Global Health NOW: Afghanistan, Five Years On; and An Overdose Prevention Tool Taken Off the Table
August 13, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFMigrant deaths have escalated in 2026, with war, severe weather, and economic pressure reshaping migration journeys across multiple regions and driving a surge in death, especially along central and eastern Mediterranean routes and off the coast of Burma. UN News
Rwanda has introduced an NTD reduction strategy, aiming to curb transmission diseases like schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths to below one percent in selected regions over five years. allAfrica
Invasive mold disease has been linked to high rates of ICU care and death, per new CDC surveillance data, which found that over five years, 45% of patients with IMD at four hospitals died within 90 days and half required mechanical ventilation. CIDRAP
Wristbands have been introduced by U.S. hospitals as tools in the effort to reduce maternal deaths and postpartum complications; the wristbands, which are stamped with “I Gave Birth,” are designed to give mothers and care providers a visual reminder of postpartum risks and to seek care if experiencing related symptoms. KFF Health News
IN FOCUSGirls selling fresh milk wait for customers at a market in the Baharak district of Badakhshan province, Afghanistan, on March 15. Omer Abrar / AFP via Getty
Afghanistan, Five Years OnFive years after the Taliban retook Afghanistan, the country’s health system continues to deteriorate as international aid dries up, as restrictions on women and girls tighten, and as threats to food and water security mount.
The cascading impacts—fewer trained health workers, rising barriers to maternal care, and worsening child malnutrition—continue to endanger the daily lives of Afghans and imperil their future: ~22 million Afghans, including ~10.7 million women and girls, now need humanitarian assistance, per The New Humanitarian.
Women’s perilous health gap: Women’s access to health care continues to narrow, and restrictions on education and medical training are shrinking the pipeline of female doctors, nurses, and midwives, with “devastating” consequences, per UN Women (news release), which released a new brief outlining the “systemic erasure of women from public life.”
Afghanistan already has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates, at 521 deaths per 100,000 live births per 2023 data, reports Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.
Threats to children: Acute malnutrition now affects 3.7 million children under five, with nearly one in 10 experiencing wasting, per Save the Children.
~600 health facilities have closed or suspended services amid the collapse in international aid, affecting about 4 million people—around half of them children.
Crumbling food, water, and aid infrastructure: Drought, poverty, and displacement threaten food and water security, especially as aid funding dries up, per The New Humanitarian.
The call to action: Despite the grim outlook, aid organizations and agencies are urging the international community to find ways to keep Afghanistan on the public health agenda.
And UN agencies have pledged to maintain a presence in the country, seeking to safeguard access to lifesaving services for women and children.
94 Million
——————
Nearly 94 million of the estimated 154 million lives saved by global immunization efforts since 1974 resulted from measles vaccine protection. —WHO
Drug-testing strips have become an increasingly critical tool in the battle against opioid overdoses, especially as dangerous new synthetic drugs flood the market.
The strips can detect dangerous adulterants in drugs, including benzodiazepines, fentanyl, and xylazine. Harm reduction groups say such testing can prevent deaths and also change behavior in the long run.
But the strips could become harder to access after federal health officials barred grant money from being directed toward harm reduction strategies such as distribution of test strips and clean needles—with officials saying in an April letter that such practices “facilitate illicit drug use.”
The trade-off: Nonprofits and local public health departments can still distribute strips using other funds, but advocates say that will likely mean cutting services elsewhere.
Related:
Take-Home Methadone Has Not Increased Medication Diversion – The Pew Charitable Trusts
Can a new, safer class of pain drugs ever rival opioids? – Science
ICYMI: Delivering Overdose Prevention Where It’s Needed Most – Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health magazine
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION One Town’s Fight for Freedom—From Fish SauceFor decades, residents of a tiny town in southeastern Newfoundland, Canada, have lived with a foul stench and a burning question: Who’s going to clean up all the fish sauce?
The unwanted signature scent has wafted through St. Mary’s since the early 2000s, when the Atlantic Seafood Sauce Company abandoned their local plant, leaving behind 110 tanks—some 900,000 liters—of fermenting, fishy gloop.
How bad is it? “Take the worst rotten fish you’ve ever smelled in your life and times it by 100,” St. Mary’s mayor Stephen Ryan told The New York Times (gift link). And it doesn’t get better with time.
Until now! After years of political deadlock, local government found $1.2 million to cover the cleanup bill and save one official’s legacy: “To be known as the 'sauce plant mayor' … it's time for that to be over,” said Ryan, CBC reported.
And since last month, that has meant cutting the fishy sludge loose from its tanks, shrouding it in peat moss, and burying it far from town—never to be sniffed again.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSTrump wants MMR vaccine split up: the science behind why it's a bad idea – Nature
New CDC director faces first major test before she even begins work – CIDRAP
The White House's new, quiet plan to attack public health – USA Today (commentary)
Vaping and cannabis hit record highs among young adults in 2025: Survey – STAT
His wedding guests gave $6k to fund a health startup. Now it's won a $3 million prize – NPR
How to keep babies and children safe in heatwaves – The Guardian
Issue No. 2963
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Global Health NOW: Israel’s Mounting Mental Health Crisis; and The Breakdown Behind Pakistan’s HIV Crisis
August 12, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFMadagascar health workers are splitting single mpox vaccines into fifths as they struggle to contain the nation’s largest-ever mpox outbreak with ~4,000 cases recorded so far; the method known as “fractional dosing” is a WHO-authorized emergency measure that can be implemented amid critical vaccine shortages but is not routinely recommended and carries some risk. The Telegraph
The Trump administration has awarded $2 billion to faith-based aid groups for health and humanitarian work worldwide; the funding, which was given primarily to large, Christian aid organizations, is the latest move in the administration’s “America First Global Health Strategy” as it shifts away from USAID-based funding and former aid models. NPR (audio)
A London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine-led genomic analysis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite samples collected in Ethiopia found widespread evidence that the parasites are developing resistance to artemisinin—the most important component of current malaria treatments there; the findings, published in Nature Microbiology, underscore the importance of ongoing surveillance. Medical Xpress
E-scooter injuries among children in England have significantly increased in recent years, finds a review of pediatric injuries between 2019 and 2024 published in BMJ; the review found that three hospitals alone recorded 477 e-scooter injuries during that period, and that fewer than 2% of patients had been wearing a helmet. The Guardian
IN FOCUSThe yard of the Shalvata Mental Health Centre in the central town of Hod HaSharon, Israel, March 25. Ilia Yefimovich / AFP via Getty
Israel’s Mounting Mental Health CrisisMental health providers in Israel are raising the alarm over a deepening mental health crisis in the country, with PTSD diagnoses surging since the trauma of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and subsequent conflict.
By the numbers: PTSD diagnoses have increased 70% since the attacks, according to Clalit, Israel’s largest health provider, and the rate of diagnosis shows “no sign of slowing.”
But providers say those cases indicate that a broader need for mental health services could be 2–3X greater.
“The PTSD data shows the trend. It is likely to be the same for the other mental health issues like depression, anxiety, eating disorder, even psychosis,” said Amir Krivoy, director of the Clalit-Geha Mental Health Center, who added that the country’s health systems are being stretched and forced to improvise to meet the scale of need.
Widespread fallout: The crisis extends beyond those directly exposed to violence, as Israel’s small population and near-universal military service mean few families have escaped the conflict’s effects, which are compounded by continued fighting.
Providers are also concerned about ongoing impacts on 30,000+ children recognized as “terror victims” by Israeli officials following the Oct. 7 attacks—some of whom have already been diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety, depression, and suicidality.
Rise in military suicide rates: Meanwhile, 17 Israeli soldiers have died by suicide this year, the highest rate in 15 years.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HIV/AIDSThe Breakdown Behind Pakistan’s HIV CrisisRepeated HIV outbreaks in Pakistan, which have especially impacted children, have “exposed fundamental weaknesses” in the country’s health system—with outbreaks linked to preventable lapses in infection prevention and control, poor surveillance, and gaps in follow-up treatment.
The scale: 130 people, mostly children, tested positive for HIV last month in an outbreak in Karachi, and 330+ children were infected in an outbreak last year in Taunsa.
~14,000 new infections were reported nationwide in 2025, far outpacing previous annual figures.
Systemic failures: While officials say expanded testing accounts for some of the increase, mounting cases have been linked to health facilities’ unsafe injection practices, sterilization failures, and poorly regulated blood transfusions.
“Every outbreak should have been a lesson. Similar failures continue to emerge in different provinces, indicating that the underlying problems have not been resolved,” said Hasan Abbas Zaheer, a WHO adviser on blood safety.
Related:
AIDS is no longer exceptional. What happens now? – Bhekisisa
‘Reaching 50 is a success story’: how one trans woman survived HIV and stigma in Latin America – The Guardian
CORRECTIONElimination, Not Eradication (Yet)In yesterday’s issue we incorrectly wrote, “England is poised to eradicate hepatitis C.” While England is poised to eliminate the disease regionally, eradication will happen only once hepatitis C is no longer circulating anywhere in the world. We regret the error—and thank Kathryn Jacobsen for catching this mistake.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSSudan exodus threatens humanitarian catastrophe in Chad – The Telegraph
How Young Women in Mexico Resist Violence Beyond the Marches – More to Her Story
“They’re Putting Kids’ Lives at Risk”: How Abuse in a Tennessee Businessman’s Juvenile Prisons Remained Under Wraps – ProPublica
NIH limits funding for research on the health effects of public policy – Nature
AI brings savings to clinical trials: study – Axios
3,500-year-old skeletons challenge what scientists thought they knew about syphilis – Charles Sturt University via ScienceDaily
Issue No. 2962
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Global Health NOW: Injecting Uncertainty into the Childhood Vaccine Schedule; and Financing Indonesia’s National Stroke Strategy
August 11, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEF130+ people perished after an earthquake struck Colombia’s Chocó province Monday morning; that toll is likely to rise as overwhelmed rescue teams aided by civilians search for survivors amid collapsed buildings and rubble. Bloomberg News via Financial Post
A new treatment for HIV-positive newborns could permanently clear the virus, finds new research published in Nature Microbiology; given with three days of birth, the regimen combines neutralizing antibodies, standard antiretroviral therapy, and an experimental monoclonal antibody known as leronlimab. Medical Xpress
1 in 20 gunshot victims in the U.S. develop bacterial infections after being hospitalized, per a study published in JAMA Network Open, with the greatest risk for those undergoing surgery for gunshot wounds to the head, neck, spine, or lower abdomen. CIDRAP
England is poised to eradicate hepatitis C, health officials say—a feat that would make it the first country globally to do so; the country’s ongoing efforts to eliminate the viral infection include widespread blood testing at clinics and emergency departments and free home test kits which have helped identify previously undiagnosed people. The Independent
IN FOCUSRaynard Covarrubio fills a syringe with the MMR vaccine at a Lubbock Public Health Department vaccine clinic. March 1, 2025, Lubbock, Texas. Jan Sonnenmair/Getty
Injecting Uncertainty into the Childhood Vaccine SchedulePresident Trump’s latest executive order aiming to overhaul the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule is sowing further confusion about the future of U.S. immunization policy, even as measles cases continue to surge nationwide, reports CIDRAP.
Details: The order, issued yesterday, calls for fewer childhood vaccinations; splitting the childhood combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate shots; and delivering vaccines at separate medical visits.
In remarks announcing the order, Trump and administration officials falsely stated that vaccines were linked to autism and claimed with no evidence that the combined MMR shot could be “quite lethal.”
The order’s actual reach: The order urges states to update their vaccine regulations and directs federal action against states with laws that inhibit parental authority and religious freedom. But states ultimately have authority over their childhood vaccine schedules, and such sweeping changes would face a range of roadblocks, reports The New York Times (gift link).
