Global Health NOW: Big Tobacco’s Legislative Coups; and Senegal’s Disease Sentinel
Ukrainian medics are reporting cases of gas gangrene, a bacterial infection not seen in Europe for generations; they blame dramatically slowed evacuations of wounded soldiers caused by drone warfare. The Telegraph
The FDA lifted a black box warning about stroke, heart attack, dementia, and other risks from hormone-based menopause drugs yesterday; some physicians hailed the move, but others questioned the lack of transparency in the process. AP IN FOCUS Customs officers burn cigarettes seized from illegal trade during a press conference in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on July 22. Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP via Getty Big Tobacco’s Legislative Coups Aggressive tobacco industry tactics have beat back legislation against its products and garnered support from multiple countries in the past two years, according to a report released this morning that tracks industry interference.
Tactics: Industry has won favor by paying for junkets (such as visiting Philip Morris International’s facility in Switzerland), promising investment and jobs, and showcasing corporate social responsibility projects that draw attention from its negative impacts.
Big Tobacco wins:
- Legislative leaders in 14 countries have filed pro-industry bills or delayed passage of new anti-tobacco laws, per the report by the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control and STOP, an industry watchdog.
- 20 countries have signed memorandums of understanding with tobacco companies to tackle tobacco smuggling.
- 10 countries have delayed or rejected tax increases.
- 18 countries have adopted new anti-tobacco measures.
- 20+ countries have banned donations from the tobacco industry.
- 46 have banned e-cigarettes.
The Quote: “Tobacco taxes should go up more so people will smoke less and governments can fund other health priorities,” says report lead author Mary Assunta, in a Guardian commentary.
Related: Smoked out: How Europe’s illegal tobacco market drains public coffers – Euractiv GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HEALTH SURVEILLANCE Senegal’s Disease Sentinel
When patients at clinics throughout Senegal test positive for diseases like malaria, their cases are linked to a digital “web of surveillance” maintained by hospitals and clinics throughout the country.
- The system, Senegal’s Syndromic Sentinel Surveillance System (“4S”), is run by the Institut Pasteur de Dakar, and allows health officials to quickly trace disease patterns in real time.
- So far, the system has flagged malaria mutations, dengue outbreaks, and the spread of West Nile virus.
Funding threats: U.S. aid cuts this year threaten the network’s growth, even as scientists call it essential to Africa’s epidemic preparedness. The Telegraph OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS An emerging shutdown deal doesn’t extend expiring health subsidies. Here’s what could happen to them – AP
Vaccine advice: how a US centre is filling growing gaps in public-health information – Nature
The anti-vaccine movement isn’t satisfied with winning over the GOP – Politico
‘Why I flew to Cambodia to vaccinate dogs after watching my mum die of rabies’ – The Telegraph
A Grave Condition Caused by C-Sections Is on the Rise – The New York Times (gift link)
How a childhood virus can contribute to dementia later and what you can do – The Washington Post (gift link)
In Defence of E-Bikes – Macleans Issue No. 2820
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. -->
ABOUT
SUPPORT US
CONTACT US
Copyright 2025 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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
Global Health NOW: A Sharp Climb in Kidney Disease; and The Possibilities and Predicaments of Artificial Wombs
Nigeria’s Lassa fever death toll has reached 176 so far this year, with 955 confirmed cases, CIDRAP reports; meanwhile, a candidate Lassa fever vaccine has been found safe and created a strong immune response in adults, per CIDRAP. Indonesian mothers are leading mass protests after thousands of students suffered food poisoning from the country’s new free meals program meant to stem malnutrition and stunted growth. The Guardian The U.S. is demanding that countries agree to share information on “pathogens with epidemic potential” in exchange for restoring some health aid—without assurances of fair access to vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics developed from shared information; the bilateral deals could “potentially torpedo” a WHO-led system under negotiation. Health Policy Watch IN FOCUS A nurse cares for a hemodialysis patient at the Yuping Dong Autonomous County People's Hospital, in Tongren, Guizhou province, China, on February 26. Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty A Sharp Climb in Kidney Disease Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is now the ninth leading cause of death globally, up from the 27th in 1990, finds a landmark study published last week in The Lancet. By the numbers: In 2023, CKD affected ~788 million people ages 20+ worldwide, or ~14% of the global population—up from ~12% in 1990.
- The disease also claimed 1.48 million lives.
- Prevalence is highest in North Africa and the Middle East.
- A range of recently developed drugs and interventions can slow kidney damage—but early diagnosis is critical.
250 million
———————
People forced to flee their homes by weather-related disasters over the past decade, per a UNHCR report coinciding with today’s launch of the 30th annual UN Climate Change conference (COP) in Belém, Brazil. —Al Jazeera
INFANT MORTALITY The Possibilities and Predicaments of Artificial Wombs Scientists have made significant strides in efforts to develop an “artificial womb” that can help extremely premature babies survive outside of the human body. A delicate process: One prototype created by Dutch startup AquaWomb is a fluid-filled, temperature-controlled vessel where a baby’s umbilical cord connects to a mechanical placenta that delivers oxygen and nutrients until the infant’s lungs mature. And an ethical debate: Bioethicists warn that artificial wombs could raise new moral and legal questions around viability, and reframe reproductive policy. Where development stands: The technology has already been used with fetal lambs.
