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96
Global Health NOW: The Hidden Perils of Poland鈥檚 鈥楪host鈥 Poultry Farms; and India鈥檚 Coal Expansion Fuels a Health Crisis
April 1, 2026
TOP STORIES
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a Colorado law that banned mental health professionals from using 鈥渃onversion therapy鈥 to try to change LGBTQ minors鈥 sexual orientation or gender identity; the ruling could impact such laws in 20+ states.
Requests for 鈥渦nvaccinated鈥 blood have increased among patients and parents of minor patients needing blood transfusions, , which found the requests can lead to dangerous delays in care since blood donors are not asked about vaccination status.
Lead lingering in the body increases the risk of heart disease, even years after exposure, , which found that lead鈥檚 presence in the heart鈥檚 vital arteries can elevate blood pressure and injure blood vessels鈥攎aking it one of the leading risk factors for death by coronary artery disease.
New American Heart Association guidelines prioritize plant-based protein over meat and suggest replacing full-fat dairy with low- or nonfat options; , contrasts with U.S. government recommendations encouraging Americans to up their consumption of red meat and full-fat dairy. IN FOCUS Chickens crowded together on an industrial poultry farm. Kondrajec Panski, Poland, October 1, 2019. Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty The Hidden Perils of Poland鈥檚 鈥楪host鈥 Poultry Farms Hundreds of industrial poultry farms across Poland are operating without required environmental permits, allowing the farms to evade EU oversight and increasing threats of environmental pollution and disease throughout Europe. Large loopholes: Poland is a major exporter of poultry meat to Europe, with ~2,000 megafarms in the country. Nearly half of those farms lack required environmental licenses.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Lead lingering in the body increases the risk of heart disease, even years after exposure, , which found that lead鈥檚 presence in the heart鈥檚 vital arteries can elevate blood pressure and injure blood vessels鈥攎aking it one of the leading risk factors for death by coronary artery disease.
New American Heart Association guidelines prioritize plant-based protein over meat and suggest replacing full-fat dairy with low- or nonfat options; , contrasts with U.S. government recommendations encouraging Americans to up their consumption of red meat and full-fat dairy. IN FOCUS Chickens crowded together on an industrial poultry farm. Kondrajec Panski, Poland, October 1, 2019. Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty The Hidden Perils of Poland鈥檚 鈥楪host鈥 Poultry Farms Hundreds of industrial poultry farms across Poland are operating without required environmental permits, allowing the farms to evade EU oversight and increasing threats of environmental pollution and disease throughout Europe. Large loopholes: Poland is a major exporter of poultry meat to Europe, with ~2,000 megafarms in the country. Nearly half of those farms lack required environmental licenses.
- Officials responsible for issuing permits and conducting inspections do not track unregistered operations, enabling these so-called ghost farms to operate unchecked for years.
- But the risks extend beyond Poland, as the potentially compromised meat supply reaches millions of consumers.
- Chickens are often treated multiple times in their short lifespans, raising dangers of antimicrobial resistance.
- Jharia鈥檚 air has the country鈥檚 highest concentration of coarse particulate matter, leading to high rates of respiratory illnesses including tuberculosis and asthma.
- Residents are 鈥渓iving on deathbeds,鈥 said local doctor Sanjoy Mukherjee. 鈥淭hey should not be allowed to live here.鈥
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Is Mexico Missing the Target on Measles Response? and Surfers Turning the Tide on CPR Gender Gap
March 31, 2026
TOP STORIES
Vaping is strongly linked to oral and lung cancer risk, from Australian cancer researchers; there isn鈥檛 yet long-term vaping data to determine definitive risk, but they found evidence that vaping is associated with pre-carcinogenic changes, including DNA damage and inflammation.
Exposure to a common plastic additive may have contributed to 1.97 million preterm births in 2018 alone鈥8%+ of the global total鈥攁nd 74,000 newborn deaths, that showed similar risks with a common replacement phthalate, with the highest burden in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Armed conflict in Colombia has significantly impacted tuberculosis incidence and mortality, , with the most violent municipalities recording the highest TB case rates; the researchers note that conflict-fueled displacement creates poor living conditions鈥撯搊vercrowding, poor ventilation, and housing instability鈥撯搕hat facilitate TB transmission and hamper treatment.
U.S. cases of the 鈥淐icada鈥 COVID-19 variant, officially known as BA.3.2, are rising, though still at low levels; the variant, detected in at least 23 countries, has a highly mutated genetic sequence that could allow it to evade antibodies, , highlighting the need for ongoing surveillance and vaccine effectiveness. IN FOCUS Medical personnel in Mexico City administer measles vaccines to people attending the mass vaccination event at Parque de los Venados, on February 11. Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Is Mexico Missing the Target on Measles Response? The measles outbreak that spread throughout Mexico in the past year began when a child from Mexico鈥檚 Chihuahua state fell ill after returning from visiting relatives in Texas, . From there, cases 鈥渞ipped through鈥 the Mennonite community, which is largely unvaccinated, and ultimately spread to all 32 Mexican states, .
鈥淲e should be working in the most unprotected regions, with the most unprotected populations.鈥
Crucially: Migrant workers were a rare point of contact for the insular Mennonite communities where the outbreak began, . The outbreak eventually broke through the contained communities to reach the migrant day laborer populations. The laborers鈥攎any of whom are Indigenous, are at high risk due to overcrowded living and working conditions and 鈥測ears of neglect by the system,鈥 said Andr茅s Casta帽eda Prado of the National Coordination of the National Public Security System.
Mexico's once-lauded vaccination system has deteriorated as the government stopped matching public health spending to population growth, NPR reports, while pandemic-era missed vaccines and growing hesitancy鈥攑articularly in hard-to-reach rural and Indigenous communities鈥攃reated dangerous immunity gaps.
And even with a broad vaccination campaign, nurses are concerned many newly vaccinated patients won't return for second doses needed for full protection. DATA POINT
250,000+
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌
People die from meningitis worldwide each year, per a Lancet Neurology report; children under 5 account for a third of all deaths. 鈥
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES EMERGENCY CARE Surfers Turning the Tide on CPR Gender Gap After learning that women are less likely than men to receive CPR or defibrillation in public emergencies, a group of surfers in Australia is advocating for more gender-equitable training. Behind the disparity: A 2024 analysis by the New South Wales ambulance service found that women were 10% less likely than men to receive CPR from a public bystander, and 50% less likely to receive defibrillation鈥攃ontributing to higher death rates during cardiac arrest.
Paralysis in public health and policy: when evidence becomes an alibi 鈥 What has happened to the people who lost their jobs in the aid cuts? 鈥 Issue No. 2889
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Exposure to a common plastic additive may have contributed to 1.97 million preterm births in 2018 alone鈥8%+ of the global total鈥攁nd 74,000 newborn deaths, that showed similar risks with a common replacement phthalate, with the highest burden in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Armed conflict in Colombia has significantly impacted tuberculosis incidence and mortality, , with the most violent municipalities recording the highest TB case rates; the researchers note that conflict-fueled displacement creates poor living conditions鈥撯搊vercrowding, poor ventilation, and housing instability鈥撯搕hat facilitate TB transmission and hamper treatment.
U.S. cases of the 鈥淐icada鈥 COVID-19 variant, officially known as BA.3.2, are rising, though still at low levels; the variant, detected in at least 23 countries, has a highly mutated genetic sequence that could allow it to evade antibodies, , highlighting the need for ongoing surveillance and vaccine effectiveness. IN FOCUS Medical personnel in Mexico City administer measles vaccines to people attending the mass vaccination event at Parque de los Venados, on February 11. Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Is Mexico Missing the Target on Measles Response? The measles outbreak that spread throughout Mexico in the past year began when a child from Mexico鈥檚 Chihuahua state fell ill after returning from visiting relatives in Texas, . From there, cases 鈥渞ipped through鈥 the Mennonite community, which is largely unvaccinated, and ultimately spread to all 32 Mexican states, .
- Since January 2025, there have been 14,000+ confirmed cases and 35 deaths.
鈥淲e should be working in the most unprotected regions, with the most unprotected populations.鈥
Crucially: Migrant workers were a rare point of contact for the insular Mennonite communities where the outbreak began, . The outbreak eventually broke through the contained communities to reach the migrant day laborer populations. The laborers鈥攎any of whom are Indigenous, are at high risk due to overcrowded living and working conditions and 鈥測ears of neglect by the system,鈥 said Andr茅s Casta帽eda Prado of the National Coordination of the National Public Security System.
Mexico's once-lauded vaccination system has deteriorated as the government stopped matching public health spending to population growth, NPR reports, while pandemic-era missed vaccines and growing hesitancy鈥攑articularly in hard-to-reach rural and Indigenous communities鈥攃reated dangerous immunity gaps.
And even with a broad vaccination campaign, nurses are concerned many newly vaccinated patients won't return for second doses needed for full protection. DATA POINT
250,000+
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌
People die from meningitis worldwide each year, per a Lancet Neurology report; children under 5 account for a third of all deaths. 鈥
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES EMERGENCY CARE Surfers Turning the Tide on CPR Gender Gap After learning that women are less likely than men to receive CPR or defibrillation in public emergencies, a group of surfers in Australia is advocating for more gender-equitable training. Behind the disparity: A 2024 analysis by the New South Wales ambulance service found that women were 10% less likely than men to receive CPR from a public bystander, and 50% less likely to receive defibrillation鈥攃ontributing to higher death rates during cardiac arrest.
- Researchers say hesitation may stem from concerns about modesty, harm, or legal risks when chest exposure is required.
Paralysis in public health and policy: when evidence becomes an alibi 鈥 What has happened to the people who lost their jobs in the aid cuts? 鈥 Issue No. 2889
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Listening to the Needs of India鈥檚 鈥淪ilent Village鈥; and The CDC鈥檚 Silence as U.S. Smoking Hits Historic Low
March 30, 2026
TOP STORIES
In a 鈥渓ogistical quagmire鈥 caused by the Iran war, emergency cholera medical supplies bound for African countries are stranded in Dubai ahead of the high-risk rainy season; the kits create 鈥渕ini field hospitals鈥 equipped with rehydration and water treatments, and some were bound for Chad, which hosts Sudan war refugees.
Less than a quarter of LMICs meet the measles elimination target of at least 95% coverage for the first vaccine dose and several were deemed 鈥渃ritically low鈥 with coverage below 50%, underscoring the challenge of achieving herd immunity amid a global measles resurgence and ongoing barriers to vaccination.
Physicians are warning of an emerging STI known as TMvii that is causing outbreaks in U.S. cities and can resemble other conditions; the infection, caused by , causes painful coin-sized rashes and has so far been seen primarily among sexually active gay men.
Several U.S. states are moving toward requiring food makers to add folic acid to corn tortillas in an effort to prevent devastating neural tube defects in Hispanic newborns that could be caused by deficiency of the vitamin, which is required in other starchy staples; California was the first state to require fortification, and an Alabama law will take effect in June. IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE A man works on a neighbor's house in Dhadkai, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on February 23. Safina Nabi Listening to the Needs of India鈥檚 鈥淪ilent Village鈥 DHADKAI, India鈥撯揇hadkai, nestled within Jammu and Kashmir, is often called the 鈥淪ilent Village of India鈥濃撯撯渒nown not only for its breathtaking landscape of steep hills and dense forests, but also for an unusually high number of residents who cannot hear or speak,鈥 .
Broader public health issues: Dhadkai also raises pressing public health issues, including rural disability care gaps that allow conditions such as hearing impairment to persist largely unaddressed, writes Nabi. She underscores the community鈥檚 limited access to routine newborn screening, genetic counseling, and early hearing intervention services鈥撯撯渟upport systems that, in many countries, help families make informed decisions and provide children with assistive technologies or language support within the first months of life.鈥
The quote: 鈥淪cience has offered clarity,鈥 Nabi writes. 鈥淲hat remains uncertain is whether policy and public health will move quickly enough to meet the needs of people living with its consequences.鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TOBACCO The CDC鈥檚 Silence as U.S. Smoking Hits Historic Low
Cigarette smoking among U.S. adults reached a historic low in 2024, dropping below 10% for the first time. But that milestone was not reported by the CDC. While the agency released the data on smoking last fall, detailed analysis was lacking after funding cuts eliminated the agency鈥檚 Office of Smoking and Health (OSH). Stepping into the gaps: in the new digital journal NEJM Evidence by Israel Agaku, a former OSH epidemiologist who ran the data via his independent research company.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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You can or .
Less than a quarter of LMICs meet the measles elimination target of at least 95% coverage for the first vaccine dose and several were deemed 鈥渃ritically low鈥 with coverage below 50%, underscoring the challenge of achieving herd immunity amid a global measles resurgence and ongoing barriers to vaccination.
Physicians are warning of an emerging STI known as TMvii that is causing outbreaks in U.S. cities and can resemble other conditions; the infection, caused by , causes painful coin-sized rashes and has so far been seen primarily among sexually active gay men.
