LIVE: Six years on from COVID-19, is the world ready for the next pandemic?
Global Health NOW: An Urgent El Niño Warning; and How a Chatbot Connects Kenyan Mothers With Care
September 24, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFThe DRC faces a deficit of health workers at Ebola treatment centers, particularly in the province of North Kivu where cases have spiked 73% over three weeks; while treatment centers are expanding and beds are added daily, the facilities still lack enough staff to operate them. AP
Tylenol during pregnancy has no causal link to autism or ADHD, finds a major review published in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology that included data from seven meta-analyses involving 3 million+ participants; the review found that an apparent association between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and autism or ADHD weakened as methodological quality of data improved. CIDRAP
Drug deaths in Scotland rose 11% in 2025 amid an influx of synthetic opioids known as nitazenes, which fueled the increase alongside fatalities from cocaine usage, which was implicated in over half of all drug use deaths—an increase of 23% compared with 2024. The Herald
A new cancer blood test has been endorsed by an FDA panel, which also raised the caveat that the DNA technology needs more study; the test, from Grail Inc.’s Galleri, is meant to flag potential indicators of early-stage tumors for further testing. The Hill
IN FOCUSWater buffaloes emerge from the remaining water in a dried-up lake. Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, September 4. Thilina Kaluthotage/NurPhoto via Getty
An Urgent El Niño WarningExtreme El Niño weather conditions will continue to take a devastating public health toll over the coming year, warn climate experts calling for governments and aid groups to make urgent preparations, per The Guardian.
451,000+ additional heat deaths are projected worldwide through February, with elevated heat mortality potentially continuing into next spring, per a new Climate Impact Lab report. Further deaths are expected from the droughts, wildfires, and flooding brought by this year’s “super El Niño.”
Hardest-hit countries include Nigeria, Indonesia, Sudan, India, and Brazil.
Hunger impact: As food production takes a hit and prices rise, ~8 million children in East and Southern Africa potentially face acute hunger by early 2027, up 30% from current levels, according to Save the Children.
The 2023–2024 El Niño led to extreme drought and food insecurity—much of which could have been mitigated by better preparation, per UN News.
The window to act: Prevention is still possible, including preparing health systems, pre-positioning food and humanitarian aid, and instituting heat alerts, cooling centers, and protections for outdoor workers.
Meanwhile, long-term adaptation is critical: “20 years from now, once today’s extreme temperatures become the new normal, we don’t want to be in a constant state of emergency,” says report co-author Tamma Carleton.
Related: Small island developing states on the frontline – The Lancet Global Health (commentary)
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TECH & INNOVATIONHow a Chatbot Connects Kenyan Mothers with CareIn Kenya, a growing number of pregnant women are turning to an AI-powered chatbot as a maternal-health lifeline.
Answering a call: The chatbot service, PROMPTS, began as a health system’s automated appointment-reminder texts. When women started texting back with questions, developers built the chatbot to respond or flag urgent inquiries for nurses.
The chatbot, managed by Jacaranda Health, now fields ~15,000 questions daily.
Shifting access: PROMPTS works on basic phones without internet, a key feature for patients in remote areas. It also lets patients steer conversations toward their unique needs, said Smisha Agarwal, director of global digital health at Johns Hopkins University.
“We can center it on what the mother actually wants to know,” Agarwal said.
Epics dominated the big screen this summer. But even The Odyssey is dwarfed by the sheer girth of this year’s cinematic juggernaut: Fat Bear Week is upon us.
This competition marks 12 years of the annual salmon-fishing showdown between the biggest brown bears in Alaska’s Katmai National Park. What started as playful PR has morphed into a sprawling, multigenerational, dynastic drama that not even Homer could adequately capture (Popular Science’s daily rundowns make a heroic effort).
Consider the saga of Chunk (Bear 32), the legendary 1,200-lb champion with a broken jaw and checkered past, who disappeared from camera view most of the summer, but resurfaced just in time for the contest, per Alaska Public Radio. Among his competitors: Studious (Bear 428)—the daughter of his nemesis.
As the mythology grows, the bracket has expanded from 12 competitors to 16 and includes whole families. Too much?
In the words of Katmai park ranger Sarah Bruce: “There is no such thing as too fat of a bear.”
OPPORTUNITYAl for Global Health: Shaping the Future Through People-Centered InnovationExplore how responsible Al can help build a more equitable, effective, and people-centered future for global health at a November 6 event at North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC.
The North Carolina Global Health Alliance-sponsored event will convene leaders from global health, public health, technology, academia, government, and industry, including Phaedra Boinodiris, IBM Consulting; Bethany Hedt-Gauthier, Partners in Health and UNC Chapel Hill; and Nick Pearson, Jacaranda.
November 6, 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m.
Abortion Pills, Vaccines and Food Safety: F.D.A. Nominee to Face Senate Panel – The New York Times (gift link)
Nigerian battery recyclers pay for lead cleanup after Examination investigation – The Examination
Americans are drinking less since the pandemic began, but one group bucks the trend – The Washington Post (gift link)
Kidney Transplant Disparities Persist With Intellectual, Developmental Disability – MedPage Today Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe!
Takeaways from AP’s report on expanded medical aid-in-dying laws – AP
Wildfire Smoke Linked to Greater Health Risks Than Other Pollution – European Medical Journal
A new fund to help countries build out their health systems – Coefficient Giving (commentary)
Issue No. 2986
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New resource supports parents of preschoolers with suspected developmental delays
McGill researchers have created and validated a virtual coaching program that helps parents of preschoolers with developmental delays navigate the maze of assessments, appointments and decisions with which they can be faced.
