96 Global Health NOW: Milton’s Might; AI in Public Health: Gaps, Disparities, and Remarkable Potential; and Mammoth Mama Bear Clinches Fat Bear Week View this email in your browser October 10, 2024 Forward Share Post A downed crane blocks a street after crashing into the the Tampa Bay Times offices after the arrival of Hurricane Milton. October 10, St. Petersburg, Florida. Spencer Platt/Getty Milton’s Might 
Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida early this morning, spawning an onslaught of tornadoes, bringing a deluge of rain, and lashing the Tampa Bay area with 120 mph winds that left 3 million+ customers without power as the state ramps up search and rescue missions and begins to assess damage, reports Reuters.

• At least 19 tornadoes have been confirmed, destroying homes in multiple counties.


• Winds shredded the roof of Tropicana Field, a Major League Baseball stadium staged to serve as a shelter for 10,000 first responders and essential workers, reports The Orlando Sentinel.


• At least four fatalities were reported at a St. Lucie County retirement community, reports CNN.


• Operations were underway to rescue people trapped in an assisted living facility and hotel in Hillsborough County, and at an apartment building in Clearwater. 

17 inches of rain fell across areas of Tampa Bay in only six hours, reports the Tampa Bay Times—marking a “1-in-1000 year” rainfall event that spurred flash flood warnings which remain in place this morning: “It’s not over,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Cholera cases in Sudan have climbed to 21,806, including 632 deaths, the Sudanese Health Ministry said yesterday; meanwhile dengue fever cases reached 1,329, with four deaths. Xinhua

A travel ban instituted in Rwanda to suppress the spread of Marburg prohibits anyone who has been exposed to Marburg virus from leaving the country until 21 days after exposure. The Telegraph

The tickborne disease babesiosis increased by 9% per year in the U.S. between 2015 to 2022, according to a study published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. CIDRAP

Eating less can boost longevity, a large new study in mice shows; but factors like immune health and genetics play key roles along with the metabolic effects of caloric restriction. Nature GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORT Biostatistician Elizabeth Stuart (in purple) makes a point to HHS assistant secretary Micky Tripathi; other AI event panelists (l to r): Alison Snyder, John Auerbach, and Jesse Ehrenfeld. Poulomi Banerjee AI in Public Health: Gaps, Disparities, and Remarkable Potential   Public health experts extolled the promise of AI to solve longstanding health problems in a Tuesday panel discussion in Washington, D.C., but also raised concerns about its potential for exacerbating inequity.
 
AI Wins:

• Chicago’s health department has used AI to make outbreak predictions for diseases such as measles, said Micky Tripathi, acting chief AI officer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.


• Uses include vaccine and drug development, medical diagnostics, and disease screening.


• AI could help small public health departments by streamlining tasks like filling out forms or deciding which restaurants to inspect, said John Auerbach, senior vice president at the global consulting firm ICF.

AI Challenges:

• It’s difficult for many local public health departments—especially smaller ones—to access the power of AI.


• Much of AI development and use suffers from a lack of transparency.


• AI continues to draw on limited data sets, said Elizabeth Stuart, Biostatistics chair at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “We need to be really conscious of who is not in the data … and then the implications of that,” she said.

Another obstacle: The U.S. federal system (with significant power resting with states) drives the lack of a standardized, national policy on AI.
 
Shi En Kim for Global Health NOW
 
Ed Note: The panel “Making AI a Lifesaver” was held at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C., and was cosponsored by Harvard Public Health, Global Health NOW, and Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health magazine. READ THE FULL REPORT DATA POINT POPULATIONS Latin America’s Demographic Overhaul
Population shifts are reshaping the economies and cultural family structures across Latin America and the Caribbean, as fertility rates continue to drop and life expectancy climbs.

• Fertility rates in the region plunged from 5.8 children per woman in 1950 to 1.8 in 2024.


• Meanwhile, life expectancy rose from 49 years in 1950 to 76 years in 2024.


• Household size shrank from 4.3 in 2000 to 3.4 in 2022.

Another factor: Migration—particularly away from Cuba and Venezuela—is also driving major demographic shifts. 

IPS ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Mammoth Mama Bear Clinches Fat Bear Week
In this highly consequential election season, many are watching the polls. We’ve also been watching the rolls … on the brown bears of Katmai National Park.

“Thicker than a bowl of oatmeal,” the chunky incumbent 128 Grazer once again claimed victory in Fat Bear Week, NBC reports. The mammoth mama bear is a “formidable presence” feared by many—but she may not be the fattest of them all.

Grazer is a relatively svelte 700-800 pounds compared to runner-up Chunk’s 1,200+, but this competition is about popularity as much as portliness. Tens of thousands of voters joined Grazer’s bid to exact revenge on Chunk, who killed one of Grazer’s cubs in July.

While fatness isn’t the only factor, brown bears must eat to compete—so let’s not forget the unsung MVPs of this beloved contest: “Thanks again to the salmon,” Katmai National Park wrote on Instagram. QUICK HITS ‘I trekked pregnant through the jungle to get paracetamol’ – The Telegraph

Study links COVID infection to heart attacks, strokes – CIDRAP

Climate change-fueled heat is especially deadly when mixed with meth in the summer months – AP

A vaginal ring could soon offer women 3 months of HIV protection – Healio

What’s at Stake for Public Health in the 2024 U.S. Election? – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Chris Beyrer Receives Desmond Tutu Award for HIV Research – Duke Global Health Institute

Mali’s traditional theater gives psychiatric patients the stage – AP Issue No. 2795
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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More investment in vaccines could prevent deaths due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and reduce antibiotic use by 2.5 billion doses annually, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a new report published on Thursday. 

96 Global Health NOW: Health Care in a Hurricane; Politics in Leprosy Elimination; and Fixing the Women’s Health Funding Disparity View this email in your browser October 9, 2024 Forward Share Post Health Care in a Hurricane 
  Health care workers in Florida are bracing for the potentially brutal effects of a “one-two punch” from Hurricane Helene followed by the “monstrous” Hurricane Milton, reports The Washington Post (gift article).

• “There is no doubt that they are weary, given the back-to-back storms,” said Mary C. Mayhew, president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association, adding that Helene increased vulnerabilities for hospitals statewide. 

Battening down the hatches: Hospitals across the region are preparing backup power, water, and food sources, while also deploying flood protections, reports the AP.

• Tampa General Hospital withstood Helene’s record-breaking storm surge because of a flood barrier called an AquaFence; but Milton poses an even greater threat, reports The Tampa Bay Times. 

Transporting patients: The state’s “largest evacuation ever” includes 300 health facilities, mainly long-term care facilities. Ten hospitals have also reported evacuations. 

