Trahir l’histoire

Samir Shaheen-Hussain in Devoir - 1 hour 23 sec ago
Pour marquer la Journée internationale des travailleuses et des travailleurs, soyons véritablement unis pour la santé.
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Global Health NOW: A Turning Point in TB Testing; and A ‘Terrifying Medical Underworld’ Expands

Global Health Now - Thu, 04/30/2026 - 09:14
96 Global Health NOW: A Turning Point in TB Testing; and A ‘Terrifying Medical Underworld’ Expands View this email in your browser April 30, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Endometriosis diagnosis could be dramatically improved with a new imaging tool that uses a molecular tracer to help physicians observe blood vessel growth and inflammation in the body; the new tool could significantly shorten the long wait time for a diagnosis, which averages 9+ years in the U.K. The Independent 

HIV patients in Senegal are forgoing treatment amid a surge of arrests targeting the LGBTQ community after the government’s decision to increase prison term lengths and fines for same-sex sexual acts and any promotion of homosexuality. Reuters    America's infant formula supply has been deemed safe by the FDA, which tested 300+ infant formula samples for contaminants including lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, pesticides, PFAs, and phthalates, and found "an overwhelming majority of samples had undetectable or very low levels of contaminants.” USA Today    World Cup health surveillance for the competition will be launched by global health academics at Georgetown University, who are providing a temporary surveillance hub to monitor disease risks like measles. The Telegraph  IN FOCUS Scanning electron micrograph of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, which cause TB. NIH//Universal Images Group via Getty Images A Turning Point in TB Testing    A new portable tuberculosis test could transform the diagnostic process for patients, making it more accessible and affordable for underserved populations, and leading to earlier treatment options, reports NPR.     The traditional method: For over a century, TB diagnosis has relied on examining a patient’s phlegm samples under a microscope—an often-unwieldy, imprecise method that can miss up to half of cases or produce false positives.  
  • It’s also difficult for many patients, like children and older people, to provide phlegm samples. 
Circumventing phlegm: A new molecular test detects TB bacterium DNA via a simple tongue swab or phlegm, using technology similar to that used in hospital-based COVID tests to produce results in under 30 minutes, per Medical Xpress
  • The device, MiniDock MTB, was developed by the Chinese company Pluslife, which designed it to be low-cost, battery-powered, and simple enough to use in clinics without microscopes or advanced labs. 
  • Caveats: The test may miss very early infections and cannot identify drug-resistant TB without follow-up testing. 
Implications: Easier, more reliable diagnosis could reduce missed cases, expedite treatment, and slow transmission.  HEALTH SYSTEMS A ‘Terrifying Medical Underworld’ Expands     A crisis is growing in American hospitals as more facilities resort to patient “boarding”: the practice of holding admitted patients for hours or days in the emergency departments or other ill-equipped temporary locations while awaiting a hospital bed.     The reasons for the growing practice are complex, including hospital financial structures and staffing issues. But meaningful reforms have yet to be enacted.     In a deeply researched, and deeply personal report, journalist and former ER physician Elisabeth Rosenthal lays out the crisis through the lens of her late husband’s own agony in this “terrifying medical underworld” in his last days before dying of esophageal cancer.     The quote: “Everyone knows about this problem, and no one cares enough to do anything about it. It’s barbaric,” said Adrian Haimovich, an ED doctor in Boston.     KFF Health News  OPPORTUNITY Funding Opportunity for Disability Inclusion  
Borealis Philanthropy's Disability Inclusion Fund is seeking joint grant proposals from organizations led by and for disabled people.  
These grants support cross-movement collaborations advancing disability justice, including community organizing, advocacy, narrative change, arts, and policy work.  
  • At least one partner must be disability-focused and disability-led.  
  • Combined annual budgets must be under $3 million.  
  • All organizations must be U.S.-based 501(c)(3)s or fiscally sponsored.  
Successful applicants can receive up to $150,000 over two years.   ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Gulls Just Wanna Have Fun    The frenzied squawks echoing from a pub in De Panne, Belgium, last weekend may have been alarming—if not downright annoying—to uninitiated passersby. But to the crowd inside, these were sacred hymns of homage.    The annual European Seagull Screeching Championship is, after all, more than a competition. Now in its sixth year, the event seeks to rehabilitate the much-derided sea scavengers’ reputation by “connecting gulls and people,” and reminding them that “a gull screeching brings back good memories,” explains the competition website.     The real memory-makers? The people with eerily good impressions of that unhinged cackle only a seagull can make as it divebombs your sandwich. This year, 70 contestants from 15 countries gave it their best go, Reuters reports, many donning feathers in an effort to further impress the five jury members (each “true seagull lovers,” assures the website).    And much like a seagull, organizer Claude Willaert has unapologetically bold aims for the competition, declaring to local station Focus WTV: “We are going to have more countries than at the Eurovision Song Contest.”  QUICK HITS RFK Jr. is holding up $600M in vaccines for poor countries – Politico     Australia becomes the 30th country to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem – WHO 
A cheap drug used by longevity enthusiasts may have a surprising impact on exercise – The Washington Post (gift link) 
J. Craig Venter, Scientist Who Decoded the Human Genome, Dies at 79 – The New York Times (gift link) 
Baby teeth hold clues to the harms of toxic metals for infants — and older kids – NPR  
Why you should ‘feed a cold’: eating primes immune cells for action – Nature  Issue No. 2908
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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Categories: Global Health Feed

Global Health NOW: When Policy Shapes Biology; and How Health Misinformation is Fueling Solar Farm Fears

