96 Global Health NOW: A Tipping Point in Iran; A Closer Look at Cheap Cigarettes in Laos; Ketamine in South Africa: Breakthrough or Blight? View this email in your browser June 23, 2025 Forward Share Post Satellite imagery shows the ridge above Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant post-missile strike on June 22. Maxar Technologies A Tipping Point in Iran 
The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran and the weekend strikes by the U.S. on Iranian nuclear facilities mark “a perilous turn” for a region already engulfed in conflict, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres at an emergency meeting of the Security Council yesterday, per UN News.

Widening safety concerns: The head of the UN’s atomic energy watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that while no radiation leaks have been reported that could cause health or environmental threats outside of struck sites, the attacks have triggered “a sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security” at targeted sites. 

• Mounting risks stem not only from direct attacks, but also from “hurried transport and improper storage conditions” of toxic materials, per the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 


• While radioactivity outside the sites remains normal, the IAEA and neighboring countries are closely monitoring levels, reports NPR. 

Health systems under strain: Meanwhile, health workers in Tehran say facilities have been overwhelmed with civilian injuries and that medical shortages have hampered response efforts, reports Middle East Eye.

• And Israel evacuated a key hospital in Beersheba last week that was targeted in Iranian airstrikes, per El País. 

Rising human toll: 430 Iranian civilians and 25 Israelis have been killed in the conflict.  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   The U.S. FDA has approved lenacapavir—a twice-yearly HIV prevention shot that stopped almost all new infections in clinical trials last year; however, amid broad cuts to U.S. public health agencies and foreign aid, it’s not clear how many people will be able to access the new option. AP
 
The U.S. government announced last week that it will end the national suicide hotline’s specialized support for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults—who report higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors than their cisgender and heterosexual peers—beginning July 17. ​ABC

Stem cell–based treatment may have cured 10 out of 12 people with the most severe form of type 1 diabetes, with those 10 people no longer needing insulin a year after a single infusion, finds a small trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The New York Times (gift link)

Excessive drinking has been linked to an uptick in high blood pressure deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, per a new CDC study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, which found the estimated average number of hypertension deaths from excessive alcohol use was 51.6% higher in 2020–2021 than in 2016–2017. CBS U.S. and Global Health Policy News Trump Travel Restrictions Bar Residents Needed at U.S. Hospitals – The New York Times (gift link)

Administration to phase out NIH support of HIV clinical guidelines – The Washington Post (gift link)

How doctors are preparing for RFK Jr.’s shifts on vaccine policy – The 19th

The immigrants caring for the nation's elderly are losing their jobs – Axios TOBACCO A Closer Look at Cheap Cigarettes in Laos 
Cigarette prices in Laos are among some of the lowest in the world, contributing to some of the highest smoking rates in the region and smoking-related diseases that account for 1 in 7 deaths in the country. 

Behind the low prices: a 2001 contract signed behind closed doors with Imperial Brands tobacco, which included a 25-year tax freeze. 

• The deal steered millions toward an in-law of the president at the time, Bounnhang Vorachit.

What now? The contract is set to expire next year, and Laos’ current prime minister has said the government will not renew it.

The role of taxes: Raising cigarette taxes is among the most effective ways to reduce smoking, research shows.

The Examination

Related: 

Government of Viet Nam Approves Life-Saving Taxes on Tobacco and Sugar-sweetened Beverages – Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (news release)

Supreme Court allows vape companies to pick courts to hear challenges – The Washington Post (gift link) GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MENTAL HEALTH Ketamine in South Africa: Breakthrough or Blight? 
In South Africa, an increasing number of psychiatrists have been using ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. But the drug is also being administered off-label and in unregulated clinics—which doctors say could lead to misuse and overuse. 

Treatment guidelines: Ketamine has to be prescribed by a doctor and administered in IV form in the presence of a health care provider, per South African Society of Psychiatrists guidelines.

Unregulated use: South Africa has become home to many “cowboy clinics,” which provide the drug to people without the involvement of a medical professional—a trend that doctors say could lead to dangerous forms of consumption that carry the risk of seizure or death. 

Bhekisisa OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS

Gaza: UN warns of ‘weaponised hunger’ and growing death toll amid food chaos – UN News

The Workers, the Waste, and the Warnings from Bomb Country – Inkstick

HIV is surging in over-50s—But campaigns still target the young – University of the Witwatersrand via ScienceDaily

The number of abortions kept rising in 2024 because of telehealth prescriptions, report finds – AP

New Israeli-developed bioengineered skin could heal burn wounds twice as fast – The Jerusalem Post

How E-Scooters Conquered (Most of) Europe – Bloomberg CityLab

Early grant success attracts more funding: study of 100,000 applicants hints at why – Nature

For the first time, women scientists win $1 million climate research prize – Science

Issue No. 2745
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: UK Parliament Votes to Decriminalize Abortion; ‘Gardeningʼ in the Gut; Funding Disruptions Threaten Uganda’s HIV Fight View this email in your browser June 18, 2025 Forward Share Post Pro-choice protestors gather near Parliament, where MPs were voting on the decriminalization of abortion. June 17. London, U.K. Alishia Abodunde/Getty UK Parliament Votes to Decriminalize Abortion
The UK House of Commons voted 379–137 yesterday to decriminalize abortion in England and Wales—the most significant change to abortion law in ~60 years, reports The Guardian. 

Details: The amendment removes the threat of prosecution for women who seek to terminate pregnancies. 

• However, the current legal framework for procuring an abortion remains, including requiring two doctors’ approval and a 24-week limit. Doctors who breach regulations can still face prosecution. 

Driving factors: The Labour MP who introduced the amendment said such protections were needed as 100+ women have been investigated and several prosecuted for suspected illegal abortions over the past five years, reports the AP. 

• UK medical groups and advocacy groups hailed the change as “a victory for women,” while anti-abortion groups argued it would open the door to abortion at any stage of pregnancy.

U.S. a ‘cautionary tale’: British lawmakers sought to frame the measure as a “narrow, common-sense” measure in contrast to polarized U.S. abortion politics, while also pointing to the current rollback of reproductive rights in the U.S. as a warning, reports Politico. 

What’s next: The amendment is part of a broader crime bill expected to pass the House of Commons and the House of Lords. 

Related: 

Ohio lawmakers to introduce bill banning abortion, criminalizing the procedure – ABC 

A brain-dead Georgia woman is set to be taken off of life support after her baby was delivered – The 19th

Abortion Bans Worsen Violence in Relationships, Study Finds – TIME EDITORS’ NOTE No GHN Tomorrow, June 19   Please note that our office will be closed tomorrow in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. We’ll be back with more news on Monday, June 23!

—The Editors GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Global conflict levels are the highest they’ve been since the end of World War II, with 59 active conflicts in 35+ countries, according to the 2025 Global Peace Index; the report also shows declining geopolitical influence of the U.S., Russia, and China as smaller countries emerge as regional powers. The Telegraph

A group of bat viruses related to MERS could be one mutation away from being capable of spilling over into humans, finds a new study published in Nature Communications that focuses on the virus group, known as HKU5. Washington State University via ScienceDaily

U.S. alcohol guidance could be soon changed from recommending one or two drinks per day to a brief statement encouraging drinking in moderation, in what could be a major win for the alcohol industry; the updates to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines are still under development by the HHS and USDA. Reuters via Yahoo!

Microplastics in coastal waters could heighten cardiometabolic disease risk among nearby residents, per a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, which found “significantly” higher rates of type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and stroke among U.S. residents living near highly polluted waters compared with people who lived near less-polluted waters. American Heart Association (news release) GHN EXCLUSIVE Q&A 622A_cecum: Section through a healthy mouse cecum stained with Haematoxylin-eosin. Courtesy of Emma Slack ‘Gardeningʼ in the Gut   
The pipeline for new drugs to fight antibiotic-resistant infections is rife with challenges, but one promising solution offers a workaround: tackling drug-resistant bacteria in the gut.  
 
The method combines oral vaccinations with harmless bacteria that outcompete the bacteria for food and “starve them out,” Emma Slack, a professor at ETH Zurich and the University of Oxford’s Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, told GHN.  

• The pairing was significantly more effective than using vaccines or harmless bacteria on their own, found a recent Science study testing the method in mice.

The approach is like weeding a garden, says Slack. “If you pull out all the weeds, you go back three days later and all the weeds are there again. If you don’t want that to happen, you’ve got to put something in the place where the weeds would grow.”

It may be five to 10 years from clinical use, but the method could one day be applied to “anything where immunosuppression is one of the side effects,” says Slack. Patients could be treated before transplant surgery, or during high-risk pregnancies to head off the risk of infection in premature babies.
 
The most exciting prospect: reversing the “antimicrobial resistance crisis for gut-colonizing, opportunistic pathogens,” says Slack. READ THE FULL Q&A BY ANNALIES WINNY GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HIV/AIDS Funding Disruptions Threaten Uganda’s HIV Fight
Since 1987, the Rakai Health Sciences Program (RHSP) in Uganda has achieved remarkable milestones. In areas it serves, the program has:

• Reduced new HIV infections by 90%.


• Extended anti‑retroviral (ARV) coverage to 90% of people living with HIV.

But recent U.S. budget cuts—including halts to pediatric ARVs, male circumcision programs, and PrEP, and missed deadlines for reauthorizing PEPFAR funding —threaten this progress.

• Medication access interruptions and clinic closures in January prompted HIV rebound fears; though services were quickly restored, experts warn that sustained disruptions could reverse hard-won gains.


• Uganda’s plan to shift HIV treatment from specialized rural clinics to primary care clinics could also disrupt access and medication adherence, as some patients may face longer travel.

Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health

Related: ‘HIV-ending’ drug could be made for just $25 per patient a year, say researchers – The Guardian OPPORTUNITY HUMAN RIGHTS The Oppressors at Home
In the Taliban’s Afghanistan, oppression against women has led to men being “foot soldiers” against their female relatives. 

Vice and virtue laws, which include strict rules that women must cover themselves, not talk too loudly, or appear in public without a male escort, are meant to be enforced by “morality police.” But often, husbands and brothers take on this role. 

Rising fear: Under the Taliban, male relatives could face fines or prison if women are caught breaking morality laws. This has led to a rise in domestic violence, isolation, and psychological damage to Afghan women. 

The Guardian

Related: Over 400 health centers shut down in Afghanistan following US aid 
suspension – Ariana News ALMOST FRIDAY MINI DIVERSION QUICK HITS IOM Reports 60 Migrants Missing in Two Deadly Shipwrecks off Libya – IOM 

How Trump's travel ban could disrupt the way knowledge about health is shared – NPR

Via the False Claims Act, NIH Puts Universities on Edge – Undark

Indonesia steps up efforts to eliminate malaria by 2030 – Xinhua

Kraft Heinz to remove artificial dyes from U.S. products by end of 2027 – CNBC

Study: Early antibiotics tied to higher risk of childhood infections, antibiotic use, and asthma – CIDRAP

Scientists uncover how ticks fight off and carry a virus deadly to humans – Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Threat in Your Medicine Cabinet: The FDA’s Gamble on America’s Drugs – ProPublica

Could the answer to the male fertility crisis be lurking in your cat’s litter tray? – The Telegraph Issue No. 2744
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe

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96 Global Health NOW: The Mystery of Chronic Mountain Sickness; Dogs as Weapons; and The Decline of Anti-Girl Bias View this email in your browser June 17, 2025 Forward Share Post GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORT The Andes mountain range between Lima and Cerro de Pasco east of Canta. DeAgostini/Getty The Mystery of Chronic Mountain Sickness
HUAYLLAY, Peru—About 5–10% of people who have lived their whole lives at high altitude eventually come down with the last illness they would expect: altitude sickness.

• While there are no exact numbers, ~7 million people living above 2,500 meters (~8,200 feet) are at risk of chronic mountain sickness (CMS), according to a 2016 article in the journal High Altitude Medicine & Biology.


• Characterized by low levels of oxygen saturation (hypoxia) and excessive amounts of hemoglobin (polycythemia), CMS can start with blue-tinged fingertips or lips.


• But the illness can progress to life-threatening pulmonary or cerebral edema.

The Quote: “CMS is complex and insidious. The drop in oxygen levels produces a symphony of physiological and molecular responses as the person ages,” says Fabiola León-Velarde, a physiologist and CMS researcher.
 
Research history: Scientists like León-Velarde have been trying to understand the cause of CMS since it was first described by Peruvian doctor Carlos Monge in 1925.

• But recent research that led to a 2019 Nobel Prize may offer new insights into the origins of CMS. 

Ed. Note: Our thanks go to Dulce Alarcón-Yaquetto who shared the idea for this issue and was a grand prize winner in the Untold Global Health Stories Contest, co-sponsored by Global Health NOW and the Consortium of Universities for Global Health.  READ THE FULL STORY BY LUCIEN CHAUVIN GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   War-weary Yemen has seen nearly 3,900 cases of dengue fever—including 14 deaths—so far this year in the governorates of Aden and Lahj, per the WHO, which has launched a response including awareness campaigns, management of mosquito breeding sites, and target fogging. Yemen Monitor
 
A U.S. judge ordered ~800 terminated NIH research projects, cited in a lawsuit by U.S. researchers and a coalition of 16 states, to be reinstated, calling the cuts discriminatory; the government will likely appeal the ruling. Nature

Fewer than half of young men in the U.K.—46%—believe that abortion should be legal, compared with 71% of the general population, per a new poll ahead of a parliamentary vote today on whether to decriminalize abortion. The Independent 

Cornell University researchers have identified an antibiotic, rifampin, that is 99.9% effective against Salmonella Typhi, the bacterium that causes typhoid fever, per research published in eBioMedicine; drug-resistant strains of the bacterium claim 150,000+ lives a year. Cornell Chronicle U.S. and Global Health Policy News South Africa Built a Medical Research Powerhouse. Trump Cuts Have Demolished It. – The New York Times (gift article)

Rising Refugee Suicides in West Nile Linked to Food Shortages and Aid Cuts – Nile Post

Kenya's war on HIV, TB and malaria faces setback as funding drops sharply – The Eastleigh Voice

Researchers warn U.S. is on the ‘precipice’ of brain drain as Trump cuts federal grants – PBS NewsHour CONFLICT Dogs as Weapons
Military and police dogs are being utilized against civilians in Palestine, say human rights groups, who report the use of canines against Palestinians has led to injuries and deaths.