Meanwhile in Western North Carolina: Running water remains unavailable to ~136,000 people as critically damaged water systems require significant repairs, reports The New Republic.

• The ongoing crisis has created a “public health emergency” in the region, reports Newsweek, with the region’s largest hospital depending on 40 continuously pumping water tankers, reports WLOS News 13.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Live Oropouche virus was detected in semen 16 days after symptom onset, suggesting risk of sexual transmission of the virus, a study published yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases has found. CIDRAP

LGBTQ+ women face “substantial” health disparities, mental illness, and barriers to care, finds a National Center for Lesbian Rights report that analyzed a national survey of 5,000 respondents. NPR Shots

A series of lawsuits against TikTok were filed yesterday by more than a dozen states and the District of Columbia, each alleging the app’s algorithm is designed to be addictive to kids and is harming youth mental health. MedPage Today

Nearly 50% of researchers quit science within a decade of starting their careers, with women more likely than men to stop publishing, a large analysis published in Higher Education finds. Nature NEGLECTED DISEASES Politics in Leprosy Elimination  
A campaign in India promises to eliminate leprosy by 2027, three years ahead of the WHO’s target—but advocates warn that the campaign is under-resourced and based more on political “grandstanding” than “genuine commitment.”

• Leprosy—one of the world’s most stigmatized diseases—is fully curable.


• 60% of the 200,000 new cases reported annually are in India. 

Challenges:

• India’s medical schools have not taught leprosy treatment and diagnosis for the last 20 years.


• COVID-19 stalled a previous vaccination rollout.


• Awareness campaigns have yet to be implemented, leading to worries that cases may be undercounted to meet goals.  

The Guardian GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES RESEARCH Expanding Biobanks
Increasingly, researchers and physicians rely on genetic data to tailor treatments to patients, in a field known as precision medicine. 

Glaring data gaps: Genetic information represented in biobanks used to guide treatment decisions is disproportionately focused on European ancestry—limiting critical insights and options for other populations.

• In particular, Indigenous groups in Latin America are underrepresented in these banks—a significant obstacle for researchers developing targeted treatments.

Drilling down: Efforts are gaining in Latin America and elsewhere to collect far more detailed genetic data to expand diversity in biobanks.

Undark WOMEN'S HEALTH Fixing the Funding Disparity
Women and girls make up half of the population—yet organizations dedicated to them receive less than 2% of all charitable giving in the U.S., a new Women’s Philanthropy Institute report reveals.
 
Philanthropist Melinda French Gates—who has long focused on the lack of investment in women and girls—announced a new effort today to help address the disparity, inviting grant applications to her organization, Pivotal, through an “open call,” NPR reports.

• Applicants should address issues relating to women’s mental and physical health in the U.S. and around the world.

• The new program allocates $250 million, through grants of $1 million to $5 million each, adding to French Gates’ pledge to donate $1 billion to women and girls over the next two years.

The goal: To identify women’s health nonprofits in need of new funding streams—especially those that historically might not have been eligible.

Related: The ‘huge disadvantage’ women behind femtech phenomenon face – The Guardian OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Stigma adds to Burundi's challenges in mpox fight – Reuters

The end of smallpox was ... the beginning for mpox – NPR Goats and Soda

Loiasis: bringing an end to neglect – The Lancet

Severe Covid infections can inflame brain’s ‘control centre’, research says – The Guardian

A Boy’s Bicycling Death Haunts a Black Neighborhood. 35 Years Later, There’s Still No Sidewalk. – KFF Health News

The Supreme Court appears to have found a gun regulation it actually likes – Vox

Scientists discover a secret to regulating our body clock, offering new approach to end jet lag – Duke-NUS Medical School via ScienceDaily

The next lifesaving antibiotic might be a virus on your toothbrush – Popular Science Issue No. 2794
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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Around one in seven children and adolescents aged 10 to 19 are affected by mental health conditions – with anxiety, depression and behavioural disorders among the most common, according to a new World Health Organization and UN Children’s Fund report released on Wednesday. 

Our “collective amnesia” about how bad the COVID-19 pandemic was should not prevent us from protecting ourselves and our loved ones from the ongoing spread of respiratory diseases as the northern hemisphere prepares for winter, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

Scientists use stem cells to follow development of protein bodies characteristic of neurological disease

96 Global Health NOW: Transportation Justice in Music City; The New Fight Against Fistula; and Health Workers Traumatized With Nowhere to Turn View this email in your browser October 8, 2024 Forward Share Post GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORT Many of the historic buildings, shops, bars, and clubs along Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee. Cheryl A. Austin/Wikimedia Commons Transportation Justice in Music City   NASHVILLE, Tenn.— Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell is on a mission to “reverse the effects of environmental racism.” His engine of choice: transportation infrastructure. 
 
The challenges:

• Time spent in traffic congestion increased to 56 hours in 2023 from 41 hours in 2022.


• It has America’s toughest commute, per Forbes, with long drive times and a lack of walkability, bikeability, and public transportation.


• Pollution from traffic snaking through the city’s urban core disproportionately impacts communities that have been historically marginalized because of the racist practice of redlining.

O’Connell wants to establish economic equity and reduce pollution-related health threats by:

• Replacing two-thirds of the city’s traffic lights with smart signals capable of adjusting traffic flows on demand while reducing commute times and stop-and-go fuel emissions.


• Constructing bike lanes, 86 miles of new sidewalks, and 12 new transit centers with 24-hour bus service.


• Planting 500,000 trees by 2050 and seeding native wildflowers citywide. 

The catch: Much of O’Connell’s goals depend upon passage of a referendum next month that would impose a temporary sales tax surcharge that would help the city access federal funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.
 
Sarah Hays Coomer for Global Health NOW READ THE FULL STORY GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Junior doctors in West Bengal, India, launched a hunger strike demanding improved security for hospitals following the alleged rape and murder of a young female doctor last August. The Telegraph
 
Hospitals are urging the White House to help shore up supplies of IV bags after the North Carolina factory that produces 60% of the nation’s supply was shuttered temporarily by Hurricane Helene. USA Today
 
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in a Texas emergency abortion case, leaving in place a lower court ruling that exempts doctors in Texas from performing emergency abortions that conflict with the state’s abortion ban—rejecting a Biden Administration appeal that the Texas ban violates federal law. AP
 
20th-century gains in human life expectancy are slowing down—rising only six and a half years since 1990, per a Nature Aging study of 10 wealthy countries, hinting that the human lifespan is reaching a limit. The Independent SURGERY The New Fight Against Fistula
  In Nepal, fistula—a debilitating condition caused by a hole in the bladder—is more and more brought on by botched surgeries, not obstructed and prolonged labor.

