96 Global Health NOW: Trump Orders U.S. Withdrawal from WHO; Global Repercussions of Burma's Crisis; Debate Over Assisted Death for Mental Illness Grows View this email in your browser January 21, 2025 Forward Share Post WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus looks on during a press conference at the WHO's headquarters in Geneva. December 10, 2024. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty) Trump Orders U.S. Withdrawal from WHO
Hours into his second term as U.S. president, Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO—restarting a one-year process he’d initiated in 2020 (reversed in 2021 by then-President Biden), NPR Goats and Soda reports.
 
High stakes:

• The U.S. is the WHO’s biggest donor, giving $1.28 billion during 2022 and 2023—hundreds of millions of dollars more than the second-highest donor country, Germany.

• For the U.S., it means no more easy access to critical outbreak data, and no more “seat at the table,” says Global Health Council chief Elisha Dunn-Georgiou, ceding power to other countries like China and Russia.

“This is the most cataclysmic decision,” says Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown University global health expert, calling it “a grave wound to American national interests and our national security.”
 
Trump’s argument: Trump accused the WHO of “ripping off” the U.S., botching the COVID-19 response, and being beholden to other countries, per The Telegraph.
 
Chances for a U-Turn?

• Germany announced plans today to lobby Trump against withdrawal, Reuters reports.


• Congress could possibly block the move, per Science.


• Trump appeared to leave the door ajar for a deal, saying, “They wanted us back so badly so we’ll see what happens,” according to the BBC.

Related: Global health in flux: What a potential US exit from the WHO means for the world – Observer Research Foundation (commentary) GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Tanzania yesterday confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus disease; one case tested positive for the virus following investigations of 25 suspected cases of the disease reported as of yesterday. WHO (news release)

President Trump signed a round of executive orders and policies last night to roll back environmental protections and environmental justice initiatives, withdraw from the Paris climate accord, and boost oil and gas production—promising to “drill, baby, drill.” Grist

Anthony Fauci was among several people to receive a preemptive presidential pardon yesterday from outgoing President Biden; Republicans have promised to investigate Fauci for perjury and misconduct regarding the government’s COVID response. STAT
 
GLP-1s bring a mix of benefits—including lowered risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and addiction disorders—and increased risks for arthritis, pancreatitis, and other conditions, according to a study published yesterday that analyzed U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs data. Nature CONFLICT The Global Repercussions of Burma’s Crisis
Four years of conflict and instability have devastated Burma’s (Myanmar’s) disease prevention efforts—and consequences of the mounting health crisis could transcend borders.

• 3.5 million people have been displaced since the military coup in 2021. 

• Meanwhile, medical resources have been depleted, monitoring programs have been dismantled, and health workers have been attacked.

Surge in disease: Infectious disease cases have soared since, including malaria (7X increase), tuberculosis (7X increase), and HIV (up 10%).

International impact: If drug-resistant malaria spreads from Burma, it could reverse global malaria progress, affecting regions like Africa and potentially setting back efforts by 10–15 years.

The New Humanitarian GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MENTAL HEALTH Assisted Death for Mental Illness: A Growing Debate 
  The Netherlands has long permitted medically assisted euthanasia for extreme mental suffering. 

But as requests rise—and as requesters’ ages skew younger—debate has intensified around the practice. 

The spike: Requests for euthanasia on psychiatric grounds rose ~30 each year from 2012 to 2018.

• In 2023 there were 138 cases of euthanasia on psychiatric grounds, up from 68 in 2019. 

• 52 such cases between 2020 and 2023 involved patients under 30. 

Response: Some psychiatrists are calling for more guardrails like an age threshold and greater due diligence. 

Elsewhere: Last year, Canada delayed legalizing euthanasia for mental illness for three years. Belgium is seeing legal challenges to the practice. 

Undark OPPORTUNITY Call for Proposals: Gender Equity + Public Health
The Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative’s Global Grants Program has launched a new round of support for projects that strengthen civil registration and vital statistics systems and promote the analysis and use of high-quality data for public health policymaking.

• Proposals in the outlined areas that focus on digital strategies for CRVS systems strengthening and data use are encouraged.


• Government partners are especially encouraged to apply. 


• Grants of up to $100,000 are available for projects up to 15 months. 

