Global Health NOW: A New Shot at Stopping HIV; and Fragile Gains, Tough Targets in the NTD Fight
November 5, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFTwo new Ebola candidate vaccines have been approved by the WHO for clinical trials; the vaccines—ChAdOx1, developed by the University of Oxford with the Serum Institute of India, and Moderna’s mRNA-1469—are the first specifically designed to protect against Bundibugyo virus. Al Jazeera
Teenagers are not getting enough exercise, per a study published in The Lancet Global Health, which found that one in four adolescents worldwide were not active on any day of the week in 2025, and that girls are falling furthest behind; the global average of 2.7 active days per week has not changed between 2010 and 2025. Euronews
A third of infants diagnosed with a peanut allergy may be safely able to eat nuts, finds a new study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology; the study, which involved 10 pediatric hospitals across Australia, found that those infants who had a positive allergy test did not react to a supervised oral food challenge. ABC Australia
Cyberattacks against French blood bank refrigerators were prevented by facilities alarm systems; the hacks sought to reprogram blood cold storage to reach 110° C instead of -30° C, and are part of a wave of cyberattacks hitting cold storage facilities across Europe. France24
IN FOCUSJein Nhlanhla, the first South African person to receive lenacapavir, at Extension 19 Clinic in Embalenhle township, South Africa, on June 5. Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images
A New Shot at Stopping HIVThe FDA’s tentative approval of a generic version of Gilead’s long-acting HIV-prevention drug lenacapavir could “turn the tide of the HIV epidemic” by significantly widening global access to the 2X-yearly injectable PrEP through reduced cost, reports the AP.
By the numbers: The generic developed by Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, based in India, could cost just ~$40 per person per year in 120 low-income countries, compared with Gilead’s U.S. list price of $28,218.
But the real test is rollout: Even at cheaper rates, funding is still needed to bring the shot to low- and middle-income countries where it is needed, reports CIDRAP.
That will require large orders from purchasers like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the U.S. government.
Plus, bolstered distribution and staffing systems will be needed to create new PrEP protocols.
What’s next: The Global Fund hopes to reach 3 million people by 2028, however, medical groups and health advocates say millions need the drug much sooner.
NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASESFragile Gains, Tough Targets in the NTD FightThe world is making progress against neglected tropical diseases—but the gains are “uneven and fragile,” and many countries are falling behind on 2030 elimination targets.
That’s the takeaway from the WHO’s Global Report on Neglected Tropical Diseases 2026, a mid-term update of the agency’s 2021–2030 road map.
Progress is real: NTD cases are down 19% since 2020; and 63 countries had eliminated at least one NTD as of June 2026.
Three specific milestones were reached: reduced dengue case fatality rates; chikungunya vaccine development; and the availability of WHO-recommended polyspecific antivenoms for snakebites.
But major gaps remain: Insufficient financing, conflict, climate change, weak surveillance and failure to cover NTDs in universal healthcare are all factors slowing progress.
OPPORTUNITYDon’t Forget the Fungi: The Growing Global Health Threats of Fungal PathogensFungal pathogens are commonly overlooked in global health.
Next week, the Duke Global Health Institute will host three experts to discuss the ways that fungi threaten health—ranging from infections in humans to fungi that impact agriculture and human food security—and consider how climate change is altering these threats.
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 12–1 p.m. EST
Attend in person or register to watch online.
When Englishman Karl Bushby contemplated his journey home from Chile in 1998, the choice was clear: He’d walk.
28 years, 31,000 miles, a trek across the Bering Strait, and a swim across the English Channel later, he’s home in Hull—with his mother.
“Where have you been?” she joked as they embraced outside his childhood home Monday, the BBC reports.
It wasn’t exactly a 28-year vacation. Meals often involved “shoveling plates in someone’s house on the side of the road somewhere,” he told the BBC. Over the years, he was “arrested, deported, broke, lost, and written off more times than he can count,” The New York Times reports (gift link).
Along with “a good shellacking” and unbearable tedium, Bushby experienced innumerable miracles and feats of human kindness. Now he’s seeking simpler thrills, like visiting school children “and telling them that the world is just a much better place than you will imagine.”
CORRECTIONOur bad! One of our Quick Hits yesterday included the wrong link—here is the correct one:
Nearly 1 in 5 patients with dental infections receive high-risk antibiotic, study shows – CIDRAP
Thanks to the readers who pointed this out!
QUICK HITSNew NHS blood test trial to detect cancer in its earliest stages – The Independent
CVS Health to split in two, separating pharmacy business from insurance – Reuters via NBC News
Pennsylvania reports 6th measles-associated death amid outbreak: Health officials – ABC News
Metformin given within a week of COVID-19 slashes risk of long COVID, death by 53%, paper notes – CIDRAP
Why human body temperature appears to be getting cooler – BBC
Issue No. 3010
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Global Health NOW: Can a Blue Wave Buoy Medicare for All?; and An 80-Cent Solution for Dangerous Deliveries
November 4, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFSix climate and health-related measures could save 1.6 million lives a year and generate trillions of dollars in economic and fiscal gains, finds a new WHO report; those actions include heat warning systems; climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene; and clean household energy. WHO
UK aid strategy and spending have grown murky amid budget cuts and ministerial turnover, finds the 2026 Aid Transparency Index, an independent peer-reviewed analysis of data published by aid organizations and agencies; the UK’s transparency score has fallen 13.9 points for a lack of forward-looking objectives, strategies, and budgets, say report authors. The Telegraph
“Concerning” mental health indicators are trending worldwide, per a survey of 50,000 people in 92 countries published in the journal Social Indicators Research; languishing mental health has been increasingly reported among young people, who show “lower vitality, emotional stability and resilience.” Phys.org
Global cervical cancer cases could increase by ~20% and deaths by ~39% by 2050, per a modeling study published in Nature Medicine, which projects the highest incidence and mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa. Medical Xpress
IN FOCUSA supporter of California Democratic Congressional candidate Randy Villegas holds a “Medicare For All” sign at his election night party on November 3, in Bakersfield, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images
Can a Blue Wave Buoy Medicare for All?Sweeping Democratic victories in the U.S. Senate and House midterms will put health policy on lawmakers’ agenda in 2027, including the restoration of health spending cut by Republicans. The blue wave also brings a surge of momentum to universal health coverage advocates, reports Forbes.
Oxygen for Medicare for All: Winners last night included several Democratic candidates who support government-run public health insurance options like Medicare for All, most notably Michigan’s Senate seat winner Abdul El-Sayed. While policy proposals vary, they seek to expand Medicare access to Americans under 65.
~60% of Americans support Medicare for All, per KFF—but a legislative path remains uncertain, with moderate Democrats unlikely to embrace eliminating private insurance. Including a public option or Medicare buy-in may prove more politically viable.
More immediate health overhauls: Democrats are also promising to reverse Medicaid cuts enacted in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act and to restore enhanced ACA premium tax credits, which expired at the end of 2025. But that will be a tough act with Trump still in office, reports Axios.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MATERNAL HEALTHAn 80-Cent Solution for Dangerous Deliveries“How could a flimsy sheet of plastic and a small procedural change in treatment save women’s lives?”
That’s what Nigerian obstetrician Hadiza Galadanci first thought about a maternal drape for postpartum hemorrhage. But after joining research on the intervention, Galadanci was soon persuaded.
“Bundling” to block bleeding: Slipped under a woman in labor, the drape’s pouch catches blood; at 300 milliliters, health workers launch a rapid-fire “bundle” of treatments (massage, drugs, fluids) that, researchers learned, work best when delivered all at once.
The intervention can cut postpartum hemorrhage deaths in hospitals by about two-thirds—and is now the national standard of care in Nigeria.
Beyond the hospital: A kit for community health workers is now being tested for the many women who give birth at home.
The New York Times (gift link)
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSNearly 1 in 5 patients with dental infections receive high-risk antibiotic, study shows – CIDRAP
U.S. overdose deaths drop 12%, per CDC estimates – Axios
Ebola survivors comfort sick children in Congo’s isolation wards – Reuters via Sight Magazine
Gabonese TikTokers fight back against toxic skin lightening products – The Telegraph
Former head of global health fund returns, eyeing a ‘huge opportunity’ despite political and financial challenges – Science
Breaking the silence in Mexico’s barracks – UN Wire
Which vaccines do children around the world receive? – Our World in Data
Issue No. 3009
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Global Health NOW: How Mpox Thrived in Neglect; and The Power of Peers in Schizophrenia Care
November 3, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFViolence in northern Ethiopia is pushing the health system to the brink of collapse, warns WHO’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; recent fighting and drone strikes have killed at least 15 civilians, including several children, and strained medical facilities. Al Jazeera
The U.S. FDA has approved a generic version of lenacapavir, a twice-yearly HIV-prevention shot; the drug is expected to cost $40 a year per person, which could improve access for low- and middle-income countries—but there are questions about which countries will have access. AP
A child in northern New York died after contracting measles—the state’s first measles death in three decades; Gov. Kathy Hochul said the death signals an erosion of public health protections alongside declining vaccination coverage. The New York Times (gift link)
Washington state has reported a death from H5N1 bird flu; the person, who died after being exposed to infected cattle, marks the country’s first death this year; health officials say the risk to the public remains low, but the death comes amid an uptick in bird flu cases among poultry and livestock. The Independent
IN FOCUSAn ambulance is seen at a hospital in Kommunarka outside Moscow. December 12, 2021. Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr / Xinhua via Getty
How Mpox Thrived in NeglectThe two mpox outbreaks that triggered WHO emergency declarations in 2022 and 2024 stemmed from “decades of neglect” in vulnerable African communities, argues a new report by the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.
A known and preventable crisis: The mpox virus circulated for 50+ years, causing sporadic outbreaks in poor West African communities—but weak health infrastructure and international neglect gave the virus years to mutate into the devastating variants that affected 82 countries, per Health Policy Watch.
Bridging the readiness gap: Researchers called for investment in locally led research, affordable vaccines and diagnostics, and regional stockpiles—plus the capacity to monitor future outbreaks.