• The devastating condition, which leaves women incontinent and leaking urine, affects at least 4,500 women in Nepal.

The growing proportion of fistulas caused by botched hysterectomies or C-sections signals broader issues in the health system, such as surgeons who struggle to admit they aren’t qualified to do certain procedures.

The Quote: “Latrogenic fistula [caused by a surgical error] is a sentinel indicator, it’s saying something about the quality of surgical care on offer,” says Carrie Ngongo, a health systems specialist at the Research Triangle Institute.

The Telegraph  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HEALTH WORKERS Traumatized With Nowhere to Turn
In 2020 the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts, had one of the deadliest COVID-19 outbreaks to occur at a long-term nursing facility.

• The outbreak, in which dozens of veterans died, prompted a top-to-bottom overhaul of the facility and its leadership and a $56 million settlement for veterans and families. 

But many nursing assistants who worked on the front lines at the facility and remain traumatized by the effects of the ordeal—including depression and PTSD—have received little relief.  
 
The situation is a vivid example of “how labor conditions can jeopardize the health of employees”—and for lower-paid staff with limited power and resources at work, a lack of agency adds to the stress, reports Amy Maxmen.
 
NPR Shots OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Tragic statistics show African roads are among world's deadliest – Radio France Internationale

CDC: 35% flu vaccine efficacy in South America may predict similar for US season – CIDRAP

US CDC to issue second-highest travel alert for Rwanda on Marburg outbreak – Reuters

Q&A: How California, now an epicenter for bird flu in dairy cattle, is monitoring the virus – STAT 

Biden sets a 10-year deadline for US cities to replace lead pipes and make drinking water safer – AP

Tiny brain, big deal: fruit fly diagram could transform neuroscience – The Guardian Thanks for the tip, Xiaodong Cai!

Why So Many Hungarians Are Staying Child-Free – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Turning AI's Hype into a Realistic Hope for Global Healthcare – Duke Global Health Institute 

8 ways to make the future brighter: from battling misinformation to honoring grandmas – NPR Goats and Soda

Another Reason to Hate Ticks – The Atlantic Issue No. 2793
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, Aliza Rosen, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on 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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96 Global Health NOW: September Recap View this email in your browser October 7, 2024 Forward Share Post People participate in a Tashlich ritual organized by Jewish Voice for Peace to mark the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel and calling for a ceasefire. October 6, Los Angeles. Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty A Year of ‘Unrelenting Tragedy’
The year that has passed since Hamas launched the deadliest attack in Israel’s history has been one of “unimaginable suffering” across the region, writes the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

• “It has been 12 months of unrelenting tragedy—this must end,” said Joyce Msuya, the UN’s acting under-secretary-general and emergency relief coordinator.

The mounting toll, per OCHA and The New York Times (gift link):

• 1,500+ Israelis have been killed, mostly during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks; ~5,500 have been injured; and ~250 others were abducted. ~100 hostages remain in captivity, denied humanitarian assistance and subjected to inhumane treatment—including sexual violence. 


• 41,600+ Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s counterattacks, while ~96,600 have been injured. “Nearly the entire population of Gaza has been displaced, many of them multiple times, with no safe place to go,” and civilians face “extreme deprivation” with no access to food, electricity, or health care. 

An altered world: In a message to mark one year since the Oct. 7 attacks, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the international community to condemn the “abhorrent acts” that triggered the ever-widening conflict—which has no end in sight. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Cholera death rates in Sudan and Nigeria have surged to up to 3X the global average as conflict and flooding continue to disrupt treatment. Save the Children (news release)
 
Rwanda launched a Marburg vaccine clinical trial yesterday to curb the outbreak, which has killed at least 12 people; those most at risk—including health workers and patients’ contacts—will be first in line for the 700 doses received for the study. BBC

Mpox vaccinations were kicked off in the DRC over the weekend after the country received 265,000 doses; priority is being given to health workers, frontline responders, contacts of confirmed cases, and other at-risk groups. WHO

Swarms of yellow jackets disturbed by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina have led to a spike in requests for Benadryl and epinephrine injections at pharmacies and hospitals, state health officials and relief groups report. AP SEPTEMBER’S MUST-READS The Sharp Bite of Inequity  
Marking International Snakebite Awareness Day (September 19), MSF’s Matthieu Chevallier broke down gross inequities at play—from the likelihood of encountering a venomous snake and being bitten to having protection like basic shoes and adequate shelter to access to treatment.
  
There’s an ambitious plan to help—the WHO Global Strategy against snakebite envenoming—but it is still grossly underfunded. Support from the Wellcome Trust, one of the few funding sources, is set to end soon, and no new donors have stepped up.

Everyday Poisoning in Afghanistan  
Researchers trying to understand why Afghanistan has one of the world’s highest rates of lead exposure—especially as Afghan refugee children arriving in the U.S. showed “dramatically elevated blood lead levels”—zeroed in on a culprit: aluminum cooking pots; one “leached sufficient lead to exceed the childhood limit by 650-fold.” The Telegraph

Compounding Crisis in the Darién Gap  
The dense rainforest of the Darién Gap has long been considered inaccessible, shielding Indigenous communities and the region’s rich biodiversity from outside impact. But the surge of migration through the region over the last five years has brought unprecedented pollution to the rainforest—threatening the local ecosystem and the health of people who depend on it, community leaders say. The Guardian GHN’s SEPTEMBER EXCLUSIVES Local Reporting Initiative:

• Early Warning Systems Vital for Climate Risk Preparedness in Kenya By Scovian Lillian

• Pakistan’s Trans Community Is Especially Vulnerable to Climate Crises By Adeel Saeed

Q&A:

• Cancer Care Inequities Are Costing Kids Their Lives By Morgan Coulson

Commentaries:

• Zipporah Gathuya: Anesthesia Without Capnography: ‘Like Flying Blind’

• Niranjan Konduri: Pandemic Agreement May Happen Eventually ... But Will the World Be Ready?

• Benjamin Mason Meier, Neha Saggi, Muhammad Jawad Noon, and Xinshu She: The 2024 U.S. Elections: An Existential Crossroads for Global Health Policy

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES SEPTEMBER’S BEST NEWS Pesticide Bans Slow Suicides in Nepal
A few years ago, pesticides—or “plant medicines,” as the locals called them—were used in roughly a third of Nepal’s suicides.
 
“What if the pesticide had not been on the market?” wondered one doctor, Rakesh Ghimire, recognizing that most suicides are impulsive and that the chemicals were too easily available. He helped ban the sale and import of eight pesticides in 2019, and deaths fell—by as much as 30% by 2023.
 
