McGill Cares: Building your team for unplanned life transitions
Join us on May 7th at noon for the next McGill Cares webcast to support informal caregivers. During candid, interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia.
McGill Cares: Building your team for unplanned life transitions
Join us on May 7th at noon for the next McGill Cares webcast to support informal caregivers. During candid, interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia.
McGill Cares: Building your team for unplanned life transitions
Join us on May 7th at noon for the next McGill Cares webcast to support informal caregivers. During candid, interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia.
McGill Cares: Building your team for unplanned life transitions
Join us on May 7th at noon for the next McGill Cares webcast to support informal caregivers. During candid, interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia.
McGill Cares: Building your team for unplanned life transitions
Join us on May 7th at noon for the next McGill Cares webcast to support informal caregivers. During candid, interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia.
Global Health NOW: Deadly Risks in India’s Fireworks Factories; Keeping Warm Can Be Toxic in Mongolia; and An Extra Coat of Coolness in Cape Town
SIVAKASI, India—The explosion shook the ground beneath the fireworks factory and threw him into the air.
The February 19 blast broke bones in both his legs and broke his right arm. His face is covered in scars from third-degree burns, and both his eyes have been badly damaged.
“I couldn’t see anything but darkness, and I couldn’t open my eyes,” Palpandey, 31, said from his hospital room days after the explosion. “I’ve never felt fear like that in my life.”
Fireworks’ Toll:
- Explosions like the one at Neerathilingam Fireworks are not uncommon in this city in Southern India that produces nearly 90% of the country’s fireworks and employs tens of thousands of workers like Palpandey (who uses only his first name).
- Employers typically pay for injured workers’ initial care, but then workers are often on their own in subsequent months and years.
- A 2023–2024 government report said 91 workers were killed in the most recent year, but only those killed at the site of an explosion are counted—not those who die later.
Kamala Thiagarajan for Global Health NOW
Ed. Note: Our thanks go to Padmavathy Krishna Kumar, who shared the idea for this topic and received an honorable mention in the 2025 Untold Global Health Stories contest, co-sponsored by Global Health NOW and the Consortium of Universities for Global Health.
Look for part II of the series tomorrow: “Fireworks and Heartbreak in a Hard-Hit Village.” READ THE FULL STORY GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Denmark could eliminate cervical cancer by 2040, the Danish Cancer Society says, as a national HPV vaccination campaign has brought the rate down to lower than 10 out of 100,000 women; the WHO elimination standard is lower than four per 100,000 women. The Local Denmark
Female genital mutilation is linked to significant long-term health complications, including a 2X+ risk of prolonged or obstructed labor in childbirth and a 4.4 times higher likelihood of experiencing PTSD, per a new study in BMC Public Health that analyzes evidence from ~30 countries. WHO (news release)
A group of national organizations representing America’s academic, medical, and independent research institutions announced a joint effort to develop a new indirect costs funding model for federal research grants to submit to the federal government. Association of American Medical Colleges
Participants of a study in Tanzania who were cured of infection with Wuchereria bancrofti worms—which cause lymphatic filariasis—showed a ~60% reduction in HIV infections in a follow-up comparison of two study periods published in The Lancet HIV. German Center for Infection Research (news release) U.S. and Global Health Policy News Trump plan would slash State Dept. funding by nearly half, memo says – The Washington Post (gift link)
Trump eyes huge climate research cuts at NOAA – Axios
Federal government to remove gender dysphoria from protected disabilities list – The 19th
Free US family planning clinics face financial ruin after White House freezes funds – The Guardian
Impact of CDC Hepatitis Lab Closure on US Public Health – Contagion Live
EPA Plans to Stop Collecting Emissions Data From Most Polluters – Undark CLIMATE CHANGE Keeping Warm Is Killing Thousands in Mongolia
Some 7,000 people in Mongolia have died this winter due to air pollution, caused by the coal that provides 70% of the nation’s energy and warms most homes.
Raw coal smoke contains carcinogenic particles, and the briquettes introduced by Mongolia’s government can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Citizens regularly suffer from respiratory diseases, liver and lung cancers, asthma, and flu.
- By February, there had been 811 deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning.