- In 2023, the U.S. FDA convened experts to consider allowing the first human trials; however, the agency has not signaled if or when such trials could be greenlighted.
Doctor in Sudan wins $1 million prize for his extraordinary courage: 'It is my duty' – NPR Goats and Soda
Pressure to publish is rising as research time shrinks, finds survey of scientists – Nature
Disease of 1,000 faces shows how science is tackling immunity’s dark side – AP
Hospital CEO Pay Is Too Damn High – MedPage Today (commentary) Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe! Issue No. 2819
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. -->
ABOUT
SUPPORT US
CONTACT US
Copyright 2025 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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
Safeguarding clean water access as climate threats rise
Les rythmes agonaux
McGill Hearing Screening
No appointment needed.
First come, first serve.
Thank you
McGill Hearing Screening
No appointment needed.
First come, first serve.
Thank you
McGill Hearing Screening
No appointment needed.
First come, first serve.
Thank you
McGill Hearing Screening
No appointment needed.
First come, first serve.
Thank you
Global Health NOW: Dispatches from Bogotà; and No Crocodile Tears Here
Rates of drug-resistant bacterial blood infections will surge 22% to 62% among some European populations through 2030, per estimates in a new PLOS Medicine article based on the aging population and infection trends. Euronews Just 23% of Americans got a Covid jab during the 2024-25 virus season, and that coverage will likely tumble further this year amid confusing access rules after the U.S. government narrowed its Covid vaccine recommendations. CNN ICFP EXCLUSIVE Illustration courtesy of Rutgers ‘The Law Alone Is Not Protection’
Victim-survivors of sexual violence in West and Central Africa face a maze of barriers to obtain abortion care—even when the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest and when safe abortion is legally permitted, per a new study from Rutgers and CERRHUD released yesterday at the International Conference on Family Planning in Bogotà, Colombia.
- Every nine seconds in West and Central Africa, an unsafe abortion puts a woman’s life at risk.
- The study collected testimonies from women and girls who, after being raped, tried to end their pregnancies on their own, in five countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, and Cameroon.
- Barriers include requirements to prove they were assaulted that retraumatize, health workers who are uncertain on the law, procedural delays, and deep-rooted stigma.
At an ICFP briefing yesterday, leaders from MSI Reproductive Choices and Jacaranda Health joined the Rutgers researchers to discuss the global nature of the threat, especially as the U.S. budget cuts and policy changes under the Trump administration could lead to more restrictions on access for countries around the world.
Read more on GHN’s Dispatches From Bogotà blog ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Defending Against Dust Storms As dust storms in the western U.S grow more frequent and severe due to climate change, researchers are seeking new strategies to protect soil health—and human health. A “dusty inferno”: Earlier this year, New Mexico experienced a record 50 dust storms, with winds surpassing 70 mph. Researchers say decades of drought have created “the perfect recipe” for such events. Sweeping health impacts: Beyond causing widespread environmental damage, the storms also spread diseases like Valley Fever and cause lasting damage to respiratory health. Seeding solutions: In over-grazed places like Lordsburg Playa, New Mexico, officials are using regenerative soil-building practices to restore protective native plants and cover crops that curb dust. BBC ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION No Crocodile Tears Here It has been said that trying to explain a joke is like dissecting a frog: the frog always dies in the process. It seems better then to keep the frogs alive and instead contemplate humor through photos of them being goofy: snoozing like a portly little prince; giving each other a leg-up; or “baptizing an unwilling convert.” These snapshots are just a few among the "cracking collection” of finalists for this year’s Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards, the annual global competition for witty wildlife photography, per USA Today.
- Photographers submitted ~10,000 images from 108 countries this year.
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. -->
ABOUT
SUPPORT US
CONTACT US
Copyright 2025 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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
Global Health NOW: Gold Mining, Mercury, and the Amazon’s Mothers; and Dispatches from Bogotà: ICFP 2025
Flu samples sent to the U.S. CDC by other countries have fallen by 60% this year, making it harder for the U.S. to target vaccines against flu viruses with the most pandemic potential. NPR
Influenza can increase stroke risk by 5X within a month of infection, per a meta-analysis of 155 studies by UCLA researchers published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. CIDRAP
The White House is closing in on a deal with pharma companies Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to drop the cost of their top obesity drugs to $149 per month in some cases, in return for limited Medicare coverage for the drugs. NBC IN FOCUS Aerial view of an illegal mining camp during an operation by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources against Amazon deforestation in Roraima State, Brazil, on February 24, 2023. Alan Chaves/AFP via Getty Images Gold Mining, Mercury, and the Amazon’s Mothers Brazilian researchers are finding mounting proof that mercury from illegal Amazon gold mining is linked to neurological disorders and disabilities among Indigenous children. Background: As illegal mining has proliferated in the region, rivers—key to the livelihoods of Indigenous people—have become contaminated with mercury, as have the fish eaten as staple food. Emerging evidence: In recent years, health officials have reported dozens of patients in the region—mostly children—with neurological disorders.