• Euro Med Human Rights Monitor has documented 146 cases of attack dogs being used against civilians since October 2023.


• The UN has also decried the use of military dogs against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention, citing testimonies of attacks reported to Physicians for Human Rights. 


• Israel’s specialist canine unit, Oketz, has said that the dogs are only deployed in anti-terrorism campaigns. 

Calling for cross-border regulation: Most of the dogs used by Oketz are exported from European countries, prompting organizations like Amnesty International to argue for those countries to further regulate such sales.  

The Guardian GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POPULATIONS The Decline of Anti-Girl Bias
In “one of the most important social shifts of our time,” the long-held sex preference for boys at birth has dramatically shifted worldwide.

Over the past 25 years, the number of annual excess male births has fallen from a peak of 1.7 million in 2000 to ~200,000, a biologically standard birth ratio, per an analysis by The Economist. 

• The reduction in female infanticide and sex-selective abortions has led to the survival of ~7 million girls, the analysis found. 

The changing preference can be attributed to decreased discrimination in the workplace and in school, leading to girls excelling at school and to a shrinking gender pay gap; but could also be driven by sexist stereotypes that women will be better caretakers for aging parents. 

Vox OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Nigerian agriculture ministry workers ‘told to fast and pray’ to end hunger crisis – The Telegraph

Ending nuclear weapons, before they end us – The Medical Journal of Australia (commentary)

The cost of staying alive could become a lot more expensive for millions of Americans – The Independent

Too often, Black patients get late diagnoses of deadly skin cancer – The Washington Post (gift link)

Eight things you need to know about the new “Nimbus” and “Stratus” COVID-19 variants – Gavi

How the cholera bacterium can outsmart a virus – Labmate Online

New opioid testing techniques could lead to better therapies – Brown University

How technology is helping African countries fight malaria from the skies – RFI Issue No. 2743
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe

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96 UN Aid Cuts Force ‘Hyper-prioritizedʼ Plan; Deaths on the Street in Portland; and Memory Cafes Bridge a Gap “Brutal funding cuts leave us with brutal choices,” said Tom Fletcher, undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs. View this email in your browser June 16, 2025 Forward Share Post Tents serve as temporary shelters for displaced Palestinians along the coastline of Gaza City, on June 10. Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty Images UN Aid Cuts Force ‘Hyper-prioritizedʼ Plan
The UN has slashed its 2025 humanitarian aid appeal from $44 billion to $29 billion, as the agency contends with what it described as the “deepest funding cuts ever” to the aid sector, reports Al Jazeera. 

Only $5.6 billion (13%) has been raised so far after severely reduced contributions from the U.S. and others. 

• “Brutal funding cuts leave us with brutal choices,” said Tom Fletcher, undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs. 

‘Triage of human survival’: The UN said it will prioritize the most urgent emergencies afflicting regions like the DRC, Sudan, Gaza, and Burma; but the agency said the cuts will lead to “heartbreaking” consequences including lost aid and eroded human rights protections.

Existing aid under attack: Meanwhile, a UN expert is urging the General Assembly to authorize the deployment of armed peacekeepers to protect humanitarian transport and distribution, as aid workers continue to be targeted in areas including Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, and Central African Republic, reports The Guardian. 

• A record 360+ humanitarian workers were killed last year, as aid restrictions and starvation are increasingly used as weapons of war. 

If such attacks continue, more aid work will cease—creating a “dystopia,” said Michael Fakhri, the UN’s special rapporteur on the right to food. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 could now make up more than 1 in 3 cases across the U.S., the CDC projected last week; the variant has been linked to a surge of hospitalizations in parts of Asia, and the CDC's airport surveillance program detected cases of it in arriving international travelers last month. CBS News

The U.S. health care workforce has recovered from widespread job losses of early 2020, with employment now matching pre-pandemic projections, finds new research published in JAMA Network; but recovery is uneven, with doctors’ offices exceeding pre-pandemic employment growth while skilled nursing facilities contend with understaffing. University of Michigan via News Medical

Dengue survivors face an elevated risk for post-infection multi-organ complications, hospitalization, and death, finds a study published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection that analyzed 55,870 cases of adults infected between 2017 and 2023. CIDRAP

The FDA has expanded approval of Moderna’s RSV vaccine mResvia to include adults ages 18–59 who are at high risk of severe illness from the virus; previously the vaccine was licensed for use only in adults 60+. STAT  HOMELESSNESS Increased Deaths on the Street in Portland
As the homeless population in Portland grew during the pandemic, the city responded with a $1.3 million plan to “reprioritize public health and safety among homeless Portlanders.”

• And yet: Deaths of homeless people quadrupled from 113 in 2019 to 450+ in 2023.

Why? The strategy involved increased encampment sweeps and a pivot from investing in permanent housing in favor of expanding temporary shelter. Researchers say this has perpetuated the problem, especially for medically vulnerable people.

• One 2023 study published in JAMA showed that such sweeps raise the risk of overdose by up to 22% for people who inject drugs.

ProPublica GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MENTAL HEALTH Memory Cafes Bridge a Gap 
Across the U.S., 600+ memory cafes offer low-cost social support for dementia patients and caregivers, helping alleviate isolation and stress through regular gatherings.

And with $11 billion in federal health funding for state and local health departments now on the chopping block, grassroots-led memory cafes may soon play a critical role for families needing help navigating the struggles of dementia care. 

Growing need: U.S. Alzheimer’s cases are projected to double from 6.9 million now to 13.8 million by 2060, while the number of family caregivers is declining.

KFF Health News SUICIDE Curbing Pesticides to Save Lives
Suriname has one of the world's highest suicide rates, largely due to the pesticide paraquat—which is lethal even in tiny doses and is widely available in homes across the country. 

Global perspective: Pesticides are one of the leading means of suicide in agricultural areas of developing nations, leading to 100,000+ suicides annually. 

Banning paraquat and other pesticides has led to dramatic drops in suicide rates in other countries including Sri Lanka (70%+), South Korea (~50%), and China (60%). 

Ongoing efforts: The charity Open Philanthropy funded the launch in 2017 of the Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention, and the Global Alliance on Highly Hazardous Pesticides was formed in 2023 to phase out use of the deadliest pesticides in agricultural areas where risks have not been managed.

The New York Times (gift link) QUICK HITS As mpox escalates in Sierra Leone, activity in other countries reflects mixed picture – CIDRAP

An oral cholera vaccination campaign aims to reach more than 2.6 million people in Sudan’s Khartoum State – WHO

US pharma bets big on China to snap up potential blockbuster drugs – Reuters

Small towns are growing fast across Ghana – but environmental planning isn’t keeping up – The Conversation (commentary)

Ancient miasma theory may help explain Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine moves – NPR Shots

How Covid-19 Changed Hideo Kojima’s Vision For Death Stranding 2 – WIRED Issue No. 2742
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe

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  Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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96 Global Health NOW Mercury Rising in Worldʼs Rivers; RFK Jr.’s New Committee Picks; and Who Squashed the Veg Sculpture Competition? Mercury increase poses a growing risk to people living near affected waterways, study warns. View this email in your browser June 12, 2025 Forward Share Post A child in a canoe near a home on a tributary of the Amazon River near Breves, Para state, Brazil, on Sept. 21, 2022. Jonne Roriz/Bloomberg via Getty Images Mercury Rising 
Mercury carried downstream by rivers has increased nearly 3X worldwide since the Industrial Revolution, surging from 390 to 1,000 megagrams annually due to coal combustion, mining, and manufacturing, finds a new study published in Science Advances.

The mercury increase poses a growing risk to people living near affected waterways, as the neurotoxin has been linked to cancer, heart disease, and developmental harm in children, reports ABC News.

The study: Researchers used computer models and sediment data to establish a pre-industrial mercury baseline before 1850 and simulate mercury transport in rivers, per Phys.org.

Key findings: The data show the most dramatic increases in mercury pollution occurred in North and South America, contributing to 41% of the global increase in riverine mercury since 1850, followed by Southeast Asia (22%) and South Asia (19%).

• In the Amazon region, mercury levels have soared due to both increased mining activities and soil erosion from deforestation.  

Eroded protections: The findings come as the Trump administration moves swiftly to roll back EPA regulations including Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), which set limits on mercury and arsenic pollution from coal and oil power plants, reports The New York Times (gift link)—a move that could soon put more Americans at risk, say environmental policy experts. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Last month was the world’s second warmest May on record, per the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service—creating especially dry conditions across Europe as drought concerns rise. Euronews

Unethical experiments conducted on Black inmates were used in the development of the antimalarial primaquine in the 1950s and 60s, particularly around genetics’ role in adverse drug reactions, finds a historical report published in JAMA Network by an ethicist-led research team. Science

A bill to protect the privacy of women’s reproductive health data, including tracking apps around menstruation, pregnancy, and abortion, has been introduced by three Democratic members of Congress who say such a measure is necessary to protect women in the post-Roe v. Wade era. The Guardian

Fetuses more exposed to certain air pollutants experience changes in the size of specific brain structures, especially during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, finds a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health that drew from data collected from 754 mother-fetus pairs between 2018 and 2021. News Medical U.S. POLICY RFK Jr.’s New Committee Picks
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has appointed eight new members to the CDC’s independent vaccine advisory committee after removing all 17 previous members earlier this week.

• The new appointees to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) include some who have been critics of vaccines—especially COVID-19 vaccines and mRNA technology—and pandemic lockdowns.

Shift in background: The new members have credentials related to public health, epidemiology, and statistics, but there is less emphasis on credentials in immunology, virology, and vaccinology compared with previous committees.

What’s next: It is unclear if Kennedy plans to appoint any more members to new ACIP. The panel will meet June 25-27 to review recommendations on vaccines, including for HPV and COVID-19 shots.

ABC News

More U.S. Policy News:

Kennedy’s ouster of US vaccine advisors puts pharma ties under scrutiny – Reuters

Vaccine board purge stokes talk of CDC alternatives – Axios

Top RFK Jr. aide attacks US health system while running company that promotes wellness alternatives – AP

RFK Jr. to tell medical schools to teach nutrition or lose federal funding – ABC

A promising new HIV vaccine was set to start trials. Then came Trump's latest cuts – NPR Goats and Soda

Senators press NIH director on killed grants and proposal to slash agency’s funding – Science GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES WEAPONS The Physical Toll of ‘Less-Lethal’ Force
Tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray like those used against demonstrators in Los Angeles this past week may not be designed to kill, but they can cause serious injuries, health problems, and even death.  

Tear gas and pepper spray can have both short- and long-term effects, ranging from eye and skin irritation and vomiting to extreme respiratory distress and damage to vision or the nervous system.

Rubber bullet risks: Often made of hard plastic or metal, rubber bullets have caused blindness, brain injury, and death in some cases.

Research gaps: Much existing research into tactics like tear gas is limited to military research of young men in the 1950s-70s, and doesn’t account for modern weapons technology or potential health effects on a broader civilian population. 

WIRED ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Who Squashed the Competition?
Last week we celebrated a wax sausage roll at Madame Tussauds.

Now, another installment of England-making-things-look-like-other-things: a cornucopia of vegetable likenesses.

At the Lambeth Country Show, held last weekend in Londonʼs Brockwell Park, revelers braved the inevitable English rain to enjoy sheep shearing, livestock competitions, and most of all: vegetable sculptures and vegetable puns.

“Every year, this is what we get so excited about,” attendee Maddy Luxton told the AP. 

Voting is now closed, but you can still pick your favorite.

Will it be Cornclave? Or its Vatican-themed rival, Popetayto Francis and the Conclabbage?  Butternut squash channeling Wallace and Gromit? Cauli Parton starring in 9 to Chive? Broccoli-based commentary on niche local politics?

All are healthy choices. QUICK HITS Scientists mapped what happens if a crucial system of ocean currents collapses. The weather impact would be extreme – CNN

Global action needed as progress stalls on disability-inclusive development goals – UN News – UN News

Journalist, advocate, policy adviser? My strange role in the fight against superbugs – The Bureau of Investigative Journalism

As a health crisis looms in Vietnam, now is the time for a sugary drink tax: WHO – Asia News Network

36% of Jamaicans tested for NCDs in health ministry campaign present ‘abnormal result’ – Jamaica Observer

World Food Safety Day : Putting Science into Action to Improve Nutrition and Protect Health in Africa – ReliefWeb 

Homicide Rates Near Supervised Consumption Sites: A Study from Canada – Think Global Health (commentary)

Word of the Week: how a bacterium unrelated to fish got its name 'salmonella' – NPR Issue No. 2740
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Declining ‘Reproductive Agency’ and Fertility Rates; Rescripting Traumatic Memories; Meth Smuggling in the Golden Triangle View this email in your browser June 11, 2025 Forward Share Post A doll on a stroller is pictured on a playground in Bicentennial Park, in the commune of Vitacura. Santiago, Chile, September 5, 2024. Raul Bravo/AFP via Getty A Lack of ‘Reproductive Agency’ as Global Fertility Declines
The “unprecedented” drop in global fertility stems from social and economic barriers—not a rejection of parenthood—finds the new State of the World Population 2025 report from the UN Population Fund.

Key finding: 1 in 5 adults say they expect to have fewer children than they want due to financial barriers and insecurity about the future. 

• “The issue is lack of choice, not desire,” UNFPA head Natalia Kanem told The Guardian.

The report draws on a survey of ~14,000 people from 14 low-, middle-, and high-income countries that represent 37% of the global population, reports the BBC. 

Key factors preventing people from starting families, per UN News: 

• Economic insecurity: 39% of respondents cited financial limitations including high housing and childcare costs as the main reason for having fewer children. 


• Fear for the future: 19% cited worries around climate change and conflict. 


• Gender and labor dynamics: 13% of women cited unequal division of labor as a barrier to having children. 

Seeking solutions: Coercive fertility policies and incentives like “baby bonuses” are ineffective, says UNFPA; instead, more investment is needed in supports like affordable housing and childcare, paid family leave, and widened access to reproductive health care.

