黑料网

96 Global Health NOW: Mosquito Nets and Geopolitical Bets; Children Face 鈥楨xtremely High鈥� Prevalence of Sexual Violence; and It始s Giving 鈥� #MetGala Malaria programs in peril amid U.S. funding withdrawal May 8, 2025 A child receives a free malaria test. Lagos, Nigeria, April 24, 2022. Emma Houston/Xinhua via Getty Mosquito Nets and Geopolitical Bets  
IBADAN, Nigeria鈥擜t the Alegongo Primary Health Centre clinic, a nurse can efficiently diagnose a feverish child with malaria and dispense free antimalarial medication within minutes.
 
But amid broader uncertainties surrounding the withdrawal of U.S. funding for anti-malaria programs in Africa, that progress could soon unravel.

• Nigeria bears the highest malaria burden, . 

• However,  rates since 2017鈥攖hanks in part to a finely tuned malaria prevention and treatment supply chain that U.S.-funded groups like the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP) helped make possible. 

For now, Alegongo and other frontline clinics still have reserves of tests and antimalarials. But without new funding, supplies could run dry within months. And the  by tracking diagnostics, mosquito net ownership, prevalence, etc., would vanish. It鈥檚 an obliteration of both the gains and the very ability to see them.
 
The Quote: 鈥淲hat people don鈥檛 see now are the logistical strings being cut. 鈥� Those supply chains, once broken, don鈥檛 repair easily,鈥� notes one person who worked with CCP in Abuja until this past March.



Ed. Note: This article was produced in collaboration with  magazine and is part of a series that examines frontline impacts of cuts in U.S. funding. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
COVID鈥檚 evolutionary journey appears to parallel that of SARS, jumping from bats to other wild mammals and eventually to humans via wildlife markets, that analyzed the genomes of the two coronaviruses.

Carcinogens like formaldehyde are in a wide range of beauty products used on a weekly basis by 53% of Black and Latina women surveyed in Los Angeles, ; the products range from lotion and shampoo to eyeliner and eyelash glue.

The EU has secured 鈥渢he largest and most diverse supply chain鈥� to manufacture ~478 million reserve doses of pandemic flu vaccine in its effort to prepare for a possible bird flu outbreak in humans.  

Long COVID continues to impose 鈥渁 significant burden鈥� on survivors' physical and mental health post-infection, 鈥攚ith patients self-reporting compromised health and daily task efficiency for 13+ days a month.   U.S. Policy News CDC terminates infection control advisory committee 鈥�

Trump picks Casey Means for surgeon general, after first nominee withdraws 鈥�

Health Sec. Kennedy launches autism project using Medicare and Medicaid data 鈥�

Exclusive: Kennedy aide and vaccine critic questions recent expert recommendations 鈥�

US poll finds shifting vaccine trust amid health agency overhauls 鈥� CHILD & ADOLESCENT HEALTH Children Face 鈥楨xtremely High鈥� Prevalence of Sexual Violence 
Globally, at least 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 7 boys have experienced sexual violence before age 18, , considered 鈥渙ne of the most comprehensive assessments to date,鈥� . 

A closer look: The study analyzed data from all countries spanning 1990鈥�2023. 

• Rates of affected girls were highest in South Asia, at 26.8%; and highest in sub-Saharan Africa for boys, at 18.6%, . 

• However, the prevalence is 鈥渆xtremely high鈥� worldwide, and the numbers are likely an underestimate.

Long-term effects: People who survive sexual violence in their youth face a higher risk for ongoing health issues, including depression, anxiety, STIs, substance abuse, and chronic conditions like asthma. 

• 鈥淪exual violence against children is a widespread human rights and public health issue, and the world is clearly failing to end it,鈥� said study author Emmanuela Gakidou.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES BIG TOBACCO Behind the Curtain 
Tobacco industry lobbyists have made significant inroads among officials in the Philippines, giving them behind-the-scenes influence over national and even international tobacco regulations. 

Pulling strings at public health forums? Tobacco lobbyists are barred from attending the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Yet at the most recent conference in 2024, Filipino officials actively sought to protect the industry鈥檚 interests and worked to block the creation of new regulations. 

• The moves were so clearly pro-tobacco that a coalition of nonprofits awarded the Philippine delegation a 鈥淒irty Ashtray鈥� award for the alleged adoption of 鈥渢obacco industry tactics.鈥�

ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION 鈥嬧�婭t始s Giving 鈥� #MetGala
For one glorious night a year, the fashion elites toss the internet this sartorial bone: The chance to curl up in its pajamas, crack its knuckles 鈥� and viciously critique Met Gala outfits. .

What netizens noticed:

• While this year始s official theme celebrated Black dandyism, the unofficial dress code appeared to be 鈥�!鈥�

• And while even pantsless stars concealed their looks under long coats, the rapper Doechii opted to .

• Demi Moore  while her 1-pound chihuahua wore an absolutely tiny one.

• There were 鈥攁nd stylist shock when she . Gasp!

QUICK HITS India-Pakistan conflict puts Asia鈥檚 rice supplies at risk of trade turmoil, rising prices 鈥�

Pancreatic, colorectal cancer incidence rising fastest among younger individuals 鈥�

US surpasses 1,000 measles cases in 2025, second worst year since disease was declared eliminated 鈥�

Kenya launches National Public Health Institute with WHO backing 鈥�

Baltimore Banner wins Pulitzer Prize for coverage of overdose crisis 鈥�

Guatemala Announces Crucial Water Law Dialogue 鈥�

The future to fighting airborne viruses is in鈥�lamps? 鈥� Issue No. 2722
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:

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



  Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: Redrawing Battle Lines in the AIDS Fight; Twists in Abortion Lawsuit; and The Lifesaving Potential of Self-Driving Cars May 7, 2025 Students from the University of the Witwatersrand explain how to use a self HIV testing kit, in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, on March 19, 2018. Mujahid Safodien/AFP via Getty Redrawing Battle Lines in the AIDS Fight 
Global strategies to fight AIDS are quickly being reshaped, as cascading funding losses triggered by U.S. cuts continue to undermine footholds gained against the virus.

The latest: 

UNAIDS is cutting its workforce by more than half and moving its offices to cheaper locations, with leaders saying that decades-long gains 鈥渁re at risk of being reversed,鈥� .

In Liberia, doctors are already seeing the impacts of fewer people receiving antiretroviral medication as clinic workers have been laid off, ; they worry about increased illness鈥攁nd increased transmission. 

In the American South, community health programs are scaling back spending on HIV testing and outreach, .

• The long-term impact on infection rates could be severe, as Southern states have the highest level of poverty, a severe shortage of rural clinics, and depend heavily on federal funding. 


• HIV research at Florida universities will face the 鈥渄evastating impact鈥� of millions in DOGE cuts, .

Meanwhile, AIDS-related illnesses like tuberculosis continue to be the leading cause of hospitalization globally for people with HIV, , .

Related: 

In Historic First, the Global Fund Procures African-Made First-Line HIV Treatment 鈥�

The Trump Administration鈥檚 Foreign Aid Review: Status of PEPFAR 鈥�

Want to Rebuild US Foreign Aid? Look to PEPFAR 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   A hospital bombing in South Sudan last weekend was the latest in a series of attacks on health facilities as escalating violence hampers civilians鈥� access to basic medical care, and could lead to the closure of more clinics.

A lack of female-only medical trials in the UK is forcing doctors to make decisions in 鈥渁 vacuum of evidence鈥� when it comes to women鈥檚 health; male-only trials were nearly twice as common as female-only studies among the thousands reviewed.

Consuming cannabis while pregnant appears to increase the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and infant death, .

Conversion therapy exposure has been linked with elevated blood pressure, increased systemic inflammation, and higher odds of self-reported hypertension diagnosis, finds a cohort study of 703 sexual and gender minority young adults. U.S. and Global Health Policy News N.I.H. Bans New Funding From U.S. Scientists to Partners Abroad 鈥�

USAID Cuts Could Sever HPV Prevention 鈥�

Feeding the hungry will be harder than ever for the world's largest food aid agency 鈥�

Kennedy aide and vaccine critic questions recent expert recommendations 鈥�

New Opioid Data May Not Reflect Harms Accurately, FDA Advisors Warn 鈥� SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY A Wake-Up Call on Social Media鈥檚 Dangers
, a new Bloomberg documentary film, exposes the dark side of social media and its devastating impact on young people鈥攁nd the push to hold tech companies accountable.

• The film, based on investigative reporting by Bloomberg News鈥� Olivia Carville, takes viewers inside the fight for justice for families whose children suffered tragic consequences as a result of their social media use and makes the case for urgent reform.

GHN has partnered with Jolt to offer a special virtual screening of the film. REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS Twists in Abortion Lawsuit
The U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal judge on Monday to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to sharply restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone, arguing in its filing that the three states suing the FDA lack legal standing.
 
The request to dismiss the closely watched case is a notable deviation from the Trump administration鈥檚 positions so far on reproductive rights.  
 
Originally filed in 2022, the lawsuit made its way to the Supreme Court but was thrown out for plaintiffs鈥� lack of standing to sue. Attorneys for the three states amended and revived the suit a few months later.

• If allowed to proceed, the case could have a major impact on abortion access, as abortion pills are used in two-thirds of abortions in the U.S.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ROAD SAFETY The Lifesaving Potential of Self-Driving Cars 
Makers of autonomous vehicles (AVs) have long touted the safety benefits of their cars: Unlike humans, self-driving cars don鈥檛 text and drive, or drive while sleepy or impaired. 

Research is starting to bear those claims out, with a large and comprehensive new study showing significant safety performance compared to human driving, . 

• In a , AV company Waymo analyzed the performance of its AVs over 56.7 million miles driven in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Austin鈥攁ll without a human driver present. 


• Researchers compared that data to human driving performance over the same distance on the same kind of roads.

The results: Waymo found its AVs reduce crashes that involve an injury by 96%, and pedestrian- and cyclist-involved collisions by 82%鈥�92%, . 

Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff!  QUICK HITS US government secures production, supply of freeze-dried Jynneos mpox vaccine 鈥�

KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: Vaccine Safety and Trust 鈥�

How Utah dentists are preparing patients for the first statewide fluoride ban 鈥�

Medical AI trained on whopping 57 million health records 鈥�

COVID-19 Vaccines Not Linked to Miscarriage 鈥�

The power of dogs on your mental health 鈥� Issue No. 2721
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:

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



  Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: Health Inequities鈥� Lethal Impact; A Closer Look at a Dementia Cluster; and China鈥檚 Unregulated Beauty May 6, 2025 Older adults exercise in a park. Tokyo, Japan, October 1, 2024. David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Health Inequities鈥� Lethal Impact
33 years. That鈥檚 the difference in life expectancy between people in Japan (which has the world鈥檚 highest life expectancy at 84.5 years) and Lesotho (which has the lowest at 51.5), .

• The publication follows a 2008 initial report that set targets to reduce life expectancy disparities between and within countries by 2040. Those targets are not likely to be met.

Warning signs:

• Children born in poorer countries are 13X more likely to die before age 5 than those born in wealthier countries. 


• 94% of maternal deaths occur in low- and lower-middle-income countries.


• 3.8 billion people lack adequate social protections, such as child/paid sick leave benefits鈥攊mpacting health outcomes.

Drivers of disparity: A lack of quality housing, education, and work opportunities are behind the health inequities leading to shorter lives. Discrimination and marginalization exacerbate the inequities. 

Solutions: Addressing income inequality, structural discrimination, and disruptions caused by conflict and climate change could overcome health inequities, per WHO.

The Quote: 鈥淚t is a sad indictment on government leaders that social injustice continues to kill on such a grand scale,鈥� said Michael Marmot, who led the 2008 report, . 鈥樷�楾he targets we set to close the health gap in a generation will be missed.鈥欌��
 
Related:

All-Cause Mortality and Life Expectancy by Birth Cohort Across US States 鈥�
 
Study reveals stark differences in life expectancy across US states over the past century 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Aiming to 鈥渕ake Europe a magnet for researchers,鈥� the European Union has pledged 鈧�500 million in new money over the next two years and vows to protect scientific freedom to lure foreign scientists; separately, France announced plans to dedicate 鈧�100 million to attracting foreign researchers.
 
Pharmacists in England face inappropriate demands for unnecessary antibiotics despite the threat posed by antimicrobial resistance; according to a National Pharmacy Association survey, 79% of pharmacists report having to refuse requests for antibiotics from patients at least once a day.

Teens with anxiety and depression spend ~50 more minutes per day on social media than their peers, and report more dissatisfaction with aspects of the experience, such as the number of their online friends, per a of 3,340 adolescents in the UK.
 
Study participants given the shingles vaccine showed a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events including stroke, heart failure, and coronary heart disease for up to 8 years compared to those who did not receive the vaccine, of 1 million+ people ages 50 and up. U.S. and Global Health Policy News Trump restricts funding for 'gain-of-function' research 鈥� calling it dangerous 鈥�
More than a dozen states, DC sue Trump administration over 'dismantling' of federal health agencies 鈥�

US scientist who touted hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid named to pandemic prevention role 鈥�

The Trump administration's approach to extreme weather will damage health 鈥�  

Key reports addressing violence against Indigenous women are gone from federal sites 鈥�

鈥業t鈥檚 been a tough period鈥�: NIH鈥檚 new director speaks with Science 鈥� ALZHEIMER'S A Closer Look at a Dementia Cluster 
In Starr County, near the border of Texas and Mexico, 鈥渆verybody has somebody in their family鈥� with dementia, said neuroepidemiologist Gladys Maestre.

• The condition affects about 1 in 5 adults on Medicare there鈥攎ore than 2X the national rate.

Why? Researchers say the risk factors associated with dementia鈥攇enetics, environment, and chronic health conditions鈥攈ave accumulated in Starr County. 