BRIGHT Coaching provides one-on-one support from a trained coach, offering practical guidance and information for concerns ranging from speech and language delays to autism and cerebral palsy. Coaches also guide parents on how to promote healthy child development and family resilience while they wait for services.
Global Health NOW: Africa’s ‘Epidemiological Transition’; and Human Neurons, Mouse Brains
September 23, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFThe U.S. suicide rate dropped slightly from 2023 to 2024, falling from 14.1 to 13.7 deaths per 100,000 people, per new CDC mortality data released this week; but the rate remains “stubbornly high” with no significant change since it reached a rate of ~14 in 2017. The New York Times (gift link)
A majority of local U.S. public health workers endured significant backlash during the COVID-19 pandemic, finds a study published in the American Journal of Public Health, with 76% of 109 public health workers experiencing “extraordinary backlash” such as threats and harassment; women were disproportionately affected, with 61% of female public health officials reporting extraordinary backlash compared with 44% of men. CIDRAP
Millions of children globally attend schools without access to clean water or a working toilet, per a new report from WHO and UNICEF; however, strides were made between 2015 and 2025, with the proportion of schools with basic drinking water services rising from 67% to 78%. UN News
A federal judge has ordered Texas to air condition all prisons in the state by 2030, ruling that current conditions in many Texas prisons without air conditioning violate constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment; just over a third of the prison agency’s 104 facilities were fully air-conditioned as of Sept. 1. Texas Tribune
A physician takes a patient’s blood pressure at a WHO-supported primary healthcare clinic. Kassala, Sudan, January 21, 2025. Giles Clarke/UNOCHA via Getty
Africa’s ‘Epidemiological Transition’As Africa gains ground in the fight against infectious diseases, the continent’s new health battlefront is rapidly emerging: The toll of chronic ailments like heart disease, cancers, and diabetes, which now account for almost half of deaths in Africa, will soon eclipse the continent’s infectious disease toll, finds a new analysis for the Lancet Global Health’s Global Burden of Disease Study.
Key takeaways: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for ~4.7 million deaths across Africa in 2023, or ~45% of all deaths on the continent. That is up from 25% in 1990, reports The Telegraph.
Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes.
Driving the shift: As African countries mark “rapid transitions in epidemiological, socioeconomic, and demographic contexts,” their growing and aging populations place new demands on health systems. At the same time, urbanization, air pollution, changing diets, obesity, and physical inactivity fuel new health threats.
More than half of NCD deaths were attributable to modifiable risk factors, led by high blood pressure.
Underprepared: The prep window for this sea change is narrowing, researchers say, warning that “the speed and scale of NCD growth in Africa is particularly concerning”—with many health systems ill-equipped.
They call on African governments and global stakeholders to prioritize a “revitalized” primary healthcare approach.
A new research model could give scientists a better platform to study neurodegenerative disease—but the model, which involves installing millions of human brain cells into mice, is already raising ethical questions about what’s next.
The breakthrough: Researchers replaced much of the cerebral cortex of genetically engineered mice with millions of lab-grown human brain cells, creating a model for studying human neurons in living brains, per research published in Nature.
Implications: Scientists say the model could facilitate research on human brain function that petri-dish models cannot.
But: Ethicists and researchers express concern about the technique potentially being used with larger, longer-living animals.
Myanmar: Women Political Prisoners Tortured, Ill-treated – Human Rights Watch
Free operations give hope to children with a neglected but deadly disease in Africa – AP
Rabies Infections Are Highly Fatal—And Preventable – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Trump Officials Eject 750,000 From Obamacare Markets, Claiming Fraud – The New York Times (gift link)
France releases infertile Asian tiger mosquitoes to fight dengue threat – The Telegraph
New roadmap integrates arts into global health and wellbeing – News Medical
How to stay smart in the age of AI: the science of critical thinking – Nature
Issue No. 2985
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UN health agency calls for investment boost to save young lives from cancer
DR Congo Ebola outbreak toll exceeds 3,700 deaths
Blake Richards wins Schmidt Sciences Polymaths Award
$2.5M prize will fuel groundbreaking project to build AI models that capture the uniqueness of individual minds, potentially advancing mental health care.
McGill neuroscientist and AI researcher Blake Richards has won a Schmidt Sciences Polymaths Award. Worth up to $2.5 million over five years, the prize will support work Richards said could reshape approaches to mental health care.
Global Health NOW: The White House Pushes for Further NIH Oversight; and Nigeria’s Quest for Safer Births
September 22, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFAn extra 2.7 million lives could be saved in the next pandemic if countries shared vaccines more fairly—according to population size rather than purchasing power, per a modelling study of a hypothetical flu pandemic, part of the NUS-Lancet PRIME commission; however, under that approach, the death toll for high-income countries would climb from 2.4 million to 3.9 million. The Guardian
Australians with dementia endure long waits for diagnoses, with health professionals sometimes missing critical early warning signs, and many caregivers overwhelmed, reveals the country’s first survey of dementia—which is now Australia’s leading cause of death. ABC Australia
A CDC report on U.S. teen behavior focuses on improvements in nutrition and physical activity and points to overall improvements in mental health among high schoolers between 2023 and 2025; this Youth Risk Behavior Survey downplays sex and drug use and did not explore sex-specific behavior trends or economic or social factors. NBC
Globally, one in four doctors is nearing retirement age, per a WHO warning of a global health workforce gap and deep inequities across countries and regions: In the WHO European region, the density of medical doctors is 13X higher, and the density of nurses and midwifery personnel is 6X higher than in the WHO African Region. WHO (news release)
IN FOCUSDemonstrators hold signs in support of the NIH during a "Stand Up For Science" rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on March 7, 2025. Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty
The White House Pushes for Further NIH OversightThe Trump administration is weighing an executive order to create an external panel to review—and potentially veto—NIH research grants that conflict with administration priorities, escalating ongoing White House efforts to steer the health research agency, reports The Guardian.
