Midwives are vital frontline workers who can provide up to 90 per cent of essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, and newborn health services – from safely delivering babies to caring for survivors of sexual violence.

Aid teams in South Sudan warned on Tuesday that repeated attacks on healthcare including the bombing of a hospital in eastern Jonglei state at the weekend are just the latest of the “multiple vulnerabilities” the country’s people face.

Where you're born could be the difference between living over three decades longer than someone else from a poorer country lacking safe housing, good educational opportunities and access to decent jobs, a new UN report revealed on Tuesday.

96 Global Health NOW: Striking on New Antivenom Potential; April Recap; and Sweltering Conditions in Cambodia’s Sweatshops View this email in your browser May 5, 2025 Forward Share Post A Jameson's mamba, one of Kenya's 13 medically relevant snakes due to a significant rate of deadly snakebite cases, at the Kenya Snakebite Research and Intervention Centre. Nairobi, March 7. Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Striking on New Antivenom Potential
Scientists have made a major breakthrough in antivenom development, thanks to an unusual research partner: an American snake collector who allowed himself to be bitten hundreds of times, per new research published in Cell. 

Background: In hopes of developing a universal antivenom, lead study author Jacob Glanville had wanted to study antibodies in a person exposed to multiple snake venoms, reports NPR. 

• He found his man in Tim Friede, a self-taught herpetologist who has allowed himself to be bitten ~200 times by more than a dozen venomous snakes over two decades.

The basics: After receiving approval from an ethics review board, researchers analyzed Friede’s blood and found two potent antibodies. 

• By combining them with an existing drug, they made a cocktail that allowed mice to survive venom from 19 species of dangerous elapid snakes, which include cobras, mamba, and taipans, reports Nature.


• Not covered: Venom from vipers, which make up about half of venomous snakes.

Great need: Venomous snakes kill tens of thousands of people every year, and disable several hundred thousand more, per the WHO.

• Developing effective antivenoms has long been a struggle, as most work for just one or a few snakes of one region, reports The Telegraph.

What’s next: The researchers plan to test the treatment in snakebitten dogs in Australia and to develop the antivenom for a wider array of snakes. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   An anthrax outbreak in the DRC has so far resulted in 16 suspected cases and one death, leading to a scaled-up response from health officials, per CIDRAP; meanwhile, Thailand has reported its first anthrax death in decades after a man was exposed to an infected cow, reports The Telegraph.

Ecuador has confirmed three yellow fever cases with a fourth case under investigation, per the nation’s health minister; yellow fever outbreaks continue to be reported across South America. Vax Before Travel

Men die younger across different global regions for a range of reasons often related to increased prevalence of diseases and risk factors and lower access to care, per a new article published in PLOS Medicine. News Medical

The animal sedative medetomidine is increasingly turning up in illegal drugs in the U.S., per the CDC; it is being mixed with other illicit drugs, primarily fentanyl, and has been reported in overdose clusters in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. AP U.S. and Global Health Policy News Cuts have eliminated more than a dozen US government health-tracking programs – AP

RFK Jr. calls for CDC plan for alternative measles treatments – Axios

Trump's cuts to contraception will kill 'tens of thousands' of women – The Independent

NIH cuts baby 'Safe to Sleep' team. Here's what parents should know – NPR

Will America be “flying blind” on bird flu? A key wastewater-tracking program may soon end – Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

V.A. Mental Health Care Staff, Crowded into Federal Buildings, Raise Patient Privacy Alarms – The New York Times (gift link) APRIL RECAP: MUST-READS A Squirrel’s Link to Mpox
Scientists have identified the fire-footed rope squirrel as a potential mpox reservoir host—a discovery that could help researchers understand cross-species spillover. 

• DNA from the squirrel matched virus samples taken from mpox-infected sooty mangabey monkeys during an outbreak in Ivory Coast. Researchers believe the monkeys were infected after eating squirrels with the virus.

Implications: While more research is needed, the findings are “a landmark contribution to understanding mpox dynamics,” said an Africa CDC biologist.

Science 
Japan Ramps up Regenerative Medicine
Japan is rapidly expanding its biotechnology sector, investing heavily in regenerative medicine.

In 2006, Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka discovered that adult cells could be reprogrammed into an embryonic-like state known as iPS cells, allowing them to become any kind of tissue. 

• Since then, Japan has led the field globally, hosting nearly one-third of iPS-cell clinical trials—and may soon approve the first iPS-cell treatments for diseases like Parkinson’s.

Nature
Protective Paint in South Africa
In Cape Town, informal homes made of metal and wood can reach 95°F (35°C) and remain hot overnight—disrupting sleep and increasing stress levels.

