Award from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund will open new avenues to preventing and treating pneumonia. 

96 Global Health NOW: The Long, Strange Journey of Mycetoma Research; and Chicken Pox Parties Make a Comeback Plus: It’s Not Just Ovation—It’s Duration View this email in your browser May 28, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for an immediate ceasefire in DRC to help fight the Ebola outbreak there, The Guardian reports; CIDRAP, citing a WHO flash update in ReliefWeb, reports that the outbreak shows no sign of containment, with almost 1,000 suspected cases.
  A first-of-its-kind experimental hepatitis B drug might offer a ‘functional cure’ for some patients, per a study published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine; in two Chinese-led trials across 29 countries, ~1 in 5 patients given bepirovirsen (“bepi”) were able to stop treatment without showing signs of the liver virus. AP
  Kenya has allocated zero funds to its NTDs project through 2029, leaving millions of Kenyans without structured protection from diseases such as kala-azar, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, and trachoma; last year, the program received 20 million KES (~$153,200) from national public health coffers. The Nation
  1 in 6 patients with COVID-19 go on to develop long Covid—about 2X the rate estimated by U.S. health officials, per a Mass General Brigham study of almost 458,000 patients across 58 hospitals. JAMA Network Open IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE Two women pass by the Mycetoma Research Center in Khartoum, Sudan, before its 2023 destruction during the country’s civil war. August 5, 2013. Ashraf Shazly. AFP via Getty The Long, Strange Journey of Mycetoma Research     Early in 2024, Ahmed Fahal stood in the shattered shell of the Mycetoma Research Center in Khartoum, Sudan.    The civil war between Sudan’s Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces erupted on April 15, 2023, and eventually spilled over into Fahal’s center, leaving it ransacked and looted. 

• The reality overwhelmed Fahal, who has dedicated his career to researching the flesh-eating, bone-destroying neglected disease—and caring for its patients. 

• “I could not keep my tears, my emotions, and I was really crying, actually, when I saw this,” says Fahal, who founded the center in 1991.   

Better days: The crushing moment had a polar opposite 10 years ago today when the World Health Assembly voted to lift mycetoma from obscurity and place it on its list of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). 

• In the “sky is the limit” days that followed, Fahal and colleagues anticipated greater recognition for the cruel disease, access to funders, new treatments and diagnostics, and new researchers coming to the field.  

Complicated history:      Only some of those dreams have been realized: The outlook is “very gloomy,” Fahal says, pointing to a lack of funding, research advances, and other issues.      But other researchers see successes:  

• DNDi will start a phase III trial of a new drug by the end of the year. Fosravuconazole needs to be taken once weekly for a year, instead of the current drug’s twice daily requirement. 

• The field has drawn many more researchers: The Global Mycetoma Working Group now has 200+ members from 36 countries. 

• Wendy van de Sande, at Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, and partners in Australia, the U.K., and Germany have screened nearly 10,000 existing drugs to find medications that could be effective against mycetoma.    

The takeaway: “We are always optimistic because we are scientists. Without optimism, we cannot go far,” says Doudou Sow, who leads mycetoma research at Senegal’s University Gaston Berger of Saint-Louis.     Related: The Most Neglected Disease – Global Health NOW 
  READ THE FULL STORY BY BRIAN W. SIMPSON GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES VACCINES Chicken Pox Parties Make a Comeback     Before the varicella vaccine, U.S. parents frequently turned to “chickenpox parties,” or planned exposure, to put some control around what was considered an inevitable infection.     Since routine varicella vaccination began in the mid-1990s, U.S. chickenpox cases have dropped ~97%, with major declines in hospitalizations worldwide.   
Yet the rise of vaccine hesitancy and influencers pushing “natural immunity” have led to a resurgence of chickenpox parties—much to the alarm of physicians. 

• While childhood chickenpox cases are typically mild, the practice was not risk-free: Complications including pneumonia, meningitis, and brain inflammation still affected some children. 

• “You didn't know which kids would get over it and be okay, and which kids would end up in the hospital,” said Jill Morgan with the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. 