• ~1 in 3 people live in poverty and a quarter lack health insurance.


• The community is almost entirely Hispanic鈥攁 population that faces a significantly higher risk of dementia, yet remains one of the most under-studied groups in dementia research in the U.S.

Hope for breakthroughs: In 2021, the National Institute on Aging designated a new Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease Research Center in south Texas to better understand the dementia cluster and shift outcomes. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES SURGERY China鈥檚 Unregulated Beauty 
In China, an estimated 80,000 cosmetic surgery venues operate without a license, and 100,000 practitioners are not qualified鈥攁 result of increased demand in the country for plastic surgery. But without enough qualified professionals botched surgeries and dangerous complications are on the rise. 

• 20 million people pay for cosmetic procedures annually.


• 80% are women. 


• The average age to undergo surgery is 25. 

Plastic perfection: Cosmetic procedure apps, surgery influencers, and physical 鈥渁esthetic鈥� requirements for jobs raise the social pressure to meet impossible beauty standards, with many young women and girls receiving multiple, if not dozens, of surgeries. 

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Dossier of alleged Sudan war crimes handed to Metropolitan police 鈥�

New salmonella outbreak is linked to backyard poultry, CDC says 鈥�

Forgotten disease ravaging Kampala, Wakiso 鈥�

Why midwives are worried 鈥�

A decade of change: maternal mortality trends in Sudan, 2009鈥�2019 鈥�

More babies are being admitted to NICUs 鈥�

Gloves do not replace hand hygiene 鈥� reminder from WHO 鈥�

Popemobile to become health clinic for Gaza children 鈥� Issue No. 2720
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:

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



  Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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

96 Global Health NOW: Striking on New Antivenom Potential; April Recap; and Sweltering Conditions in Cambodia鈥檚 Sweatshops May 5, 2025 A Jameson's mamba, one of Kenya's 13 medically relevant snakes due to a significant rate of deadly snakebite cases, at the Kenya Snakebite Research and Intervention Centre. Nairobi, March 7. Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Striking on New Antivenom Potential
Scientists have made a major breakthrough in antivenom development, thanks to an unusual research partner: an American snake collector who allowed himself to be bitten hundreds of times, . 

Background: In hopes of developing a universal antivenom, lead study author Jacob Glanville had wanted to study antibodies in a person exposed to multiple snake venoms, . 

• He found his man in Tim Friede, a self-taught herpetologist who has allowed himself to be bitten ~200 times by more than a dozen venomous snakes over two decades.

The basics: After receiving approval from an ethics review board, researchers analyzed Friede鈥檚 blood and found two potent antibodies. 

• By combining them with an existing drug, they made a cocktail that allowed mice to survive venom from 19 species of dangerous elapid snakes, which include cobras, mamba, and taipans, .


• Not covered: Venom from vipers, which make up about half of venomous snakes.

Great need: Venomous snakes kill tens of thousands of people every year, and disable several hundred thousand more, .

• Developing effective antivenoms has long been a struggle, as most work for just one or a few snakes of one region, .

What鈥檚 next: The researchers plan to test the treatment in snakebitten dogs in Australia and to develop the antivenom for a wider array of snakes. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   An anthrax outbreak in the DRC has so far resulted in 16 suspected cases and one death, leading to a scaled-up response from health officials, ; meanwhile, Thailand has reported its first anthrax death in decades after a man was exposed to an infected cow, .

Ecuador has confirmed three yellow fever cases with a fourth case under investigation, per the nation鈥檚 health minister; yellow fever outbreaks continue to be reported across South America.

Men die younger across different global regions for a range of reasons often related to increased prevalence of diseases and risk factors and lower access to care, .

The animal sedative medetomidine is increasingly turning up in illegal drugs in the U.S., ; it is being mixed with other illicit drugs, primarily fentanyl, and has been reported in overdose clusters in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. U.S. and Global Health Policy News Cuts have eliminated more than a dozen US government health-tracking programs 鈥�

RFK Jr. calls for CDC plan for alternative measles treatments 鈥�

Trump's cuts to contraception will kill 'tens of thousands' of women 鈥�

NIH cuts baby 'Safe to Sleep' team. Here's what parents should know 鈥�

Will America be 鈥渇lying blind鈥� on bird flu? A key wastewater-tracking program may soon end 鈥�

V.A. Mental Health Care Staff, Crowded into Federal Buildings, Raise Patient Privacy Alarms 鈥� APRIL RECAP: MUST-READS A Squirrel鈥檚 Link to Mpox
Scientists have identified the fire-footed rope squirrel as a potential mpox reservoir host鈥攁 discovery that could help researchers understand cross-species spillover. 

• DNA from the squirrel matched virus samples taken from mpox-infected sooty mangabey monkeys during an outbreak in Ivory Coast. Researchers believe the monkeys were infected after eating squirrels with the virus.

Implications: While more research is needed, the findings are 鈥渁 landmark contribution to understanding mpox dynamics,鈥� said an Africa CDC biologist.

 
Japan Ramps up Regenerative Medicine
Japan is rapidly expanding its biotechnology sector, investing heavily in regenerative medicine.

In 2006, Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka discovered that adult cells could be reprogrammed into an embryonic-like state known as iPS cells, allowing them to become any kind of tissue. 

• Since then, Japan has led the field globally, hosting nearly one-third of iPS-cell clinical trials鈥攁nd may soon approve the first iPS-cell treatments for diseases like Parkinson鈥檚.

Protective Paint in South Africa
In Cape Town, informal homes made of metal and wood can reach 95掳F (35掳C) and remain hot overnight鈥攄isrupting sleep and increasing stress levels.

In a simple intervention, researchers are testing UV-resistant reflective paint on roofs, a practice that has already been used to reduce temperatures in chicken coops.

• The study will measure potential temperature changes and effects on residents鈥� sleep and health.

APRIL'S TWO-PART EXCLUSIVE SERIES Millions of Indians celebrate Diwali with fireworks鈥攚ithout realizing the dangerous conditions for factory workers. Gurugram, India, October 31, 2024. Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Fireworks and Heartbreak in a Hard-Hit Indian Village  
SIVAKASI, India鈥擡xplosions at fireworks factories are not uncommon in this Southern Indian city that produces nearly 90% of the country鈥檚 fireworks, that describes the toll on the tens of thousands of workers employed by these factories.

• 91 workers were killed in the most recent year鈥攂ut only those killed at the explosion site are counted鈥攏ot those who die later.


• Employers typically pay only for injured workers鈥� initial care.

Of the 650 families who live in Surangudi village, most have lost either a limb or a loved one to fireworks, social activist .

Ed. Note: Our thanks go to Padmavathy Krishna Kumar who shared the idea for this topic and received an honorable mention in the , co-sponsored by Global Health NOW and the . APRIL'S BEST NEWS Hope for Fistula Survivors in Nigeria  
Free fistula repair surgery will soon be available at clinics throughout Nigeria, health officials announced earlier this month鈥攁 鈥済roundbreaking move鈥� in a country that sees ~12,000 new cases a year of vesicovaginal fistula, which can be a debilitating and highly stigmatizing condition.

• In 2022, 600+ women with VVF were abandoned by their families in the state of Borno.


• Advocates say comprehensive counseling services are also needed to support VVF survivors with the psychological trauma associated with the condition. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH Sweltering Conditions in Cambodia鈥檚 Sweatshops
Decades after promised reforms in Cambodian sweatshops that produce goods for companies like Nike, workers still frequently fainted and required medical intervention due to high heat and long hours, employees and medics say. 

Bigger picture: 57,000+ people produce Nike goods at garment factories in Cambodia. Fainting has been a commonly reported problem, with the Cambodian government reporting 4,500+ occurrences in factories between 2017 and 2019. 

• In one factory, Y&W Garment鈥攚hich employed ~4,500 people making clothes in 2023鈥攆ormer employees reported two to three people fainting daily as temperatures inside soared above 100掳F. 

Failed oversight: Workers say oversight groups like the U.N.-backed Better Factories Cambodia have little influence on conditions.

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Meet The Scientist Warning The World About The Next Pandemic 鈥� 

Chilean woman with muscular dystrophy becomes face of euthanasia debate as bill stalls in Senate 鈥�

How vaccine hesitancy may be driving a spike in pediatric flu deaths 鈥�

Cannabis Could Be Bad for Your Heart 鈥�

Samoa becomes the first Pacific Island country to launch National Action Plan for Health Security 鈥�

Well, That鈥檚 One Way to Address America鈥檚 Vaping Problem 鈥�

Woman's eyesight saved by cutting-edge test after mystery infection 鈥� Issue No. M-5-2025
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 .

96 Global Health NOW: Striking on New Antivenom Potential; April Recap; and Sweltering Conditions in Cambodia鈥檚 Sweatshops May 5, 2025 A Jameson's mamba, one of Kenya's 13 medically relevant snakes due to a significant rate of deadly snakebite cases, at the Kenya Snakebite Research and Intervention Centre. Nairobi, March 7. Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Striking on New Antivenom Potential
Scientists have made a major breakthrough in antivenom development, thanks to an unusual research partner: an American snake collector who allowed himself to be bitten hundreds of times, . 

Background: In hopes of developing a universal antivenom, lead study author Jacob Glanville had wanted to study antibodies in a person exposed to multiple snake venoms, . 

• He found his man in Tim Friede, a self-taught herpetologist who has allowed himself to be bitten ~200 times by more than a dozen venomous snakes over two decades.

The basics: After receiving approval from an ethics review board, researchers analyzed Friede鈥檚 blood and found two potent antibodies. 

• By combining them with an existing drug, they made a cocktail that allowed mice to survive venom from 19 species of dangerous elapid snakes, which include cobras, mamba, and taipans, .


• Not covered: Venom from vipers, which make up about half of venomous snakes.

Great need: Venomous snakes kill tens of thousands of people every year, and disable several hundred thousand more, .

• Developing effective antivenoms has long been a struggle, as most work for just one or a few snakes of one region, .

What鈥檚 next: The researchers plan to test the treatment in snakebitten dogs in Australia and to develop the antivenom for a wider array of snakes. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   An anthrax outbreak in the DRC has so far resulted in 16 suspected cases and one death, leading to a scaled-up response from health officials, ; meanwhile, Thailand has reported its first anthrax death in decades after a man was exposed to an infected cow, .

Ecuador has confirmed three yellow fever cases with a fourth case under investigation, per the nation鈥檚 health minister; yellow fever outbreaks continue to be reported across South America.

Men die younger across different global regions for a range of reasons often related to increased prevalence of diseases and risk factors and lower access to care, .

The animal sedative medetomidine is increasingly turning up in illegal drugs in the U.S., ; it is being mixed with other illicit drugs, primarily fentanyl, and has been reported in overdose clusters in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. U.S. and Global Health Policy News Cuts have eliminated more than a dozen US government health-tracking programs 鈥�

RFK Jr. calls for CDC plan for alternative measles treatments 鈥�

Trump's cuts to contraception will kill 'tens of thousands' of women 鈥�

NIH cuts baby 'Safe to Sleep' team. Here's what parents should know 鈥�

Will America be 鈥渇lying blind鈥� on bird flu? A key wastewater-tracking program may soon end 鈥�

V.A. Mental Health Care Staff, Crowded into Federal Buildings, Raise Patient Privacy Alarms 鈥� APRIL RECAP: MUST-READS A Squirrel鈥檚 Link to Mpox
Scientists have identified the fire-footed rope squirrel as a potential mpox reservoir host鈥攁 discovery that could help researchers understand cross-species spillover. 

• DNA from the squirrel matched virus samples taken from mpox-infected sooty mangabey monkeys during an outbreak in Ivory Coast. Researchers believe the monkeys were infected after eating squirrels with the virus.

Implications: While more research is needed, the findings are 鈥渁 landmark contribution to understanding mpox dynamics,鈥� said an Africa CDC biologist.

 
Japan Ramps up Regenerative Medicine
Japan is rapidly expanding its biotechnology sector, investing heavily in regenerative medicine.

In 2006, Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka discovered that adult cells could be reprogrammed into an embryonic-like state known as iPS cells, allowing them to become any kind of tissue. 

• Since then, Japan has led the field globally, hosting nearly one-third of iPS-cell clinical trials鈥攁nd may soon approve the first iPS-cell treatments for diseases like Parkinson鈥檚.

Protective Paint in South Africa
In Cape Town, informal homes made of metal and wood can reach 95掳F (35掳C) and remain hot overnight鈥攄isrupting sleep and increasing stress levels.

In a simple intervention, researchers are testing UV-resistant reflective paint on roofs, a practice that has already been used to reduce temperatures in chicken coops.

• The study will measure potential temperature changes and effects on residents鈥� sleep and health.

APRIL'S TWO-PART EXCLUSIVE SERIES Millions of Indians celebrate Diwali with fireworks鈥攚ithout realizing the dangerous conditions for factory workers. Gurugram, India, October 31, 2024. Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Fireworks and Heartbreak in a Hard-Hit Indian Village  
SIVAKASI, India鈥擡xplosions at fireworks factories are not uncommon in this Southern Indian city that produces nearly 90% of the country鈥檚 fireworks, that describes the toll on the tens of thousands of workers employed by these factories.

• 91 workers were killed in the most recent year鈥攂ut only those killed at the explosion site are counted鈥攏ot those who die later.


• Employers typically pay only for injured workers鈥� initial care.

Of the 650 families who live in Surangudi village, most have lost either a limb or a loved one to fireworks, social activist .

Ed. Note: Our thanks go to Padmavathy Krishna Kumar who shared the idea for this topic and received an honorable mention in the , co-sponsored by Global Health NOW and the . APRIL'S BEST NEWS Hope for Fistula Survivors in Nigeria  
Free fistula repair surgery will soon be available at clinics throughout Nigeria, health officials announced earlier this month鈥攁 鈥済roundbreaking move鈥� in a country that sees ~12,000 new cases a year of vesicovaginal fistula, which can be a debilitating and highly stigmatizing condition.