Global Health Now - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 09:14
96 Global Health NOW: When Policy Shapes Biology; and How Health Misinformation is Fueling Solar Farm Fears View this email in your browser April 29, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Aid groups are calling for a humanitarian corridor to be opened through the Strait of Hormuz as the war in Iran has led to the blockage of vital aid supplies, including critical medications. The Guardian    Viral hepatitis remains “a major global health challenge” despite notable gains, finds a new WHO report; while hepatitis C- and B-related deaths have declined significantly, current transmission rates of ~1.8 million infections annually show that2030 elimination goals are off-course. WHO    Disabled Americans who receive Supplemental Security Income and live with family members who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will see their monthly benefits cut or eliminated if a Trump administration rule change moves forward; the cuts would affect ~400,000 people with dementia, developmental disabilities, and other conditions. ProPublica    A former NIH aide has been indicted on obstruction of justice and conspiracy charges for allegedly using his personal email to conceal federal records about federally funded research into dangerous viruses like the one that caused COVID-19. Politico  IN FOCUS A view of houses in KwanGode, a rural area outside Hillcrest, South Africa. November 29, 2025. Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty When Policy Shapes Biology    The introduction of powerful anti-HIV drugs in regions like South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natale province has rewritten disease outcomes of the populations there. But the intervention has also reshaped the DNA of people in the region, finds a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences—slowing evolutionary changes that were being driven by the epidemic, reports Science
  • In KwaZulu-Natal, extreme AIDS mortality before 2005 drove measurable genetic change over a decade, rapidly reshaping immune system genes.  
  • The inflow of antiretroviral drugs notably slowed this process.  
Deep, downstream effects: Abrupt funding cuts to programs like PEPFAR and those affecting programs backed by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria risk undoing that progress, potentially allowing both the epidemic and its biological impacts to intensify again. 
  • Such interruptions and reductions have eroded critical infrastructure needed to test, track, and treat the virus, impacting not only treatment but the ability to prevent it, reports The Guardian.  
Seismic shifts on the horizon: South Africa is facing major upheaval to its HIV-fighting infrastructure: the Global Fund has notified the country that it has less than eight years before its funding wraps, per another Bhekisisa report.  
Related:     AIDS Creeps Back in Parts of Zambia, a Year After U.S. Cuts to H.I.V. Assistance – The New York Times (gift link)     We detected Aids through a federal early warning system. Trump has decimated it – The Guardian (commentary)  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES COMMUNICATION How Health Misinformation is Fueling Solar Farm Fears    The expansion of large solar farms is becoming a new battleground in public health policy: Critics point to health risks as a reason to restrict expansion, while researchers say such fears are grounded in misinformation.     A range of concerns: Critics of solar farms say health risks range from the impacts of electromagnetic fields to contamination, and such concerns have contributed to recent restrictions in Michigan, Ohio, and Missouri. 
  • But the purported public health risks are not grounded in credible evidence, say researchers and environmental lawyers.  
Energy goals at stake: The backlash threatens to stall solar energy transition targets even as demand grows. 
ProPublica  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS More of the same. Epic Fury’s impact on global health and humanitarian actions – King’s College London (commentary)    Former Tobacco Executive Takes CDC Role – Medical Professionals Reference    ‘America First’ aid policy reshapes how U.S. delivers global health assistance – PBS News (news lesson plan)     Ending Malaria Is Africa’s Smartest Investment: Here Is Why Leaders Are Acting Now – Africa.com (commentary)     In first meeting, federal autism committee focuses on ‘profound autism’ – STAT     GOP takes aim at hospital CEOs over affordability crisis – The Hill    A neuroscientist’s guide to reading the research yourself – The Washington Post  (commentary, gift link)  Issue No. 2907
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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Global Health NOW: UK Cuts Imperil Polio Eradication; and How One Sudanese Surgeon Held Back the Tide

Global Health Now - Tue, 04/28/2026 - 09:24
96 Global Health NOW: UK Cuts Imperil Polio Eradication; and How One Sudanese Surgeon Held Back the Tide View this email in your browser April 28, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Ghana has rejected a U.S. proposal for a bilateral health aid deal because of a requirement that it share health data; Zimbabwe shot down a similar America First Global Health Strategy-based proposal for the same reason. Reuters via The Straits Times 

Hundreds of hepatitis B infections and more liver cancer cases will likely follow the Trump administration’s policy that canceled a recommendation that the hepatitis B vaccine be given to infants within 24 hours of birth, per a new modeling study published in JAMA PediatricsThe Washington Post (gift link) 

Strict limits on girls’ education and women’s work opportunities in Afghanistan may cause a shortage of 25,000 women teachers and health workers by 2030, according to a new UNICEF analysisUN News     48% of newborns infected with chikungunya during birth will experience severe neurological problems, including seizures, bleeding in the brain, and other issues, per a study published in eClinicalMedicine; babies who appear healthy at birth can experience fever, persistent crying, and feeding problems three to seven days later. CIDRAP   IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE A health worker administers polio drops to a child on a nationwide week-long poliovirus eradication campaign. Karachi, Pakistan, September, 1, 2025. Asif Hassan/AFP via Getty UK Cuts Imperil Polio Eradication 
Anne Wafula Strike once proudly served as the U.K.’s “poster girl” for polio eradication. Today, the Kenyan-born paralympic athlete and polio survivor has a different message: “It feels we were running a group relay and just before the finish line, someone deliberately dropped the baton.” 
  Last month, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) lost its largest contributor when the U.K. cut its $67–$134 million in annual funding. The move is part of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's sweeping 40% reduction in foreign aid, the largest percentage cut to development assistance by any government. 
  With the world on the cusp of eradicating the disease, “it’s the worst possible moment” to abandon funding, says Shahin Huseynov, WHO’s polio coordinator for Europe. Only two wild polio cases were reported globally in the first three months of 2026, and just two countries remain endemic—but poliovirus has been found in U.K. wastewater this year.  
  • Without sustained funding, the WHO warns that 200,000 children could be paralyzed by polio each year within a decade. 
What it means on the ground: The cuts will likely mean prioritizing surveillance and vaccination campaigns in the highest-risk areas, and postponing the goal of eradicating polio by 2029, says Huseynov.  
With GPEI's budget already cut 30% from prior U.S. cuts, advocates are urging the U.K. to honor its legal obligation to spend 0.7% of national income on overseas aid. 
  • Reinstating polio funding would cost just $134 million, a fraction of what's been cut. 
There’s hope that other countries will step in—such as Australia, Spain, Canada, and Korea—who are still “looking, kind of, to use their development assistance funds in a very positive way,” says Adrian Lovett of the ONE Campaign.    Nevertheless, a major concern is the signal the cuts send to other countries: “It’s not just about money. It’s about solidarity,” says Huseynov.
  READ THE FULL STORY BY ANNALIES WINNY GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CONFLICT How One Sudanese Surgeon Held Back the Tide    Even as missiles hit Al Nao hospital, as electricity faltered, supplies dwindled and hospital staffers fled, orthopedic surgeon Jamal Eltaeb kept working.    Al Nao is one of the only functioning hospitals in the region outside Khartoum in civil war-torn Sudan—and Eltaeb knew it was a lifeline for hundreds of desperate patients.  
  • For three years, he has found a way to keep caring for them—despite direct attacks on the hospital and amidst mass-casualty bomb strikes where 100+ wounded patients needed emergency care.  
  • “We were working everywhere, in tents, outside, on the floor, doing everything to save patients’ lives,” said Eltaeb, who was just recognized with the $1 million Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity.  
Dire, ongoing need: ~40% of Sudan’s hospitals no longer function as the war enters its fourth year.    AP

