96
Global Health NOW: The Human Cost of Aid Cuts Comes Into Focus; Ensnared in Cambodia鈥檚 Scam Centers; and Captagon鈥檚 Continued Grip in Syria
June 30, 2025
Baboia Sijen, 20, feeds Motakil Anas, 2, an RUTF packet at the Almanar feeding center in Mayo Mandala outside Omdurman, Sudan. May 25. Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty
The Human Cost of Aid Cuts Comes Into Focus
Six months since U.S. officials slashed USAID funding for global aid and development, the toll is becoming evident on intimate and international scales.
Malnourished families increasingly have nowhere to turn in places that depended heavily on U.S. aid like Sudan and Nepal. Studies project cuts could lead to 163,500 additional child deaths annually, .
In Nepal, the sudden halt of food shipments has already led to deaths and threatens to undo years of work addressing childhood wasting and stunting.
In war-torn Sudan, the cuts have triggered a cascade of preventable deaths from bacterial infections, cholera, and starvation as soup kitchens close and clinics鈥 stockrooms grow bare, .
11.8 million
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌
People in the U.S. estimated to lose health coverage by 2034 under the Senate version of the Trump administration鈥檚 budget bill, currently under debate. 鈥 The Latest One-Liners A WHO-appointed expert panel鈥檚 , released Friday, failed to reach a conclusive answer; while most scientific data supports a zoonotic spillover, the panel said, it could not rule out a lab leak because China has withheld data needed to fully evaluate all hypotheses.
A measles outbreak has been reported in a New Mexico jail, after five detainees tested positive for the virus; the state has now reported 86 cases in eight counties.
U.S. Black and Hispanic patients seeking medical care for issues stemming from opioid use are 鈥渟ignificantly less likely鈥 to receive buprenorphine or naltrexone, that suggests that while access to such medications has improved overall, racial disparities in treatment persist.
France鈥檚 smoking ban in public places such as parks, beaches, and bus shelters took effect yesterday; the new ban aims to protect children from passive smoking. U.S. and Global Health Policy News Vaccine, public health advocates warn of fallout from ACIP meeting 鈥
Kennedy v. Braidwood: The Supreme Court Upheld ACA Preventive Services but That鈥檚 Not the End of the Story 鈥
SCOTUS delivers gut punch to Planned Parenthood 鈥
Arrests of scientists over smuggled samples add to US border anxiety 鈥
'Where's our money?' CDC grant funding is moving so slowly layoffs are happening 鈥
States Fear Critical Funding From FEMA May Be Drying Up 鈥
At some federal beaches, the lifeguard chair is empty 鈥 HUMAN RIGHTS Ensnared in Cambodia鈥檚 Scam Centers
Across Cambodia, thousands of people are trapped in 鈥渉ellish鈥 jail-like compounds, forced to facilitate online scams for crime syndicates, while the Cambodian government is 鈥渄eliberately ignoring鈥 human trafficking, torture, and other abuses, .
Background: Scam centers have proliferated across Southeast Asia in the last five years. Those running the schemes are often people lured through false job advertisements, then forced to work under threat of violence.
Details:
After the fall of Bashar Al-Assad in Syria, transitional leaders vowed to dismantle the government鈥檚 longstanding involvement in the production and trafficking of Captagon鈥攁n illicit synthetic drug similar to methamphetamine that reportedly generated billions for the Assad regime.
Despite the crackdown, the country remains a hub for Captagon production and distribution as traffickers shift tactics, .
The Quote: 鈥淭hese groups have been managing Captagon for a long time, and production is not going to stop in a matter of days or weeks,鈥 said UNODC鈥檚 research and analysis chief, Angela Me.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Inside one of Gaza's last functioning hospitals: How staff in Nasser Hospital are fighting to keep people alive 鈥
Too scared to go to hospital: the pregnant women in Dominican Republic dying because of deportation fears 鈥
People whose lives were permanently altered by disease send a warning as vaccine opposition grows 鈥
Amid alarm over a US 鈥榓utism registry鈥, people are using these tactics to avoid disability surveillance 鈥
The World Is Producing More Food than Ever鈥攂ut Not for Long 鈥
Texas is getting older, and its child population is growing 鈥
Click, speak, move: These brain implants are poised to help people with disabilities 鈥
The Whimsy and Practicality of 鈥楽uperAdobe鈥 鈥 Issue No. 2749
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Six months since U.S. officials slashed USAID funding for global aid and development, the toll is becoming evident on intimate and international scales.
Malnourished families increasingly have nowhere to turn in places that depended heavily on U.S. aid like Sudan and Nepal. Studies project cuts could lead to 163,500 additional child deaths annually, .
In Nepal, the sudden halt of food shipments has already led to deaths and threatens to undo years of work addressing childhood wasting and stunting.
In war-torn Sudan, the cuts have triggered a cascade of preventable deaths from bacterial infections, cholera, and starvation as soup kitchens close and clinics鈥 stockrooms grow bare, .
- One Sudanese mother described trying to soothe her starving children: 鈥淪ometimes I boiled water on the fire and told them I am cooking and just to wait.鈥
- Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of doses of lifesaving peanut paste supplements paid for by the U.S. government are sitting in warehouses.
- With aid shrinking and debt burdens rising, achieving the 17 SDGs by 2030 is increasingly unlikely, .
11.8 million
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌
People in the U.S. estimated to lose health coverage by 2034 under the Senate version of the Trump administration鈥檚 budget bill, currently under debate. 鈥 The Latest One-Liners A WHO-appointed expert panel鈥檚 , released Friday, failed to reach a conclusive answer; while most scientific data supports a zoonotic spillover, the panel said, it could not rule out a lab leak because China has withheld data needed to fully evaluate all hypotheses.
A measles outbreak has been reported in a New Mexico jail, after five detainees tested positive for the virus; the state has now reported 86 cases in eight counties.
U.S. Black and Hispanic patients seeking medical care for issues stemming from opioid use are 鈥渟ignificantly less likely鈥 to receive buprenorphine or naltrexone, that suggests that while access to such medications has improved overall, racial disparities in treatment persist.
France鈥檚 smoking ban in public places such as parks, beaches, and bus shelters took effect yesterday; the new ban aims to protect children from passive smoking. U.S. and Global Health Policy News Vaccine, public health advocates warn of fallout from ACIP meeting 鈥
Kennedy v. Braidwood: The Supreme Court Upheld ACA Preventive Services but That鈥檚 Not the End of the Story 鈥
SCOTUS delivers gut punch to Planned Parenthood 鈥
Arrests of scientists over smuggled samples add to US border anxiety 鈥
'Where's our money?' CDC grant funding is moving so slowly layoffs are happening 鈥
States Fear Critical Funding From FEMA May Be Drying Up 鈥
At some federal beaches, the lifeguard chair is empty 鈥 HUMAN RIGHTS Ensnared in Cambodia鈥檚 Scam Centers
Across Cambodia, thousands of people are trapped in 鈥渉ellish鈥 jail-like compounds, forced to facilitate online scams for crime syndicates, while the Cambodian government is 鈥渄eliberately ignoring鈥 human trafficking, torture, and other abuses, .
Background: Scam centers have proliferated across Southeast Asia in the last five years. Those running the schemes are often people lured through false job advertisements, then forced to work under threat of violence.
Details:
- In Cambodia alone, ~100,000 people鈥攊ncluding children鈥攈ave been trafficked into scam compounds. The report identified at least 53 scam centers.
- In some cases, there has been 鈥渃oordination and possibly collusion鈥 between Chinese compound bosses and Cambodian authorities.
After the fall of Bashar Al-Assad in Syria, transitional leaders vowed to dismantle the government鈥檚 longstanding involvement in the production and trafficking of Captagon鈥攁n illicit synthetic drug similar to methamphetamine that reportedly generated billions for the Assad regime.
Despite the crackdown, the country remains a hub for Captagon production and distribution as traffickers shift tactics, .
The Quote: 鈥淭hese groups have been managing Captagon for a long time, and production is not going to stop in a matter of days or weeks,鈥 said UNODC鈥檚 research and analysis chief, Angela Me.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Inside one of Gaza's last functioning hospitals: How staff in Nasser Hospital are fighting to keep people alive 鈥
Too scared to go to hospital: the pregnant women in Dominican Republic dying because of deportation fears 鈥
People whose lives were permanently altered by disease send a warning as vaccine opposition grows 鈥
Amid alarm over a US 鈥榓utism registry鈥, people are using these tactics to avoid disability surveillance 鈥
The World Is Producing More Food than Ever鈥攂ut Not for Long 鈥
Texas is getting older, and its child population is growing 鈥
Click, speak, move: These brain implants are poised to help people with disabilities 鈥
The Whimsy and Practicality of 鈥楽uperAdobe鈥 鈥 Issue No. 2749
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
One in six people are affected by loneliness, with significant implications for health and well-being, according to a new report from the UN World Health Organization (WHO).
Categories: Global Health Feed
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has launched a bold new national initiative aimed at eliminating AIDS among children by 2030 鈥 a move hailed by the United Nations as 鈥渁 beacon of hope鈥 amid growing global funding constraints.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The 鈥楾ragedy鈥 of Faulty Chemotherapy Drugs; City Smarts Challenge Big Tobacco鈥檚 Sales Pitch; and The Italian Tow Job
June 26, 2025
Illustrator: Anuj Shrestha, Courtesy of TBIJ
The 鈥楾ragedy鈥 of Faulty Chemotherapy Drugs
A wide range of generic cancer drugs used in 100+ countries have failed quality tests, making them ineffective or dangerous, a .
