Global Health NOW: Tuberculosis Prevention Cuts in India; Kennedy Faces Congress; and Lollipop Guilt: Click and Ye Shall Receive
96
Global Health NOW: Tuberculosis Prevention Cuts in India; Kennedy Faces Congress; and Lollipop Guilt: Click and Ye Shall Receive
View this email in your browser
May 15, 2025
Forward
Share
Post
GHN EXCLUSIVE REPORT
Dr. Renu Singh checks a patient for possible signs of tuberculosis in the district TB center in Patna, Bihar, India. August 10, 2010. Lynsey Addario via Getty
Tuberculosis Prevention Cuts in India
DELHI, India—India’s path to eliminating tuberculosis has multiple barriers. The latest: U.S. funding cuts to prevention programs.
Example: The Karnataka Health Project Trust supported a “TB buddy” system that helps TB patients with documentation, offers emotional support, and ensures treatment completion.
The Quote: “The [TB] doctors in … hospitals cater to hundreds of patients a day and have minimal time for explanations or comprehensive care … which leads to many patients dropping out of the program,” says Akshata Acharya, a MDR-TB survivor and author of a book about overcoming TB. “This is where NGOs have played a significant role in ensuring the patients continue their treatment.” READ CHEENA KAPOOR'S FULL STORY GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
U.S. overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen; the ~30,000 reduction in deaths has been attributed to a range of factors from naloxone availability and expanded addiction treatment to shifts in drug use trends. AP
The WHO has cut its management team by half and will scale back operations as the organization’s 2026–2027 budget is reduced 21% following the U.S. decision to leave the agency and drop funding. Reuters via AOL
Suicide is the leading cause of death for medical residents, finds a new study published in JAMA Network Open; the risk is especially high during the first academic quarter of the first residency year. MedPage Today
Treating parasitic worms known as helminths may become easier, as researchers have developed a new formulation of the only drug used to treat the worms, per findings published in ACS Applied Nano Materials; the updates include making doses smaller, water soluble, and more efficiently absorbed. Medical Xpress U.S. HEALTH POLICY Kennedy Faces Congress
U.S. lawmakers from both parties sharply questioned HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during congressional hearings yesterday, asking him about deep staffing cuts, funding freezes, and vaccine messaging, as Kennedy defended his goals for restructuring the nation’s health department, reports the AP.
Takeaways:
Budget cuts and department restructuring: Lawmakers described how thousands of job cuts and funding freezes have impacted their districts, including interruptions in constituents’ medical care, reports Science.
Vietnam’s tobacco products remain cheap and widely accessible compared to other countries, leading to high tobacco usage and a growing health toll, say the nation’s health officials.
Low tax, high usage: Vietnam’s tobacco retail tax rate is just 36%, far below WHO’s recommended rate of 70–75%.
Reform needed: Vietnam health leaders are urging regular tax hikes to outpace income growth and align with international standards.
Vietnam News Agency via MSN ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Lollipop Guilt: Click and Ye Shall Receive
If you thought ordering a viral face cream at 3 a.m. was an impulse purchase, you havenʼt met Liam.
With a couple of clicks, the 8-year-old Kentucky boy ordered nearly 70,000 Dum-Dums lollipops on Amazon, USA Today reports.
“Mom, my suckers are here!” he exclaimed, intending to host a carnival for his friends.
“I just about fainted,” said his mom Holly LaFavers, who last weekend found the “double ramparts of suckers” stacked on her doorstep, and a $4,200 charge that sent her bank account into the red, per The New York Times reports (gift link).
While the retail snafu sucked the fun out of her Sunday, LaFavers was ultimately refunded and found loving homes for the pops. But more shocking than the boyʼs dream is that his whimsy could be actualized literally overnight.
Whoever runs the lollipop supply chain is no dum-dum. OPPORTUNITY Apply to the In-Sight Humanitarian Mentorship Program
In-Sight, a co-learning collaborative of global humanitarian practitioners, activists, nonprofit workers, displaced people, and others is currently accepting applications for its 6-week mentorship program this summer.
The Dangerous Consequences of Funding Cuts to U.S. Global Health Programs – Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (news release)
‘We’re ready to fight’: activists brace as US anti-rights figures descend on Africa – The Guardian
New Drug Combos Could Cut Heart Failure Mortality by 60% – Medscape
Meta-analysis: Zika-infected pregnant moms 4 times more likely to have babies with microcephaly – CIDRAP
A Texas abortion ban sponsor aims to clarify when doctors can do the procedure – NPR Shots
A new generation of birth control skeptics leans right – The 19th
Low-quality papers are surging by exploiting public data sets and AI – Science
The tick-borne disease turning MAGA-supporters vegan – The Telegraph
Are beards really dirtier than toilet seats? – The Washington Post (gift link Issue No. 2726
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. -->
ABOUT
SUPPORT US
CONTACT US
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
DELHI, India—India’s path to eliminating tuberculosis has multiple barriers. The latest: U.S. funding cuts to prevention programs.
