96 Global Health NOW: The ‘Hollowing Out’ of Public Health; Reckoning With Forced Sterilization; and Renewed Focus on Road Safety View this email in your browser February 24, 2025 Forward Share Post Academic professionals, elected officials, and allies protest the Trump administration's freeze on public funding for science research. New York City, February 19. Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty The ‘Hollowing Out’ of Public Health
One month into the Trump presidency, the cuts to domestic and international health programs have been staggering, with ordered funding cuts in the billions and terminations in the thousands. 

But the deeper toll—on patient care, lifesaving research, and disease prevention efforts—is just beginning to be felt, reports ProPublica, in an inventory of losses that spans from preventing maternal and infant deaths to keeping tobacco products out of children’s hands. 

• “We are hollowing out our government in a way that is going to hurt people and is going to get people killed,” said Amy Paris, who was fired while working on an initiative to overhaul the nation’s archaic organ donation system. 

Repercussions of halted research: The cancellation—and even the temporary pause—of NIH-funded research imperils ongoing efforts to study diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease—with consequences that will “reverberate for years,” reports The Washington Post (gift link). 

• A judge extended a temporary block to NIH research funding cuts on Friday, per the AP. But many grants remain frozen, as review panels have been barred from scheduling necessary meetings, reports Nature. 

Ideological shift: Scientists fear that the cuts signal a fundamental “disintegration” of the American view of science, long considered the “essential key” to national health, security, and prosperity, reports Nature. 

International impact: Worldwide, U.S.-funded health programs have shuttered, including a widely used famine warning system that has gone dark, reports NPR Goats and Soda.

• As of midnight Sunday, the Trump administration is putting nearly all of USAID's 4,700 full-time employees on paid administrative leave, and is terminating 1,600 of those positions, per a memo.

Related: 

Federal Funding Uncertainty Prompts Hiring Freezes – Inside Higher Ed

US FDA asks fired scientists to return, including some reviewing Musk’s Neuralink – Reuters

‘Death by ax.’ Fate of millions of research animals at stake in NIH payments lawsuit – Science

EDITORS’ NOTE Thank you, CUGH!
A big thanks to the Consortium of Universities for Global Health and host institutions the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Georgia, and Emory University for an excellent and inspiring conference, which wrapped up yesterday in Atlanta.
 
The opportunity to connect with passionate global health advocates from around the world provided a much-needed balm during a difficult time. For those of you who could not attend, look for GHN’s exclusive coverage of the conference in the coming days. 
 
We’re also delighted to welcome new readers from many countries—including Cameroon, China, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Japan, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, St. Kitts, and Uganda. Thanks for signing up—and, if you find GHN useful, please share our free subscribe link with your colleagues and friends back home! —Dayna & Brian SHARE GHN'S SUBSCRIBE LINK GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   A cholera outbreak in Kosti, Sudan, killed 58 people and sickened about 1,300 others last week; health officials blamed contaminated drinking water after an attack by a paramilitary group wiped out the city’s water supply facility and said that a vaccination campaign is underway in response. AP

India has banned the manufacture and export of two opioids, tapentadol and carisoprodol, after a BBC investigation exposed their role in a drug crisis in West Africa. The Independent

A preliminary paper suggesting a link between COVID-19 vaccines and symptoms associated with long COVID has been promoted by anti-vaccination proponents since its publication last week on preprint server medRxiv; the study authors emphasize that the findings need further study and should not affect people’s vaccination decisions. STAT

France will curb ‘forever chemicals,’ with its parliament voting last week to limit the production and sale of items containing PFAS—including cosmetics and clothing. France24 HUMAN RIGHTS Reckoning With Forced Sterilization 
Nearly 30 years after forced sterilization ended in Japan, victims there are finally able to apply for government compensation. 

Background: Between 1948 and 1996, at least 16,500 people were forcibly sterilized in Japan under the country’s Eugenic Protection Law, and ~60,000 more underwent abortions without or with only dubious consent. 

• Most were people with intellectual disabilities or hereditary diseases, and a large number of the victims were children. 

Other countries like Peru and the U.S. are also grappling with recent histories of forced sterilization of Indigenous people and incarcerated women—and advocates say the practice persists worldwide among ethnic minorities and those with intellectual disabilities. 

The Telegraph GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES INJURIES Renewed Focus on Road Safety
World leaders are poised to adopt a new mandate declaring road safety “an urgent public health and development priority” needing increased attention, per a joint op-ed published last week by 15 heads of UN agencies. 

• The so-called Marrakech Declaration will be issued at the Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Morocco—where participants are sharing strategies to reduce road deaths and create safe, sustainable transportation infrastructure, per the WHO. 

Background: This year marks the halfway point in the UN’s Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030—which aims to halve road deaths worldwide by 2030. 

Stakes: Road crashes kill ~1.2 million people each year, amid an “unprecedented wave of motorization.”

Good news: 10 countries—including some LMICs—have reduced road deaths by more than 50% in a decade, showing “that the target can be met,” reports the WHO.  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS US measles outbreak leaves nearly 100 ill in Texas and New Mexico – BBC

'Exceptionally rare' mutation on H5N1 virus in Canada tied to antiviral drug resistance – CIDRAP

Don’t like the idea of chlorinated chicken? You ain’t seen nothing yet – The Telegraph

HKU5-CoV-2, the new bat coronavirus in China sparks global concern – The Economic Times

Climate Change, Vaccine Hesitancy And Vector-borne Diseases Are Driving Encephalitis – Health Policy Watch

AI is impersonating human therapists. Can it be stopped? – Vox

Improving the Distribution of Green Spaces in Barcelona Could Prevent 178 Premature Deaths Each Year – IS Global Barcelona Institute of Public Health

How Street Art in Singapore Is Helping People With Dementia Get Around – Reasons to be Cheerful Issue No. 2680
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: A Deeper Look at Global Suicide; Why Latin America Needs Its Own CDC; and All Verklempt Over a Fishʼs Ascent ~740,000 suicides are reported annually worldwide—which equals one death every 43 seconds. View this email in your browser February 20, 2025 Forward Share Post A mother who lost her 19-year-old son gives a speech next to the "Silent Struggle" statue—an art project created to break the taboo surrounding suicide, in Nijmegen, Netherlands, November 4, 2024. Ana Fernandez/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty A Deeper Look at Global Suicide 
Over the past 30 years, the global age-standardized suicide mortality rate fell ~40%—”indicating that intervention and prevention are working,” per the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington—which yesterday published “the most comprehensive analysis of the global burden of suicide to date” in The Lancet Public Health. 

• But: ~740,000 suicides are reported annually worldwide—which equals one death every 43 seconds. 

• And progress is not universal, with increases reported across Central Latin America, Andean Latin America, tropical Latin America, and high-income North America.

Background: The analysis draws from 204 countries and territories, and expands on previously published data spanning from 1990 to 2016. 

Key findings include: 

More deaths among men: The number of deaths for males was 2X+ that for females. 

Later in life: The mean age of death at the time of suicide has been steadily rising. Researchers posited that one reason may be suicide prevention efforts focused on younger people. 

The firearms factor: Firearms are considered the most lethal means of suicide, with the US, Uruguay, and Venezuela reporting the highest proportion of firearm-related suicide deaths. 

Related: Is suicide prevention finally working in India? Lancet study shows how suicide death rate went down by 30% from 1990 to 2021 — The Indian Express  EDITORSʼ NOTE Ready for CUGH!  
GHN has landed in Atlanta for the 16th annual Consortium of Universities for Global Health conference. If you’re here too, let us know—we’d love to hear from you!

• Stop by GHN’s exhibit booth (#20) to say hi, let us know what you’re up to, and share any story ideas.

• Find out who won this year’s Untold Global Health Story contest at the awards ceremony (Saturday, Feb. 22, 3–4 p.m., Salon West and East at the Hilton Atlanta).

• Cap off your conference and practice pitching your ideas at the Pulitzer-GHN Communications Workshop (Sunday, Feb. 23, 1:30 p.m., Room 205–207).

If you’re here, please give us a shout and send along any tips: bsimpso1@jhu.edu and dkerecm1@jhu.edu
 
All best,
Dayna and Brian GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Mass polio vaccination in Gaza is set to continue next week, as health officials aim to reach 591,000+ children under age 10 in response to the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples there. WHO

Muscle-building supplement use has been associated with muscle dysmorphia among Canadian adolescents and young adults, per a new study published in PLOS Mental Health; the study found that muscle dysmorphia symptoms increased as the number of supplements used grew. CNN

Malaria susceptibility can vary among ethnic groups due to genetic and lifestyle factors that influence immune responses, finds a new study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, which compared immune cells of children from two West-African ethnic groups. Medical Xpress

Cash rewards for mosquito captures are being offered by a village near Manila, as the Philippines faces a 40% increase in dengue cases in the country; health officials fear the move could backfire if people try to propagate mosquitos for the reward. The Guardian  Trump Administration News   RFK Jr. targets transgender protections in one of first moves at HHS – The Washington Post

Administration Fires Border Health Inspectors Who Screen For Diseases – KFF

Trump Administration Reverses Plan to End Free COVID Test Program – U.S. News & World Report

What’s next for the World Health Organization? US exit could reshape agency – Nature

Trump’s dismantling of USAid raises risk of mpox global emergency, experts warn – The Guardian GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY A nurse takes care of a dengue fever patient at the Sergio Bernales National Hospital, in the outskirts of Lima, Peru, on April 17, 2024. Juan Carlos CISNEROS/AFP via Getty Why Latin America Needs Its Own CDC—Now More Than Ever
Latin American governments must champion the creation of a regional CDC, recognizing that preparedness is essential for health security, three public health leaders from Mexico and Peru argue in an exclusive GHN commentary.

Pandemic lesson: When COVID-19 swept through Latin America, it exposed the region’s lack of coordinated public health response mechanisms.

• Despite being home to 8.2% of the world’s population, Latin America accounted for 10% of global COVID-19 cases and 25% of deaths. 

But: Latin America today remains structurally vulnerable to the next pandemic, write Patricia J. García, Jorge Saavedra, and Ariel García.

• The unprecedented surge in dengue cases in the region over the past year have again exposed the limitations of fragmented national responses, they write.

The Africa CDC Model: Launched in 2017, the Africa CDC facilitated during COVID the joint procurement of vaccines and medical supplies, coordinated emergency responses, and strengthened surveillance across the continent.

Latin America needs a similar regional agency that would work alongside PAHO to ensure faster, more efficient responses to health emergencies, according to the authors.

Read the full commentary for details on next steps required for making the Latin America CDC a reality.

Patricia J. García, Jorge Saavedra, and Ariel García for Global Health NOW

Editor’s note: Drs. Garcia and Saavedra will discuss the challenges and benefits of creating a LATAM CDC during a Feb. 21 session at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health conference in Atlanta.

Nota del editor: GHN ha publicado una versión en español del comentario. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES USAID Mass Health Care Layoffs Across Africa
In health systems across Africa, tens of thousands of doctors, nurses, lab technicians, and other health workers at U.S.-funded programs have been laid off, as the fallout continues from the Trump administration’s abrupt freeze on foreign funding.

In Uganda, ~3,000 doctors, nurses, and other health personnel have lost their jobs, per the Ugandan Medical Association. 

In Kenya, hundreds of layoffs have already taken effect at key hospitals; ~41,000 health workers in the country are employed with funding from USAID or PEPFAR, health officials estimate.

The Quote: “It is the patients who will suffer the most,” said Salome Kimani, a physician at Gikambura Hospital in Kenya, who said that despite a U.S. federal judge’s ruling to lift the freeze, health workers’ futures remain in limbo. 

The Telegraph ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION All Verklempt Over a Fishʼs Ascent
We usually advise readers to follow the science. Today weʼre making an exception, choosing to believe that a humpback anglerfish made her way to the oceanʼs surface not because she was sick, but because she wanted to take her last breath while basking in the sun.
 
The viral "black sea monster," aka the fish with the lightbulb on its head, usually lives thousands of feet into the depths of the ocean.
 
Burying the lede almost as deep, CBS News celebrated the rare surface sighting in a run-of-the-mill “Tuesday night creature feature.” Then TikTok got to the throbbing heart of the story, and now we canʼt stop crying.
 
Much like the little anglerfish rising from the deep, TikTokkersʼ tears welled up from their emotional depths, along with many theories. 
 
While one wildlife biologist figured that the sick fish simply couldn’t “maintain zero buoyancy,” others linked her ascent to magical feminine resilience. “She finally saw a light she didnʼt have to make herself,” sobbed one user.

Who do you believe? QUICK HITS Three years of full-scale war in Ukraine roll back decades of progress for women’s rights, safety and economic opportunities – UN Women
 
mRNA vaccines show promise in pancreatic cancer in early trial – NBC News

Africa’s cholera resurgence exposes funding failures SciDev.Net

Norovirus: UK cases reach record high as hospitals struggle with capacity – The Times

Fog harvesting could provide water for arid cities – BBC

The WHO's Funding Gap: Filling the Medical Diplomacy Void – Think Global Health

Is This Common Herbicide Harming Your Health? – The New York Times (gift link) Issue No. 2679
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: Measles Gains Ground in Texas; Online Daters Kept in the Dark; and Plastic Credits Predicament View this email in your browser February 19, 2025 Forward Share Post A road sign delineating the Texas state line and welcoming visitors to Gaines County, Texas. Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Measles Gains Ground in Texas 
A swiftly spreading measles outbreak in West Texas has grown to 58 cases, and an additional eight people in neighboring eastern New Mexico also have been diagnosed, reports the AP. 

Escalation: Cases have ballooned since the first two cases were confirmed in Gaines County Jan. 30. Health officials suspect the true case count is much higher—with 200–300 people infected but untested, reports Forbes.

Texas health officials say the outbreak is the state’s largest in ~30 years and that 13 people have been hospitalized. 

• Most cases are among children who are unvaccinated, and have been concentrated in a “close-knit, undervaccinated” Mennonite community and among children who attend small religious schools or are homeschooled.

Bigger picture: The U.S. saw a rise in measles cases in 2024, and with childhood vaccine hesitancy on the rise, the problem is likely to worsen:

• Last year, kindergarten vaccination rates fell below 93%—below the 95% threshold necessary to prevent measles outbreaks.