Findings: , showing too little or too much active ingredient. Some pills from the same pack had inconsistent potency.
Global reach: Substandard drugs were found in both poor and rich nations, including Ethiopia, Nepal, Malawi, the U.S., the U.K., and Saudi Arabia.
Patient harm: Doctors described seeing patients experience sudden treatment failures or severe side effects after starting drug regimens.
Avoidable sepsis deaths are occuring in UK NHS facilities because doctors and nurses are too slow to spot the signs, warns the watchdog Health Services Safety Investigations Body.
ADHD medication can reduce risks of injuries, traffic crashes, and crime, finds a study that tracked ~250,000 Swedish people for 14 years; however, its protective effects have diminished over time as prescription rates have risen and patient populations have shifted.
Latino neighborhoods across California experience ~23 more extreme-heat days per year than non-Latino white neighborhoods, from UCLA researchers that highlights 鈥渟ignificant鈥 environmental health disparities across 23 counties. GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY An image from Rio de Janeiro's new social media campaign. Image courtesy of Vital Strategies. City Smarts Challenge Big Tobacco鈥檚 Sales Pitch
A recent features a fashionable young woman applying makeup and impersonating a talking e-cigarette: 鈥淚 have so many looks! I use perfume!鈥 Smiling and playful at first, her expression suddenly turns sinister as she tells her Gen Z peers that they have been horribly fooled by e-cigarettes鈥 fun flavors, scents, and designs.
It鈥檚 an example of how cities like Rio de Janeiro and New York City鈥攎embers of the 鈥攁re fighting back against Big Tobacco. Traditional regulation and enforcement combined with targeted communication strategies鈥攆eaturing the voices of industry targets, like teens and young adults鈥攈as proven to be the best way to push back, Michelle Morse, the acting health commissioner and chief medical officer of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and Daniel Soranz, the secretary of health for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, .
City strength: City governments have long been at the forefront of efforts to stem tobacco鈥檚 devastating health impacts, drawing on knowledge of their communities鈥 unique vulnerabilities and opportunities to strengthen protective factors, Morse and Soranz write.
鈥淭he tobacco industry鈥檚 tricks are constantly evolving; so too must our cities鈥 tactics,鈥 write Morse and Solanz, who share strategies to create targeted messaging that puts those most affected front and center and encourage other cities around the world to join their fight against Big Tobacco. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES VACCINES A Pivotal Moment for the Global Immunization Effort
It has been 50+ years since the WHO launched its global immunization program鈥攁n effort that has reached 4.4 billion people and saved 154 million lives, .
But the program is at a critical juncture: Since 2010, progress has stalled or reversed in many countries. And funding cuts, misinformation, and conflict continue to threaten gains, .
Cut funding for Gavi: HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has said the U.S. will halt all contributions to the international vaccine alliance, Gavi, accusing it of not following scientific data鈥攁 criticism Gavi rejected, .
Related:
4 in 5 Americans support childhood vaccine requirements, poll finds 鈥
Trump鈥檚 CDC pick treads carefully in Senate debut 鈥 ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION The Italian Tow Job
When a hotel staffer first spotted a Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan ker-thunking down Rome鈥檚 Spanish Steps around 4 a.m. last week, he thought a movie was being filmed.
鈥淭hen I realized, no, it was not like that,鈥 said the worker, Sowad Mujibulla, who filmed the incident, .
It was not. The driver, an 80-year-old Roman resident who tested negative for drugs or alcohol, told police he had somehow taken a wrong turn in the predawn darkness. The fire department later used a crane to lift the car off the famed 18th century stairway.
The steps have endured their share of : In 2022, a man was charged with 鈥渁ggravated damage to cultural heritage鈥 after driving a rented Maserati down the 135 steps; and that same year, two American tourists were fined after damaging the travertine steps with their electric scooters, .
But joyriding isn鈥檛 always to blame: Errant drivers worldwide have increasingly found themselves wedged between buildings and marooned mid-staircase after placing too much trust in GPS, . QUICK HITS Can Kenyan youth protests spark real police reform one year on? 鈥
New Report Highlights U.S. 2023 Gun Deaths: Suicide by Firearm at Record Levels for Third Straight Year 鈥
Saia Ma鈥檜 Piukala: From inequity to action: Eliminating cervical cancer in the Western Pacific 鈥
'They're not breathing': Inside the chaos of ICE detention center 911 calls 鈥
He sued for marriage equality and won. 10 years later, he fears for LGBTQ+ rights 鈥
Indonesia to be vaccine self-sufficient by 2037, says health minister 鈥
Rising Temperatures, Rising Inequalities: How a New Insurance Protects India鈥檚 Poorest Women 鈥
Congress Is Pushing for a Medicaid Work Requirement. Here鈥檚 What Happened When Georgia Tried It. 鈥
Brace Yourself for Watery Mayo and Spiky Ice Cream 鈥 Issue No. 2748
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
A wide range of generic cancer drugs used in 100+ countries have failed quality tests, making them ineffective or dangerous, a .
Findings: , showing too little or too much active ingredient. Some pills from the same pack had inconsistent potency.
Global reach: Substandard drugs were found in both poor and rich nations, including Ethiopia, Nepal, Malawi, the U.S., the U.K., and Saudi Arabia.
- Most failed drugs came from Indian manufacturers.
Patient harm: Doctors described seeing patients experience sudden treatment failures or severe side effects after starting drug regimens.
- 鈥淲hen [cancer patients] end up with a medicine that won鈥檛 cure them, that鈥檚 another tragedy,鈥 said a cancer pharmacist in Ethiopia.
Avoidable sepsis deaths are occuring in UK NHS facilities because doctors and nurses are too slow to spot the signs, warns the watchdog Health Services Safety Investigations Body.
ADHD medication can reduce risks of injuries, traffic crashes, and crime, finds a study that tracked ~250,000 Swedish people for 14 years; however, its protective effects have diminished over time as prescription rates have risen and patient populations have shifted.
Latino neighborhoods across California experience ~23 more extreme-heat days per year than non-Latino white neighborhoods, from UCLA researchers that highlights 鈥渟ignificant鈥 environmental health disparities across 23 counties. GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY An image from Rio de Janeiro's new social media campaign. Image courtesy of Vital Strategies. City Smarts Challenge Big Tobacco鈥檚 Sales Pitch
A recent features a fashionable young woman applying makeup and impersonating a talking e-cigarette: 鈥淚 have so many looks! I use perfume!鈥 Smiling and playful at first, her expression suddenly turns sinister as she tells her Gen Z peers that they have been horribly fooled by e-cigarettes鈥 fun flavors, scents, and designs.
It鈥檚 an example of how cities like Rio de Janeiro and New York City鈥攎embers of the 鈥攁re fighting back against Big Tobacco. Traditional regulation and enforcement combined with targeted communication strategies鈥攆eaturing the voices of industry targets, like teens and young adults鈥攈as proven to be the best way to push back, Michelle Morse, the acting health commissioner and chief medical officer of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and Daniel Soranz, the secretary of health for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, .
City strength: City governments have long been at the forefront of efforts to stem tobacco鈥檚 devastating health impacts, drawing on knowledge of their communities鈥 unique vulnerabilities and opportunities to strengthen protective factors, Morse and Soranz write.
鈥淭he tobacco industry鈥檚 tricks are constantly evolving; so too must our cities鈥 tactics,鈥 write Morse and Solanz, who share strategies to create targeted messaging that puts those most affected front and center and encourage other cities around the world to join their fight against Big Tobacco. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES VACCINES A Pivotal Moment for the Global Immunization Effort
It has been 50+ years since the WHO launched its global immunization program鈥攁n effort that has reached 4.4 billion people and saved 154 million lives, .
But the program is at a critical juncture: Since 2010, progress has stalled or reversed in many countries. And funding cuts, misinformation, and conflict continue to threaten gains, .
- "The world is going to have to pick a trajectory. Are we going to turn our backs on one of the most remarkable public health achievements that the world has ever seen?" said Jonathan Mosser, one of the study authors.
Cut funding for Gavi: HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has said the U.S. will halt all contributions to the international vaccine alliance, Gavi, accusing it of not following scientific data鈥攁 criticism Gavi rejected, .
- The U.K. will also cut its Gavi funding by 40% as it also reduces its aid budgets.
Related:
4 in 5 Americans support childhood vaccine requirements, poll finds 鈥
Trump鈥檚 CDC pick treads carefully in Senate debut 鈥 ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION The Italian Tow Job
When a hotel staffer first spotted a Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan ker-thunking down Rome鈥檚 Spanish Steps around 4 a.m. last week, he thought a movie was being filmed.
鈥淭hen I realized, no, it was not like that,鈥 said the worker, Sowad Mujibulla, who filmed the incident, .
It was not. The driver, an 80-year-old Roman resident who tested negative for drugs or alcohol, told police he had somehow taken a wrong turn in the predawn darkness. The fire department later used a crane to lift the car off the famed 18th century stairway.
The steps have endured their share of : In 2022, a man was charged with 鈥渁ggravated damage to cultural heritage鈥 after driving a rented Maserati down the 135 steps; and that same year, two American tourists were fined after damaging the travertine steps with their electric scooters, .
