96 Global Health NOW: Afghanistan’s ‘Catastrophic’ Hunger Plus: Birth Certificates for Bangladesh’s ‘Invisible’ Children View this email in your browser February 19, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Libya has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, the WHO has validated—the result of a decades-long effort that involved improved surveillance, expanded surgical care, and training and support for eye health workers that was “particularly notable given years of political instability and humanitarian challenges” that strained health services. WHO  
 
New FDA guidance for antibiotic use in food-producing animals seeks to add duration limits to medically important antibiotics; but critics say the guidance fails to adequately address the rise and spread of antibiotic resistance and the potential impacts on human health. CIDRAP 
 
Early prenatal care has declined in the U.S., with the share of births to women who had prenatal care in the first trimester dropping from 78.3% in 2021 to 75.5% in 2024, per newly released CDC data; while reasons for the decline were not cited, the decrease was higher for mothers in minority groups, and specialists pointed to the rise in maternity deserts as a likely factor. AP  
 
Greater air pollution exposure has been linked to heightened Alzheimer’s risk, per a new study published in PLOS Medicine, which found that air pollution affected the brain through direct effects rather than through other chronic conditions. Euronews IN FOCUS A malnourished child holding his mother’s hand inside the Médecins Sans Frontières therapeutic nutrition center at a hospital in Herat, Afghanistan, on January 8. Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Afghanistan’s ‘Catastrophic’ Hunger
Afghanistan faces a historic surge in malnutrition, as aid cuts, displacement, and drought leave two-thirds of the country’s population facing serious or crisis levels for acute malnutrition, reports the AP. 

• “We have a catastrophic nutritional crisis on our hands,” said John Aylieff, Afghanistan Country Director for the UN's World Food Program, noting that levels of malnutrition are the highest ever recorded in the country at 17.4 million people.  

Driving hunger: After the 2021 Taliban takeover, foreign aid plummeted and economic collapse left many without a lifeline for nutritional assistance. Since then, conditions have only worsened because of drought, earthquakes, and the return of 5.3 million Afghans expelled from Pakistan and Iran.    U.S. aid cuts last year delivered a devastating blow, and donors have since struggled to keep pace with the needs.    Most at risk:  

• Children: ~4 million children are acutely malnourished, and 500+ child deaths have been logged in recent months—likely an undercount.  

• Women: Prohibited from work, women are especially vulnerable. WFP has recorded a 30% rise in malnourished pregnant and breastfeeding women, and is seeing an uptick in suicidal calls from women with nowhere to turn.  

Fragility as Ramadan begins: “Many are beginning the fasting period without reliable incomes,” reports WFP. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HUMAN RIGHTS Birth Certificates for Bangladesh’s ‘Invisible’ Children
Hundreds of undocumented, “invisible” children born in brothels in Bangladesh now have birth certificates, opening the door to education and protections they previously could not access.     700+ children are newly documented after years of campaigning by activists with the Freedom Fund, who advocated for better documentation by pointing to a 2018 law that allows registration without a father’s details, and who worked to identify the children and collect their information.     Unlocking basic rights: The certificates will allow the children to enroll in school, acquire passports, and vote.  

• Documentation can also help protect children from trafficking.  

The quote: “These documents are not just a tool, it’s about survival,” said Khaleda Akhter, Bangladesh program manager for the Freedom Fund.     The Guardian ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION A Dog Has His Day
It’s safe to say that us non-athletes don’t spend most of our lives thinking about triple axels, frantically sweeping near a kettle-type-thing, or cross-country-skiing-really-far-then-shooting-something.  

But then for a few weeks every four years, we sink into our sofas and become winter sports dilettantes. We cry tears of joy and disappointment, lament scoring injustices, marvel at back stories—and wonder, popcorn in hand, if we might have stood a chance at Olympic greatness. 

• What we never considered: What if we just … joined in?  

Nazgul, a local Czechoslovakian wolfdog, did just that, leaping into the final stretch of the women’s cross-country skiing qualifying race at Milano-Cortina. Immediately disqualified on grounds of being male, a dog, and not even on skis, Nazgul was nevertheless the star of the event, The Guardian reports. 

A true sportsman, Nazgul congratulated fellow athletes with bum-sniffs at the finish line. Greek skier Konstantina Charalampidou welcomed the competition. 

“I wanted to pet him, but I didn’t have the time.”
 
 The sacrifices of an Olympian. QUICK HITS Measles cases in South Carolina rise by 12 to 962, state health department says – Reuters     NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya will take over leadership of CDC temporarily – NBC News     Why is the US targeting Cuba’s global medical missions? – Al Jazeera     FDA will drop two-study requirement for new drug approvals, aiming to speed access – AP     New Inhalable Tuberculosis Treatment Could Replace Months of Daily Pills – SciTech Daily    The most dangerous sport at the Winter Olympics? It’s not luge or ice skating – The Washington Post (gift link) Issue No. 2867
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Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.

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96 Global Health NOW: Forced Begging in Ethiopia; and Botswana’s Health Care Breakdown View this email in your browser February 18, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Five years into Ukraine’s war, more than a third of the country’s children—2,589,900—remain displaced, including 791,000+ children inside Ukraine and nearly 1.8 million children who are now refugees outside the country. UNICEF (news release) 
The UK government launched a vaccination campaign in response to a measles outbreak in North London; vaccine coverage with both doses of the MMR vaccine have now dropped to 89% across England, and below 65% for some areas. The Telegraph    Moderna’s flu vaccine will now be reviewed by the U.S. FDA after the agency reversed its decision last week to reject the application for the vaccine, which is made with mRNA technology. Reuters via Yahoo! Canada    The maker of Roundup, the weedkiller, has announced a proposed $7.25 billion settlement to resolve thousands of U.S. lawsuits which allege the chemical company, Bayer, failed to warn people that Roundup could cause cancer. AP  IN FOCUS People beg in the streets in central Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. November 16, 2010. Per-Anders Pettersson Forced Begging in Ethiopia     People with disabilities are frequently trafficked and forced to beg in Ethiopia’s major cities in an often overlooked form of human trafficking that researchers describe as a “crime hiding in plain sight,” per a new study from the Population Council that is among the first to focus on the specific form of trafficking.     Exploiting vulnerability: Children with disabilities from poor rural families are especially at risk, facing stigma, exclusion, and almost no access to school or social support. 

• Traffickers often convince parents to allow them to take their children to urban areas like Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and Mekelle—promising education or medical care. 

Extreme abuse: Once trafficked, the children are often forced to beg for long hours, often under “cruel and inhumane” conditions including near-starvation, minimal sleep, and constant threats of physical violence and abandonment.  

• “I would go out crawling on my hands since I didn’t have a wheelchair,” reported one female survivor with a physical disability, adding that if she returned with too few earnings her trafficker “insults me and hits me.” 

• Most were too afraid or dependent upon traffickers to seek help, and the police rarely provided a pathway out. 

Calls for intervention: Researchers say trafficking can be prevented and reduced through: 

• Stigma reduction, including inclusive education and jobs for those with disabilities. 

• Safer reporting mechanisms and tailored law enforcement response.  

• Support systems after rescue, informed by survivor experience. 

The Population Council   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HEALTH SYSTEMS Botswana’s Health Care Breakdown    Botswana's once-model health system is swiftly deteriorating amid a diamond trade slump that has drained national finances and exposed weaknesses in the country’s health funding structure.     Severe shortages: Medicine and supply stocks at hospitals have run out, forcing staff to buy supplies out-of-pocket, and leading to extensive wait times.  

• A public health emergency was declared six months ago, but an ombudsman’s new investigation reveals continued struggles, including the country’s largest hospital being reduced to an “old, heavily worn vehicle, overloaded with passengers.”  

Need for reform: While emergency measures are being implemented, including a $43 million infusion from The World Bank, officials are calling for deep systemic reform—like changes to drug procurement and health insurance.     The Telegraph  OPPORTUNITY Watch the Series, Host a Screening
The third and final installment in the Escape the Neglect: Stories from the Front Lines docuseries, following the innovation arc in the treatment of sleeping sickness in the DRC, is now live. 

• The docuseries, produced by Devex in partnership with the Gates Foundation, spotlights the human stories from the global effort to end neglected tropical diseases in Nigeria, India, and the DRC. 

Host a screening: These short films (5–10 minutes each) offer a simple, meaningful way to spark conversation. To make hosting easy, the creators of the series developed Screening‑in‑a‑Box, a flexible toolkit that provides everything you need to facilitate an in-person or hybrid event, including:  

• A facilitation guide with inclusive, action‑oriented discussion prompts. 

• An NTD factsheet with episode‑specific context. 

• Ready‑to‑use invitation and promotional language. 

QUICK HITS UK cuts aid further than any G7 country, including the US – The Telegraph    Vaccine Makers Curtail Research and Cut Jobs – The New York Times (gift link)     Chlorine Dioxide, Raw Camel Milk: The FDA No Longer Warns Against These and Other Ineffective Autism Treatments – ProPublica    Progress on family planning in Afghanistan is still possible – The Guardian (commentary)     The science influencers going viral on TikTok to fight misinformation – Nature    This form of mental exercise may cut dementia risk for decades – NPR's Short Wave Issue No. 2866
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Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.

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96 Global Health NOW: Booming ‘Bootleg Cigarettes’ Down Under; and the Race for WHO Leadership Ramps Up View this email in your browser February 17, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Mortality among people who inject drugs and participated in a Stockholm, Sweden, needle and syringe program declined over a decade of harm reduction intervention expansion, including a take-home naloxone effort; the Karolinska Institutet study observed a marked reduction in opioid overdose deaths. Medical Xpress     Plastic water bottles contained more chemicals than glass: Ghent University researchers tested 37 Belgian brands and found 17 endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including bisphenol B and acetaminophen—and observed that higher price correlated with increased phthalate levels. Environmental Health News    The benefits of intermittent fasting “fail to match the hype,” concludes a Cochrane review of 22 studies that found little to no weight loss improvement compared to regular dietary advice or doing nothing at all for people who were overweight or obese. ABC Australia 
Ultra-processed food companies hijacked the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) “loophole” to let questionable ingredients slip into American food products, says U.S. health secretary RFK Jr., who pledged to act on a petition from former FDA chief David Kesler to address the issue. CBS IN FOCUS Pedestrians walk past signs outside a tobacconist and convenience store in central Sydney, Australia. March 27, 2025. David Gray/AFP via Getty Booming ‘Bootleg Cigarettes’ Down Under 
Australia’s aggressive taxes on cigarettes have driven down smoking rates and raised an average pack’s cost to US$40. But they’ve also unleashed a nationwide black market, The New York Times reports (gift article). 