Related: Darfur: Two decades on, a new generation of children faces 'horrific violence' – UN News OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Can the U.S. handle another pandemic? – PBS News (video) 
The US CDC on the brink – The Lancet (commentary)    Bedilu Abebe: Why Malaria Still Persists in Ethiopia – The Reporter (Ethiopia)     Trump administration warns against using federal dollars on fentanyl test strips – STAT     Toxins plus climate harms likely cause of reduced fertility, study finds – The Guardian    CDC warns of drug-resistant salmonella infections linked to backyard poultry – AP

How to let go of grudges — and why it could be good for your health – The Washington Post (gift link)  Issue No. 2906
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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  Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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Categories: Global Health Feed

WHO calls for stepped up action to eliminate viral hepatitis

World Health Organization - Tue, 04/28/2026 - 08:00
Countries are making measurable progress in combatting viral hepatitis, but the disease remains a major global health challenge, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a new report published on Tuesday. 
Categories: Global Health Feed

Global Health NOW: A ‘Critical Phase’ in the Malaria Fight; and Solar Powering Maternal Survival in Nigeria

Global Health Now - Mon, 04/27/2026 - 09:25
96 Global Health NOW: A ‘Critical Phase’ in the Malaria Fight; and Solar Powering Maternal Survival in Nigeria View this email in your browser April 27, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Algeria has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem after a decades-long effort that was accelerated in 2013 with particular focus on 12 highly affected provinces and intensive door-to-door screening and management; it is the 29th country globally to have eliminated the infection, which can cause blindness. WHO    The first gene therapy for deafness has been approved by the FDA—a historic milestone in the treatment of hearing loss, though the treatment currently impacts only people born with a very rare form of genetic deafness; the manufacturer, Regeneron, will offer the treatment for free in the U.S. NPR    Living in pesticide-heavy environments could heighten the risk of cancer by up to 150%––even with chemicals considered “safe” on their own—per a Peru-based study that examined the impact of complex mixtures of chemicals in real-world conditions, in contrast to previous research that has focused mostly on individual chemicals in controlled environments. Institut Pasteur via ScienceDaily  
70%+ of people globally believe at least one false or unproven health claim, like that vaccine risks outweigh benefits or that fluoride in water is harmful, per new survey published by the Edelman Trust Institute—results that point to a potentially growing number of people questioning scientific evidence. Scientific American  IN FOCUS Midwife Sarah Atim speaks to expectant mothers about malaria vaccination during an antenatal care session at a hospital in Uganda's Apac district. April 8, 2025. Hajarah Nalwadda/Getty A ‘Critical Phase’ in the Malaria Fight    The global fight against malaria is at a pivotal juncture, as major scientific advances like vaccines, therapies, and diagnostics converge with rising threats like drug resistance and underfunded health systems—a set of opportunities and barriers “defining a critical phase for malaria control,” per Nature Africa as World Malaria Day 2026 is marked.     New tools, new hope: Artemether-lumefantrine, the first malaria treatment tailored for newborns and small infants, has been approved, closing a longstanding gap in care for “one of the most underserved patient groups,” which is also the most vulnerable, per the WHO.  
  • Three new rapid diagnostic tests are also rolling out, designed to detect mutating parasite strains that previously slipped through standard testing. 
And new threats: There is increasing evidence that parasites are growing resistant to artemisinin—the “backbone” of lifesaving therapies—per Nature Africa. This shift, along with insecticide-resistant mosquitoes and expanding mosquito habitats, is making it difficult to build on hard-won gains like the vaccine rollouts.     Ongoing toll of disruption: Meanwhile, malaria programs throughout Africa are still seeing the effects of the sudden USAID cuts last year, reports CIDRAP. In Zambia, for example, malaria hospitalizations are now increasing—likely due to the lack of regular USAID-funded spraying, doctors say.  
  • And even as bilateral agreements with the U.S. are formed to fund countries’ malaria programs, countries with high malaria burdens are struggling to regain lost traction.  
The Quote: “We’re just running all the time, and the malaria parasite is catching up with us all the time,” said Jane E. Carlton, director of the Malaria Research Institute at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.     Related:       How mosquitoes—and malaria—helped shape the whereabouts of early humankind – NPR    AI-powered drones slash malaria cases – GhanaWeb   Can you stop malaria crossing borders? One nation’s bid to wipe out the disease – The Guardian   Malaria rebound spurs AI-driven hunt for parasite genes linked to deadly cases – Phys.org DATA POINT