Wired  ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION It’s Not Just Ovation—It’s Duration
By most standards, getting a 3–5-minute standing ovation would be a clear signifier of success—enough to make one blush.    But at the Cannes Film Festival? It’s basically a slap in the face. There, any ovation worth its salt stretches well past the 10-minute mark. And critics are watching closely, explains Globe and Mail’s Barry Herz: “Is it sustained? Is it hearty? Is it boisterous?”    Last week, the Spanish film The Black Ball brought the audience to its feet for an indulgent 20 minutes, Reuters reports.    And since everyone’s on their feet, let’s throw in some ovations for global health. The polio vaccine alone deserves at least an hour.  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS India's drug lifeline to Africa disrupted by Iran war – DW     Under President Milei’s austerity, disabled Argentines risk losing essential services – AP    Pleasure, Plague, and Panic: Why Cruise Ship Outbreaks Still Haunt Us – The MIT Press Reader    Century-long analysis of biosafety incidents identifies strongest predictors of outbreaks, deaths – CIDRAP     In Flint, Cash for Pregnant Women Leads to Better Outcomes for Babies – The New York Times (gift link)    The largest undocumented disparity in maternal health – The Atlantic     NSF puts new research grants to top universities on hold – Nature     Should we reengineer the world's deadliest animal? – NPR’s The Short Wave  Issue No. 2923
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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The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) headed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Thursday as the country continues to combat a deadly resurgence of Ebola in its volatile eastern region where instability is rife. 

96 Global Health NOW: Two Days, Two ‘Astonishing’ Temperatures; and Haitian Mothers Giving Birth in Hiding View this email in your browser May 27, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES The Trump administration plans to establish a quarantine and treatment facility in Kenya for U.S. citizens exposed to the Ebola virus or who are at high risk of testing positive, pending approval from the Kenyan government. Reuters via MSN   Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s oil depots and a refinery earlier this year emitted almost 30,000 tons of sulphur dioxide that reached as far as China; the pollution, equivalent to the amount produced by a small volcanic eruption, reached levels that could impair lung function, irritate the eyes and throat, and exacerbate asthma or bronchitis. New Scientist    Artificial outdoor light at night “powerfully disrupts” the ability of Culex pipiens mosquitoes—the primary carriers of West Nile virus in the U.S.—to enter winter dormancy, suggests a study in the Journal of Applied Ecology, extending the mosquito season and giving them more opportunities to bite. Science 
Climate change is accelerating antibiotic resistance globally, per a first-of-its-kind international study published in the Lancet Planetary Health, which found that a 10% global increase in salmonella antibiotic resistance genes between 1940 and 2023 is associated with rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns. The Guardian  IN FOCUS A hot weather reminder on the big screen during the Sky Bet Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium. London, May 23. John Walton/PA Images via Getty Two Days, Two ‘Astonishing’ Temperatures 
The U.K. is experiencing record-breaking temperatures before summer has even started, sending hordes of Britons to pools and beaches and raising concerns about the march of extreme heat in a nation designed for cooler temperatures and where air conditioning can be scarce. 
  Forecasts show that the heat wave was set to make London hotter than Lagos this week, The Independent reports. 

• U.K. officials issued the first amber health alert of 2026 last Friday. Then, temperatures in London reached nearly 95°F (34.8°C) Monday, a provisional record that was broken on Tuesday when they reached 95.2°F (35.1°C). 

France and Spain are also experiencing unusually early heat waves, and temperatures in Europe are rising twice as fast as the global average—raising the risk of a chikungunya resurgence on the continent, according to new research.
  The soaring temperatures came on the heels of a May 20 report from the U.K.’s independent advisory committee on climate change, warning that the country’s climate adaptation plans thus far have been “inadequate.” 
  “Built for a climate that no longer exists”: The report warns that the country’s infrastructure is not prepared for hotter, longer, more frequent heat waves—leaving the country vulnerable to a range of climate-related risks: 

• More than 9 in 10 U.K. homes are not insulated well enough to keep out the heat—and many are built to trap heat, exacerbating health problems, Inside Climate News reports. 

• By 2050, the country should expect a daily water supply shortfall of 5 billion liters (shortages were already reported this week amid a surge in usage). By then, hotter heat waves could potentially cause overheating in over 90% of U.K. homes. 