Several U.S. states are moving toward requiring food makers to add folic acid to corn tortillas in an effort to prevent devastating neural tube defects in Hispanic newborns that could be caused by deficiency of the vitamin, which is required in other starchy staples; California was the first state to require fortification, and an Alabama law will take effect in June. IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE A man works on a neighbor's house in Dhadkai, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on February 23. Safina Nabi Listening to the Needs of India鈥檚 鈥淪ilent Village鈥 DHADKAI, India鈥撯揇hadkai, nestled within Jammu and Kashmir, is often called the 鈥淪ilent Village of India鈥濃撯撯渒nown not only for its breathtaking landscape of steep hills and dense forests, but also for an unusually high number of residents who cannot hear or speak,鈥 .
- For years, the hearing impairments鈥攁ffecting ~90 of the village鈥檚 ~2,000 residents鈥攚ere attributed to fate, environment, or lack of medical care, identified multiple genes that could be responsible in some patients.
- In geographically isolated Dhadkai, marriages often take place within extended kinship networks鈥攁llowing certain genetic traits to concentrate over time.
Broader public health issues: Dhadkai also raises pressing public health issues, including rural disability care gaps that allow conditions such as hearing impairment to persist largely unaddressed, writes Nabi. She underscores the community鈥檚 limited access to routine newborn screening, genetic counseling, and early hearing intervention services鈥撯撯渟upport systems that, in many countries, help families make informed decisions and provide children with assistive technologies or language support within the first months of life.鈥
The quote: 鈥淪cience has offered clarity,鈥 Nabi writes. 鈥淲hat remains uncertain is whether policy and public health will move quickly enough to meet the needs of people living with its consequences.鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TOBACCO The CDC鈥檚 Silence as U.S. Smoking Hits Historic Low
Cigarette smoking among U.S. adults reached a historic low in 2024, dropping below 10% for the first time. But that milestone was not reported by the CDC. While the agency released the data on smoking last fall, detailed analysis was lacking after funding cuts eliminated the agency鈥檚 Office of Smoking and Health (OSH). Stepping into the gaps: in the new digital journal NEJM Evidence by Israel Agaku, a former OSH epidemiologist who ran the data via his independent research company.
- Despite the findings鈥 significance, Agaku and others lament the CDC鈥檚 detachment from what has long been a public health priority.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: U.S. Policies Amount to a Global Public Health Emergency, Researchers Argue; and Lessons From Romania鈥檚 Rapid Abortion Shifts
Plus: 'Homeward Bound' on Steroids
March 26, 2026
TOP STORIES
A health crisis is 鈥渦nfolding in real time鈥 across the Middle East, according to WHO鈥檚 director in the region; warned that, in addition to potential hits on nuclear sites and damage to the water supply, hospital closures are disrupting chronic illness treatment, and there are deep concerns about maternal and mental health, and children orphaned by the conflict.
The UK has launched a billion-pound 鈥攊ts first since a 2011 effort that focused on flu鈥攑romising a new approach including a new contact tracing system and PPE stockpiles, and more adaptable emergency measures.
In Cuba, many doctors grappling with the constant stress of rationing care, severe supply shortages, and long patient waitlists are burning out, leaving the country, or working without pay as the country鈥檚 health care system slips deeper into decline amid a failing economy and a U.S.-imposed oil blockade.
The White House has delayed nominating a permanent CDC director, meaning Jay Bhattacharya, who has served as acting director, will continue his duties as the administration extends its search; about a half dozen candidates are being 鈥渟eriously considered.鈥 IN FOCUS A health care professional measures a vaccine dose. Riverside, California, on February 2, 2021. Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty U.S. Policies Amount to a Global Public Health Emergency, Researchers Argue
A 鈥減ublic health emergency of international concern鈥 has never been declared over a single country鈥檚 political actions鈥攂ut the Trump administration鈥檚 moves, including the disruption of U.S. foreign aid and development work, and pandemic preparedness efforts, constitute a PHEIC under international law, argue Matthew Herder and colleagues in a new . The argument: A PHEIC is defined as an 鈥渆xtraordinary event鈥 that creates a 鈥減ublic health risk to other states through the international spread of disease,鈥 which Herder, of Canada鈥檚 Dalhousie University, and co-authors say U.S. policies and defunding of global health initiatives could drive, particularly in LMICs. Would this help, or harm?
To see how abortion policy can dramatically impact maternal mortality, Romania鈥檚 history offers a stark picture.
The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene is accepting applications for travel grants to attend the ASTMH 2026 Annual Meeting, November 18鈥22, 2026, at Gaylord National Harbor, Maryland, in the U.S.
When we first saw a viral video of seven dogs traveling together on a highway in China鈥檚 Jilin province, the first thought was: We鈥檙e not falling for this AI slop!
Means鈥 surgeon general nomination is stalled as senators question her experience and vaccine stance 鈥
Yep, a mom's COVID shot during pregnancy protects her baby, a large study finds 鈥
Why do some viruses linger for life? A 900,000-person study maps viral loads 鈥
The Problem With Promoting 'Gold Standard Science' 鈥 Issue No. 2887
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
The UK has launched a billion-pound 鈥攊ts first since a 2011 effort that focused on flu鈥攑romising a new approach including a new contact tracing system and PPE stockpiles, and more adaptable emergency measures.
In Cuba, many doctors grappling with the constant stress of rationing care, severe supply shortages, and long patient waitlists are burning out, leaving the country, or working without pay as the country鈥檚 health care system slips deeper into decline amid a failing economy and a U.S.-imposed oil blockade.
The White House has delayed nominating a permanent CDC director, meaning Jay Bhattacharya, who has served as acting director, will continue his duties as the administration extends its search; about a half dozen candidates are being 鈥渟eriously considered.鈥 IN FOCUS A health care professional measures a vaccine dose. Riverside, California, on February 2, 2021. Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty U.S. Policies Amount to a Global Public Health Emergency, Researchers Argue
A 鈥減ublic health emergency of international concern鈥 has never been declared over a single country鈥檚 political actions鈥攂ut the Trump administration鈥檚 moves, including the disruption of U.S. foreign aid and development work, and pandemic preparedness efforts, constitute a PHEIC under international law, argue Matthew Herder and colleagues in a new . The argument: A PHEIC is defined as an 鈥渆xtraordinary event鈥 that creates a 鈥減ublic health risk to other states through the international spread of disease,鈥 which Herder, of Canada鈥檚 Dalhousie University, and co-authors say U.S. policies and defunding of global health initiatives could drive, particularly in LMICs. Would this help, or harm?
-
A PHEIC declaration from the WHO could prompt further U.S. backlash, but the authors stress that hundreds of thousands of people have already died due to U.S. actions, .
-
Declaring a PHEIC can mobilize funding and facilitate the use of compulsory licensing of essential medicines.
-
Furthermore, it鈥檚 鈥淚mportant to publish articles that provoke debate and encourage different ways of thinking at problems,鈥 .
To see how abortion policy can dramatically impact maternal mortality, Romania鈥檚 history offers a stark picture.
Maternal mortality fell steadily across Europe from 1965鈥1985. But in Romania over that period, the rate surged ~150%.
Why? Abortion was readily accessible in Romania from 1957 to 1966, when Nicolae Ceau葯escu abruptly restricted the practice, along with contraception. After that, births nearly doubled within a year.
-
With the rise of pregnancies came a spike in abortions from untrained providers. By the 1980s, over 80% of maternal deaths were linked to unsafe abortions.
About-face: When legalization quickly resumed in 1989, deaths dropped again.
OPPORTUNITY Apply by April 1 for a Travel Award to Attend ASTMH 2026
The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene is accepting applications for travel grants to attend the ASTMH 2026 Annual Meeting, November 18鈥22, 2026, at Gaylord National Harbor, Maryland, in the U.S.
-
The 2026 Annual Meeting Travel Award is available to all qualified students, early-career investigators, and scientists actively working in tropical medicine and global health.
-
ASTMH members and non-members are eligible to apply, especially those from Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
-
Recipients receive complimentary meeting registration, round-trip coach airfare, and a stipend to offset travel costs.
How to apply: Applicants must submit an online application for the travel award and submit an abstract.
1)
2)
-
Deadline to Apply: April 1, 2026
When we first saw a viral video of seven dogs traveling together on a highway in China鈥檚 Jilin province, the first thought was: We鈥檙e not falling for this AI slop!
Extraordinarily, the video is actually real. The backstory we鈥檙e less sure about.
But the internet never lets the truth get in the way of a good story. Legions of netizens are choosing to believe that a Corgi named Dapang鈥攐r 鈥渂ig fatty鈥濃攔eally did lead a group of wayward dog friends 17km back to their village after they allegedly chewed through the cages of a meat truck, as . Chinese state media鈥檚 claim that they were 鈥攏ot so fun.
The return of one missing pet feels miraculous enough. When seven missing dogs鈥攁ll close friends鈥攙anish from a village, and not one, not three, but all of them return home safe? The internet 鈥溾 and started demanding Pixar movies.
Not to be greedy, but we now also need to see the look on Dapang鈥檚 mom's face when, just as she was losing hope, the heroic Corgi trotted back into her home like nothing had happened.
We鈥檇 settle for AI-generated.
QUICK HITS Scientists call out health-harming corporations driving rise in chronic disease 鈥Means鈥 surgeon general nomination is stalled as senators question her experience and vaccine stance 鈥
Yep, a mom's COVID shot during pregnancy protects her baby, a large study finds 鈥
Why do some viruses linger for life? A 900,000-person study maps viral loads 鈥
The Problem With Promoting 'Gold Standard Science' 鈥 Issue No. 2887
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Nigeria鈥檚 Transformative Focus on Fistula Surgery; and The Shifting Frontier of Fecal Transplants
March 25, 2026
TOP STORIES
A landmark verdict against Meta from a New Mexico jury determined that the company knowingly harmed children鈥檚 mental health and concealed child sexual exploitation on its social media platforms in violation of state law; the case is among the first in a wave of such lawsuits filed in U.S. states against Meta.
A Thai court has ruled that an Australian-owned mine is responsible for toxic runoff and its health effects in a decade-old case filed by hundreds of villagers in northern Thailand; the court has ordered compensation for affected residents in the verdict, which could set a precedent for future environmental litigation in the country.
Global maternal mortality numbers reflect policy shifts between U.S. presidential administrations, with countries heavily reliant on U.S. aid seeing a 10.5% increase in maternal mortality following a switch from a Democratic to a Republican administration鈥攚hen family planning and reproductive aid is typically revoked under the Mexico City Policy.
Drought conditions may lead to elevated antibiotic resistance in soil microbes, , which found that lower water content favored the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in soil microbial communities鈥攖he source of many antibiotics used in clinical medicine. IN FOCUS Nigeria Health Watch Nigeria鈥檚 Transformative Focus on Fistula Surgery
Women living with vesicovaginal fistula in Nigeria not only endure physical suffering and incontinence; they often face profound stigma and isolation, describing their lives as 鈥渄ead.鈥
Insurance intervention: Nigeria鈥檚 National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is providing access to the procedure with a coverage program geared toward fistula patients.
Tuberculosis Cases and Deaths Averted by PEPFAR 鈥
Infertility Is A Public Health Issue 鈥 鈥楢 Mass Disaster Nonstop鈥: Inside the Turmoil at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 C.D.C. 鈥 Trump health vacancies offer chances to change course 鈥 Navigating vaccine hesitancy as a woman recently arrived in Canada: a journey of building trust 鈥
New COVID variant with immune escape potential confirmed in US, 22 other countries 鈥
Cuba sends doctors on medical missions. The U.S. isn't a fan 鈥 Issue No. 2886
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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A Thai court has ruled that an Australian-owned mine is responsible for toxic runoff and its health effects in a decade-old case filed by hundreds of villagers in northern Thailand; the court has ordered compensation for affected residents in the verdict, which could set a precedent for future environmental litigation in the country.
Global maternal mortality numbers reflect policy shifts between U.S. presidential administrations, with countries heavily reliant on U.S. aid seeing a 10.5% increase in maternal mortality following a switch from a Democratic to a Republican administration鈥攚hen family planning and reproductive aid is typically revoked under the Mexico City Policy.
Drought conditions may lead to elevated antibiotic resistance in soil microbes, , which found that lower water content favored the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in soil microbial communities鈥攖he source of many antibiotics used in clinical medicine. IN FOCUS Nigeria Health Watch Nigeria鈥檚 Transformative Focus on Fistula Surgery
Women living with vesicovaginal fistula in Nigeria not only endure physical suffering and incontinence; they often face profound stigma and isolation, describing their lives as 鈥渄ead.鈥
- 鈥淚 suffered silently for years, afraid to go anywhere, afraid to be seen,鈥 said survivor Victoria Ifeanyichukwu.
Insurance intervention: Nigeria鈥檚 National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is providing access to the procedure with a coverage program geared toward fistula patients.
- 17 facilities across Nigeria providing fistula surgery are now being funded by the NHIA and state health insurance agencies鈥攃overing women鈥檚 out-of-pocket expenses for the surgery.
- These patients are then additionally enrolled into broader health insurance programs, ensuring continuity of care.
- In Kano state, 2,157 women have benefited from the fistula program, and in Ebonyi State, ~79 women have been enrolled into ongoing health insurance.