Related: 

China to make all hospitals offer epidurals to incentivise childbirth – Reuters

Advocates, Clinics Anxiously Ask: When Will Trump Release IVF Recommendations? – U.S. News & World Report GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Louisiana lawmakers have passed a bill targeting out-of-state doctors and activists who prescribe, mail, or “coordinate the sale of” abortion pills to residents within the state, where abortion is banned with few exceptions. AP

Childhood trauma has been linked to a 20% increased risk of developing endometriosis later in life, per a new study published in Human Reproduction, which included hundreds of thousands of women in Sweden. UPI

Dementia risk can be tied to vascular risk factors including hypertension, diabetes, or smoking, finds research published in JAMA Neurology, which suggests that up to 44% of dementia cases could be attributed to such preventable factors in mid- and late life. Medical Xpress

The FDA will use AI to “radically increase efficiency” in approving new drugs and devices, per a commentary published in JAMA; the adoption of the technology comes after the agency cut nearly 2,000 employees. The New York Times (gift link) U.S. and Global Health Policy News Vaccine board purge stokes talk of CDC alternatives – Axios

White House says it will spare some AIDS programs that were on the chopping block – The Independent

Big changes are being proposed for a US food aid program – AP

Science’s reform movement should have seen Trump’s call for ‘gold standard science’ coming, critics say – Science

NIH chief stands by funding cuts to ‘politicized science’ at tense hearing – Nature

The Bleach Community Is Ready for RFK Jr. to Make Their Dreams Come True – WIRED DATA POINT

1 in 5
—————
Afghans live in areas littered with landmines and unexploded ordnance. —The Telegraph  MENTAL HEALTH Rescripting Memories to Treat PTSD
Finding effective treatments for PTSD in veterans is an ongoing quest for psychologists and one with high stakes, as veterans with the condition face higher rates of suicide.

One therapy getting more attention: Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories (RTM), a structured process that aims to reduce PTSD symptoms by visualizing trauma as a movie, “rewinding” and adjusting elements to lessen emotional impact over time. 

The process differs from the dominant treatment, prolonged exposure therapy, by approaching memories less directly, thereby lessening distress and leading to a higher completion rate. 

Further study needed: Initial data are promising, with ~70% of those receiving RTM therapy no longer meeting PTSD criteria. But critics say the studies are limited and need more rigor. 

The Atlantic

Related: Mental healthcare reform 2.0: learning from the global south – Nature Mental Health GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DRUG TRAFFICKING Meth Smuggling Crisis in the Golden Triangle
Thai authorities are struggling to stem a flood of synthetic illicit drugs coming into the country from neighboring war-torn Burma, where drug production is surging. 

Meth on the rise: Thailand intercepted 130 tons of meth in 2024, per a report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime—nearly half of the 236 tons seized in East and Southeast Asia.

• “In the past, to catch like 100,000 methamphetamine tablets was a big deal. Now we catch more than a million pills, and it’s just a normal day,” said one Thai military official. 

Burma’s drug production has ramped up dramatically since the start of the country’s civil war in 2021.

The Telegraph OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Motsoaledi’s big HIV treatment jump: Is it true? – Bhekisisa 

Arizona confirms first measles cases as totals rise in other states – CIDRAP

Why Texas is spending millions to research an illegal psychedelic – The Washington Post (gift link)

Việt Nam confirms global family planning commitment through 2030 – Viet Nam News

How to speak to a vaccine sceptic: research reveals what works – Nature

How Composting Protects Public Health and Our Planet – News Medical 

Music festivals have become more open to harm reduction initiatives. How far will it go? – AP

Word of the Week: how a bacteria unrelated to fish got its name “salmonella” – NPR Issue No. 2739
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: RFK Jr. Clears Out Vaccine Experts; Argentina’s Scientists Struggle; and Lesotho Mothers on the Front Lines View this email in your browser June 10, 2025 Forward Share Post A paramedic administers a dose of the measles vaccine at a health center. Lubbock, Texas. February 27. Ronald Schemidt/AFP via Getty RFK Jr. Clears Out Vaccine Experts
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. yesterday removed all experts on a vaccine advisory committee that guides the CDC—and will replace them with members he selects.

• Kennedy argued in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that the 17-member committee “has been plagued with persistent conflicts of interest and has become little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine.”


• The next meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will be held June 25-27, though it’s not clear when new members will be announced, the AP reports.

Public health leaders swiftly condemned the move:

• “This is one of the darkest days in modern public health history," said Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), per CIDRAP. “Science does not matter to Mr. Kennedy.” 


• “We’ll look back at this as a grave mistake that sacrificed decades of scientific rigor, undermined public trust, and opened the door for fringe theories rather than facts,” said Tom Frieden, Resolve to Save Lives president and CEO, and former CDC director, per AP.


• “With a refigured committee of like-minded individuals to the secretary, doctors, nurses, pharmacists who provide advice are going to be in big trouble,” Richard Besser, former CDC acting director, told The New York Times (gift link).

.Related:     

We have ‘post-vaccination syndrome.’ We are tired of being used to score anti-vax points – STAT (commentary)
 
FDA Review of Novavax’s COVID-19 Vaccine—Regulatory Integrity and Deviations From Standard Practice – JAMA (commentary)
 
Widespread Decline Seen in MMR Vaccination Rates After COVID-19 – Infectious Disease Advisor  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   The WHO has extended its designation of mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern amid a recent surge of cases in West Africa; the emergency, first confirmed in August 2024, now affects 25 countries in Africa. CIDRAP
 
Youth firearm deaths rose considerably in U.S. states that passed more lenient gun laws after a 2010 Supreme Court ruling limited local governments’ capacity to limit gun ownership, per a new study in JAMA Pediatrics; in states with stricter laws, gun deaths held steady or even fell—and dipped significantly in four: California, Maryland, New York, and Rhode Island. The New York Times (gift link)

Canadian wildfires have forced 27,000+ Canadians in three provinces to evacuate, while smoke from the fires is causing ‘very unhealthy’ conditions in the American Midwest and even reaching Europe; in Minnesota, hospitals are reporting more patients with respiratory symptoms. AP

A new celiac disease blood test could be a game-changer, per Australian research published in Gastroenterology that found the test highly accurate—while sparing people from weeks of potentially painful and debilitating tests that require them to consume gluten. The Guardian U.S. and Global Health Policy News NIH walks back ban on new grants for universities with DEI programs or Israel boycotts – STAT
Trump budget proposes killing nursing research institute – Science

‘The cartels and clans are ecstatic’: How USAID cuts have emboldened Colombia’s narcos – The Telegraph

Domestic abusers could have easier path to getting gun rights back under Trump proposal – The 19th

Trump Bill’s Caps on Grad School Loans Could Worsen Doctor Shortage – The New York Times (gift link) POLICY Argentina’s Scientists Struggle
After decades of cyclical crises, extreme currency fluctuations, and sky-high inflation, Argentine scientists have had to learn to be creative with limited funds: They bargain with suppliers, recycle materials, and look for cheaper alternatives when the equipment they want is too expensive.

But even their ingenuity is becoming insufficient after a year and a half of aggressive government cuts to public spending.

• Projects studying rare diseases and RNA-based therapeutics are stalled or dramatically scaled back, while scientists face dwindling supplies and collapsing purchasing power due to inflation exceeding 300% since late 2023.


• International collaborations, once a safety net, are also at risk as U.S. science budgets tighten. Argentine scientists are used to “brain drain”—seeing their colleagues emigrate when funding gets scarce—a possibility that is now raising alarms in the U.S.  

Despite political challenges, Argentine scientists remain among the most respected professionals domestically.

Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS How Misoprostol Transformed Abortion in Latin America 
In the 1990s, abortion activism in Latin America was revolutionized by the word-of-mouth spread of a safe, new self-managed abortion method: the drug misoprostol. 

Strict anti-abortion laws were in place throughout the region, but underground networks of activists soon found ways to get misoprostol in the hands of women, and to instruct them how to use it.

• Groups like Las Libres in Mexico and Socorristas en Red in Argentina offered free pills, guidance, and support. Activists in Ecuador and Argentina started hotlines and published widely read manuals. 

Medical professionals covertly aided activists in Argentina despite legal risks, leading to real-time research and more systemic care.

NPR

Related: A Day With One Abortion Pill Prescriber – The New York Times (gift link)  SUBSTANCE USE Lesotho Mothers on the Front Lines
In Lesotho, alarming trends in youth drug use are spurring mothers to push for greater interventions.

‘Hotspotting’ takes hold: As crystal meth usage has grown, more young people are participating in “hotspotting” or “bluetoothing”—the practice of drawing blood from a drug-intoxicated person, then injecting it in others in order to spread the high.

• The practice increases the risk of HIV and other infections in a country already facing one of the world’s highest HIV rates. 

Mothers join forces: Two mothers whose children have battled addiction have started an organization, Mokhosi oa Mangoana, to spread awareness and advocate for more legislation and rehabilitation.  

The Guardian

Related: Drug deaths plummet among young Americans as fentanyl carnage eases – NPR OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Measles holiday warning as cases rise in Europe – BBC

A Palestinian doctor in Israel helps people on both sides – The New Yorker

These Gazan families came to Quebec for safety. Now, they face life without health coverage – CBC

Two Women Faced Chemo. The One Who Survived Demanded a Test to See if It Was Safe. – MedPage Today Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe! 

Suicidal ideation across three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark – identifying vulnerable subgroups using COH-FIT data – Journal of Affective Disorders

Eliminating malaria in Nigeria: insights from Egypt's success and pathways to sustainable eradication – Malaria Journal - BioMed Central

Open-access revolution is squeezing scientific societies’ budgets, survey shows – Science

What does it mean for workplaces to treat COVID-19 like the common flu – NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health / National University of Singapore Issue No. 2738
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Sierra Leone’s Mpox Surge; Climate and Kidney Disease; and Standing Up to Stigma View this email in your browser June 9, 2025 Forward Share Post A crowd of people at Dove Cot Market. Freetown, Sierra Leone, May 1. Patrick Meinhardt/AFP via Getty Sierra Leone’s Mpox Surge
Mpox infections are rapidly rising in Sierra Leone, overwhelming the nation’s health systems and raising fears of a wider spread in densely populated West Africa, reports Nature. 

Outbreak overview: In the past month, Sierra Leone has reported 15 deaths and 3,000+ mpox infections—more than half of Africa’s new cases.

• The actual number of infections may be 4X higher than reported, genomic analysis suggests.

Transmission: The virus is spreading among both men and women, and sexual contact appears to be the main means of transmission. Young people, including sex workers, are especially affected, finds one preprint study. 

• The outbreak is driven by clade IIb—the same strain behind the global outbreak that began in 2022, and separate from the clade Ib strain driving the outbreak in the DRC. 

Overload: Sierra Leone’s health system lacks capacity to control the spread, say epidemiologists there. 

• The country has received limited vaccine doses, and global funding cuts are further hampering research and response.

Meanwhile, Ethiopia is seeing a sharp spike in infections after the country logged its first mpox cases in late May, reports CIDRAP.

• 40 cases have now been reported, and one infant has died.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   HIV researchers have made a key breakthrough in their quest for a cure after finding a way to use mRNA to force the virus out of hiding inside white blood cells, per a study published in Nature Communications. The Guardian

Viral skincare routines aimed at teenagers on TikTok carry both dermatological and psychological risks and “offer little to no benefit,” finds a study in Pediatrics, which also found that content creators ages 7–18 apply an average of six skincare products daily. Newsweek

U.S. mothers’ mental health worsened between 2016 and 2023 across all socioeconomic groups, finds a study in JAMA Internal Medicine that analyzed self-reported mental health ratings from some 198,000 mothers. The Washington Post (gift link)

As global measles surveillance is threatened by U.S. funding cuts, philanthropies are trying to keep the Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network, known as Gremlin, afloat. STAT U.S. and Global Health Policy News In Axing mRNA Contract, Trump Delivers Another Blow to US Biosecurity, Former Officials Say – KFF Health News

He led George W. Bush's PEPFAR program to stop AIDS. Now he fears for its future – NPR Goats and Soda

How Trump Administration Can Tackle America's Addiction Problems: Experts – Newsweek

Who’s in charge? CDC’s leadership ‘crisis’ apparent amid new COVID-19 vaccine guidance – AP

NIH asks for proposals for $50M autism data project – Axios

Palantir’s Collection of Disease Data at C.D.C. Stirs Privacy Concerns – The New York Times (gift link) CLIMATE Climate and Kidney Disease
Since the late 1990s, researchers have been studying an epidemic of young, otherwise healthy workers suddenly struck with kidney failure—a condition dubbed chronic kidney disease of unknown cause, or CKDu. 

• First seen in El Salvador, CKDu is now known to affect laborers worldwide, especially in hot, humid regions.


• Tens of thousands have likely died from the disease, say researchers. 

Factors: Repeated heat exposure, dehydration, and hard labor appear to be key causes of kidney damage.

• “You’re having this acute kidney injury day after day,” said Catharina Giudice, an emergency medicine physician at Harvard University. 

And as global temperatures rise, researchers warn CKDu could become far more widespread.

Nature GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HIV/AIDS Standing Up to Stigma
In Rwanda, where approximately 300,000 people live with HIV, stigma can lead to social isolation, especially in school-age children. But new protective measures are supporting students living with HIV. 

• The Rwanda Biomedical Centre has trained 383 school officials on supporting students who are HIV-positive. 139 officials will receive similar training in June. 


• Youth-driven anti-AIDS clubs that provide awareness and support, which have stalled in the past, are being revived.

Discrete support: Children are often mocked for taking HIV medication in class. One solution has been the use of discrete pill boxes. 4,000 boxes were distributed last year to at-risk youth, allowing them privacy to take medication, including PrEP.

The New Times  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Gaza health system ‘extremely fragile’ as aid point killings increase: ICRC – Al Jazeera

Monthly prescription rule blocks ADHD treatment for SA kids – Bhekisisa

World must ‘start screening for prostate cancer to stop men being left behind’ – The Telegraph

Salmonella outbreak tied to eggs sickens dozens across 7 states – AP

Stigmatised for being deaf: Zénabou's story – UN News

Local, organic, and bipartisan: How Vermont is challenging Big Food – The Christian Science Monitor

How a dog aging project can help pets and humans live healthier lives – NPR’s Short Wave (audio) Issue No. 2737
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Europe’s Surge of Synthetic Drugs; Scotlandʼs Mission to Banish Cervical Cancer; and This Sausage Roll Tastes Like Wax New drugs report reveals “constantly evolving” challenges, and a rise in synthetic drugs and cocaine View this email in your browser June 5, 2025 Forward Share Post The head of Section III of UDYCO Central, Alejandro Martin-Blass, explains the details of the operation to dismantle the largest cocaine base paste processing laboratory in Europe, at the Canillas Police Complex, on April 13, 2023, in Madrid, Spain. Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via Getty Europe’s Surge of Synthetic Drugs
A widespread influx of synthetic opioids and recreational designer drugs are putting European health care systems “under strain,” finds the European Union Drugs Agency's annual report—as  a “constantly evolving" European drug market forces officials to overhaul response strategies, reports Politico. 