Preparing for extremes: The report offers several ways the U.K. can adapt to rising temperatures, including: 

• Expanding access to air conditioning, shading, and other cooling measures, particularly in hospitals, care homes, and schools. 

• Setting maximum temperature regulations for workplaces—both indoors and outside. 

• Providing incentives to help low-income households install cooling technology. 

Related: Funding Down, Temperatures Up: The Struggle to Protect Women in a Warming World – Global Health NOW  DATA POINT

359%
————
More dengue cases reported in the U.S. in 2024 than the annual average reported from 2010 through 2023, per the May 14 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which ties the jump almost entirely to international travel-acquired infections. —CIDRAP REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS Haitian Mothers Giving Birth in Hiding     The Dominican Republic’s mass deportation campaign against Haitian migrants has increasingly led Haitian mothers to avoid hospitals for maternity care and deliveries, endangering them and their newborns.    Crackdown at hospitals: Over the past year, Dominican authorities have stationed immigration officers at hospitals, where undocumented maternity patients are frequently detained shortly after delivery and deported back to Haiti and its ongoing humanitarian crisis. 

• “It’s an affront to the human dignity of women. And their girls and boys,” said Cristiana Luis, leader of the advocacy group Movement of Dominican-Haitian Women.  

Maternity on the margins: Hospital births among Haitian women dropped 60% between 2024 and 2025—from 32,967 to 13,856. Many mothers are opting to give birth in unsafe and unsupervised conditions, increasing risks of infection, hemorrhage, and death.     The New York Times (gift link) OPPORTUNITY Learn More at an Info Session Today!  
Learn more about the Pulitzer Center’s U.S. Civil Society Microgrants call for proposals at an informational session today, Wednesday, May 27, at 1 p.m. EDT.
 
Selected projects will receive grants ranging from $2,000 to $4,000. Project proposals can support existing activities or support the launch of new activities. 

• Register for today’s info session


• Learn about the full call for proposals


• Application deadline: Monday, June 8, 2026

QUICK HITS In Congo displacement camp, fighting Ebola with sand, oatmeal and one thermometer but no water – AP

Why the quarantine for hantavirus is so long – The Washington Post (gift link)

She Faced a Life-Threatening Miscarriage. Under Arkansas’ Abortion Ban, Even Calls to the Governor’s Office Didn’t Help. – ProPublica

They’ve Heard the Warnings. Gen Z Is Tanning Anyway. – The New York Times (gift link) Thanks for the tip, Kris Henry!

The peer coaching program getting men back on HIV/AIDS treatment in South Africa – Gates Foundation

Listen: The patients demanding unvaccinated blood transfusions – STAT

Tough peer-review process? Your paper might end up being more highly cited – Nature  Issue No. 2922
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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The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday warned that eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo faces a “catastrophic collision of disease and conflict” as a fast-spreading Ebola outbreak outpaces containment efforts in a region already battered by armed violence, mass displacement and acute hunger.

Of more than 2,500 blood proteins screened, a small group may drive MS and signal who will develop it

A new study has revealed a group of blood proteins, that are altered in people who go on to develop multiple sclerosis (MS), in some cases more than a decade before diagnosis. The findings offer hope that a simple blood test could one day identify people at high risk of MS in time to act before damage occurs.

96 Global Health NOW: Distrust, Division, and Deficits in the Struggle to Contain Ebola; and WHO Confronts Defections View this email in your browser May 26, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES ~30,000 people have fled their homes in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas following a new wave of violence that has included widespread gunfire, burnings, and lootings perpetrated by armed gangs over 10 days. UN Wire
  Hunger is increasingly used as a weapon of war, per analysis from Insecurity Insight, with 21,000+ documented incidents of “food-related violence” including strikes on food distribution systems and markets reported since 2018. The Guardian
  Health care providers warn that easy access to GLP-1 weight loss drugs poses a threat to people with eating disorders; part of the treatment is aimed at helping people recognize natural hunger cues, which GLP-1s suppress. The Washington Post (gift link)
  Misinformation about perimenopause on social media is prompting more women to seek hormonal therapy for menopause before they need it, and to cease hormonal contraception prematurely—upping their risk of unintended pregnancies, unnecessary medication, and missed diagnoses. Femtech World IN FOCUS A health worker wearing protective equipment crouches beside the coffin of a suspected Ebola victim outside a family home. Mongbwalu, Ituri Province, DRC, May 24. Michel Lunanga/Getty Distrust, Division, and Deficits in the Struggle to Contain Ebola 
  Health workers already struggling to mobilize a response to the Ebola outbreak in northeastern DRC now face further threats as years of division and disinformation fuel violence against health care facilities and workers, and lead infected patients to resist and flee care, reports Reuters via NBC News   