• The tax on a single cigarette has tripled in a decade to about US$1.06.  

Unintended consequences: 

• The price spike has launched a huge demand for illegal cigarettes. A pack of under-the-counter cigarettes costs as little as US$7. 

• Illegal cigs are commonly sold at shops and via private sales, accounting for perhaps half of all tobacco sales.  

• Criminal gangs are smuggling in cigarettes from the Middle East or China.  

• “Tobacco wars” have spawned 100+ firebombings and hundreds of attacks on shopkeepers and others, as turf battles have erupted among gangs.  

Next steps: Government officials have previously rebuffed any discussion of reducing the excise tax to stem the illegal trade, but last week finance minister Katy Gallagher acknowledged that all options are on the table, per The Guardian. 
Public health perspective: The illegal market has made prices so cheap that further tax increases wouldn’t do much good, said Becky Freeman, a University of Sydney tobacco expert.  

• “I only support tax increases if they are effective at reducing smoking,” Freeman said.  

Related:  
Smoking And Quitting Behaviors Vary by Socioeconomic Position – European Medical Journal       Exclusive: India sticks to e-cigarette ban in snub for Philip Morris – Reuters  DATA POINT

123 million
——————
Additional malaria cases in Africa by 2050 that could be triggered by climate change, driven mostly by extreme weather events, per a modeling study led by researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia and Curtin University. —Nature Medicine
  WHO Race for WHO Leadership Ramps Up    Diplomatic maneuvering has begun for the WHO's next director-general, as the nomination process opens in April for next year’s vote.     And while a list of rumored candidates is growing, the successor to current chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus faces an “existential convergence of crises” amid geopolitical rifts and major funding challenges.     An agency at a crossroads: The WHO’s next leader will have to steer the agency at a critical juncture that includes a $1 billion funding gap after the U.S. withdrawal, a 25% staff cut, and low morale.     Seeking a “unicorn”: The incoming chief will also need to balance demands for global equity with fiscal reform—all while trying to meet 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and prepare for potential pandemics in a post-COVID landscape.    Health Policy Watch  SPONSORED Cells to Society: The Building Blocks of a Public Health Career     Considering a career in public health? The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is now offering online, noncredit courses for adult learners who are thinking about a career change, are seeking ways to be more helpful in their local communities, or are simply curious about how public health works. Explore available courses and register today to get a preview into a formal public health education.       Explore the Courses  QUICK HITS Mexico Risks Losing Its Measles-Free Status, Months Before Millions Arrive for World Cup – The New York Times (gift link)    Doctors bear the burden as ‘medical freedom’ fuels worst US measles outbreak in 30 years – Reuters via Yahoo     Investment in Malaria Venture Yields 13x Health Benefits – Health Policy Watch     Indian Health Service to phase out use of dental fillings containing mercury by 2027 – AP    As More Schools Turn to AI Weapons Detection, Questions Persist – Undark 
As US presence wanes, China works to increase its influence through foreign aid – NPR 
The Karate Class Where Kenya’s Grandmothers Learn to Fight Back – More to Her Story  Issue No. 2865
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Progress and Pushback on Polio Vaccination; and Peru’s Defective Cancer Drugs View this email in your browser February 16, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES A measles outbreak in London is spreading rapidly among children under age 10, per the U.K. Health Security Agency, which has reported 34 laboratory-confirmed cases over the last month linked to schools and nurseries in Enfield. The Guardian 
  A new recombinant mpox strain combining genomic elements of clades Ib and IIb of the virus has been identified in two cases—one in the U.K. and the other in India—per a detailed update from the WHO, which has urged continued genomic surveillance. UN News  
  Whooping cough cases in Australia have hit their highest level recorded in 35 years following a “potentially catastrophic” drop in vaccinations; 57,000+ cases were reported in 2024—mostly among children. ABC Australia 
  France will slash its funding for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by 58%+ for the next two-year cycle, from €1.6 billion to €660 million; French NGOs warned that the cuts—which could impact antiretroviral HIV treatments, malaria prevention, condom availability, and testing services—will cost lives. Radio France Internationale IN FOCUS Progress and Pushback on Polio Vaccination     The WHO is expanding the global arsenal for polio outbreak response by prequalifying an additional novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) aimed at curbing vaccine-derived outbreaks “more sustainably” in the ongoing quest to eradicate the virus.     But the progress comes as vaccination strategy is under threat in a new era of politicization—potentially endangering decades of gains.     The new nOPV2 vaccine is designed to be more genetically stable than older vaccines, reducing risk of vaccine-derived outbreaks while effectively curbing virus transmission, per the WHO.      Meanwhile in Malawi, health officials have launched a new oral polio vaccination campaign in schools and door-to-door, seeking to administer 1.7 million nOPV2 doses after detecting vaccine-derived type 2 virus in sewage in the southern city Blantyre last month, reports the AP.      “Polio endgame”: The WHO's SAGE Polio Working Group convened in Geneva this month to review global polio eradication strategies, including phasing out the two-strain oral vaccine (bOPV) while improving the nOPV2 and next-generation shots (IPV), per Vax Before Travel.     An uncertain future in the U.S.: Despite these global strides, the future of vaccine strategy in the U.S. is uncertain as allies of HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. form coalitions to roll back state-level school vaccine mandates—alarming public health experts who warn this could swiftly erode a century of protections against deadly childhood diseases, including polio, reports The New York Times (gift link).  DATA POINT

123 million
——————
Additional malaria cases in Africa by 2050 that could be triggered by climate change, driven mostly by extreme weather events, per a modeling study led by researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia and Curtin University. —Nature Medicine
  PHARMACEUTICALS Peru’s Defective Cancer Drugs     Ineffective and even dangerous cancer drugs have been repeatedly shipped to Peru health facilities amid an ongoing pattern of regulatory failures within the country.     Unfit for use: ~118,000 vials of chemo bought with government funds have been ordered destroyed since 2019, though some reached hospitals and even patients before they were scrapped.     Poor track records: Pharma companies with problematic track records have been awarded state contracts, even after their drugs have failed quality tests.     Exacerbating a crisis: 1 in 4 cancer patients in Peru experience treatment delays because of drug shortages.     The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, in partnership with Salud con Lupa  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Key US infectious-diseases centre to drop pandemic preparation – Nature    NSF’s flagship fellowship program is rejecting applicants without peer review – Science    RFK Jr. shakes up top health department staff – Axios    She was denied a legal abortion and sent to prison over an illegal one. Now she tells her story – AP    HIV made him expect to die at 40. At 73, Edwin Cameron asks: Who’s planning for our ageing survivors? – Bhekisisa    Photos: The flying doctors of Lesotho won’t let their wings be clipped – NPR Goats and Soda  Issue No. 2864
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: EPA Moves to Revoke Key Climate Health Warning Plus: Kenya Battles Kala-azar View this email in your browser February 12, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Life-threatening blood clots that have been a rare side effect of some COVID-19 vaccines, including those by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, are caused by an adenovirus protein used by both vaccines which triggered “rogue” antibodies in people with a particular genetic background, per research published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Science     The WHO director-general has called a U.S.-funded hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau “unethical,” as the trial will deny half the children the vaccine despite its proven efficacy; instead of testing benefits or efficacy, the study appears focused on looking for adverse outcomes in children who receive a birth dose. STAT    Measles cases fell across Europe and Central Asia last year, dropping by 75% in 2025 compared to 2024 due to outbreak response measures and “the gradual decline in the number of people susceptible” to infection as the virus infected undervaccinated communities, per new UN data; still, outbreak risks remain. UN News    More than 70% of baby foods, drinks, and snacks sold in the U.S.—including crackers, yogurt, and puffs—are ultraprocessed and contain additives that have been linked to health issues, according to a study published yesterday in the journal Nutrients. CNN IN FOCUS Steam rises from the smoke stacks of the Ravenswood Generating Station, New York City's largest power plant, on January 26. Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty EPA Moves to Revoke Key Climate Health Warning
The EPA is poised to revoke its own 2009 scientific conclusion that greenhouse gases are a threat to public health and welfare—upending the legal foundation for a wide range of federal climate protections, reports NBC News.    Background: Known as "endangerment finding" the determination established wide-ranging health threats posed by greenhouse gases produced by oil, gas, and coal, and has since been invoked to set emissions limits for vehicles and power plants.     The long road to repeal: Members of President Trump’s administration have long worked to dismantle climate legislation they describe as unfounded and harmful to the economy, reports The New York Times, with White House officials lauding the rollback as “the largest deregulatory action in American history.”     Long-term impact: Ending the finding could block future presidents from using the EPA to limit emissions, allowing industries to fully abandon regulations, reports Politico.    Scientific backlash: Leading scientific and health organizations overwhelmingly oppose the rollback, saying it ignores vast and mounting scientific evidence that links pollution- and climate change-driven disasters to illness, higher medical costs, and premature deaths “beyond scientific dispute,” per the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.   

• Environmental groups have pledged to fight the EPA “every step of the way” with legal challenges that could stretch for years.

• “Communities across the country will bear the brunt of this decision—through dirtier air, higher health costs, and increased climate harm,” said Michelle Roos, executive director of the Environmental Protection Network, per Inside Climate News. 

  Related: Scientific analysis says climate change fueled conditions for Chile, Argentina wildfires – Buenos Aires Times DATA POINT

94 million+ 
—————––
The number of people worldwide who suffer from cataracts; half of them lack access to the corrective surgery, according to the WHO. —Japan Times
  NEGLECTED DISEASES  Kenya Battles Kala-azar 
An outbreak of kala-azar, also known as visceral leishmaniasis, has surged in Kenya's dry regions over the last year.     By the numbers: Cases spiked from 1,575 in 2024 to 3,577 in 2025, and the disease has a 95% fatality rate if untreated.  

• Few facilities in Kenya have the capacity to diagnose or treat the illness, and more training to address the medical crisis is needed.  

Drought-driven spread: The parasitic disease is carried by sandflies, which have expanded their reach amid ongoing drought and dry conditions resulting from climate change and urbanization.     Mitigation efforts: Six African nations most affected by kala-azar adopted a framework in Nairobi in 2023 to eliminate the disease by 2030.    Medical Xpress ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION A Dozen Roaches
It’s been said that revenge is a dish best served cold. But it may actually be a dish best served to an armadillo, in the form of a cockroach named after your ex, Justin.    Thankfully, every February, a slew of zoos and wildlife conservation groups offer such a service, per The New York Post’s de facto guide to vengeful Valentines.    A sampling:    Bugs and hisses: The San Antonio Zoo’s annual “Cry Me a Cockroach” fundraiser, allows donors to pay $5 to name a cockroach after an ex, then have it fed to inhabitants, per Parade Pets.  

