91黑料网

World Health Organization - Wed, 05/20/2026 - 08:00
Facing a fast-moving Ebola outbreak caused by a rare strain of the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) is relying on a rapid, community-centred response to halt transmission in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, a senior official has told UN News.
Categories: Global Health Feed

World Health Organization - Wed, 05/20/2026 - 08:00
Before heading to strike sites in war-torn Lebanon, rescue workers and paramedics often say goodbye to one another 鈥 a ritual captured in widely shared videos reflecting the growing dangers faced by aid workers since hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel erupted on 2 March.
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World Health Organization - Wed, 05/20/2026 - 08:00
The deadly Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda does not represent a global pandemic emergency, although the risk is high at a regional and national level, the UN health agency chief said on Wednesday.
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鈥楯umping gene鈥 helps explain elevated pancreatic cancer risk in French-Canadians

91黑料网 Faculty of Medicine news - Tue, 05/19/2026 - 10:13

Researchers at 91黑料网 have discovered a centuries-old genetic mutation that helps to explain why some French鈥慍anadians in Quebec are at an elevated risk of pancreatic cancer. Until quite recently, standard genetic tests have not been able to identify this 鈥渏umping gene鈥 cause.

The findings, published in the Journal of Medical Genetics, suggest better-targeted genetic testing could help identify people at higher cancer risk who were previously missed.

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Global Health Now - Tue, 05/19/2026 - 09:33
96 Global Health NOW: Ebola Worries Loom Over #WHA79; and How AI is Accelerating Biosecurity Risks May 19, 2026 TOP STORIES A diphtheria outbreak in Australia鈥檚 Northern Territory鈥攚ith 133 cases, including one likely death鈥攈as spread, with Western Australia, Queensland, and South Australia now reporting up to 90 cases; it鈥檚 now the biggest diphtheria outbreak the country has seen in decades, per the country鈥檚 health minister, Mark Butler.     As infectious disease outbreaks like hantavirus and Ebola grow more frequent, they are also becoming more damaging, exacerbated by the climate crisis and armed conflict, say the authors of the ; they warn that the pandemic risk is outpacing investment in preparedness, which is undermined by 鈥済eopolitical fragmentation and commercial self-interest.鈥    U.S. abortion bans appear to have made it harder for people experiencing miscarriages to receive appropriate鈥攐r even any鈥攖reatment, ; as the Oregon Health & Science University-led study focused only on first trimester miscarriages among people with private insurance, the impact is likely an underestimate.     Nearly half of U.S. teens are on their phones between midnight and 4 a.m., losing critical sleep time on school nights, according to a study in JAMA Pediatrics that tracked 657 adolescents participating in the national Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.  IN FOCUS WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus delivers a speech at the opening of the 79th World Health Organization assembly. Geneva, May 18. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Ebola Worries Loom Over #WHA79     The burgeoning Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda at once overshadowed yesterday鈥檚 opening of the  and emphasized the importance of international cooperation. 
  • 鈥淔rom conflicts to economic crises to climate change and aid cuts, we live in difficult, dangerous and divisive times,鈥 WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said yesterday at the WHA's opening, . 
Ebola latest:  
  • The outbreak has caused 131 suspected deaths and 513 suspected cases, according to DRC health minister Samuel-Roger Kamba, . 
  • 30 cases have been laboratory confirmed and linked to the outbreak in the DRC鈥檚 northeastern Ituri Province. 
  • 2 cases have been confirmed in Uganda. 
  • Tedros said today that he is 鈥渄eeply concerned about the scale and speed鈥 of the outbreak, . He expects numbers to increase as surveillance, contact tracing, and lab testing scale up. 
  • The WHO's Emergency Committee is convening today to discuss the outbreak.  
#WHA79 highlights:  
  • 鈥淲e are witnessing the end of an era, and we must have the courage to build the next one,鈥 Ghana鈥檚 President John Dramani Mahama said yesterday, noting that global health cuts could lead to 9 million preventable deaths by 2030, . His own country has lost $78 million in USAID funds, affecting programs in malaria, maternal and child health, HIV, and nutrition.  
  • Spain鈥檚 Prime Minister Pedro S谩nchez called for greater investment in global health in the face of 鈥渢he pandemic of egotism and selfishness,鈥 Health Policy Watch reports. Spain has boosted its official development aid by 30%, he said. S谩nchez obliquely castigated the U.S., saying 鈥渢he country that cut $18 billion from global public health and ODA [official development assistance] has spent more than $29 billion on war.鈥 
Related:  
  US bans travellers from DRC, Uganda and South Sudan amid major Ebola outbreak 鈥      Your guide to events at the 79th World Health Assembly 鈥      Watch the World Health Assembly sessions 鈥   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HEALTH SECURITY How AI is Accelerating Biosecurity Risks    Advanced biological AI tools are powering a research revolution, allowing scientists to design proteins and viruses鈥攁nd opening up access to bioengineering knowledge and tools to people outside of labs.     Promise and risk: This new era could pave the way to great medical discoveries鈥攁nd, scientists fear, for bad actors to misuse in the creation of toxins, viruses, and other bioweapons that can evade detection.     A range of responses: Scientists say a series of safeguards are needed in response to increased risks, including better screening by companies that synthesize nucleic acids to order so they can better identify dangerous sequences.  
  • Others say AI tools themselves must have more stringent access controls and flagging systems to prevent misuse.  
    Related:      Q&A: Is AI democratizing global health or reinforcing old inequities? 鈥      FDA clears first AI-based early warning system for sepsis 鈥   OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Mpox infections may outnumber diagnosed cases 33 to 1, study suggests 鈥      HHS withdraws amended vaccine advisory panel charter 鈥      Steep drop in number of people with Affordable Care Act health coverage, analysis finds 鈥     Children鈥檚 Mental Health Visits Have Shot Up, Research Shows 鈥     Thousands of U.S. countertop workers could have damaged lungs, safety expert says 鈥     Kazakhstan Sees Later Marriages and More Equal Partnerships, Study Finds 鈥     RFK Jr. wants meat back on hospital trays, no matter what cardiologists think 鈥   Issue No. 2918
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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Categories: Global Health Feed