379 million
——————
Malaria cases averted across 25 countries in sub-Saharan Africa attributable to the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative investment from 2005 to 2024, per new analysis from Imperial College London and the Malaria Atlas Project. ––Clinton Health Access Initiative
  TECH & INNOVATION Solar Powering Maternal Survival in Nigeria    Electricity can be the difference between life and death for many maternity ward patients in Nigeria, where ~40% of primary health care centers lack reliable power.  
  • Power interruptions lead to delayed surgeries, stalled oxygen flow, and nonworking incubators, and also hamper routine procedures that require light, like suturing.  
Lifesaving solar energy: Since Gombe State Specialist Hospital installed a solar-hybrid system in 2020, maternal deaths have dropped from 15–20 per month to 1–2, and neonatal deaths have fallen from 50+ per month to 20–25.  
  • “There is no interruption. We can suture, we can operate, we can do everything,” said Sarigamo Ibrahim, a nurse and midwife who manages the maternity unit. 
Nigeria Health Watch  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS South Carolina’s 200-day measles outbreak is over. What it cost. – The Post and Courier 
Measles Is Back. What Comes Next Will Be Worse. – The New York Times (commentary; gift link) Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff!  
What happened to Covid? – STAT  
The Next Global Health Crisis Is Already Here: Childhood Trauma from War – The Good Men Project 
Trump fires all 24 members of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s governing body – Science  

Untangling the complex relationship between HIV-exposure and tuberculosis in children: a narrative review – The Lancet Global Health  
So, you got bit by a tick. Here’s exactly what to do next. – The Washington Post (gift link)   Issue No. 2905
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.

Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe

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


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Categories: Global Health Feed

A race for rights: How sport is helping protect girls in Uganda

World Health Organization - Sat, 04/25/2026 - 08:00
On a red running track in eastern Uganda, coach Zuena Cheptoek is doing more than training runners. For many girls in the Sebei subregion, she is also a confidante, a mentor and first line of protection against female genital mutilation, child marriage and abuse.
Categories: Global Health Feed

Unleashing natural killer cells against cancer

McGill Faculty of Medicine news - Fri, 04/24/2026 - 11:50

Scientists have developed a strategy to boost the cancer-fighting power of natural killer (NK) cells, part of the immune system’s first line of defence. NK cells can detect and destroy cancer cells, but tumours often create a protective barrier that blocks them, allowing cancer to grow.

Researchers at McGill University’s Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, in collaboration with the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, found that suppressing two specific proteins helps NK cells overcome this blockage, turning them into more potent cancer killers.

Categories: Global Health Feed

For every generation, vaccines work and they have saved over 150 million lives: WHO

World Health Organization - Fri, 04/24/2026 - 08:00
Over the past 50 years, vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives, as ordinary people chose to protect themselves, their children and their communities from diseases like measles, diphtheria, pertussis, polio, and rotavirus. 
Categories: Global Health Feed

Two-thirds of global hunger concentrated in 10 conflict-hit countries

World Health Organization - Fri, 04/24/2026 - 08:00
A growing share of global hunger is becoming entrenched in a small group of conflict-hit countries, with two-thirds of people facing acute food insecurity concentrated in just 10 nations, a major international report backed by UN agencies warns.
Categories: Global Health Feed

Global Health NOW: Europe’s ‘Narrowing Window’ for Climate Action; and Burkina Faso’s Psychiatric Care Deficit

Global Health Now - Thu, 04/23/2026 - 09:40
96 Global Health NOW: Europe’s ‘Narrowing Window’ for Climate Action; and Burkina Faso’s Psychiatric Care Deficit Plus: Your Photos May Be Bad—But Are They Bad Enough? View this email in your browser April 23, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES 21 African countries are battling measles outbreaks, and 493 deaths associated with the disease have been registered, reports the Africa CDC—which highlighted that 72% of all cases and 95% of the deaths have occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Independent (Uganda) 

The CDC will not publish a report showing the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines; sources familiar with the blocked report say it showed the vaccines reduced hospitalizations and emergency department visits ‌among ⁠healthy adults by about half this past winter. Reuters via Yahoo! News    A revamped suicide and crisis hotline, 988, has been associated with an 11% drop in suicides among adolescents and young adults in U.S. compared with projected rates since the shortened number was launched in 2022, finds a new study published in JAMA; states with the biggest increases in answered calls also saw the largest decline in suicide rates. STAT   A UK generational smoking ban passed this week in Parliament following a yearslong campaign; the directive means that children born after Dec. 31, 2008, will be banned from ever buying cigarettes. AP  IN FOCUS Locals and forest firefighters try to battle a wildfire in the village of Veiga das Meas, in northwestern Spain, on August 16, 2025. Miguel Riopa/AFP via Getty Europe’s ‘Narrowing Window’ for Climate Action
Extreme heat, drought, vector-borne illnesses, and other climate-driven health risks are rapidly escalating across Europe, finds the 2026 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change—which warns that political action and public will are not keeping pace with the need for urgent interventions, reports Euronews.  
  • “The health impacts of climate change are intensifying faster than our response is keeping up,” said Joacim Rocklöv, co-director of the Lancet Countdown Europe. 

Heat-related harms: Compared with the 1990s, extreme heat alerts are up 318%, and nearly all monitored European regions saw an increase in deaths attributable to heat.  

  • Heat is also exacerbating sleep disruption and complications in chronic diseases and birth outcomes. 

Accelerating disease: The overall average risk of dengue outbreaks in Europe has quadrupled over the last decade, and reported cases of West Nile virus, chikungunya, and Zika virus are also rising regionwide.  

Food insecurity: Meanwhile, drought is contributing to rising food prices, which pushed over a million more people into moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023 compared to past decades. 