The health risks of many synthetic drugs remain poorly understood due to their novelty and shifting composition, reports DW. Key synthetic drug trends include: 

• Nitazenes, synthetic opioids that can be stronger than heroin or fentanyl, have been linked to increasing overdose deaths.

• Cathinones, stimulants also known as “bath salts,” are increasingly being manufactured on the continent, with Poland emerging as a key hub. 

• Semi-synthetic cannabinoids: ~18 new semi-synthetic cannabinoids were detected in 2024; most are sold legally as their molecules are not explicitly banned. 

Cocaine market strengthening: Cocaine is becoming increasingly available, with officials reporting record cocaine seizures, mostly via ports in Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands, reports Reuters. 

Polysubstance use—taking multiple drugs at once—remains the main cause of drug deaths. 

• 7,500 drug-induced deaths occurred in 2023, mostly from opioids.

Collective response: The EUDA is urging stronger monitoring and cross-border collaboration to counter escalating health and security threats. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DATA POINT

10.9 million
—————
The number of Americans who would lose health insurance under Trump’s tax cut bill, per the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. – USA Today The Latest One-Liners
Haiti has been elected to the WHO Executive Board for the first time, with the nation’s health minister saying the country would be a “committed voice” in shaping global health policy even as the country grapples with its own public health crises, including gang-related violence and undermined health infrastructure. The Haitian Times

Women using weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro are being urged to use “effective contraception” after 40 women have reported becoming pregnant while taking the medications, a U.K. regulatory agency warns. The Guardian

Extended marriage and maternity leave will be offered in China's southwestern Sichuan province, as officials hope to create a “fertility-friendly society” in the face of flagging birth rates in China. Reuters

Childhood measles vaccination rates fell in ~80% of U.S. counties after the COVID-19 pandemic, per a new study published in JAMA Network Open; the findings reflect trends seen at both state and national levels. AP GHN EXCLUSIVE All school pupils in Scotland are offered the HPV vaccine in their first year of secondary school. Courtesy of Public Health Scotland Scotlandʼs Mission to Banish Cervical Cancer  
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally—but in Scotland, an observational study of a national, school-based HPV vaccination program launched in 2008 detected zero cases of the disease among women fully immunized against HPV at age 12 or 13.

The school-based program has consistently achieved HPV vaccination coverage of over 80% of Scottish pupils—well above the European average. 

How do they do it?

Prioritize communication: “We try to make sure that everybody has the same information … that will allow parents to make an informed decision” about having their child vaccinated, Kirsty Roy, the studyʼs lead author, told GHN in an exclusive Q&A.

Tackle vaccine inequalities: Roy says that the program is constantly trying to better understand gaps in vaccine coverage between the most and least deprived areas, from the “misperception that the vaccine only benefits girls” to school absenteeism that prevents some pupils from accessing the vaccine. 

Play the long game: While the program has seen successes, it still aims to go further: “We are working towards eliminating cervical cancer in Scotland, as per the WHOʼs definition,” says Roy.
 
Annalies Winny, Global Health NOW READ THE Q&A GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES SUBSTANCE USE Why Alcohol Needs a Cancer Warning Label
More than six in 10 Americans drink alcohol. But less than half of them know that they’re increasing their cancer risk while they’re doing it.

Updating the U.S. alcohol health warning label—which hasn’t changed since 1989—could help to raise awareness, experts say. 

• On January 3, then-U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a health advisory on the link between cancer and drinking and recommended that the warning label on alcohol containers be changed to reflect the connection. 

• In February, the WHO issued a similar call. 

Changing the label, however, would require an act of Congress, which experts say at this time is unlikely. 

Other countries have been more aggressive about their warnings: Beginning in 2026, Ireland will require prominent labels with red capital letters on all containers of beer, wine, and liquor sold in the country.

Alcohol consumption is the third-leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S., after tobacco and obesity, and leads to a higher risk of at least seven types of cancer. 

Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION This Sausage Roll Tastes Like Wax
Everyone knows thereʼs only one true sign of celebrity: Being cast in wax. 

Think David Attenborough, Beyoncé, William Shakespeare … and now, some sausage wrapped up in pastry, Londonist reports.

Ahead of National Sausage Roll Day—a holiday that apparently exists—an iconic snack from the British bakery chain Greggs claimed a top spot at Madame Tussauds wax museum in London, where it is now lounging atop a blue velvet pillow.

How the sausage is made: The “one-of-a-kind replica Sausage Roll” was handcrafted by studio artists who studied “dozens” of real-life rolls to capture its flaky layers and “unmistakable golden glaze,” a press release gushed. 

Following the science: “New research”—which we couldnʼt find a link to—apparently ranked the Greggs Sausage Roll among the countryʼs most beloved cultural icons. It even outranked the affable cast of Gavin & Stacey (a GHN fave from James Corden) and the foul-mouthed brothers of Oasis.

But even a wax sausage roll has a limited shelf life. The exhibit expires at the end of June. OPPORTUNITY

The Spring Issue of HBPH Is Available

The new special issue of Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health magazine documents the broad and emerging impacts of U.S. government funding cuts on a wide range of research and projects in the U.S. and abroad, the scientists who conduct that work, and the people who benefit from it. It also highlights public health in action, and shares stories with lessons that can help us navigate the current moment. 

Read the special issue now.

QUICK HITS Neglected tropical diseases further neglected due to ODA cuts – WHO

Researchers warn of bird flu survival in raw milk – News Medical 

US valley fever cases may be 18 times higher than reported – CIDRAP

Call for experts to develop a WHO guideline on consumption of ultra-processed foods – PAHO

Measles Is Scary, Says Lubbock’s Top Health Official. So Is Government Upheaval. – Texas Monthly

Baby saved by gene-editing therapy 'graduates' from hospital, goes home – ABC News Issue No. 2736
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Assaults on Aid as Sudan’s Hunger Crisis Deepens; Scientific Journals Navigate New Challenges; and The Clay Floor Advantage View this email in your browser June 4, 2025 Forward Share Post Displaced people queue for food rations in a makeshift encampment near the town of Tawila, in Sudan's Darfur region. April 13. AFP via Getty Assaults on Aid as Sudan’s Hunger Crisis Deepens
A 15-truck convoy delivering lifesaving supplies to famine-stricken North Darfur was attacked in a “horrendous” ambush Monday night, killing five humanitarian workers, injuring others, and blocking desperately needed humanitarian supplies, reports Al Jazeera. 

Details: The convoy, led by World Food Programme and UNICEF contractors, would have been the first to reach El Fasher in over a year, as hundreds of thousands of people in the region face malnutrition and starvation amid Sudan’s ongoing conflict, per UN News. 

• It remains unclear who is behind the attack, with agencies calling for an investigation. 

Imperiled care: The attack follows multiple assaults on humanitarian and health facilities in the country last week, including bombings of the WFP office in El Fasher and a deadly drone strike on a hospital in Al Obeid. 

• Meanwhile, damage to civilian infrastructure has worsened a cholera outbreak. 

Health care collapse in Khartoum: In Sudan’s capital, none of the city’s ~100 medical facilities are operational after the widespread destruction of buildings and electrical infrastructure and disruption of medical supply access, reports NPR Goats and Soda. 

Rise of refugees in Chad: The number of Sudanese refugees in Chad has risen 3X+ in just over two years, per UN News, with 1.2 million people fleeing to the country.

• Over 9 million people have been displaced in the conflict. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DATA POINT

1.6 million
——————
People fall ill daily from unsafe food globally, warns the WHO. —Anadolu Agency
  The Latest One-Liners
Guidance requiring hospitals to provide emergency abortions for women needing medical stabilization has been revoked by the Trump administration; the Biden administration had issued the guidance to preserve emergency abortion care, even in states with near-total bans. AP

The CDC official overseeing updates to the agency’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendations has resigned, saying she could no longer “help the most vulnerable members of our population” after HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s order to change the agency’s vaccine guidance. CBS

Vietnam will end its longstanding policy limiting families to two children as the country aims to reverse a declining birth that has dropped below the replacement level for three consecutive years. South China Morning Post

Misinformation around cancer care is leading to a rise in alternative treatments like coffee enemas, raw juice diets, and other potentially dangerous social media–driven trends, said doctors at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, warning that such misinformation has “acutely worsened in the past decade.” The Guardian U.S. and Global Health Policy News Trump asks Congress to repeal $9 billion from NPR, PBS and global aid – The Washington Post (gift link)

Research cuts conflict with MAHA's stated goals – NPR

Kennedy has ordered a review of baby formula. Here’s what you should know – AP

Dismantling CDC’s chronic disease center ‘looks pretty devastating’ to public health experts – STAT HUMAN RIGHTS Peru’s Forced Sterilization Victims Seek Justice
Peruvian women sterilized decades ago under the government’s forced sterilization campaign are finally having their day in court, as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held its first public hearing on the abuses in the case Celia Ramos v. Peru. Ramos died 19 days after receiving an unwanted tubal ligation.

Background: Between 1996 and 2001, ~270,000 Peruvian women were sterilized under then-President Alberto Fujimori’s reproductive policy. 

• The women, who were mostly poor and Indigenous, faced coercion, threats, and physical violence when they resisted.

Calls for accountability: Human rights groups have long argued the program constituted a crime against humanity and are petitioning the court to hold the Peruvian state responsible.

• “It’s been over 28 years of uncommitted and unaccountable governments,” said survivor María Elena Carbajal. 

The Telegraph GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES RESEARCH Scientific Journals Navigate New Challenges
Researchers and editors of federally funded scientific journals say they are facing new challenges of interference, fear, self-censorship, and dissent due to the U.S. government’s crackdown on DEI language.

Confusion and cuts: Federal directives to remove specific words and data, followed by major research funding cuts, have created upheaval in standard procedures around publishing. 

• Journals overseen by federal agencies now face additional vetting, and federal researchers who publish in outside journals say they have received inconsistent guidance on what they are able to submit. 

‘Chilling effect’: Though direct impact on other journals may end up being limited, the U.S.’s central role in publishing raises concerns about the “moral impact” on academic freedom, said Marcus Munafò, the former editor-in-chief of Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

Undark

Related: US veterans agency orders scientists not to publish in journals without clearance – The Guardian ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH The Clay Floor Advantage
In Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya, the nonprofit EarthEnable is reducing dust and parasites in homes by installing clay-based flooring—which delivers health and environmental benefits over dirt floors at less than half the price of concrete.

• Dirt floors are associated with poor hygiene, breathing irritations, pathogens, and the spread of parasitic fleas called jiggers.


• The clay floors, which are durable and sealed, also emit less carbon in production than concrete; the cement industry accounts for a large proportion of Uganda’s carbon emissions.

So far, EarthEnable has installed 39,000+ floors in Rwanda, 5,000+ in Uganda, and 100+ in Kenya.

AP

Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff! OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS UK ‘not ready’ for major animal disease outbreak – The Telegraph

COVID vaccine changes confuse and upset some parents and families – NPR

Moderna will test new COVID shot against placebo, RFK Jr. says – Toronto Sun 

New mRNA vaccine is more effective and less costly to develop, study finds – Medical Xpress

Abortion laws are Victorian era, says grieving mum – BBC

Anorexia in Middle Age and Beyond – The New York Times (gift link)

How extreme heat affects America's most vulnerable – JHU Hub

Annual cost of insuring a family tops $35,000 –Axios Issue No. 2736
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Zambia Drags Heels on Mercury Amalgam Ban; May Recap; and Cigarettes in France: From Romanticized to Restricted View this email in your browser June 3, 2025 Forward Share Post Zambia celebrated World Oral Health Day with a parade through Bauleni Compound, Lusaka, Zambia. March 20. Kennedy Phiri Zambia Drags Heels on Mercury Amalgam Ban
LUSAKA, Zambia—Some nations have already taken decisive steps to ban mercury amalgam in dental fillings—but in Zambia, despite the dangers, progress has stalled.
 
Health risks: Mercury amalgam, a common material used to fill cavities, consists of liquid mercury mixed with silver, tin, and copper, and emits low levels of mercury vapor, which, when inhaled, can be absorbed in the lungs and cause harm among some groups, including young children. 
 
Environmental risks: Just 0.6 grams of mercury—the average amount used in a single filling—can pollute 100,000 liters of water, about the size of a swimming pool, and make it unsafe to drink.
 
Zambia is especially vulnerable to harmful impacts of mercury on its limited resources due to inadequate mitigation processes such as improper disposal systems.

• ~10% of Zambia’s dentists still offer mercury fillings, though the real figure may be higher.


• Zambia signed the 2013 Minamata Convention on Mercury, which encourages replacement of mercury in dental amalgam with environmentally friendly alternatives, but has failed to implement an official ban.

Success stories: Authors Kennedy Phiri and Frederick Clayton share how other countries—including Tanzania, Uganda, and Gabon—overcame resistance and banned mercury amalgam.

Ed. Note: Thanks to Michael Musenga, of the Children’s Environmental Health Foundation in Livingstone, Zambia, for the idea for this story, which won an honorable mention in the Untold Global Health Stories Contest, co-sponsored by GHN and the Consortium of Universities for Global Health. READ THE FULL STORY GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners  

Cancer death rates in the UK have fallen by about a fifth since the early 1970s—from 326 per 100,000 people in 1971 to 254 per 100,000 in 2021—according to a new Cancer Research UK report that also found diagnoses are on the rise. The Independent

Younger generations are less likely to have dementia—at any age—than earlier groups, suggests a study in JAMA Network Open that compared eight birth cohorts; University of Queensland researchers also found that the trend is more pronounced in women. The Guardian

COVID-19 vaccination prevented the deaths of 12,800 Belgians ages 65 and older from January 2021 to January 2023, and reduced mortality by 54%, according to a new analysis published in Vaccine. CIDRAP

University of Warwick researchers have demonstrated a proof of concept for a new diagnostic assay to detect snake venom, per a new paper published in Biomacromolecules; the glycopolymer-based ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) test could be an inexpensive, quick alternative to current antibody assays. University of Warwick via ScienceDaily

MAY’S MUST-READS A Closer Look at a Dementia Cluster 
In Starr County, Texas, dementia affects about 1 in 5 adults on Medicare—more than 2X the national rate.
 
