South Sudan is evolving into a catastrophic human rights and humanitarian crisis, UN Human Rights Council-appointed independent experts warned on Thursday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Hidden Perils of Poland鈥檚 鈥楪host鈥 Poultry Farms; and India鈥檚 Coal Expansion Fuels a Health Crisis
April 1, 2026
TOP STORIES
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a Colorado law that banned mental health professionals from using 鈥渃onversion therapy鈥 to try to change LGBTQ minors鈥 sexual orientation or gender identity; the ruling could impact such laws in 20+ states.
Requests for 鈥渦nvaccinated鈥 blood have increased among patients and parents of minor patients needing blood transfusions, , which found the requests can lead to dangerous delays in care since blood donors are not asked about vaccination status.
Lead lingering in the body increases the risk of heart disease, even years after exposure, , which found that lead鈥檚 presence in the heart鈥檚 vital arteries can elevate blood pressure and injure blood vessels鈥攎aking it one of the leading risk factors for death by coronary artery disease.
New American Heart Association guidelines prioritize plant-based protein over meat and suggest replacing full-fat dairy with low- or nonfat options; , contrasts with U.S. government recommendations encouraging Americans to up their consumption of red meat and full-fat dairy. IN FOCUS Chickens crowded together on an industrial poultry farm. Kondrajec Panski, Poland, October 1, 2019. Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty The Hidden Perils of Poland鈥檚 鈥楪host鈥 Poultry Farms Hundreds of industrial poultry farms across Poland are operating without required environmental permits, allowing the farms to evade EU oversight and increasing threats of environmental pollution and disease throughout Europe. Large loopholes: Poland is a major exporter of poultry meat to Europe, with ~2,000 megafarms in the country. Nearly half of those farms lack required environmental licenses.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Lead lingering in the body increases the risk of heart disease, even years after exposure, , which found that lead鈥檚 presence in the heart鈥檚 vital arteries can elevate blood pressure and injure blood vessels鈥攎aking it one of the leading risk factors for death by coronary artery disease.
New American Heart Association guidelines prioritize plant-based protein over meat and suggest replacing full-fat dairy with low- or nonfat options; , contrasts with U.S. government recommendations encouraging Americans to up their consumption of red meat and full-fat dairy. IN FOCUS Chickens crowded together on an industrial poultry farm. Kondrajec Panski, Poland, October 1, 2019. Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty The Hidden Perils of Poland鈥檚 鈥楪host鈥 Poultry Farms Hundreds of industrial poultry farms across Poland are operating without required environmental permits, allowing the farms to evade EU oversight and increasing threats of environmental pollution and disease throughout Europe. Large loopholes: Poland is a major exporter of poultry meat to Europe, with ~2,000 megafarms in the country. Nearly half of those farms lack required environmental licenses.
- Officials responsible for issuing permits and conducting inspections do not track unregistered operations, enabling these so-called ghost farms to operate unchecked for years.
- But the risks extend beyond Poland, as the potentially compromised meat supply reaches millions of consumers.
- Chickens are often treated multiple times in their short lifespans, raising dangers of antimicrobial resistance.
- Jharia鈥檚 air has the country鈥檚 highest concentration of coarse particulate matter, leading to high rates of respiratory illnesses including tuberculosis and asthma.
- Residents are 鈥渓iving on deathbeds,鈥 said local doctor Sanjoy Mukherjee. 鈥淭hey should not be allowed to live here.鈥
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
91黑料网 launches initiative to strengthen Canada鈥檚 healthcare system
91黑料网 has launched the Initiative for Transforming Healthcare (ITH) to apply a systems-based approach and advance technology-enabled solutions to drive change in Canadian healthcare.
Mounting pressures 鈥 from limited access to family doctors to surgical backlogs and emergency room crowding 鈥 are straining Canada鈥檚 health system. The Initiative will explore ways to resolve these growing challenges through cross-sector partnerships.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Is Mexico Missing the Target on Measles Response? and Surfers Turning the Tide on CPR Gender Gap
March 31, 2026
TOP STORIES
Vaping is strongly linked to oral and lung cancer risk, from Australian cancer researchers; there isn鈥檛 yet long-term vaping data to determine definitive risk, but they found evidence that vaping is associated with pre-carcinogenic changes, including DNA damage and inflammation.
Exposure to a common plastic additive may have contributed to 1.97 million preterm births in 2018 alone鈥8%+ of the global total鈥攁nd 74,000 newborn deaths, that showed similar risks with a common replacement phthalate, with the highest burden in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Armed conflict in Colombia has significantly impacted tuberculosis incidence and mortality, , with the most violent municipalities recording the highest TB case rates; the researchers note that conflict-fueled displacement creates poor living conditions鈥撯搊vercrowding, poor ventilation, and housing instability鈥撯搕hat facilitate TB transmission and hamper treatment.
U.S. cases of the 鈥淐icada鈥 COVID-19 variant, officially known as BA.3.2, are rising, though still at low levels; the variant, detected in at least 23 countries, has a highly mutated genetic sequence that could allow it to evade antibodies, , highlighting the need for ongoing surveillance and vaccine effectiveness. IN FOCUS Medical personnel in Mexico City administer measles vaccines to people attending the mass vaccination event at Parque de los Venados, on February 11. Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Is Mexico Missing the Target on Measles Response? The measles outbreak that spread throughout Mexico in the past year began when a child from Mexico鈥檚 Chihuahua state fell ill after returning from visiting relatives in Texas, . From there, cases 鈥渞ipped through鈥 the Mennonite community, which is largely unvaccinated, and ultimately spread to all 32 Mexican states, .
鈥淲e should be working in the most unprotected regions, with the most unprotected populations.鈥
Crucially: Migrant workers were a rare point of contact for the insular Mennonite communities where the outbreak began, . The outbreak eventually broke through the contained communities to reach the migrant day laborer populations. The laborers鈥攎any of whom are Indigenous, are at high risk due to overcrowded living and working conditions and 鈥測ears of neglect by the system,鈥 said Andr茅s Casta帽eda Prado of the National Coordination of the National Public Security System.
Mexico's once-lauded vaccination system has deteriorated as the government stopped matching public health spending to population growth, NPR reports, while pandemic-era missed vaccines and growing hesitancy鈥攑articularly in hard-to-reach rural and Indigenous communities鈥攃reated dangerous immunity gaps.
And even with a broad vaccination campaign, nurses are concerned many newly vaccinated patients won't return for second doses needed for full protection. DATA POINT
250,000+
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌
People die from meningitis worldwide each year, per a Lancet Neurology report; children under 5 account for a third of all deaths. 鈥
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES EMERGENCY CARE Surfers Turning the Tide on CPR Gender Gap After learning that women are less likely than men to receive CPR or defibrillation in public emergencies, a group of surfers in Australia is advocating for more gender-equitable training. Behind the disparity: A 2024 analysis by the New South Wales ambulance service found that women were 10% less likely than men to receive CPR from a public bystander, and 50% less likely to receive defibrillation鈥攃ontributing to higher death rates during cardiac arrest.
Paralysis in public health and policy: when evidence becomes an alibi 鈥 What has happened to the people who lost their jobs in the aid cuts? 鈥 Issue No. 2889
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Exposure to a common plastic additive may have contributed to 1.97 million preterm births in 2018 alone鈥8%+ of the global total鈥攁nd 74,000 newborn deaths, that showed similar risks with a common replacement phthalate, with the highest burden in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Armed conflict in Colombia has significantly impacted tuberculosis incidence and mortality, , with the most violent municipalities recording the highest TB case rates; the researchers note that conflict-fueled displacement creates poor living conditions鈥撯搊vercrowding, poor ventilation, and housing instability鈥撯搕hat facilitate TB transmission and hamper treatment.
U.S. cases of the 鈥淐icada鈥 COVID-19 variant, officially known as BA.3.2, are rising, though still at low levels; the variant, detected in at least 23 countries, has a highly mutated genetic sequence that could allow it to evade antibodies, , highlighting the need for ongoing surveillance and vaccine effectiveness. IN FOCUS Medical personnel in Mexico City administer measles vaccines to people attending the mass vaccination event at Parque de los Venados, on February 11. Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Is Mexico Missing the Target on Measles Response? The measles outbreak that spread throughout Mexico in the past year began when a child from Mexico鈥檚 Chihuahua state fell ill after returning from visiting relatives in Texas, . From there, cases 鈥渞ipped through鈥 the Mennonite community, which is largely unvaccinated, and ultimately spread to all 32 Mexican states, .