• Similarly, the “Love Hurts” campaign by Bird TLC lets donors revenge-name mealworms or rats which are then fed to birds of prey with “video proof of their revenge being swallowed whole.”  

Cutting them off: Animal shelters from Canada to Ireland offer a certain kind of closure via “Neuter Your Ex” fundraisers, allowing donors to name a feral cat after a former flame before the cat is spayed or neutered through Trap-Neuter-Return programs.     Getting dumped: The Gulf Coast Humane Society in Corpus Christi, Texas, hosts a “Love Stinks” fundraiser, in which donors can have their ex’s name written on paper and placed in a litter box, where it will be … “emotionally processed.” QUICK HITS US to participate in meeting on influenza vaccine composition, WHO official says – Reuters  

Study supports shorter treatment regimens for TB prevention – CIDRAP

Four states sue Trump administration over cuts to public health funding – Reuters  

Nurses on strike in New York approve new contracts at 2 of 3 hospital systems – AP

Public health workers reflect on a year since mass layoffs at the CDC – Georgia Public Broadcasting 

‘At 2am, it feels like someone’s there’: why Nigerians are choosing chatbots to give them advice and therapy – The Guardian Issue No. 2863
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Deteriorating Health Conditions in Immigration Detention; and The Struggle to Keep Mobile Crisis Teams in Action View this email in your browser February 11, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES At least nine people were killed and at least 25 injured yesterday in Canada’s deadliest mass shooting in decades; the shootings, at the hands of a suspect who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, took place in a home and a secondary school in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. CBC  
The U.S. FDA has refused to review Moderna’s application for a new mRNA flu vaccine, though no safety or efficacy concerns were identified; Moderna has requested an urgent meeting with the FDA, noting that it has submitted the vaccine for review in Europe, Canada, and Australia. AP 
  Aluminum exposure from dietary sources over the course of a 100-year lifespan is “orders of magnitude” higher than the cumulative lifetime exposure from all the recommended aluminum-containing vaccines, a study in JAMA estimates. CIDRAP 
Tanning companies are spreading harmful misinformation about suntanning beds—claiming a range of health benefits, from boosting energy to preventing colds and flu—on social media ads targeting young people, while cancer charities link the sunbeds to rising melanoma cases among youth in the UK. BBC  IN FOCUS Texas State Troopers prepare to disperse a crowd protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside the South Texas Family Residential Center. January 28, Dilley, Texas. Joel Angel Juarez/Getty Deteriorating Health Conditions in Immigration Detention    As U.S. immigration detention centers expand under the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, detainees and health workers are reporting severe health and safety breakdowns—including among children.     In Dilley, Texas: Families are being held for weeks or months at facilities like the Dilley Detention Center, per an investigation by ProPublica. Despite legal limits on detaining minors, ~300 have been held for 20+ days.  

• Parents and children there report regular illness and limited medical attention. “Children with medical complaints frequently experience delays, dismissals, or lack of follow-up,” reported nonprofit advocacy organization RAICES, which has logged ~700 reports of insufficient medical care since August 2025.  

• Others describe worsening mental health, with many children struggling with depression and self-harm amid prolonged stays and lack of schooling.  

In Guantánamo Bay, Cuba: Health workers describe similarly bleak conditions at Guantánamo Bay, where hundreds of immigrants are held, ~90% of them deemed low-risk, reports KFF Health News. 

• U.S. Public Health Service officers describe inadequate care, overcrowding, and dark, windowless cells. Several have resigned, saying they cannot serve under such conditions.  

• “Public health officers are being asked to facilitate a man-made humanitarian crisis,” said nurse Rebekah Stewart, who resigned from the service. 

Related: “I Have Been Here Too Long”: Read Letters from the Children Detained at ICE’s Dilley Facility – ProPublica  DATA POINT

91%
———
Share of Americans across the political spectrum who agree it is important for the U.S. to be a global leader in science and technology; 63% expressed willingness to pay $1 more per week in taxes in support of medical and health research. —Research!America MENTAL HEALTH The Struggle to Keep Mobile Crisis Teams in Action     Over the last decade, U.S. communities have increasingly turned to mobile crisis teams to respond to psychiatric emergencies rather than dispatching law enforcement.  

• A 2024 survey found that there are ~1,800 mobile teams nationwide, providing people with therapeutic care and helping them avoid jail or the ER.  

But financial support remains tenuous: Many are funded by unreliable grants or insufficient Medicaid payments—forcing programs to shrink or close.     Seeking funding fixes: A handful of states now require private insurers to cover mobile crisis calls or have levied other fees to help cover the programs, but advocates warn closures will continue without reliable, long-term funding.  

• “A much-needed service is available and then not available, available and then not available,” said Sierra Riesberg, director of the Behavioral Health Alliance of Montana. 

NPR  SPONSORED Cells to Society: The Building Blocks of a Public Health Career    Explore public health at your own pace with the first four courses in a series of 12 non-credit learning experiences from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Designed for those interested in public health careers, these flexible courses build foundational knowledge in key areas and deepen professional skillsets.     Explore the Courses CORRECTION IOU a Correction
We incorrectly spelled out IOM in our top story yesterday, about a refugee shipwreck off the coast of Libya; IOM stands for the International Organization for Migration. Thanks to a sharp-eyed reader for setting us straight!  QUICK HITS In Sudan, sick and starving children ‘wasting away’ – UN News  
India sticks to e-cigarette ban in snub for Philip Morris – Reuters via Yahoo    Landmark settlement could create new protections for harm reduction under disability law – STAT    Film series memorializing the AIDS epidemic provides 'chilling parallels' to today – NPR / WGLT (Illinois State University)    Dozens of researchers will move to France from US following high-profile bid to lure talent – Nature    Benjamin Korinek: Why global health shouldn’t be political – The Daily Nebraskan (commentary)     FDA to reassess the safety of BHA, a preservative used in popular snack foods – AP    Affordable microscope speeds up malaria diagnosis with AI – Medical Xpress Issue No. 2862
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Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.

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96 Global Health NOW: Health Crisis in Gaza; and Supporting Breastfeeding Mothers in South Africa View this email in your browser February 10, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES 53 refugees and migrants from several African countries died after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya’s coast last Friday; the International Office for Migration reports that at least 375 people have been reported dead or missing in January. UN News  
  The Trump administration plans to cut $600 million in public health funding in four Democrat-led states—California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota; the programs, deemed “inconsistent with agency priorities,” include HIV prevention and surveillance and disease outbreak management. The New York Times (gift link)  
  Mexico state officials announced stepped-up health screening and face mask recommendations in schools for the area, which borders Mexico City, in response to a spreading measles outbreak; the country had 2,143 confirmed cases and nearly 6,000 suspected cases as of last Friday, with the western state of Jalisco hardest hit. AP 
  The U.S. National Cancer Institute is investigating ivermectin as a possible cancer treatment, despite the lack of new evidence of the antiparasitic drug’s anti-cancer potential; “I am shocked and appalled,” one NCI scientist said. KFF Health News  IN FOCUS Palestinian patients prepare for evacuation to Egypt at the Red Cross Hospital. Khan Yunis, Gaza, February 2. Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Health Crisis in Gaza     Clashes over WHO reporting and the health situation in Gaza continue months after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire raised hopes for reconstruction and improved health. 

• The WHO’s Executive Board voted down Israel’s proposal last week to consolidate the twice-annual health reports on the occupied Palestinian Territories, Health Policy Watch reports.   

The fierce debate exposed different perspectives on access to medical evacuation: 

• 18,000 patients, including 4,000 children, have life-threatening conditions and need evacuation, according to Saudi Arabia’s delegate.  

• Israel responded that it had approved the departure of thousands of Palestinians, but other countries weren’t accepting enough patients.  

Health situation:  

• Delegates described 90% of hospitals destroyed, 1,600 health workers killed, inadequate sanitation, and extensive disease risks.  

• Israel called such reports outdated and distorted. 

Older people at risk:   

• 68% of 400+ older Gazans surveyed said they had reduced or stopped chronic disease treatment because of access problems, per research by HelpAge International and Amnesty International.  

• 76% of respondents report living in tents. 

Individual stories: 

• A kidney disease patient writes in an Al-Jazeera commentary about the difficulty of getting medicines and care in Gaza.    

• An Israeli court on Feb. 8 turned down an appeal that would have allowed a 5-year-old cancer patient into Israel for treatment, per The Guardian. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES NEGLECTED DISEASES   Nigeria’s Fatal Antivenom Shortfall     The death of a high-profile Nigerian singer from a snakebite has ignited widespread outrage over the country’s inadequate supply of antivenom and the need for a national snakebite strategy, reports The Guardian.    All-too-common tragedy: 26-year-old Nigerian singer Ifunanya Nwangene died at a hospital in the capital Abuja because the facility did not have the proper antivenom to treat her—a scenario public health experts say is disturbingly frequent in the country.  

• Nigeria records ~43,000 snakebites and ~1,900 related deaths each year. Meanwhile, ~50% of Nigerian health facilities lack the capacity to treat snakebite envenoming, reports The Star.  

• Supply chain breakdowns, high treatment costs, and inadequately trained personnel have contributed to a scourge of avoidable deaths, per an op-ed published in The Guardian.  

Call to action: Public health groups have urged government investment in antivenom stocks; free or subsidized antivenom; and local antivenom production to curb what the WHO describes as an “entirely preventable” crisis.  MATERNAL HEALTH   Supporting Breastfeeding Mothers in South Africa 
Women employed as domestic workers in South Africa often face a wrenching dilemma shortly after giving birth: Return to work at their employer’s home without their baby, or lose their job. 

• Many women in this position are unable to breastfeed their babies, which the WHO recommends for the first six months, depriving them of numerous health benefits. 

Untapped resource: South Africa’s Unemployment Insurance Fund could help with partially paid maternity leave for up to four months. But just 20% of people register their domestic workers for the fund.    Maternal grants? Maternal health advocates have been pushing for a monthly maternity payment for low-income pregnant women from mid-pregnancy to three months after birth.     Bhekisisa OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS By Slashing Foreign Aid, Trump Is Fueling the Spread of HIV in Uganda – The Intercept     First human trials of locally-developed HIV jab begin in South Africa – The Telegraph    South Korea will boost medical school admissions to tackle physician shortage – AP    Traditional food could help reverse Nepal’s ‘diabetes epidemic’, studies suggest – The Guardian    What Happens When Midwives Lead Abortion Care: Lessons from Sweden – International Confederation of Midwives     2 to 3 Cups of Coffee a Day May Reduce Dementia Risk. But Not if It’s Decaf. – The New York Times (gift link)    Olympic COVID restrictions are gone, but some athletes are still self-quarantining – NPR  Issue No. 2861
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Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.

