96
Global Health NOW: Taliban Targets LGBTQ Afghans; Better Road Safety Journalism; and A Human in Bear鈥檚 Clothing
LGBTQ people in Afghanistan face beatings, arrests, and detention.
November 21, 2024
Yahya, an Afghan who identifies as gay speaks during an interview at an undisclosed location, on September 28, 2021. AFP via Getty
LGBTQ Afghans Targeted by the Taliban
Since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021, LGBTQ citizens have endured 鈥渨idespread鈥 physical and sexual violence in detention centers, human rights groups report.
One group, Roshaniya, has documented 825 instances of violence against LGBTQ people in Afghanistan, including beatings, arrests, and detention鈥攁nd emphasized the number was likely an undercount.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
60% of Americans say they will 鈥減robably not鈥 get an updated COVID-19 vaccine, ; reasons given include concerns of potential side effects and belief that the booster is not necessary.
Poliovirus detected in Warsaw wastewater is prompting Poland鈥檚 health authorities to urge that children be vaccinated; about 86% of the country鈥檚 3-year-olds have been vaccinated against the virus.
Women with endometriosis or growths in their uterus have a slightly higher risk of dying before age 70, .
A new malaria vaccination strategy involves boosting immunity via genetically engineered parasites, ; the strategy protected ~90% of study participants from 鈥渃ontracting the disease after being bitten by malaria mosquitoes.鈥 GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY Police in Bogota conduct speeding checkpoints a key part of a comprehensive road safety strategy in 2022. Bogota Secretariat of Mobility Language Reform Drives Change in Road Safety Journalism
With a staggering global toll of deaths per year, road crashes are the leading cause of death for people age 鈥攁nd they are almost always preventable.
Yet many people consider road traffic crashes happenstances鈥撯揳nd media messaging reinforces that narrative, often depicting them as 鈥渁ccidents,鈥 鈥渂ad luck,鈥 and or the victim鈥檚 fault, writes Vital Strategies鈥 Kristi Saporito.
Framing crashes as isolated and inevitable 鈥渁ccidents鈥 beyond our control implies that they鈥檙e inevitable鈥攂ut solutions, including protective policies, exist.
Words matter: By communicating that road safety is a public health issue and that crashes are largely preventable, the media has the power to shift attitudes, Saporito writes.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES U.S. ELECTION What Does Dr. Oz鈥檚 Appointment Mean for Medicare?
Dr. Oz鈥攖he heart surgeon, turned TV star, turned Trump appointee to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services鈥攊s a familiar face for his daytime television persona as 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Doctor.鈥
Less familiar? His policy positions regarding the federal agency that oversees coverage for 145 million Americans, its $1 trillion budget, and what kind of influence he could bring to coverage decisions, drug price negotiations, and the Affordable Care Act, .
Puzzling positions:
It鈥檚 hard to be funny. But you know what鈥檚 even harder? Taking something objectively hilarious and pretending it isn鈥檛. So, a big GHN kudos to whoever does the press releases for the California Department of Insurance.
The staffer : Four suspects were arrested on charges of insurance fraud after claiming their luxury vehicles were vandalized by bears鈥斺渂ut it was actually a person in a bear costume.鈥
It bears (ahem) mentioning: Video footage effortlessly opening car doors and rifling about in a suspiciously sapiens manner.
Still, investigators needed to be sure, so they enlisted a biologist who 鈥渙pined it was clearly a human in a bear suit.鈥
Further confirming the obvious: A was found in a suspect鈥檚 home. QUICK HITS US CDC expects COVID and RSV levels to increase in coming weeks 鈥
New study finds climate change is increasing the power of hurricanes 鈥
鈥業ncreasing risk鈥 of tropical infections as new blood donor monitoring launched 鈥
Less-potent fentanyl pills may be playing a role in decrease of US overdose deaths, DEA says 鈥
Scientists taught rats to drive 鈥 now they love getting behind the wheel 鈥 Issue No. 2819
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 .
Since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021, LGBTQ citizens have endured 鈥渨idespread鈥 physical and sexual violence in detention centers, human rights groups report.
One group, Roshaniya, has documented 825 instances of violence against LGBTQ people in Afghanistan, including beatings, arrests, and detention鈥攁nd emphasized the number was likely an undercount.
- And transgender and gender non-conforming people are being 鈥渃onsistently鈥 targeted at Taliban checkpoints.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
60% of Americans say they will 鈥減robably not鈥 get an updated COVID-19 vaccine, ; reasons given include concerns of potential side effects and belief that the booster is not necessary.
Poliovirus detected in Warsaw wastewater is prompting Poland鈥檚 health authorities to urge that children be vaccinated; about 86% of the country鈥檚 3-year-olds have been vaccinated against the virus.
Women with endometriosis or growths in their uterus have a slightly higher risk of dying before age 70, .
A new malaria vaccination strategy involves boosting immunity via genetically engineered parasites, ; the strategy protected ~90% of study participants from 鈥渃ontracting the disease after being bitten by malaria mosquitoes.鈥 GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY Police in Bogota conduct speeding checkpoints a key part of a comprehensive road safety strategy in 2022. Bogota Secretariat of Mobility Language Reform Drives Change in Road Safety Journalism
With a staggering global toll of deaths per year, road crashes are the leading cause of death for people age 鈥攁nd they are almost always preventable.
Yet many people consider road traffic crashes happenstances鈥撯揳nd media messaging reinforces that narrative, often depicting them as 鈥渁ccidents,鈥 鈥渂ad luck,鈥 and or the victim鈥檚 fault, writes Vital Strategies鈥 Kristi Saporito.
Framing crashes as isolated and inevitable 鈥渁ccidents鈥 beyond our control implies that they鈥檙e inevitable鈥攂ut solutions, including protective policies, exist.
Words matter: By communicating that road safety is a public health issue and that crashes are largely preventable, the media has the power to shift attitudes, Saporito writes.
- Journalism trainings in Colombia, supported by and the , advised reporters on neutral road-incident vocabulary and placing traffic crashes in the context of broader road safety issues鈥攁nd led to measurable improvements in reporting language.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES U.S. ELECTION What Does Dr. Oz鈥檚 Appointment Mean for Medicare?
Dr. Oz鈥攖he heart surgeon, turned TV star, turned Trump appointee to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services鈥攊s a familiar face for his daytime television persona as 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Doctor.鈥
Less familiar? His policy positions regarding the federal agency that oversees coverage for 145 million Americans, its $1 trillion budget, and what kind of influence he could bring to coverage decisions, drug price negotiations, and the Affordable Care Act, .
Puzzling positions:
- Oz has championed healthy lifestyle habits and criticized Big Pharma鈥攁nd he has also spread misinformation about Covid-19, promoted unproven supplements, and profited from the pharmaceutical industry he鈥檚 criticized.
- He has previously expressed support for Medicare privatization. He has not revealed his views on Medicaid鈥攖hough some Republicans in Congress have called for changes that shrink the program鈥檚 budget, .
It鈥檚 hard to be funny. But you know what鈥檚 even harder? Taking something objectively hilarious and pretending it isn鈥檛. So, a big GHN kudos to whoever does the press releases for the California Department of Insurance.
