96 Global Health NOW: The U.S. Has Left the WHO. What Now? View this email in your browser January 22, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES An ‘era of global water bankruptcy’ is now in effect, with irreversible consequences that mean “many regions are living beyond their hydrological means,” per a new UN report that calls for a shift from emergency thinking to long-term response and restructuring. CNN 
 
Cardiovascular disease fatalities dropped in the U.S. by 2.7% between 2022 and 2023, per a new report from the American Heart Association—but heart disease and stroke are still the nation’s leading cause of death, accounting for more than a quarter of all deaths in the U.S. in 2023. ABC News  
 
An infant formula recall affecting 18 countries has been issued by French dairy company Lactalis after some batches were flagged for a dangerous toxin; the recall marks the third major infant formula recall this year following other contamination incidents from Nestlé and Danone. France24 
 
Maternal genetic factors may shed new light on common factors behind pregnancy loss, finds new research published in Nature, which analyzed ~140,000 IVF embryos and found links between specific variations in a mother's DNA and their risk of miscarriage. Johns Hopkins University via Medical Xpress   IN FOCUS A sign with the WHO logo outside their headquarters in Geneva, on August 17, 2020. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images The U.S. Has Left the WHO
The U.S. formally leaves the WHO today, completing a yearlong withdrawal process begun on President Trump’s first day in office in 2025, and leaving a budgetary crisis and ruptured global health security in its wake, reports Reuters.   
 
Global fallout: The loss of the U.S.—once the WHO’s largest donor—has led the agency to make deep budget cuts and plan layoffs for nearly a quarter of its staff. 

• These losses, combined with the loss of U.S. cooperation, leaves the world less equipped to handle worldwide disease detection, response coordination, and intelligence sharing—crucial collaborations during recent global health crises like COVID-19 and the Ebola outbreak. 

Unpaid bills: As the U.S. departs, it is stiffing the organization ~$278 million in owed dues from both 2025 and from 2024—before Trump took office, reports STAT. The lapsed payments defy a 1948 U.S. law that likely will not be enforced. 
 
A path to return?: While global health leaders say they do not anticipate a U.S. return to the organization in the near future, former WHO advisor Peter Singer wrote in an op-ed for Think Global Health that some WHO reforms, including results-based accountability, could eventually lure the U.S. back.  
  
Related: Maga-backed researchers call for WHO to be ‘reformed or replaced’ on eve of US withdrawal – The Telegraph  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ZOONOTIC DISEASES Pangolins and Pandemic Risk  
Pangolins are one of the most trafficked animals in the world, as demand for their scales and meat remains high in places like Laos—a major hub of illegal wildlife trade.     Rampant trafficking threatens the mammal with extinction and poses a global health security threat, say epidemiologists.  

• Pangolins' unique immune tolerance allows them to host pathogens undetected, and the animals’ long captivity with other species and humans in unsanitary spaces creates a risk for spillover.  

The Quote: “To me, this really is ground zero for disease emergence,” said University of Sydney virologist Edward Holmes, who described the trade as “both horrendous for the animals in question, and could easily spark another pandemic.”    The Telegraph ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Should We All Just Lüften Up? 
Flinging the windows open for some fresh air: It’s an invigorating feeling now and again.  

In Germany, it’s much more than that. The practice of multiple daily airings—no matter the weather—is ingrained from childhood and for tenants, often a contractual obligation.  

Lüften-lite: But now, much to some Germans’ chagrin, American influencers have co-opted lüften under a new name: “house burping,” presenting it as a mere suggestion. A refreshing home hack, with no threat of eviction for noncompliance—or warning that over-commitment may ruin your relationship. 

Breeze-crossed lovers: For one German-American couple, the partner doing the heavy lüften-ing invited in cold air, chilly feelings, and one time, three bats, The Washington Post reports. His practice, which exceeded the lüften minimums required by his lease, left his American girlfriend cold and “confused,” and their love went out the open window like stale air caught in a crossbreeze. “Lüften is largely responsible for the fact that they’re no longer together.” 

QUICK HITS The US is on the verge of losing its measles elimination status. Here’s why that matters – AP 

Dozens Are Sickened by a Rare Fungal Infection in Tennessee – The New York Times (gift link) 

Study highlights impact of gender dynamics on antibiotic use – CIDRAP  

Vitamin D can help protect you against the flu, study suggests – The Independent

ActionAid to rethink child sponsorship as part of plan to ‘decolonise’ its work – The Guardian

Can your health records be sold for profit? A lawsuit says it’s happening. – The Washington Post (gift link)  
Trees — not grass and other greenery — associated with lower heart disease risk in cities – UC Davis Health  

Global buzzwords that will be buzzing in your ear in 2026 – NPR Issue No. 2851
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Mpox’s Silent Spread; and U.K. Seeks a Road Safety Overhaul View this email in your browser January 21, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES U.S. lawmakers are pushing back against NIH cuts proposed by the Trump administration with a new Congressional bill that rejects a proposed 40% cut to the NIH budget and instead includes a $415 million increase and language that limits White House influence over grant funding. Axios  
 
The Africa CDC confirmed the cancelation yesterday of a U.S.-funded study on hepatitis B vaccines involving newborns in Guinea-Bissau, citing ethical concerns over the proposed research design—particularly the possibility of delaying access to a lifesaving vaccine for some newborn participants. Premium Times Nigeria 
 
Prenatal exposure to wildfire smoke may be associated with an increased likelihood of autism diagnosis by age 5, per a study published yesterday in Environmental Science & Technology; the strongest association was found among those exposed to more than 10 days of wildfire smoke in the third trimester. Tulane University via News Medical 
 
A coalition of U.S. health groups has expanded a lawsuit against HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., challenging his agency’s “egregious, reckless, and dangerous” changes to the childhood vaccine schedule; the plaintiffs—which include the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, and the American Public Health Association—had already sued over the agency’s changes to COVID-19 vaccine policy. The Hill  IN FOCUS Social mobilizers wait for community members ahead of the launch of an mpox vaccination campaign at the General Hospital in Goma, DRC. October 5, 2024. Aubin Mukoni/AFP via Getty Mpox’s Silent Spread
Mpox may be spreading asymptomatically in parts of Africa, new research shows—a revelation that could have significant implications for understanding and preventing transmission, reports The Telegraph.  
 