There they construct gers: circular tents with central stoves that feed out through a chimney in the roof. More than 50% of Mongolia’s population live in gers; each household burns ~50 pounds of coal daily in winter.
The Guardian GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TECH & INNOVATION An Extra Coat of Coolness in Cape Town
South Africa’s summer sun can quickly make informal dwellings unbearably hot. The homes—often made of corrugated metal sheets and wood—can reach temperatures of 95°F / 35°C during the day, and barely budge at night.
The heat takes a heavy toll on the millions of South Africans who live in such settlements, preventing sleep and compounding stress.
A paint-related program aims to bring relief: Researchers are investigating the effect of painting roofs with reflective, UV-resistant paint—which manufacturers say can dramatically reduce temperatures.
- The study will track buildings’ internal temperatures, and also potential impacts on inhabitants’ sleep and physiology.
Starved in jail – The New Yorker
'Parkinson's is a man-made disease' – Politico.eu
Stopping gonorrhoea's descent towards untreatability – The Lancet Infectious Diseases (commentary)
Why 3.5 Billion People Lack Basic Oral Care—and What Needs To Change – Health Policy Watch (podcast)
Young Children’s Exposure to Chemicals of Concern in Their Sleeping Environment: An In-Home Study – Environmental Science & Technology
The Fly That Ruined the World Record (A Metaphor for Chagas Disease) – ISGlobal Barcelona Institute for Global Health Blog
Europe deplores America's 'chlorinated chicken.' How safe is our poultry? – NPR Issue No. 2708
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. -->
ABOUT
SUPPORT US
CONTACT US
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
Israeli strike on hospital ‘further cripples’ Gaza’s fragile health system
Global Health NOW: Health Workers Killed as Sudan Marks 2 Years of Civil War; Ghana Grapples With a Deadly Outbreak; and India’s Global Warming Enigma
The last medical clinic in Sudan’s famine-gripped Zamzam camp in Darfur came under fire this weekend, with Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries killing the entire clinical staff, reports The New York Times (gift link).
- Nine clinic employees were killed in the attacks, per Relief International, which runs the facility.
- The broader assault has killed 100+ people, including ~20 children at the camp, home to ~500,000.
Even before the attacks, conditions at Zamzam camp were “catastrophic,” the UN’s Sudan humanitarian coordinator told UN News.
The attacks come at the two-year mark of Sudan’s conflict, which has led to the world’s largest humanitarian crisis and “suffering of industrial proportions,” per UN officials.
- ~150,000 Sudanese have been killed, and ~13 million have been displaced. There have been 156 confirmed attacks on health, per the WHO.
- ~25 million people now face extreme hunger. And sexual violence is pervasive, reports the AP.
Related:
Children of war: six orphans’ 1,000-mile journey across Sudan in search of safety – The Guardian
Sudanese Refugees’ Lives at Risk as UNHCR Suspends Medical Help – Egyptian Streets
Sudan needs $2.2 bln for first year of health sector rehab, minister says – Sudan Tribune GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners 3 million+ children worldwide died from antimicrobial resistance-related infections in 2022, per new research presented at ESCMID Global 2025 in Vienna; deaths were highest in Southeast Asia and Africa. Clinton Health Access Initiative
New mpox cases are averaging ~3,000 per week in African countries, with Uganda accounting for 50% of those in the past week; the region has received 1 million+ vaccine doses but needs 6.4 million doses over the next six months to slow the virus’s spread. CIDRAP
More than a dozen cases of invasive meningococcal disease, a life-threatening bacterial infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis, have been linked to religious pilgrimages to Mecca in Saudi Arabia amid declining compliance with vaccination requirements over the past two years. WHO
Whooping cough cases have surged 1,500%+ in the U.S. since hitting a low in 2021; there were 10 pertussis-related deaths last year, compared with two to four in previous years. ProPublica Health, Foreign Aid, and Science Cuts USDA’s $1B bird flu plan uses money intended for schools, food banks – Politico
NOAA Scientists Are Cleaning Bathrooms and Reconsidering Lab Experiments After Contracts for Basic Services Expire – ProPublica
Dozens of USAID contracts were canceled last weekend. Here's what happened – NPR Goats and Soda
Why CDC cuts are being called ‘the greatest gift to tobacco industry in the last half-century’ – STAT
After Trump grant cuts, some universities give researchers a lifeline – Science
OCHA, the UN’s emergency aid coordination arm, to cut staff by a fifth – The New Humanitarian
Fearing paper on evolution might get them deported, scientists withdrew it – The Washington Post (gift link)
Hopkins trailblazer scrambles to protect cancer research as Trump cuts hit home – The Baltimore Banner MENINGITIS Ghana Grapples With a Deadly Outbreak
A lethal meningitis outbreak is escalating in Ghana’s Upper West region, upending an already strained health system.