The Telegraph

More good news:
Hope to fight rising heroin use: A Pretoria, South Africa program is replacing the rehab model with drop-in centers offering methadone and counseling, with excellent patient retention stats. The Guardian

Shining a light on noma: The addition of the devastating gangrenous disease to WHO’s list of neglected tropical diseases is already leading to substantive research funding boosts and a stigma-busting effect. Nature

Trees as treatment: Adding to tree planting’s climate benefits, University of Louisville researchers are documenting human health benefits of “greened” neighborhoods, too. Bloomberg QUICK HITS At least 78 dead and dozens missing after ferry disaster in DR Congo – The Guardian

WHO approves first mpox test for quick diagnosis – BBC

H5N1 infects second farm worker in California as feds bolster vaccine supply – CIDRAP

Is there hope for changes to the NHI Act? – Bhekisisa

Catholic hospital offered a bucket and towels to woman it denied abortion, California AG says – The 19th

The activists working to abolish IVF – NPR

Pharma eyes male birth control pill for Gen Z – Axios September 2024 Monthly Recap
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, Aliza Rosen, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on 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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  CONTACT US
  Copyright 2024 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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96 Global Health NOW: A Year of ‘Unrelenting Tragedy’; and Your September Recap View this email in your browser October 7, 2024 Forward Share Post People participate in a Tashlich ritual organized by Jewish Voice for Peace to mark the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel and calling for a ceasefire. October 6, Los Angeles. Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty A Year of ‘Unrelenting Tragedy’
The year that has passed since Hamas launched the deadliest attack in Israel’s history has been one of “unimaginable suffering” across the region, writes the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

• “It has been 12 months of unrelenting tragedy—this must end,” said Joyce Msuya, the UN’s acting under-secretary-general and emergency relief coordinator.

The mounting toll, per OCHA and The New York Times (gift link):

• 1,500+ Israelis have been killed, mostly during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks; ~5,500 have been injured; and ~250 others were abducted. ~100 hostages remain in captivity, denied humanitarian assistance and subjected to inhumane treatment—including sexual violence. 


• 41,600+ Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s counterattacks, while ~96,600 have been injured. “Nearly the entire population of Gaza has been displaced, many of them multiple times, with no safe place to go,” and civilians face “extreme deprivation” with no access to food, electricity, or health care. 

An altered world: In a message to mark one year since the Oct. 7 attacks, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the international community to condemn the “abhorrent acts” that triggered the ever-widening conflict—which has no end in sight. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Cholera death rates in Sudan and Nigeria have surged to up to 3X the global average as conflict and flooding continue to disrupt treatment. Save the Children (news release)
 
Rwanda launched a Marburg vaccine clinical trial yesterday to curb the outbreak, which has killed at least 12 people; those most at risk—including health workers and patients’ contacts—will be first in line for the 700 doses received for the study. BBC

Mpox vaccinations were kicked off in the DRC over the weekend after the country received 265,000 doses; priority is being given to health workers, frontline responders, contacts of confirmed cases, and other at-risk groups. WHO

Swarms of yellow jackets disturbed by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina have led to a spike in requests for Benadryl and epinephrine injections at pharmacies and hospitals, state health officials and relief groups report. AP SEPTEMBER’S MUST-READS The Sharp Bite of Inequity  
Marking International Snakebite Awareness Day (September 19), MSF’s Matthieu Chevallier broke down gross inequities at play—from the likelihood of encountering a venomous snake and being bitten to having protection like basic shoes and adequate shelter to access to treatment.
  
There’s an ambitious plan to help—the WHO Global Strategy against snakebite envenoming—but it is still grossly underfunded. Support from the Wellcome Trust, one of the few funding sources, is set to end soon, and no new donors have stepped up.

Everyday Poisoning in Afghanistan  
Researchers trying to understand why Afghanistan has one of the world’s highest rates of lead exposure—especially as Afghan refugee children arriving in the U.S. showed “dramatically elevated blood lead levels”—zeroed in on a culprit: aluminum cooking pots; one “leached sufficient lead to exceed the childhood limit by 650-fold.” The Telegraph

Compounding Crisis in the Darién Gap  
The dense rainforest of the Darién Gap has long been considered inaccessible, shielding Indigenous communities and the region’s rich biodiversity from outside impact. But the surge of migration through the region over the last five years has brought unprecedented pollution to the rainforest—threatening the local ecosystem and the health of people who depend on it, community leaders say. The Guardian GHN’s SEPTEMBER EXCLUSIVES Local Reporting Initiative:

• Early Warning Systems Vital for Climate Risk Preparedness in Kenya By Scovian Lillian

• Pakistan’s Trans Community Is Especially Vulnerable to Climate Crises By Adeel Saeed

Q&A:

• Cancer Care Inequities Are Costing Kids Their Lives By Morgan Coulson

Commentaries:

• Zipporah Gathuya: Anesthesia Without Capnography: ‘Like Flying Blind’

• Niranjan Konduri: Pandemic Agreement May Happen Eventually ... But Will the World Be Ready?

• Benjamin Mason Meier, Neha Saggi, Muhammad Jawad Noon, and Xinshu She: The 2024 U.S. Elections: An Existential Crossroads for Global Health Policy

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES SEPTEMBER’S BEST NEWS Pesticide Bans Slow Suicides in Nepal
A few years ago, pesticides—or “plant medicines,” as the locals called them—were used in roughly a third of Nepal’s suicides.
 
“What if the pesticide had not been on the market?” wondered one doctor, Rakesh Ghimire, recognizing that most suicides are impulsive and that the chemicals were too easily available. He helped ban the sale and import of eight pesticides in 2019, and deaths fell—by as much as 30% by 2023.
 
The Telegraph

More good news:
Hope to fight rising heroin use: A Pretoria, South Africa program is replacing the rehab model with drop-in centers offering methadone and counseling, with excellent patient retention stats. The Guardian

Shining a light on noma: The addition of the devastating gangrenous disease to WHO’s list of neglected tropical diseases is already leading to substantive research funding boosts and a stigma-busting effect. Nature

Trees as treatment: Adding to tree planting’s climate benefits, University of Louisville researchers are documenting human health benefits of “greened” neighborhoods, too. Bloomberg QUICK HITS At least 78 dead and dozens missing after ferry disaster in DR Congo – The Guardian

WHO approves first mpox test for quick diagnosis – BBC

H5N1 infects second farm worker in California as feds bolster vaccine supply – CIDRAP

Is there hope for changes to the NHI Act? – Bhekisisa

Catholic hospital offered a bucket and towels to woman it denied abortion, California AG says – The 19th

The activists working to abolish IVF – NPR

Pharma eyes male birth control pill for Gen Z – Axios Issue No. 2792
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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The number of people in Africa living with hearing loss could rise to 54 million by 2030, up from 40 million today, unless urgent measures are taken, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a report published on Monday. 