Reprimanding RFK: The outbreak has sparked renewed criticism of newly confirmed health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has endorsed false claims of links between the MMR vaccine and autism, reports The Hill.

• Yesterday, Kennedy vowed to scrutinize the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule—despite a promise to a U.S. senator that he would not alter it, reports the AP: “Nothing is going to be off limits,” Kennedy said.  

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group executed three children in Bukavu last week, the UN confirmed in an alert yesterday that also condemned attacks on hospitals and humanitarian warehouses. UN News

All eight patients hospitalized in Uganda's Ebola Sudan outbreak have been released after testing negative for the virus twice in tests conducted 72 hours apart, the WHO regional office for Africa announced yesterday; the outbreak’s toll stands at nine cases and one death. CIDRAP

A surge in dengue infections in the Philippines’ capital region—including 10 recent deaths in Quezon City—spurred Addition Hills village officials to offer residents a token bounty for mosquitoes captured dead or alive. AP

President Trump issued an executive order aimed at expanding access to IVF yesterday; he directed his assistant for domestic policy to draft policy ideas to protect IVF access and “aggressively” reduce out-of-pocket and health plan costs for the treatment within 90 days. NPR Shots Health and Science Cuts: The Latest ______________________________________________ Mass firings decimate U.S. science agencies – Science

Amid layoffs at HHS, experts warn about impact on public health – CIDRAP

USDA says it accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is trying to rehire them – NBC

Trump cuts reach FDA workers focused on food safety and medical devices – The Guardian

Former CDC director: Two programs reportedly on the chopping block must be saved – STAT (commentary)

Censored Science Can’t Save Lives – The New York Times (commentary; gift article)  SEXUAL VIOLENCE Online Daters Kept in the Dark 
Online romance titan Match Group, owner of over a dozen dating apps, first received reports of Stephen Matthews assaulting another member in September 2020. Numerous reports followed for three years—until he was finally arrested and sentenced to 158 years’ incarceration for offenses against 11 women. 
 
But why didn’t Match ban him after the first report?

• Users reported for assault are “banned” from all Match platforms—but members can easily rejoin or switch apps.


• The company has concealed data on users reported for drugging, assaulting, or raping their dates since at least 2016, internal documents show—and a transparency report on the offenses, which Match said would be released in 2020, has still not materialized.

The 19th  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Plastic Credits Predicament
The growing plastic credits sector is designed to address the tide of plastic waste. 

• Corporations pay for the collection and disposal of plastic waste as a way to offset their environmental footprint—ideally in a process that will result in recycled material.

But far too much plastic is unrecyclable and is burned by industries like cement plants as alternative fuel, despite mounting concerns about health risks from toxic chemicals and carbon emissions.

Worst affected: Developing countries with limited waste management, like Cambodia. 

The bigger problem: The system does nothing to stop or incentivize buyers to cease producing or using unrecyclable plastic. 

AFP via Yahoo News QUICK HITS UN rights office warns of ‘dangerous tipping point’ as abuses surge in Sudan – UN News

U.S. reverses plan to shut down free covid test program – The Washington Post (gift article) 

The wind may be partly to blame for bird flu spread between farms, a new study suggests – CNN

Japanese encephalitis virus – JEV – detected at two Queensland piggeries – ABC Australia

Landmark Study of Chagas Disease in Paraguay Supports Use of Rapid Tests to Improve Access to Diagnosis – IS Global Barcelona Institute of Public Health

Meet the ‘lepers’ of Somerset - battling stigma from the West Country – The Telegraph

The Pandemic Treaty's True Cost – Think Global Health (commentary)

Influencers to urge young people to not vape as part of UK government campaign – The Guardian Issue No. 2678
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: Stifled Oxygen Access; Gaps at Planned Parenthood; and ‘Egg-Harvesting Scheme’ Shocks Surrogacy Sector View this email in your browser February 18, 2025 Forward Share Post Babies receiving oxygen at Damascus Hospital on January 28 in Damascus, Syria. Spencer Platt/Getty Stifled Oxygen Access
COVID-19 laid bare the need for medical oxygen—and inequities in access, the New York Times notes (gift article), leading to the formation of a Lancet Global Health Commission on medical oxygen security.
 
Now—weeks after the Trump administration freeze on aid programs, including some that could have improved oxygen access—the commission has published its findings, detailing stark disparities:

• Fewer than 1 in 3 people who need medical oxygen—for respiratory diseases, surgical complications, trauma, and maternal and child health emergencies—receive it, per Business Standard.


• Most of the ~5 billion people without oxygen access—nearly 82%—live in LMICs; coverage gaps are even higher in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Rising need: Oxygen demand is rising, driven by a growing and aging population and air pollution, the committee authors note. 
 
Call for investment: Medical oxygen is as cost-effective as routine childhood immunization, and if access is expanded, it could “benefit many health goals simultaneously,” the committee found. 
 
The collection includes articles detailing innovative solutions—including one pointing to successes in Ethiopia and another on embedding nursing involvement. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Noncommunicable diseases will cause more deaths in sub-Saharan Africa than infectious diseases by 2030, researchers announced at the recent 4th Global NCD Alliance Forum in Kigali, Rwanda; NCDs are linked to 74% of global deaths, per WHO. The Nation
 
Confirmed illnesses caused by contaminated food in the U.S. rose to 1,392 last year, a 25% increase over 2023, per a new US Public Interest Research Group report; almost all of the cases involved either Listeria, Salmonella, or Escherichia coli. CIDRAP

A U.S. pain management company called Pain MD engaged in a long-term fraud scheme that generated millions of dollars in revenue by giving patients 700,000 expensive, unnecessary injections; company president Michael Kestner was convicted of 13 health care fraud felonies in October. KFF Health News

An apparent spillover from wild birds to dairy cattle has made Arizona the 17th U.S. state in which H5N1 has been detected in dairy herds; the virus has been found in nearly 970 herds nationwide since March 2024. STAT Trump Administration News __________________________________________________
  South Africa has more people living with HIV than any other country. Trump’s aid freeze has hit hard – AP

​​STAT is backing up and monitoring CDC data in real time: See what's changing – STAT

N.I.H. Research Grants Lag $1 Billion Behind Last Year’s – The New York Times (gift article)

Health agencies lose staff in key areas as Trump firings set in – NPR  Shots

Trump’s Plan to Defund the NIH Will Ruin a National Treasure – The Nation (commentary)

The Erasing of American Science – The Atlantic REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE Gaps at Planned Parenthood
Many Planned Parenthood clinics are in crisis, as funding shortages have led to a “dire need” of upgrades, employee turnover, and lapses in patient care, an investigation by The New York Times has found. 

Lack of resources: The organization has seen its funding strained as its patient population declines, and as state governments block its clinics from receiving Medicaid payments.

• Despite a fundraising boom since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, most of that money is spent on legal and political battles. 

Impacts: Employee turnover is hovering around 50% annually because of “rock-bottom salaries.” And a growing number of patients have filed malpractice suits, alleging botched procedures and misdiagnoses.

And yet: Employees say they are hesitant to speak out due to the threat facing American reproductive rights: “We’re afraid of damaging the mission,” said Damien Hamblin, a former Planned Parenthood medical assistant. 

The New York Times (gift link) 

Related: 

Republican States Claim Zero Abortions. A Red-State Doctor Calls That ‘Ludicrous.’ – KFF Health News

Prayer and prosecutions: the US ‘hate group’ waging war over Britain’s abortion clinic buffer zones – The Guardian GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HUMAN RIGHTS ‘Egg-Harvesting Scheme’ Shocks Surrogacy Sector
The Georgian Interior Ministry has launched an investigation into human trafficking after several women who sought work there as surrogates reported being forced to have their eggs removed. 

Background: Last month, three Thai women were reportedly rescued from a house in Tbilisi. Thai police said the women were brought to Georgia by a Chinese criminal syndicate under the pretense of surrogacy—and were then forced to have their eggs removed for others’ IVF procedures. 

Impact: The accusations have sent “shockwaves” through the international surrogacy industry in Georgia, which has seen a boom since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty QUICK HITS With 10 Days Of Talks Left, It's 'Now Or Never' For Pandemic Agreement – Health Policy Watch
 
Guillain Barre Syndrome cases rise to 207: Over half of cases are in 5-km radius from Sinhagad Road, shows health dept data – The Indian Express
 
Updated bird flu vaccine for poultry gets license – Axios

Woman in cancer remission for record 19 years after CAR-T immune treatment – Nature
 
The Lingering Trauma of COVID Coverage for Italian Journalists – Nieman Reports

The Coming Democratic Baby Bust – The Atlantic

Report Recommends States Adopt Firearm Purchaser Licensing Laws That Include Five Core Components – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

How an Abba classic raised millions and saved thousands of children from abuse – The Telegraph

What are the best AI tools for research? Nature’s guide – Nature Issue No. 2677
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: U.S. Agencies Brace for More Cuts; Launching a Vaccine Trial During an Ebola Outbreak; and The ‘Wild West’ of Antivenoms in Africa View this email in your browser February 17, 2025 Forward Share Post People at a "Save the Civil Service" rally hosted by the American Federation of Government Employees outside the U.S. Capitol. February 11, Washington, D.C. Kent Nishimura/Getty U.S. Health and Aid Agencies Brace for (More) Impact
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary last week amid upheaval at the nation’s health agencies, as deep staffing cuts were announced and the future of international aid and research funding remains tenuous.

 Scientists and health leaders say they expect more turmoil.

• Kennedy has said he will prioritize research on chronic diseases and would give infectious disease research at the NIH “a break” for eight years, reports Nature. 


• The HHS announced Friday that 5,200 workers across the department would be terminated, reports Science—a move one senior CDC scientist described as “taking a wrecking ball to both the deep institutional knowledge of the agency and its future.”

A closer look: 

• NIH: Layoffs currently total 1,165 people, reports Reuters.


• CDC: Hundreds of agency staffers have been terminated, including “disease detectors” who trained laboratory staff; the agency expects ~1,300 layoffs, reports NBC. 


• FDA: Firings appear to focus on employees assessing food safety, medical devices, and tobacco products, reports the AP.

Meanwhile, a federal judge ordered a pause on the foreign aid freeze, saying it was unlawful for the Trump administration to renege on approved funds that predated his administration, reports Roll Call.

• But widespread cuts to USAID-funded staff and treatments and other aid organizations are already in effect—and deeply felt in places like Zimbabwe, which has seen HIV care halted, reports The Guardian. 

Related:

Tens of thousands go hungry in Sudan after Trump aid freeze – AFP

The mess inside Rubio's 'lifesaving' waivers – Devex

Researchers face impossible decisions as U.S. aid freeze halts clinical trials – Science

Trump Firings Impact 'Front Line of Surveillance' for Bird Flu Outbreak – Rolling Stone

'My wife fears sex, I fear death' - impacts of the USAID freeze – BBC GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   A measles outbreak in rural west Texas continues to spread, with 49 cases confirmed, most among unvaccinated school-age children; officials suspect the true number of infections is closer to 200–300 cases. NBC

Rural Americans face “significantly shorter, less healthy lives” than their urban counterparts—with rural men in particular facing shorter life spans due to obesity, smoking, and chronic conditions such as heart disease, per research published last year in the Journal of Rural Health. PBS NewsHour

Louisiana public health officials will stop promoting vaccination, the state’s attorney general announced in a news release—citing the need for the government to “pull back its tentacles from the practice of medicine.” CIDRAP

President Donald Trump directed his administration to evaluate the “threat” to children posed by antidepressants, stimulants, and other common psychiatric drugs as part of an executive order signed Thursday establishing a commission led by newly confirmed health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has criticized the use of those drugs. The Washington Post GHN EXCLUSIVE A nurse injects a dose of an Ebola virus vaccine at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda, on Feb. 3. Hajarah Nalwadda/Xinhua via Getty Images Launching a Vaccine Trial During an Ebola Outbreak   Just four days after Uganda’s Ministry of Health announced a new Ebola outbreak on Jan. 30, a team of local and international investigators began a trial of a vaccine candidate against the Sudan virus.
 
Swati Gupta, IAVI vice president, shares details in an interview with GHN about how the clinical trial was launched so quickly. Key points:

• “Part of the reason that we could get the trial started so quickly is because there was already Sudan virus vaccine in country, and the WHO also had pre-approved protocols and other documentation,” said Gupta.


• There is currently no licensed vaccine for Sudan virus, which causes severe hemorrhagic fever disease and has an average case fatality rate of up to 50%.


• The trial of IAVI’s VSV Sudan vaccine involves the WHO, Makerere University, the Uganda Virus Research Institute, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and others.

Read the full article for information on the trial’s use of the ring vaccination strategy and other details.
  
Brian W. Simpson, Global Health NOW GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES NEGLECTED DISEASES The ‘Wild West’ of Antivenoms in Africa
In sub-Saharan Africa, a venomous snakebite is too often a death sentence: ~20,000 people in the region are killed each year, with rural populations especially impacted by lack of access to care and by severe antivenom shortages. 

But even getting an antivenom is no guarantee of survival, finds a deep dive by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism: 

• Diluted and fraudulent antivenoms have flooded the poorly regulated market. 


• Some corporations knowingly sell ineffective products—such as antivenoms made for Indian snakes, which are ineffective in Africa. 

The Quote: “It’s a cowboy show out there. Some of them are selling stuff that honestly, you may as well just pour down the drain,” said Thea Litschka-Koen, a leading snakebite expert in Eswatini. 

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism  OPIOID CRISIS Overdose Deaths—Through the Lens of One County
Hamilton County, Ohio, has long battled a staggering opioid overdose epidemic. But that is starting to change. 

The county—which includes Cincinnati—saw a sharp drop in overdose deaths, from 393 in 2023 to ~270 in 2024.

Reflecting a national trend: National overdose deaths decreased by 20%+ in 2024, per provisional CDC data.