“What other diseases are we neglecting in plain sight?” asked panel co-chair Helen Clark.
Meanwhile in Moscow: A Moscow hospital has confirmed the region’s third mpox case in a month—its eighth since the start of a 2022 outbreak. Russia has never disclosed which mpox clade patients carry—blocking European epidemiologists from determining whether the new Moscow cases represent the milder clade IIb strain responsible for the 2022 global outbreak, or the more dangerous clade Ib strain that has since spread across Europe, hampering the response, Tech Times reports.
Russia, as a WHO member state and signatory to the International Health Regulations, is required to share information about outbreaks, but “There is no mechanism to force countries to comply or share information,” says Alexandra Phelan with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
In South Africa, a lack of community mental health support means people with schizophrenia often become stuck in a cycle of hospitalizations for psychosis.
Peer-led support groups are proving to be a source of stability, helping participants navigate emotional triggers, relationships, and set personal goals—critical elements of recovery often unaddressed in medication-centric protocols.
In one 2024 study, researchers found that among people on medication for psychosis, just 2% experienced relapse when they supplemented medication with peer-led recovery groups, versus 17% on medication alone.
“Medication is just part of your recovery,” said peer-support advocate Charlene Sunkel. “The rest is your relationships with your family and your community.”
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS‘The term is becoming unrecognisable’: have the experts who believed in a single autism spectrum changed their minds? – The Guardian
Australia: Solitary Confinement Harming Prisoners with Disabilities – Human Rights Watch
Postcards from IDWeek: Growing number of infectious disease professionals embrace advocacy – CIDRAP
The invisible global health workforce: Why nurses matter more than ever – Medical Xpress
Are GLP-1s leading to divorce? The answer is complicated. – The Washington Post (gift link)
Issue No. 3008
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Global Health NOW: Dangerous Blind Spots in the U.S. Measles Fight; and Rethinking Forever Chemical Cleanup
November 2, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFBelarus is holding ~22 political prisoners in psychiatric hospitals, per human rights groups who say the prisoners are reportedly undergoing compulsory psychiatric treatment and being confined indefinitely outside the country's conventional prison system. Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Even moderate drinking is linked to premature death, disability, cancer, and other diseases, finds a major new study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs; researchers found no overall health benefits from alcohol and warned that consuming more than one alcoholic beverage per day can significantly increase risks. Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health via ScienceDaily
A new endometrial cancer test could prove a less invasive, more reliable diagnostic; the new test, a vaginal swab developed by molecular diagnostics company PinkDx, could spare half of the tested population from undergoing the standard, painful biopsy to test for the cancer. The Washington Post (gift link)
Barbados has eliminated mother-to-child HIV transmission as a public health problem, the WHO has announced, crediting the country’s universal pregnancy healthcare as a key reason the country recorded no new HIV infections resulting from mother-to-child transmission among infants between 2022 and 2024. Caribbean National Weekly
IN FOCUSAn Amish horse-and-buggy near the town of Bird-in-Hand, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. November 7, 2022. Branden Eastwood / AFP via Getty
Dangerous Blind Spots in the U.S. Measles FightA long-dormant measles threat is emerging in the U.S., as clinicians encounter more cases of measles during pregnancy and congenital measles passed on to newborns—a poorly understood form of transmission that has researchers and physicians’ groups scrambling for guidance, reports The Atlantic (gift link).
“Unprecedented” gaps: Most U.S. clinicians have never encountered measles during pregnancy. Before vaccination, most people had developed immunity through infection well before childbearing age, reports The Washington Post (gift link).
~77 pregnant women in Pennsylvania have been diagnosed, per the state’s health department, which issued an advisory on congenital measles in October.
But miscarriage and congenital infection rates remain unclear. There’s no national tracking system and little evidence to guide treatment.
While the CDC sought to issue an urgent alert last month, the report has been stalled amid internal review delays, contributing to a “profound vacuum” for doctors seeking direction, says infectious diseases physician Jeanne Marrazzo: “These are unprecedented knowledge gaps.”
Seeking immunization inroads: Amid this crisis, the region’s largely unvaccinated Plain People communities—including Amish and Old Order Mennonite groups—are showing more openness to immunization as health workers build trust through patient, relationship-based outreach, reports the AP.
Related:
7% of measles cases misdiagnosed, study finds, raising concerns about disease spread – CIDRAP
Measles made a stealthy return as another virus took the spotlight – Nature
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POLLUTIONRethinking Forever Chemical CleanupCleaning up “forever chemicals” in the environment is notoriously difficult. Eliminating them once they are taken offsite is a whole other challenge.
Scientists have been advancing new technology to destroy PFAS, including leveraging extreme heat, high pressure, UV light, sound waves, and electricity.
But these methods must be proven safe, effective, and scalable—and not to cause their own contamination.
Enter the newly opened PFAS Remedial Technology Engineering (RiTE) Center at the Colorado School of Mines, which aims to standardize evaluation of PFAS removal tech.
And there is also the question of priority: Scientists say it is impossible to eliminate every trace of PFAS, so guidance is also needed on where to focus.
ICYMI: New Model Could Better Protect Farmworkers From PFAS-Contaminated Soil – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSCongo’s Ebola deaths top 5,000 as fear of continent-wide spread mounts – PBS
Women travel thousands of miles for a reproductive moonshot. Scientists say they’ve been misled – STAT
Alzheimer’s tests and treatments are available right now – Gates Notes
Doctors in Ukraine Try Treating Infections Like Biological Warfare Attacks – The New York Times (gift link)
The Door-to-Door Technique That Actually Changes Minds – Reasons to Be Cheerful
Serbia just elected the world’s brainiest parliament – Science
Issue No. 3007
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Global Health NOW: Data Centers Hit the Ballot; and In Florida, Pollution and Gun Violence Intersect
October 29, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEF~6 million people in Haiti are experiencing severe hunger, with almost two million facing emergency levels of food insecurity, finds a new UN report which says the crisis is expected to worsen into next year amid widespread gang violence and displacement. AP via AfricaNews
~75% of former NFL players who died between 2008–2023 most likely had CTE, finds a new study published in JAMA Network Open that expands ongoing efforts from Boston University, Mass General Brigham, and the Concussion & CTE Foundation to establish the prevalence of CTE among deceased former NFL players beyond the high CTE rates identified in donor brain banks. ESPN
Six peptides will soon become widely available by prescription, the HHS has announced, saying it will temporarily allow compounding pharmacies to make peptides known as BPC-157, TB-500, epitalon, MOTS-c, KPV and semax, though scientific evidence on products remains unclear. ABC News
Millions of Los Angeles County residents were exposed to elevated concentrations of lead and other toxic metals found in smoke from the devastating Eaton Fire last year, finds a new study published in Science Advances; researchers estimate ~7 million people were exposed to lead concentrations 80X higher than typical levels when the blaze was at its peak. CBS News
IN FOCUSPeople participate in a protest of the CoreWeave AI data center outside the municipal building
Kenilworth, New Jersey, on October 21. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
Data Centers Hit the BallotAI data centers have become an increasingly prominent 2026 campaign issue, as backlash to their proliferation grows in communities concerned with potential health risks the centers pose, reports KFF Health News.
The opposition has reshaped political races from Arizona to Texas to Ohio, and put incumbents in reliably Republican states on their heels. Many standoffs are occurring in states that President Trump won in 2024.
While the volume of opposition may have recently lessened, per polling from Heatmap, the centers remain vastly unpopular, with 71% of Americans saying they would oppose a data center being built near where they live.
Mounting health concerns range from increased emissions linked to cardiovascular and respiratory disease; to impacts of noise and light pollution; to the dispersion of “forever chemicals.”
And many local governments have been unprepared when it comes to anticipating and regulating potential environmental and health harms, forcing residents “to shoulder the burden of gathering evidence, seeking out experts, and demanding information”— resulting in a newly activated voting base, reports Think Global Health.
Jacksonville, Fla.’s gun violence crisis may have roots in decades of environmental racism, finds a joint investigative report by KFF Health News, The Trace, and Action News Jax.
Jacksonville has some of the highest child firearm injury rates in Florida, with ~375 children hospitalized for gun injuries since 2018.
~150 lived near a former toxic waste site, Brown's Dump, which has been home to elevated levels of lead, arsenic, and other contaminants.
The city also has one of the state’s highest lead poisoning rates—a factor that researchers and doctors say leads to poor mental health outcomes and increased rates of violence.
Lead exposure in the first six years of life has been positively associated with an increased risk of firearm violence in early adulthood, per a 2019 study.
Join the Institute for Global Tobacco Control for a virtual Innovations in Tobacco Control lecture.
As part of the Institute’s monthly lecture series, Nandita Murukutla, PhD, who leads the Behavioral Insights Lab at Vital Strategies, will speak on AI-enabled digital surveillance that can identify online marketing of tobacco and other harmful products.
November 18, 10–11 a.m.
Another fall in America. Pumpkin spice lattes, cozy knits, and … giant inflatable pumpkins on the loose.
Last year, Ohio cops found themselves “pretty much in pursuit” of a defiant PVC gourd which was later detained, deflated, and squashed … into the back of a police car, AP reports.
Not to be outdone, this year a North Carolina inflatable “took itself for a ‘walk’” near a fall fest before being pacified by four adults and “rehomed” to a less blustery location near a corn maze, USA Today reports.
In Dubuque, Iowa, a massive puffy pumpkin barreled through traffic in front of driver Pat McCarron, who’s been on gourd ever since: “What’s going to pop up today? … Frankenstein or something?” she pondered to KCRG.
The takeaway for one Dubuque cop: Secure your décor, because, to put it mildly: “We don’t really need those things bouncing down the roadway.”