• In 2022, 600+ women with VVF were abandoned by their families in the state of Borno.


• Advocates say comprehensive counseling services are also needed to support VVF survivors with the psychological trauma associated with the condition. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH Sweltering Conditions in Cambodia鈥檚 Sweatshops
Decades after promised reforms in Cambodian sweatshops that produce goods for companies like Nike, workers still frequently fainted and required medical intervention due to high heat and long hours, employees and medics say. 

Bigger picture: 57,000+ people produce Nike goods at garment factories in Cambodia. Fainting has been a commonly reported problem, with the Cambodian government reporting 4,500+ occurrences in factories between 2017 and 2019. 

• In one factory, Y&W Garment鈥攚hich employed ~4,500 people making clothes in 2023鈥攆ormer employees reported two to three people fainting daily as temperatures inside soared above 100掳F. 

Failed oversight: Workers say oversight groups like the U.N.-backed Better Factories Cambodia have little influence on conditions.

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Meet The Scientist Warning The World About The Next Pandemic 鈥� 

Chilean woman with muscular dystrophy becomes face of euthanasia debate as bill stalls in Senate 鈥�

How vaccine hesitancy may be driving a spike in pediatric flu deaths 鈥�

Cannabis Could Be Bad for Your Heart 鈥�

Samoa becomes the first Pacific Island country to launch National Action Plan for Health Security 鈥�

Well, That鈥檚 One Way to Address America鈥檚 Vaping Problem 鈥�

Woman's eyesight saved by cutting-edge test after mystery infection 鈥� Issue No. 2719
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 .

96 Global Health NOW: Underuse and Overuse Fuels AMR; Funding 鈥楳egafarms,鈥� Despite Pollution; and Heavy Caw-petition New studies highlight the dual crisis of antibiotic resistance May 1, 2025 Scanning electron micrograph of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, yellow) surrounded by cellular debris (red). NIH/NAID/IMAGE.FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Underuse, Overuse: The Dual Crisis of Antibiotic Resistance
As scientists continue to sound the alarm about antibiotic overuse driving antimicrobial resistance, new research shows how the crisis is also being exacerbated by the opposite problem: lack of antibiotic access.

Overuse: show how globally just 52% of antibiotics prescribed fell under the 鈥渁ccess鈥� category of first and second-line antibiotics. That rate should be closer to 70%, per WHO targets, but many patients are receiving antibiotics for more severe infections, .

Underuse: Meanwhile, lack of access to the correct antibiotics is further driving the spread of superbugs, , which found that <7% of people with severe infections in poorer countries get the necessary antibiotics, . 

Stewardship and innovation: The crisis must be addressed by improving both access to a wider spectrum of antibiotics, and by implementing stewardship policies, . 

The authors of the underuse study said stewardship is not enough: Low- and middle-income countries need new drugs and antibiotic innovation.

• 鈥淲e actually have to focus on both 鈥� , in all places,鈥� said senior study author Jennifer Cohn. 

Related: National-level actions found to be effective at tackling antibiotic resistance 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
China is redoubling its claim that COVID-19 may have originated in the U.S., in a white paper about its own pandemic response released this week, following the Trump administration鈥檚 launch of a website that blames the pandemic on a lab leak in China.

Sierra Leone has launched a widespread mpox vaccination campaign as cases of the virus surge; the country has confirmed 763 cases, with 177 recorded in a two-day period last week.

Depression, schizophrenia and other mental health conditions could be linked to the body鈥檚 immune response, ; the data could help in developing a range of more effective treatments, researchers say. 

Nicotine pouch usage nearly doubled among U.S. highschoolers between 2023鈥�2024, per , which analyzed surveys of 10,000+ teens; the findings signal a 鈥済rowing public health issue,鈥� per the study鈥檚 lead author. CLIMATE Funding 鈥楳egafarms,鈥� Despite Pollution 
The U.K. government has subsidized industrial-scale poultry farms, despite growing alarm over the farms鈥� contribution to 鈥渟piraling鈥� air and water pollution in the regions where they operate. 

Background: The 鈥渕egafarms,鈥� which can hold up to a million birds, have proliferated in the region near the Wye and Severn rivers. Already, the farms have .  

Outcry over subsidies: At least 拢14m of public funds have been paid out over three years to poultry farm operators鈥攁 move that environmental advocates say undermines other ecological policies. 

• The funding exposes 鈥渁ny pretense of practicing effective environmental regulation in this country,鈥� said Charles Watson, chairman of NGO River Action. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HIV/AIDS Newly Vulnerable on the Road
Truck drivers who travel between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo relied on a network of mobile community health workers to help deliver critical HIV medication while on the road. 

That network has broken down following U.S. cuts to foreign aid, leading to closures of clinics and HIV programs鈥攁nd leaving truck drivers without access to their HIV medication. 

High risk: Long-haul truck drivers are nearly 6X as likely as the general adult population to be HIV positive, .

Also vulnerable: Sex workers, who rely on the same health networks for HIV medication and PreP.

ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Heavy Caw-petition
If it looks like a gull, sounds like a gull, and dresses like a gull 鈥� it始s probably a contestant in the European Gull Screeching Contest.

This past weekend, 70 participants from 13 countries descended on the Belgian coastal town of De Panne for the squawk-off designed to rehabilitate the reputation of the oft-maligned coastal birds, .

• Seagull Boy, who GHN celebrated last year, took home a second victory in the youth category, . 

• Newcomer Anna Brynald beaked out a victory in the adult category and captured our hearts with her sympatico with the seabirds. After all, both Anna and the gulls are misunderstood, and love fries, .

The appreciation may not be mutual. 鈥淚 worked with the seagulls. I went to the beach and I looked at many seagulls 鈥� And I screeched at them, but they became scared of me,鈥� she said.

Ironically, a sense of nihilism keeps Brynald motivated: 鈥淚f there isn't any meaning in life, that means I can do literally everything I want. I can make seagull sounds, because I don't care.鈥� QUICK HITS Israeli wildfires could threaten Jerusalem, prime minister says 鈥�

A WHO Director on the Future of Polio Eradication 鈥�

Wegovy Can Treat a Dangerous Liver Disease, Study Finds 鈥�

Diabetes deaths fall to lowest levels in years, in early CDC figures 鈥�

Myanmar earthquake one-month on: needs remain massive 鈥�

Indonesians are flourishing. People in the UK, Germany, and Spain? Not so much, global survey finds 鈥�

Indian Summit Showcases Solar and Innovative Cooling Methods as Pressure Mounts for Immediate Climate Solutions 鈥�  

Human Evolution Traded Fur for Sweat Glands鈥攁nd Now, Our Wounds Take Longer to Heal Than Those of Other Mammals 鈥� Issue No. 2718
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 .

96 Global Health NOW: Climate Report Frozen; Phthalates May Contribute to Heart Disease; and The Human Toll of Meta Moderation April 30, 2025 A view of a flipped tractor trailer in Asheville, North Carolina, after heavy rains and flooding from Hurricane Helene. September 30, 2024. Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Climate Report Frozen
Scientists working on the U.S.鈥檚 flagship climate report were dismissed this week by the Trump administration, which researchers say could impede critical planning and mitigation efforts at the national and community level, .

The , mandated by Congress and produced by ~400 volunteer authors, is a comprehensive source of information about how climate change affects the U.S.鈥攆rom how quickly sea levels are rising near cities to how to cope with wildfire smoke exposure.

The report covers public health impacts and recommendations for addressing them, including planning for extreme heat in urban areas and bolstering food and water security. 

• 鈥淚f I care about food or water or transportation or insurance or my health, this is what climate change means to me,鈥� Texas Tech University climate scientist .

Mounting toll: The past 10 years have been the hottest on record, and last year alone, the U.S. experienced 27 weather and climate-related disasters , reports the .

What鈥檚 next? The Trump administration said the scope of the report 鈥渋s currently being reevaluated.鈥� Researchers worry that a report that downplays risks or contradicts climate science could be published instead, . 

Related: 

UK is not ready for coming climate 鈥榙isaster,鈥� government advisers warn 鈥�

Trump鈥檚 first 100 days: US walks away from global climate action 鈥�

From subs to bases, "climate change crap" has consequences for U.S. military 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners  

One HPV vaccine dose provides similar protection to two doses in preventing infection, per data from an involving 20,000 girls, presented ahead of the June meeting of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Florida is poised to ban fluoride in public drinking water after state lawmakers approved the measure Tuesday; the bill now goes to Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose administration has supported ending fluoridation despite warnings from dentists and public health advocates.

In an Alzheimer鈥檚 breakthrough, U.K. scientists have used living human brain tissue to mimic the early stages of the disease, exposing healthy brain tissue from NHS patients to a toxic form of a protein linked to Alzheimer鈥檚 to demonstrate damage to brain cell connections in real time.

Low emission zones in London significantly reduced harmful pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, that documented measurable public health and economic benefits, including an 18.5% drop in sick leave, following LEZ implementation.

U.S. Health and Science Policy News CDC reinstates workers who screen coal miners for black lung disease 鈥�

Trump鈥檚 Cuts to Science Funding Could Hurt U.S. Economy, Study Shows 鈥�

Exclusive: In conversation with FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary 鈥�

RFK Jr.'s not-so-secret weapon: the moms 鈥�

Here's how the Trump administration has changed health policy in its first 100 days 鈥� ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Phthalates May Contribute to Heart Disease
Daily exposure to di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), a chemical used to make household plastic items, could be linked to more than 10% of all global mortality from heart disease in 2018, .

While DEHP is used globally, Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East saw a much larger share of the more than 365,000 global deaths than other populations鈥攏early half the total.

• India had the highest death count at 39,677 deaths, followed by Pakistan and Egypt.

Consistent contact with DEHP has been shown to cause inflammation in the heart's arteries, which, over time, is associated with an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.

The study鈥檚 authors say the resulting economic burden from the deaths was ~$510 billion.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MENTAL HEALTH The Human Toll of Meta Moderation
The people tasked with sifting through the most disturbing images flagged on Facebook and Instagram are underpaid and work in grueling conditions, . 

Background: Meta keeps the identities of its content-moderation subcontractors a closely guarded secret, but TBIJ identified one as a French multinational company, Teleperformance, which operates out of Accra, Ghana. 

The toll: Moderators say they are held to strict performance targets, work under surveillance, and receive no psychological support for the difficult work, which involves reviewing images of extreme violence and abuse. 

• As a result, many are coping with depression and substance abuse; some have even attempted suicide. 

Related: How to keep violent porn out of your home and away from your kids 鈥� OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Plague of rats and insects provide latest challenge for war-shattered Gazans 鈥�

The Disappeared: Mexico鈥檚 Industrial-Scale Human Rights Crisis 鈥�

Winnie Byanyimax: Three ways to help the developing world survive the end of aid 鈥�

More and more older Americans want to know their Alzheimer's status, survey finds 鈥�

Top ten research priorities in global burns care: findings from the James Lind Alliance Global Burns Research Priority Setting Partnership 鈥�

COVID vaccine works faster with both doses in the same arm 鈥�  

鈥楽mart insoles鈥� could help diagnose dementia, other health problems 鈥� Issue No. 2717
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 .

96 Global Health NOW: Peru鈥檚 Illegal Mining Surges鈥� and Destroys; Autism Database Debate; and The Lingering Legacy of Agent Orange April 29, 2025 GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORT Illegal gold mining in Peru鈥檚 Madre de Dios department has destroyed an average of 21,000 hectares of rainforest per year. May 31, 2024. Ernesto Benavides/AFP via Getty Peru鈥檚 Illegal Mining Surges鈥� and Destroys  
LIMA, Peru鈥擲oaring gold prices and plunging U.S. government funds are .

• A longtime problem in the department of Madre de Dios, which borders Bolivia and Brazil, illegal mining is booming as gold prices top $3,000 per ounce.


• The gold rush requires a massive influx of workers and large amounts of mercury, which is used to extract gold from ore.

The result: Destroyed forests, mercury poisoning, and fast-spreading infectious diseases, says Juan Pablo Murillo, an infectious disease specialist with the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos.
 
U.S. cuts: Canceled U.S.-supported projects had reforested devastated areas, traced how mercury poisoned people, and worked with communities on ways to avoid fish species with the highest mercury levels, says tropical ecologist Luis Fern谩ndez, who directs Wake Forest University鈥檚 Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation.

The Quote: 鈥淲e need to understand much more about [mercury鈥檚] impact because it is so contaminating,鈥� says Eusebio R铆os, a leader of the Harakmbut Indigenous people. 鈥淚t is a silent threat because you do not see it. We are consuming it without knowing it or how it will affect us in the future.鈥�

Ed Note: This article was produced in collaboration with and is the first in a series that examines front-line impacts of cuts in U.S. funding. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Measles is surging in Europe and the Americas; in Europe鈥攚ith 87% of the cases in Romania鈥攂etween 2023 and 2024, and the in the Americas so far this year compared to the same period last year, with all related deaths (3) and the highest case count (900) in the U.S.

130+ pregnant women, new mothers, and children who fled Haiti to seek health care in the Dominican Republic were rounded up in hospitals and deported as part of a new crackdown on undocumented migrants.

100 days into the Trump administration, 44% of Americans say they expect to lose trust in public health under new leadership, compared with 28% expecting greater trust, per a new poll of 3,000+ Americans that reflects a partisan divide, with 76% of Democrats reporting waning trust, and 57% of Republicans expressing more optimism.