Researchers analyzed new and historic blood samples from 176 Nigerian adults with no known mpox exposure and discovered something unexpected: ~3% had developed new mpox antibodies over nine months—indicating recent infection, finds the study published in Nature Communications, which was conducted by scientists at the University of Cambridge and the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria.  

• The research points not to “explosive spread”—but rather to persistent transmission via “sporadic chains of infection” shaped and potentially contained by past smallpox vaccination, per a university news release via Medical Xpress.  

• The study also found no major differences in immune responses between health care workers and the general population—meaning exposure isn’t limited to medical settings, reports CIDRAP.  

Potential public health impact: The insights could reshape surveillance and prevention, especially in mpox-endemic regions where blood tests could better reveal exposure and help target vaccination efforts rather than relying on symptoms alone. 

• “If we only look for obvious disease, we will miss part of the picture,” said Alash'le Abimiku, executive director of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ROAD SAFETY U.K. Seeks a Road Safety Overhaul
U.K. officials have unveiled the country’s first comprehensive road safety strategy in over a decade, aiming to cut road deaths and serious injuries by 65% by 2035. 
 
Background: Advocates and officials say the reforms come after years of inaction, as the country falls further behind European road standards. 

• “For too long, progress on road safety has stalled. This strategy marks a turning point,” said U.K. transport secretary Heidi Alexander.  

Plans include:  

• Stricter alcohol limits and higher penalties for violators. 

• Mandatory eye tests for drivers ages 70+. 

• Longer learning periods for new drivers. 

• Automatic emergency braking in all new cars. 

• Increased penalties for uninsured motorists and those not wearing seatbelts. 

• Improved crash testing.

The Guardian QUICK HITS The divorce between the U.S. and WHO is final this week. Or is it? – NPR    Doctors in Minnesota decry fear and chaos amid Trump administration’s immigration crackdown – AP     One Year Later: The Effect of US ‘Chainsaw’ on Global Health – Health Policy Watch (commentary)     New report reveals shocking prevalence of illegal children’s homes – The Bureau of Investigative Journalism     Pharmacists' Risk of Suicide Higher Than the General Public – MedPage Today Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe!     The activists taking on Brazil’s femicide crisis – via social media – The Telegraph     What lingers in ‘The Pitt’ is heartache. What’s missing is outrage – STAT (commentary)  Issue No. 2850
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: The Bacterial Detective Battling Superbugs in Nigeria; and Historic Clues for a Modern Medical Mystery View this email in your browser January 20, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Unusually heavy rains across Mozambique in the last few weeks have triggered a “rapidly escalating emergency” affecting 513,000+ people—over half of them children, who are at an especially high risk in disease outbreaks, given compromised access to safe water and preexisting high malnutrition rates. UNICEF (news release)   
Chinese authorities are blocking online searches about the country's plunging births after official figures released yesterday showed the country's birth rate dipped to 5.63 per 1,000 last year—the lowest since the 1949 founding of the People's Republic. Newsweek    A personalized experimental drug based on mRNA technology halved melanoma patients’ risk of recurrence or death after five years compared with patients treated only with immunotherapy, per Moderna. The Washington Post (gift link) 
A new meta-analysis and systematic review of 43 studies concluded that taking Tylenol (also known as paracetamol) during pregnancy does not cause autism in children, per a Lancet Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health article; the review follows President Trump’s warning against taking the medication during pregnancy. AP  IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE Iruka Okeke and her small team run a national surveillance project tracking antimicrobial resistance in Nigeria. Andrew Esiebo The Bacterial Detective Battling Superbugs in Nigeria    IBADAN, Nigeria—Inside a crowded University of Ibadan lab, Iruka Okeke and her dozen students are running a national surveillance project for one of Nigeria's—and Africa's—most understudied problems: antimicrobial resistance (AMR).  

• More than 1 million deaths in the WHO’s Africa region in 2019 were associated with bacterial AMR.  

• “AMR deaths threaten Africa’s future,” says Okeke.      

Big ambitions: Okeke founded the Nigeria National Surveillance Unit at the University of Ibadan’s College of Medicine in 2022. 

• She and her team use whole genome sequencing and other tools to understand how microbes inherit and spread resistant traits.  

• They’ve already investigated more than a dozen suspected outbreaks. 

• The lab—Nigeria’s first reference lab for AMR surveillance—obtains samples from three sentinel hospitals in Ibadan and sequences pathogenic bacteria, sharing data with the Nigeria CDC. 

Daily challenges: Doing science in Nigeria with limited resources isn’t easy.  

• “There are days I wake up, and I think, ‘Oh, gosh, there’s too many problems to solve—like how are you going to keep the electricity uninterrupted?’” Okeke says. “And then, there are days I wake up and think, ‘It’s amazing we’re doing this stuff that nobody else is doing.’”   

READ THE FULL STORY BY ABDULLAHI TSANNI DATA POINT

980,000
—————
The number of midwives needed across 181 countries—90% of them LMICs; improved access could potentially save 4.3m lives a year by 2035, per a new analysis by the International Confederation of Midwives. —The Guardian
  CANCER Historic Clues for a Modern Medical Mystery    U.K. scientists seeking to understand why colorectal cancer continues to rise sharply among young people are looking to hospital archives for leads.    The clues: A vast collection of century-old cancer samples stored at St. Mark’s Hospital in London.  

• The samples, which have been preserved in wax, are being sent to the Institute of Cancer Research for molecular tests that can identify DNA damage “signatures,” revealing possible triggers.  