But joyriding isn鈥檛 always to blame: Errant drivers worldwide have increasingly found themselves wedged between buildings and marooned mid-staircase after placing too much trust in GPS, . QUICK HITS Can Kenyan youth protests spark real police reform one year on? 鈥
New Report Highlights U.S. 2023 Gun Deaths: Suicide by Firearm at Record Levels for Third Straight Year 鈥
Saia Ma鈥檜 Piukala: From inequity to action: Eliminating cervical cancer in the Western Pacific 鈥
'They're not breathing': Inside the chaos of ICE detention center 911 calls 鈥
He sued for marriage equality and won. 10 years later, he fears for LGBTQ+ rights 鈥
Indonesia to be vaccine self-sufficient by 2037, says health minister 鈥
Rising Temperatures, Rising Inequalities: How a New Insurance Protects India鈥檚 Poorest Women 鈥
Congress Is Pushing for a Medicaid Work Requirement. Here鈥檚 What Happened When Georgia Tried It. 鈥
Brace Yourself for Watery Mayo and Spiky Ice Cream 鈥 Issue No. 2748
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Sudan Hospital Attack Kills Children, Adults, Medics; Costs of Global Health Cuts; and A Swedish Town鈥檚 Fight Against PFAS
June 25, 2025
A man walks through a shrapnel-riddled hospital ward in Khartoum, Sudan, on April 28. AFP via Getty
Children, Civilians, Medics Killed in Sudan Hospital Attack
A strike on a hospital in Sudan killed 40+ people, including six children and five medics, , in an attack WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has condemned as 鈥渁ppalling.鈥
Details: The targeted Al-Mujlad Hospital in West Kordofan state, 鈥渢he only functioning healthcare facility in the area鈥 , was close to one of the frontlines of the conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces鈥攁 war .
Children in conflict: for Sudanese children this week, as a new finds that children worldwide suffered record levels of violence in conflict zones in 2024, . Findings documented:
Asia is warming ~2X as fast as the global average, by the World Meteorological Organization; last year, Asia endured its warmest or second-warmest year on record with widespread heatwaves and other extreme weather events.
National pandemic research output correlated most strongly with pre鈥憄andemic research activity鈥攎uch more so than with other country characteristics such as GDP, population, or case numbers鈥攑er an analysis of global publication and clinical trial data; the findings underscore national research capacity鈥檚 importance in health emergency preparedness.
Just 13% of Americans correctly identified testicular cancer as most commonly affecting men under 40, by the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, suggesting more can be done to educate the public about the disease. U.S. and Global Health Policy News In the face of anti-science politics, silence is not without cost 鈥
Trump admin cuts contracts with scientific publishing giant 鈥
Health Secretary RFK Jr. questioned about vaccine policy, transparency in House hearing on funding request 鈥
Federal budget cuts slow pace of breakthrough autoimmune therapies 鈥
The Trump administration is investigating the University of Michigan health system over a transgender care case. 鈥
She hoped key research could help save her eyesight. Then the Trump funding cuts came 鈥 FOREIGN AID Illustration by Dung Hoang The Costs of Global Health Funding Cuts
Though global health aid , it supports crucial systems around the world: conducting disease surveillance, training health workers, building public health infrastructure, and responding to outbreaks.
The U.S. withdrawal from the WHO and funding cuts to USAID and NIH are dismantling these systems and the decades of partnerships underpinning them, experts say.
Already halted or scaled back:
Related: What Remains of U.S.A.I.D. After DOGE's Budget Cuts? 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH One Swedish Town and the Global PFAS Fight
In 2013 residents of Ronneby, Sweden, received startling news: Their tap water, historically revered for its purity, had been contaminated with PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that had seeped into the supply from firefighting foam used at a nearby air base.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS In the Gaza Strip, We are Dying Silently 鈥
Analysis highlights very low level of HPV vaccine uptake globally 鈥
Malaria Vaccines Free Up Clinics to Improve Child Health in Cameroon 鈥
Evictions are harmful to Black mothers鈥 health, their families and their communities 鈥
China Tightens Controls on Fentanyl but Calls It a U.S. Problem 鈥
Women approaching menopause drive GLP-1 boom 鈥
The disease-fighting farm robot helping to feed Africa 鈥
Can adult tummy time undo the dreaded 鈥榯ech neck鈥 that comes from hunching over a screen? 鈥 Issue No. 2747
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
A strike on a hospital in Sudan killed 40+ people, including six children and five medics, , in an attack WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has condemned as 鈥渁ppalling.鈥
Details: The targeted Al-Mujlad Hospital in West Kordofan state, 鈥渢he only functioning healthcare facility in the area鈥 , was close to one of the frontlines of the conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces鈥攁 war .
- The doctors鈥 group blamed the army for the strike and said RSF fighters were stationed inside the hospital.
Children in conflict: for Sudanese children this week, as a new finds that children worldwide suffered record levels of violence in conflict zones in 2024, . Findings documented:
- 41,370 acts of violence against children in countries including Gaza, the DRC, Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti.
- A 44% rise in attacks on schools, a 35% rise in sexual violence against children, and a 25% increase in incidents compared with 2023.
Asia is warming ~2X as fast as the global average, by the World Meteorological Organization; last year, Asia endured its warmest or second-warmest year on record with widespread heatwaves and other extreme weather events.
National pandemic research output correlated most strongly with pre鈥憄andemic research activity鈥攎uch more so than with other country characteristics such as GDP, population, or case numbers鈥攑er an analysis of global publication and clinical trial data; the findings underscore national research capacity鈥檚 importance in health emergency preparedness.
Just 13% of Americans correctly identified testicular cancer as most commonly affecting men under 40, by the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, suggesting more can be done to educate the public about the disease. U.S. and Global Health Policy News In the face of anti-science politics, silence is not without cost 鈥
Trump admin cuts contracts with scientific publishing giant 鈥
Health Secretary RFK Jr. questioned about vaccine policy, transparency in House hearing on funding request 鈥
Federal budget cuts slow pace of breakthrough autoimmune therapies 鈥
The Trump administration is investigating the University of Michigan health system over a transgender care case. 鈥
She hoped key research could help save her eyesight. Then the Trump funding cuts came 鈥 FOREIGN AID Illustration by Dung Hoang The Costs of Global Health Funding Cuts
Though global health aid , it supports crucial systems around the world: conducting disease surveillance, training health workers, building public health infrastructure, and responding to outbreaks.
The U.S. withdrawal from the WHO and funding cuts to USAID and NIH are dismantling these systems and the decades of partnerships underpinning them, experts say.
Already halted or scaled back:
- Outbreak surveillance programs for Ebola, mpox, measles, and H5N1.
- Famine monitoring systems.
- Support for HIV treatment through PEPFAR.
Related: What Remains of U.S.A.I.D. After DOGE's Budget Cuts? 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH One Swedish Town and the Global PFAS Fight
In 2013 residents of Ronneby, Sweden, received startling news: Their tap water, historically revered for its purity, had been contaminated with PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that had seeped into the supply from firefighting foam used at a nearby air base.
- PFAS levels were the highest ever discovered in any municipal drinking water: .
- Children in the area had PFAS levels 37X higher than those of kids outside the contaminated zone.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS In the Gaza Strip, We are Dying Silently 鈥
Analysis highlights very low level of HPV vaccine uptake globally 鈥
Malaria Vaccines Free Up Clinics to Improve Child Health in Cameroon 鈥
Evictions are harmful to Black mothers鈥 health, their families and their communities 鈥
China Tightens Controls on Fentanyl but Calls It a U.S. Problem 鈥
Women approaching menopause drive GLP-1 boom 鈥
The disease-fighting farm robot helping to feed Africa 鈥
Can adult tummy time undo the dreaded 鈥榯ech neck鈥 that comes from hunching over a screen? 鈥 Issue No. 2747
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
Although nearly 92 per cent of the global population now has basic access to electricity, more than 666 million people still live without it, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to urge greater financial support for renewable energy.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: North America鈥檚 Measles Problem; the Global Tobacco Control Efforts Gain Ground; and North Koreans Left on Their Own During COVID
June 24, 2025
North America鈥檚 Measles Problem
Measles outbreaks, fueled by low vaccination rates, continue to drive new cases across the U.S. and Canada.
鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e been lied to,鈥 the father, Kiley Timmons, texted his wife, as his temperature hit 40掳 C (104掳 F). He treated himself with cod liver oil and vitamin D, as recommended by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
When his oxygen level fell to 85%, his wife drove him to the ER.
Low vaccination rates: U.S. measles vaccination coverage for children has fallen to 92%鈥攂elow the 95% coverage required to stop measles鈥 spread in a community.
Related:
Balkanization of vaccine policy raises concerns about vaccine uptake, insurance coverage, experts warn 鈥
How medical groups may preserve vaccine access 鈥 and bypass RFK Jr. 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Child abductions by an armed group linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) are surging in northern Mozambique鈥檚 Cabo Delgado province; most of the kidnapped children are being used for forced labor, forced marriages, or as child soldiers.
U.K. lawmakers voted last Friday to allow terminally ill adults over age 18 to end their lives through 鈥渁ssisted dying,鈥 with a majority of 23 (down from 55 in a debate last fall); the bill, which applies to England and Wales, but not Northern Ireland or Scotland, heads to the House of Lords next.
The combination of extreme heat and wildfire smoke may pose a particularly serious threat to human health, that examined 21,000+ deaths in the greater Vancouver area between 2010 and 2022.