The staffer : Four suspects were arrested on charges of insurance fraud after claiming their luxury vehicles were vandalized by bears鈥斺渂ut it was actually a person in a bear costume.鈥
It bears (ahem) mentioning: Video footage effortlessly opening car doors and rifling about in a suspiciously sapiens manner.
Still, investigators needed to be sure, so they enlisted a biologist who 鈥渙pined it was clearly a human in a bear suit.鈥
Further confirming the obvious: A was found in a suspect鈥檚 home. QUICK HITS US CDC expects COVID and RSV levels to increase in coming weeks 鈥
New study finds climate change is increasing the power of hurricanes 鈥
鈥業ncreasing risk鈥 of tropical infections as new blood donor monitoring launched 鈥
Less-potent fentanyl pills may be playing a role in decrease of US overdose deaths, DEA says 鈥
Scientists taught rats to drive 鈥 now they love getting behind the wheel 鈥 Issue No. 2819
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Superbugs Thriving in War; Growing Older Solo鈥擶ith Support; and Envisioning Greener Health Care in SA
November 20, 2024
Superbugs Thriving in War
A 鈥済rowing and dire鈥 crisis of antimicrobial resistance is taking hold in Gaza, as attacks on hospitals and blockades leave doctors with few tools to fight infections, .
Open wounds: Amid a constant backlog of patient care, many patients鈥 wounds are left open for long periods of time, leading to acute infections, say researchers with M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res.
Meanwhile, an overconsumption crisis: Global antibiotic usage has climbed 20%+ globally since 2016鈥攄espite a pandemic-era disruption, a new of pharmaceutical sales published in PNAS finds, .
A second mpox vaccine has been granted emergency use designation ; Japan鈥檚 stockpiled doses of its LC16m8 mpox vaccine will be sent to the DRC and Burundi, and will be the first mpox vaccine available for children.
53 days post-Hurricane Helene, potable water has been restored in Asheville, North Carolina, after storm damage required extensive repair of the city鈥檚 water treatment and distribution system.
A new nasal vaccine to prevent whooping cough could help slow the disease鈥檚 spread; the vaccine, developed by Tulane University, works to clear bacteria from the upper respiratory tract, limiting contagion. WORLD CHILDREN'S DAY DATA POINT AGING Growing Older Solo鈥擶ith Support
As more Americans face aging alone and far from family, support networks are being redefined as neighbors, friends, and fellow 鈥渟olo agers鈥 step in to help with daily care needs.
Still a challenge: A 2022 AARP survey showed only 25% of solo agers had help with household tasks, and just 38% had support for ongoing care needs.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Envisioning Greener Health Care in SA
The environmental impact of South Africa鈥檚 health care system is massive鈥攂ut so are the opportunities for change.
Reconsidering single-use: Although manufacturers and regulators typically designate medical devices for single use, research shows that some could be safely sterilized and reused.
Smaller carbon footprints: Some new hospitals in SA have been designed with energy-efficient features like solar power, and energy-saving measures in Western Cape pilot projects have eliminated thousands of tons of CO2.
Big opportunity: South Africa could join the WHO鈥檚 Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health, which aims to help countries make health care greener.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Amid record year for dengue infections, study finds climate change responsible for 19% of rising dengue burden 鈥
Nationwide IV fluid shortage changing how hospitals manage patient hydration 鈥
California child tests positive for bird flu with no known exposure to infected animals 鈥
Djibouti experiments with GM mosquito against malaria 鈥
60% of Americans say they probably won't get an updated COVID-19 vaccine 鈥
New FDA rules for TV drug ads: Simpler language and no distractions 鈥
Elon Musk Asked People to Upload Their Health Data. X Users Obliged. 鈥 Issue No. 2818
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
A 鈥済rowing and dire鈥 crisis of antimicrobial resistance is taking hold in Gaza, as attacks on hospitals and blockades leave doctors with few tools to fight infections, .
Open wounds: Amid a constant backlog of patient care, many patients鈥 wounds are left open for long periods of time, leading to acute infections, say researchers with M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res.
- Critical antibiotics remain unavailable, and many infections are unresponsive to the limited antibiotics at hand鈥攔esulting in amputations and death.
- With so few drugs, 鈥渘urses have a bottle of vinegar on the wound-dressing shelf鈥 to treat infections, said Gaza physician Khaled al Shawwa.
Meanwhile, an overconsumption crisis: Global antibiotic usage has climbed 20%+ globally since 2016鈥攄espite a pandemic-era disruption, a new of pharmaceutical sales published in PNAS finds, .
- Higher consumption levels are largely being driven by LMICs, where weak health care and hygiene systems have exacerbated illnesses and 鈥渋ndiscriminate鈥 antibiotic use.
A second mpox vaccine has been granted emergency use designation ; Japan鈥檚 stockpiled doses of its LC16m8 mpox vaccine will be sent to the DRC and Burundi, and will be the first mpox vaccine available for children.
53 days post-Hurricane Helene, potable water has been restored in Asheville, North Carolina, after storm damage required extensive repair of the city鈥檚 water treatment and distribution system.
A new nasal vaccine to prevent whooping cough could help slow the disease鈥檚 spread; the vaccine, developed by Tulane University, works to clear bacteria from the upper respiratory tract, limiting contagion. WORLD CHILDREN'S DAY DATA POINT AGING Growing Older Solo鈥擶ith Support
As more Americans face aging alone and far from family, support networks are being redefined as neighbors, friends, and fellow 鈥渟olo agers鈥 step in to help with daily care needs.
- In 2015, 15 million Americans ages 50+ had no nearby family; this number is expected to rise to 21 million by 2060.
Still a challenge: A 2022 AARP survey showed only 25% of solo agers had help with household tasks, and just 38% had support for ongoing care needs.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Envisioning Greener Health Care in SA
The environmental impact of South Africa鈥檚 health care system is massive鈥攂ut so are the opportunities for change.
Reconsidering single-use: Although manufacturers and regulators typically designate medical devices for single use, research shows that some could be safely sterilized and reused.
Smaller carbon footprints: Some new hospitals in SA have been designed with energy-efficient features like solar power, and energy-saving measures in Western Cape pilot projects have eliminated thousands of tons of CO2.
Big opportunity: South Africa could join the WHO鈥檚 Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health, which aims to help countries make health care greener.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Amid record year for dengue infections, study finds climate change responsible for 19% of rising dengue burden 鈥
Nationwide IV fluid shortage changing how hospitals manage patient hydration 鈥
California child tests positive for bird flu with no known exposure to infected animals 鈥
Djibouti experiments with GM mosquito against malaria 鈥
60% of Americans say they probably won't get an updated COVID-19 vaccine 鈥
New FDA rules for TV drug ads: Simpler language and no distractions 鈥
Elon Musk Asked People to Upload Their Health Data. X Users Obliged. 鈥 Issue No. 2818
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Superbug Fight Needs a Better Business Model; Leading Cause of Maternal Deaths: Homicide; and Dr. ChatBot Is In鈥攁nd Often Right
November 19, 2024
GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORT
An NG Biotech employee manufactures "Carba" tests, an antibiotic resistance test in Guipry, western France. April 6, 2020. Damien Meyer / AFP via Getty
The Superbug Fight Needs a Better Business Model
Antimicrobial resistance is already a leading cause of death worldwide鈥攂ut as AMR deaths spiral, the pipeline for new antibiotics is drying up, not ramping up. As WHO marks , leading researchers explain why:
What鈥檚 the Solution?