Why? Researchers say dementia risk factors—genetics, environment, and chronic health conditions—have accumulated in Starr County. 

• ~1 in 3 people live in poverty.


• The county is almost entirely Hispanic—a population that faces a significantly higher dementia risk.

Hope: In 2021, the National Institute on Aging designated a new Alzheimer’s research center in South Texas to better understand the dementia cluster and shift outcomes. 
 
The Atlantic (gift link)
The High Cost of Vietnam’s Cheap Cigarettes 
Vietnam’s tobacco products remain cheap and widely accessible compared to other countries, leading to high usage and health impacts. 

Low tax, high usage: Vietnam’s tobacco retail tax rate is just 36%, half WHO’s recommended rate of 70–75%. 

• Affordability means cigarettes are easily accessible to first-time users and even children. 

Health burden: Tobacco use causes ~104,000 deaths annually there.
 
Reform needed: Vietnam’s health leaders are urging regular tax hikes to align with international standards.
 
Vietnam News Agency via MSN

South Africa’s Backstreet Abortion Problem
Although abortion is legal in South Africa, unsafe abortion clinics are thriving because of scammers, social media misinformation, and a lack of knowledge about legal options. 16% of deaths from miscarriages were attributed to unsafe abortion, per a 2020–2022 report. But that’s likely an undercount. 

“Magic” solutions: Scammers and unlicensed clinics advertise “womb cleaning” and “sonar pills” that endanger pregnant people.
 
Real information: Science-based efforts on social media seek to flip the script. 

• On TikTok, Marie Stopes South Africa posts videos like “how to put on a condom” and “how to avoid getting scammed” by illegal abortion providers.

Bhekisisa MAY’S EXCLUSIVE HIGHLIGHTS A local woman and her child stand by the remains of an illegal gold mining area of La Pampa, in the Madre de Dios southern Peruvian jungle. July 14, 2015. Ernesto Benavides / AFP via Getty To support Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health magazine’s special issue examining the current challenges to U.S. and global public health, GHN reached out to its network of journalists and sought stories on the impact of USAID funding cuts. The following articles offer snapshots of research halted and prevention and treatment suspended.—Brian
  U.S. Funding Cuts Stop Crucial HIV Research in Its Tracks by Elna Schütz JOHANNESBURG—U.S. government research funding cuts stopped a seminal mRNA HIV vaccine study, part of the BRILLIANT consortium, mere days before its planned start in March 2025. Instead, vaccine doses sit unused. Such a vaccine could fundamentally change the HIV burden for South Africa and the world.
Tuberculosis Prevention Cuts in India by Cheena Kapoor DELHI, India—The Karnataka Health Promotion Trust, in the country’s south, supported a “TB buddy” system of guides who help tuberculosis patients with documentation, offer emotional support, and ensure patients complete their treatment. Continuing support for the TB buddy project ended with USAID funding cuts.
Mosquito Nets and Geopolitical Bets by Paul Adepoju IBADAN, Nigeria—Nigeria bears the world’s highest malaria burden, accounting for a quarter of all cases globally. A steady flow of donor‑funded supplies meant that Nigerians could receive free rapid tests and artemisinin‑based combination therapy (ACT) malaria medications. Those supplies were made possible by a finely tuned supply chain. But withdrawal of U.S. funding could endanger the country’s successes against the disease, including a 13% reduction in mortality rates since 2017.
Peru’s Illegal Mining Surges … and Destroys by Lucien Chauvin LIMA, Peru—Soaring gold prices and plunging U.S. government funds have set off a gold rush in Peru that has led to destroyed forests, mercury poisoning, and fast-spreading infectious diseases. U.S.-supported efforts had sought to limit illegal mining and its impacts on the environment and human health. Projects also reduced illicit activities intertwined with illegal mining, such as drug and wildlife trafficking. MAY’S BEST NEWS Scaling Up Desalination  
Millions of people in the Arabian Gulf now have access to a stable source of safe drinking water, as innovations in desalination lower barriers. 

Solar-powered reverse osmosis and other technologies have lowered costs from $5 to under $0.50 per cubic meter over a decade. 

• Some Gulf nations now rely on desalination for up to 90% of their drinking water.

Health impacts: Access to clean water has significantly reduced waterborne diseases in Oman.

The Telegraph SMOKING Cigarettes in France: From Romanticized to Restricted
France, long the home of glamorized smoking, will soon usher in a sweeping smoking ban as cultural attitudes shift around tobacco use.

New rules: Starting July 1, France will ban smoking in most outdoor public areas where children may gather, including parks, beaches, bus stops, and sports venues. Fines may reach €135 ($153).

• Freedom to smoke “stops where children’s right to breathe clean air starts,” said health minister Catherine Vautrin. 

Tobacco-entwined identity: Long a fixture in French fashion and cinema, smoking remains a “stubbornly embedded” habit—but rates have dipped to a historic low, with >25% French adults smoking daily. 

• ~75,000 people die from tobacco-related illnesses in France each year.

AP OPPORTUNITY A local woman and her child stand by the remains of an illegal gold mining area of La Pampa, in the Madre de Dios southern Peruvian jungle. July 14, 2015. Ernesto Benavides / AFP via Getty QUICK HITS Nigeria maternal mortality: The world's worst country to give birth – BBC

WHO resolution helps reframe skin diseases as a 'global public health priority,' not a 'cosmetic issue' – El País

At least 20 Planned Parenthood clinics shutter amid political turbulence – The Guardian

Gates To Direct Majority Of $200 Billion Pledge To Africa – Health Policy Watch

Investigating generics: They say their ADHD meds aren't working. They're not imagining it – MedShadow

Ending the HIV epidemic among adolescents in southern Africa – The Lancet Global Health (commentary)

Virus Hunter Peter Piot: How a Chance Encounter Sparked His Life Mission – Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies / Stanford University Issue No. 2735
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Smoking Cessation Setbacks; Hollowing Out American Public Health; and The Amazon’s River Clinics View this email in your browser June 2, 2025 Forward Share Post Medical workers hold placards to mark World No Tobacco Day, inside a private hospital. Kolkata, India, May 31. Sudipta Das/NurPhoto via Getty Smoking Cessation Setbacks
The COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, conflicts, and other crises have disrupted global smoking cessation efforts, per an ASH Canada report endorsed by 57 campaign groups and released ahead of World No Tobacco Day on Saturday, reports Reuters via the Economic Times.
 
Missed target: Governments have missed the 30% reduction goal set in 2015, meaning that ~95,000 people above the targeted 1,112,400,000 are still smoking, based on a Reuters analysis.
 
Action plan: The report’s authors urge governments to redouble efforts on tobacco control policies such as tax increases and smoking bans.
 
Meanwhile, the WHO marked World No Tobacco Day with a call for governments to ban all flavors in tobacco and nicotine products, and released a new publication documenting the impact of flavored products—especially on youth, as flavor accessories remain largely unregulated.
 
More Numbers:

• The global tobacco epidemic kills ~8 million people each year—and cigarettes kill up to half of their users.


• 50+ countries have banned flavored tobacco; 40+ countries have banned e-cigarette sales.

The Quote: “We are watching a generation get hooked on nicotine through gummy bear-flavoured pouches and rainbow-coloured vapes,” said Rüdiger Krech, WHO's director of Health Promotion. “This isn’t innovation, it’s manipulation. And we must stop it.”

Around the World:
 
French health ministry extends smoking ban – NPR 
 
UK bans single-use vapes to stem use by children and reduce harmful litter – AP
 
Every parent worries about “the wrong crowd.” Especially when it’s Big Tobacco. – El Universal (commentary)
 
Why India’s Fight Against Smoking Needs A Behavioural Shift – IndiaSpend
 
Bangladesh: Experts urge swift tobacco law reform to shield youth from industry tactics – Daily Sun
 
World No Tobacco Day: Unmasking the Appeal of New Products – Public Health On Call (podcast) GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   A northern enclave in Pakistan reported today its first polio case in seven years, just as the country wrapped up a polio vaccination effort aiming to immunize 45 million children; the case is Pakistan’s 11th so far this year. AP

Mpox cases in Liberia are rising, with an “alarming increase” of 69 active clade IIa and clade IIb cases reported by the National Public Health Institute of Liberia; so far, no deaths have been recorded. Liberian Observer

Infant malnutrition affects 10 million+ babies under 6 months old in LMICs, finds a new analysis published in BMJ Global Health conducted by researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the Emergency Nutrition Network, who described malnutrition in this age group as a “far bigger problem than previously recognized.” News Medical

Removing fluoride from American water systems could lead to 25 million cavities and $9.8 billion in costs over five years, per projections published in JAMA Health Forum showing that such a shift would “worsen oral health in children and … significantly increase national health care costs.” STAT U.S. Health Policy Hollowing Out American Public Health
  American public health systems are being “hollowed out” as funding cuts lead to the widespread elimination of services that communities small and large depend on—and often take for granted, finds an in-depth report by the AP.

The cuts—which include $11 billion in federal support for public health and ~20,000 national health agency jobs—are now being absorbed at state and local levels and include the dismantling of vital services like: 

• Air quality monitoring
• Water testing
• Food and restaurant inspections
• Early childhood interventions for deafness and drowning prevention 
• Vaccination outreach and disease tracking

Officials say the cuts undermine the “invisible but critical work” that no individual can do alone to protect the public’s health.

Meanwhile, a NOTUS investigation of the Make America Healthy Again report released last week found errors including citations linking to at least seven nonexistent studies, per Environmental Health News.

• The White House acknowledged “formatting” errors, per the AP, and later replaced the study links with real ones, but EHN says it isn’t clear that the replacement links support the report’s claims.

RESEARCH Beyond Petrochemicals
Science is confirming what fenceline communities experience every day. In February 2023, with funding from Beyond Petrochemicals, researchers Keeve Nachman of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Peter DeCarlo of the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, traveled along a route through parts of Cancer Alley, Louisiana, taking direct mobile measurements of ethylene oxide and other air pollutants. What they found was alarming.

ICYMI Related: Frontline Research, Real Progress – Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health HEALTH SYSTEMS The Amazon’s River Clinics
In many remote villages in the Brazilian Amazon, reaching medical help requires an hours-long journey by river.

So, doctors are trying to bring care downstream. 

Floating mobile clinics, deployed by Brazil’s national health system, provide primary care including vaccinations, tests, and common medications to riverside communities.

• The clinics are scheduled to visit remote communities six times a year per national guidelines.

Ongoing obstacles: Despite the great need, only 23 of ~100 health care boats are regularly operational—and staff are often called on to treat significant medical emergencies.

The Telegraph QUICK HITS In Emaciated Children, Gaza’s Hunger Is Laid Bare – The New York Times (gift link)

HIV’s Most Promising Breakthrough Has Taken a Hit – The Atlantic

The global, regional, and national brain and CNS cancers burden and trends from 1990 to 2021 – Nature

Abortion opponents are coming for mifepristone using what medical experts call ‘junk science,’ – The 19th

Exercise may benefit colon cancer patients as much as some drugs – NBC 

Digital baby formula campaigns undermine breastfeeding and put child health at risk – News Medical

Health policy expert Keshia Pollack Porter named next dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health – The Hub / Johns Hopkins University 

How do I choose a principal investigator for my next postdoc? – Nature

Memory cafes offer camaraderie and fun for people with dementia — and their caregivers – NPR Shots Issue No. 2734
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Climbing Temperatures, ‘Growing Negative Impact’;​​ Don’t Leave Thando Behind as PEPFAR Retreats; and Helberg, Right Ahead! ‘No sign of respiteʼ in global climate crisis, report finds View this email in your browser May 29, 2025 Forward Share Post An aerial view of cracked soil due to lack of rain is shown as Big Cypress National Preserve and the Florida Everglades experience a severe drought on May 19. Joe Raedle/Getty Climbing Temperatures, ‘Growing Negative Impact’
Global temperatures are expected to persist at or near record levels in the next five years, with “no sign of respite,” per the climate report published yesterday by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

• “There will be a growing negative impact on our economies, our daily lives, our ecosystems and our planet,” said WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett.

Felt impacts: The relentless warming is expected to lead to intensifying heatwaves, droughts, extreme precipitation, and continued melting of ice caps and glaciers, reports France24. 

• The Amazon is likely to face more drought, while northern Europe and South Asia may see increased rainfall.

• Arctic winters may warm 3.5X faster than the global average.

By the numbers: There is a 70% chance the 2025-2029 average global temperature will exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels—the more hopeful benchmark set by the Paris climate accords.

• For the first time, there is a 1% chance of a single year exceeding 2°C of warming by 2030—a “shocking” finding, climate scientists say, per The Guardian. 

• There is an 80% chance that at least one year will break the global heat record set in 2024. 

• And 2025 is likely to be one of the three warmest years on record. 

“1.5C is not inevitable,” said WMOʼs Chris Hewitt, noting that it is not too late to limit warming if fossil fuel emissions are cut.

Related: 

German court rejects climate case against energy giant RWE – DW  

Q&A: Kiley Bense on Climate Journalism in a New Information Environment – Columbia Journalism Review GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Global AIDS-related deaths could jump from 6 million to 10 million over the next five years unless drastic cuts to HIV-related funding are reinstated, an analysis of UNAIDS forecasts finds. The Independent 

The UN may cut 20% of jobs across the UN Secretariat, which employs ~35,000 people, and may slash its budget by ~20% in 2026 in response to the reduction in U.S. financial support, per the UN comptroller. Devex

Rat-borne diseases are spreading in Sarajevo, as health experts blame a failure to control the city’s rodent population for a spike in infections like leptospirosis. BBC

A new Texas bill could make it easier for parents to exempt their children from all vaccinations required to attend public school, despite the ongoing measles outbreak in West Texas. ABC News GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY A health worker manages supplies in a PEPFAR-funded AIDS clinic in Johannesburg. January 27, 2012. Foto24/Gallo Images/Getty Images Don’t Leave Thando Behind as PEPFAR Retreats
Thando* is 11 years old. She lives in Giyani, South Africa. Her mother died of AIDS when Thando was a toddler. Now, her grandmother—who sells tomatoes by the roadside—walks with her each month to collect the pills that keep her alive.

But in March, the clinic had no HIV medication. No one explained why, write Joseph Tucker, Molly McNairy, and Linda-Gail Bekker, in an exclusive commentary for Global Health NOW.