A closer look:
- The region has reported 200+ cases and ~17 deaths.
- Ghana is in Africa’s “meningitis belt”—a stretch of 26 countries where dry seasonal winds allow further bacterial spread.
- Ghana faces a $156 million funding shortfall due to the aid freeze—a major setback to the country’s health programs.
- There is no vaccine for the rare Streptococcus strain causing the outbreak, and officials say economic turmoil means that hopes for developing one have dimmed.
As India increasingly grapples with punishing heat waves, scientists are puzzling over a strange phenomenon: The country is warming more slowly than many others—amounting to half the global average over the last decade.
Why? Scientists aren’t sure. But theories include:
- The shroud of air pollution: India’s air pollution may be reflecting solar radiation, which could help with cooling.
- Shifting winds: Warming over the Middle East has pulled monsoon winds northward, leading to an increase in extreme rains—and, potentially, cooling.
- Impact of irrigation: The expansion of irrigation in northern India could also be a factor; as water evaporates, it absorbs heat from the air, reducing warming.
Science
Related: India races to beat the smog with an electric mobility revolution in Kashmir – The Telegraph OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Somalia: Frontline hospitals under pressure as fighting escalates – ICRC (news release)
Measles outbreaks spark concern over rare 'horrific' neurological disorder – CBC
Africa's Plan to Fill Health Funding Gaps Amidst Declining Coffers – Africa CDC
Tuberculosis could end if there’s more US public health funding, experts say – The Guardian
Educate to Empower: Protecting Reproductive Rights in Texas – O’Neill Institute / Georgetown Law (commentary)
CDC denies Milwaukee's request for help with unsafe lead levels in public schools – CNN
Recent hospital violence fuels effort to create workplace protections – Axios
Dogs could help predict valley fever spread in humans – University of California, Davis via ScienceDaily Issue No. 2707
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. -->
ABOUT
SUPPORT US
CONTACT US
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
Millions displaced, health system in ruins as Sudan war fuels famine
Thousands of Gaza patients waiting for urgent medical evacuation
Global Health NOW: RFK’s Muddled Messaging; Burmese Doctors Face Relentless Devastation; and Upper-Class Clown
As the U.S. measles outbreak continues to widen, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s messaging on the crisis has been unpredictable, reports The Guardian.
Vacillating on vaccination: One one hand, Kennedy has encouraged MMR vaccination during his most recent tour through the Southwest, which included attending the funeral of an 8-year-old girl who died of measles.
- But he continues to qualify the endorsement, questioning safety studies and government mandates in his first sit-down TV interview, and continuing to promote unproven alternative therapies, reports The New York Times (gift link).
- Misleading comparison: Kennedy contrasted U.S. numbers to those in the WHO’s European region, which has reported 127,000 cases and 37 deaths. But those numbers are not comparable, global health experts say, because of the large number of countries included in the European region and the wide disparities among them.
- And health officials continue to caution that the U.S. numbers of actual cases are likely to be greatly undercounted.
- “Our work is becoming harder by the minute,” said Rana Alissa, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Florida chapter.