Behind the drop: Researchers and frontline responders point to a “confluence of factors,” including:

• Broadened access to naloxone and opioid addiction treatment


• More outreach programs


• Crackdowns on Chinese chemical suppliers and Mexican criminal groups manufacturing fentanyl


• And potentially—a diminished population of at-risk people because so many have already succumbed to overdoses

The Washington Post (gift link)  QUICK HITS Dispatch: Children reduced to skin and bones in war-torn Sudan’s forgotten famine – The Telegraph

Landmark Vaccine Deals Signal Africa's Shift Toward Local Manufacturing – Health Policy Watch

Trump Will Withhold Money From Schools That Require Covid Vaccines – The New York Times (gift article)

U.S. bird flu hospitalizations rise to 4 after Ohio discloses case – CBS 

The teen loneliness machine – Axios

New Polling: Majority of voters want compassion, not cruelty, for refugees – Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

Empathy for other peoples' pain peaks in young adulthood – University of Kent via ScienceDaily

Are PhDs losing their lustre? Why fewer students are enrolling in doctoral degrees – Nature Issue No. 2676
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: Eyes on RFK Jr; Re-mapping Medicine in Burma; and Cat Diplomat Naps on the Job The U.S. Senate will vote today on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation as the nation’s Health Secretary. View this email in your browser February 13, 2025 Forward Share Post RFK Jr., President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, arrives for his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing on January 29, in Washington, D.C. Anna Moneymaker via Getty Eyes on RFK Jr. 
The U.S. Senate is poised to vote on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation as the nation’s Health Secretary today, amid concerns about his vaccine skepticism and conflicts of interest, reports the AP. 

Dynamics at play: Despite some Republicans’ skepticism about Kennedy’s views, he is expected to be confirmed, with most GOP senators embracing Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” vision. 

• Democrats, however, oppose Kennedy, and it is unclear whether he will win support from Sen. Mitch McConnell, a polio survivor and vaccine supporter, reports The Washington Post (gift link).

“Following the science”—in certain directions: When senators pressed Kennedy about his support of the theory that vaccines cause autism, he responded: “I just want to follow the science.” 

• But The New York Times (gift link) reports that the paper Kennedy cites was funded by an anti-vaccine organization and published in a fringe journal run by people with ties to Kennedy—raising larger fears that Kennedy will “have wide powers to advance his favored research studies,” said Lawrence O. Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University. 

• Critics have also voiced concern over Kennedy financially benefiting from his oversight; he has profited from referring clients to a law firm suing the makers of Gardasil. 

Looking ahead: If confirmed, Kennedy will oversee $1.7 trillion for public health programs, including health insurance programs, food and drug supply, and infectious disease response. 

• He has vowed to overhaul agencies like the NIH, FDA, and CDC.

More Trump Transition News:

Medicare removes sexual orientation, gender identity questions from enrollment forms – STAT

US actions have serious impact on global health, WHO chief says – Reuters

This is what happens to the body when HIV drugs are stopped for millions of people – AP GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
83% of mpox cases in the DRC’s outbreak have been linked to sex work, finds a new study of Clade 1b’s epidemiologic and genomic evolution published in Nature Medicine. CIDRAP

Multidrug-resistant TB in children is rising, especially in low-income regions, finds a new study published in Pediatric Research; younger children were found to be at the highest risk of mortality. News Medical

The reemergence of dengue virus serotype 3 in Brazil after 17 years could lead to new outbreaks of the disease, as the population there has not been immunized against that type, warns an article published in the Journal of Clinical Virology. EurekaAlert

Once-weekly semaglutides used to treat obesity could help curb alcohol cravings, a small new study published in JAMA Psychiatry has found; researchers say the findings bear further study. AP CONFLICT Re-mapping Medicine in Burma
Health care in Burma “is in collapse,” following four brutal years of civil war, per a recent UN situation report. 

But a “patchwork of facilities” in opposition-held territory have sprung up, where displaced doctors aim to provide care in wartime conditions. 

Background: Tens of thousands of doctors and nurses refused to work for the military junta after its coup in 2021. But a violent crackdown targeted those health workers—leading many to seek refuge in regions controlled by opposition groups. 

They are now building a new health infrastructure despite a host of obstacles, including attacks on health care, a rise in communicable diseases, and the U.S. aid freeze—which doctors say could “prove a near-fatal blow” for the fledgling operations. 

The Telegraph GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES GUNS Disarming Domestic Abusers
In Tennessee, ~40% of women killed in domestic violence shootings were shot by someone who was barred from having a gun at the time of the crime.

Proposed legislation seeks to prevent that—using simple changes in enforcement.

Background: While Tennessee prohibits those convicted of domestic violence from owning firearms, it does not require them to disclose the names of the people they gave the guns to—which would allow for follow-up or recourse if a convicted abuser maintains access, 2023 reporting by ProPublica and WPLN found.  

Effective intervention: Follow-up reporting highlighted the efforts of rural Scott County, which requires gun-dispossession forms to include the names of gun recipients. The new GOP-sponsored bill is modeled on this policy and requires more transparency. 

ProPublica ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Cat Diplomat to Nap on the Job 
​​“Sorry, Iʼm retired” is a great way to avoid pesky requests. But if the new gig is in Bermuda … that may change things.
 
It did for Palmerston the cat, former chief mouser at the UK Foreign Office.
 
Because a “quieter and easier” life in the British countryside wasnʼt relaxing enough, the diplomat came out of retirement to join his adoptive father for the “purr-fect” gig in the pink sand paradise, The Independent reports.
 
Key cat asset: Itʼs well known that humans just want to be liked by cats, and Palmerstonʼs feline air of indifference could derail diplomatic talks with a single side-eye. Not to mention his considerable soft—and fluffy—power. “I just welled up over a cat retiring,” gushed one fan after his 2020 departure from official duties.

Now heʼs back, but with boundaries. In a silent attack on ʼthis could have been an emailʼ-ism, Palmerston “will attend only the meetings he deems important, offering advice when necessary,” between naps.  QUICK HITS J&J, Sanofi stop E.coli vaccine trial due to low effectiveness – Reuters 

Some red states report zero abortions. Doctors and researchers say it's not true – KFF News via NPR Shots

MSF urges govt to prioritise, eliminate noma disease – The Guardian Nigeria

As Oropouche cases continue in the Americas, PAHO urges countries to keep their guard up – CIDRAP

An asteroid could hit Earth in 2032. Don't panic — yet  – Axios Issue No. 2675
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: ‘Catastrophic’ Interruptions in HIV/AIDS Care; Judge Orders Agencies to Restore Health Data; The ‘Queen of Cholera’ View this email in your browser February 12, 2025 Forward Share Post Sister Sally Naidoo administers an HIV test on a young boy at the Right To Care AIDS clinic. January 27, 2012, Johannesburg, South Africa. Foto24/Gallo Images via Getty ‘Catastrophic’ Interruptions in HIV/AIDS Care

The American aid freeze is already disrupting HIV/AIDS care and research that could cost lives and “set back efforts to beat the AIDS epidemic by years,” reports the Telegraph.

Current landscape: Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said there would be a 90-day reprieve for “life-saving” HIV treatment funded by PEPFAR—but many programs have already closed.

• The reprieve does not cover prevention services; preventive anti-HIV medicine is available only to pregnant and breastfeeding women. Condom services and educational programs also remain shuttered. 

• Plus: Major African HIV vaccine and prevention trials are on hold. 

South Africa in the spotlight: The Trump administration’s decision to target South Africa for funding cuts is a major blow to the country with the highest number of people living with HIV globally, reports Bloomberg.

• While PEPFAR-funded projects are allowed to apply for waivers, many clinics are uncertain if they are eligible, reports Bhekisisa. 

Impact on women and girls: In sub-Saharan Africa, the aid freeze is having a “catastrophic” impact on women and girls—who are disproportionately affected by the virus, reports NBC News.

• Toll: The UN AIDS agency said this week that dropped U.S. support could lead to 6.3 million AIDS deaths by the end of the decade. 

Related:

How the gutting of USAID is reverberating around the world: Worry, despair, praise – NPR Goats and Soda

How USAID dismantling could impact noncommunicable diseases – Devex

OPPORTUNITY Join GHN in DC for an Evening of Remarkable Stories    GHN and the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health will host a special live storytelling event spotlighting the remarkable experiences of refugees in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health community.

Storytellers from Afghanistan, Myanmar, South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria will share firsthand accounts of living and working amid humanitarian crises, fleeing conflict, and shaping impactful roles in public health. 

Frances Stead Sellers, an associate editor of the Washington Post and a host of Washington Post Live, will moderate the event. Sellers has reported extensively on public health and disaster response. 

All are welcome for this evening of inspiring stories. If you are in the D.C. area, we hope youʼll join us. 

Registration is required. Reception to follow.

Extraordinary Journeys: Stories of Refugees Fleeing Conflict and Shaping Global Health

• Wednesday, March 5, 6–7:30 p.m. 
• Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C. (555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW)

The Latest Childhood cancer medications will be distributed by a new program created by the UN and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in an effort to treat 120,000 children in 50 countries “where needs are greatest” over the next five to seven years. UN News

Doctors and patients in China are raising alarms over what they say are ineffective generic drugs procured through a process favoring the lowest cost—a system that could encourage manufacturers to cut corners to win contracts. BBC

Most U.S. workers with chronic conditions that need to be managed during work hours—such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and asthma—haven’t told their employers, a new Harvard poll has found. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

STI cases in Europe spiked in 2023, with notable increases among young people, per a new annual report from the European CDC; gonorrhea in particular surged 31%, and antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea was cited as an emerging threat. Euronews GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DATA Judge Orders Agencies to Restore Health Data  
A U.S. federal judge yesterday ordered federal health agencies to restore websites and datasets pulled late last month by the Trump administration, NPR Shots reports.
 
Judge John Bates said the sudden loss of the data jeopardizes the work of clinicians and public health, ultimately harming everyday Americans. He issued the temporary restraining order in response to a lawsuit filed by advocacy groups representing physicians and consumers. 
                 
Data slated to return:

• Information for patients about HIV testing and HIV prevention medication.


• Guidance on contraceptives.


• Datasets that show vulnerability to natural disasters and emergencies.


• An action plan to improve enrollment of underrepresented populations in clinical trials.

Post-purge changes: Many web pages that were pulled have since reappeared on CDC, FDA, and HHS websites, but it’s unclear how much has been modified; scientists have said that some CDC data have been altered and some pages have been removed.
 
The big question: Will the Trump administration comply with court orders? The Christian Science Monitor reports that the Trump administration is adopting a combative stance, arguing that it’s the judiciary that’s overstepping—calling into question the longstanding balance of powers.
 
More headlines:
 
Democrats unveil legislation in bid to halt USAID elimination – The Hill
 
Johns Hopkins leaders: NIH cuts put lifesaving medical research and care at immediate risk – The Hub
 
Trump’s NIH challenges the model that underlies U.S. scientific dominance – The Washington Post INFECTIOUS DISEASES The ‘Queen of Cholera’
The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) is known internationally as a crown jewel of South Asian science. 

Its queen? Firdausi Qadri, who has spent her career studying enteric diseases—focusing mainly on demonstrating the benefits of simple, cheap oral cholera vaccines and advocating for their use. 

But her work is an uphill battle. Oral vaccines have not eliminated cholera, and plans to curtail the disease both globally and in Bangladesh are off track:

• The number of available vaccines is limited, due to global demand.


• Bangladesh’s government isn’t investing in vaccination.


• The vaccine’s protection window is limited.


• Many cholera-prone countries still lack clean drinking water and sanitation.

Qadri, 73, works six days a week and remains undaunted—and confident that cholera can be vanquished.

Science
 
Related: Dirty water and endless wars: why cholera outbreaks are on the rise again – The Guardian GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Survey shows nurses around the world suffered high levels of pandemic stress – CIDRAP

As vaccination rates decline, widespread outbreaks of diseases like measles and polio could reemerge – CBS

Cash as medicine: How Brazil slashed TB by tackling poverty – The Telegraph

In one of the Marines’ most iconic jobs, a stunning pattern of suicide – The Washington Post (gift article)

‘The new generation is different’: In Djibouti, activists lobby to end female genital mutilation – UN News

Your brain is full of microplastics: are they harming you? – Nature

For Many, Weight-Loss Drugs Are Pricey. Expanding Access Is Hard. – Undark

Asian five-year-olds in England 70% more likely to have tooth decay than average – The Guardian

Want to Smoke Outdoors in Milan? Better Be Far From Other People. – The New York Times (gift article) Issue No. 2674
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: Disappearing Databases; Judge Halts NIH Payment Cuts; and Sweden’s Influx of Firearms View this email in your browser February 11, 2025 Forward Share Post A CDC worker at the Emergency Operations Center activated to assist public health partners in responding to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Courtesy James Gathany/CDC; photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images Disappearing Databases 
Researchers are alarmed by the Trump administration’s removal of crucial health data from federal websites—and fear other databases may follow, reports Undark. 

• Regular CDC reports that have been delayed or are incomplete include FluView and HIV surveillance data. 

Muddled MMWR: The administration has also exerted “unprecedented influence” over the CDC’s medical research publication, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, reports CBS News. 

• The release of three bird flu studies has been stalled for weeks. 

Impact: “It’s that sort of disruption that is equally endangering our ability to do research and evaluation to understand what’s going on in our community,” said Amy O’Hara, president of the Association of Public Data Users. 

• Teams of researchers are rushing to compile their own datasets and DIY sites.

Related: NOAA told to search grant programs for climate-related terms – Axios GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Ugandan journalists report a blackout on news about the country’s Ebola cases, linking the government’s lack of clear communication to a spread of disinformation about the virus and expressing concern that business interests are influencing the flow of information. The Independent Uganda
 
Fifteen measles cases—mostly in school-aged children—have been reported in South Plains, Texas, a small county with one of the state’s highest rates of vaccine exemptions; some of the cases appear to be connected to private religious schools. AP
 
PAHO warned of an increased risk of dengue outbreaks amid increased circulation of serotype three (DENV-3) in the southern hemisphere of the Americas. Prensa Latina

Nevada confirmed the state’s first human infection from H5N1 avian flu yesterday in a Churchill County dairy farm worker exposed to sick cows; while the report didn’t specify a genotype, the D1.1 genotype—different than the B3.13 involved in early dairy cattle outbreaks—was identified in the county’s cattle recently. CIDRAP Trump Transition News US foreign aid freeze wreaks havoc for HIV treatment in Africa – The World

U.S. exit from WHO: Potential impacts for smallpox virus biosafety – IDSA Science Speaks (commentary)

The USAID "Lifesaving" Waiver Is a Mirage Without Sufficient Staffing – Think Global Health (commentary)

USAID and CDC Halt of Support to Global Polio Eradication Threatens Worldwide Campaign – Health Policy Watch

US decision to cut ties with WHO hurting polio eradication efforts – Devex

Trump’s USAID cuts raise concerns over Ebola outbreak in Uganda – Anadolu Ajansı

The World Health Organization makes us all safer – Bangor Daily News

Don’t expect the courts to save us from Donald Trump – Vox RESEARCH Judge Halts NIH Payment Cuts  
In response to a lawsuit by 22 states attorneys general, a federal judge yesterday temporarily stopped the Trump administration from making dramatic cuts to NIH payments for research.