Lagging political response: While Europe has been a global leader in climate policy progress, the report warns that political and public engagement are stalling, and urges further actions “need to be accelerated” including:  

  • Swifter transition away from fossil fuels to other energy sources.  

  • Implementing early warning systems for heat and other climate dangers into health care.  

  • Targeted adaptation measures including expanded green spaces. 

Related: Heatwaves, floods and wildfires pose rising threat to democracy, report finds – The Guardian 

MENTAL HEALTH Burkina Faso’s Psychiatric Care Deficit     In Burkina Faso, access to mental health care is scarce, with just 11 psychiatrists available to a population of 20 million+ people.     Strained system: Mental health services were already fragile, but recent years of conflict and insecurity in the region have led to the withdrawal of NGOs that helped provide care.  
  • Meanwhile, a key nurse training program has been suspended, and the country is dealing with an exodus of medical professionals to other countries.  
Cultural dynamics: A great deal of misinformation and stigma are still attached to mental health disorders, and families often turn to spiritual healers for help instead of medical care.    Hope on the horizon? The government has announced a plan to train and employ 60 psychiatrists over the next five years.    Bhekisisa  OPPORTUNITY Take a Load Off ... Your Eyes  
Prolonged screen use is a reality of daily life for many of us.     Students at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have launched a campaign—Take 60—to encourage 60-second hourly screen breaks to help reduce digital eye strain and support better focus and overall eye health.    We hope you’ll give it a try ... after scrolling down to read the Thursday Diversion!    Follow the campaign on social media ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Gullfoss, a waterfall on the Hvítá River, in southwest Iceland, in November 2023. This photo was taken by GHN's Morgan Coulson, who spent just 24 hours in Iceland on her way to Ireland, and couldn't find a bad shot. Your Photos May Be Bad—But Are They Bad Enough? 
Are you generally uninterested in photography, not good at it, and regularly disappointed with your own photos? Do you have no regard for composition and take portraits from below? Of people eating? Did you take this photo?
 
There’s a prize for that—and it comes with “possible worldwide recognition” and a trip to Iceland.
 
Icelandair is seeking the “world’s worst amateur photographer” to prove that this supermodel of a country has no bad angles—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity where “a lack of skill makes you ideal for this task.”
 
We admire Icelandair’s optimism, but suspect there’s someone out there that can still make a glacier look like a murky pond, a majestic volcano resemble an anthill, and give the Geysir a double chin. And we hope it’s us.
 
Apply to the contest by April 30
 
Thanks for the tip, Lindsay Smith Rogers!  QUICK HITS Why these treatments for one of the deadliest cancers are stirring such hope – The Washington Post (gift link)     Residents in rural Sudan say the Iran war has made it harder to get medicines – AP    Pace of N.I.H. Funding Slows Further in Trump’s Second Year – The New York Times (gift link)    In hearings, RFK Jr claims no responsibility for measles spread – CIDRAP    Two common drugs may reverse fatty liver disease, study finds – University of Barcelona via Science Daily     Britain’s £8bn bet on the developing world – The Telegraph  Issue No. 2903
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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WHO says billions saw health gains in 2025 despite funding cuts

World Health Organization - Thu, 04/23/2026 - 08:00
Despite significant funding cuts, the World Health Organization (WHO) was able to support significant national health gains for hundreds of millions of people in 2025, according to its annual Results Report released on Thursday.
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Global Health NOW: The Civilian Impact of War in Iran; and A Disease-Busting House Design

Global Health Now - Wed, 04/22/2026 - 09:43
96 Global Health NOW: The Civilian Impact of War in Iran; and A Disease-Busting House Design View this email in your browser April 22, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Human rights violations are on the rise internationally at the hands of both states and non-state actors who largely face no accountability, finds Amnesty International in its annual State of the World’s Human Rights report; despite the grim findings, the report praises the “masterful work” of diplomats and activists seeking to strengthen civil rights and liberties. DW    Nearly half of U.S. children breathe dangerous levels of air pollution, per the annual “State of the Air” American Lung Association report, which also warned that the Trump administration’s sweeping rollback of protections will worsen the outlook. The Guardian     A major mRNA vaccine trial will launch soon in Britain as the country seeks to prepare for a potential bird flu pandemic; the trial, led by Moderna and the U.K. Health Security Agency, will recruit 3,000 participants to test the human vaccine’s effectiveness. The Telegraph     WHO-recommended antibiotics for neonatal sepsis are largely ineffective in low-resource nations, finds new research from the BARNARDS II study of antibiotic resistance, which found that antibiotics like ampicillin and gentamicin were active against only 25% of cases in which they were used and had “limited coverage against locally prevalent, highly resistant pathogens.” CIDRAP  IN FOCUS A woman looks out over Resalat Square, where photos of civilians killed in recent U.S.-Israeli strikes are displayed. Tehran, Iran, April 20, Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty The Civilian Impact of War in Iran   The war in Iran is taking a deepening toll on civilian life as widespread damage to the country’s already-fragile natural resources, infrastructure, and health systems is “pushing one of the world’s most environmentally vulnerable regions toward catastrophe,” per a new report from the Center for American Progress (CAP).     So far, 1,700+ civilians—including at least 254 children—have been killed, per the latest figures from HRANA.  
  • But the true toll is difficult to gauge due to restricted reporting, damage to hospitals, and widespread communications blackouts.  
Health systems hollowed out: Even before the war, Iran’s health care system was weakened by sanctions and violence from recent unrest. As of April 3, ~300 medical facilities had been damaged, further hampering care, per CAP.     Environmental emergency: Already strained by years of drought and climate impacts, the region now faces “compounding harms” from strikes on oil facilities and industrial sites—leading to long-term ecological risks from air, water, and soilcontamination.     Water scarcity, “food catastrophe”: Attacks on water infrastructure threaten access to drinking water across the region. Meanwhile, analysts say the conflict’s impact on global food prices could lead to “catastrophe,” as shipping disruptions lead to shortages in oil and fertilizer needed for agricultural production, reports Al Jazeera.  
  • Such impacts will be most deeply felt by low-income countries in Africa and Asia.  
Call for humanitarian intervention: The report calls for urgent aid, but also long-term remediation centered on environmental harm—including surveillance for chronic disease, soil recovery, and investments in more resilient water systems. 