The stakes: Bowel cancer rates in the U.K. have spiked 75% among people under age 24 since the early 1990s—mirroring a global phenomenon that still does not have a clear underlying cause.    BBC    Related: 

What science says about how weight-loss drugs affect cancer risk – The Washington Post (gift link) 

Sugar Land resident advances global cancer research while still an undergrad – The Fort Bend Star GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Napkins for bandages: How 11 doctors survived the siege of El Fasher – The Telegraph    The near death — and last-minute reprieve — of a trial for an HIV vaccine – NPR    The Obituary Of The US Childhood Immunization Schedule – Health Affairs (commentary)    Drug use disorders a growing public health concern in the Americas, PAHO study finds – The San Pedro Sun     Public Views About Opioid Overdose and People With Opioid Use Disorder – JAMA Network Open    More than half of mpox patients in 2022 outbreak experienced lasting physical effects: Study – ABC    Alzheimer's finger-prick test could help diagnosis – BBC  Issue No. 2849
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 How Concerning Are Microplastics? The Jury Is Still Out. View this email in your browser January 15, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Reproductive care in Gaza has faced widespread destruction, leading to limited access to medical facilities, severe malnutrition, and restrictions on humanitarian aid, and resulting in poor birth outcomes and death, and in “reproductive violence in violation of international law,” per a new report by Physicians for Human Rights. PHR (news release) 

Earth's average 2025 temperature was one of the three hottest on record, and the pattern of the past three years indicates that warming could be accelerating, international climate monitoring teams say. NPR 

Vaccine exemptions among kindergarteners for religious or personal beliefs have risen steadily in counties throughout the U.S. since the COVID-19 pandemic, finds research published Wednesday in JAMA, which showed the median rate for such exemptions rising from 0.6% in 2010-2011 to 3.1% in 2023-2024. NBC News 

Mosquitoes are increasingly using humans as a blood source instead of wildlife as deforestation expands, finds a new study published in Frontiers—a shift researchers say will continue to raise the potential for the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. ABC News EDITORS' NOTE No GHN Monday 

We will not be sending out the newsletter on Monday, January 19, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

We’ll be back Tuesday with more news! 

IN FOCUS Plastic fragments on a person's fingers. Peter Dazeley/Getty Images Microplastics Research Faces Tough Critiques 
Widely publicized studies claiming that microplastics are pervasive in human tissue and organs are being increasingly debated by scientists, some of whom argue that limits and flaws in the nascent research field may have led to distorted results, reports The Guardian.     A young field: While researchers agree plastic pollution is ubiquitous and its impact on the body merits urgent study, there is no consensus on how the tiniest particles may infiltrate and impact the body, leaving the true risk—and appropriate level of public concern—an open question. 

• Critics of recent papers say that microplastic and nanoplastic particles are so small they are at the limit of today’s analytical techniques and instruments.  

• Amid the rush to publish research, scientists say routine scientific checks have been missed, potentially leading to false positives, contamination, and weak lab controls.  

One example: In February, Nature published a major study about the accumulation of microplastics in brains.  

• But in November a group of scientists published a letter criticizing the research, citing “methodological challenges.” It is one of many studies being questioned for the same reason.  

A need for more, better studies: Amid the debate, scientists agree that research must continue and become more robust, especially as plastic production continues to boom, reports The Telegraph.  

• “We do have plastics in us—I think that is safe to assume. But real hard proof on how much is yet to come,” said Dusan Materic, one of the researchers who signed the letter to Nature. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TUBERCULOSIS   Poland’s Transformed TB Response
When Poland saw a rapid influx of 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees in 2022, health officials were on high alert for drug-resistant tuberculosis, as Ukraine has one of the highest TB burdens in the world. 
 
But the crisis laid bare Poland’s own outdated tuberculosis response system, which involved long, isolated hospital stays and multiyear, often toxic, drug regimens.  
 
Rapid revitalization: Poland swiftly overhauled its care model, implementing a pilot program that included a six‑month course of an oral drug combination known as BPaL/M, which has far higher cure rates than Poland’s previous standard protocol of various drugs.

• The pilot inspired a new national TB program set to be implemented by 2030.  

The Lancet ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Fly Like the Bin
This week in YOLO news: He wanted the fastest trash can on wheels, and he made it so.

Completing “literally the most rubbish project” he’d ever worked on, U.K. inventor Michael Wallhead’s motorized bin—known as the Great General Waste—accelerated to an unprecedented 55mph, beating out the previous Guinness world record by 10mph.

The speeds are impressive, but we’re more interested in pun-ability. Suggested names included:

• Light-bin McQueen 

• Bin Diesel  

• Gone Bin 60 Seconds 

And that’s without even asking the internet for ideas!  

One bin of contention: Wallhead demonstrated his warp-speed wheelie bin by riding in it. But we’d much rather it drag our trash to the curb without us going near it, let alone inside it. Please and thank you. QUICK HITS HHS terminates, then reinstates, thousands of grants for substance use, mental health – Politico     Hundreds of laid-off researchers at US workplace safety center are being reinstated – AP    Medical groups will ask court to block new CDC vaccine recommendations – CNN     25,000 TB Cases Unreported ... Ghana Risks Missing WHO Target - Dr Amenyo – Ghanaian Times via AllAfrica    Should younger and older people receive different treatments for the same infection? – Salk Institute for Biological Studies    Researchers uncover hundreds of emojis in patient records – University of Michigan Health  Issue No. 2848
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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A large McGill University study has found that two classes of medications commonly prescribed for Type 2 diabetes, both incretin-based, are associated with a reduced risk of dementia.

Drawing on clinical data from more than 450,000 patients, the research adds to growing evidence that incretin-based therapies have protective benefits for the brain.

The study examined GLP-1 receptor agonists, which include such medications as Ozempic, as well as DPP-4 inhibitors.

The Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) announced recipients of the latest Partnership Engage Grants competition, including a total of $73,782 awarded to three McGill researchers. 