As the world remembers the Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel exactly one year ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) is highlighting how the tragedy triggered a mental health crisis among frontline workers. 

‘‘This story doesn’t start from day one. It starts from nine months ago – the day I learned I was going to be a mother.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday that it has approved the first mpox diagnostic test for emergency use, which will boost diagnostic capacity in countries facing outbreaks of the disease. 

96 Global Health NOW: The Hidden Health Burden of Hurricane Helene; Leveraging Technology to Bridge Health System Gaps; and Say It With Cats View this email in your browser October 3, 2024 Forward Share Post An aerial view of damaged houses after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, on September 28. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty The Hidden Health Burden of Hurricane Helene  
Hurricane Helene’s rampage across the U.S. Southeast this week killed more than 160 people—already making it one of the country’s deadliest hurricanes in a century, second only to Hurricane Katrina, the Asheville Citizen Times reports.
 
And the danger hasn’t passed. A new study in Nature shows that tropical storms have a long-term impact on public health—contributing to elevated mortality long after the clean-up.

• The analysis of 501 U.S. tropical storms from 1930 to 2015 found that the average tropical storm or hurricane “indirectly accelerated the death” of an additional 7,000–11,000 people over the next 15 years, per Axios.


• Tropical storms contributed to more U.S. deaths—3.6 to 5.2 million—during the study period than automobile crashes, infectious diseases, and combat. 

What’s going on: It isn’t just the obvious, direct causes of death tied to the storms, such as drowning in flood water; “disasters trigger complex cascades of events that ultimately may cause additional future mortality,” Axios notes.

• Post-storm stress may worsen cancer, heart disease, and other chronic conditions.


• The high cost of hurricane recovery and home repairs can have severe economic repercussions, reducing their health care spending for years to come.

Behind the research: The researchers looked at typical mortality patterns and isolated anomalies that only the variable under study—a sizable storm—could have caused, The New York Times reports (gift article). Previously, that technique helped improve understanding of excess deaths caused by COVID-19 and heat waves. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   The WHO reported a new human case of MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia yesterday; the man, who was admitted to a hospital on August 31 and has since recovered, had no history of contact with camels and is not a health worker. CIDRAP

U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates slipped last year, translating to ~80,000 fewer kids covered with MMR, DTaP, polio, and chickenpox immunizations—and exemptions rose to an all-time high of 3.3%, according to CDC data shared yesterday. AP

The FDA missed its September 30 deadline to release new suggested best practices for pulse oximeters to increase the accuracy of blood oxygen readings in people of color; researchers in 2020 found that the devices often miss low blood oxygen levels in patients with darker skin. STAT

Global spending to fight lead poisoning has doubled thanks to a USAID and UNICEF initiative, Partnership for a Lead-Free Future, backed with $150 million in initial funding from USAID, the Gates Foundation, Open Philanthropy, and other sources. Vox GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY A health care worker connects with callers from the community using Chipatala Cha Pa Foni (Health Center by Phone). Lilongwe, Malawi in 2016. Paul Joseph Brown Leveraging Technology to Bridge Health System Gaps
In the quest to restore global immunization to pre-pandemic levels, some important data points are known: “We know where these children are (mostly in fragile and conflict-affected countries), and which vaccines they missed (measles vaccines, among others),” writes a trio of authors from VillageReach.
 
What’s missing: An understanding of community preferences and perspectives on when, where, and how people receive immunizations and other health care services; African populations, in particular, are severely underrepresented in available data.
 
Tech can “close the loop”: Mobile health apps, health hotlines, digital avatars, chatbots, and other tools can help underreached communities share feedback consistently and discreetly.
 
Success stories:

• A health hotline in Malawi helps disseminate—and collect—health information, tracking the spread of misinformation and flagging early signs of outbreaks.


• Pulse Lab Kampala uses machine learning to analyze radio content in Uganda, gleaning insights that inform outbreak tracking.

Clearing obstacles: The authors map out what’s needed to address the digital divide—inequitable access to the internet and digital devices—describing their Community Insights to Action (CITA) Framework as a model for community-centered health programs built on community feedback.

Swetha Srinath, Christine Lenihan, and Emily Lawrence for Global Health NOW READ THE FULL COMMENTARY DATA POINT REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS Abortion Pills Under Lock and Key in Louisiana 
Abortion pills are now considered “controlled dangerous substances” in Louisiana under a first-of-its-kind law that took effect Tuesday, criminalizing possession without a prescription, CNN reports.
 
Mifepristone and misoprostol are used for medication abortions and in routine miscarriage management. Misoprostol is also used to stop dangerous bleeding after childbirth.

• The new law requires that the pills be kept in a locked box in hospitals, raising fears that physicians will not be able to access the drugs quickly in emergency situations, AP reports.

• The pills are now in the same category as opioids, antidepressants, and other potentially addictive substances, The Hill reports.

Stage set for tighter restrictions in other states? “This new law sets a dangerous precedent by mischaracterizing safe medications that are neither addictive nor dangerous, but rather are standard of care for a variety of women’s health and other conditions,” said Jennifer Avegno, director of the New Orleans Health Department.  ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Do you ever wonder how people communicated before cat memes?  
They used cat postcards! The global postcard craze of the early 20th century was the social media of yesteryear, complete with concerns about privacy (no envelope!) and whether the short-form medium was making people dumber.
 
Nevertheless, Edwardian mail bags felt the weight of the cat craze as does today’s internet, stuffed with postcards of “cats just being cats”—or dressed up as humans, doing day jobs. 

Even the Suffragettes harnessed the power of the feline, deploying images of cats in jaunty hats, campaigning for women’s right to vote. Suffice to say, their efforts paid off!
 
BBC QUICK HITS US breast cancer rate rising sharply even as deaths fall: study – AFP via France24

Brazil eliminates lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem – WHO (news release)
 
Was Missouri’s bird flu case a one-off or something more? Quest for answers faces testing delay – STAT

Most accurate ultrasound test could detect 96% of women with ovarian cancer – University of Birmingham via ScienceDaily

Condoms aren’t a fact of life for young Americans. They’re an afterthought – AP

Opinion: Want People to Embrace Public Health? Make It More Like Weather Forecasting. – The New York Times (gift article)

Can flashing lights stall Alzheimer’s? What the science shows – Nature Issue No. 2791
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Rwanda’s Simmering Marburg Outbreak; Mpox Epicenter; and No Medical Code? No Money Back The WHO warns that mpox could spread outside of Rwanda. View this email in your browser October 2, 2024 Forward Share Post Colorized scanning electron micrograph of Marburg virus particles (yellow) both budding and attached to an infected VERO E6 cell (blue). NIAID via Flickr/Creative Commons License Rwanda’s Simmering Marburg Outbreak  
Concerns about the Marburg outbreak in Rwanda are rising as more than two dozen cases have been confirmed and the WHO has warned of the risk of the disease spreading to neighboring countries and beyond.
 