QUICK HITSDengue comes back even in vaccinated people — new clues – Nature
Health coverage more strongly associated with income than world region – Eureka Alert
More education linked to lower dementia risk, study finds – The Washington Post (gift link)
HHS updates national Alzheimer's plan with shift toward prevention, earlier detection – Healio
The 3 public health threats that scare Michael Osterholm most—and 4 bonus frights – CIDRAP
Issue No. 3006
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Global Health NOW: A ‘Decisive Moment’ After a Decade of Climate Harms; and A Pandemic-Perfect Petri Dish
October 28, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEF19 pathogens cause ~9.7 million infections and ~50,800 deaths in the U.S. annually, per an updated CDC report on antimicrobial resistance, which found that healthcare-related infections account for 42,000+ of those deaths and ~$12 billion in healthcare costs, and that drug-resistant fungus Candida auris infections have increased 10X since 2019. The Washington Post (gift link)
~18.9 million people developed pertussis in 2023, and 115,000 died from the disease globally—with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 65% of deaths, per a study published in Nature Medicine, which also found cases and deaths rose sharply after the COVID-19 pandemic. CIDRAP
900+ U.S. women were criminally charged for conduct during pregnancy in the three years after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs verdict, per a new Pregnancy Justice report; the majority of charges were for child abuse, neglect, or endangerment, and at least 13 were charged for obtaining, seeking to obtain, or researching how to get an abortion. Stateline
AI bots were used in an attempt to manipulate the U.K.’s policymaking around disposable vapes, with machine-generated responses making up three-quarters of all submissions to a 2023 consultation on a tobacco and vapes ban, finds research published in Tobacco Control; the effort is thought to be the first coordinated attempt to use AI to “swamp” health policymaking consultations in the U.K. The Guardian
IN FOCUSAn ambulance providing medical assistance to tourists is seen in front of the Colosseum during an extremely hot day in Rome, on August 28. Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu via Getty
A ‘Decisive Moment’ After a Decade of Climate HarmsA decade after the Paris Agreement’s enactment, The Lancet Countdown’s 10th report on Climate Change and Health delivers a sobering verdict: “The health harms of climate change are growing faster than the world’s response to them, and in many cases even accelerating,” said the Countdown’s executive director Marina Romanello, per ABC.
In light of this, the report calls for the WHO to declare a global health emergency—and lays out a path toward further action, while also highlighting indicators of progress.
Key findings:
Increasingly deadly heat: ~3 million deaths worldwide from 2016 to 2023 were linked to heat, with developing countries seeing the highest proportion of heat-related deaths.
Fossil fuels’ continued dominance: Such fuels still account for 80%+ of global energy, and energy-related greenhouse gas emissions hit a record high in 2024, reports ABC Australia. Researchers singled out the U.S.’s continued promotion of fossil fuels as a major obstruction.
Hopeful signs: The growth of renewable energy has “vastly exceeded expectations.” Electric-based transportation increased by 427% globally from 2016 to 2023, and improved indoor air quality prevented ~400,000 deaths in 2023 compared to 2016.
Action recommendations: A formal WHO emergency declaration could trigger a more coordinated global response—including sweeping measures to cut emissions, a shared climate health data commons, and increased financial commitments from wealthier countries.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ZOONOTIC DISEASESA Pandemic-Perfect Petri DishA bird flu outbreak has been raging on a Utah mink farm for more than two months—and officials have prioritized the fur industry over human health despite pandemic risks, ProPublica asserts.
So far, the strain in question hasn’t spread human-to-human—but a single mutation could change that.
With lungs and airways similar to humans’ at the cellular level, mink would be a prime intermediate host for spillover.
Muted response: Utah didn’t order the mink culled, as Spain and Finland did in similar outbreaks. Contrary to CDC guidelines, officials also chose not to monitor or test workers.
The Quote: “We might get lucky, and a response that is not robust may not have dire consequences. But we may get unlucky,” said Meghan Davis, a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health epidemiologist.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSShe Trusted ChatGPT With Her Medication Decisions. It Cost Her Everything. – The New York Times (gift link)
Nigeria’s women and girls impacted the most by British and US funding cuts, committee is told – The Telegraph
A ‘canary in the coal mine’: Measles resurgence exposes weaknesses in U.S. public health, experts say – CNBC
Hospital Beds for the Nation’s Sickest Kids Are Disappearing – KFF Health News
Who’s who in Trump’s America First Global Health Strategy – Devex
Strengthening American Global Leadership Through Development and Humanitarianism: An Affirmative Vision for U.S. Foreign Assistance – Aid on the Hill
Are you an organ donor? – Here are some rule changes you may want to know – NPR
How daylight saving time changes affect you and what you can do about it – AP
Issue No. 3005
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Global Health NOW: The Dangerous Side Effects of Sierra Leone’s Soapmaking; and The Mechanisms Behind Microplastics’ Harms
October 27, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFAt least 25 women and girls are killed every day in conflict settings—and conflict-related civilian war deaths have doubled since 2021, per the UN Secretary-General’s annual report on Women, Peace and Security; the UN has also verified 9,788 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2025—2X as many as 2024, and nearly 4X as many as 2022. UN News
The U.K. has sanctioned senior Sudanese military commanders implicated in a “campaign of rape” during the siege of El Fasher, where thousands were massacred in October 2025; the British government said it has imposed travel bans and frozen the assets of 15 military leaders from both sides in the conflict—the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces. The Guardian
Kenya reported a second Bundibugyo Ebola death yesterday: the 65-year-old woman, a close relative of the country’s first identified patient, was receiving treatment for the disease and under quarantine when she died; Kenyan officials said that seven patients who tested positive remain in treatment and reported no new cases of the virus. CIDRAP
GLP-1 weight loss and diabetes drugs should be discontinued one to two months before pregnancy, per “long-awaited” guidance from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; the group also recommends that clinicians carefully monitor neonatal weight gain if the drugs are used during breastfeeding. Healio
IN FOCUSFour-year-old Amza Kebbie with his mother Mamie at the Goderich Surgical Centre, outside Freetown, Sierra Leone. Simon Townsley / The Telegraph
The Dangerous Side Effects of Sierra Leone’s SoapmakingA humanitarian effort to improve sanitation and women’s livelihoods in Sierra Leone has fueled an ongoing poisoning crisis among children.
Background: In the aftermath of Sierra Leone’s decade-long civil war, which ended in 2002, aid agencies proposed soapmaking as a “win-win” for women to generate income while contributing to community sanitation efforts.
But the initiatives encouraged home use of caustic soda—a highly corrosive chemical, also known as sodium hydroxide, that is easily mistaken for drinking water, and which has now injured thousands of children.
One recent victim, a four-year-old boy, is undergoing treatment in an intensive care unit after he drank caustic soda, which stripped the lining of his esophagus and part of his stomach, causing lifelong injury.
The toll: Freetown’s Goderich Surgical Centre admits ~200 children annually with caustic soda injuries; medical advocates fear many more are harmed in more remote regions.
“Almost every family knows someone who has suffered,” said chief surgeon Giuseppe Meucci.
Microplastics can trigger chemical reactions that could damage cells, suggests new research published in Nature that could help explain links between microplastics and inflammation and disease.
How it works: Microplastics exposed to water generate chemicals known as reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can damage biological molecules like DNA—and contribute to cancer, heart disease, and neurological diseases.
Missing mechanics: Earlier studies found links between microplastics and certain diseases, but the new research identifies a “mechanism for the detrimental effects” in the form of oxidative stress and the production of dangerous free radicals.
While more study is needed to understand these relationships, the research “challenges the prevailing paradigm of plastic inertness,” and may inform the design of safer materials.
The Washington Post (gift link)
Related:
Medical Care Sheds Microplastics Into Patients. What to Do? – Medscape (free registration required)
International Assessment Finds Growing Global Health Toll from Ozone Air Pollution – Milken Institute School of Public Health – The George Washington University
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS‘Our world is yellow’: Fears for children as sickening smog blankets Indonesia – The Telegraph
Claude helped plan risky bird flu research. What did the AI add? – ScienceNews
Not a Culture War: Attacks on Women’s and LGBT Rights Are ‘Central’ to Autocratic Playbook – Health Policy Watch (commentary)
Fact vs. fiction: Doctors share whether peptides are safe and effective – CNBC
From a rotation in Zimbabwe to a continent-wide surgical training platform – Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health
How a scientist who studies dementia protects himself from bad air – The Washington Post (gift link)
A simple liquid can stop cavities without drilling, major study confirms – University of Michigan via ScienceDaily
Issue No. 3004
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Global Health NOW: Ebola’s Cross-Border Threat Mounts; and Venezuela’s Abortion Care Is Underground, and Under Threat
October 26, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFResults of a melanoma vaccine trial further demonstrate the power of genetically tailored cancer treatments; the trial results of intismeran autogene, the vaccine developed by Moderna and Merck, show a significantly reduced risk of melanoma returning after surgery in phase 3 clinical testing when combined with an existing immunotherapy, per data presented at the 2026 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Madrid. New Atlas
The long-acting injectable HIV treatment Cabenuva suppresses HIV as effectively in the real world as in controlled clinical trials, per new study results presented at the ID Week medical conference in Washington, D.C.; researchers found that Cabenuva, which combines the drugs cabotegravir and rilpivirine, suppressed HIV to undetectable levels in 94% of people. CIDRAP
U.S. measles cases this year are now more than double the total number for all of 2025 per new CDC data, which reports 4,580 measles cases as of Oct. 22; numbers remain especially high in Pennsylvania, where 1,338 cases have been confirmed, 250+ people have been hospitalized, and five people have died. NPR
50,000+ deaths have been linked to Europe’s record-breaking heatwaves this summer, per research published in Nature Health that analyzed heat and mortality in 854 urban areas in 30 countries across Europe; southern and western Europe were hardest hit, with Italy experiencing the highest number of excess deaths at ~13,000. The Telegraph
IN FOCUSPort health officials from Kenya's Ministry of Health wait to screen passengers at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Nairobi, October 7. Simon Maina / AFP via Getty
Ebola’s Cross-Border Threat MountsEbola has now reached a third African region, “the widest footprint of any Ebola outbreak to date,” as health officials rush to trace its spread, reports The New York Times (gift link).
That footprint now: Beyond the DRC epicenter—which has recorded 9,700+ cases and 4,600+ deaths—nine Bundibugyo cases have now been reported in Kenya, along with one in Nigeria. And Uganda, which was declared Ebola-free in August, is facing new questions after an infected patient traveled there.