World Health Organization - Tue, 05/19/2026 - 08:00
A fast-spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has health workers rushing to stop transmission while the roll out of any potential vaccine is months away, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. 
Categories: Global Health Feed

Global Health Now - Mon, 05/18/2026 - 09:36
96 Global Health NOW: Ebola Outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern; and We Know How to Stop Disease Outbreaks. Will We? May 18, 2026 TOP STORIES The WHO should declare the global climate crisis a public health emergency of international concern, ; the WHO-convened commission delivered a report to European ministers yesterday on the eve of the World Health Assembly.      LGBTIQ+ people are increasingly targeted for violence and discrimination, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker T眉rk said yesterday; consensual same-sex relations are criminalized in more than one-third of countries.  
Mifepristone remains accessible via telehealth prescription and mail delivery after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a freeze on a lower court ruling that would have required in-person appointments for patients to acquire the drug; the underlying legal case remains unresolved and is expected to eventually return to the Supreme Court.  
Hantavirus can survive in human sperm for up to six years, creating potential for sexual transmission even after recovery from the virus, ; while such transmission has not been documented, UK health officials say they were reviewing hantavirus research while monitoring British passengers from the MV Hondius.   IN FOCUS A CBCA Virunga Hospital staff member checks a visitor's temperature before allowing her access to the hospital. Goma, DRC, May 17. Jospin Mwisha/AFP via Getty Ebola Outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern    The WHO has declared an Ebola outbreak centered in eastern DRC as cases rapidly mount and epidemiologists urgently seek to gauge the spread of the highly contagious virus that has likely been circulating undetected for weeks, .  
  • The announcement, made Saturday, came one day after the Africa CDC reported that the DRC outbreak was linked to dozens of suspected deaths, and after the confirmation of at least two cases in Uganda. 
Questions around count: 300+ suspected cases and 88 deaths have been reported, . But epidemiologists warn the scale of the outbreak could be far larger, with the WHO highlighting 鈥渟ignificant uncertainties鈥 about the number of infections and geographic spread. 
  • The virus is centered in a mining corridor region that Africa CDC director general Jean Kaseya described as 鈥渁 very vulnerable and fragile region鈥 weakened by conflict and poor health infrastructure, . 
  • Cases have also been reported in heavily populated areas including Kinshasa, Goma, and Kampala, further complicating response.  
Rare strain, few tools: The outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has only been reported twice before, reports the AP. 
  • There are no approved vaccines or therapeutics for the strain, and WHO officials said existing rapid tests initially missed the virus. 
  • The response is also impacted by USAID cuts, reduced CDC funding, and the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO, say global health experts, who pointed to a pivotal U.S. role in previous Ebola outbreaks.  
Americans exposed: A small number of Americans may have been exposed in Congo, including at least one symptomatic individual who is being considered for medical evacuation by the CDC, .  DATA POINT

