A program developed by a McGill researcher to help cancer survivors cope with the fear their cancer will return is expanding across Canada. 

The Fear of Recurrence Therapy (FORT) program offers evidence-based support to address what co-founder Christine Maheu calls one of the most overlooked aspects of recovery. 

Sam Harper and Arijit Nandi have received funding to help strengthen national capacity in metaresearch through the Research-on-Research joint initiative, supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and Michael Smith Health Research BC (MSHRBC).

Sam Harper and Arijit Nandi have received funding to help strengthen national capacity in metaresearch through the Research-on-Research joint initiative, supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and Michael Smith Health Research BC (MSHRBC).

Sam Harper and Arijit Nandi have received funding to help strengthen national capacity in metaresearch through the Research-on-Research joint initiative, supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and Michael Smith Health Research BC (MSHRBC).

96 Global Health NOW: Dispensing ‘Free Chances at Life’: Public Health Vending Machines Are More Than a Novelty View this email in your browser December 2, 2025 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES

More than 1,250 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand have been killed in floods and landslides following two recent cyclones and a typhoon; 1.1 million people have been displaced in Sri Lanka alone. Al Jazeera 

Ethiopia’s Marburg virus outbreak has now claimed eight lives total, after authorities reported three new deaths yesterday; 12 cases have been confirmed in southern Ethiopia since mid-November. CIDRAP 

A New Jersey faith-based pregnancy center will appear before the Supreme Court today to fight a prosecutor’s subpoena demanding donor information; the prosecutor is investigating whether First Choice Women’s Resource Centers misled clients to discourage abortions. AP 

A gene in avian flu viruses protects them against heat generated by a human’s fever, essentially neutralizing one of the body’s prime defenses; higher temps even help the viruses replicate, according to Cambridge and Glasgow university scientists. New Atlas 

IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE A public health vending machine at the Deadwood Tavern, in Iowa City. Ben Mummey Dispensing ‘Free Chances at Life’  
As the overdose crisis swept across the U.S., it became clear to those working in harm reduction that to stem the crisis, the barrier to accessing naloxone had to be lowered.  
  In recent years, more and more communities have embraced public health vending machines that dispense free doses of the lifesaving overdose reversal medication and often, a range of other harm reduction products including sharps containers and wound care kits.  
  The machines are part of a “new guard” of approaches to an overdose crisis that demanded broader, more accessible services that can reach people who might not use traditional health services and allow users to remain anonymous, says Rosemarie Martin of UMass Chan Medical School.  
  Promising results: Research shows products in the machines are, indeed, helping to save lives. Since 2021, naloxone dispensed by one machine in Cincinnati has helped reverse 5,000 overdoses, according to University of Cincinnati researchers tracking its use.  
  A shifting response: Overdoses in the US are declining overall, and concerted efforts to de-stigmatize and expand access to harm reduction products deserve some credit for that, says Martin. But access to low-barrier harm reduction tools remains uneven across the country—and it’s unclear how well these interventions will be funded long-term, says Martin.   “It’s important that we celebrate the wins … but there’s a lot of work to do.”  READ THE FULL STORY BY ANNALIES WINNY GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MEASLES  Warnings and Wins in WHO Update
The WHO warned of rising measles cases across the globe, even as it recognizes major progress in combating the disease over the last 25 years, in a new report.     Significant strides: Globally, measles deaths have fallen 88% since 2000, and 96 countries have now eliminated measles, per the WHO (news release).  

• The number of children vaccinated against measles is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels.  

Setbacks: ~11 million infections were reported in 2024—about 800,000 more than before the pandemic. 

• 59 countries faced major outbreaks last year, nearly triple the 2021 total. 

Behind the rise: Only 76% of children globally received both vaccine doses in 2024, with most under-protected children living in fragile or conflict-affected regions. Misinformation is also taking a toll.     Related: South Carolina’s Measles Outbreak Shows Chilling Effect of Vaccine Misinformation – KFF Health News  GOOD NEWS QUICK HITS With school violence rising, Europe eyes a usual suspect: Social media – The Christian Science Monitor    After Roe, Churches Promised to Support Women. Three Years Later, Has Anything Changed? – More to Her Story    The common vaccines that can prevent chronic disease or some cancers – The Washington Post (gift link, free subscription required)    These Zika mothers went to battle — and their cry was heard – NPR Goats and Soda 
Racial bias in medicine can be as simple as dismissing Black patients as a ‘hard stick’ – STAT (commentary)    Stunning new 3D images reveal yellow fever’s hidden structure – University of Queensland (ScienceDaily)  Issue No. 2830
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.