Background: The NIH traditionally awards research grants through a review process based on scientific merit. But the second–term Trump administration has sought greater oversight of NIH grant awards.
That includes issuing executive orders to halt research and terminating or denying funding to thousands of grants linked to research topics, such as race and gender-related disparities, unaligned with White House priorities, reports The New York Times (gift link).
Those terminations prompted legal challenges, including a class action lawsuit the ACLU filed on behalf of scientists last week, per the AP. Congress has also previously overruled administration attempts to cut biomedical research funding.
Still, the NIH remains a key target for White House administration leaders seeking to reshape the federal budget and academic research. The proposed new panel would seek more direct White House screening and unanimous approval of future research projects, per The Washington Post (gift link).
Unfolding: The order is still being drafted, so its final structure and authority remain unclear.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MATERNAL HEALTHNigeria’s Quest for Safer BirthsAs Nigerian health officials try to stem an ongoing maternal health crisis, they face a critical gap: Even if a community has a clinic and skilled staff, it is still not enough to guarantee lifesaving care.
Doctors say much of the breakdown is due to equipment and medicine shortages and a lack of standardized systems.
One state’s efforts: In Zamfara state, officials have instituted widespread reforms to create delivery room standards and structured medicine supply chains, and have opened 23 safe-delivery centers.
Lessons abroad: Punjab and Sindh, Pakistan, offer a model through more rigorous monitoring and regionally tailored infrastructure reforms.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSHealthcare in Africa 'under growing strain' after US withdrawal from aid programs, report warns – The Guardian
Afghan medical students face expulsion from Pakistan – The Telegraph
Italy sees mosquitos spread the West Nile virus farther and longer as Europe warms – AP
Insurance Coverage Lags as Cancer Science, Treatment Move Forward – KFF Health News
Trump's mass deportations led to a big drop in fentanyl investigations, report finds. Here's what to know – PBS
Mumps outbreak at California college linked to student athletes – The Independent
Lyme patients 4 times more likely to have antibodies to other tick-borne pathogens – CIDRAP
Is produce from a home garden safer than store bought? 'It depends' – NPR
Issue No. 2984
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Global Health NOW: The Shifting Landscape of American Health Data; and The Bacterial Threat Emerging in Bangladesh
September 21, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEF$1.3 billion+ in U.S. global health funding could expire unspent within two weeks, potentially resulting in tens of thousands of preventable deaths, per a Partners in Health analysis; Congress has approved the funding for tuberculosis, malaria, maternal healthcare, and HIV, but it has been withheld by the Office of Management and Budget and expires on September 30. The Independent
Congo is vaccinating health workers in the Ebola epicenter of Bunia; ~20,000 health workers will receive the Ervebo shot, which is effective for a different Ebola strain than the circulating Bundibugyo virus but has been WHO-approved for this outbreak under a compassionate use program, since it could offer some protection against Bundibugyo. Los Angeles Times
A third malaria death in Germany has been linked to a cluster of cases stemming from Frankfurt Airport, where officials believe infected Anopheles mosquitoes arrived by aircraft; two airport workers died of malaria earlier this summer, and two new malaria cases were registered in the district last week. DW
COVID-19 shots for uninsured U.S. kids have yet to be rolled out this year, with states unable to order the vaccines from the CDC’s Vaccines for Children program, which covers around half of the nation’s youths; the delayed process will likely set back the shots’ distribution to millions of children. Politico
IN FOCUSCDC headquarters in Atlanta. December 4, 2025. Megan Varner/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Shifting Landscape of American Health DataFederal health datasets are becoming a battleground in the U.S. as public health experts question Trump administration changes to how agencies collect and publish information, reports Axios.
Hundreds of datasets have been altered or disrupted under the second Trump administration; a tracker run by former federal government data scientists counts 38 eliminated datasets.
Measles is a case in point. The CDC now relies on National Center for Health Statistics records to count measles deaths, rather than state infectious disease surveillance, reports CIDRAP.
That has left four measles-associated deaths reported by Pennsylvania out of the federal tally, worrying experts who say the NCHS data are designed for tracking long-term mortality trends, not individual outbreaks.
Shining light on gaps: Outside government, researchers are finding new methodologies to collect data and measure new and growing health disparities in this changing landscape. To map contraceptive access, for example, two reproductive policy organizations looked at clinic capacity, patient caseloads, and national survey data, per NPR.
They found that ~21.4 million women live in counties where publicly funded birth-control availability falls short of need—likely an undercount, as much of the data pre-dates Planned Parenthood closures after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
As saltwater pushes inland across Bangladesh, rising salinity is creating conditions that make bacteria more drug-resistant and help them spread through aquaculture, food, and water.
Shifting tides, shifting conditions: Rising salinity and temperatures allow pathogens like Vibrio to adapt in ways that ultimately promote antibiotic resistance, researchers say.
Growing shrimp production could also amplify risks, as farmers use antibiotics to quell disease outbreaks, increasing antibiotic residue in the food supply.
More than half of bacterial samples in a 2025 study of 27 shrimp ponds were multidrug-resistant.
Human toll: Coastal doctors report infections increasingly unresponsive to multiple antibiotics.