- The FDA-approved drugs are not approved for children, or for people who are immunocompromised.
- The nonprofit stool bank OpenBiome, which had sent ~72,000 treatments to hospitals over a decade, had its shipments halted by the FDA in 2024.
Tuberculosis Cases and Deaths Averted by PEPFAR 鈥
Infertility Is A Public Health Issue 鈥 鈥楢 Mass Disaster Nonstop鈥: Inside the Turmoil at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 C.D.C. 鈥 Trump health vacancies offer chances to change course 鈥 Navigating vaccine hesitancy as a woman recently arrived in Canada: a journey of building trust 鈥
New COVID variant with immune escape potential confirmed in US, 22 other countries 鈥
Cuba sends doctors on medical missions. The U.S. isn't a fan 鈥 Issue No. 2886
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: A New Form of Diabetes Comes for the Undernourished; and Curbing Domestic Violence in Kyrgyzstan
March 24, 2026
TOP STORIES
Pfizer will seek regulatory approval for a Lyme disease vaccine candidate that it says shows strong efficacy鈥攔educing the risk of developing the infection by more than 70% in people who received the vaccine versus placebo; Pfizer acknowledged, though, that not enough participants contracted the disease for conclusive confidence, potentially complicating the path to approval.
NIH grant terminations over the last year affected women scientists more than men, that shows that women had, on average, 57.9% of their grant affected, compared to ~48.2% for men; early career women were disproportionately affected despite receiving less NIH funding in general.
Suriname confirmed a significant rise in chikungunya cases in an outbreak declared in January with 1,357+ confirmed infections, one confirmed death and another under investigation; health officials say the actual caseload may be 3X higher.
Four U.S. states that mandated more frequent syphilis screening during pregnancy and at delivery saw a 26% rise in case detection, , but the effect faded in the year after the mandates began, indicating the measures may require complementary supports for clinicians and patients, the researchers posit. IN FOCUS A New Form of Diabetes Comes for the Undernourished Across Africa, diabetes now poses a mortality threat that rivals infectious diseases like malaria and HIV鈥攂ut is far less recognizable.
More than 1 in 5
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺斺
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS 鈥楾he whole country is doing it鈥: how illegal kidney traders target Pakistan鈥檚 desperate brick kiln workers 鈥 Trump's visa freeze sidelines immigrant doctors 鈥 "We've Been in Famine for Months": Life in Post-Ceasefire Gaza 鈥 Africa Rejects New Draft Text 鈥 How the term 鈥榥eurodivergent鈥 moved from activists to pop culture 鈥 and politics 鈥
By finding 'bright spots' in the opioid crisis, VCU researchers are mapping a path to better outcomes 鈥 Issue No. 2885
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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NIH grant terminations over the last year affected women scientists more than men, that shows that women had, on average, 57.9% of their grant affected, compared to ~48.2% for men; early career women were disproportionately affected despite receiving less NIH funding in general.
Suriname confirmed a significant rise in chikungunya cases in an outbreak declared in January with 1,357+ confirmed infections, one confirmed death and another under investigation; health officials say the actual caseload may be 3X higher.
Four U.S. states that mandated more frequent syphilis screening during pregnancy and at delivery saw a 26% rise in case detection, , but the effect faded in the year after the mandates began, indicating the measures may require complementary supports for clinicians and patients, the researchers posit. IN FOCUS A New Form of Diabetes Comes for the Undernourished Across Africa, diabetes now poses a mortality threat that rivals infectious diseases like malaria and HIV鈥攂ut is far less recognizable.
- An estimated 54 million Africans have diabetes鈥攚hich can cause blindness, amputations, and death. But many cases go undiagnosed.
More than 1 in 5
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺斺
Number of new tuberculosis cases in Europe that are unreported by health services鈥撯揳 critical detection gap revealed in the published today by the WHO/Europe and the ECDC, marking World Tuberculosis Day. 鈥
Related: New Tongue-Swab TB Test Could Help Eradicate the Disease, WHO Says 鈥
- Laws addressing family abuse.
- A growing number of crisis centers and hotlines.
- An increase in trained psychologists.
- Work with international groups to stop sex trafficking.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS 鈥楾he whole country is doing it鈥: how illegal kidney traders target Pakistan鈥檚 desperate brick kiln workers 鈥 Trump's visa freeze sidelines immigrant doctors 鈥 "We've Been in Famine for Months": Life in Post-Ceasefire Gaza 鈥 Africa Rejects New Draft Text 鈥 How the term 鈥榥eurodivergent鈥 moved from activists to pop culture 鈥 and politics 鈥
By finding 'bright spots' in the opioid crisis, VCU researchers are mapping a path to better outcomes 鈥 Issue No. 2885
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: A Scourge of Maternal Sepsis; and A Wave of Modern Witch Hunts in Papua New Guinea
March 23, 2026
TOP STORIES
An attack on a Sudanese hospital in East Darfur state killed 64 people, wounded 89 others, and left the hospital non-functional; 13 children, three medical workers, and numerous patients are among the dead, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who condemned the attacks on health care and the 鈥渄evastating human toll鈥 of the country鈥檚 nearly three-year conflict.
Jewish volunteer service ambulances were set ablaze in London Monday morning in what Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as 鈥渁 deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack鈥; police say the damaged vehicles belonging to HatzolaNorthwest caught on fire after 鈥渕ultiple cylinders on the vehicles鈥 exploded.
Seriously injured patients in Global South countries often fail to reach medical care within the critical 鈥済olden hour鈥 for lifesaving care, finds a new study published in BMJ Global Health, which found that in Ghana, Pakistan, Rwanda, and South Africa, 57% of all patients arrived 1+ hour after being injured, and 34% arrived 2+ hours later, often because of ambulance-related delays.
Many U.S. nursing homes are falsely labeling dementia patients as schizophrenic in order to use dangerous antipsychotic drugs to sedate them, , which found the dangerous practice has grown increasingly common as nursing homes seek to skirt Medicare safeguards and artificially inflate their ratings.
IN FOCUS
Oluhle Shezi, 17, puts cream on her 2-month-old baby in KwanGode, a rural area outside Hillcrest, South Africa. November 29, 2025. Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty
A Scourge of Maternal Sepsis
Women with maternal sepsis in sub-Saharan Africa are 144X more likely to die than those in Western Europe or North America, , with ~36 deaths daily resulting from such infections, .
Heightened risk: ~4.7 million sepsis cases occur yearly across sub-Saharan Africa鈥攁bout 1 in 9 births.
Infrastructure failures: Three-quarters of births in the region鈥檚 health facilities take place without adequate water, sanitation, or hygiene (WASH).
Potential solutions: Low-cost hygiene investments could prevent ~10 million cases of maternal sepsis and ~8,580 deaths worldwide every year, the WaterAid report estimates. Deep water disparities: The report arrives against the , which this year spotlights how women and girls are 鈥渂earing the brunt鈥 of water insecurity, and , which highlights the need for women to be involved in water governance and leadership. More World Water Day Coverage:
鈥楢 mother giving birth could bleed to death while I鈥檓 out looking for water鈥 鈥
Thousands of Chileans protest President Kast鈥檚 environmental rollbacks on World Water Day 鈥
There鈥檚 weight to World Water Day in Indigenous community still waiting for clean drinking water 鈥
As wells run dry, experts say we鈥檙e beyond a water crisis 鈥
Climate Focus: World Water Day Special 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HUMAN RIGHTS A Wave of Modern Witch Hunts in Papua New Guinea A growing number of people in Papua New Guinea have become victims of witch hunts, torture, and killings鈥攚ith accusations of sorcery, or 鈥渟anguma,鈥 especially targeting women and marginalized people. In one region alone: Sorcery accusation-related violence (SARV) incidents in the Southern Highlands province increased from 16 in 2021 to 96 in the first nine months of 2024. Root causes: Poverty, social upheaval, and weak law enforcement have led to a culture of impunity, and social media has driven copycat behavior. But poor health education is also a driving factor as people seek culprits for the onset of illness or death.
Sensitivity to hormone made by fetus may drive severe pregnancy sickness 鈥
How New Mexico Became an Obamacare Success Story 鈥 Microscopic spikes on snakeskin block bacterial buildup 鈥 A breath of fresh air: solving Ulaanbaatar鈥檚 pollution issues 鈥 in photos 鈥 Issue No. 2884
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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- 78% lacked a functioning toilet.
- Two-thirds did not have clean water and soap for handwashing.
- 65% did not meet basic standards for environmental cleaning.
Potential solutions: Low-cost hygiene investments could prevent ~10 million cases of maternal sepsis and ~8,580 deaths worldwide every year, the WaterAid report estimates. Deep water disparities: The report arrives against the , which this year spotlights how women and girls are 鈥渂earing the brunt鈥 of water insecurity, and , which highlights the need for women to be involved in water governance and leadership. More World Water Day Coverage:
鈥楢 mother giving birth could bleed to death while I鈥檓 out looking for water鈥 鈥
Thousands of Chileans protest President Kast鈥檚 environmental rollbacks on World Water Day 鈥
There鈥檚 weight to World Water Day in Indigenous community still waiting for clean drinking water 鈥
As wells run dry, experts say we鈥檙e beyond a water crisis 鈥
Climate Focus: World Water Day Special 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HUMAN RIGHTS A Wave of Modern Witch Hunts in Papua New Guinea A growing number of people in Papua New Guinea have become victims of witch hunts, torture, and killings鈥攚ith accusations of sorcery, or 鈥渟anguma,鈥 especially targeting women and marginalized people. In one region alone: Sorcery accusation-related violence (SARV) incidents in the Southern Highlands province increased from 16 in 2021 to 96 in the first nine months of 2024. Root causes: Poverty, social upheaval, and weak law enforcement have led to a culture of impunity, and social media has driven copycat behavior. But poor health education is also a driving factor as people seek culprits for the onset of illness or death.
- 鈥淚 think of it as an extraordinary human rights crisis, an epidemic driven by poverty, inequality, lack of education and poor health awareness,鈥 said Nick Booth, the Papua New Guinea resident representative for the UN Development Fund.
Sensitivity to hormone made by fetus may drive severe pregnancy sickness 鈥
How New Mexico Became an Obamacare Success Story 鈥 Microscopic spikes on snakeskin block bacterial buildup 鈥 A breath of fresh air: solving Ulaanbaatar鈥檚 pollution issues 鈥 in photos 鈥 Issue No. 2884
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Struggle to Protect Women in a Warming World; and A Delayed and Deadly Measles Complication
Plus: Cond茅 Nasty: Why Have a Dogue in This Fight?
March 19, 2026
TOP STORIES
150,000+ previously uncounted COVID-19 deaths occurred in 2020 and 2021 in the U.S., likely outside of hospitals, , which drew on data from death certificates and found that the undiagnosed people who died were more likely to be Hispanic people and other people of color, largely in the South and Southwest.
Social media apps like Instagram and TikTok, which involve algorithm-driven scrolling, are worse for mental health than social connection platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook, 鈥攚hich reported that excessive use of social media is driving unhappiness worldwide.
Ozempic and Wegovy will soon become generic for billions of people, as Novo Nordisk is set to lose patent protection for the drugs in several of the world鈥檚 most populous countries including China, India, and Brazil鈥攍eading to significantly lower drug costs.
China will regulate some traditional medicines, issuing draft guidelines requiring companies that produce traditional Chinese medicine injections to provide evidence that they are safe and effective and explain how they work, or face removal from the market; the guidelines will apply only to products that are injected intramuscularly or intravenously. IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE Pregnant women attend a demonstration of the 鈥淧lac de ot o!鈥 climate literacy tool at Princess Christian Maternity Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. May 2025. Mama鈥揚ikin Foundation The Struggle to Protect Women in a Warming World
In climate-vulnerable Sierra Leone, pregnant women, new mothers, and young children : Fainting from dehydration, missing prenatal visits, or struggling to breastfeed.
As measles cases mount in the U.S., infectious disease experts are warning doctors to be on the lookout for increased cases of a rare but fatal neurological disorder called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE.
Details: Described as a 鈥渄elayed echo鈥 of measles, SSPE results from a persistent form of the virus leading to inflammation in the brain, usually years after the primary infection. It leads to neurological deterioration and almost always results in death.
Related:
Florida is trying to ignore measles until it can鈥檛 鈥
In South Carolina, measles shows how far apart neighbors can be on vaccines 鈥 OPPORTUNITY Media-Savvy Skills for Scientists
Join us for an interactive pre-conference workshop, Communications Skills that Transform Science into Action, co-led by the CUGH Research Committee, the Pulitzer Center, and Global Health NOW, ahead of the in Washington, D.C., on April. 9.
They say you should pick your battles. For Cond茅 Nast鈥攖he publisher of Vogue magazine鈥攖hat battle is 鈥渨ho gets to photograph a vizsla in a turtleneck,鈥 .
鈥榃orst-case scenario鈥: Middle East nuclear concerns haunt top health officials 鈥
Women Hitting Menopause Before 40 May Face a Long Window of Cardiac Risk 鈥
A step towards a first global system to track health before pregnancy 鈥
The Myanmar nurses dodging drones to graduate from a secret jungle school 鈥
A New Level of Vaccine Purgatory 鈥 Issue No. 2883
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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You can or .