- Since January 2025, there have been 14,000+ confirmed cases and 35 deaths.
鈥淲e should be working in the most unprotected regions, with the most unprotected populations.鈥
Crucially: Migrant workers were a rare point of contact for the insular Mennonite communities where the outbreak began, . The outbreak eventually broke through the contained communities to reach the migrant day laborer populations. The laborers鈥攎any of whom are Indigenous, are at high risk due to overcrowded living and working conditions and 鈥測ears of neglect by the system,鈥 said Andr茅s Casta帽eda Prado of the National Coordination of the National Public Security System.
Mexico's once-lauded vaccination system has deteriorated as the government stopped matching public health spending to population growth, NPR reports, while pandemic-era missed vaccines and growing hesitancy鈥攑articularly in hard-to-reach rural and Indigenous communities鈥攃reated dangerous immunity gaps.
And even with a broad vaccination campaign, nurses are concerned many newly vaccinated patients won't return for second doses needed for full protection. DATA POINT
250,000+
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌
People die from meningitis worldwide each year, per a Lancet Neurology report; children under 5 account for a third of all deaths. 鈥
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES EMERGENCY CARE Surfers Turning the Tide on CPR Gender Gap After learning that women are less likely than men to receive CPR or defibrillation in public emergencies, a group of surfers in Australia is advocating for more gender-equitable training. Behind the disparity: A 2024 analysis by the New South Wales ambulance service found that women were 10% less likely than men to receive CPR from a public bystander, and 50% less likely to receive defibrillation鈥攃ontributing to higher death rates during cardiac arrest.
- Researchers say hesitation may stem from concerns about modesty, harm, or legal risks when chest exposure is required.
Paralysis in public health and policy: when evidence becomes an alibi 鈥 What has happened to the people who lost their jobs in the aid cuts? 鈥 Issue No. 2889
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Listening to the Needs of India鈥檚 鈥淪ilent Village鈥; and The CDC鈥檚 Silence as U.S. Smoking Hits Historic Low
March 30, 2026
TOP STORIES
In a 鈥渓ogistical quagmire鈥 caused by the Iran war, emergency cholera medical supplies bound for African countries are stranded in Dubai ahead of the high-risk rainy season; the kits create 鈥渕ini field hospitals鈥 equipped with rehydration and water treatments, and some were bound for Chad, which hosts Sudan war refugees.
Less than a quarter of LMICs meet the measles elimination target of at least 95% coverage for the first vaccine dose and several were deemed 鈥渃ritically low鈥 with coverage below 50%, underscoring the challenge of achieving herd immunity amid a global measles resurgence and ongoing barriers to vaccination.
Physicians are warning of an emerging STI known as TMvii that is causing outbreaks in U.S. cities and can resemble other conditions; the infection, caused by , causes painful coin-sized rashes and has so far been seen primarily among sexually active gay men.
Several U.S. states are moving toward requiring food makers to add folic acid to corn tortillas in an effort to prevent devastating neural tube defects in Hispanic newborns that could be caused by deficiency of the vitamin, which is required in other starchy staples; California was the first state to require fortification, and an Alabama law will take effect in June. IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE A man works on a neighbor's house in Dhadkai, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on February 23. Safina Nabi Listening to the Needs of India鈥檚 鈥淪ilent Village鈥 DHADKAI, India鈥撯揇hadkai, nestled within Jammu and Kashmir, is often called the 鈥淪ilent Village of India鈥濃撯撯渒nown not only for its breathtaking landscape of steep hills and dense forests, but also for an unusually high number of residents who cannot hear or speak,鈥 .
Broader public health issues: Dhadkai also raises pressing public health issues, including rural disability care gaps that allow conditions such as hearing impairment to persist largely unaddressed, writes Nabi. She underscores the community鈥檚 limited access to routine newborn screening, genetic counseling, and early hearing intervention services鈥撯撯渟upport systems that, in many countries, help families make informed decisions and provide children with assistive technologies or language support within the first months of life.鈥
The quote: 鈥淪cience has offered clarity,鈥 Nabi writes. 鈥淲hat remains uncertain is whether policy and public health will move quickly enough to meet the needs of people living with its consequences.鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TOBACCO The CDC鈥檚 Silence as U.S. Smoking Hits Historic Low
Cigarette smoking among U.S. adults reached a historic low in 2024, dropping below 10% for the first time. But that milestone was not reported by the CDC. While the agency released the data on smoking last fall, detailed analysis was lacking after funding cuts eliminated the agency鈥檚 Office of Smoking and Health (OSH). Stepping into the gaps: in the new digital journal NEJM Evidence by Israel Agaku, a former OSH epidemiologist who ran the data via his independent research company.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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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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Less than a quarter of LMICs meet the measles elimination target of at least 95% coverage for the first vaccine dose and several were deemed 鈥渃ritically low鈥 with coverage below 50%, underscoring the challenge of achieving herd immunity amid a global measles resurgence and ongoing barriers to vaccination.
Physicians are warning of an emerging STI known as TMvii that is causing outbreaks in U.S. cities and can resemble other conditions; the infection, caused by , causes painful coin-sized rashes and has so far been seen primarily among sexually active gay men.
Several U.S. states are moving toward requiring food makers to add folic acid to corn tortillas in an effort to prevent devastating neural tube defects in Hispanic newborns that could be caused by deficiency of the vitamin, which is required in other starchy staples; California was the first state to require fortification, and an Alabama law will take effect in June. IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE A man works on a neighbor's house in Dhadkai, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on February 23. Safina Nabi Listening to the Needs of India鈥檚 鈥淪ilent Village鈥 DHADKAI, India鈥撯揇hadkai, nestled within Jammu and Kashmir, is often called the 鈥淪ilent Village of India鈥濃撯撯渒nown not only for its breathtaking landscape of steep hills and dense forests, but also for an unusually high number of residents who cannot hear or speak,鈥 .
- For years, the hearing impairments鈥攁ffecting ~90 of the village鈥檚 ~2,000 residents鈥攚ere attributed to fate, environment, or lack of medical care, identified multiple genes that could be responsible in some patients.
- In geographically isolated Dhadkai, marriages often take place within extended kinship networks鈥攁llowing certain genetic traits to concentrate over time.
Broader public health issues: Dhadkai also raises pressing public health issues, including rural disability care gaps that allow conditions such as hearing impairment to persist largely unaddressed, writes Nabi. She underscores the community鈥檚 limited access to routine newborn screening, genetic counseling, and early hearing intervention services鈥撯撯渟upport systems that, in many countries, help families make informed decisions and provide children with assistive technologies or language support within the first months of life.鈥
The quote: 鈥淪cience has offered clarity,鈥 Nabi writes. 鈥淲hat remains uncertain is whether policy and public health will move quickly enough to meet the needs of people living with its consequences.鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TOBACCO The CDC鈥檚 Silence as U.S. Smoking Hits Historic Low
Cigarette smoking among U.S. adults reached a historic low in 2024, dropping below 10% for the first time. But that milestone was not reported by the CDC. While the agency released the data on smoking last fall, detailed analysis was lacking after funding cuts eliminated the agency鈥檚 Office of Smoking and Health (OSH). Stepping into the gaps: in the new digital journal NEJM Evidence by Israel Agaku, a former OSH epidemiologist who ran the data via his independent research company.
- Despite the findings鈥 significance, Agaku and others lament the CDC鈥檚 detachment from what has long been a public health priority.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: U.S. Policies Amount to a Global Public Health Emergency, Researchers Argue; and Lessons From Romania鈥檚 Rapid Abortion Shifts
Plus: 'Homeward Bound' on Steroids
March 26, 2026
TOP STORIES
A health crisis is 鈥渦nfolding in real time鈥 across the Middle East, according to WHO鈥檚 director in the region; warned that, in addition to potential hits on nuclear sites and damage to the water supply, hospital closures are disrupting chronic illness treatment, and there are deep concerns about maternal and mental health, and children orphaned by the conflict.
The UK has launched a billion-pound 鈥攊ts first since a 2011 effort that focused on flu鈥攑romising a new approach including a new contact tracing system and PPE stockpiles, and more adaptable emergency measures.