The grant proposal process entails two steps:

1) Project ideas must be submitted between January 27 and February 17, 2025, for screening.

2) Selected ideas will be invited to submit a full proposal, due by March 10, 2025. Only invited proposals will be considered for support.

• The application is available here.

QUICK HITS

Martin Luther King Jr’s Legacy on Health Equity Through the Eyes of a Black African Doctor – IPS (commentary)

CDC urges doctors to speed subtyping of patients hospitalized with the flu to better track H5N1 infections – CNN

U.S. pays $590 million to Moderna to speed up development of bird flu vaccine – NPR

In a ‘shocker’ decision, Japan approves mpox drug that failed in two efficacy trials – Science

A bipartisan perspective on public health’s uncertain future – Harvard Public Health Magazine

Kennedy Sought to Stop Covid Vaccinations 6 Months After Rollout – The New York Times (gift article)

Cecile Richards, former Planned Parenthood president and feminist activist, has died – The 19th

Unhappy About ‘Woke Agenda’ of PEPFAR, US Conservatives Finally Have Pretext to Cut HIV Funds –  Health Policy Watch

A Secret Way to Fight Off Stomach Bugs – The Atlantic

Issue No. 2841
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 X @GHN_News.

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You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. Issue No. 1864
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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96 Global Health NOW: Climate Change’s Connection to Rising Obesity; Bye Bye Red Dye; and Laziness for Achievers A 1°C rise in temperature in developing countries has been associated with a 4% rise in the BMI of children View this email in your browser January 16, 2025 Forward Share Post Community health worker Suraiyya Terdale raises awareness of rising obesity rates in her village in India’s Maharashtra state. September 2, 2024. Sanket Jain Climate Change’s Connection to Rising Obesity  
MUMBAI, India — 12-year-old Sandesh Gholap weighs 50 kilograms (110 pounds) and stands 1.2 meters (4 feet). As recent summer temperatures in the city topped 39°C (102°F), the nearby playground was often empty. 

Gholap tended to stay indoors. He gained 10 kilograms (22 pounds) in the past year, has experienced bullying, and stopped participating in social activities.
 
Data point: A 1°C rise in temperature in developing countries has been associated with a 4% rise in the BMI of children and a 2% increase in the BMI of women, according to a 2021 Global Food Security analysis.

• In addition to driving declines in physical activity, rising temperatures can lead to changes in diet, reduced nutritional value in plants, and other impacts that influence people’s weight.

Changing weather: Recurring floods in India’s Maharashtra state have destroyed crops and forced residents to rely on highly processed foods for months at a time, says Suraiyya Terdale, a community health worker in Ganeshwadi village.
 
“Now that the climate has changed, we need to find a solution quickly because obesity not just impacts physical health, [it] can ruin someone’s life,” Terdale says. 
 
Read the full story for other impacts of climate change—and possible solutions.
 
Sanket Jain for Global Health NOW
 
Ed. Note: This article is part of Global Health NOW’s Local Reporting Initiative, made possible through the generous support of loyal GHN readers. EDITORSʼ NOTE No GHN Monday
In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the U.S., GHN will not be publishing this coming Monday, January 20. Weʼll be back Tuesday with more news! – Annalies  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
COVID-19 derailed efforts to fight antimicrobial resistance at U.S. hospitals, a new HHS report finds—with “large-scale disruptions” including larger caseloads, increased mechanical ventilation, and an overburdened workforce. CIDRAP 

Hundreds of miners remain trapped in an illegal mine in South Africa, and 60 bodies have been recovered from the site since the effort to remove the miners began; the remaining miners are in “incredibly poor health,” after officials cut off access to food, water, and medicine. The Washington Post (gift link)

The U.S. bird flu response and ongoing surveillance has become a part of transition briefings between Biden and Trump administrations—the first indication of cooperation between the two teams around the H5N1 crisis. NBC News POLICY Bye Bye Red Dye 
The U.S. FDA has banned Red 3—the synthetic dye erythrosine—from food, beverages, and ingested medicines like cough syrup, citing cancer risks, reports the AP. 

• The ban follows a 2022 petition by two dozen food safety and health advocates. 

History of inconsistency: In 1990, the dye was banned in cosmetics, when studies linked the dye to cancer in lab rats, reports CNN. 