Social media apps like Instagram and TikTok, which involve algorithm-driven scrolling, are worse for mental health than social connection platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook, 鈥攚hich reported that excessive use of social media is driving unhappiness worldwide.
Ozempic and Wegovy will soon become generic for billions of people, as Novo Nordisk is set to lose patent protection for the drugs in several of the world鈥檚 most populous countries including China, India, and Brazil鈥攍eading to significantly lower drug costs.
China will regulate some traditional medicines, issuing draft guidelines requiring companies that produce traditional Chinese medicine injections to provide evidence that they are safe and effective and explain how they work, or face removal from the market; the guidelines will apply only to products that are injected intramuscularly or intravenously. IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE Pregnant women attend a demonstration of the 鈥淧lac de ot o!鈥 climate literacy tool at Princess Christian Maternity Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. May 2025. Mama鈥揚ikin Foundation The Struggle to Protect Women in a Warming World
In climate-vulnerable Sierra Leone, pregnant women, new mothers, and young children : Fainting from dehydration, missing prenatal visits, or struggling to breastfeed.
Disproportionate dangers: Climate stress affects all aspects of reproductive care from contraception to postnatal treatment鈥攅specially in low-income countries. It leads to higher risks of stillbirths, low birth weights, and pregnancy complications, while also increasing gender-based violence and displacement.
- Climate adaptation for sexual and reproductive health remains 鈥渢he most neglected corner of the climate response,鈥 with <0.5% of climate-health financing reaching health initiatives鈥攁nd even less supporting women鈥檚 health.
The big impact of small foundations: Nonprofits like the Mama鈥揚ikin Foundation have shown measurable progress helping women better understand the dangers of extreme heat and how to adopt simple strategies to protect themselves and their families.
But they, too, are imperiled: Funding delays and shrinking grants have forced programs to scale down and close their doors, even as programs are getting off the ground.
A need to adapt: Foundations are seeking new ways to diversify funding sources, including private-sector partnerships and long-term investment strategies. The need is urgent: Power brokers in developing countries 鈥渁re still dreaming that some miraculous tech is going to save us. But for developing countries, [the impacts are] happening now,鈥 said Sono Aibe, a consultant who has worked with the Mama鈥揚ikin Foundation.
MEASLES A Delayed and Deadly Complication
As measles cases mount in the U.S., infectious disease experts are warning doctors to be on the lookout for increased cases of a rare but fatal neurological disorder called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE.
Details: Described as a 鈥渄elayed echo鈥 of measles, SSPE results from a persistent form of the virus leading to inflammation in the brain, usually years after the primary infection. It leads to neurological deterioration and almost always results in death.
- While it affects just 1 in 10,000 people who get the measles virus, the risk is higher for those who contract measles before age 5.
Related:
Florida is trying to ignore measles until it can鈥檛 鈥
In South Carolina, measles shows how far apart neighbors can be on vaccines 鈥 OPPORTUNITY Media-Savvy Skills for Scientists
Join us for an interactive pre-conference workshop, Communications Skills that Transform Science into Action, co-led by the CUGH Research Committee, the Pulitzer Center, and Global Health NOW, ahead of the in Washington, D.C., on April. 9.
- Amplify your work and translate evidence into impact with hands-on exercises aimed at equipping global health scientists, researchers, and students with practical media skills to influence global health dialogue, policy, and action.
- Deepen your understanding of current communication challenges with panel discussions featuring leading journalists, communicators, and academics.
Pre-conference sessions are free, in-person, and open to the public!
- April 9, 9 a.m.鈥4 p.m. EDT
They say you should pick your battles. For Cond茅 Nast鈥攖he publisher of Vogue magazine鈥攖hat battle is 鈥渨ho gets to photograph a vizsla in a turtleneck,鈥 .
In the publishing equivalent of a bull mastiff chasing a Pomeranian, the company unleashed its legal fury on , arguing the one-woman pet project with sub-100 subscribers could damage the iconic brand 鈥渋rreparably.鈥 They demanded the 鈥渄estruction鈥 of every adorable edition!
- After coexisting for years, Cond茅 Nast barked only after Vogue published its own dog-centric issue called 鈥 wait for it 鈥 DOGUE! So remind us鈥攚ho copied who?
We object! The faltering Conde Nast鈥攚hich writer Michael Grynbaum describes as 鈥溾濃攃an only be bolstered by the spinoff featuring labradoodles in trench coats.
On the GHN jury, it comes down to this: What鈥檚 more fashionable鈥攁 magazine with 600 pages of ads and excess, or one showcasing go-getter ingenuity and an Italian greyhound in opera gloves?
On charges of being furry and fabulous, Dogue is guilty on all counts.
QUICK HITS Birth control skepticism, teen fertility education center stage at Trump鈥檚 women鈥檚 health summit 鈥鈥榃orst-case scenario鈥: Middle East nuclear concerns haunt top health officials 鈥
Women Hitting Menopause Before 40 May Face a Long Window of Cardiac Risk 鈥
A step towards a first global system to track health before pregnancy 鈥
The Myanmar nurses dodging drones to graduate from a secret jungle school 鈥
A New Level of Vaccine Purgatory 鈥 Issue No. 2883
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Easing the NIH Funding Freeze; and A New Tool to Curb Overprescribing
March 18, 2026
TOP STORIES
~5 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2024, including ~2.3 million newborns, , which found that most deaths are preventable鈥攊ncluding ~100,000 from severe acute malnutrition鈥攁nd noted that progress in child mortality has slowed by 60%+ since 2015.
Argentina, a founding member of the WHO, has officially left the agency, completing the process one year after requesting its withdrawal鈥攆ollowing in the footsteps of the U.S. under President Donald Trump.
Self-harm among young people in Canada increased 2X+ between 2000 and 2024, that charted a rise of self-harm among young people across 12 high-income countries; in Canada, the steepest increase was among girls, who reported a 3.6% increase each year.
Warmer, wetter weather driven by climate change is fueling mosquito-borne disease epidemics, , which analyzed Peru鈥檚 record-breaking dengue outbreak in 2023 that was 10X larger than normal. IN FOCUS Workers walk to the metro station in front of NIH headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland. May 20, 2025. Wesley Lapointe/For The Washington Post via Getty Easing the NIH Funding Freeze One year after dramatic cuts to NIH grant funding under the second Trump administration, spending will soon begin flowing back to researchers, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya assured lawmakers yesterday in a congressional subcommittee hearing, .
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Self-harm among young people in Canada increased 2X+ between 2000 and 2024, that charted a rise of self-harm among young people across 12 high-income countries; in Canada, the steepest increase was among girls, who reported a 3.6% increase each year.
Warmer, wetter weather driven by climate change is fueling mosquito-borne disease epidemics, , which analyzed Peru鈥檚 record-breaking dengue outbreak in 2023 that was 10X larger than normal. IN FOCUS Workers walk to the metro station in front of NIH headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland. May 20, 2025. Wesley Lapointe/For The Washington Post via Getty Easing the NIH Funding Freeze One year after dramatic cuts to NIH grant funding under the second Trump administration, spending will soon begin flowing back to researchers, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya assured lawmakers yesterday in a congressional subcommittee hearing, .
- 鈥淢y job is to make sure every single dollar goes out, and it will go out by the end of the year, on excellent science,鈥 Bhattacharya said.
- Lawmakers rejected outright the Trump administration鈥檚 proposed 40% budget cuts and instead approved a modest increase, .
- But those funds were still held up pending White House budget approval, which was finalized this week.
- While proponents say this boosts innovation, many researchers worry it could hinder collaborative research that benefits from NIH coordination, and fear the new model will lead to gaps in understudied areas of science.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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96
Global Health NOW: As Temperatures Soar, Physical Activity Drops鈥擶ith Deadly Consequences; and Pregnant Minors Stranded at San Benito
March 17, 2026
TOP STORIES
Afghanistan reported that 400 people died and ~250 were injured after a Pakistani airstrike hit a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul yesterday, while Pakistan denied the accusation that it had hit the 2,000-bed facility; the tragedy marks a sharp escalation in the conflict that began in late February.
The U.S. State Department may withhold assistance to people with HIV in Zambia unless its government signs a deal handing the U.S. more access to its critical minerals, per a draft memo obtained by The New York Times; ~1.3 million people in Zambia rely on daily HIV treatment through the President鈥檚 Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
A U.S. federal judge temporarily blocked sweeping vaccine policy changes recommended by health secretary RFK, Jr.鈥檚 handpicked advisory committee; in response to the decision鈥攔elated to a lawsuit brought by medical associations鈥攖he administration said the advisory committee鈥檚 planned meeting this week will be postponed. Mosquitoes could serve up a surprising vaccine delivery system鈥攃arrying vaccines against rabies and Nipah viruses in their saliva, to be transferred to bats feeding on the insects (or when the insects feed on the bats), per Chinese-led research ; the method would require extensive safety assessments and regulatory approval. IN FOCUS A boy pours water on his face to get some relief from a heat wave on a hot summer afternoon on May 29, 2024, in New Delhi, India. Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty As Temperatures Soar, Physical Activity Drops鈥擶ith Deadly Consequences
Driving instead of walking. Skipping a too-hot trip to the playground or an evening walk.
In a warming world, these decisions have a dire, if less obvious impact on global health, estimating the long-term impact of forgoing physical activity because of unbearable heat,
How Foreign-Trained Health Workers Saved the NHS 拢14 Billion 鈥
PhD students are turning to side hustles to make ends meet, finds Nature poll 鈥
Irish Cancer Society provided 鈥榓lmost 30,000 free lifts to treatment in 2025鈥 鈥 Issue No. 2881
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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The U.S. State Department may withhold assistance to people with HIV in Zambia unless its government signs a deal handing the U.S. more access to its critical minerals, per a draft memo obtained by The New York Times; ~1.3 million people in Zambia rely on daily HIV treatment through the President鈥檚 Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
A U.S. federal judge temporarily blocked sweeping vaccine policy changes recommended by health secretary RFK, Jr.鈥檚 handpicked advisory committee; in response to the decision鈥攔elated to a lawsuit brought by medical associations鈥攖he administration said the advisory committee鈥檚 planned meeting this week will be postponed. Mosquitoes could serve up a surprising vaccine delivery system鈥攃arrying vaccines against rabies and Nipah viruses in their saliva, to be transferred to bats feeding on the insects (or when the insects feed on the bats), per Chinese-led research ; the method would require extensive safety assessments and regulatory approval. IN FOCUS A boy pours water on his face to get some relief from a heat wave on a hot summer afternoon on May 29, 2024, in New Delhi, India. Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty As Temperatures Soar, Physical Activity Drops鈥擶ith Deadly Consequences
Driving instead of walking. Skipping a too-hot trip to the playground or an evening walk.
In a warming world, these decisions have a dire, if less obvious impact on global health, estimating the long-term impact of forgoing physical activity because of unbearable heat,
- Globally, reduced physical activity could result in 470,000鈥520,000 additional deaths by 2050 and billions of dollars in productivity losses every year, .
The calculations: The researchers analyzed physical activity surveys and temperature records across 156 countries from 2000 to 2022.
- Each additional month where the average temperature exceeded 82F (27.8C) degrees coincided with a 1.4 percentage point increase in physical inactivity.
Striking disparity: LMICs were projected to see the biggest impact of 鈥渞ising heat and falling activity,鈥 the Post reports, while high-income countries showed no statistically significant change鈥攑erhaps because of better access to air conditioning, gyms, and flexible work arrangements, researchers theorized.
The link between sedentary lifestyles and chronic disease is well known鈥攂ut a third of people worldwide already . 鈥溾 Any compromise to achieving regular exercise鈥攊n this case excessively hot temperatures鈥攚ill pose broad public health risks,鈥 said Jonathan Patz of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who was not involved in the study.
While the study, based on self-reported data and national temperature averages, has limitations, the projections point to a clear need for heat-proofing physical activity, such as subsidizing climate-controlled gyms and public spaces for those at risk.
- At least half of the minors are estimated to be pregnant from rape, and some are as young as 13.
- Plus: A new federal proposal could repeal the rule that requires minors seeking abortions to be transferred to a state where it is legal.
How Foreign-Trained Health Workers Saved the NHS 拢14 Billion 鈥
PhD students are turning to side hustles to make ends meet, finds Nature poll 鈥
Irish Cancer Society provided 鈥榓lmost 30,000 free lifts to treatment in 2025鈥 鈥 Issue No. 2881
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Cuba鈥檚 Drug Crisis Hits a Health System Under Strain; and A Cross鈥態order Commitment to End River Blindness
March 16, 2026
TOP STORIES
The WHO has verified the deaths of 12 doctors, paramedics, and nurses killed Friday in an Israeli strike on Lebanon鈥檚 Bourj Qalaouiyeh primary health care center, citing WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; in Israel, 58 people were injured last Thursday by glass shrapnel after an Iranian missile hit a complex of four private homes in the town of Zarzir, .