• “There is denial of the disease within the population,” said Richard Lokodu, medical director of the Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital, which came under multiple attacks over the weekend, as assailants burned isolation tents and 18 Ebola patients fled. Medical facilities were also burned in Rwampara. 

Current status: 900+ suspected cases and ~220 deaths have been reported by WHO, with chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warning Sunday that “we are now playing catch-up with a very fast-moving epidemic” amid severe shortages of testing supplies, protective gear, and even basics like hand sanitizer.     Distrust and disinformation: Years of militia violence, ethnic conflict, and weak government authority in the region have hampered the response, and have left many residents suspicious of outsiders and health workers, reports The New York Times (gift link).  

• Aid workers have also reported attacks as they seek to canvas the region spreading information and resources, reports the AP, as conspiracies run rampant. Funeral rites are a particular flashpoint as families seek to handle the bodies of those killed by the virus. 

Related:  
  The Ebola outbreak will lead to devastating violence against women and girls – STAT (commentary)

People with Ebola pose little risk to public in US, experts say – CIDRAP GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY WHO Confronts Defections    Delegates at this year’s World Health Assembly avoided formally recognizing withdrawal attempts by both the U.S. and Argentina last week, in a quiet but firm effort to prevent a broader unraveling of the global health coalition, reports Health Policy Watch.     Binding agreements: As member states test whether they can simply walk away, delegates are pointing to the binding conditions of the WHO Constitution, which includes no technical provision for member states to withdraw.    The unpaid U.S. bill: The sole exception to this contract is the U.S., which stipulated its right to withdraw as a condition of joining the WHO in 1948—so long as all dues are settled. 

• The U.S. still owes ~$280 million in outstanding dues, leading member states to vote to suspend U.S. voting rights by 2027, a signal that they still consider the U.S. bound by its obligations. 

No ‘legal exit ramp’ for Argentina: Meanwhile, delegates voted to take note of Argentina’s departure notification—but resolved that “any further action at this stage” is undesirable, per another Health Policy Watch report—effectively not accepting Argentina’s departure.     No precedent for secession: The WHO has never formally accepted a departure in its history. When Soviet-bloc nations attempted to withdraw in 1949 and 1950, the organization refused to accept the exit.    Related:     The Forgotten Decisions Of The 79th World Health Assembly – Health Policy Watch

79th World Health Assembly (WHA79): Draft updated global action plan on antimicrobial resistance – IFPMA  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Misinformation is coming for the anti-HIV jab. Let’s get ahead of it – Bhekisisa
  WHO chief says hantavirus 'situation is stable for now' – The Hill

Our warming planet is a petri dish for new and deadly microbes – The New Yorker
FDA staff blindsided by move allowing more e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches onto US market – AP
  Firing Cancer Screening Experts Will Not Make Us Healthy Again – The New York Times (gift link) Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff! 
  Pap smears are designed to screen for cancer. Why are people afraid to get them? – The 19th
  Why an Indian Village Leader’s Welfare Reels Are Going Viral – Reasons to Be Cheerful  Issue No. 2921
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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As a deadly Ebola strain continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with cases confirmed in neighbouring Uganda, the UN aviation agency is urging governments and flight operators to closely follow guidelines put in place following the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are more than 900 suspected cases of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 220 suspected deaths, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, said on Monday.

The recent Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks demonstrate that the world is still vulnerable to rapidly spreading infectious diseases, Tedros Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), warned on Saturday at the close of the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva.

The UN is rushing emergency personnel, funding and supplies into eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to counter the fast-growing Ebola outbreak spreading through conflict-ravaged provinces.