Related: Silent Killer: Saltwater Threatens Women’s Health in Coastal Bangladesh – Global Health NOW
QUICK HITSAdults with severe mental illness die 15 to 20 years earlier from diseases such as cancer – The Guardian
Trump says some routine immunizations will be split into five separate shots. Vaccine experts say it won’t work – CNN
Telehealth companies keep exposing their customers’ medical data. What should they do? – AP
Millions take calcium and vitamin D for bone health. A major review finds little benefit – BMJ Group via ScienceDaily
Study uncovers no evidence of autism epidemic, despite claims – CIDRAP
Meet Rajarshi Mandal, the 16-year-old Lexington student whose malaria model showed the same mosquito net supply could prevent twice as many infections; he won $50,000 – Times of India
Issue No. 2983
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Ebola vaccine trial begins in DR Congo
The race to build a pandemic-proof world
Women and girls pay high price in DR Congo Ebola outbreak
Global Health NOW: Fiji’s HIV Emergency; The Long Road for Syria’s Chemical Attack Survivors
September 17, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFA UN fact-finding mission on Iran said it had “reasonable grounds” to believe the U.S. was behind two military strikes in Iran in February that together killed 170+ people, including schoolchildren at a school in Minab, and that the attacks constituted war crimes; the mission also found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during the crackdown on anti-government protests last year. CBS
U.S. researchers have filed a First Amendment challenge to the updated federal policy of NIH grant screening, with the lawsuit alleging the agency is acting illegally by barring grants on topics disapproved of by the Trump administration. Science
South Korea will allow abortion pills for the first time by the first quarter of 2027, with the government announcing the medication abortions will be allowed for women up to nine weeks pregnant, and will be directly prescribed and dispensed by doctors for the first two years of the new policy. AP
Women with the same medical conditions as men are less likely to be offered the medical treatments offered to men such as surgery, statins, or strong painkillers, finds a review of global research published in PLOS One, which found that across 38 studies, 33 showed women “were less likely to be offered active treatment” for conditions like cardiovascular conditions, kidney disease, and Parkinson’s disease. The Guardian
IN FOCUSA Medical Services Pacific Moonlight program team offers free HIV testing during an outreach visit to a suburb of Suva, Fiji, on March 19. AFP via Getty
Fiji’s HIV EmergencyAs spiraling new HIV infections strain the small Pacific island of Fiji, officials declared a national HIV emergency this week and scaled up their response, reports CNN.
Rapid rise: Cases rose 12X between 2010 and 2025, making it “one of the sharpest increases in new HIV infections globally,” per a UNAIDS statement.
~1 in 60 Fiji adults have been diagnosed with the virus, with 2,000+ new diagnoses in 2025 in a population of <1 million people.
HIV-related deaths have shot up: 117 recorded in 2025, compared with 25 in 2021.
59 infants were born with HIV last year; 18 died before age 1.
Driving the crisis: Infections have been fueled by a surge in injectable drug use, particularly methamphetamine, as the region becomes a hub for illicit drug trafficking, reports The New York Times (gift link).
While ~42% of new cases were attributed to drug use, sexual transmission and low condom use are also significant drivers.
Unknown status, untapped care: Limited testing and stigma mean just ~39% of people living with HIV know their status, and <22% are receiving treatment.
Ramping up response: Health officials are rapidly expanding testing, treatment, and PrEP access, while also introducing needle and syringe programs for people who inject drugs.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CONFLICTThe Long Road for Syria’s Chemical Attack SurvivorsThirteen years after Syria’s deadliest chemical attack, survivors still suffer lasting physical and psychological injuries.
The attack: In August 2013, sarin rockets struck opposition-held Damascus districts, killing ~1,429 people, including 426 children.
The survivors’ struggle: Ongoing impacts include impaired breathing, physical exhaustion, vision problems, anxiety, and PTSD. Many children born at the time of the attacks have shown developmental disorders.
“We are living in a nightmare that has never ended,” says survivor Mohammed Suliaiman Abo Alkair.
A reckoning? Since the fall of the Assad regime in 2024, Syria’s new authorities have detained 18 suspects related to chemical weapons.
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSIONThe 2026 Ig Nobel Prize winners were introduced at the 36th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, in Zurich, Switzerland, on September 3. Alexey Eliseev/Improbable Research
Scientific Advancement Smells Like Teen SpiritWhile Nobel Prizes celebrate humanity’s loftiest achievements, the Ig Nobels honor its nitty-grittiest: research that boldly goes into realms where most of us take a U-turn: teen body odor, urinal splash ratios, and the mere concept of “cockroach milk,” per Ars Technica.
Some notable winners from the 2026 prizes, which honor research with power to “make people laugh, then think,” per Smithsonian:
Next protein trend? Milk produced by one cockroach species carries 3X as much energy as cow milk protein, Chemistry Prize-winning researchers found.
Quest for a holy grail: Efforts to create a splash-free urinal were awarded the Design Prize (and maybe a future Nobel Peace Prize?).
Strategic sniffles: The Medicine Prize went to a 1977 study on optimum nostril-clearing aerodynamics.
Smell test: The enviable Olfaction Prize went to a study demonstrating that baby smells boost parent-child bonding; but teen smells may contribute to … greater independence.
In an opportunity yesterday for the Global Health Emerging Scholars (GHES) Fellowship, we pointed you to the wrong page. Here's the right link to learn more about how to apply to the 12-month, NIH-supported, mentored training in global health research designed to improve population health.