A meningitis outbreak at the University of Kent in the U.K. has killed two and left 11 seriously ill; the U.K. Health Security Agency said it provided antibiotics to students in the area to stem cases of invasive meningococcal disease, a combination of meningitis and septicemia.
U.S. flu vaccines had some of the lowest effectiveness rates in decades this past flu season, partially due to the circulation of a new strain, H3N2 subclade K; this season鈥檚 vaccines were ~25%鈥30% effective in preventing adult clinic or hospital visits, while officials generally aim for a 40%鈥60% effectiveness rate. A multinational consortium to find a hepatitis B cure has been launched by Johns Hopkins Medicine after being awarded a five-year, $24 million NIH grant; the consortium鈥攚hich includes research groups from Brazil, India, Senegal, Uganda, and the U.S.鈥攁ims to enroll ~450 people with both HIV and chronic hepatitis B and 225 with only chronic hepatitis B in treatment and various studies. IN FOCUS Young people in rehabilitation and pastors talk outside The Rescue House (Casa de Rescate). Havana, Cuba; August 22, 2025. Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Cuba鈥檚 Drug Crisis Hits a Health System Under Strain Drug use has surged in Cuba amid the country鈥檚 deepening economic crisis, as cheap synthetic substances flood the market and the country鈥檚 fragile health system struggles to respond, . New threat: Drugs, once rare in the zero-tolerance country, have become increasingly accessible in the form of 鈥渜u铆mico,鈥 a potent synthetic cannabinoid originating from the U.S.
Six years later, COVID symptoms linger for many Latino farmworkers in Washington 鈥
Confidential Report Calls for Sweeping Changes to Track Covid Vaccine Harms 鈥
鈥楳y Lungs Had Nothing Left.鈥 Inside The Epidemic Killing Countertop Stonecutters 鈥
Peru takes steps against bad drugs 鈥 but we still have questions 鈥
鈥榃e鈥檙e not wombs鈥: Japan women seek rights to sterilization 鈥
Influencers push 'parasite cleanses' but doctors say to steer clear 鈥
Michelle Bachelet, Running for UN Chief, Says Global Cooperation Can Save Humanity 鈥 Issue No. 2880
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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A meningitis outbreak at the University of Kent in the U.K. has killed two and left 11 seriously ill; the U.K. Health Security Agency said it provided antibiotics to students in the area to stem cases of invasive meningococcal disease, a combination of meningitis and septicemia.
U.S. flu vaccines had some of the lowest effectiveness rates in decades this past flu season, partially due to the circulation of a new strain, H3N2 subclade K; this season鈥檚 vaccines were ~25%鈥30% effective in preventing adult clinic or hospital visits, while officials generally aim for a 40%鈥60% effectiveness rate. A multinational consortium to find a hepatitis B cure has been launched by Johns Hopkins Medicine after being awarded a five-year, $24 million NIH grant; the consortium鈥攚hich includes research groups from Brazil, India, Senegal, Uganda, and the U.S.鈥攁ims to enroll ~450 people with both HIV and chronic hepatitis B and 225 with only chronic hepatitis B in treatment and various studies. IN FOCUS Young people in rehabilitation and pastors talk outside The Rescue House (Casa de Rescate). Havana, Cuba; August 22, 2025. Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Cuba鈥檚 Drug Crisis Hits a Health System Under Strain Drug use has surged in Cuba amid the country鈥檚 deepening economic crisis, as cheap synthetic substances flood the market and the country鈥檚 fragile health system struggles to respond, . New threat: Drugs, once rare in the zero-tolerance country, have become increasingly accessible in the form of 鈥渜u铆mico,鈥 a potent synthetic cannabinoid originating from the U.S.
- ER visits for drug emergencies in Havana more than doubled from 467 in 2024 to 886 in 2025鈥攁 spike that has 鈥渙verwhelmed the country鈥檚 capacity to address it,鈥 says one father whose son is in recovery. It has also driven Cuban authorities to create a National Drug Observatory.
- The mounting crisis arrives as Cuba鈥檚 health system is already under severe strain from medicine and energy shortages due to the U.S. blockade, .
- Cuba has historically dispatched tens of thousands of health care workers internationally in contracts with other countries. Critics have called the system exploitative, saying doctors are paid minimal amounts by the Cuban government, which funds the country鈥檚 own health system with the revenues, .
- But the abrupt departure of the doctors could have a significant impact on host countries鈥 health systems, officials say.
- 鈥淭o a cross-border threat, there must be a cross-border response,鈥 stated the opening address at the Benin鈥揘igeria Cross-Border Meeting on Onchocerciasis.
Six years later, COVID symptoms linger for many Latino farmworkers in Washington 鈥
Confidential Report Calls for Sweeping Changes to Track Covid Vaccine Harms 鈥
鈥楳y Lungs Had Nothing Left.鈥 Inside The Epidemic Killing Countertop Stonecutters 鈥
Peru takes steps against bad drugs 鈥 but we still have questions 鈥
鈥榃e鈥檙e not wombs鈥: Japan women seek rights to sterilization 鈥
Influencers push 'parasite cleanses' but doctors say to steer clear 鈥
Michelle Bachelet, Running for UN Chief, Says Global Cooperation Can Save Humanity 鈥 Issue No. 2880
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Migrant Workers Stranded Between Worlds; and Dangers Flowing Downstream in Alberta
March 12, 2026
TOP STORIES
Health crises across the Middle East have escalated, including 18 WHO-verified attacks on health care in Iran and 25 such attacks in Lebanon since the initial strikes on Iran in February; meanwhile public health risks are rising as ~800,000 people face internal displacement.
One-third of Americans say that to cover their health care expenses they have resorted to cutting daily spending鈥攕uch as food or driving鈥攐r have had to borrow money to cover health bills, per a new survey from , conducted with ~20,000 adults.
Efforts to curb antimicrobial resistance have led to some recent 鈥渂right spots,鈥 , which highlighted the recent approval of two new gonorrhea drugs鈥攝oliflodacin and gepotidacin鈥攁s a pivotal development for treating the infection as cases rise and standard treatments become less effective.
Two U.S. vaccine advisory panels are weighing the future of COVID-19 and flu vaccines, with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices abandoning efforts to attack mRNA vaccines amid fears that such a move could harm Republicans in the midterms, ; meanwhile, FDA vaccine advisers to meet publicly for the first time since the Biden administration to recommend strains for fall flu shots, after last year鈥檚 meeting was canceled, .
IN FOCUS
Essential and Exposed: Migrant Workers Stranded Between Worlds
Across Asia and the Middle East, millions of migrant workers are critical to the health care, construction, and domestic labor sectors of the economy. And yet these migrants鈥攎any from Southeast Asia鈥攁re often left stranded and unprotected when conflict and illness strike. Fired after falling ill: In some of Asia鈥檚 richest cities like Hong Kong and Singapore, migrant domestic workers who develop critical illnesses are often terminated, cutting them off from health care access and leaving them stuck between worlds, .
Indigenous groups in northern Alberta have become increasingly alarmed by signs of toxic pollution in their environment: Vanishing wildlife, contaminated fish, and surging cancer rates within communities. The problems have flowed from Canada鈥檚 massive oil drilling operations, say scientists and advocates.
Global Health NOW helps you by providing critical news about research, emerging health threats, and solutions from around the world at no cost. Can you help us today? A helps sustain our work, ensuring that timely, trusted global health news and analysis remain available鈥攚ithout a paywall. Bonus: A $35 gift not only helps us; it earns you a spiffy, limited-edition Hopkins sesquicentennial backpack! Thank you! 鈥擳eam GHN ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION This Is a Lot to Unpack
Did you happen to lose a bionic knee on your red-eye from Boston to Los Angeles?
Mental health crisis after 2023 Maui wildfires extends beyond burn zones 鈥
Global Fund Faces $5bn Shortfall as France Slashes Support, EU Delays Pledge 鈥
The Current Threat to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and Why It Matters 鈥
The Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony Is Moving to Europe (after 35 years in the USA) 鈥 Issue No. 2879
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Across Asia and the Middle East, millions of migrant workers are critical to the health care, construction, and domestic labor sectors of the economy. And yet these migrants鈥攎any from Southeast Asia鈥攁re often left stranded and unprotected when conflict and illness strike. Fired after falling ill: In some of Asia鈥檚 richest cities like Hong Kong and Singapore, migrant domestic workers who develop critical illnesses are often terminated, cutting them off from health care access and leaving them stuck between worlds, .
- In many countries, employers are legally required to provide medical care鈥攂ut face little recourse for sudden firings. Some workers are forced to return to their home countries without treatment while others remain stuck in legal limbo.
- 鈥淭hen their situation deteriorates. It鈥檚 almost like a death sentence,鈥 said Rachel Li, with the Hong Kong charity HELP for Domestic Workers
- Fatalities have been reported among Filipino, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi workers, and governments of migrants' home nations say they are preparing for emergency evacuations and potential repatriation.
- Migrants have faced total abandonment in previous Middle East conflicts, often stuck without wages or travel documents.
Indigenous groups in northern Alberta have become increasingly alarmed by signs of toxic pollution in their environment: Vanishing wildlife, contaminated fish, and surging cancer rates within communities. The problems have flowed from Canada鈥檚 massive oil drilling operations, say scientists and advocates.
- The sites rely on ponds to hold toxic wastewater, known as oil sands tailings鈥攚hich may leak up to ~11 million liters of pollutants like arsenic, mercury, and other carcinogenic chemicals daily.
Global Health NOW helps you by providing critical news about research, emerging health threats, and solutions from around the world at no cost. Can you help us today? A helps sustain our work, ensuring that timely, trusted global health news and analysis remain available鈥攚ithout a paywall. Bonus: A $35 gift not only helps us; it earns you a spiffy, limited-edition Hopkins sesquicentennial backpack! Thank you! 鈥擳eam GHN ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION This Is a Lot to Unpack
Did you happen to lose a bionic knee on your red-eye from Boston to Los Angeles?
It might be in Scottsboro, Alabama.
In America鈥檚 mecca for orphaned luggage, the retailer has been collecting and reselling abandoned bags and their contents for 55+ years鈥攁nd just published .
-
鈥淲e often believe we've seen it all. But then we uncover something like a matching set of Samurai swords鈥,鈥 .
To Owens, it鈥檚 not just stuff, but cultural study via suitcase. (How many shoulder pads went unclaimed in the 鈥80s?!)
Our take is more psychological: What鈥檚 going through the mind of someone who bothers to pack a full beekeeping suit 鈥 or a teak didgeridoo 鈥 or a taxidermy deer form 鈥 and simply shrugs when it vanishes into the abyss?! If you don鈥檛 go looking for your suitcase full of rat poison 鈥 was it ever really yours?
Does the fact that an clearly make its recovery more sad ... or less? Do they even want to be reunited?!
All that to say: If you really care about your custom diamond-studded grills, we have two words of advice: Carry. On.
QUICK HITS 鈥楾our de force鈥 mouse study shows a gut microbe can promote memory loss 鈥Mental health crisis after 2023 Maui wildfires extends beyond burn zones 鈥
Global Fund Faces $5bn Shortfall as France Slashes Support, EU Delays Pledge 鈥
The Current Threat to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and Why It Matters 鈥
The Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony Is Moving to Europe (after 35 years in the USA) 鈥 Issue No. 2879
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Solving the Global Stagnation in Physical Movement; and Reimagining Transit for Blind Commuters
March 11, 2026
TOP STORIES
The pipeline of new drugs to combat superbugs remains 鈥渨orryingly thin,鈥 shrinking by 35% in the last five years from 92 to 60 medicines in development, ; the Netherlands-based researchers predict that annual deaths linked to drug-resistant infections globally will double to 8 million by 2050.
China will boost its science spending, with officials announcing that the country鈥檚 overall research and development expenditure will increase by ~7% over the next five years, and that this year鈥檚 science and technology budget will increase 10% over 2025鈥檚 budget鈥攁mounting to billions in new investments. The FDA has walked back claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump and other administration officials about the drug leucovorin鈥檚 effectiveness for autism; while the agency approved the generic medication for a rare brain folate deficiency this week, officials estimate the condition impacts fewer than one in a million people in the U.S.
Psilocybin shows promise as a smoking cessation tool, , which found that participants who received one dose of the psychedelic had 6X+ greater odds of being abstinent from cigarettes after six months than counterparts who relied on a nicotine substitute. IN FOCUS A Chinese martial arts teacher demonstrates an exercise to students in Freetown at the Confucius Institute University of Sierra Leone. October 15, 2024. Saidu Bah BAH/AFP via Getty Solving the Global Stagnation in Physical Movement Over the last two decades, governments worldwide have adopted policies promoting physical activity. But physical activity prevalence in most countries remains unchanged, .
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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China will boost its science spending, with officials announcing that the country鈥檚 overall research and development expenditure will increase by ~7% over the next five years, and that this year鈥檚 science and technology budget will increase 10% over 2025鈥檚 budget鈥攁mounting to billions in new investments. The FDA has walked back claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump and other administration officials about the drug leucovorin鈥檚 effectiveness for autism; while the agency approved the generic medication for a rare brain folate deficiency this week, officials estimate the condition impacts fewer than one in a million people in the U.S.