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Approximately 1 in 6 war-wounded trauma patients treated at Bashair Teaching Hospital in south Khartoum, Sudan, so far in 2024 are children under 15; many arrive with wounds from gunshots, blasts, or shrapnel, x-rays show.
Genetic sequencing of the H5N1 bird flu virus that infected a British Columbia teenager reveals that the virus underwent mutational changes that would make it easier to infect humans; there鈥檚 no evidence the teen infected anyone else, but the source of infection is unclear.
President Putin signed a decree today to allow for Russia鈥檚 use of nuclear weapons in response to an attack by a nonnuclear actor backed by a nuclear power, days after U.S. President Biden reportedly gave Ukraine permission to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles on targets deep inside Russia.
A state judge struck down Wyoming's overall abortion ban, including an explicit ban (the nation鈥檚 first) on the use of pregnancy-ending medication. VIOLENCE Leading Cause of Maternal Deaths: Homicide
More pregnant women and new mothers in the U.S. die at the hands of intimate partners than from medical causes, published in in JAMA Network Open.
Going deeper: The study, which analyzed CDC data from 2018 to 2021, found that laws that restrict access to divorce and abortion during pregnancy can raise the risk of intimate partner violence.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TECH & INNOVATION Dr. ChatBot Is In鈥攁nd Often Right
ChatGPT outperformed human physicians in assessing a series of medical case histories, a published in JAMA Network Open found鈥攄emonstrating the power of A.I. systems to be 鈥渄octor extenders,鈥 providing niche insights or second opinions.
The study: 50 doctors and ChatGPT鈥攁nd some doctors equipped with ChatGPT鈥 were all fed the same medical case details and asked to provide a diagnosis. Each was graded on their ability to diagnose correctly, and on their ability to explain why they landed on potential diagnoses.
The results: The doctors operating alone had an average score of 74%. ChatGPT scored an average of 90%. Doctors using the chatbot got an average score of 76%鈥攗nderscoring how doctors are often wedded to their own conclusions, despite the chatbot鈥檚 suggestions.
CORRECTION The 鈥楴ever-Before-Seen Virus鈥 鈥 Except in 2019
We'd received a Google Alert about the MSN story that we shared in a one-liner yesterday, about a mysterious malaria-like illness in Peru caused by a previously unknown phlebovirus; the case, however, was detected in 2019 and reported in 2023. We aim to limit one-liners to news stories that are not more than a day or two old, so that definitely did not meet our editorial guidelines鈥攁nd we apologize for the oversight. Thanks to GHN reader Rebecca Wurtz for flagging our error! QUICK HITS
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 .
Antimicrobial resistance is already a leading cause of death worldwide鈥攂ut as AMR deaths spiral, the pipeline for new antibiotics is drying up, not ramping up. As WHO marks , leading researchers explain why:
- For one, small antibiotic makers can鈥檛 stay in business. Governments and public health programs closely guard novel antibiotics, deploying them as little as possible to avoid resistance, says Kevin Outterson, executive director of CARB-X, a nonprofit that supports antibiotics R&D.
What鈥檚 the Solution?
- Invest in incentives: Countries are starting to get behind 鈥減ush鈥 incentives that fund antibiotics R&D, and 鈥減ull鈥 incentives designed to keep the makers of novel antibiotics afloat.
- Antibiotics for all: It鈥檚 key that these incentives be designed to ensure that research and new drugs reach high-risk populations in LMICs.
- Not just new drugs: Improving diagnostics and basic hospital hygiene are indispensable tools to protect antibiotics from resistance, says AMR researcher Caline Mattar.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Approximately 1 in 6 war-wounded trauma patients treated at Bashair Teaching Hospital in south Khartoum, Sudan, so far in 2024 are children under 15; many arrive with wounds from gunshots, blasts, or shrapnel, x-rays show.
Genetic sequencing of the H5N1 bird flu virus that infected a British Columbia teenager reveals that the virus underwent mutational changes that would make it easier to infect humans; there鈥檚 no evidence the teen infected anyone else, but the source of infection is unclear.
President Putin signed a decree today to allow for Russia鈥檚 use of nuclear weapons in response to an attack by a nonnuclear actor backed by a nuclear power, days after U.S. President Biden reportedly gave Ukraine permission to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles on targets deep inside Russia.
A state judge struck down Wyoming's overall abortion ban, including an explicit ban (the nation鈥檚 first) on the use of pregnancy-ending medication. VIOLENCE Leading Cause of Maternal Deaths: Homicide
More pregnant women and new mothers in the U.S. die at the hands of intimate partners than from medical causes, published in in JAMA Network Open.
Going deeper: The study, which analyzed CDC data from 2018 to 2021, found that laws that restrict access to divorce and abortion during pregnancy can raise the risk of intimate partner violence.
- Researchers also emphasized a vital need for safe housing, protective orders, and additional resources for pregnant women in abusive relationships.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TECH & INNOVATION Dr. ChatBot Is In鈥攁nd Often Right
ChatGPT outperformed human physicians in assessing a series of medical case histories, a published in JAMA Network Open found鈥攄emonstrating the power of A.I. systems to be 鈥渄octor extenders,鈥 providing niche insights or second opinions.
The study: 50 doctors and ChatGPT鈥攁nd some doctors equipped with ChatGPT鈥 were all fed the same medical case details and asked to provide a diagnosis. Each was graded on their ability to diagnose correctly, and on their ability to explain why they landed on potential diagnoses.
The results: The doctors operating alone had an average score of 74%. ChatGPT scored an average of 90%. Doctors using the chatbot got an average score of 76%鈥攗nderscoring how doctors are often wedded to their own conclusions, despite the chatbot鈥檚 suggestions.
CORRECTION The 鈥楴ever-Before-Seen Virus鈥 鈥 Except in 2019
We'd received a Google Alert about the MSN story that we shared in a one-liner yesterday, about a mysterious malaria-like illness in Peru caused by a previously unknown phlebovirus; the case, however, was detected in 2019 and reported in 2023. We aim to limit one-liners to news stories that are not more than a day or two old, so that definitely did not meet our editorial guidelines鈥攁nd we apologize for the oversight. Thanks to GHN reader Rebecca Wurtz for flagging our error! QUICK HITS
They fled war in Sudan. Now, women in refugee camps say they鈥檙e being forced to have sex to survive 鈥
Urban mosquito sparks malaria surge in East Africa 鈥
Abortion pills may be FDA's first test under Trump 鈥
How Trump's reelection could impact reproductive health in low income countries 鈥
Effect of health education on knowledge, perception, and intended contraceptive use for family planning among university students in Pakistan 鈥
Falls, assaults, accidental poisoning among leading causes of injury hospitalisations and deaths in Australia 鈥
Biden administration backs away from plastic production limits in UN treaty 鈥
Over 4 tonnes of batteries collected to reduce environmental, health impacts 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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: As Measles Cases Rise, Alarm Grows Over RFK鈥檚 Anti-Vaccine Rhetoric; A Memorable ASTMH; and 鈥楳entor Mothers鈥 in Rural Africa
November 18, 2024
Hawaii aid workers help out with MMR vaccinations on December 6, 2019, in Apia, Samoa. Yoshida/Getty
As Measles Cases Rise, Alarm Grows Over RFK鈥檚 Anti-Vaccine Rhetoric
Measles cases surged 20% globally last year鈥攁 trend health leaders worry will only continue if vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. takes the helm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
More than 4,000 scientists, researchers, practitioners, and other experts gathered in New Orleans last week through this weekend for the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene.
And GHN was there. We were honored to meet with so many professionals from so many countries (welcome, those of you who just signed up for GHN!) and sit in on so many informative sessions. , including briefs on mpox, Hansen鈥檚 disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and a walking tour through public health history. 鈥Brian and Dayna GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Kala-azar cases in Kenya are on the rise with 124 people sickened in the last month as doctors call for urgent interventions to constrain the disease鈥檚 spread.
Dengue deaths in Bangladesh have surpassed 400 as the country battles its worst outbreak in years; rising temperatures and a longer monsoon season have driven the surge in infections, with 78,595 patients hospitalized.
A never-before-seen virus that causes a malaria-like illness has been detected in Peru, doctors say; an investigation into an initial case revealed that the virus is a previously unknown phlebovirus.
61,000+ people in Sudan have died during the first 14 months of conflict in the country鈥攁 death toll 鈥渟ignificantly higher than reported,鈥 per a new wartime mortality by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. WOMEN'S RIGHTS Iran to Open Clinic for Hijab Defiance
Officials in Iran have announced plans to open a 鈥渢reatment clinic鈥 for women who resist mandatory hijab laws鈥攁 move decried by human rights advocates.
In the OR Tambo district in the Eastern Cape, pregnant women and new moms living with HIV鈥攁nd their children鈥攁re healthier thanks to trusted peer support workers.
These 鈥渕entor mothers,鈥 who also have HIV, are trained and deployed to this remote area to encourage women to take and stay on antiretroviral treatments.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS US health officials report 1st case of new form of mpox in a traveler 鈥
Dengue fever spiked to record levels in 2024: Climate change will make it even worse 鈥
Jeddah conference closes with adoption of global pledges to tackle antimicrobial resistance 鈥
The Philippines will not intervene if Interpol arrests Duterte over 鈥榳ar on drugs鈥 鈥
E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots sickens people in 18 states 鈥
Jay Bhattacharya, an NIH critic, emerges as a top candidate to lead the agency 鈥
RFK Jr. isn't the only one. More than a billion people have parasitic worms 鈥嬧嬧
Study to look at why some people with aggressive cancer are 鈥榮uper-survivors鈥 鈥嬧嬧 Issue No. 2816
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, Aliza Rosen, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Measles cases surged 20% globally last year鈥攁 trend health leaders worry will only continue if vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. takes the helm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Measles cases jumped from 8.6 million to 10.3 million between 2022 and 2023 鈥攄riven largely by a COVID-19 pandemic-era drop in vaccinations, .
- Most affected are the world鈥檚 poorest and conflict-riven countries, especially in Africa, where deaths from measles increased by 37%, .
- In Samoa, where a 2019 measles outbreak infected 5,700+ people and caused 83 deaths, health officials say misinformation spread by Kennedy鈥檚 nonprofit, Children鈥檚 Health Defense, worsened the crisis by contributing to vaccine hesitancy, .
More than 4,000 scientists, researchers, practitioners, and other experts gathered in New Orleans last week through this weekend for the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene.
And GHN was there. We were honored to meet with so many professionals from so many countries (welcome, those of you who just signed up for GHN!) and sit in on so many informative sessions. , including briefs on mpox, Hansen鈥檚 disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and a walking tour through public health history. 鈥Brian and Dayna GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Kala-azar cases in Kenya are on the rise with 124 people sickened in the last month as doctors call for urgent interventions to constrain the disease鈥檚 spread.
Dengue deaths in Bangladesh have surpassed 400 as the country battles its worst outbreak in years; rising temperatures and a longer monsoon season have driven the surge in infections, with 78,595 patients hospitalized.
A never-before-seen virus that causes a malaria-like illness has been detected in Peru, doctors say; an investigation into an initial case revealed that the virus is a previously unknown phlebovirus.
61,000+ people in Sudan have died during the first 14 months of conflict in the country鈥攁 death toll 鈥渟ignificantly higher than reported,鈥 per a new wartime mortality by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. WOMEN'S RIGHTS Iran to Open Clinic for Hijab Defiance
Officials in Iran have announced plans to open a 鈥渢reatment clinic鈥 for women who resist mandatory hijab laws鈥攁 move decried by human rights advocates.
- The clinic will promote 鈥渟cientific and psychological treatment for hijab removal,鈥 per one Iranian official.
- Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have reported torture and forced medication of dissidents in state-run psychiatric hospitals.
In the OR Tambo district in the Eastern Cape, pregnant women and new moms living with HIV鈥攁nd their children鈥攁re healthier thanks to trusted peer support workers.
These 鈥渕entor mothers,鈥 who also have HIV, are trained and deployed to this remote area to encourage women to take and stay on antiretroviral treatments.
- More than a third of pregnant women in the region have HIV, but they rarely pass it to their babies.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS US health officials report 1st case of new form of mpox in a traveler 鈥
Dengue fever spiked to record levels in 2024: Climate change will make it even worse 鈥
Jeddah conference closes with adoption of global pledges to tackle antimicrobial resistance 鈥
The Philippines will not intervene if Interpol arrests Duterte over 鈥榳ar on drugs鈥 鈥
E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots sickens people in 18 states 鈥
Jay Bhattacharya, an NIH critic, emerges as a top candidate to lead the agency 鈥
RFK Jr. isn't the only one. More than a billion people have parasitic worms 鈥嬧嬧
Study to look at why some people with aggressive cancer are 鈥榮uper-survivors鈥 鈥嬧嬧 Issue No. 2816
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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
The 4th Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) wrapped up on Saturday with the adoption of the Jeddah Commitments, which lay out practical, actionable and cross-sectoral steps stakeholders can take to address this complex health issue.
Categories: Global Health Feed
The top UN health official gave a sobering reality check as the Fourth Global High-Level Ministerial Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance began Friday in Jeddah: 鈥淎MR doesn't just threaten to make the medicines on which we depend less effective; it鈥檚 happening now.鈥
Categories: Global Health Feed
Prix Grands Sages honours 平特五不中 professor emeritus Dr. Phil Gold and two PhD candidates
Researchers鈥 outstanding contributions to science and society celebrated by the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec鈥
Categories: Global Health Feed
Fifteen new or renewed Canada Research Chairs awarded to 平特五不中
$13.8 million in federal funding for 平特五不中鈥檚 cohort of 10 new, five renewed Canada Research Chairs聽
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Rising Resistance Threatens a Key Malaria Drug; Uncontrolled Diabetes Reaches New Heights; and Fun, Games鈥攁nd Fame
The malaria parasite is acquiring partial resistance to a key medication used to care for children experiencing severe malaria.
November 14, 2024
Employees transfer barrels of artemisinin at a pharmaceutical company in southern China on Aug. 27. Huang Xiaobang/Xinhua via Getty Images
Rising Resistance Threatens a Key Malaria Drug
In yet another ominous sign for malaria treatment鈥檚 prospects, the malaria parasite is acquiring partial resistance to a key medication used to care for children experiencing severe malaria, according to a study and presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene.
Major findings:
EDITORS' NOTE GHN in NOLA
We鈥檙e thrilled to be in New Orleans this week for the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene annual meeting.
If you鈥檙e here too, please stop by GHN鈥檚 exhibit, #114. We鈥檙e right across from our friends at the DNDi/MSF booth, which you should also visit!
We鈥檇 also like to welcome new GHN subscribers who visited our booth and signed up last night鈥攆rom countries including Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Eswatini, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Uganda, and Zambia. Thanks for subscribing!
If you enjoy Global Health NOW, please share the with colleagues and friends. 鈥擠ayna Kerecman Myers, dkerecm1@jhu.edu; and Brian W. Simpson, bsimpso1@jhu.edu. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Weight loss drugs may help curb alcohol addiction, new published in JAMA Psychiatry suggests, with GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy cutting risk for hospitalization.
State medical boards almost never discipline doctors who spread misinformation about COVID-19, an from the University of North Carolina School of Law has found.
The bird flu infection that has left a Canadian teen in critical condition is not the version of H5N1 found in cows and currently circulating in the U.S., genetic sequencing has found; it is instead of a genotype found in wild birds.
A new diagnostic test uses genetic sequencing to ID pathogens from a range of possible culprits鈥攙iruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi鈥攚hich could help doctors more effectively diagnose and treat hard-to-identify infections like meningitis. NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES Uncontrolled Diabetes Reaches New Heights
The number of adults globally living with diabetes has soared 4X since 1990鈥攕urpassing 800 million, finds a released on World Diabetes Day, .
Extra troubling: 445+ million people with diabetes鈥59% of the global total鈥攁re not receiving treatment, .
Daily activities have come to a standstill in Pakistan鈥檚 populous Punjab province, as thick smog envelops the region, .
Outdoor activities have been banned, schools closed, and markets shuttered as the debilitates millions of residents living in Lahore, Multan, and surrounding areas.
Most vulnerable: 鈥淚t鈥檚 poor people that are facing the brunt of the air pollution crisis because they have no means to protect themselves from it,鈥 environmental lawyer Ahmad Rafay Alam told NPR. ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Fun, Games鈥攁nd Fame
You might have thought a toy鈥檚 value is measured by asking: 鈥淒o I like playing with it?鈥
But you鈥檇 be wrong.
This week, anyway, the question is: Is it among the elite?
No longer a bridesmaid: The honor was 鈥渆xtra validating鈥 for seven-time finalist My Little Pony, .
Kenya's new health insurance rollout sparks challenges and concerns 鈥
Scientific breakthrough to prevent negative side effects of weight loss drugs like Ozempic 鈥
The Making Of A New American Epidemic 鈥
The people cracking the world's toughest climate words 鈥 Issue No. 2815
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 .
In yet another ominous sign for malaria treatment鈥檚 prospects, the malaria parasite is acquiring partial resistance to a key medication used to care for children experiencing severe malaria, according to a study and presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene.
Major findings:
- The study, led by Ugandan researchers Ruth Namazzi and Robert Opoka from Makerere University in Kampala, found partial resistance to the malaria drug artemisinin in 11 of 100 children treated for severe malaria.
- They found that 10 patients 鈥渃ured鈥 of severe malaria experienced a resurgence of the same strain of the parasite within 28 days of the original infection鈥攚hich implies the first treatment didn鈥檛 fully eliminate the parasite, said study coauthor Chandy John.
- They also noted that it took more than 72 hours to clear the parasites in two children鈥攁 duration that the WHO defines as early treatment failure.
EDITORS' NOTE GHN in NOLA
We鈥檙e thrilled to be in New Orleans this week for the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene annual meeting.
If you鈥檙e here too, please stop by GHN鈥檚 exhibit, #114. We鈥檙e right across from our friends at the DNDi/MSF booth, which you should also visit!
We鈥檇 also like to welcome new GHN subscribers who visited our booth and signed up last night鈥攆rom countries including Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Eswatini, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Uganda, and Zambia. Thanks for subscribing!
If you enjoy Global Health NOW, please share the with colleagues and friends. 鈥擠ayna Kerecman Myers, dkerecm1@jhu.edu; and Brian W. Simpson, bsimpso1@jhu.edu. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Weight loss drugs may help curb alcohol addiction, new published in JAMA Psychiatry suggests, with GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy cutting risk for hospitalization.
State medical boards almost never discipline doctors who spread misinformation about COVID-19, an from the University of North Carolina School of Law has found.
The bird flu infection that has left a Canadian teen in critical condition is not the version of H5N1 found in cows and currently circulating in the U.S., genetic sequencing has found; it is instead of a genotype found in wild birds.
A new diagnostic test uses genetic sequencing to ID pathogens from a range of possible culprits鈥攙iruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi鈥攚hich could help doctors more effectively diagnose and treat hard-to-identify infections like meningitis. NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES Uncontrolled Diabetes Reaches New Heights
The number of adults globally living with diabetes has soared 4X since 1990鈥攕urpassing 800 million, finds a released on World Diabetes Day, .
Extra troubling: 445+ million people with diabetes鈥59% of the global total鈥攁re not receiving treatment, .
- The problem is most acute in LMICs, where treatment rates are as low as 10%, . India, Pakistan, and Indonesia have especially high rates of untreated diabetes.
- Tedros called for countries to 鈥渦rgently take action鈥濃攑articularly to equip health systems to meet the crisis.
- The WHO also launched new guidance on today.
Daily activities have come to a standstill in Pakistan鈥檚 populous Punjab province, as thick smog envelops the region, .
Outdoor activities have been banned, schools closed, and markets shuttered as the debilitates millions of residents living in Lahore, Multan, and surrounding areas.
- Air quality index readings have surpassed ~1,000; 300+ is considered hazardous to health, per .
- that 11+ million children are at risk. In January, 240+ children in Punjab province .
Most vulnerable: 鈥淚t鈥檚 poor people that are facing the brunt of the air pollution crisis because they have no means to protect themselves from it,鈥 environmental lawyer Ahmad Rafay Alam told NPR. ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Fun, Games鈥攁nd Fame
You might have thought a toy鈥檚 value is measured by asking: 鈥淒o I like playing with it?鈥
But you鈥檇 be wrong.
This week, anyway, the question is: Is it among the elite?
- Three 1980s icons鈥擯hase 10, Transformers, and My Little Pony鈥攈ave joined the in Rochester, New York.
No longer a bridesmaid: The honor was 鈥渆xtra validating鈥 for seven-time finalist My Little Pony, .
- But how did lush-maned mini ponies鈥攚hose chief function is hairstyling鈥攅dge out the humble stick horse behind ? Why were balloons and trampolines bounced out of the running?
Kenya's new health insurance rollout sparks challenges and concerns 鈥
Scientific breakthrough to prevent negative side effects of weight loss drugs like Ozempic 鈥
The Making Of A New American Epidemic 鈥
The people cracking the world's toughest climate words 鈥 Issue No. 2815
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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
Insecurity and overlapping crises afflicting Haiti are continuing to fuel a dire humanitarian situation across the Caribbean nation, the UN Spokesperson said on Thursday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
Antimicrobial resistance initiatives are back in the spotlight as stakeholders gather in Jeddah, on the Saudi Arabian coast, a few months after a high-level meeting in New York led to the unanimous adoption of a political declaration by the UN General Assembly. With that declaration the 193-member body pledged concerted action against the under-recognized but serious health concern.
Categories: Global Health Feed
Global diabetes cases have quadrupled since 1990, affecting over 800 million adults worldwide, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) study released to coincide with World Diabetes Day.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Haiti Isolated and Imperiled; Stopping Polio in Gaza and Why It Matters; and STIs Slow Down in the U.S.
Hospitals in Haiti face 鈥渋ndescribable鈥 surge of traumatic injuries
November 13, 2024
After being injured in a tanker truck explosion, people recover in a hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on September 17. Clarens Siffroy/AFP via Getty
Haiti Isolated and Imperiled
A surge of gang violence in Haiti puts the country at further risk of isolation, as airlines halt flights to the country and as hospitals and medical groups like M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res describe untenable working conditions.
No flights: Haiti鈥檚 main international airport in Port-au-Prince remains closed after three U.S. commercial passenger planes were hit by suspected gang gunfire, and the FAA has now banned all U.S. airlines from operating in Haiti for 30 days, .
Hospitals are struggling to cope with an 鈥渋ndescribable鈥 surge of traumatic injuries, as doctors and medical facilities buckle under the pressures of an already devastating year, . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Global temperatures may be closer to the 鈥渃rucial鈥 1.5C warming threshold than previously thought, according to of Antarctic ice cores suggesting that, in 2023, human-driven warming reached 1.49C above pre-industrial levels.
Children in Somalia face perilously high rates of pneumonia and diarrhea鈥攖wo leading killers of children under age 5 globally鈥攁s well as the added risk of low immunization rates, per a by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Pathogens on microplastics can survive wastewater treatment and can quickly form protective microbial biofilms鈥攁llowing them to form colonies of 鈥減lastispheres鈥 that pose a threat to human and environmental health, finds a new from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
鈥嬧媁omen are stockpiling emergency contraception pills in the week since Donald Trump was re-elected as U.S. president, with one company鈥檚 sales of morning-after pills rising 966% as of Friday compared with three days before the election. GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY A child is vaccinated during the polio vaccination campaign in Deir al Balah, Gaza, on September 1. Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images Stopping Polio in Gaza and Why It Matters
Last week鈥檚 conclusion of a two-month effort to protect over half a million children from polio was an important advance for Gaza鈥攁nd the world, writes vaccine expert Walter Orenstein in an exclusive commentary for GHN.
Gaza鈥檚 challenge: The polio strain circulating in Gaza is type 2 variant poliovirus, which 31 countries are currently battling.
The vaccine used in Gaza is the . It鈥檚 less likely than a previous version of the oral polio vaccine to revert to a form that can cause paralysis.
Encouraging record: Over the three and half years of nOPV2鈥檚 use, the number of type 2 variant poliovirus cases has been reduced, providing hope that the end of type 2 variant polio is in sight, writes Orenstein.
The future: Polio anywhere is a risk to communities everywhere. All children everywhere need to be fully vaccinated against polio. This will require overcoming hurdles like war, climate disasters, political instability, and vaccine misinformation.
We鈥檝e seen the result of such commitment in Gaza. It鈥檚 now essential to get the same cooperation, resources, and determination everywhere.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH STIs Slow Down in the U.S.
Some good news for sexually active Americans: The STI epidemic lost steam in 2023, according to .
Mpox vaccination shortage delays Kinshasa's drive against outbreak 鈥
WikiGuidelines group publishes first new UTI guidance in 14 years 鈥
This scientist treated her own cancer with viruses she grew in the lab 鈥 Issue No. 2814
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
A surge of gang violence in Haiti puts the country at further risk of isolation, as airlines halt flights to the country and as hospitals and medical groups like M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res describe untenable working conditions.
No flights: Haiti鈥檚 main international airport in Port-au-Prince remains closed after three U.S. commercial passenger planes were hit by suspected gang gunfire, and the FAA has now banned all U.S. airlines from operating in Haiti for 30 days, .
- Even UN helicopters are unable to land in the capital, and the closure has raised questions about the arrival of 600 Kenyan police officers, deployed to reinforce a UN-backed security mission.
Hospitals are struggling to cope with an 鈥渋ndescribable鈥 surge of traumatic injuries, as doctors and medical facilities buckle under the pressures of an already devastating year, . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Global temperatures may be closer to the 鈥渃rucial鈥 1.5C warming threshold than previously thought, according to of Antarctic ice cores suggesting that, in 2023, human-driven warming reached 1.49C above pre-industrial levels.
Children in Somalia face perilously high rates of pneumonia and diarrhea鈥攖wo leading killers of children under age 5 globally鈥攁s well as the added risk of low immunization rates, per a by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Pathogens on microplastics can survive wastewater treatment and can quickly form protective microbial biofilms鈥攁llowing them to form colonies of 鈥減lastispheres鈥 that pose a threat to human and environmental health, finds a new from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
鈥嬧媁omen are stockpiling emergency contraception pills in the week since Donald Trump was re-elected as U.S. president, with one company鈥檚 sales of morning-after pills rising 966% as of Friday compared with three days before the election. GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY A child is vaccinated during the polio vaccination campaign in Deir al Balah, Gaza, on September 1. Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images Stopping Polio in Gaza and Why It Matters
Last week鈥檚 conclusion of a two-month effort to protect over half a million children from polio was an important advance for Gaza鈥攁nd the world, writes vaccine expert Walter Orenstein in an exclusive commentary for GHN.
Gaza鈥檚 challenge: The polio strain circulating in Gaza is type 2 variant poliovirus, which 31 countries are currently battling.
The vaccine used in Gaza is the . It鈥檚 less likely than a previous version of the oral polio vaccine to revert to a form that can cause paralysis.
Encouraging record: Over the three and half years of nOPV2鈥檚 use, the number of type 2 variant poliovirus cases has been reduced, providing hope that the end of type 2 variant polio is in sight, writes Orenstein.
The future: Polio anywhere is a risk to communities everywhere. All children everywhere need to be fully vaccinated against polio. This will require overcoming hurdles like war, climate disasters, political instability, and vaccine misinformation.
We鈥檝e seen the result of such commitment in Gaza. It鈥檚 now essential to get the same cooperation, resources, and determination everywhere.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH STIs Slow Down in the U.S.
Some good news for sexually active Americans: The STI epidemic lost steam in 2023, according to .
- Overall, syphilis increased by only 1% after years of double-digit increases.
- Cases of the most infectious stages of syphilis fell 10% from 2022.
- Gonorrhea cases dropped 7%, falling below pre-COVID levels.
- Growing use of the antibiotic doxycycline as a 鈥渕orning-after pill鈥 to reduce the risk of bacterial STIs.
- Changes in sexual behavior and testing habits among high-risk populations after the 2022 mpox outbreak.
- More funding into health departments following the pandemic, meaning more health workers conducting testing and contact tracing and connecting people to treatment.
Mpox vaccination shortage delays Kinshasa's drive against outbreak 鈥
WikiGuidelines group publishes first new UTI guidance in 14 years 鈥
This scientist treated her own cancer with viruses she grew in the lab 鈥 Issue No. 2814
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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
Adolescents across Europe, Central Asia and Canada say they face rising school pressure and diminishing support from families and friends, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey.
Categories: Global Health Feed
Open Science project funded for $1.5M
YCharOS antibody characterization platform addresses the 鈥渞eproducibility crisis鈥 in research
An innovative research project led by researchers at The Neuro has been awarded $1.5M by the Government of Quebec through CQDM.
YCharOS is an innovative platform led by neuroscientists Peter McPherson and Carl Laflamme that validates antibody reagents for human proteins.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Malaria in Children Surges in South Sudan; Seeking Suicide Intervention in Japan; and America鈥檚 Covid-19 Hangover
November 12, 2024
Malaria in Children Surges in South Sudan
An upsurge in malaria cases in South Sudan, fueled by recent floods, is overwhelming the country鈥檚 health system, .
Years of unprecedented flooding have left large swaths of South Sudan鈥檚 Unity State submerged, allowing pollution from mismanaged oil production facilities to seep into drinking water sources鈥攃ausing digestive illnesses and birth defects, .
No recourse: Reliance on the oil industry means little has been done to hold companies accountable, advocates say鈥攚ith one former oil engineer describing the spreading oil as a 鈥渟ilent killer.鈥 DATA POINT The Latest One-Liners
Refugees and asylum seekers are nearly 3X as likely to be colonized or infected with drug-resistant bacteria as the host-country population, that explored case studies in nine current humanitarian settings.
Dengue death rates are 2X higher for women (1.86%) than men (0.61%) in Chattogram, Bangladesh, this year; doctors say delayed hospitalization, anemia, and low blood pressure鈥攁ll more common among women鈥攅xplain the disparity.
The American Stroke Association鈥檚 on stroke prevention鈥攖he first in 10 years鈥攔ecommend that doctors consider a new class of drugs that can drastically reduce weight, and screen for non-medical risk factors like economic stability and racism.
Online e-cigarette retailers are failing to comply with restrictions on sales for minors, including regulations on age verification, shipping methods, and flavor restrictions ; delivery services only scanned IDs for 1% of buyers. MENTAL HEALTH Seeking Suicide Intervention in Japan
Advocates in Japan are calling for a greater focus on youth mental health after suicides among schoolchildren in the country remained 鈥渁larmingly high鈥 in 2023.
Drinking in the U.S. increased sharply during the pandemic and still hasn鈥檛 returned to pre-COVID-19 levels, .
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Rwanda discharges last patient of Marburg virus disease: WHO 鈥
Paxlovid cuts COVID hospitalization, death risk and speeds symptom relief, studies find 鈥
US FDA lifts clinical hold on Novavax's combo COVID-flu shot 鈥
Mpox Cases Plateau in Congo's Epicenter But Rise in Other Countries 鈥
'More mortality, more illness': Global health community braces for impact of U.S. election 鈥
No Pandemic Agreement By December As Negotiators Need 'More Time' 鈥
More young people are surviving cancer. Then they face a life altered by it 鈥
Easy-fit prosthetics offer hope to thousands of Gaza amputees 鈥 Issue No. 2813
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 .
An upsurge in malaria cases in South Sudan, fueled by recent floods, is overwhelming the country鈥檚 health system, .
- Pediatric patients with severe malaria have swamped a M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res-supported hospital in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, , forcing doctors to treat some patients in halls.
- 400 children with severe malaria are admitted weekly鈥2X last year鈥檚 numbers.
Years of unprecedented flooding have left large swaths of South Sudan鈥檚 Unity State submerged, allowing pollution from mismanaged oil production facilities to seep into drinking water sources鈥攃ausing digestive illnesses and birth defects, .
No recourse: Reliance on the oil industry means little has been done to hold companies accountable, advocates say鈥攚ith one former oil engineer describing the spreading oil as a 鈥渟ilent killer.鈥 DATA POINT The Latest One-Liners
Refugees and asylum seekers are nearly 3X as likely to be colonized or infected with drug-resistant bacteria as the host-country population, that explored case studies in nine current humanitarian settings.
Dengue death rates are 2X higher for women (1.86%) than men (0.61%) in Chattogram, Bangladesh, this year; doctors say delayed hospitalization, anemia, and low blood pressure鈥攁ll more common among women鈥攅xplain the disparity.
The American Stroke Association鈥檚 on stroke prevention鈥攖he first in 10 years鈥攔ecommend that doctors consider a new class of drugs that can drastically reduce weight, and screen for non-medical risk factors like economic stability and racism.
Online e-cigarette retailers are failing to comply with restrictions on sales for minors, including regulations on age verification, shipping methods, and flavor restrictions ; delivery services only scanned IDs for 1% of buyers. MENTAL HEALTH Seeking Suicide Intervention in Japan
Advocates in Japan are calling for a greater focus on youth mental health after suicides among schoolchildren in the country remained 鈥渁larmingly high鈥 in 2023.
- 513 deaths were reported in Japan last year鈥攎arking the second consecutive year above 500, per Japan鈥檚 Ministry of Health, and a sharp increase from 300 in 2010.
- 鈥淥ne of the biggest problems among young people today is that they find it difficult to be optimistic about their future,鈥 said Izumi Tsuji, a sociologist at Chuo University and member of the Japan Youth Study Group.
Drinking in the U.S. increased sharply during the pandemic and still hasn鈥檛 returned to pre-COVID-19 levels, .
- Americans who reported drinking heavily increased to 6.29% in 2022, up from 5.1% in 2018.
- 69.3% said they had consumed alcohol in the past year, up from 66.34% in 2018.
- 6.45% of women reported having drunk heavily, while the men鈥檚 reported rate was 6.12%.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Rwanda discharges last patient of Marburg virus disease: WHO 鈥
Paxlovid cuts COVID hospitalization, death risk and speeds symptom relief, studies find 鈥
US FDA lifts clinical hold on Novavax's combo COVID-flu shot 鈥
Mpox Cases Plateau in Congo's Epicenter But Rise in Other Countries 鈥
'More mortality, more illness': Global health community braces for impact of U.S. election 鈥
No Pandemic Agreement By December As Negotiators Need 'More Time' 鈥
More young people are surviving cancer. Then they face a life altered by it 鈥
Easy-fit prosthetics offer hope to thousands of Gaza amputees 鈥 Issue No. 2813
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, Aliza Rosen, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2024 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: Putting 鈥楬ealth at the Core鈥 of Climate Action; Iraq Set to Lower Girls鈥 Age of Consent to 9; and The (Global) Power of Plastic
WHO says human health and well-being should be the 鈥渢op measure of climate success鈥
November 11, 2024
Attendees at the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, on November 11. Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty
Putting 鈥楬ealth at the Core鈥 of Climate Action
Human health and well-being should be the 鈥渢op measure of climate success鈥 and should be 鈥渁t the core of all climate negotiations, strategies, policies and action plans,鈥 ahead of the climate conference, which launched today in Baku, Azerbaijan.
A released for the conference covered a wide range of health-related recommendations, , including:
Canada has detected its first 鈥減resumptive鈥 case of human bird flu: a teenager in British Columbia who likely caught the virus from a bird or animal, from province health officials.
Testing for bird flu should be expanded at U.S. farms, says the CDC鈥攁fter a revealed that some dairy workers had H5N1-related antibodies in their blood despite not showing symptoms of the virus.
Abortion pills and gender-affirming medications are in unprecedented demand post-election, suppliers report鈥攚ith people 鈥渢rying to plan for the reproductive apocalypse鈥 feared under another Trump presidency.
The WHO will convene its International Health Regulations Emergency Committee next week to determine whether mpox remains a global health crisis; the disease continues to spread in Africa, which has seen 46,000+ cases so far this year. HUMAN RIGHTS Iraq Set to Lower Girls鈥 Age of Consent to 9
Iraq鈥檚 parliament appears poised to lower the legal age of marriage from 18 to 9.
The dominant coalition of conservative Shia Muslim parties claims that the change would protect young girls from 鈥渋mmoral relationships鈥; women鈥檚 rights activists counter that the government is attempting to 鈥渓egalise child rape.鈥
The change would also erase women鈥檚 rights to divorce, child custody, and inheritance.
Athraa Al-Hassan, of Model Iraqi Woman, said she fears that Iraq鈥檚 governance system could be replaced with a system that puts religious rule above the state鈥攁s in Afghanistan and Iran.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POLLUTION The (Global) Power of Plastic
Plastic pollution is affecting all pressing global environmental problems, including climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and freshwater and land use, according to a published last week in One Earth.
The warning comes before to agree to a legally binding global treaty to cut plastic pollution.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Suspected poisoning kills dozens in besieged Sudanese town 鈥
WHO calls for urgent action in Africa to eliminate Cervical Cancer amid high burden 鈥
Africa CDC launches trial of smallpox drug for mpox 鈥
Research suggests no need for yellow fever vaccine booster after initial dose 鈥
New research from Philly ER doctors shows the 鈥榚xcruciating鈥 effect of xylazine withdrawal, and how to manage it 鈥
Three states had paid leave on the ballot. Voters in each one overwhelmingly approved them 鈥
America Has an Onion Problem 鈥 Issue No. 2812
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 .
Human health and well-being should be the 鈥渢op measure of climate success鈥 and should be 鈥渁t the core of all climate negotiations, strategies, policies and action plans,鈥 ahead of the climate conference, which launched today in Baku, Azerbaijan.
- 鈥淗ealth is the lived experience of climate change,鈥 said Maria Neira, the WHO鈥檚 director for environment, climate change, and health.
A released for the conference covered a wide range of health-related recommendations, , including:
- Putting more focus on cities to drive initiatives like sustainable urban design and housing, clean energy, urban agriculture, and improved sanitation.
- Creating resilient health systems to protect health and save lives.
- Investing in interventions like heat-health warning systems and clean household energy.
- Improving biodiversity, recognizing the 鈥渟ynergistic health benefits鈥 of clean air, water, and food security.
Canada has detected its first 鈥減resumptive鈥 case of human bird flu: a teenager in British Columbia who likely caught the virus from a bird or animal, from province health officials.
Testing for bird flu should be expanded at U.S. farms, says the CDC鈥攁fter a revealed that some dairy workers had H5N1-related antibodies in their blood despite not showing symptoms of the virus.
Abortion pills and gender-affirming medications are in unprecedented demand post-election, suppliers report鈥攚ith people 鈥渢rying to plan for the reproductive apocalypse鈥 feared under another Trump presidency.
The WHO will convene its International Health Regulations Emergency Committee next week to determine whether mpox remains a global health crisis; the disease continues to spread in Africa, which has seen 46,000+ cases so far this year. HUMAN RIGHTS Iraq Set to Lower Girls鈥 Age of Consent to 9
Iraq鈥檚 parliament appears poised to lower the legal age of marriage from 18 to 9.
The dominant coalition of conservative Shia Muslim parties claims that the change would protect young girls from 鈥渋mmoral relationships鈥; women鈥檚 rights activists counter that the government is attempting to 鈥渓egalise child rape.鈥
The change would also erase women鈥檚 rights to divorce, child custody, and inheritance.
Athraa Al-Hassan, of Model Iraqi Woman, said she fears that Iraq鈥檚 governance system could be replaced with a system that puts religious rule above the state鈥攁s in Afghanistan and Iran.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POLLUTION The (Global) Power of Plastic
Plastic pollution is affecting all pressing global environmental problems, including climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and freshwater and land use, according to a published last week in One Earth.
- In 2022, over 500 metric tons of plastic were produced worldwide, but just ~9% of it was recycled. The rest is burned or dumped.
The warning comes before to agree to a legally binding global treaty to cut plastic pollution.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Suspected poisoning kills dozens in besieged Sudanese town 鈥
WHO calls for urgent action in Africa to eliminate Cervical Cancer amid high burden 鈥
Africa CDC launches trial of smallpox drug for mpox 鈥
Research suggests no need for yellow fever vaccine booster after initial dose 鈥
New research from Philly ER doctors shows the 鈥榚xcruciating鈥 effect of xylazine withdrawal, and how to manage it 鈥
Three states had paid leave on the ballot. Voters in each one overwhelmingly approved them 鈥
America Has an Onion Problem 鈥 Issue No. 2812
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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
Amid the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East, the World Health Organization (WHO) continues efforts to keep hospitals up and running and to evacuate patients requiring specialized treatment, a senior official with the UN agency said in Cairo on Monday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
At-home neurological disorder diagnosis project receives major funding
$1M grant from The Weston Family Foundation will pave the way for earlier intervention in REM sleep behaviour disorder and Parkinson鈥檚 disease
REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is an often debilitating condition that causes people to act out in their sleep, sometimes violently. What鈥檚 worse, people with the disorder often go on to develop Parkinson鈥檚 disease.
Categories: Global Health Feed
An alarming surge in ransomware attacks is putting the world鈥檚 healthcare infrastructure at critical risk, endangering patient safety and destabilising health systems, the head of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday, as the Security Council convened to discuss strategies to counter the growing threat.
Categories: Global Health Feed