96 Global Health NOW: The Race to Develop a New Ebola Vaccine; and Broadening HPV Vaccine Access to Boys View this email in your browser May 21, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Bangladesh officials ignored repeated warnings from UNICEF over several years about a shortage of measles vaccines that could lead to an outbreak, reports The Daily Star; the current outbreak has now killed 481, with six children dying over 24 hours as suspected cases reach 57,856, per the Dhaka Tribune.     The UN has voted to support a landmark ruling from the International Court of Justice which found countries have a legal obligation to address the “existential threat” of the climate crisis; 141 member states voted in favor, with eight voting no and 28 abstaining. Al Jazeera     Local transmission of malaria in the U.S. remains “a significant public health concern,” warns a new CDC report, which points to a 2023 outbreak in which 10 people across four states were locally infected, and highlights most U.S. residents’ lack protective immunity against the disease. CIDRAP    Common preservatives used in store-bought foods were linked to a 29% greater risk of elevated blood pressure and a 16% higher risk of heart attacks and stroke, per a new study published in European Heart Journal; the study found that even “natural” preservatives citric acid and ascorbic acid were linked to a 22% greater risk of high blood pressure. CNN  EDITORS' NOTE We're Taking a Long Weekend
Heads up, readers! We won’t be publishing Monday in observance of Memorial Day in the U.S. We’ll be back Tuesday with more news!—The Editors  IN FOCUS A border health officer at the Busunga crossing between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo checks a traveler's temperature on May 18. Badru Katumba/AFP/Getty The Race to Develop a New Ebola Vaccine    As the global health community mobilizes to respond to the Ebola outbreak centered in eastern DRC and Uganda that has now sickened ~600 ad killed ~139, a simultaneous effort is kicking into gear in labs worldwide: develop a vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain—fast.    But such a vaccine is still months away, reports The Washington Post (gift link). The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or targeted treatment, and WHO officials say producing doses for trials could take six to nine months.    Current status: There are two potential vaccine candidates, but neither is ready to move into human testing.  

• The leading vaccine candidate uses the same platform as Merck’s Ervebo shot, which protects against the Zaire strain of Ebola. Previous research identified a Bundibugyo-specific version of that shot protected monkeys, but it was never manufactured to human-testing standards.  

• A second candidate, built on technology similar to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, could move into trials sooner, though there is not yet animal data to support safety and efficacy.  

• Meanwhile, an investigational monoclonal antibody treatment, called MBP134 and developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc., can protect against multiple strains of Ebola and has been through early human testing. 

Dire impact of American absence: Already, cuts to USAID and CDC programs have led to life-threatening surveillance gaps and delays in the movement of critical protective gear and testing supplies, global health experts tell The New York Times (gift link). Those gaps also slow and endanger future vaccine development and distribution models.  

• “In a time when hours matter, we’re delayed by weeks,” said Nicholas Enrich, the former top global health official for USAID.  

Related: Analysis of past Ebola outbreaks suggests 54% death rate, identifies hemorrhage as key risk factor – CIDRAP SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS Broadening HPV Vaccine Access to Boys     Researchers are urging South Africa to include boys in its HPV vaccination program, warning that men are increasingly affected by HPV-related cancers, too.     Prioritizing girls: South Africa’s soon-to-be-launched 2026-2030 cervical cancer elimination strategy aims to have girls vaccinated for HPV between ages 9–15. 

• The campaign does not include boys, who can’t get routine HPV-related cancer screening through public health care.  

The case for wider access: While women are especially at risk for developing cervical cancer from the human papillomavirus, men also face a substantial threat: One in five men globally carries a cancer-causing strain of HPV.  

• Experts say a gender-neutral HPV vaccination approach would improve overall cancer prevention. 

Bhekisisa (commentary) OPPORTUNITY Deadline Extended: Apply for the Heroes of Tomorrow UN SDG Awards  
The Changemaker Awards honor individuals leading collective action towards justice, equality, and peace in support of UN #SDGs. Successful changemakers demonstrate visionary leadership and the ability to make measurable, lasting impact within their communities and beyond—like Jîn Dawod (2025 Winner), a mental health visionary who transformed her experience as a Syrian refugee into life-changing support for displaced communities across 26 countries.   
In 2026, the UN SDG Action Campaign will bring together nine finalists from all over the world for a unique program of coaching and capacity building in advance of the Heroes of Tomorrow: UN SDG Action Awards Ceremony, in Rome, Italy on October 29, 2026. 