The biggest threat is a hidden web of infection, epidemiologists say: ~70% of the DRC’s new cases are reported in communities, suggesting widespread undetected transmission and heightening fear of cross-border spread.
Uganda’s unclear connection: The circumstances surrounding the patient who tested positive in Nigeria remain murky. The patient, a Ugandan national married to a Swiss diplomat, reportedly spent two weeks in Uganda before developing symptoms.
Ugandan officials said the woman passed through the country on her way from the DRC. But the patient maintains she did not visit the DRC.
The patient has since been medically evacuated to Switzerland, reports Reuters via U.S. News & World Report.
Attacks imperil response: In eastern DRC, a nurse was killed and another health worker was severely injured while responding to an Ebola alert, reports the AP.
Related:
Uganda tightens Ebola border controls and requires returnees from Congo to pay for quarantine – AP
Converting Ebola skeptics: Christian leaders mobilize communities in Congo – The New York Times (gift link)
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTSVenezuela’s Abortion Care Is Underground, and Under ThreatDespite the political upheaval in Venezuela, little has changed when it comes to the country’s restrictive reproduction policies, which continue to push women toward clandestine abortions.
Criminalized care: Abortion is punishable by up to two years in prison. Abortions to save the mother’s life are legal, but advocates say that exception is rarely granted—and even miscarriage patients risk imprisonment.
Forced underground: Most abortions in Venezuela are medication-based, with many poorer women risking black-market scams to obtain pills.
Colombia closing? Many Venezuelan women seek abortions in neighboring Colombia. But proposed constitutional changes under an anti-abortion government could limit access.
Related:
Women are protesting in Poland for free access to legal abortions – AP
South Korea: Medication Abortion Rules Too Restrictive – Human Rights Watch
OPPORTUNITYAn Uzbek child looking from the door of her home in Ovakent neighbourhood of Hatay province in southeastern Turkey. February 14, 2015. Burak Milli / Anadolu Agency / Getty
The Untold Global Health Stories Contest Is Back!Do you have an important, underreported global health story to share? This is your chance to tell the world!
Enter the Untold Global Health Stories of 2027 Contest, co-sponsored by the Consortium of Universities for Global Health and GHN, for a chance to elevate an issue that matters to you—whether you’ve worked on it firsthand or have come across it in your travels.
The more specific, the better: We’re looking for stories rich in details and impact, backed by data and evidence. If your idea wins, Global Health NOW will select a journalist to tell your story.
Bonus: The winner receives a free registration for the CUGH annual meeting, in Lima, Peru, February 25–28, 2027.
Deadline: December 4, 2026
Deep Dive: Paying African Nations to Make Deportation Frightening – Inkstick (commentary)
Why Mass Shootings Happen Even in States With Strict Gun Laws – The Trace
Flu arrived early this year. Should clinicians do anything differently? – Medscape
British American Tobacco touted anti-smuggling efforts. Researchers say it cracked down only to help its bottom line. – The Examination
Scientists discover a hidden switch that burns fat and blocks new fat cells – Weizmann Institute of Science via ScienceDaily
The clocks change soon. Here’s how to prep your body. – The Washington Post (gift link)
Issue No. 3003
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Global Health NOW: Lifesaving Innovation on Ukraine’s Front Lines; and How Drought Drives Child Marriage in Afghanistan
October 22, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEF~1.5 billion children are exposed to heatwaves that are increasingly severe, and newborns experienced 389% more heatwave days in 2024 compared with the 1986-2005 baseline period, warns the WHO as the agency launches a new framework to help countries closely monitor how extreme heat affects pregnant women, newborns, and children. The Telegraph
France has confirmed the first reported human case of Shamonda virus, which has previously been found only in animals, especially cattle; the infection was detected in a patient who died early this month, with officials calling it “an exceptional case involving a severely immunocompromised patient” that does not at this time pose a larger risk to the general population. Euronews
Epidemics deplete the global healthcare workforce, accounting for an average annual shortfall of ~17,500 health workers, with disproportionate losses in LMICs—“further aggravating the global inequity in the health workforce,” per a new study published in PLOS Medicine, which analyzed data across 194 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. CIDRAP
Annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage in the U.S. reached $28,303 this year, 5% higher than in 2025, finds a new report from KFF, which surveyed ~2,000 employers’ benefits as U.S. healthcare costs continue to rise. NPR
IN FOCUSA doctor treats a woman following a Russian airstrike on a residential building in Sloviansk, Ukraine, on October 11. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images
Lifesaving Innovation on Ukraine’s Front LinesAs war in Ukraine grinds on, health and military leaders continue to rethink how to provide critical services to the country’s vulnerable groups—from adapting HIV care to repurposing drones to reach people trapped on the front lines.
Mobilizing care: After Russia’s 2022 invasion, the Alliance for Public Health ramped up its use of mobile HIV and tuberculosis clinics, driving them to communities on the front lines and expanding the types of services they provide, reports Devex (free registration required).
And after Russia bombed a warehouse containing $2.6 million worth of HIV supplies in July, the organization has developed new strategies for positioning and diversifying critical medical storage.
“We cannot win the war with old means. [It’s] the same in public health,” said Andriy Klepikov, the executive director of the alliance.
From weapons to lifelines: Ukraine is also using battlefield drones to deliver food and medicine to towns trapped by Russia’s blockade, where hunger and collapsing health services threaten remaining civilians, reports The Telegraph.
And this week, Ukraine carried out its first frontline medical evacuation by aerial drone, in an extraordinary effort to rescue a wounded soldier, reports CBS.
As devastating droughts take a dire toll on the livelihood of rural Afghan families, more are selling their young daughters into marriage in a desperate effort to secure food, pay off debts, or access medical care.
“We have to sacrifice a family member to save the others,” said Niaz Mohammad, the father of an 11-year-old girl engaged to a shopkeeper in his 40s.
A desperate trade-off: Girls as young as two have been betrothed and must leave the home when a bride price is fully paid—often around puberty.
At that age they are expected to begin bearing children, exposing them to perilous health risks in a country with some of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates.
Related:
Child marriage in southern Germany: Over 350 cases recorded, some brides as young as 11 – Euronews
Bangladesh: UNICEF chief calls for an end to child marriage – UN News
OPPORTUNITYHelp Shape Global Health Priorities for Women, Children, and AdolescentsWHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, and PMNCH are inviting stakeholders worldwide to share their thoughts on what it will take to safeguard the health and well-being of women, newborns, children, and adolescents post-2030.
Suggestions for priority topics are welcome for background analyses as part of an evidence review to inform the next era of global health.
Learn more about the effort in an accompanying Lancet commentary
Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can begrudgingly do for your country. If you must.
That’s the winning platform of 33-year-old Kelowna, British Columbia, councilman-elect Brady Rogers, who stood out in an era of political opportunism as a candidate who would … rather not.
Confidence-boosting messages on Rogers’ campaign signs include:
“Fine, I’ll do it.”
“How hard could it be?”
and “Just trying to pay my rent.”
But beneath the small business owner’s deadpan expressions and ironic “Dadlife” t-shirt is an inconvenient sense of civic duty about issues like housing and transit: “I don’t like meetings … But unfortunately, I happen to like Kelowna and think I can help do some good,” Rogers admits on his website.
Voters endorsed this reluctance by electing Rogers to help lead the city of 167,000—meaning he now has to figure out what’s going on: “They'll presumably tell me how to be a councillor,” he said.
QUICK HITSControversial US-backed vaccine trial in African newborns halted – Punch
A remarkable new picture is emerging of how the air around us could alter the brain – The Washington Post (gift link)
Big pharma accused of ‘free-riding on nature’ as global fund attracts just $7,000 – The Guardian
Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to restrict some medical treatments for transgender inmates – CBS News
Why MS can be hard to diagnose, after Christina Applegate reveals misdiagnosis – ABC News
Issue No. 3002
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Global Health NOW: A Case for Cautious Hope in Global Health; and Zimbabwe’s HIV progress is at risk: Congress should demand a plan.
October 21, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFNigeria has confirmed an Ebola case in Abuja, with the patient testing positive for the virus after traveling in the DRC and through Uganda; she began showing symptoms Oct. 7, and health officials are tracing 44 people identified as contacts of the patient. AP
With global temperatures poised to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, countries “must pull out all the stops” to cut emissions to minimize the overshoot, per the UN’s Emissions Gap Report 2026: The Point of Return, which outlined a “lowest possible” overshoot scenario in which midcentury peak warming is limited to 1.7-1.8°C with increasingly drastic emissions cuts. UN News
Police in Guinea-Bissau raided offices of Danish researchers Monday and seized doses of hepatitis B vaccine intended for a halted vaccine trial for newborns, which had been partially funded with U.S. taxpayer dollars; police said the operation “aimed at clarifying the circumstances related to the said batch of vaccines.” Ars Technica
Nearly half of U.S. parents believe spacing out childhood vaccines is healthier than giving them in one doctor’s visit, per a KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust; meanwhile, confidence in well-established childhood vaccines like polio and MMR remains high and bipartisan. CIDRAP
IN FOCUSThe logo of the WHO and various nations’ flags are seen on a panel in front of the WHO headquarters. January 23, 2025, Geneva, Switzerland. Robert Hradil / Getty
A Case for Cautious Hope in Global HealthGlobal health is at an inflection point. Foreign aid is shrinking, support for multilateralism is fraying, and old power imbalances face fresh scrutiny. Yet a longer view of history offers grounds for optimism about what comes next.
An emerging model: Last year’s World Health Summit focused on an “upended global health architecture” amid sweeping aid cuts. This year, leaders looked ahead to a new vision, reports Devex.
Consensus is growing around greater health sovereignty and stronger regional institutions—but leaders still debated the need and role of global partnerships in enabling that transition.
And there are reasons for optimism, writes Jeremy Shiffman, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, in a commentary published in the The Lancet. Though powerful countries’ self-interest has long shaped global health, two centuries of history show that universalist health norms have gradually spread and endured through seismic change.
