens a Key Malaria Drug
In yet another ominous sign for malaria treatment鈥檚 prospects, the malaria parasite is acquiring partial resistance to a key medication used to care for children experiencing severe malaria, according to a study  and presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene.
 
Major findings:

• The study, led by Ugandan researchers Ruth Namazzi and Robert Opoka from Makerere University in Kampala, found partial resistance to the malaria drug artemisinin in 11 of 100 children treated for severe malaria.

• They found that 10 patients 鈥渃ured鈥� of severe malaria experienced a resurgence of the same strain of the parasite within 28 days of the original infection鈥攚hich implies the first treatment didn鈥檛 fully eliminate the parasite, said study coauthor Chandy John.

• They also noted that it took more than 72 hours to clear the parasites in two children鈥攁 duration that the WHO defines as early treatment failure. 

The Quote: 鈥淲e need studies to confirm whether other places are finding these elevated rates of artemisinin partial resistance,鈥� John said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l need to see what happens over the next couple of years to see just how bad this problem is in Africa.鈥�
 
EDITORS' NOTE GHN in NOLA  
We鈥檙e thrilled to be in New Orleans this week for the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene annual meeting.
 
If you鈥檙e here too, please stop by GHN鈥檚 exhibit, #114. We鈥檙e right across from our friends at the DNDi/MSF booth, which you should also visit!
 
We鈥檇 also like to welcome new GHN subscribers who visited our booth and signed up last night鈥攆rom countries including Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Eswatini, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Uganda, and Zambia. Thanks for subscribing!
 
If you enjoy Global Health NOW, please share the  with colleagues and friends. 鈥擠ayna Kerecman Myers, dkerecm1@jhu.edu; and Brian W. Simpson, bsimpso1@jhu.edu. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Weight loss drugs may help curb alcohol addiction, new published in JAMA Psychiatry suggests, with GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy cutting risk for hospitalization.  

State medical boards almost never discipline doctors who spread misinformation about COVID-19, an from the University of North Carolina School of Law has found.

The bird flu infection that has left a Canadian teen in critical condition is not the version of H5N1 found in cows and currently circulating in the U.S., genetic sequencing has found; it is instead of a genotype found in wild birds.

A new diagnostic test uses genetic sequencing to ID pathogens from a range of possible culprits鈥攙iruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi鈥攚hich could help doctors more effectively diagnose and treat hard-to-identify infections like meningitis.   NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES Uncontrolled Diabetes Reaches New Heights 
The number of adults globally living with diabetes has soared 4X since 1990鈥攕urpassing 800 million, finds a released on World Diabetes Day, .

Extra troubling: 445+ million people with diabetes鈥�59% of the global total鈥攁re not receiving treatment, . 

• The problem is most acute in LMICs, where treatment rates are as low as 10%, . India, Pakistan, and Indonesia have especially high rates of untreated diabetes. 

Behind the rise: The 鈥渁larming鈥� uptick stems from factors including a lack of physical activity, unhealthy food marketing, and economic hardship, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. 

• Tedros called for countries to 鈥渦rgently take action鈥濃�攑articularly to equip health systems to meet the crisis. 

• The WHO also launched new guidance on today. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POLLUTION Smog Shrouds Pakistan
Daily activities have come to a standstill in Pakistan鈥檚 populous Punjab province, as thick smog envelops the region, . 

Outdoor activities have been banned, schools closed, and markets shuttered as the debilitates millions of residents living in Lahore, Multan, and surrounding areas. 

• Air quality index readings have surpassed ~1,000; 300+ is considered hazardous to health, per .

Officials have deployed 200+ mobile clinics and added hospital beds to treat ~70,000 patients daily reporting respiratory distress. 

• that 11+ million children are at risk. In January, 240+ children in Punjab province .

Sources: The is a product of vehicle emissions, construction and industrial work, and seasonal crop burning. 

Most vulnerable: 鈥淚t鈥檚 poor people that are facing the brunt of the air pollution crisis because they have no means to protect themselves from it,鈥� environmental lawyer Ahmad Rafay Alam told NPR. ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Fun, Games鈥攁nd Fame
You might have thought a toy鈥檚 value is measured by asking: 鈥淒o I like playing with it?鈥�
 
But you鈥檇 be wrong.
 
This week, anyway, the question is: Is it among the elite?

• Three 1980s icons鈥擯hase 10, Transformers, and My Little Pony鈥攈ave joined the  in Rochester, New York.

And for a contest we learned about just yesterday, we suddenly feel very strongly about it.
 
No longer a bridesmaid: The honor was 鈥渆xtra validating鈥� for seven-time finalist My Little Pony, . 

• But how did lush-maned mini ponies鈥攚hose chief function is hairstyling鈥攅dge out the humble stick horse behind ? Why were balloons and trampolines bounced out of the running?

And might we spare  for the beloved playthings not even in contention鈥攕ay, mud, the spoon-and-pot duo, the kitchen sink, and buttons (literally any buttons)? QUICK HITS Many long COVID patients adjust to slim recovery odds as world moves on 鈥�

Kenya's new health insurance rollout sparks challenges and concerns 鈥�

Scientific breakthrough to prevent negative side effects of weight loss drugs like Ozempic 鈥�

The Making Of A New American Epidemic 鈥�

The people cracking the world's toughest climate words 鈥� Issue No. 2815
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: Haiti Isolated and Imperiled; Stopping Polio in Gaza and Why It Matters; and STIs Slow Down in the U.S. Hospitals in Haiti face 鈥渋ndescribable鈥� surge of traumatic injuries November 13, 2024 After being injured in a tanker truck explosion, people recover in a hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on September 17. Clarens Siffroy/AFP via Getty Haiti Isolated and Imperiled
A surge of gang violence in Haiti puts the country at further risk of isolation, as airlines halt flights to the country and as hospitals and medical groups like M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res describe untenable working conditions. 

No flights: Haiti鈥檚 main international airport in Port-au-Prince remains closed after three U.S. commercial passenger planes were hit by suspected gang gunfire, and the FAA has now banned all U.S. airlines from operating in Haiti for 30 days, . 

• Even UN helicopters are unable to land in the capital, and the closure has raised questions about the arrival of 600 Kenyan police officers, deployed to reinforce a UN-backed security mission.

Ambushed ambulance: At least two patients in an MSF ambulance in Port-au-Prince were executed by members of a vigilante group in a 鈥渟hocking display of violence鈥� that 鈥渟eriously calls into question鈥� MSF鈥檚 ability to continue delivering medical care there, . 

Hospitals are struggling to cope with an 鈥渋ndescribable鈥� surge of traumatic injuries, as doctors and medical facilities buckle under the pressures of an already devastating year, .  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Global temperatures may be closer to the 鈥渃rucial鈥� 1.5C warming threshold than previously thought, according to of Antarctic ice cores suggesting that, in 2023, human-driven warming reached 1.49C above pre-industrial levels.

Children in Somalia face perilously high rates of pneumonia and diarrhea鈥攖wo leading killers of children under age 5 globally鈥攁s well as the added risk of low immunization rates, per a by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Pathogens on microplastics can survive wastewater treatment and can quickly form protective microbial biofilms鈥攁llowing them to form colonies of 鈥減lastispheres鈥� that pose a threat to human and environmental health, finds a new from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

鈥嬧�媁omen are stockpiling emergency contraception pills in the week since Donald Trump was re-elected as U.S. president, with one company鈥檚 sales of morning-after pills rising 966% as of Friday compared with three days before the election. GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY A child is vaccinated during the polio vaccination campaign in Deir al Balah, Gaza, on September 1. Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images Stopping Polio in Gaza and Why It Matters  
Last week鈥檚 conclusion of a two-month effort to protect over half a million children from polio was an important advance for Gaza鈥攁nd the world, writes vaccine expert Walter Orenstein in an exclusive commentary for GHN. 
 
Gaza鈥檚 challenge: The polio strain circulating in Gaza is type 2 variant poliovirus, which 31 countries are currently battling.
 
The vaccine used in Gaza is the . It鈥檚 less likely than a previous version of the oral polio vaccine to revert to a form that can cause paralysis. 
 
Encouraging record: Over the three and half years of nOPV2鈥檚 use, the number of type 2 variant poliovirus cases has been reduced, providing hope that the end of type 2 variant polio is in sight, writes Orenstein. 
 
The future: Polio anywhere is a risk to communities everywhere. All children everywhere need to be fully vaccinated against polio. This will require overcoming hurdles like war, climate disasters, political instability, and vaccine misinformation. 
 
We鈥檝e seen the result of such commitment in Gaza. It鈥檚 now essential to get the same cooperation, resources, and determination everywhere. 
 
  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH STIs Slow Down in the U.S.
Some good news for sexually active Americans: The STI epidemic lost steam in 2023, according to .

• Overall, syphilis increased by only 1% after years of double-digit increases.

• Cases of the most infectious stages of syphilis fell 10% from 2022.

• Gonorrhea cases dropped 7%, falling below pre-COVID levels.