Separate MMR vaccines are not currently licensed in the U.S., so manufacturers would need to develop and win FDA approval for them.
The president cannot legally circumvent the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which has Congressional authority to make vaccine recommendations, and the administration’s previous move to shorten vaccination schedule was frozen by a federal court.
Wider public health worries: If the order’s guidelines were to be adopted, medical leaders say more doctor’s appointments would mean missed shots and higher costs, reports Axios. But an immediate concern is confusion for parents, say public health leaders:
“Parents deserve clear, evidence-based guidance about how to protect their children, not competing recommendations issued through political processes," said Michael Osterholm, director of CIDRAP.
ICYMI: Separating the MMR Vaccine? – Public Health On Call (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)
GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARYIndonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto watches health workers helping a rehabilitation patient take steps using specialized equipment during the inauguration of the National Neuroscience Institute at the Mahar Mardjono National Brain Center Hospital. Jakarta, Indonesia, August 26, 2025. Photo Courtesy of BPMI Setpres
Bridging the Equity Gap: Financing Indonesia’s National Stroke StrategyIndonesia carries one of the world’s highest burdens of stroke, which is emerging as a litmus test of the country’s commitment to universal, equitable, and sustainable health financing, write a trio of authors in a commentary for GHN.
Globally, stroke is the leading cause of disability and the second-leading cause of death. In Indonesia, it accounts for 18.5% of mortality and 11.2% of disability—driven by diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension, and other cardiometabolic risks.
An upper-middle-income country with one of the world’s largest single-payer health coverage schemes, Indonesia is working to improve high-cost stroke care within its National Health Insurance Scheme (Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional, or JKN)—providing coverage for stroke diagnosis, care, and rehabilitation services.
Challenges remain––including structural gaps, uneven access, and a need for more preventive services. Still, Indonesia’s experience is instructive globally––showing that financing high-cost stroke care while expanding coverage is possible.
Read the full commentary by Muhammad Faruqi, Kee B. Park, and Asra Al Fauzi to learn more about Indonesia’s efforts and lessons for LMICs seeking to adjust their own universal coverage systems.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSWHO says Congo’s fast-moving Ebola outbreak started months before it was declared – AP
'Nobody is too far gone': Thunder Bay, Ont., woman in alcohol, addiction recovery calls for more resources – CBC
How hospital monopolies are driving up the cost of your health care – The Washington Post (gift link)
A midwife crosses 'maternity deserts' to make a difference for Black moms and babies – NPR
Lawrence O. Gostin and Peter Lurie: Dismantling Independent Science—The Supreme Court and Public Health Regulation – JAMA Network (commentary)
Living with leopards in the Himalayas – Knowable
‘Drops take seconds but change a life for ever’: the women saving India’s remotest people from polio – The Guardian
Issue No. 2961
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Global Health NOW: The Long Road to a New Flu Shot; and From the Ashes of Maui’s Fires, a New Health Model
August 10, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFBundibugyo Ebola cases in the DRC have surpassed 4,000 with no sign of slowing, as 1,850 deaths have been attributed to the outbreak; meanwhile, WHO vaccine experts have recommended a phase 3 human trial of the only existing approved Ebola vaccine, Ervebo, to see if it offers cross-protection against the Bundibugyo virus. Al Jazeera
Five of nine people in Louisiana infected with the flesh-eating bacterium Vibrio vulnificus have died this year, per the state’s health department, which is urging residents to take precautions; all nine cases were linked to wounds exposed to seawater. NBC
Researchers have used AI to create new, viable kinds of viruses not found in nature that were able to infect bacteria; the discovery raises concerns about the dangers of AI to enable the creation of dangerous pathogens, even as it opens up new possibilities for AI’s role in medical advances. The New York Times (gift link)
A loophole allowing food companies to put certain chemicals in their products without notifying U.S. food regulators under the label “generally recognized as safe” is slated to be changed in a plan unveiled this week by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Washington Post (gift link)
IN FOCUSDoctor administering vaccine to older patient during preventive check-up. Getty
The Long Road to a New Flu ShotThe U.S. has approved its first mRNA flu vaccine, Moderna’s mFLUSIVA—a major milestone that could make annual flu shots better matched for seasonal strains and allow scientists to more nimbly respond to the rapidly evolving virus, reports NPR.
Beyond the egg: Flu vaccines, which need to be redeveloped each year, have always faced limitations of time-lag: Traditional vaccines often rely on growing viruses in eggs, a months-long process that can leave the resulting vaccine mismatched to circulating strains that mutate faster than scientists can respond, per Vox via YahooNews.
In contrast, the genetic code carried by mRNA shots can be rapidly retooled, giving researchers more flexibility to chase a moving target—“a capacity we have not had before,” Georges C. Benjamin, chief executive of the American Public Health Association, told The New York Times (gift link).
Regulatory whiplash: While mFLUSIVA was rejected for review by the FDA in February, the agency reversed course days later, and an advisory panel unanimously found that the vaccine’s benefits outweighed its risks. The FDA has now approved it for adults 50 and older.
Halting progress: mRNA vaccine development in the U.S. continues to stall: Last year, the HHS canceled 22 such projects worth ~$500 million.
And a federal court has frozen the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, creating uncertainty over recommendations and insurance coverage for the newly approved shots.
Meanwhile, the EU is moving ahead, having authorized Moderna’s combined flu-COVID-19 vaccine in April.
“The United States invented this platform and is the only country walking away from it,” Johns Hopkins University RNA biologist Jeff Coller wrote in STAT (commentary).
After devastating wildfires swept through Maui in 2023, researchers wanted to investigate long-term health effects of fire exposure. But what began as a scientific study has since evolved into a vital health hub for residents of a rural island coping with limited access to specialty care.
Background: The Maui Wildfire Exposure Study, conducted by researchers with the University of Hawai‘i on O‘ahu, included regular screenings. For many participants, those health checks were the first in years.
Through the program, many ended up pursuing care for both acute and chronic conditions.
“The fires were a wake-up call to realize we just don’t have the infrastructure in place to prevent chronic conditions that were already pervasive in our community,” said Alika Maunakea, one of the study’s principal investigators.
Next steps: The group now hopes to create a nonprofit that combines research, health services, and disaster recovery support.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES OPPORTUNITYLessons on Youth Leadership and Intergenerational CollaborationHow do youth-led coalitions grow, adapt, and sustain their impact as leadership changes hands across generations?
Learn how in a webinar that brings together coalition leaders and youth advocates to reflect on the full life cycle of youth-led movements—from formation and growth to leadership transitions, evolution, and long-term sustainability. The webinar will also mark the launch of the PAI Coalition Building Toolkit.
Hosted by the International Conference on Family Planning and the William H. Gates Sr. Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, in collaboration with PAI.
August 13, 2026, 9–10 a.m. EDT
WHO Chief Says Warehouse Hit in Ukraine – Kyiv Post
What I saw in a week on the front line of Afghanistan’s hunger crisis – The Telegraph
Three midlife health factors could delay dementia by 13 years, study finds – Euronews
Testing is underway on vaccines to intercept brewing colon cancer before it takes root – CNN
U.S. disease tracker launches to strengthen monitoring of vaccine-preventable diseases – Johns Hopkins University via EurekAlert!
Peanut Allergy? Fecal Transplant Might Be A Solution, Pilot Trial Finds – U.S. News
Issue No. 2960
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Global Health NOW: Hazards of Investor-Driven Healthcare; and Farewell to GHN’s Editor-in-Chief
July 30, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFA study on gas stoves and asthma was curtailed by EPA funding cuts, but even partial results published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in Practice found that removing gas stoves from the participants’ homes led to fewer asthma attacks, emergency room visits, and missed days of work, while levels of nitrogen dioxide in their kitchens fell by 70%. The Washington Post (gift link)
Antibiotic prescription chatbot tools on hospital staffers’ phones are being deployed to help prevent drug-resistant infections in four hospitals across Kenya and Zambia that are a part of a pilot program through ASPIRE, which seeks to optimize antimicrobial stewardship. The Telegraph
A quarter of young Africans are optimistic that USAID cuts could have a positive impact in their home countries, forcing local leaders to solve problems, finds the African Youth Survey, which interviewed ~5,000 people across 16 countries. The Guardian
National scabies control programs in Solomon Islands and Fiji led to “substantial and sustained decreases” of the parasitic skin disease, finds a new study published in Nature Health; the mass drug administration of ivermectin resulted in drastic reductions of scabies as well as impetigo across all age groups in both countries. News Medical
EDITOR’S NOTEHeads Up: GHN’s Summer Break Next WeekWe’ll be taking a summer break from publishing GHN next week, August 3–7, to give our team some R&R time. We’ll be back on Monday, August 10, with more news! ––Dayna
IN FOCUSA member of staff exits the Madera Community Hospital, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2023, in Madera, California, on May 10, 2023. Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty
Hazards of Investor-Driven HealthcareThe hypothermia death of a patient at an Illinois hospital last year is just one portrait of widespread human risks increasingly associated with the financialization of healthcare, advocates say.
One person’s life: Last year, a patient at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan, Illinois, became disoriented and wandered to a rooftop, where she was stranded for hours in freezing temperatures before her death. Her family later learned she had been assigned a sitter out of safety concerns—but staffing furloughs instituted a week prior by the hospital’s for-profit owner, American Healthcare Systems, meant no sitter was available, per a Mother Jones investigation.
The bigger picture: The case reflects broader concerns that private equity and other investor-backed ownership models create pressure to cut costs at the expense of patient safety.
Earlier this month, a report by the Private Equity Stakeholder Project identified 500+ joint ventures between private equity and nonprofit healthcare providers, reports The Guardian.
But states are pushing back: This summer, Vermont became the latest state on a growing list pushing for greater regulatory powers over private equity in healthcare, per Quartz.
Further fears: Looming Medicaid cuts from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” set to be enacted next year are expected to increase financial pressure on hospitals, and the Medicare Rights Center has warned of blows to patient healthcare access and state budgets.
In hearings next week, senators will hear about the “on-the-ground reality of Medicaid cuts,” per Legis.
In the face of $28 billion in new costs, California has passed legislation requiring large corporations to pay a “Fair Share” contribution to the state’s safety net health coverage, Medi-Cal, per Mercury News (commentary; free registration required).
Related: Private equity might dodge state laws by partnering with healthcare nonprofits – Stateline
A NOTE FROM OUR EDITOR-IN-CHIEFBrian interviews a Soft Power Health clinic leader about the impact of U.S. government funding cuts on patients in Kyabirwa, Uganda, on July 4, 2025. Joanne Cavanaugh Simpson
Farewell, ReadersMy last day as GHN’s editor-in-chief will be August 24. (In GHN style, I lead with the key point first.)
After 25 thrilling, challenging years at the Bloomberg School, I am moving on to new opportunities. It’s been the great joy of my professional life to document the expansive landscape of public health challenges and the lifesaving efforts of so many dedicated people. Along the way, I’ve watched GHN grow from an email I’d send to a dozen or so office colleagues into a newsletter with 50,000+ subscribers in 170 countries.
GHN’s success is due to our amazingly talented team: Dayna, Annalies, Morgan, Kate, Jackie, and Melissa. Special thanks go to Dayna, GHN’s full-time managing editor. She shoulders much of the day-to-day work, ensuring that GHN remains an invaluable resource.
Finally, I want to thank you, our GHN readers, who have supported us for the past 12 years by giving us your time, attention, ideas, and financial support. Together, we’ve built a special community within the field of global health.
Knowing all of this will continue after I’ve moved on exceeds my most improbable hopes.