National public health group calls for RFK Jr. to resign, citing ‘complete disregard for science’ – STAT
New measles dashboard allows public to track vaccination rates in Illinois schools – ABC 7 Chicago GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
In a genetics milestone, scientists have sequenced the complete genomes of six ape species, with the research, published in Nature, providing key new insights into human evolution, health, and genetic disease. Penn State (news release)
Long COVID affected ~1 in 7 working-age adults in the U.S. by late 2023, with socioeconomically disadvantaged adults 150%+ more likely to have ongoing symptoms, finds two new studies—one study published in Communications Medicine, and another published in BMC Medicine. CIDRAP
An at-home spit test for prostate cancer could outperform current testing methods for assessing prostate cancer risk—a breakthrough that could improve early detection, a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests. The Independent
Additional NIH funding for Columbia University has been frozen by the Trump administration, which cut off $250 million for research grants in addition to $400 million frozen last month. Inside Higher Ed CONFLICT Burmese Doctors Face Relentless Devastation
Amid Burma’s ongoing civil war, health care providers have become increasingly vilified as enemies of the state, as they defy junta orders to treat people wounded in the resistance.
- The junta has closed ~7 private hospitals in Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city.
Ongoing health threats: Doctors say survivors now face threats of disease and a lack of food, water, and shelter. They also blame the junta for delays and restrictions of aid distribution.
- “The junta cares more about shutting down hospitals and blocking doctors than saving lives after the earthquake,” said one physician, Dr. Min—who lost four colleagues in the earthquake.
Related: Earthquake Pushes Myanmar's Health System to Verge of Collapse – Think Global Health GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES A Gutting End to ‘The Greatest Thing You’ve Never Heard Of’
USAID’s program to combat neglected tropical diseases through drug distribution has always been a relatively small effort—requiring a fraction of the agency’s budget.
But the effort had a massive impact: Treatments for diseases like trachoma and intestinal worms have been delivered to 1.7 billion people across 31 countries, and at least one NTD has been eliminated in almost half of those countries.
- “For such a little amount, we’ve been able to reach so many people,” said Angela Weaver, at Helen Keller Intl—who called the USAID drug distribution program “the greatest thing you’ve never heard of.”
- Across Africa, tens of thousands of NTD-related community health worker positions have been cut, and pharmaceutical companies that previously donated drugs are hesitating to ship them.
Related: Silent Killers: Neglected Tropical Diseases in South Sudan – The Borgen Project (commentary) ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Upper-Class Clown
He may be divisive as a political figure, but Boris Johnson will forever be our Prime Minister of Comedy.
Most recently, while on vacation in Texas, BoJo was nipped in the face by a feisty ostrich while his toddler giggled hysterically, the Independent reports.
Far from his best bungled photo op, this was merely a helpful reminder of all his other gaffes. Some of our faves:
- The time he struggled to glove up at a Welsh vaccination center. “Like OJ Simpson!” he exclaimed. “Absolutely,” his minder agreed, seeming to have no other choice.
- When he not only rode a zip line holding two Union Jacks, but got stuck mid-zip.
- Or when he wrestled with an umbrella at a drizzly memorial service. Even King Charles (then merely a Prince) had a chuckle.
- When he ducked an interview by hiding inside an industrial fridge at a dairy farm. “Right heʼs been taken inside … into the freezer,” a reporter explained. Chilly reception indeed!
USAID enabled 208 Afghan women to defy the Taliban ban on college — until now – NPR Goats and Soda
Preventable ‘meningitis belt’ deaths targeted in health agency action plan – UN News
New reports suggest diabetes weight loss drugs could reduce Alzheimer's risk – Medical Xpress
Ukraine: Stark increase in civilian casualties in March, UN Human Rights Monitors say – OHCHR
Road deaths fell below 40,000 in 2024, the lowest since 2019 – Ars Technica
A biotech company says it has bred three pups with traits of the extinct dire wolf – NPR Issue No. 2706
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. -->
ABOUT
SUPPORT US
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
CONTACT US
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
WHO warns of severe disruptions to health services amid funding cuts
Preventable ‘meningitis belt’ deaths targeted in health agency action plan
Global Health NOW: Breakthrough Clues in an Mpox Mystery; Afghanistan’s Escort Rules Fuel Maternal Deaths; and San Francisco Rethinks Harm Reduction
Researchers have been trying to unravel one of the “great mysteries” of mpox: What are its animal reservoir hosts?
Now, a team of scientists say they have landed on a key culprit: a squirrel. And their preprint research could have significant implications for tracking and preventing future spillovers, reports Nature.
Background: The name “monkeypox” comes from the 1958 discovery of the virus in lab monkeys. But researchers have long suspected small mammals of being sources for cross-species spillover.