96 Global Health NOW: AIDS Response ‘at a Crossroads’ View this email in your browser December 1, 2025 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Famine conditions in Nigeria are returning for the first time in a decade amid growing extremist violence, the World Food Programme has warned, with ~15,000 people in the northern Borno State facing “catastrophic hunger” during the 2026 lean season, and ~35,000 facing severe food insecurity. The Telegraph

DRC’s Ebola outbreak has ended, after passing 42 consecutive days with no new cases recorded, the country’s health ministry announced today; out of 64 total cases since the outbreak’s September 4 start, 45 people died and 19 recovered. Reuters

Nearly half of landmine victims are children, per the new annual Landmine Monitor report, with many children injured or killed while searching for scrap metal, tending animals, and cultivating crops; 6,279 casualties were reported in 2024, with Burma the most dangerous country for such accidents. ReliefWeb    The U.S. FDA’s top vaccine regulator, Vinay Prasad, proposed broad changes to vaccine trial protocols in a Friday memo, claiming that a new review links 10 children’s deaths to the COVID vaccine; doctors and public health experts questioned the findings absent proof or peer review. The New York Times (gift link)  IN FOCUS Nepali activists hold a candlelight vigil on the eve of AIDS Day. Kathmandu, Nepal, November 30. Sanjit Pariyar/NurPhoto via Getty AIDS Response ‘at a Crossroads’    In the face of severe disruptions to the fight against HIV/AIDS, the WHO is urging governments on this World AIDS Day to expand access to new prevention tools—especially the twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir (LEN).    ‘Devastating impact’ of aid cuts: Already, the impact of major international aid funding cuts this year by the U.S., the U.K., and Europe is being felt, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, reports The Guardian. 

• The cuts have led to the closure of clinics and outreach centers worldwide, and left ~2.5 million people without PrEP. And 1.3 million new infections have been recorded—disproportionately among key populations, UNAIDS data show.  

Leaning into innovation: Despite these setbacks, the WHO hailed the “remarkable momentum” of new LEN approvals in several countries this year, and is calling for HIV services’ integration into primary care to restructure response.     Meanwhile, the U.S. government will no longer commemorate World AIDS Day, according to The New York Times (gift link)—with the State Department directing employees not to use government funds to mark the day and to “refrain from publicly promoting” the day in communication channels.     Related:  
Presidential HIV council warns proposed cuts could reverse decades of progress – ABC     The U.S. government's failure to acknowledge World AIDS Day takes us back to a troubling time – STAT (commentary)     Drug vending machines revolutionise fight against HIV in Sao Paulo – The Telegraph   EDITOR'S NOTE Virtual Global Health Week    Want to learn more about global health? Curious about public health communications, food security, corruption in health, AI in global health, and other topics? Join Virtual Global Health Week sponsored by the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, running tomorrow through Thursday. The live webinars are free and open to the public.     If you’re interested in the consequences of U.S. foreign aid cuts, please join the Communicating the Global Impact of U.S. Policies panel on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET. I’ll be joining journalists Molly Knight Raskin, Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman, and Joanne Cavanaugh Simpson on this Pulitzer Center panel. —Brian  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Twenty-year study shows cleaner water slashes cancer and heart disease deaths – Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health via ScienceDaily

Doctor Critical of Vaccines Quietly Appointed as C.D.C.’s Second in Command – The New York Times (gift link)

No soap, no tents, no food: Rohingya families fight for survival as aid plummets – The Guardian

Uranium detected in breast milk of Indian mothers – The Telegraph

The Undermining of the C.D.C. – The New Yorker (commentary)

Egypt triumphs over centuries-old fight against trachoma – Devex    New FDA-approved glasses can slow nearsightedness in kids – AP  Issue No. 2829
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.

Pooja Mishra’s health kept worsening until she began treatment for HIV at age 19, two years after her diagnosis. From wondering if she’d ever be able to live a normal life, today she is youth coordinator at a coalition for people with the disease in India.

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has issued its first guideline on the use of a new class of weight-loss medicines, marking a significant shift in global health policy as obesity rates continue to rise. 

A woman living with disabilities in a camp for displaced people in Nigeria is demonstrating why it is essential that people like her are included in society and how dignity can be protected even in the harshest places.

Twenty-four McGill researchers have been named to the 2025 Highly Cited Researchers™ list, a ranking prepared each year by Clarivate, an analytics company based in the US. The list assesses researchers in a wide range of disciplines, from neuroscience to environmental science. The number of McGill scholars on the list grew from 14 in 2024 to 24 in 2025.

Twenty-four McGill researchers have been named to the 2025 Highly Cited Researchers™ list, a ranking prepared each year by Clarivate, an analytics company based in the US. The list assesses researchers in a wide range of disciplines, from neuroscience to environmental science. The number of McGill scholars on the list grew from 14 in 2024 to 24 in 2025.

Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers™ list recognizes McGill’s global research influence, with Canada once again in top ten ranking

Twenty-four McGill researchers have been named to the 2025 Highly Cited Researchers™ list, placing them among the top researchers worldwide whose work has demonstrated rigorous scholarship and broad and significant global influence in their fields. Their expertise spans a wide range of disciplines, from neuroscience to environmental science.

Children and adolescents living with HIV continue to be left behind in access to early diagnosis, life-saving treatment and care, as shrinking funding threatens to reverse decades of progress, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday, ahead of World AIDS Day.

Measles deaths have dropped by 88 per cent since 2000 – yet an estimated 95,000 people, mostly children, still died from the virus last year, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday.  

Agissons pour la jeunesse en misant sur les solidarités qui luttent pour un monde plus digne et juste.

96 Global Health NOW: Inside India’s Funding Failure in Rare Genetic Disease Care View this email in your browser November 25, 2025 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Taps are running dry across Iran; if rain doesn’t come soon, Tehran’s 10 million people may be forced to evacuate amid the country’s worst water crisis in decades—blamed on mismanagement of natural resources exacerbated by climate change. ABC Australia     Semaglutide fell short in “hotly anticipated” Alzheimer’s trials, deflating hopes that anti-obesity drugs could delay the progression of neurodegenerative diseases—but the research could yield clues about potential anti-inflammatory and preventive effects. Science    A Gavi-UNICEF deal to cut the price of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine—to under $3 a dose—could protect 7 million additional children by 2030; 21 countries have rolled out the vaccine since its introduction in 2024. UN News     A simple, scalable hospital program improved hand hygiene, sped up sepsis treatment, and reduced severe maternal infections by 32%, per a trial conducted in Malawi and Uganda that demonstrates the lifesaving potential of small interventions even in resource-limited settings. News Medical  EDITOR’S NOTE Thanksgiving Break    GHN will not be publishing for the rest of this week for the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. We’ll be back in your email box on Monday, December 1, with more news!      + Important update: We heard that the form for the Untold Global Health Stories of 2026 contest closed prematurely for a spell yesterday, ahead of the 11:59 pm deadline. We are sorry if that affected you, and to make up for it, we will accept entries through Monday, December 1. Thanks to everyone who has already entered! —Dayna IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORT People pass by Mumbai’s King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, one of India’s 13 centers of excellence in rare disease care. Jan. 28, 2017. Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Inside India’s Funding Failure in Rare Genetic Disease Care  
When India launched a rare genetic disease policy in 2021, it was hailed as a turning point in medical care for 70 million people afflicted by such diseases.  
  But thousands of children across India have waited for medicines—and some have died—as the government’s best intentions have been unraveled by red tape, withheld funds, and lengthy court battles, writes Rupsa Chakraborty in a Local Reporting Initiative exclusive report. 
  Two main issues: 

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare approves only about 30% of funding requests. 

• Patients who do receive funding find that expensive medicines can quickly run through the government’s $60,000 per patient spending cap.  

Case study: Arohi Kajabe, a 3-year-old who has Gaucher’s disease, a rare genetic disorder that silently destroys vital organs, died in February after waiting for more than two years for medicines that never came.  

• Her father, Yogesh Kajabe, a farm laborer, sold his only piece of land and borrowed $6,000 to keep her alive. Each of the two monthly injections she needed cost $1,200. 

Government response: A senior official said the government is planning to raise the rare disease budget to $117 million over the next couple years. 
  The Quote: “The policy is a fragmented patchwork,” says Archana Panda, co-founder of CureSMA India, a spinal muscular atrophy NGO. “Without a permanent national fund and insurance integration, India’s rare disease framework will keep collapsing under its own weight.”   READ THE FULL STORY BY RUPSA CHAKRABORTY THE QUOTE
  "We’re seeing a massive level of loss." —————————— Atul Gawande, former USAID assistant administrator for Global Health, on the consequences of U.S. government aid cuts. —Harvard Gazette NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES Is Extreme Heat Driving an ‘Epidemic’ of Kidney Disease?    Over the last two decades, researchers have seen a surge of kidney disease among a demographic not typically at risk for the ailment: young, otherwise healthy outdoor workers who don't have diabetes or genetic risk factors.     The condition has been dubbed CKDu—chronic kidney disease of unknown causes—but researchers say an underlying cause is increasingly evident: extreme heat and chronic dehydration, writes journalist Carrie Arnold, reporting from El Salvador’s Pacific coast.    Far-reaching crisis, few resources: Increasing rates of CKDu have been reported across Central America and among Nepalese migrants who worked in the Middle East. 

• Many workers struggle to access needed dialysis and medications.  