• Extended deadline: May 31, 2026 

• Learn more about the Heroes of Tomorrow: UN SDG Action Awards 

• Changemaker (self-)nomination form 

ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION The Rhythm Will Be Televised    It’s a grounding principle of democracy: Give the people what they want.     And if that’s more air guitar, so be it.     Hungary’s health-minister-to-be Zsolt Hegedűs went viral in April for his exuberant celebration of incoming prime minister Péter Magyar’s victory. Because how better to celebrate the ousting of Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power than with a rollicking medley of finger-points, raise-the-roofs, and snakey-arms?    Hegedűs saw his debut as a “singular, spur-of-the-moment outpouring of emotion,” The Guardian reports. But his base—now consisting of the entire internet—wasn’t having it. By the time he arrived at Maygar’s swearing in on May 9, “the audience had been waiting for this so eagerly” and he “didn’t want to let down the people,” he said.    Anti-virus, pro-viral: Hegedűs has been busy updating Hungarians about infectious disease threats, and touting the health benefits of throwing shapes:  “It’s not that I’m going to start dancing in parliament”—a real shame, actually—“but I want to use this popularity to encourage people to adopt a health-conscious lifestyle and focus on mental wellbeing,” he said.    Thanks for the tip, Barbara Benham!  QUICK HITS Gaza’s public health crisis deepens as rodent infestations, sewage overflow and soaring heat threaten civilians – International Rescue Committee (news release)    'Get off your phones': Surgeon general advisory calls on kids to cut screen time – ABC      Treating Superbugs With Litigation: Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria From Animal Agriculture As a Public Nuisance – Harvard Law Review    Immunotherapy could be used to treat depression, early trial suggests – The Guardian    U.S. researchers face new restrictions on publishing with foreign collaborators – Science    World Cup’s hidden health operation – Your Local Epidemiologist  Issue No. 2920
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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United Nations agencies have moved swiftly to support efforts to contain the latest Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), delivering emergency medical supplies, protective equipment and logistics support.

96 Global Health NOW: A ‘Once-in-a-Generation’ Reset for Humanitarian Aid; and Nicotine Pouch Popularity Surges View this email in your browser May 20, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES The Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda could take months to contain, the WHO said today, reporting a current suspected death toll of 130+ and 600+ suspected cases, per the AP; meanwhile, challenges related to the region’s conflict and shortages of personnel, medical equipment, disinfectant, and protective gear are complicating the response, The New York Times reports (gift link). 
  Iran’s appeal for support against attacks on healthcare by the U.S. and Israel failed at the WHA yesterday, with 19 votes in favor and 30 against; a similar resolution from Lebanon, which asks the WHO to provide support through medications and supplies, passed with 95 votes in favor and two against. Geneva Solutions    Over half of U.S. teens are unaware of their right to independently access STI testing and treatment without a guardian’s consent, finds a new study published today by the American Academy of Pediatrics. CIDRAP    Undiagnosed ADHD may be linked to traffic-related injuries among adults, finds a new study presented at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting; the study found that ~35% of 95 adults admitted to the hospital for traffic-related injuries screened positive on the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale and that high-risk driving behaviors were more common among adults who screened positive. MedPage Today Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe!  IN FOCUS Residents gather to collect drinking water in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on May 19. Ahmed Al Arini / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty A ‘Once-in-a-Generation’ Reset for Humanitarian Aid    The global humanitarian aid system is “no longer fit for purpose,” warns a major commission in a landmark report that calls for a total overhaul of aid systems rather than incremental reforms, reports the Middle East Eye.    Background: A rising number of conflict-driven deaths and forced displacement globally spurred the 2024 launch of the CHH-Lancet Commission on Health, Conflict and Forced Displacement—a collaboration between the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health and The Lancet.  

• Their research period spanned the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID and other international funding shortfalls—demonstrating the politicization of aid that essentially functions as “rationing by design” driven by donor interests rather than human need.  