Related:  Geopolitics and Humanitarian Health in Iran, Cuba, and Ukraine – Public Health On Call (podcast) GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ARCHITECTURE A Disease-Busting House Design
Well-designed “Star Homes”—which promote airflow, block insects, and feature outdoor latrines and rainwater collection systems—can reduce child mortality, demonstrates a randomized controlled trial in southern Tanzania, published in Nature Medicine.    Per the research, led by Lorenz von Seidlein of the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit: 
  • Children under 13 living in Star Homes were 44% less likely than those in the control group to suffer from malaria.
  • Cases of diarrhea and respiratory infections were down by 30% and 18%, respectively.  
Drawbacks: The biggest barrier to broader application? The $8,800 price tag. But Seidlein says the goal wasn’t to prove that millions of Star Homes should be built. 
  • The study showed that “if you use better principles in building, you can probably achieve a massive effect,” he said. 
Science  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS ‘It’s a powder keg’: Romania leads EU measles cases as vaccination rates collapse – The Guardian     As measles takes toll on kids, anti-vaxxers in US have change of heart – Bloomberg via The Straits Times     Pentagon ends mandatory flu vaccines for service members – Politico     ‘The next opioid epidemic’: Gambling legalization outpaces public health response to addiction – Fierce Healthcare Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe!    Priya Pal: If pregnancy centers get public money, they should meet   medical standards – Missouri Independent (commentary)     French activists sue 'deceptive' laughing gas suppliers – Le Monde    A specialized tour at the Berlin Zoo brings joy to people living with dementia – AP  Issue No. 2903
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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Long hours, stress and harassment are causing hundreds of thousands of early deaths, says UN labour agency

World Health Organization - Wed, 04/22/2026 - 08:00
More than 840,000 people die each year from health conditions linked to risks such as long working hours, job insecurity, workplace harassment and bullying, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO). 
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Extreme heat pushing global food systems to the brink, UN agencies warn

World Health Organization - Wed, 04/22/2026 - 08:00
Extreme heat is pushing global food and farming systems to the brink, threatening the livelihoods of over a billion people as rising temperatures and more frequent heatwaves redefine how food is produced worldwide, a new UN report warns.
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NSERC awards two McGill professors $1.65 million each to prepare the next generation of researchers

McGill Faculty of Medicine news - Tue, 04/21/2026 - 12:07

Projects focusing on MedTech and genomics cut across disciplines while mobilizing expertise at McGill and other Quebec institutions to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow  

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Global Health NOW: The Questions Surrounding Zambia’s Future HIV Fight; and Omaha’s Lag in Lead Testing

Global Health Now - Tue, 04/21/2026 - 09:19
96 Global Health NOW: The Questions Surrounding Zambia’s Future HIV Fight; and Omaha’s Lag in Lead Testing View this email in your browser April 21, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES RSV vaccination of pregnant women lowered the risk of hospitalization of their infant children by 81%, per a study of 289,000+ babies born in England; the findings were shared at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases on April 18. The Telegraph        Blue monkeys, a crowned eagle, a Nile monitor lizard, a leopard, and six other species were caught on video eating Egyptian fruit bats—which carry the Marburg virus; the video from a cave in Uganda demonstrates how intermediate animals could acquire and spread the fatal virus. Nature      The Lancet is convening its first-ever commission focused on global skin health; the experts will set goals for reducing skin diseases, improving skin health, and training health workers. Healio      President Trump directed $50 million on April 18 to increase availability of psychedelic drugs like psilocybin and ibogaine for mental health treatment and ordered the FDA to speed their review. NPR   IN FOCUS A man learns AIDS prevention know-how during an event marking World AIDS Day in Lusaka, Zambia, on December 1, 2022. Peng Lijun/Xinhua via Getty The Questions Surrounding Zambia’s Future HIV Fight
As Zambia has achieved dramatic HIV gains through PEPFAR-supported efforts, its Southern Province has spearheaded efforts to become less dependent on NGOs, reports Foreign Policy
  • Since 2019, PEPFAR funds have been channeled directly to the provincial government, instead of being routed through NGOs.  
  • These “cooperative agreements” allowed the public sector to gradually take ownership of the HIV response.  
The U.S. now points to this approach as a model for direct-to-government aid funding, and moving away from NGOs.    But this transition can’t be rushed, Zambian health leaders argue: The shift has been a long process that involved data-driven oversight and services integrated with NGO support.  
  • “If you speed up change, chances are that you may actually end up with an outcome that you didn’t desire,” said Callistus Kaayunga, the health director of Southern Province.  
Meanwhile, Zambia is hesitating to agree to the new U.S. funding model, in which the U.S. is making aid contingent on access to Zambia’s mineral resources, reports DW.  
  • The country reportedly has until May to decide whether to sign a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. or lose funding.  
Related: She used to run U.S. AIDS relief — now, foreign aid has changed – NPR  DATA POINT