96 Global Health NOW: U.S. Aid Cuts Threaten Progress Against AIDS Orphanhood; and America’s New ‘Trade for Aid’ Global Health Paradigm View this email in your browser January 14, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES 124 new measles cases have been confirmed in South Carolina since Friday—including six fully vaccinated people—bringing the total infected to 434 since the start of the outbreak last September. South Carolina Department of Public Health
  U.S. kidney donations from recently deceased people fell for the first time in over a decade last year—from 15,937 in 2024 to 15,274, per a new Kidney Transplant Collaborative analysis; the decline follows heightened scrutiny of the transplant system that prompted thousands to remove themselves from U.S. organ donor registries. Axios 
  Sugary drinks and alcohol are getting relatively cheaper, fueling diseases like diabetes and cancer, and prompting the WHO to call for tax increases on such products to stem consumption levels and allow countries to capture funds for health services. France24 
  Cancer survival rates have reached a major new milestone, as 70% people now survive five years+ after diagnosis of all cancers, per the American Cancer Society’s latest annual report; in the 1970s, just half of those diagnosed survived that length of time. NBC IN FOCUS A client waits to be seen by a doctor during an HIV clinic day at TASO Mulago service center. Kampala, Uganda, February 17. Hajarah Nalwadda/Getty U.S. Aid Cuts Threaten Progress Against AIDS Orphanhood    Expanded access to HIV treatment and prevention has led to a major decline in AIDS-related orphanhood in sub-Saharan African countries like Uganda—gains that have been jeopardized by abrupt U.S. cuts to such programs, reports CIDRAP.     The research: A Uganda-based study published in The Lancet Global Health found that scaling up antiretroviral therapy cut AIDS-related orphanhood in Rakai, Uganda, by ~70%—from 21.5% in 2003 to 6.3% in 2022.    Still vulnerable: Despite this progress, ~10.3 million children in sub-Saharan Africa have already lost a parent to HIV.  

• And a high burden of orphanhood persisted in 2022—showing that “sustained investment and adaptation” of HIV programs is critical to prevent a new wave of orphanhood and instability.  

U.S. interruption: Researchers say sudden U.S. cuts to PEPFAR and related programs have the potential to leave another 2.8 million children orphaned. 

• And the U.S. is pulling back support for primary prevention tools—a move advocates called “the most short-sighted policy imaginable.” 

Beyond Africa: Experts warn that weakening HIV control in Africa, where ~30 million people live with HIV, raises the risk of more infections worldwide: “Africa is not sealed off from the rest of the world,” said Emory University HIV specialist Boghuma Titanji.     Turning to new tools: Amid the upheaval, countries are relying on new funding sources, including Unitaid—which has agreed to support expanded access to the HIV prevention drug lenacapavir in South Africa and Zambia, CIDRAP noted, citing a STAT report.   DATA POINT

1 in 4
———
UK teenagers in care, including foster, residential, and kinship care, have attempted suicide, and are 4X more likely to do so than their peers with no care experience,  per UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies researchers.
—The Guardian
  HEALTH POLICY America’s New ‘Trade for Aid’ Global Health Paradigm     As the U.S. negotiates new international aid deals with African governments, a new framework is taking shape—with funding linked directly to trade and geopolitical goals.    The basics: The U.S. has pledged ~$16 billion and signed 14 deals with countries in recent weeks as part of the new “America First” aid strategy. Agreements in the works include:  

• A $1.5 billion deal with Zambia that is reportedly contingent on mining access. 

• A $2.1 billion deal with Nigeria—made with the condition that the country increase its own health spending and promote Christian faith-based health care providers.  

Rerouted funds: The new deals also cut out UN agencies and NGOs, sending money directly to governments.     And still: Overall U.S. aid remains ~50% below 2024 levels.    The Telegraph    Related: 

Inside Trump's $11 billion health plan to replace “neo-colonial” USAID – Axios 

KFF Tracker: America First MOU Bilateral Global Health Agreements - KFF Health News GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Cocoa, Child Labour and Côte d’Ivoire: The Emerging Change – The Pulitzer Center 
New RFK Jr. pick for vaccine panel: ‘I was not anti-vaccine. I am now.’ – The Washington Post (gift link)    Lawsuit dismissed after Trump admin quietly restored tens of millions to Planned Parenthood – Politico    Harvard Chan researchers win $100 million MacArthur grant for infectious disease surveillance system – Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health    Sleeping less than 7 hours could cut years off your life – Oregon Health & Science University via ScienceDaily

‘It’s not the 90s any more’: the all-women team reinventing abortion advice for the TikTok age – The Guardian  Issue No. 2847
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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Thursday March 12 2026 • 4:30pm to 6pm
Dentistry Suite #102, 2001 Avenue McGill College

Anna Papafragou, PhD
Professor • Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania

96 Global Health NOW: Frontline Genomics With AI; and Ghana’s Long Quest for the Hepatitis B Shot View this email in your browser January 13, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Russia has opened a criminal investigation into the deaths of nine newborns this month in a Siberian maternity hospital in the city of Novokuznetsk, citing suspected negligence; an announcement on the hospital’s website says that admissions have been suspended because of an excess of respiratory infections. Reuters via The Straits Times    Most COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy stems from surmountable concerns, finds a study in The Lancet that followed 1.1 million+ people in England during the pandemic, from January 2021 to March 2022; Imperial College London researchers found that 65% of participants initially hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine went on to receive at least one shot. Medical Xpress 
  U.S. Congress votes tomorrow on a bipartisan funding bill that includes $9.4 billion for global health—more than 2X the amount the State Department requested—and would restore funding for reproductive health and family planning, neglected diseases, and Gavi cut last year by the Trump administration. POLITICO Pro  
  A federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to restore nearly $12 million in American Academy of Pediatrics funding, citing evidence of a “retaliatory motive” in the termination of seven grants for public health programs, including rural health care and efforts to prevent sudden infant death. AP IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE A West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens researcher runs a genome sequencer at their laboratory. Courtesy: WACCBIP Frontline Genomics With AI    New technology working in tandem with powerful AI-based software is eliminating the need to send samples for genomic sequencing to distant reference labs—and wait a week for results. 

• Now, a rough bacterial genome can be sequenced in a hospital or clinic within hours, using a portable harmonica-size genome sequencer and AI. 

Need for speed: “During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, samples from Guinea had to be shipped to Paris for confirmation—a process that could take weeks,” says Christian Happi, director of the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) in Nigeria. By using a portable genome sequencer, an ACEGID team was later able to confirm a suspected Ebola case in three days, saving “thousands of lives,” Happi says. 