But failures have been decades in the making, the Commission argues, as seen in:  

• Rising harm: Conflict deaths nearly doubled between 2021 and 2024, and attacks on healthcare hit a record 3,663 incidents in 2024. 

• Need gaps: 239 million people are expected to need aid in 2026, but only ~87 million are likely to receive it.  

A need for a power shift: The pressures of the moment have created what lead author Paul Spiegel called a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to remake systems, including:  

• Moving decision-making and funding control to affected communities.

• Financing to create pooled, independent funds that are channeled straight to local groups and healthcare and are insulated from donor politics. 

• Using health outcomes to create better accountability around violations of humanitarian law.  

• A single streamlined UN aid agency instead of fragmented groups. 

What’s next: The Commission aims to help form a Global Humanitarian Alliance, regional implementation forums, and accountability reports aimed at turning the recommendations into enforceable global standards.    Related: Rethinking Humanitarian Health – Public Health On Call  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TOBACCO Nicotine Pouch Popularity Surges     The WHO is raising alarm over a rapid uptake of nicotine pouch products among youth, as the small sachets containing flavored powdered nicotine are “being aggressively marketed” to young people worldwide, per News Medical.    Youth-targeting tactics include using sweet flavors and savvy social media campaigns to attract young users, who are especially susceptible to developing long-term nicotine addiction, finds the organization’s first-ever report on the products.  

• Sales topped 23 billion+ units in 2024—a 50% spike over the previous year—creating a ~$7 billion industry in 2025.  

Regulation is limited or absent in many countries, says the WHO, which urges “comprehensive” policymaking from advertising bans to taxation.  

• The regulatory debate is playing out across Europe, reports Politico—with Sweden taking a more permissive approach and France instituting a total ban. 

Related:    It’s maddeningly difficult to ban smoking – The Atlantic     WHO Member States Should Treat Fossil Fuels like Tobacco – as a Public Health Threat – Health Policy Watch    Fire and ‘sheer volume’: how Britain’s 6m-vape problem is putting recycling under strain – The Guardian  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS How measles unleashed a wave of suffering in Bangladesh – The Telegraph    CDC Director’s Nomination Is an Opportunity to Reconstitute the CDC – CSIS    She Was Finding Sources of Dangerous Water and Soil Pollution. The E.P.A. Canceled Her Grant – The New York Times (gift link)     Religious Anti-Abortion Center Finds Opportunity in Town Without OB-GYNs – KFF Health News    At least 80% responsibility for ill health in old age down to individual, says study – The Guardian    Can extra snoozing reverse the health hazards of a bad night’s sleep? – Science  Issue No. 2919
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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Facing a fast-moving Ebola outbreak caused by a rare strain of the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) is relying on a rapid, community-centred response to halt transmission in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, a senior official has told UN News.

Before heading to strike sites in war-torn Lebanon, rescue workers and paramedics often say goodbye to one another – a ritual captured in widely shared videos reflecting the growing dangers faced by aid workers since hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel erupted on 2 March.

The deadly Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda does not represent a global pandemic emergency, although the risk is high at a regional and national level, the UN health agency chief said on Wednesday.

Researchers at McGill University have discovered a centuries-old genetic mutation that helps to explain why some French‑Canadians in Quebec are at an elevated risk of pancreatic cancer. Until quite recently, standard genetic tests have not been able to identify this “jumping gene” cause.

The findings, published in the Journal of Medical Genetics, suggest better-targeted genetic testing could help identify people at higher cancer risk who were previously missed.