• Judge Angel Kelley in Boston set a hearing for Feb. 21, STAT reports


• The AGs said the change that caps at 15% payments for indirect costs—including administrative and facilities costs—would have “immediate and devastating” effects, Inside Higher Ed reports. Average indirect costs are 28% of direct research cost.

More legal action: Two more lawsuits were filed yesterday:

• Associations connected to the nation’s medical, pharmacy, and public health schools, as well as hospitals in Boston and the New York area filed the second lawsuit, STAT reports. In response, late last night Judge Kelley ordered a nationwide temporary pause on the NIH plans to slash the indirect cost payments, per STAT.


• The third lawsuit came from education organizations and public and private universities.

Republican senator speaks out: The NIH’s attempt to cut the payments is a “poorly conceived directive” that potentially violates federal law, said Maine Sen. Susan Collins, per The Hill.

The Quote: “If the NIH notice remains in effect, SUNY institutions will face a Sophie’s Choice—either redirect funding from other essential programs or be forced to end lifesaving NIH-funded research programs prematurely,” said Ben Friedman, chief operating officer of the Research Foundation for the State University of New York, said in a statement to the court.

Related: Trump maintains funding freeze at NIH, defying court order – Popular Information (commentary) GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES GUNS Sweden’s Influx of Firearms
As Sweden faces its worst mass shooting in history, the country is being forced to reckon with a growing gun violence scourge.

• The shooting at an adult education campus in Orebro killed 11, and highlights Sweden’s shift from a “peaceful, high-trust society” to one struggling with gang-related crime, right-wing nationalism, and easier firearm access. 


• “You ask yourself, ‘Can you be safe in today’s Sweden?’” said Andreas Sundling, a student at the school. 

Shifting landscape: In the early 2000s the number of annual gun murders in the country was in single digits. Now, as illegal firearms are being trafficked in from the Balkans, violence has risen: In 2024, there were 296 shootings, resulting in 44 deaths and 66 injuries.

The Times NEGLECTED DISEASES How Guinea Stopped Sleeping Sickness 
Twenty years ago, Guinea was once the country with the highest number of sleeping sickness cases in West Africa. But as of this year, the country managed to eliminate the NTD as a public health problem, the WHO announced.

What did it take? Shifting strategies—and a great deal of perseverance.

Background: Sleeping sickness, or Human African Trypanosomiasis, is transmitted by the Trypanosoma parasite spread by tsetse flies. The disease can lead to sleep disorders and psychosis—and can be fatal.

• Initial elimination efforts—including mass screening and treatment—were ineffective. From 2012 onward, the focus shifted to vector control.

True blue targets: Researchers discovered that tsetse flies are attracted to the color blue, so they developed tiny blue fabric screens coated with insecticide to attract and kill tsetse. The so-called “tiny targets” approach has made a massive dent in cases. 

Treatment gains traction: The development of the drugs fexinidazole and acoziborole offers further hope that the disease can be vanquished.  

El Pais OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS ‘Left like luggage’: Disabled, sick and injured victims flee Sudan’s genocide – The Telegraph

Cholera Outbreak Kills Over 100 in Angola – Ministry – News Central Africa

Flu season in the US is the most intense it’s been in at least 15 years – AP

As measles cases rise, a new book warns parents not to underestimate the disease – NPR Shots

Hundreds Of Russian Soldiers Hospitalized, Treated In North Korea, Report Says – RFE / RL

Man dies of asthma attack after inhaler cost skyrockets to more than $500 – The Washington Post (gift article)

Congestion Relief Zone is Also a CRASH Relief Zone: Data – Streetsblog NYC (commentary)

Zimbabweans try to outpace death at an exercise club in a cemetery – AP Issue No. 2673
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: A Deep Cut to NIH-Funded Research; Delving into D1.1; and New City, Old Threats View this email in your browser February 10, 2025 Forward Share Post Lab technicians at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Nashville, Tennessee, August 28, 2020. Brett Carlsen/Bloomberg via Getty A Deep Cut to NIH-Funded Research
America’s research institutions are reeling after the Trump administration announced drastic cuts to research grants last Friday—a move universities and medical centers say could imperil the nation’s future in scientific research, reports NPR Shots. 

What's targeted: The NIH cuts are aimed at “indirect costs” in research grants—funding that universities and research centers depend on to cover essential operations like lab equipment, utilities, and staffing, explains The Washington Post (gift link).

• The NIH announced the rate will be slashed to 15%—a heavy reduction from the 30%+ many institutions previously received. In 2023, NIH spent nearly $9 billion on indirect costs. The new policy aims to cut $4 billion.


• The new rate, which goes into effect today, will apply to all new and existing grants, reports Science. 

Impact: Scientists say the cuts could have an immediate and “devastating effect” on cancer and infectious disease research—the leading categories of NIH-funded study, along with a wide range of biomedical research, reports The New York Times (gift link). 

• "This is a surefire way to cripple lifesaving research and innovation," said Matt Owens, president of the Council on Government Relations. 


• Long term, the cuts could “irreparably damage the backbone of American scientific innovation”—especially harming the future of young researchers, per one STAT commentary. 

Related: Indirect research costs are complicated, wonky — and crucial to science – STAT (commentary) GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Indonesia’s health ministry kicked off free birthday health screenings for Indonesians today; the optional screenings, aimed at preventing early deaths, include blood pressure tests as well eye tests and other health checks. Reuters
 
Sweden’s government announced plans to tighten gun laws, including restricting AR15-style rifles and clarifying ownership eligibility rules, following a mass shooting last week that killed 10 people. The Washington Post (gift link)

The UK’s contributions to the global vaccination group Gavi may be significantly reduced, with the government’s aid budget cut from 0.7% to 0.5% of GDP and more funds being used to support asylum seekers in the UK. The Guardian

Black U.S. women died at a rate nearly 3.5X higher than white women around the time of childbirth in 2023, per new CDC data—which show that although maternal mortality fell below prepandemic levels that year, racial gaps widened. AP Trump Transition News All USAID staff on administrative leave reinstated until Feb. 14 – Devex

Morale plummets at the CDC as staff fear job losses – NPR Shots

‘My boss was crying.’ NSF confronts potentially massive layoffs and budget cuts – Science

Donald Trump's NIH Pick Just Launched a Controversial Scientific Journal – WIRED

In Breaking USAID, the Trump Administration May Have Broken the Law – ProPublica AVIAN FLU Delving into D1.1
The announcement that dairy cows in Nevada have been infected with a new form of the bird flu is raising new concerns as the virus continues to spread across the U.S. and beyond, reports The New York Times (gift link). 

The basics: Previously, herds in the U.S. were infected with the B.3.13 strain. The cows in Nevada were infected with D1.1, a strain that has been spreading in wild birds and poultry. 

• “It’s no longer just one virus,” said influenza expert Richard Webby. “This, to me, suggests that it’s going to be a lingering problem.”

The implications: Gene sequencing of the D1.1 viruses detected a mutation that “provides the virus with the ability for enhanced replication, which poses a threat to humans that are exposed to these cows,” Emory University microbiologist Seema Lakdawala told CNN. 

• D1.1 has been associated with two severe human infections in North America, including one death. 

Related: 

New York poultry markets ordered to close temporarily as bird flu concerns spread – NBC

How worried should you be about bird flu? A Q&A with infectious disease specialist Dr. John Swartzberg – Berkeley Public Health

C.D.C. Posts, Then Deletes, Data on Bird Flu Spread Between Cats and People – New York Times (gift link)

It's like 'dead birds flying': How bird flu is spreading in the wild — NPR Goats and Soda

Virginia lawmakers to CDC: Restart bird flu reports now – Virginia Mercury GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MALARIA New City, Old Threats 
  As Indonesia constructs a new megacity that will one day be its capital, scientists are warning of an old danger lurking in the surrounding areas: malaria.

The new city, Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN), is being constructed in East Kalimantan, Borne—a “malaria and biodiversity hotspot,” per a commentary in Nature Communications about IKN’s public health risks.

• Researchers are especially worried about a rare form of malaria caused by the parasite Plasmodium knowlesi, which thrives in degraded forests.


• More research, surveillance, and control measures are crucial before moving ~1 million people to IKN from Jakarta, the commentary urges. 

Science QUICK HITS IOM Deeply Alarmed by Mass Graves Found in Libya, Urges Action – IOM (news release)

WHO chief asks countries to push Washington to reconsider its withdrawal – AP

Russia Opposes Updated WHO Assessment Of Health Effects Of Nuclear Weapons – Health Policy Watch

PEPFAR under review: what's at stake for PEPFAR's future – The Lancet (commentary)

COVID vaccination saved more than 5,000 US lives in 7 months in 2023-24, CDC estimates – CIDRAP

In Mexico, budget cuts dim hopes for a science funding revival – Science

New drug halves number of children hospitalised with RSV – The Brussels Times

Super Bowl can cause elevated heart attack risk, especially among at risk patients – Medical Xpress

Men Who Have Gotten Vasectomies Are Sharing Their Stories And Some Of Them May Surprise You – BuzzFeed Issue No. 2672
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 to Exit the WHO; A Potent New Way to Treat Pain; and Fat Bear Week in Altadena Javier Milei attributed his decision to the WHO’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic. View this email in your browser February 6, 2025 Forward Share Post Argentina's President Javier Milei leaves the Holocaust Museum after attending an event to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Buenos Aires, on January 27. Luis Robayo/AFP via Getty Following Trumpʼs Lead, Argentina to Exit WHO
Argentina’s president Javier Milei has announced the country will leave the WHO, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s lead, reports The Guardian. 

Rationale: Milei attributed his decision to the WHO’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling the lockdowns a “caveman quarantine” and “one of the most outlandish crimes against humanity in history.” 

• Milei’s actions have echoed other Trump policies, including a new crackdown on transgender care for minors. 

Impact: Whereas the U.S. has supplied ~15% of WHO's budget, Argentina was expected to provide just ~$8 million of the agency’s estimated $6.9 billion 2024–2025 budget, per the AP.

“WHO flu”: The bigger concern, health advocates say, is a growing trend CIDRAP’s director Michael Osterholm dubbed “WHO flu”—in which countries pull out of the global health organization for political reasons.

Reaction: The announcement sparked immediate criticism from health organizations who say the move reduces Argentina’s access to health funding and resources. Opposition leaders said the decision would need to be approved by the country’s congress.

Meanwhile: The Trump administration has been considering plans for WHO reform—including putting an American in charge of the agency in order for it to remain a member of the global body, reports Reuters.  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
A newer strain of bird flu has been detected in six dairy herds in Nevada; the strain, D1.1, is different from the one that has already been circulating in U.S. dairy herds, and that has been associated with severe infections in birds and humans. CNN

Patients using diabetes apps can potentially miss critical blood glucose level alerts due to improper settings especially after software and hardware updates, per a new FDA alert and recommendations. Medscape

Travelers to Uganda are being urged to take “enhanced precautions” because of the Ebola outbreak there, per alerts put out by the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.; recommendations include avoiding health care centers. AP

A kidney cancer vaccine is showing early promise, as Phase I trial results showed that nine patients at high risk for cancer recurrence remained cancer-free after three years; results suggest that the vaccines could someday be used for a wider variety of cancers. Gizmodo NEGLECTED DISEASES Niger’s Historic Victory Over River Blindness 
Niger’s elimination of onchocerciasis—a parasitic disease more commonly known as river blindness—is being lauded as a “beacon of hope” in the quest to end NTDs.

Niger is the first country in the African continent to eliminate the disease, which can cause severe vision problems and blindness, plunging families into poverty. 

What it took: The effort was 45 years in the making, and required extensive tracking, vector control, medication distribution—and partnering with the global Onchocerciasis Elimination Committee, a global network of NGOs and disease experts. 

Building on momentum: Eliminating river blindness in Niger alone is estimated to have added $2.3 billion USD to the country’s economy between 1976 and 2019 as prevention programs accelerated.

The Telegraph GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES PHARMACEUTICALS A Potent New Way to Treat Pain
The FDA’s move last week to greenlight a non-opioid pain medication—the first in 20+ years—is being heralded as “groundbreaking” and a “public health milestone,” according to The Hill.

The basics: The new analgesic drug, suzetrigine, will be sold under the brand name Journavx and used to treat moderate to severe acute pain, reports U.S. News.

How it works: Whereas opioids bind to receptors in the brain, the new drug targets a pain-signaling pathway in the peripheral nervous system before pain signals reach the brain. 

• “As a result, you shouldn’t get euphoria,” explained neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta in a CNN interview this week. 

ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Fat Bear Week in Altadena  
For one 525-pound California black bear, the Los Angeles wildfires werenʼt a compelling enough reason to leave a cozy basement in Altadena.
 
After evacuating, Samy Arbid returned home to find his tubby tenant had doubled down(stairs), waiting out the emergency in the basement. Beary, aka Victor, was “probably trying to lay low, conserve energy and sleep for a while,” according to Kevin Howells, an environmental scientist who helped lure Beary from his lair, the New York Times reports (gift link).
 
Weʼd have made a case here for ursine eminent domain, but animal control had other ideas. A tranquilizer wasnʼt gonna cut it on this majestic creature, so they lured him—very slowly and adorably—with a buffet of rotisserie chicken, sardines, tomato sauce, peanut butter, and promise of a new life in Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles Magazine reports.
 