Obesity drugs鈥攕pecifically liraglutide鈥攔educed headaches by almost half in a of 31 people in Italy with obesity who suffer from migraines, even with minimal weight loss鈥攕uggesting that the drug is impacting pain pathways and potentially justifying additional studies. COVID-19 North Koreans Forced to 鈥楩end for Themselves鈥 During Pandemic
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un declared a 鈥渂rilliant victory鈥 over COVID-19 in 2022, reporting just 74 deaths in the three months after the country鈥檚 first officially reported case earlier that year.
But interviews with 100 people inside the country tell a much different story, .
Key findings:
Related: 5 Years Later: America Looks Back at the Impact of COVID-19 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TOBACCO Control Efforts Gain Ground Worldwide
As tobacco control initiatives make strides worldwide鈥攑rotecting ~6.1 billion people鈥攊ndustry evolution threatens their momentum, released yesterday at the .
Marks of progress:
In the last 18 months, drastic cuts to Argentina鈥檚 health systems under President Javier Milei鈥檚 austerity measures have forced patients and their families to resort to desperate measures to access vital care, including turning to Facebook to obtain donated cancer drugs.
Before Milei, Argentina鈥檚 public health system ensured that health care was free for most who couldn鈥檛 afford private insurance.
Since the election: Milei has slashed the country鈥檚 health budget by 48% and laid off 2,000+ health ministry workers.
ICYMI: Disrupted but Determined: Lessons From Argentine Scientists 鈥 QUICK HITS 鈥楳an-eating鈥 screw worm turns hospital into horror show 鈥
Dangerous Heat Dome to Bring Record Temperatures to Much of the U.S. 鈥
Will Gates and other funders save massive public health database at risk from Trump cuts? 鈥 Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff!
Cambodia logs fifth death from H5N1 avian flu as USDA weighs poultry vaccination 鈥
Tick risks vary by region. Here's where diseases have spread and how to stay safe 鈥
TikTok bans #SkinnyTok. But content promoting unhealthy eating persists 鈥
Why al dente pasta is better for your health 鈥 Issue No. 2746
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Measles outbreaks, fueled by low vaccination rates, continue to drive new cases across the U.S. and Canada.
- Confirmed U.S. cases have topped 1,200 this year, .
- North America鈥檚 longest outbreak began in Ontario, Canada, in mid-October, leading to 2,100+ cases and one death, .
- An outbreak in Alberta, Canada, has surpassed 1,000 cases, leading an Edmonton physician to warn, 鈥淭his is out of control,鈥 .
鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e been lied to,鈥 the father, Kiley Timmons, texted his wife, as his temperature hit 40掳 C (104掳 F). He treated himself with cod liver oil and vitamin D, as recommended by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
When his oxygen level fell to 85%, his wife drove him to the ER.
Low vaccination rates: U.S. measles vaccination coverage for children has fallen to 92%鈥攂elow the 95% coverage required to stop measles鈥 spread in a community.
- In parts of West Texas, coverage is below 80%.
Related:
Balkanization of vaccine policy raises concerns about vaccine uptake, insurance coverage, experts warn 鈥
How medical groups may preserve vaccine access 鈥 and bypass RFK Jr. 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Child abductions by an armed group linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) are surging in northern Mozambique鈥檚 Cabo Delgado province; most of the kidnapped children are being used for forced labor, forced marriages, or as child soldiers.
U.K. lawmakers voted last Friday to allow terminally ill adults over age 18 to end their lives through 鈥渁ssisted dying,鈥 with a majority of 23 (down from 55 in a debate last fall); the bill, which applies to England and Wales, but not Northern Ireland or Scotland, heads to the House of Lords next.
The combination of extreme heat and wildfire smoke may pose a particularly serious threat to human health, that examined 21,000+ deaths in the greater Vancouver area between 2010 and 2022.
Obesity drugs鈥攕pecifically liraglutide鈥攔educed headaches by almost half in a of 31 people in Italy with obesity who suffer from migraines, even with minimal weight loss鈥攕uggesting that the drug is impacting pain pathways and potentially justifying additional studies. COVID-19 North Koreans Forced to 鈥楩end for Themselves鈥 During Pandemic
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un declared a 鈥渂rilliant victory鈥 over COVID-19 in 2022, reporting just 74 deaths in the three months after the country鈥檚 first officially reported case earlier that year.
But interviews with 100 people inside the country tell a much different story, .
Key findings:
- The virus鈥攁nd deaths鈥攚ere widespread as early as 2020.
- Citizens were left to 鈥渇end for themselves鈥 with no access to vaccines or medicine.
- The government enforced severe restrictions and lockdowns; violating protocols led to forced labor and execution.
- The pandemic led to a halt in trade and humanitarian aid, worsening food shortages.
Related: 5 Years Later: America Looks Back at the Impact of COVID-19 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TOBACCO Control Efforts Gain Ground Worldwide
As tobacco control initiatives make strides worldwide鈥攑rotecting ~6.1 billion people鈥攊ndustry evolution threatens their momentum, released yesterday at the .
Marks of progress:
- 110 countries now require graphic health warnings on tobacco products, up from just 9 in 2007.
- 36% of the global population now lives in countries that have run best-practice anti-tobacco campaigns, up from 19% in 2022.
- 79 countries have implemented smoke-free environments, impacting one-third of the world鈥檚 population.
- 60+ countries still lack laws regulating e-cigarettes.
- Cigarettes remain affordable in 134 countries, with minimal tax increases.
- Just 33% of people globally have access to cost-covered quit services.
In the last 18 months, drastic cuts to Argentina鈥檚 health systems under President Javier Milei鈥檚 austerity measures have forced patients and their families to resort to desperate measures to access vital care, including turning to Facebook to obtain donated cancer drugs.
Before Milei, Argentina鈥檚 public health system ensured that health care was free for most who couldn鈥檛 afford private insurance.
Since the election: Milei has slashed the country鈥檚 health budget by 48% and laid off 2,000+ health ministry workers.
- Defunded programs include early cancer detection services, free cancer medications, vaccine campaigns, HIV and TB testing, and reproductive health services.
ICYMI: Disrupted but Determined: Lessons From Argentine Scientists 鈥 QUICK HITS 鈥楳an-eating鈥 screw worm turns hospital into horror show 鈥
Dangerous Heat Dome to Bring Record Temperatures to Much of the U.S. 鈥
Will Gates and other funders save massive public health database at risk from Trump cuts? 鈥 Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff!
Cambodia logs fifth death from H5N1 avian flu as USDA weighs poultry vaccination 鈥
Tick risks vary by region. Here's where diseases have spread and how to stay safe 鈥
TikTok bans #SkinnyTok. But content promoting unhealthy eating persists 鈥
Why al dente pasta is better for your health 鈥 Issue No. 2746
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
Nearly three months after Myanmar鈥檚 strongest earthquake in a century, more than six million people remain in urgent need of assistance, as the disaster compounds a humanitarian crisis driven by years of conflict, political turmoil and mass displacement.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: A Tipping Point in Iran; A Closer Look at Cheap Cigarettes in Laos; Ketamine in South Africa: Breakthrough or Blight?
June 23, 2025
Satellite imagery shows the ridge above Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant post-missile strike on June 22. Maxar Technologies
A Tipping Point in Iran
The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran and the weekend strikes by the U.S. on Iranian nuclear facilities mark 鈥渁 perilous turn鈥 for a region already engulfed in conflict, at an emergency meeting of the Security Council yesterday, .
Widening safety concerns: The head of the UN鈥檚 atomic energy watchdog, (IAEA), said that while no radiation leaks have been reported that could cause health or environmental threats outside of struck sites, the attacks have triggered 鈥渁 sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security鈥 at targeted sites.
The U.S. government announced last week that it will end the national suicide hotline鈥檚 specialized support for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults鈥攚ho report higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors than their cisgender and heterosexual peers鈥攂eginning July 17. 鈥
Stem cell鈥揵ased treatment may have cured 10 out of 12 people with the most severe form of type 1 diabetes, with those 10 people no longer needing insulin a year after a single infusion, finds .
Excessive drinking has been linked to an uptick in high blood pressure deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, , which found the estimated average number of hypertension deaths from excessive alcohol use was 51.6% higher in 2020鈥2021 than in 2016鈥2017. U.S. and Global Health Policy News Trump Travel Restrictions Bar Residents Needed at U.S. Hospitals 鈥
Administration to phase out NIH support of HIV clinical guidelines 鈥
How doctors are preparing for RFK Jr.鈥檚 shifts on vaccine policy 鈥
The immigrants caring for the nation's elderly are losing their jobs 鈥 TOBACCO A Closer Look at Cheap Cigarettes in Laos
Cigarette prices in Laos are among some of the lowest in the world, contributing to some of the highest smoking rates in the region and smoking-related diseases that account for 1 in 7 deaths in the country.
Behind the low prices: a 2001 contract signed behind closed doors with Imperial Brands tobacco, which included a 25-year tax freeze.
The role of taxes: Raising cigarette taxes is among the most effective ways to reduce smoking, research shows.
Related:
Government of Viet Nam Approves Life-Saving Taxes on Tobacco and Sugar-sweetened Beverages 鈥
Supreme Court allows vape companies to pick courts to hear challenges 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MENTAL HEALTH Ketamine in South Africa: Breakthrough or Blight?
In South Africa, an increasing number of psychiatrists have been using ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. But the drug is also being administered off-label and in unregulated clinics鈥攚hich doctors say could lead to misuse and overuse.
Treatment guidelines: Ketamine has to be prescribed by a doctor and administered in IV form in the presence of a health care provider, .