- While scientists have long suspected mercury as the culprit, a groundbreaking study tracking 176 pregnant women and their babies aims to find more definitive answers.
- Already, preliminary findings show that the mothers have mercury levels 5X higher than considered safe.
Here’s a snapshot of takeaways so far, starting with a startling stat:
- For the cost of a cappuccino in many countries—$8 per person per year—we could cover the $54 billion gap in unmet demand for contraception. That’s just one eye-opening figure from the FP2030 Impact Report released as ICFP got underway earlier this week.
- Expanding the tent: A session highlighting an effort to incorporate Islamic values into a sexual education program in Indonesia is one of several exploring ways to engage religious leaders, male allies, and other partners to boost sexual and reproductive health rights for all.
- Fails for the win: A Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs session on normalizing failure featured panelists brave enough to share a work “fail,” and how they channeled it for growth, sharing pro tips, ideas, and resources—from hosting a “Fail Fest” to a CCP Learning from Failure module.
States make progress in removing barriers to opioid use disorder medications – News Medical
Women must be warned of home birth risks and have access to skilled midwives, experts say – The Guardian The Road to Secure Biological Sample Transportation in Central Africa – Africa CDC Issue No. 2817
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. -->
ABOUT
SUPPORT US
CONTACT US
Copyright 2025 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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
Catch-up immunisation campaign ‘a lifeline’ for Gaza’s children
Nerve injuries can affect the entire immune system, study finds
Nerve injuries can have long-lasting effects on the immune system that appear to differ between males and females, according to preclinical research from McGill University.
Nerve injuries can affect the entire immune system, study finds
Nerve injuries can have long-lasting effects on the immune system that appear to differ between males and females, according to preclinical research from McGill University.
Nerve injuries can affect the entire immune system, study finds
Nerve injuries can have long-lasting effects on the immune system that appear to differ between males and females, according to preclinical research from McGill University.
Nerve injuries can affect the entire immune system, study finds
Nerve injuries can have long-lasting effects on the immune system that appear to differ between males and females, according to preclinical research from McGill University.
Global Health NOW: An Epidemic of Inequality; and GHN’s Untold Stories Contest
928 million women in 128 low- and middle-income countries want to avoid pregnancy, according to one of two Guttmacher reports released at yesterday’s opening of the International Conference on Family Planning in Bogotá, Colombia. Guttmacher
A common malaria test in Asia and South America is providing false negatives, potentially delaying treatment for people with the disease, per an October Malaria Journal article; the WHO has been investigating the finding since April. The Telegraph
The Maldives has banned the purchase or even use of tobacco by anyone born after Jan. 1, 2007, making the island nation the first country to enact a generational smoking ban. NBC News IN FOCUS A homeless person sleeps rough on the street outside The Hamilton Live venue, just a few hundred meters from the White House, in Washington, D.C., on May 27. STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images An Epidemic of Inequality Economic inequality leads to entrenched disease that drives further economic vulnerability and hollowed-out health care—a “vicious cycle” that increasingly threatens global stability and outbreak response, finds a new UNAIDS-led report released ahead of this month’s G20 meetings in Johannesburg. COVID-19, AIDS, Ebola, and mpox have all become deadlier and longer lasting because of unequal access to critical health care, housing, and work. Historically, epidemics have led to “a persistent increase in inequality” that peaked ~5 years later, found the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics, UN News reports. A snapshot of disparity: The COVID-19 pandemic pushed 165 million people into poverty and raised the debt burden of low-income countries to $3 trillion+, per Health Policy Watch.
- Meanwhile, the world’s richest gained 25% more wealth during COVID-19.
- “The rich had a very good pandemic … while poorer people got poorer,” said Michael Marmot, director of the Institute of Health Equity at University College London.
- Remove debt.
- Invest in social determinants of health like housing and education.
- Ensure fair access to medicines and technology.
- Strengthen community-led disease response.
Know of an underreported issue in global health? Enter your idea in the Untold Global Health Stories of 2026 Contest, co-sponsored by the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) and Global Health NOW.
How it works: Just explain your idea—whether it’s something you’ve worked on or come across in your travels—and why you think it deserves more attention in 150 words or less. If you win, we’ll help you shine a spotlight on your issue.
Extra incentive: The winner receives a free registration for the CUGH annual meeting in Washington, DC, April 9–12, 2026.
- Nominations Deadline: November 24, 2025
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. -->
ABOUT
SUPPORT US
CONTACT US
Copyright 2025 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.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
Syria’s future under threat from acute funding shortages
Around 224 million women still don’t access family planning
Experts: Social prescribing
As part of a new partnership with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (MSO), member doctors of Médecins francophones du Canada can now prescribe tickets to live performances.
Experts: Social prescribing
As part of a new partnership with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (MSO), member doctors of Médecins francophones du Canada can now prescribe tickets to live performances.