But will forest cuisine suit this urbaniteʼs palate? As one neighbor explained to CBS News: “He just wants some good trash, like we all like some good trash.” (Wait ... do we, though!?) QUICK HITS Sudanese relief workers in the capital fear reprisals from army – Al Jazeera

Sweden searches for answers after country's deadliest shooting –  BBC

Public health group alarmed by online ‘DEI Watchlist’ targeting federal staff – CNN

Spinal cord electrical stimulation restores neural function in clinical trial – Medical Xpress

Time blindness is a psychological phenomenon. Here are steps to combat it. – The Washington Post (gift link) Issue No. 2671
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: ‘Absolute Emergency’ in Goma; Female ‘Honor’ Killings on the Rise in Iran; and India Grapples with the Future of Gas Stoves View this email in your browser February 5, 2025 Forward Share Post Residents watch as members of the Congolese Red Cross and the Civilian Protection bury dozens of bodies in a cemetery in Goma on February 3. Alexis Huguet/AFP via Getty ‘Absolute Emergency’ in Goma
Extreme violence in the eastern DRC over the last two weeks has left 900+ dead, ~2,880 injured, and a displaced population facing heightened risk of sexual violence and disease outbreaks, reports UN News.

Background: Per Norwegian Refugee Council, rebels with the Rwandan-backed M83 militia have seized large areas of Goma, the regional capital of North Kivu, severely restricting humanitarian access to a region that is already home to 696,000+ internally displaced people.

The latest: A ceasefire allowed residents to assess the devastation and to hurriedly bury ~2,000 bodies amid feared spread of disease, reports Al Jazeera.

• The Goma airport remains closed, paralyzing relief operations. “Every hour lost puts more lives at risk. This is an absolute emergency,” said Bruno Lemarquis, the UN’s top humanitarian official in the DRC.

Violence against women: Reports of sexual violence have become “tragically routine,” reports UN Women. After a prison break in Goma, reports emerged that hundreds of incarcerated women were raped and burned to death, reports The Guardian.

Risk of outbreaks: The WHO is warning of heightened disease risk, including cholera, mpox, and measles, reports Anadolu.

Exacerbating the crisis: A 90-day suspension of U.S. humanitarian funding is “severely impacting” relief efforts, says the UN. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Inadequate breast cancer screening and care systems could lead to the deaths of an estimated 135,000 women in sub-Saharan Africa by 2040, a new WHO report finds; in 2022, half of the women diagnosed with breast cancer in the region died from the disease. WHO

Trans health and research programs are being halted by the Trump administration, with notices sent in recent days that terminate funding and block ongoing research—leaving many researchers, medical organizations, and advocates in limbo. The Washington Post (gift article)

Flies in hospital wards may be carrying drug-resistant bacteria between patients, Nigerian researchers have found in a new study published in Environment International, which found that some flies were carrying bacteria most common in hospital-acquired infections. The Guardian

Health care affordability and access were ranked by Americans as the highest public health priority for government leaders to address, per a new public health survey by Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and Gallup. Emory University Rollins School of Public Health Trump Transition News Public Health Journal Won't Be Complicit in Trump Admin's Censorship – MedPage Today

Medical journal editors must resist CDC order and anti-gender ideology – BMJ (commentary)

Exclusive: how NSF is scouring research grants for violations of Trump’s orders – Nature

Senate committee advances RFK Jr.'s nomination for HHS secretary in party-line vote – CBS

Federal health workers terrified after 'DEI' website publishes list of 'targets' – NBC

America Can’t Just Unpause USAID – The Atlantic VIOLENCE Female ‘Honor’ Killings on the Rise in Iran
At least 133 women and girls—about one every two days—were killed in 2024 by male family members, with most of the deaths identified as “honor” killings, according to an analysis by RFE/RL's Radio Farda.

• Most femicide cases in Iran are excused as family disputes in which a female member is targeted for allegedly violating societal or religious traditions, per human rights advocates.

The violence is rising: Between 2021 and 2023, male relatives killed at least 165 women, an Iranian newspaper reported—but there are no official statistics, and murders of women often go unreported or are falsely labeled suicides or accidents.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH India Grapples with the Future of Gas Stoves
In an effort to curb air pollution in India—especially inside homes—health advocates have long pushed for a transition from cooking with stoves that burn wood or dung to stoves that use liquefied petroleum gas.

However: A recent multicenter study found no statistically significant health benefits for children in homes with gas stoves—despite a marked improvement in the homes’ air quality.

Current debate:

• Critics are calling for a pivot to alternatives like electricity, which could provide broader environmental and health benefits.

• But proponents say India’s grid is not ready for such expansion—and argue that the air quality improvement is reason enough to invest in the expansion of gas stoves. 

Science OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS How the World Health Organization can thrive without the United States – Nature (commentary)

10 Things to Know About U.S. Funding for Global Health – KFF Global Health Policy

Syria landmine crisis spirals as millions begin to return home – Halo Trust (news release) 

‘I could feel the worms’: Neglected victims of Loiasis find hope in a remote research station – The Telegraph

How Sudan virus binds to human cells – University of Minnesota Medical School via ScienceDaily

This program in Nigeria sends children from the streets into the classroom – The Christian Science Monitor

BMJ study calls for maximisation of women’s potential in healthcare – The Guardian Issue No. 2670
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: Sudan’s Surgeons Go Underground; Truck Stop Education; and Mosquito Magnetism View this email in your browser February 4, 2025 Forward Share Post Sudan’s Surgeons Go Underground
In north Darfur, indiscriminate violence and continuous shelling—including attacks on hospitals—have devastated the health care infrastructure, forcing the area’s last standing hospital, the Al-Saudi Maternal Teaching Hospital, to perform surgeries in underground bunkers, Drop Site News reports.

• The hospital, in the besieged town of Al-Fasher, has been attacked 15 times, including a drone attack on the hospital that killed 70+ people on January 24.


• Medics perform up to 12 surgeries a day by flashlight in nearby shelters built out of abandoned UN shipping containers and buried under sandbags.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands and fueled the world’s largest displacement crisis—uprooting more than 14 million people. Half of Sudan’s population, ~24.6 million people, face high levels of acute food insecurity, MSF reports, calling on international donors, the UN, and Sudan’s warring parties to take “immediate action to prevent death and starvation.”
 
“The failure to act is a choice, and it’s killing people,” says Marcella Kraay, MSF’s emergency coordinator.
 
Impact of Trump orders: Sudden stop-work orders from the Trump administration last week came at a devastating time for Sudan, interrupting vital aid operations for severely malnourished children at a half dozen U.S.-funded medical facilities in Sudan, ProPublica reports in an article detailing the impact of the interruptions—despite the Trump administration’s follow-up announcements ostensibly allowing lifesaving operations to proceed.

• Aid workers—realizing that compliance with the stop-work order would mean that up to 100 babies and toddlers would die—“chose the children,” and continued to do their job.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   ~160 cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) and five deaths have been reported in Pune, India, since early January; the illnesses have been traced to Campylobacter jejuni, a bacterium linked to foodborne illnesses and GBS. BBC
 
U.S. CDC webpages that include data on gender identity and LGBTQ issues remain inaccessible, following an executive order by President Trump targeting the topics; public health and medical experts have decried the disappearance of information needed to protect the health of marginalized populations. CIDRAP
 
People who have microplastics or nanoplastics embedded in fatty plaques in their blood vessels had a 4.5X greater risk of heart attacks, strokes, or death over a three-year period than patients who were plastic-free, according to a small study published in NEJM today. STAT

Lung cancer in people who have never smoked is now believed to be the fifth highest cause of global cancer deaths; adenocarcinoma is the main cancer among never-smokers, and ~200,000 adenocarcinoma cases were linked to air pollution in 2022, per the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The Guardian Trump Transition News Senate committee to vote today on RFK Jr.'s nomination – CBS News

RFK Jr. misled the US Senate on measles deaths, Samoa’s health chief says – AP

The Status of President Trump’s Pause of Foreign Aid and Implications for PEPFAR and other Global Health Programs - KFF Global Health Policy Watch (commentary)

USAID may be reorganized, absorbed by the State Department, Rubio says – Devex

Removal of DEI content from a microbiology group’s website shows reach of Trump executive orders – STAT HIV/AIDS Truck Stop Education
India’s truck drivers are a high-risk group for HIV, with a prevalence rate 7X times higher than India’s national average. 

In an effort to bring down rates, a foundation set up by the country’s largest tire manufacturer has enlisted commercial sex workers at truck stops to help with HIV prevention efforts—with the workers educating drivers about risks, symptoms, and treatment.

• Since 2022, the foundation has focused on recruiting 100+ transgender sex workers as part of its efforts, allowing it to reach 100,000+ truck drivers.


• Both the sex workers and the truckers are marginalized groups, which fosters mutual trust, say advocates.

The Guardian GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HUMAN RIGHTS Trans Women Face a Move to Men’s Prisons
Incarcerated trans people are facing a “precarious” future following the White House executive order that directs the Bureau of Prisons to ensure “that males are not detained in women’s prisons.”

• The order also prohibits inmates from receiving gender-affirming health care using federal funds.

So far: Attorneys have received reports of trans women being removed from the general population of some women’s facilities and sequestered in separate units. 

Risks: The Bureau of Prisons’ 2022 manual on trans inmates stated that trans women living in men’s prisons face a disproportionate risk of violence and sexual assault.

• That previously-public manual has since been removed from the bureau’s website. 

First challenge: Last week, a trans woman in federal custody filed the first lawsuit challenging the executive order.

The Intercept ZIKA Mosquito Magnetism
While Zika has gained powerful traction over the last decade, scientists are just beginning to understand why it’s so transmissible. One big reason: It changes human skin to become more mosquito-friendly.

• “Zika virus isn’t just passively transmitted, but it actively manipulates human biology to ensure its survival,” said the study’s co-lead author Noushin Emami.

Genetic sabotage: Researchers found that the Zika virus targets dermal fibroblasts—which typically facilitate skin protection and wound repair. But the virus genetically alters the protective barrier, turning it into a “magnet for mosquitoes” to boost transmission. 

Implications: The insights could help scientists “unlock new strategies” like genetic interventions to disrupt mosquito-attracting signals.

Salon QUICK HITS Conflict in eastern DRC hampers fight against mpox – Africa CDC – The East African

Bird flu crisis enters new phase – Axios

Here is how we know that vaccines do not cause autism – STAT

Study Finds More Than 300 Juveniles Were Shot by Police Between 2015 and 2020, One-Third of Them Fatally – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Five ways to bridge the 'know–do' continuum in global health – Nature Human Behaviour (commentary)

The long quest for artificial blood – The New Yorker

Families buy more sugary cereal if advertising targets kids, not adults – NPR Shots Issue No. 2669
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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96 Global Health NOW: The Push to Dismantle USAID; January Recap; and Saving Children’s Eyesight in Mozambique View this email in your browser February 3, 2025 Forward Share Post Sandra Ramos and her children stand by an improvised shack she built with the help of USAID after hurricanes Eta and Iota. La Lima, Honduras. July 15, 2022. Orlanda Sierra/AFP via Getty The Push to Dismantle USAID
The fate of the U.S. Agency for International Development is tenuous following a turbulent weekend for the agency, reports NPR Goats and Soda.

• Already, hundreds of workers for the humanitarian agency have been laid off, and its work has been almost totally suspended, reports The Washington Post. 


• Elon Musk, who leads the new Department of Government Efficiency, repeatedly denigrated the agency and said that it was “time for it to die.”


• DOGE workers demanded access to USAID restricted spaces—and put on leave the two USAID security officials who refused to grant it.


• The agency’s website has gone dark, along with its social media accounts.  


• USAID is “enduring an unlawful shutdown, purge, and dismantling,” wrote Atul Gawande, former global health lead at USAID. 

USAID was formally established by Congress as an independent agency in 1998—which means dissolution or formal transfer of functions “would require legislation,” explains Just Security, published by New York University. 

Immediate impact: Meanwhile, lifesaving health programs and research have already been shut down worldwide in response to the 90-day freeze on foreign aid, reports The New York Times (gift link)—with grave consequences for efforts like malaria prevention, reports The Guardian. 

Data disappearing: An increasing number of federal health datasets including standard surveillance reports have been taken offline or appear to have been modified, reports KFF. 

Related: 

WHO proposes budget cut after US exit, defends its work – Reuters

Too little, too late: What a Pepfar waiver can’t do – Bhekisisa

National Science Foundation suspends salary payments, leaving researchers unable to pay their bills – STAT GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   An Ebola vaccine trial is poised to begin in Uganda in an effort to stem an outbreak that has killed a nurse in Kampala, a top health official said yesterday; the vaccine maker was not announced. AP

Black lupus patients in England are 8X more likely to be hospitalized for the condition, NHS figures show—with health advocates saying the “stark” disparity could be because of delayed diagnoses. The Guardian

Four cases of measles—including two affecting school-aged children—have been reported in Texas in less than two weeks, per an alert from the state’s health agency; none of the patients had received measles vaccinations. Texas Tribune

The link between autism and maternal health during pregnancy may be largely attributable to inherited genetic variants—versus a direct cause-and-effect relationship between certain health conditions and autism—a large new study of 1 million+ Danish children and families has found. Science JANUARY MUST-READS The Global Repercussions of Burma’s Crisis
Years of conflict and instability have devastated Burma’s (Myanmar’s) disease prevention efforts—and the consequences could transcend borders, write Maw Lay and Khin, journalists with Delta News Agency.

• Medical resources have been depleted, monitoring programs have been dismantled, and health workers have been attacked. Malaria and tuberculosis cases have increased 7X; HIV cases are up 10%.


• If drug-resistant malaria spreads from Burma, it could reverse global malaria progress, potentially setting back efforts by 10–15 years.

The New Humanitarian
Indigenous Panamanians Face an ‘Uncontrolled Epidemic’
An “uncontrolled epidemic” of untreated HIV threatens the young people of Panama’s Ngäbe-Buglé Indigenous territory.

• ~2,500 people of the ~225,000 in the region live with HIV; it was the leading cause of death in the region in 2022, and in 2024, the area reported new infections at nearly 4X the national rate.

What drives the spread? Stigma, a lack of sex education, and extreme poverty and transportation challenges that prevent many from seeking care.

NPR Goats and Soda
  Overlooked Agony  
Misbah Khan’s reporting surfaces the neglected issue of UTIs and the acute pain they cause—with no targeted treatments beyond antibiotics, and scant research into why they occur—despite afflicting over 400 million people, primarily women, a year.