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96 Global Health NOW: Life After Leprosy; and Few Resources for Migrating Minors View this email in your browser February 9, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES

Landmines and other explosives that are remnants of war in Afghanistan killed ~92 people and injured 379 others last year; more than two-thirds of the victims were children, per the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. The Telegraph

A USAID division cut by the Trump administration, Development Innovation Ventures, was revived last week as an independent nonprofit: the DIV fund, which will continue the former program’s mission to fund and support international interventions, thanks to $48 million in private donor funding. AP

Burundi has signed a bilateral agreement with the U.S. as a part of the ongoing rollout of the America First Global Health Strategy, which will result in $129 million in funding from the U.S. State Department over five years to support HIV/AIDS and malaria initiatives, and in Burundi increasing its domestic health funding by $26 million over the same time span. The Tanzania Times

After facing years of litigation, U.S. chemical company Corteva will stop producing Enlist Duo, an herbicide containing a “toxic cocktail” of the Agent Orange chemical 2,4-D and glyphosate—which have both been linked to cancer and ecological harm; Corteva will still use 2,4-D in another of its products, Enlist One. The Guardian

IN FOCUS A woman looks out of her living quarters in a leprosy colony in New Delhi, on March 11, 2015. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Life After Leprosy 
At leprosy colonies throughout India, people who have long been cured of the disease continue to live and thrive inside the communities—a testament to the support systems there, and to the stigma that persists outside, reports NPR.
  India is home to ~750 leprosy colonies today, where tens of thousands of former patients, their children, and grandchildren live.  

• The colonies have long been places of exile: People who contracted the disease were segregated and forced to live in deep poverty and isolation. 

But today, leprosy is easily treated: The disease, also known as Hansen’s disease, can be cured with antibiotics; with attentive care, patients with nerve damage, amputations, and foot lesions are able to live fully. 

• ~173,000 new leprosy cases were reported globally in 2024, per the WHO.  

Communities of care: Meanwhile, conditions at the colonies have vastly improved over the years. Beyond medical care and housing, many also provide education and microfinancing systems.    But stigma remains strong, hampering reintegration efforts. Many former patients and their families still face job discrimination and social exclusion— “which can be more problematic than the disease itself,” said Yohei Sasakawa, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination.  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES Related: FGM Laws Protect Girls. Who Heals the Women? – More to Her Story (commentary) DATA POINT

4 million+
——————
Girls still at risk of female genital mutilation. —WHO HEALTH SURVEILLANCE Few Resources for Migrating Minors    Children and juveniles migrating north through Mexico live in “precarious and unsafe” conditions, both in their place of origin and on their journey—with ongoing barriers to medical care, finds a 2024 study of 200 minors.     A range of adversities: Many children experience deterioration in their physical and mental health during transit, as they encounter “persecution, coercion, violence, and discrimination, as well as unsanitary living and transit conditions, food insecurity, and exposure to environmental hazards,” per the study.     A need for interventions: Researchers described a need for sustainable health and psychological programs for children at migratory shelters–and called for more civil society-led mobile clinics.     The Journal of Migration and Health  QUICK HITS Newly obtained emails undermine RFK Jr.'s testimony about 2019 Samoa trip before measles outbreak – AP 
  ‘Take the vaccine, please,’ Dr Oz urges amid rising measles cases in US – The Guardian 
China criticizes U.S. for WHO pullout, accusing it of sidestepping international law – STAT    Argentina: No Withdrawal from Pan American Health Organization – Despite Leaving WHO – Health Policy Watch    Women’s Preferences for Home-Based Self-Sampling or Clinic-Based Testing for Cervical Cancer Screening – JAMA Network Open    Federal Vaccine Advisers Take Aim at Covid Shots – The New York Times (gift link)    CDC study highlights growing threat of invasive E coli – CIDRAP    Inside the quest to make a safer football helmet – Science   Issue No. 2860
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Going on the Offensive Against Cholera; and Best in Show, First in Our Hearts View this email in your browser February 5, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES A South Sudan hospital has been hit by a government air strike, says Médecins Sans Frontières, which runs the facility; the attack in Lankien, Jonglei state, marks the tenth attack in 12 months on MSF-run medical facilities in the country amid a resurgence in fighting between soldiers and a coalition of opposition forces. Al Jazeera   
Raw milk has been linked to the listeria death of a newborn in New Mexico, per state officials, who say that “the most likely source of infection was unpasteurized milk” the mother consumed during pregnancy. AP     Researchers identified a genetic mutation that helps malaria-spreading Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes resist pyrethroids—the main insecticides used to treat bednets; the research, led by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Cameroon’s Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases, also developed a DNA test to track the mutation across West and Central Africa. Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News    A new rapid test can identify bacteria and effective antibiotics to use against them in just 36 minutes, per a study published in Nature Nanotechnology—a key tactic to fight antimicrobial resistance, say researchers. Phys.org  IN FOCUS A member of the Syria Immunization Team holds cholera vaccination ampoules in Sarmada, Syria, on March 7, 2023. Anas Alkharboutli/picture alliance via Getty Going on the Offensive Against Cholera 
Preventive cholera vaccination programs will restart globally after a ~4-year hiatus—a signal that the global supply has seen significant recovery after critical vaccine shortages, per a joint announcement from the WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.  

• “Global vaccine shortages forced us into a cycle of reacting to cholera outbreaks instead of preventing them. We are now in a stronger position to break that cycle,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.  

Depletion: Preventive campaigns paused in 2022 amidst a global cholera surge that drove up demand for oral cholera vaccine stocks.  

• That surge continues: 600,000+ cholera cases and ~7,600 deaths were reported to WHO last year—with children most at risk.  

• Last month alone, 11,965 new cholera cases, and 126 new deaths globally were reported by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.  

Replenishment: Today, global supply of oral cholera vaccine has doubled from ~35 million doses in 2022 to ~70 million in 2025—a result of collaborative efforts by global agencies, manufacturers, and other stakeholders to expand production, reports CIDRAP.     Strategy: 20 million doses are being deployed at the outset, with 3.6 million doses delivered to Mozambique, where flooding has damaged water systems and heightened cholera risk for 700,000+ people, per MedPage Today.  

• 6.1 million doses have been sent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 10.3 million to Bangladesh—other high-risk regions. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HIV/AIDS A Lifesaving Drug—Soon Out of Reach   Thousands of people with HIV in Florida are expected to lose access to critical HIV medications after the state’s abrupt decision to severely restrict eligibility for its AIDS Drug Assistance Program on March 1. 

• The income cap for benefits will be drastically lowered, putting medication out of reach for ~16,000 people.  

Lost subsidies, big impact: Officials say the cuts are driven by rising costs, reduced federal funding, and this year’s expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies—which is already spiking patients’ insurance costs.     Doctors and advocates warn that the restrictions could lead to more patients falling through the cracks and further viral spread.  

• “It’s terrifying,” said Tori Samuel, a mother of three who has relied on the program for decades.  

The Washington Post (gift link)  CORRECTION A Key Distinction

In our summary yesterday about cancer prevention, the projected 50% rise reported by DW is in cancer cases, not rates. We regret the error.  

ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Best in Show, First in Our Hearts     God loves a terrier. It is a truth immortalized in an anthem crooned by legendary Norwich terrier owner Cookie Fleck, played by Catherine O’Hara in the 2000 mockumentary Best in Show.     But before the terrier group was judged Tuesday night at the 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, all the love was focused on O’Hara herself, who died last week at 71—as organizers paid tribute to the actor with a video montage on the Madison Square Garden jumbotron, per The New York Times (gift link).    The tribute reflected just how beloved the film and O’Hara have become in that subculture, even though both “gently lampooned eccentricities and intensity” of dog shows.  

• “The first time I watched it, I was highly insulted,” said David Fitzpatrick, this year’s best in show judge. “Then I watched it again and I started thinking, ‘Oh my God, they really have some of us pegged.’” 

This year’s top dog was Penny the Doberman pinscher—whose owner listed her favorite snacks as “everything,” per The Guardian. We love a relatable winner.  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS ‘We are dying’: Gaza’s cancer patients plead for a way out – UN News    New Nipah-like bat virus in Bangladesh is becoming more deadly, scientists warn – The Independent    Study ties particle pollution from wildfire smoke to 24,100 US deaths per year – ABC     RIP Nick White, 1951-2026 – Wellcome Thanks for the tip, Michael Macdonald!    How the new dietary guidelines could impact school meals – NPR    New York City partners with WHO as U.S. withdraws from global effort – The New York Times (gift link)    Texas jails have more than 400 pregnant inmates monthly. The state is trying to understand what happens to them. – Texas Public Radio    Open-source AI program can answer science questions better than humans – Science   Issue No. 2859
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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96 Global Health NOW: New Insights into Cancer Prevention; and Could Fish Farming Help Fight Schistosomiasis View this email in your browser February 4, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Serious side effects and high cost have hindered the rollout of the first chikungunya vaccine, IXCHIQ, produced by French manufacturer Valneva, and shifted focus to a newer vaccine, Vimkunya, produced by Danish drugmaker Bavarian Nordic, which is expected to be safer for vulnerable groups. Science    Long COVID in children will be studied more closely in three clinical trials launching this year, including the largest pediatric long COVID trial to date—which will recruit 1,300 children, teens, and young adults for a randomized placebo-controlled trial of low-dose naltrexone to treat fatigue. The 19th / The Sick Times    The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has recommended that surgeons delay “gender-related breast/chest, genital, and facial surgery” until a patient is 19 years old, per a new position statement, saying that there is “low certainty” in the risk-benefit ratio for such surgical interventions for children and adolescents. The Hill    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unveiled a $100 million pilot program to address homelessness and addiction in eight cities this week, including expanded funding for faith-based substance use treatment. The New York Times (gift link)  IN FOCUS: WORLD CANCER DAY A health worker administers an HPV vaccine to a girl during a HPV vaccination drive against cervical cancer in Karachi, Pakistan. September 24, 2025. Rizwan Tabassum/AFP via Getty New Insights into Cancer Prevention    Nearly 4 in 10 cancer cases worldwide are potentially preventable, finds a comprehensive global analysis published in Nature Medicine ahead of World Cancer Day today, reports Nature.     What that means: ~7.1 million cancer cases in 2022 were linked to preventable causes per the analysis by the WHO and its International Agency for Research on Cancer, which looked at dozens of cancer types in ~200 countries and considered 30 modifiable risk factors including tobacco, alcohol, air pollution, and occupational exposure to toxins, per the WHO.      Leading risk factors: Tobacco smoking was the leading contributor to cases (15%), followed by infections like HPV (10%) and alcohol (3%).     Zooming in: Preventable cancers were more common in men (45%) than women (30%), reports the BBC.  