90%
———
HPV vaccine uptake in girls in three European nations: Iceland, Norway, and Portugal, per ECDC; all EU countries now recommend HPV vaccination for both adolescent girls and boys, and report a decreased incidence of cervical cancer among vaccinated women since 2020. —CIDRAP  ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Omaha’s Lag in Lead Testing    The largest residential lead cleanup site in the U.S. is a 27-square-mile Superfund area in Omaha, Nebraska—a state that does not require lead testing during childhood. Instead, it is up to the doctor or a health system to test on a case-by-case basis.     The result: Currently, <50% of kids under age 7 who live in the area near the cleanup site are tested for lead, public health officials say. 
Elsewhere: 13 states have passed laws requiring all children to receive lead testing.    What’s next? The Douglas County Health Department plans to propose an ordinance requiring health workers to test all kids up to age 7 who live in the affected area.     Lasting stakes: If high blood lead levels go undetected, the federal government may not remediate tens of thousands of properties in Omaha.   ProPublica  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS The real ‘nanny tax’? Not being able to breastfeed your own baby – Bhekisisa    After Decades of Quiet Rumbling, an Epidemic Is Erupting Among California Stoneworkers – In These Times    Where U.S. science has been hit hardest after Trump’s first year – The Washington Post (gift link)    Microplastics: Brain Study Confirms Health Risks, Challenges Kennedy’s Claims – Health Policy Watch    Democrats Demand Trump Administration Halt Plan To Collect Federal Workers’ Health Data – KFF Health News    There's new evidence for how loneliness affects memory in old age – Wired    ‘Oscar of science’ awarded to team behind gene therapy that restores lost vision – The Guardian  Issue No. 2902
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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Global Health NOW: Pakistan’s Infection Control Crisis; and The Hyperlocal Strategy to Curb Smoking

Global Health Now - Mon, 04/20/2026 - 09:33
96 Global Health NOW: Pakistan’s Infection Control Crisis; and The Hyperlocal Strategy to Curb Smoking View this email in your browser April 20, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES 9 out of 10 women in Liberia reported taking antibiotics monthly, per a survey of 109 women; many women said they used the antibiotics—which are available without prescription—to “cleanse” themselves after their menstrual cycle, a trend that has grown via widespread misinformation. FrontPage Africa    HIV testing in Russia should be expanded to one-third of the population each year in order to curb rapid rising infections, the nation’s health minister Mikhail Murashko said; the recommendation comes as Russia faces one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in Europe at 890 cases per 100,000 people. The Moscow Times    A chikungunya therapy using monoclonal antibody technology has shown promise as both a treatment for the disease and as preexposure prophylaxis, say researchers who performed a first-in-human randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study presented at the ESCMID Global Congress. Healio    Cerebral malaria and severe malarial anemia are tied to long-term cognitive impairment in children under 5, found a new prospective cohort study of 600 Ugandan children evaluated for overall cognitive ability, attention, and associative memory a year after hospitalization for severe malaria and then followed for another four to 15 years. European Medical Journal IN FOCUS A Pakistani woman holds her HIV-positive child at a house at Wasayo village, in Rato Dero, in the southern Sindh province, on May 8, 2019. Rizwan Tabassum / Getty Pakistan’s Infection Control Crisis    At least nine people, including five newborns, have died in an mpox outbreak in Sindh province, Pakistan, as a burgeoning outbreak of the virus there tests a health system already failing to meet basic infection control standards, reports The Telegraph.     Mpox eruption: So far this year, health officials in the province have reported 122 suspected mpox cases. Until now, only sporadic, travel-related infections had been reported.  
  • The deaths of infants in neonatal units have raised alarms about possible hospital-acquired transmission. 
Systemic lapses in safety: Health officials in Pakistan say health facilities across the country are failing to meet basic safety and hygiene standards, leading to further spread of HIV, typhoid, and other diseases, reports The Express Tribune
  • Health officials reported that HIV spiked 200% over the last decade, from 16,000 cases in 2010 to 48,000 by 2020.  
  • 39% of HIV infections are now found in traditionally low-risk populations, including women and children, reports Geo News
“Injection culture”: Much of the HIV outbreak is being driven by unsafe medical practices, including syringe reuse by health care providers and unregulated clinics. Pakistan has one of the highest rates of therapeutic injections, with people receiving 8–14 injections annually.    Related: San Francisco Reports Its First Clade I Mpox Case — What to Know and How to Find a Vaccine. – KQED  THE QUOTE
  Data released by the U.S. State Department last Friday “show us ... the deliberate unraveling of the elements of H.I.V. prevention and treatment service delivery that are essential to actually finish the job and defeat this pandemic,” says Asia Russell, executive director of Health GAP.   ——————————— New PEPFAR Data Show Worrying Declines in Testing and Treatment for H.I.V. – The New York Times (gift link)
  TOBACCO The Hyperlocal Strategy to Curb Smoking     Taking on Big Tobacco may seem like an uphill battle. But in Massachusetts, small-town health advocates are up for the challenge.     Grassroots push: Generational bans on tobacco sales—which make it illegal for anyone born after a certain date to ever buy tobacco—are gaining traction in the state via local health ordinances that are harder for industry lobbyists to target.  
  • In 2020, the city of Brookline passed such a ban, and similar ordinances have now spread to 21 towns, impacting 600,000+ residents.  
Massachusetts towns have a long history of pioneering anti-tobacco efforts: Brookline was among the first U.S. jurisdictions to ban smoking indoors, and Needham was the first U.S. town to raise the tobacco-buying age to 21.     Current target: Passing a statewide ban. “It’s a long game,” said longtime anti-tobacco advocate Maureen Buzby.     The Examination  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES Related: What Will Bring the Next Generation of Global Health Students Hope? – Science Politics  QUICK HITS Myanmar military regime widens sanitary towel ban, claiming rebels use them for first aid – The Guardian    Humans may already have some immunity to H5N1 bird flu, study suggests – The Telegraph     Trump's new pick for CDC leader may face “threat to follow ideology over evidence,” former surgeon general warns – CBS 
RFK Jr. defends his health agenda and Trump’s proposed budget cuts in hearing – NPR 
Politicians are using low teen birth rates to further restrict access to birth control, abortion – STAT (commentary)    Younger adult colon cancer deaths are concentrated in people with less education, study says – AP    The Great Ozempic Experiment – The New York Times (commentary; gift link) Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff!    KitKat, Gatorade or granola bars? What’s banned under new SNAP rules is mixed. – The Washington Post (gift link)  Issue No. 2901
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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World News in Brief: AI diagnostics, humanitarian deal for DR Congo, rights abuse allegations in Belarus, Ukraine children bear heaviest burden