• “It’s a public health problem and it takes people away from their lives and nobody cares,” said Elizabeth Kavaler, a New York-based urologist.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism
  A Window Into Russia’s ‘Year of the Family’ Restrictions
Staring down a decades-long demographic crisis—exacerbated by losses in the Ukraine war—Russia’s president Vladimir Putin is pushing “pro-family” policies.

• Doctors and employers who advise women to get abortions face fines; couples seeking divorce must undergo psychological consultations and a waiting period; and a new law punishes “childfree propaganda” with heavy fines.

• New “family studies” classes in schools emphasize family as the state's foundation.

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty JANUARY EXCLUSIVES Community health worker Suraiyya Terdale raises awareness of rising obesity rates and nutrition literacy in her village in India’s Maharashtra state. September 2, 2024. Sanket Jain Climate Change’s Connection to Rising Obesity  
MUMBAI, India—As recent summer temperatures in the city topped 39°C (102°F), the nearby playground was often empty.

12-year-old Sandesh Gholap tended to stay indoors. He gained 10 kilograms (22 pounds) in the past year, has experienced bullying, and stopped participating in social activities.

• A 1°C rise in temperature in low-resource countries has been associated with a 4% rise in children’s BMI and a 2% increase in women’s, according to a 2021 Global Food Security analysis. Rising temperatures can also lead to changes in diet, reduced nutritional value in plants, and other impacts that influence people’s weight.

Sanket Jain for Global Health NOW
 
More January exclusives:

• A Promising Fight Against a Silent Killer


• The Most Neglected NTD: Cryptosporidiosis (commentary)

JANUARY’S BEST PRACTICAL NEWS What’s Your Number?
Over the course of our lives, every one of us will experience a decline in hearing.
 
Less common: getting regular hearing tests to understand how our hearing changes over time.

• Now, with free smartphone apps, anyone can learn their “hearing number”—the measure in decibels of the softest speech sound a person can hear.

• Why it matters: More accessible tools to identify hearing changes—combined with new interventions, such as over-the-counter hearing aids—could help more people optimize their hearing and potentially stave off cognitive decline linked to hearing loss.

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES VISION Saving Children’s Eyesight in Mozambique
In Mozambique, many children suffer from easily treatable eye problems simply because vision screening programs are so limited and providers are so few:

• There are just three pediatric ophthalmologists for a population of 30 million. 

But doctors there hope basic measures can start to turn the tide, including:

• Traveling clinics to teach medical workers about screening and interventions like glasses and simple surgeries. 

• Educational outreach for teachers, traditional healers, and community health workers on how to spot vision problems. 

The Quote: “I do believe that by pushing forward, we can slowly overcome this challenge,” said ophthalmologist Isaac Vasco da Gama, who is spearheading vision efforts in the country. 

The New York Times (gift link) QUICK HITS WHO chief asks for help pushing US to reconsider its withdrawal from health agency – Euronews

On the frontline against bird flu, egg farmers fear they're losing the battle – NPR Shots

New York Doctor Indicted in Louisiana for Sending Abortion Pills There – The New York Times (gift link)

GAO: Public-health workforce shortage undermines ability to respond to outbreaks, other emergencies – CIDRAP

What to know about polio vaccines, in 4 charts – CNN

Alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations spiked during the pandemic. Could policy have made a difference? – CBC

They help seniors push back against a deluge of health misinformation – The Washington Post (gift link) Issue No. M-Feb. 2025
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 Push to Dismantle USAID; January Recap; and Saving Children’s Eyesight in Mozambique View this email in your browser February 3, 2025 Forward Share Post Sandra Ramos and her children stand by an improvised shack she built with the help of USAID after hurricanes Eta and Iota. La Lima, Honduras. July 15, 2022. Orlanda Sierra/AFP via Getty The Push to Dismantle USAID
The fate of the U.S. Agency for International Development is tenuous following a turbulent weekend for the agency, reports NPR Goats and Soda.

• Already, hundreds of workers for the humanitarian agency have been laid off, and its work has been almost totally suspended, reports The Washington Post. 


• Elon Musk, who leads the new Department of Government Efficiency, repeatedly denigrated the agency and said that it was “time for it to die.”


• DOGE workers demanded access to USAID restricted spaces—and put on leave the two USAID security officials who refused to grant it.


• The agency’s website has gone dark, along with its social media accounts.  


• USAID is “enduring an unlawful shutdown, purge, and dismantling,” wrote Atul Gawande, former global health lead at USAID. 

USAID was formally established by Congress as an independent agency in 1998—which means dissolution or formal transfer of functions “would require legislation,” explains Just Security, published by New York University. 

Immediate impact: Meanwhile, lifesaving health programs and research have already been shut down worldwide in response to the 90-day freeze on foreign aid, reports The New York Times (gift link)—with grave consequences for efforts like malaria prevention, reports The Guardian. 

Data disappearing: An increasing number of federal health datasets including standard surveillance reports have been taken offline or appear to have been modified, reports KFF. 

Related: 

WHO proposes budget cut after US exit, defends its work – Reuters

Too little, too late: What a Pepfar waiver can’t do – Bhekisisa

National Science Foundation suspends salary payments, leaving researchers unable to pay their bills – STAT GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   An Ebola vaccine trial is poised to begin in Uganda in an effort to stem an outbreak that has killed a nurse in Kampala, a top health official said yesterday; the vaccine maker was not announced. AP

Black lupus patients in England are 8X more likely to be hospitalized for the condition, NHS figures show—with health advocates saying the “stark” disparity could be because of delayed diagnoses. The Guardian

Four cases of measles—including two affecting school-aged children—have been reported in Texas in less than two weeks, per an alert from the state’s health agency; none of the patients had received measles vaccinations. Texas Tribune

The link between autism and maternal health during pregnancy may be largely attributable to inherited genetic variants—versus a direct cause-and-effect relationship between certain health conditions and autism—a large new study of 1 million+ Danish children and families has found. Science JANUARY MUST-READS The Global Repercussions of Burma’s Crisis
Years of conflict and instability have devastated Burma’s (Myanmar’s) disease prevention efforts—and the consequences could transcend borders, write Maw Lay and Khin, journalists with Delta News Agency.

• Medical resources have been depleted, monitoring programs have been dismantled, and health workers have been attacked. Malaria and tuberculosis cases have increased 7X; HIV cases are up 10%.


• If drug-resistant malaria spreads from Burma, it could reverse global malaria progress, potentially setting back efforts by 10–15 years.

The New Humanitarian
Indigenous Panamanians Face an ‘Uncontrolled Epidemic’
An “uncontrolled epidemic” of untreated HIV threatens the young people of Panama’s Ngäbe-Buglé Indigenous territory.

• ~2,500 people of the ~225,000 in the region live with HIV; it was the leading cause of death in the region in 2022, and in 2024, the area reported new infections at nearly 4X the national rate.

What drives the spread? Stigma, a lack of sex education, and extreme poverty and transportation challenges that prevent many from seeking care.

NPR Goats and Soda
  Overlooked Agony  
Misbah Khan’s reporting surfaces the neglected issue of UTIs and the acute pain they cause—with no targeted treatments beyond antibiotics, and scant research into why they occur—despite afflicting over 400 million people, primarily women, a year.

• “It’s a public health problem and it takes people away from their lives and nobody cares,” said Elizabeth Kavaler, a New York-based urologist.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism
  A Window Into Russia’s ‘Year of the Family’ Restrictions
Staring down a decades-long demographic crisis—exacerbated by losses in the Ukraine war—Russia’s president Vladimir Putin is pushing “pro-family” policies.

• Doctors and employers who advise women to get abortions face fines; couples seeking divorce must undergo psychological consultations and a waiting period; and a new law punishes “childfree propaganda” with heavy fines.

• New “family studies” classes in schools emphasize family as the state's foundation.

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty JANUARY EXCLUSIVES Community health worker Suraiyya Terdale raises awareness of rising obesity rates and nutrition literacy in her village in India’s Maharashtra state. September 2, 2024. Sanket Jain Climate Change’s Connection to Rising Obesity  
MUMBAI, India—As recent summer temperatures in the city topped 39°C (102°F), the nearby playground was often empty.

12-year-old Sandesh Gholap tended to stay indoors. He gained 10 kilograms (22 pounds) in the past year, has experienced bullying, and stopped participating in social activities.

• A 1°C rise in temperature in low-resource countries has been associated with a 4% rise in children’s BMI and a 2% increase in women’s, according to a 2021 Global Food Security analysis. Rising temperatures can also lead to changes in diet, reduced nutritional value in plants, and other impacts that influence people’s weight.

Sanket Jain for Global Health NOW
 
More January exclusives:

• A Promising Fight Against a Silent Killer


• The Most Neglected NTD: Cryptosporidiosis (commentary)

JANUARY’S BEST PRACTICAL NEWS What’s Your Number?
Over the course of our lives, every one of us will experience a decline in hearing.
 
Less common: getting regular hearing tests to understand how our hearing changes over time.

• Now, with free smartphone apps, anyone can learn their “hearing number”—the measure in decibels of the softest speech sound a person can hear.

• Why it matters: More accessible tools to identify hearing changes—combined with new interventions, such as over-the-counter hearing aids—could help more people optimize their hearing and potentially stave off cognitive decline linked to hearing loss.

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES VISION Saving Children’s Eyesight in Mozambique
In Mozambique, many children suffer from easily treatable eye problems simply because vision screening programs are so limited and providers are so few:

• There are just three pediatric ophthalmologists for a population of 30 million. 

But doctors there hope basic measures can start to turn the tide, including:

• Traveling clinics to teach medical workers about screening and interventions like glasses and simple surgeries. 

• Educational outreach for teachers, traditional healers, and community health workers on how to spot vision problems. 

The Quote: “I do believe that by pushing forward, we can slowly overcome this challenge,” said ophthalmologist Isaac Vasco da Gama, who is spearheading vision efforts in the country. 

The New York Times (gift link) QUICK HITS WHO chief asks for help pushing US to reconsider its withdrawal from health agency – Euronews

On the frontline against bird flu, egg farmers fear they're losing the battle – NPR Shots

New York Doctor Indicted in Louisiana for Sending Abortion Pills There – The New York Times (gift link)

GAO: Public-health workforce shortage undermines ability to respond to outbreaks, other emergencies – CIDRAP

What to know about polio vaccines, in 4 charts – CNN

Alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations spiked during the pandemic. Could policy have made a difference? – CBC

They help seniors push back against a deluge of health misinformation – The Washington Post (gift link) Issue No. 2668
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: Fighting NTDs Amid Political Upheaval; Investigating a Viral Inflection Point; and Do You Be Durkling? Neglected tropical diseases affect ~1 billion people worldwide, and there are few vaccines and treatments to combat them. View this email in your browser January 30, 2025 Forward Share Post A patient waits to be treated at a free specialized clinic for leishmaniasis supported by WHO on October 25, 2010, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Paula Bronstein via Getty Fighting NTDs Amid Political Upheaval   
Major battles are being won in the global fight against neglected tropical diseases, but on World NTD Day health advocates are also raising concerns about changing dynamics that could threaten progress—from new political paradigms to dwindling funding. 

Background: NTDs affect ~1 billion people worldwide—often the world’s most marginalized communities. There is a dearth of vaccines and treatments to combat them. 

Gains: 54 countries have eliminated an NTD as of 2024. This week, the WHO announced two major successes: 

• Guinea has eliminated human African trypanosomiasis. 

• Niger has interrupted transmission of the parasite Onchocerca volvulus. 

Setbacks: 

Fading funding: A decline in research and development funding for NTDs could mean lost traction unless new sources are tapped, reports Devex. 

Political upheaval: The global health landscape is being reshaped, with the Trump administration announcing an exit from WHO, a freeze to foreign aid, and an effort to make vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. head of HHS—which has “vast global reach,” reports NPR Goats and Soda. 

• Kennedy was questioned in confirmation hearings yesterday about misleading statements around vaccines and infectious diseases, reports NBC News.

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
The White House rescinded a memo that aimed to freeze spending on federal loans and grants after it sparked widespread confusion and legal challenges, reports the AP; meanwhile, the Trump administration has issued guidance on how federal agencies should immediately eliminate transgender initiatives and protections, reports Axios. 

Plain water and milk are the recommended drinks for youth, per new guidelines from major U.S. health organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics; the guidelines recommended that sweetened beverages and drinks with caffeine should be avoided entirely. Healio

Avian flu has struck the second largest U.S. egg producer, Indiana’s Rose Acre Farms—which could further impact the nation’s egg supply; meanwhile, the USDA has reported more H5N1 detections in mammals, poultry, dairy cows, and wild birds. CIDRAP

A measles outbreak in Ontario and Quebec is spreading, warned Canada’s chief public health officer—who said that a growing number of cases have been locally acquired, and that the majority of cases have been among unvaccinated people—including children and infants. The Albertan  MPOX Investigating a Viral Inflection Point 
In September 2023 epidemiologist Leandre Murhula Masirika was in the eastern jungles of the DRC, looking for the mpox virus in bushmeat hunters and wild animals to assess the threat of a spillover to humans.

But when he got a message about a patient in the eastern DRC mining town of Kamituga covered in worrisome sores, he was stunned: Mpox appeared to be on the move. After traveling to the town to investigate, he was one of the first to raise the alarm of a new strain. 

A year and a half later, Masirika has stayed on the front lines of the Kamituga outbreak, seeking to control the spread of the new strain, clade 1b—but he has also continued to investigate how that very first case emerged.

His main concern: The point of animal-to-human spillover. “Until we find the virus in an animal, I think it will be difficult to answer this question,” he said. 

The Telegraph GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CERVICAL CANCER Disparities in the Mississippi Delta
Black women in the U.S. face starkly higher mortality rates from cervical cancer: ~65% higher than white women.

And in the Mississippi Delta, the rates are among the nation’s worst, per new research from Human Rights Watch. 

• Black women living in the Delta were about 1.4X more likely to die of cervical cancer compared to white women living in the same region from 2017 to 2021. 

Factors: 

• 10.8% of Mississippi’s population is uninsured, and the state has not expanded Medicaid. 

• The state’s strict abortion laws have hampered access to gynecological care. 

• Black women report higher levels of distrust in health providers.

Human Rights Watch ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Do You Be Durkling?
​​Lounging around in bed in the morning would be so much better without the inner voice that says “get up, you lazy [insert insult of choice here].”
 