• In men, smoking was the leading risk factor, accounting for ~25% of the 4.3 million preventable cancer cases, and was the leading cause of cancer in men living in both low- and high-income regions.  

• In women, infections such as HPV were leading drivers, especially in low- and middle-income regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa.  

Key takeaways: Tailoring interventions—like tobacco control or vaccination campaigns—to regional risk patterns could significantly cut global cancer rates, which have been projected to rise 50%+ by 2045, reports DW. 

• “Addressing these preventable causes represents one of the most powerful opportunities to reduce the global cancer burden,” senior study author Isabelle Soerjomataram told the BBC. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES NEGLECTED DISEASES Fish Farming to Help Fight Schistosomiasis?   Researchers are testing a new approach to curb the parasitic disease schistosomiasis through a new intervention: snail-eating fish.     Background: Each year, 250 million+ people globally are treated for schistosomiasis, a disease transmitted through water contaminated by a parasite carried by snails. 

• In places like Senegal, rice farmers are especially vulnerable, as they work in flooded fields where snails thrive.  

Sustainable solution? A pilot project led by Stanford University researchers will help rice farmers integrate native African catfish aquaculture as a potential way to curb the snail population.  

• The hope is that catfish will help with snail control—and provide an added food source.  

Stanford Sustainability Accelerator  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS ‘Biblical Diseases’ Could Resurge in Africa, Health Officials Fear – The New York Times (gift link)

A Year of Disruption: 5 Resources to Understand Foreign Aid Cuts – Partners In Health

'Efficacy will be secondary': RFK Jr.'s vaccine advisers have a new mission – Politico

US government concerns over key vaccine ingredient are not based on science – Médecins Sans Frontières

Nigerian women and contraceptives: study finds big gaps between the haves and the have-nots – The Conversation

Why scientists are so excited about a nasal spray vaccine for bird flu – The Telegraph    The Secret Weapon in Canada’s Sewers: As America takes an axe to its health data, expanding wastewater surveillance could save lives – Maclean’s    ‘Clean air should not be a privilege’: how Bogotá is tackling air pollution in its poorest areas – The Guardian  Issue No. 2858
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96 Global Health NOW: 9 Million Deaths May Follow Aid Cuts Plus: Egypt’s Child Health Gains Jeopardized View this email in your browser February 3, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Ultra-processed foods are more similar to cigarettes than other foods and should be regulated as such, according to a new study from three U.S. universities that highlights how both products encourage addiction and are marketed to maximize consumption. The Guardian 

Young people in Ontario are being diagnosed with psychotic disorders more frequently compared to their older peers, according to a study examining 30 years of medical data from the Canadian province; studies from Denmark and Australia have identified a similar trend. CBC

An emerging bat-borne virus, Pteropine orthoreovirus, was discovered in stored throat swabs and viral cultures of five patients thought to be infected with Nipah virus, according to research in Emerging Infectious Diseases; the patients, hospitalized from December 2022 to March 2023, had eaten raw date palm sap, a route of NiV spillover. CIDRAP

Lead exposure among a small group of people in Utah is 100X lower today than in the 1960s, per a new PNAS article; researchers relied partly on an unconventional source: hair clippings from 100-year-old scrapbooks. Scientific American IN FOCUS Pharmacist Joseph Njer Airo inspects boxes of antiretroviral drugs labeled "USAID," at Migosi Sub-county Hospital, in Kisumu, Kenya, on April 24, 2025. Michel Lunanga/Getty Images 9 Million Deaths May Follow Aid Cuts 
If current trends in global health funding cuts continue, 9.4 million excess deaths will occur by 2030, according to a study published in The Lancet Global Health yesterday. That’s the “mild” scenario. 

Worst case: A “severe” scenario based on even greater funding cuts would lead to 22.6 million additional deaths by 2030, per Barcelona Institute for Global Health researchers and colleagues. 

What’s at stake? HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as hunger, may resurge across the globe, The Washington Post reports (gift link).  

• “It is the dismantling of an architecture that took 80 years to build,” said Rockefeller Foundation President and former USAID chief Rajiv Shah. “The scale of the cuts and the scale of the reduction far outstrip the scale of philanthropy to step in and solve the problem.” 

Flashback: Development assistance was associated with declines of 70% in HIV/AIDS, 56% for malaria, and 56% for nutritional deficiencies from 2002 to 2021, per the study. 

Meanwhile in Geneva: Despite funding cuts, the WHO has 85% of funds needed for its current biennium budget, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the 158th Executive Board meeting, Anadolu Ajansi reports.
 

Related: 

This global health leader praises Trump's aid plan — and gears up to beat malaria – NPR

Days After US Leaves WHO, Israel Warns it Faces Pressure to Withdraw – Health Policy Watch

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CHILD MORTALITY  Egypt’s Child Health Gains Jeopardized 
Egypt made major strides in children’s health outcomes in the last three decades—cutting child mortality from 108 deaths per 1,000 children under 5 in 1988, to 26 deaths per 1,000 in 2024 through policies including:  

• School-based insurance that helped families access medical care and medicine.  

• Vaccine coverage, especially for polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, and measles.  

• Widespread hepatitis C screening.  

But that progress is threatened as economic turmoil and post-pandemic fallout lead to care setbacks, including: 

• A physician exodus, with ~18,000 doctors resigning since 2019 due to low pay.  

• Hospital bed shortages. 

• Pandemic disruptions in maternal care, which led to a spike in C-sections and prematurity.  

The Telegraph

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  Indonesia Delays Sugary Drink Taxes, Yet Again – Think Global Health 
Eye Protection for Tear Gas and other Hazards: A Protest Safety Guide – American Academy of Ophthalmalogy Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner!    2 or more alcoholic drinks a day linked to 91% higher colorectal cancer risk – Medical News Today Thanks for the tip, Xiadong Cai!     Why scientists are so excited about a nasal spray vaccine for bird flu – The Telegraph  Issue No. 2857
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96 Global Health NOW: Measles Strengthens Its U.S. Foothold; and Pregnant, Breastfeeding, and Detained by ICE View this email in your browser February 2, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES The 10 Guinea worm infection cases reported last year––confined to three countries: Chad, Ethiopia, and South Sudan––mark a historic low and a 33% decline from 2024’s 15 cases. AP    An autism advisory panel to the U.S. government has been overhauled by HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who replaced members of the panel with outspoken activists who say vaccines are linked to autism. The New York Times (gift link)    Pancreatic tumors were eliminated in mice through a triple combination therapy administered in a Spanish study, which found that the therapy prevented tumor recurrence and may point the way to new clinical trials for treating pancreatic cancer. Euronews    Severe acute pancreatitis has been linked with GLP-1 injections, a UK medication regulator has warned; while the risk is small, the guidance was updated after 1,143 cases of acute and chronic pancreatitis were reported in 2025 among patients taking semaglutide or tirzepatide. The Guardian  IN FOCUS Parkside Pediatrics providers Chandler Hash (left) and Nathan Heffington assess a patient with measles symptoms in Spartanburg, SC, on January 30. The Washington Post via Getty Measles Strengthens Its U.S. Foothold    U.S. doctors are learning to recognize a disease most have encountered only in textbooks as measles strengthens its grip nationwide—including in South Carolina, which is now home to the largest U.S. measles outbreak since the disease was eliminated 25+ years ago, reports the BBC.     South Carolina’s outbreak has surpassed the case count of last year’s outbreak in West Texas and now includes 840+ infections—mostly among unvaccinated children and adults in the Spartanburg area. Hundreds have quarantined for weeks, and ~19 have been hospitalized, reports The Washington Post (gift link).     Wider U.S. risks: The outbreak has already seeded cases in states as close as North Carolina and as far away as Washington—contributing to 500+ U.S. cases in January alone, and imperiling the country’s measles-free status as plunging vaccination rates create pockets where the virus can rapidly spread.  

• “I don’t see a clear end to this,” said epidemiologist Scott Thorpe, who runs the nonprofit Southern Alliance for Public Health Leadership. 

Outbreak at ICE detention center: Meanwhile, in Texas, “all movement” has been halted at an ICE detention facility for families in Dilley after two measles infections were confirmed, reports CBS.  

• The facility, which holds about ~1,200 people, including 400+ children, has already been scrutinized for its medical care of detained families, including a child hospitalized after symptoms of appendicitis went undiagnosed, reports the San Antonio Current.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES Related: Violations of medical neutrality during protests in Iran – The Lancet (commentary)  HUMAN RIGHTS Pregnant, Breastfeeding, and Detained by ICE    An increasing number of pregnant, postpartum, and nursing women are among those detained in ICE detention facilities, which are unequipped to provide them with adequate care, say lawmakers and immigration rights activists.      One case: Cecil Elvir-Quinonez, a mother of two who came to the U.S. as a child, learned of her third pregnancy while in custody in a Louisiana facility.  

• She has not had routine prenatal care, despite complications that include heavy bleeding, advocates say. And one of her children was still breastfeeding. 

• “The fact that parents aren’t with the kids, that she’s breastfeeding an infant, pregnant and having complications—those kinds of things are not being looked at or considered as relevant—it’s inhumane from my perspective,” said immigration lawyer Kerry Doyle.  

The 19th    Related: Children with disabilities particularly vulnerable to Minneapolis ICE crackdown – The 19th  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS ‘You take what you can and run’: families describe harrowing journey to escape fighting in DRC – The Guardian
  Michelle A. Williams: The EPA just erased a century of public health progress – STAT (commentary)

EU sets toxin limit amid global infant formula recalls – Euractiv    2 or more alcoholic drinks a day linked to 91% higher colorectal cancer risk – Medical News Today Thanks for the tip, Xiaodong Cai!

Converging global crises and the re-emergence of neglected tropical diseases: the case of noma – The Lancet (commentary)     David Wallace-Wells: The Real Reason MAHA Hates Vaccines – The New York Times (commentary; gift link) Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff!     It’s freezing cold and you’ve lost power. Here’s what emergency doctors want you to do – AP     Helping with grandkids may slow cognitive decline – American Psychological Association via ScienceDaily Issue No. 2856
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Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.