QUICK HITSHow Afghan Women Are Rebuilding Reproductive Health Care – Reasons to be Cheerful
Abortion bans make ‘evidence-based medicine’ impossible in some cases, new report says – The Guardian
The Maternal Mental Health Crisis—A Dangerous Blind Spot in US Medicine – JAMA (commentary)
Few people with the flu isolate for the recommended period – CIDRAP
Baltimore Expands the Conversation Around Infant Safety – Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs
Map of brain ‘microproteins’ could offer new clues to Alzheimer’s disease – Nature
This Is Your Brain on Short-Form Video – The Atlantic
A spoonful of sugar: how South Africa’s weigh-and-pay shops are tackling ‘poverty tax’ head on – The Guardian
Issue No. 2982
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Global Health NOW: Spotlight on Stopping Child Marriage; and The Growing Struggle to Inspect Imported Foods
September 16, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFExposure to air pollution may increase risk of suicide and suicidal behavior, finds a meta-analysis published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, which found that exposure to small particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide were linked to a heightened risk of death by suicide, suicide attempts, and suicidal ideation. The Guardian
The New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, has returned to the U.S. after being eliminated in the 1950s, posing a threat to livestock, wildlife, pets, and, in rare cases, people as it spreads; researchers are deploying new tracking tools to predict the parasites’ movement as eradication efforts are revived. University of California – San Diego via ScienceDaily
A fourth person in Pennsylvania has died from measles, state health officials said yesterday; the death of an unvaccinated 18-year-old from a rare measles-related neurological complication makes 2026 the deadliest year for measles in the U.S. since its elimination in 2000. The New York Times (gift link)
The Gates Foundation will put $1 billion toward AI access in low-income communities over two years, with an emphasis on integration in health care, agriculture, and education; the funding announcement came with a warning that AI acceleration risks deepening the gap between wealthy and poor nations without intervention from governments, philanthropies, and tech companies. Quartz
IN FOCUSAdvocates and child marriage survivors call for an end to child marriages, on the steps of the Massachusetts State House, in Boston, on September 22, 2021. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty
Spotlight on Stopping Child MarriageOver the last five years, several countries have passed legislation to end child marriage, with Bolivia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, England, the Philippines, and Sierra Leone all creating or strengthening laws to prevent the practice.
But it is still too pervasive, reports UNICEF, with dire consequences: Women married as girls are more likely to face harms including pregnancy complications, domestic violence, and HIV/AIDS infection, and to lose educational and economic opportunities.
Globally, 1 in 5 girls is married or in an informal union before 18, per UNFPA.
Day of observance: The UN General Assembly has just designated Nov. 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage, per More to Her Story.
The resolution was championed by Sierra Leone, which banned child marriage in 2024.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., where 34 states allow marriage under age 18, 314,000+ minors were legally married from 2000 to 2021, per data cited by lawmakers who introduced a bill this year to set a nationwide minimum age of 18 for marriage, reports NPR.
Beyond laws: While India has a ban, ~1.5 million girls under 18 still marry there annually, UNICEF estimates—a gap blamed on weak enforcement and a need for further education and economic advocacy.
DATA POINT100,000+
——————
The number of centenarians living in Japan this year; nearly 88% of them are women. —AP
The U.S. Cyclospora outbreak linked to imported lettuce underscores a growing gap in U.S. food safety: a ~35% drop in FDA inspections of foreign food facilities since 2019.
Closer look: The FDA inspected 17% fewer foreign food facilities in 2025 compared with prior-year inspections.
In response to the July 2026 Cyclospora outbreak, FDA inspectors took a month to reach the Mexican farm tied to the outbreak.
“When these outbreaks happen in fresh produce, you have to respond quickly because these are very complex and changing ecosystems,” said Frank Yiannas, a former FDA food safety official.
Driving the downturn: Pandemic-era departures weakened the agency, but Trump administration cuts in 2025 further strained inspection capacity.
Related: ‘We Had It Coming’: Cyclosporiasis Outbreak Reveals Holes in Food Safety System – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSScores of children in Pakistan have tested positive for HIV – NPR
Peter Sands: Progress Against The World’s Deadliest Infectious Diseases Is On A Knife-Edge – Forbes (commentary)
‘We’re near a breaking point:’ firefighters say US government is failing them amid intense wildfire season – The Guardian
Leana S. Wen: This surgery can prevent a deadly cancer. Women need to know it’s an option. – The Washington Post (commentary/gift link)
Highway Expansion Linked to Dengue Surge in the Amazon – Think Global Health
A childhood rite moves indoors as kindergartners learn to ride bikes in school gyms – AP
High-flying superbugs: Bouncy castles tied to MRSA skin infections – CIDRAP
Issue No. 2981
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Global Health NOW: ‘Nothing to Lose’: High School Science Club’s Promising Lyme Diagnostic; and Mobilizing New Tools Against Mosquitoes
September 15, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFAfter the DRC’s health ministry said that Ebola transmission in the country’s outbreak is gradually slowing and may have peaked in mid-August, the UN confirmed some signs of progress but warned that it’s “too early to call peak”—emphasizing that the outbreak remains “massive,” and will take months to control, with cases rising fast in North Kivu in particular. Reuters
In the U.S., the Trump administration is scrapping greenhouse gas emission limits on fossil fuel-fired power plants; environmental groups, warning the move will increase health-endangering pollutants, are mounting legal challenges. NPR
A 40-year-old woman in Pennsylvania died from complications associated with measles, the third measles-related death in the U.S. state this year, following the deaths of two infants last month. AP (See also this Guardian article that details how the Trump administration is altering the way it counts measles deaths amid Pennsylvania’s outbreak.)