Unregulated use: South Africa has become home to which provide the drug to people without the involvement of a medical professional鈥攁 trend that doctors say could lead to dangerous forms of consumption that carry the risk of seizure or death.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran and the weekend strikes by the U.S. on Iranian nuclear facilities mark 鈥渁 perilous turn鈥 for a region already engulfed in conflict, at an emergency meeting of the Security Council yesterday, .
Widening safety concerns: The head of the UN鈥檚 atomic energy watchdog, (IAEA), said that while no radiation leaks have been reported that could cause health or environmental threats outside of struck sites, the attacks have triggered 鈥渁 sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security鈥 at targeted sites.
- Mounting risks stem not only from direct attacks, but also from 鈥渉urried transport and improper storage conditions鈥 of toxic materials, .
- While radioactivity outside the sites remains normal, the IAEA and neighboring countries are closely monitoring levels, .
- And Israel evacuated a key hospital in Beersheba last week that was targeted in Iranian airstrikes, .
The U.S. government announced last week that it will end the national suicide hotline鈥檚 specialized support for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults鈥攚ho report higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors than their cisgender and heterosexual peers鈥攂eginning July 17. 鈥
Stem cell鈥揵ased treatment may have cured 10 out of 12 people with the most severe form of type 1 diabetes, with those 10 people no longer needing insulin a year after a single infusion, finds .
Excessive drinking has been linked to an uptick in high blood pressure deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, , which found the estimated average number of hypertension deaths from excessive alcohol use was 51.6% higher in 2020鈥2021 than in 2016鈥2017. U.S. and Global Health Policy News Trump Travel Restrictions Bar Residents Needed at U.S. Hospitals 鈥
Administration to phase out NIH support of HIV clinical guidelines 鈥
How doctors are preparing for RFK Jr.鈥檚 shifts on vaccine policy 鈥
The immigrants caring for the nation's elderly are losing their jobs 鈥 TOBACCO A Closer Look at Cheap Cigarettes in Laos
Cigarette prices in Laos are among some of the lowest in the world, contributing to some of the highest smoking rates in the region and smoking-related diseases that account for 1 in 7 deaths in the country.
Behind the low prices: a 2001 contract signed behind closed doors with Imperial Brands tobacco, which included a 25-year tax freeze.
- The deal steered millions toward an in-law of the president at the time, Bounnhang Vorachit.
The role of taxes: Raising cigarette taxes is among the most effective ways to reduce smoking, research shows.
Related:
Government of Viet Nam Approves Life-Saving Taxes on Tobacco and Sugar-sweetened Beverages 鈥
Supreme Court allows vape companies to pick courts to hear challenges 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MENTAL HEALTH Ketamine in South Africa: Breakthrough or Blight?
In South Africa, an increasing number of psychiatrists have been using ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. But the drug is also being administered off-label and in unregulated clinics鈥攚hich doctors say could lead to misuse and overuse.
Treatment guidelines: Ketamine has to be prescribed by a doctor and administered in IV form in the presence of a health care provider, .
Unregulated use: South Africa has become home to which provide the drug to people without the involvement of a medical professional鈥攁 trend that doctors say could lead to dangerous forms of consumption that carry the risk of seizure or death.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS
Gaza: UN warns of 鈥榳eaponised hunger鈥 and growing death toll amid food chaos 鈥
The Workers, the Waste, and the Warnings from Bomb Country 鈥
HIV is surging in over-50s鈥擝ut campaigns still target the young 鈥
The number of abortions kept rising in 2024 because of telehealth prescriptions, report finds 鈥
New Israeli-developed bioengineered skin could heal burn wounds twice as fast 鈥
How E-Scooters Conquered (Most of) Europe 鈥
Early grant success attracts more funding: study of 100,000 applicants hints at why 鈥
For the first time, women scientists win $1 million climate research prize 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 .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
Tobacco use still claims over seven million lives a year, the World Health Organization warned on Monday, calling for greater efforts to limit its use amid rising interference from the global tobacco industry.
Categories: Global Health Feed
In an age marked by conflicts, disease, dysfunction and mental health challenges, yoga offers a steady, time-trusted path to help find calm and harmony within 鈥 and without.
Categories: Global Health Feed
The world is facing a health financing emergency, according to Dr. Kalipso Chalkidou, Director for Health Financing and Economics for the World Health Organization (WHO).
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: UK Parliament Votes to Decriminalize Abortion; 鈥楪ardening始 in the Gut; Funding Disruptions Threaten Uganda鈥檚 HIV Fight
June 18, 2025
Pro-choice protestors gather near Parliament, where MPs were voting on the decriminalization of abortion. June 17. London, U.K. Alishia Abodunde/Getty
UK Parliament Votes to Decriminalize Abortion
The UK House of Commons voted 379鈥137 yesterday to decriminalize abortion in England and Wales鈥攖he most significant change to abortion law in ~60 years, .
Details: The amendment removes the threat of prosecution for women who seek to terminate pregnancies.
What鈥檚 next: The amendment is part of a broader crime bill expected to pass the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Related:
Ohio lawmakers to introduce bill banning abortion, criminalizing the procedure 鈥
A brain-dead Georgia woman is set to be taken off of life support after her baby was delivered 鈥
Abortion Bans Worsen Violence in Relationships, Study Finds 鈥 EDITORS鈥 NOTE No GHN Tomorrow, June 19 Please note that our office will be closed tomorrow in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. We鈥檒l be back with more news on Monday, June 23!
鈥擳he Editors GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Global conflict levels are the highest they鈥檝e been since the end of World War II, with 59 active conflicts in 35+ countries, according to the ; the report also shows declining geopolitical influence of the U.S., Russia, and China as smaller countries emerge as regional powers.
A group of bat viruses related to MERS could be one mutation away from being capable of spilling over into humans, that focuses on the virus group, known as HKU5.
U.S. alcohol guidance could be soon changed from recommending one or two drinks per day to a brief statement encouraging drinking in moderation, in what could be a major win for the alcohol industry; the updates to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines are still under development by the HHS and USDA.
Microplastics in coastal waters could heighten cardiometabolic disease risk among nearby residents, , which found 鈥渟ignificantly鈥 higher rates of type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and stroke among U.S. residents living near highly polluted waters compared with people who lived near less-polluted waters. GHN EXCLUSIVE Q&A 622A_cecum: Section through a healthy mouse cecum stained with Haematoxylin-eosin. Courtesy of Emma Slack 鈥楪ardening始 in the Gut
The pipeline for new drugs to fight antibiotic-resistant infections is rife with challenges, but one promising solution offers a workaround: tackling drug-resistant bacteria in the gut.
The method combines oral vaccinations with harmless bacteria that outcompete the bacteria for food and 鈥渟tarve them out,鈥 Emma Slack, a professor at ETH Zurich and the University of Oxford鈥檚 Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, told GHN.
It may be five to 10 years from clinical use, but the method could one day be applied to 鈥渁nything where immunosuppression is one of the side effects,鈥 says Slack. Patients could be treated before transplant surgery, or during high-risk pregnancies to head off the risk of infection in premature babies.
The most exciting prospect: reversing the 鈥渁ntimicrobial resistance crisis for gut-colonizing, opportunistic pathogens,鈥 says Slack. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HIV/AIDS Funding Disruptions Threaten Uganda鈥檚 HIV Fight
Since 1987, the Rakai Health Sciences Program (RHSP) in Uganda has achieved remarkable milestones. In areas it serves, the program has:
Related: 鈥楬IV-ending鈥 drug could be made for just $25 per patient a year, say researchers 鈥 OPPORTUNITY HUMAN RIGHTS The Oppressors at Home
In the Taliban鈥檚 Afghanistan, oppression against women has led to men being 鈥渇oot soldiers鈥 against their female relatives.
Vice and virtue laws, which include strict rules that women must cover themselves, not talk too loudly, or appear in public without a male escort, are meant to be enforced by 鈥渕orality police.鈥 But often, husbands and brothers take on this role.
Rising fear: Under the Taliban, male relatives could face fines or prison if women are caught breaking morality laws. This has led to a rise in domestic violence, isolation, and psychological damage to Afghan women.
Related: Over 400 health centers shut down in Afghanistan following US aid
suspension 鈥 ALMOST FRIDAY MINI DIVERSION QUICK HITS IOM Reports 60 Migrants Missing in Two Deadly Shipwrecks off Libya 鈥
How Trump's travel ban could disrupt the way knowledge about health is shared 鈥
Via the False Claims Act, NIH Puts Universities on Edge 鈥
Indonesia steps up efforts to eliminate malaria by 2030 鈥
Kraft Heinz to remove artificial dyes from U.S. products by end of 2027 鈥
Study: Early antibiotics tied to higher risk of childhood infections, antibiotic use, and asthma 鈥
Scientists uncover how ticks fight off and carry a virus deadly to humans 鈥
Threat in Your Medicine Cabinet: The FDA鈥檚 Gamble on America鈥檚 Drugs 鈥
Could the answer to the male fertility crisis be lurking in your cat鈥檚 litter tray? 鈥 Issue No. 2744
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
The UK House of Commons voted 379鈥137 yesterday to decriminalize abortion in England and Wales鈥攖he most significant change to abortion law in ~60 years, .
Details: The amendment removes the threat of prosecution for women who seek to terminate pregnancies.
- However, the current legal framework for procuring an abortion remains, including requiring two doctors鈥 approval and a 24-week limit. Doctors who breach regulations can still face prosecution.