• Since then, ACEGID has sequenced Africa’s first SARS-CoV-2 genome within 48 hours of detection, trained thousands of African scientists, and helped national labs with real-time sequencing.  

Getting real: Scientists at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens in Ghana are helping to build Africa’s genomic capacity and designing tools for the realities of rural clinics.  

• The center has become a major hub for genome sequencing and bioinformatics training, supporting spoke labs in West and Central Africa to establish capacity for genomic surveillance. 

READ THE FULL STORY BY GARY JAMES HUMPHREYS THE QUOTE
  “What the world now calls 'calm' would be considered a crisis anywhere else.” ————————— ––UNICEF’s James Elder at a Geneva briefing today
after noting that roughly one child has been killed
every day in Gaza since the ceasefire began in October. VACCINES Ghana’s Long Quest for the Hepatitis B Shot 
As the U.S. rolls back its long-established hepatitis B vaccination recommendation for newborns, doctors in Ghana are fighting for access to the shot.    ~1/10 people in Ghana live with chronic hepatitis B, with ~10,000 new infections reported each year.  

• While the country has a vaccine that can be administered to one-month-old babies, it has long sought access to vaccines for newborns—who are most vulnerable to transmission. 

Delayed delivery: In 2024, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance agreed to help finance the vaccine—but the planned rollout in 2025 never occurred. Health leaders say they are hopeful for access this year.     NPR Goats and Soda   Related: New hepatitis B drug could help ‘functionally cure’ some patients – Science  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Heart Failure Deaths Have Accelerated in US Since Covid Pandemic – Bloomberg    The U.S. models vaccine guidance after Denmark — but forgets the social safety net – Salon     Germany Sharply Rejects RFK Jr.'s Claims That It Prosecutes Docs for Vax Exemptions – MedPage Today    Environmental “Protection” Agency to Stop Considering Health Impacts of Pollution – Sierra Club      MEP Liese pushes male contraception as abortion prevention – Euractiv    F.D.A. Decisions on Abortion Pill Were Based on Science, New Analysis Finds – The New York Times (gift link)    They Couldn’t Access Mental Health Care When They Needed It. Now They’re Suing Their Insurer. – ProPublica    This new crash test dummy could keep women safer in car accidents – The Washington Post (gift link)  Issue No. 2846
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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Beverages like sugary drinks and alcohol are too accessible and cost too little in most of the world – helping fuel obesity, diabetes, cancer and injury, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.

96 Global Health NOW: Deadly Crackdown on Iran’s Intensifying Protests; and Drones Deliver Lifesaving Care in Ghana View this email in your browser January 12, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Sudan is the world’s largest humanitarian emergency, UN agencies say, with the health system nearing collapse, 20 million+ people needing health assistance, and 21 million facing acute food insecurity; children bear the heaviest burden, making up more than half of the 33.7 million people expected to need humanitarian assistance in 2026. UN News    A new single-dose oral cholera vaccine has shown promise per results from a phase 1 trial published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases—offering hope that more effective oral vaccines for the disease may be on the horizon. CIDRAP    Gambia’s FGM ban is being challenged by a group of religious and government leaders, who have launched an effort to overturn the ban at the country’s supreme court in a move women’s rights activists described as part of a wider “regression on women’s rights.” The Guardian    Nearly 15,000 nurses in New York City began walking off their jobs at several major hospital systems today; they are striking to demand salary increases and continued protections against understaffing, and for their contracts to address artificial intelligence and workplace violence. Politico  IN FOCUS People gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on January 9. Khoshiran / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Deadly Crackdown on Iran’s Intensifying Protests    Health care workers across Iran are describing overwhelmed hospitals and morgues as protests are being met with a violent crackdown by government security forces, reports the BBC.  
Background: Protests that began in late December over economic collapse and political repression have now spread to all Iranian provinces. The government has responded with intensifying force, including an internet and phone blackout—which has meant the true toll of the violence remains unclear.     ‘Horrible scenes’: Health workers who have managed to reach contacts outside the country report that protestors have been shot with live ammunition and pellets, with young people targeted, reports The Times. 

• One hospital worker in Tehran said there were so many wounded that staff did not have time to perform CPR, per the BBC. Others have described creating makeshift operating rooms and activating new morgues as existing facilities are strained.  

Unknown toll: While human rights groups have tallied deaths reaching into the hundreds, other groups estimate that the true number may be in the thousands, reports TIME.     Global condemnation: Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused Iranian officials of unlawful force and mass arrests and have called for an immediate halt to the bloodshed.   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TECH & INNOVATION Drones Deliver Lifesaving Care in Ghana
A fleet of drones is transforming health care in rural Ghana, delivering millions of critical vaccines, medications, antivenoms, and blood units to remote facilities with limited access to such inventory.  

About the program: The delivery service is funded by Ghana’s government and implemented by the California-based company Zipline, which built a digital platform connecting ~3,000 health facilities to six distribution hubs.  

• Mobile requests are sent to these hubs, where products are placed in temperature-controlled packaging and delivered via drone and parachute.  

Impact: The drones have delivered 8.4 million medical products in Ghana from 2019 to 2025—drops credited with saving ~9,700 lives.  

Ongoing obstacles: Weak mobile signals in remote areas sometimes stymie orders, highlighting the need for improved mobile infrastructure. 

The Telegraph 

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Measles response puts personal choice over orders – Axios     Bird Flu Viruses Raise Mounting Concerns Among Scientists – The New York Times (gift link)    Face masks ‘inadequate’ and should be swapped for respirators, WHO is advised – The Guardian    California's School-Based Tobacco Use Prevention Program After Proposition 56: Results From a Statewide Evaluation – Journal of Adolescent Health

The long shadow of the one-child policy: China pays for its biggest social experiment with a demographic crisis – El País

10 Considerations for Global Health Reform in 2026 – Think Global Health (commentary)     A child is born: Italians celebrate village’s first baby in 30 years – The Guardian  Issue No. 2845
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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Sudan’s protracted conflict has spiralled into one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with hunger, displacement and the collapse of basic services exacting a daily toll on civilians.