What鈥檚 behind the improvement?

• Growing use of the antibiotic doxycycline as a 鈥渕orning-after pill鈥� to reduce the risk of bacterial STIs.

• Changes in sexual behavior and testing habits among high-risk populations after the 2022 mpox outbreak.

• More funding into health departments following the pandemic, meaning more health workers conducting testing and contact tracing and connecting people to treatment.

QUICK HITS 鈥楳ore mortality, more illness鈥�: Global health community braces for impact of U.S. election 鈥�

Mpox vaccination shortage delays Kinshasa's drive against outbreak 鈥�

WikiGuidelines group publishes first new UTI guidance in 14 years 鈥�

This scientist treated her own cancer with viruses she grew in the lab 鈥� Issue No. 2814
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: Malaria in Children Surges in South Sudan; Seeking Suicide Intervention in Japan; and America鈥檚 Covid-19 Hangover November 12, 2024 Malaria in Children Surges in South Sudan
An upsurge in malaria cases in South Sudan, fueled by recent floods, is overwhelming the country鈥檚 health system, .

• Pediatric patients with severe malaria have swamped a M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res-supported hospital in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, , forcing doctors to treat some patients in halls.


• 400 children with severe malaria are admitted weekly鈥�2X last year鈥檚 numbers.

Another Impact: Oil-Contaminated Water

Years of unprecedented flooding have left large swaths of South Sudan鈥檚 Unity State submerged, allowing pollution from mismanaged oil production facilities to seep into drinking water sources鈥攃ausing digestive illnesses and birth defects, .
 
No recourse: Reliance on the oil industry means little has been done to hold companies accountable, advocates say鈥攚ith one former oil engineer describing the spreading oil as a 鈥渟ilent killer.鈥� DATA POINT The Latest One-Liners
Refugees and asylum seekers are nearly 3X as likely to be colonized or infected with drug-resistant bacteria as the host-country population, that explored case studies in nine current humanitarian settings.

Dengue death rates are 2X higher for women (1.86%) than men (0.61%) in Chattogram, Bangladesh, this year; doctors say delayed hospitalization, anemia, and low blood pressure鈥攁ll more common among women鈥攅xplain the disparity.

The American Stroke Association鈥檚 on stroke prevention鈥攖he first in 10 years鈥攔ecommend that doctors consider a new class of drugs that can drastically reduce weight, and screen for non-medical risk factors like economic stability and racism.

Online e-cigarette retailers are failing to comply with restrictions on sales for minors, including regulations on age verification, shipping methods, and flavor restrictions ; delivery services only scanned IDs for 1% of buyers. MENTAL HEALTH Seeking Suicide Intervention in Japan
Advocates in Japan are calling for a greater focus on youth mental health after suicides among schoolchildren in the country remained 鈥渁larmingly high鈥� in 2023.

• 513 deaths were reported in Japan last year鈥攎arking the second consecutive year above 500, per Japan鈥檚 Ministry of Health, and a sharp increase from 300 in 2010. 

Contributing factors: Family economic stress, bullying, school pressures, reduced in-person socialization, and disillusion about the future are all contributing to the crisis, researchers said.

• 鈥淥ne of the biggest problems among young people today is that they find it difficult to be optimistic about their future,鈥� said Izumi Tsuji, a sociologist at Chuo University and member of the Japan Youth Study Group.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ALCOHOL America鈥檚 Covid-19 Hangover
Drinking in the U.S. increased sharply during the pandemic and still hasn鈥檛 returned to pre-COVID-19 levels, .

• Americans who reported drinking heavily increased to 6.29% in 2022, up from 5.1% in 2018.


• 69.3% said they had consumed alcohol in the past year, up from 66.34% in 2018.


• 6.45% of women reported having drunk heavily, while the men鈥檚 reported rate was 6.12%.

The Quote: 鈥淧eople assumed this [drinking] was caused by acute stress, like what we saw with 9/11 and Katrina, and typically it goes back to normal after these stressful events are over,鈥� said principal investigator Brian P. Lee. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 not what we鈥檙e seeing.鈥�

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Rwanda discharges last patient of Marburg virus disease: WHO 鈥� 

Paxlovid cuts COVID hospitalization, death risk and speeds symptom relief, studies find 鈥�

US FDA lifts clinical hold on Novavax's combo COVID-flu shot 鈥�

Mpox Cases Plateau in Congo's Epicenter But Rise in Other Countries 鈥�

'More mortality, more illness': Global health community braces for impact of U.S. election 鈥�

No Pandemic Agreement By December As Negotiators Need 'More Time' 鈥�

More young people are surviving cancer. Then they face a life altered by it 鈥�

Easy-fit prosthetics offer hope to thousands of Gaza amputees 鈥� Issue No. 2813
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: Putting 鈥楬ealth at the Core鈥� of Climate Action; Iraq Set to Lower Girls鈥� Age of Consent to 9; and The (Global) Power of Plastic WHO says human health and well-being should be the 鈥渢op measure of climate success鈥� November 11, 2024 Attendees at the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, on November 11. Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty Putting 鈥楬ealth at the Core鈥� of Climate Action
Human health and well-being should be the 鈥渢op measure of climate success鈥� and should be 鈥渁t the core of all climate negotiations, strategies, policies and action plans,鈥� ahead of the climate conference, which launched today in Baku, Azerbaijan.

• 鈥淗ealth is the lived experience of climate change,鈥� said Maria Neira, the WHO鈥檚 director for environment, climate change, and health. 

While health has been a feature of past COPs, the conference is shifting to 鈥減rioritize health on a permanent basis,鈥� . 

A released for the conference covered a wide range of health-related recommendations, , including: 

• Putting more focus on cities to drive initiatives like sustainable urban design and housing, clean energy, urban agriculture, and improved sanitation. 

• Creating resilient health systems to protect health and save lives.

• Investing in interventions like heat-health warning systems and clean household energy.

• Improving biodiversity, recognizing the 鈥渟ynergistic health benefits鈥� of clean air, water, and food security.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Canada has detected its first 鈥減resumptive鈥� case of human bird flu: a teenager in British Columbia who likely caught the virus from a bird or animal, from province health officials.

Testing for bird flu should be expanded at U.S. farms, says the CDC鈥攁fter a revealed that some dairy workers had H5N1-related antibodies in their blood despite not showing symptoms of the virus.

Abortion pills and gender-affirming medications are in unprecedented demand post-election, suppliers report鈥攚ith people 鈥渢rying to plan for the reproductive apocalypse鈥� feared under another Trump presidency.

The WHO will convene its International Health Regulations Emergency Committee next week to determine whether mpox remains a global health crisis; the disease continues to spread in Africa, which has seen 46,000+ cases so far this year. HUMAN RIGHTS Iraq Set to Lower Girls鈥� Age of Consent to 9 
  Iraq鈥檚 parliament appears poised to lower the legal age of marriage from 18 to 9. 

The dominant coalition of conservative Shia Muslim parties claims that the change would protect young girls from 鈥渋mmoral relationships鈥�; women鈥檚 rights activists counter that the government is attempting to 鈥渓egalise child rape.鈥� 

The change would also erase women鈥檚 rights to divorce, child custody, and inheritance. 

Athraa Al-Hassan, of Model Iraqi Woman, said she fears that Iraq鈥檚 governance system could be replaced with a system that puts religious rule above the state鈥攁s in Afghanistan and Iran.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POLLUTION The (Global) Power of Plastic
Plastic pollution is affecting all pressing global environmental problems, including climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and freshwater and land use, according to a published last week in One Earth.

• In 2022, over 500 metric tons of plastic were produced worldwide, but just ~9% of it was recycled. The rest is burned or dumped.

The study鈥檚 authors are urging delegates to the UN Environment Assembly to consider the entire life cycle of plastics鈥攆rom raw material extraction to production, use, and environmental impact.

The warning comes before to agree to a legally binding global treaty to cut plastic pollution.

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Suspected poisoning kills dozens in besieged Sudanese town 鈥�

WHO calls for urgent action in Africa to eliminate Cervical Cancer amid high burden 鈥�

Africa CDC launches trial of smallpox drug for mpox 鈥�

Research suggests no need for yellow fever vaccine booster after initial dose 鈥�

New research from Philly ER doctors shows the 鈥榚xcruciating鈥� effect of xylazine withdrawal, and how to manage it 鈥�

Three states had paid leave on the ballot. Voters in each one overwhelmingly approved them 鈥�

America Has an Onion Problem 鈥� Issue No. 2812
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: The Coming Cancer Wave; Ketamine鈥檚 Surge Among Gen Z; and A Moment That Calls for Cuteness November 7, 2024 A breast cancer patient speaks with doctors at a hospital in Herat, Afghanistan, on April 2, 2014. Behrouz Mehri/AFP via Getty The Coming Cancer Wave
Cancer deaths worldwide will nearly double by 2050, driven mostly by large increases in LMICs, .

• Annual cancer deaths are expected to increase by 90% to 18.5 million cancer deaths by 2050 from 9.7 million in 2022.