1.1 billion
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌
People live in slums, per the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat); how to house them in dignity is a question being discussed at the this week. 鈥
  GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY Using the 7-1-7 target, public health officials in El Salvador managed to stop the spread of imported malaria cases and maintain the nation鈥檚 malaria-free status. Courtesy of Resolve to Save Lives We Know How to Stop Disease Outbreaks. Will We? 
In December 2024,鈥痑s鈥痗ases of cholera were surging in South Sudan, the Ministry of Health recognized and curbed the outbreak in record time, with just six confirmed cases and no reported deaths.     Compare that to what鈥痺e鈥檙e鈥痵eeing鈥痺ith measles globally鈥攁s the disease has made a comeback in countries that had once鈥痚liminated鈥痠t, like the U.S. 
  鈥淭he difference isn鈥檛 the disease; it鈥檚 the response and investment in prevention,鈥  
  One tool鈥痶hat鈥檚鈥痟elping to鈥痗ontain鈥痮utbreaks鈥攊ncluding in South Sudan鈥撯搃s the鈥7-1-7 target,鈥痙eveloped by Resolve to Save Lives and adopted by dozens of communities, countries, and institutions around the world, based on three simple goals:鈥 
  • Detect an outbreak within seven days of鈥痶he first case. 
  • Notify public health authorities within one day鈥痮f detection. 
  • Complete鈥痚arly response鈥痑ctions within鈥痵even鈥痙ays of notification.   
A model to follow:鈥The latest installment of the  shows 7-1-7 target success stories from countries that used the tool to鈥痠dentify鈥痑nd stop outbreaks quickly鈥攊ncluding an Ebola outbreak in Uganda last year. Other countries can follow their lead, McClellan says, and adopt the 7-1-7 target to鈥痠mprove rapid outbreak detection and response.     鈥淲e have a choice,鈥 McClellan writes. 鈥淲e can wait for the next crisis and respond after lives are lost, or we can invest in prevention and stop outbreaks before they spread.鈥   OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Top WHO official: I鈥檓 relieved it isn鈥檛 bird flu, but we鈥檙e in a 鈥榤ake or break鈥 phase for hantavirus 鈥

A Danish Couple鈥檚 Maverick African Research Finds Its Moment in RFK Jr.鈥檚 Vaccine Policy 鈥

Study reveals hidden trauma of unaccompanied Afghan refugee children brought to UK 鈥

Efforts to understand America鈥檚 drugged-driving problem stalls under Trump 鈥

RFK Jr.鈥檚 department to make it easier to fire career staff 鈥

With a Friend in Trump, the Tobacco Industry Secures a Lucrative Win 鈥 Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff!

How outbreaks at sea have been helping to shape the global health system since medieval times 鈥

A revolutionary cancer treatment could transform autoimmune disease 鈥   Issue No. 2917
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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Categories: Global Health Feed

World Health Organization - Mon, 05/18/2026 - 08:00
From Ebola outbreaks in Central Africa to the complex evacuation of passengers aboard a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) opened its annual assembly on Monday as countries grapple with disease outbreaks, deep funding cuts and growing geopolitical tension.
Categories: Global Health Feed

World Health Organization - Mon, 05/18/2026 - 08:00
A day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo an international emergency, top global disease transmission experts stressed that the chances of another global pandemic similar to the 2019 coronavirus emergency are increasing all the time.
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World Health Organization - Sun, 05/17/2026 - 08:00
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, citing rising cases, cross-border spread and significant uncertainties about the scale of the epidemic.
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World Health Organization - Fri, 05/15/2026 - 08:00
Brightly coloured nicotine pouches promoted through social media influencers, music festivals and youth-oriented advertising are driving a rapid rise in nicotine use among young people worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday.
Categories: Global Health Feed

91黑料网鈥檚 Bravo Gala shines a spotlight on research excellence

91黑料网 Faculty of Medicine news - Thu, 05/14/2026 - 12:18

At event honouring 116 winners of major awards, keynote speaker and SSHRC Gold Medal recipient Myriam Denov emphasized the importance of listening.