The latest:

• Confirmed cases have reached 29—10 of which have been fatal, CIDRAP reports.


• Possible cases have been reported in districts that border the DRC, Tanzania, and Uganda.


• A contact of a confirmed case traveled to Belgium but has completed 21 days of monitoring and is not considered a risk to public health.

Vax race: Currently, no therapies or vaccines against the viral hemorrhagic fever are approved, Nature reports. But Rwandan scientists have been appointed to run potential trials and may work with Marburg virus vaccine consortium scientists.

• At least one vaccine trial will be launched if the outbreak continues.


• The trial would follow the ring vaccination strategy that involves immunization of an infected individual’s contacts.

Simmering outbreak: The large number of Marburg cases—Rwanda’s outbreak is one of the largest ever—indicates the virus has been circulating for a few weeks, the CDC’s Jennifer McQuiston told NPR’s Goats and Soda, adding that it takes up to 21 days post-exposure for symptoms to appear. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   An “extremely concerning malaria surge” has overtaken Ethiopia with 5.9 million cases reported by the WHO this year as of Sept. 22—far above the 4.5 million cases reported in all of 2023; cases in Ethiopia have increased every year since 2018. Xinhua
 
South Africa has pulled Top Score Instant Porridge from shelves after three children in Eastern Cape province who ate the porridge died; the cause is not known. BBC

U.S. women with sickle cell disease were more likely to undergo tubal sterilization post-delivery than people without the condition—8.8% compared to 6.7%, per a new preprint data analysis; the contrast is more extreme in certain states, including Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Tennessee. STAT

The WHO validated the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in Pakistan, crediting the country’s use of the SAFE strategy for reducing transmission of the disease, which can result in irreversible blindness; Pakistan is the 19th country to reach the milestone. WHO MPOX Sex Workers—and Miners—at the Epicenter  
In Kamituga, a DRC mining town, sex work is flourishing—and so is mpox.
 
Sex workers and their clients—mostly miners—are key to blocking the spread of the virus’s dangerous new variant, per health authorities.

• Many of the town's estimated 40,000 sex workers—some 13% of the population—are single mothers with few job alternatives. 

Health workers say the government should shutter nightclubs and mines—and compensate sex workers. Local officials counter that strategy exceeds their budget—and their responsibility.
 
Protection tools in short supply: 

• It’s unclear when any of Congo’s ~250,000 vaccines will make it to Kamituga’s sex workers and miners.

• Until then, advocates are emphasizing education, as well as condoms—which they say are underused, but sex workers say are too expensive.

Miners are major: Mpox awareness campaigns are needed in the mines, where conditions are often unsanitary and not all miners are taking the virus seriously.
 
AP
  
Related:
 
11 new cases of monkeypox reported in Argentina – MercoPress
 
WHO’s Slow Mpox Response Calls For a Rethink – Bloomberg (commentary)
 
Think *Your* Job Sucks? Epidemiologists Study Mpox By Collecting Used Condoms – American Council on Science and Health GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES INSURANCE No Medical Code? Big Problem
Years of youth sports took a toll on 17-year-old Preston Nafz’s body, leaving him in chronic pain that physical therapy and anti-inflammatory drugs didn’t help.

Ultimately, a doctor recommended Nafz undergo a sports hernia repair to mend damaged tissue in his pelvis. 

Missing code: Unfortunately, the procedure had no medical billing or “CPT” code—which insurers identify from provider claim forms to determine the amount of reimbursement.

The cost: As is often the case for procedures that lack codes, Nafz’s insurer denied the claim, forcing his father to pay more than $7,000 upfront for the surgery. 

• With extra documentation, he was eventually reimbursed—for $620.26.

KFF Health News WEBINAR Tomorrow: Planetary Health, Education, and the Earth Crisis
The unprecedented crises of Earth’s systems brought about by human activity require a planetary health approach that addresses pollution, water scarcity, extreme weather, changing patterns of disease transmission, and other threats.
 
Join a free webinar by the American Public Health Association and the Planetary Health Alliance to learn about the vital connections between ecological systems and human health.
 
Speakers will share educational materials and practical tools for educators and learners.
 
Details:

• Thursday, October 3 at 2 p.m. EDT
• Registration and More Information

QUICK HITS 'People are hopeless here': Sudan's sick, starving and injured spill into camps across its borders – The Telegraph

Finding help to get sober is hard. In Kentucky, it's even harder as a mom. – The Washington Post (gift article)

WHO calls for urgent transformation of care and support systems for older people – UN News

Radon, even at levels below EPA guideline for mitigation, is linked to childhood leukemia – Oregon State University via ScienceDaily

New advisory body needed to guide U.S. biomedical research policy, panel says – Science

The huge toll of PhDs on mental health: data reveal stark effects – Nature

Three Effective Ways to Use Routinely Collected Data to Evaluate Health Programs — Insights from Rwanda’s Mass Drug Administration Program – Boston University Global Development Policy Center Issue No. 2790
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Pakistan’s Trans Community Especially Vulnerable to Climate Crises; Narrowing HIV Education Gaps; and Lifesaving Snakebite Software View this email in your browser October 1, 2024 Forward Share Post On a hot and humid afternoon in Peshawar, Pakistan, Gulalai gets ready for a dance performance; the nearby fan is not working due to electrical outages. July 22. Adeel Saeed GLOBAL HEALTH NOW EXCLUSIVE Pakistan’s Trans Community Especially Vulnerable to Climate Crises   PESHAWAR, Pakistan—On a muggy night last July, Shama passed out, her clothes soaked in sweat, while trying to get home after performing at a wedding celebration.
 
Timely rescue and medical care helped Shama, a transgender person, recover from severe dehydration. Still, the health threats from climate extremes persist, exacerbated for trans people by a pervasive stigma that pushes people like Sharma to the margins of society. 

• Many trans people are disowned by their families, limiting education, work, and housing options—and often forcing them to live in temporary shelters that can withstand neither increasingly erratic storms, nor sizzling heat.


• “We spend restless days and sleepless nights subjected to unbearably scorching heat,” Shama says—often with no respite from fans or air conditioners.

Legal hurdles: Family estrangement makes it hard for trans people to obtain national identity cards needed to access welfare and disaster relief assistance.
 