• The FDA continued to allow its use in food, arguing that the cancer-causing mechanism didn’t affect humans. But advocates disagreed, citing concerns over its impact on children’s health.

• A 2021 study found red dye No. 3 can make children vulnerable to behavioral issues, and noted that safety levels for dyes hadn’t been updated to consider new research.

The Quote: “This is a welcome, but long overdue, action from the FDA: removing the unsustainable double standard in which Red 3 was banned from lipstick but permitted in candy,” said Peter Lurie, director of Center for Science in the Public Interest. 
 

Related: FDA proposes cap on nicotine levels in cigarettes — Healio

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES GLOBAL HEALTH SECURITY Biden's Pandemic Playbook
As the Biden administration closes up shop, officials have released a roadmap of its pandemic defenses. 

Passing the torch…: The 16-page report—a distillation of a 300-page report provided to the new administration—recaps the efforts over the last four years to combat COVID-19, mpox, and bird flu, and details the measures needed to monitor and defend against future infectious threats like wastewater monitoring and vaccine stockpiles.

…Only for it to be snuffed?: Incoming president Donald Trump has promised to cut government spending and dismantle pandemic preparedness measures, including pulling the U.S. out of the WHO. 

 AP ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Laziness for Achievers
With the breakneck speed of modern life, it can be hard to do nothing.
 
Turns out, thereʼs a way to achieve while getting a reprieve. Make it competitive. 
 
For the past decade, the Seoul-born Space-out Competition has brought contestants together to do … zilch, The Independent reports.
 
The focus is on celebrating unproductive time but with prizes and glory on the line, it seems quite cutthroat, with contestants vying for votes by staging elaborate props for their space-outs (itʼs the noodles for us).
 
While the contest celebrates doing the least (no sleeping, fidgeting, talking…), the contest organizers seem to be doing the most, with space-out duels spreading to several cities across the globe.
 
The contest happened back in the fall but uhh, we spaced out and missed it. And thatʼs a shame because, as one friend texted to a certain GHN staffer, ‘You could 100% win this.ʼ See you in Seoul next year! QUICK HITS UN says it’s ready to ramp up delivery of desperately needed aid to Gaza — AP

Mild H5N1 cases have been perplexing scientists – now they might have an answer — The Telegraph

Wireless radiation from baby monitors significantly disrupts sleep, study finds – Environmental Health News

Longer antibiotic course not associated with increased benefit or harm – Healio

Botswana records grim gender-based violence statistics – VOA

Animal rights advocates are ready for Trump’s war on science — Vox

7 global buzzwords for 2025: From 'techquity' to 'climate displacement' to 'belonging' – NPR Goats and Soda Issue No. 2841
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: Syrians Struggle for Footing in Transition; 8 Deaths in Suspected Marburg Outbreak in Tanzania; and a Push to Prevent CP in Nigeria View this email in your browser January 15, 2025 Forward Share Post A Syrian child clutches a bag of bread at the Yarmouk Refugee Camp, in southern Damascus, Syria. December 29, 2024. Emin Sansar/Anadolu via Getty Syrians Struggle for Footing Amid Transition
After 14+ years of conflict, Syrians have celebrated new freedoms and relative peace in the month after the fall of the Assad regime. But the transition continues to be filled with challenges and uncertainty. 

Food crisis: The price of basic food, like bread, has skyrocketed, with costs increasing 10X, reports NPR Goats and Soda.

• And the UN’s food agency says some governments and donors are hesitant to fund Syrian aid under the new government, reports the AP.

Children's plight: Many Syrian children are coping with the psychological toll of extended trauma, and the education system largely collapsed during the civil war, reports The Washington Post (gift article). ~7.5 million children require humanitarian aid, per UNICEF.

• Plus: ~300,000 explosive mines remain across Syria, with nearly four children per day killed or injured by the devices, reports UN News.  

Fragile health infrastructure: Health services are limited—especially for women and children—with 61% of communities surveyed reporting no available services, per a UNOCHA Syria Needs Assessment.