- UK medical groups and advocacy groups hailed the change as 鈥渁 victory for women,鈥 while anti-abortion groups argued it would open the door to abortion at any stage of pregnancy.
What鈥檚 next: The amendment is part of a broader crime bill expected to pass the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Related:
Ohio lawmakers to introduce bill banning abortion, criminalizing the procedure 鈥
A brain-dead Georgia woman is set to be taken off of life support after her baby was delivered 鈥
Abortion Bans Worsen Violence in Relationships, Study Finds 鈥 EDITORS鈥 NOTE No GHN Tomorrow, June 19 Please note that our office will be closed tomorrow in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. We鈥檒l be back with more news on Monday, June 23!
鈥擳he Editors GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Global conflict levels are the highest they鈥檝e been since the end of World War II, with 59 active conflicts in 35+ countries, according to the ; the report also shows declining geopolitical influence of the U.S., Russia, and China as smaller countries emerge as regional powers.
A group of bat viruses related to MERS could be one mutation away from being capable of spilling over into humans, that focuses on the virus group, known as HKU5.
U.S. alcohol guidance could be soon changed from recommending one or two drinks per day to a brief statement encouraging drinking in moderation, in what could be a major win for the alcohol industry; the updates to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines are still under development by the HHS and USDA.
Microplastics in coastal waters could heighten cardiometabolic disease risk among nearby residents, , which found 鈥渟ignificantly鈥 higher rates of type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and stroke among U.S. residents living near highly polluted waters compared with people who lived near less-polluted waters. GHN EXCLUSIVE Q&A 622A_cecum: Section through a healthy mouse cecum stained with Haematoxylin-eosin. Courtesy of Emma Slack 鈥楪ardening始 in the Gut
The pipeline for new drugs to fight antibiotic-resistant infections is rife with challenges, but one promising solution offers a workaround: tackling drug-resistant bacteria in the gut.
The method combines oral vaccinations with harmless bacteria that outcompete the bacteria for food and 鈥渟tarve them out,鈥 Emma Slack, a professor at ETH Zurich and the University of Oxford鈥檚 Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, told GHN.
- The pairing was significantly more effective than using vaccines or harmless bacteria on their own, testing the method in mice.
It may be five to 10 years from clinical use, but the method could one day be applied to 鈥渁nything where immunosuppression is one of the side effects,鈥 says Slack. Patients could be treated before transplant surgery, or during high-risk pregnancies to head off the risk of infection in premature babies.
The most exciting prospect: reversing the 鈥渁ntimicrobial resistance crisis for gut-colonizing, opportunistic pathogens,鈥 says Slack. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HIV/AIDS Funding Disruptions Threaten Uganda鈥檚 HIV Fight
Since 1987, the Rakai Health Sciences Program (RHSP) in Uganda has achieved remarkable milestones. In areas it serves, the program has:
- Reduced new HIV infections by 90%.
- Extended anti鈥憆etroviral (ARV) coverage to 90% of people living with HIV.
- Medication access interruptions and clinic closures in January prompted HIV rebound fears; though services were quickly restored, experts warn that sustained disruptions could reverse hard-won gains.
- Uganda鈥檚 plan to shift HIV treatment from specialized rural clinics to primary care clinics could also disrupt access and medication adherence, as some patients may face longer travel.
Related: 鈥楬IV-ending鈥 drug could be made for just $25 per patient a year, say researchers 鈥 OPPORTUNITY HUMAN RIGHTS The Oppressors at Home
In the Taliban鈥檚 Afghanistan, oppression against women has led to men being 鈥渇oot soldiers鈥 against their female relatives.
Vice and virtue laws, which include strict rules that women must cover themselves, not talk too loudly, or appear in public without a male escort, are meant to be enforced by 鈥渕orality police.鈥 But often, husbands and brothers take on this role.
Rising fear: Under the Taliban, male relatives could face fines or prison if women are caught breaking morality laws. This has led to a rise in domestic violence, isolation, and psychological damage to Afghan women.
Related: Over 400 health centers shut down in Afghanistan following US aid
suspension 鈥 ALMOST FRIDAY MINI DIVERSION QUICK HITS IOM Reports 60 Migrants Missing in Two Deadly Shipwrecks off Libya 鈥
How Trump's travel ban could disrupt the way knowledge about health is shared 鈥
Via the False Claims Act, NIH Puts Universities on Edge 鈥
Indonesia steps up efforts to eliminate malaria by 2030 鈥
Kraft Heinz to remove artificial dyes from U.S. products by end of 2027 鈥
Study: Early antibiotics tied to higher risk of childhood infections, antibiotic use, and asthma 鈥
Scientists uncover how ticks fight off and carry a virus deadly to humans 鈥
Threat in Your Medicine Cabinet: The FDA鈥檚 Gamble on America鈥檚 Drugs 鈥
Could the answer to the male fertility crisis be lurking in your cat鈥檚 litter tray? 鈥 Issue No. 2744
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
Almost 4.5 million maternal, stillborn and newborn deaths were recorded in 2023. What if there was a clear path to saving 83 percent of these people? To saving 3.7 million mothers, unborn children and babies annually?
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Mystery of Chronic Mountain Sickness; Dogs as Weapons; and The Decline of Anti-Girl Bias
June 17, 2025
GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORT
The Andes mountain range between Lima and Cerro de Pasco east of Canta. DeAgostini/Getty
The Mystery of Chronic Mountain Sickness
HUAYLLAY, Peru鈥擜bout 5鈥10% of people who have lived their whole lives at high altitude eventually come down with the last illness they would expect: altitude sickness.
Research history: Scientists like Le贸n-Velarde have been trying to understand the cause of CMS since it was first described by Peruvian doctor Carlos Monge in 1925.
A U.S. judge ordered ~800 terminated NIH research projects, cited in a lawsuit by U.S. researchers and a coalition of 16 states, to be reinstated, calling the cuts discriminatory; the government will likely appeal the ruling.
Fewer than half of young men in the U.K.鈥46%鈥攂elieve that abortion should be legal, compared with 71% of the general population, per a new poll ahead of a parliamentary vote today on whether to decriminalize abortion.
Cornell University researchers have identified an antibiotic, rifampin, that is 99.9% effective against Salmonella Typhi, the bacterium that causes typhoid fever, ; drug-resistant strains of the bacterium claim 150,000+ lives a year. U.S. and Global Health Policy News South Africa Built a Medical Research Powerhouse. Trump Cuts Have Demolished It. 鈥
Rising Refugee Suicides in West Nile Linked to Food Shortages and Aid Cuts 鈥
Kenya's war on HIV, TB and malaria faces setback as funding drops sharply 鈥
Researchers warn U.S. is on the 鈥榩recipice鈥 of brain drain as Trump cuts federal grants 鈥 CONFLICT Dogs as Weapons
Military and police dogs are being utilized against civilians in Palestine, say human rights groups, who report the use of canines against Palestinians has led to injuries and deaths.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POPULATIONS The Decline of Anti-Girl Bias
In 鈥渙ne of the most important social shifts of our time,鈥 the long-held sex preference for boys at birth has dramatically shifted worldwide.
Over the past 25 years, the number of annual excess male births has fallen from a peak of 1.7 million in 2000 to ~200,000, a biologically standard birth ratio, .
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Nigerian agriculture ministry workers 鈥榯old to fast and pray鈥 to end hunger crisis 鈥
Ending nuclear weapons, before they end us 鈥
The cost of staying alive could become a lot more expensive for millions of Americans 鈥
Too often, Black patients get late diagnoses of deadly skin cancer 鈥
Eight things you need to know about the new 鈥淣imbus鈥 and 鈥淪tratus鈥 COVID-19 variants 鈥
How the cholera bacterium can outsmart a virus 鈥
New opioid testing techniques could lead to better therapies 鈥
How technology is helping African countries fight malaria from the skies 鈥 Issue No. 2743
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
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HUAYLLAY, Peru鈥擜bout 5鈥10% of people who have lived their whole lives at high altitude eventually come down with the last illness they would expect: altitude sickness.
- While there are no exact numbers, ~7 million people living above 2,500 meters (~8,200 feet) are at risk of chronic mountain sickness (CMS), in the journal High Altitude Medicine & Biology.
- Characterized by low levels of oxygen saturation (hypoxia) and excessive amounts of hemoglobin (polycythemia), CMS can start with blue-tinged fingertips or lips.
- But the illness can progress to life-threatening pulmonary or cerebral edema.
Research history: Scientists like Le贸n-Velarde have been trying to understand the cause of CMS since it was first described by Peruvian doctor Carlos Monge in 1925.
- But recent research that led to a 2019 Nobel Prize may offer new insights into the origins of CMS.
A U.S. judge ordered ~800 terminated NIH research projects, cited in a lawsuit by U.S. researchers and a coalition of 16 states, to be reinstated, calling the cuts discriminatory; the government will likely appeal the ruling.
Fewer than half of young men in the U.K.鈥46%鈥攂elieve that abortion should be legal, compared with 71% of the general population, per a new poll ahead of a parliamentary vote today on whether to decriminalize abortion.
Cornell University researchers have identified an antibiotic, rifampin, that is 99.9% effective against Salmonella Typhi, the bacterium that causes typhoid fever, ; drug-resistant strains of the bacterium claim 150,000+ lives a year. U.S. and Global Health Policy News South Africa Built a Medical Research Powerhouse. Trump Cuts Have Demolished It. 鈥
Rising Refugee Suicides in West Nile Linked to Food Shortages and Aid Cuts 鈥
Kenya's war on HIV, TB and malaria faces setback as funding drops sharply 鈥
Researchers warn U.S. is on the 鈥榩recipice鈥 of brain drain as Trump cuts federal grants 鈥 CONFLICT Dogs as Weapons
Military and police dogs are being utilized against civilians in Palestine, say human rights groups, who report the use of canines against Palestinians has led to injuries and deaths.