• Cancer deaths in LMICs by 2050 will increase by 146%, while the increase in high-income countries will be 57%, according to the estimates.


• Cancer cases and deaths in Africa are projected to increase at a rate 5X that of Europe.

What鈥檚 behind the global increase? Among the multiple factors is the fact that people are living longer (which raises cancer risk), Massachusetts General Hospital鈥檚 Andrew Chan told .
 
And the much greater surge in LMICs? Chan blames the 鈥淲esternisation of populations,鈥� including rising obesity rates and poor diets.
 
What鈥檚 needed? 鈥淗igher-quality health care and universal health insurance coverage would help prevent, diagnose and treat cancer around the world,鈥� the researchers noted, .
 
Study details: An international team led by University of Queensland researchers drew on cases and death rates for 36 types of cancer across 185 countries and used UNDP population projections to estimate future cases and deaths. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
The first cluster of illnesses outside of Africa caused by the new, more infectious mpox variant has been identified in the U.K.; four members of the same household are being treated in a London hospital.
  Major global food companies peddle less-healthy products in low-income countries than those sold in high-income countries, from the Access to Nutrition Initiative鈥攚hich split the assessment into low- and high-income countries for the first time this year.
 
Eight countries made commitments to ban corporal punishment ahead of today鈥檚 UN conference on the issue; Panama, Kyrgyzstan, Uganda, Burundi, Sri Lanka, and the Czech Republic have pledged total bans, while Gambia and Nigeria said they would enforce a ban in schools.

The UN has launched the first-ever to improve infrastructure for walking and cycling across the continent鈥攚hich accounts for 鈥攁nd prevent 41 million tons of carbon emissions over the next decade. U.S. Election News R.F.K. Jr. Lays Out Possible Public Health Changes Under Trump 鈥�

鈥楪o wild, Robert鈥�: what Trump鈥檚 victory means for global health 鈥�

Election reveals voters' abortion disconnect 鈥�

Trump won. Is the NIH in for a major shake-up? 鈥� SUBSTANCE USE Ketamine鈥檚 Surge Among Gen Z 
In England and Wales, ketamine usage among 16鈥�24-year-olds has more than tripled, mirroring trends in the U.S. and U.K.

• Compared to drugs like cocaine, ketamine is widely available and cheap鈥攃osting as little as $30 per gram.


• Long-term use leads to frequent urination, incontinence, and a shrinking bladder, as well as potential renal and liver failure.

Many people who use ketamine seek it out to manage mental health. But while the drug has , clinical settings are key, as providers are still determining optimal doses and delivery鈥攁nd ketamine obtained on the streets may also be mixed with other toxins.
  

 
Related: We checked up on the states that promise transparency on opioid settlement funds 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HUMAN RIGHTS Ending 鈥楽ex Normalization鈥� Surgeries in Serbia 
Kristian Randjelovic was born intersex, but underwent 鈥渟ex normalization鈥� surgery as an infant. After a childhood spent grappling with the fallout of his doctors鈥� decision, he received sex reassignment surgery at age 19.

• Such 鈥渘ormalization鈥� surgeries affected many intersex infants in Serbia until as recently as a decade ago; the country鈥檚 laws still enforce binary classification at birth.


• The UN estimates that up to 1.7% of the world's population is intersex, which would translate to about 110,000 in Serbia alone.

Today, Randjelovic is Serbia's only publicly declared intersex individual and an activist for intersex rights鈥攁n experience with implications for millions of others 鈥渂orn into societies with evolving understandings of sex and gender.鈥� 

ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION A Moment That Calls for Cuteness  
In a week ruled by election anxiety for many, it seems the pachyderm gods knew just what was needed: another insanely cute pygmy hippo named after a meat product.

• A pink-cheeked Moo Deng (meaning 鈥渂ouncy pork鈥� in Thai) kicked off an internet sensation when she was born at Thailand鈥檚 Khao Kheow Open Zoo in July. 


• Coming for Moo Deng鈥檚 viral crown is Haggis (a mound of miscellaneous sheep meat), a pygmy hippo last week, sparking debate about who鈥檚 the hippest lil鈥� hippo, .

鈥淢oo Deng? Who deng?鈥� Edinburgh Zoo for initially pitting the pygmies against each other because after all, both births are great news for the endangered species, and for our collective mood.
 
We may not know where the world is headed right now, but if it鈥檚 in the direction of more Moo Dengs 鈥� well, that鈥檚 no bad thing.

Related: He鈥檚 fast, feisty and could play Quidditch. Meet the bat that won a beauty contest 鈥� QUICK HITS Beyond Burns International leads campaign on burn awareness in Ghana 鈥�

An Improved Alert System for Emerging Infectious Diseases 鈥�

U.S. diabetes burden grew since 2000 鈥�

South African study finds high risk of TB infection in kids 鈥�

Are Schools With Armed Police Actually Safer? 鈥�

Snakebite envenoming in Africa remains widely neglected and demands multidisciplinary attention 鈥�

In Vermont, where almost everyone has insurance, many can't find or afford care 鈥�

Phone therapy aids refugee children, study shows 鈥� Issue No. 2811
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: What Trump鈥檚 Victory Means for U.S. Health; Taming an Isolating Tropical Disease; and Ditching HIV Meds Due to Stigma What are Trump鈥檚 health priorities? November 6, 2024 Donald Trump takes the stage during a campaign rally at the J.S. Dorton Arena on November 4 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images What Trump鈥檚 Victory Means for U.S. Health
Donald Trump鈥檚 return to power heralds potentially huge changes in the U.S. health care system, public health, and the federal agencies overseeing vaccines and medications.
 
After promising to let vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 鈥済o wild鈥� on health policies, Trump鈥檚 victory speech promised that Kennedy would 鈥渉elp make America healthy again,鈥� .
 
Trump鈥檚 health priorities, according to Trump:

• He鈥檚 against a national abortion ban.

• He won鈥檛 try again to repeal the Affordable Care Act but said he will try to reduce costs within the ACA and 鈥減ossibly let the current enhanced tax credits expire,鈥� per STAT.

• He will block federal funds for gender-affirming care and ban it entirely for minors.

• He proposed tax credits for long-term caregivers.

• 鈥淪ounds OK to me鈥� was Trump鈥檚 response to RFK Jr.鈥檚 proposal to remove fluoride from water supplies, . (The CDC 鈥渞ecommends community water fluoridation as a cost-effective way to improve Americans鈥� oral health,鈥� .)

The Quote: 鈥淢y first reaction is that a Trump administration would be the most anti-public health, anti-science administration in history,鈥� Lawrence Gostin, of the O鈥橬eill Institute for National & Global Health Law at Georgetown Law School, told .  
 
Other election news: Supporters of abortion rights scored victories in ballot measures in states like Missouri, New York, Colorado, and Maryland, but ballot items expanding rights in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota fell short, .
 
Related:

Where Trump stands on abortion 鈥�  
 
What鈥檚 at Stake for Public Health in the 2024 U.S. Election? 鈥�  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
36% of Americans mistrust the science behind COVID vaccines, according to , which also showed that people who lost a loved one to the disease were nearly 4X more likely to trust vaccine experts.

G20 leaders have launched a global coalition to strengthen countries鈥� capacity to manufacture medicines, with projects selected based on two criteria: the diseases they target and how they leverage technology to promote equitable access, according to a declaration signed in Rio de Janeiro.

Scientists in China, the U.S., and Switzerland have figured out a way to study coronaviruses that are hard to grow in the lab, ; they have added specially designed receptors to human cells that the viruses can bind to and invade the cell.

A 鈥渟ubstantial鈥� proportion of infants in LMICs were colonized with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, according to a , suggesting that health care settings and neonatal antibiotic administration may be key factors in the acquisition of these infections. NEGLECTED DISEASES Taming an Isolating Tropical Disease
Today, at least 36 million people live with the effects of lymphatic filariasis (LF), which is transmitted by mosquitoes and manifests later in life in conditions like elephantitis and extreme swelling of tissue (lymphoedema) or the scrotum (hydrocele).

• Efforts to combat LF in at-risk populations through preventive drug administration began in the 1990s; 21 countries have eliminated it so far, with 23 more expected to do so by 2030.

Suffering in the shadows: There is no cure for LF, but self-care and surgery to drain fluid can help. The challenge is finding people already affected, as the swelling鈥攄isabling and sometimes seen as a sign of witchcraft鈥攌eeps people from leaving home.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH Ditching HIV Meds Due to Stigma
Nearly a million Malawians, ~8% of the East African nation鈥檚 population, live with HIV鈥攐ne of the highest rates globally. 

Despite achieving the (95% aware of their HIV status, 95% receiving treatment, and 95% with suppressed viral loads), Malawi struggles to reach the remaining 5%. 

Stigma remains a major barrier: Myths about HIV persist, particularly in rural areas, leading some patients to discard their medications rather than risk social ostracism.

The financial burden of managing HIV treatment鈥攊ncluding transportation costs and the need for family 鈥済uardians鈥� to care for patients in under-resourced hospitals鈥攊s another barrier. The fear of losing income can also deter people from seeking care.