96 Global Health NOW: Unpacking America’s New Dietary Guidelines View this email in your browser January 8, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES The U.S. will withdraw from dozens of international and U.N. organizations, President Donald Trump announced—including the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, U.N. Women, and the U.N. Population Fund—with the administration saying they “operate contrary to U.S. national interests.” CNBC 

Burning plastic for household heating and cooking is far more widespread than previously known, finds new research published in the journal Nature Communications; the practice presents a growing health and environmental threat especially in low- and middle-income countries, researchers say. The Guardian  

Strains of drug-resistant typhoid capable of resisting the strongest available antibiotics have emerged in South Asia, escalating fears over the rapid spread of drug-resistant infections; the samples collected from hospitals in India contain a gene capable of breaking down the powerful antibiotic class known as carbapenems. The Telegraph  

The U.S. House is set to vote today on a measure that would renew health insurance subsidies that expired at the end of last year; the three-year extension is expected to pass the House, but its future in the Senate is unclear. NPR IN FOCUS A social media post from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showing the revised food pyramid in Lafayette, California, on January 7. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images Unpacking America’s New Dietary Guidelines 
The U.S. food pyramid is again being overhauled, as sweeping new 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released by the Trump administration yesterday, call for avoiding processed foods in favor of whole, fresh foods and increased protein, reports the AP.  

Key changes include:  

• Processed in the crosshairs: The guidance urges Americans to ditch highly processed foods, a major shift in formal federal dietary policy. The guidelines also say “no amount” of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners is considered part of a healthy diet.  

• Pro-protein: The recommendations call for potentially doubling protein consumption. 

• Saturated fat reframing: The guidelines keep limits on saturated fats—but they approve previously avoided sources like butter or beef tallow, reports CNN. 

• Alcohol guidance loosened: The long-standing cap of 1–2 drinks per day is gone, replaced by a simple message to “drink less”—drawing pushback from public health groups, reports Reuters.  

Reactions: Medical groups praised the move away from processed foods and the emphasis on fresh foods, with American Medical Association president Bobby Mukkamala saying the rules “affirm that food is medicine.” 

• But other groups, including the American Heart Association, expressed concerns about how the embrace of animal meat and dairy products could harm cardiovascular health.  

Implications: The guidelines’ most direct impact is on federal nutrition programs and in shaping the school meal programs used to feed ~30 million children daily, reports CNN.  

• But school leaders say they lack the funding to implement more fresh and from-scratch foods. 

Related: Common food preservatives linked to cancer and type 2 diabetes — CNN  

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MALARIA Cameroon’s Push to Save Its Malaria Program  
When health workers in Cameroon learned last year that the U.S. was cutting critical malaria funding to the country, they feared a total loss of hard-won gains against the disease.  

But they persisted: As stocks of essential medications dwindled, nonprofits stepped in at critical junctures, and dedicated health workers continued to work unpaid for months—making door-to-door visits and rushing supplies to those in need via bicycle. 

• “We are the people who save small children. Of course we had to keep doing the job,” said health worker Bachirou Agarbe. 

What’s next: A proposed compact with the U.S. could lead to the restoration of $399 million over five years, contingent on Cameroon boosting its health spending. 

• Meanwhile, Cameroon’s malaria program is restarting with renewed shipments and stipends. 

The New York Times (gift link) 

ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION These Words Are Tired. Let Them Rest.     Whoever suggested the list as “a whimsical New Year’s Eve party idea in 1976” couldn’t have imagined we’d be here, 50 years later, lamenting and celebrating worn-out words, thanks to Lake Superior State University’s annual Banished Words List.   
A sampling of 2026 banishments for, hopefully, the last time. 

• 6-7: Technically numbers, but certainly deserving of the dishonor.  

• Cooked: Or preferably, “all forms of the word cook.” A blow to chefs, or anyone who likes food. 

• Incentivize: A painful example in “the longstanding effort to turn nouns into verbs.” 

• Reach Out: Deserved to die in emails—but on dance floors, Four Tops’s classic bop remains immortal. 

Don’t get too excited. Banishment rarely kills with one strike. Double-banned Game Changer (2009, 2025) lives on. So does, of all things, Hot Water Heater (1982, 2018): “Since when does hot water need to be heated?” lamented a 1982 nominator.  
Why trust LSSU? Because this is an institution that welcomes spring by burning a snowman and prominently displays rules for hunting unicorns. (Stick to enchanted forests, and bring pinking shears, “serious intent,” and sweet talk.)  
Where do we apply?  QUICK HITS Why a fatal ‘black fungus’ struck India during the COVID-19 pandemic – Science 
Three hospitals are under investigation for providing gender-affirming care to trans youth – The 19th 
COVID continues to exact heavy toll on older US adults, study suggests – CIDRAP 
Blue zones: Are global longevity hotspots a myth? New study shows where people really live longer – Euronews  
How a parasite 'gave up sex' to find more hosts—and why its victory won't last – Phys.org Issue No. 2844
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Understanding America’s Mounting Malnutrition Rates; and Navigating Zimbabwe’s Deadly Roads View this email in your browser January 7, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES At least 41 young men in South Africa have died in recent coming-of-age circumcision rites, prompting government officials to call for more accountability measures for traditional schools that hold the ceremonies. The Telegraph    A U.S. appeals court upheld a ruling preventing the NIH from capping overhead payments on grants to academic institutions at 15%, maintaining current reimbursement rates; White House budget officials are, however, working on revisions to the current rules. Science 

Widespread HPV vaccination could substantially reduce the risk of precancerous lesions even among unvaccinated people through herd immunity, finds a new nationwide cohort study that examined rates of cervical lesions among 850,000+ unvaccinated women and girls in Sweden. CIDRAP     Quick tuberculosis identification and treatment can significantly improve survival rates for people with HIV-related sepsis, found University of Virginia researchers in a five-year trial in East Africa. UVA Today (news release)  IN FOCUS People wait in line for food distribution at La Colaborativa's food pantry in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on November 15, 2025. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Understanding America’s Mounting Malnutrition Rates      Malnutrition is America’s fastest-growing cause of death—up 6X in about a decade, now ranking with arterial disease, mental disorders, and deaths from assault, reports The Washington Post (gift link).    Why? The pattern is rising across all states, ages, races, and education levels, but the sharpest growth is among those age 85+.  