The FDA confirmed yesterday that it will require Novavax to run a new clinical trial for its COVID-19 vaccine, which was previously updated annually to target current strains without the need for new clinical trials, prompting concern from former health officials that it鈥檚 part of an effort to weaken vaccine efforts. U.S. Health Cuts and Policy News 鈥楴o one can do what America does鈥�: Sudanese refugees bear the brunt as US aid dries up 鈥�

Will US science survive Trump 2.0? 鈥�

Reproductive health groups, ACLU sue Trump administration for withholding family planning grants 鈥�

Health of mothers and children at risk from loss of CDC data program, expert says 鈥�

How this Limpopo NGO prepared itself for Trump funding cuts 鈥� AUTISM Database Debate
Autism advocates and health privacy experts are raising concerns after the Trump administration announced plans to pursue wide-scale data collection in an effort to expedite autism research, . 

Pivot from initial plan: The administration initially announced it would create a new registry of people with autism, but retreated from the plan after intense backlash and privacy concerns.

• Still, the administration plans to collect and consolidate autism-related data, combining federal health data, medical records, insurance claims, and readouts from wearable devices to create a 鈥渞eal-world data platform,鈥� . 

Reactions: While some scientists have long pushed for a more comprehensive data source to improve research and treatments, others say it could lead to cherrypicking data to promote the view that vaccines cause autism. 

• Some health providers are reporting an uptick in patient requests to remove personal information from charts over privacy concerns. 

Related:

A severe autism advocate responds to RFK Jr.'s research initiative 鈥�

鈥楾his Is Not How We Do Science, Ever鈥� 鈥�

Fact-checking RFK Jr.鈥檚 claim that environmental toxins cause autism 鈥�

These autistic people struggled to make sense of others. Then they found AI. 鈥� DATA POINT CONFLICT The Lingering Legacy of Agent Orange
The Vietnam War ended 50 years ago, but the fallout from the Agent Orange supply used in the country by U.S. troops continues to affect new Vietnamese generations.

• At Da Nang, the site of a U.S. air base, soil remains highly toxic, with dangerous chemicals like dioxin leaching into food and water supplies. 

The toll: Today, ~3 million people, including many children, still suffer serious health issues associated with exposure, ranging from cancer to birth defects. 

Clean-up in jeopardy: Vietnam continues decades-long, painstaking remediation efforts, but U.S. funds allocated for the effort have been called into question with the Trump administration鈥檚 cuts to foreign aid. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Climate change could increase global levels of antimicrobial resistance, study finds 鈥�  

U.S. maternal deaths doubled during COVID-19 pandemic, among other findings in new study 鈥�

The Disaster of School Closures Should Have Been Foreseen 鈥�

Eliminating Malaria in ASEAN: Lessons From Egypt 鈥�

As a diversity grant dies, young scientists fear it will haunt their careers 鈥�

Weight loss pills could help tackle obesity in poorer countries, experts say 鈥�

He had 2 months to live. Cancer research "that seemed like science fiction" saved his life. 鈥� Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe!

How bugs and beet juice could play roles in the race to replace artificial dyes in food 鈥� Issue No. 2716
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 .

96 Global Health NOW: Gaza Aid at a 鈥楤reaking Point鈥�; The Struggle for Inclusive Care in Nigeria and Kenya; and Japan鈥檚 Regenerative Medicine Revolution April 28, 2025 Palestinians, mostly children, wait in long lines for food aid distributed by charity organizations at Nuseirat Refugee Camp, near Deir al-Balah, Gaza. April 28. Hassan Jedi/Anadolu via Getty Gaza Aid at a 鈥楤reaking Point鈥� 
  Food and medical aid are nearing total collapse in Gaza, as a blockade by Israel stretches into a second month, humanitarian groups are warning. The increasingly dire alerts come as hearings begin at the UN's top court in The Hague, with a Palestinian envoy accusing Israel of destroying the 鈥渇undamentals of life in Palestine,鈥� .

International hearings begin: In The Hague, Palestinian Ambassador to the Netherlands Ammar Hijazi accused Israel of breaching international law by blocking critical aid, attacking aid workers, and displacing citizens, .

• Israel has criticized the case as 鈥渟ystematic persecution and delegitimization鈥� and denies deliberately targeting civilians and aid staff. The court will likely take months to rule.

鈥楤rink of catastrophe鈥�: Aid groups say that food and critical supplies are nearly out and that essential bakeries and kitchens have shuttered across the enclave, .

• The World Food Programme announced last week its stocks in Gaza are depleted, saying that since the ceasefire, conditions have 鈥渙nce again reached a breaking point,鈥� . 

Meanwhile, pregnant women face growing dangers in Gaza, with miscarriages, premature births, complications, and deaths in childbirth all rising, .

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Yellow fever poses a growing threat in the Asia-Pacific region due to expanded mosquito habitats, accelerated urbanization, and increased international travel, posits.

Uganda declared the end of its Ebola outbreak last Friday, with the last patient discharged March 14; ring vaccination, Remdesivir treatment, and border health measures were among the components of the country鈥檚 鈥渇ast, coordinated, and effective response.鈥�

Mpox cases have declined in Africa over the past six weeks due to an 鈥渋ntensification鈥� of public health measures including increased surveillance and contact tracing, Africa CDC officials said last week; however, 17 of 24 countries still report active transmission, and the virus continues to show up in new countries.

The Trump administration is restoring funding to a major NIH-led women鈥檚 health research study; the reversal of last week鈥檚 defunding decision drew relief from scientists involved in the decades-long project, though they said they haven鈥檛 yet received official confirmation. U.S. and Global Health Cuts and Policy News: WHO, WFP announce cuts and layoffs after US withholds funding 鈥�

Aid groups are erasing climate change from their websites 鈥�

Health program for 9/11 illnesses faces uncertain future after federal staffing cuts 鈥�

USDA withdraws a plan to limit salmonella levels in raw poultry 鈥�

Researcher of 1918 flu virus takes over NIAID 鈥�

Trump-appointed National Science Foundation leader resigns 鈥� INCLUSION The Struggle for Inclusive Care in Nigeria and Kenya 
Despite Nigeria鈥檚 and Kenya鈥檚 commitment to health care accessibility for people with disabilities and national laws for inclusive health care, these rights have not been fully realized, and many of those affected are not aware of their primary care rights.

• 17% of Nigeria鈥檚 population, or 35 million people, have disabilities.


• 57% of the 6 million people with disabilities in Kenya are women.

Overlooked: While both Nigeria and Kenya allow at least one disabled person to sit on committees for community health, accessibility is often neglected. It is often difficult to confirm if people with disabilities sit on some committees, and some say their abilities are frequently underestimated. 



Related:

Disability Protection Groups in Two States Pause Services After Missing Federal Funds 鈥�

Supreme Court to hear school disability discrimination case 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING Japan鈥檚 Regenerative Medicine Revolution 
Across Japan, biotechnology labs are proliferating as the country鈥檚 government continues to bet big on the future of regenerative medicine. 

Background: In 2006, Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka discovered that adult cells could be reprogrammed into an embryonic-like state known as induced pluripotent stem cells (or iPS cells), allowing them to become any kind of tissue, from retinas to cardiac muscle. 

Since then, the Japanese government has poured $760 million (110 billion yen) into regenerative medicine development.

•  Of the 60+ iPS-cell clinical trials worldwide, nearly one-third are in Japan.

Now, Japan is on the cusp of becoming the first country to approve iPS-cell-based treatments for diseases like Parkinson鈥檚. 

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Sudan war: People eating charcoal and leaves to survive, aid agency warns 鈥�

鈥楰iller Robots鈥� Threaten Human Rights During War, Peace: Urgent Need for Treaty on Autonomous Weapon Systems 鈥�

More US adults willing to receive mpox vaccine now than in 2022 鈥�

HMC launches first clinical study to help shisha smokers quit 鈥�  

WHO issues new recommendations to end the rise in 鈥渕edicalized鈥� female genital mutilation and support survivors 鈥�

Huge reproducibility project fails to validate dozens of biomedical studies 鈥�

Whooping cough cases are rising again in the US 鈥�

Angie Murimirwa: From hiding in the bathroom to Time's most influential people list 鈥� Issue No. 2715
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 .

96 Global Health NOW: Global Vaccinations in Jeopardy; Kenya鈥檚 Push to Improve HIV Testing During Pregnancy; and Run, Run, Robots! UN: Global aid funding cuts upend vaccination efforts almost as much as the pandemic did April 24, 2025 A child receives a vaccination from a health care worker during national vaccination day in Vian铆, Colombia, on September 25, 2021. Yair Suarez Salazar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Global Vaccinations in Jeopardy
Vaccine-preventable diseases are thriving in a global environment of health funding cuts, misinformation, and humanitarian crises, UN agencies and others are warning during World Immunization Week.

• The UN reports that global aid funding cuts are upending vaccination efforts almost as much as the pandemic did, .

• The cuts are 鈥渟everely limiting鈥� UNICEF鈥檚 efforts to vaccinate 15 million children against measles.

Latest cut: The Global Vaccine Data Network, which has done the largest safety studies of COVID-19 vaccines, was terminated 13 months short of its end date by the U.S., .
 
Disease updates:

• Measles cases topped 10.3 million cases in 2023, a 20% surge over the previous year, .

• 5,500 cases of meningitis have been reported in 22 countries in the first three months of 2025.

• WHO鈥檚 Americas region has seen 131 cases of yellow fever in four countries already this year.

Mood update: The World Vaccine Congress is meeting this week in Washington, D.C., in a 鈥減olitical environment [that] has perhaps never been more fraught for attendees,鈥� .
 
The Quote: 鈥淰accines have saved more than 150 million lives over the past five decades,鈥� said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. 鈥淔unding cuts to global health have put these hard-won gains in jeopardy.鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Nearly a third of antibiotics consumed by people end up in rivers, from 黑料网 and One Health Trust researchers that estimates the distribution of chemical pollutants from untreated wastewater and wastewater treatment plants.
 
AI models outperformed PhD-level virologists in lab problem-solving, from MIT鈥檚 Media Lab, Brazil鈥檚 UFABC, and other groups, raising fears that non-experts could weaponize AI models to create bioweapons.
 
A trial of 21 adults with peanut allergy offers evidence that the same micro-dosing approach approved in the U.S. for children with the allergy could work for adults as well, .
 
The Research Council of Norway launched a 100 million kroner ($9.6 million) fund to attract top U.S. researchers yesterday, in response to the escalating pressure on academic freedom in America; the council will issue a call for proposals next month focused on topics including climate, health, energy, and AI. MATERNAL HEALTH Pregnant Women 2X Likelier to Die in Abortion-Ban States  
Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, pregnant people living in states with abortion bans were nearly twice as likely to suffer pregnancy-related deaths compared to their counterparts in states without restrictions, .

• Black women face the highest risk and are 3.3X more likely to die than white women in states with bans. 

• Maternal mortality fell 21% in states that preserved abortion access post-Dobbs. 

Risky waits: Abortion bans do offer narrow exceptions if a mother's life is in danger, but confusing language leaves many providers unable to intervene until a patient is approaching death. 
 
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HIV/AIDS Kenya鈥檚 Push to Improve HIV Testing During Pregnancy 
A high number of women in Kenya who are missing HIV screenings during pregnancy is contributing to a persistently high number of babies with the virus, researchers say. 

A closer look: In 2023, 200,000+ pregnant women missed HIV screenings鈥斺�渁 major challenge to eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV,鈥� said Joab Khasewa, an officer with the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council, which conducted the research. 

• That same year, 3,742 babies contracted the virus鈥�7.3% of all births by women with HIV. The council says that rate needs to be brought below 5%. 

Power of preventative screening: Early screening and antiretroviral treatment for HIV-positive pregnant women can lower the risk of transmission from mother to baby to less than 5%. 

ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Run, Run, Robots!  
There始s long been concerns that robots could one day replace humans. But when it comes to running, we始re still beating the bots. 

Running side-by-side half-marathons in Beijing recently, the fastest human beat the fastest humanoid robot by well over an hour. Of 21 robot competitors, only six finished the race, .  
 
But rather than showcasing the limits of their development 鈥� their struggles in the race only underscore how very human robots have become.
 
Like so many who始ve tried to take up running, many were 鈥渇alling, trembling and struggling to stay upright,鈥�  One 鈥渨alked a short distance and fell,鈥� . Another overheated and needed water to cool down.
 
And, as in the human world, some are just annoyingly good athletes. One robot that was 鈥渕ore like a gymnast鈥� also turned out to be a great runner.
 
Given all that androids have learned from us, there始s some traits we始d happily take from them. Like the ability to swap out a battery to regain our strength. Or to keep running when our head falls off. QUICK HITS In China, trade war with U.S. taking a toll on research labs 鈥�

WHO launches new guidelines to tackle adolescent pregnancy and related health complications 鈥�

Bowel cancer in young people is on the rise. Childhood toxin exposure could be the cause 鈥�

Studies zoom in on clues to why Lyme disease persists and which antibiotic to prescribe 鈥�

US fertility rate hovers near record low as Trump administration pushes for a baby boom 鈥�

2025 State of the Air report: 46% of Americans breathe polluted, unhealthy air 鈥�

Superbug-fighting paint promises cleaner hospitals and safer public spaces 鈥� Issue No. 2714
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 .

96 Global Health NOW: Measles and the 鈥楳alleable Middle始; New Efforts to Boost Turkey's Birth Rate; and Science Cuts Leave Researchers Looking Abroad April 23, 2025 A measles vaccinations information booth offered by Harris Public Health on April 5, in Houston, Texas. Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty The Rise of Measles, Misinformation, and the 鈥楳alleable Middle始  
As measles cases climb across the U.S., Americans are encountering pervasive false claims about the disease and its vaccine鈥攁nd many are unsure what to believe, according to a .
 
The poll examined false claims that:

• Autism is linked to the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine.


• The MMR vaccine is more dangerous than measles.


• Vitamin A can prevent measles infections.