In a simple intervention, researchers are testing UV-resistant reflective paint on roofs, a practice that has already been used to reduce temperatures in chicken coops.

• The study will measure potential temperature changes and effects on residents’ sleep and health.

The Telegraph APRIL'S TWO-PART EXCLUSIVE SERIES Millions of Indians celebrate Diwali with fireworks—without realizing the dangerous conditions for factory workers. Gurugram, India, October 31, 2024. Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Fireworks and Heartbreak in a Hard-Hit Indian Village  
SIVAKASI, India—Explosions at fireworks factories are not uncommon in this Southern Indian city that produces nearly 90% of the country’s fireworks, writes Kamala Thiagarajan in Part I of a two-part series that describes the toll on the tens of thousands of workers employed by these factories.

• 91 workers were killed in the most recent year—but only those killed at the explosion site are counted—not those who die later.


• Employers typically pay only for injured workers’ initial care.

Of the 650 families who live in Surangudi village, most have lost either a limb or a loved one to fireworks, social activist Vijay Kumar tells Thiagarajan in Part II.

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. READ THE SERIES APRIL'S BEST NEWS Hope for Fistula Survivors in Nigeria  
Free fistula repair surgery will soon be available at clinics throughout Nigeria, health officials announced earlier this month—a “groundbreaking move” in a country that sees ~12,000 new cases a year of vesicovaginal fistula, which can be a debilitating and highly stigmatizing condition.

• In 2022, 600+ women with VVF were abandoned by their families in the state of Borno.


• Advocates say comprehensive counseling services are also needed to support VVF survivors with the psychological trauma associated with the condition. 

Nigeria Health Watch GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH Sweltering Conditions in Cambodia’s Sweatshops
Decades after promised reforms in Cambodian sweatshops that produce goods for companies like Nike, workers still frequently fainted and required medical intervention due to high heat and long hours, employees and medics say. 

Bigger picture: 57,000+ people produce Nike goods at garment factories in Cambodia. Fainting has been a commonly reported problem, with the Cambodian government reporting 4,500+ occurrences in factories between 2017 and 2019. 

• In one factory, Y&W Garment—which employed ~4,500 people making clothes in 2023—former employees reported two to three people fainting daily as temperatures inside soared above 100°F. 

Failed oversight: Workers say oversight groups like the U.N.-backed Better Factories Cambodia have little influence on conditions.

ProPublica OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Meet The Scientist Warning The World About The Next Pandemic –  Health Policy Watch

Chilean woman with muscular dystrophy becomes face of euthanasia debate as bill stalls in Senate – AP

How vaccine hesitancy may be driving a spike in pediatric flu deaths – PBS 

Cannabis Could Be Bad for Your Heart – Undark

Samoa becomes the first Pacific Island country to launch National Action Plan for Health Security – WHO (news release)

Well, That’s One Way to Address America’s Vaping Problem – The Atlantic

Woman's eyesight saved by cutting-edge test after mystery infection – BBC Issue No. M-5-2025
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

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


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96 Global Health NOW: Striking on New Antivenom Potential; April Recap; and Sweltering Conditions in Cambodia’s Sweatshops View this email in your browser May 5, 2025 Forward Share Post A Jameson's mamba, one of Kenya's 13 medically relevant snakes due to a significant rate of deadly snakebite cases, at the Kenya Snakebite Research and Intervention Centre. Nairobi, March 7. Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Striking on New Antivenom Potential
Scientists have made a major breakthrough in antivenom development, thanks to an unusual research partner: an American snake collector who allowed himself to be bitten hundreds of times, per new research published in Cell. 

Background: In hopes of developing a universal antivenom, lead study author Jacob Glanville had wanted to study antibodies in a person exposed to multiple snake venoms, reports NPR. 

• He found his man in Tim Friede, a self-taught herpetologist who has allowed himself to be bitten ~200 times by more than a dozen venomous snakes over two decades.

The basics: After receiving approval from an ethics review board, researchers analyzed Friede’s blood and found two potent antibodies. 

• By combining them with an existing drug, they made a cocktail that allowed mice to survive venom from 19 species of dangerous elapid snakes, which include cobras, mamba, and taipans, reports Nature.


• Not covered: Venom from vipers, which make up about half of venomous snakes.

Great need: Venomous snakes kill tens of thousands of people every year, and disable several hundred thousand more, per the WHO.

• Developing effective antivenoms has long been a struggle, as most work for just one or a few snakes of one region, reports The Telegraph.