In Cuba, many doctors grappling with the constant stress of rationing care, severe supply shortages, and long patient waitlists are burning out, leaving the country, or working without pay as the country鈥檚 health care system slips deeper into decline amid a failing economy and a U.S.-imposed oil blockade.
The White House has delayed nominating a permanent CDC director, meaning Jay Bhattacharya, who has served as acting director, will continue his duties as the administration extends its search; about a half dozen candidates are being 鈥渟eriously considered.鈥 IN FOCUS A health care professional measures a vaccine dose. Riverside, California, on February 2, 2021. Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty U.S. Policies Amount to a Global Public Health Emergency, Researchers Argue
A 鈥減ublic health emergency of international concern鈥 has never been declared over a single country鈥檚 political actions鈥攂ut the Trump administration鈥檚 moves, including the disruption of U.S. foreign aid and development work, and pandemic preparedness efforts, constitute a PHEIC under international law, argue Matthew Herder and colleagues in a new . The argument: A PHEIC is defined as an 鈥渆xtraordinary event鈥 that creates a 鈥減ublic health risk to other states through the international spread of disease,鈥 which Herder, of Canada鈥檚 Dalhousie University, and co-authors say U.S. policies and defunding of global health initiatives could drive, particularly in LMICs. Would this help, or harm?
To see how abortion policy can dramatically impact maternal mortality, Romania鈥檚 history offers a stark picture.
The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene is accepting applications for travel grants to attend the ASTMH 2026 Annual Meeting, November 18鈥22, 2026, at Gaylord National Harbor, Maryland, in the U.S.
When we first saw a viral video of seven dogs traveling together on a highway in China鈥檚 Jilin province, the first thought was: We鈥檙e not falling for this AI slop!
Means鈥 surgeon general nomination is stalled as senators question her experience and vaccine stance 鈥
Yep, a mom's COVID shot during pregnancy protects her baby, a large study finds 鈥
Why do some viruses linger for life? A 900,000-person study maps viral loads 鈥
The Problem With Promoting 'Gold Standard Science' 鈥 Issue No. 2887
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
The UK has launched a billion-pound 鈥攊ts first since a 2011 effort that focused on flu鈥攑romising a new approach including a new contact tracing system and PPE stockpiles, and more adaptable emergency measures.
In Cuba, many doctors grappling with the constant stress of rationing care, severe supply shortages, and long patient waitlists are burning out, leaving the country, or working without pay as the country鈥檚 health care system slips deeper into decline amid a failing economy and a U.S.-imposed oil blockade.
The White House has delayed nominating a permanent CDC director, meaning Jay Bhattacharya, who has served as acting director, will continue his duties as the administration extends its search; about a half dozen candidates are being 鈥渟eriously considered.鈥 IN FOCUS A health care professional measures a vaccine dose. Riverside, California, on February 2, 2021. Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty U.S. Policies Amount to a Global Public Health Emergency, Researchers Argue
A 鈥減ublic health emergency of international concern鈥 has never been declared over a single country鈥檚 political actions鈥攂ut the Trump administration鈥檚 moves, including the disruption of U.S. foreign aid and development work, and pandemic preparedness efforts, constitute a PHEIC under international law, argue Matthew Herder and colleagues in a new . The argument: A PHEIC is defined as an 鈥渆xtraordinary event鈥 that creates a 鈥減ublic health risk to other states through the international spread of disease,鈥 which Herder, of Canada鈥檚 Dalhousie University, and co-authors say U.S. policies and defunding of global health initiatives could drive, particularly in LMICs. Would this help, or harm?
-
A PHEIC declaration from the WHO could prompt further U.S. backlash, but the authors stress that hundreds of thousands of people have already died due to U.S. actions, .
-
Declaring a PHEIC can mobilize funding and facilitate the use of compulsory licensing of essential medicines.
-
Furthermore, it鈥檚 鈥淚mportant to publish articles that provoke debate and encourage different ways of thinking at problems,鈥 .
To see how abortion policy can dramatically impact maternal mortality, Romania鈥檚 history offers a stark picture.
Maternal mortality fell steadily across Europe from 1965鈥1985. But in Romania over that period, the rate surged ~150%.
Why? Abortion was readily accessible in Romania from 1957 to 1966, when Nicolae Ceau葯escu abruptly restricted the practice, along with contraception. After that, births nearly doubled within a year.
-
With the rise of pregnancies came a spike in abortions from untrained providers. By the 1980s, over 80% of maternal deaths were linked to unsafe abortions.
About-face: When legalization quickly resumed in 1989, deaths dropped again.
OPPORTUNITY Apply by April 1 for a Travel Award to Attend ASTMH 2026
The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene is accepting applications for travel grants to attend the ASTMH 2026 Annual Meeting, November 18鈥22, 2026, at Gaylord National Harbor, Maryland, in the U.S.
-
The 2026 Annual Meeting Travel Award is available to all qualified students, early-career investigators, and scientists actively working in tropical medicine and global health.
-
ASTMH members and non-members are eligible to apply, especially those from Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
-
Recipients receive complimentary meeting registration, round-trip coach airfare, and a stipend to offset travel costs.
How to apply: Applicants must submit an online application for the travel award and submit an abstract.
1)
2)
-
Deadline to Apply: April 1, 2026
When we first saw a viral video of seven dogs traveling together on a highway in China鈥檚 Jilin province, the first thought was: We鈥檙e not falling for this AI slop!
Extraordinarily, the video is actually real. The backstory we鈥檙e less sure about.
But the internet never lets the truth get in the way of a good story. Legions of netizens are choosing to believe that a Corgi named Dapang鈥攐r 鈥渂ig fatty鈥濃攔eally did lead a group of wayward dog friends 17km back to their village after they allegedly chewed through the cages of a meat truck, as . Chinese state media鈥檚 claim that they were 鈥攏ot so fun.
The return of one missing pet feels miraculous enough. When seven missing dogs鈥攁ll close friends鈥攙anish from a village, and not one, not three, but all of them return home safe? The internet 鈥溾 and started demanding Pixar movies.
Not to be greedy, but we now also need to see the look on Dapang鈥檚 mom's face when, just as she was losing hope, the heroic Corgi trotted back into her home like nothing had happened.
We鈥檇 settle for AI-generated.
QUICK HITS Scientists call out health-harming corporations driving rise in chronic disease 鈥Means鈥 surgeon general nomination is stalled as senators question her experience and vaccine stance 鈥
Yep, a mom's COVID shot during pregnancy protects her baby, a large study finds 鈥
Why do some viruses linger for life? A 900,000-person study maps viral loads 鈥
The Problem With Promoting 'Gold Standard Science' 鈥 Issue No. 2887
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Nigeria鈥檚 Transformative Focus on Fistula Surgery; and The Shifting Frontier of Fecal Transplants
March 25, 2026
TOP STORIES
A landmark verdict against Meta from a New Mexico jury determined that the company knowingly harmed children鈥檚 mental health and concealed child sexual exploitation on its social media platforms in violation of state law; the case is among the first in a wave of such lawsuits filed in U.S. states against Meta.
A Thai court has ruled that an Australian-owned mine is responsible for toxic runoff and its health effects in a decade-old case filed by hundreds of villagers in northern Thailand; the court has ordered compensation for affected residents in the verdict, which could set a precedent for future environmental litigation in the country.
Global maternal mortality numbers reflect policy shifts between U.S. presidential administrations, with countries heavily reliant on U.S. aid seeing a 10.5% increase in maternal mortality following a switch from a Democratic to a Republican administration鈥攚hen family planning and reproductive aid is typically revoked under the Mexico City Policy.
Drought conditions may lead to elevated antibiotic resistance in soil microbes, , which found that lower water content favored the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in soil microbial communities鈥攖he source of many antibiotics used in clinical medicine. IN FOCUS Nigeria Health Watch Nigeria鈥檚 Transformative Focus on Fistula Surgery
Women living with vesicovaginal fistula in Nigeria not only endure physical suffering and incontinence; they often face profound stigma and isolation, describing their lives as 鈥渄ead.鈥
Insurance intervention: Nigeria鈥檚 National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is providing access to the procedure with a coverage program geared toward fistula patients.