Related: Syria is still not safe: Refugees need protection – The New Humanitarian (commentary) GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Haiti’s gang violence has left 1 million+ people displaced from their homes—a 3X increase over this past year, per new data from the UN’s migration agency. UN News

Another federal report on alcohol’s health effects finds that even one drink a day carries health risks including cancer, liver disease, and injuries, per the new findings. STAT

Obesity diagnoses should consider measurements such as waist circumference and weight-related health problems, not just BMI, per new recommendations from a global commission published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. AP

Drone attacks are responsible for an increasing number of humanitarian worker deaths, with 53 health care workers and 16 aid workers killed in drone strikes in 2024 alone, per a new report by Insecurity Insight—a 70% increase over the previous year. The Telegraph OUTBREAK 8 Deaths from Suspected Marburg Outbreak in Tanzania  
A suspected outbreak of Marburg virus has infected nine people—killing eight—as of January 11 in northwest Tanzania’s Kagera region.

• The case count is expected to rise alongside stepped-up surveillance.

Risk of spread: Tanzania and the region are at high risk, per the WHO, as Kagera is a transit hub with neighboring Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

• Rwanda’s recent brush with the virus, declared over just weeks ago, infected at least 66 people and killed 15.

There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the high-fatality viral hemorrhagic fever.
 
Al Jazeera GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CHILDREN’S HEALTH Caught in Conflict
Armed conflict, climate change, and inequality have created a “new era of crisis for children”—disrupting their lives and futures, UNICEF warns in its new report, “Prospects for Children in 2025.”

More warfare: 473 million+ children—1 in 6 globally—now live in conflict zones, with the number of conflicts at a historic high.

• The proportion of children in conflict zones has doubled since the 1990s and is now nearly 19%.


• Attacks on schools and hospitals are becoming more common, violating international laws.

Urgency to act: The report calls for stronger national systems to protect and support children.

UN News NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES Pushing for Cerebral Palsy Prevention in Nigeria
Cerebral palsy is thought to be one of the most common neurological diseases in Nigeria, with an estimated 700,000 Nigerians living with the condition.

Many Nigerian cases are traced to untreated neonatal jaundice.

• ~60% of babies develop jaundice, which can be cured easily by early treatment with exposure to ultraviolet light. 


• But in Nigeria, this treatment is often not immediately available. 

Making strides: Organizations like Project Oscar are working to improve care and treatment, including equipping health care facilities to treat jaundice and training health workers. The charity hopes during their first year to screen 9,000+ newborns in Lagos.

BBC QUICK HITS Bird Flu Is Raising Red Flags Among Health Officials – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

The FDA calls for at-a-glance nutrition labels on the front of packaged foods – NPR Shots

This Blood Type Is More Likely To Get The Norovirus, Studies Say – Women’s Health

CWD prions found in moose, deer, reindeer muscles in Norway, highlighting potential risk to people – CIDRAP

Vaccine Hesitancy Among Pet Owners Is Growing: Public Health Expert On Why That Matters – Texas A&M Today

A Blueprint for Better Bike Lanes – Bloomberg CityLab

Departing NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli looks back at a whirlwind tenure – Science

Are ultra-processed foods changing the shape of our jaws? – The Guardian Issue No. 2840
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 Dementia Cases Destined to Double in U.S.; HIV’s Threat to Indigenous Panamanians; and a Ban on Illness = A ‘Cry for Help’ View this email in your browser January 14, 2025 Forward Share Post A patient receives the Alzheimer’s treatment Leqembi at Abington Neurological Associates. Abington, Pennsylvania, November 7, 2023. Hannah Yoon for The Washington Post via Getty Dementia Cases Destined to Double in U.S. 
The risk of developing dementia may be much higher than previously thought—more than 2X the estimates from older studies, with new research published in Nature Medicine showing an average risk of 42% for Americans after age 55, the AP reports.

• ~One million Americans a year are expected to develop Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia by 2060—up from half a million this year, per NYU Langone Health, one of several collaborating institutions on the study of 15,043 people from 1987 to 2020.

Most at risk:

• Those 75 and older, because risk rises with age.


• Women, who tend to live longer.


• Black people—whose rates are expected to triple.

Behind the surge: The biggest factor is the aging of the U.S. population—but beyond age, genetics, high rates of hypertension and diabetes, and lifestyle factors influence risk.
 
Risk-reducing route:

• Address racial inequities in health care. 


• On an individual level, exercise, avoiding obesity, and controlling blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol are all key. It’s also important to stay socially and cognitively active and use hearing aids if needed, the AP reports.