I still plan to work in global public health, so please stay in touch.
Thank you again,
Brian W. Simpson, MPH
Editor-in-Chief, Global Health NOW
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Buy It Some Peanuts and Cracker JacksThe scoreboard said Orioles vs. Tigers. But the real MVP Monday night at Detroit’s Comerica Park was an animal of the brighter-eyed and bushier-tailed variety.
In a nutshell: A “rogue” black squirrel scampered onto the field in the sixth inning and ran away with the game as it zigzagged to the infield and found an ally in Orioles third-base coach Buck Britton—who rewarded it with a few sunflower seeds, per USA Today.
It then went on a tear in the seventh, leading the entire grounds crew on a wild chase, flipping into and out of Leody Taveras’ glove, and earning its own riveting broadcast play-by-play before finally getting captured in a towel (to a stadium-wide chorus of boos) and escorted away.
“The whole squirrel thing was nuts,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said after the game, per The Baltimore Banner.
If you build it, they will come: This isn’t the first time a squirrel has scurried into the Tigers’ home park. Another furry free agent—or perhaps the same big-league hopeful—visited Comerica Park last season, rattling a Tigers reliever in the bullpen. Was an acorn misplaced? Or could it be time for a new Detroit mascot?
QUICK HITSIs it safe to drink Red Bull and vodka? Dubious research tied to the company has shaped energy drink policy. – The Examination
What a Legionnaires’ Outbreak Can Teach Us About Water Vigilance – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Most ‘Ovarian Cancer’ Isn’t. And That Fact Can Save Lives. – The New York Times (gift link)
Advancing oncology education in low-income and middle-income African settings: global insights for local action – The Lancet Oncology
Ten years after WHO recognition, mycetoma remains one of the world’s most neglected diseases – STAT (commentary)
Limiting sugar before the age of two could cut risk of dementia, study suggests – The Independent
The ‘Domino Chains’ Transforming Kidney Donation – Reasons to Be Cheerful
Issue No. XXXX
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Global Health NOW: Ongoing U.S. Vaccine Volatility; and Support Networks Take Root in Nigeria
July 29, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFAn mpox outbreak has grown to 3,000+ cases and killed 20 in Madagascar, where the virus’s clade 1b strain has hit several coastal city commercial hubs; ~65% of mpox tests carried out in the country have been positive—a sign that many cases may be going undetected. The Telegraph
Europe is off-track from its 2030 target to eliminate viral hepatitis, with the European CDC pointing to “gaps in prevention”; the region has made steady progress, however, with hepatitis B prevalence now at near-zero levels among children under 5. News Medical
The WHO has updated leishmaniasis treatment guidelines for eastern Africa and South-East Asia, recommending new regimens that “significantly improve patient care,” including alternatives to the longstanding regional protocol that uses sodium stibogluconate, a drug that requires painful daily injections and causes severe side effects. WHO (news release)
The American Red Cross has declared a national blood supply crisis for the second time in its history as blood donations fell to a four-year summer low, the organization announced this week; worsened donor turnout has likely been driven by extreme heat, poor air quality, and outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, the Red Cross said. The Washington Post (gift link)
IN FOCUSCallum Diaz-Cheng, 3 (left), and Aevin Lee, 2 (right), play while waiting for their vaccinations at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles, with physicians Andrew Cheng and Jennifer Su nearby. June 21, 2022. Wesley Lapointe/Los Angeles Times via Getty
Ongoing U.S. Vaccine VolatilityThe outlook for vaccine policy in the U.S. remains in flux as the White House pushes for sweeping changes even as state legislators, court rulings, congressional resistance, and polling indicate pushback against an anti-vaccination agenda.
International outlook: The State Department will release ~$600 million that Congress appropriated months ago for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Sen. Susan Collins announced yesterday, per Politico; the disbursement comes after Kennedy sought to delay the funding over criticisms of Gavi.
Federal outlook: After a federal judge paused the Trump administration’s efforts to narrow the routine childhood immunization schedule, recent reporting suggests that President Trump pushed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be more aggressive in rolling back vaccine requirements—despite polling showing vaccine cutbacks are politically risky ahead of the midterms, per The Guardian.
State outlook: Vaccine-related laws were a fixture in state legislative sessions this year, with ~400 bills introduced—including 200+ across 34 states that aimed to weaken vaccination rules or systems, per an analysis by The New York Times (gift link).
Playground outlook: Meanwhile, parents are proving to be some of the more vocal advocates for childhood vaccinations: A paper published last week in PLOS One found that 36% of U.S. parents in a nationally representative study reported advocating that other parents vaccinate their children, while 12% discouraged other parents from vaccinating, reports CIDRAP.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DISABILITYSupport Networks Take Root in NigeriaIn Nigeria, people with Down syndrome and other disabilities and their families have long endured isolation and discrimination, with few resources or cultural support.
But that is slowly changing, as advocates nurture growing peer support communities, which are also beginning to push for greater institutional change.
A 2024 national assessment of disability inclusion in Nigeria found that longstanding systemic barriers have prevented “full participation in national life” for many with disabilities.
And in many regions, beliefs that disabilities are caused by curses or witchcraft persist.
Strengthening supports: Groups formed in the last few years, including GlowingStar Empowerment Initiative and Development, aim to connect families, provide public education, and push for policy change like more inclusive schools, affordable healthcare, and bolstered caregiver support.
MINI POLLHow do you feel about the geographical balance in GHN?
QUICK HITSActivists and leaders at global HIV meeting decry price of prevention drug – Science
Lancet Report Recommends Paradigm Shift in Care for Older Adults with HIV – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Six key issues we’re watching at Fauci’s hearing – STAT
FDA official says food supply is safe as cyclosporiasis cases climb – The New York Times (gift link)
Trump Has Quietly Throttled an Agency Devoted to the Safety of American Healthcare – KFF Health News
Temps are predicted to hit 106 in Egypt this week. How do people stay cool? – NPR (comic)
Issue No. 2598
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Global Health NOW: The New Normal of an Old Threat; and Vital Strategies’ Mary-Ann Etiebet on Global Health’s Fundamentals
July 28, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFA severe drought in Eastern Uganda has caused crop failures that have led to 19 deaths from hunger; the government announced plans to distribute 9,400 tons of emergency food supplies over the next two months. The Guardian
A cheery Barclays research note recently advised investors on profit opportunities from the “super” El Niño weather cycle, which is predicted to cause extreme weather events that may leave 100 million people hungry. TBIJ
Fewer adolescent participants in a key U.S. mental health study reported using tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana last year—continuing a positive trend among 12- to 17-year-olds. AP
U.K. industrial farms that raise chickens have led to a dangerous increase in the Campylobacter bacterium—a common cause of diarrhea, according to a study published yesterday in PNAS; the crowded industrial conditions are fostering antimicrobial resistance. The Independent
IN FOCUSParkside Pediatrics provider, Nathan Heffington, preps in full PPE gear to asses a patient with measles symptoms. Spartanburg, South Carolina, January 30. The Washington Post
The New Normal of an Old ThreatAs the U.S. marked its highest measles case count in 35 years last week, American doctors are voicing frustration as they grapple with the resurgence of a preventable virus, per Reuters via AOL.
The overview: 2,300+ cases have been confirmed so far this year, as of July 24—with nearly all of the confirmed cases in unvaccinated or undervaccinated people, per a July 22 analysis from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s International Vaccine Access Center.
That number already outpaces last year’s total measles cases—and jeopardizes the U.S.’s measles elimination status, to be determined later this year.
“The significance of reaching this milestone is that the US has not been able to stop measles virus transmission or outbreaks as it has in the past,” William Moss, IVAC’s executive director, told DW—adding that the virus is spreading between communities in the U.S., rather than being limited to infections brought in from abroad.
The frontline view: In a series of powerful interviews with Amy Maxmen for KFF Health News, six Utah doctors describe treating unvaccinated children hospitalized for measles, and the complexities of discussing the virus and vaccines with parents.
“I wish that people could see what I see,” says Nathan Money, a hospital pediatrician in Utah. “I see what happens when things go poorly… And the child is terrified, and the parents are scared that their child might die.”
The long view: With an unavoidable need for more therapeutic tools amid declining vaccination, researchers and biotech companies are stepping up efforts to develop measles-specific treatments, including monoclonal antibodies and antiviral drugs, reports WIRED.
GHN EXCLUSIVE Q&AVital Strategies CEO Mary-Ann Etiebet speaks to the UN General Assembly foreign policy panel in September 2025. Courtesy: Vital Strategies
Vital Strategies’ Mary-Ann Etiebet on Global Health’s FundamentalsShe calls it her “baptism by fire.”
Mary-Ann Etiebet took charge of the global public health organization Vital Strategies just months before the U.S. government upended global health last year. The CEO says the cuts have cost lives and livelihoods, and caused “tectonic plate shifting in global health and global health financing.”
They have also created an opportunity for global health “to move away from a scarcity mindset, where we’re all fighting over a slice of the pie.” Instead, she argues, it’s time to find ways to increase the pie.
Takeaways from her Q&A with GHN:
“If governments enact health taxes to increase the price of tobacco, alcohol, and sugary beverages by 50% globally, in five years, we could get $3.7 trillion. This could support up to 40% of national health budgets in low- and middle-income countries.”
Such health taxes have a “triple win effect: raising revenue, reducing healthcare burden, and saving lives.”
Investment in noncommunicable diseases is lacking because “most of the NCD data is all modeling and estimates.” Developing national data systems like birth and death registries would yield reliable data that would be “harder to ignore,” she says.
After PCOS became PMOS, there’s hope for new awareness among Black and Latina women – STAT
When spit hoods are used on children, troubling patterns emerge – The Seattle Times
Trump administration demands hospitals share emergency room records – KFF Health News
AI helps Stanford scientists discover “natural Ozempic” without the usual side effects – Stanford Medicine
Study links heavy TV watching to brain changes tied to Alzheimer’s – The Hill
International PhD students to face strict limits on time in the US – Nature
Issue No. 2597
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Global Health NOW: Hope and Headwinds in the HIV Fight; and Unlocking the Medical Potential of Menstrual Blood
July 27, 2026
NEWS IN BRIEFMore health workers have gone on strike at a treatment center in the Ebola epicenter of eastern Congo, demanding pay as the rapidly growing outbreak nears ~3,000 confirmed cases and 1,300+ deaths. AP
Migraine-related ER visits increase during periods of wildfire smoke, finds a study published Friday in JAMA in which Canadian researchers analyzed ~1 million emergency visits for migraine conditions between 2010 and 2023 and saw a 6% uptick in such visits during periods of smoke-filled air. CBC
Baltimore is expanding its 911 dispatch to include “wraparound support” for crises that may not require EMS or police response, including connection to mobile crisis teams for people in mental health distress and emergency housing support; the service will be funded by opioid-related legal settlements. NPR
Restricted eating windows could be linked to a reduced dementia risk, per a new pilot study presented at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting, which found that cognitive skills were improved in older women who restricted their eating to an 8–9-hour window and avoided eating four hours before bed, compared with participants who spread their meals across ~12 hours. The Independent
IN FOCUSA nurse prepares to inject a patient with lenacapavir on June 8, at Paulina Morapeli Clinic in Embalenhle township outside Secunda, South Africa. Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty
Hope and Headwinds in the HIV FightThe world’s largest scientific conference on HIV/AIDS kicks off this week at an inflection point in the decades-long fight against the virus: The promise of wider PrEP access is rapidly brightening the outlook in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. At the same time, funding cuts and political shifts threaten to undermine years of progress.
That tension was on full display at the 26th International AIDS Conference yesterday in Rio de Janeiro, where health activists protested U.S. PEPFAR disruptions and U.S. officials acknowledged a need to continue reaching at-risk populations.