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96 Global Health NOW: Reproductive Care Collapses in Afghanistan Plus: Time to Chart a New Path to Africa’s Malaria-Free Future View this email in your browser January 29, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Malaria deaths could spike to half a million across Africa over the next 25 years due to climate change, per new research published in Nature—which finds that shifting and extreme weather patterns could lead to an additional 123 million malaria cases across the continent. Carbon Brief    Two animal-borne pathogens pose a growing threat to humans, warns a new article publised in the CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal; the viruses, influenza D virus and canine coronavirus, have been “flying under the radar,” but conditions are shifting that have improved their capacity to spread among humans, researchers say. The Independent    HPV screening rates among underserved groups in Australia were “substantially boosted” through cervical sample self-collection programs, finds research published in The Lancet Public Health; participation was especially high among women who were 10+ years overdue for screening and those living in very remote areas. CIDRAP    Twice-yearly PrEP is slowly becoming more accessible to people in the U.S., as insurers gradually agree to cover the high-cost drug, Yeztugo—an injection of the drug lenacapavir. The Hill IN FOCUS Farida, 30, a midwife, monitors pregnant women close to delivering, at the provincial hospital's maternity department, on August 27, 2025, in Ghazni, Afghanistan. Elise Blanchard/Getty Images Reproductive Care Collapses in Afghanistan 
Women in Afghanistan increasingly have nowhere to turn to prevent pregnancies or find basic prenatal services, as the country’s reproductive care system deteriorates under the Taliban.     Birth control banned: The Taliban’s informal birth control prohibition started in 2023, with contraceptives swiftly disappearing from shelves and doctors forbidden from dispensing them—even for women whose lives could be threatened by pregnancy.     Clinic closed: Clinics accused of violating the Taliban’s orders face risk of closure; doctors have also been forced to close their doors after the sudden drop in international aid last year. 

• 440+ hospitals and clinics have closed or reduced services in Afghanistan in the last year, per WHO estimates. 

• Since then, women have been left largely to fend for themselves, with minimal to no prenatal care amid risky pregnancies, complications, and miscarriages.  

Dangers at home: Meanwhile, medical workers say most of the pregnant women they see are malnourished, and many women miscarry because of domestic violence and overwork.     The quote: “They broke her with fear, pregnancies and violence,” said the mother of one 36-year-old woman who has slipped into a "permanent state of confusion” after nine pregnancies and six miscarriages.     Zan Times, in partnership with The Guardian GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY Faith, 3, vaccinated in the world's first malaria vaccine (RTS, S) pilot program, plays at home in Mukuli, Kenya, on March 7, 2023. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images Time to Chart a New Path to Africa’s Malaria-Free Future
As wealthy countries cut assistance and malaria surges in parts of Africa, the continent’s leaders must chart a new path to a malaria-free future, write Corine Karema, Francine Ntoumi, and Garry Aslanyan in an exclusive GHN commentary. 

• The recent dramatic reduction in aid is disrupting core activities like disease surveillance, supply chains for medicines, and delivery of care.   

A leadership moment: Africa needs to invest more of its own resources. Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda are taking steps to increase their health budgets. It’s time to accelerate those gains, the authors argue.      What’s needed:  

• All governments where malaria is endemic should have national elimination plans. 

• African institutions should set priorities, align partners around national plans, and demand accountability for results.  

• The African Union and other organizations can help coordinate efforts at the regional level, keeping malaria high on the political agenda. 

• Malaria programs need to engage other programs—like routine immunization, antenatal care, and community outreach—to get the newly approved malaria vaccines RTS,S and R21/ Matrix–M to people.   

The takeaway: Eliminating malaria can become, they write, a defining story of African leadership that safeguards lives for generations.
  Read the Full Commentary Here OPPORTUNITY Wellbeing With AI: What's Possible? 
Join the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of Mental Health for an urgent discussion on the risks, benefits, and practical applications of AI in mental health care. Laura Reiley, whose powerful op-ed described how her daughter Sophie Rottenberg took her life after months chatting with an AI therapist, will share her story. 

She will be joined by Thomas Insel, who formerly served as director of the National Institute of Mental Health and more recently led the Mental Health team at Verily (formerly known as Google Life Sciences), and Holly Wilcox, director and founder of the Johns Hopkins Center for Suicide Prevention.

The livestream of the event is open to the public, but registration is required. You will receive a link to the livestream with your registration confirmation.

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ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Talk About the Weather
Year after year, epic snowstorms prove that behind every winter weather report is a comedian waiting in the wings. This week was no different across the U.S., with reporters and officials resorting to jokes and light shaming to keep people indoors.     A sampling:     “OPERATION BREAD AND MILK:” The Braintree, Massachusetts, police warned locals to chill out on hoarding supplies. “We’ve already seen the frantic look in your eyes,” they wrote. “You are … not launching a three-year mission to Mars.”     “Park it on the couch,” Kansas City, Missouri. The local fire department called out brazen drivers—or people trying to squeeze in a mani-pedi: “ Hush Jessica.”     These gems are important reminders of iconic past weather reports:     An anchorman’s “slow descent into madness.” A reporter delivered breaking updates using a rubber chicken for reference, and struggled to make a snow angel. “Is it great snowman snow? No, man, no.” Cincinnati, Ohio, 2025    “Honestly the hardest I’ve ever worked.” A Gen Z reporter works to build a snow throne “fit for a garden gnome” named Big Papi. Manchester, New Hampshire, 2022     “Oh, boy.” Less forecast, more Shakespearean monologue. A local weatherman warned that our “Paralyzing. Crippling. RECORD-breaking storm comes todaaaaay!!!!” Baltimore, Maryland, 2010   QUICK HITS Radical changes could be coming to ‘psychiatry’s bible’ – CNN  
 
Risk of maternal death during pregnancy greatly underestimated, study finds – Brown University (news release) 
 
‘Rise in insecurity, hostile environment affecting NTDs programme’ – The Guardian Nigeria 
 
Tanzania Among Seven Countries Included in the New Network to Strengthen Collaborative Disease Surveillance – Tanzania Times 
 
On Public Health and Human Rights in Minneapolis – Public Health On Call 
 
Eating snow cones or snow cream can be a winter delight, if done safely – AP Issue No. 2855
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Grasping for Hope as Haiti Unravels; and Volunteer Vector Control in Bangladesh View this email in your browser January 28, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES The U.S. maternal syphilis rate spiked 28% from 2022 to 2024, per a new analysis from the National Center for Health Statistics; the latest uptick is part of a worsening trend that has involved a 200%+ rise in maternal syphilis over the past decade, which is leading to a surge of congenital syphilis in infants. CIDRAP    The Trump administration has directed Gavi to eliminate vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal as a precondition for continued funding; anti-vaccine groups have claimed that thimerosal causes autism, despite scientific evidence to the contrary. Devdiscourse 
Humanity’s risk of self-annihilation is closer than ever, say scientists who set the symbolic “Doomsday Clock” to 85 seconds to catastrophe yesterday—noting existential threats including nuclear war, climate change, risks of artificial intelligence, and biological disaster. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists    The WHO has issued global guidance for school lunches—limiting sugars, saturated fats, and sodium, while expanding pulses and whole grains; the agency says it will provide technical assistance to support countries in meeting the goal. UN News  IN FOCUS A person walks past cars burned and used as a barricade by armed gangs during clashes last week with Haitian security forces in Port-au-Prince. January 16. Clarens Siffroy/AFP via Getty Grasping for Hope as Haiti Unravels     Violence continues to roil Haiti as powerful gangs clash with state police—displacing civilians, gutting health care, and precipitating an ongoing exodus of foreign aid that the country has long depended on. 
  Continued escalation: 100+ violence victims have been treated in Port-au-Prince in just two weeks, per Médecins Sans Frontières—one of the few groups still providing medical care amid attacks from gangs, which control ~90% of the capital and have displaced more than 1.4 million people. 

• In 2025, 686 patients with violence-related injuries were admitted to MSF’s Tabarre Hospital. 47 were children under 14. 

Foreign aid falters: Dwindling aid has deepened the country’s security crises, including USAID cuts last year that canceled vital water restoration and earthquake reconstruction projects. 

• The aid exodus has also revealed the scale of national institutions’ dependence on foreign aid—something local leaders say must change, reports The Christian Science Monitor.

Local resilience: As international aid retreats, small-scale solutions and interventions are cropping up, including grassroots water infrastructure projects and a gang rehabilitation and job training center known as Haiti Teen Challenge.     No safe haven in the U.S.: Temporary Protective Status for Haitians is set to expire on Feb. 3, endangering ~350,000 Haitians’ U.S. legal status and livelihoods in the country, reports NBC Miami.   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES Volunteer Vector Control in Bangladesh    In Bangladesh, thousands of volunteers are taking mosquito control into their own hands, organizing weekly cleanups to collect trash from city streets and clear polluted waterways.     Background: Amid rapid population growth in cities like Dhaka, waterway pollution has increased and daily waste piles up. 

• The trash, combined with rainier, hotter weather, creates ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes. 

Grassroots response: A youth-led clean-up movement, Bangladesh Clean, was formed 10 years ago. The group has now grown to 50,000+ volunteers.  

• “We are trying to change people’s mindset,” said university student Umme Kulsum Siddiki Brishti.  

Grist  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS South Carolina Is America’s New Measles Norm – The Atlantic (gift link)   After Donations, Trump Administration Revoked Rule Requiring More Nursing Home Staff – The New York Times (gift link)    Antibiotic use in US meat production jumped 16% in 2024, report shows – The Guardian    How ‘gas station drugs’ remain legal – STAT (video)     Being a night owl may not be great for your heart but you can do something about it – AP    What the Rise of AI Scientists May Mean for Human Research – Undark    What ‘The Office’ and other TV shows get wrong about CPR – The Washington Post (gift link)  Issue No. 2854
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Measles Marches Across Europe; Tributes to William Foege; and Classifying Postpartum Psychosis View this email in your browser January 27, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES

Mozambique’s worst floods in decades are sparking fears of cholera and other threats; several people have been killed by crocodiles roaming waterlogged neighborhoods and 300,000+ have fled their homes. The Telegraph

Airports in Thailand, Nepal, Taiwan and other Asian countries are stepping up health-screening measures after the confirmation of five Nipah virus cases in India’s West Bengal state, where ~100 people are quarantined following detection of the virus in a hospital last week. The Independent

The prevalence of two proteins connected to inflammation and stress supports the “weathering hypothesis” that systemic racism accounts for much of the difference between the average life expectancy of Black and white adults, per a new study published in JAMA Network Open. The Washington Post (gift link)

Australia is enduring a brutal heat wave as temperatures near 50C (122F) in parts of the country today; no deaths have been reported, though three wildfires are burning in Victoria. AP

IN FOCUS Luke Tanner, 7, receives the combined Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination at Neath Port Talbot Hospital. South Wales, April 20, 2013. Geoff Caddick/AFP via Getty Measles Marches Across Europe    Six European countries officially lost their measles-free status—and the U.S. is poised to follow—as the highly contagious virus resurges. 