Signs of hope include growing cooperation among lower- and middle-income countries, stronger leadership from middle powers such as Brazil and South Africa, greater domestic health investment, and even resistance to nativist populism.
If governments, advocates, and institutions stay committed to defending health as a shared right, “the present retreat could come to be understood as harmful, disruptive, and deeply unfortunate, but not as the demise of global health,” writes Shiffman.
Related:
The State of Global Health Funding: October 2026 – Think Global Health
Reimagining the aspirations of public health for the coming decade – The Lancet Public Health
GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARYJuliet Piti, a patient, sits on a bench waiting to see medical staff at Zimplats Mine clinic, near Ngezi recreational park in Zimbabwe. June 25, 2019. Jekesai Njikizana / AFP via Getty
Zimbabwe’s HIV progress is at risk: Congress should demand a plan.After the U.S. announced an end to health aid to Zimbabwe late last month, the country faces the loss of American support that has helped sustain one of the world’s largest HIV treatment programs—credited with helping to reduce HIV incidence in Zimbabwe by ~80% since 2010.
“Now is exactly the wrong time to walk away,” writes Chris Beyrer, director of the Duke Global Health Institute.
What’s at risk:
Zimbabwe could see ~75,000 additional HIV infections over one year, per one scenario in a recent modeling study.
A full withdrawal without replacement support could lead to ~1,050 additional infant HIV infections in one year.
Another risk: losing track of what is happening; PEPFAR has released no data since 2025.
What U.S. lawmakers should do: Beyrer calls on the U.S. Congress to demand a bridge plan from the State Department, showing how treatment will continue for PEPFAR patients, and including greater transparency to maintain the progress of the past two decades.
Zimbabwe’s government must also put forward a credible plan and financing—even though none of that excuses an abrupt American exit, Beyrer says.
And Zimbabwe is not alone: The U.S. has yet to reach new health agreements with Ghana or South Africa, too, leaving access to HIV treatment and prevention services in those countries uncertain as well.
READ THE FULL COMMENTARY BY CHRIS BEYRER READ THE FULL COMMENTARY BY CHRIS BEYRER GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITSWhen Idaho banned abortions, OB-GYNs fled. The doctors who stayed are cracking – The New York Times (gift link)
‘Chaos in communication’: How shared clinical decision making for vaccines adds confusion – CIDRAP
How knocking on doors can help beat measles — again – STAT (commentary)
Vanessa Kerry is the new WHO envoy for health resilience. What's on her to-do list? – NPR
Trump administration launches national kidney care plan – The Hill
Fried chicken and sugary drinks: Tanzania battles a growing obesity problem – The Telegraph
Body clock disruptions contribute to one in four cases of depression, suggests large study – Nature
New AI tool can predict cancer survival by a single patient selfie, study suggests – The Guardian
Issue No. 3001
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Global Health NOW: Ramping Up Ebola Readiness in a Vulnerable Region; and One Island’s Success in Taming Malaria
October 20, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFWest Nile virus is rising in mainland Europe—with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reporting 1,715 locally acquired cases so far this year, compared to 989 cases at the same point last year, tied to warming temperatures; hardest-hit Italy accounts for 748 of this year’s cases. The Telegraph
Ending a universal birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns—per a new U.S. government recommendation to defer the vaccine to two months of age or later—could drive up chronic infections as much as 83%, per a new modeling study published yesterday that estimates the change would put more than half of Americans at risk of the disease by age 20. The New York Times (gift link)
President Trump signed an executive order yesterday directing the U.S. federal government to boost federal research into women’s health—including maternal health, endometriosis, infertility, and menopause—and create a Women’s Health Division at the NIH (separate from the NIH’s Office of Research on Women’s Health, created in the 1990s) and a White House Women’s Health Task Force to advance the work. AP
Nine in ten research papers disputing the definition of ultraprocessed foods have food industry ties, finds a new American Journal of Public Health study that reviewed critiques of the NOVA classification system, which categorizes foods; a similar situation is unfolding in Latin America, pitting food industry opposition against the Pan American Health Organization’s embrace of the NOVA system. The Examination
EDITOR’S NOTEA GHN MilestoneToday marks our 3,000th issue of Global Health NOW—and we owe it all to you, our readers.
Some of you have been with GHN since our start in 2014! A lot has changed since then, but we’re still committed to our founding principles and goals: to bring you the essential news of the day, highlight neglected issues around the world, and serve as a platform to connect the global health community.
In that spirit, please feel free to reach out if you have any tips or suggestions. And, if you find GHN useful, please share our free subscribe link with friends and colleagues; that is the best way to help us grow and stay strong.
Thanks for reading! —Dayna
IN FOCUSChildren walk by posters warning people about Ebola in Goma, DRC, on June 24. Daniel Buuma / Getty
Ramping Up Ebola Readiness in a Vulnerable RegionAs a deadly Bundibugyo virus outbreak rages on in the DRC and has now spread to Kenya, the WHO is bolstering preparedness across the agency’s Eastern Mediterranean region, which spans 22 countries and territories in Africa, Asia, and Europe, UN News reports.
The focus: “Intensified support” is being given to Djibouti, Somalia, and Sudan—named priority countries where conflict, displacement, and overburdened health systems hamper the ability to detect and contain outbreaks.
The preparation: The WHO has deployed missions to assess and expand disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, and infection control resources, and has held training in emergency coordination and response.
Still, dangerous gaps remain in the region, which WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus called “the epicentre of global humanitarian need.”
Meanwhile, in the DRC, more than 4,500 have died, per DW—and children are impacted disproportionately, Médecins Sans Frontières warns.
Children account for nearly one in four confirmed Ebola cases in North Kivu province, and they are also more likely than adults to die from the virus.
And yet, children are “left behind” when it comes to access to innovative treatments and research; MSF calls for the inclusion of children in all ongoing and future Bundibugyo virus studies.
Related: Ebola cases in Kenya highlight US failures amid Trump cuts to key services – The Guardian
MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASESOne Island’s Malaria BlueprintEquatorial Guinea is seeking to ramp up a malaria-control program that has curbed infections on the nation’s Bioko island to just ~7%.
Bioko’s playbook: While island officials have relied on familiar tools like spraying, the strategy depends on “painstaking data collection” to better track the impact of spraying and timing it to achieve the best outcomes.
Eye towards expansion: A new $116 million investment will apply that strategy to the mainland, incorporating childhood malaria vaccinations and new technologies like drone surveillance.
But Bioko’s success will be hard to replicate: The mainland is 13X larger than Bioko and borders countries with high malaria prevalence.
Russian pneumonia death exposes limits of international health rules – Politico EU
Tackling the threat of cholera amidst Nepal’s flood disaster – Gavi
WHO releases training manual to expand access to early breast cancer care – WHO (news release)
Department of Justice to fund studies of gender dysphoria and violent behavior – Science
Scientists might finally have an answer on the origins of your seasonal allergies – The Independent
McDonald’s, Subway and Taco Bell Fail to Meet Antibiotic Reduction Commitments – Sentient Health
Dental floss is shedding potentially harmful chemicals – The Washington Post (gift link)
Issue No. 3000
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Global Health NOW: A ‘Warning’ to Other Nations as Measles Sweeps Bangladesh; and Enlisting Eggs Against Malnutrition
October 19, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFKenya has reported eight Ebola cases after a contact of the country’s first patient tested positive while in quarantine; officials say no community transmission has been reported yet and that the other patients were stable after receiving treatment. AP
A 2024 Alaska pertussis outbreak demonstrated the effectiveness of the pertussis vaccine, finds a new study published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; the study found that unvaccinated kids had ~26X the odds of having a confirmed case of pertussis compared with those who were fully vaccinated. CIDRAP
Tap water is no longer drinkable in the Norwegian town Longyearbyen, as rapid climate warming has led to thawing permafrost and heavy metal contamination linked to newly exposed bedrock; officials say it is an example of how climate change can continue to impact freshwater. The Guardian
Menopause treatment guidelines have been updated by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for the first time since 2014; the group now recommends hormone replacement therapy alongside some antidepressants and other treatments to address symptoms. NPR
IN FOCUSMeasles patients are seen taking treatment at the Barishal General Hospital. Barishal, Bangladesh, September 17. Niamul Rifat / Anadolu via Getty
A ‘Warning’ to Other Nations as Measles Sweeps BangladeshAs Bangladesh struggles to curb the world’s largest measles outbreak through renewed vaccination campaigns, global health experts say the situation demonstrates just how difficult it is to contain measles when vaccination coverage falls below the 95% threshold, reports Reuters via NBC.
“This is a real warning to every country,” said Mark Jit, a WHO vaccine adviser and NYU professor.
The latest: ~202,000 suspected measles cases and 1,147 deaths have been reported in Bangladesh since mid-March, per the WHO.
An initial vaccination campaign reached ~20 million children, but cases persisted—demonstrating major gaps in vaccination and in data collection—especially in rural and poorer regions. The government launched a new drive late last month.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., the CDC has reported 4,410 measles cases nationally across 45 states and Washington, D.C., per ABC News.
Pennsylvania is at the heart of the crisis, reporting six measles-related deaths and 1,200+ cases.
The CDC plans to send a disease investigation team to the state after Pennsylvania officials formally requested assistance through the federal Epi-Aid program, which provides a rapid, short-term field investigation and support for an “urgent public health problem,” per the CDC.
Related:
Infectious disease veterans call for clearer federal message on measles – The Hill
Measles Is Back in the U.S.—And This 1 Group of Adults Might Want to Consider a Booster – HuffPost
DATA POINT266 million
———————
People affected by acute hunger—with roughly a third living in just three countries: DRC, Nigeria, and Sudan—according to a new Action Against Hunger report released ahead of World Food Day on October 16. —ReliefWeb
In Malawi, where 36% of children under 5 experience stunted growth, an inexpensive food could be a game changer: eggs.
Good eggs: Protein- and micronutrient-packed eggs can markedly improve young children’s nutritional outcomes, a meta-analysis of egg-based interventions in sub-Saharan Africa shows.