- Euro Med Human Rights Monitor has documented 146 cases of attack dogs being used against civilians since October 2023.
- The UN has also decried the use of military dogs against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention, citing .
- Israel鈥檚 specialist canine unit, Oketz, has said that the dogs are only deployed in anti-terrorism campaigns.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POPULATIONS The Decline of Anti-Girl Bias
In 鈥渙ne of the most important social shifts of our time,鈥 the long-held sex preference for boys at birth has dramatically shifted worldwide.
Over the past 25 years, the number of annual excess male births has fallen from a peak of 1.7 million in 2000 to ~200,000, a biologically standard birth ratio, .
- The reduction in female infanticide and sex-selective abortions has led to the survival of ~7 million girls, the analysis found.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Nigerian agriculture ministry workers 鈥榯old to fast and pray鈥 to end hunger crisis 鈥
Ending nuclear weapons, before they end us 鈥
The cost of staying alive could become a lot more expensive for millions of Americans 鈥
Too often, Black patients get late diagnoses of deadly skin cancer 鈥
Eight things you need to know about the new 鈥淣imbus鈥 and 鈥淪tratus鈥 COVID-19 variants 鈥
How the cholera bacterium can outsmart a virus 鈥
New opioid testing techniques could lead to better therapies 鈥
How technology is helping African countries fight malaria from the skies 鈥 Issue No. 2743
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
UN Aid Cuts Force 鈥楬yper-prioritized始 Plan; Deaths on the Street in Portland; and Memory Cafes Bridge a Gap
鈥淏rutal funding cuts leave us with brutal choices,鈥 said Tom Fletcher, undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs.
June 16, 2025
Tents serve as temporary shelters for displaced Palestinians along the coastline of Gaza City, on June 10. Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty Images
UN Aid Cuts Force 鈥楬yper-prioritized始 Plan
The UN has slashed its 2025 humanitarian aid appeal from $44 billion to $29 billion, as the agency contends with to the aid sector, .
Only $5.6 billion (13%) has been raised so far after severely reduced contributions from the U.S. and others.
Existing aid under attack: Meanwhile, a UN expert is urging the General Assembly to authorize the deployment of armed peacekeepers to protect humanitarian transport and distribution, as aid workers continue to be targeted in areas including Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, and Central African Republic, .
COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 could now make up more than 1 in 3 cases across the U.S., the ; the variant has been linked to a surge of hospitalizations in parts of Asia, and the CDC's airport surveillance program detected cases of it in arriving international travelers last month.
The U.S. health care workforce has recovered from widespread job losses of early 2020, with employment now matching pre-pandemic projections, ; but recovery is uneven, with doctors鈥 offices exceeding pre-pandemic employment growth while skilled nursing facilities contend with understaffing.
Dengue survivors face an elevated risk for post-infection multi-organ complications, hospitalization, and death, that analyzed 55,870 cases of adults infected between 2017 and 2023.
The FDA has expanded approval of Moderna鈥檚 RSV vaccine mResvia to include adults ages 18鈥59 who are at high risk of severe illness from the virus; previously the vaccine was licensed for use only in adults 60+. HOMELESSNESS Increased Deaths on the Street in Portland
As the homeless population in Portland grew during the pandemic, the city responded with a $1.3 million plan to 鈥渞eprioritize public health and safety among homeless Portlanders.鈥
Across the U.S., 600+ memory cafes offer low-cost social support for dementia patients and caregivers, helping alleviate isolation and stress through regular gatherings.
And with $11 billion in federal health funding for state and local health departments now on the chopping block, grassroots-led memory cafes may soon play a critical role for families needing help navigating the struggles of dementia care.
Growing need: U.S. Alzheimer鈥檚 cases are projected to double from 6.9 million now to 13.8 million by 2060, while the number of family caregivers is declining.
SUICIDE Curbing Pesticides to Save Lives
Suriname has one of the world's highest suicide rates, largely due to the pesticide paraquat鈥攚hich is lethal even in tiny doses and is widely available in homes across the country.
Global perspective: Pesticides are one of the leading means of suicide in agricultural areas of developing nations, leading to 100,000+ suicides annually.
Banning paraquat and other pesticides has led to dramatic drops in suicide rates in other countries including Sri Lanka (70%+), South Korea (~50%), and China (60%).
Ongoing efforts: The charity Open Philanthropy funded the launch in 2017 of the , and the was formed in 2023 to phase out use of the deadliest pesticides in agricultural areas where risks have not been managed.
QUICK HITS As mpox escalates in Sierra Leone, activity in other countries reflects mixed picture 鈥
An oral cholera vaccination campaign aims to reach more than 2.6 million people in Sudan鈥檚 Khartoum State 鈥
US pharma bets big on China to snap up potential blockbuster drugs 鈥
Small towns are growing fast across Ghana 鈥 but environmental planning isn鈥檛 keeping up 鈥 (commentary)
Ancient miasma theory may help explain Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine moves 鈥
How Covid-19 Changed Hideo Kojima鈥檚 Vision For Death Stranding 2 鈥 Issue No. 2742
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
The UN has slashed its 2025 humanitarian aid appeal from $44 billion to $29 billion, as the agency contends with to the aid sector, .
Only $5.6 billion (13%) has been raised so far after severely reduced contributions from the U.S. and others.
- 鈥淏rutal funding cuts leave us with brutal choices,鈥 said Tom Fletcher, undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs.
Existing aid under attack: Meanwhile, a UN expert is urging the General Assembly to authorize the deployment of armed peacekeepers to protect humanitarian transport and distribution, as aid workers continue to be targeted in areas including Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, and Central African Republic, .
- A record 360+ humanitarian workers were killed last year, as aid restrictions and starvation are increasingly used as weapons of war.
COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 could now make up more than 1 in 3 cases across the U.S., the ; the variant has been linked to a surge of hospitalizations in parts of Asia, and the CDC's airport surveillance program detected cases of it in arriving international travelers last month.
The U.S. health care workforce has recovered from widespread job losses of early 2020, with employment now matching pre-pandemic projections, ; but recovery is uneven, with doctors鈥 offices exceeding pre-pandemic employment growth while skilled nursing facilities contend with understaffing.
Dengue survivors face an elevated risk for post-infection multi-organ complications, hospitalization, and death, that analyzed 55,870 cases of adults infected between 2017 and 2023.
The FDA has expanded approval of Moderna鈥檚 RSV vaccine mResvia to include adults ages 18鈥59 who are at high risk of severe illness from the virus; previously the vaccine was licensed for use only in adults 60+. HOMELESSNESS Increased Deaths on the Street in Portland
As the homeless population in Portland grew during the pandemic, the city responded with a $1.3 million plan to 鈥渞eprioritize public health and safety among homeless Portlanders.鈥
- And yet: Deaths of homeless people quadrupled from 113 in 2019 to 450+ in 2023.
- One 2023 showed that such sweeps raise the risk of overdose by up to 22% for people who inject drugs.
Across the U.S., 600+ memory cafes offer low-cost social support for dementia patients and caregivers, helping alleviate isolation and stress through regular gatherings.
And with $11 billion in federal health funding for state and local health departments now on the chopping block, grassroots-led memory cafes may soon play a critical role for families needing help navigating the struggles of dementia care.
Growing need: U.S. Alzheimer鈥檚 cases are projected to double from 6.9 million now to 13.8 million by 2060, while the number of family caregivers is declining.
SUICIDE Curbing Pesticides to Save Lives
Suriname has one of the world's highest suicide rates, largely due to the pesticide paraquat鈥攚hich is lethal even in tiny doses and is widely available in homes across the country.
Global perspective: Pesticides are one of the leading means of suicide in agricultural areas of developing nations, leading to 100,000+ suicides annually.
Banning paraquat and other pesticides has led to dramatic drops in suicide rates in other countries including Sri Lanka (70%+), South Korea (~50%), and China (60%).
Ongoing efforts: The charity Open Philanthropy funded the launch in 2017 of the , and the was formed in 2023 to phase out use of the deadliest pesticides in agricultural areas where risks have not been managed.
QUICK HITS As mpox escalates in Sierra Leone, activity in other countries reflects mixed picture 鈥
An oral cholera vaccination campaign aims to reach more than 2.6 million people in Sudan鈥檚 Khartoum State 鈥
US pharma bets big on China to snap up potential blockbuster drugs 鈥
Small towns are growing fast across Ghana 鈥 but environmental planning isn鈥檛 keeping up 鈥 (commentary)
Ancient miasma theory may help explain Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine moves 鈥
How Covid-19 Changed Hideo Kojima鈥檚 Vision For Death Stranding 2 鈥 Issue No. 2742
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
Since conflict erupted in Sudan, more than a million people have fled to neighbouring South Sudan, seeking refuge from escalating violence that has displaced 12.4 million people and plunged over half the Sudanese population into food insecurity.
Categories: Global Health Feed
Escalating gang violence in Haiti has displaced a record 1.3 million people, UN human rights chief Volker T眉rk said on Friday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW Mercury Rising in World始s Rivers; RFK Jr.鈥檚 New Committee Picks; and Who Squashed the Veg Sculpture Competition?