• The WHO called for increased vaccination rates in the U.K., Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, the countries removed from the list of measles-free countries, The Guardian reports. 

• European countries reported 127,000+ measles cases last year—the highest number since 1997, per The Telegraph. 

What’s behind measles in the U.K.? It’s not just vaccine hesitancy. Difficulty accessing general practitioners, especially in dense urban areas, is a significant problem.  
  Meanwhile in the U.S.: The 2,400+ cases in the last year are the “cost of doing business” in a free country that has lots of global travelers, CDC principal deputy director Ralph Abraham told reporters last week, per Undark. 

• “We have these communities that choose to be unvaccinated,” Abraham said. “That’s their personal freedom.” 

• The measles-free status of the U.S. depends on proof that the virus “has not circulated continuously in the nation for a year, between Jan. 20, 2025, and Jan. 20, 2026,” Undark reports. Scientists are reviewing South Carolina, Utah, Arizona, and Texas outbreaks to determine if they are linked.   

• The research will be completed in approximately two months. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES: RIP BILL FOEGE More Tributes: ‪ ———— “We lost a giant in public health today … His legacy is the antidote to today’s antiscience, anti-vaccine rhetoric.” ‪ ––Krutika Kuppalli sharing William H. Foege, Key Figure in the Eradication of Smallpox, Dies at 89 – The New York Times (gift link)

“ …if I remain in India, too much attention would be directed toward the external support that India received, and it is very important that recognition be given to the accomplishments of the hundreds of thousands of Indians who really did the work.” ‪––Foege on his decision to leave India after the country was certified to be free of smallpox, recounted in Madhukar Pai’s tribute: William H. Foege, Key Figure in the Eradication of Smallpox, Dies at 89 – Forbes
“If you look at the simple metric of who has saved the most lives, he is right up there with the pantheon. Smallpox eradication has prevented hundreds of millions of deaths.” ––Tom Frieden, quoted in Leader in smallpox eradication, Dr. William Foege, dies at 89 – PBS MATERNAL HEALTH Classifying Postpartum Psychosis    As awareness of postpartum psychosis grows, U.S. psychiatrists are debating where the condition might fit into the DSM—psychiatry’s core diagnostic manual.    Background: Postpartum psychosis is a psychiatric disorder occurring in 1–2 out of 1,000 births. Weeks after delivery, symptoms of the disorder in new mothers—including those with no history of mental illness—can include paranoia or delusions. In the worst cases, it can lead to suicide or infanticide.    The debate: Advocates say a stand-alone DSM category would improve doctor training, research, and courts’ handling of such cases. 

• But experts can’t agree where in the manual the condition fits—bipolar, depressive, or psychotic disorder—and they fear a flawed definition could lead to misguided treatment or coercive interventions. 

The New York Times (gift link) Thanks for the tip, Peri Barest!    SPONSORED Cells to Society: The Building Blocks of a Public Health Career
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Explore the Courses QUICK HITS Ethiopia Declares End of Marburg Outbreak That Killed Nine – U.S. News & World Report     Tobacco companies win — again — in South Korean lawsuit over costs to treat sick smokers – The Examination    Russia Cuts Its Disability Count As War Against Ukraine Wounds Hundreds of Thousands – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty    Rejecting Decades of Science, Vaccine Panel Chair Says Polio and Other Shots Should Be Optional – The New York Times (gift link)    CDC Restores $5 Billion in Public Health Grants After 24-Hour Pause – U.S. News & World Report 

Has the golden age of global health ended? The health takeaways from Davos 2026 – Euronews    Ancient DNA Reveals Twisted Roots of Syphilis Go Back 5,500 Years – ScienceAlert  Issue No. 2853
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Global Health sNOW Day View this email in your browser January 26, 2026 Forward Share Post Edmund Lowe Photography / Getty Creative Global Health SNOW Day
GHN is off today due to inclement weather and reduced operations at Johns Hopkins University. We plan to be back tomorrow with all the latest global health news! —Dayna Issue No. 2852
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: The U.S. Has Left the WHO. What Now? View this email in your browser January 22, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES An ‘era of global water bankruptcy’ is now in effect, with irreversible consequences that mean “many regions are living beyond their hydrological means,” per a new UN report that calls for a shift from emergency thinking to long-term response and restructuring. CNN 
 
Cardiovascular disease fatalities dropped in the U.S. by 2.7% between 2022 and 2023, per a new report from the American Heart Association—but heart disease and stroke are still the nation’s leading cause of death, accounting for more than a quarter of all deaths in the U.S. in 2023. ABC News  
 
An infant formula recall affecting 18 countries has been issued by French dairy company Lactalis after some batches were flagged for a dangerous toxin; the recall marks the third major infant formula recall this year following other contamination incidents from Nestlé and Danone. France24 
 
Maternal genetic factors may shed new light on common factors behind pregnancy loss, finds new research published in Nature, which analyzed ~140,000 IVF embryos and found links between specific variations in a mother's DNA and their risk of miscarriage. Johns Hopkins University via Medical Xpress   IN FOCUS A sign with the WHO logo outside their headquarters in Geneva, on August 17, 2020. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images The U.S. Has Left the WHO
The U.S. formally leaves the WHO today, completing a yearlong withdrawal process begun on President Trump’s first day in office in 2025, and leaving a budgetary crisis and ruptured global health security in its wake, reports Reuters.   
 
Global fallout: The loss of the U.S.—once the WHO’s largest donor—has led the agency to make deep budget cuts and plan layoffs for nearly a quarter of its staff. 

• These losses, combined with the loss of U.S. cooperation, leaves the world less equipped to handle worldwide disease detection, response coordination, and intelligence sharing—crucial collaborations during recent global health crises like COVID-19 and the Ebola outbreak. 

Unpaid bills: As the U.S. departs, it is stiffing the organization ~$278 million in owed dues from both 2025 and from 2024—before Trump took office, reports STAT. The lapsed payments defy a 1948 U.S. law that likely will not be enforced. 
 
A path to return?: While global health leaders say they do not anticipate a U.S. return to the organization in the near future, former WHO advisor Peter Singer wrote in an op-ed for Think Global Health that some WHO reforms, including results-based accountability, could eventually lure the U.S. back.  
  
Related: Maga-backed researchers call for WHO to be ‘reformed or replaced’ on eve of US withdrawal – The Telegraph  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ZOONOTIC DISEASES Pangolins and Pandemic Risk  
Pangolins are one of the most trafficked animals in the world, as demand for their scales and meat remains high in places like Laos—a major hub of illegal wildlife trade.     Rampant trafficking threatens the mammal with extinction and poses a global health security threat, say epidemiologists.  

• Pangolins' unique immune tolerance allows them to host pathogens undetected, and the animals’ long captivity with other species and humans in unsanitary spaces creates a risk for spillover.  

The Quote: “To me, this really is ground zero for disease emergence,” said University of Sydney virologist Edward Holmes, who described the trade as “both horrendous for the animals in question, and could easily spark another pandemic.”    The Telegraph ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Should We All Just Lüften Up? 
Flinging the windows open for some fresh air: It’s an invigorating feeling now and again.  

In Germany, it’s much more than that. The practice of multiple daily airings—no matter the weather—is ingrained from childhood and for tenants, often a contractual obligation.  

Lüften-lite: But now, much to some Germans’ chagrin, American influencers have co-opted lüften under a new name: “house burping,” presenting it as a mere suggestion. A refreshing home hack, with no threat of eviction for noncompliance—or warning that over-commitment may ruin your relationship. 

Breeze-crossed lovers: For one German-American couple, the partner doing the heavy lüften-ing invited in cold air, chilly feelings, and one time, three bats, The Washington Post reports. His practice, which exceeded the lüften minimums required by his lease, left his American girlfriend cold and “confused,” and their love went out the open window like stale air caught in a crossbreeze. “Lüften is largely responsible for the fact that they’re no longer together.” 

QUICK HITS The US is on the verge of losing its measles elimination status. Here’s why that matters – AP 

Dozens Are Sickened by a Rare Fungal Infection in Tennessee – The New York Times (gift link) 

Study highlights impact of gender dynamics on antibiotic use – CIDRAP  

Vitamin D can help protect you against the flu, study suggests – The Independent

ActionAid to rethink child sponsorship as part of plan to ‘decolonise’ its work – The Guardian

Can your health records be sold for profit? A lawsuit says it’s happening. – The Washington Post (gift link)  
Trees — not grass and other greenery — associated with lower heart disease risk in cities – UC Davis Health  

Global buzzwords that will be buzzing in your ear in 2026 – NPR Issue No. 2851
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Mpox’s Silent Spread; and U.K. Seeks a Road Safety Overhaul View this email in your browser January 21, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES U.S. lawmakers are pushing back against NIH cuts proposed by the Trump administration with a new Congressional bill that rejects a proposed 40% cut to the NIH budget and instead includes a $415 million increase and language that limits White House influence over grant funding. Axios  
 
The Africa CDC confirmed the cancelation yesterday of a U.S.-funded study on hepatitis B vaccines involving newborns in Guinea-Bissau, citing ethical concerns over the proposed research design—particularly the possibility of delaying access to a lifesaving vaccine for some newborn participants. Premium Times Nigeria 
 
Prenatal exposure to wildfire smoke may be associated with an increased likelihood of autism diagnosis by age 5, per a study published yesterday in Environmental Science & Technology; the strongest association was found among those exposed to more than 10 days of wildfire smoke in the third trimester. Tulane University via News Medical 
 
A coalition of U.S. health groups has expanded a lawsuit against HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., challenging his agency’s “egregious, reckless, and dangerous” changes to the childhood vaccine schedule; the plaintiffs—which include the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, and the American Public Health Association—had already sued over the agency’s changes to COVID-19 vaccine policy. The Hill  IN FOCUS Social mobilizers wait for community members ahead of the launch of an mpox vaccination campaign at the General Hospital in Goma, DRC. October 5, 2024. Aubin Mukoni/AFP via Getty Mpox’s Silent Spread
Mpox may be spreading asymptomatically in parts of Africa, new research shows—a revelation that could have significant implications for understanding and preventing transmission, reports The Telegraph.  
 
Researchers analyzed new and historic blood samples from 176 Nigerian adults with no known mpox exposure and discovered something unexpected: ~3% had developed new mpox antibodies over nine months—indicating recent infection, finds the study published in Nature Communications, which was conducted by scientists at the University of Cambridge and the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria.  