Pivotal moment for PrEP: Merck announced last week that it licensed seven generic manufacturers to produce a low-cost version of its investigational monthly PrEP pill, alimatravir, for 129 LMICs, reports The New York Times (gift link).
The decision could rapidly expand access to the pill in those countries if late-stage clinical trials succeed.
Progress meets political disruption: Such innovations come as progress has stalled on cutting HIV infection rates. There were 1.2 million new HIV infections in 2025, per UNAIDS, while recent analyses show PrEP initiation fell sharply in several high-burden countries amid reductions in U.S. and other donor funding.
U.S. under scrutiny: Meanwhile, a U.S. government session outlining the country’s new “America First Global Health Strategy” was interrupted by HIV activists blowing whistles and chanting, “You lie, people die,” reports Health Policy Watch.
At the session, U.S. officials acknowledged that despite the recent focus on treatment for mothers and babies, ending the epidemic requires reaching “all people at risk”—including key populations.
“We can’t forget any group because if we do, we will fail,” said Rebecca Bunnell, deputy head of implementing PEPFAR.
Related:
Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean helped build the future of HIV prevention. But will they be able to benefit from it? – Unitaid (commentary)
She Wasn’t Supposed to Survive. Her Fight Saved Thousands – Haaretz
Kenyan Professor Kenneth Ngure Elected President of the International AIDS Society in Brazil – Africa Science News
DATA POINT300,000
—————
Drowning deaths worldwide each year—most preventable, and 90%+ in LMICs. Ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day yesterday, the WHO released a technical package of seven strategies to reduce drowning deaths; the framework is being launched in Ghana, where ~three people die each day from drowning. —WHO (news release)
An emerging field of study and innovation is stemming from a long-discarded biological resource: menstrual blood.
A growing number of researchers and biotech companies are exploring the potential of such blood samples as a tool for understanding fertility, diagnosing disease, and studying the body’s healing systems.
Recent developments include:
A system that collects and analyzes blood from used tampons, creating a “liquid biopsy” without invasive procedures.
A self-collection kit that uses a tampon to screen for HPV.
An FDA-approved pad used for hemoglobin A1c monitoring.
A menstrual cup used for endometriosis diagnosis.
Broader insights: Researchers are also studying whether menstruation may provide a “blueprint” for the body’s response to inflammation and tissue repair.
OPPORTUNITY Conference: Tending to the Public Health WorkforceJoin the National Network of Public Health Institutes in lively Nashville, Tennessee, August 24–26, 2026, for their annual public health workforce development conference, Open Forum: Next Generation.
Students get a discounted rate of $375 for the entire conference.
Register now and secure your room by July 29!
Ebola Thrives in DR Congo’s Chaos. The World May Soon Pay the Price – Newsweek
Yemen’s health workers race to halt latest outbreak of deadly dengue fever – Al Jazeera
Gaza: Dialysis patients face gruelling hospital journey by donkey cart – UN News
Todd R. Lawrence and Madison A. Kesler: E-bikes, e-scooters are a burgeoning pediatric public health emergency – STAT (commentary)
NIH is again terminating grants that the Trump administration dislikes – Science
Trump “public charge” rule resets health test for green cards – Axios
Grocery Shopping in the Age of Explosive Diarrhea – The New Yorker
Issue No. 2596
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Global Health NOW: The Deeper Dynamics of the Peptide Debate; and How the U.S. Is Exporting Anti-Abortion Politics
July 23, 2026
IN FOCUSA sign for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's White Oak campus in Silver Spring, Maryland, is seen through a prism on April 8, 2025. Maansi Srivastava/The Washington Post via Getty
The Deeper Dynamics of the Peptide DebateThe future of peptide drugs in the U.S. will be under scrutiny as an FDA advisory panel convenes today and tomorrow to review the safety of the increasingly popular products.
But the stakes go beyond peptides themselves: The meetings also reflect broader tensions over the future of federal health policy and the role of regulatory groups in the Trump administration. Scientists warn that traditional vetting processes are being compromised by the interests of a rapidly growing wellness industry that has received significant support from health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—who appointed panel members with deep industry ties, reports CNN.
Background: The panel of experts will weigh whether compounding pharmacies should be allowed to produce seven injectable peptides that have surged in popularity through an online “gray” marketplace,” despite limited evidence proving their safety and efficacy in humans, reports Axios.
Peptides are short chains of amino acids used for a variety of health products, including some well-established medicines like insulin and GLP-1 drugs.
But the compounds under review—including BPC-157, TB-500, and MOTs-C—are largely promoted for wellness, recovery, longevity, and weight management, and have not been subject to significant human clinical trials.
Collision course: While supporters argue allowing compounding would move patients away from an unregulated online market and into physician-supervised care, the FDA’s own briefing documents warn there is a lack of evidence to justify their usage, reports NPR.
And FDA leadership rejecting the advice of its own internal scientists could set a precedent that “undermines their authority and consistency,” said Paul Knoepfler, cell and molecular biologist at the University of California, Davis.
The Trump administration is seeking to overhaul U.S. priorities in scientific research by shifting funding away from universities toward private companies and individual researchers, and by putting more focus on AI, robotics, and nuclear energy instead of “life sciences,” the administration’s science adviser Michael Kratsios told the House yesterday. The New York Times (gift link)
A Ukrainian warehouse of HIV prevention products was destroyed by a Russian missile strike Sunday; the warehouse held 62 million prevention items including syringes, needles, and condoms intended for harm reduction programs for 300,000+ people in the country, which has one of the highest HIV burdens in Europe. The Telegraph
4 million+ people lost federal food assistance in the U.S. between July 2025 and March this year—including 1.5 million+ children—after the passage last year of the One Big Beautiful Bill, per an analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The Washington Post (gift link)
Pending tobacco restrictions in Indonesia are receiving pushback from tobacco groups in the country, who say the regulations—which include plain packaging and nicotine and tar limits—will lead to industry “collapse” if they go into effect next week as planned. WTVB
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTSHow the U.S. Is Exporting Anti-Abortion PoliticsThe Trump administration’s restrictions on U.S. funding for abortion-related organizations have marked a pivotal shift, potentially affecting up to $30 billion in aid.
But the new policies build on years of efforts by U.S. anti-abortion groups to shape reproductive policies in Africa.
Mounting funding and opposition: 17 U.S. anti-abortion nonprofits spent $25 million+ in Africa between 2019–2024, per an analysis by the Institute for Journalism and Social Change.
Reproductive health workers and health advocates across Africa report increased harassment, legal threats, and support for new policies limiting reproductive rights, including a draft African Union charter rejecting some sexual and reproductive health protections.
And maternal risks rise: Already, sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s highest rates of maternal deaths and unsafe abortions, with 6 million+ unsafe abortions reported annually.
Related: Trump team is pulling funds from sex ed groups that don’t teach abstinence and the value of marriage – The Independent
OPPORTUNITY From Pregnancy to Practice: Infrastructure for Rural Health ResearchJoin Bloomberg School and West Virginia University School of Public Health investigators for a virtual discussion highlighting important topics in rural health.
The August 3 seminar will feature the Mountain Mama & Baby Cohort Study as a case study in cardiovascular health in pregnancy and expand into broader discussions of rural health research infrastructure.
Topics include:
Strategies for recruiting representative samples
Building sustainable community-engaged studies
Leveraging existing resources for collaborative research
Monday, August 3, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., EST
All levels of experience and interest in rural health research are welcome.
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Jimothy Cricket!At any given moment, the internet needs a famous animal we can all get behind—and right now it’s Jimothy.
Two weeks ago, the deformed-but-spry raccoon was unknown “beyond the bins of an area of Seattle,” The Guardian notes. Now, he’s a hometown hero being cheered at Mariners games, muse, and the inspiration behind “Jimothy Summer.”
What’s in a name? “He looked like a Jimothy,” explained Kiana Hall, who captured him in a wildly viral 5-second video. And she was 100% right, gifting the world not only a creature we can’t stop watching, but a name we can’t stop saying.
With his cheeky scamper, Jimothy has been likened to mythical creatures like cryptids and chupacabras—or as one Instagrammer put it: “Me getting out the shower when I forget my towel.”
And if you thought nothing could be cuter than Jimothy … there’s baby Jimothy! An unbearably adorable origin-story video captures the pre-fame raccoon growing up in a loving family among some cedar trees, as an early fan foreshadows his enduring je ne sais quoi.
“You’ve got it,” she assured him. “Whatever it is.”
QUICK HITSCongo: Ebola deaths increase to over 1,000 – DW
Climate change has intensified Europe's risk of drought, scientists say – France 24
Africa still vulnerable to pandemics despite improved preparedness – Nigerian Tribune
US FDA says it is investigating another cyclosporiasis outbreak – Reuters
Sex work or starve: Aid workers in Nepal left jobless by USAID cuts turn to sex work to survive – AP
Issue No. 2595
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Global Health NOW: How PEPFAR Disruption Derailed the HIV Fight; and Aedes-borne Diseases, Crisis, and Opportunity
July 22, 2026
IN FOCUSThembelani Mbatha, 23, holds a bottle of lenacapavir after being injected with the new HIV prevention drug on June 8, at Paulina Morapeli Clinic in Embalenhle, South Africa. Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty
How PEPFAR Disruption Derailed the HIV FightDisruptions to the PEPFAR program last year significantly weakened global HIV prevention and treatment efforts, creating gaps that could trigger yearslong cascading effects, finds a new report released by amFAR.
The report is the first large survey of organizations that previously received PEPFAR funding—166 groups across 46 countries—and offers an early snapshot of how upended funding has led to “widespread degradation” of interconnected programs, impacting every point of service, reports the AP.
“With HIV and infectious disease, each day is deadly. Each day that we don’t have those systems in place, you see new infections,” said Jennifer Sherwood, amfAR’s director of research and public policy.
Key findings, per The New York Times (gift link):
Access lost: 1,700+ HIV clinics and service sites have shuttered, and 6,000+ staff positions have been cut.
Most at risk, most impacted: Deepest cuts were to services for key populations, including sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender people, and people who inject drugs.
Core care eroded: Respondents reported diminished HIV treatment, testing, and prevention of mother-to-child transmission, despite U.S. guidance that such core programs continue.
Prevention pushed off course: PrEP programs and condom distribution also declined sharply.
Local impact: Local organizations were more likely than international groups to lose funding.
Recommendations to restore care: With the report slated for presentation at the International AIDS Society conference next week, amFAR called for the reinstatement of U.S. support for all HIV services and pushed for other national governments to spend more.
But: Rebuilding HIV services and restoring community trust could take years, even if funding returns, researchers said.
2,295 U.S. measles cases have been reported so far this year, outpacing last year’s total of 2,286, per a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health measles tracker that draws from state and local health data; this year’s case count is the highest in 35 years. Axios
A doctor-led fraud ring in India claimed snakebites as the cause of death for people who had actually died from suicide, heart attacks, and other causes; the forgery scam sought to take advantage of a government program meant to compensate families who lost loved ones to snakebites, said investigators who arrested 17 people. News18 India
Childhood malaria chemoprevention programs in Africa’s highest-burden countries could yield billions of dollars in “societal net benefits,” per a new study published in the Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis; the medication reduces malaria morbidity and mortality among school-aged children while also curbing absenteeism, leading to improved literacy. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
The Trump administration will freeze $1 billion+ in Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota over alleged fraud concerns, officials announced Tuesday—the second time the two blue states have had Medicaid funds halted due to alleged fraud. The Hill
GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY“The dengue narrative needs to shift. … It can no longer be seen just as a second-tier health issue behind malaria.”