What’s next: The researchers plan to test the treatment in snakebitten dogs in Australia and to develop the antivenom for a wider array of snakes. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   An anthrax outbreak in the DRC has so far resulted in 16 suspected cases and one death, leading to a scaled-up response from health officials, per CIDRAP; meanwhile, Thailand has reported its first anthrax death in decades after a man was exposed to an infected cow, reports The Telegraph.

Ecuador has confirmed three yellow fever cases with a fourth case under investigation, per the nation’s health minister; yellow fever outbreaks continue to be reported across South America. Vax Before Travel

Men die younger across different global regions for a range of reasons often related to increased prevalence of diseases and risk factors and lower access to care, per a new article published in PLOS Medicine. News Medical

The animal sedative medetomidine is increasingly turning up in illegal drugs in the U.S., per the CDC; it is being mixed with other illicit drugs, primarily fentanyl, and has been reported in overdose clusters in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. AP U.S. and Global Health Policy News Cuts have eliminated more than a dozen US government health-tracking programs – AP

RFK Jr. calls for CDC plan for alternative measles treatments – Axios

Trump's cuts to contraception will kill 'tens of thousands' of women – The Independent

NIH cuts baby 'Safe to Sleep' team. Here's what parents should know – NPR

Will America be “flying blind” on bird flu? A key wastewater-tracking program may soon end – Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

V.A. Mental Health Care Staff, Crowded into Federal Buildings, Raise Patient Privacy Alarms – The New York Times (gift link) APRIL RECAP: MUST-READS A Squirrel’s Link to Mpox
Scientists have identified the fire-footed rope squirrel as a potential mpox reservoir host—a discovery that could help researchers understand cross-species spillover. 

• DNA from the squirrel matched virus samples taken from mpox-infected sooty mangabey monkeys during an outbreak in Ivory Coast. Researchers believe the monkeys were infected after eating squirrels with the virus.

Implications: While more research is needed, the findings are “a landmark contribution to understanding mpox dynamics,” said an Africa CDC biologist.

Science 
Japan Ramps up Regenerative Medicine
Japan is rapidly expanding its biotechnology sector, investing heavily in regenerative medicine.

In 2006, Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka discovered that adult cells could be reprogrammed into an embryonic-like state known as iPS cells, allowing them to become any kind of tissue. 

• Since then, Japan has led the field globally, hosting nearly one-third of iPS-cell clinical trials—and may soon approve the first iPS-cell treatments for diseases like Parkinson’s.

Nature
Protective Paint in South Africa
In Cape Town, informal homes made of metal and wood can reach 95°F (35°C) and remain hot overnight—disrupting sleep and increasing stress levels.

In a simple intervention, researchers are testing UV-resistant reflective paint on roofs, a practice that has already been used to reduce temperatures in chicken coops.

• The study will measure potential temperature changes and effects on residents’ sleep and health.

The Telegraph APRIL'S TWO-PART EXCLUSIVE SERIES Millions of Indians celebrate Diwali with fireworks—without realizing the dangerous conditions for factory workers. Gurugram, India, October 31, 2024. Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Fireworks and Heartbreak in a Hard-Hit Indian Village  
SIVAKASI, India—Explosions at fireworks factories are not uncommon in this Southern Indian city that produces nearly 90% of the country’s fireworks, writes Kamala Thiagarajan in Part I of a two-part series that describes the toll on the tens of thousands of workers employed by these factories.

• 91 workers were killed in the most recent year—but only those killed at the explosion site are counted—not those who die later.


• Employers typically pay only for injured workers’ initial care.

Of the 650 families who live in Surangudi village, most have lost either a limb or a loved one to fireworks, social activist Vijay Kumar tells Thiagarajan in Part II.

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. READ THE SERIES APRIL'S BEST NEWS Hope for Fistula Survivors in Nigeria  
Free fistula repair surgery will soon be available at clinics throughout Nigeria, health officials announced earlier this month—a “groundbreaking move” in a country that sees ~12,000 new cases a year of vesicovaginal fistula, which can be a debilitating and highly stigmatizing condition.

• In 2022, 600+ women with VVF were abandoned by their families in the state of Borno.


• Advocates say comprehensive counseling services are also needed to support VVF survivors with the psychological trauma associated with the condition. 

Nigeria Health Watch GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH Sweltering Conditions in Cambodia’s Sweatshops
Decades after promised reforms in Cambodian sweatshops that produce goods for companies like Nike, workers still frequently fainted and required medical intervention due to high heat and long hours, employees and medics say. 