• While food insecurity amid rising costs is one reason for the increase among this demographic, there’s another key factor: data collection.

• Over the last decade, new criteria, clinical and insurance initiatives, and screenings have increased documentation of malnutrition—especially in cases where chronic illness drives weight and appetite loss in geriatric and hospice care. 

Still, hunger remains a hidden crisis in the U.S.: 13.7% of households were food insecure in 2024, the highest in nearly a decade—including ~9% of households with kids, per the newest U.S. Household Food Security report.  

• And childhood food insecurity has a lifelong impact on health and longevity, reports NPR Shots.  

But the picture is about to get murkier, as the 2024 food security report will be the last after the USDA decided to terminate future reports, as GHN reported last year. 

• The end of the report marks a “rupture in long-standing data on food security among Americans,” per analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

DATA POINT

94%
———
Reduction in the number of people estimated to be at risk of trachoma and requiring interventions—which fell from ~1.5 billion people at risk in 2002 to 97.1 million as of November 2025. 
––WHO
  ROAD SAFETY Navigating Zimbabwe’s Deadly Roads    In Zimbabwe, driving instruction is no longer just about helping people obtain a license: It is about teaching new drivers to survive on some of the world’s deadliest roads.   

• “We teach them to stay alive,” said driving instructor Tafara Muvhevhi.  

By the numbers: Zimbabwe has one of Africa’s highest road fatality rates; the WHO estimates ~30 deaths per 100,000 people. 

• Crashes are reported every 15 minutes. 

• 5 deaths and 38 injuries are recorded per day.  

A breakdown in safety: Road safety swiftly deteriorated in 2010 amid economic strain, weak traffic enforcement, and a boom in informal transport.    Improvement efforts: Police in Zimbabwe are seeking to overhaul the driver licensing system, including higher penalties for offenders and a revamp of driver training.     AP  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Venezuela crisis: UN aid effort continues amid political upheaval – UN News    High levels of Chagas disease parasite found in insects near U.S.-Mexico border – Medical Xpress    Despite Little Research, Companies Race to Market Autism Tests – The New York Times (gift link)    For Kilifi women, family planning requires a husband’s permission – Daily Nation    Abortion stays legal in Wyoming as its top court strikes down laws, including first US pill ban – AP    Does the U.S. Have a Fertility Crisis? – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health    RFK Jr.’s war on antidepressants is coming — and it will cost lives – STAT (commentary)  
Adults in England eating as much salt a day as in 22 bags of crisps, study show – The Guardian  Issue No. 2843
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Vaccine Schedule Change Draws Fire; and India’s ‘Preventable Tragedy’ View this email in your browser January 6, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Sexual violence against children is “entrenched” and rising across DRC, with 35,000+ cases recorded in the first nine months of 2025 alone, per a UNICEF report which notes that widespread conflict and funding cuts have shuttered many safe spaces, mobile clinics, and community-based protection programs. UN News 
  New cervical cancer screening guidelines from a U.S. health agency include a home HPV test option using self-collection swabs to send to a lab for analysis; the guidelines, detailed in JAMA, cite studies demonstrating the potential for self-collection to up screening rates—including in hard-to-reach populations. CIDRAP  
  The U.S. EPA is dismissing a WHO cancer review agency’s determination that atrazine, the second most common herbicide in the U.S., is “probably carcinogenic to humans”; 60+ countries have banned the chemical due to endocrine-disrupting properties and groundwater contamination risks. Health Policy Watch  
  New research on stimulants used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) work—but by targeting the brain’s reward and wakefulness centers, not by acting on the brain’s attention circuitry, as had been assumed; the findings, published in Cell, also point to the important role of sleep deprivation in the disorder. The Washington Post (gift link)  IN FOCUS A child sports a Paw Patrol Band-Aid after receiving a flu vaccine during a Los Angeles immunization event on October 24, 2025. Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Vaccine Schedule Change Draws Fire    Astonished U.S. health leaders are sharply criticizing the unprecedented reduction in the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule announced yesterday by federal health officials. 

• Recommended vaccines were cut from 17 to 11, STAT reports.  

• U.S. officials said the new schedule would improve public trust, blaming the previous schedule for falling vaccination rates. They referred to limited safety data about vaccines, despite rigorous safety testing.   

Vaccines cut from the schedule include hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal disease, rotavirus, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus, The New York Times reports (gift link). These vaccines will be recommended only for high-risk groups or after consultation with a health care provider.    Warning: Before common use of the rotavirus vaccine, as many as 70,000 U.S. children were hospitalized annually because of the disease.      Health leaders respond: 

• “Unfortunately, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we can no longer trust the leadership of our federal government for credible information about vaccines, and that’s a tragedy that will cause needless suffering,” said American Academy of Pediatrics’ chair of its infectious disease committee Sean O’Leary. 

• “[T]his will increase confusion and decrease vaccine uptake,” said immunologist Helen Chu. 

• “Weakening recommendations for vaccines in the name of ideology over epidemiology undermines America’s leadership in public health and trust in our health authorities,” said John Crowley, Biotechnology Innovation Organization president. 

What’s next? Lawsuits will likely follow, experts told STAT. 
Related:   
Rotavirus Could Come Roaring Back—Very Soon – The Atlantic (gift link)     US cuts the number of vaccines recommended for every child, a move slammed by physicians – AP    GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CERVICAL CANCER India’s ‘Preventable Tragedy’     Cervical cancer kills 75,000+ women in India each year—a crisis driven by a range of preventable factors that lead to increased transmission, late diagnosis, and high mortality. Some contributors:  

• Low vaccine coverage: Despite exhortations from the WHO and other public health leaders, India lacks a nationwide HPV vaccination program.  

• Early marriage: Doctors link early marriages and repeated marriages with increased vulnerability.  

• Minimal screening: Only ~2% of eligible women have access to routine screening.  

• Poor protection: A 2021 report found that fewer than one in 10 men in India use condoms. 