QUICK HITS Highly potent synthetic opioids are already in Europe鈥檚 drug supply chains 鈥�

How cigarettes and chocolates helped to tackle a TB epidemic 鈥�

FDA requires manufacturers facilitate return of unused opioids 鈥�

UK findings suggest RSV vaccination could reduce antibiotic prescribing 鈥�

Impossible, you say? Try asking a toddler 鈥� Issue No. 2810
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: Fading Fear of HIV Tied to Rising STIs; Rwanda鈥檚 Robust Outbreak Response; and The 鈥楲ow-Tech鈥� Therapy That Saved Millions of Lives November 5, 2024 Peer educators of the Wits Reproductive Health Institute Sex Worker Programme sit in the waiting area of the clinic in Hilbrow, Johannesburg on July 20, 2017. Gulshan Khan/AFP via Getty Fading Fear of HIV Tied to Rise in STIs  
In South Africa鈥檚 wealthy Gauteng province, HIV infections are falling鈥攚ith condoms, PrEP, PEP, and antiretroviral drugs credited for slashing new infections鈥攂ut other sexually transmitted infections are on the rise.
 
鈥淭he ugly news is clinics are treating so many syphilis and gonorrhea cases,鈥� says sexual health counselor Sithembile Nale.

• ~1,255 of 66,377 pregnant women seeking antenatal care between April and December 2023 .


• Men being treated for urethritis (an inflammation usually caused by gonorrhea or chlamydia) jumped from 12% to 15% in three years.

A false sense of security: Johannesburg sex worker Abi Dlodlo says that before PrEP and PEP were widely available, clients didn鈥檛 pressure her to have unprotected sex because they feared HIV鈥攂ut now, her younger clients in particular resist condoms, arguing they are safe because of anti-HIV treatments.
 
What鈥檚 needed: Earlier STI education, testing, and treatment efforts.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Sudan launched a malaria vaccination campaign yesterday鈥攁 first for the country with the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region鈥檚 highest malaria incidence rates; the effort aims to reach ~148,000 children under the age of 12 months.

The CDC has of four U.S. cases of an emerging, sexually transmitted fungal infection caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII, a fungus that causes genital tinea (ringworm); the patients were diagnosed between April and July of this year.
 
Road deaths in Warsaw鈥攑reviously one of Europe鈥檚 deadliest cities in traffic safety terms鈥攆ell 55% in the last ~10 years; safety advocates credit steps like laws prioritizing pedestrians and hefty fines for driver violations.
   
The WHO named 17 pathogens as top priorities for new vaccine development, in a 鈥攊ncluding HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis as well as pathogens like Group A streptococcus and Klebsiella pneumoniae that are increasingly resistant to antimicrobials. MARBURG Rwanda鈥檚 Robust Outbreak Response
A month into Rwanda's first-ever Marburg outbreak, the country鈥檚 rapid-fire efforts to contain the deadly virus are being hailed as 鈥渦nprecedented鈥� and 鈥渧ery, very encouraging.鈥�

Case fatality rates for Marburg virus have been known to reach 90%, but Rwanda鈥檚 rate is 22.7%, said Yvan Butera, Rwandan Minister of State for Health. The number of new cases has also dropped dramatically, from several a day to just four reported in the last two weeks. 

Key success factors:

• Extensive testing and contact tracing.


• Solid and well-connected health infrastructure and well-trained health professionals.


• Experimental vaccines and treatments.

鈥淚t's not yet time to declare victory, but we think we are headed in a good direction,鈥� said Butera.



Related: 

Rwanda marks 3 weeks without Marburg deaths amid containment efforts 鈥�

Rwanda gets additional 1,000 Marburg vaccine doses 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES RIP, RICHARD CASH The 鈥楲ow-Tech鈥� Therapy That Saved Millions of Lives 
Oral rehydration therapy鈥攁 鈥渟imple鈥� mixture of clean water, salt, and sugar鈥攊s a well known, highly effective remedy used worldwide to treat cholera and other diarrheal diseases. 

ORT has saved ~50 million lives鈥攁nd was described by The Lancet as 鈥減otentially the most significant medical advance of the century,鈥� in a remembrance of Richard Cash, the researcher who helped develop ORT in the 1960s and 70s. 

The problem: 50 years ago, diarrheal diseases were responsible for ~5 million child deaths per year, .

The solution: Responding to a 1967 cholera outbreak in Bangladesh, Cash and his medical partner, David Nalin, devised the ORT mixture, which made water more absorbable. Dehydration deaths in children began to plummet. 

• 鈥淲e鈥檙e enamored by high technology,鈥� Cash . 鈥淎nd we鈥檙e not in love with low-tech. 鈥�And I would argue [for] just the opposite.鈥�

OPPORTUNITY Coming Up: The Global Health Landscape Symposium 
2024 is a watershed year for elections鈥攊n more than 40 nations around the world, including the U.S. presidential election today.
 
How will the changes in governance impact global health investments and policies?
 
The 2024 Global Health Landscape Symposium, November 18鈥�21, will explore the implications for the global health community, with a mix of virtual and in-person discussions on using the power of our collective voice, working across disease areas, and fighting for sustainable funding and equitable policies.

• November 18鈥�21, 2024
• Online or in Washington, D.C.

QUICK HITS Negotiators Have A Week To Decide If Pandemic Agreement Possible By December 鈥�

A Q&A with the FDA's top vaccine regulator amid a fresh wave of disinformation 鈥�  

No more fluoride in the water? RFK Jr. wants that and Trump says it 'sounds OK' 鈥�

Cost of Mpox Shot Deters Americans at Risk, Critics Say 鈥�

CDC warns of spike in whooping cough cases 鈥�

Screen Time Before 2 Years of Age and Risk of Autism at 12 Years of Age 鈥�

Novel way to beat dengue: Deaf mosquitoes stop having sex 鈥� Issue No. 2809
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: October Recap November 4, 2024 Voters wait in line to cast their ballots during early voting in Gwinnett County, Georgia, on November 1. Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Public Health on the Ballot
In the final sprint of the U.S. election, threats to public health programs have been amplified as Donald Trump bashes health agencies and embraces vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., .

Dismantled and diminished agencies: Project 2025, the blueprint for a new Republican administration, includes 鈥渕omentous鈥� changes to the FDA, CDC, and NIH鈥攐rganizations that Trump describes at rallies as filled with 鈥渃orruption.鈥�

• Employees at health agencies could also see their jobs at risk if Trump were to reinstate a previous executive order that made thousands of federal workers more vulnerable to termination.

Global disconnection: Health officials also fear that another Trump presidency would further erode the country鈥檚 international role in health by breaking ties with the WHO and pulling the plug on programs like PEPFAR. 

Meanwhile, Kennedy鈥檚 role in Trump鈥檚 campaign is already worrying health leaders, who say he is normalizing a dangerous anti-vax position and could do more damage to essential immunization requirements were he given a role in a Trump administration, .

• 鈥淚鈥檓 going to let him go wild on health,鈥� Trump said of Kennedy at his Madison Square Garden rally. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to let him go wild on the food. I鈥檓 going to let him go wild on medicines.鈥�

Related: 

Election 2024: What鈥檚 at Stake for Public Health? 鈥�

Ted Kennedy Jr. expresses concern about Trump鈥檚 鈥榝lagrant disregard鈥� for public health 鈥�

What Trump winning the election could mean for the CDC 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Polio vaccinations in Gaza resumed over the weekend, with 58,600 children in northern Gaza receiving their final dose as health workers attempt to vaccinate thousands more before the campaign鈥檚 end today鈥攂ut some ~15,000 children needing a second dose live in areas that are now inaccessible because of fighting.

~25% of child deaths that occur after visits to U.S. emergency rooms could be prevented if the departments were more fully prepared to treat children鈥攁nd 80%+ of ERs are not prepared for pediatric cases, a published in JAMA Network Open has found.

Fewer than 1 in 6 health care workers in hospitals and nursing homes reported getting COVID-19 boosters during the 2023鈥�2024 respiratory virus season, has found.