Surveillance sleuthing: The latest discovery started with an mpox outbreak in sooty mangabey monkeys in Taï National Park in Côte d’Ivoire, reports Science.
- Scientists then located the identical virus in a sample from a fire-footed rope squirrel found dead three months before the outbreak started.
- Researchers pinpointed the squirrel DNA in fecal samples from the mangabeys, suggesting the monkeys became infected after eating the squirrels.
More work needed: More evidence is needed to determine whether the squirrels can carry and shed the virus long-term without getting sick—a key feature of a reservoir host, scientists say.
Related:
Fears new mpox strain spreading in UK after case with no travel history – The Telegraph
China’s first monkeypox vaccine enters phase I clinical trials, planning to recruit volunteers – Global Times GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Cholera cases in Kenya have risen to nearly 100, with six reported fatalities, per the nation’s health ministry, which is redoubling its surveillance efforts. The Nation
Teen gun license applicants in Canada spiked 11% between 2023 and 2024—raising concerns that as teens reach voting age, there will be greater calls for loosening gun restrictions. CBC
Floods in Queensland have led to 10 new infections of melioidosis, a soil-borne bacterial disease that has killed 26 people in the Australian state this year; more infections are expected, health experts say. ABC Australia
Invasive Streptococcus A infections more than doubled in the U.S. between 2013 and 2022, per a surveillance study of 10 states published in JAMA that linked the rise to “increasing prevalence of underlying health conditions,” and found growing levels of antibiotic resistance. CIDRAP U.S. Policy News NSF slashes prestigious PhD fellowship awards by half – Nature
Trump has blown a massive hole in global health funding—and no one can fill it – Science
Dr. Oz Pushed for AI Health Care in First Medicare Agency Town Hall – Wired
What do Americans think of Trump's foreign policies? – BBC
It's sexual assault awareness month and HHS just gutted its rape prevention unit – NPR
Trump administration says it cut funding to some life-saving UN food programs by mistake – AP
A closer look at the nationwide impact of NIH cuts – Axios MATERNAL MORTALITY Escort Rules Lead to Maternal Deaths
Under the Taliban in Afghanistan, women and girls are prevented from accessing medical care without a male escort, leading to rising mortality rates for women and infants.
- Before the Taliban took power, maternal mortality was already 3X higher than the world average.
- By 2026, a woman’s estimated risk of death during childbirth will rise by 50%.
- Every day, 24 mothers and 167 infants die in Afghanistan.
The Guardian
Related: USAID enabled 208 Afghan women to defy the Taliban ban on college — until now – NPR Goats and Soda GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HARM REDUCTION A Policy Shift in San Francisco
San Francisco has long prioritized harm reduction in its drug policies, such as with programs to distribute on the streets free, clean paraphernalia for fentanyl smoking, no questions asked.
But the city’s new mayor, Daniel Lurie, says the city’s policies have become too permissive and will scale them back in an effort to steer more people into treatment.
- “We are no longer going to sit by and allow people to kill themselves on the streets,” said Lurie.
- Paraphernalia can be distributed only to people who undergo lengthy counseling sessions.
- Nonprofits will be able to distribute smoking supplies only in city-sanctioned buildings.
The New York Times (gift link) QUICK HITS Ontario's measles outbreak is so big, even New York health officials are taking notice – CBC
Man whose blood helped develop measles vaccine weighs in on recent outbreak – PBS NewsHour (video)
State lawmakers are weighing bills that would treat abortion as homicide – The 19th
Achieving gender justice for global health equity: the Lancet Commission on gender and global health – The Lancet
Menopause makes it on the policy map – Axios
Improving the Global Health Workforce Is a Bipartisan Imperative – Newsweek (commentary)
How the Alcohol Industry Steers Governments Away From Effective Strategies to Curb Drink Driving – Vital Strategies
A new BEACON for global health set to launch in Boston – The Daily Free Press
Meet Siku, the itchy polar bear: How allergies are affecting animals – BBC Thanks for the tip, Xiaodong Cai! Issue No. 2705
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. -->
ABOUT
SUPPORT US
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
CONTACT US
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
Global Health NOW: High Costs for Kids of PEPFAR’s Demise; China’s Older HIV Population; and South Africa’s Struggle to Protect Women
If PEPFAR programs do not continue, an additional 1 million children will become infected with HIV, 500,000 additional children will die of AIDS, and another 2.8 million children will become orphans because of AIDS by 2030, according to models in a Lancet study published today.