Bigger picture: 57,000+ people produce Nike goods at garment factories in Cambodia. Fainting has been a commonly reported problem, with the Cambodian government reporting 4,500+ occurrences in factories between 2017 and 2019. 

• In one factory, Y&W Garment—which employed ~4,500 people making clothes in 2023—former employees reported two to three people fainting daily as temperatures inside soared above 100°F. 

Failed oversight: Workers say oversight groups like the U.N.-backed Better Factories Cambodia have little influence on conditions.

ProPublica OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Meet The Scientist Warning The World About The Next Pandemic –  Health Policy Watch

Chilean woman with muscular dystrophy becomes face of euthanasia debate as bill stalls in Senate – AP

How vaccine hesitancy may be driving a spike in pediatric flu deaths – PBS 

Cannabis Could Be Bad for Your Heart – Undark

Samoa becomes the first Pacific Island country to launch National Action Plan for Health Security – WHO (news release)

Well, That’s One Way to Address America’s Vaping Problem – The Atlantic

Woman's eyesight saved by cutting-edge test after mystery infection – BBC Issue No. 2719
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.

Greater awareness and action are needed as Europe and parts of the Middle East grapple with fresh outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) which can have devastating impacts on both animal health and regional economies, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Monday. 

McGill announces 2025 cohort of Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors and William Dawson Scholars 
Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Christopher Manfredi has named 31 McGill professors as Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors or William Dawson Scholars. The internal awards recognize exceptional research achievements.

McGill announces 2025 cohort of Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors and William Dawson Scholars 
Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Christopher Manfredi has named 31 McGill professors as Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors or William Dawson Scholars. The internal awards recognize exceptional research achievements.

McGill announces 2025 cohort of Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors and William Dawson Scholars 
Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Christopher Manfredi has named 31 McGill professors as Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors or William Dawson Scholars. The internal awards recognize exceptional research achievements.

McGill announces 2025 cohort of Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors and William Dawson Scholars 
Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Christopher Manfredi has named 31 McGill professors as Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors or William Dawson Scholars. The internal awards recognize exceptional research achievements.

McGill announces 2025 cohort of Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors and William Dawson Scholars 
Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Christopher Manfredi has named 31 McGill professors as Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors or William Dawson Scholars. The internal awards recognize exceptional research achievements.

McGill announces 2025 cohort of Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors and William Dawson Scholars 
Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Christopher Manfredi has named 31 McGill professors as Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors or William Dawson Scholars. The internal awards recognize exceptional research achievements.

McGill announces 2025 cohort of Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors and William Dawson Scholars 
Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Christopher Manfredi has named 31 McGill professors as Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors or William Dawson Scholars. The internal awards recognize exceptional research achievements.

McGill announces 2025 cohort of Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors and William Dawson Scholars 
Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Christopher Manfredi has named 31 McGill professors as Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors or William Dawson Scholars. The internal awards recognize exceptional research achievements.

McGill announces 2025 cohort of Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors and William Dawson Scholars 
Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Christopher Manfredi has named 31 McGill professors as Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors or William Dawson Scholars. The internal awards recognize exceptional research achievements.

McGill announces 2025 cohort of Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors and William Dawson Scholars 
Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Christopher Manfredi has named 31 McGill professors as Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors or William Dawson Scholars. The internal awards recognize exceptional research achievements.

McGill announces 2025 cohort of Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors and William Dawson Scholars 
Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Christopher Manfredi has named 31 McGill professors as Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors or William Dawson Scholars. The internal awards recognize exceptional research achievements.

McGill announces 2025 cohort of Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors and William Dawson Scholars 
Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Christopher Manfredi has named 28 McGill professors as Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors or William Dawson Scholars. The internal awards recognize exceptional research achievements.

96 Global Health NOW: Underuse and Overuse Fuels AMR; Funding ‘Megafarms,’ Despite Pollution; and Heavy Caw-petition New studies highlight the dual crisis of antibiotic resistance View this email in your browser May 1, 2025 Forward Share Post Scanning electron micrograph of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, yellow) surrounded by cellular debris (red). NIH/NAID/IMAGE.FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Underuse, Overuse: The Dual Crisis of Antibiotic Resistance
As scientists continue to sound the alarm about antibiotic overuse driving antimicrobial resistance, new research shows how the crisis is also being exacerbated by the opposite problem: lack of antibiotic access.

Overuse: WHO data released this week show how globally just 52% of antibiotics prescribed fell under the “access” category of first and second-line antibiotics. That rate should be closer to 70%, per WHO targets, but many patients are receiving antibiotics for more severe infections, reports CIDRAP.