Authorities in Lahore, Pakistan, closed schools and issued work-from-home orders in response to 鈥渦nprecedented鈥� air pollution; per IQAir, Lahore鈥檚 level of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is currently 44.4X the WHO annual air-quality guideline value. OCTOBER MUST-READS Shifting Alliances in the Tobacco Fight 
The FDA faces a particularly galling challenge as it seeks to regulate next-generation nicotine products: lawyers who switched sides in the fight. Nearly two dozen former FDA lawyers now work for the tobacco industry. These insiders, who previously helped craft regulations, give tobacco companies a strategic advantage in litigation.
Russian Propaganda Targets Anti-Malaria Programs
Pro-Russian propagandists are seeking to undermine Western-funded health care programs in Africa, spreading disinformation about scientists fighting malaria and other infectious diseases on the continent. Using a variety of tactics involving influencers and more traditional media, Russia has sponsored 80 disinformation campaigns in 22 African countries since 2022, per the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
Political Violence as a Public Health Problem 
As political rhetoric grows more inflammatory before the U.S. presidential election, what kinds of violence prevention strategies could be most effective? UC Davis鈥� Violence Prevention Research Program is taking a closer look at the potential for political violence interventions. While their survey found 3.7% of respondents view large-scale civil conflict as likely, 44% said they could be dissuaded from joining by family members.
The Feds鈥� Silence as Vets Sounded Avian Flu Alarm
When U.S. farm veterinarians initially raised alarms about avian influenza in cows, they were met with silence from the USDA. Critics say the agency鈥檚 conflicting mandates regarding food safety and agricultural trade have led to a 鈥渄on鈥檛 test, don鈥檛 tell鈥� policy among dairy farmers, resulting in patchy nationwide surveillance as the virus spreads. OCTOBER鈥橲 BEST NEWS A Malaria-Free Egypt 
Malaria was detected in Egypt as early as 4000 BCE, and ~100 years ago, it had a 40% prevalence rate in the country. But in October, the WHO the country malaria-free, following decades of effort. Key interventions included free malaria diagnosis and treatment for all residents, malaria detection training, and ongoing surveillance and vector management. 

鈥淢alaria is as old as Egyptian civilization itself, but the disease that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its history,鈥� said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

GHN EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITY Workers collect freshly picked marigold flowers for sale on August 13, 2024 in Qujing, Yunnan Province of China. Wang Yong/VCG via Getty Stories That Matter    Do you have an amazing global health story to share? This is your chance to tell the world! , sponsored by GHN along with our friends at the , is ready for your entries.

• Nominate an issue you feel deserves urgent attention, whether you鈥檝e worked on it firsthand or come across it in your travels.


• The best nominations are unique and specific (e.g., not chronic disease in the developing world).

Looking for inspiration? Check out some of our stories from past winners, including:

• by Esther Nakkazi鈥攁n honorable mention winner just published last week.


• by Joanne Silberner. 


• by Amy Maxmen. 

Nominations Deadline: November 15, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EST GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES BIOETHICS Editing an Ethics Pact
The Declaration of Helsinki鈥攁 foundational set of ethical guidelines for medical research adopted in 1964鈥攈as been significantly revised.

Key updates, which were , include:

• A shift in language, describing people involved in research as "human participants" instead of 鈥渟ubjects.鈥� 


• A demand for healthy volunteers to be protected鈥攏ot just patients. 


• A call for compliance not just from physicians, but all medical science researchers.

Increasing inclusivity: While prior guidelines sought to protect vulnerable people鈥攑regnant women or racial minorities, for example鈥攆rom being subjected to research, such exceptions have widened disparities in research. Now, researchers are advised to balance potential study harms with harms of exclusion.

QUICK HITS After Spain鈥檚 Floods, a Surge of Volunteers, and of Rage 鈥�

An Idaho health department isn鈥檛 allowed to give COVID-19 vaccines anymore. Experts say it鈥檚 a first 鈥�

Will SA鈥檚 new vaping laws lead to more smokers instead of fewer? 鈥�

Texas Banned Abortion in 2022鈥擧ere鈥檚 How It鈥檚 Affecting OB-GYNs and Patient Care 鈥�

Bridging the women's health gap, an economic imperative for Africa 鈥�

High prevalence of shigellosis found in Africa 鈥�

School-leaver at 11, domestic slave at 12, gang member at 15: how a missing birth certificate derailed a life 鈥�

Diabetes risk soars for adults who had a sweet tooth as kids 鈥�

Throw Out Your Black Plastic Spatula 鈥� Issue No.: Oct-2024 Monhtly
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: Public Health on the Ballot; Your October Recap; and Editing an Ethics Pact November 4, 2024 Voters wait in line to cast their ballots during early voting in Gwinnett County, Georgia, on November 1. Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Public Health on the Ballot
In the final sprint of the U.S. election, threats to public health programs have been amplified as Donald Trump bashes health agencies and embraces vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., .

Dismantled and diminished agencies: Project 2025, the blueprint for a new Republican administration, includes 鈥渕omentous鈥� changes to the FDA, CDC, and NIH鈥攐rganizations that Trump describes at rallies as filled with 鈥渃orruption.鈥�

• Employees at health agencies could also see their jobs at risk if Trump were to reinstate a previous executive order that made thousands of federal workers more vulnerable to termination.

Global disconnection: Health officials also fear that another Trump presidency would further erode the country鈥檚 international role in health by breaking ties with the WHO and pulling the plug on programs like PEPFAR. 

Meanwhile, Kennedy鈥檚 role in Trump鈥檚 campaign is already worrying health leaders, who say he is normalizing a dangerous anti-vax position and could do more damage to essential immunization requirements were he given a role in a Trump administration, .

• 鈥淚鈥檓 going to let him go wild on health,鈥� Trump said of Kennedy at his Madison Square Garden rally. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to let him go wild on the food. I鈥檓 going to let him go wild on medicines.鈥�

Related: 

Election 2024: What鈥檚 at Stake for Public Health? 鈥�

Ted Kennedy Jr. expresses concern about Trump鈥檚 鈥榝lagrant disregard鈥� for public health 鈥�

What Trump winning the election could mean for the CDC 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Polio vaccinations in Gaza resumed over the weekend, with 58,600 children in northern Gaza receiving their final dose as health workers attempt to vaccinate thousands more before the campaign鈥檚 end today鈥攂ut some ~15,000 children needing a second dose live in areas that are now inaccessible because of fighting.

~25% of child deaths that occur after visits to U.S. emergency rooms could be prevented if the departments were more fully prepared to treat children鈥攁nd 80%+ of ERs are not prepared for pediatric cases, a published in JAMA Network Open has found.

Fewer than 1 in 6 health care workers in hospitals and nursing homes reported getting COVID-19 boosters during the 2023鈥�2024 respiratory virus season, has found.

Authorities in Lahore, Pakistan, closed schools and issued work-from-home orders in response to 鈥渦nprecedented鈥� air pollution; per IQAir, Lahore鈥檚 level of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is currently 44.4X the WHO annual air-quality guideline value. OCTOBER MUST-READS Shifting Alliances in the Tobacco Fight 
The FDA faces a particularly galling challenge as it seeks to regulate next-generation nicotine products: lawyers who switched sides in the fight. Nearly two dozen former FDA lawyers now work for the tobacco industry. These insiders, who previously helped craft regulations, give tobacco companies a strategic advantage in litigation.
Russian Propaganda Targets Anti-Malaria Programs
Pro-Russian propagandists are seeking to undermine Western-funded health care programs in Africa, spreading disinformation about scientists fighting malaria and other infectious diseases on the continent. Using a variety of tactics involving influencers and more traditional media, Russia has sponsored 80 disinformation campaigns in 22 African countries since 2022, per the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
Political Violence as a Public Health Problem 
As political rhetoric grows more inflammatory before the U.S. presidential election, what kinds of violence prevention strategies could be most effective? UC Davis鈥� Violence Prevention Research Program is taking a closer look at the potential for political violence interventions. While their survey found 3.7% of respondents view large-scale civil conflict as likely, 44% said they could be dissuaded from joining by family members.
The Feds鈥� Silence as Vets Sounded Avian Flu Alarm
When U.S. farm veterinarians initially raised alarms about avian influenza in cows, they were met with silence from the USDA. Critics say the agency鈥檚 conflicting mandates regarding food safety and agricultural trade have led to a 鈥渄on鈥檛 test, don鈥檛 tell鈥� policy among dairy farmers, resulting in patchy nationwide surveillance as the virus spreads. OCTOBER鈥橲 BEST NEWS A Malaria-Free Egypt 
Malaria was detected in Egypt as early as 4000 BCE, and ~100 years ago, it had a 40% prevalence rate in the country. But in October, the WHO the country malaria-free, following decades of effort. Key interventions included free malaria diagnosis and treatment for all residents, malaria detection training, and ongoing surveillance and vector management. 

鈥淢alaria is as old as Egyptian civilization itself, but the disease that plagued pharaohs now belongs to its history,鈥� said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

GHN EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITY Workers collect freshly picked marigold flowers for sale on August 13, 2024 in Qujing, Yunnan Province of China. Wang Yong/VCG via Getty Stories That Matter    Do you have an amazing global health story to share? This is your chance to tell the world! The Untold Global Health Stories of 2025 Contest, sponsored by GHN along with our friends at the , is ready for your entries.

• Nominate an issue you feel deserves urgent attention, whether you鈥檝e worked on it firsthand or come across it in your travels.


• The best nominations are unique and specific (e.g., not chronic disease in the developing world).

Looking for inspiration? Check out some of our stories from past winners, including:

• by Esther Nakkazi鈥攁n honorable mention winner just published last week.


• by Joanne Silberner. 


• by Amy Maxmen. 

Nominations Deadline: November 15, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EST GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES BIOETHICS Editing an Ethics Pact
The Declaration of Helsinki鈥攁 foundational set of ethical guidelines for medical research adopted in 1964鈥攈as been significantly revised.