Some good news: It’s not too late to try, even in middle age; people between ages 55 and 75 have a key window to protect their brain's health.

Related: 15 science-based ways to reduce your risk of dementia – The Washington Post (gift article) GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Chinese scientists identified a potentially novel tickborne virus, which they named Xue-Cheng virus (XCV), in patients with fevers and recent tick bites at a northeastern China hospital; a New England Journal of Medicine letter details the researchers’ use of high-throughput sequencing technology to detect the virus. CIDRAP
 
A Kenya court ruled that criminalizing attempted suicide is unconstitutional—a decision hailed by human rights and mental health groups as an important move to shift perceptions and reduce stigma against people with mental health issues. The Guardian

More patients seeking abortions in the U.K. reported relying on fertility  awareness-based methods over hormonal contraception methods in a cross-sectional study covering a five-year period between 2018 and 2023. MedPage Today

Graduate students with anxiety and depression say that overly harsh criticism and unreasonable expectations fueled their thoughts of quitting, per a survey designed to uncover which aspects of research and teaching exacerbated mental health symptoms. Nature DATA POINT HIV/AIDS Indigenous Panamanians Face an ‘Uncontrolled Epidemic’ 
In Panama’s Ngäbe-Buglé Indigenous territory, an “uncontrolled epidemic” of untreated HIV is threatening the region’s young people, the nation’s epidemiologists say. 

By the numbers: ~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.

• In 2023 the territory accounted for 30% of Panama’s AIDS-related deaths among people 29 or younger. 


• In 2024, the area reported new infections at nearly 4X the national rate.

What drives the spread? Stigma and lack of sex education are key factors. On top of this, extreme poverty and transportation challenges prevent many from seeking care.

NPR Goats and Soda HARM REDUCTION HIV Prevention Efforts Hindered in Appalachia  
In 2021, a CDC team visited Charleston, West Virginia, to assess an increasing number of HIV infections.

• What they found was “the most concerning HIV outbreak in the U.S.,” driven mainly by opioid and methamphetamine injection. 

The CDC recommended implementing syringe service programs (SSPs), which are proven to reduce HIV and hepatitis C infections by up to 50%. 

• But local and state policies, such as limiting the number of syringes exchanged, have hindered such programs.  

Researchers and health workers say that restrictions on harm reduction efforts are in large part responsible for the continuing HIV outbreak—and it’s hard to measure its severity, since there’s no coordinated state strategy for testing; all efforts are localized.

KFF Health News GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ITALY A Ban on Illness = A ‘Cry for Help’
Residents of the small Italian town of Belcastro have been “ordered to avoid contracting any illness that requires medical assistance, especially an emergency,” per a new municipal statute.

Not serious—but serious: There are no plans to enforce the decree, said the town’s mayor, Antonio Torchia. But it is intended to protest the dearth of health care access in the region—where the health center is often closed, and where on-call doctors are unavailable outside of office hours.

• “This is not just a provocation, the ordinance is a cry for help, a way to shine a spotlight on an unacceptable situation,” Torchia told local news outlet Corriere della Calabria.

Wider problem: Many of the region’s other towns “suffer from the same problems,” the mayor said. 

CNN QUICK HITS The psychological toll of California's catastrophic fires – Axios

‘I was crying, there was no anaesthesia’: the fight for legal and safe abortion in Nigeria – The Guardian

Why the ‘Ferrari of viruses’ is surging through the Northern Hemisphere – Science

WHO Africa to Decide on New Regional Director Process Following Shock Death of Candidate – Health Policy Watch

The cost of being a family caregiver: Burnout, debt, stress – The Cut

Will MAHA add alcohol to its list of health foes? – STAT

How soda is changing the world – NPR Goats and Soda Issue No. 2839
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: LA’s Health Systems Facing Trial by Fire; AMR: Overlooked Agony; and Coping with a Slow-Motion Crisis View this email in your browser January 13, 2025 Forward Share Post Abandoned wheelchairs and hospital beds outside a nursing home following the evacuation of patients during the Eaton fire. January 8, Altadena, California. Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty LA’s Health Systems Facing Trial by Fire 
As wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles, the city’s vast health system faces growing demand—and increasing strain, reports the Los Angeles Times.