But consumption remains low across the region—partly because inefficient production keeps supplies limited and prices high.
Hatching solutions: The Egg Hub program from Swiss foundation Sight and Life connects small-scale poultry farmers with financing, productive hens, quality feed, flock vaccinations, and training.
In Malawi's pilot program, egg prices dropped 40%, while the share of residents eating eggs twice weekly rose from 12% to 51%.
Related: The ancient African rice that could help farmers grapple with climate change – RFI
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSRaw chicken, malnutrition and fear: The ‘nightmare’ of being pregnant in an ICE detention camp – The 19th
Four Red Flags and One Truth Amid the Peptide Hype – KFF Health News
Would you hire a male doula? – The Cut / New York Magazine (registration required)
How scientists domesticated a killer bacterium – Science
The first new sunscreen type in 25 years has arrived on US store shelves – AP
PhD students who write dissertation with AI less likely to stay in academia – Nature
Issue No. 2999
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Global Health NOW: Fighting a Persistent Poison; and Hidden Threats in Siberia’s Hinterlands
October 15, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFEarth's life-support systems “are being pushed beyond stable limits,” researchers said in a 2026 state of the climate published in BioScience, which found that seven of Earth’s 16 planetary vital signs have reached record extremes, including greenhouse gas concentrations and temperatures; multiple others show evidence of perilous acceleration. CBS News
Global dementia diagnoses could double by 2050 as the population ages, finds a new meta-analysis published in JAMA Neurology, with researchers highlighting the need for more prevention, diagnosis, and memory-care services—particularly for women and people in lower-income countries who are facing higher rates. USA Today
Post-menopausal ovaries continue to play a dynamic role in the human body, finds a study published in Aging Cell, which found that the ovaries, considered to be inert after menopause, actually contain “actively remodeling tissue” capable of signaling other organs. The Washington Post (gift link)
Guinea-Bissau did not approve a controversial hepatitis B vaccine trial in newborns led by Danish scientists which would have been funded by the U.S. government and private partners, the country’s minister of health said; the now-suspended study would have enrolled 14,000 newborns—half of whom would be vaccinated at birth and half of whom would be denied the immunization for the first six weeks of life. The Guardian
IN FOCUSAn NGO worker speaks with villagers to raise awareness about the harmful effects of lead poisoning, in Tangail, Bangladesh. Munir Uz Zaman/AFP via Getty
Fighting a Persistent PoisonLead poisoning remains a massive but “largely invisible” public health crisis, contributing to 3.5 million deaths in 2023—particularly in countries that still lack regulations and surveillance, reports Health Policy Watch.
800 million+ children worldwide have unsafe blood lead levels, which can lead to irreversible nervous system damage before detection.
Looking upstream: During International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2026, the WHO is emphasizing prevention by highlighting common lead sources: cookware, cosmetics, spices, recycled industrial waste, and paint. As of 2024, fewer than half of countries had legally binding controls on lead paint, per a WHO news release.
“Countries now need to move upstream, removing lead from products and environments before it reaches a child's bloodstream,” said the WHO’s Bruce Gordon.
One model: Nigeria is working to remove lead from cosmetics by implementing product testing and stronger enforcement with support from Resolve to Save Lives.
Detection is still critical: Blood-testing laboratory capacities are expanding in nine countries in South America, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa through WHO and Bloomberg Philanthropies Lead Poisoning Prevention Initiative.
The power of a roadmap: Next year, the WHO plans to release a Global Action Plan on Lead Mitigation along with technical guidelines to help countries tailor national regulations, testing capacity, and surveillance systems.
SPONSORED Winter Institute: Now Accepting RegistrationsDesigned for busy faculty, students, and staff, the Winter Institute offers condensed courses on a wide array of topics taught by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health world-renowned faculty, January 4–22.
REGISTER FOR WINTER INSTITUTE COURSES TODAY REGISTER FOR WINTER INSTITUTE COURSES TODAY BIOSECURITYHidden Threats in Siberia’s HinterlandsWhile the unexplained death of a Russian lab technician this month brings new scrutiny to the Siberian research facility where she worked, the region’s vast frozen wilderness harbors public health risks that extend far beyond that lab, scientists warn.
Tenacious plague: Plague remains endemic among wild rodents in parts of Russian Siberia and neighboring countries, with periodic cases reported among people who interact with infected animals.
Prehistoric pathogens: Researchers have revived “zombie viruses” frozen in permafrost for up to ~48,500 years, raising questions about risks as temperatures rise.
Thawing permafrost may have exposed an anthrax-infected reindeer carcass, triggering a 2016 outbreak that killed a child.
The Washington Post (gift link)
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION In Waffle House We TrustOften, it’s hard to know the best plan of action in a storm.
A surprisingly reliable litmus test in the Southeastern U.S.: Check what Waffle House is doing.
If the steadfast diner isn’t serving sausage gravy and biscuits, that could mean “impending disaster,” AP reports.
Designed to “measure a storm’s fury one breakfast at a time,” the Waffle House Index is perhaps more official than it sounds, complete with a map of its 1,600+ locations. “The South’s favorite disaster authority” is a respected metric even by federal authorities, right there alongside the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale.
A breakfast staple in a storm-prone region, Waffle House has developed an elaborate crisis-management process to help them stay open when customers need them most. That includes “what to serve if there is gas but no electricity, or a generator but no ice,” the company explains.
May we request a version of that handbook for our home kitchens?
QUICK HITSMicroplastics may produce harmful molecules if they enter our blood – New Scientist
Kenya reports second Ebola case, family member of first patient – Africanews/AP
Americans with disabilities worry about proposed changes to major national health survey – AP
Forty percent of high school students report binge eating in new CDC survey – STAT
One HPV vaccine dose often sufficient, say WHO advisers – CIDRAP
A New World of Lung Cancer Therapy Awaits Pope Leo – The New York Times (gift link)
From black soldier flies to mealworms: farming insects for food, fodder and fertiliser in Uganda – The Guardian
Issue No. 2998
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Global Health NOW: Ebola’s Collateral Damage; and RIP, Helen Branswell
October 14, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFCholera cases in Yemen have tripled in the past three weeks as 200,000+ people are displaced amid renewed conflict, many in unsanitary camps; suspected cases spiked from 217 in early September to 647 by the beginning of October, per the WHO, which warned that cases could further surge without improved WASH and vaccination. Al Jazeera
A fire on Indonesia’s Sumatra island destroyed ~300 homes and forced ~1,000 people to evacuate, as the country battles ongoing wildfires exacerbated by El Niño conditions. The Guardian
Major declines in HIV/AIDS prevention care were reported in Uganda and Zimbabwe following the abrupt freeze to U.S. PEPFAR funds in 2025, per an analysis published in The Lancet, which found the disruption led to “severe, immediate, and sustained reductions in service delivery.” CIDRAP
Long COVID symptoms may be linked to key differences in affected patients’ mouth and lung microbiomes, finds a study published in the European Respiratory Journal; the study, which included 700+ people, identified changes in the airway microbiome linked to lung problems, brain fog, and digestive problems, among other issues. Medical Xpress
IN FOCUSMedical workers carry out disinfection work at an Ebola treatment center in Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province. DRC, July 6. Xinhua via Getty
Ebola’s Collateral DamageThe Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the DRC has triggered a broader health crisis as barriers to medical access lead to cascading dangers that “could strain the healthcare system for years to come,” reports Reuters via U.S. News & World Report.
Beyond the outbreak: So far, Bundibugyo has killed 4,300+ and sickened 9,060+ people in the DRC, per CIDRAP. But its ripple effects are wider, with fear, misinformation, and ongoing conflict leading to a loss of critical care, especially among women and children.
In Ituri province, maternal deaths spiked ~70% between May and July compared with last year; meanwhile, UNFPA reports a 30%+ drop in hospital deliveries and a 50% drop in treatment for obstetric complications.
Meanwhile, UNICEF has warned that routine vaccinations fell by more than half across Ebola hot spots this spring.
Impact on contact tracing: Distrust and funding cuts have made it harder for health workers to track the virus—as most new cases appear outside known chains of transmission, per a New York Times commentary (gift link) by Heather Kerr, International Rescue Committee’s DRC director.
“If a mother is too frightened to bring her sick child to a clinic, or a family believes that seeking treatment means surrendering a loved one to die alone, the virus will keep finding places to hide.”
Renowned health reporter Helen Branswell died yesterday of complications from cancer, in a huge loss for the global health community.
Branswell, known for clear-eyed, accurate takes on outbreaks, has long been a staple in GHN—from her prescient warning that COVID-19 would be global health’s “Chernobyl Moment” to her must-read profiles of global health leaders.
Among the tributes pouring in:
“She always asked the one question nobody else asked, and it just happened to be the most important one,” said Michael Osterholm, CIDRAP’s director.
“At a moment when misinformation competes with facts, her reporting was a trusted source of clarity, honesty, and insight,” said WHO’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Impoverished Afghans Sell Kidneys On The Black Market 'Out Of Sheer Desperation' – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
From vectors of disease to naturally resistant: How Bolivian medicine viewed Indigenous people – El PAÍS English
Legionnaires' disease was uncovered 50 years ago but mystery still remains – ABC Australia
Ongoing lawsuits allege GLP-1s can cause serious harm. But we don't know how often – NPR
WHO Director-General Candidates Address Global Health Reform In First Public Campaign Event – Health Policy Watch
Teenage caregivers: The hidden generation juggling school and elder care – KCTV5 Kansas City
From Fear to Action: A Conversation with Raj Panjabi, MD on Building Safer Communities – Harvard Kennedy School - Harvard University
Issue No. 2997
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Global Health NOW: New Fronts in the FGM Fight; and Africa's Widening Contraception Gap
October 13, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFThe U.N. General Assembly adopted a pandemic prevention declaration yesterday—but it wasn’t unanimous, with Argentina, Israel, and the U.S. voting no; the next step is an annex on pathogen access and benefit-sharing, enabling countries that share samples and genetic data to receive a share of any resulting vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics. UN News
Another measles-related fatality in Pennsylvania, in an unvaccinated 39-year-old woman, marks the sixth measles-related death reported in the state in less than two months—and suggests that the outbreak could be much larger than reported, as one to two deaths per 1,000 cases is typical for the infection. NBC
Senegal’s intensifying crackdown on LGBTQ+ people, including mass arrests, forced HIV testing, and restricted access to lawyers, is fueling fear and stigma and driving people into hiding, per a new Human Rights Watch report. AP
Zambia signed a $1.5 billion health financing agreement with the U.S., after holding out to keep it separate from a critical minerals deal that is still being negotiated; Zambia joins 35 other countries that have signed the bilateral aid deals under the Trump administration’s America First Global Health Strategy. Semafor Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff!