It found that at least half of Americans fall into the 鈥渕alleable middle鈥� when it comes to measles misinformation, describing each of these claims as 鈥減robably true鈥� or 鈥減robably false,鈥� .
 
Other key findings:

• Despite rising misinformation, 78% of parents expressed confidence in the safety of the MMR vaccine.


• Parents who believed or were open to believing measles misinformation were more likely to delay or forgo vaccines for their children.


• Republicans and independents were at least twice as likely as Democrats to believe or lean toward believing the false claims. 

Growing outbreak: As U.S. measles cases top , CDC officials now view cases across Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico as a single outbreak, making it the country始s largest since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, .
 
But amid deep cuts to local public health funding, the agency is 鈥渟craping to find the resources鈥� to support states that are fighting outbreaks, said CDC senior scientist David Sugerman.

Related:

Montana has a measles outbreak with its first cases in 35 years. Here鈥檚 what you should know 鈥�

Track the spread of measles in Texas 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Dialysis patients in Gaza are struggling to get treatment under the blockade; Gaza鈥檚 Health Ministry said that 400+ patients, representing around 40% of all dialysis cases in the territory, have died over the last 18 months because of lack of proper treatment.

U.S. health officials announced plans to urge food makers to phase out petroleum-based artificial colors by the end of 2026鈥攂ut stopped short of promising a formal ban, largely relying on voluntary efforts from the industry.
 
The NIH has canceled the Women鈥檚 Health Initiative鈥攊ts first and largest project centered on women鈥檚 health, which enrolled tens of thousands in clinical trials of hormones and other medications and tracked the health of thousands more over three decades, yielding influential findings on disease prevention, aging, and cognitive decline.

Teenagers who went to bed earliest, slept the longest, and had the lowest sleeping heart rates outperformed others on cognitive tests, ; researchers found the impact of even small differences in sleep 鈥渟urprising.鈥� DEMOGRAPHICS A New Effort to Boost Turkey's Birth Rate
Turkey鈥檚 government has announced a raft of incentives designed to boost the nation鈥檚 flagging birth rate, . 

The 鈥淵ear of the Family鈥� initiative includes:

• Financial support based on a household鈥檚 number of children.


• More flexible work policies, expanded childcare services, housing support, and enhanced medical services. 

The measures are a response to demographic shifts that could have major social and economic consequences: 

• Turkey鈥檚 fertility rates have fallen from 2.38 children per woman in 2001 to 1.51 today, 鈥渨ell below鈥� the 2.1 replacement rate. 


• People are marrying and starting families later in life as living costs rise. 


• The country鈥檚 older population has reached 10% for the first time, and the median age is now 34.

Meanwhile: Turkey has banned elective c-sections at private health facilities without a medical justification. The move has 鈥渟parked fury鈥� from women鈥檚 rights groups, doctors, and politicians, . 

Related: The push for women to have more children has a powerful ally: Trump 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES BRAIN DRAIN Researchers Look Abroad Amid Science Cuts
U.S. researchers are seeking careers abroad as the Trump administration cuts science funding and workforce numbers, per an analysis of .

Comparing January鈥揗arch 2025 to the same period last year:

• U.S. scientists submitted 32% more applications for jobs abroad鈥撯�攁nd views for positions abroad rose by 68% last month compared with March 2024.


• Applications from U.S. scientists seeking careers in Canada rose 41%.

Some European institutions are rolling out a welcome mat鈥攊ncluding Aix-Marseille University in France.

The Quote: 鈥淲e felt it was our duty to do what we could to show scientists there was a little light in the south of France where they could do their research, be a lot freer and where they were wanted,鈥� said Aix-Marseille鈥檚 president, 脡ric Berton.

QUICK HITS HHS Plans to Cut the National Suicide Hotline鈥檚 Program for LGBTQ Youth 鈥�

鈥楾aking the Side of Cancer鈥�: The War on Medical Research Is Being Fought Through Contracts 鈥�

New agreement geared toward universal avian flu vaccine 鈥�

RFK Jr.鈥檚 autism study to amass medical records of many Americans 鈥�

Hearing loss in older adults linked to nearly one-third of dementia cases 鈥�

Researchers find immune system proteins involved in severe cases of schistosomiasis 鈥�

The wholegrain revolution! How Denmark changed the diet 鈥� and health 鈥� of their entire nation 鈥� Issue No. 2713
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 .

96 Global Health NOW: U.S. Cancer Death Rates Falling; Students Forced to Take Pregnancy Tests; and Promoting Mines, While Undermining Protections April 22, 2025 Claudia Tellez, MD, helps Nataly Arboleda off the exam table at the Lurie Cancer Center, in Chicago, on November 2, 2023. Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty U.S. Cancer Death Rates Falling
Cancer death rates in the U.S. decreased steadily from 2001鈥�2021, although rates of new cancer diagnoses have increased for women, .

Takeaways:

• Cancer death rates decreased by 1.5% per year (2018鈥�2022), representing a slowdown from the previous 2.1% average annual decline.
   
• Cancer incidence rates remained stable from 2013鈥�2021 for men but increased 0.3% per year from 2003鈥�2021 among women.
   
• Cancer incidence in 2020 fell compared to pre-pandemic levels across all demographic groups.

Details:

• Increases in breast cancer among women are likely driven by obesity, alcohol use, and increased age for giving birth for the first time, per .
   
• Racial disparities persist: Black women experience a 40% higher death rate from breast cancer and twice the death rate from uterine cancer, compared with white women.

Pandemic impact: Many Americans postponed cancer screenings for several months in 2020, but there wasn鈥檛 a major increase in late-stage diagnoses, which are typically harder to treat, .

Late-stage diagnoses in 2021 returned to prepandemic levels for most cancer types.

Meanwhile in the U.K.: Cancer patients are not getting access to lifesaving drugs or clinical trials because of post-Brexit cost increases and red tape, .
 

Related: Top cancer experts 鈥榖eing put off UK by politicians鈥� messaging on immigration鈥� 鈥� 

DATA POINT The Latest One-Liners   R茅union health officials are calling for urgent reinforcements to manage a chikungunya virus outbreak on the French Indian Ocean Island鈥攚ith six deaths and 5,000+ cases since January鈥攖hat is overwhelming hospitals. 
 

Intensive efforts to reduce high blood pressure鈥攅.g., through medication and health coaching鈥攃ould reduce the risk of dementia by 15%,  involving 33,995+ people with uncontrolled high blood pressure in 326 villages in rural China. 
 

Traditional risk models used by regulators likely underestimate air pollution health impacts, , measuring risk of simultaneous exposures to multiple chemicals on different parts of the body鈥攁nd found increased risks missed by traditional methods. 
 

Health care worker burnout is starting to drop from peak levels at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but remains elevated compared to prepandemic times,  assessing burnout and stress among Veterans Health Administration health care workers. 

U.S. Policy and Science Cuts News: NIH moving to ban grants to universities with DEI programs, Israeli boycotts 鈥�

New NIH director defends grant cuts as part of shift to support MAHA vision 鈥�

Trump Laid Off Nearly All the Federal Workers Who Investigate Firefighter Deaths 鈥�

National Science Foundation cancels research grants related to misinformation and disinformation 鈥�  

Trump Administration's HHS Cuts: Creating Waste And Inefficiency, Not Eliminating Them 鈥�

Gawande: Federal cuts could mean loss of life, harm to U.S. science enterprise 鈥�

As Trump administration champions IVF, it cuts key CDC staff 鈥� REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS When Students are Forced to Take Pregnancy Tests
Across east Africa, girls are routinely subjected to pregnancy tests at school鈥攁 鈥渉umiliating, invasive and potentially unlawful鈥� process that can also result in expulsion if the girls are found to be pregnant, per a report by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. 

While laws have been updated recently in countries like Uganda and Tanzania to prohibit such tests and expulsions as a violation of children鈥檚 rights, a number of schools in those countries continue the practice in breach of national guidelines.  

• 鈥淲hat the teachers did, it was torturing her,鈥� said one Ugandan father, David Wafula, whose pregnant daughter was examined by teachers in front of her classmates. 

Context: Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of adolescent pregnancies of any region in the world, per UN data.
 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES COAL Promoting Mines, While Undermining Protections
While President Donald Trump has vowed to revitalize and expand coal mining in the U.S., advocates say they are dismayed by the administration鈥檚 simultaneous decision to gut the health protections in place for miners, . 

Included in cuts: The federal division that provides free black lung screenings for coal miners fired roughly two-thirds of the staff this month, and there are now no employees left to run the screening program in the agency鈥檚 West Virginia office, or analyze x-rays already taken.

• The cut in services could have fatal consequences, a spokesperson for the Mine Workers of America : 鈥淭here鈥檚 not going to be anyone to work in the mines you are apparently reopening.鈥� 

Plus: The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration has delayed enforcement of a rule imposed last year to limit miners鈥� exposure to toxic crystalline silica dust鈥攑rompting multiple miners鈥� groups to file litigation against the agency, . 

QUICK HITS Wave of Earth Day protests as Americans mobilize against Trump 鈥�  

China's Integrated Policies on Climate Change and Health 鈥�

Asia鈥檚 megacities at a crossroads as climate and population challenges grow 鈥�

Vietnam reports H5N1 avian flu case with encephalitis 鈥�  

U.S. Supreme Court appears likely to uphold ACA preventive care coverage mandate 鈥�

The awful working conditions of factories that slaughter bird-flu-infected chickens 鈥�

Why cameras are popping up in eldercare facilities 鈥�

Melinda French Gates on what billionaires with 'absurd' wealth owe back to society 鈥嬧�嬧�� Issue No. 2712
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 .

96 Global Health NOW: COVID-19 Information Page Overhauled; Another Deadly Fireworks Factory Explosion in India; and Adolescent Girls Need Our Support April 21, 2025 COVID-19 Information Page Overhauled
Federal websites once used for sharing information on vaccines, testing, and treatments for COVID-19 now focus on the theory that the pandemic originated in a Wuhan lab and criticize the Biden administration鈥檚 handling of the pandemic, . 

The websites and redirect to a White House page entitled 鈥淟ab Leak: The True Origins of COVID-19,鈥� which includes:

• A five-point breakdown making the case for lab leak origins.


• Accusations that federal officials like former NIAID director Anthony Fauci engaged in 鈥渙bstruction鈥� of information.


• Criticisms of the Biden administration, the WHO, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for the pandemic response, including masks, lockdowns, and social distancing.

An unsettled question: Some federal agencies have said research supports a spillover event that likely occurred at a Wuhan market, while others say a laboratory accident is possible. Most scientists say key data remains missing, .

Scientists react: COVID researchers studying both theories said the new website includes inaccurate, oversimplified, and misleading information, with one virologist describing the page as 鈥減ure propaganda.鈥� 

• The overhaul reflects 鈥渁 broader practice of officials recently scrapping health websites that do not align with their views,鈥� . 

Related: 

CDC considers narrowing its COVID-19 vaccine recommendations 鈥�

I Was There: A Public Health Worker's Response to the COVID.gov Rewrite 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Children in Burkina Faso have faced 2,483 documented rights violations amid escalating conflict in the country between 2022 and 2024, a ; violations include abductions, injuries from explosive devices, and recruitment into armed groups.

Mercury emissions near small-scale gold mines can be measured in wild fig trees鈥� growth rings, finds , the first to show hardwoods鈥� potential as a biomonitor of gaseous elemental mercury.

Receipt paper from many U.S. retailers contains high levels of bisphenol S, a chemical linked to cancer and reproductive problems; even brief contact with some receipts can result in enough chemical absorption to exceed safety standards laid out in California鈥檚 Proposition 65.

A U.S. attorney has sent letters to at least three medical journals accusing them of political bias and suggesting that the journals mislead readers, in a move scientists and doctors say could have a 鈥渃hilling effect鈥� on research publications. U.S. Health and Science Policy News Count the Dead by the Millions 鈥�

Activists pile 200 coffins outside State Department to protest cuts to global AIDS relief 鈥�

鈥楻ipple effect:鈥� In US, anti-immigrant policy strains child and eldercare 鈥�

USAID cuts halt Yale-led efforts to build global health infrastructure 鈥�

NIH freezes funds to Harvard and four other universities, but can鈥檛 tell them 鈥�

Trump鈥檚 War on Measurement Means Losing Data on Drug Use, Maternal Mortality, Climate Change and More 鈥� GHN EXCLUSIVE UPDATE Another Deadly Fireworks Factory Explosion in India
A large fireworks factory explosion in southern India on April 13 killed eight people and injured seven others in Kailasapatnam village in Andhra Pradesh, .

GHN Series: The GHN team learned of the explosion after publishing a two-part series on the dangerous conditions in fireworks factories in the southern Indian city of Sivakasi by freelance journalist Kamala Thiagarajan:

Follow-up: Thiagarajan reports that the articles were included in a formal petition last week to an Indian court seeking legal action supporting the victims of fireworks factory explosions.

She also notes that a local charity has contributed to the purchase of a prosthetic leg for factory worker Muthukutti, whose story was shared in the series鈥� second article. His left leg had to be amputated after a February 12, 2021, explosion at Sree Mariyammal Fireworks Factory near Sivakasi. GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY Wajir girls reading together. 2021. icon (be one) K / Nicholas Oreyo The World鈥檚 Adolescent Girls Need Our Support   
As global funding cuts and policy shifts disrupt health and development programs around the world, 鈥渢eenagers鈥攑articularly teenage girls鈥攁re especially vulnerable,鈥� , who lead the Population Council鈥檚 Girl Innovation, Research, and Learning Center.

• The U.S. foreign assistance freeze could deny access to contraceptive care for ~11.7 million women and girls this year鈥攗pping the risk of unintended pregnancies and maternal deaths.

鈥淭he ripple effects will be devastating,鈥� they say鈥攍eading to 鈥渕ore child marriages, school dropouts, and economic hardships that will persist for generations.鈥�

Yet investing in teen girls pays off, making girls more likely to stay in school, secure stable jobs, and contribute to household income. 