——————————
—Michael B. Macdonald in Global Health NOW
Dengue, described at the turn of the century as “an environmental plague for the new millennium,” is living up to the name.
Sri Lanka is battling its worst outbreak in nearly a decade, dispatching military drones to track stagnant pools of water on rooftops, per The Straits Times.
In India, where dengue used to be a seasonal disease confined to monsoon season, outbreaks are becoming “a year-round scourge,” per Gavi.
And now, more than half the world’s population is now at risk, as dengue transmission—fueled by climate change, urbanization, and population mobility—has exploded. Yet Aedes-borne diseases like dengue and chikungunya draw far less attention and funding than other diseases, such as malaria and HIV, writes Michael Macdonald in a commentary for GHN.
Momentum for change: The Asia Dengue Summit, held last month in Singapore, marks a shift from a regional movement into a global call to action and sets a framework for solutions.
READ THE FULL COMMENTARY BY MICHAEL B. MACDONALD READ THE FULL COMMENTARY BY MICHAEL B. MACDONALD OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSVenezuela confirms 3 people have died of hantavirus infections, with 2 more deaths suspected – AP
Africa CDC urges U.S. to lift Uganda Ebola travel restrictions – Africanews
Pandemic detour leads to clues about a mysterious disease – Michigan State University / MSU Today
‘If all else fails, sue’: how ultra-processed food firms are using the courts to obstruct health rules – The Guardian
Magic mushrooms may reshape the brain long after the trip ends – University of California – San Francisco via ScienceDaily
Issue No. 2594
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Global Health NOW: War’s Continued Toll on Gaza’s Women and Children; and Recruiting Fish in the Battle Against Schistosomiasis
July 21, 2026
TOP STORIESGlobal road injuries and deaths have fallen by nearly a third from 1990 to 2023, per a study published yesterday in Lancet Public Health; but traffic crashes still led to +1.1 million deaths last year. AP
A healthy diet is beyond the financial reach of 2.7 billion people, according to an annual UN report published yesterday, though global hunger fell for the third year in a row; the authors said countries must subsidize dairy, fruits, and vegetables rather than cereals and starchy foods. The Guardian
India’s drug regulator has approved the country’s first dengue vaccine after reviewing a phase 3 trial that included 20,000+ participants in eight countries; Takeda Pharmaceutical had partnered in 2024 with India’s Biological E to manufacture 100 million doses annually of the QDENGA vaccine by 2030. The Telegraph
U.S. universities that lost research grants may have a better chance of getting them back after a federal judge’s July 17 ruling that the Trump administration cannot rescind active grants because of a shift in the government’s priorities. Science
IN FOCUSA girl fills containers with water drawn from the leftovers of underground pipes at a camp for people displaced by war in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City on July 6. Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP via Getty
War’s Continued Toll on Gaza’s Women and ChildrenThe ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reshaped daily life for women and children in the enclave, as both struggle to help their families survive amid the collapse of infrastructure and public institutions.
Children forced into work: Aid groups say extreme poverty has driven many children into hard labor—hauling water, selling food, or scavenging for materials—to earn money for their families, reports The Independent.
With ~85% of schools destroyed, 625,000+ children have been out of formal education for three years. And the proportion of children 10–17 engaged in hard labor has risen 5X+ compared to pre-war levels.
Health workers report rising injuries and long-term physical and mental harm; meanwhile, UNICEF warns prolonged absence from school increases the risk of dropping out.
Women bear water crisis: At the same time, a new Oxfam briefing finds women and girls in Gaza have been especially impacted by the destruction of water, sanitation, and hygiene services in the enclave, with lack of safe water complicating pregnancy, menstrual hygiene, and caregiving, per ReliefWeb:
Women are forced to journey long distances and wait hours in unsafe conditions to fetch just a few liters of water.
Related: MSF demands Israel release detained Palestinian healthcare workers – Al Jazeera
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ONE HEALTHRecruiting Fish in the Battle Against SchistosomiasisResearchers in Senegal are testing whether raising fish in rice fields can reduce the parasitic disease schistosomiasis, while also boosting crop yields and food security.
How it works: African bonytongue fish prey on the freshwater snails that carry the schistosomiasis-causing parasitic worm, while tilapia provide natural fertilizer through their waste, potentially boosting rice yields without costly chemical fertilizers. Farmers can also harvest the fish for food or income.
Early promise: A pilot study where the fish were raised in rice fields found the approach suppressed snail populations and increased rice yields by ~25%, though researchers say larger studies are needed to confirm lasting health and agricultural benefits.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSThe resistance gene that’s causing ‘nightmares’ in US hospitals – CIDRAP
#Aids2026: What The Polygamist gets wrong about HIV — and what would save lives in real life – Bhekisisa (commentary)
This Lifesaving Genetics Tool Works Best if You’re White – The New York Times (gift link)
‘Cancer Doesn't Care What Party You Belong To’: Poisoned Water Is Turning This Rural State Bluer – Politico
New study finds avocado oil products may contain cheaper oils – NPR Thanks for the tip, Xiaodong Cai!
‘Heat deaths are not inevitable’: WHO pushes Europe to heat‑proof its hospitals – UN Wire
The squad of motorbike-riding women fighting wildfires in the jungle – The Telegraph
Issue No. 2593
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Global Health NOW: As Aid Cuts Deepen, Countries Rush to Adapt; and How Big Soda Leveraged the World Cup Spotlight
July 20, 2026
IN FOCUS As Aid Cuts Deepen, Countries Rush to AdaptThe U.K. has outlined deep cutbacks to its overseas aid budget, with some of the steepest reductions hitting sub-Saharan African nations over the next three years: Malawi, Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania will each face aid cuts of ~90% by 2029, reports The Independent.
While officials say the goal is to move to “partnerships rather than paternalism,” aid groups and researchers warn that the drastic, abrupt shift could have devastating, immediate consequences for health, education, and humanitarian programs.
“It is just too sudden, too soon,” Saskia Osendarp with the NGO Micronutrient Forum told Science.
A new aid paradigm: The massive cuts from both the U.K. and the U.S. last year are rapidly reshaping sub-Saharan Africa’s health sectors, forcing countries to experiment with new funding models in both public and private sectors.
“We’re in a phase between the old order and a new order,” said Dan Banik, a researcher with the University of Oslo who studies the role of aid in the region, per another article in Science.
Malawi presents a case study of such adaptation, as external donors have for years funded over half of the country’s health spending.
The country is seeking new models for its health sector—from grassroots initiatives like the construction of a community-funded clinic in central Malawi to longer-term government reforms including taxes for a national health fund.
But such efforts will take time and will not fully offset the rapid loss of external support during the transition, say Malawi health officials.
Related: In Malawi, funding cuts hold back medical help from above – Development + Cooperation
TOP STORIESSeven U.S. aid workers have been quarantined in the U.S.-run facility in Kenya after responding to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC, though none are reporting symptoms, reports The Washington Post (gift link); meanwhile, Uganda is calling on countries to lift travel restrictions to the nation after its last Ebola patient was discharged last week, per The Guardian.
Spain’s largest wildfire is burning for a fifth day in the country’s central Guadalajara province, forcing the evacuation of ~1,000 residents as forecasters warn of increased fire risks throughout the country as another heat wave looms. Reuters via AOL
A third death from Legionnaires’ disease has been reported amid an outbreak in New York City that has led to at least 74 cases; the city’s health department says the source of the bacteria has been eliminated but that anyone who spent time in affected areas and develops flu-like symptoms should seek medical attention. ABC
The source of the Cyclospora outbreak in the U.S. remains unclear, as the FDA announced yesterday that a re-review of lettuce samples from Taylor Farms—which already issued a widespread recall of lettuce products—produced a false positive for the parasite, meaning as of yesterday that “there are no confirmed positive sample results for product testing for Cyclospora.” NBC
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES OBESITYHow Big Soda Leveraged the World Cup SpotlightCoca-Cola’s sponsorship of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup allowed the company to use branded replay and clip videos and social media campaigns that vastly expanded the company’s reach beyond live matches—including to children, say researchers calling for more regulation over what they described as “sportswashing,” per Medical Xpress.
“By aligning its brand with athletic excellence, Coca-Cola perpetuates a false sense of health and legitimacy that directly contradicts what sport represents,” said Nalin Singh Negi, lead author of a Vital Strategies study on the World Cup sponsorship.
A separate analysis found that most news coverage of Coca-Cola’s 2024 Paris Olympics sponsorship was favorable and rarely addressed public health risks.
Vital Strategies’ findings were presented at the International Congress on Obesity in Mexico City last week. The conference convened researchers, clinicians, and policymakers to discuss efforts to curb Mexico’s obesity rates, including recent tax hikes on sugar-sweetened beverages, front-of-package warning labeling, tactics to reduce stigma, and new medical care protocols.
PAHO and the Organization of American States also presented new regional school guidelines to promote healthy eating and physical activity in school settings, designed with ministries of health and education across the Americas.
Violence repeatedly erupts in dementia care despite warnings, inspections show – NPR
Doctors ‘Cringe’ at Possibility of Documenting Which Medicaid Enrollees Too Sick To Work – KFF Health News
Climate Change Hits Women Hardest. It's Time Our Solutions Reflected That. – Ms. Magazine
'No more families should endure this' - parents of student who died from MenB back new vaccine advice – BBC
Quitting smoking is hard. A Medicare change may push doctors to give more help – STAT
Trump administration ends dozens of grants for studying patient care – Science
How to keep the air inside your home clean during wildfires – AP
Issue No. 2952
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Global Health NOW: Gradual, Vulnerable Vaccine Gains; and New Alzheimer’s Insights
July 16, 2026
TOP STORIESFrance’s parliament adopted an intensely debated right-to-die bill yesterday, supporting assisted dying for adults with incurable illnesses; the bill is slated to undergo review by France’s Constitutional Council before it can take effect. France24
More health workers in the DRC have gone on strike claiming a lack of pay amid the region’s ongoing Ebola outbreak, which has now exceeded ~2,000 cases and led to 754 deaths, per the AP; meanwhile a hospital in Uganda is set to discharge the country’s last known Ebola patient, triggering a 42-day countdown after which it could be declared free of the virus, reports Reuters.
The link between multiple sclerosis and the Epstein-Barr virus is becoming better understood, as researchers were able to show how the virus triggers the immune system in a study published today in Science Translational Medicine; researchers also demonstrated how an immunotherapy treatment can prevent relapses and slow disease progression. Nature
Reducing ultra-processed foods could help prevent thousands of heart disease deaths, finds a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, which suggests between 23%–38% of heart disease deaths could be attributable to UPF consumption. The Guardian
IN FOCUSA nurse administers the cholera vaccine to a child in Sudan's Gedaref city on November 20, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
Gradual, Vulnerable Vaccine GainsGlobal childhood vaccination rates continue to gradually recover after their steep pandemic dropoff—but rates are still far off the pace needed to meet global immunization goals, and could further unravel under global health funding cuts, the annual WHO-UNICEF immunization report finds.
"Millions of vulnerable children are still being left unprotected due to conflict, displacement, and poverty,” said UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell.
Key takeaways: ~13.5 million children remained “zero-dose” in 2025, meaning they missed all routine vaccinations. That number is down ~750,000 from the previous year, but still well above pre-pandemic levels. And it is ~4 million off the 2025 milestone needed to meet the global goal of halving the number of unvaccinated children by 2030, reports The Independent.
Conflict, poverty, displacement, and rapid population growth are the key barriers, as more than half of zero-dose children live in fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable settings.
Uneven progress: WHO also warned that growing numbers of children start vaccine schedules but fail to complete them, contributing to stalled measles coverage and renewed outbreaks, per Health Policy Watch.