The authors, from African countries and elsewhere, argue for a five-year transition to country-led sustainability, noting that PEPFAR-supported countries had already increased their share of support from $13.7 billion per year in 2004 to $42.6 billion in 2021.
Benefits of the successful transition of PEPFAR programs include better health security for both African countries and the U.S. by:
- Cutting forced migration.
- Boosting control of emerging infectious disease threats.
Bleak future: As part of the reorganization of HHS in the U.S., CDC officials responsible for the care of 500,000+ children and 600,000+ pregnant women with HIV in low-income countries have been fired or reassigned, The New York Times reports (gift link).
- Their programs sought to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV and to deliver treatment for children living with HIV.
- The officials had been helping direct medications to areas where stocks were running low.
UCLA professor loses millions in funding for HIV research project – ABC7 / Los Angeles
Is This the End of Progress on H.I.V.? – The New York Times (commentary)
The global fight against HIV/AIDS, in chaos – The Washington Post (podcast) GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners U.S. health secretary RFK Jr. called for an end to adding fluoride to public drinking water supplies, saying "It makes no sense to have it in our water supply,” and praising Utah’s plans for a ban; the EPA has now launched a new review of fluoride's health effects. CBS
Health systems implementing the “Zero Suicide Model” saw a fall in suicides and attempts, per a study published in JAMA Network Open; the model, developed by Detroit-based Henry Ford Health, emphasizes patient screening, safety planning, and mental health counseling. AP
Children born to mothers with diabetes in pregnancy showed a 28% higher risk of having any neurodevelopmental disorder compared to children born to mothers without the condition, according to a large meta-analysis in The Lancet led by Chinese researchers who cautioned that while more research is needed, diligent monitoring of blood sugar levels in pregnancy is merited. The Independent
A newly developed blood test for Alzheimer’s disease can help diagnose the condition with up to 83% accuracy—and indicate how far it has progressed—years before symptoms begin, according to a study in Nature Medicine led by Swedish researchers. Medical Xpress U.S. Policy News How will the deep cuts at the Centers for Disease Control affect global programs? – NPR Goats and Soda
Long COVID activists fought Trump team’s research cuts and won ― for now – Nature
Trump Said Cuts Wouldn’t Affect Public Safety. Then He Fired Hundreds of Workers Who Help Fight Wildfires. – ProPublica
Transfer to Alaska? Offer to health leaders called 'insult' to Indian Health Service – NPR Shots EDUCATION Johns Hopkins Tops Rankings of U.S. Public Health Schools
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health again ranks #1 among public health schools and programs in the U.S., based on peer-assessment ratings released this morning by U.S. News & World Report.
This year’s top 10 schools:
1. Johns Hopkins University
2. Emory University
2. Harvard University
2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
2. University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
6. Columbia University
7. Boston University
8. University of California - Berkeley
8. University of California - Los Angeles
10. Tulane University
This year’s rankings include 219 schools and programs of public health accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.
U.S. News & World Report
Over three decades, South Africa has seen significant progress in curbing femicide and violence against women.
- Between 1999 and 2017, the intimate partner femicide rate fell from 9.5 per 100,000 women in 1999 to 4.9, with researchers pointing to women’s economic empowerment and a groundswell of vocal anti-violence advocacy contributing to the shift.
- Femicide has increased 30%+ since 2021.
- Last year, 36% of South African women reported experiencing physical or sexual violence at some time.
The Telegraph RESOURCES How to Introduce Kids to Health Policy
Policy Wisdom’s collection of Athena’s Adventures in Health Policy—all 15 books—is now available online for free.
The series aims to inspire the next generation of public health professionals and show them the importance and impact of health policies. These engaging books bring health policy to life, making complex topics accessible and thought-provoking for young readers.
Download the complete collection now—for free!
Prefer a printed copy? The books are also available to purchase on Amazon. $1 from the sale of each book is donated to Global Health NOW. HIV/AIDS China’s Older HIV Population
In China, a growing number of studies are signaling an impending health crisis: Older people are quickly becoming a high-risk group for HIV infection.