Psilocybin shows promise as a smoking cessation tool, , which found that participants who received one dose of the psychedelic had 6X+ greater odds of being abstinent from cigarettes after six months than counterparts who relied on a nicotine substitute. IN FOCUS A Chinese martial arts teacher demonstrates an exercise to students in Freetown at the Confucius Institute University of Sierra Leone. October 15, 2024. Saidu Bah BAH/AFP via Getty Solving the Global Stagnation in Physical Movement Over the last two decades, governments worldwide have adopted policies promoting physical activity. But physical activity prevalence in most countries remains unchanged, .
- 1 in 3 adults and 80% of adolescents still fail to meet the WHO physical activity guidelines of ~150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity weekly.
- While 92% of countries have policies that address movement, inactivity rates have remained flat since 2012.
- Most policies approach movement through a metabolic and cardiovascular health lens, rather than demonstrating the wide, holistic scope of benefits鈥攊ncluding mental health improvements, improved immunity, and cancer prevention.
- 鈥淧hysical activity should be embedded in the way we design our cities, helping create communities where people want to live and move more,鈥 said the study鈥檚 principal investigator Andrea Ram铆rez Varela.
- Two-thirds of New York鈥檚 subways are not ADA-compliant, and 90% of the city鈥檚 40,000 intersections still lack audible crossing signals.
- Still needed: Real-time audio updates and improved cell and Wi-Fi connectivity, including in tunnels, are critical for maintaining accessibility and safety.
- Namgya C. Khampa: Charg茅 d鈥橝ffaires and Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India in the U.S.
- Sunil Wadhwani: Cofounder and CEO, Mastech Inc. and IGATE
- Seema Chaturvedi: Founder and Managing Partner, Achieving Women Equity Funds
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Iran Attacks鈥 Dangerous Fallout; and India Launches Pivotal HPV Vaccine Drive
March 10, 2026
TOP STORIES
Thousands of Black kidney transplant candidates in the U.S. got moved up on the transplant waiting list as part of an effort to help correct for an earlier race-based formula used to test kidney function鈥攚hich made their kidneys appear healthier than they were, delaying transplant referral; that test was discontinued in 2022.
Taking a daily multivitamin can slow some signs of biological aging; in who took the daily supplement for two years certain biomakers of aging were slowed by around four months, compared with those who did not; the effect was greater in people who were already biologically older than their years.
The U.S. FDA signaled openness yesterday to considering e-cigarettes in flavors deemed appealing to adults, such as mint, coffees, teas, and spices鈥攂ut would continue to reject fruit- and candy-flavored versions thought to be more appealing to teenagers that continue to flood the market.
Stimulant prescriptions鈥攎ostly to treat ADHD鈥攄oubled among adults in Ontario since the COVID-19 pandemic began, ; the findings may reflect improved recognition and treatment of adult ADHD, but the authors suggest more research to understand the causes and potential impacts of the rapid rise. IN FOCUS Smoke and flames rise at the site of airstrikes on an oil depot on March 7, in Tehran. Sasan/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Iran Attacks鈥 Dangerous Fallout
Thousands of people killed or wounded, toxic rain, damaged water infrastructure, and regional instability have followed attacks by U.S. and Israel on Iran. Casualties: At least 1,255 people鈥攊ncluding 200 children and 11 health care workers鈥攈ave been killed, Iran's deputy health minister Ali Jafarian .
U.S. Tomahawk Hit Naval Base Beside Iranian School, Video Shows 鈥 Lebanon: Israel Unlawfully Using White Phosphorus 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CERVICAL CANCER India Launches Pivotal HPV Vaccine Drive
India has launched the world鈥檚 largest free HPV vaccination campaign, offering shots to ~11.5 million 14-year-old girls each year in an effort to prevent cervical cancer, . Meeting a high burden: India accounts for roughly a quarter of global cervical cancer cases, reporting ~130,000 new cases and ~80,000 deaths each year from the disease.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Taking a daily multivitamin can slow some signs of biological aging; in who took the daily supplement for two years certain biomakers of aging were slowed by around four months, compared with those who did not; the effect was greater in people who were already biologically older than their years.
The U.S. FDA signaled openness yesterday to considering e-cigarettes in flavors deemed appealing to adults, such as mint, coffees, teas, and spices鈥攂ut would continue to reject fruit- and candy-flavored versions thought to be more appealing to teenagers that continue to flood the market.
Stimulant prescriptions鈥攎ostly to treat ADHD鈥攄oubled among adults in Ontario since the COVID-19 pandemic began, ; the findings may reflect improved recognition and treatment of adult ADHD, but the authors suggest more research to understand the causes and potential impacts of the rapid rise. IN FOCUS Smoke and flames rise at the site of airstrikes on an oil depot on March 7, in Tehran. Sasan/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Iran Attacks鈥 Dangerous Fallout
Thousands of people killed or wounded, toxic rain, damaged water infrastructure, and regional instability have followed attacks by U.S. and Israel on Iran. Casualties: At least 1,255 people鈥攊ncluding 200 children and 11 health care workers鈥攈ave been killed, Iran's deputy health minister Ali Jafarian .
- 12,000+ people have been wounded鈥攖he majority of which are burn and crush injuries.
- Black smoke billowed from Tehran facilities, posing 鈥渟erious acute and long-term health concerns鈥 for Tehran鈥檚 9 million+ people.
- Oil-heavy, toxic rain later fell on the city, .
- The Iranian desalination plant provided water for 30 villages, said an Iranian official.
- Much of the country has already endured a years-long drought鈥攍ast year鈥檚 rainfall was nearly half the normal amount.
U.S. Tomahawk Hit Naval Base Beside Iranian School, Video Shows 鈥 Lebanon: Israel Unlawfully Using White Phosphorus 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CERVICAL CANCER India Launches Pivotal HPV Vaccine Drive
India has launched the world鈥檚 largest free HPV vaccination campaign, offering shots to ~11.5 million 14-year-old girls each year in an effort to prevent cervical cancer, . Meeting a high burden: India accounts for roughly a quarter of global cervical cancer cases, reporting ~130,000 new cases and ~80,000 deaths each year from the disease.
- The country has also historically had some of the lowest rates of HPV vaccination coverage in the world.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: How Political Messaging Rapidly Reshapes Care; and China鈥檚 Push for a 鈥楥hildbirth-friendly鈥 Culture
March 9, 2026
TOP STORIES
At least 13 hospitals and health sites have been hit during the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, per the WHO, and evacuation orders have forced health facility closures in Lebanon; the WHO鈥檚 logistics hub for global health emergencies in Dubai has also paused operations, threatening emergency supply requests to 25 countries and Gaza.
A landmark human rights ruling has ordered Peru to pay reparations for the 1997 death of an Indigenous woman who died while undergoing forced, government-ordered sterilization; the Inter-American Court of Human Rights judgment is the first to address the policy, which systematically targeted impoverished and Indigenous women in the 1990s.
UK women experiencing miscarriage often face further trauma and distress due to inadequate follow-up care, , which found that ~65% of 1,000+ women reported insufficient follow-up care and that ~42% of those who sought mental health support did not receive it.
Top U.S. FDA vaccine regulator Vinay Prasad will leave the agency at the end of April; his departure follows controversial decisions including declining to review Moderna鈥檚 new mRNA flu vaccine application (a decision that was later reversed) and rejecting approvals for multiple rare disease drugs. IN FOCUS Pills spill out of an open bottle of Tylenol brand pain reliever medication, in New York City, on November 3, 2025. Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty How Political Messaging Rapidly Reshapes Care In the weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Tylenol causes autism, emergency room prescriptions of the medication to pregnant women dropped ~10%, 鈥攁 reflection of how swiftly political messaging can influence health behaviors, . The statement: At a September 2025 White House briefing, Trump warned pregnant women against taking Tylenol, generically known as acetaminophen and paracetamol, claiming it could cause autism鈥攐ver physician recommendations and widespread scientific consensus that there is no causal link.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Top U.S. FDA vaccine regulator Vinay Prasad will leave the agency at the end of April; his departure follows controversial decisions including declining to review Moderna鈥檚 new mRNA flu vaccine application (a decision that was later reversed) and rejecting approvals for multiple rare disease drugs. IN FOCUS Pills spill out of an open bottle of Tylenol brand pain reliever medication, in New York City, on November 3, 2025. Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty How Political Messaging Rapidly Reshapes Care In the weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Tylenol causes autism, emergency room prescriptions of the medication to pregnant women dropped ~10%, 鈥攁 reflection of how swiftly political messaging can influence health behaviors, . The statement: At a September 2025 White House briefing, Trump warned pregnant women against taking Tylenol, generically known as acetaminophen and paracetamol, claiming it could cause autism鈥攐ver physician recommendations and widespread scientific consensus that there is no causal link.
- He also touted leucovorin as a promising autism treatment for children, despite no new supporting evidence.
- Prescriptions returned to earlier levels by December, but scientists say the research does not account for cold and flu season, or reflect the rates of acetaminophen taken at home, .
- Priorities include increasing medical care services, plus 鈥渞efining the social security system.鈥
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Addiction-Fighting Promise of GLP-1s; and Punished for Pregnancy Loss in El Salvador
Plus: Just a Little R & R.I.P.
March 5, 2026
TOP STORIES
Chile has eliminated leprosy鈥攖he first country in the Americas to do so and the second globally; WHO and PAHO verified the achievement after the country reached 30+ years without a locally acquired case, the result of .
Cuts to RNA vaccine research threaten to stall three decades of high-stakes scientific research into infectious diseases, cancer, and vaccine development, , which found that RNA technology had the potential to 鈥渋mpact virtually every aspect of human health.鈥
Breast cancer cases worldwide among women are expected to reach ~3.56 million by 2050, up from ~2.30 million cases in 2023, finds a new statistical analysis, which projected that the mounting burden will disproportionately affect 鈥渢he world's most vulnerable populations鈥 and 鈥渨ill further exacerbate health inequalities across the globe without decisive immediate action.鈥
Global sea levels could be far higher than previously understood, as inaccurate modeling has led to the levels being underestimated, that could 鈥渟ignificantly鈥 affect current and future assessments of climate change on coastal communities.
IN FOCUS
Basak Gurbuz Derman/Getty Images
The Addiction-Fighting Promise of GLP-1s
A large new study adds to building evidence that GLP-1s could be a powerful tool in curbing and even preventing addiction to a wide range of substances, offering new insights and new hope in the field of addiction treatment, .
Details: The study, , followed 600,000+ U.S. veterans with type 2 diabetes, and compared the impact of GLP-1 drugs to another diabetes treatment.
Strong risk reductions: Those with existing substance-use disorders who took the GLP-1s saw the following outcomes, :
Mental health care is delivered in many ways and by many people across diverse settings around the world. The 2026 Virtual Speaker Series from the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Mental Health convenes practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and community leaders to explore a central question: Who provides mental health support, and in what contexts? Lara Gregorio, LCSW, of 4C Mental Health kicks off the monthly virtual series on March 11, 2026. Subsequent sessions will feature speakers from around the world, including Kenya鈥檚 Kenyatta National Hospital, Utrecht University, the University of Zimbabwe, King鈥檚 College London, and more.
Michael Bourgon brought us so much joy with And how did we thank him? By misspelling his home city. Canada's capital, no less. It鈥檚 Ottawa, of course鈥攏ot Ottowa. We regret the error. Please don鈥檛 send the turkeys after us.鈥擳he Editors ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Just a Little R & R.I.P.
It can be hard to get certain workaholic types to chill out. Spas and meditation retreats just don鈥檛 always cut it for the 鈥淚鈥檒l-rest-when-I鈥檓-dead鈥 set. But a coffin just might do the trick! A Japanese wellness trend promotes reclining in a coffin as a way to put things in perspective, (Such perspective can be gained via closed-or open-lidded casket options.) In this case, the box is not a final resting place: A typical 30-minute coffin-lying stint (which can cost ~2,000 yen, or $12鈥$13 USD) offers just enough time 鈥渢o gaze at life through being conscious of death,鈥 explains designer and custom coffin-maker Mikako Fuse. Immortalize your memento mori: 鈥淐ute coffins鈥 are bedecked with Instagrammable designs including ginghams and florals, . It's all part of making existential dread, the inevitability of mortality, and the staring into oblivion ...鈥渂right and not so scary." QUICK HITS Scientists create autism panel, citing RFK Jr.鈥檚 politicization of research 鈥 Emergency supplies for nuclear or chemical attack distributed across Middle East, says WHO 鈥 Sudan Declared 'Cholera Free' Amid Rise in Dengue, Malaria, Measles 鈥 Study warns of underrecognized Lassa fever threat with global implications 鈥 Navigating conversations with children about war, conflict and other traumatic events 鈥 Issue No. 2875
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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- 31% fewer ER visits
- 26% fewer hospitalizations
- 39% fewer overdoses
- 25% fewer suicide attempts
- 50% fewer drug-related deaths
- 鈥淸Existing] treatments have been targeting substances one at a time, when the right target was craving, the engine that drives addiction across substances,鈥 .