A push for prevention: Interventions providing water, rest, and shade have reduced kidney injuries by 70%.     Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine  HAPPY THANKSGIVING! QUICK HITS First death reported from rare bird flu strain – The Hill     NIH shake-up to grant decision-making draws concerns of political meddling – Science     COP30 Ends with No Text on Fossil Fuels Phase-Out - But Plans for a Conference In 2026 – Health Policy Watch    California Is Tired of Letting People Die – The Atlantic    COVID vaccine tech could limit snake venom damage – University of Reading (news release)  
A bowhead whale's DNA offers clues to fight cancer – NPR  Issue No. 2828
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.

The global response to HIV is facing its most serious setback in decades, UNAIDS warned on Tuesday, as abrupt funding cuts and a deteriorating human rights environment disrupt prevention and treatment services across dozens of countries.

96 Global Health NOW: Roots and Ramifications of Romania’s Measles Crisis; and Ghana’s Dangerously Packed Prisons View this email in your browser November 24, 2025 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Five people have now died in Ethiopia’s Marburg virus outbreak, per a Saturday Ministry of Health update that also placed the confirmed case count at 10 and the case fatality rate at 50%. Lokmat Times    HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria control “hangs in the balance” after a significant shortfall in donations to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria following the G20 summit; of the organization’s $18 billion budget, just $11.3 billion has been confirmed. The Guardian    Farm and animal-related workers are being urged by European authorities to get vaccinated for the flu to prevent human and bird influenza strains from genetically mixing, as the region braces for one of the most severe flu seasons in 10+ years. The Telegraph

94% of lung cancer cases in the U.S. could be detected if screening were made available for Americans between the ages of 40 and 85—and ~26,000 deaths could be prevented per year even if just 30% were screened per a study published in JAMA Network Open (and separate from another JAMA study on lung cancer screening published last week). The Washington Post (gift link) IN FOCUS Roots and Ramifications of Romania’s Measles Crisis   Romania has the lowest measles vaccination rate in the EU, with just two-thirds of people fully vaccinated.    The consequences: 30,000+ measles cases and 23 deaths were recorded in 2024, including five infants.    Global warning: The country’s contracting coverage over 30+ years offers critical insights for other countries watching their vaccination rates plummet, global health experts say.  

• "The outbreaks aren't only a matter of poverty and not understanding the importance of immunization. It's multifactorial,” said Mihai Craiu, a pediatrician at Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy. 

Some of those factors:  

• Historic backlash: Vaccines were mandatory under Romania’s Communist regime, leading to widespread mistrust of immunizations after the country’s post-1989 shift to democracy.  

• Further flashpoints: In 2008, the push for HPV vaccination led to politicization and media controversy and deepened vaccine hesitancy. 

• Diminished infrastructure: Chronic underfunding, lack of access for minorities, and COVID-era disruptions have furthered the spiral.  

Slow and steady solutions: Romanian health leaders are seeking evidence-based approaches to take on mistrust and misinformation, including motivational interviewing.      NPR Goats and Soda  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HUMAN RIGHTS Ghana’s Dangerously Packed Prisons 
Ghana’s extremely overcrowded prisons are fueling the spread of TB, measles, and a range of neglected tropical diseases, clinicians warn.     By the numbers: The average occupancy rate for Ghana’s 43 prisons is 137%.  

• Kumasi Central Prison, a 600-inmate facility, has held as many as ~1,900 incarcerated people.  

• And prison infirmaries have only a fraction of the beds needed.  

‘Ticking time bombs’ for disease: Many prisons in Ghana are converted colonial forts that lack adequate ventilation or hygienic infrastructure. And infections are not contained within prison walls:  

• “In many cases, prisoners arrive already sick, or return to their communities sick,” said Yaw A. Amoako with the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine.  

EL PAÍS  QUICK HITS  Women fleeing Sudan’s El Fasher face a new battle: To keep their families safe – The Christian Science Monitor    A battle with my blood – The New Yorker     What To Know About the CDC’s Baseless New Guidance on Autism – KFF Health News    While no one was watching: Tenuous status of CDC prion unit, risk of CWD to people worry scientists – CIDRAP    Can vaping help wean people off cigarettes? Anti-smoking advocates are sharply split – NPR Goats and Soda     To keep babies healthy, a New Orleans case manager delivers stability in the face of federal uncertainty – STAT    The Doulas Bringing Babies into the World During Hurricanes – Reasons to Be Cheerful  Issue No. 2827
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.

Farah Youssef refused to let the loss of her leg four years ago during conflict in Gaza to sideline her ambitions.

Vaccine alliance Gavi and children’s agency UNICEF have struck a new pricing deal that will sharply cut the cost of a key malaria vaccine and make it possible to protect nearly seven million additional children by 2030, the agencies announced on Sunday.