- Some studies have predicted that by 2035, nearly 33% of HIV-positive people in China will be aged 60+.
- Because HIV prevention and testing campaigns are focused on young people, older patients usually don’t find out they’re HIV positive until the disease is “very advanced,” said Chinese AIDS expert Wan Yanhai.
- A growing number of older men across China are engaging in commercial sex, research shows.
- Little is being done to address seniors’ sexual health, with surveys revealing a pervasive cultural assumption that seniors have little if any sex—a belief that does not bear out in research.
Scientists identify Nigeria hotspots where malaria, STH overlap, indicating high co-morbidity – DownToEarth
Court tosses Biden nursing home staffing standard – Axios
In Final Days of Pandemic Talks, Countries Urged to Budget for ‘Both Bombs and Bugs’ – Health Policy Watch
From the hospital to the lab: How we reported the snakebite scandal – The Bureau of Investigative Journalism
Transparency in government is good for global health – The Current /UC Santa Barbara
Public Health in the Age of AI and Climate Change – Department of Medicine News / Stanford University
AI for research: the ultimate guide to choosing the right tool – Nature Issue No. 2704
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. -->
ABOUT
SUPPORT US
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
CONTACT US
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
Global Health NOW: A Crossroads for Maternal Mortality; March Recap; and Insurance Executives Pull Back the Curtain
More women face risk of death in pregnancy and childbirth, as drastic U.S. aid cuts threaten hard-won gains in maternal survival, and could have “pandemic-like effects” on maternal services worldwide, the WHO is warning, per The Guardian.
“Fragile” progress: Deaths due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth declined 40% globally between 2000 and 2023, but gains have slowed since 2016, per the WHO. And rates are off track to meet 2030 maternal survival targets.
- ~260,000 women died in 2023 from pregnancy-related causes, a new UN report has found—a reality that one WHO official described as a “real travesty of justice.”
- Most vulnerable: Pregnant women in conflict zones, who already face a 5X greater risk of death than elsewhere.
- Poor countries reported a maternal mortality rate nearly 35X the rate in rich countries.
Pandemic preview: Maternal deaths rose by 40,000 in 2021 due to pandemic-related disruptions, new data in the report show.
- This year’s funding cuts could cause a similar “acute shock to the system”—especially as countries didn’t have time to prepare for the cuts.
World Health Day: Focusing on women’s physical and mental health around the world – UN News
Trump administration eviscerates maternal and child health programs – The Guardian GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES More Measles News RFK: MMR vaccine is the "most effective way" to prevent measles spread – Axios
RFK Jr. visits epicenter of Texas measles outbreak after death of second child who was infected – AP
U.S. may be reverting to a time when measles deaths were not very rare, experts warn – STAT
As measles spreads, some doctors are seeing the virus for the first time – The New York Times The Latest One-Liners The NIH may not cap funding for indirect costs associated with its grants at 15%, a U.S. federal judge ruled Friday, making permanent a temporary order issued in February; the Trump administration had asked for this verdict so it could move forward with an appeal. The New York Times (gift link)
350,000+ U.S. health workers face a risk of deportation in the country’s immigration crackdown, per new research published in JAMA, which found that ensuing worker shortages could affect hospitals and other clinical settings. MedPage Today
Mobile health care units providing ART and PrEP medications reduced the risk for death by ~70% among people who inject drugs, per a study presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. Healio
Unsanitary practices continue at Abbott Laboratories, one of the largest baby formula factories in the U.S., workers report; the factory’s 2022 shutdown led to severe formula shortages, and now oversight is in question due to mass FDA layoffs. ProPublica MARCH MUST-READS Moving Beyond Stigma in Mexico
For years, Mexico has taken a “prohibitionist, hardline approach” to drug use, reinforcing a stigma that ties drug use to other criminal activities. But recently, health advocates have been taking a different tack—toward harm reduction.
- One example: Checa tu Sustanciae (Check Your Substance) provides a way for people at events like music festivals to test drugs for fentanyl and other adulterants, and also equips those people with naloxone and practical information.