• Every dollar invested in adolescent girls鈥� empowerment in Africa by 2040, , can generate more than a tenfold return in economic impact.

Karijo and Austrian see a clear pathway to achieving these economic gains. They point to evidence backing a girl-centered approach and offer models, including a program in Kenya that helped girls stay in school and delayed marriage and pregnancy for years after the program鈥檚 end. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS Seeking Abortion Training in Mexico
In the years since Roe v. Wade was overturned, more than a dozen U.S. states have banned virtually all abortions, and more than 100 abortion clinics have closed. 

To get training in providing abortions, a small but growing number of providers have sought opportunities in Mexico. 

• In 2023, Fundaci贸n MSI trained nine American doctors to perform abortions at Mexican clinics.


• This year, it is on track to train more than 50鈥攁nd has the capacity to train up to 300 doctors a year, says MSI Latin America鈥檚 managing director.

Every abortion ban in the U.S. permits abortions to save a patient鈥檚 life. But without adequate training, doctors may not be skilled enough to perform abortions even in those dire circumstances.

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Haiti 鈥榓wash鈥� with guns leaving population 鈥榓bsolutely terrified鈥� 鈥�

Why is tuberculosis, the world's deadliest infectious disease, on the rise in the UK? 鈥�

ACA preventive care case reaches Supreme Court 鈥�

What the Newest mRNA Vaccines Could Do Beyond COVID 鈥�

Relieve the suffering: palliative care for the next decade 鈥�

Rapid geographic expansion of local dengue community transmission in Peru 鈥�

Nitrogen-fertilised grassland more likely to trigger hay fever, study suggests 鈥�

A horse therapy program in Namibia brings joy to children with learning disabilities 鈥� Issue No. 2711
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 .

96 Global Health NOW: Global Health NOW: Fireworks and Heartbreak in an Indian Village; U.S. Administration Seeks Data and Deep Cuts; and Moose See TV 鈥淔or most people, fireworks mean joy.鈥� April 17, 2025 Muthukutti, 23, endured the amputation of his left leg after the 2021 Sree Mariyammal Fireworks Factory explosion outside Sivakasi, India. Kamala Thiagarajan Fireworks and Heartbreak in a Hard-Hit Indian Village  
SIVAKASI, India鈥擮f the 650 families who live in Surangudi village, most have lost either a limb or a loved one to fireworks, says social activist Vijay Kumar.

Tens of thousands of workers in Sivakasi produce 50,000 tons of firecrackers annually鈥攎ost of India's fireworks.
 
But they also risk deadly fires and explosions in their work. 
 
Deadly blast: A February 12, 2021, explosion killed 27 workers at the Sree Mariyammal Fireworks Factory and injured dozens more.

• Many of the killed and injured were from Surangudi village, including Muthukutti, 23, whose left leg had to be amputated.

• His aunt, Shanmugavadivu, also worked in the factory and had third-degree burns on her chest, stomach, arms, and legs.

Waiting for compensation: While both received $1,160 in compensation from the Tamil Nadu state government, they are still waiting for much larger compensation payments from the factory owners.
 
The Quote: 鈥淔or most people, fireworks mean joy,鈥� says Kumar, , which aids fireworks factory victims in the Sivakasi area. 鈥淏ut for those whose lives are so closely associated with it, it鈥檚 a source of sorrow and heartbreak.鈥�
 

 
Ed. Note: Our thanks go to Padmavathy Krishna Kumar who shared the idea for this topic and received an honorable mention in the , co-sponsored by Global Health NOW and the . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
The COVID-19 pandemic鈥檚 effect on measles is coming into focus, with published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases showing a steady decline in disease incidence over 30 years鈥攂ut a stark drop in vaccination in 2021.  

The Alzheimer鈥檚 drug lecanemab has been approved for use in the EU; however, only a 鈥渧ery small portion鈥� of patients will be eligible for the drug, which is sold under the brand name Leqembi and is authorized in the U.S., U.K., and Japan.

Arsenic levels in paddy rice could significantly rise with climate change, finds a new study that showed increased temperatures coupled with rising carbon dioxide levels could lead to higher concentrations of inorganic arsenic in rice, potentially raising lifetime health risks for populations in Asia, where rice is a staple food, by 2050.

Limiting PPE to just N95 respirators late in the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore health facilities was effective in keeping staff safe while also lowering costs and curbing medical-related waste, finds a published in JAMA Network Open. U.S. POLICY Administration Seeks Data and Deep Cuts
As U.S. federal health agencies continue to see seismic shifts under the Trump administration, two key developments reported by The Washington Post give insight into some of the administration鈥檚 imminent objectives: 

Deeper health cuts: A preliminary draft of the 2026 fiscal year budget reveals the Trump administration is seeking a $40 billion cut to HHS鈥檚 discretionary budget, roughly one-third of the agency鈥檚 discretionary spending, and is planning major reorganization and consolidation of agencies within the administration. 

ICE seeks Medicare data: U.S. immigration officials and Elon Musk鈥檚 DOGE team are seeking 鈥渦nprecedented鈥� access to sensitive Medicare databases as a way to track down undocumented immigrants, , despite the fact that undocumented immigrants are barred from Medicare benefits. 

Related:

In the middle of a hepatitis outbreak, U.S. shutters the one CDC lab that could help 鈥�

RFK Jr. contradicts CDC on causes of autism 鈥�
 
Top NIH nutrition researcher studying ultraprocessed foods departs, citing censorship under Kennedy 鈥�

Women, minorities fired in purge of NIH science review boards 鈥�

Exclusive: US consumer safety agency to stop collecting swaths of data after CDC cuts 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CAMBODIA Fifty Years After 鈥榊ear Zero鈥� 
Five decades have now passed since the declaration of 鈥淵ear Zero,鈥� when Pol Pot and the brutal Khmer Rouge regime seized power in Cambodia. 

• From 1975 to 1979, 2 million+ people were killed in a wave of racial genocide, widespread famine, forced labor, and executions.

Those atrocities continue to shape Cambodian life today, writes Sophal Ear in a : 鈥淚t鈥檚 etched into every Cambodian鈥檚 bones.鈥�

A legacy of trauma: among survivors and their descendants. 

Ongoing need for justice: While a tribunal convicted three Khmer Rouge senior leaders for crimes against humanity in 2018, , critics say many key perpetrators were never held to account. 

The next generation: The majority of Cambodia鈥檚 population is under 30鈥斺�渨ith no more than an inkling鈥� of the genocide, leading survivors to start a storytelling initiative, . 

Related: 

Unsung No More, Cambodia鈥檚 Malaria Hero 鈥� (from August 2024) 

Q&A: Patrick Heuveline on the Khmer Rouge鈥檚 long-term impact on Cambodia 鈥� ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Moose See TV  
Forget high-octane car chases and whodunnit cliffhangers. The real formula for suspense TV? Not knowing when a moose might show up.
 
The megahit Swedish TV show 鈥溾�� (鈥淭he Great Elk Trek鈥�) began airing this Tuesday, serving up a must-see livestream of mostly nature scenery, occasionally punctuated by moose crossing the 脜ngerman River.
 
More than binge-worthy, some fans can始t seem to focus on anything else. But how does one consume 20 days of round-the-clock content? By rearranging their entire lives.

• Kids are missing school during the migration. And 鈥淪leep? Forget it. I don鈥檛 sleep,鈥� said one viewer.  

The 鈥渟low TV鈥� sensation is stress-relieving even for those who work on it鈥攂ut it始s complicated, said superfan William Garp Liljefors.
 
鈥淚 feel relaxed, but at the same time I鈥檓 like, 鈥極h, there鈥檚 a moose. Oh, what if there鈥檚 a moose? I can鈥檛 go to the toilet!鈥欌��
 
QUICK HITS Haiti: Escalating Violence Puts Population at Grave Risk 鈥� 

Colombia declares health emergency after dozens die of yellow fever 鈥�

Rising temperatures could cancel most outdoor school sports in summer by 2060s 鈥�

Reconsidering Ebola virus nomenclature: a call for a stigma-free and precise terminology 鈥�

CDC advisors broaden RSV vaccine recommendations to at-risk adults in their 50s 鈥�

Immune system proteins involved in severe parasitic disease identified 鈥�

What impact will driving at 17 have on road safety? 鈥� 

AI-boosted cameras help blind people to navigate 鈥� Issue No. 2710
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 .

96 Global Health NOW: Pandemic Agreement Reached; A Brain Bank Hangs in the Balance; and Spore-Driven Threats 190 countries agree to working draft of global pandemic treaty April 16, 2025 Pandemic agreement negotiations co-chair Anne-Claire Amprou and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus after a consensus on the pandemic treaty at the WHO headquarters, Geneva, on April 16. Christopher Black/WHO/AFP via Getty Pandemic Agreement Reached 
Around 2 a.m. today at the WHO鈥檚 Geneva headquarters鈥攁fter 3+ years of back-and-forth between 190 countries鈥攖he 32-page working draft of a global pandemic treaty was finally highlighted in one color: green. 

鈥淚t's adopted,鈥� negotiations co-chair Anne-Claire Amprou said, 鈥渢o thundering applause,鈥� . 

The approved pact sets guidelines for international collaboration in a future global health crisis, and is a victory for the WHO at a moment of geopolitical upheaval, . 

• The agreement signals that 鈥渋n our divided world, nations can still work together to find common ground and a shared response,鈥� said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Key provisions include giving the WHO an overview of global medical supply chains; compelling manufacturers to allocate medical supplies to the WHO during a pandemic; and paving the way for more local vaccine and drug production, .

Final sticking points related to the technology transfer clause, which governs how drug and vaccine manufacturers share information and tools for medicine and vaccine production. 

• Such information will be shared on a 鈥渕utually agreed upon鈥� rather than mandatory basis, . 

Still being ironed out: the creation of a new pathogen access and benefit sharing system鈥攊n which countries would share pathogen samples with drugmakers in return for access to vaccines and medicine.

Notably absent: The U.S., which was barred from participating following President Trump鈥檚 January decision to withdraw from the WHO, and which is not expected to sign the treaty.

What鈥檚 next: Final adoption is pending approval by the World Health Assembly in May. 

Related: WHO tests pandemic response with Arctic 鈥榤ammothpox鈥� outbreak 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
The UK Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities law, a landmark decision following years of debate that could have significant implications for how sex-based rights and services apply across Scotland, England, and Wales.

A new antibiotic is effective against gonorrhea, ; if approved, it could become the first new class of antibiotic for the STI in 20+ years鈥攁 key tool as antibiotic resistance grows.

Children鈥檚 mattresses can emit toxic chemicals linked with developmental and hormonal disorders, two new studies have found; high levels of chemicals like phthalates and flame retardants were found near children鈥檚 beds, and a identified mattresses as a key source of exposure.

The autism diagnosis rate among U.S. 8-year-olds increased from 1 in 36 in 2020 to 1 in 31 in 2022, ; rates among boys remained higher than among girls, and, as in 2020, were higher among Asian, Black, and Hispanic children than among white children. ALZHEIMER始S A Brain Bank Hangs in the Balance
An NIH funding pause has disrupted one of the most expansive Alzheimer鈥檚 research programs in the U.S., with researchers especially worried about the fate of 4,000 donated brains being preserved for research. 

• The Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease Research Center at the University of Washington鈥攐ne of the public universities hardest hit by the freeze鈥攊s home to a range of decades-long studies, including one following 450 people until death.

A critical hub: The brain bank, which provided researchers with ~11,000 tissue samples last year alone, requires special facilities and staffing. 

• Even the temporary pause could upend long-term trials, therapy pipelines, and current patient care, researchers say. 

Related: As dementia rates increase, experts warn hospital emergency rooms are underprepared 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES FUNGAL INFECTIONS Spore-Driven Threats
In the wake of the of the need for more treatments and diagnostics for fungal pathogens, scientists are laying out evidence of a growing fungal threat:

• Perennial maladies like vaginal yeast infections and athlete鈥檚 foot are getting harder to treat, and antifungal-resistant pathogens like Candida auris have become a 鈥渟ilent pandemic鈥� in hospitals.

• Invasive fungal infections are killing ~2.5 million people each year鈥攖wice the global fatalities of tuberculosis.

Because of global warming, more fungi are adapting to temperatures that could lead to invasive infections in humans. 

• It also means an increase in disruptive weather events like dust storms, which lead to the spread of spore-driven diseases like Valley fever. 

QUICK HITS After delays, first vaccine advisory meeting under RFK Jr. is underway 鈥�

5% of US cancers may be caused by medical imaging radiation 鈥�  

Emergency rooms treat a gunshot wound every half-hour 鈥�

Oropouche virus 鈥榤assively underdiagnosed鈥� in Latin America, new study suggests 鈥�

Paris air pollution is down 50% after its radical bike-friendly transformation 鈥�

We鈥檙e on the verge of a universal allergy cure 鈥�

Africa needs innovative financing solutions to prevent health systems from collapsing, say experts 鈥� Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff!

Exclusive: the most-cited papers of the twenty-first century 鈥� Issue No. 2709
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 .

96 Global Health NOW: Deadly Risks in India鈥檚 Fireworks Factories; Keeping Warm Can Be Toxic in Mongolia; and An Extra Coat of Coolness in Cape Town April 15, 2025 Millions of Indians celebrate the Diwali Festival with fireworks鈥攚ithout realizing the dangerous conditions factory workers in Sivakasi endure. Gurugram, India, October 31, 2024. Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty 鈥業nvisible Suffering鈥�: Deadly Risks In India鈥檚 Fireworks Factories
SIVAKASI, India鈥擳he explosion shook the ground beneath the fireworks factory and threw him into the air.