91黑料网 celebrated more than 100 researchers at the 21st edition of Bravo, a gala event May 7 honouring the winners of major provincial, national and international research prizes and awards in 2025.

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Global Health Now - Thu, 05/14/2026 - 09:30
96 Global Health NOW: The Hunt for Hantavirus Origins; and The Paternal Mortality 鈥楤lind Spot鈥 Plus: In Chonkers鈥 Wake May 14, 2026 TOP STORIES Global health progress is off-target and hard-won gains are being reversed, warns the , which found that malaria incidence has increased, measles immunization coverage remains dangerously low, and the decline in maternal and child mortality rates is slowing.     U.S. overdose deaths dropped by 14% last year, ; but researchers caution that the number of deaths is still high (~70,000) and that cuts to harm reduction programs and the emergence of new illicit drugs could reverse progress.     Delayed diagnosis of travel-acquired malaria was common among U.S. children hospitalized for the disease between 2016 and 2023, , which found that malaria was not considered or tested for in 1 in 4 pediatric patients seeking initial clinical care; 51% of those children went on to develop severe symptoms.      Gene therapy was linked to a brain tumor in a boy years after receiving the treatment as a baby, per research presented at the annual meeting of American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy; while the mass was safely removed, it is the first time a gene therapy delivered by the adeno-associated virus has been linked to cancer, say researchers, who also said the rare outcome should not prevent the use of AAV in gene therapy.   IN FOCUS An aerial view of Ushuaia harbor in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, on May 13. Edrien Esteves/AFP via Getty The Hunt for Hantavirus Origins
As passengers of MV Hondius quarantine in their home countries, international health officials are racing to pinpoint the origin and transmission patterns of the Andes strain of hantavirus  and sparked global alarm.    Epidemiological detective work: Scientists are retracing the route traveled by the virus鈥檚 first known victims, a Dutch couple who boarded the cruise ship after crisscrossing Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, .  
  • Questions surrounding the initial source and incubation timeline have made it difficult to draw a clear line, resulting in some international finger-pointing between Argentina and Chile.   
  • Scientists are also trapping rodents to determine whether the virus has spread into new regions beyond Patagonia. 
Scrambling to understand spread: Researchers are also working to grasp the transmission patterns of the Andes strain鈥攖he only hantavirus known to spread between humans, .  
  • That means defining the conditions needed for the virus鈥檚 spread: incubation timing, respiratory droplet size, type of contact needed for spread, and the infectious dose needed to overcome immune defenses. 
Risk and response: While American cruise passengers are being quarantined and monitored, the CDC said Wednesday the threat to the public remains low, .  
  • Laboratories, including the University of Nebraska Medical Center, are rapidly developing diagnostic tests, , and refining containment protocols as scientists study possible mutations.  
Misinformation contagion: Meanwhile, COVID-era conspiracy theories are resurging online鈥攂ut this time, AI is an accelerant, . 
  • 鈥淭he conspiracy theories from COVID-19 never really died,鈥 said University of Buffalo misinformation researcher Yotam Ophir. 鈥淭hey lay dormant for a few years.鈥 
POPULATIONS The Paternal Mortality 鈥楤lind Spot鈥 
New insights are emerging into the understudied crisis of paternal mortality in the U.S., in which new fathers are dying from preventable causes like accidental injuries, homicide, suicide, and overdose in their children鈥檚 early childhood, .   
  • While maternal health and mortality are well-tracked in the U.S., paternal mortality has received little attention, despite its adverse effects on children and families. 
Illuminating the issue: Northwestern University researchers tracked ~130,000 babies born in Georgia in 2017 to see if their fathers died over the following five years, . 
  • Among 796 fathers who died, 60% of the deaths were preventable鈥攑ointing to 鈥渁 huge blind spot鈥 in public health. 
Need for more data鈥攁nd intervention: Researchers are unpacking the factors driving the deaths; however, , the study鈥檚 lead author said birth-related health care visits provide a key opportunity to connect with fathers and provide them with support.   OPPORTUNITY Last Call to Submit for Open Forum Conference! 
There are a few more days to submit abstracts and awardee nominations for the .    Hosted by the  the annual public health workforce development gathering will be held August 24鈥26 in Nashville, Tennessee
  • Abstract submissions are open  for five conference tracks including performance improvement, data modernization, public health challenge navigation, and more. 
  • Nominate your colleagues, friends, and mentors for  celebrating new and emerging leaders in the public health field. 
Abstract and award nominations are due by Sunday, May 17.  ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION In Chonkers鈥 Wake
Swim on, Moby Dick: There鈥檚 a new white whale in our lives, and his name is Chonkers.    Chonkers is not a whale. But the 1,500+-lb. Steller sea lion brought his own chonky mythos to San Francisco Bay this spring, dwarfing the resident sea lions and drawing 鈥渂onkers for Chonkers鈥 crowds to Pier 39, 鈥攊ncluding some who made cross-country pilgrimages 鈥渓ooking for the big one,鈥 .     We are all drawn to Chonkers鈥攂ut what drew Chonkers to us? Relatably, he was 鈥渧ery food-motivated,鈥 ; and the easy pickings of anchovies, herring, and rockfish in the bay probably spurred Chonkers to make the unusual 30+ mile trek shoreward. Now that he鈥檚 dined, it appears that he鈥檚 ditched us, .      What now? Bereaved Chonkers-watchers may hope for another visit from the Steller sea lion; but the local harbormaster Sheila Chandor says the Pier 39 docks and their typical dainty, 700-lb. denizens aren鈥檛 exactly fit to host him, .     鈥淗e makes them all look like little kittens,鈥 Chandor said.  QUICK HITS It鈥檚 Time to Blow Up the Public Health Events Model 鈥 