Easing of obstacles: Government officials say they’re advancing gender-sensitive policies—relaxing documentation required for identity cards, for example, and working to include trans people in disaster management guidelines.
 
Transgender advocates say, however, that gender-inclusive policies should be a compulsory component of planning for climate-induced disasters.
 
Ed. Note: This article by Adeel Saeed, a Pakistan-based journalist, is part of Global Health NOW’s Local Reporting Initiative, made possible through the generous support of loyal GHN readers.  READ THE FULL STORY BY ADEEL SAEED GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Some 5.4 million Haitians—nearly half the country’s population—are in a hunger crisis, with close to 6,000 people starving; gang violence is a key contributor, as people fear leaving their homes and food transportation is hampered. AP

Lebanon’s health system is being stretched thin following Israeli attacks; three hospitals have been evacuated, 37 out of 317 health centers have been shut down, and staff shortages are rising as displacement increases. WHO (situation report)
 
A 65-year-old Minnesota resident died of rabies after coming into contact with a bat last July, the state health department reported late last week. MPR News
 
Gun laws banning the sale of high-capacity magazines were tied to a 91% drop in pediatric deaths associated with mass shootings, according to a database analysis of 178 mass shootings in the U.S. from 2009 to 2020. Medpage Today Rwanda's Marburg Outbreak Rwanda: Death Toll From Marburg Virus Reaches Nine – The New Times

Rwanda limits funeral sizes due to Marburg virus outbreak – BBC

Marburg virus outbreak in Rwanda draws concern over possibility of international spread – STAT

What is Marburg virus, the infectious and deadly Ebola-like disease breaking out in Rwanda? – Euronews HIV/AIDS Narrowing the Access and Education Gap  
In Dallas, HIV prevention advocates are promoting medical access and education in the Hispanic community. 
 
Resources include clinics that proudly wave pride flags or are disguised as thrift stores, social media posts of LGBTQ stories, and robust support systems—all to combat stigma and encourage people to get tested.

• In 2021, new HIV cases for Dallas men increased by 30%. 


• 35% of cases affected Hispanic/Latino people. 

Information gap: 86% of Americans mistakenly believe that HIV primarily affects members of the LGBTQ community. In the Latino community, limited conversations about sex education bring additional challenges.
 
The Dallas Morning News

Related: 'America's Nobel' goes to a power couple who made a startling discovery about HIV – NPR Goats and Soda GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TECH & INNOVATION Snakebite Software Could Save Lives
Treating snakebite patients in time to save them may have just gotten easier, thanks to artificial intelligence software capable of identifying venomous species of snakes. 

Two Médecins Sans Frontières hospitals are piloting the AI app in South Sudan, where the number of people taken to hospital with snakebites is high. 

• Between January and July 2024, more than 300 snakebite patients were treated in MSF medical facilities across the country.

The app’s database contains 380,000 pictures of snakes, allowing for quick and accurate species identification and ensuring the correct use of rare and expensive antivenoms.

The Guardian

Related: ‘I’ve seen venom disintegrate a foot’: What snakebite does to the body – The Telegraph QUICK HITS Climate change likely to increase diarrheal disease hospitalizations in Dhaka by 2100s, study suggests – Medical Xpress

WHO recommends maternal shot and antibody therapy to prevent RSV in infants – Reuters

The pipeline of deadly fentanyl into the U.S. may be drying up, experts say – NPR

Abortion in Georgia can resume up to 22 weeks of pregnancy after court ruling – The 19th

Pooled Analysis of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Sleep Among Children From 33 Countries – JAMA Pediatrics

In the Fight to Decide the Fate of US Steel, Climate and Public Health Take a Backseat to Politics – Inside Climate News

Rwanda unveils its new National Oxygen Strategy – Clinton Health Access Initiative

Here are the high schoolers tracking the bird flu virus in New York City – NPR’s Short Wave (audio) Issue No. 2789
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday issued an urgent call for countries to transform their care and support systems for older people, warning that current systems are not prepared to meet growing demand.

96 McGill Perspectives on Global Health - September Issue September 30, 2024 View this email in your browser 
NEWSLETTER -->  Selected Articles from this Month  In the Field: Lessons Learnt from Nunavik Jessica Matschek, a medical student at McGill University, recounts her transformative four-week medical internship in Nunavik - "My internship illuminated the many cultural and social factors affecting Inuit hesitancy to seek care in Montreal, even to the detriment of their own health." --> Developing Interventional Radiology in Uganda: The Road2IR Initiative Mehrshad Bakhshi, a fourth-year medical student at McGill University, reflects on his experience with the Road2IR initiative in Uganda in this compelling photo essay.  --> 2024 Global Health Scholars - Undergraduate Meet the 2024 cohort of McGill Global Health Programs’ Global Health Scholars – Undergraduate program! These talented undergraduates are addressing pressing issues at the intersection of health, equity, and social justice, from using art to combat mental health challenges to exploring COVID-19’s impact on Nigerian women.  -->  Mission in Motion
  Get ready to be inspired! In this dynamic section, we spotlight global health organizations that are making waves and driving real change around the world. Each month, we showcase their innovative strategies and impactful initiatives as they tackle pressing health challenges and champion equity. 

This month, we focus on the crucial field of contraception as we recognize World Contraception Day, observed annually on September 26th.This global awareness day unites organizations dedicated to promoting contraceptive options and empowering individuals, especially young men and women, to make informed choices about their reproductive health. --> Marie Stopes International image: https://www.msichoices.org/ A global leader in reproductive health, providing essential contraception and safe abortion services in over 37 countries. It's committed to empowering individuals to take control of their reproductive choices, and has improved community well-being and promoted family planning for millions worldwide. --> IPAS Impact Network image: https://www.ipas.org/ Champions reproductive justice by expanding access to abortion and contraception. Focusing on empowering women and girls, it dismantles barriers to essential services while advocating for policy changes that secure reproductive rights as fundamental human rights. Their innovative programs ensure that everyone has the resources they need for a healthy future. -->  In the News
  Stay up to date with news and opinions on Global Health 79th United Nations General Assembly - UNAIDS
At the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79), held on September 27, 2024, global leaders emphasized the need to revitalize multilateralism, using the successful global AIDS response as a powerful model of hope and solidarity. Highlighting the extraordinary progress made in combating HIV, they outlined concrete commitments aimed at ending AIDS by 2030 and addressing the inequalities that hinder access to essential health services. --> Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

Antimicrobials, like antibiotics, are essential for treating infections, yet antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is drastically diminishing their effectiveness, leading to millions of deaths annually. This article examines the factors contributing to AMR and outlines crucial interventions across health, agriculture, and environmental sectors to tackle this urgent global challenge.