IN FOCUSA patient who has undergone FGM is comforted by a midwife during a consultation following a reconstructive surgery at the Treichville Public Hospital in Abidjan, on April 15, 2025. Anne Christine Poujoulat / AFP via Getty
New Fronts in the FGM FightMajor gains have been made in the fight against FGM in recent years. But in some regions, the practice has not stopped, but rather migrated from traditional settings to clinical providers, creating new obstacles and new opportunities for intervention, per Health Policy Watch (commentary).
The shift towards ‘medicalization’ has been documented in countries like Guinea and Nigeria, and signals both success and failure, advocates say:
Families have responded to public health messaging around infection-related dangers of traditional FGM practices; but the clinical embrace of FGM means the deeper cultural beliefs around FGM persist—and become dangerously normalized.
The WHO’s 2025 guidance calls for stronger professional prohibitions and training for providers to prevent the practice; advocates say health workers must become critical agents in changing cultural attitudes about the practice.
Survivor-led advocacy is also critical in places like Kenya, where the Survivor Leadership Initiative trains women who have endured FGM to educate others about its toll, reports More to Her Story.
These women have a more culturally rooted understanding of the social, religious, and familial expectations bound up in FGM, leaders say.
“Sometimes a story can reach where a report cannot,” said survivor advocate Dahabo Guracha Damballa.
Related:
African women protest against genital mutilation in Brussels – Brussels Times
Female genital mutilation (FGM) in Brussels: “a bigger problem than thought” – VRT NWS
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES FAMILY PLANNINGAfrica’s Widening Contraception GapAid cuts and shipping disruptions from the Iran War are making contraception harder to get across Africa, aid groups and advocates warn.
Shortfalls and detours: Globally, contraceptive funding faces a ~$185 million shortfall this year, following aid cuts by the U.S. and Europe, per UNFPA estimates.
Health workers in some countries, including Zambia, are also reporting monthslong delays in contraceptive deliveries due to conflict-related shipping disruptions.
Fight for ‘the last mile’: Distribution remains a problem for rural areas, even when stockpiles are replenished—especially in places where stigma, parental opposition, and restrictive policies keep girls from access.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSHe Helped Discover Ebola 50 Years Ago. He’s Still Worried. – The New York Times (gift link)
Did Russia play by the rules in reporting lab worker's death? – NPR
'We can’t deal with it in Canada': Some women turn to Mexico for endometriosis care – CBC
5-year probe by a journalistic nonprofit: "Dirty secret behind the farmed fish you eat" – Axios
‘I want to do everything I can to head off dementia’: why demand for the shingles vaccine is soaring – The Guardian
AI cuts diagnosis for eye disease from 23 days to just 30 seconds – The Telegraph
What does a PhD pay? Data reveal huge gaps across Europe – Nature
Issue No. 2996
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Global Health NOW: Averting ‘Apocalyptic’ Health Threats Starts Today; and Cambodia’s Garment Factory Workers Face Perilous Heat
October 12, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFThe number of people living in “multidimensional” poverty has risen for the first time in 15 years, per the 2026 update of the global Multidimensional Poverty Index, which measures hardship across standard of living, health, and education; the total is now 1.2 billion people, up 51.5 million from the 2025 update. UN News
~139 people have died in a shipwreck after a boat carrying 300+ migrants from Djibouti to Yemen capsized off the east African coast, per the International Organization for Migration; at least 84 people remain missing. AP
Americans report more trust in science than most of the rest of the world, per the new Wellcome Global Monitor survey of people in 140 countries, in which 52% of Americans reported having “a lot” of trust in science, versus 26% across the globe. STAT
International students wishing to work in the U.S. could face a $100,000 charge to their academic institution under a new proposed rule from the Trump administration; such postgraduate “optional practical training” programs are the largest pipeline of global talent into the U.S. workforce, drawing ~420,000 international students this past year. Nature
IN FOCUSPeople review materials at the The Lancet Commission on 21st Century Global Threats to Health launch. October 11, Berlin. World Health Summit
Averting ‘Apocalyptic’ Health Threats Starts TodayOver the next 75 years, humans will face a series of “interlinked catastrophic threats” to health and survival—but even the most formidable dangers are preventable if policy leaders act today, finds the new Lancet Commission on 21st Century Global Threats to Health, released ahead of the World Health Summit in Berlin.
Background: Over three years, the commission analyzed hundreds of threats to identify 17 that pose the greatest danger to healthy life-years between 2025 and 2100, highlighting nuclear conflict and malicious AI as dangers that could “inflict an apocalypse on humanity,” reports The Guardian.
The goal isn’t to predict doom—but to give policymakers a realistic picture of best- and worst-case scenarios, and an “extensive framework for coordinated action” to prevent the latter, said Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of The Lancet, per a World Health Summit press release:
“The jeopardies that face us are multiple. Our solutions need to match that reality.”
Other urgent dangers: Climate change, pandemics, air pollution, antimicrobial resistance, obesity, and cuts to global health aid.
The solutions: The Commission points to enormous opportunities to avert harm, from expanding education to limiting global warming—underscoring three priorities, per an accompanying editorial:
Build resilient health systems.
Invest in breakthrough innovation, including climate technologies, vaccines and antibiotics, and obesity treatments.
Systematically monitor emerging risks.
Cambodia’s garment workers are enduring increasingly hazardous factory conditions as heat and humidity inside the facilities reach stifling levels and productivity pressures compound the risks.
Upward trend: Phnom Penh now averages 112 days a year at 35°C (95°F) or higher, up from 35 days in the late 2000s.
82% of factories studied exceeded 32°C (89°F), the industry’s recommended maximum temperature.
A need to adapt: Workers are calling for more breaks, fans, and better cooling.
“Factories are in warehouses, they’re not really built to maintain a reasonable environment for a human population,” said researcher Laurie Parsons with University of London.
‘Cancer is tripling and will keep increasing’: first African to lead global action against disease ready for battle – The Guardian
Why doctors are urging women to redo early genetic tests for cancer risks – The Washington Post (gift link)
Here’s what to know if you’re unsure about your measles immunity status – NPR
‘We Are Seen as Disposable’: Rural Residents Fight a Proposed Gas Pipeline – KFF Health News
Judy Twigg: Ukraine Keeps HIV Response Steady Under Fire – Think Global Health (commentary)
Cubans turn to free community pharmacies as medicines grow scarce – AP
UNAIDS faces leadership uncertainty as Byanyima prepares to exit – Devex
Good news: Your cat probably won't give you Giardia – CIDRAP
Issue No. 2995
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Global Health NOW: Averting ‘Apocalyptic’ Health Threats Starts Today; and Cambodia’s Garment Factory Workers Face Perilous Heat
Global Health NOW: Fighting Low Birth Weight in South Africa ; and Paving the Way for Peptides
October 8, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFRussian officials say no “emergency situations” occurred at the anti-plague research lab that employed a technician who died last week, and that the lab worker had been vaccinated against the pathogens she worked with, reports The New York Times (gift link); meanwhile, WHO officials updated their early evaluation to say the risk from the event was now undetermined due to a lack of clarity around the technician’s cause of death, per CNN.
Health and humanitarian needs in Darfur “far exceed the resources” available to respond, warned WHO officials, especially in the region around Tawila, where 700,000+ displaced people are facing severe deficits in food access, health care, and WASH services amid widespread displacement. WHO
Canada’s medical aid in dying law will indefinitely exclude people whose sole medical condition is mental illness, federal officials announced yesterday, with legislators tabling an ordinance that would have expanded eligibility; officials said the decision stemmed from concerns about people with "inadequate access to mental health services.” CTV News
Bangladesh is considering vaccine trials for dengue as the country battles an intensifying outbreak of the disease that has led to 281 deaths and 90,350 hospitalizations since the beginning of the year and is expected to worsen amid recent rainy conditions; all of the four dengue serotypes are circulating in the country, health officials said. Reuters via Sowetan
IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORTA health worker measures a child’s upper arm with a nutritional screening tape in Johannesburg. Elna Schütz
Nutrition Granted: Fighting Low Birth Weight in South AfricaJOHANNESBURG—Two-thirds of South Africans live below the poverty line, putting pregnant women at risk of undernourishment and delivering underweight babies.
As many as 32% of the country’s 2-year-olds meet the criteria for stunting, “which is unbelievable and shockingly high for any country,” says Edzani Mphaphuli, executive director of Grow Great, a national NGO. The global average is ~23%, per UNICEF.
Proposed remedy: A proposed maternal support grant would give qualifying pregnant women a financial boost for six to nine months—~$34 a month.
Advocates believe the money would improve maternal nutrition, reducing the number of babies born with low birth weight and other complications.
Evidence on the effectiveness of the possible grant is building, including promising early results of a pilot food voucher program the government launched in 2025 for women in the Western Cape.
The math matters: ~$145 million spent on the grant could save the government ~$800 million in health costs. “Giving birth to a low-birth-weight baby is really expensive for the health system,” says Liezel Engelbrecht of Hold My Hand, another NGO advocating for the grant.
Red-tape wringer: Development on the grant began 14 years ago, but it has endured continual delays in government processes.
Push for the policy: Advocates have days left to build political will before South Africa’s medium-term budget is tabled in Parliament at the end of this month.