World Health Organization - Mon, 04/20/2026 - 08:00
New data shows that nearly three in four countries in Europe now use Artificial Intelligence in their health services to make a diagnosis.
Categories: Global Health Feed

Global Health NOW Special Edition: Takeaways from CUGH

Global Health Now - Fri, 04/17/2026 - 11:45
96 Global Health NOW Special Edition: Takeaways from CUGH In this special issue, we’re sharing some CUGH takeways that inspired us—including this year’s Untold Global Health Stories Contest winners! View this email in your browser April 17, 2026 Forward Share Post SPECIAL ISSUE: CUGH 2026 TAKEAWAYS Panelists at the closing plenary of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health. Washington, D.C., April 12. Robb Cohen Photography & Video EDITORS’ NOTE A Memorable, and Inspiring, CUGH 
A big thank you to the Consortium of Universities for Global Health for an excellent conference last weekend in Washington, D.C. With this special edition of GHN, we’re sharing some of the takeways that inspired us—including this year’s Untold Global Health Stories Contest winners! We’ll be sharing interviews with our two grand prize winners soon, so keep an eye out for that.
 
We also want to thank all of the new readers who signed up at CUGH—let us know what you think, and if you find GHN useful, please share with your friends and colleagues. We always love to expand our circle.

Dayna dkerecm1@jhu.edu 
Brian bsimpso1@jhu.edu 
  SHARE GHN'S FREE SUBSCRIBE LINK IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE From Rupture to Renaissance    If the global health order is broken, some global health leaders are primed to chart a new way forward.      Gathered last Sunday for the Consortium of Universities for Global Health annual meeting in Washington, D.C., they shared their concerns about the irrevocable changes in the structure, norms, and rules governing international relations—but devoted most of their time to discussing how to respond.     For Olusoji Adeyi, president of Resilient Health Systems and a senior associate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, global health funding cuts and disruptions to the field are an overdue opening to self-determination. Now, he said, global health groups should “seize the opportunity and behave differently and do better.”     Key takeaways:      A vision anchored by an African renaissance: “There’s a huge opportunity here for Africa to take care of itself by raising resources, by strengthening the academic institutions on the continent, and by helping our government to plan better to prepare better for the future,” said Nelson Sewankambo, former dean of Makerere University School of Medicine in Kampala, Uganda.     Building political will: Former NIH director Francis Collins challenged CUGH to “become more of an activist organization,” serving as incubator for bold initiatives and nurturing the next generation of global health scholars. 
An invigorated role for universities: “Let’s step forward and present ourselves to our governments and act as thinkers and advisers,” Sewankambo said.
  • Adeyi added that individual countries need to be encouraged to devise—and debate—their own plans. When global health experts “meet in Washington or London or Brussels or Seattle and package things and expect them to just happen cleanly in Tanzania and Nepal and Sierra Leone,” they deny those countries opportunities to shape their health systems.
As Teri Reynolds, the lead for the WHO’s Clinical Services and Systems Unit in the department of Integrated Health Services noted, “There’s a lot of condescension embedded in the word ‘help.’”     Dayna Kerecman Myers, Global Health NOW  UNTOLD STORIES CONTEST A young boy observes the entrance of the Tarajal beach, border between Morocco and Spanish territory of Ceuta. May 19, 2021. Diego Radames/Anadolu Agency via Getty A Banner Year for the Untold Global Health Stories Contest
Congrats to the winners of the Untold Global Health Stories contest, co-sponsored by CUGH and GHN! We’ll be publishing interviews with the two grand prize winners in upcoming editions of GHN. 
Grand Prize Winners     A mental health crisis facing unaccompanied Moroccan boys in Ceuta, Spain Audrey Claire Benson, Barcelona Institute of Global Health / University of Pompeu Fabra / No Name Kitchen, Barcelona, Spain      Health disparities in widowhood: A global health blind spot Jackline Odhiambo, Maseno University, Kisumu, Kenya       Honorable Mentions 
Judicial experts as guardians of occupational health in Mexico Shaira Gabriela Camacho

Gaza’s alarming surge in Guillain–Barré Syndrome Yara Ashour
 
Health care abandonment of trans communities in the South and Appalachia Beau Morgan
 
Health care barriers for U.S. refugees with disabilities Mustafa Rfat
 
Modernizing medical education in the Balkans Timothy Gaul
 
The silent crisis of dengue in rural Bangladesh Amit Banik
 
Toxic heavy metal exposure among auto mechanics in Accra, Ghana Anushka Peer
  Thank you to everyone who contributed. The judging was harder than ever, given the caliber of ideas submitted. All of the stories deserve to be told.
  LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WINNERS PULITZER CENTER – CUGH FILM FESTIVAL The Pulitzer Center upheld its tradition of hosting a film festival at CUGH, sharing a double feature of hard-hitting documentaries: An Atlanta News First documentary on a measles outbreak in Samoa, shared above, and a PBS NewsHour deep dive on the legacy of American foreign aid in central Kenya, by William Brangham and Molly Knight Raskin. THE QUOTE
  “What gives me hope is the fact that people are willing to come together. They’re willing to convene, they’re willing to put their best foot forward. They’re willing to take their knowledge, capabilities, passions, and desires to be able to improve the health of people and the health of our planet.” ——————————— Keith Martin, MD, PC, executive director, CUGH, interviewed at CUGH for The Havey Institute for Global Health's Explore Global Health Podcast  OPPORTUNITY Next Stop for CUGH: Lima, Peru
It’s an exciting first: Next year, the CUGH Annual Conference will be held outside the U.S.––in Lima, Peru, February 25–28, 2027. We hope you’ll be there!  Issue No. 2900
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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