- Or in the words of one Rhode Island mother who was able to reach sobriety from alcohol with the help of a separate pilot program that used GLP-1s: 鈥淚 could walk past those bottles and not care,鈥 .
- Still, steady advocacy between 2009鈥2023 led to the release of 81 women imprisoned for abortion-related charges.
- Since then, ~29 women have faced prosecution following miscarriages or obstetric emergencies鈥斺渁 new spiral of criminalization against women,鈥 said advocate Morena Herrera.
Mental health care is delivered in many ways and by many people across diverse settings around the world. The 2026 Virtual Speaker Series from the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Mental Health convenes practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and community leaders to explore a central question: Who provides mental health support, and in what contexts? Lara Gregorio, LCSW, of 4C Mental Health kicks off the monthly virtual series on March 11, 2026. Subsequent sessions will feature speakers from around the world, including Kenya鈥檚 Kenyatta National Hospital, Utrecht University, the University of Zimbabwe, King鈥檚 College London, and more.
- Held via Zoom the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 9 a.m. ET
Michael Bourgon brought us so much joy with And how did we thank him? By misspelling his home city. Canada's capital, no less. It鈥檚 Ottawa, of course鈥攏ot Ottowa. We regret the error. Please don鈥檛 send the turkeys after us.鈥擳he Editors ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Just a Little R & R.I.P.
It can be hard to get certain workaholic types to chill out. Spas and meditation retreats just don鈥檛 always cut it for the 鈥淚鈥檒l-rest-when-I鈥檓-dead鈥 set. But a coffin just might do the trick! A Japanese wellness trend promotes reclining in a coffin as a way to put things in perspective, (Such perspective can be gained via closed-or open-lidded casket options.) In this case, the box is not a final resting place: A typical 30-minute coffin-lying stint (which can cost ~2,000 yen, or $12鈥$13 USD) offers just enough time 鈥渢o gaze at life through being conscious of death,鈥 explains designer and custom coffin-maker Mikako Fuse. Immortalize your memento mori: 鈥淐ute coffins鈥 are bedecked with Instagrammable designs including ginghams and florals, . It's all part of making existential dread, the inevitability of mortality, and the staring into oblivion ...鈥渂right and not so scary." QUICK HITS Scientists create autism panel, citing RFK Jr.鈥檚 politicization of research 鈥 Emergency supplies for nuclear or chemical attack distributed across Middle East, says WHO 鈥 Sudan Declared 'Cholera Free' Amid Rise in Dengue, Malaria, Measles 鈥 Study warns of underrecognized Lassa fever threat with global implications 鈥 Navigating conversations with children about war, conflict and other traumatic events 鈥 Issue No. 2875
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Stemming the Tide of Stigma; and An Aid Vacuum Leading to Violence
March 4, 2026
TOP STORIES
The UN issued an urgent call for the protection of civilians amid the Israeli and U.S. airstrikes against Iran, which are displacing thousands and disrupting humanitarian services as violence and instability spreads through the Middle East; UN officials also called for a 鈥減rompt, impartial and thorough investigation鈥 into the Saturday airstrike that hit a Minab school, killing dozens鈥攎any children鈥攁nd injuring dozens more.
26 M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res staffers remain unaccounted for a month after two of the organization鈥檚 medical facilities in South Sudan鈥檚 Jonglei State were attacked, that said the staff fled with much of the local population into rural regions with limited communication connectivity amid ongoing violence.
A breakthrough shipment of 11 routine vaccines to South Sudan鈥檚 South Kordofan state will 鈥渞estore lifesaving immunization services鈥 to communities cut off from vaccine deliveries since July 2023 because of conflict and siege; the two truckloads of supplies include shots for TB, polio, and measles, and the pentavalent vaccine.
U.S. maternal deaths dropped in 2024, that found that 649 mothers died in 2024 during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth, compared to 669 in 2023鈥攁 continued decline from a COVID-19 era spike; the report also found the Black maternal death rate was 3X+ that of the white and Hispanic rates. IN FOCUS Stemming the Tide of Stigma The health impacts of stigma on people with mental illness can be severe鈥攊ncluding delays in seeking treatment, lower-quality care, and reduced rates of recovery. A push for policy: Such impacts are why stigma reduction must play a critical role not just in grassroots advocacy but in national health policy, say Danish health authorities, who adopted a sustained anti-stigma initiative in 2021, .
The abrupt closure of U.S.-funded youth programs in Colombia鈥檚 Choc贸 province last year has left thousands of at-risk young people without a stable source of community, leading gangs to fill that role. Background: Violence prevention programs like Youth Resilience and Black Boys Choc贸 once provided mentoring, leadership training, and social activities like dance to thousands of young people, helping to keep them out of gangs.
Delays in awards and funding calls worry NIH-funded researchers 鈥 Leana S. Wen: The CDC is in chaos. But here鈥檚 where it鈥檚 devastating. 鈥 How Kennedy Is Trying to Revamp Medical School 鈥 Investigation finds 鈥榮ecretly鈥 added chemicals of unknown safety in US food supply 鈥 Syngenta says it will stop making pesticide linked to Parkinson鈥檚 disease 鈥 Climate shocks, not just warming, threaten malaria control efforts in Africa 鈥 Why Is America Fixated on Protein? 鈥 Issue No. 2874
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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A breakthrough shipment of 11 routine vaccines to South Sudan鈥檚 South Kordofan state will 鈥渞estore lifesaving immunization services鈥 to communities cut off from vaccine deliveries since July 2023 because of conflict and siege; the two truckloads of supplies include shots for TB, polio, and measles, and the pentavalent vaccine.
U.S. maternal deaths dropped in 2024, that found that 649 mothers died in 2024 during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth, compared to 669 in 2023鈥攁 continued decline from a COVID-19 era spike; the report also found the Black maternal death rate was 3X+ that of the white and Hispanic rates. IN FOCUS Stemming the Tide of Stigma The health impacts of stigma on people with mental illness can be severe鈥攊ncluding delays in seeking treatment, lower-quality care, and reduced rates of recovery. A push for policy: Such impacts are why stigma reduction must play a critical role not just in grassroots advocacy but in national health policy, say Danish health authorities, who adopted a sustained anti-stigma initiative in 2021, .
- 鈥淪tigma has such an effect that people do not seek psychiatric services,鈥 said Niels Sand酶, the former director of prevention and inequity at the Danish Health Authority, who explained that to strengthen overall treatment, 鈥渨e have to do something about the stigmatization.鈥
- Such policy-based priorities resonate with a key message of : 鈥淲e cannot change the status quo on mental health without tackling stigma and discrimination.鈥
The abrupt closure of U.S.-funded youth programs in Colombia鈥檚 Choc贸 province last year has left thousands of at-risk young people without a stable source of community, leading gangs to fill that role. Background: Violence prevention programs like Youth Resilience and Black Boys Choc贸 once provided mentoring, leadership training, and social activities like dance to thousands of young people, helping to keep them out of gangs.
- But in the months since USAID funds ceased, those initiatives have struggled to stay afloat.
Delays in awards and funding calls worry NIH-funded researchers 鈥 Leana S. Wen: The CDC is in chaos. But here鈥檚 where it鈥檚 devastating. 鈥 How Kennedy Is Trying to Revamp Medical School 鈥 Investigation finds 鈥榮ecretly鈥 added chemicals of unknown safety in US food supply 鈥 Syngenta says it will stop making pesticide linked to Parkinson鈥檚 disease 鈥 Climate shocks, not just warming, threaten malaria control efforts in Africa 鈥 Why Is America Fixated on Protein? 鈥 Issue No. 2874
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: India鈥檚 鈥楤lood Deserts鈥; and A 鈥楪ame Changer鈥 for Sleeping Sickness
March 3, 2026
TOP STORIES
U.S. health officials asked to postpone a PAHO-convened panel to review the U.S. measles elimination status, originally set for April, until November鈥攁fter the midterm elections; the Health and Human Services Department said it needs more time to analyze its measles data.
The malaria vaccine is reducing hospitalizations and deaths of children in northwestern Nigeria, state health workers say, with hospital cases declining up to 50% a year after the malaria vaccine was added to the routine immunization schedule in Nigeria鈥檚 Kebbi State; 200,000+ children have received at least a first dose.
A UN drug alert blocked a shipment of chemicals that could have produced ~1.4 to 3.3 tons of fentanyl鈥攗p to 1.6 billion potentially lethal doses; the UN International Narcotics Control Board released news of the March 2025 seizure as an 鈥渋nternational success story鈥 to demonstrate the importance of the early warning system.
Consumer Reports found heavy metals in more than half of infant formulas it tested in the U.S.鈥攄espite an FDA pledge to tighten oversight; 26 of 49 formulas contained inorganic arsenic at or above CR's level of concern; more than a quarter of the products tested revealed PFAS, 鈥渇orever chemicals,鈥 and three exceeded CR鈥檚 lead level of concern, though CR stressed none of the levels were high enough to cause immediate harm. IN FOCUS Employees of a private company donating blood in a LG Mega Blood Donation Camp. March 27, 2025, Noida, India. Sunil Ghosh/Hindustan Times via Getty India鈥檚 鈥楤lood Deserts鈥 Families of patients needing donated blood in India routinely post desperate pleas on social media because the blood system in states like Jharkhand lacks sufficient supplies, .
Unreliable blood testing: Even when donor blood is obtained, procedures for testing the blood for HIV and other pathogens aren鈥檛 always followed.
A new treatment for sleeping sickness is being heralded as 鈥渢ruly spectacular鈥濃攁nd a potential key toward eliminating the parasitic disease by 2030, . The disease is spread through bites of tsetse flies in sub-Saharan Africa and dramatically impacts the nervous system. It is almost always fatal if left untreated. The new drug acoziborole鈥攁 one-dose, three-pill treatment for sleeping sickness made by Sanofi鈥攔eceived endorsement from the European Medicines Agency last week, paving the way for approval across Africa, . What makes it different:
US Speeds up Signing of Bilateral Health Agreements, DRC Lawyers Challenge Minerals Deal 鈥 Acting CDC director Bhattacharya urges measles vaccines 鈥 Egyptian Women Are Still Being Asked to Prove Their Virginity 鈥 States Move to Limit Access to H.I.V. Treatment 鈥 Malawi bans dual jobs for health workers 鈥 Made-in-America Guns Are Fueling Death and Destruction in Mexico 鈥 Will the next World Food Programme chief answer to Trump? 鈥 Should tick safety be as popular as 'slip, slop, slap'? 鈥 Issue No. 2873
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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The malaria vaccine is reducing hospitalizations and deaths of children in northwestern Nigeria, state health workers say, with hospital cases declining up to 50% a year after the malaria vaccine was added to the routine immunization schedule in Nigeria鈥檚 Kebbi State; 200,000+ children have received at least a first dose.
A UN drug alert blocked a shipment of chemicals that could have produced ~1.4 to 3.3 tons of fentanyl鈥攗p to 1.6 billion potentially lethal doses; the UN International Narcotics Control Board released news of the March 2025 seizure as an 鈥渋nternational success story鈥 to demonstrate the importance of the early warning system.
Consumer Reports found heavy metals in more than half of infant formulas it tested in the U.S.鈥攄espite an FDA pledge to tighten oversight; 26 of 49 formulas contained inorganic arsenic at or above CR's level of concern; more than a quarter of the products tested revealed PFAS, 鈥渇orever chemicals,鈥 and three exceeded CR鈥檚 lead level of concern, though CR stressed none of the levels were high enough to cause immediate harm. IN FOCUS Employees of a private company donating blood in a LG Mega Blood Donation Camp. March 27, 2025, Noida, India. Sunil Ghosh/Hindustan Times via Getty India鈥檚 鈥楤lood Deserts鈥 Families of patients needing donated blood in India routinely post desperate pleas on social media because the blood system in states like Jharkhand lacks sufficient supplies, .
- Large parts of India are considered 鈥渂lood deserts鈥 where local timely, affordable demand goes unmet in at least 75% of transfusion cases.
- Patients with the inherited blood disorder thalassemia require frequent blood transfusions, so unreliable blood supplies can make tracking down the correct blood group an ordeal for each procedure.
Unreliable blood testing: Even when donor blood is obtained, procedures for testing the blood for HIV and other pathogens aren鈥檛 always followed.
- Three members of a Jharkhand family were infected with HIV in January after the mother received a blood transfusion during labor, .
A new treatment for sleeping sickness is being heralded as 鈥渢ruly spectacular鈥濃攁nd a potential key toward eliminating the parasitic disease by 2030, . The disease is spread through bites of tsetse flies in sub-Saharan Africa and dramatically impacts the nervous system. It is almost always fatal if left untreated. The new drug acoziborole鈥攁 one-dose, three-pill treatment for sleeping sickness made by Sanofi鈥攔eceived endorsement from the European Medicines Agency last week, paving the way for approval across Africa, . What makes it different:
- The pill treats both mild and severe cases, eliminating invasive diagnostics that can include spinal taps.
- It is one dose and easily transportable to remote regions.
- And it is effective: that 95%+ of treated patients were cured after 18 months.