• Some American lawmakers have refused to reauthorize the program that supports her care: PEPFAR. 

Transition planning: South Africa has long been preparing to completely transition away from PEPFAR support, which funds only 21% of the South African national HIV program, the authors write.

• The sudden and abrupt disappearance of this funding on January 20, 2025, jeopardizes that transition plan, they write, adding it risks undermining years of shared investment, and extending the global threat of HIV.

Sustainability: Some U.S. policymakers have raised fair concerns about long-term dependency, but PEPFAR has always been about building sustainable systems.
 
Action items: Congress must act and reauthorize PEPFAR, the authors write, calling on philanthropists, faith leaders, and everyday citizens to raise their voices.
 
*The authors are not using Thando’s real name or township to preserve her privacy. READ THE FULL COMMENTARY GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH A Mental Health Crisis Follows Government Cuts  
Since January 20, the federal workforce has been cut by 6%—as some agencies have been dismantled and others drastically downsized. 

Growing distress: Following mass layoffs, federal workers and mental health professionals who see them have reported an uptick of panic attacks, depression, insomnia, and suicidal thoughts.

• Many say they believe this is intentional, citing budget director Russell Vought’s statement that “We want bureaucrats to be traumatically affected.”

Heightened risk: Some advocates are especially concerned for veterans, who make up 30% of the federal workforce.

• Phone operators for the Veterans Crisis Line said they’d seen a rise in calls from federal employees. 

The Washington Post (gift link) ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Helberg, Right Ahead!
Last week at his idyllic waterfront home in Norway, Johan Helberg heard the doorbell ring “at a time of day [5 a.m.] when I don't like to open.” He nevertheless obliged—only to find a panicked neighbor and massive cargo ship run aground in his front yard, BBC reports.

As Helberg slept, not hearing a peep, a Cypriot-flagged cargo ship ground to a halt just meters away from crashing into his bedroom, which “wouldnʼt have been particularly pleasant,” he observed.

But thereʼs a fine line—or at least a few meters—between tragedy and adventure. Given that no one was injured, Helberg is simply “very excited” to see the ship set free.   

“It's a very bulky new neighbor but it will soon go away,” Helberg added. If onły we could say that about the guy next door with the leafblower … QUICK HITS World Health Assembly: Why Multilateralism Needs More Than Solidarity – Think Global Health

After CDC cuts, doctors fear women will lose access to contraception research – NPR

Public health risk of yellow fever remains high in the Americas due to continued occurrence of human cases – PAHO

DOH: Travel-related Zika virus case confirmed on Oahu – Honolulu Star Advertiser

Eliminating kala-azar: 6 African countries sign agreement to ramp up efforts, cross-border programmes – DownToEarth

These countries don't fluoridate their water – here's why – BBC

That small, high, hateful bugle: The malarial conundrum – The Himalayan (commentary)

Bedbugs may be the first urban pest – Science Issue No. 2733
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Argentina’s Health System Overhaul; The Legacy of Nuclear Testing in Kazakhstan; and Novel Mental Health Care in an L.A. Jail President Javier Milei’s “structural review” echoes the priorities of RFK Jr. View this email in your browser May 28, 2025 Forward Share Post Dozens of organizations and public health workers march to denounce the dismantling of public health by Javier Milei's government. February 27, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Miguel M. Caamano/NurPhoto via Getty Argentina Charts an Alternate Route
Argentine officials are signalling a sweeping overhaul of the country’s health system following the decision to withdraw from the WHO, which was ratified yesterday during a visit with U.S. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., reports The Buenos Aires Times. 

• President Javier Milei announced a “structural review” of Argentina’s health agencies, saying there would be stricter oversight of vaccine approvals, a reevaluation of drug authorizations, and “a comprehensive review of the toxic ingredients present in ultra-processed products,” echoing Kennedy priorities, reports the Buenos Aires Herald. 

Lockstep with U.S.: As Kennedy and Milei criticized the WHO, Kennedy announced the two countries would launch an “alternative international health system” to the WHO, which would be “free from totalitarian impulses, corruption, and political control,” per The Hill.

Backtracking on abortion rights: Meanwhile, Amnesty International says Argentina is becoming a “testing ground” for undermining reproductive rights, as access to abortion services and essential medications has declined sharply since Milei took office in 2023, reports The Guardian. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   The WHO has designated NB.1.8.1 as a SARS-CoV-2 variant under monitoring (VUM), noting that while it is fueling a rise in cases and hospitalization in some Western Pacific countries, there are no signs that it is causing more severe cases than other circulating variants. CIDRAP

COVID-19 vaccines will no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women in U.S. CDC guidelines, per a decision by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who did not cite any research or further details that informed the decision. AP
 
The WHA passed its first climate change and health action plan in a committee meeting last night—after the collapse of an hours-long effort to shelve the plan led by Saudi Arabia and supported by other oil-rich Gulf states and Russia. Health Policy Watch

“Dieselgate” pollution killed ~16,000 people in the U.K. and caused ~30,000 cases of asthma in children, per a new analysis that follows up on a 2015 scandal, when diesel car manufacturers were caught using illegal “defeat devices” to cheat regulatory tests. Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air U.S. and Global Health Policy News New Zealand, betting on innovation and economic growth, cuts existing science funds – Science

Federal cuts ripple through a bioscience hub in rural Montana – KFF Health News

As the Nation’s Research-Funding Model Ruptures, Private Money Becomes a Band-Aid – The Chronicle of Higher Education Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner! 

In a county that backed Trump, people depend on Medicaid and are conflicted about cuts – NPR Shots

Read the Full ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Report – The New York Times (gift link) 

The pool's open. Trump's laid off the team that helps protect swimmers – Politico MENTAL HEALTH At California Jails, a Different Model for Care
About half the people incarcerated in the Los Angeles County jail suffer from mental illness.

The need for treatment and the chronic inability to meet that need led two incarcerated men to create a peer-led initiative, in which participants are trained to assist others with severe mental illness.

In the Forensic Inpatient Stepdown program, now 4+ years old, the assistants provide emotional support, use de-escalation techniques, teach life skills, and encourage peers to follow treatment plans. 

Impact: Since 2021, the program has expanded to reach 400+ patients. 

• Units using it report 6X fewer self-harm incidents and 35% fewer returns to hospitals.


• Mental health advocates say the program offers a model for improving care and rehabilitation inside jails. 

The Christian Science Monitor GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES RADIATION The Long Legacy of Nuclear Testing in Kazakhstan
From 1949 to 1989, the Soviet Union detonated 456 nuclear weapons at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in Kazakhstan, exposing 1.5 million people to radioactive fallout.

• Generations of people in the region now suffer high rates of cancer, fertility problems, heart disease, and genetic birth defects.

• Researchers have found the radiation nearly doubled inherited gene mutation risks.

Ongoing Struggle: Despite persistent health issues, neither Russia or Kazakhstan has offered long-term, large-scale aid.

The Quote: People near the test site “became unwitting test subjects, and their lives were treated with casual disregard due to racism and ignorance,” said Becky Alexis-Martin, of the University of Bradford in the U.K..

The Telegraph QUICK HITS Saudi Arabia’s secretive rehabilitation ‘prisons’ for disobedient women – The Guardian

With aura readings and a Lauryn Hill concert, Philip Morris rolls out a new tobacco product in the U.S. – STAT

Where Iran and Israel Align: Youth Tobacco Use – Think Global Health

WHO's Big Push To Integrate Traditional Medicine Into Global Healthcare Framework – Health Policy Watch

Climate change driving sexual and reproductive health risks among young adolescents in Kenya – Medical Xpress

WHO Mandated To Update Of 30-Year-Old Review On Health Impacts Of Nuclear War – Health Policy Watch

Eliminating kala-azar: 6 African countries sign agreement to ramp up efforts, cross-borde programmes – Down To Earth

Educating the next generation of global health practitioners and leaders – Keck School of Medicine of USC / University of Southern California Issue No. 2732
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Cholera Surges in Sudan; Rethinking Skin Cancer: Time to Double Down on Prevention; and Saving Babies as Global Health Shifts View this email in your browser May 27, 2025 Forward Share Post Cholera Surges in Sudan
Cholera cases are increasing in Sudan, with more than 2,000 cases in the Khartoum region treated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in the past week alone, AP reports.

• The surge began in Khartoum’s twin city, Omdurman, in mid-May, according to MSF’s Sudan coordinator Joyce Bakker.


• Cholera patients have overwhelmed MSF treatment centers in Omdurman, said Bakker, noting the organization is only seeing a fraction of the cases.


• An average of 600–700 cholera cases per week have been reported in the past month, per Sudan’s Health Minister Haitham Ibrahim.


• The outbreak, which was first declared in August 2024, has led to 60,000+ cases and 1,600+ deaths, according to official statistics per Anadolu Ajansı.

What’s behind the surge? The Sudanese army had retaken the Khartoum region last week from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, leading many people to return to their homes but they lack access to clean water.

What’s next? Ibrahim said a cholera vaccination campaign will be launched in the coming days and should stem the outbreak.
 
Related: How cholera bacteria outsmart viruses – Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne via ScienceDaily THE QUOTE   "Reducing maternal and child mortality and the risk of infectious diseases are clearly important priorities … Investing in strategies to prevent malnutrition and providing opportunities for learning and responsive caregiving would enable all children to thrive and contribute to the human capital of their societies." ———————— Robert Black, professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health— The Lancet (commentary)
  The Latest One-Liners   Uganda has allowed “impunity for attacks” and “sexual and other forms of violence against LGBT people,” per a new Human Rights Watch report that accuses the country of state-led bigotry and attacks on LGBTQ+ people. The Guardian
 
Alcohol consumption ups the risk of pancreatic cancer, per a WHO cancer research agency study; pooled data from nearly 2.5 million people across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America revealed a 3% increase in pancreatic cancer risk for each additional 10 grams of alcohol consumed per day. UN News

Excess deaths in the U.S. kept rising—even after the COVID-19 pandemic peaked—with ~1.5 million+ preventable deaths in 2022 and 2023, a Boston University-led study estimates; death rates among US adults aged 25–44 were 2.6X higher than in 21 peer high-income countries in 2023. CIDRAP

The U.S. Army spent nearly $1 million last year on untested snakebite drugs, including two drugs that appear to have undergone no independent testing for safety or effectiveness; testing on the civilian version of one of the drugs was determined to be “alarmingly weak.” The Bureau of Investigative Journalism World Health Assembly Wrap-Up News WHA Approves Landmark Resolutions on Health Finance, Rare Diseases and Skin Diseases – Health Policy Watch

Most WHO Member States Balk at Saudi-Russian Move to Ice WHO Action Plan on Climate Change and Health – Health Policy Watch

Global aid cuts will kill many – but Africa could benefit in the long run, says WHO chief – The Telegraph

WHO unveils new guideline to improve global access to controlled medicines – WHO (news release)

Kenya joins global push to combat snakebite deaths which claim around 4,000 lives annually – The Eastleigh Voice GHN EXCLUSIVE Colourful beach umbrellas seen from above at Cinque Terre, Monterosso al Mare, Italy. November 26, 2018. Alev Takil, Unsplash Rethinking Skin Cancer: It’s Time to Double Down on Prevention  
Each May, Skin Cancer Awareness Month reminds us of an urgent truth: Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers globally, with millions of new cases diagnosed each year across regions, climates, and skin tones, writes skin cancer expert Shafat Hassan.

Globally, skin cancer was diagnosed in more than 1.5 million people in 2020 alone, according to the WHO.
 
Essential question: Why are we still waiting for skin cancers to arrive at the hospital doors, instead of preventing them?
 
Strategy shift: The global health community must view skin cancer with the same urgency and innovation that we apply to other preventable diseases. This means elevating prevention and education to the same level as treatment.
 
Hassan’s takeaway: Let’s stop waiting for skin cancers to reach our operating rooms—and start preventing them from even happening.
 
Read the full commentary to learn essential next steps for global public health. READ SHAFAT HASSAN'S FULL COMMENTARY NEONATAL SEPSIS Saving Babies as Global Health Shifts 
As rich countries dramatically scale back their investment in global health, health leaders in low-income countries are looking for new models to bring critical tests and therapeutics to market.

Case in point: Infant sepsis kills ~400,000–700,000 babies worldwide each year. A rapid diagnostic tool could save hundreds of thousands of lives, but there is little incentive for rich countries to develop one because neonatal sepsis is concentrated in poor countries. 

• Some manufacturers are instead turning to middle-income countries like India, South Africa, and Kenya to invest in emerging interventions that those countries might actually use in large numbers—signaling growing independence and resilience of low- and middle-income countries. 

Vox / Future Perfect GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES INFECTIOUS DISEASES The CDC Goes Quiet   
The CDC’s public messaging has largely ceased during the Trump administration, with once-regular newsletters on hiatus, social media inactive, and health alerts not sent since March.

Reshuffled structure: The CDC’s communications teams saw drastic cuts earlier this year and messaging is now overseen by the HHS.

• Since the shift, staffers describe delayed or withheld public posts, even as outbreaks of measles, salmonella, and listeria continue, and as chronic health conditions go unaddressed.


• "We feel like our hands are tied behind our backs,” said one CDC employee. 

Various social media channels, which have 12 million+ subscribers, have stopped posting—with CDC staffers saying passwords to the platforms were lost when the agency’s digital media team was fired.

NPR CORRECTION Trust’s Name Check
A May 15 summary about tuberculosis prevention efforts in India incorrectly identified the Karnataka Health Promotion Trust as the Karnataka Health Project Trust. We regret the error. 

Our thanks go to Monika Doshi, PhD, MPH, of the Brown University School of Public Health, for catching this mistake. QUICK HITS FDA's plan to limit covid vaccines worries some who won't be eligible – The Washington Post (gift link)

WHO warns of 'zero-stock' levels of essential medical supplies, equipment in Gaza – Anadolu Ajansı

US aid kept many hungry Somali children alive. Now that money is disappearing – AP

One Type of Mammogram Proves Better for Women With Dense Breasts – The New York Times (gift link)

Sleep apnea pill shows striking success in large clinical trial – Science

Harvard researchers devastated as Trump team cuts nearly 1,000 grants – Nature

Why is the CDC located in Atlanta and not D.C.? History tied to Coca-Cola and mosquitoes – Georgia Public Broadcasting

A top global health expert's message to graduates: Kick the tires – NPR Goats and Soda Issue No. 2731
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: MAHA Commission Report; Online Abuse Is Undermining the Right to Health; and What Would You Do For a Labubu? MAHA report expected to outline causes of chronic disease in children, without specific policy proposals. View this email in your browser May 22, 2025 Forward Share Post MAHA Commission Report Set for Release
Today the White House is expected to release the first report from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again Commission, which aims to outline causes of chronic disease in children, reports The New York Times (gift link). 