Tuberculosis Cases and Deaths Averted by PEPFAR 鈥
Infertility Is A Public Health Issue 鈥 鈥楢 Mass Disaster Nonstop鈥: Inside the Turmoil at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 C.D.C. 鈥 Trump health vacancies offer chances to change course 鈥 Navigating vaccine hesitancy as a woman recently arrived in Canada: a journey of building trust 鈥
New COVID variant with immune escape potential confirmed in US, 22 other countries 鈥
Cuba sends doctors on medical missions. The U.S. isn't a fan 鈥 Issue No. 2886
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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A Thai court has ruled that an Australian-owned mine is responsible for toxic runoff and its health effects in a decade-old case filed by hundreds of villagers in northern Thailand; the court has ordered compensation for affected residents in the verdict, which could set a precedent for future environmental litigation in the country.
Global maternal mortality numbers reflect policy shifts between U.S. presidential administrations, with countries heavily reliant on U.S. aid seeing a 10.5% increase in maternal mortality following a switch from a Democratic to a Republican administration鈥攚hen family planning and reproductive aid is typically revoked under the Mexico City Policy.
Drought conditions may lead to elevated antibiotic resistance in soil microbes, , which found that lower water content favored the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in soil microbial communities鈥攖he source of many antibiotics used in clinical medicine. IN FOCUS Nigeria Health Watch Nigeria鈥檚 Transformative Focus on Fistula Surgery
Women living with vesicovaginal fistula in Nigeria not only endure physical suffering and incontinence; they often face profound stigma and isolation, describing their lives as 鈥渄ead.鈥
- 鈥淚 suffered silently for years, afraid to go anywhere, afraid to be seen,鈥 said survivor Victoria Ifeanyichukwu.
Insurance intervention: Nigeria鈥檚 National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is providing access to the procedure with a coverage program geared toward fistula patients.
- 17 facilities across Nigeria providing fistula surgery are now being funded by the NHIA and state health insurance agencies鈥攃overing women鈥檚 out-of-pocket expenses for the surgery.
- These patients are then additionally enrolled into broader health insurance programs, ensuring continuity of care.
- In Kano state, 2,157 women have benefited from the fistula program, and in Ebonyi State, ~79 women have been enrolled into ongoing health insurance.
- The FDA-approved drugs are not approved for children, or for people who are immunocompromised.
- The nonprofit stool bank OpenBiome, which had sent ~72,000 treatments to hospitals over a decade, had its shipments halted by the FDA in 2024.
Tuberculosis Cases and Deaths Averted by PEPFAR 鈥
Infertility Is A Public Health Issue 鈥 鈥楢 Mass Disaster Nonstop鈥: Inside the Turmoil at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 C.D.C. 鈥 Trump health vacancies offer chances to change course 鈥 Navigating vaccine hesitancy as a woman recently arrived in Canada: a journey of building trust 鈥
New COVID variant with immune escape potential confirmed in US, 22 other countries 鈥
Cuba sends doctors on medical missions. The U.S. isn't a fan 鈥 Issue No. 2886
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: A New Form of Diabetes Comes for the Undernourished; and Curbing Domestic Violence in Kyrgyzstan
March 24, 2026
TOP STORIES
Pfizer will seek regulatory approval for a Lyme disease vaccine candidate that it says shows strong efficacy鈥攔educing the risk of developing the infection by more than 70% in people who received the vaccine versus placebo; Pfizer acknowledged, though, that not enough participants contracted the disease for conclusive confidence, potentially complicating the path to approval.
NIH grant terminations over the last year affected women scientists more than men, that shows that women had, on average, 57.9% of their grant affected, compared to ~48.2% for men; early career women were disproportionately affected despite receiving less NIH funding in general.
Suriname confirmed a significant rise in chikungunya cases in an outbreak declared in January with 1,357+ confirmed infections, one confirmed death and another under investigation; health officials say the actual caseload may be 3X higher.
Four U.S. states that mandated more frequent syphilis screening during pregnancy and at delivery saw a 26% rise in case detection, , but the effect faded in the year after the mandates began, indicating the measures may require complementary supports for clinicians and patients, the researchers posit. IN FOCUS A New Form of Diabetes Comes for the Undernourished Across Africa, diabetes now poses a mortality threat that rivals infectious diseases like malaria and HIV鈥攂ut is far less recognizable.
More than 1 in 5
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺斺
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS 鈥楾he whole country is doing it鈥: how illegal kidney traders target Pakistan鈥檚 desperate brick kiln workers 鈥 Trump's visa freeze sidelines immigrant doctors 鈥 "We've Been in Famine for Months": Life in Post-Ceasefire Gaza 鈥 Africa Rejects New Draft Text 鈥 How the term 鈥榥eurodivergent鈥 moved from activists to pop culture 鈥 and politics 鈥
By finding 'bright spots' in the opioid crisis, VCU researchers are mapping a path to better outcomes 鈥 Issue No. 2885
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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NIH grant terminations over the last year affected women scientists more than men, that shows that women had, on average, 57.9% of their grant affected, compared to ~48.2% for men; early career women were disproportionately affected despite receiving less NIH funding in general.
Suriname confirmed a significant rise in chikungunya cases in an outbreak declared in January with 1,357+ confirmed infections, one confirmed death and another under investigation; health officials say the actual caseload may be 3X higher.
Four U.S. states that mandated more frequent syphilis screening during pregnancy and at delivery saw a 26% rise in case detection, , but the effect faded in the year after the mandates began, indicating the measures may require complementary supports for clinicians and patients, the researchers posit. IN FOCUS A New Form of Diabetes Comes for the Undernourished Across Africa, diabetes now poses a mortality threat that rivals infectious diseases like malaria and HIV鈥攂ut is far less recognizable.
- An estimated 54 million Africans have diabetes鈥攚hich can cause blindness, amputations, and death. But many cases go undiagnosed.
More than 1 in 5
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺斺
Number of new tuberculosis cases in Europe that are unreported by health services鈥撯揳 critical detection gap revealed in the published today by the WHO/Europe and the ECDC, marking World Tuberculosis Day. 鈥
Related: New Tongue-Swab TB Test Could Help Eradicate the Disease, WHO Says 鈥
- Laws addressing family abuse.
- A growing number of crisis centers and hotlines.
- An increase in trained psychologists.
- Work with international groups to stop sex trafficking.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS 鈥楾he whole country is doing it鈥: how illegal kidney traders target Pakistan鈥檚 desperate brick kiln workers 鈥 Trump's visa freeze sidelines immigrant doctors 鈥 "We've Been in Famine for Months": Life in Post-Ceasefire Gaza 鈥 Africa Rejects New Draft Text 鈥 How the term 鈥榥eurodivergent鈥 moved from activists to pop culture 鈥 and politics 鈥
By finding 'bright spots' in the opioid crisis, VCU researchers are mapping a path to better outcomes 鈥 Issue No. 2885
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
The World Health Organization (WHO) called on Tuesday for countries to step up action to end tuberculosis (TB) 鈥 one of the world鈥檚 deadliest infectious killers 鈥 by expanding access to new diagnostic tools that can help save lives.
Categories: Global Health Feed
The death toll from a horrific attack on a hospital in Sudan鈥檚 Darfur has risen further, amid a 鈥渟harp increase鈥 in drone attacks against civilians this year, UN agencies said on Tuesday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: A Scourge of Maternal Sepsis; and A Wave of Modern Witch Hunts in Papua New Guinea
March 23, 2026
TOP STORIES
An attack on a Sudanese hospital in East Darfur state killed 64 people, wounded 89 others, and left the hospital non-functional; 13 children, three medical workers, and numerous patients are among the dead, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who condemned the attacks on health care and the 鈥渄evastating human toll鈥 of the country鈥檚 nearly three-year conflict.
Jewish volunteer service ambulances were set ablaze in London Monday morning in what Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as 鈥渁 deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack鈥; police say the damaged vehicles belonging to HatzolaNorthwest caught on fire after 鈥渕ultiple cylinders on the vehicles鈥 exploded.
Seriously injured patients in Global South countries often fail to reach medical care within the critical 鈥済olden hour鈥 for lifesaving care, finds a new study published in BMJ Global Health, which found that in Ghana, Pakistan, Rwanda, and South Africa, 57% of all patients arrived 1+ hour after being injured, and 34% arrived 2+ hours later, often because of ambulance-related delays.