US Speeds up Signing of Bilateral Health Agreements, DRC Lawyers Challenge Minerals Deal 鈥 Acting CDC director Bhattacharya urges measles vaccines 鈥 Egyptian Women Are Still Being Asked to Prove Their Virginity 鈥 States Move to Limit Access to H.I.V. Treatment 鈥 Malawi bans dual jobs for health workers 鈥 Made-in-America Guns Are Fueling Death and Destruction in Mexico 鈥 Will the next World Food Programme chief answer to Trump? 鈥 Should tick safety be as popular as 'slip, slop, slap'? 鈥 Issue No. 2873
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Warnings of Human Toll as Middle East Conflict Widens; and High-Impact, Home-Based Prevention
March 2, 2026
TOP STORIES
Sudan鈥檚 Rapid Support Forces during and after the takeover of El Fasher last October, per a published last week drawing on interviews with 22 survivors and witnesses.
Both the DRC and Guinea have forged health cooperation agreements with the U.S.鈥攖he latest of several bilateral deals the U.S. has made in Africa after dismantling its former USAID health funding last year; Guinea鈥檚 agreement totals ~$143 million in funding over the next five years, , and the DRC鈥檚 agreement totals $1.2 billion through 2030, . Spain reported a possible infection with the swine flu virus鈥攖he A(H1N1)v variant鈥攖hat may have been transmitted between humans, but a Catalonia region health official said the risk of transmission to other people was very low; the WHO is conducting additional tests to confirm the diagnosis and rule out contamination or external interference. Meningococcal B vaccine is not effective at preventing gonorrhea infection in high-risk groups, presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Infections last week ; the findings show that gonorrhea incidence among gay and bisexual men with a history of gonorrhea infection was essentially the same whether they received the vaccine or a placebo. IN FOCUS Severe damage is seen at Gandi Hospital, in northern Tehran, following U.S. and Israeli joint strikes on the Iranian capital, on March 2. Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Warnings of Human Toll as Middle East Conflict Widens
As conflict spreads rapidly across the Middle East following joint U.S.-Israel strikes across Iran this weekend, global leaders are warning against escalating humanitarian impacts throughout the region鈥攊ncluding attacks on health care and other civilian institutions: 鈥淗ealth facilities are protected under international humanitarian law,鈥 in response to 鈥渆xtremely worrying鈥 reports that Tehran's Gandhi Hospital was struck during bombardment, 鈥攄etails that WHO leaders were still working to verify today.
1,100+
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌
US measles cases so far in 2026, per the CDC鈥攚ith a placing the number of confirmed cases at 1,153 since January 1.鈥
Related: Measles outbreaks are costing the U.S. millions of dollars. The true losses can't be counted. 鈥 LETTER TO THE EDITOR Correcting the Story on Australia鈥檚 Cigarette Taxes Regarding the February 17 GHN summary on a highlighting the recent increase in illicit cigarettes in Australia, the newspaper missed crucial parts of this important story. As noted, when cigarette taxes and prices increase dramatically, some smokers may shift to illicit cigarettes. However, experiences in other countries including the U.K. and Montenegro demonstrate that straightforward measures to secure the supply chain mitigate the illegal market. In the U.K., prices are comparable to Australia鈥檚, but illicit trade is a manageable ~10%. They did this through strong policies including registering vendors who are adequately punished for tax violations; placing their customs officials in source countries through mutual agreements; and developing a tracking and tracing system for all tobacco products that permits tax authorities to know precisely where products are. Australia, however, has done little along these lines, which is their real challenge. Contrary to this reporting, higher taxes are not the central problem but rather a proven public health success. Jeffrey Drope, PhD QUICK HITS White House stalls release of approved US science budgets 鈥 More Parents Say 'No' to Vitamin K Shots for Newborns 鈥 Why new doctors aren't specializing in infectious diseases 鈥
Families Defend Disability Services Amid Medicaid Cuts 鈥
Ivermectin is making a post-pandemic comeback, among cancer patients 鈥 Why We Vaccinate Our Dogs and Cats 鈥 Issue No. 2872
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Both the DRC and Guinea have forged health cooperation agreements with the U.S.鈥攖he latest of several bilateral deals the U.S. has made in Africa after dismantling its former USAID health funding last year; Guinea鈥檚 agreement totals ~$143 million in funding over the next five years, , and the DRC鈥檚 agreement totals $1.2 billion through 2030, . Spain reported a possible infection with the swine flu virus鈥攖he A(H1N1)v variant鈥攖hat may have been transmitted between humans, but a Catalonia region health official said the risk of transmission to other people was very low; the WHO is conducting additional tests to confirm the diagnosis and rule out contamination or external interference. Meningococcal B vaccine is not effective at preventing gonorrhea infection in high-risk groups, presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Infections last week ; the findings show that gonorrhea incidence among gay and bisexual men with a history of gonorrhea infection was essentially the same whether they received the vaccine or a placebo. IN FOCUS Severe damage is seen at Gandi Hospital, in northern Tehran, following U.S. and Israeli joint strikes on the Iranian capital, on March 2. Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Warnings of Human Toll as Middle East Conflict Widens
As conflict spreads rapidly across the Middle East following joint U.S.-Israel strikes across Iran this weekend, global leaders are warning against escalating humanitarian impacts throughout the region鈥攊ncluding attacks on health care and other civilian institutions: 鈥淗ealth facilities are protected under international humanitarian law,鈥 in response to 鈥渆xtremely worrying鈥 reports that Tehran's Gandhi Hospital was struck during bombardment, 鈥攄etails that WHO leaders were still working to verify today.
- In Israel, health care facilities have moved operations underground and to other protected spaces, .
- such a strike as 鈥渁 grave violation of humanitarian law.鈥
- 鈥淎s always, in any armed conflict, it is civilians who end up paying the ultimate price,鈥 said T眉rk.
- ~500 community health workers delivered tests and PrEP/PEP drugs directly to homes and coordinated follow-up care via smartphone apps.
- Overall, the intervention led to a 4X increase in use of anti-HIV drugs in people who were not infected with the virus.
1,100+
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌
US measles cases so far in 2026, per the CDC鈥攚ith a placing the number of confirmed cases at 1,153 since January 1.鈥
Related: Measles outbreaks are costing the U.S. millions of dollars. The true losses can't be counted. 鈥 LETTER TO THE EDITOR Correcting the Story on Australia鈥檚 Cigarette Taxes Regarding the February 17 GHN summary on a highlighting the recent increase in illicit cigarettes in Australia, the newspaper missed crucial parts of this important story. As noted, when cigarette taxes and prices increase dramatically, some smokers may shift to illicit cigarettes. However, experiences in other countries including the U.K. and Montenegro demonstrate that straightforward measures to secure the supply chain mitigate the illegal market. In the U.K., prices are comparable to Australia鈥檚, but illicit trade is a manageable ~10%. They did this through strong policies including registering vendors who are adequately punished for tax violations; placing their customs officials in source countries through mutual agreements; and developing a tracking and tracing system for all tobacco products that permits tax authorities to know precisely where products are. Australia, however, has done little along these lines, which is their real challenge. Contrary to this reporting, higher taxes are not the central problem but rather a proven public health success. Jeffrey Drope, PhD QUICK HITS White House stalls release of approved US science budgets 鈥 More Parents Say 'No' to Vitamin K Shots for Newborns 鈥 Why new doctors aren't specializing in infectious diseases 鈥
Families Defend Disability Services Amid Medicaid Cuts 鈥
Ivermectin is making a post-pandemic comeback, among cancer patients 鈥 Why We Vaccinate Our Dogs and Cats 鈥 Issue No. 2872
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Somalia鈥檚 Severe Food Insecurity; How Dentists are Driving Antibiotic Overuse
Plus: Let鈥檚 Talk Turkey 鈥 Attacks
February 26, 2026
TOP STORIES
~$900 million in U.S. funds designated for two public health emergency preparedness programs lack coordinated oversight, , with the two HHS programs鈥攖he Public Health Emergency Preparedness program and the Hospital Preparedness Program鈥攂oth failing to adequately track state and local emergency readiness.
Assisted dying legislation has passed in Jersey, making it the second British Isles region to pass such a statute following the Isle of Man; however, advocates warn that the law鈥檚 enactment could be slowed due to delays in the final approval process known as royal assent.
A 鈥渃ocktail鈥 of plastic particles and chemicals has been identified in microwavable meals, by Greenpeace International that analyzed 24 recent scientific studies on such products.
Hundreds of international scientists could face increasing restrictions from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, with 3-year work limits, reduced access to labs, and some scientists from certain countries potentially losing all access as a part of proposed new rules.
IN FOCUS
A man and children eat together at a camp as people receive food aid packages in Mogadishu, Somalia, February 25. Halil Ibrahim Sincar/Anadolu via Getty Images
Somalia鈥檚 Severe Food Insecurity
The number of Somalis facing acute food insecurity has nearly doubled since last year, impacting a 鈥渟taggering鈥 6.5 million people, as deepening drought, ongoing conflict, exorbitant food prices, and reduced aid all lead to deteriorating conditions, .
U.S. dentists are prescribing antibiotics at increasing rates, contributing to rising antimicrobial resistance, while failing to install systems to prevent overuse, By the numbers: Dentists issued 27 million+ antibiotic prescriptions in 2025鈥攁 6% increase since 2020.
Curbing overuse of dental antibiotics proves daunting 鈥 How to avoid inappropriate dental antibiotics 鈥 OPPORTUNITY Nominations Open for Fries Awards for Health
Do you know someone who has achieved a major accomplishment in health? Nominate them for the CDC Foundation鈥檚 Fries Awards for Health.
When Ottowa lab tech Michael Bourgon encountered two brazen birds on his walk home from work last week, he tried to be cordial.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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The number of Somalis facing acute food insecurity has nearly doubled since last year, impacting a 鈥渟taggering鈥 6.5 million people, as deepening drought, ongoing conflict, exorbitant food prices, and reduced aid all lead to deteriorating conditions, .
- And drought conditions are expected to remain 鈥渄ire鈥 through the spring, triggering further hunger across southern, central, and parts of northern Somalia鈥攖aking a particular toll on farming families, pastoralists, and people who are displaced, .
- Since aid cuts last year, there has been a 鈥渟ignificant reduction in the availability of nutrition treatment services,鈥 including preventive treatment, supplemental feeding and therapeutic clinics, and early detection and referral services for children.
U.S. dentists are prescribing antibiotics at increasing rates, contributing to rising antimicrobial resistance, while failing to install systems to prevent overuse, By the numbers: Dentists issued 27 million+ antibiotic prescriptions in 2025鈥攁 6% increase since 2020.
- 80% of antibiotic prescriptions in dentistry are unnecessary, .
- Clindamycin ranks as the second-most prescribed dental antibiotic despite experts鈥 calls to minimize it.
Curbing overuse of dental antibiotics proves daunting 鈥 How to avoid inappropriate dental antibiotics 鈥 OPPORTUNITY Nominations Open for Fries Awards for Health
Do you know someone who has achieved a major accomplishment in health? Nominate them for the CDC Foundation鈥檚 Fries Awards for Health.
- The Fries Prize for Improving Health, a $100,000 prize, is awarded to an individual who has made major accomplishments in health improvement, with emphasis on recent contributions to health, and with the general criteria of the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
- The Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award, a $50,000 prize, recognizes a practitioner or scholar who has made a substantial contribution to advancing the field of health education or health promotion through research, program development, or program delivery.
When Ottowa lab tech Michael Bourgon encountered two brazen birds on his walk home from work last week, he tried to be cordial.
鈥淗ey, what鈥檚 up turkeys?鈥 he greeted.
But they had come for blood, aggressively following Bourgon and giving him 鈥渢he business,鈥 . As they pecked around his ankles, he quickly realized: 鈥淲hatever this is, I don鈥檛 want it.鈥
His next thought: 鈥淧lease don鈥檛 let me be the guy who goes viral for kicking a turkey in the face.鈥 Instead, he gently kicked snow around the birds, which only provoked them further.
Then, a stunning rescue.
鈥淗ey, hop in!鈥 a perfect stranger called from a white SUV, despite Bourgon looking鈥攕elf-described鈥斺渓ike the Unabomber.鈥
We know all this thanks to another hero: Quick-thinking passerby Jody Paul knew 鈥渁 naturally funny situation鈥 when he saw one, and captured the
But it didn鈥檛 stop there. Bourgon still had to face work鈥攁nd the turkeys鈥攖he next day, and the next.
鈥淏y round three, I was ready鈥濃攚ith some turkey face-off strategies for us all: Stand your ground, and don鈥檛 be 鈥渃haseable.鈥
鈥淒oormats get walked on,鈥 he advised. 鈥淒on鈥檛 put up with the turkey nonsense.鈥
QUICK HITS Group unveils 10-year blueprint to reduce blindness 鈥 Newly released 2025 scorecard unveils progress and setbacks on health and gender equality across Southern Africa 鈥 More pregnant Americans are skipping prenatal care, CDC finds 鈥 Scientists discover a key to staying mentally sharp in old age 鈥 When the next global health crisis strikes, will we be ready in 100 days? 鈥 Issue No. 2871Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