Chile has become the first South American country to eliminate dog-transmitted rabies to humans, the WHO said yesterday; Chile earned the validation through more than five decades of public health prevention and surveillance—including door-to-door dog vaccination campaigns, management of the dog population, and community awareness efforts. Toronto Star
IN FOCUS EXCLUSIVELeading Lyme disease researcher Nicole Baumgarth and members of Lambert High School’s 2025 iGEM team, Sean Lee, Avani Karthik, Sahasra Tatavarti, and school adviser, Catherine Sharer, at the 3rd Annual Ticks and Tickborne Diseases Symposium at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Baltimore, April 30.
‘They Had Nothing to Lose’: High School Science Club’s Promising Lyme DiagnosticEvery year, Lambert High School’s science program rallies behind an idea to present at iGEM, a prestigious synthetic biology competition.
Last year, teens at the Suwanee, Georgia high school tackled a real diagnostic gap. Lyme disease antibody tests often come back negative in the early stages of the disease, delaying treatment and raising risks of long-term illness. Over emails, Nicole Baumgarth, a renowned Bloomberg School immunologist, advised the students that their initial PCR-based test idea would be “impossible” because the antibodies that the test relies on are often undetectable early on in Lyme disease patients.
To her delight, they persevered and pivoted to a novel strategy—a test targeting CspZ, a bacterial surface protein that may linger in blood after the Lyme-causing bacterium retreats.
Using CRISPR-based amplification, they created a lateral-flow test (similar to a COVID home test).
They tested the assay in cow’s blood, detecting the protein for over 200 days.
The work won awards at the iGEM contest, held in Paris—and also impressed leading Lyme researchers, including Baumgarth, who want to see the concept tested in further trials.
Whatever the outcome, the young scientists learned a formative lesson. “Getting the opportunity to freely research when you’re young is very rewarding,” team member Claire Lee tells GHN.
Read the Exclusive by Annalies Winny Read the Exclusive by Annalies Winny GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES INFECTIOUS DISEASESMobilizing New Tools Against MosquitoesA new mosquito-control weapon is being added to the arsenal of the world’s toughest malaria hotspots, where mosquitoes are evolving to circumvent bed nets.
The tool: “Spatial emanators” are sheets of chemically treated plastic that release the insecticide transfluthrin into the air—repelling and killing mosquitoes for up to a year.
The products, endorsed by the WHO last year, are especially needed in areas where mosquitoes increasingly bite earlier in the evening—rendering bed nets ineffective.
Early results: A 2025 trial involving 6,000 Kenyan children found the technology cut first-time malaria infections by 33%; and a 2022 trial found mosquito-borne viral infections in Iquitos, Peru, fell 34% over two years.
The caveat: Researchers say emanators should supplement, not replace, bed nets and other interventions.
OPPORTUNITYThis two-day training for researchers and global health professionals, hosted by the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) in partnership with Corus International, will bring together journalists including GHN’s founding editor-in-chief, Brian W. Simpson, along with Jon Cohen, Sean D. Hamill, Molly Knight Raskin, and Marc Sandalow.
They’ll explore effective communication across media platforms, countering disinformation, and increasing the reach and impact of scientific work.
Fee: $300; $150 for students; lunch will be provided.
'I've never seen anything like this' — A U.S. doctor treats Ebola's youngest victims – NPR Goats and Soda
A Teen Autopsy Marks the Arrival of a Deadly Drug in San Francisco – The New York Times (gift link)
Study: Autism shaves an average of 14 years from life expectancy, with flu the leading contributor – CIDRAP
Highly persistent toxic waste threatens ‘many, if not all, human rights’ – UN News
Alcohol-linked cancer deaths have doubled in recent decades. What to know about risk. - The Washington Post (gift link)
NSF memo implementing Trump’s ‘golden age’ of science unsettles researchers – Science
A Cancer Survivor Hoped To Work — Then She Lost Her Medicaid Disability Coverage – KFF Health News
Issue No. 2980
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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.
Contributors to Global Health NOW include: Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, and Jackie Powder.
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Ebola responders grapple with widening outbreak in DR Congo
Global Health NOW: Warnings Mount Over AI Health Hazards; and The Steep Contraction of Global Aid
September 14, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFA growing number of pregnancies in Yemen are among malnourished girls who are receiving minimal health care; almost a third of Yemeni girls are married as children, and the UNFPA estimates that 1.3 million pregnant and breastfeeding women in the country are malnourished. UN News
A $15 million+ fund to end FGM globally has been launched in an effort to create “unstoppable momentum” to eliminate the practice, which has affected 230 million+ women worldwide; the Her Horizon Fund was seeded with $14 million from the Wallace Global Fund and $1.5 million from an anonymous donor. The Guardian
Climate change is linked to rising Legionella incidence, contributing to Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks in the U.S., finds a new study published in PLOS Global Public Health; the study found that warming temperatures and increased rainfall are correlated with rising legionellosis incidence rates. CIDRAP
England’s proposed assisted dying bill will not become law after MPs voted down the legislation Friday; the bill had proposed allowing terminally ill adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval from doctors and an expert panel. The Independent
IN FOCUSSections of the Stargate Oracle AI data center, which will span roughly 4 million square feet upon completion, undergoes construction on August 26, in Abilene, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Warnings Mount Over AI Health HazardsAmid growing concern over the speed of AI development, climate scientists are warning about data centers’ toll on environmental and human health and the dismantling of safeguards as the industry expands, reports Inside Climate News.
A report from the Environmental Protection Network examined increased fossil fuel pollution from the power plants used to meet data centers’ soaring electricity demand and details resulting health impacts, including asthma, cancer, and neurological harm.
The report expands on modeling from academic researchers that projects that data center pollution could lead to ~1,300 premature deaths and $20 billion+ in annual public health costs by 2028.