鈥榃e will not denounce people in distress鈥: Luxembourg doctors balk at EU migration proposals 鈥 

French authorities to release millions of sterile tiger mosquitoes 鈥  Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner!

Tunisia validated by WHO as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem 鈥 

White House threatens to withhold Medicaid money from states over fraud 鈥 

On Monday morning it was a busy South Sudan hospital. By Tuesday night it was a bombed-out shell 鈥 

Want to keep aging at bay? Get some arts and culture every day, study finds 鈥    Issue No. 2916
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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  Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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Categories: Global Health Feed

World Health Organization - Thu, 05/14/2026 - 08:00
Decades of gains in the fight against AIDS are under growing threat as donor funding declines and community-based health services collapse in some of the world鈥檚 most vulnerable countries, the head of the joint UN programme on HIV/AIDS warned on Thursday.
Categories: Global Health Feed

Provost honours 31 91黑料网 professors for exceptional research achievements

91黑料网 Faculty of Medicine news - Wed, 05/13/2026 - 14:00

The 2026 cohort of Distinguished James 91黑料网 Professors, James 91黑料网 Professors and William Dawson Scholars embody 鈥榯he very best of our academic community鈥.

Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Angela Campbell has named 31 91黑料网 professors as Distinguished James 91黑料网 Professors, James 91黑料网 Professors or William Dawson Scholars. The internal awards recognize exceptional research achievements.

Categories: Global Health Feed

91黑料网 awarded 16 new or renewed Canada Research Chairs

91黑料网 Faculty of Medicine news - Wed, 05/13/2026 - 13:51

From fundamental physics to child well-being, 91黑料网 researchers advance discovery across disciplines聽

91黑料网 has been awarded $18.1 million in federal funding to support 16 Canada Research Chairs 鈥 six new and 10 renewed.

Categories: Global Health Feed

$1.25 million for 91黑料网 research from the New Frontiers in Research Fund

91黑料网 Faculty of Medicine news - Wed, 05/13/2026 - 13:34

Federal fund will support transformative high risk, high reward research across engineering, science, and medicine at 91黑料网.

Categories: Global Health Feed

Icing injuries may slow recovery and prolong pain, study finds

91黑料网 Faculty of Medicine news - Wed, 05/13/2026 - 09:42

Icing a sprained ankle or sore muscle, long used to reduce pain and swelling, may in the longer run delay recovery and prolong pain, new research suggests.

In a preclinical study published in Anesthesiology, 91黑料网 researchers found that even though cryotherapy (icing) eased pain in the short term, recovery time was more than doubled in some cases.