It turns out all this time, we havenʼt been lazy sloths. Weʼve been hurkle durkling!
 
Official meaning: “to lie in bed or lounge about when one should be up and about,” according to the dictionary of the Scots, who coined the term some 200 years ago, but lately itʼs gone global thanks to Kira Kosarinʼs viral TikTok deeming it the word of the day, The Washington Post reports.
 
“I do be hurkling and I do be durkling,” Kosarin beamed.  

One Scottish woman credited the term with reframing the idea of laziness. Iʼm not “wasting my life. I’m practicing an ancestral right (sic) of passage.”
 
If a cute moniker is the fast track to empowered lounging, letʼs use them to normalize more guilty pleasures! Like spending way too long in a store, or not keeping your phone fully charged because you kind of want it to turn off.
 
And if they already exist, please let us know. QUICK HITS Myanmar on the brink as conflict fuels hunger – ReliefWeb

Myanmar refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals shuttered by US aid freeze – Reuters

Queensland’s puberty blockers ban has potential to cause harm, sex discrimination commissioner says – The Guardian

Citizen Scientists Reclaim Japan’s Nuclear Disaster Zone – The New York Times (gift link) 

Cities, health, and the big data revolution – Harvard Public Health Issue No. 2647
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: Upheaval and Uncertainty After Federal Funding Halt; Potential Ebola Outbreak Reported in DRC; and Strengthened Trust in Scientists View this email in your browser January 29, 2025 Forward Share Post An activist protests against President Donald Trump's plan to stop most federal grants and loans during a rally near the White House on January 28. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Upheaval and Uncertainty After Federal Funding Halt
Widespread confusion and chaos roiled states, schools, and nonprofits across the U.S. yesterday after the Trump administration announced an abrupt halt in federal funding and grants—a lifeline for thousands of vital programs, reports NPR. 

The latest: A federal judge temporarily blocked the suspension yesterday, allowing funding to continue through Monday, reports the AP. Other legal challenges have been filed, which could lead to a constitutional showdown over who controls federal spending. 

Details of the freeze: The order calls for a pause in funding while the Trump administration conducts an across-the-board ideological review to uproot initiatives the administration opposes, like DEI initiatives and abortion. 

What’s affected: The scope of the freeze is still unclear, reports CNN, despite White House efforts to clarify what’s impacted. Advocates and agencies fear the order could potentially impact a wide range of programs: disaster relief efforts, community health, cancer research and opioid treatment, daily food programs, and more.

• “The lack of clarity and uncertainty right now is creating chaos,” said Meals on Wheels spokeswoman Jenny Young. 


• While the Trump administration has said Medicaid will not be affected by the suspension, Medicaid’s payment portal stopped working yesterday, reports The New York Times (gift link). 

Research at risk: Meanwhile, science advocates worry that the order could jeopardize research by delaying many grants indefinitely, reports Science.

Related: 

Researchers are terrified of Trump’s freeze on science. The rest of us should be, too. – Vox

Trump executive order puts STEM diversity efforts on hold – Science

Higher Ed Alarmed by Trump’s Plan to Freeze Federal Grants – Inside Higher Ed GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   ~40 people were killed and dozens injured in a crowd crush after barriers broke at the Hindu festival Kumbh Mela, which has drawn tens of millions to Uttar Pradesh in northern India. The Times

An International Criminal Court prosecutor has announced plans to seek arrest warrants for people linked to alleged war crimes in Darfur, Sudan, calling the escalating conflict a "tailspin into deeper suffering.” Anadolu

Puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries for people under age 19 are among the medical gender-affirming practices President Trump seeks to end with an executive order signed yesterday; among other restrictions in the order, Medicaid, Medicare, and federal benefits packages will exclude some coverage for pediatric gender-affirming care. NPR

PEPFAR can resume distributing HIV medications for now, after the U.S. State Department issued a reprieve following this week’s freeze on foreign aid; but whether the waiver extends to preventive drugs or other services remains unclear, and the future of the program still hangs in the balance. The New York Times (gift link) RADAR Potential Ebola Outbreak Reported in DRC  
A potential Ebola outbreak has been reported in western DRC at a particularly challenging time, STAT reports—amid an escalation in fighting and fraught U.S.-WHO relations.

• 12 suspected Ebola cases, including eight deaths between January 10 and 22, have been recorded in the Boyenge area, per the WHO; samples have been sent for testing in Kinshasa.


• Typically, the U.S. CDC coordinates closely with the WHO and provides expertise and support during outbreaks, but on Monday, CDC staff were directed to cease communications with the WHO following the Trump administration’s order to withdraw the U.S. from the WHO.

Global and U.S. implications: “The agencies that are statutorily responsible for protecting our health are unable to do that job because they are not able to pick up the phone and talk to people who might have information that could protect U.S. health and security,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health.
 
STAT GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES AVIAN FLU The Evolving H5N1 Threat
The avian flu outbreak that was first reported in dairy cattle almost one year ago shows no signs of slowing—demonstrating a remarkable tenacity that continues to raise pandemic risk. 

While risk to the public still remains low, more health experts are warning that that could change quickly.

• “Over the last couple of months, it has felt like the tempo has increased,” said Connecticut public health commissioner Manisha Juthani.

Toll so far: The virus has infected 900+ herds and at least 67 people—causing one human death.

Failure to fight: Inadequate testing, “toothless” directives, and delayed data are all missed opportunities to crack down on the outbreak. 

Reports of reinfection in herds suggest H5N1 could become endemic—and potentially evolve into a more dangerous form under the radar.

The New York Times (gift link)

Related: 

Rare bird flu strain found in California raises potential of wider spread – The Washington Post (gift link)

Will bird flu spark a human pandemic? Scientists say the risk is rising – Nature HEALTH COMMUNICATION Strengthened Trust in Scientists
Trust in scientists is moderately strong worldwide, finds the largest post-pandemic study of its kind published in Nature Human Behavior. 

Study details: 71,990 people in 68 countries were surveyed in their own languages and according to their own customs, and the study included many under-researched countries in the Global South.

• The majority of respondents had a “relatively high level of trust” in scientists—3.62 on a 5-point scale ranging from very low to very high.

• Most viewed scientists as qualified (78%), honest (57%), and concerned about public well-being (56%).

But: Only 42% said they believe scientists pay attention to the concerns of others. Respondents also reported wanting scientists to be more involved in policy on health, energy, and poverty, rather than in military and defense technology. 

CIDRAP QUICK HITS Sudan's Genocide Deepens Famine – Think Global Health (commentary)

Overview of President Trump’s Executive Actions on Global Health – KFF Health News

RFK Jr. hearing live updates: Trump's pick to head HHS faces bipartisan skepticism – ABC

RFK Jr. says he'll fix the overdose crisis. Critics say his plan is risky – NPR

The tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas is alarming. It’s not the biggest in US history though, CDC says – AP

Study shows long-term cannabis use disrupts critical brain processes – News Medical

Deadly Hendra heralded a new era of outbreaks – but opened the door to bat research – The Telegraph (commentary)

One-minute video game could diagnose your child with autism – The Scotsman

Oyster Blood May Provide a Powerful Weapon Against Antibiotic Resistance – Discover Thanks for the tip, Xiaodong Cai! Issue No. 2646
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: Gaza Returnees Face Staggering Health Needs, Decimated Health System; Climate Model Predicts High Mortality; and Wean in Rome View this email in your browser January 28, 2025 Forward Share Post Infant incubators at the ransacked neonatal intensive care unit inside the heavily-damaged Kamal Adwan hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, on January 20. Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP via Getty Gaza Returnees Face Staggering Health Needs  
As tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians stream back into northern Gaza, finding much of it in ruins, the stark needs are coming into relief—including massive health challenges.

• ~30,000 people need ongoing rehabilitation for “life-changing injuries,” such as the loss of limbs.


• 12,000+ need to be evacuated for specialized care; some of those with preexisting health issues have gone a year or more without care.


• Israeli bombs damaged or destroyed most of Gaza’s 36 hospitals; only half are still partially operational. 

“How are Palestinians going to import the advanced, expensive medical equipment that actually makes the hospital more than a building?” asks Yara Asi of Harvard’s FXB Center for Health and Human Rights.
 
Risks in the rubble: Decimated sanitation and sewer systems create the conditions ideal for the spread of disease; debris contaminated with toxic chemicals, asbestos, and human remains, and unexploded munitions also threaten returnees.
 
Israel’s response: Israel, maintaining that Hamas bears responsibility for damage because it used hospitals to shield fighters, hasn’t shared a reconstruction plan.
 
WHO plan: When it’s safe, WHO and partners will boost hospital capacity with prefabricated containers, and prioritize trauma and emergency care, primary health care, and mental health support.

AP
 
Related:

Gaza: No Safe Pregnancies During Israeli Assault – Human Rights Watch

Israel says eight hostages to be freed in Gaza deal's first phase are dead – BBC
  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   U.S. public health officials yesterday were ordered to stop working with the WHO, effective immediately, in person and virtual; workers surprised by the sudden stoppage warned it would set back work investigating and addressing threats including Marburg virus, mpox, and avian flu. AP
 
Racial gaps in life expectancy narrowed by about four years between 1990 and 2018, new findings from the Urban Institute reveal—but even in 2018, Black women could still expect to live three years less than white women, and Black men five years less than white men. Axios

Public trust in government health agencies, including the CDC, FDA, and state and local health officials, declined over the past 18 months, continuing a trend that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a KFF Tracking Poll; individual doctors remain the most trusted source of health information. KFF

Coca-Cola has recalled beverages in some European countries—Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands—over safety concerns surrounding levels of cholate, which can be produced when chlorine-based disinfectants are used in water treatment and food processing. BBC Trump Transition News USAID officials put on leave for allegedly not abiding by executive order – NPR Goats and Soda

Trump Order Suspends Healthcare in Refugee Camps – Burma News International

NIH memo addresses ‘confusion’ about restrictions imposed by Trump, easing some concerns – Science

Doctors opposing RFK Jr. rally in the lead-up to his confirmation – NPR Shots

Conservative Wall Street Journal warns RFK Jr is ‘dangerous’ to public health – The Independent

As states diverge on immigration, hospitals say they won't turn patients away – Medical Xpress CLIMATE CRISIS Climate Model Predicts High Mortality
Extreme temperatures could claim an extra 2.3 million lives in European cities by the end of the century if no action is taken to fight climate change, according to a new modeling study. 

• Using temperature and mortality data from 854 urban areas across Europe, researchers explored several warming scenarios and considered the effects of mitigation strategies to keep people safe amid rising heat, such as increasing green space and shade in cities.


• The results suggest that heat-related deaths will surpass those caused by cold conditions in even the most positive scenarios, and that temperature-related deaths overall could increase by ~50%. 

Mediterranean regions, particularly eastern Spain, southern France, Italy, and Malta, are on track to be the worst affected.

Nature GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES BREASTFEEDING Wean in Rome 
Scholars are gaining new insights into ancient Roman practices around breastfeeding—with dental research that is “literally drilling down into something that we really cannot get from texts,” said Roman medicine historian Laurence Totelin of Cardiff University.

Background: Infant feeding practices in ancient Rome have been studied through medical texts—which mainly reached wealthy families. 

The new study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nexus, looks at both rural and urban populations—analyzing dental tissue from 45 Roman adults to pinpoint when weaning occurred.

Findings: Urban families followed Roman physicians’ recommendations to wean by age 2. Rural families breastfed longer, from 1.5 to 5 years—likely delaying the transition to solid food to conserve food supplies.

Science QUICK HITS 'We're witnesses to the horror of the world': the one-of-a-kind Italian clinic treating refugees for trauma – The Guardian

Cleanup of LA fires has begun – and toxins are a key challenge – The Christian Science Monitor

Dozens of People Died in Arizona Sober Living Homes as State Officials Fumbled Medicaid Fraud Response – ProPublica

New framework to bolster health in fragile settings offers timely guidance for countries – WHO

China to prioritise physical education in schools as obesity rates rise – Reuters

The United States Needs More Medical Interpreters – Think Global Health (commentary)

A Less Brutal Alternative to IVF – The Atlantic Issue No. 2645
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: A Freeze on Foreign Aid; In Rwanda and Nigeria, Abortion Stigma Persists; and Preventing Child Marriage in Bangladesh View this email in your browser January 27, 2025 Forward Share Post The U.S. Agency of International Development flag flies in front of the agency's headquarters. September 15, 2014, Washington, D.C. J. David Ake via Getty A Freeze on Foreign Aid
The Trump administration announced a sweeping freeze on nearly all U.S. foreign aid, with immediate—and potentially lasting—repercussions for global health and humanitarian efforts, reports the AP. 

Order details: The stop-work order lasts 90 days while programs are reviewed, exempting only emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt.

Instant impact: Leading aid organizations said they would cease operations immediately. The freeze “could have life-or-death consequences” for vulnerable populations, said Abby Maxman of Oxfam America.

• The order suspends PEPFAR, the U.S.-funded anti-HIV program that provides lifesaving medications for over 20.6 million people, reports NPR Goats and Soda. 


• Atul Gawande, former USAID global health lead, said in a thread that the freeze will halt bird flu monitoring, harm efforts to battle Marburg virus and mpox, and hamper polio eradication—among other efforts. 

Reproductive health: Trump also reinstated the Mexico City Policy, blocking U.S. aid to foreign groups providing abortion services, counseling, or advocacy, reports The Guardian. 

Starting a trend? Italy’s deputy prime minister proposed a bill to withdraw from the WHO, following Trump’s order to leave, reports Euractiv. But Trump floated rejoining at a rally Saturday, reports Politico.