Eroding safeguards: The report also lists 30 Trump administration actions that could increase pollution-related health risks, including the expansion of fossil fuel plants, fast-tracking permits for data centers, and weakened regulatory enforcement, reports The New York Times (gift link).
Bioweapons warnings: Meanwhile, last week AI company Anthropic detailed researchers’ attempts to use its software for potentially harmful pathogens research, per Science—setting off debate among scientists about AI’s use in biosecurity research.
One biosecurity researcher’s take: “This field is going to evolve and grow ... but I don’t think the models are quite as useful for nefarious use in biological weapons as people presume they are,” said Gigi Gronvall of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
Related: Trump administration poised to repeal carbon standards for coal, gas power plants – Reuters via Straits Times
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HUMANITARIAN HEALTHThe Steep Contraction of Global AidGlobal humanitarian aid contributions plummeted 30% between 2022 and 2025, per the State of the Humanitarian System 2026 report, which warned that the aid system has “suffered one of its biggest contractions since being formed in the post-second world war era.”
Funding fell from $47.5 billion to $33.3 billion, and ~23% of humanitarian jobs disappeared.
Urgent care only: The cuts have forced agencies to prioritize immediate threats, cutting initiatives for long-term health and stability.
“Aggravating factor”: Governments not only failed to step into the gap, but were responsible for 64% of attacks on healthcare.
One portrait: In Yemen, the cuts exacerbated overlapping crises: Vaccination campaigns were suspended, diphtheria cases rose, and food insecurity worsened.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSCurse of the Nile’s gold: how Sudan is losing its fertile fields and ability to produce food – The Guardian
Why are Americans so tired? CDC report highlights who’s feeling it most – NBC News
Britain pioneers new dried blood products for the modern battlefield – The Telegraph
India court orders regulator to provide timeline for food warning labels – Reuters
Flushing a Toilet Can Blast Germs Up to Your Breathing Zone, Study Finds – ScienceAlert
Issue No. 2979
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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.
Contributors to Global Health NOW include: Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, and Jackie Powder.
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Global Health NOW: Global Health Careers Special Issue
September 12, 2026
EDITOR’S NOTESpecial Issue: Global Health CareersWe know that so many talented people in the global health community have been affected by funding cuts to the scientific research and public health sectors—people we want to keep in this field. That’s why we’ve tailored this issue to global health job seekers—with resources to grow and thrive at any career stage. Or, maybe you’re in a position to provide an opportunity. In that spirit, please share this issue with students and job seekers in your circle.
We’d love to hear from you, too! Please drop me a line if you have any helpful resources to suggest for people on the hunt for jobs. (Be sure to mention which country you’re from.)
GHN has made some big changes recently that we’re excited to share, including replacing our monthly version with periodic special issues like this one. But we’d love to welcome you over to our weekday newsletter! It is now offered four days a week, Monday–Thursday. If you’d like to switch over to that list, just let me know. —Dayna
IN FOCUS EXCLUSIVEInonge Kaloustian outside the Seminole County Health Department in Sanford, FL. Inonge Kaloustian
Jobs in Global Health: How to Break In—and Stay InWhen Inonge Kaloustian received her MSPH (Master of Science in Public Health) from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, she assumed she’d follow in her mother’s footsteps, working internationally for an organization like USAID. But when she started looking for jobs, it felt like her prospects had vanished: “It was overwhelming. It was not a very friendly job market,” she tells GHN.
She applied for 175 jobs before landing an epidemiology position at a Florida health department through a friend.
Her struggle isn’t unique. The global health jobs market has buckled under sweeping funding cuts from the U.S., Germany, and the U.K., the dismantling of USAID, and upheaval at the NIH, leaving a generation of public health professionals to rethink their career paths. Some postings now draw 4X their usual applicant pools.
But opportunities are out there for those willing to adapt, experienced practitioners and educators say.
Key tactics for landing a global health job:
Focus on the problem: Define the health challenge you want to solve, not a specific role.
Build “diagonal” skills: Pair subject expertise with project management, budgeting, and communication.
Rebrand your résumé: Translate experience into consulting, corporate, or government language.
Network relentlessly.
The good news for job seekers is that the work remains essential, says Keith Martin of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health: “The challenges of today and tomorrow cannot be met without global health.”
Read the Full Article by Annalies Winny Read the Full Article by Annalies Winny DATA POINT54%
—————
Dip in a single year in job postings in the international development sector after aid funding was slashed 30%–40%. —Devex
Source: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Graduate Employment Outcomes Dashboard
E-learning Resources for Global Health Researchers – NIH’s Fogarty International Center
Infodemiology Training Program: Free, Online, and Asynchronous – The DeBeaumont Foundation
Foundations of Global Health Specialization – Coursera, Johns Hopkins University
OpenWHO: Free, self-paced online courses on outbreak response, emergency protocols, and global health policy with downloadable certificates
News and advice for job seekers from Nature:
Plus: Check out this newly updated list of must-read global health books from Madhukar Pai, head of McGill University’s Department of Global & Public Health.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MINI POLLIf you’re employed in the global health space, how did you learn about your current position?
QUICK HITS: WHERE TO FIND JOBSReliefWeb: Lists international humanitarian and global health response positions, updates, and analysis.
ScienceCareers: Jobs in science and technology sectors
World Health Organization Careers: Global health technical and data positions
Devex: International development jobs
Comprehensive Job Boards and Resources for Public Health Professionals (from Johns Hopkins University)
PublicHealthJobs.org: Connects professionals with government, nonprofit, and academic public health opportunities.
Issue No. SI-26-1
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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.
Contributors to Global Health NOW include: Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, and Jackie Powder.