Globally, 7.3 million infants are estimated to have received their first DTP dose, but dropped out before receiving their first measles dose.
Looming impact of aid cuts: The 2025 data sets also do not yet reflect major international funding cuts. Already, though, surveillance systems “are themselves showing strain,” the report found.
Sudan’s bright spot: Despite ongoing conflict, Sudan recorded the largest improvement globally last year, “demonstrating what is possible” when access is improved, per the report.
Meanwhile in the U.S.: Vaccine policy remained in focus on Capitol Hill as senators led by Sen. Bill Cassidy sharply questioned CDC director nominee Erica Schwartz, who sidestepped queries about whether the agency would maintain scientific independence under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., reports Reuters.
Cassidy also confronted Sean Kaufman, who has been tapped to lead the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, over Kaufman’s previous vaccine-skeptical posts and doubts over mRNA research, reports CIDRAP.
New Alzheimer’s research is continuing to uncover new clues about the disease, as scientists seek more ways to understand risk, identify the disease sooner, and refine treatment routes.
The research, much of which was presented this week at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London, demonstrates the growing emphasis on earlier, more personalized approaches to preventing and slowing the disease.
Better understanding risk: A blood test measuring a biomarker called p-tau217 could help identify symptom-free older adults at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s years before cognitive problems appear, reports the AP. The study, which was published in JAMA, drew results from long-running studies of 2,684 older adults.
For now, researchers view the early test primarily as a way to recruit participants for prevention trials rather than as a routine screening tool.
New pathways to treatment: An experimental drug might help slow early Alzheimer’s disease by lowering levels of the brain protein tau, per another report by the AP. While further tests are needed, the Biogen drug, diranersen, could introduce a different approach than the medications lecanemab and donanebab, which clear buildup of the better-known amyloid protein.
Related: New WHO guidelines: up to 45% of dementia risk could be prevented or delayed – WHO
SURVEYWhat do you think of GHN’s frequency (Monday–Thursday)?
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Peanut Butter and LegacyIt’s hard enough spreading peanut butter evenly on a PB&J sandwich.
Now imagine being asked to evenly spread 800 lbs of the stuff—enough for 15,000 sandwiches—across a 25-meter hexagon.
Punishment? Nay! An honor of the highest artistic order—and also “a lot of work,” admitted one PB-worker who helped to spread the piece on a museum floor in honor of its creator, the Dutch conceptual artist Wim T. Schippers, who died last month, AP reports.
To spread the love, Schippers left behind instructions for replicating Pindakaasvloer, or peanut butter floor: “No one is supposed to stand in, or lie down on the peanut butter,” he ordered. But visitors at the latest installation have already trodden on the work and dropped their phones in it, according to Dutch News.
Schippers’ Floor Covering Series also included one covered in glass shards and salt. A warning to vandals: If you step on that one, the joke’s on you.
QUICK HITSDengue outbreak complicates Bangladesh measles crisis response – The Telegraph
U.S. military will test service members’ testosterone levels, Pete Hegseth says – NBC News
Are Microplastics Linked To Higher Heart Attack Risk? – U.S. News & World Report
Parkinson’s drastically changed how they have sex. They're not alone. – USA Today
Lawmakers want to make daylight-saving time permanent — health experts say that's precisely the wrong idea – Business Insider
Medici family mystery may be solved after more than 400 years with new DNA analysis – CNN
Issue No. 2951
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Global Health NOW: Pushback Against Big Tobacco’s Political Boost; and Fun, Games, and Prevention
July 15, 2026
TOP STORIESMany of DRC’s newly reported Ebola deaths are people who died in their communities without ever receiving care—a “most alarming finding,” per the WHO, which warned that a majority of new cases are coming from “unknown chains of transmission,” as the toll for the fastest-growing outbreak ever approaches 2,000 confirmed cases and 700+ deaths. UN Wire
221 people have died in Nigeria’s Lassa fever outbreak, which has spread to 23 of the nation’s 36 states, per the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention; the case fatality rate of the outbreak is now 24%, with people ages 21–30 the most affected. CIDRAP
A tuberculosis outbreak at an ICE facility in Colorado has sickened ~12 people, and dozens of others have reportedly been placed in quarantine without air conditioning, per detainee accounts; another outbreak was reported in the same facility last spring. The Guardian
A U.S. appeals court has revived hundreds of lawsuits claiming links between acetaminophen usage during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental disorders; a lower court had previously thrown out the suits, which were filed against pharmacies and the manufacturer of Tylenol, as scientists and obstetrics groups repeatedly emphasize that there is no connection between the medication and such disorders. The Hill
IN FOCUSAn advertisement for Zyn smokeless nicotine pouches at a smoke shop in New York City on January 27, 2024. Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty
Pushback Against Big Tobacco’s Political BoostLongstanding efforts to curb youth tobacco use in the U.S. could be undermined in coming years, warn health advocates, as federal regulators loosen restrictions on vapes and nicotine products while also rolling back smoking prevention and cessation programs.
Eased federal guidance on newer tobacco products “helps the tobacco industry target kids and threatens the hard-won progress our nation has made in reducing youth tobacco use,” argued a coalition of public health groups, pediatricians, and parents who filed a lawsuit against the FDA yesterday, per Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (news release).
Background: In May, the FDA released new guidance that rolled back restrictions on vaping—including the sale of flavored vapes—and fast-tracked the approval of nicotine pouches.
Meanwhile, a former FDA scientist told The Examination that the agency approved Zyn nicotine pouches without fully assessing or determining the composition of materials used in the pouches.
Diminished prevention efforts: At the same time, CDC’s office on smoking and health has been shuttered for more than a year, and a federal advisory panel set to issue updated guidance on helping young people quit tobacco has been stalled since last March, reports The Guardian.
The “broadly pro-tobacco agenda” is coming into play as President Trump increased his investments in major tobacco companies and as industry groups donated millions to Trump-aligned political committees, per an investigation by KFF Health News.
Related:
Making Americans Smokers Again: Trump Administration Cuts Anti-Tobacco Programs – Ms. Magazine (commentary)
Cola, Cotton Candy and ‘sweet-flavoured’ vapes to be banned to protect children – The Independent
Cigarettes are back in vogue. How did this happen? – The Washington Post (gift link)
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES NEGLECTED DISEASESFun, Games, and PreventionTo combat the parasitic disease schistosomiasis, public health workers in Nigeria rely on an arsenal of interventions: testing, preventive drugs, and a rousing variation of the board game Chutes and Ladders.
“Schisto & Ladders,” developed by researchers more than a decade ago, shows kids how to navigate the complex quest of preventing and treating schistosomiasis:
On a colorful board, players slide down “Schisto worms” for risky behaviors, such as playing in an infected river. But they can also “climb ladders” for healthy choices, like taking preventative praziquantel at school or cutting vegetation around a river to discourage snails, the parasite’s host.
Interactive impact: One 2020 study found that after six months of gameplay, more than two-thirds of 275 students were familiar with praziquantel, and 65% consented to treatment.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSThe new malaria vaccine helps in Africa but faces a test: Completing all 4 doses – AP
Americans in Congo barred from immediately returning home amidst Ebola outbreak – Politico
‘When she turns eight they will take her’: rising number of Afghan girls being sold into child marriage – The Guardian
The Dangerous Unraveling Of The United States’ Family Planning Safety Net – Health Affairs
What to watch for as senators question CDC nominee Erica Schwartz – The Washington Post (gift link)
Medieval plague survivors left us graffiti, court records and a lesson for COVID – The Conversation
The rise of evidence-based medicine and the ‘mavericks’ who championed it – Nature (book review) Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner!
Going to museums, movies, and theater may help your body stay younger – BMJ Group via ScienceDaily
Issue No. 2950
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Global Health NOW: A Swiftly Evolving Drug Crisis; and Why Global Health Needs a Planetary Health Strategy
July 14, 2026
TOP STORIESEl Salvador earned WHO validation for eliminating trachoma—the world's leading infectious cause of blindness—as a public health problem; El Salvador conducted targeted assessments between 2023–2026 and found no evidence of active trachoma transmission, detected no signs of the disease in children, and found no advanced cases capable of causing blindness in adults. WHO (news release)
First responders to the burgeoning Ebola outbreak in the DRC need better protective equipment and pay, per the Africa CDC; dozens of Ituri province health workers joined a strike yesterday demanding back pay. CIDRAP
After landslides in Bangladesh this month killed at least 13 Rohingya refugees and displaced 4,000+, Human Rights Watch warns that refugees “crammed into bamboo and tarp shelters ... on steep, deforested hillsides” are vulnerable to cyclones, floods, and landslides and called on the Bangladesh authorities, the UN, and donors to reduce overcrowding and restore aid for embankments, drainage, access routes, and emergency relocation sites. Human Rights Watch
Michigan health officials have tentatively linked salad greens or lettuce to the outbreak of explosive diarrhea that has topped 2,600 cases in the state, though other sources of cyclosporiasis cannot be ruled out. The Hill
IN FOCUSJaan Vaart, coordinator of the harm reduction service, stands inside a van equipped with syringes and emergency equipment. Tallinn, Estonia, November 18, 2019. Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP via Getty
A Swiftly Evolving Drug CrisisWhen Estonia cut fentanyl overdose deaths by a stunning 70%+ by 2018, there was little time to celebrate: Soon, even more dangerous synthetic opioids filled the void fentanyl left behind, driving overdoses up once again, reports The New York Times (gift link).
Mutating threats: Estonia’s crisis points to a new frontier in the global opioid epidemic, as potent, lab-manufactured opioids emerge faster than researchers, public health officials, or law enforcement can respond.
Nitazenes, which can be 40X stronger than fentanyl, have led to a dramatic uptick in overdoses in Estonia. This year, an even more lethal opioid, cychlorphine, has hit the streets.
“It’s changing too quickly,” said Katri Abel-Ollo, a researcher at Estonia’s National Institute for Health Development.
Cychlorphine is a growing concern in the U.S. too, per CBS—and many of the victims have skewed younger, according to Luis Agostini, a DEA public information officer. The overdose-reversing drug Narcan or naloxone can work to an extent, but it may take multiple doses, given cychlorphine’s strength.
Expanding access to a lifeline: In the U.S., momentum is growing to open up naloxone access to teens, who often face barriers obtaining and carrying it due to varying state laws and consent requirements, reports Eli Cahan in Rolling Stone.
A bipartisan bill in Congress, the School Access to Naloxone Act, seeks to fund naloxone supply and training for schools, and expand legal protections for those who administer the medication in emergencies.
The Quote: “I think it would be good if people realize that putting things in a lockbox and telling people no isn’t going to stop a teenager,” says Max Zimbron Martinez, a leader of the Bulldogs Against Overdose student group at Garfield High School in Seattle.
Related: Inside the push for a fentanyl vaccine – JAMA
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARYWhy Global Health Needs a Planetary Health StrategyIf you’re committed to advancing global health, it’s time to join the young, transdisciplinary field of planetary health, writes Samuel Myers in an exclusive commentary for Global Health NOW.
The field recognizes that Earth’s natural systems play a critical role in supporting human health, and the degradation of those systems is becoming a dominant driver of the global burden of disease, writes Myers, faculty director of the Planetary Health Alliance and the Johns Hopkins Institute for Planetary Health.
What can be done:
Medical and public health practitioners and researchers can break down silos to focus on different innovations, policies, and practices to protect the public’s health.
Researchers can work with nontraditional partners like urban planners, business leaders, material scientists, and others.
Nurses and physicians can advise patients to adopt a planetary health diet (high in plants and low in meat and dairy) and spend time in nature to improve their health.
These are just a few ways we can adapt our efforts to reflect the fact that the health of humanity and the state of the planet are inextricably connected, argues Myers.