Many U.S. nursing homes are falsely labeling dementia patients as schizophrenic in order to use dangerous antipsychotic drugs to sedate them, , which found the dangerous practice has grown increasingly common as nursing homes seek to skirt Medicare safeguards and artificially inflate their ratings.
IN FOCUS
Oluhle Shezi, 17, puts cream on her 2-month-old baby in KwanGode, a rural area outside Hillcrest, South Africa. November 29, 2025. Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty
A Scourge of Maternal Sepsis
Women with maternal sepsis in sub-Saharan Africa are 144X more likely to die than those in Western Europe or North America, , with ~36 deaths daily resulting from such infections, .
Heightened risk: ~4.7 million sepsis cases occur yearly across sub-Saharan Africa鈥攁bout 1 in 9 births.
Infrastructure failures: Three-quarters of births in the region鈥檚 health facilities take place without adequate water, sanitation, or hygiene (WASH).
Potential solutions: Low-cost hygiene investments could prevent ~10 million cases of maternal sepsis and ~8,580 deaths worldwide every year, the WaterAid report estimates. Deep water disparities: The report arrives against the , which this year spotlights how women and girls are 鈥渂earing the brunt鈥 of water insecurity, and , which highlights the need for women to be involved in water governance and leadership. More World Water Day Coverage:
鈥楢 mother giving birth could bleed to death while I鈥檓 out looking for water鈥 鈥
Thousands of Chileans protest President Kast鈥檚 environmental rollbacks on World Water Day 鈥
There鈥檚 weight to World Water Day in Indigenous community still waiting for clean drinking water 鈥
As wells run dry, experts say we鈥檙e beyond a water crisis 鈥
Climate Focus: World Water Day Special 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HUMAN RIGHTS A Wave of Modern Witch Hunts in Papua New Guinea A growing number of people in Papua New Guinea have become victims of witch hunts, torture, and killings鈥攚ith accusations of sorcery, or 鈥渟anguma,鈥 especially targeting women and marginalized people. In one region alone: Sorcery accusation-related violence (SARV) incidents in the Southern Highlands province increased from 16 in 2021 to 96 in the first nine months of 2024. Root causes: Poverty, social upheaval, and weak law enforcement have led to a culture of impunity, and social media has driven copycat behavior. But poor health education is also a driving factor as people seek culprits for the onset of illness or death.
Sensitivity to hormone made by fetus may drive severe pregnancy sickness 鈥
How New Mexico Became an Obamacare Success Story 鈥 Microscopic spikes on snakeskin block bacterial buildup 鈥 A breath of fresh air: solving Ulaanbaatar鈥檚 pollution issues 鈥 in photos 鈥 Issue No. 2884
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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You can or .
- 78% lacked a functioning toilet.
- Two-thirds did not have clean water and soap for handwashing.
- 65% did not meet basic standards for environmental cleaning.
Potential solutions: Low-cost hygiene investments could prevent ~10 million cases of maternal sepsis and ~8,580 deaths worldwide every year, the WaterAid report estimates. Deep water disparities: The report arrives against the , which this year spotlights how women and girls are 鈥渂earing the brunt鈥 of water insecurity, and , which highlights the need for women to be involved in water governance and leadership. More World Water Day Coverage:
鈥楢 mother giving birth could bleed to death while I鈥檓 out looking for water鈥 鈥
Thousands of Chileans protest President Kast鈥檚 environmental rollbacks on World Water Day 鈥
There鈥檚 weight to World Water Day in Indigenous community still waiting for clean drinking water 鈥
As wells run dry, experts say we鈥檙e beyond a water crisis 鈥
Climate Focus: World Water Day Special 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HUMAN RIGHTS A Wave of Modern Witch Hunts in Papua New Guinea A growing number of people in Papua New Guinea have become victims of witch hunts, torture, and killings鈥攚ith accusations of sorcery, or 鈥渟anguma,鈥 especially targeting women and marginalized people. In one region alone: Sorcery accusation-related violence (SARV) incidents in the Southern Highlands province increased from 16 in 2021 to 96 in the first nine months of 2024. Root causes: Poverty, social upheaval, and weak law enforcement have led to a culture of impunity, and social media has driven copycat behavior. But poor health education is also a driving factor as people seek culprits for the onset of illness or death.
- 鈥淚 think of it as an extraordinary human rights crisis, an epidemic driven by poverty, inequality, lack of education and poor health awareness,鈥 said Nick Booth, the Papua New Guinea resident representative for the UN Development Fund.
Sensitivity to hormone made by fetus may drive severe pregnancy sickness 鈥
How New Mexico Became an Obamacare Success Story 鈥 Microscopic spikes on snakeskin block bacterial buildup 鈥 A breath of fresh air: solving Ulaanbaatar鈥檚 pollution issues 鈥 in photos 鈥 Issue No. 2884
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Struggle to Protect Women in a Warming World; and A Delayed and Deadly Measles Complication
Plus: Cond茅 Nasty: Why Have a Dogue in This Fight?
March 19, 2026
TOP STORIES
150,000+ previously uncounted COVID-19 deaths occurred in 2020 and 2021 in the U.S., likely outside of hospitals, , which drew on data from death certificates and found that the undiagnosed people who died were more likely to be Hispanic people and other people of color, largely in the South and Southwest.
Social media apps like Instagram and TikTok, which involve algorithm-driven scrolling, are worse for mental health than social connection platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook, 鈥攚hich reported that excessive use of social media is driving unhappiness worldwide.
Ozempic and Wegovy will soon become generic for billions of people, as Novo Nordisk is set to lose patent protection for the drugs in several of the world鈥檚 most populous countries including China, India, and Brazil鈥攍eading to significantly lower drug costs.
China will regulate some traditional medicines, issuing draft guidelines requiring companies that produce traditional Chinese medicine injections to provide evidence that they are safe and effective and explain how they work, or face removal from the market; the guidelines will apply only to products that are injected intramuscularly or intravenously. IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE Pregnant women attend a demonstration of the 鈥淧lac de ot o!鈥 climate literacy tool at Princess Christian Maternity Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. May 2025. Mama鈥揚ikin Foundation The Struggle to Protect Women in a Warming World
In climate-vulnerable Sierra Leone, pregnant women, new mothers, and young children : Fainting from dehydration, missing prenatal visits, or struggling to breastfeed.
As measles cases mount in the U.S., infectious disease experts are warning doctors to be on the lookout for increased cases of a rare but fatal neurological disorder called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE.
Details: Described as a 鈥渄elayed echo鈥 of measles, SSPE results from a persistent form of the virus leading to inflammation in the brain, usually years after the primary infection. It leads to neurological deterioration and almost always results in death.
Related:
Florida is trying to ignore measles until it can鈥檛 鈥
In South Carolina, measles shows how far apart neighbors can be on vaccines 鈥 OPPORTUNITY Media-Savvy Skills for Scientists
Join us for an interactive pre-conference workshop, Communications Skills that Transform Science into Action, co-led by the CUGH Research Committee, the Pulitzer Center, and Global Health NOW, ahead of the in Washington, D.C., on April. 9.
They say you should pick your battles. For Cond茅 Nast鈥攖he publisher of Vogue magazine鈥攖hat battle is 鈥渨ho gets to photograph a vizsla in a turtleneck,鈥 .
鈥榃orst-case scenario鈥: Middle East nuclear concerns haunt top health officials 鈥
Women Hitting Menopause Before 40 May Face a Long Window of Cardiac Risk 鈥
A step towards a first global system to track health before pregnancy 鈥
The Myanmar nurses dodging drones to graduate from a secret jungle school 鈥
A New Level of Vaccine Purgatory 鈥 Issue No. 2883
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Social media apps like Instagram and TikTok, which involve algorithm-driven scrolling, are worse for mental health than social connection platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook, 鈥攚hich reported that excessive use of social media is driving unhappiness worldwide.
Ozempic and Wegovy will soon become generic for billions of people, as Novo Nordisk is set to lose patent protection for the drugs in several of the world鈥檚 most populous countries including China, India, and Brazil鈥攍eading to significantly lower drug costs.