The February 19 blast broke bones in both his legs and broke his right arm. His face is covered in scars from third-degree burns, and both his eyes have been badly damaged.

鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 see anything but darkness, and I couldn鈥檛 open my eyes,鈥� Palpandey, 31, said from his hospital room days after the explosion. 鈥淚鈥檝e never felt fear like that in my life.鈥�

Fireworks鈥� Toll:

• Explosions like the one at Neerathilingam Fireworks are not uncommon in this city in Southern India that produces nearly 90% of the country鈥檚 fireworks and employs tens of thousands of workers like Palpandey (who uses only his first name).


• Employers typically pay for injured workers鈥� initial care, but then workers are often on their own in subsequent months and years.


• A 2023鈥�2024 government report said 91 workers were killed in the most recent year, but only those killed at the site of an explosion are counted鈥攏ot those who die later.

The Quote: 鈥淭he suffering of these people who die later is invisible鈥攖hey don鈥檛 show up on government counts of deaths,鈥� says social activist Vijay Kumar.



Ed. Note: Our thanks go to Padmavathy Krishna Kumar, who shared the idea for this topic and received an honorable mention in the , co-sponsored by Global Health NOW and the .

Look for part II of the series tomorrow: 鈥淔ireworks and Heartbreak in a Hard-Hit Village.鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Denmark could eliminate cervical cancer by 2040, the Danish Cancer Society says, as a national HPV vaccination campaign has brought the rate down to lower than 10 out of 100,000 women; the is lower than four per 100,000 women.

Female genital mutilation is linked to significant long-term health complications, including a 2X+ risk of prolonged or obstructed labor in childbirth and a 4.4 times higher likelihood of experiencing PTSD, that analyzes evidence from ~30 countries.
 
A group of national organizations representing America鈥檚 academic, medical, and independent research institutions announced a joint effort to develop a new indirect costs funding model for federal research grants to submit to the federal government.

Participants of a study in Tanzania who were cured of infection with Wuchereria bancrofti worms鈥攚hich cause lymphatic filariasis鈥攕howed a ~60% reduction in HIV infections in a follow-up comparison of two study periods . U.S. and Global Health Policy News Trump plan would slash State Dept. funding by nearly half, memo says 鈥�

Trump eyes huge climate research cuts at NOAA 鈥�

Federal government to remove gender dysphoria from protected disabilities list 鈥�

Free US family planning clinics face financial ruin after White House freezes funds 鈥�

Impact of CDC Hepatitis Lab Closure on US Public Health 鈥�

EPA Plans to Stop Collecting Emissions Data From Most Polluters 鈥� CLIMATE CHANGE Keeping Warm Is Killing Thousands in Mongolia
Some 7,000 people in Mongolia have died this winter due to air pollution, caused by the coal that provides 70% of the nation鈥檚 energy and warms most homes.

Raw coal smoke contains carcinogenic particles, and the briquettes introduced by Mongolia鈥檚 government can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

• Citizens regularly suffer from respiratory diseases, liver and lung cancers, asthma, and flu.


• By February, there had been 811 deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning. 

The climate crisis has exacerbated Mongolia鈥檚 pollution problem, as extreme winters are killing off animals that have supported nomadic herding families, forcing them into cities. 

There they construct gers: circular tents with central stoves that feed out through a chimney in the roof. More than 50% of Mongolia鈥檚 population live in gers; each household burns ~50 pounds of coal daily in winter.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TECH & INNOVATION An Extra Coat of Coolness in Cape Town
South Africa鈥檚 summer sun can quickly make informal dwellings unbearably hot. The homes鈥攐ften made of corrugated metal sheets and wood鈥攃an reach temperatures of 95掳F / 35掳C during the day, and barely budge at night. 

The heat takes a heavy toll on the millions of South Africans who live in such settlements, preventing sleep and compounding stress. 

A paint-related program aims to bring relief: Researchers are investigating the effect of painting roofs with reflective, UV-resistant paint鈥攚hich manufacturers say can dramatically reduce temperatures. 

• The study will track buildings鈥� internal temperatures, and also potential impacts on inhabitants鈥� sleep and physiology.

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS A vaccine expert worries child measles deaths are being 'normalized' 鈥�

Starved in jail 鈥�

'Parkinson's is a man-made disease' 鈥�

Stopping gonorrhoea's descent towards untreatability 鈥�

Why 3.5 Billion People Lack Basic Oral Care鈥攁nd What Needs To Change 鈥�

Young Children鈥檚 Exposure to Chemicals of Concern in Their Sleeping Environment: An In-Home Study 鈥�

The Fly That Ruined the World Record (A Metaphor for Chagas Disease) 鈥�

Europe deplores America's 'chlorinated chicken.' How safe is our poultry? 鈥� Issue No. 2708
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 .

96 Global Health NOW: Health Workers Killed as Sudan Marks 2 Years of Civil War; Ghana Grapples With a Deadly Outbreak; and India鈥檚 Global Warming Enigma April 14, 2025 People who fled the Zamzam for the internally displaced camp after it fell under RSF control commiserate in a makeshift encampment near the town of Tawila, Sudan. April 13. AFP via Getty Health Workers Killed as Sudan Marks 2 Years of Civil War
The last medical clinic in Sudan鈥檚 famine-gripped Zamzam camp in Darfur came under fire this weekend, with Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries killing the entire clinical staff, . 

• Nine clinic employees were killed in the attacks, , which runs the facility. 


• The broader assault has killed 100+ people, including ~20 children at the camp, home to ~500,000. 

鈥淒eath is everywhere,鈥� a camp resident . 鈥淧eople are wounded, and there is no medicine or hospital to save them.鈥�

Even before the attacks, conditions at Zamzam camp were 鈥渃atastrophic,鈥� the UN鈥檚 Sudan humanitarian coordinator . 

The attacks come at the two-year mark of Sudan鈥檚 conflict, which has led to the world鈥檚 largest humanitarian crisis and 鈥渟uffering of industrial proportions,鈥� .

• ~150,000 Sudanese have been killed, and ~13 million have been displaced. There have been 156 confirmed attacks on health, per the WHO.


• ~25 million people now face extreme hunger. And sexual violence is pervasive, .

And aid efforts continue to be stymied by both 鈥渟ystematic obstruction鈥� by the warring armies and deep funding cuts, . 

Related: 

Children of war: six orphans鈥� 1,000-mile journey across Sudan in search of safety 鈥�

Sudanese Refugees鈥� Lives at Risk as UNHCR Suspends Medical Help 鈥�

Sudan needs $2.2 bln for first year of health sector rehab, minister says 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   3 million+ children worldwide died from antimicrobial resistance-related infections in 2022, per new research presented at in Vienna; deaths were highest in Southeast Asia and Africa.

New mpox cases are averaging ~3,000 per week in African countries, with Uganda accounting for 50% of those in the past week; the region has received 1 million+ vaccine doses but needs 6.4 million doses over the next six months to slow the virus鈥檚 spread.

More than a dozen cases of invasive meningococcal disease, a life-threatening bacterial infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis, have been linked to religious pilgrimages to Mecca in Saudi Arabia amid declining compliance with vaccination requirements over the past two years.

Whooping cough cases have surged 1,500%+ in the U.S. since hitting a low in 2021; there were 10 pertussis-related deaths last year, compared with two to four in previous years. Health, Foreign Aid, and Science Cuts USDA鈥檚 $1B bird flu plan uses money intended for schools, food banks 鈥�

NOAA Scientists Are Cleaning Bathrooms and Reconsidering Lab Experiments After Contracts for Basic Services Expire 鈥�

Dozens of USAID contracts were canceled last weekend. Here's what happened 鈥�

Why CDC cuts are being called 鈥榯he greatest gift to tobacco industry in the last half-century鈥� 鈥�

After Trump grant cuts, some universities give researchers a lifeline 鈥�

OCHA, the UN鈥檚 emergency aid coordination arm, to cut staff by a fifth 鈥�

Fearing paper on evolution might get them deported, scientists withdrew it 鈥�

Hopkins trailblazer scrambles to protect cancer research as Trump cuts hit home 鈥� MENINGITIS Ghana Grapples With a Deadly Outbreak
A lethal meningitis outbreak is escalating in Ghana鈥檚 Upper West region, upending an already strained health system.

A closer look: 

• The region has reported 200+ cases and ~17 deaths. 


• Ghana is in Africa鈥檚 鈥渕eningitis belt鈥濃�攁 stretch of 26 countries where dry seasonal winds allow further bacterial spread.

Already overwhelmed: The outbreak comes as Ghana鈥檚 health system struggles with understaffed hospitals, supply shortages, and slashed USAID funding.

• Ghana faces a $156 million funding shortfall due to the aid freeze鈥攁 major setback to the country鈥檚 health programs.


• There is no vaccine for the rare Streptococcus strain causing the outbreak, and officials say economic turmoil means that hopes for developing one have dimmed. 

  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CLIMATE India鈥檚 Global Warming Enigma
As India increasingly grapples with punishing heat waves, scientists are puzzling over a strange phenomenon: The country is warming more slowly than many others鈥攁mounting to half the global average over the last decade. 

Why? Scientists aren鈥檛 sure. But theories include: 

• The shroud of air pollution: India鈥檚 air pollution may be reflecting solar radiation, which could help with cooling. 


• Shifting winds: Warming over the Middle East has pulled monsoon winds northward, leading to an increase in extreme rains鈥攁nd, potentially, cooling. 


• Impact of irrigation: The expansion of irrigation in northern India could also be a factor; as water evaporates, it absorbs heat from the air, reducing warming. 

Scientists say understanding the trend will allow more accurate forecasts and help the country better prepare for future warming.



Related: India races to beat the smog with an electric mobility revolution in Kashmir 鈥� OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Somalia: Frontline hospitals under pressure as fighting escalates 鈥�

Measles outbreaks spark concern over rare 'horrific' neurological disorder 鈥�

Africa's Plan to Fill Health Funding Gaps Amidst Declining Coffers 鈥�

Tuberculosis could end if there鈥檚 more US public health funding, experts say 鈥�

Educate to Empower: Protecting Reproductive Rights in Texas 鈥�

CDC denies Milwaukee's request for help with unsafe lead levels in public schools 鈥�

Recent hospital violence fuels effort to create workplace protections 鈥�

Dogs could help predict valley fever spread in humans 鈥� Issue No. 2707
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 .

96 Global Health NOW: RFK鈥檚 Muddled Messaging; Burmese Doctors Face Relentless Devastation; and Upper-Class Clown RFK encourages MMR vaccination, but continues to qualify the endorsement. April 10, 2025 One year-old River Jacobs is held by his mother while he receives an MMR vaccine at a vaccine clinic in Lubbock, Texas, on March 1. Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images RFK鈥檚 Muddled Messaging
As the U.S. measles outbreak continues to widen, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 messaging on the crisis has been unpredictable, . 

Vacillating on vaccination: One one hand, Kennedy has encouraged MMR vaccination during his most recent tour through the Southwest, which included attending the funeral of an 8-year-old girl who died of measles. 

• But he continues to qualify the endorsement, questioning safety studies and government mandates in his first sit-down TV interview, and continuing to promote unproven alternative therapies, . 

Equivocating on severity: While Kennedy is promising to deploy more CDC staff to the outbreak, which has sickened 600+ people in the U.S. and killed three, he continues to downplay its threat鈥攃alling the U.S. response a global 鈥渕odel,鈥� .

• Misleading comparison: Kennedy contrasted U.S. numbers to those in the WHO鈥檚 European region, which has reported 127,000 cases and 37 deaths. But those numbers are not comparable, global health experts say, because of the large number of countries included in the European region and the wide disparities among them. 

• And health officials continue to caution that the U.S. numbers of actual cases are likely to be greatly undercounted.

Toll of confusion: Doctors and disease experts say Kennedy鈥檚 mixed messaging is undermining a cohesive response,

• 鈥淥ur work is becoming harder by the minute,鈥� said Rana Alissa, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics鈥� Florida chapter.

Related:

National public health group calls for RFK Jr. to resign, citing 鈥榗omplete disregard for science鈥� 鈥�

New measles dashboard allows public to track vaccination rates in Illinois schools 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
In a genetics milestone, scientists have sequenced the complete genomes of six ape species, with the , published in Nature, providing key new insights into human evolution, health, and genetic disease.

Long COVID affected ~1 in 7 working-age adults in the U.S. by late 2023, with socioeconomically disadvantaged adults 150%+ more likely to have ongoing symptoms, finds two new studies鈥� published in Communications Medicine, and published in BMC Medicine.

An at-home spit test for prostate cancer could outperform current testing methods for assessing prostate cancer risk鈥攁 breakthrough that could improve early detection, published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests.

Additional NIH funding for Columbia University has been frozen by the Trump administration, which cut off $250 million for research grants in addition to $400 million frozen last month. CONFLICT Burmese Doctors Face Relentless Devastation 
Amid Burma鈥檚 ongoing civil war, health care providers have become increasingly vilified as enemies of the state, as they defy junta orders to treat people wounded in the resistance.

• The junta has closed ~7 private hospitals in Mandalay, the country鈥檚 second-largest city. 

Now, as Mandalay reels from the March 28 earthquake that killed ~3,500 people, health workers describe harrowing conditions and scant resources.

Ongoing health threats: Doctors say survivors now face threats of disease and a lack of food, water, and shelter. They also blame the junta for delays and restrictions of aid distribution. 

• 鈥淭he junta cares more about shutting down hospitals and blocking doctors than saving lives after the earthquake,鈥� said one physician, Dr. Min鈥攚ho lost four colleagues in the earthquake. 

Related: Earthquake Pushes Myanmar's Health System to Verge of Collapse 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES A Gutting End to 鈥楾he Greatest Thing You鈥檝e Never Heard Of鈥�
USAID鈥檚 program to combat neglected tropical diseases through drug distribution has always been a relatively small effort鈥攔equiring a fraction of the agency鈥檚 budget.