Key updates, which were , include:

• A shift in language, describing people involved in research as "human participants" instead of 鈥渟ubjects.鈥� 


• A demand for healthy volunteers to be protected鈥攏ot just patients. 


• A call for compliance not just from physicians, but all medical science researchers.

Increasing inclusivity: While prior guidelines sought to protect vulnerable people鈥攑regnant women or racial minorities, for example鈥攆rom being subjected to research, such exceptions have widened disparities in research. Now, researchers are advised to balance potential study harms with harms of exclusion.

QUICK HITS After Spain鈥檚 Floods, a Surge of Volunteers, and of Rage 鈥�

An Idaho health department isn鈥檛 allowed to give COVID-19 vaccines anymore. Experts say it鈥檚 a first 鈥�

Will SA鈥檚 new vaping laws lead to more smokers instead of fewer? 鈥�

Texas Banned Abortion in 2022鈥擧ere鈥檚 How It鈥檚 Affecting OB-GYNs and Patient Care 鈥�

Bridging the women's health gap, an economic imperative for Africa 鈥�

High prevalence of shigellosis found in Africa 鈥�

School-leaver at 11, domestic slave at 12, gang member at 15: how a missing birth certificate derailed a life 鈥�

Diabetes risk soars for adults who had a sweet tooth as kids 鈥�

Throw Out Your Black Plastic Spatula 鈥� Issue No. 2808
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: Using D铆a de los Muertos to Sell Cigarettes; Mpox Response Ramped Up; and Happy Heidi-Ween! Big Tobacco's profit-seeking cultural appropriation. October 31, 2024 GHN EXCLUSIVE Q&A View of cigarette butts on an ashtray with an image of a sugar skull, in Mexico City. Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Using D铆a de los Muertos to Sell Cigarettes
During the Day of the Dead, the streets of Mexico are full of cultural symbols: altars adorned with family photographs and keepsakes, people donning skeleton-themed face paint, and bunches of marigolds. 

• But the objects displayed also include a more sinister item:  

Even as regulations and bans work to limit tobacco use, the presence of 鈥渢hemed鈥� packs demonstrates how far the industry will go to keep its consumers hooked鈥攅ven using symbols that resonate with their cultural identity, Graziele Grilo, a program officer for the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told GHN.

Appropriation normalizes tobacco use: The IGTC鈥檚 data collection revealed cigarette packs in Mexico that used the national flag鈥檚 colors, traditional animals, and D铆a de los Muertos symbols. Collectible, metallic packs were sold as limited editions to increase desirability鈥攁nd according to , it worked.

Legislation is working to thwart these tactics: 

• Most countries already have graphic health warning labels on packs.


• 20+ countries have banned point-of-sale display of tobacco products.


• 24+ countries require plain and standardized packaging鈥攍imiting or banning the use of shapes, colors, symbols, and descriptors.

Related: Tobacco Companies May Have Found a Way to Make Vapes More Addictive 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   South Sudan has declared a cholera outbreak and launched a task force in response to 50 suspected cholera cases reported following massive flooding that has displaced 46,000+ people in the Upper Nile state.
 
The discovery of bird flu in a pig on an Oregon farm on October 29 marks the first case of H5N1 virus in U.S. swine; the case raises concerns that the virus is closer to becoming a greater threat to humans.
 
Japan is masking up as the country confronts its most serious outbreak of 鈥渨alking pneumonia鈥� in more than two decades; ~6,000 cases of mycoplasma pneumonia have been reported this year鈥攁 10X jump over 2023.
 
Researchers have uncovered a key mechanism used by the parasite that causes African sleeping sickness to evade antibodies, ; Trypanosoma brucei 鈥渃onstantly changes a surface coat made up of millions of copies of a single protein.鈥�  (Ed. Note: At GHN's publication time, the  site was down.) MPOX Ramping Up the Response
The WHO has deployed its newly created for the first time: Its mission is to assist in the mpox outbreak response in Africa, .

• 50+ experts are now targeting eight affected countries, with a focus on the DRC and Burundi.  

Background: The GHEC, formed in 2023 to address gaps revealed during the COVID-19 response, supports countries experiencing public health emergencies by:

• Assessing emergency workforce in affected countries.


• Deploying a 鈥渟urge鈥� of various experts, tailored to the countries鈥� needs. 


• Facilitating networking between leadership to coordinate and share best practices.

Mpox deep dive: A WHO analysis of global mpox surveillance from 1958鈥�2024 that reviewed 6,585 mpox sequences collected from 64 countries found:

• 鈥淗ighly mobile鈥� clade 1 viruses circulating in Central Africa, and unique clade 1 sequences in Eastern Africa, . 


• Ongoing human-to-human transmission of clade 2b in the Eastern Mediterranean.

鈥淚f we want to prevent the next mpox global outbreak, it is now time to strengthen mpox surveillance,鈥� the researchers wrote. 

Meanwhile: Isolated cases outside of Africa continue to be reported, with the latest ones confirmed in and in   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DISASTERS How Floodwaters Hollowed Out a 鈥楩ragile鈥� Health System
Hurricane Helene's devastating impact continues to reverberate across the U.S. Southeast鈥攑articularly in Western North Carolina鈥檚 health care system, where floodwaters destroyed critical infrastructure in a region already facing barriers to care.

• 鈥淭he health care infrastructure in western North Carolina is already so fragile,鈥� said Kody H. Kinsley, the North Carolina secretary of Health and Human Services.

Ongoing impacts:

• Much of the region is relying on bottled water and mobile water units because municipal water remains undrinkable. 


• The region鈥檚 largest hospital is pumping in more than 200,000 gallons of water from tankers into the hospital each day; several other hospitals in the region remain closed.


• Health officials are warning of heightened risks stemming from contaminated water, toxic mud, debris-related injuries. 

ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Happy Heidi-Ween!  
Ah, Halloween鈥攖he day every year when ordinary people buy pounds of candy, debate candy corn, wear the best costume they can muster鈥攁nd then hang their heads in shame when they see what Heidi Klum is wearing.
 
The supermodel鈥檚 have seen her transformed into Hindu goddess Kali; Jessica Rabbit; and an elderly woman. In 2022, she just wanted 鈥渟omething random,鈥� she 鈥攕o she embodied a giant worm made of elaborate prosthetics dubbed 鈥溾�� by her hair and makeup team.

• Nevertheless, come Halloween, she was inching her way down the Halloween red carpet, fully horizontal. 

Every year, it becomes clearer that Heidi loves Halloween the most鈥攂ut equally important: Who hates it the most?

• It could be this , a self-described 鈥淗alloween Grinch鈥� who can鈥檛 recall ever enjoying a Halloween party. Guess she wasn鈥檛 invited to Heidi鈥檚 鈥�

Related:

Tim Gunn Judges a Literary Costume Contest 鈥� See Exclusive Photos from the New York Public Library's Halloween Parade 鈥�  

This DIY Halloween costume turns you into the world's scariest animal 鈥嬧�嬧��

This Is The Best Dog Halloween Costume We've Ever Seen 鈥� QUICK HITS Shortage of IV fluids leads to canceled surgeries 鈥�

Ukraine: Population drops by 10 million since Russia invaded in 2014, UNFPA reports 鈥�

Overdose deaths are rising among Black and Indigenous Americans 鈥�

Sudan: from a forgotten war to an abandoned healthcare system 鈥�

New gene discovery aids HIV vaccine progress 鈥�

Noninvasive malaria test could be global game changer 鈥�

Harvard School of Public Health Study Finds That Deforestation May Increase Malaria Transmission 鈥�

New toolkit aims to help U.S. hospitals spot deadly viral hemorrhagic fevers faster and safer 鈥�  

Exosomes are touted as a trendy cure-all. We don鈥檛 know if they work 鈥� Issue No. 2807
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: Tuberculosis Resurgent; Russia Revives Bioweapons Site; and Ghost Harvest October 30, 2024 Volunteers provide a free tuberculosis clinic in China's Guizhou province. March 23, 2023. CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Tuberculosis Resurgent
8.2 million people were diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2023, the 鈥攖he highest number recorded since the agency began tracking efforts.

The 鈥渘otable increase鈥� from 7.5 million reported in 2022 means TB is once again the top infectious disease killer, surpassing COVID-19. The total number ill with TB is now ~10.8 million, .

• 鈥淭he fact that TB still kills and sickens so many people is an outrage, when we have the tools to prevent it, detect it and treat it,鈥� said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. 

Missing targets: Global funding for TB care and research remains 鈥渇ar below鈥� needs, and global milestones for reducing the TB disease burden are well off-track, .

Key factors: New TB cases are largely driven by undernutrition, HIV infection, diabetes, alcohol use disorders, and smoking, and half of TB-affected households face 鈥渃atastrophic costs.鈥�

Highest burden: China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines together accounted for 56% of the global TB burden. 

Positive development: Overall TB deaths dropped from 1.32 million in 2022 to 1.25 million, suggesting that treatment services have largely recovered from COVID-era disruptions, . 