China will regulate some traditional medicines, issuing draft guidelines requiring companies that produce traditional Chinese medicine injections to provide evidence that they are safe and effective and explain how they work, or face removal from the market; the guidelines will apply only to products that are injected intramuscularly or intravenously. IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE Pregnant women attend a demonstration of the 鈥淧lac de ot o!鈥 climate literacy tool at Princess Christian Maternity Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. May 2025. Mama鈥揚ikin Foundation The Struggle to Protect Women in a Warming World
In climate-vulnerable Sierra Leone, pregnant women, new mothers, and young children : Fainting from dehydration, missing prenatal visits, or struggling to breastfeed.
Disproportionate dangers: Climate stress affects all aspects of reproductive care from contraception to postnatal treatment鈥攅specially in low-income countries. It leads to higher risks of stillbirths, low birth weights, and pregnancy complications, while also increasing gender-based violence and displacement.
- Climate adaptation for sexual and reproductive health remains 鈥渢he most neglected corner of the climate response,鈥 with <0.5% of climate-health financing reaching health initiatives鈥攁nd even less supporting women鈥檚 health.
The big impact of small foundations: Nonprofits like the Mama鈥揚ikin Foundation have shown measurable progress helping women better understand the dangers of extreme heat and how to adopt simple strategies to protect themselves and their families.
But they, too, are imperiled: Funding delays and shrinking grants have forced programs to scale down and close their doors, even as programs are getting off the ground.
A need to adapt: Foundations are seeking new ways to diversify funding sources, including private-sector partnerships and long-term investment strategies. The need is urgent: Power brokers in developing countries 鈥渁re still dreaming that some miraculous tech is going to save us. But for developing countries, [the impacts are] happening now,鈥 said Sono Aibe, a consultant who has worked with the Mama鈥揚ikin Foundation.
MEASLES A Delayed and Deadly Complication
As measles cases mount in the U.S., infectious disease experts are warning doctors to be on the lookout for increased cases of a rare but fatal neurological disorder called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE.
Details: Described as a 鈥渄elayed echo鈥 of measles, SSPE results from a persistent form of the virus leading to inflammation in the brain, usually years after the primary infection. It leads to neurological deterioration and almost always results in death.
- While it affects just 1 in 10,000 people who get the measles virus, the risk is higher for those who contract measles before age 5.
Related:
Florida is trying to ignore measles until it can鈥檛 鈥
In South Carolina, measles shows how far apart neighbors can be on vaccines 鈥 OPPORTUNITY Media-Savvy Skills for Scientists
Join us for an interactive pre-conference workshop, Communications Skills that Transform Science into Action, co-led by the CUGH Research Committee, the Pulitzer Center, and Global Health NOW, ahead of the in Washington, D.C., on April. 9.
- Amplify your work and translate evidence into impact with hands-on exercises aimed at equipping global health scientists, researchers, and students with practical media skills to influence global health dialogue, policy, and action.
- Deepen your understanding of current communication challenges with panel discussions featuring leading journalists, communicators, and academics.
Pre-conference sessions are free, in-person, and open to the public!
- April 9, 9 a.m.鈥4 p.m. EDT
They say you should pick your battles. For Cond茅 Nast鈥攖he publisher of Vogue magazine鈥攖hat battle is 鈥渨ho gets to photograph a vizsla in a turtleneck,鈥 .
In the publishing equivalent of a bull mastiff chasing a Pomeranian, the company unleashed its legal fury on , arguing the one-woman pet project with sub-100 subscribers could damage the iconic brand 鈥渋rreparably.鈥 They demanded the 鈥渄estruction鈥 of every adorable edition!
- After coexisting for years, Cond茅 Nast barked only after Vogue published its own dog-centric issue called 鈥 wait for it 鈥 DOGUE! So remind us鈥攚ho copied who?
We object! The faltering Conde Nast鈥攚hich writer Michael Grynbaum describes as 鈥溾濃攃an only be bolstered by the spinoff featuring labradoodles in trench coats.
On the GHN jury, it comes down to this: What鈥檚 more fashionable鈥攁 magazine with 600 pages of ads and excess, or one showcasing go-getter ingenuity and an Italian greyhound in opera gloves?
On charges of being furry and fabulous, Dogue is guilty on all counts.
QUICK HITS Birth control skepticism, teen fertility education center stage at Trump鈥檚 women鈥檚 health summit 鈥鈥榃orst-case scenario鈥: Middle East nuclear concerns haunt top health officials 鈥
Women Hitting Menopause Before 40 May Face a Long Window of Cardiac Risk 鈥
A step towards a first global system to track health before pregnancy 鈥
The Myanmar nurses dodging drones to graduate from a secret jungle school 鈥
A New Level of Vaccine Purgatory 鈥 Issue No. 2883
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
Neuro researchers lead projects awarded $14.5 million
Funds will help acquire and develop cutting-edge infrastructure to advance research capacity
Five researchers from The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) are leading innovative new projects that have received major funding from Canada Foundation for Innovation鈥檚 Innovation Fund. They will be funded for a total of $14.5 million, part of $42 million going to 91黑料网 scientists.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Easing the NIH Funding Freeze; and A New Tool to Curb Overprescribing
March 18, 2026
TOP STORIES
~5 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2024, including ~2.3 million newborns, , which found that most deaths are preventable鈥攊ncluding ~100,000 from severe acute malnutrition鈥攁nd noted that progress in child mortality has slowed by 60%+ since 2015.
Argentina, a founding member of the WHO, has officially left the agency, completing the process one year after requesting its withdrawal鈥攆ollowing in the footsteps of the U.S. under President Donald Trump.
Self-harm among young people in Canada increased 2X+ between 2000 and 2024, that charted a rise of self-harm among young people across 12 high-income countries; in Canada, the steepest increase was among girls, who reported a 3.6% increase each year.
Warmer, wetter weather driven by climate change is fueling mosquito-borne disease epidemics, , which analyzed Peru鈥檚 record-breaking dengue outbreak in 2023 that was 10X larger than normal. IN FOCUS Workers walk to the metro station in front of NIH headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland. May 20, 2025. Wesley Lapointe/For The Washington Post via Getty Easing the NIH Funding Freeze One year after dramatic cuts to NIH grant funding under the second Trump administration, spending will soon begin flowing back to researchers, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya assured lawmakers yesterday in a congressional subcommittee hearing, .
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Self-harm among young people in Canada increased 2X+ between 2000 and 2024, that charted a rise of self-harm among young people across 12 high-income countries; in Canada, the steepest increase was among girls, who reported a 3.6% increase each year.
Warmer, wetter weather driven by climate change is fueling mosquito-borne disease epidemics, , which analyzed Peru鈥檚 record-breaking dengue outbreak in 2023 that was 10X larger than normal. IN FOCUS Workers walk to the metro station in front of NIH headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland. May 20, 2025. Wesley Lapointe/For The Washington Post via Getty Easing the NIH Funding Freeze One year after dramatic cuts to NIH grant funding under the second Trump administration, spending will soon begin flowing back to researchers, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya assured lawmakers yesterday in a congressional subcommittee hearing, .
- 鈥淢y job is to make sure every single dollar goes out, and it will go out by the end of the year, on excellent science,鈥 Bhattacharya said.
- Lawmakers rejected outright the Trump administration鈥檚 proposed 40% budget cuts and instead approved a modest increase, .
- But those funds were still held up pending White House budget approval, which was finalized this week.
- While proponents say this boosts innovation, many researchers worry it could hinder collaborative research that benefits from NIH coordination, and fear the new model will lead to gaps in understudied areas of science.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
New injectable gel could help repair damaged swallowing muscles
A new injectable gel developed by researchers at 91黑料网 and Kyoto University could enable stem cell-based treatments for swallowing disorders.
While stem cells have the potential to repair damaged swallowing muscles, ensuring their survival after injection has been a major challenge. In a preclinical study published in Biomaterials, the new approach improved stem-cell survival by more than five times compared with traditional methods.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: As Temperatures Soar, Physical Activity Drops鈥擶ith Deadly Consequences; and Pregnant Minors Stranded at San Benito
March 17, 2026
TOP STORIES
Afghanistan reported that 400 people died and ~250 were injured after a Pakistani airstrike hit a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul yesterday, while Pakistan denied the accusation that it had hit the 2,000-bed facility; the tragedy marks a sharp escalation in the conflict that began in late February.