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Global Health NOW: An Ever-Shifting Ebola Fight; Lasering In on Long-COVID Mechanics
September 10, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFA multi-dose maternal RSV vaccine has been prequalified by the WHO, “marking a major step” in global efforts to protect more infants from the virus; the new vaccine form is expected to make maternal RSV vaccination more affordable and easier to deliver, as more countries seek to adopt RSV protections and treatments in their public health programs. WHO
The deaths of two infants in Pennsylvania last month were both related to measles, with the virus itself listed as the cause of one of the deaths, the Lancaster County coroner confirmed in records released yesterday; however, CDC officials have not said whether they will list either death as measles-associated. NBC News
Babies born to mothers with anemia have smaller brains, particularly in key neurological regions linked to movement, learning, and regulation of emotion, finds a study published in Brain Communications; more than a third of pregnant women worldwide have anemia, with rates highest in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. The Guardian
A.I. use in UK medical settings must be better regulated and routinely updated, urges the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, which regulates all medical devices in the UK, and has published a list of 44 policy recommendations with input from 12,000+ patients and clinicians. BBC
IN FOCUSA health worker takes a woman's temperature as part of Ebola screening efforts on June 24, in Goma, DRC. Daniel Buuma/Getty
An Ever-Shifting Ebola FightEbola is still gaining ground in the DRC, reaching new areas and intensifying in some regions even as transmission declines in others.
The latest: As of September 6, the WHO Africa office reported 6,686 cases and 3,226 deaths across 61 health zones in six provinces; Ituri remains “the principal focus,” reports Anadolu Agency.
Uneven spread: Epidemiologists report divergent transmission patterns across regions, underscoring both progress and setbacks, per Infection Control Today.
Cases are doubling more slowly, and daily incidence remains below July’s peak, but deaths outside of hospitals and limited surveillance signal that the outbreak “is continually slipping ahead of containment.”
Gaps in contact tracing, testing, safe burial coverage, and treatment capacity persist in some areas.
The hunger factor: Food insecurity is exacerbating the crisis, especially in remote areas, says the World Food Programme, which is calling for a “comprehensive approach” to aid response, per UN News.
“If you can’t feed your family, it’s pretty difficult to adhere to health protocols,” said WFP’s David Stevenson.
A picture of public alarm: A single death can trigger intensive public health interventions and major social disruption, as a New York Times (gift link) account of a truck driver’s sudden death in Marabo village illustrates.
Related: DRC’s Ebola outbreak has the potential to become a global pandemic. How to make sure it doesn’t – The Conversation (commentary)
INFECTIOUS DISEASESLasering In on Long-COVID MechanicsLong COVID’s emergence has transformed the study of postinfection illness, revealing a large family of chronic conditions that can follow infection, as research expands to pinpoint biomarkers to help advance treatments.
Tracing trends: Researchers are finding overlapping patterns across long COVID and other postinfection syndromes like myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome—including intertwined impacts like inflammation and damage to blood vessels and mitochondria.
Studying these illnesses together, scientists are exploring underlying biological mechanisms like immune dysfunction and viral persistence for clues.
Large scale, wide gaps: ~400 million people worldwide have long COVID, carrying an economic cost of ~$1 trillion annually—yet research funding remains low.
Related: Why Is No One Talking About Long COVID? – MedPage Today (commentary)
OPPORTUNITYAmerica’s Ebola Response: Travel Restrictions, Quarantines, and Citizen RightsIn a public health crisis, what is the balance between personal rights and public health authority? How do travel bans or overseas facilities like the one in Kenya redefine global health policies?
Join the Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health for a dive into these questions and other elements of America’s Ebola response. The Center’s director, Jennifer Nuzzo, will moderate the discussion featuring Alexandra L. Phelan of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Allan Maleche of the Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS (KELIN) and Georgetown University Law Center.
September 18, 2026, noon ET
2021 was a year when a lot of people were still looking for ways to entertain themselves at home. In Switzerland, one option was to bury some cotton underwear and see what happened.
In the name of science!
1,000 volunteers buried more than 2,000 pairs of knickers for Proof by Underpants (Beweisstück Unterhose), a project by Swiss researchers to investigate soil health.
They found that the healthier the soil, the faster the undergarments disintegrated. After two subterranean months, some undies were shells of their former selves while others had modest holes that, depending on one’s standards, wouldn’t even render them unwearable.
What’s the point of all this? ScienceAlert put it best: “to show us that some soils are hanging on by little more than a G-string”—and that matters.
Less holey underpants were a glaring sign of missing nutrients in the soil, a big concern given that the stuff—not to put too fine a point on it—“makes human life on Earth possible.”
And naturally, being as existentially concerning as it is hilarious, the project won an Ig Nobel.
QUICK HITSChildren of 9/11 to finally get a major health study – Reuters via AOL
Jeremy Farrar Joins Global Health Non-Profit PATH Following Unexpected Departure From WHO – Health Policy Watch
Kenya faces four active health emergencies as Mpox, Ebola, measles, and polio collide – Daily Nation
CDC merges its flu, COVID divisions to ‘strengthen operational efficiency’ – CIDRAP
'America's Nobel' prizes go to sleep and hemophilia researchers, and to Michael J. Fox for Parkinson's advocacy – LiveScience
Need Help! writing a paper title? All you need is the Beatles – Science
Issue No. 2978
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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.
Contributors to Global Health NOW include: Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, and Jackie Powder.
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Seven McGill scholars honoured by the Royal Society of Canada
McGill’s 2026 cohort includes President and Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini, recognized for his leadership in building stronger and more innovative Canadian universities, and championing their vital role.