Interrupted Agent Orange Cleanup
USAID cuts abruptly halted efforts to clean up an enormous chemical spill at Vietnam’s Bien Hoa air base—leaving pits with dioxin-contaminated soil exposed at the cusp of the country’s rainy season and putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk of poisoning.
- A $430 million+ U.S. government remediation effort had begun in 2019 to clean up widespread dioxin contamination that dates back to the Vietnam War—when the U.S. brought the toxin to the country.
The Bureaucrat Bridging Gaps
Consider this maddening prospect: A 5-year-old girl in Texas is diagnosed with a rare, brain-eating amoeba, but her doctors haven’t heard about an effective antibiotic remedy discovered by California researchers—a tragic disconnect that all too frequently leads to preventable suffering and death.
- Michael Lewis examines the mission of an FDA worker “buried under six layers on an agency organizational chart” who is seeking to solve the problem by creating a database for rare diseases and treatments, called CURE ID. A big question: Will anyone use it?
Over 90% of U.S. parents and guardians support their children receiving comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in school—but there is no national requirement, and only 38% of all high schools and 14% of middle schools in the U.S. cover all of the CDCʼs priority sexual health topics, including condom use and STD prevention.
Compare that to the Netherlands, where sex ed is mandated in primary through lower secondary schools. And, at 2.1 births per 1,000 women ages 15–19, the Netherlandsʼ teen birth rate is the lowest in the EU—and far lower than the U.S. teen birth rate of 13.2 births per 1,000.
“Chilling effect”: While there haven't been direct attacks on U.S. sex education, policy recommendations targeting DEI, gender identity, and restroom access for trans people raise concerns about the funding future for CSE providers—but advocates remain determined to broaden access to CSE.
Annalies Winny, Global Health NOW
March Commentaries:
- It’s Time for PEPFAR to Embrace Reform – Jirair Ratevosian
- How to Keep Doing Global Health: Tips From the Global South – Siddhesh Zadey and Dhananjaya Sharma
Revisiting Extraordinary Journeys
If you werenʼt able to join GHN in March for Extraordinary Journeys: Stories of Refugees Fleeing Conflict and Shaping Global Health, you can now view recordings of each story from this special event, co-hosted by GHN and the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, spotlighting the remarkable experiences of public health practitioners from Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria with lived experience as refugees. WATCH HERE MARCH'S BEST NEWS Lifesaving Ultrasounds
New ultrasound technology is reshaping prenatal care in sub-Saharan Africa, allowing improved access to the critical scan at hundreds of health facilities.
- Portable point-of-care ultrasound devices are designed specifically for providers in low-resource areas who may not have access to radiology equipment.
MedCity News GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HEALTH POLICY Insurance Executives Pull Back the Curtain
Amid sharper public criticism of the U.S. health insurance system, former industry executives turned whistleblowers are speaking out about unethical practices they say are baked into the for-profit system.
Some of the industry tenets they described:
Patients are the lowest priority, as their needs are “fundamentally at odds” with Wall Street demands and financial incentives.
“Execute a few hostages” mentality: One executive described decisions to arbitrarily terminate doctors out of network without cause “to show them who’s boss.”
Champagne during COVID-19: Another executive described how his company had champagne delivered to leaders’ homes during the lockdown to celebrate financial gains accrued while people were forced to forgo elective care.
Intelligencer OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Mexico confirms country's first human case of bird flu in a 3-year-old girl – Medical Xpress
'I could live 30 years but plan to die': How assisted dying law is dividing Canadians – BBC
Major endometriosis study reveals impact of gluten, coffee, dairy and alcohol – The Guardian
In banning ‘Glock switches,’ red and blue states find common ground on gun law – The Washington Post (gift link)
Understanding the resurgence of mpox: key drivers and lessons from recent outbreaks in Africa – Tropical Medicine and Health / BioMed Central
Tariffs hit science labs: Trump levies raise cost of supplies – Nature
Behind the Plate: Keeping Our Food Safe – Contagious Conversations (CDC Foundation podcast)
An antiviral chewing gum to reduce influenza and herpes simplex virus transmission – University of Pennsylvania via ScienceDaily Issue No. 2703
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. -->
ABOUT
SUPPORT US
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
CONTACT US
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.