-->  New in Global Health Academic Literature
  Stay up to date with literature around the world in Global Health “I will find the best method that will work for me”: navigating contraceptive journeys amongst South African adolescent girls and young women
By: Zoe Duby, et al.
"Adolescent girls and young women in South Africa are actively seeking contraceptive options that align with their unique circumstances, highlighting the importance of individualized approaches to family planning.

Despite facing numerous challenges, including stigma and access issues, many young women are determined to educate themselves about contraceptive methods and advocate for their reproductive rights." Read Now --> Prevalence and factors associated with intention to use contraceptives among women of reproductive age: a multilevel analysis of the 2018 Guinea demographic and health survey
By: Ebenezer Kwesi Armah-Ansah, et al.

"Women’s intention to use contraceptives is significantly influenced by their educational level, with higher education correlating to increased likelihood of contraceptive use.

The study reveals that access to healthcare services and supportive partner relationships are critical factors in enhancing contraceptive agency among women of reproductive age." Read Now --> Writing to McGill Global Health Perspectives McGill Global Health Perspectives welcomes contributions relevant to global health. Contributions to Global Health Perspectives should pertain to its mission and can include perspectives from your latest research, research experience, key issues in health policy governance, equity related challenges and strengths in global health to name a few. We want to represent a wide range of voices representing global health research, commentaries and opinions on current global health challenges and ideas on future direction of global health. Click here for submission guidelines.

You can submit your article, photo essay or article pitch to us by emailing us at: globalhealthblog@mcgill.ca.  --> Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest information and experiences in global health! Subscribe Follow us on social media  --> Copyright © 2017 McGill Global Health Programs, All rights reserved.

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96 Global Health NOW: Countries Pledge to Reduce AMR Deaths; Marburg Outbreak Hits Rwanda; and Shining a Light on Noma View this email in your browser September 30, 2024 Forward Share Post Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley speaks during the UN General Assembly in New York on September 27. Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Countries Pledge to Reduce AMR Deaths
National leaders committed last week at the UN General Assembly to reducing deaths from antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by 10% by 2030.
 
The political declaration, which was passed by 193 member states on Sept. 26, reflects growing international concern about the growing threat of AMR:

• 1.27 million deaths in 2019 were caused by bacterial antimicrobial resistance.

Persistent problems: While countries have made strides against AMR since a 2016 UN High-Level Meeting on the issue, underlying issues that aid AMR remain, including “excessive use of antibiotics in livestock and on fish farms” and unnecessary antibiotics prescriptions for patients, per The New York Times.

• At least 28% of antibiotic prescriptions in the U.S. are unnecessary, according to the CDC.

Action items: The declaration called on countries to increase efforts across sectors, including farming, pharmaceutical manufacture, environmental protection, and health care, The Guardian reports.  
 
The Quote: “This is a press conference not for us with grey hair so much, but for the young people of the world, because they’re the ones who will have to face the possible threat of a reversal of a century of medical progress in what we dub the silent, slow-motion pandemic,” said Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley at a media event before the declaration’s passage.
 
Related:
 
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: World leaders commit to radically scale-up efforts to fight the superbug threat – The Telegraph
 
Why the world can afford the intimidating sums needed to beat superbugs – The Telegraph (commentary)
 
Cargill cows contaminated with vital antibiotics – The Bureau of Investigative Journalism
 
‘Superbugs’ could devastate livestock globally – The Hill (commentary) GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Twin Russian drone strikes hit a hospital in the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine yesterday, killing at least nine and injuring several more; the second strike incapacitated first responders. UN News

Four more health workers developed respiratory symptoms after caring for a Missouri patient who was hospitalized with bird flu, raising to six the number of health workers affected; CDC and the state’s health department are conducting blood tests of those affected to look for antibodies to the H5 virus linked to outbreaks in cattle and poultry. Reuters

COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy protects newborns too young to be vaccinated from hospitalization, new CDC data indicates; ~90% of babies hospitalized for COVID-19 had mothers who did not receive the shots while pregnant. NPR Shots
 
A novel drug for schizophrenia secured U.S. approval Friday; in trials, KarXT, designed to activate muscarinic receptors in the brain, relieved symptoms while causing fewer side effects, offering a promising alternative to traditional antipsychotics. Nature ETHICS RADAR Marburg Outbreak Hits Rwanda  
Rwanda is battling an outbreak of Marburg virus—the country’s first—and, while confirmed just last Friday, it’s already the world’s fourth-largest recorded outbreak, The Telegraph reports.

• Rwanda’s Ministry of Health confirmed eight fatalities and 26 cases as of yesterday, per Xinhua; ~300 people potentially exposed to the viral hemorrhagic fever are being monitored.


• Most of the victims are health workers, according to Reuters.

Marburg, which is initially transmitted to people via fruit bats, has a fatality rate of up to 88%—and there are no licensed vaccines or specific treatments, The Telegraph notes.

The response:

• The WHO is deploying experts and equipment to Rwanda and coordinating cross-border containment efforts with neighbors; emergency medical supplies are expected to land in Kigali in the coming days.


• Rwandan authorities are urging people to stay calm but vigilant, wash their hands with soap and clean water, and report all suspected cases.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES NEGLECTED DISEASES Shining a Light on Noma
  It has not even been a year since noma was added to the WHO’s list of neglected tropical diseases.

But already the designation has buoyed researchers and doctors hoping to turn the tide against the devastating gangrenous disease, which destroys tissues of the mouth and face.

• “The inclusion of noma on WHO’s NTD list has already been felt here,” said Abdala Atumane, who leads the oral health department at the provincial health service of Zambezia in Mozambique. 

Encouraging research: The NTD designation “translates into substantive increases in funding” for research into the disease’s cause, as well as potential therapies. 

Fighting stigma: Public health workers say the formal attention to the disease is crucial in their efforts to screen for the disease and locate stigmatized patients who have been hidden by their families. 

Nature QUICK HITS Sudan humanitarian crisis has catastrophic impact for women and girls, with two-fold increase of gender-based violence – UN Women

Stem cells reverse woman’s diabetes — a world first – Nature

Whooping cough rebounds to pre-pandemic levels – Axios

Why Thousands Of Kosovars Are On Hospital Waiting Lists For Years  – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Players, coaches and teams: Here’s how men could help SA score an HIV goal – Bhekisisa

Interview: How Michigan Targeted Avian Influenza in Dairy Cattle – Undark

What are Brazilian butt lifts, and should they be banned? – The Guardian Issue No. 2788
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Au quatrième anniversaire du décès de Joyce Echaquan, il reste encore beaucoup de chemin à parcourir