The latest: ~24 people are dead and 12+ others remain unaccounted for, reports ABC. ~105,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation, and another ~87,000 are under evacuation warnings as high winds intensify again today.

The fires have created “significant operational hurdles” for health systems, per a statement from the Hospital Association of Southern California—including high call volumes and disrupted patient and supply transport.

• Emergency departments are treating patients for burns, smoke inhalation, and eye irritation.


• Some facilities are facing power outages and staff shortages.


• 700+ people have been evacuated from care facilities—and hospitals in proximity to the fires remain on “high alert” to potentially evacuate. 

Long-term threats: Routine medical care will likely be disrupted in the days ahead. Meanwhile, physicians are concerned about long-term effects of toxic wildfire smoke inhalation and mental health impacts, per the Stanford Report.

• HHS declared a public health emergency for California Friday to activate additional support, per Ars Technica.

Related: Amid the fires, LA is warning some residents the tap water isn't safe. Here's why – NPR Shots GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Médecins Sans Frontières has suspended all medical activities at one of the last functioning hospitals in south Khartoum, with the group condemning “ongoing violent attacks on patients and staff.” Radio Dabanga

A new antiparasitic pill combining two drugs has shown promising results in treating intestinal worms, a parasitic malady that affects about 1.5 billion people globally, per a new study published in The Lancet. BBC

The death toll in Gaza was ~40% higher than numbers recorded by the Palestinian territory’s health ministry during the first nine months of the Israel-Hamas war, per a statistical analysis published in The Lancet, which calculated 64,260 deaths. The Guardian

Watching short video reels before bed was “significantly” linked with hypertension in young and middle-aged people, per a new analysis of 4,318 people published in the journal BMC Public Health. The Economic Times Avian Flu News Cambodian man dies from H5N1 avian flu, possibly after eating sick chickens – CIDRAP

D.C. area on alert after bird flu detected in poultry in Maryland, Delaware – The Washington Post (gift article)

Bird Flu Is a National Embarrassment – The Atlantic

How the US is preparing for a potential bird flu pandemic – MIT Technology Review

Study reveals why H5N1 flu cases today are less severe than historic outbreaks – News Medical ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE Overlooked Agony
Over 400 million people—primarily women—suffer from UTIs annually, with up to half likely to experience a recurrence within a year.

• Recurrent UTIs and the acute pain they cause remain a largely neglected problem with scant research into why they occur, and no targeted treatments beyond antibiotics. 

When treatment makes it worse: Scattershot antibiotic treatment of UTIs has led to increased antimicrobial resistance, leaving many women suffering for years. 

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

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MENTAL HEALTH Coping with a Slow-Motion Crisis 
The collective trauma faced by survivors of Hurricane Helene will persist for years, and North Carolina officials must bolster resources to prepare for it, mental health experts warn. 

While recovery efforts are underway, many people are still without safe housing or work—prolonging and worsening mental health impacts.

• Trauma from disasters can cause 20%–40% of survivors to experience PTSD, often peaking months or years later, per one 2017 study. 

Stepping up services:

• The state has pledged $25 million for mental health services and is bolstering its mental health workforce.


• Schools are investing millions in crisis support services and mental health staff. 

NPR

Related:

NC addiction treatment programs partner to reduce maternal deaths from substance use – North Carolina Health News

Climate Change’s Psychological Impact | Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine – Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine

OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Even Adults May Soon Be Vulnerable to ‘Childhood’ Diseases – The New York Times (gift article)

More than 15,000 doctors sign letter urging Senate to reject RFK Jr. as health secretary – NBC 

‘I can’t go toe to toe with social media.’ Top U.S. health official reflects, regrets. – The Washington Post (gift article)

The rate of HMPV infections in northern China is declining, health official says – AP

Cameroon Suspends NGOs, Harming Gender-Based Violence Survivors – Human Rights Watch

What to know about a controversial new study on fluoride and IQ – STAT

Dementia is a neglected noncommunicable disease and leading cause of death – Nature (commentary)

Climate Change Threatens the Mental Well-Being of Youths. Here's How To Help them Cope – KFF Health News

Yogan Pillay, SA’s healthcare’s insider outsider – Bhekisisa Issue No. 2838
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