The U.S. State Department may withhold assistance to people with HIV in Zambia unless its government signs a deal handing the U.S. more access to its critical minerals, per a draft memo obtained by The New York Times; ~1.3 million people in Zambia rely on daily HIV treatment through the President鈥檚 Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
A U.S. federal judge temporarily blocked sweeping vaccine policy changes recommended by health secretary RFK, Jr.鈥檚 handpicked advisory committee; in response to the decision鈥攔elated to a lawsuit brought by medical associations鈥攖he administration said the advisory committee鈥檚 planned meeting this week will be postponed. Mosquitoes could serve up a surprising vaccine delivery system鈥攃arrying vaccines against rabies and Nipah viruses in their saliva, to be transferred to bats feeding on the insects (or when the insects feed on the bats), per Chinese-led research ; the method would require extensive safety assessments and regulatory approval. IN FOCUS A boy pours water on his face to get some relief from a heat wave on a hot summer afternoon on May 29, 2024, in New Delhi, India. Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty As Temperatures Soar, Physical Activity Drops鈥擶ith Deadly Consequences
Driving instead of walking. Skipping a too-hot trip to the playground or an evening walk.
In a warming world, these decisions have a dire, if less obvious impact on global health, estimating the long-term impact of forgoing physical activity because of unbearable heat,
How Foreign-Trained Health Workers Saved the NHS 拢14 Billion 鈥
PhD students are turning to side hustles to make ends meet, finds Nature poll 鈥
Irish Cancer Society provided 鈥榓lmost 30,000 free lifts to treatment in 2025鈥 鈥 Issue No. 2881
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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The U.S. State Department may withhold assistance to people with HIV in Zambia unless its government signs a deal handing the U.S. more access to its critical minerals, per a draft memo obtained by The New York Times; ~1.3 million people in Zambia rely on daily HIV treatment through the President鈥檚 Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
A U.S. federal judge temporarily blocked sweeping vaccine policy changes recommended by health secretary RFK, Jr.鈥檚 handpicked advisory committee; in response to the decision鈥攔elated to a lawsuit brought by medical associations鈥攖he administration said the advisory committee鈥檚 planned meeting this week will be postponed. Mosquitoes could serve up a surprising vaccine delivery system鈥攃arrying vaccines against rabies and Nipah viruses in their saliva, to be transferred to bats feeding on the insects (or when the insects feed on the bats), per Chinese-led research ; the method would require extensive safety assessments and regulatory approval. IN FOCUS A boy pours water on his face to get some relief from a heat wave on a hot summer afternoon on May 29, 2024, in New Delhi, India. Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty As Temperatures Soar, Physical Activity Drops鈥擶ith Deadly Consequences
Driving instead of walking. Skipping a too-hot trip to the playground or an evening walk.
In a warming world, these decisions have a dire, if less obvious impact on global health, estimating the long-term impact of forgoing physical activity because of unbearable heat,
- Globally, reduced physical activity could result in 470,000鈥520,000 additional deaths by 2050 and billions of dollars in productivity losses every year, .
The calculations: The researchers analyzed physical activity surveys and temperature records across 156 countries from 2000 to 2022.
- Each additional month where the average temperature exceeded 82F (27.8C) degrees coincided with a 1.4 percentage point increase in physical inactivity.
Striking disparity: LMICs were projected to see the biggest impact of 鈥渞ising heat and falling activity,鈥 the Post reports, while high-income countries showed no statistically significant change鈥攑erhaps because of better access to air conditioning, gyms, and flexible work arrangements, researchers theorized.
The link between sedentary lifestyles and chronic disease is well known鈥攂ut a third of people worldwide already . 鈥溾 Any compromise to achieving regular exercise鈥攊n this case excessively hot temperatures鈥攚ill pose broad public health risks,鈥 said Jonathan Patz of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who was not involved in the study.
While the study, based on self-reported data and national temperature averages, has limitations, the projections point to a clear need for heat-proofing physical activity, such as subsidizing climate-controlled gyms and public spaces for those at risk.
- At least half of the minors are estimated to be pregnant from rape, and some are as young as 13.
- Plus: A new federal proposal could repeal the rule that requires minors seeking abortions to be transferred to a state where it is legal.
How Foreign-Trained Health Workers Saved the NHS 拢14 Billion 鈥
PhD students are turning to side hustles to make ends meet, finds Nature poll 鈥
Irish Cancer Society provided 鈥榓lmost 30,000 free lifts to treatment in 2025鈥 鈥 Issue No. 2881
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
An estimated 4.9 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2024, including 2.3 million newborns, according to new United Nations estimates released on Tuesday 鈥 highlighting a worrying slowdown in global progress on child survival.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Cuba鈥檚 Drug Crisis Hits a Health System Under Strain; and A Cross鈥態order Commitment to End River Blindness
March 16, 2026
TOP STORIES
The WHO has verified the deaths of 12 doctors, paramedics, and nurses killed Friday in an Israeli strike on Lebanon鈥檚 Bourj Qalaouiyeh primary health care center, citing WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; in Israel, 58 people were injured last Thursday by glass shrapnel after an Iranian missile hit a complex of four private homes in the town of Zarzir, .
A meningitis outbreak at the University of Kent in the U.K. has killed two and left 11 seriously ill; the U.K. Health Security Agency said it provided antibiotics to students in the area to stem cases of invasive meningococcal disease, a combination of meningitis and septicemia.
U.S. flu vaccines had some of the lowest effectiveness rates in decades this past flu season, partially due to the circulation of a new strain, H3N2 subclade K; this season鈥檚 vaccines were ~25%鈥30% effective in preventing adult clinic or hospital visits, while officials generally aim for a 40%鈥60% effectiveness rate. A multinational consortium to find a hepatitis B cure has been launched by Johns Hopkins Medicine after being awarded a five-year, $24 million NIH grant; the consortium鈥攚hich includes research groups from Brazil, India, Senegal, Uganda, and the U.S.鈥攁ims to enroll ~450 people with both HIV and chronic hepatitis B and 225 with only chronic hepatitis B in treatment and various studies. IN FOCUS Young people in rehabilitation and pastors talk outside The Rescue House (Casa de Rescate). Havana, Cuba; August 22, 2025. Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Cuba鈥檚 Drug Crisis Hits a Health System Under Strain Drug use has surged in Cuba amid the country鈥檚 deepening economic crisis, as cheap synthetic substances flood the market and the country鈥檚 fragile health system struggles to respond, . New threat: Drugs, once rare in the zero-tolerance country, have become increasingly accessible in the form of 鈥渜u铆mico,鈥 a potent synthetic cannabinoid originating from the U.S.
Six years later, COVID symptoms linger for many Latino farmworkers in Washington 鈥
Confidential Report Calls for Sweeping Changes to Track Covid Vaccine Harms 鈥
鈥楳y Lungs Had Nothing Left.鈥 Inside The Epidemic Killing Countertop Stonecutters 鈥
Peru takes steps against bad drugs 鈥 but we still have questions 鈥
鈥榃e鈥檙e not wombs鈥: Japan women seek rights to sterilization 鈥
Influencers push 'parasite cleanses' but doctors say to steer clear 鈥
Michelle Bachelet, Running for UN Chief, Says Global Cooperation Can Save Humanity 鈥 Issue No. 2880
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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A meningitis outbreak at the University of Kent in the U.K. has killed two and left 11 seriously ill; the U.K. Health Security Agency said it provided antibiotics to students in the area to stem cases of invasive meningococcal disease, a combination of meningitis and septicemia.
U.S. flu vaccines had some of the lowest effectiveness rates in decades this past flu season, partially due to the circulation of a new strain, H3N2 subclade K; this season鈥檚 vaccines were ~25%鈥30% effective in preventing adult clinic or hospital visits, while officials generally aim for a 40%鈥60% effectiveness rate. A multinational consortium to find a hepatitis B cure has been launched by Johns Hopkins Medicine after being awarded a five-year, $24 million NIH grant; the consortium鈥攚hich includes research groups from Brazil, India, Senegal, Uganda, and the U.S.鈥攁ims to enroll ~450 people with both HIV and chronic hepatitis B and 225 with only chronic hepatitis B in treatment and various studies. IN FOCUS Young people in rehabilitation and pastors talk outside The Rescue House (Casa de Rescate). Havana, Cuba; August 22, 2025. Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Cuba鈥檚 Drug Crisis Hits a Health System Under Strain Drug use has surged in Cuba amid the country鈥檚 deepening economic crisis, as cheap synthetic substances flood the market and the country鈥檚 fragile health system struggles to respond, . New threat: Drugs, once rare in the zero-tolerance country, have become increasingly accessible in the form of 鈥渜u铆mico,鈥 a potent synthetic cannabinoid originating from the U.S.