Related: 

Trump's Snub to Global Health Leaves The Field Wide Open – Geneva Health Files

A week of chaos in public health – Your Local Epidemiologist (commentary)

‘Never seen anything like this’: Trump’s team halts NIH meetings and travel – Nature GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES EDITOR’S NOTE Help Us Spread the Word  
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Brian SHARE GHN'S SUBSCRIBE LINK The Latest One-Liners   Heart disease continues to kill more people in the U.S. than any other cause, with an “alarming” uptick in risk factors like high blood pressure and obesity highlighting an ongoing crisis, per a new report from the American Heart Association. News Medical

Navajo Nation leaders have raised alarm over at least 15 reports of Indigenous people in Arizona and New Mexico being questioned and detained during immigration sweeps by federal law enforcement last week. CNN 

In Montenegro, thousands of protesters staged a rally in the capital Podgorica demanding the resignation of senior security officials over the government’s response to a mass shooting that killed 12 people on January 1. Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

A tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas has risen to ~70 cases—the largest outbreak in the state’s recorded history; health departments are currently working to identify close contacts of those who have tested positive. The Independent REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS In Rwanda and Nigeria, Abortion Stigma Persists
Strict abortion bans in Rwanda and Nigeria have long shaped public opinion on reproductive rights. Although updated laws allow for exceptions, widespread stigma and uncertainty remain—meaning many women resort to self-managed abortions.

• In Rwanda: Abortion was decriminalized in 2018, allowing it in cases of rape, incest, forced marriage, or health risks, yet uncertainty persists among both abortion seekers and providers. The cost of legal abortion also remains an obstacle. 

• In Nigeria: Abortion is illegal except to save the woman’s life. Sanctions can include up to 14 years in prison. This has led to dangerous, clandestine abortions, causing 6,000+ related deaths annually.

Nigeria Health Watch

Related: Emergency contraception pill could be an alternative to mifepristone for abortions, study suggests – AP GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES VACCINES Undermining America’s Immunity
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has shaped U.S. vaccination policy for 60+ years, advising government agencies on particular shots and schedules. 

But if Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is confirmed as health secretary, health advocates fear that his anti-vaccine views could fundamentally reshape the committee—and immunity in the U.S.

ACIP’s role: The committee includes 19 experts in fields like vaccinology, pediatrics, and virology. Its guidance has helped turn the tide on measles and whooping cough. 

If ACIP is remade: A politicized—or disbanded—ACIP could lead to delayed or reduced vaccine schedules, and could limit vaccine availability—especially for children on Medicaid.

• Such changes could erode immunity to preventable diseases over time. 

The Atlantic (gift link)

Related: The Vaccine Schedule Is Under Fire. What’s the Evidence for It? – The New York Times (commentary; gift link) HUMAN RIGHTS Preventing Child Marriage in Bangladesh
Over 60% of Bangladeshi families practice child marriage, according to a survey by the NGO BRAC, with 56% of girls being forced into marriage before completing secondary school.

BRAC—which provides primary education for many of the nation’s children—believes that preventing children from dropping out of school can reduce the prevalence of the practice. 

BRAC’s solutions:

• Provide stipends for families of primary school girls.


• Provide one-room schools in every village to eliminate travel problems—and floating boat schools for some remote communities inaccessible by road.


• Train local teachers, rather than bringing in outsiders.

The Telegraph QUICK HITS Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians head to northern Gaza – NBC

David Lammy 'horrified' after meeting Sudan war victims face-to-face – BBC

Real-world study: RSV vaccine 78% to 80% effective against infection, severe illness in older US veterans – CIDRAP

Bloomberg offers climate cash to UN after Trump exits Paris Agreement – Euronews

Bluesky’s science takeover: 70% of Nature poll respondents use platform – Nature

Cooling green roofs seemed like an impossible dream for Brazil's favelas. Not true! – NPR Goats and Soda Issue No. 2644
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: 012325 View this email in your browser January 23, 2025 Forward Share Post A group of migrants waits in Tijuana, Mexico, after learning that their appointments to apply for asylum in the U.S. have been canceled. January 20. Felix Marquez/picture alliance via Getty Refugees to U.S. ‘Devastated’ and ‘in Danger’ as Program Halted
Thousands of refugees and asylum seekers seeking resettlement in the U.S. faced abrupt cancellation of appointments, travel arrangements, and even ticketed flights, as a new executive order by President Trump halted the nation’s resettlement program, reports The New York Times (gift link).

• 10,400+ refugees who had been approved for travel suddenly found their entry to the U.S. denied.


• In Mexico, ~30,000 immigrants had asylum appointments canceled as the CBP One app—a tool used by asylum seekers for appointments—was shut down, reports The Washington Post (gift link). 

Details of the order: Trump’s executive order halts U.S. refugee resettlement, starting January 27. The order affects people already in the resettlement pipeline—some having waited for years, reports USA Today.

Those affected: The suspension affects refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, Burma, Venezuela, and parts of Africa. The total suspension has left families “devastated” and “in danger,” advocates told The Guardian.

• “This policy doesn’t just delay hope; it extinguishes it for so many who have already suffered so much,” said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president of Global Refuge.

What’s next: Legal challenges are underway. Officials said refugees could still be admitted to the U.S. on a case-by-case basis if deemed in the national interest—however, advocates have no clear guidance on this process. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Bolivia confirmed the death of a man from Chapare Hemorrhagic Fever; it’s unclear how the man contracted the Ebola-like virus—which is so rare, just 15 cases have ever been reported—but it is primarily traced to contact with infected rodents. The Telegraph

Iraq’s parliament passed a new law that allows men to marry children as young as nine years old; activists are saying it will “legalise child rape.” The Guardian

The NIH is grappling with widespread “uncertainty, fear, and panic” after the Trump administration ordered a wide range of restrictions on the agency, including a communications suspension, a freeze on hiring, and an indefinite travel ban for the nation’s largest research agency. Science

Two long COVID studies shine new light on how the illness affects different groups: One, published in JAMA Network Open, found that adult women were substantially more likely to develop long COVID than men; the other, published in Nature Communications, shows how symptoms affect pediatric patients based on racial and ethnic differences. CIDRAP Trump Transition News   Assessing Trump's claim that U.S. pays 'unfair' share of dues to WHO – NPR Goats and Soda

Zimbabwe fears US withdrawal from WHO will hit HIV/AIDS programmes – Reuters

Trump executive order declaring only ‘two sexes’ gets the biology wrong, scientists say – STAT

Who is in charge of the CDC right now? Nobody knows for sure – CBS
  RFK Jr. says he’s resigned from anti-vaccine nonprofit as he seeks nation’s top health official – AP ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Sweeping Radiation Under the Rug
After the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in March 2011, Japanese scientists closely monitored radioactive plumes emitting from the plant and the effect they had worldwide. 

But two years later, Japanese researchers discovered a new type of highly radioactive microparticle near the Fukushima plant, which contained extremely high concentrations of cesium 137—a radioactive element that can cause burns, radiation sickness, and death. 

Satoshi Utsunomiya, an environmental radiochemist, soon found that these particles had been present in air filter samples collected in Tokyo in the aftermath of the Fukushima accident.

• But these findings were suppressed ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and scientists still don’t fully know the long-term dangers the microparticles pose. 

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS The History of the ‘Rape Kit’  
In the 1970s, the prevalence of sexual abuse was rarely discussed, victims were nearly always considered to be at fault, and few rapists were arrested—with a lack of evidence often cited as the excuse.

• Martha Goddard, a philanthropic organization executive who worked with young rape victims, was determined to change that. Her work led to the sexual assault evidence collection kit, known as a “rape kit,” that is now an important forensic tool in many sexual assault cases. 

In her book detailing the kits’ history, Pagan Kennedy also addresses the limitations of the kits—which are challenging for traumatized survivors, and have a backlog of 100,000 for processing the kits—and ultimately, how “broken the system for reporting sexual assault remains.”
 
The Washington Post (gift link)
 
Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner! ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Stressed? Stop and Smell the Corpse Flower
With bated breath—and plugged noses—spectators are waiting for the rare blossoming of a giant, rancid flower in Sydney. 

The endangered corpse flower, lovingly named “Putricia,” is poised to bloom for just 24 hours at the Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney—the first blossom in 15 years. And the plant has gained a cult following, despite the fact that its aroma has been likened to “wet socks, hot cat food, or rotting possum flesh.” 

Thousands of viewers have tuned in to the Gardens’ livestream, though there’s not much to see yet: “Putricia stands silent and tall in front of a brown curtain, comfortably ensconced behind a red velvet rope,” per the BBC’s play-by-play.  

But in this case, virtual may be preferable: A journalist covering a corpse flower’s bloom in London last year described “a whiff of unwashed lavatory with strong undertones of something that went off at the back of the fridge.”

With each day, the online fandom grows more zealous, reports The Guardian: “Anyone else not wearing deodorant today in solidarity?” commented one devotee. And another: “Putricia is the only vibe we need for 2025.” OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Support for Haiti needed now ‘more than ever’, Security Council hears – UN News

Syria's military hospital where detainees were tortured, not treated – Arab News

Progress Without Protection for Women in Mexico – Inkstick

Is a New Mississippi Law Decreasing Jailings of People Awaiting Mental Health Treatment? The State Doesn’t Know. – ProPublica

Ebola and a Decade of Disparities — Forging a Future for Global Health Equity – The New England Journal of Medicine (commentary)

Adults diagnosed with ADHD have shorter life expectancy, UK study shows – The Guardian

In a City of Sprawl, Wildfire Evacuation Is Getting Harder – Bloomberg CityLab

The new science of menopause: these emerging therapies could change women’s health – Nature Issue No. 2843
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: Climate Backtracking Condemned; U.S. Health Agencies’ Comms on Hold; Russia’s Restrictive ‘Year of the Family’ The UN Secretary-General decried the loss of global climate cooperation in a “rudderless world.” View this email in your browser January 22, 2025 Forward Share Post German climate activist Luisa Neubauer and members of Fridays for Future stage a protest in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22. Halil Sagirkaya/Anadolu via Getty Climate Backtracking Condemned at Davos
UN Secretary-General António Guterres decried the breakdown of global climate cooperation at the World Economic Forum yesterday, calling for business and political leaders to find ways to unite in an “increasingly rudderless world,” reports UN News.

• “Our fossil fuel addiction is a Frankenstein’s monster, sparing nothing and no one. All around us, we see clear signs that the monster has become master,” Guterres said, warning of rising sea-levels, heat waves, and other disasters, per The Guardian. 

U.S. withdrawal: UN agencies bemoaned the Trump administration’s announcement that the U.S. would exit from WHO and the Paris Climate Agreement, stressing the widespread negative impact on public health and climate efforts, including within the U.S., per UN News.

• Meanwhile, the EU doubled down on its commitment to the climate agreement, calling it “the best hope for all humanity,” reports the AP. 


• The Global South will face the harshest consequences of inaction, critics said.  

Protest: In Davos, climate activists protested the exclusive event—disrupting helicopters, painting Amazon’s hub green, and carrying banners demanding “Tax the super-rich,” reports Reuters.

• On Bluesky, Greenpeace criticized the event as a place for the world’s power brokers “to advance and protect their own interests.”

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Clinics across Ukraine treating war injuries are reporting a spike in drug-resistant infections, as clinics are overwhelmed with patients, staff numbers decline, and patients are transferred through multiple facilities. BBC

A ketamine-derived nasal spray, Johnson & Johnson’s Spravato, has received FDA approval to be used as a standalone treatment for severe depression; it was previously approved to be used in combination with antidepressants. CNN

MIT and Harvard scientists have made a “landmark” discovery in how the genetic mutation that causes Huntington’s disease works; the mutation, present from conception, grows into a larger mutation over decades until it kills certain neurons, according to a study recently published in the journal Cell. AP

The maternal RSV vaccine approved in 2023 was effective in reducing infants’ infections and hospitalizations; babies whose mothers received the vaccine during pregnancy were 61% less likely to have an RSV infection, and 78% less likely to be admitted to the hospital, a new study finds. Epic Research TRUMP TRANSITION U.S. Health Agencies Ordered to Pause Communications  
The Trump administration is temporarily halting federal health agencies’ external communications—from health advisories to social media posts, The Washington Post reports.
 
What’s affected:

CDC scientific reports (yes, even the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) and public health advisories to clinicians; CDC website data updates; public health data releases from the National Center for Health Statistics; and FDA and NIH updates, per CNN.

• It’s unclear whether the directive includes urgent communications like foodborne disease outbreaks, drug approvals, and new bird flu cases.

The background: Some review is to be expected during a presidential transition, but the scope and indeterminate length of this pause is unusual, sources told the Post.

• The move also reminded wary health officials of the 2020 Trump administration’s attempts to alter CDC reports to align with Trump messaging.

More Trump Transition News:

Trump's federal health website scrubs 'abortion' search results – NPR Shots

Brady Responds to Trump Administration’s Apparent Closure of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention – Brady United (news release)

WHO comments on United States’ announcement of intent to withdraw – WHO (news release)

Trump signs executive order ending birthright citizenship – The 19th

Fauci says he will accept preemptive pardon from Biden – The Hill GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POPULATION How Russia’s ‘Year of the Family’ Restricted Freedoms 
Staring down a decades-long demographic crisis—exacerbated by losses in the Ukraine war—Russia’s president Vladimir Putin declared 2024 as the “Year of the Family,” pushing stronger “pro-family” policies that included: 

Abortion barriers: Over a dozen regions have passed laws against “abortion coercion,” imposing fines on doctors and employers who advise women to get abortions.

Divorce hurdles: A new law mandates a three-month reconciliation period and psychological consultations before divorce—potentially putting domestic violence victims at risk.

Pro-family messaging: Schools have introduced new “family studies” classes to emphasize family as the state's foundation. Meanwhile, a new law punishes “childfree propaganda” with heavy fines.

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty OPPORTUNITY 2025 Africa Health Conference
This year’s Africa Health Conference, “Building Sustainable Systems: Health Financing and Innovation for Africa,” will convene experts, researchers, students, and community stakeholders to explore innovative strategies in health financing, health care technology, climate resilience, and emergency preparedness to support equitable health outcomes.

• February 7–8, 2025
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School, Boston
• Learn more and get tickets

QUICK HITS Hidden jungle hospital treats Myanmar’s war-wounded amid junta airstrikes – The New Humanitarian

In Belarus, Lukashenka's Regime Is Punishing Critics By Taking Their Children Away – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

The Real Benefits of Annual Covid-19 Booster Shots – Undark

A lifeline for mothers-to-be on Yemen’s west coast – MSF

How a decades-old study gave hormone therapy for menopause a bad reputation – PBS NewsHour

What to know about protecting your cat from bird flu – NPR Shots

People are bad at reporting what they eat. That’s a problem for dietary research. – Science Issue No. 2842
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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