But the effort had a massive impact: Treatments for diseases like trachoma and intestinal worms have been delivered to 1.7 billion people across 31 countries, and at least one NTD has been eliminated in almost half of those countries.

• 鈥淔or such a little amount, we鈥檝e been able to reach so many people,鈥� said Angela Weaver, at Helen Keller Intl鈥攚ho called the USAID drug distribution program 鈥渢he greatest thing you鈥檝e never heard of.鈥�

Now, USAID cuts mean programs are ending, and their future progress is imperiled. 

• Across Africa, tens of thousands of NTD-related community health worker positions have been cut, and pharmaceutical companies that previously donated drugs are hesitating to ship them.

Related: Silent Killers: Neglected Tropical Diseases in South Sudan 鈥� The Borgen Project (commentary) ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Upper-Class Clown  
He may be divisive as a political figure, but Boris Johnson will forever be our Prime Minister of Comedy.
 
Most recently, while on vacation in Texas, BoJo was nipped in the face by a feisty ostrich while his toddler giggled hysterically, .
 
Far from his best bungled photo op, this was merely a helpful reminder of all his other gaffes. Some of our faves:

• The time he at a Welsh vaccination center. 鈥淟ike OJ Simpson!鈥� he exclaimed. 鈥淎bsolutely,鈥� his minder agreed, seeming to have no other choice.  

• When he not only rode a zip line holding two Union Jacks, but . 

• Or when he at a drizzly memorial service. Even King Charles (then merely a Prince) had a chuckle.

• When he ducked an interview by at a dairy farm. 鈥淩ight he始s been taken inside 鈥� into the freezer,鈥� a reporter explained. Chilly reception indeed!

QUICK HITS Heavy drinking linked with lasting impact on the brain, study finds 鈥�  

USAID enabled 208 Afghan women to defy the Taliban ban on college 鈥� until now 鈥�

Preventable 鈥榤eningitis belt鈥� deaths targeted in health agency action plan 鈥�

New reports suggest diabetes weight loss drugs could reduce Alzheimer's risk 鈥�

Ukraine: Stark increase in civilian casualties in March, UN Human Rights Monitors say 鈥�

Road deaths fell below 40,000 in 2024, the lowest since 2019 鈥� Ars Technica

A biotech company says it has bred three pups with traits of the extinct dire wolf 鈥� Issue No. 2706
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 .

96 Global Health NOW: Breakthrough Clues in an Mpox Mystery; Afghanistan鈥檚 Escort Rules Fuel Maternal Deaths; and San Francisco Rethinks Harm Reduction April 9, 2025 A fire-footed rope squirrel (Funisciurus pyrropus) in southern Mali, in 2010. Laurent Granjon/Jean-Marc Duplantier via iNaturalist Breakthrough Clues in an Mpox Mystery 
Researchers have been trying to unravel one of the 鈥済reat mysteries鈥� of mpox: What are its animal reservoir hosts?

Now, a team of scientists say they have landed on a key culprit: a squirrel. And their preprint research could have significant implications for tracking and preventing future spillovers, . 

Background: The name 鈥渕onkeypox鈥� comes from the 1958 discovery of the virus in lab monkeys. But researchers have long suspected small mammals of being sources for cross-species spillover.

Surveillance sleuthing: The latest discovery started with an mpox outbreak in sooty mangabey monkeys in Ta茂 National Park in C么te d鈥橧voire, .

• Scientists then located the identical virus in a sample from a fire-footed rope squirrel found dead three months before the outbreak started. 


• Researchers pinpointed the squirrel DNA in fecal samples from the mangabeys, suggesting the monkeys became infected after eating the squirrels. 

Implications: 鈥淭his study is a landmark contribution to understanding mpox dynamics and guiding proactive prevention efforts across Africa and beyond,鈥� said Yap Boum, a biologist at the Africa CDC.

More work needed: More evidence is needed to determine whether the squirrels can carry and shed the virus long-term without getting sick鈥攁 key feature of a reservoir host, scientists say. 

Related: 

Fears new mpox strain spreading in UK after case with no travel history 鈥�  

China鈥檚 first monkeypox vaccine enters phase I clinical trials, planning to recruit volunteers 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Cholera cases in Kenya have risen to nearly 100, with six reported fatalities, per the nation鈥檚 health ministry, which is redoubling its surveillance efforts.

Teen gun license applicants in Canada spiked 11% between 2023 and 2024鈥攔aising concerns that as teens reach voting age, there will be greater calls for loosening gun restrictions.

Floods in Queensland have led to 10 new infections of melioidosis, a soil-borne bacterial disease that has killed 26 people in the Australian state this year; more infections are expected, health experts say.

Invasive Streptococcus A infections more than doubled in the U.S. between 2013 and 2022, of 10 states published in JAMA that linked the rise to 鈥渋ncreasing prevalence of underlying health conditions,鈥� and found growing levels of antibiotic resistance. U.S. Policy News NSF slashes prestigious PhD fellowship awards by half 鈥�

Trump has blown a massive hole in global health funding鈥攁nd no one can fill it 鈥�

Dr. Oz Pushed for AI Health Care in First Medicare Agency Town Hall 鈥�

What do Americans think of Trump's foreign policies? 鈥�

It's sexual assault awareness month and HHS just gutted its rape prevention unit 鈥�

Trump administration says it cut funding to some life-saving UN food programs by mistake 鈥�

A closer look at the nationwide impact of NIH cuts 鈥� MATERNAL MORTALITY Escort Rules Lead to Maternal Deaths 
Under the Taliban in Afghanistan, women and girls are prevented from accessing medical care without a male escort, leading to rising mortality rates for women and infants.

• Before the Taliban took power, maternal mortality was already 3X higher than the world average.


• By 2026, a woman鈥檚 estimated risk of death during childbirth will rise by 50%.


• Every day, 24 mothers and 167 infants die in Afghanistan. 

Barriers: In December 2024, the Taliban also stopped medical training for women. Poor access to health care, a shortage of doctors and midwives, and rising rates of early marriage also contribute to increased risks.



Related: USAID enabled 208 Afghan women to defy the Taliban ban on college 鈥� until now 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HARM REDUCTION A Policy Shift in San Francisco
San Francisco has long prioritized harm reduction in its drug policies, such as with programs to distribute on the streets free, clean paraphernalia for fentanyl smoking, no questions asked.

But the city鈥檚 new mayor, Daniel Lurie, says the city鈥檚 policies have become too permissive and will scale them back in an effort to steer more people into treatment.

• 鈥淲e are no longer going to sit by and allow people to kill themselves on the streets,鈥� said Lurie. 

New rules starting April 30:

• Paraphernalia can be distributed only to people who undergo lengthy counseling sessions.


• Nonprofits will be able to distribute smoking supplies only in city-sanctioned buildings. 

Clean needles can still be provided on the street, and naloxone distribution will not be affected. 

QUICK HITS Ontario's measles outbreak is so big, even New York health officials are taking notice 鈥�

Man whose blood helped develop measles vaccine weighs in on recent outbreak 鈥�

State lawmakers are weighing bills that would treat abortion as homicide 鈥嬧�嬧��

Achieving gender justice for global health equity: the Lancet Commission on gender and global health 鈥�

Menopause makes it on the policy map 鈥�

Improving the Global Health Workforce Is a Bipartisan Imperative 鈥�

How the Alcohol Industry Steers Governments Away From Effective Strategies to Curb Drink Driving 鈥�  

A new BEACON for global health set to launch in Boston 鈥�

Meet Siku, the itchy polar bear: How allergies are affecting animals 鈥� Thanks for the tip, Xiaodong Cai! Issue No. 2705
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 .

96 Global Health NOW: High Costs for Kids of PEPFAR鈥檚 Demise; China鈥檚 Older HIV Population; and South Africa鈥檚 Struggle to Protect Women April 8, 2025 Sister Sally Naidoo administers an HIV test on a young boy at the Right To Care AIDS clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa, on January 27, 2012. Foto24/Gallo Images/Getty High Costs for Kids of PEPFAR鈥檚 Demise  
If PEPFAR programs do not continue, an additional 1 million children will become infected with HIV, 500,000 additional children will die of AIDS, and another 2.8 million children will become orphans because of AIDS by 2030, according to models published today.
 
The authors, from African countries and elsewhere, argue for a five-year transition to country-led sustainability, noting that PEPFAR-supported countries had already increased their share of support from $13.7 billion per year in 2004 to $42.6 billion in 2021.
 
Benefits of the successful transition of PEPFAR programs include better health security for both African countries and the U.S. by:

• Cutting forced migration.


• Boosting control of emerging infectious disease threats.

Currently: AIDS is estimated to kill one child under 15 every 7 minutes.

Bleak future: As part of the reorganization of HHS in the U.S., CDC officials responsible for the care of 500,000+ children and 600,000+ pregnant women with HIV in low-income countries have been fired or reassigned, .

• Their programs sought to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV and to deliver treatment for children living with HIV.


• The officials had been helping direct medications to areas where stocks were running low.

Related: 
 
UCLA professor loses millions in funding for HIV research project 鈥�
 
Is This the End of Progress on H.I.V.? 鈥�
 
The global fight against HIV/AIDS, in chaos 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   U.S. health secretary RFK Jr. called for an end to adding fluoride to public drinking water supplies, saying "It makes no sense to have it in our water supply,鈥� and praising Utah鈥檚 plans for a ban; the EPA has now launched a new review of fluoride's health effects.  
 
Health systems implementing the 鈥淶ero Suicide Model鈥� saw a fall in suicides and attempts, ; the model, developed by Detroit-based Henry Ford Health, emphasizes patient screening, safety planning, and mental health counseling.
 
Children born to mothers with diabetes in pregnancy showed a 28% higher risk of having any neurodevelopmental disorder compared to children born to mothers without the condition, led by Chinese researchers who cautioned that while more research is needed, diligent monitoring of blood sugar levels in pregnancy is merited.
 
A newly developed blood test for Alzheimer鈥檚 disease can help diagnose the condition with up to 83% accuracy鈥攁nd indicate how far it has progressed鈥攜ears before symptoms begin, led by Swedish researchers. U.S. Policy News How will the deep cuts at the Centers for Disease Control affect global programs? 鈥�

Long COVID activists fought Trump team鈥檚 research cuts and won 鈥� for now 鈥�

Trump Said Cuts Wouldn鈥檛 Affect Public Safety. Then He Fired Hundreds of Workers Who Help Fight Wildfires. 鈥�

Transfer to Alaska? Offer to health leaders called 'insult' to Indian Health Service 鈥� EDUCATION Johns Hopkins Tops Rankings of U.S. Public Health Schools 

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health again ranks #1 among public health schools and programs in the U.S., based on peer-assessment ratings released this morning by U.S. News & World Report.  
 
This year鈥檚 top 10 schools: 
 
1. Johns Hopkins University 
2. Emory University 
2. Harvard University  
2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor 
2. University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill 
6. Columbia University 
7. Boston University 
8. University of California - Berkeley 
8. University of California - Los Angeles 
10. Tulane University 
 
This year鈥檚 rankings include 219 schools and programs of public health accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. 
  
鈥�

VIOLENCE South Africa鈥檚 Struggle to Protect Women
Over three decades, South Africa has seen significant progress in curbing femicide and violence against women.

• Between 1999 and 2017, the intimate partner femicide rate fell from 9.5 per 100,000 women in 1999 to 4.9, with researchers pointing to women鈥檚 economic empowerment and a groundswell of vocal anti-violence advocacy contributing to the shift. 

But rates remain the highest reported in the world, and a recent uptick of violence has been described as a 鈥渘ational crisis鈥� by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

• Femicide has increased 30%+ since 2021. 


• Last year, 36% of South African women reported experiencing physical or sexual violence at some time.

Reasons include pervasive misogynist beliefs among men, a failure to enforce gun policy, and a lack of judicial accountability, advocates say. 

RESOURCES How to Introduce Kids to Health Policy
collection of Athena鈥檚 Adventures in Health Policy鈥攁ll 15 books鈥攊s now available online for free.
 
The series aims to inspire the next generation of public health professionals and show them the importance and impact of health policies. These engaging books bring health policy to life, making complex topics accessible and thought-provoking for young readers.
 
now鈥攆or free! 
 
Prefer a printed copy? The books are also available to purchase on Amazon. $1 from the sale of each book is donated to Global Health NOW. HIV/AIDS China鈥檚 Older HIV Population
In China, a growing number of studies are signaling an impending health crisis: Older people are quickly becoming a high-risk group for HIV infection.

• Some studies have predicted that by 2035, nearly 33% of HIV-positive people in China will be aged 60+. 

Risk factors: 

• Because HIV prevention and testing campaigns are focused on young people, older patients usually don鈥檛 find out they鈥檙e HIV positive until the disease is 鈥渧ery advanced,鈥� said Chinese AIDS expert Wan Yanhai. 


• A growing number of older men across China are engaging in commercial sex, research shows. 


• Little is being done to address seniors鈥� sexual health, with surveys revealing a pervasive cultural assumption that seniors have little if any sex鈥攁 belief that does not bear out in research. 

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Ukraine: Mine contamination is lethal legacy of Russia鈥檚 invasion 鈥�

Scientists identify Nigeria hotspots where malaria, STH overlap, indicating high co-morbidity 鈥�

Court tosses Biden nursing home staffing standard 鈥�

In Final Days of Pandemic Talks, Countries Urged to Budget for 鈥楤oth Bombs and Bugs鈥� 鈥�

From the hospital to the lab: How we reported the snakebite scandal 鈥�

Transparency in government is good for global health 鈥�  

Public Health in the Age of AI and Climate Change 鈥�

AI for research: the ultimate guide to choosing the right tool 鈥� Issue No. 2704
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 .