Meanwhile: Advocacy groups like M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res have Cepheid, the company that produces TB tests, to lower its costs, . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Militants in Pakistan attacked a health center yesterday, killing two police officers prepping to escort polio workers on a door-to-door campaign; militants also stormed a different health center and warned workers against participating in anti-polio efforts.

Climate change has driven up the number of deaths from extreme heat and has worsened drought and food insecurity, per the .

Dengue fever in Florida is on the rise, with stagnant floodwaters left behind by hurricanes Helene and Milton increasing risks; 50 cases have been logged in the state this year.

Nitazenes have been linked to 278 deaths in the U.K. this year, as many people who sought to buy prescriptions for diazepam received fake medicines with the dangerous synthetic opioids instead. HEALTH SECURITY Russia Revives Bioweapons Site 
New construction at a military research site near Moscow shows signs of being a specialized laboratory complex designed to handle extremely dangerous pathogens, say U.S. intelligence officials.

The past: The site, Sergiev Posad-6, was a major biological weapons research center that conducted experiments during the Cold War on the viruses that cause smallpox, Ebola, and hemorrhagic fevers. 

The present: Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, satellite imagery revealed expansions of the facility, including new biological labs, which have continued.

• Russian officials have said the labs will be used to strengthen the country鈥檚 defenses against pandemics and bioterrorism鈥攖he same justification the Soviet Union used to expand its bioweapons program in the 1970s and 1980s.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES NUTRITION Ghost Harvest
Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are making many foods鈥攊ncluding global staples like rice and wheat鈥攍ess nutritious, reducing protein, vitamins, and critical micronutrients like zinc and iron.

• A found that when carbon levels rise, protein levels drop by ~10%, iron by 16%, zinc by ~9%, and magnesium by ~9%.

Over 2 billion people worldwide already face micronutrient deficiencies that can severely impact health. Field studies simulating projected 2050 CO2 levels found that:

• 175 million additional people could become zinc deficient.


• 122 million additional people could become protein deficient.

Beyond reducing CO2 emissions: Solutions include fortifying staple foods with essential nutrients and planting varieties less susceptible to increased CO2.



Related: The climate crisis is a nutrition crisis 鈥� but solutions exist 鈥� OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS CDC offers new details on Lassa fever case in Iowa 鈥�

Workplace violence at hospitals continues to surge 鈥�

Japan's Shionogi says Phase 3 study showed COVID pill reduces transmission 鈥�

Zika is still spreading. Why don鈥檛 we have a vaccine yet? 鈥�

Health groups call for suspending state plan on maternal deaths, saying it burdens patients 鈥�

A Texas Woman Died After the Hospital Said It Would be a 鈥淐rime鈥� to Intervene in Her Miscarriage 鈥�

The Consequences of US Elections for Women鈥檚 Health Globally 鈥�

Universal health care may drive the vote in Puerto Rico 鈥�

How to prepare for the end of daylight saving time and potential health effects 鈥� Issue No. 2806
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: The Lives Needlessly Lost to Extreme Heat; Plan B Missing From Many Tribal Clinics; and What Hinders Human Bird Flu Surveillance? October 29, 2024 A woman cools off in a fountain as a heat wave hits London, on July 19, 2022. Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu Agency via Getty The Lives Needlessly Lost to Extreme Heat
Human-induced climate change drove more than half of Europe鈥檚 68,000 heat deaths in 2022鈥攖he continent鈥檚 hottest summer on record, , citing a .

• 38,000 fewer people鈥�10X the number of people murdered on the continent鈥攚ould have died without anthropogenic warming.


• The heat killed more women than men, more southern Europeans than northern Europeans, and more older people than younger people.


• The study comes on the heels of that the world is on track to heat by a catastrophic 3掳C by the end of the century.

Meanwhile, proposed federal rules to protect workers from extreme heat might have saved the lives of U.S. laborers, .

• OSHA, the U.S. worker protection agency, says the government鈥檚 estimate that extreme heat kills ~480 workers a year is a vast undercount; Public Citizen puts the toll closer to 2,000.

OSHA has fined employers over heat-related employee deaths, but without national regulations on prevention, its reach is limited鈥攁nd the agency depends on employees to report unsafe conditions.

• Many workers鈥攅specially farmworkers with H-2A visas are afraid to report unsafe conditions, fearing employer retaliation.

President Biden鈥檚 proposed rules would require employers to provide ample water and breaks and ensure new workers have time to acclimate to high-heat jobs鈥攂ut several industry groups and conservative lawmakers have opposed the rules, which are unlikely to be finalized before Biden leaves office. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Lebanon hospitals are stretched thin trying to treat patients with severe burns as a result of continuing Israeli airstrikes; the country鈥檚 only burn unit doubled its beds, but can鈥檛 keep up with the critical burn cases.
 
An Iowa resident who recently traveled to West Africa has died after contracting Lassa fever, the state鈥檚 health department announced yesterday; the CDC, which is working to confirm the diagnosis, said the risk to the general public is extremely low.

Transplant experts say they鈥檙e seeing more people revoking their organ donor registrations after a report that organs were nearly harvested from a Kentucky man mistakenly declared dead.

In a future pandemic, Australians are less likely to accept lockdowns and other measures that helped keep the country鈥檚 rate of excess deaths among the world鈥檚 lowest, per a new report on the country's COVID-19 response. REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS Plan B Missing From Many Tribal Clinics
In 100+ federally funded clinics and pharmacies run by Native American tribal nations, the Plan B emergency contraceptive pill remains inaccessible鈥攄espite being available over-the-counter at most American pharmacies for more than a decade.

An investigation by APM Reports, Type Investigations, and KOSU found:

• 54 tribal clinics in 11 states do not provide emergency contraception.


• Another 51 clinics impose limits like age restrictions.

Reasons unclear: While most tribal officials interviewed declined to explain the gaps, those who did cited a lack of demand and staff鈥檚 personal feelings around the issue. 

An outlier: The Cherokee Nation no longer requires a prescription for Plan B for patients 17 and older. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES AVIAN FLU What Hinders Surveillance?
Human H5N1 infections continue to be reported鈥攂ut researchers are struggling to grasp the scale of transmission because of inadequate surveillance. 

Emails from state and local health departments give some glimpse into reasons for the gaps: :

• Communication breakdowns with farmers who do not want their workers to be monitored for bird flu.


• Delays between the start of outbreaks and health department visits. 


• Insufficient attention to certain aspects of the outbreaks, including cases in pet cats. 

And it鈥檚 about to get harder, as cold and flu season will make it 鈥渟ignificantly more difficult for the country鈥檚 public health departments to track the virus,鈥�  

Related: H5N1 avian flu isolate from dairy worker is transmissible, lethal in animals 鈥� OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Animal-to-human viral leap sparked deadly Marburg outbreak 鈥�

She says her husband tried to kill her. Enter the 'Pink Wheels' squad 鈥�

Rare disease initiative aims to speed diagnoses and treatment in Latin America 鈥�

Tenant Right-to-Counsel and Adverse Birth Outcomes in New York, New York 鈥�

Shifting power in global health will require leadership by the Global South and allyship by the Global North 鈥�

The Dilemma at the Center of McDonald鈥檚 E. Coli Outbreak 鈥�

Why cars might be the scariest thing this Halloween 鈥� Issue No. 2805
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: 鈥楬ell on Earth鈥� in Saudi Detention Centers; A Voice for Hispanic Health; and Coverage Graveyards and Ghost Networks Detainees packed into sweltering rooms with no access to basic hygiene or outside air October 28, 2024 鈥楬ell on Earth鈥� in Saudi Detention Centers
Tens of thousands of people have been forced to live in inhumane, 鈥渄egrading鈥� conditions inside Saudi detention centers: packed into sweltering rooms with no access to basic hygiene or outside air, . 

• 鈥淚t鈥檚 no exaggeration to say that place was hell on earth. They never let us outside during my nine-month stay. They never let anyone experience fresh air or sunlight,鈥� said Zaro Gebre, an Ethiopian detainee who smuggled out footage from inside the detention centers. 

Crackdown on migrants: Ethiopians fleeing war and poverty for the Gulf make up a significant proportion of those in the detention centers, .

Reforms promised, unfulfilled: New footage of the centers was released yesterday as part of an that followed up on The Telegraph鈥檚 into the centers鈥� human rights abuses four years ago.

• Yet conditions remain unchanged since then, or worse: Detainees sleep packed together on floors with trash bags, toilets overflow, and violence erupts between detainees. 

• The Saudi government faces little pushback from the global community, as the country seeks to burnish its image as an international soccer hub, argues one investigative reporter in a .  

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
A gene editing therapy for chronic hepatitis B will be tested in human trials in Moldova after the nation鈥檚 regulators approved Precision BioSciences鈥� study of the treatment.

Ozempic may reduce Alzheimer鈥檚 risk, per a published in Alzheimer's & Dementia last week that showed semaglutide was associated with a 40%鈥�70% lower risk of a first-time Alzheimer鈥檚 diagnosis in patients with type 2 diabetes compared with seven other diabetes medications.