Elna Schütz for Global Health NOW
POLICYPaving the Way for PeptidesAs unregulated peptides continue to proliferate, the Trump administration is considering making some of the previously restricted products more widely available, even as they are under FDA review, according to anonymous sources familiar with the matter. The move is amplifying debate about whether such a change would increase risk by giving unproven products a stamp of legitimacy or bring some oversight to rapidly growing gray and black markets.
What’s on the table: The Trump administration is crafting ordinances to temporarily allow the sale of some restricted peptides through compounding pharmacies.
While it is unclear which peptides would be included, FDA officials are currently weighing the safety and efficacy of seven peptides as health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushes for greater access.
The Washington Post (gift link)
OPPORTUNITYGlobal Health Governance Amid Declining American LeadershipThe world faces an existential crossroads for global health amid an unprecedented decline of U.S. leadership, authority, and financing in global health governance.
This webinar hosted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and featuring Benjamin Mason Meier, professor of global health policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will examine the long evolution of American-led world order in global health, the U.S. political challenges that now threaten the world, and the early global response to this American decline.
Friday, October 9, 2026, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. ET
Philadelphia Parallel Parking Authority mascots Parallel Pete and Curbie (center), and competitors (from top left, clockwise) Mario Zucca, Mary Zheng, Mir, and Will Carr. WHYY
Parking, UnparalleledAre you at one with your car? Here’s one way to find out: Join a parallel parking competition to celebrate the unique—and perhaps dying bond between car, curb, and human driver. No backup cameras or proximity sensors allowed.
Last weekend, the Philadelphia Parallel Parking Association (PPPA)—which sounds official, but isn’t—put 15 competitors bumper-to-bumper in the fight for curbside supremacy.
One of their missions: Parking “under duress.” For some of us, that means parallel parking in front of literally anyone. But in Philly, it apparently means securing a spot near a trash fire or rabid sports fans, reports The New York Times (gift link).
Who are they trying to impress? A roaring crowd, and PPPA’s mascot, Parallel Pete: “a bucktoothed traffic cone with rear view mirror ears who lives in a pothole and likes eating traffic tickets,” explains Billy Penn at WHYY.
QUICK HITSFDA says its safety review of abortion pill will continue into next year – AP
Gut microbes followed migrating humans across continents, new study suggests – NPR
Raw milk poses serious infection risks with no added health benefits, pediatrician group warns – CIDRAP
What Do Health and Wellness Influencers Post About? – Pew Research Center
Issue No. 2994
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Global Health NOW: Russian Lab Death Draws International Scrutiny; and The Climate Crisis is a Girls’ Crisis
October 7, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFToday, on the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks—the deadliest in Israel’s history—Israelis mourned at the sites of the attacks and bomb shelters, while “Palestinians in Gaza languish in ruins of the war it sparked.” AP
The WHO’s newly released guidelines to combat child and adolescent obesity—which has quadrupled since 1990, from 2% to 8%—emphasize diet, exercise, and other behavior-changing interventions over GLP-1 drugs, which it says should only be considered for adolescents ages 10–19 after other interventions have failed. UN News
A Tampa, Florida, woman’s death from dengue last month marks the state’s first fatality from the illness; seven Florida counties have reported 252 cases of locally acquired dengue so far this year as officials in the hardest-hit, Hillsborough County, step up education and treatment. CIDRAP
Flu season in the northern hemisphere could kick off “incredibly” early, signaled by cases already rising in the U.K., the U.S. West Coast, and Japan—prompting scientists to pay attention to a potentially concerning mutation in H1N1 and to reconsider optimal timing for flu vaccinations. Nature
More than a dozen CDC foreign offices are expected to close over the next few years, led by the closure of the agency’s Angola and South Sudan offices last week; anonymous officials indicate that CDC assistance will be increasingly conditional on deals countries sign with the Trump administration. Politico
IN FOCUSA woman walks past the headquarters of Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's consumer and health watchdog agency. Moscow, October 5. Igor Ivanko/AFP via Getty
Russian Lab Death Draws International ScrutinyA possible plague death at a Russian research institute is receiving intensifying international scrutiny, as health officials press for more clarity amid limited information from Russian authorities, reports Forbes.
The latest: Yesterday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote that the agency was “actively following up” on the case of a technician at Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, who Russian officials say died Oct. 2 of “pneumonia of unknown etiology.” Early media reports claimed the technician died of pneumonic plague after a lab exposure and that ~200 people were under observation.
Tedros stressed the need for “timely, complete and transparent information,” saying officials requested more details about the incident and reports of a second lab employee with pneumonia.
U.S. State Department officials said they made official requests for additional information, reports France24; and the U.S. embassy advised citizens in the area to take extra precautions, reports the The Moscow Times.
The European CDC said it’s “closely monitoring the situation,” though so far there was “no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission.”
Understanding the threat: Pneumonic plague can spread between humans through tiny droplets that carry the bacterium Y. pestis. Antibiotics offer effective treatment, but left untreated, the disease has a high case-fatality ratio, reports Science.
While geopolitical tensions and Russia’s history of biological weapons research heighten concerns, U.S. researchers say the institute was known and had valid reasons to be studying plague given the endemic nature of plague in animals.
While any death suggests “a serious failure,” scientists say transparency and rapid response should contain further spread.
Related:
How airlines could help contain Russian plague using lessons from past outbreaks – The Washington Post (gift link)
Infectious disease expert: The mysterious pneumonia in Russia deserves attention, not panic – STAT
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTHThe Climate Crisis is a Girls’ CrisisClimate shocks are increasingly becoming a health and rights crisis for girls, finds the 2026 State of the World’s Girls report, drawing on 30 years of global data and recent accounts from 5,000+ girls across five climate-impacted countries.
The scale: 9 in 10 girls from Bangladesh, Kenya, Peru, Senegal, and Zimbabwe say climate events strain their family’s survival, stability, and health.
Major vulnerabilities:
76% report struggles accessing sexual and reproductive health services; 36% report witnessing child marriage; and 33% report unintended pregnancies.
28% report violence against women after climate events.
Simple, significant solutions: Keeping girls in school and maintaining essential health services is “vital to protecting girls’ rights and wellbeing.”
Related: As extreme heat worsens, pregnancy and birth are a new faultline in the global climate crisis – UNFCCC
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSWhat Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak could mean for pregnancy care across America – The 19th
How climate extremes are shaping Kenya’s drug-resistant cholera threat – KFF Health News
Dying Patients Are Inundated by Misinformation. My Dad Was One of Them. – The New York Times Magazine
The pill: from symbol of women's liberation to subject of growing mistrust – Radio France Internationale
The generation raised on sugar rations – and what their health reveals 70 years later – The Guardian
Vanilla could help heal wounds – Popular Science
Issue No. 2993
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Global Health NOW: In the Wake of Nepal's Flooding, Health Threats Surge; and Japan Reshaping Science Oversight
October 6, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFRussian officials have downplayed concerns over pneumonic plague and denied local media reports of a lab accident, per CBS; the WHO is working to learn more, but says that based on the unofficial information available, the risk to the general public appears to be low. Reuters
A person under treatment for the Ebola virus died Monday in Nairobi, marking Kenya’s first case imported from DRC, where the man had been living; Kenyan health authorities are monitoring 28 contacts of the patient and are tracing another 23 people who were on a flight with the patient from Uganda to Kenya. AP
New York state has declared a disaster emergency over measles, with 108 cases so far this year, as of October 3; New York Governor Kathy Hochul is temporarily expanding the ability of health professionals to administer measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccines in response. Al Jazeera
Women report suffering more pain than men, per a major new global study of 6 million people from 118 countries from 1990 to 2025—“one of the largest harmonization efforts in pain epidemiology to date”—published in Nature Medicine; the study adds to concerns that women are less likely than men to be prescribed the pain relief they need. The Guardian
IN FOCUSA woman checks photos of missing people pasted on a wall of a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 26. Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto via Getty
In the Wake of Nepal's Flooding, Health Threats SurgeSurvivors of Nepal’s apocalyptic August floods face a wide range of post-disaster public health hazards while relying on a devastated health care system, reports Think Global Health.
The toll: 1,400+ people died in the catastrophic flooding triggered by a glacier collapse on the border with China. 5,700+ are missing and 80,000+ are still in need of humanitarian assistance, per the latest Unicef assessment.
Health sector hit: At least seven health facilities were damaged, and ~12 health workers are missing.
Severed access: 69 kilometers/43 miles of roads were damaged, “cutting a lifeline” between health care and flood‑affected areas. Temporary clinics and air-delivered medicines are filling gaps, but supplies are limited.
Rising health risks: Health officials are warning of an uptick of water- and insect-borne diseases as they rush to reestablish critical medical services including chronic disease care.
Maternity care crisis: 5,000+ pregnant women are among those affected by the floods and ~550 are due to give birth next month, reports The Guardian.
Girls face added dangers: Advocates are calling for strengthened protection for girls, who are especially vulnerable at displacement sites and who face a compounding risk of trafficking and child marriage amid the disruption, per Save the Children.
Related: U.S. Global Health Funding Expires as Nepal Calls for Support – Think Global Health
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES RESEARCHJapan Reshaping Science OversightJapan is tightening government oversight of its national science academy, raising concerns about academic freedom and institutional independence.
The shift: On October 1, the Science Council of Japan (SCJ) became a public corporation subject to greater government scrutiny.
The reasoning: The government says the change will improve transparency and make scientific advice more useful and impactful for policymakers.
The concerns: While the scientific body will have control over selecting governing members, government evaluators will be able to review its activities and recommend improvements—a dynamic critics fear will lead to pressure on SCJ scientists to align with government priorities.
“This undermines the SCJ’s independence and autonomy,” says Odanaka Naoki, a Tohoku University historian.
Texas pediatricians face Paxton investigations for vaccinating children – The New York Times (gift link)
‘Defend our men!’: fears for women’s rights in Latin America over plans to counter gender violence laws – The Guardian
Nobel medicine prize goes to 3 scientists for research into brain activity – AP
How Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rights – NBC
The Spark: The ‘Community Lighthouses’ Where Neighbors Help Neighbors – Reasons to Be Cheerful
Issue No. 2992
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