Read the full commentary by Samuel Myers Read the full commentary by Samuel Myers OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSSingapore bat colony could unlock the future of medicine – The Telegraph
Reforming WHO: Five Considerations for the Next Director General – Think Global Health
‘If a woman is killed, they say she fell, she took poison’: Pakistan’s devastating rise in ‘hidden’ sexual violence – The Guardian
Profound health inequalities between Sub-Saharan Africa and other world regions – Nature
Proximity to Golf Courses and Risk of Parkinson Disease – JAMA Network Open
How wearable tech such as watches or bracelets could help to detect Sepsis more quickly – The Independent
Is there a doctor on board? Yes, and airlines depend on it – Stat (commentary)
Issue No. 2949
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Global Health NOW: The Race for a Bundibugyo Vaccine; and The Devastating Consequences of Vitamin K Rejections
July 13, 2026
TOP STORIESA growing cholera outbreak in Sudan has killed 114 people, per WHO officials, who also reported 1,330+ cases; the outbreak especially threatens vulnerable communities in conflict zones, where aid access continues to be hampered. African Press Agency
A group of NGOs allege rights abuses by wealthy countries that control much of the world’s pharmaceutical industry as pandemic agreement talks stall; countries including the EU, Norway, Japan, and Switzerland have opposed proposals that would require pharmaceutical companies to grant licenses for production in developing countries, and are “systematically resisting measures essential to realise the right to health” of other nations, per the complaint. Geneva Solutions
A U.S. outbreak of cyclosporiasis, the gastrointestinal affliction caused by the parasite Cyclospora, has reached 31 states, with 843 confirmed cases reported, per the CDC; however, the true number of infections is likely much higher, with Michigan alone reporting 1,562 cyclosporiasis cases as of Friday. NPR
A Legionnaires’ disease outbreak on Manhattan’s Upper East Side has widened, with reports of 50+ people diagnosed, but fewer than 20 remain hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported; more than two dozen buildings—including the Guggenheim museum—recently tested positive for the bacterium that causes the disease and have reportedly cleaned and disinfected their cooling towers in response. PBS
IN FOCUSA health worker dries gumboots and gloves under the sun at the Mulago National Referral Hospital isolation unit in Kampala, Uganda, on July 8. Badru Katumba/AFP via Getty
The Race for a Bundibugyo VaccineThe first human trial of an experimental vaccine for Bundibugyo will launch in Uganda in the coming weeks, a critical step as researchers rush to develop new protections to stem the rapidly spreading Ebola epidemic.
The trial: 110 volunteers are set to receive the vaccine in Masaka, Uganda, which is home to a large research outpost of the UK’s Medical Research Council and the Ugandan Virus Research Institute, reports The Telegraph.
The shot uses ChAdOx, a viral vector platform developed by Oxford researchers that was used to develop the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as well as vaccines for malaria and the plague. The phase 1 study will focus on safety.
Other Bundibugyo vaccines in the pipeline include one from Moderna and another from biotech nonprofit IAVI, with researchers optimistic that at least one candidate could prove successful within a year.
The vaccine trials will join the emergency clinical trials of experimental antiviral and antibody-based therapies recently launched in eastern Congo, reports The Guardian.
Ever-heightening stakes: While DRC remains at the center of the crisis with 1,800+ infections and hundreds of deaths, health officials are increasingly concerned about cross-border spread in what is now the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record, reports The Economist.
In Uganda, which has reported 20 cases, bans around public gatherings and handshakes have been put in place.
And health leaders are keeping a close eye on South Sudan—where fragile health systems could swiftly become overwhelmed.
Related:
Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Spreads to Two More Provinces – Reuters via U.S. News & World Report
US citizen tests positive for Ebola in Congo – AP
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MISINFORMATIONThe Devastating Consequences of Vitamin K RejectionsAs more U.S. parents decline newborn vitamin K shots, doctors are seeing more babies arriving at the hospital with devastating hemorrhages.
“It’s not unusual anymore,” said pediatric emergency medicine physician Meghan Martin in St. Petersburg, Florida, whose department treats an infant hemorrhage every month or two.
Background: Vitamin K deficiency, which is common in infants, can cause life-threatening brain or abdominal hemorrhages. Since 1961, cases have been largely prevented through widespread adoption of newborn vitamin K shots.
Rising rejections: Vaccine hesitation has led to an uptick of refusals: In 2024, 5.2% of U.S. babies missed the shot, up from 2.9% in 2017, per a JAMA study.
Over the last five years, physicians have seen more cases, and severe outcomes—including lasting brain injury and death.
The New York Times (gift link)
Related:
Lawmakers Call for CDC to Track Vitamin K Shot Refusals, Cite ProPublica Report – ProPublica
ICYMI: The newborn vitamin K shot: What every parent needs to know – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSLEN can stop HIV. But first people need to understand it – Bhekisisa
Malaria Surge in Urban Teens: Medics cite gaps in care – The Independent Uganda
Nearly half of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed in ER, missing critical treatment window, study finds – ABC
World Bank drops climate funding target, raising fears for Africa – RFI
Federal funding and science doubled life expectancy. We can’t do more with less. – The Hill (commentary)
Graduating without a thesis: meet the people getting ‘practical’ PhDs in China – Nature
Issue No. 2948
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Global Health NOW: Cancer Outcomes Shaped by Income; and How the EMA’s Steffen Thirstrup Is ‘Standing Up for Science’
July 9, 2026
TOP STORIESAttacks on Ebola health care efforts continue in the DRC, as rumors and misinformation fuel violence that has included arson at treatment facilities, assaults on health workers, and repeated clashes over safe burial procedures. BBC
Gun suicides reached a record high of 27,593 in the U.S. in 2024, finds the latest annual firearm mortality report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions; the report, which determined ~45,000 people died by gun violence in 2024, also found that the firearm-related homicide rate dropped 15.8% from 2023. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
NFL players are 4X more likely to die of neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, dementia, and Parkinson’s than the general population, finds a study of ~20,000 NFL players; the study, which was published in the Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine, is the largest of its kind to date to examine mortality in pro football players. Boston University
Catnip lotion is an effective mosquito repellent, finds a study presented at the Society for Experimental Biology conference last week; the study, based on trials carried out in Uganda, found the herb has insect-repelling properties “with performance equivalent to DEET.” The Guardian Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner!
IN FOCUSA dermatologist screens a boy living with Albinism for skin cancer at the Thika School for the Blind. Thika, Kenya, June 13. Simon Maina/AFP via Getty
Cancer Outcomes Shaped by IncomeInequities in cancer care are widening worldwide, finds a global cancer report from the WHO, which warns that annual cancer cases could soar from ~20.6 million in 2024 to ~35 million by 2050 without “urgent” investment in prevention, early detection, and treatment—especially in lower-income countries, per UN News.
Stark survival gaps: The report highlights “persistent and widening” disparities between rich and poor countries, reports The Guardian. Some examples from the report:
Women diagnosed with breast cancer in high-income countries have five-year survival rates of ~87%, compared with ~42% in low-income nations.
Access to 20 priority cancer medicines ranges from 68% to 94% in high-income countries, compared with 9–54% in LMICs.
<1/3 of countries include comprehensive cancer care in universal health coverage.
“Far too many people are still being left behind,” says André Ilbawi, the WHO’s team lead for cancer control, per The Washington Post (gift link).
Powerful opportunities in prevention: Despite the report’s sobering findings, researchers emphasized that 4 in 10 cancers are preventable, with risk factors including tobacco and alcohol use, obesity, physical inactivity, and infections such as HPV and hepatitis, The Washington Post reports.
Already, interventions like smoking cessation and HPV vaccines are leading to major gains.
But that progress is uneven: In North America and Europe, cervical cancer has been reduced to “almost elimination”—while it is still a leading cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.
“ …We have become more aware of this challenge and the importance of us being out there, being transparent and providing information. We’re trying to re-establish trust in what we are doing, and first of all, standing up for science.
——————————
—Steffen Thirstrup, MD, PhD
As chief medical officer of the European Medicines Agency, the Amsterdam-based EU drug regulator, Steffen Thirstrup has grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-vaccine politics in Europe, and upheaval at the FDA, the EMA’s U.S. counterpart.
But now, other issues are keeping him up at night: health misinformation and anti-science politics.
Thirstrup explains why the EMA is taking on a more public role in fighting misinformation—and the risks of staying silent. Key takeaways:
On choosing battles wisely: “We cannot react to every mis- and disinformation that we by chance pick up, but if we see that there is a potential negative health impact, we try to push back.”
On tactics: Communicating at the eye level of the audience, and engaging with trusted influencers or content creators online—to push positive messages, and also tackle misinformation.
On challenges ahead: The speed of information flow and social media, where everybody can make themselves an expert; and political movements spreading information that questions science.
Read the full Q&A by Gabriela Galvin Read the full Q&A by Gabriela Galvin ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Turn the Cleat AroundWe’ve all seen some fancy footwork during this World Cup. But it’s unlikely that even the fanciest moves from the likes of Messi, Haaland, and Mbappe can stack up to the maneuvers described in this match in West Hollywood last week via The New York Times (gift link):
The players headed the ball — and shimmied to ABBA’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight).” They dance-battled to “Car Wash.” They shot penalty kicks to Donna Summers’s “I Feel Love.” At one point, a goalie hung upside down from the goal frame, swinging to and fro.
These players are of course, cut from a different—perhaps lamé?—cloth than your standard soccer roster. That’s because they aren’t soccer players. They’re Discofoot players.
The beautiful game, further beautified: Invented in 2014 by Swedish choreographers, Discofoot is soccer-esque, with a few key distinctions:
Instead of dribbling, players must improvise dance moves. Goals matter, but judges also give points for artistic merit. Goals can be guarded by a Pas de Quatre from “Swan Lake.” The pregame national anthem is the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive.” And crucially: All players must wear shimmering gold shorts.
I fear a new HIV and Aids epidemic is coming – and the world won’t care, UN official warns – The Independent
An Italian region defies US pressure to end a Cuban doctors program – AP
Study dampens hope that meningitis vaccine can also prevent gonorrhea – Science
State IVF measures may reduce access to fertility care, docs say – Axios
My Search for a Psychiatric Bed in an Overburdened Health System – KFF Health News
Are Autonomous Vehicles Safer Than Human Drivers? – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
How to advance revolutionary science: high turnover, high risk and a license to fail – Nature
Issue No. 2947
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
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Global Health NOW: Pandemic-Era Push for PPE Stalls; and Long Road of Autism Advocacy in Guinea
July 8, 2026
TOP STORIESAn Egyptian court has sentenced a doctor and filmmaker for drawing attention to a pattern of obstetric violence at an Alexandria public hospital—including widespread physical, sexual, and verbal abuse and medical negligence; the doctor was charged with “spreading false news,” fined, and given a six-month suspended prison sentence. Human Rights Watch
A public health emergency in Venezuela is growing as already-strained health systems struggle to meet surging medical needs following the country’s twin earthquakes; 20 health facilities are facing “severe shortages of vital medical supplies,” and just 1,038 healthcare workers are available for a population of 1.7 million+ people. International Rescue Committee
Nearly 1 in 4 adults in five states with high rates of alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) tested positive for alpha-gal antibodies, suggesting that the presence of the molecule that triggers AGS could be more common than AGS itself, per a new study in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; the researchers recommend that testing be reserved for patients with clinical symptoms to avoid overdiagnosis. CIDRAP
Average testosterone levels in men declined by 54% between 1972 and 2019, according to data presented this week at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in London; researchers say rising obesity and diabetes are the key drivers but also highlighted endocrine-disrupting chemicals and climate change as potential factors. The Guardian
IN FOCUSNurses pull on gloves before administering COVID-19 vaccinations to children at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. June 21, 2022. Wesley Lapointe/Los Angeles Times via Getty
Pandemic-Era Push for PPE StallsA U.S. effort to rebuild domestic medical glove manufacturing during the COVID-19 pandemic has largely fallen short six years later—a saga that underscores the struggle to sustain the pandemic-era priority of achieving medical supply independence, reports Bloomberg.