The Quote: “Cervical cancer is not just a medical issue. It is a reflection of gender inequality, weak health systems and the failure to prioritise women’s health,” said Mumbai physician Sonali Roy.     Health Policy Watch   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES: RIP QUICK HITS ‘We couldn’t find her’: Mothers abandon their children in refugee camp – The Telegraph     Why flu seems to be everywhere — even if ‘super flu’ is not a thing – STAT     More seniors are becoming homeless. Shelters are trying to adapt – NPR Shots    UK regulator investigating bad cancer drugs revealed by TBIJ – TBIJ     To Knock Down Health-System Hurdles Between You and HIV Prevention, Try These 6 Things – KFF Health News     Hard to digest: we still live in Fast Food Nation – The Guardian  Issue No. 2842
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: The Struggle to Stop Maternal Bleeding; and New Year’s Resolutions from the ‘Mother of Injury Prevention’ View this email in your browser January 5, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES The Swiss bar fire that killed 40 people on New Year’s Day involved several preventable safety lapses at the facility, including a ceiling covered in flammable foam and a crowded basement with a narrow staircase exit that became a choke point when the blaze started. The New York Times (gift link)  

U.S. states will no longer be required to report how many children and pregnant women covered by Medicaid are vaccinated, per a letter from the Trump administration to state officials; the move could significantly impact visibility into nationwide vaccination rates, as Medicaid programs cover almost half of U.S. children. Axios    Babies who miss getting their first round of vaccines on time—at 2 months old—are more than 7X less likely to get vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella by age 2 (months beyond recommendations), per a study in JAMA Network Open. STAT    A UK ban on TV junk food ads before 9 p.m.—and a total ban for online ads—takes effect today as part of a wider effort to tackle childhood obesity; the Advertising Standards Authority will serve as the watchdog and enforcer for the bans. The Guardian  IN FOCUS A woman weakened by childbirth complications rests as her baby is wrapped in a blanket in the maternity ward of the Civil Hospital. Tonj, South Sudan, May 5, 2017. Fabio Bucciarelli/AFP via Getty The Struggle to Stop Maternal Bleeding    New efforts to prevent mothers from bleeding to death during childbirth in 10+ countries have stalled since U.S. foreign aid cuts last year—reversing decades of progress in maternal survival and imperiling vulnerable mothers, reports The Independent.     Background: Groundbreaking research in 2023 showed postpartum hemorrhage deaths could be cut by 60% through faster diagnosis, a simple blood-measuring drape, and immediate medication interventions.  

• Resulting programs in countries with some of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates proved transformative. 

Sudden setbacks: The slashed funding has led to a critical loss of lifesaving medications, equipment, and outreach services. 

• In parts of Malawi, clinics recorded thousands fewer antenatal visits and lost track of hundreds of pregnant women.

• Excessive bleeding rates have returned to pre-2022 levels, and audits suggest that some deaths could have been prevented without the cuts. 

One hopeful development: A project to save the lives of mothers during childbirth, the Safer Births in Crisis project, led by the International Rescue Committee, is launching in South Sudan and Burkina Faso after former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern stepped in to rescue part of the program, per another report from The Independent.  DATA POINT

50+
———
The number of countries that have eliminated at least one NTD in the past decade—helping to reduce the number of people needing NTD interventions by 32%, from 2.2 billion to 1.5 billion in 2023. ––The WHO’s third Global Report on Neglected Tropical Diseases
  GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY Sue Baker spent her career preventing injuries to children, truck drivers, pilots, and others. Undated photo New Year’s Resolutions from the ‘Mother of Injury Prevention’    After a bruising year for public health, injury prevention pioneer Sue Baker can provide inspiration and career guidance for 2026, writes Natalie Draisin.      Baker, a professor emerita at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, changed the perception that injuries were “accidents”—inevitable acts of fate. Draisin, who’s writing a book about Baker, sifted through hours of interviews for three important lessons:     1. Don’t be afraid to take on new challenges.     As a 36-year-old homemaker with three young children, Baker took a computer programming class so she could get a job with the School’s then-Department of Chronic Diseases. That challenge cracked open a window into public health. “Strike out for the things you really want to see happen, even if it seems unlikely, because some of them will work out,” Baker advises.     2. Go to the field to understand it.     To learn how to prevent injuries, Baker drove an 18-wheeler, earned a pilot’s license, and spent a week on an aircraft carrier.      3. Speak the truth—even when it’s unwelcome.     From motorcyclists who didn’t like helmets to trucking companies more interested in profits than safety, Baker stood up to opponents with disarming calm.      The takeaway: Baker reminds us that the promise of 2026 lies in our willingness to think—and act—boldly, writes Draisin.  READ THE FULL COMMENTARY GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DEMOGRAPHICS China Imposes a Contraceptive Tax      China has imposed a 13% value-added tax on contraceptive drugs and condoms as the country continues a series of drastic policy reversals around birth rate targets, reports Reuters.     History: For 30+ years, contraceptives have been tax-exempt in China as the country sought strict enforcement of its one-child policy.       Today: As the nation’s birth rate plummets, Chinese officials have made an about-face, introducing a range of “fertility-friendly” incentives, subsidies, and classes to encourage people to have more children.       Backlash: Critics say this measure will have little to no impact on birth rates as economic pressures continue—and they say it will unfairly burden low-income citizens, reports TIME.  

• Meanwhile, health experts fear that the taxes could lead to more sexually transmitted diseases. 

QUICK HITS In a year of steep challenges, there were still shining moments in global health – NPR Goats and Soda 
Canadian officials say US health institutions no longer dependable for accurate information – The Guardian    Baltimore Drove Down Gun Deaths. Now Trump Has Slashed Funding for That Work. – KFF Health News    Vaccines Are Helping Older People More Than We Knew – The New York Times (gift link)    Deborah Birx: Public health data should be as available as the weather forecast – STAT (commentary)     What viruses an infectious-disease doctor is watching for in 2026 – The Washington Post (commentary/gift link) 
He made beer that’s also a vaccine. Now controversy is brewing – Science News Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner!  Issue No. 2841
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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