Background: President Trump tasked the commission in February to examine what he called the “growing health crisis in America,” starting with the “childhood chronic disease crisis,” per USA Today. 

Potential report highlights: Ultra-processed foods, pharmaceutical drugs, and environmental toxins are expected to be named in the report as key drivers of obesity, cancer, depression, and ADHD.

• It presents a broad assessment without specific policy proposals and calls for further investigation, people familiar with the report told the Times. 

Critics say recent actions by the administration, such as ending school produce programs, eliminating funding for childhood diet research, and cuts to maternal health appear to conflict with the report’s health-focused goals.

Pushback from agricultural groups and some Republican lawmakers has started, as they expressed worry about the report’s expected focus on chemicals such as the herbicide glyphosate, reports the AP. 

• Kennedy has said the report is “not going to do anything to jeopardize” farmers’ business model.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES EDITORSʼ NOTE No GHN Monday!
In observance of the Memorial Day holiday in the U.S., GHN will not publish on Monday, May 26.

Weʼll be back Tuesday with more news! –The Editors The Latest One-Liners
Vitamin D supplementation may help slow cellular aging by protecting telomeres, the DNA caps at the ends of chromosomes that shorten during aging and are linked to disease development, finds new research from a trial of vitamin D3 published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. EurekaAlert

A cross-border effort to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis has been launched by nine African countries, as leaders from the countries signed a joint strategy for surveillance, treatment, and disease control during a World Health Assembly event. Health Policy Watch

A new malaria battle tactic could involve targeting the parasite carried by mosquitoes instead of mosquitoes themselves, finds a study published in Nature—which determined that a drug cocktail applied to bed nets then absorbed through mosquitoes’ legs successfully eliminated the parasite from the insects. BBC

A commercial chicken farm in Brazil's central Tocantins state is free from bird flu, preliminary tests from the state's farm agency show—a “boon” following Brazil’s first outbreak reported last week, which led to trade bans and restrictions for the world’s top poultry exporter. Reuters GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY Online Abuse Is Undermining the Right to Health  
In Kenya, a 14-year-old was evicted from her home when a health care provider texted a reminder about her HIV status to a shared family phone.
 
In Ghana, a gay man was lured to a meeting by fake romantic messages, then ambushed by men carrying machetes and sticks.
 
In Colombia, transgender sex workers were tracked to their homes after their details were shared online without consent.
 
These examples, from a new report by The University of Warwick’s Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies, reveal rising online abuse against young adults living with HIV, sex workers, and LGBTQ+ individuals in low- and middle-income countries.
 
“These abuses aren’t just horrifying—they are becoming normalized,” write several of the report’s co-authors in this exclusive commentary.

• Victims rarely see justice; some are criminalized instead.

• Police often dismiss complaints; digital platforms often fail to respond.

• And the fear of exposure leads many to stop seeking care altogether.

Online abuse is now a structural barrier to equitable health access, the authors argue—particularly in contexts where digital tools are increasingly central to public health delivery. They call on UN agencies, governments, and lawmakers to take urgent action against technology-facilitated abuse—outlining steps to strengthen privacy protections, invest in digital inclusion, and more.
 
Meg Davis, Catalina Gonzalez-Uribe, Bernard Koomson, and Allan Maleche for Global Health NOW GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES VACCINES ‘Gamechanger’ Gonorrhea Vaccine Program Launched
England will launch the world’s first gonorrhea vaccination program, as cases continue to reach record highs in the country. 

Rising infections: 85,000+ gonorrhea cases were recorded in England in 2023, an all-time high. 

Antibiotic resistance: Health officials have also warned that drugs are becoming ineffective against some strains of gonorrhea, highlighting the need for novel interventions, per a paper published in the BMJ.

Vaccine details: The 4CMenB vaccine, originally for meningococcal B, shows 32.7%-42% effectiveness against gonorrhea.

• While not fully preventative, the vaccine reduces transmission risk, and helps combat antibiotic resistance, with sexual health advocates calling the shot a “landmark moment” and a “gamechanger.”

The Guardian ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION What Would You Do For a Labubu?
If youʼve recently peered down to admire an expensive handbag, only to be glared at by a plush gremlin dangling from its strap—then youʼve met Labubu. 

The clip-on creatures that boast a “slightly grotesque charm and wide emotional range” are a Gen Z sensation, Mashable explains. While cuteness may be in the eye of the beholder, thereʼs no denying that this plushie punches above its weight.

Whatʼs the appeal? For starters, they …

• Are both ugly and cute.

• Wear fabulous outfits.

• Can hang on purses and also have their own purses.

• Have driven their makerʼs meteoric growth.

• Are apparently trade-war resistant, CNN reports.

And last but not least, their most powerful magic: They can make people stand in line. For a very long time. QUICK HITS FDA crackdown on off-brand Ozempic products set to take effect, threatening supply and access for many – CNN

West Nile virus detected in UK mosquitoes for first time as climate change linked to spread – Euronews

Indonesia on alert as COVID-19 surges across Asia – The Jakarta Post

6-year study of deer home range, habitat preference could help officials manage CWD – CIDRAP

When measles struck, a surge of parents stepped up to vaccinate their children – NBC News 

A husband and wife photographed each other during her cancer journey. Here is what they learned – STAT Issue No. 2730
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Narrowing Eligibility for COVID-19 Shots; Starved for Care; and Australia’s HIV Priority Shift View this email in your browser May 21, 2025 Forward Share Post Narrowing Eligibility for COVID-19 Shots
The FDA has announced new guidelines for which Americans will be eligible for the seasonal COVID-19 vaccine, limiting boosters to adults 65+ and others at high risk while more trials are conducted for younger, healthier people, reports the AP.

The new rationale, published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine, marks a shift from the previous policy recommending annual boosters for nearly all Americans ages 6 months+, raising questions about whether people who want the vaccine will be able to get it. 

Details: The current vaccine approval process will remain in place for older and high-risk groups, but vaccine manufacturers will need to conduct clinical trials before boosters are approved for healthier people.

• While the FDA says 100 million+ Americans fall in the eligible category, it remains unclear how eligibility would be determined. 

Concerns: Critics say guidelines exclude people who want vaccines to protect vulnerable family members or who want to avoid long COVID. 

• They also warn it undermines trust in reliably safe vaccines and could limit access by reducing insurance coverage, reports NPR Shots.

Debate: The guidelines come ahead of an FDA advisory committee meeting this week to discuss the boosters’ composition and a June CDC advisory panel meeting to update standards, with some experts saying there are legitimate questions about the benefits of yearly boosters. 

• It is unclear what this decision will have on those deliberations, with critics saying this decision preempts advisory panels’ role, reports The Washington Post (gift link). 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   China has pledged $500 million to the WHO, with the country now poised to replace the U.S. as the organization’s top donor—another sign of China’s expanded global health influence in the wake of the U.S. departure. The Washington Post

Metabolites from ultraprocessed foods can be identified in blood and urine, per a new study published in PLOS Medicine; the findings could help researchers better understand links between these foods and diseases like cancer and diabetes. Nature

A new Indonesian bill will allow broadcasters to censor LBGT content on digital platforms, including social media; advocates against the bill, which is still under deliberation, say it seeks to discriminate and control the country’s LGBT population. Global Press Journal

Urban rats are spreading bacteria that can cause leptospirosis in humans, finds a six-year study led by Tufts University published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases; the research generated new insights by analyzing DNA samples from rat kidneys. SciTechDaily World Health Assembly News Global leaders reaffirm commitment to WHO with at least US$ 170 million raised at World Health Assembly 2025 pledging event – UN News

US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr Extends Olive Branch to WHO – With Strings Attached – Health Policy Watch

The world now has its first ever pandemic treaty. Will it make a difference? – NPR Goats and Soda

Director-General’s Award for Global Health given to Professor Awa Marie Coll Seck and Professor Sir Brian Greenwood – WHO (news release) DATA POINT   Nearly $700,000 —————————
The total average annual cost associated with each case of opioid use disorder in the U.S. —Axios MENTAL HEALTH Starved for Care
Eating disorders claim over 10,000 lives every year—but new data from the University of Louisville’s Eating Anxiety Treatment (EAT) Lab show that health insurers are creating formidable barriers for those seeking care. 

An EAT survey of patients with eating disorders published last year shows the most common reasons insurers deny their claims:

• 43% reported that their insurer did not cover the appropriate level of care. 


• 43% said theyʻd been discouraged from seeking treatment because they didnʻt seem “sick enough.”


• 36% reported there were no eating disorder treatment providers in their insurer’s network.

Overall: 96% of patients and their families reported encountering at least one barrier to accessing treatment; 81% encountered financial barriers.

The Pulitzer Center GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HIV/AIDS Australia’s HIV Priority Shift
Women are no longer considered a “priority group” in Australia’s HIV elimination strategy, despite frequently being diagnosed late—years after their health has deteriorated.

• Nationally, 38% of women are diagnosed late—a figure that jumps to 50% in some territories. 


• Cases among women have not fallen nearly as much as among men; a recent 10-year span showed a 6% dip for women compared to a 36% decrease for men. 

Roadblocks: HIV remains highly stigmatized; the biggest barrier for women is a lack of information and testing beyond screening during pregnancy.

Call to action: Normalize HIV testing for women, increase access to support services in high-risk regional areas, and improve representation of women in research.

ABC Australia OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Crippling tropical diseases threaten to surge after U.S. funding cuts – Science

U.S. funding halted Africa’s HIV crisis. Trump’s cuts have forced a reckoning. – The Washington Post (gift link) Thanks for the tip, Steven Hansch! 

Pets Might Be Adding To Antibiotic Resistance – U.S. News & World Report

Bird flu vaccine for cattle aces early test – Nature

Family likely infected with histoplasmosis in bat-colonized cave – CIDRAP

It’s time to stop the great food heist powered by big business. That means taxation, regulation and healthy school meals – The Guardian (commentary)

9 Federally Funded Scientific Breakthroughs That Changed Everything – The New York Times (gift link)  Issue No. 2729
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: WHO Pandemic Agreement Is a Done Deal; U.S. Funding Cuts Stop Crucial HIV Research Work; and The Puzzling Drop in Human H5N1 Cases View this email in your browser May 20, 2025 Forward Share Post WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus delivers his report before delegates during the World Health Assembly in Geneva. May 19. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Done Deal: WHO Pandemic Agreement   After three years of arduous negotiations, the Pandemic Agreement was formally adopted by the World Health Assembly in Geneva this morning—though a key global player was notably absent.
 
Takeaways:

• The agreement improves future pandemic prevention and response by strengthening disease surveillance and access to vaccines and other medicines, The Telegraph reports.


• The WHO cannot control individual states’ responses such as travel restrictions, vaccine mandates, or lockdowns.


• Participating manufacturers must share “a target of 20% of their vaccines, medicines, and tests to the WHO during a pandemic to ensure poorer countries have access,” per Reuters.


• Today’s approval followed a vote yesterday in which Member States registered 124 in favor of the agreement with no objections and 11 abstentions, per the WHO.

Not quite done: Member States must negotiate details of the controversial pathogen access and benefit-sharing (PABS) system, which will establish how countries that “share information about pathogens with pandemic potential may benefit if pharmaceutical products are developed as a result,” reports Health Policy Watch.
 
No show: U.S. negotiators stopped participating in Pandemic Agreement discussions on January 20 when President Trump began the 12-month process to withdraw from the WHO.
 
Because it didn’t participate in the agreement, the U.S. is not bound by it, per Reuters.
 
The Quote: “It contains critical provisions, especially in research and development, that—if implemented—could shift the global pandemic response toward greater equity,” Michelle Childs, of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, told Reuters.

Related:

A Pandemic Treaty Without Teeth Will Leave Africa and the World Exposed – Think Global Health (commentary)
 
For the first time, the U.S. is absent from WHO's annual assembly. What's the impact? – NPR Goats and Soda

After US cuts funding, WHO chief defends $2.1B budget request by comparing it with cost of war – AP GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Papua New Guinea has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem—the country’s first elimination of an NTD—with the WHO crediting PNG’s robust disease surveillance, noting that many other countries’ trachoma elimination efforts required surgery campaigns, antibiotic mass drug administration, and targeted water, sanitation and hygiene improvements. WHO (news release)

The U.K. is ‘the sick person of the wealthy world,’ per a Health Foundation report led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine that underscored that, even as mortality from cancer and heart disease has decreased, deaths from drugs, suicide, and violence have increased. The Guardian

Austria, Norway, Oman, and Singapore earned recognition from the WHO at the World Health Assembly for their efforts to eliminate industrially produced trans fats from their food supplies; other countries are welcome to apply by August 31 to be considered for the third cycle of the TFA (trans-fatty acids) elimination validation program. WHO (news release)

Surgeons from Keck Medicine of USC and UCLA Health performed the world’s first in-human bladder transplant at UCLA earlier this month, restoring bladder function to a 41-year-old patient who had been dialysis-dependent for seven years. Keck Medicine of USC (news release) U.S. and Global Health Policy News Executive Order to Lower U.S. Drug Prices Could Hurt the Poorest Countries – Think Global Health (commentary)

Trump’s science adviser defends funding cuts as a chance to ‘revitalize’ U.S. science – Science

Trump’s NIH Chief Lets Loose on Fauci, Vaccines and Covid Cover-Ups – Politico

Exclusive: NIH grant rejections have more than doubled amid Trump chaos – Nature

RFK Jr. calls for healthier school meals as Trump cancels program that funded them – Reuters GHN EXCLUSIVE An aid worker who used to work with children orphaned by the AIDS virus poses for a photo at her home near Mbombela, South Africa. March 13. Phill Magakoe / AFP via Getty US Cuts Stop Crucial HIV Research in Its Tracks
JOHANNESBURG—All the groundwork had been laid and the official approvals for a Phase 1 clinical trial were secured. But now, vials of a valuable medicine sit untouched in laboratory refrigerators.
 