Mercury increase poses a growing risk to people living near affected waterways, study warns.
June 12, 2025
A child in a canoe near a home on a tributary of the Amazon River near Breves, Para state, Brazil, on Sept. 21, 2022. Jonne Roriz/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Mercury Rising
Mercury carried downstream by rivers has increased nearly 3X worldwide since the Industrial Revolution, surging from 390 to 1,000 megagrams annually due to coal combustion, mining, and manufacturing, .
The mercury increase poses a growing risk to people living near affected waterways, as the neurotoxin has been linked to cancer, heart disease, and developmental harm in children, .
The study: Researchers used computer models and sediment data to establish a pre-industrial mercury baseline before 1850 and simulate mercury transport in rivers, .
Key findings: The data show the most dramatic increases in mercury pollution occurred in North and South America, contributing to 41% of the global increase in riverine mercury since 1850, followed by Southeast Asia (22%) and South Asia (19%).
Last month was the world鈥檚 second warmest May on record, per the EU鈥檚 Copernicus Climate Change Service鈥攃reating especially dry conditions across Europe as drought concerns rise.
Unethical experiments conducted on Black inmates were used in the development of the antimalarial primaquine in the 1950s and 60s, particularly around genetics鈥 role in adverse drug reactions, by an ethicist-led research team.
A bill to protect the privacy of women鈥檚 reproductive health data, including tracking apps around menstruation, pregnancy, and abortion, has been introduced by three Democratic members of Congress who say such a measure is necessary to protect women in the post-Roe v. Wade era.
Fetuses more exposed to certain air pollutants experience changes in the size of specific brain structures, especially during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, that drew from data collected from 754 mother-fetus pairs between 2018 and 2021. U.S. POLICY RFK Jr.鈥檚 New Committee Picks
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has appointed eight new members to the CDC鈥檚 independent vaccine advisory committee after removing all 17 previous members earlier this week.
What鈥檚 next: It is unclear if Kennedy plans to appoint any more members to new ACIP. The panel will meet June 25-27 to review recommendations on vaccines, including for HPV and COVID-19 shots.
More U.S. Policy News:
Kennedy鈥檚 ouster of US vaccine advisors puts pharma ties under scrutiny 鈥
Vaccine board purge stokes talk of CDC alternatives 鈥
Top RFK Jr. aide attacks US health system while running company that promotes wellness alternatives 鈥
RFK Jr. to tell medical schools to teach nutrition or lose federal funding 鈥
A promising new HIV vaccine was set to start trials. Then came Trump's latest cuts 鈥
Senators press NIH director on killed grants and proposal to slash agency鈥檚 funding 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES WEAPONS The Physical Toll of 鈥楲ess-Lethal鈥 Force
Tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray like those used against demonstrators in Los Angeles this past week may not be designed to kill, but they can cause serious injuries, health problems, and even death.
Tear gas and pepper spray can have both short- and long-term effects, ranging from eye and skin irritation and vomiting to extreme respiratory distress and damage to vision or the nervous system.
Rubber bullet risks: Often made of hard plastic or metal, rubber bullets have caused blindness, brain injury, and death in some cases.
Research gaps: Much existing research into tactics like tear gas is limited to military research of young men in the 1950s-70s, and doesn鈥檛 account for modern weapons technology or potential health effects on a broader civilian population.
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Who Squashed the Competition?
Last week we celebrated a wax .
Now, another installment of England-making-things-look-like-other-things: a cornucopia of vegetable likenesses.
At the Lambeth Country Show, held last weekend in London始s Brockwell Park, revelers to enjoy sheep shearing, livestock competitions, and most of all: vegetable sculptures and vegetable puns.
鈥淓very year, this is what we get so excited about,鈥 .
Voting is now closed, but you can still pick your favorite.
Will it be ? Or its Vatican-themed rival, Butternut squash channeling ? ? Broccoli-based ?
All are healthy choices. QUICK HITS Scientists mapped what happens if a crucial system of ocean currents collapses. The weather impact would be extreme 鈥
Global action needed as progress stalls on disability-inclusive development goals 鈥 UN News 鈥
Journalist, advocate, policy adviser? My strange role in the fight against superbugs 鈥
As a health crisis looms in Vietnam, now is the time for a sugary drink tax: WHO 鈥
36% of Jamaicans tested for NCDs in health ministry campaign present 鈥榓bnormal result鈥 鈥
World Food Safety Day : Putting Science into Action to Improve Nutrition and Protect Health in Africa 鈥
Homicide Rates Near Supervised Consumption Sites: A Study from Canada 鈥
Word of the Week: how a bacterium unrelated to fish got its name 'salmonella' 鈥 Issue No. 2740
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Mercury carried downstream by rivers has increased nearly 3X worldwide since the Industrial Revolution, surging from 390 to 1,000 megagrams annually due to coal combustion, mining, and manufacturing, .
The mercury increase poses a growing risk to people living near affected waterways, as the neurotoxin has been linked to cancer, heart disease, and developmental harm in children, .
The study: Researchers used computer models and sediment data to establish a pre-industrial mercury baseline before 1850 and simulate mercury transport in rivers, .
Key findings: The data show the most dramatic increases in mercury pollution occurred in North and South America, contributing to 41% of the global increase in riverine mercury since 1850, followed by Southeast Asia (22%) and South Asia (19%).
- In the Amazon region, mercury levels have soared due to both increased mining activities and soil erosion from deforestation.
Last month was the world鈥檚 second warmest May on record, per the EU鈥檚 Copernicus Climate Change Service鈥攃reating especially dry conditions across Europe as drought concerns rise.
Unethical experiments conducted on Black inmates were used in the development of the antimalarial primaquine in the 1950s and 60s, particularly around genetics鈥 role in adverse drug reactions, by an ethicist-led research team.
A bill to protect the privacy of women鈥檚 reproductive health data, including tracking apps around menstruation, pregnancy, and abortion, has been introduced by three Democratic members of Congress who say such a measure is necessary to protect women in the post-Roe v. Wade era.
Fetuses more exposed to certain air pollutants experience changes in the size of specific brain structures, especially during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, that drew from data collected from 754 mother-fetus pairs between 2018 and 2021. U.S. POLICY RFK Jr.鈥檚 New Committee Picks
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has appointed eight new members to the CDC鈥檚 independent vaccine advisory committee after removing all 17 previous members earlier this week.
- The new appointees to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) include some who have been critics of vaccines鈥攅specially COVID-19 vaccines and mRNA technology鈥攁nd pandemic lockdowns.
What鈥檚 next: It is unclear if Kennedy plans to appoint any more members to new ACIP. The panel will meet June 25-27 to review recommendations on vaccines, including for HPV and COVID-19 shots.
More U.S. Policy News:
Kennedy鈥檚 ouster of US vaccine advisors puts pharma ties under scrutiny 鈥
Vaccine board purge stokes talk of CDC alternatives 鈥
Top RFK Jr. aide attacks US health system while running company that promotes wellness alternatives 鈥
RFK Jr. to tell medical schools to teach nutrition or lose federal funding 鈥
A promising new HIV vaccine was set to start trials. Then came Trump's latest cuts 鈥
Senators press NIH director on killed grants and proposal to slash agency鈥檚 funding 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES WEAPONS The Physical Toll of 鈥楲ess-Lethal鈥 Force
Tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray like those used against demonstrators in Los Angeles this past week may not be designed to kill, but they can cause serious injuries, health problems, and even death.
Tear gas and pepper spray can have both short- and long-term effects, ranging from eye and skin irritation and vomiting to extreme respiratory distress and damage to vision or the nervous system.
Rubber bullet risks: Often made of hard plastic or metal, rubber bullets have caused blindness, brain injury, and death in some cases.
Research gaps: Much existing research into tactics like tear gas is limited to military research of young men in the 1950s-70s, and doesn鈥檛 account for modern weapons technology or potential health effects on a broader civilian population.
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Who Squashed the Competition?
Last week we celebrated a wax .
Now, another installment of England-making-things-look-like-other-things: a cornucopia of vegetable likenesses.
At the Lambeth Country Show, held last weekend in London始s Brockwell Park, revelers to enjoy sheep shearing, livestock competitions, and most of all: vegetable sculptures and vegetable puns.
鈥淓very year, this is what we get so excited about,鈥 .
Voting is now closed, but you can still pick your favorite.
Will it be ? Or its Vatican-themed rival, Butternut squash channeling ? ? Broccoli-based ?
All are healthy choices. QUICK HITS Scientists mapped what happens if a crucial system of ocean currents collapses. The weather impact would be extreme 鈥
Global action needed as progress stalls on disability-inclusive development goals 鈥 UN News 鈥
Journalist, advocate, policy adviser? My strange role in the fight against superbugs 鈥
As a health crisis looms in Vietnam, now is the time for a sugary drink tax: WHO 鈥
36% of Jamaicans tested for NCDs in health ministry campaign present 鈥榓bnormal result鈥 鈥
World Food Safety Day : Putting Science into Action to Improve Nutrition and Protect Health in Africa 鈥
Homicide Rates Near Supervised Consumption Sites: A Study from Canada 鈥
Word of the Week: how a bacterium unrelated to fish got its name 'salmonella' 鈥 Issue No. 2740
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Categories: Global Health Feed
With over half of the Sudanese population in need of aid and lean season rapidly approaching, the UN Chief for Humanitarian Affairs once again sounded the alarm about the crisis unfolding in Sudan on Thursday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