- ER visits for drug emergencies in Havana more than doubled from 467 in 2024 to 886 in 2025鈥攁 spike that has 鈥渙verwhelmed the country鈥檚 capacity to address it,鈥 says one father whose son is in recovery. It has also driven Cuban authorities to create a National Drug Observatory.
- The mounting crisis arrives as Cuba鈥檚 health system is already under severe strain from medicine and energy shortages due to the U.S. blockade, .
- Cuba has historically dispatched tens of thousands of health care workers internationally in contracts with other countries. Critics have called the system exploitative, saying doctors are paid minimal amounts by the Cuban government, which funds the country鈥檚 own health system with the revenues, .
- But the abrupt departure of the doctors could have a significant impact on host countries鈥 health systems, officials say.
- 鈥淭o a cross-border threat, there must be a cross-border response,鈥 stated the opening address at the Benin鈥揘igeria Cross-Border Meeting on Onchocerciasis.
Six years later, COVID symptoms linger for many Latino farmworkers in Washington 鈥
Confidential Report Calls for Sweeping Changes to Track Covid Vaccine Harms 鈥
鈥楳y Lungs Had Nothing Left.鈥 Inside The Epidemic Killing Countertop Stonecutters 鈥
Peru takes steps against bad drugs 鈥 but we still have questions 鈥
鈥榃e鈥檙e not wombs鈥: Japan women seek rights to sterilization 鈥
Influencers push 'parasite cleanses' but doctors say to steer clear 鈥
Michelle Bachelet, Running for UN Chief, Says Global Cooperation Can Save Humanity 鈥 Issue No. 2880
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Categories: Global Health Feed
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) is releasing another $2 million in emergency funds to support health systems in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria as strikes against Iran by the US and Israeli continue amid counterstrikes across the Gulf and wider region by Tehran.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Migrant Workers Stranded Between Worlds; and Dangers Flowing Downstream in Alberta
March 12, 2026
TOP STORIES
Health crises across the Middle East have escalated, including 18 WHO-verified attacks on health care in Iran and 25 such attacks in Lebanon since the initial strikes on Iran in February; meanwhile public health risks are rising as ~800,000 people face internal displacement.
One-third of Americans say that to cover their health care expenses they have resorted to cutting daily spending鈥攕uch as food or driving鈥攐r have had to borrow money to cover health bills, per a new survey from , conducted with ~20,000 adults.
Efforts to curb antimicrobial resistance have led to some recent 鈥渂right spots,鈥 , which highlighted the recent approval of two new gonorrhea drugs鈥攝oliflodacin and gepotidacin鈥攁s a pivotal development for treating the infection as cases rise and standard treatments become less effective.
Two U.S. vaccine advisory panels are weighing the future of COVID-19 and flu vaccines, with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices abandoning efforts to attack mRNA vaccines amid fears that such a move could harm Republicans in the midterms, ; meanwhile, FDA vaccine advisers to meet publicly for the first time since the Biden administration to recommend strains for fall flu shots, after last year鈥檚 meeting was canceled, .
IN FOCUS
Essential and Exposed: Migrant Workers Stranded Between Worlds
Across Asia and the Middle East, millions of migrant workers are critical to the health care, construction, and domestic labor sectors of the economy. And yet these migrants鈥攎any from Southeast Asia鈥攁re often left stranded and unprotected when conflict and illness strike. Fired after falling ill: In some of Asia鈥檚 richest cities like Hong Kong and Singapore, migrant domestic workers who develop critical illnesses are often terminated, cutting them off from health care access and leaving them stuck between worlds, .
Indigenous groups in northern Alberta have become increasingly alarmed by signs of toxic pollution in their environment: Vanishing wildlife, contaminated fish, and surging cancer rates within communities. The problems have flowed from Canada鈥檚 massive oil drilling operations, say scientists and advocates.
Global Health NOW helps you by providing critical news about research, emerging health threats, and solutions from around the world at no cost. Can you help us today? A helps sustain our work, ensuring that timely, trusted global health news and analysis remain available鈥攚ithout a paywall. Bonus: A $35 gift not only helps us; it earns you a spiffy, limited-edition Hopkins sesquicentennial backpack! Thank you! 鈥擳eam GHN ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION This Is a Lot to Unpack
Did you happen to lose a bionic knee on your red-eye from Boston to Los Angeles?
Mental health crisis after 2023 Maui wildfires extends beyond burn zones 鈥
Global Fund Faces $5bn Shortfall as France Slashes Support, EU Delays Pledge 鈥
The Current Threat to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and Why It Matters 鈥
The Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony Is Moving to Europe (after 35 years in the USA) 鈥 Issue No. 2879
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Across Asia and the Middle East, millions of migrant workers are critical to the health care, construction, and domestic labor sectors of the economy. And yet these migrants鈥攎any from Southeast Asia鈥攁re often left stranded and unprotected when conflict and illness strike. Fired after falling ill: In some of Asia鈥檚 richest cities like Hong Kong and Singapore, migrant domestic workers who develop critical illnesses are often terminated, cutting them off from health care access and leaving them stuck between worlds, .
- In many countries, employers are legally required to provide medical care鈥攂ut face little recourse for sudden firings. Some workers are forced to return to their home countries without treatment while others remain stuck in legal limbo.
- 鈥淭hen their situation deteriorates. It鈥檚 almost like a death sentence,鈥 said Rachel Li, with the Hong Kong charity HELP for Domestic Workers
- Fatalities have been reported among Filipino, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi workers, and governments of migrants' home nations say they are preparing for emergency evacuations and potential repatriation.
- Migrants have faced total abandonment in previous Middle East conflicts, often stuck without wages or travel documents.
Indigenous groups in northern Alberta have become increasingly alarmed by signs of toxic pollution in their environment: Vanishing wildlife, contaminated fish, and surging cancer rates within communities. The problems have flowed from Canada鈥檚 massive oil drilling operations, say scientists and advocates.
- The sites rely on ponds to hold toxic wastewater, known as oil sands tailings鈥攚hich may leak up to ~11 million liters of pollutants like arsenic, mercury, and other carcinogenic chemicals daily.
Global Health NOW helps you by providing critical news about research, emerging health threats, and solutions from around the world at no cost. Can you help us today? A helps sustain our work, ensuring that timely, trusted global health news and analysis remain available鈥攚ithout a paywall. Bonus: A $35 gift not only helps us; it earns you a spiffy, limited-edition Hopkins sesquicentennial backpack! Thank you! 鈥擳eam GHN ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION This Is a Lot to Unpack
Did you happen to lose a bionic knee on your red-eye from Boston to Los Angeles?
It might be in Scottsboro, Alabama.
In America鈥檚 mecca for orphaned luggage, the retailer has been collecting and reselling abandoned bags and their contents for 55+ years鈥攁nd just published .
-
鈥淲e often believe we've seen it all. But then we uncover something like a matching set of Samurai swords鈥,鈥 .
To Owens, it鈥檚 not just stuff, but cultural study via suitcase. (How many shoulder pads went unclaimed in the 鈥80s?!)
Our take is more psychological: What鈥檚 going through the mind of someone who bothers to pack a full beekeeping suit 鈥 or a teak didgeridoo 鈥 or a taxidermy deer form 鈥 and simply shrugs when it vanishes into the abyss?! If you don鈥檛 go looking for your suitcase full of rat poison 鈥 was it ever really yours?
Does the fact that an clearly make its recovery more sad ... or less? Do they even want to be reunited?!
All that to say: If you really care about your custom diamond-studded grills, we have two words of advice: Carry. On.
QUICK HITS 鈥楾our de force鈥 mouse study shows a gut microbe can promote memory loss 鈥Mental health crisis after 2023 Maui wildfires extends beyond burn zones 鈥
Global Fund Faces $5bn Shortfall as France Slashes Support, EU Delays Pledge 鈥
The Current Threat to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and Why It Matters 鈥
The Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony Is Moving to Europe (after 35 years in the USA) 鈥 Issue No. 2879
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