Underuse: Meanwhile, lack of access to the correct antibiotics is further driving the spread of superbugs, finds a new study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, which found that <7% of people with severe infections in poorer countries get the necessary antibiotics, reports The Guardian. 

Stewardship and innovation: The crisis must be addressed by improving both access to a wider spectrum of antibiotics, and by implementing stewardship policies, the WHO said in a news release. 

The authors of the underuse study said stewardship is not enough: Low- and middle-income countries need new drugs and antibiotic innovation.

• “We actually have to focus on both … , in all places,” said senior study author Jennifer Cohn. 

Related: National-level actions found to be effective at tackling antibiotic resistance – Medical Xpress GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
China is redoubling its claim that COVID-19 may have originated in the U.S., in a white paper about its own pandemic response released this week, following the Trump administration’s launch of a website that blames the pandemic on a lab leak in China. Reuters

Sierra Leone has launched a widespread mpox vaccination campaign as cases of the virus surge; the country has confirmed 763 cases, with 177 recorded in a two-day period last week. The Telegraph

Depression, schizophrenia and other mental health conditions could be linked to the body’s immune response, new research published in Molecular Psychiatry finds; the data could help in developing a range of more effective treatments, researchers say. Medical Xpress

Nicotine pouch usage nearly doubled among U.S. highschoolers between 2023–2024, per new research published in JAMA Network Open, which analyzed surveys of 10,000+ teens; the findings signal a “growing public health issue,” per the study’s lead author. News Medical CLIMATE Funding ‘Megafarms,’ Despite Pollution 
The U.K. government has subsidized industrial-scale poultry farms, despite growing alarm over the farms’ contribution to “spiraling” air and water pollution in the regions where they operate. 

Background: The “megafarms,” which can hold up to a million birds, have proliferated in the region near the Wye and Severn rivers. Already, the farms have been tied to pollution in the River Wye.  

Outcry over subsidies: At least £14m of public funds have been paid out over three years to poultry farm operators—a move that environmental advocates say undermines other ecological policies. 

• The funding exposes “any pretense of practicing effective environmental regulation in this country,” said Charles Watson, chairman of NGO River Action. 

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HIV/AIDS Newly Vulnerable on the Road
Truck drivers who travel between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo relied on a network of mobile community health workers to help deliver critical HIV medication while on the road. 

That network has broken down following U.S. cuts to foreign aid, leading to closures of clinics and HIV programs—and leaving truck drivers without access to their HIV medication. 

High risk: Long-haul truck drivers are nearly 6X as likely as the general adult population to be HIV positive, per a study published last year in BMJ Open.

Also vulnerable: Sex workers, who rely on the same health networks for HIV medication and PreP.

NPR Goats and Soda ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Heavy Caw-petition
If it looks like a gull, sounds like a gull, and dresses like a gull … itʼs probably a contestant in the European Gull Screeching Contest.

This past weekend, 70 participants from 13 countries descended on the Belgian coastal town of De Panne for the squawk-off designed to rehabilitate the reputation of the oft-maligned coastal birds, CNN reports.

• Seagull Boy, who GHN celebrated last year, took home a second victory in the youth category, BBC reports. 

• Newcomer Anna Brynald beaked out a victory in the adult category and captured our hearts with her sympatico with the seabirds. After all, both Anna and the gulls are misunderstood, and love fries, CBC reports.

The appreciation may not be mutual. “I worked with the seagulls. I went to the beach and I looked at many seagulls … And I screeched at them, but they became scared of me,” she said.

Ironically, a sense of nihilism keeps Brynald motivated: “If there isn't any meaning in life, that means I can do literally everything I want. I can make seagull sounds, because I don't care.” QUICK HITS Israeli wildfires could threaten Jerusalem, prime minister says – The Washington Post (gift link)

A WHO Director on the Future of Polio Eradication – Think Global Health

Wegovy Can Treat a Dangerous Liver Disease, Study Finds – The New York Times (gift link)

Diabetes deaths fall to lowest levels in years, in early CDC figures – CBS News

Myanmar earthquake one-month on: needs remain massive – IFRC (news release)

Indonesians are flourishing. People in the UK, Germany, and Spain? Not so much, global survey finds – Euronews

Indian Summit Showcases Solar and Innovative Cooling Methods as Pressure Mounts for Immediate Climate Solutions – Health Policy Watch 

Human Evolution Traded Fur for Sweat Glands—and Now, Our Wounds Take Longer to Heal Than Those of Other Mammals – Smithsonian Magazine Issue No. 2718
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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

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


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As sudden budget cuts severely impact global health funding, prolonged conflicts around the world are fuelling disease outbreaks and posing a serious threat to public health, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday.