Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, is an invisible killer, so world leaders are holding a high-level meeting at UN Headquarters on Thursday in New York to discuss the best ways forward, adopting a political declaration that focuses on a coordinated response to one of the most serious public health threats. UN News app users can follow here.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Revisiting Stockpiles as Mpox Spreads; The Power of the Promotoras Model; and DIY Injections
September 25, 2024
Health workers walk between wards at the mpox treatment center at Nyiragongo General Referral Hospital, north of Goma, on August 17. Guerchom Ndebo/AFP via Getty
Revisiting Stockpiles as Mpox Spreads
The WHO is urging wealthy countries with smallpox vaccine stockpiles to give some of those doses to African countries that are still battling mpox empty-handed, .
And in India: Health officials confirmed the country鈥檚 first case of clade 1b mpox in a 38-year-old man who had recently traveled to Dubai, .
Related: CDC Alerts on Mpox Prevention for Patients Heading to Areas With Clade I Outbreaks 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners At least 210 women were charged with pregnancy-related crimes since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022鈥攎ore than in any other 12-month period since 1973, ; in most of the cases, women were accused not of violating abortion bans, but of child abuse, neglect, or fetus endangerment.
More than 1 in 3 children around the world are shortsighted, that points to excessive screen time and too little time outdoors; Asian children were most affected, with a prevalence rate of 85% in Japan and 73% in South Korea, versus 1% in Paraguay and Uganda.
Many hospitalized COVID-19 patients show worse cognitive function more than a year after their illness compared with those who weren't hospitalized, published in Nature Medicine.
Outbreak detection efforts in South and Southeast Asia remain 鈥渦nder-resourced鈥濃攚ith only about half the countries studied currently including genomic surveillance initiatives in their national plans, published in Nature Microbiology. REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH The Power of the Promotoras Model
The landscape of reproductive rights in the U.S. is already byzantine鈥攂ut for newly arrived immigrants, it is even more confounding.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TECH AND INNOVATIONS DIY Injections
In some regions where people struggle to access critical medicines, the problem is not a lack of drugs鈥攂ut the lack of medical providers to dispense them.
That鈥檚 why new attention is focusing on medication delivery, and in particular: the syringe.
Breakthrough delivery: Marc Koska, who invented the single-use auto-disable syringe in 1987, hopes to take that creation to the next level in the form of self-injectable syringes, preloaded with the exact dose of medication.
QUICK HITS 鈥榃e are not testing enough鈥: new US bird flu cases stoke fears over poor response 鈥
Will the UNGA meeting on AMR deliver results for the global south? 鈥
A lead poisoning mystery: How 2 detectives fingered a surprising culprit 鈥
Senate chairman demands answers from emergency rooms that denied care to pregnant patients 鈥
Ozempic maker's CEO blames insurance companies for weight-loss drug prices 鈥
Top Chinese vape firms research nicotine alternatives 鈥
These Maternity Homes Offer Sanctuary, but It Can Feel Oppressive 鈥
1 in 7 scientific papers is fake, suggests study that author calls 鈥榳ildly nonsystematic鈥 鈥
Health warning over face-slap fighting 鈥 Issue No. 2786
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 .
The WHO is urging wealthy countries with smallpox vaccine stockpiles to give some of those doses to African countries that are still battling mpox empty-handed, .
- Smallpox vaccines have been shown effective against mpox, and an estimated hundreds of millions are in global stockpiles. They could help fight the outbreak as efforts to get mpox vaccines to the region continue to stall.
- 鈥淩ight now we have an immediate need,鈥 said the WHO鈥檚 Maria Van Kerkhove.
- 鈥淯ltimately, successfully eliminating human-to-human transmission of mpox in Africa will come down to local public health action,鈥 the group wrote.
And in India: Health officials confirmed the country鈥檚 first case of clade 1b mpox in a 38-year-old man who had recently traveled to Dubai, .
Related: CDC Alerts on Mpox Prevention for Patients Heading to Areas With Clade I Outbreaks 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners At least 210 women were charged with pregnancy-related crimes since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022鈥攎ore than in any other 12-month period since 1973, ; in most of the cases, women were accused not of violating abortion bans, but of child abuse, neglect, or fetus endangerment.
More than 1 in 3 children around the world are shortsighted, that points to excessive screen time and too little time outdoors; Asian children were most affected, with a prevalence rate of 85% in Japan and 73% in South Korea, versus 1% in Paraguay and Uganda.
Many hospitalized COVID-19 patients show worse cognitive function more than a year after their illness compared with those who weren't hospitalized, published in Nature Medicine.
Outbreak detection efforts in South and Southeast Asia remain 鈥渦nder-resourced鈥濃攚ith only about half the countries studied currently including genomic surveillance initiatives in their national plans, published in Nature Microbiology. REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH The Power of the Promotoras Model
The landscape of reproductive rights in the U.S. is already byzantine鈥攂ut for newly arrived immigrants, it is even more confounding.
- For example: A recent community survey in New Jersey found that nearly 70% of Latinx immigrants did not know that abortion was legal in the state.
- In the promotoras model, developed in Latin America in the 1960s, local residents serve as 鈥渢rusted messengers鈥 to share and gather health information.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TECH AND INNOVATIONS DIY Injections
In some regions where people struggle to access critical medicines, the problem is not a lack of drugs鈥攂ut the lack of medical providers to dispense them.
That鈥檚 why new attention is focusing on medication delivery, and in particular: the syringe.
Breakthrough delivery: Marc Koska, who invented the single-use auto-disable syringe in 1987, hopes to take that creation to the next level in the form of self-injectable syringes, preloaded with the exact dose of medication.
- 鈥淲e need to get to the point where people can say 鈥榓ll right, I can do this myself,鈥欌 said Koska.
QUICK HITS 鈥榃e are not testing enough鈥: new US bird flu cases stoke fears over poor response 鈥
Will the UNGA meeting on AMR deliver results for the global south? 鈥
A lead poisoning mystery: How 2 detectives fingered a surprising culprit 鈥
Senate chairman demands answers from emergency rooms that denied care to pregnant patients 鈥
Ozempic maker's CEO blames insurance companies for weight-loss drug prices 鈥
Top Chinese vape firms research nicotine alternatives 鈥
These Maternity Homes Offer Sanctuary, but It Can Feel Oppressive 鈥
1 in 7 scientific papers is fake, suggests study that author calls 鈥榳ildly nonsystematic鈥 鈥
Health warning over face-slap fighting 鈥 Issue No. 2786
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
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an invisible killer, which is directly responsible for 1.3 million deaths and a contributing factor to five million other fatalities every year. Everyone seems to have had a family member or friend who has either gotten seriously ill or died due to acquiring an infection that did not respond to prescribed medicines, and the underlying reason was often antimicrobial resistance. Yet, there are many ways of addressing this threat, from hygiene and sanitation to vaccination and avoiding overuse or misuse of medicines.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Holding the Polio Eradication Effort Hostage; Cancer Care Inequities Are Costing Kids' Lives; and A Refuge from Relentless Threats
September 24, 2024
Holding the Polio Eradication Effort Hostage
In northwestern Pakistan, village leaders frustrated by government neglect are boycotting polio immunization campaigns鈥攁llowing vaccinations only in exchange for services like electricity, water, paved roads, health care, or jobs鈥攗nwinding Pakistan鈥檚 progress against the virus.
The Quote: 鈥淲e do care for our children, but we also know that the government concedes to our demands only when we stay away from polio drops,鈥 says Zeeshan Ali, a Kuki Khel tribesman who participated in a polio boycott that secured a government promise to repatriate people displaced by war.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners The Biden Administration plans to announce a donation today of 1 million mpox vaccine doses and at least $500 million to African countries in a bid to halt the spread.
California cow herds infected with H5N1 bird flu doubled last weekend鈥攇oing from 17 last Thursday to 34 yesterday morning, making California second only to Colorado, which has confirmed 64 infected herds, among all affected states.
African countries鈥 longer life expectancies鈥攁nd the fastest growing senior population in the world鈥攈erald a sharp increase in dementia cases in coming decades; challenges include outdated detection technologies, insufficient research, and inadequate data.
The U.S. obesity rate is 鈥渉igh and holding steady鈥 at ~40%, per a of ~6,000 people, but the proportion of Americans with severe obesity has ticked up from a decade ago鈥攆rom ~8% to ~10%鈥攚ith women nearly 2X as likely as men to be affected. GHN EXCLUSIVE Q&A A boy who has cancer sits on a bed as he receives treatment at the Oncology Centre in Sanaa, Yemen, on November 10, 2020. Hani Al-Ansi/picture alliance via Getty Cancer Care Inequities Are Costing Kids Their Lives
An estimated 400,000 children and adolescents worldwide develop cancer each year. But only half are ever diagnosed鈥攁nd . More than 80% of children with cancer in high-income countries are cured, compared to less than 30% in many LMICs, .
Compared to children in wealthier nations, kids in LMICs are more likely to experience:
Overcoming them requires global health care collaboration, adds Andreas Dracopoulos, co-president of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).
Looking forward: Kung and Dracopoulos are currently working with the , an MSK Cancer Center and SNF initiative, that aims 鈥渢o optimize outcomes for young patients globally by expanding clinical care expertise, educational and specialized training, and collaborative translational research,鈥 says Kung. DATA POINT MENTAL HEALTH A Refuge from Relentless Threats
Across Latin America, Indigenous environmental advocates seeking to protect ancestral lands from outside industries have faced ruthless repercussions: intimidation, incarceration, assassinations, or forced disappearances.
鈥淚nvisible traumas鈥: But targeted advocates also face profound mental suffering under such constant duress, including insomnia, panic attacks, depression, and suicidal ideation.
Places of healing: In response, a network of safe houses and temporary shelters is being created by groups of psychologists, social workers, and lawyers to support advocates鈥 mental health.
Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner! GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES VACCINES Lessons from Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky, has been held up as a vaccination success by offering vaccinations through school clinics and raising vaccination rates 4% for kindergartners during the 2022鈥2023 school year.
But numbers have slipped once again鈥攁nd remain below the national threshold, part of a growing trend.
Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff! QUICK HITS The mosquito-bourne virus that's spreading without a cure 鈥
The Downstream Effects of Fixing a Racist Lung Test 鈥
Racism, other social factors may affect Asian Americans鈥 heart health 鈥嬧嬧
鈥嬧婽he human cost of ghost networks 鈥
Surrogates face higher risk of pregnancy complications, study finds 鈥
Why climate change means more blood shortages: Q&A with HHS鈥 Rachel Levine 鈥
The Secret to Getting Men to Wear Hearing Aids 鈥 Issue No. 2785
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 northwestern Pakistan, village leaders frustrated by government neglect are boycotting polio immunization campaigns鈥攁llowing vaccinations only in exchange for services like electricity, water, paved roads, health care, or jobs鈥攗nwinding Pakistan鈥檚 progress against the virus.
- Two years ago, Pakistan appeared close to defeating polio, with no cases for over a year; this year so far, the country has identified 18 cases.
The Quote: 鈥淲e do care for our children, but we also know that the government concedes to our demands only when we stay away from polio drops,鈥 says Zeeshan Ali, a Kuki Khel tribesman who participated in a polio boycott that secured a government promise to repatriate people displaced by war.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners The Biden Administration plans to announce a donation today of 1 million mpox vaccine doses and at least $500 million to African countries in a bid to halt the spread.
California cow herds infected with H5N1 bird flu doubled last weekend鈥攇oing from 17 last Thursday to 34 yesterday morning, making California second only to Colorado, which has confirmed 64 infected herds, among all affected states.
African countries鈥 longer life expectancies鈥攁nd the fastest growing senior population in the world鈥攈erald a sharp increase in dementia cases in coming decades; challenges include outdated detection technologies, insufficient research, and inadequate data.
The U.S. obesity rate is 鈥渉igh and holding steady鈥 at ~40%, per a of ~6,000 people, but the proportion of Americans with severe obesity has ticked up from a decade ago鈥攆rom ~8% to ~10%鈥攚ith women nearly 2X as likely as men to be affected. GHN EXCLUSIVE Q&A A boy who has cancer sits on a bed as he receives treatment at the Oncology Centre in Sanaa, Yemen, on November 10, 2020. Hani Al-Ansi/picture alliance via Getty Cancer Care Inequities Are Costing Kids Their Lives
An estimated 400,000 children and adolescents worldwide develop cancer each year. But only half are ever diagnosed鈥攁nd . More than 80% of children with cancer in high-income countries are cured, compared to less than 30% in many LMICs, .
Compared to children in wealthier nations, kids in LMICs are more likely to experience:
- Delays in diagnosis.
- Lack of access to imaging, diagnostic testing, and medications.
- A scarcity of high-volume centers鈥攊mpeding access to specialized oncology, surgery, and radiotherapy expertise.
- Inadequate support services.
Overcoming them requires global health care collaboration, adds Andreas Dracopoulos, co-president of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).
Looking forward: Kung and Dracopoulos are currently working with the , an MSK Cancer Center and SNF initiative, that aims 鈥渢o optimize outcomes for young patients globally by expanding clinical care expertise, educational and specialized training, and collaborative translational research,鈥 says Kung. DATA POINT MENTAL HEALTH A Refuge from Relentless Threats
Across Latin America, Indigenous environmental advocates seeking to protect ancestral lands from outside industries have faced ruthless repercussions: intimidation, incarceration, assassinations, or forced disappearances.
鈥淚nvisible traumas鈥: But targeted advocates also face profound mental suffering under such constant duress, including insomnia, panic attacks, depression, and suicidal ideation.
Places of healing: In response, a network of safe houses and temporary shelters is being created by groups of psychologists, social workers, and lawyers to support advocates鈥 mental health.
- The havens use different forms of therapy, arts and crafts, and educational workshops to help residents 鈥渂reathe, sleep and rest鈥濃攁nd build resilience.
Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner! GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES VACCINES Lessons from Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky, has been held up as a vaccination success by offering vaccinations through school clinics and raising vaccination rates 4% for kindergartners during the 2022鈥2023 school year.
But numbers have slipped once again鈥攁nd remain below the national threshold, part of a growing trend.
- 40% of American parents said vaccinating their child was 鈥渆xtremely important鈥濃18% less than 2018.
Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff! QUICK HITS The mosquito-bourne virus that's spreading without a cure 鈥
The Downstream Effects of Fixing a Racist Lung Test 鈥
Racism, other social factors may affect Asian Americans鈥 heart health 鈥嬧嬧
鈥嬧婽he human cost of ghost networks 鈥
Surrogates face higher risk of pregnancy complications, study finds 鈥
Why climate change means more blood shortages: Q&A with HHS鈥 Rachel Levine 鈥
The Secret to Getting Men to Wear Hearing Aids 鈥 Issue No. 2785
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: The Toll of Traumatic Injuries in Gaza; Strengthening Systems to Ready for a Pandemic Agreement; and Intelligent Infrastructure
September 23, 2024
The Toll of Traumatic Injuries in Gaza
Life-changing injuries to people in Gaza are being severely undertreated, 鈥攍eaving them vulnerable to further physical and mental deterioration as the war there continues.
A found that ~22,500 people are likely to have 鈥渁cute and ongoing rehabilitation needs鈥 that include extremity injuries, amputations, spinal cord injuries, and burns.
Adolescents are especially vulnerable to the 鈥渁cute stress鈥 from injuries they have suffered and will require long-term psychotherapy.
鈥楩ear of war鈥 causing speech problems in Gaza 鈥
UN to add nutrients to second round of Gaza polio vaccinations 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Whooping cough is surging in the U.S., which has reported over 4X as many cases compared with last year; unvaccinated teens and tweens are driving the surge in many states.
A second Missouri health worker who had contact with a hospitalized avian flu patient developed 鈥渕ild respiratory symptoms鈥 but was not tested for the virus, U.S. officials have reported.
U.S. trade regulators have sued the three largest pharmacy benefit managers for allegedly engaging in 鈥渁nticompetitive practices鈥 that boosted profits while inflating the list price of insulin.
A nasal spray flu vaccine will be available for home use starting next fall after the FDA expanded its approval of AstraZeneca鈥檚 FluMist; it will be the first flu vaccine that doesn't need to be administered by a health provider and will be sold direct to consumers. GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY A woman enters a pharmacy damaged in a Russian drone attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on January 31. Ivan Samoilov / Gwara Media / Global Images Ukraine via Getty Pandemic Agreement May Happen Eventually ... But Is the World Ready? After the latest round of pandemic accord discussions wrapped up last week, 鈥攊ncluding in research and development, regulatory systems strengthening, and pandemic prevention and technology. Discussions will resume in November.
But countries don鈥檛 need to wait until WHO member states reach consensus to begin the essential, though perhaps less exciting, behind-the-scenes system-strengthening work to prepare for the accord鈥檚 implementation, .
He offers three ways that global health professionals and donors can help strengthen LMIC pharmaceutical systems now:
Newly published research explores the possibility that wild animals brought to the Wuhan market were at the 鈥渆picenter鈥 of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The , published last week in Cell, traces 鈥渨ith unprecedented granularity鈥 how SARS-CoV-2 was present at a specific part of the market where wildlife鈥攊ncluding raccoon dogs, palm civets, Himalayan marmots, and other creatures鈥攚ere kept and sold.
The genetic data used for the analysis were drawn from swabs taken at the market by Chinese scientists on Jan. 1 and Jan. 12, 2020, as the market was shut down.
Ongoing controversy: Critics say the analysis depends on flawed and biased data, as 鈥淐hinese scientists were preferentially collecting data鈥 from areas where live animals were sold.
ROAD SAFETY Intelligent Infrastructure
In the global quest to reduce traffic deaths, safety advocates are increasingly looking beyond driver behavior鈥攚ith more focus on cars and roads.
Reactive roadways: One big-picture tool getting more attention is wireless technology known as 鈥渧ehicle to everything,鈥 or V2X, which allows vehicles to transmit information about speed, road conditions, and emergencies鈥攑rompting traffic signals to adapt accordingly to improve safety and flow.
Related:
14 children injured in accidents every day going to or from school 鈥
California鈥檚 Anti-Speeding Bill Can Be a Traffic Safety Breakthrough 鈥 OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Jordan becomes first country to receive WHO verification for eliminating leprosy 鈥
Nigeria's frontliners are learning fast to get ahead of mpox 鈥
Why Big Tobacco is betting on Trump 鈥
Doctors Said These Women鈥檚 Mutated Genes Wouldn鈥檛 Harm Them 鈥
Tackling period poverty in Lebanon鈥檚 refugee camps 鈥
Could an Old Drug Protect Against a New Pandemic? 鈥
Scientists are building giant 鈥榚vidence banks鈥 to create policies that actually work 鈥
Time for a noodle tax?: Doctor who sounded alarm on ultra-processed food urges tougher action 鈥
Long-overlooked scientist shares Lasker Award with other GLP-1 researchers 鈥 Issue No. 2784
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 .
Life-changing injuries to people in Gaza are being severely undertreated, 鈥攍eaving them vulnerable to further physical and mental deterioration as the war there continues.
A found that ~22,500 people are likely to have 鈥渁cute and ongoing rehabilitation needs鈥 that include extremity injuries, amputations, spinal cord injuries, and burns.
- But rehabilitation services 鈥渄o not come close to meeting the enormous surge in needs,鈥 the report found.
- Meanwhile, MSF estimates ~4,000 people in Gaza need reconstructive surgery. The organization has been able to treat only a fraction of those people in its specialized hospital in Amman.
Adolescents are especially vulnerable to the 鈥渁cute stress鈥 from injuries they have suffered and will require long-term psychotherapy.
- 鈥淭his is a huge, tormenting catastrophe, and psychologically their minds are unable to bear all of this stress,鈥 said Ahmad Mahmoud Al Salem, an MSF psychiatrist in Amman.
鈥楩ear of war鈥 causing speech problems in Gaza 鈥
UN to add nutrients to second round of Gaza polio vaccinations 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Whooping cough is surging in the U.S., which has reported over 4X as many cases compared with last year; unvaccinated teens and tweens are driving the surge in many states.
A second Missouri health worker who had contact with a hospitalized avian flu patient developed 鈥渕ild respiratory symptoms鈥 but was not tested for the virus, U.S. officials have reported.
U.S. trade regulators have sued the three largest pharmacy benefit managers for allegedly engaging in 鈥渁nticompetitive practices鈥 that boosted profits while inflating the list price of insulin.
A nasal spray flu vaccine will be available for home use starting next fall after the FDA expanded its approval of AstraZeneca鈥檚 FluMist; it will be the first flu vaccine that doesn't need to be administered by a health provider and will be sold direct to consumers. GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY A woman enters a pharmacy damaged in a Russian drone attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on January 31. Ivan Samoilov / Gwara Media / Global Images Ukraine via Getty Pandemic Agreement May Happen Eventually ... But Is the World Ready? After the latest round of pandemic accord discussions wrapped up last week, 鈥攊ncluding in research and development, regulatory systems strengthening, and pandemic prevention and technology. Discussions will resume in November.
But countries don鈥檛 need to wait until WHO member states reach consensus to begin the essential, though perhaps less exciting, behind-the-scenes system-strengthening work to prepare for the accord鈥檚 implementation, .
He offers three ways that global health professionals and donors can help strengthen LMIC pharmaceutical systems now:
- Ensure adequate financing of national medicines regulatory authorities (NMRAs) tasked with ensuring new product safety.
- Strengthen pharmaceutical supply chains with an eye to long-term resilience.
Example: Ukraine鈥檚 supply chain program for HIV and TB drugs that uses a network of local, private-sector logistics providers has been twice repurposed: for vaccine delivery during COVID, and again to move emergency medical supplies during the invasion. - Establish pharmacovigilance to ensure newly introduced products remain safe.
Example: A few years ago, Bangladesh鈥檚 NMRA established a web-based surveillance system to monitor the safety of a novel TB treatment, which is now used to monitor adverse reactions for all medical products.
Newly published research explores the possibility that wild animals brought to the Wuhan market were at the 鈥渆picenter鈥 of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The , published last week in Cell, traces 鈥渨ith unprecedented granularity鈥 how SARS-CoV-2 was present at a specific part of the market where wildlife鈥攊ncluding raccoon dogs, palm civets, Himalayan marmots, and other creatures鈥攚ere kept and sold.
The genetic data used for the analysis were drawn from swabs taken at the market by Chinese scientists on Jan. 1 and Jan. 12, 2020, as the market was shut down.
Ongoing controversy: Critics say the analysis depends on flawed and biased data, as 鈥淐hinese scientists were preferentially collecting data鈥 from areas where live animals were sold.
ROAD SAFETY Intelligent Infrastructure
In the global quest to reduce traffic deaths, safety advocates are increasingly looking beyond driver behavior鈥攚ith more focus on cars and roads.
Reactive roadways: One big-picture tool getting more attention is wireless technology known as 鈥渧ehicle to everything,鈥 or V2X, which allows vehicles to transmit information about speed, road conditions, and emergencies鈥攑rompting traffic signals to adapt accordingly to improve safety and flow.
- The goal: 鈥淓xtending a car鈥檚 perception 鈥 through communication with traffic infrastructure and other vehicles.鈥
Related:
14 children injured in accidents every day going to or from school 鈥
California鈥檚 Anti-Speeding Bill Can Be a Traffic Safety Breakthrough 鈥 OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Jordan becomes first country to receive WHO verification for eliminating leprosy 鈥
Nigeria's frontliners are learning fast to get ahead of mpox 鈥
Why Big Tobacco is betting on Trump 鈥
Doctors Said These Women鈥檚 Mutated Genes Wouldn鈥檛 Harm Them 鈥
Tackling period poverty in Lebanon鈥檚 refugee camps 鈥
Could an Old Drug Protect Against a New Pandemic? 鈥
Scientists are building giant 鈥榚vidence banks鈥 to create policies that actually work 鈥
Time for a noodle tax?: Doctor who sounded alarm on ultra-processed food urges tougher action 鈥
Long-overlooked scientist shares Lasker Award with other GLP-1 researchers 鈥 Issue No. 2784
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
At least one in seven youngsters has a mental disorder. That鈥檚 the warning from the UN World Health Organization (WHO), which has appealed for much greater investment to help almost 1.3 billion teenagers globally.
Categories: Global Health Feed
The UN Children鈥檚 Fund, UNICEF, issued an urgent appeal on Friday for nearly $59 million to support efforts to halt the rapid spread of mpox in six African countries including Burundi, where youngsters have been impacted the most.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Sharp Bite of Inequity; Anesthesia Without Capnography: 鈥楲ike Flying Blind鈥; and Drunk Worms and Pigeon-Led Weapons
September 19, 2024
A man extracts venom from a poisonous snake at Queen Saovbha Memorial Institute, in Bangkok, on February 17, 2022. Matt Hunt/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty
The Sharp Bite of Inequity
Each year, ~5.4 million people worldwide are bitten by snakes鈥攌illing ~80,000, and leaving ~240,000 people with long-term or permanent disabilities, , recognizing today as International Snakebite Awareness Day.
The poorest and most isolated are particularly at risk: Most snakebites occur in rural areas of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where antivenoms are scarce, .
Gross inequities: MSF鈥檚 Matthieu Chevallier of the gross inequities at play鈥攆rom the likelihood of encountering a venomous snake and being bitten to having protection like basic shoes and adequate shelter. There鈥檚 also the question of access to treatment.
鈥淎s soon as you are bitten, the clock starts ticking,鈥 he writes. Fast care is crucial鈥攂ut in places like northeastern , it takes ~12 hours to get to a clinic. And even if a victim makes it there, many facilities don鈥檛 have treatments available. In Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia less than a third of the facilities had antivenom on hand.
The details an ambitious plan to tackle the problem鈥攂ut it is still grossly underfunded. Support from the , one of the few funding sources, is set to end soon and no new donors have stepped up.
Why the funding shortage? For one thing, snakebite is not a health security threat for donor countries; there鈥檚 no risk of cross-border contamination. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners The U.S. health system ranked dead last among 10 peer nations, 鈥攄espite the fact that Americans pay nearly double the amount that people in other nations pay.
Humor can be an effective way to reach people who would otherwise avoid life-saving information about colorectal cancer screening or other health messaging, .
The only two manufacturers still producing formula for premature infants are threatening to leave the market amid hundreds of lawsuits over safety labeling; the companies are being sued by families whose infants got sick or died after being given one of the formulas involved in a U.S. recall two and a half years ago.
The Los Angeles area is seeing more cases of dengue fever in people who haven鈥檛 left the U.S. mainland; public health officials said at least three people apparently became ill with dengue this month after being bitten by mosquitoes. GHN EXCLUSIVE A capnograph surgical monitoring device in a facility in Uganda. Muhwezi Davis, courtesy of SmileTrain / Lifebox. Anesthesia Without Capnography: 鈥楲ike Flying Blind鈥 鈥淭he color of her blood darkened. That鈥檚 how I knew that my patient was starved of oxygen,鈥 , recounting a harrowing incident when she was an anesthesia resident in Kenya, back in 2001, and the surgical team had trouble intubating the patient.
A simple device could have helped: Had the operating room been equipped with a capnograph鈥攁 noninvasive device that monitors how adequately a patient is breathing鈥攊t would have been clear immediately that the intubation tube wasn鈥檛 placed correctly. Administering anesthesia without it, says Gathuya, is 鈥渓ike flying blind.鈥
After a four-year lapse in routine vaccinations, a major catch-up campaign is underway in North Korea to protect against measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, and polio.
The country鈥檚 low vaccine coverage rate leaves kids vulnerable to severe illness and death from disease. It also greatly increases the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Drunk Worms and Pigeon-Led Weapons: The Iggys Are Back!
Only one scientific awards ceremony feels like 鈥渁 mixture between Monty Python and The Muppet Show鈥: .
The annual gala鈥攁lso known as 鈥淭he Iggys鈥濃 aims to spur interest in science by making 鈥減eople laugh, then think,鈥 . While winners鈥 contributions are unusual, they are 鈥渘ot to be laughed at鈥r, not to be exclusively laughed at,鈥 explained organizer Karen Hopkin.
Among this year鈥檚 laureates, :
From dodgy deterrence deals to drug cartels: Aid barriers in the Dari茅n 鈥
Bulletproofing America鈥檚 Classrooms 鈥
MomConnect turns 10: Why the state could soon send flood and heatwave warnings to pregnant women 鈥
Today is the first Disabled Women鈥檚 Equal Pay Day 鈥
Q&A: Former NIH director Francis Collins on a Trump administration, science, and God 鈥
How do you help young Afghan refugees heal? A new program in Maine offers a way 鈥 Issue No. 2783
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 .
Each year, ~5.4 million people worldwide are bitten by snakes鈥攌illing ~80,000, and leaving ~240,000 people with long-term or permanent disabilities, , recognizing today as International Snakebite Awareness Day.
The poorest and most isolated are particularly at risk: Most snakebites occur in rural areas of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where antivenoms are scarce, .
Gross inequities: MSF鈥檚 Matthieu Chevallier of the gross inequities at play鈥攆rom the likelihood of encountering a venomous snake and being bitten to having protection like basic shoes and adequate shelter. There鈥檚 also the question of access to treatment.
鈥淎s soon as you are bitten, the clock starts ticking,鈥 he writes. Fast care is crucial鈥攂ut in places like northeastern , it takes ~12 hours to get to a clinic. And even if a victim makes it there, many facilities don鈥檛 have treatments available. In Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia less than a third of the facilities had antivenom on hand.
The details an ambitious plan to tackle the problem鈥攂ut it is still grossly underfunded. Support from the , one of the few funding sources, is set to end soon and no new donors have stepped up.
Why the funding shortage? For one thing, snakebite is not a health security threat for donor countries; there鈥檚 no risk of cross-border contamination. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners The U.S. health system ranked dead last among 10 peer nations, 鈥攄espite the fact that Americans pay nearly double the amount that people in other nations pay.
Humor can be an effective way to reach people who would otherwise avoid life-saving information about colorectal cancer screening or other health messaging, .
The only two manufacturers still producing formula for premature infants are threatening to leave the market amid hundreds of lawsuits over safety labeling; the companies are being sued by families whose infants got sick or died after being given one of the formulas involved in a U.S. recall two and a half years ago.
The Los Angeles area is seeing more cases of dengue fever in people who haven鈥檛 left the U.S. mainland; public health officials said at least three people apparently became ill with dengue this month after being bitten by mosquitoes. GHN EXCLUSIVE A capnograph surgical monitoring device in a facility in Uganda. Muhwezi Davis, courtesy of SmileTrain / Lifebox. Anesthesia Without Capnography: 鈥楲ike Flying Blind鈥 鈥淭he color of her blood darkened. That鈥檚 how I knew that my patient was starved of oxygen,鈥 , recounting a harrowing incident when she was an anesthesia resident in Kenya, back in 2001, and the surgical team had trouble intubating the patient.
A simple device could have helped: Had the operating room been equipped with a capnograph鈥攁 noninvasive device that monitors how adequately a patient is breathing鈥攊t would have been clear immediately that the intubation tube wasn鈥檛 placed correctly. Administering anesthesia without it, says Gathuya, is 鈥渓ike flying blind.鈥
- Capnography has been widely used in operating rooms in high-income countries for over 30 years; it helped lower anesthesia-related complications and deaths dramatically after it was introduced in the U.S. in 1991.
- However, most operating rooms in Kenya still do not have a capnograph; in many low-income countries, the device is not available at all.
After a four-year lapse in routine vaccinations, a major catch-up campaign is underway in North Korea to protect against measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, and polio.
The country鈥檚 low vaccine coverage rate leaves kids vulnerable to severe illness and death from disease. It also greatly increases the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.
- By the numbers: 7,200 UNICEF-trained health workers will administer vaccines to 800,000 children and 120,000 pregnant women.
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Drunk Worms and Pigeon-Led Weapons: The Iggys Are Back!
Only one scientific awards ceremony feels like 鈥渁 mixture between Monty Python and The Muppet Show鈥: .
The annual gala鈥攁lso known as 鈥淭he Iggys鈥濃 aims to spur interest in science by making 鈥減eople laugh, then think,鈥 . While winners鈥 contributions are unusual, they are 鈥渘ot to be laughed at鈥r, not to be exclusively laughed at,鈥 explained organizer Karen Hopkin.
Among this year鈥檚 laureates, :
- A Japanese team that discovered many mammals can breathe through their anuses.
- A Dutch-French team that used chromatography to separate drunk and sober worms.
- American psychologist B.F Skinner, posthumously awarded for attempting to use pigeons to guide missile flight paths.
From dodgy deterrence deals to drug cartels: Aid barriers in the Dari茅n 鈥
Bulletproofing America鈥檚 Classrooms 鈥
MomConnect turns 10: Why the state could soon send flood and heatwave warnings to pregnant women 鈥
Today is the first Disabled Women鈥檚 Equal Pay Day 鈥
Q&A: Former NIH director Francis Collins on a Trump administration, science, and God 鈥
How do you help young Afghan refugees heal? A new program in Maine offers a way 鈥 Issue No. 2783
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 report details how this debt crisis is jeopardising progress aimed at ending AIDS in Sub-Saharan African countries, which account for a significant majority of people living with HIV globally 鈥 25.9 million people of the nearly 40 million total.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Purdue Playbook鈥檚 International Influence; Hope Amid South Africa鈥檚 Heroin Epidemic; and Risk Reduction Starts at Home
September 18, 2024
The Purdue Playbook鈥檚 International Influence
While Purdue Pharma is bankrupt and facing a torrent of litigation in the U.S., its global counterparts are still profiting in the hundreds of millions from opioid sales, a joint investigation by a collaboration of journalistic publications in eight countries has found, .
Overview: The multinational company Mundipharma made $531 million in profits from nine of its companies in Europe and Australia between 2020 and 2022 alone.
The XEC COVID variant is quickly gaining traction and could become the dominant subvariant over the winter months, scientists project.
Trachomatous trichiasis鈥攁 condition where inward-turned eyelashes scratch the front of the eye and potentially cause blindness鈥攃an successfully be treated by two common types of eyelid surgery, a published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases has found.
Moderate caffeine consumption was found to be associated with a lower risk of developing cardiometabolic multimorbidity (the coexistence of at least two cardiometabolic diseases), per a new published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. OPIOID CRISIS Hope Amid South Africa鈥檚 Heroin Epidemic
Heroin usage has exploded across South Africa, with ~400,000 using the drug every day.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES WILDFIRES Risk Reduction Starts at Home
Wildfire risk reduction often focuses on forests鈥攂ut houses are sources of fuel for fires, too, and better building practices could lower risk.
The United States Isn't Ready for a Bird Flu Epidemic 鈥
Evidence growing for COVID antivirals to cut poor outcomes, long COVID, experts say 鈥
Chronic Illness and Quality of Life 5 Years After Displacement Among Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh 鈥
Second vote, same result: Senate Republicans block IVF protection bill 鈥
FIFA teams up with WHO on global concussion campaign 鈥
Should young kids take the new anti-obesity drugs? What the research says 鈥
鈥業mmortal鈥 creatures may reveal clues to contagious cancers 鈥 Issue No. 2782
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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
While Purdue Pharma is bankrupt and facing a torrent of litigation in the U.S., its global counterparts are still profiting in the hundreds of millions from opioid sales, a joint investigation by a collaboration of journalistic publications in eight countries has found, .
Overview: The multinational company Mundipharma made $531 million in profits from nine of its companies in Europe and Australia between 2020 and 2022 alone.
- Among the beneficiaries: The Sackler family, which owns Mundipharma鈥攁nd which faces ongoing litigation over Purdue鈥檚 alleged role in the U.S. opioid crisis.
- In Germany: Mundipharma sponsored a patients group that encourages opioid use.
- In Brazil: The company paid doctors to hold classes on treating pain.
- In China: An internal company investigation raised concerns that scientific advisory boards were promoting products.
- In Italy: Prosecutors have accused Mundipharma managers of paying kickbacks to doctors.
The XEC COVID variant is quickly gaining traction and could become the dominant subvariant over the winter months, scientists project.
Trachomatous trichiasis鈥攁 condition where inward-turned eyelashes scratch the front of the eye and potentially cause blindness鈥攃an successfully be treated by two common types of eyelid surgery, a published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases has found.
Moderate caffeine consumption was found to be associated with a lower risk of developing cardiometabolic multimorbidity (the coexistence of at least two cardiometabolic diseases), per a new published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. OPIOID CRISIS Hope Amid South Africa鈥檚 Heroin Epidemic
Heroin usage has exploded across South Africa, with ~400,000 using the drug every day.
- Between 2011 and 2020, the rate of opioid-related disorders rose by 12% a year, found.
- Instead of a rehab model, the (COSUP) offers drop-in centers, where people who use heroin can access methadone and counseling.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES WILDFIRES Risk Reduction Starts at Home
Wildfire risk reduction often focuses on forests鈥攂ut houses are sources of fuel for fires, too, and better building practices could lower risk.
- Older homes with wooden roofs, decks, or framing are more likely to catch fire and ignite surrounding houses.
- New homes built after 2008 in California were 40% less likely to burn down.
- Currently, California, Nevada, and Utah are the only states with mandatory wildfire risk building codes.
The United States Isn't Ready for a Bird Flu Epidemic 鈥
Evidence growing for COVID antivirals to cut poor outcomes, long COVID, experts say 鈥
Chronic Illness and Quality of Life 5 Years After Displacement Among Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh 鈥
Second vote, same result: Senate Republicans block IVF protection bill 鈥
FIFA teams up with WHO on global concussion campaign 鈥
Should young kids take the new anti-obesity drugs? What the research says 鈥
鈥業mmortal鈥 creatures may reveal clues to contagious cancers 鈥 Issue No. 2782
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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Join HHS Asst. Secretary Micky Tripathi at a Hopkins-Harvard Event: AI in D.C.
September 17, 2024
You鈥檙e Invited: Making AI a Lifesaver / A Hopkins-Harvard Event in D.C.
Please join U.S. Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Micky Tripathi and other experts for a thought-provoking discussion about creating the best possible artificial intelligence for public health. You鈥檙e invited on October 8 to an evening of insights, conversation, and refreshments at the new Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C., sponsored by Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health magazine, Global Health NOW, and Harvard Public Health.
Policy, research, and private sector experts will explore AI鈥檚 astonishing potential to transform how we confront public health challenges鈥攁nd its technical, ethical, and privacy risks.
Details: Tuesday, October 8
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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Please join U.S. Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Micky Tripathi and other experts for a thought-provoking discussion about creating the best possible artificial intelligence for public health. You鈥檙e invited on October 8 to an evening of insights, conversation, and refreshments at the new Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C., sponsored by Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health magazine, Global Health NOW, and Harvard Public Health.
Policy, research, and private sector experts will explore AI鈥檚 astonishing potential to transform how we confront public health challenges鈥攁nd its technical, ethical, and privacy risks.
- Micky Tripathi, assistant secretary for Technology Policy; national coordinator for Health Information Technology; and acting chief artificial intelligence officer, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Jesse M.鈥疎hrenfeld, immediate past president, American Medical Association.
- Elizabeth Stuart, PhD, Frank Hurley and Catharine Dorrier Professor and Chair, Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
- John Auerbach, senior vice president, ICF; and former commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
- Moderator: Alison Snyder, managing editor, Axios.
Details: Tuesday, October 8
- 6鈥7 p.m.: Networking reception
- 7鈥8 p.m.: Panel and Q&A
- 8鈥8:30 p.m.: Dessert
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 Bloomberg School.
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You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Early Warning Systems Vital for Kenya; Immunizations Halted in Afghanistan; and Looking to Soccer to Solve Scientist Compensation
September 17, 2024
GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORT
Children at Nduru camp are often left alone during the day as their parents look for food. Nduru camp, Kisimu City, Kenya. August 16, 2024. Scovian Lillian
Early Warning Systems Vital for Climate Risk Preparedness in Kenya
KISIMU CITY, Kenya鈥擬onths after last April鈥檚 floods, clusters of white tarp shelters, crammed onto an acre of land in southwestern Kenya, still house ~1,000 families displaced by the disaster.
Critical gender gaps persist in all 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals, that says governments are missing out on massive economic gains by failing to invest in women and girls; e.g., the global cost of inadequately educating young people exceeds $10 trillion a year.
UC Santa Barbara researchers mapped the changes to a woman鈥檚 brain during pregnancy and post-partum, finding major changes including reductions in gray matter (not necessarily bad); the study kicks off a larger project the researchers hope could yield important clues about post-partum depression.
There is evidence of human exposure to at least 3,600 chemicals that leach into food in the manufacturing, processing, packaging, and storage of food supply, 鈥攖he first to systematically link the chemicals used in materials to package and process foods to human exposure. VACCINES Immunizations Halted in Afghanistan
The Taliban have suspended polio vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan鈥攁 devastating setback that could undo years of progress toward polio eradication, UN officials said Monday. The move comes at a time when groups of unvaccinated children have been exposed to an outbreak.
The Taliban鈥檚 decision will likely have major repercussions for neighboring countries. In August, the WHO warned that setbacks in Afghanistan pose a risk to Pakistan鈥檚 program, due to high population movement.
Related:
Two killed in attack on Pakistani polio vaccination team 鈥
Taliban begins enforcing new draconian laws, and Afghan women despair 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS Looking to Soccer to Solve Scientist Compensation
As the Paris Peace Forum began rethinking pandemic preparedness, it hit on a glaring disparity:
Scientists in South Africa and Botswana who first identified the omicron variant of COVID-19 ended up 鈥渓ast in line鈥 to obtain the medical tools that resulted from their research.
To fix that, the Forum suggests looking to an unlikely model: FIFA.
QUICK HITS For people with opioid addiction, Medicaid overhaul comes with risks 鈥 Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff!
Abortion bans have delayed emergency medical care. In Georgia, experts say this mother's death was preventable 鈥
The plan to give WHO's snake venom strategy more bite 鈥
Arizona cracked down on Medicaid fraud that targeted Native Americans. It left patients without care. 鈥
Mpox and breastmilk: for once, can we act in time? 鈥
Why global health organizations are hiring chief AI officers 鈥 Issue No. 2781
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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
KISIMU CITY, Kenya鈥擬onths after last April鈥檚 floods, clusters of white tarp shelters, crammed onto an acre of land in southwestern Kenya, still house ~1,000 families displaced by the disaster.
- The floods left a trail of death, displacement, and disease across large swaths of the country, .
- Flooding destroyed latrines and created poor water and sanitation conditions that fueled the spread of infectious diseases; Tana River County alone .
- Including early warning weather indicators, especially during flooding, would allow authorities to better anticipate outbreaks of waterborne diseases like cholera and vector-borne diseases like malaria following disasters, the authors say.
- Shore up labs, equipment, health information systems, and networks.
- Train local health workers to detect early signs of health crises caused by flooding and respond swiftly鈥攅.g., by preemptively distributing cholera kits, mosquito nets, and other resources to reduce the impact of potential outbreaks.
Critical gender gaps persist in all 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals, that says governments are missing out on massive economic gains by failing to invest in women and girls; e.g., the global cost of inadequately educating young people exceeds $10 trillion a year.
UC Santa Barbara researchers mapped the changes to a woman鈥檚 brain during pregnancy and post-partum, finding major changes including reductions in gray matter (not necessarily bad); the study kicks off a larger project the researchers hope could yield important clues about post-partum depression.
There is evidence of human exposure to at least 3,600 chemicals that leach into food in the manufacturing, processing, packaging, and storage of food supply, 鈥攖he first to systematically link the chemicals used in materials to package and process foods to human exposure. VACCINES Immunizations Halted in Afghanistan
The Taliban have suspended polio vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan鈥攁 devastating setback that could undo years of progress toward polio eradication, UN officials said Monday. The move comes at a time when groups of unvaccinated children have been exposed to an outbreak.
- Afghanistan and Pakistan are currently the only countries in which the paralyzing has never been eliminated.
- The WHO confirmed 18 polio cases in Afghanistan this year鈥攗p from six in 2023.
The Taliban鈥檚 decision will likely have major repercussions for neighboring countries. In August, the WHO warned that setbacks in Afghanistan pose a risk to Pakistan鈥檚 program, due to high population movement.
Related:
Two killed in attack on Pakistani polio vaccination team 鈥
Taliban begins enforcing new draconian laws, and Afghan women despair 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS Looking to Soccer to Solve Scientist Compensation
As the Paris Peace Forum began rethinking pandemic preparedness, it hit on a glaring disparity:
Scientists in South Africa and Botswana who first identified the omicron variant of COVID-19 ended up 鈥渓ast in line鈥 to obtain the medical tools that resulted from their research.
To fix that, the Forum suggests looking to an unlikely model: FIFA.
- The international soccer federation has a benefit-sharing plan that 鈥渞ewards grassroots contributions and redistributes benefits, promoting a fair balance of interests across diverse economic contexts,鈥 a of the model鈥檚 potential explains.
QUICK HITS For people with opioid addiction, Medicaid overhaul comes with risks 鈥 Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff!
Abortion bans have delayed emergency medical care. In Georgia, experts say this mother's death was preventable 鈥
The plan to give WHO's snake venom strategy more bite 鈥
Arizona cracked down on Medicaid fraud that targeted Native Americans. It left patients without care. 鈥
Mpox and breastmilk: for once, can we act in time? 鈥
Why global health organizations are hiring chief AI officers 鈥 Issue No. 2781
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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Missouri H5N1: More Questions Than Answers; Compounding Crisis in the Dari茅n Gap; and The (Gorilla) Doctor Is In
September 16, 2024
University of Massachusetts Boston assistant professor Nichola Hill, who studies infectious diseases, including bird flu, on May 7, in Boston. Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty
Missouri H5N1: More Questions Than Answers
The source of a human H5 avian flu case in Missouri is still unknown鈥攖hough initial genetic testing suggests it's related to the strain of virus currently affecting dairy cattle in the U.S., CDC officials have said, .
If you鈥檙e one of them, the best way you can show your support is by sharing our . Let colleagues and friends know that GHN can help them:
A wild poliovirus case has been detected in Pakistan, and 15 additional positive environmental samples were reported in the country鈥攕uggesting 鈥渨idespread circulation鈥 of the virus and that Pakistan is 鈥渘ot on track鈥 to interrupt transmission.
The WHO prequalified its , MVA-BN, and established an 鈥渁ccess and allocation mechanism鈥 to ensure that countermeasures including vaccines, treatments, and tests are distributed 鈥渆ffectively and equitably.鈥
An Austrian court has found a 54-year-old woman guilty of grossly negligent homicide after infecting her neighbor with a fatal case of COVID-19. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Compounding Crisis in the Dari茅n Gap
The dense rainforest of the Dari茅n Gap has long been considered inaccessible, shielding Indigenous communities and the region鈥檚 rich biodiversity from outside impact.
But the surge of migration through the region over the last five years has brought unprecedented pollution to the rainforest鈥攖hreatening the local ecosystem and the health of people who depend on it, community leaders say.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CLIMATE Trees as Treatment
Planting trees in urban areas has known climate benefits: cooling, pollution control, and stormwater absorption.
But what does it do for human health?
University of Louisville researchers are starting to answer that question, with the recently released 鈥斺渁 clinical trial where trees are the medicine.鈥
PHARMACEUTICALS The (Gorilla) Doctor Is In
Plants consumed by 鈥渟elf-medicating鈥 gorillas in Gabon have antibacterial and antioxidant properties and may yield promising clues to developing new drugs,.
QUICK HITS Nurses working in fear: BBC visits mpox epicentre 鈥
Breaking the conformity of global health 鈥
1 in 7 moms in SA are teens. We dive into the numbers 鈥
New Report Highlights U.S. 2022 Gun-Related Deaths: Firearms Remain Leading Cause of Death for Children and Teens, and Disproportionately Affect People of Color 鈥
She Ate a Poppy Seed Salad Just Before Giving Birth. Then They Took Her Baby Away. 鈥 Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner!
Gas stoves may soon come with a tobacco-style health warning label in California 鈥
HHS updates rules for probing research misconduct 鈥
New Version of Reth茅 Project to Promote African Scientific Writing 鈥
Barcelona children find safety in numbers as they bike to school in herds 鈥 Issue No. 2780
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 Bloomberg School.
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The source of a human H5 avian flu case in Missouri is still unknown鈥攖hough initial genetic testing suggests it's related to the strain of virus currently affecting dairy cattle in the U.S., CDC officials have said, .
- The investigation has shown no evidence of human-to-human spread and no link to raw dairy products. So far, there has been no unusual rise in Missouri鈥檚 flu activity.
- But: The CDC Friday that a household contact of the H5-positive Missouri patient also became ill on the same day鈥攖hough the second person was not tested, and the cause of the illness is unknown, .
- A lack of universal testing of dairy farms means scientists still don鈥檛 know the true scope of the spread, .
If you鈥檙e one of them, the best way you can show your support is by sharing our . Let colleagues and friends know that GHN can help them:
- Keep up with essential global health news.
- Learn from global health leaders around the world and get ideas for advancing global health causes.
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A wild poliovirus case has been detected in Pakistan, and 15 additional positive environmental samples were reported in the country鈥攕uggesting 鈥渨idespread circulation鈥 of the virus and that Pakistan is 鈥渘ot on track鈥 to interrupt transmission.
The WHO prequalified its , MVA-BN, and established an 鈥渁ccess and allocation mechanism鈥 to ensure that countermeasures including vaccines, treatments, and tests are distributed 鈥渆ffectively and equitably.鈥
An Austrian court has found a 54-year-old woman guilty of grossly negligent homicide after infecting her neighbor with a fatal case of COVID-19. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Compounding Crisis in the Dari茅n Gap
The dense rainforest of the Dari茅n Gap has long been considered inaccessible, shielding Indigenous communities and the region鈥檚 rich biodiversity from outside impact.
But the surge of migration through the region over the last five years has brought unprecedented pollution to the rainforest鈥攖hreatening the local ecosystem and the health of people who depend on it, community leaders say.
- 鈥淪uddenly we found ourselves flooded with trash. It鈥檚 worrying because we depend on our local ecosystem for everything. It鈥檚 our source of life,鈥 said Yenairo Aji, a community leader in the village of Nueva Vig铆a.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CLIMATE Trees as Treatment
Planting trees in urban areas has known climate benefits: cooling, pollution control, and stormwater absorption.
But what does it do for human health?
University of Louisville researchers are starting to answer that question, with the recently released 鈥斺渁 clinical trial where trees are the medicine.鈥
- Researchers followed 700+ residents across a four-square-mile area where ~8,000 trees and shrubs were planted.
- Residents of greened neighborhoods had 13%鈥20% lower levels of a blood marker of general inflammation compared to residents of neighborhoods without new greenery.
PHARMACEUTICALS The (Gorilla) Doctor Is In
Plants consumed by 鈥渟elf-medicating鈥 gorillas in Gabon have antibacterial and antioxidant properties and may yield promising clues to developing new drugs,.
- The researchers focused on four trees consumed by western lowland gorillas that local healers highlighted for potential medicinal benefits.
- All four trees showed antibacterial activity against E. coli strains, as well as high levels of antioxidants.
QUICK HITS Nurses working in fear: BBC visits mpox epicentre 鈥
Breaking the conformity of global health 鈥
1 in 7 moms in SA are teens. We dive into the numbers 鈥
New Report Highlights U.S. 2022 Gun-Related Deaths: Firearms Remain Leading Cause of Death for Children and Teens, and Disproportionately Affect People of Color 鈥
She Ate a Poppy Seed Salad Just Before Giving Birth. Then They Took Her Baby Away. 鈥 Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner!
Gas stoves may soon come with a tobacco-style health warning label in California 鈥
HHS updates rules for probing research misconduct 鈥
New Version of Reth茅 Project to Promote African Scientific Writing 鈥
Barcelona children find safety in numbers as they bike to school in herds 鈥 Issue No. 2780
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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
Overcrowded shelters in Gaza, a lack of running water and the constant threat of disease are making conditions worse by the day for people in the enclave, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, warned on Monday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
The civil war in Sudan has brought to country鈥檚 health system to its knees. UN mobile health teams are attempting to plug the gaps, crossing conflict zones to help pregnant women to give birth in safety.
Categories: Global Health Feed
Around 560,000 children under ten have been successfully vaccinated against polio during the first round of an emergency campaign in the Gaza Strip, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Friday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved the use of an mpox vaccine for the first time, which it says should facilitate 鈥渢imely and increased access鈥 for millions at risk in Africa where the latest outbreak has infected more than 20,000 so far this year.
Categories: Global Health Feed