96 Global Health NOW: Ebola Worries Loom Over #WHA79; and How AI is Accelerating Biosecurity Risks View this email in your browser May 19, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES A diphtheria outbreak in Australia’s Northern Territory—with 133 cases, including one likely death—has spread, with Western Australia, Queensland, and South Australia now reporting up to 90 cases; it’s now the biggest diphtheria outbreak the country has seen in decades, per the country’s health minister, Mark Butler. ABC Australia     As infectious disease outbreaks like hantavirus and Ebola grow more frequent, they are also becoming more damaging, exacerbated by the climate crisis and armed conflict, say the authors of the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) report published yesterday; they warn that the pandemic risk is outpacing investment in preparedness, which is undermined by “geopolitical fragmentation and commercial self-interest.” The Guardian   U.S. abortion bans appear to have made it harder for people experiencing miscarriages to receive appropriate—or even any—treatment, per a study in JAMA; as the Oregon Health & Science University-led study focused only on first trimester miscarriages among people with private insurance, the impact is likely an underestimate. The 19th    Nearly half of U.S. teens are on their phones between midnight and 4 a.m., losing critical sleep time on school nights, according to a study in JAMA Pediatrics that tracked 657 adolescents participating in the national Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. The Washington Post (gift link) IN FOCUS WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus delivers a speech at the opening of the 79th World Health Organization assembly. Geneva, May 18. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Ebola Worries Loom Over #WHA79     The burgeoning Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda at once overshadowed yesterday’s opening of the 79th World Health Assembly and emphasized the importance of international cooperation. 

• “From conflicts to economic crises to climate change and aid cuts, we live in difficult, dangerous and divisive times,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said yesterday at the WHA's opening, per Health Policy Watch. 

Ebola latest:  

• The outbreak has caused 131 suspected deaths and 513 suspected cases, according to DRC health minister Samuel-Roger Kamba, per The New York Times (gift link). 

• 30 cases have been laboratory confirmed and linked to the outbreak in the DRC’s northeastern Ituri Province. 

• 2 cases have been confirmed in Uganda. 

• Tedros said today that he is “deeply concerned about the scale and speed” of the outbreak, Reuters reports. He expects numbers to increase as surveillance, contact tracing, and lab testing scale up. 

• The WHO's Emergency Committee is convening today to discuss the outbreak.  

#WHA79 highlights:  

• “We are witnessing the end of an era, and we must have the courage to build the next one,” Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama said yesterday, noting that global health cuts could lead to 9 million preventable deaths by 2030, the Ghanian Times reports. His own country has lost $78 million in USAID funds, affecting programs in malaria, maternal and child health, HIV, and nutrition.  

• Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for greater investment in global health in the face of “the pandemic of egotism and selfishness,” Health Policy Watch reports. Spain has boosted its official development aid by 30%, he said. Sánchez obliquely castigated the U.S., saying “the country that cut $18 billion from global public health and ODA [official development assistance] has spent more than $29 billion on war.” 

Related:  
  US bans travellers from DRC, Uganda and South Sudan amid major Ebola outbreak – The Telegraph     Your guide to events at the 79th World Health Assembly – WHA Guide 2026     Watch the World Health Assembly sessions – WHO  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HEALTH SECURITY How AI is Accelerating Biosecurity Risks    Advanced biological AI tools are powering a research revolution, allowing scientists to design proteins and viruses—and opening up access to bioengineering knowledge and tools to people outside of labs.     Promise and risk: This new era could pave the way to great medical discoveries—and, scientists fear, for bad actors to misuse in the creation of toxins, viruses, and other bioweapons that can evade detection.     A range of responses: Scientists say a series of safeguards are needed in response to increased risks, including better screening by companies that synthesize nucleic acids to order so they can better identify dangerous sequences.  

• Others say AI tools themselves must have more stringent access controls and flagging systems to prevent misuse.  

Nature    Related:      Q&A: Is AI democratizing global health or reinforcing old inequities? – Medical Xpress     FDA clears first AI-based early warning system for sepsis – CIDRAP  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Mpox infections may outnumber diagnosed cases 33 to 1, study suggests – CIDRAP     HHS withdraws amended vaccine advisory panel charter – The Hill     Steep drop in number of people with Affordable Care Act health coverage, analysis finds – NPR    Children’s Mental Health Visits Have Shot Up, Research Shows – The New York Times (gift link)    Thousands of U.S. countertop workers could have damaged lungs, safety expert says – NPR    Kazakhstan Sees Later Marriages and More Equal Partnerships, Study Finds – The Astana Times    RFK Jr. wants meat back on hospital trays, no matter what cardiologists think – The Independent   Issue No. 2918
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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A fast-spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has health workers rushing to stop transmission while the roll out of any potential vaccine is months away, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.