Categories: Global Health Feed

Global Health Now - Wed, 05/13/2026 - 09:22
96 Global Health NOW: A Silent STI Crisis Among South Africa鈥檚 Girls; Medical Rumors Turn Violent in the Congo May 13, 2026 TOP STORIES Maternity care in eastern Chad is 鈥渇acing enormous pressure,鈥 the UN Population Fund has warned, as the massive influx of refugees fleeing Sudan鈥檚 civil war means many women are giving birth in overcrowded clinics with limited medication and equipment.     A French hantavirus patient is critically ill with life-threatening lung and heart problems, and is depending on an artificial lung, doctors say; the hantavirus outbreak centered on the cruise ship MV Hondius has now grown to 11 total cases.     ~7 million U.S. children live in a home with a loaded and unlocked gun, , which also found that ~32 million U.S. children live in homes with firearms.     Prescriptions for ivermectin and benzimidazole among cancer patients rose 2.5X after actor Mel Gibson endorsed the unproven treatment on Joe Rogan鈥檚 podcast, ; the needed dose for any anti-cancer effect would be toxic for humans, doctors say, and there have been no clinical trials on the drugs鈥 safety and efficacy for treating cancer in people.   IN FOCUS School girls being screened at the launch of the Dreams program, aimed at reducing new HIV infections, particularly in adolescents and young women. Durban, South Africa, April 7, 2021. Darren Stewart/Gallo Images via Getty A Silent STI Crisis Among South Africa鈥檚 Girls    In South Africa, which has one of the highest rates of STIs in the world, adolescent girls and young women are at particular risk: They are more likely to have STIs than boys and men of the same age, and than older women.     Yet they are also less likely to seek or receive care due to overwhelming stigma and a lack of education, .  
  • 鈥淭hat silence is as deafening as it is dangerous,鈥 wrote lead study author Zoey Duby in a . 
Gaps in care despite symptoms: Of ~5,000 South African girls and young women ages 15鈥24 surveyed by researchers with the South African Medical Research Council, many reported at least one STI symptom, with 17.5% reporting genital itching, 8.2% reporting unusual discharge, and 7.0% reporting vaginal pain or burning. 
  • Despite these responses, just 16% had ever received an STI diagnosis. 
Barriers to care include:   
  • Confusion and misinformation about STIs, including a belief that HIV prevention medication means condoms are unnecessary. 
  • Pervasive STI shame and stigma, even in consultations with health workers. In the survey itself, 22.5% of participants preferred not to disclose symptoms. 
Improved education is essential: While schools are key sources of sexual health information, researchers say current lessons focus too heavily on HIV and neglect other STIs. 
  • Researchers are urging more 鈥渁ll-in-one, youth-friendly鈥 reproductive health services that combine education, contraception, and HIV prevention with STI testing.  
Related: Study shows doxyPEP鈥檚 diminished effectiveness against gonorrhea 鈥    DATA POINT

1 in 8
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌
Deaths averted by the RTS,S malaria vaccine among eligible kids in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi from 2019 to 2023, . 鈥
  MISINFORMATION Medical Rumors Turn Violent in the Congo   Over the past year, false online claims about a mystery illness supposedly circulating in the DRC have sparked panic, leading to violence and the killing of four health workers who were conducting vaccine research in the Tshopo province.     Explosion of misinformation: Videos and testimonials shared online described an illness that caused genital atrophy, with pastors and megachurch leaders fueling the viral content with claims of miracle cures.  
  • Health workers have been accused of secretly spreading the disease.  
Deadly outcomes: The WHO-backed Africa Infodemic Response Alliance (AIRA), which monitors health misinformation, says ~17 killings linked to the rumor have been reported, including the four slain health workers.  
  • Meanwhile, AIRA has lost key funding amid aid cuts, leaving it with fewer personnel and resources to combat misinformation.  
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Middle East conflict pollution puts Africa at risk of health impacts 鈥

Dengue outpaces virus-blocking mosquitoes in Brazil 鈥

Marty Makary departs FDA after clashes with Trump over fruit-flavored vapes 鈥

European Parliament calls for investigation into undisclosed meetings between EU officials and Philip Morris International 鈥

The next WHO leader will need to be a multitasking political acrobat 鈥 

How minimum wage hikes and food stamps fit into suicide prevention 鈥 

By changing women鈥檚 lives, the pill changed the nation 鈥

Cities are rehearsing for deadly heat. Will it help when disaster comes? 鈥 

Wine鈥檚 leftovers could help wean chicken farms off antibiotics 鈥 Issue No. 2915
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World Health Organization - Wed, 05/13/2026 - 08:00
A complex international operation to disembark and repatriate passengers from the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius has concluded in Tenerife, with the World Health Organization (WHO) praising Spain鈥檚 leadership while warning that global coordination must continue in the weeks ahead.
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