• The research points not to “explosive spread”—but rather to persistent transmission via “sporadic chains of infection” shaped and potentially contained by past smallpox vaccination, per a university news release via Medical Xpress.  

• The study also found no major differences in immune responses between health care workers and the general population—meaning exposure isn’t limited to medical settings, reports CIDRAP.  

Potential public health impact: The insights could reshape surveillance and prevention, especially in mpox-endemic regions where blood tests could better reveal exposure and help target vaccination efforts rather than relying on symptoms alone. 

• “If we only look for obvious disease, we will miss part of the picture,” said Alash'le Abimiku, executive director of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ROAD SAFETY U.K. Seeks a Road Safety Overhaul
U.K. officials have unveiled the country’s first comprehensive road safety strategy in over a decade, aiming to cut road deaths and serious injuries by 65% by 2035. 
 
Background: Advocates and officials say the reforms come after years of inaction, as the country falls further behind European road standards. 

• “For too long, progress on road safety has stalled. This strategy marks a turning point,” said U.K. transport secretary Heidi Alexander.  

Plans include:  

• Stricter alcohol limits and higher penalties for violators. 

• Mandatory eye tests for drivers ages 70+. 

• Longer learning periods for new drivers. 

• Automatic emergency braking in all new cars. 

• Increased penalties for uninsured motorists and those not wearing seatbelts. 

• Improved crash testing.

The Guardian QUICK HITS The divorce between the U.S. and WHO is final this week. Or is it? – NPR    Doctors in Minnesota decry fear and chaos amid Trump administration’s immigration crackdown – AP     One Year Later: The Effect of US ‘Chainsaw’ on Global Health – Health Policy Watch (commentary)     New report reveals shocking prevalence of illegal children’s homes – The Bureau of Investigative Journalism     Pharmacists' Risk of Suicide Higher Than the General Public – MedPage Today Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe!     The activists taking on Brazil’s femicide crisis – via social media – The Telegraph     What lingers in ‘The Pitt’ is heartache. What’s missing is outrage – STAT (commentary)  Issue No. 2850
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: The Bacterial Detective Battling Superbugs in Nigeria; and Historic Clues for a Modern Medical Mystery View this email in your browser January 20, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Unusually heavy rains across Mozambique in the last few weeks have triggered a “rapidly escalating emergency” affecting 513,000+ people—over half of them children, who are at an especially high risk in disease outbreaks, given compromised access to safe water and preexisting high malnutrition rates. UNICEF (news release)   
Chinese authorities are blocking online searches about the country's plunging births after official figures released yesterday showed the country's birth rate dipped to 5.63 per 1,000 last year—the lowest since the 1949 founding of the People's Republic. Newsweek    A personalized experimental drug based on mRNA technology halved melanoma patients’ risk of recurrence or death after five years compared with patients treated only with immunotherapy, per Moderna. The Washington Post (gift link) 
A new meta-analysis and systematic review of 43 studies concluded that taking Tylenol (also known as paracetamol) during pregnancy does not cause autism in children, per a Lancet Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health article; the review follows President Trump’s warning against taking the medication during pregnancy. AP  IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE Iruka Okeke and her small team run a national surveillance project tracking antimicrobial resistance in Nigeria. Andrew Esiebo The Bacterial Detective Battling Superbugs in Nigeria    IBADAN, Nigeria—Inside a crowded University of Ibadan lab, Iruka Okeke and her dozen students are running a national surveillance project for one of Nigeria's—and Africa's—most understudied problems: antimicrobial resistance (AMR).  

• More than 1 million deaths in the WHO’s Africa region in 2019 were associated with bacterial AMR.  

• “AMR deaths threaten Africa’s future,” says Okeke.      

Big ambitions: Okeke founded the Nigeria National Surveillance Unit at the University of Ibadan’s College of Medicine in 2022. 

• She and her team use whole genome sequencing and other tools to understand how microbes inherit and spread resistant traits.  

• They’ve already investigated more than a dozen suspected outbreaks. 

• The lab—Nigeria’s first reference lab for AMR surveillance—obtains samples from three sentinel hospitals in Ibadan and sequences pathogenic bacteria, sharing data with the Nigeria CDC. 

Daily challenges: Doing science in Nigeria with limited resources isn’t easy.  

• “There are days I wake up, and I think, ‘Oh, gosh, there’s too many problems to solve—like how are you going to keep the electricity uninterrupted?’” Okeke says. “And then, there are days I wake up and think, ‘It’s amazing we’re doing this stuff that nobody else is doing.’”   

READ THE FULL STORY BY ABDULLAHI TSANNI DATA POINT

980,000
—————
The number of midwives needed across 181 countries—90% of them LMICs; improved access could potentially save 4.3m lives a year by 2035, per a new analysis by the International Confederation of Midwives. —The Guardian
  CANCER Historic Clues for a Modern Medical Mystery    U.K. scientists seeking to understand why colorectal cancer continues to rise sharply among young people are looking to hospital archives for leads.    The clues: A vast collection of century-old cancer samples stored at St. Mark’s Hospital in London.  

• The samples, which have been preserved in wax, are being sent to the Institute of Cancer Research for molecular tests that can identify DNA damage “signatures,” revealing possible triggers.  

The stakes: Bowel cancer rates in the U.K. have spiked 75% among people under age 24 since the early 1990s—mirroring a global phenomenon that still does not have a clear underlying cause.    BBC    Related: 

What science says about how weight-loss drugs affect cancer risk – The Washington Post (gift link) 

Sugar Land resident advances global cancer research while still an undergrad – The Fort Bend Star GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Napkins for bandages: How 11 doctors survived the siege of El Fasher – The Telegraph    The near death — and last-minute reprieve — of a trial for an HIV vaccine – NPR    The Obituary Of The US Childhood Immunization Schedule – Health Affairs (commentary)    Drug use disorders a growing public health concern in the Americas, PAHO study finds – The San Pedro Sun     Public Views About Opioid Overdose and People With Opioid Use Disorder – JAMA Network Open    More than half of mpox patients in 2022 outbreak experienced lasting physical effects: Study – ABC    Alzheimer's finger-prick test could help diagnosis – BBC  Issue No. 2849
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 How Concerning Are Microplastics? The Jury Is Still Out. View this email in your browser January 15, 2026 Forward Share Post TOP STORIES Reproductive care in Gaza has faced widespread destruction, leading to limited access to medical facilities, severe malnutrition, and restrictions on humanitarian aid, and resulting in poor birth outcomes and death, and in “reproductive violence in violation of international law,” per a new report by Physicians for Human Rights. PHR (news release) 

Earth's average 2025 temperature was one of the three hottest on record, and the pattern of the past three years indicates that warming could be accelerating, international climate monitoring teams say. NPR 

Vaccine exemptions among kindergarteners for religious or personal beliefs have risen steadily in counties throughout the U.S. since the COVID-19 pandemic, finds research published Wednesday in JAMA, which showed the median rate for such exemptions rising from 0.6% in 2010-2011 to 3.1% in 2023-2024. NBC News 

Mosquitoes are increasingly using humans as a blood source instead of wildlife as deforestation expands, finds a new study published in Frontiers—a shift researchers say will continue to raise the potential for the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. ABC News EDITORS' NOTE No GHN Monday 

We will not be sending out the newsletter on Monday, January 19, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

We’ll be back Tuesday with more news! 

IN FOCUS Plastic fragments on a person's fingers. Peter Dazeley/Getty Images Microplastics Research Faces Tough Critiques 
Widely publicized studies claiming that microplastics are pervasive in human tissue and organs are being increasingly debated by scientists, some of whom argue that limits and flaws in the nascent research field may have led to distorted results, reports The Guardian.     A young field: While researchers agree plastic pollution is ubiquitous and its impact on the body merits urgent study, there is no consensus on how the tiniest particles may infiltrate and impact the body, leaving the true risk—and appropriate level of public concern—an open question. 

• Critics of recent papers say that microplastic and nanoplastic particles are so small they are at the limit of today’s analytical techniques and instruments.  

• Amid the rush to publish research, scientists say routine scientific checks have been missed, potentially leading to false positives, contamination, and weak lab controls.  

One example: In February, Nature published a major study about the accumulation of microplastics in brains.  

• But in November a group of scientists published a letter criticizing the research, citing “methodological challenges.” It is one of many studies being questioned for the same reason.  

A need for more, better studies: Amid the debate, scientists agree that research must continue and become more robust, especially as plastic production continues to boom, reports The Telegraph.  

• “We do have plastics in us—I think that is safe to assume. But real hard proof on how much is yet to come,” said Dusan Materic, one of the researchers who signed the letter to Nature. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TUBERCULOSIS   Poland’s Transformed TB Response
When Poland saw a rapid influx of 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees in 2022, health officials were on high alert for drug-resistant tuberculosis, as Ukraine has one of the highest TB burdens in the world. 
 
But the crisis laid bare Poland’s own outdated tuberculosis response system, which involved long, isolated hospital stays and multiyear, often toxic, drug regimens.  
 
Rapid revitalization: Poland swiftly overhauled its care model, implementing a pilot program that included a six‑month course of an oral drug combination known as BPaL/M, which has far higher cure rates than Poland’s previous standard protocol of various drugs.

• The pilot inspired a new national TB program set to be implemented by 2030.  

The Lancet ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Fly Like the Bin
This week in YOLO news: He wanted the fastest trash can on wheels, and he made it so.

Completing “literally the most rubbish project” he’d ever worked on, U.K. inventor Michael Wallhead’s motorized bin—known as the Great General Waste—accelerated to an unprecedented 55mph, beating out the previous Guinness world record by 10mph.

The speeds are impressive, but we’re more interested in pun-ability. Suggested names included:

• Light-bin McQueen 

• Bin Diesel  

• Gone Bin 60 Seconds 

And that’s without even asking the internet for ideas!  

One bin of contention: Wallhead demonstrated his warp-speed wheelie bin by riding in it. But we’d much rather it drag our trash to the curb without us going near it, let alone inside it. Please and thank you. QUICK HITS HHS terminates, then reinstates, thousands of grants for substance use, mental health – Politico     Hundreds of laid-off researchers at US workplace safety center are being reinstated – AP    Medical groups will ask court to block new CDC vaccine recommendations – CNN     25,000 TB Cases Unreported ... Ghana Risks Missing WHO Target - Dr Amenyo – Ghanaian Times via AllAfrica    Should younger and older people receive different treatments for the same infection? – Salk Institute for Biological Studies    Researchers uncover hundreds of emojis in patient records – University of Michigan Health  Issue No. 2848
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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