U.S. government research funding cuts halted the seminal mRNA HIV vaccine study, part of the BRILLIANT consortium, mere days before its planned start in March 2025, writes Elna Schütz.

• Such a vaccine could fundamentally change the HIV burden for South Africa, which reports the world’s highest number of people living with HIV.

The U.S. administration’s executive order to cut all aid funding to the country, along with cuts to other programs, also disrupted HIV prevention and care—and will likely lead to thousands of deaths as clinics that provide people with treatment sit empty, with hundreds of staff let go.

And, as the world’s third largest contributor to HIV research, South Africa is facing a unique double-whammy—with both researchers and people who receive clinical care feeling the impact.
 
Just six months ago, there was optimism around controlling the HIV epidemic, says Linda-Gail Bekker, director of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre. “We were really in a position where we could maybe tame the tiger and put it back in its cage,” she says.
 
Now, she says, it feels like the cage’s doors have been opened wide and the key thrown away.
 
Ed. Note: This article was produced in collaboration with Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health. READ THE FULL ARTICLE BY ELNA SCHÜTZ GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES AVIAN FLU The Puzzling Drop in Human H5N1 Cases
Three months have passed since a human bird flu case was reported in the U.S., but epidemiologists are not sure why—especially as animal outbreaks are ongoing. 

Potential explanations include: 

Seasonal factors: The U.S. could be experiencing a natural, though possibly temporary, decline in cases, given that bird flu often peaks in fall and winter, the CDC told doctors earlier this month.

Underreporting: Fear among migrant farmworkers amid the federal immigration crackdown may mean they are not seeking treatment for or reporting cases.

Weakened surveillance: Widespread government staffing cuts at the USDA and FDA, plus reduced targeted surveillance, could be hindering detection efforts.

AP DISASTERS How Warnings Failed as Helene Loomed
As Hurricane Helene bore down on the mountains of western North Carolina, the advisories from the National Weather Service grew grim, then apocalyptic as it warned Helene could be the region’s most destructive weather event “in the modern era.” 

But in small communities in places like Yancey County, those warnings did not translate to evacuation orders—even in the most vulnerable locations. 

Why? 

Lack of preparedness: Hurricanes were not a feature of disaster planning for emergency officials in the region. Warning and evacuation systems were not in place.

Underestimating danger: Unfamiliar with the level of flooding or landslides brought by Helene, many people downplayed or did not heed warnings that were issued. 

Communication collapse: During the storm, cell service and communication systems went down, and volunteer responders were overwhelmed.

ProPublica QUICK HITS Biden’s sudden diagnosis of aggressive prostate cancer is unfortunately all too common – AP

Scabies on the Rise Worldwide, Even in High-Income Countries – Medscape

Poll: 83% of Americans say benefits of MMR vaccines outweigh risks – CIDRAP

2-in-1 COVID-flu vaccine looks promising in trial — but experts say approval may be delayed – Live Science

Why sunblock in the U.S. is so much worse than in the E.U. – STAT (commentary)

Can AI therapists really be an alternative to human help? – BBC

This Is Your Priest on Drugs – The New Yorker Issue No. 2728
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: ‘New Levels of Horror’ as Attacks on Health Care Increase; Eroded Protections for Children; and Poisonous Profits View this email in your browser May 19, 2025 Forward Share Post Rescue workers provide medical aid to a wounded patient in a hospital damaged by a Russian drone strike on March 1, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Ivan Samoilov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty ‘New Levels of Horror’ as Attacks on Health Care Increase
Health workers, hospitals, and clinics were attacked in 3,623 incidents in 2024, finds a new report from the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition—a record figure that reflects an increasing disregard for humanitarian law, reports The Guardian. 

The attacks are up 15% from 2023 and 62% from 2022, including, bombings, looting, armed facility takeovers, and the detention of health workers. 

By the numbers: 

• 927 health care workers were killed, 473 were arrested, and 140 were kidnapped. 


• 1,111 incidents led to damaged and destroyed health facilities. 


• The numbers are likely an undercount, the report states. 

Hotspots: More than a third of the attacks (1,300+) occurred in Gaza and the West Bank, with hundreds more occurring in Ukraine, Lebanon, Burma (Myanmar), and Sudan.

Increased devastation: Explosive weapons accounted for 48% of incidents last year—an increase as drone strikes become more common, reports IPS.

No recourse: The rise in attacks reflects a “complete erosion in the respect for international humanitarian law and the responsibility to protect healthcare in conflict,” said Christina Wille, who led the report’s data collection. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Yellow fever cases in the Americas more than tripled in 2024, with five countries confirming 212 cases and 85 related deaths—a 40% case-fatality rate, per a new WHO report; Brazil recorded the highest number of cases and fatalities. CIDRAP

The FDA has approved Novavax’s COVID-19 shot, but has included new restrictions: The vaccine is approved for use only in adults 65+, or those ages 12–64 with health problems putting them at increased risk from COVID. AP

Girls with healthier diets tend to get their first periods later, regardless of BMI, per an observational study in Human Reproduction from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center that looked at the records of 7,500+ children ages 9–14; more research is needed to understand the linkage. NBC

Bangladesh’s air pollution could be lowered by a simple intervention: stacking bricks fired in kilns differently, finds a new study published in Science; the improved stacking pattern improves the airflow and efficiency of kilns, reducing black smoke emissions. NPR Goats and Soda IMMIGRATION POLICY Eroded Protections for Children
The U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), historically tasked with protecting immigrant children, is increasingly aiding immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, per a joint report by ProPublica and the Texas Tribune.

Shift in role: The ORR was formed to play a humanitarian role, assisting unaccompanied migrant children. 

• But in the last several months, current and former staffers say the office is being forced to share data used to target children and their sponsors for deportation.

Added risk: Critics say the shift will make already vulnerable children more susceptible to dangerous living and working conditions out of deportation fears. 

Forgoing medical care: Meanwhile, migrants fearing ICE are going without vital medical services for medical conditions including chronic illness, high-risk pregnancies, and injuries, doctors told The New York Times (gift link). 

• Children are especially at risk when their parents avoid the medical system. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Poisonous Profits
Despite being a potent neurotoxin, mercury remains the primary method for extracting gold from ore in West Africa’s booming informal mining sector. 

• Miners mix the liquid metal into crushed ore, then heat the mixture to evaporate the mercury, leaving the gold behind.


• Once released, mercury spreads through air, water, and soil. After heavy rains, it contaminates rivers, poisons fish, and accumulates up the food chain.

The process is cheap, effective—and dangerous: Mercury exposure can cause irreversible brain damage, developmental delays, birth defects, tremors, and loss of vision, hearing, and coordination. 

According to the UN Environment Programme, artisanal and small-scale gold mining is the largest global source of mercury emissions.

For many, the risk is worthwhile: Senegalese gold processors earn $370–$745 per month—more than double the national average salary.

AP

ICYMI: Peru’s Illegal Mining Surges … and Destroys – Global Health NOW OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Spike in Saudi Mers cases sparks outbreak fears ahead of Hajj – The Telegraph

Reports of sexual violence in Eastern DRC surge by almost 700% in March as armed conflict intensifies – ActionAid via ReliefWeb

Africa Turns to Mpox Lessons to Fight Cholera – Africa CDC & Cholera Plan to Map Hotspots in Five African Countries – Africa CDC

‘The fans just circulate hot air’: how indoor heat is making life unbearable in India’s sweltering cities – The Guardian

US brain drain: Nature’s guide to the initiatives drawing scientists abroad – Nature

How do middle-aged folks get dementia? It could be these proteins – University of California - San Francisco via ScienceDaily

Why we fall for fake health information — and how it spreads faster than facts – Kansas Reflector (commentary)

TikTok brings ‘raw milk’ craze to Britain – despite it being 45 times more likely to put you in hospital – The Telegraph

A pickled pepper maker knows exactly how hard it is to switch to natural food dyes – NPR Shots Issue No. 2727
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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  Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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96 Global Health NOW: Tuberculosis Prevention Cuts in India; Kennedy Faces Congress; and Lollipop Guilt: Click and Ye Shall Receive View this email in your browser May 15, 2025 Forward Share Post GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORT Dr. Renu Singh checks a patient for possible signs of tuberculosis in the district TB center in Patna, Bihar, India. August 10, 2010. Lynsey Addario via Getty Tuberculosis Prevention Cuts in India  
DELHI, India—India’s path to eliminating tuberculosis has multiple barriers. The latest: U.S. funding cuts to prevention programs.
 
Example: The Karnataka Health Project Trust supported a “TB buddy” system that helps TB patients with documentation, offers emotional support, and ensures treatment completion.

• The project helped those with latent TB infection (LTBI)—those infected with TB bacteria but who do not have the disease.


• ~360,000 Indian children under 5 were eligible for LTBI treatment, with 5%–10% at risk of developing active TB (when people feel ill and can spread TB germs to others), per a 2023 WHO report.

Other projects lost: USAID had contributed more than $140 million to the TB Mukt Bharat (TB Free India) prevention program. Also canceled is USAID’s support for the Tuberculosis Health Action Learning Initiative, which helped the urban poor, tribal communities, migrants, and industrial workers.
 
The Quote: “The [TB] doctors in … hospitals cater to hundreds of patients a day and have minimal time for explanations or comprehensive care … which leads to many patients dropping out of the program,” says Akshata Acharya, a MDR-TB survivor and author of a book about overcoming TB. “This is where NGOs have played a significant role in ensuring the patients continue their treatment.” READ CHEENA KAPOOR'S FULL STORY GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
U.S. overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen; the ~30,000 reduction in deaths has been attributed to a range of factors from naloxone availability and expanded addiction treatment to shifts in drug use trends. AP
  The WHO has cut its management team by half and will scale back operations as the organization’s 2026–2027 budget is reduced 21% following the U.S. decision to leave the agency and drop funding. Reuters via AOL

Suicide is the leading cause of death for medical residents, finds a new study published in JAMA Network Open; the risk is especially high during the first academic quarter of the first residency year. MedPage Today

Treating parasitic worms known as helminths may become easier, as researchers have developed a new formulation of the only drug used to treat the worms, per findings published in ACS Applied Nano Materials; the updates include making doses smaller, water soluble, and more efficiently absorbed. Medical Xpress U.S. HEALTH POLICY Kennedy Faces Congress
U.S. lawmakers from both parties sharply questioned HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during congressional hearings yesterday, asking him about deep staffing cuts, funding freezes, and vaccine messaging, as Kennedy defended his goals for restructuring the nation’s health department, reports the AP.

Takeaways:  

Budget cuts and department restructuring: Lawmakers described how thousands of job cuts and funding freezes have impacted their districts, including interruptions in constituents’ medical care, reports Science. 

• Kennedy defended reducing HHS staff by ~20,000 people and consolidating divisions, arguing the agency was inefficient and overly bureaucratic. He said the HHS will “do a lot more with less,” but acknowledged that further 2026 budget cuts “are going to hurt,” per CIDRAP. 

Vaccine views: Several lawmakers criticized Kennedy’s refusal to endorse childhood vaccines, saying his lack of clarity on the matter jeopardized children’s health amid a growing U.S. measles outbreak. 

• In response to questions about whether he would vaccinate his own child against measles, Kennedy said, “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me,” reports The Washington Post (gift link). 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TOBACCO The High Cost of Vietnam’s Cheap Cigarettes
Vietnam’s tobacco products remain cheap and widely accessible compared to other countries, leading to high tobacco usage and a growing health toll, say the nation’s health officials. 

Low tax, high usage: Vietnam’s tobacco retail tax rate is just 36%, far below WHO’s recommended rate of 70–75%.

• It is also far lower than regional peers including the Philippines (71.3%), Singapore (67.5%), and Thailand (78.6%). 


• The affordability means cigarettes are easily accessible to first-time users and even children. 

Health burden: Tobacco use remains one of the leading causes of disease and premature death in Vietnam, causing ~104,300 deaths annually.

Reform needed: Vietnam health leaders are urging regular tax hikes to outpace income growth and align with international standards.

Vietnam News Agency via MSN ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Lollipop Guilt: Click and Ye Shall Receive
If you thought ordering a viral face cream at 3 a.m. was an impulse purchase, you havenʼt met Liam.

With a couple of clicks, the 8-year-old Kentucky boy ordered nearly 70,000 Dum-Dums lollipops on Amazon, USA Today reports.

“Mom, my suckers are here!” he exclaimed, intending to host a carnival for his friends.

“I just about fainted,” said his mom Holly LaFavers, who last weekend found the “double ramparts of suckers” stacked on her doorstep, and a $4,200 charge that sent her bank account into the red, per The New York Times reports (gift link).

While the retail snafu sucked the fun out of her Sunday, LaFavers was ultimately refunded and found loving homes for the pops. But more shocking than the boyʼs dream is that his whimsy could be actualized literally overnight. 

Whoever runs the lollipop supply chain is no dum-dum. OPPORTUNITY Apply to the In-Sight Humanitarian Mentorship Program
In-Sight, a co-learning collaborative of global humanitarian practitioners, activists, nonprofit workers, displaced people, and others is currently accepting applications for its 6-week mentorship program this summer. 

• Designed to help anyone in—or considering a career in—international relations, peace building, humanitarian work, or related fields learn more about leadership in the humanitarian sector.


• The program, with five cohorts, is offered in English, Spanish, and Arabic, and will run from June 30 to August 11, 2025.

The program aims to be accessible to people from all socioeconomic backgrounds; program attendees are asked to "pay what they can" for their participation.

• Application deadline: June 13, 2025
• Learn more and apply

QUICK HITS UN aid office denounces attacks on Gaza hospital – UN News

The Dangerous Consequences of Funding Cuts to U.S. Global Health Programs – Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (news release)

‘We’re ready to fight’: activists brace as US anti-rights figures descend on Africa – The Guardian

New Drug Combos Could Cut Heart Failure Mortality by 60% – Medscape

Meta-analysis: Zika-infected pregnant moms 4 times more likely to have babies with microcephaly – CIDRAP

A Texas abortion ban sponsor aims to clarify when doctors can do the procedure – NPR Shots

A new generation of birth control skeptics leans right – The 19th

Low-quality papers are surging by exploiting public data sets and AI – Science

The tick-borne disease turning MAGA-supporters vegan – The Telegraph

Are beards really dirtier than toilet seats? – The Washington Post (gift link Issue No. 2726
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe

Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. -->
ABOUT
SUPPORT US
CONTACT US
  Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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