Opioid makers and marketers misused scientific evidence to support inaccurate claims about the drugs鈥攊ncluding that they were not addictive鈥攑er a new published in Health Affairs Scholar.

McDonald鈥檚 has ruled out beef patties as the source of the E. coli outbreak linked to its Quarter Pounder hamburgers, which has killed at least one and sickened ~75 others; instead, onions are believed to be the source of the outbreak. INSURANCE Coverage Graveyards and Ghost Networks
In the U.S., having health insurance is no guarantee that essential medical care will be covered鈥攐r even available as advertised. 

Two obstacles gaining more attention: 

• Denial for dollars: It has become common for insurers to outsource medical reviews to large companies like one called EviCore, which uses algorithms that increase denial rates, . 

• 鈥淕host networks鈥�: Far too often, patients purchase health coverage promising access to therapists and other mental health professionals listed in provider directories鈥攐nly to find them out-of-date and inaccurate, . 

COMMUNITY HEALTH A Voice for Hispanic Health
During the COVID-19 pandemic, journalist Tibisay Zea noticed something in Boston鈥檚 Hispanic community: Its members were poorly informed on health issues. To help close that information gap, she launched the Salud podcast in 2022.

• The show covers culturally relevant health information on topics like COVID-19, diabetes, cancer, and workplace accidents, all of which disproportionately affect Latino people. 

Zea focuses on connecting health experts with personal stories from the Latino community鈥攁n approach that not only informs but also resonates emotionally with listeners, many of whom face socioeconomic challenges and barriers to health care.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES WATER How Women Suffer When Wells Go Dry
Water insecurity comes with major health risks鈥攁nd women often bear the burden. 

Recent in water-scarce areas of Peru and Indonesia included interviews with women who reported: 

• Extreme physical exertion from carrying heavy water buckets that led multiple women to go into premature labor and miscarry.

• Struggling to secure water for sanitary births. 

• Barriers to menstrual hygiene, which prevented young women and girls from attending school.

Increased violence: Indonesian women in water-insecure households were more than twice as likely to report experiencing gender-based violence in the last year.

QUICK HITS Some people with ADHD thrive in periods of stress, new study shows 鈥�

HIV-Infected Patient Refused Care In Armenia 鈥�

Remembering Dr. Richard Cash: How a 'simple' intervention helped save millions of lives 鈥�

The Final Push: Overcoming the Last Barriers to Global Polio Eradication 鈥�

Gas-powered leaf blowers are noisy, polluting and harmful to our health. But are bans the best way to go? 鈥� Issue No. 2804
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: A Widening E. coli Investigation; The Silence of the Feds; and Hospital Gown 鈥� But Don鈥檛 Make it Fashion October 24, 2024 A Widening E. coli Investigation
A multistate outbreak of E. coli infections has prompted an expansive, by the CDC and U.S. agencies that have linked the infections to McDonald鈥檚 restaurants. 

Outbreak details, : The food poisoning has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states, including 10 who were hospitalized and one person who .

• But the number of people affected by the outbreak is likely much higher, . 

Zeroing in on a source: Of 18 sickened people interviewed, all reported eating at McDonald鈥檚.

• A specific ingredient has not been confirmed as the source of the outbreak, but the that the onions or beef patties used for Quarter Pounders are the likely source of contamination, . 


• McDonald鈥檚 has taken Quarter Pounders in about a fifth of its stores, and the onion supplier, Taylor Farms Colorado, issued a broader recall of yellow onions鈥攖hough the company said that it has found no traces of E. coli in tests. 

Bigger picture: The outbreak, which comes on the heels of the Boar鈥檚 Head listeria contamination linked to 10 deaths, has prompted larger questions about U.S. food safety, .

Related: Why food recalls are everywhere right now 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Rifaximin, a common antibiotic used to treat liver disease, is fueling bacterial resistance to daptomycin鈥攐ne of the few treatments effective against the superbug vancomycin-resistant enterococcus faecium (VRE), .

People 50 and older should get pneumococcal vaccines to protect against pneumonia and other dangerous illnesses, a CDC advisory panel recommended yesterday, replacing earlier guidance aimed at people ages 65+.  

A second dose of the 2024鈥�25 COVID-19 vaccine is now for people ages 65+ and for people with moderate or severe immunocompromising conditions, per a CDC vaccine advisory group.

Single-use vapes will be banned in England starting next June, as the British government tries to curb rising vape usage among children and teens. VIOLENCE 鈥楽hocking, Staggering鈥� Sexual Violence in DRC
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has seen an 鈥渁cute escalation鈥� of sexual violence in recent years, per a from Physicians for Human Rights.

• ~90,000 documented sexual assaults were reported in 2023 in DRC鈥攗p from 40,000 in 2021. The group believes it is a 鈥渟evere undercount.鈥�

鈥淭he level of sexual violence is shocking. It's staggering,鈥� said PHR director Saman Zia-Zarifi.

Other organizations echo the findings:

• A recent described an 鈥渆xplosion of sexual violence,鈥� with MSF teams treating 25,000+ sexual assault survivors in 2023 compared to a previous average of 10,000 victims per year. 

• UNICEF鈥檚 chief of child protection in the DRC, Ramatou Toure, described a 鈥漵kyrocketing鈥� crisis in camps鈥攚here 鈥渁lmost every girl or every woman has experienced sexual violence.鈥� 

Driving the surge: Armed rebel and militia groups have gained strength, and the UN鈥檚 2023 withdrawal of its peacekeeping forces at the request of DRC鈥檚 government has led to a 鈥渧acuum鈥� of protection. 



Related: Four in 10 deaths in war zones last year were women, UN report finds 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES SUBSTANCE USE What Makes 鈥楶ink Cocaine鈥� So Dangerous
A designer drug called tusi has been in the news lately due to its connections with Sean 鈥淒iddy鈥� Combs and the recent death of Liam Payne.

• It鈥檚 a bright pink powder combining any number of substances. Common ingredients include ketamine and ecstasy, but usually not cocaine.

Users are led to believe that tusi is safer than street drugs, but without knowing the exact ingredients of a given batch鈥攚hich could even include fentanyl or xylazine鈥攖he effects can be unpredictable and even fatal.

• The drug has been linked to at least nine deaths so far, including four suicides and four accidental overdoses.

AVIAN FLU The Silence of the Feds
When U.S. farm veterinarians began to sound the alarm about avian influenza detected in cows, they were expecting a full-blown response from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including widespread testing and surveillance. 

Instead, they got silence: 鈥淣obody came. When the diagnosis came in, the government stood still,鈥� said one veterinarian. 

Conflict of interest: The USDA鈥檚 sometimes conflicting mandates to oversee the safety of the nation鈥檚 food animals while also protecting the nation鈥檚 agriculture trade has resulted in a 鈥溾�榙on鈥檛 test, don鈥檛 tell鈥� policy among dairy farmers.鈥�

The result? There is no nationwide surveillance or accurate sense of H5N1鈥檚 scope as the virus continues to spread.

• 鈥淲e are repeating every single mistake鈥� of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. 

ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Hospital Gown 鈥� But Don鈥檛 Make it Fashion
Iconic is usually a compliment in the fashion world. Not this time.
 
The hospital 鈥済own鈥� is an affront to formalwear everywhere. An insult to our tastes and our figures. And really more of a glorified sheet than a garment.
 
Why the sartorial shame? The New York Times鈥� fashion critic

• This wretched wearable was designed to accommodate IVs and provide easy access to the body, resulting in the 鈥渄ehumanizing鈥� fronts-in, butts-out design behind (ahem!) countless hospital humiliations.


• Even Diane von Furstenberg couldn鈥檛 make it chic. The designer reimagined her iconic wrap dress as a patient gown for the Cleveland Clinic. And it鈥檚 .

Another idea: 鈥淵ou might as well just walk around naked,鈥� Timothy Andrews, a health industry analyst and frequent hospital outpatient, said to . 鈥淚t鈥檚 probably easier鈥攋ust give us a belt and a loincloth.鈥� QUICK HITS Tens of thousands of UK dementia patients to be enrolled in clinical trials 鈥�

U.S. Study on Puberty Blockers Goes Unpublished Because of Politics, Doctor Says 鈥�

Crackdown on Homeless Encampments Raises Public Health Questions 鈥�

World鈥檚 first vaccine for norovirus the 鈥榳inter vomiting bug鈥� begins final stage trial 鈥�

Perspectives on Medical School Admission for Black Students Among Premedical Advisers at Historically Black Colleges and Universities 鈥�

Youth cheerleading is getting more athletic 鈥� and riskier 鈥�

Surgical Centers Urged to Nix Mandatory Pre-Op Pregnancy Tests 鈥� Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe!

Drinking is cheaper than it鈥檚 been in decades. Lobbyists are fighting to keep it that way 鈥�

How breast milk can help fight climate change 鈥� Issue No. 2803
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 .