Background: In the face of dire COVID-era PPE shortages, ~$850 million in government funding was allocated to six American companies for nitrile glove manufacturing.
That included an effort to kickstart production of butadiene, a key glove ingredient which has long been imported—a vulnerability highlighted this year as the Iran war led to glove price hikes, per Reuters.
Drained investments: None of those funded companies are producing medical gloves today, and the U.S. still relies heavily on imports.
Companies say federal funding was not sustained as they were hit by rising construction costs and struggled with a lack of buyers, since domestic gloves can cost ~2X as much as imported ones.
“It is frustrating to watch because value chains for any medical product take a while to establish and take root,” said Prashant Yadav, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Future focus: The Trump administration is shifting from manufacturing investment to procurement policies that direct federal agencies to buy American-made nitrile gloves whenever possible.
Meanwhile, as another outbreak grows: The Africa CDC is working with manufacturers to scale up domestic PPE production to ensure ~60% of PPE is Africa-produced by 2040, reports New Vision.
Related:
‘Monumental failure of government’ led to lost £11bn for Covid PPE – The Times
The fight for PPE that fits – Royal College of Nursing
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES AUTISM Long Road of Advocacy in GuineaFamilies of children with autism face an uphill battle in Guinea, where a range of obstacles stand between them and support services:
Unclear picture of need: Guinea does not track autism cases, making it harder to train health workers to diagnose the condition and build out support systems.
Stigma: The condition is often misunderstood and sometimes attributed to evil spirits.
Few facilities: Only a few schools serve children with autism, and they are prohibitively expensive for most families.
Advocates press forward: In 2023, the Salim Foundation for Children with Autism opened as a free school for autistic children and as a support hub for families.
“These children deserve acceptance, understanding, education and unconditional love,” said founder Mariam Aisha Barry.
What do you think about GHN’s length today?
QUICK HITSAd hoc organization relies on creativity, ‘scrappy’ funding to monitor public health during World Cup – CIDRAP
Waiver or not, US places no gag rule conditions on Global Fund funding – Devex (free registration required)
Liberia’s abortion law reform: A new front in the global culture wars – The New Humanitarian
What can France learn from Spain's heatwave protection for workers? – Radio France Internationale
What to know about Legionnaires’ disease making people sick on New York’s Upper East Side – AP
Americans May Be Smarter About Vaccines Than You Think – KFF Health News
Issue No. 2946
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Contributors to Global Health NOW include: Brian Simpson, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, and Jackie Powder.
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Global Health NOW: Pakistan’s Pediatric HIV Outbreak; and Overheated Europe Looks to an Air-Conditioned Future
July 7, 2026
TOP STORIESHealth workers at the center of the Ebola outbreak in DRC’s Ituri province threatened to strike if the government fails to pay them and improve their working conditions; they say they have not been paid benefits since the outbreak began and they lack adequate equipment and supplies. AP
Thousands of women in India are murdered or driven to take their own lives over dowry disputes each year—yet the cases no longer spark public outrage or debate, according to a new study, despite a rise in cases (from 1,841 in 1988 to 6,516 in 2022); dowries were officially banned in 1961 but remain widespread. The Guardian
Armed conflict is tied to a higher measles burden through missed vaccinations, weakened healthcare systems, displacement, and socioeconomic decline, per a study in PLOS Medicine led by King's College London and New York University researchers who analyzed and modeled data on battle-related deaths, displacement, economic factors, life expectancy, and education from 193 countries from 2000 to 2023. CIDRAP
China-based fentanyl manufacturers are profiting from US online sales of peptides, which are popular with influencers and are currently blocked from being mixed by compounding pharmacies in the U.S. because of a lack of studies on their health effects. Axios
IN FOCUSA paramedic takes a blood sample from a baby for an HIV test at a state-run hospital. Rato Dero, Pakistan, May 9, 2019. Rizwan Tabassum/AFP via Getty
Pakistan’s Pediatric HIV OutbreakPakistan’s government has two weeks to explain how at least 78 children were infected with HIV at a Sindh province hospital.
The Sindh High Court ordered a report last week on the outbreak in Kulsoom Bai Valika Hospital after months of government inaction and mounting outrage from the children’s families.
Tariq Mansoor, the petitioner before the court, said the children were infected by contaminated disposable syringes that had been reused.
Justice delayed: After the HIV cases were reported last November, the families requested the government initiate an independent inquiry. After the government took no action, they petitioned the High Court.
“We have been running from pillar to post in search of justice, but the government has offered us no hope,” Mansoor said.
Wider outbreak: The Pakistan Medical Association warned in April of an increase in HIV infection among children in Sindh province. It said the increase was caused by serious infection control failures.
History: The country’s worst pediatric HIV outbreak emerged in Sindh in April 2019 when 800+ children tested positive for HIV. Private clinics’ reuse of syringes and needles in IV treatment was blamed.
Related:
As Pakistan’s monsoon arrives, people with HIV worry – Dawn
Cambodia's HIV model the region cannot ignore – Lowy Institute
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES EXTREME HEATOverheated Europe Looks to an Air-Conditioned FutureAir conditioning usage is rapidly growing across Europe, as intensifying heat waves strain infrastructure built for cooler climates.
~20% of European homes have AC units; but adoption is expanding even in historically cooler countries like the U.K., where homes with AC doubled over the past three years; and Germany, where AC adoption jumped 6% between 2023–2024.
Prioritizing health care: Britain’s Climate Change Committee warned that air conditioning is becoming urgently needed in hospitals. This week, medical machines broke down in sweltering UK hospital wards even as heat-related admissions surged.
The cost of cooling: Higher electricity prices and aging power grids make widespread AC adoption especially challenging.
Climate experts say Europe requires more efficient AC technology alongside better building design, shade, and urban greenery.
Related:
June heatwave may have killed around 20,000 people in Europe – NewScientist
At least 25 people die in US as record heatwave scorches swaths of country – The Guardian
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITSSan Francisco Celebrates Morning-After Pill for STIs. Other Countries Warn of Antibiotic Resistance – KQED
Medicaid funding is resuming for Planned Parenthood after being cut off for most of a year – AP
How easy is it to get weight-loss drugs online? Secret shoppers from Yale found out – The Washington Post (gift link)
Decline of Ph.D. admissions could imperil a ‘generation of new talent’ – The New York Times (gift link)
After Certification: How El Salvador and Belize Remain Malaria-Free – Inter-American Development Bank
Exposure to everyday chemicals can add up – a toxicologist offers simple steps to reduce your dose – The Conversation
Issue No. 2945
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Contributors to Global Health NOW include: Brian Simpson, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, and Jackie Powder.
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Global Health NOW: Ebola Trial Offers New Hope; and How Japan Rewards Antibiotic Stewardship
July 6, 2026
TOP STORIESFamilies of ill and injured Gazans are accusing health officials of taking bribes to place healthy people on medical evacuation lists; protests over medical evacuations have escalated in recent weeks, as 20,000+ people in the region are estimated to be in need of medical help abroad. The Telegraph
Wildfires across southern Europe have forced thousands to evacuate their homes as hundreds of firefighters battle flames that have burned through ~49,500 acres in France, Greece, Portugal, and Spain; further forecasts of heat and strong wings have prompted officials to warn of “powder keg” conditions. The Guardian
A Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv on July 2 killed at least 22 people, injured dozens, and struck civilian sites including the Palladin Institute of Biochemistry—ruining labs and causing power outages that jeopardize years of work in biological sciences, including research on cell lines used to produce monoclonal and single-chain antibodies. Science
400+ cases of severe stomach illness from the parasite Cyclospora have been reported across 18 U.S. states, and 20 people have been hospitalized; the parasite, which is transmitted through contaminated food and water, is most common during spring and summer—but “unusually high” case counts this year have sparked alarm. The New York Times (gift link)
IN FOCUSA healthcare worker takes samples from a patient at the Ebola Treatment Center of the Center Médical Évangélique. Bunia, Ituri, DRC, June 23. Benediction Murhabazi/AFP via Getty
Ebola Trial Offers New HopeTwo months into the DRC’s Ebola outbreak, researchers have launched a major clinical trial to test potential treatments—a step that WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “offers real hope” as the Bundibugyo virus continues to sweep through the region, reports the AP.
As of today, the DRC has reported 506 deaths and 1,561 confirmed cases of the virus, which has no approved vaccine or targeted therapy, per Reuters via U.S. News & World Report.
The details: The WHO-supported trial will test the impact of two drugs: Gilead Sciences’ broad-acting antiviral remdesivir and Mapp Biopharmaceutical’s experimental antibody treatment MBP134.
Patients enrolled in the trial will receive standard care and be randomly assigned to also receive remdesivir, MBP134, a combination of the treatments, or neither. Survival will be tracked for 28 days.
Results could take several months and ~1,000 participants—unless one treatment proves “highly effective” earlier.
Challenging conditions: The study is operating at Bunia’s Evangelical Medical Center in Ituri province, where the launch was characterized by “urgency rather than ceremony,” amid overcrowding, conflict, attacks on healthcare workers, and community mistrust, per another AP report.
New diagnostic test: The trial was launched as the WHO added the first molecular diagnostic test for the Bundibugyo virus to its Emergency Use Listing last week. The blood test detects the virus by “rapidly and accurately” identifying its genetic material, per the WHO.
Meanwhile, the WHO and Africa CDC are rapidly expanding lab testing capacity.
Related:
Ebola outbreak containment hampered by USAID closure, experts say – CNBC
The Battle Against Ebola—and Misinformation – International Medical Corps
A safe return home: Tackling stigma on Uganda's Ebola frontline – UN News
The Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak: a warning signal for risks to health workers – The Lancet
DATA POINT655 million
———————
People globally still living without electricity—with sub-Saharan Africa bearing a disproportionate share of 560 million+, while most regions are nearing universal access, per the latest Tracking SDG 7 Report. —WHO (news release)
In 2018, Japanese health officials looking for a way to curb unnecessary antibiotic use decided to try a new tactic: financial incentives.
At the time, antibiotic overuse was widespread in Japan, especially in pediatric outpatient clinics, where overprescription rates were notably high among children presenting with viral illnesses.
How the incentive works: Each time a pediatrician determines that a patient likely has a viral illness and holds off on antibiotic prescriptions, they can claim an extra 800 yen, or $5, when seeking government reimbursement.
Paying the doctors has paid off: Participating clinics cut antibiotic prescriptions by ~18% in the first year, with sustained reductions over four years and no increase in hospitalizations or healthcare costs.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS“He Didn’t Need to Die.” How an Immigration Detention Center Repeatedly Failed to Address a Mental Health Crisis. – ProPublica
Regular Users Can Tolerate Previously ‘Unsurvivable’ Amounts of Fentanyl – The New York Times (gift link)
Why U.S. measles outbreaks have grown harder to extinguish – The Washington Post (gift link)
Majority of UK smokers wrongly believe vaping is as harmful as cigarettes, experts find – The Guardian
Wisconsin Laborers union breaks new ground with peer support for troubled members – Wisconsin Examiner Thanks for the tip, Tanner Kattre!
Issue No. 2944
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Copyright 2026 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Contributors to Global Health NOW include: Brian Simpson, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, and Jackie Powder.
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