Example: The Karnataka Health Project Trust supported a “TB buddy” system that helps TB patients with documentation, offers emotional support, and ensures treatment completion.
- The project helped those with latent TB infection (LTBI)—those infected with TB bacteria but who do not have the disease.
- ~360,000 Indian children under 5 were eligible for LTBI treatment, with 5%–10% at risk of developing active TB (when people feel ill and can spread TB germs to others), per a 2023 WHO report.
The Quote: “The [TB] doctors in … hospitals cater to hundreds of patients a day and have minimal time for explanations or comprehensive care … which leads to many patients dropping out of the program,” says Akshata Acharya, a MDR-TB survivor and author of a book about overcoming TB. “This is where NGOs have played a significant role in ensuring the patients continue their treatment.” READ CHEENA KAPOOR'S FULL STORY GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
U.S. overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen; the ~30,000 reduction in deaths has been attributed to a range of factors from naloxone availability and expanded addiction treatment to shifts in drug use trends. AP
The WHO has cut its management team by half and will scale back operations as the organization’s 2026–2027 budget is reduced 21% following the U.S. decision to leave the agency and drop funding. Reuters via AOL
Suicide is the leading cause of death for medical residents, finds a new study published in JAMA Network Open; the risk is especially high during the first academic quarter of the first residency year. MedPage Today
Treating parasitic worms known as helminths may become easier, as researchers have developed a new formulation of the only drug used to treat the worms, per findings published in ACS Applied Nano Materials; the updates include making doses smaller, water soluble, and more efficiently absorbed. Medical Xpress U.S. HEALTH POLICY Kennedy Faces Congress
U.S. lawmakers from both parties sharply questioned HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during congressional hearings yesterday, asking him about deep staffing cuts, funding freezes, and vaccine messaging, as Kennedy defended his goals for restructuring the nation’s health department, reports the AP.
Takeaways:
Budget cuts and department restructuring: Lawmakers described how thousands of job cuts and funding freezes have impacted their districts, including interruptions in constituents’ medical care, reports Science.
- Kennedy defended reducing HHS staff by ~20,000 people and consolidating divisions, arguing the agency was inefficient and overly bureaucratic. He said the HHS will “do a lot more with less,” but acknowledged that further 2026 budget cuts “are going to hurt,” per CIDRAP.
- In response to questions about whether he would vaccinate his own child against measles, Kennedy said, “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me,” reports The Washington Post (gift link).
Vietnam’s tobacco products remain cheap and widely accessible compared to other countries, leading to high tobacco usage and a growing health toll, say the nation’s health officials.
Low tax, high usage: Vietnam’s tobacco retail tax rate is just 36%, far below WHO’s recommended rate of 70–75%.
- It is also far lower than regional peers including the Philippines (71.3%), Singapore (67.5%), and Thailand (78.6%).
- The affordability means cigarettes are easily accessible to first-time users and even children.
Reform needed: Vietnam health leaders are urging regular tax hikes to outpace income growth and align with international standards.
Vietnam News Agency via MSN ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Lollipop Guilt: Click and Ye Shall Receive
If you thought ordering a viral face cream at 3 a.m. was an impulse purchase, you havenʼt met Liam.
With a couple of clicks, the 8-year-old Kentucky boy ordered nearly 70,000 Dum-Dums lollipops on Amazon, USA Today reports.
“Mom, my suckers are here!” he exclaimed, intending to host a carnival for his friends.
“I just about fainted,” said his mom Holly LaFavers, who last weekend found the “double ramparts of suckers” stacked on her doorstep, and a $4,200 charge that sent her bank account into the red, per The New York Times reports (gift link).
While the retail snafu sucked the fun out of her Sunday, LaFavers was ultimately refunded and found loving homes for the pops. But more shocking than the boyʼs dream is that his whimsy could be actualized literally overnight.
Whoever runs the lollipop supply chain is no dum-dum. OPPORTUNITY Apply to the In-Sight Humanitarian Mentorship Program
In-Sight, a co-learning collaborative of global humanitarian practitioners, activists, nonprofit workers, displaced people, and others is currently accepting applications for its 6-week mentorship program this summer.
- Designed to help anyone in—or considering a career in—international relations, peace building, humanitarian work, or related fields learn more about leadership in the humanitarian sector.
- The program, with five cohorts, is offered in English, Spanish, and Arabic, and will run from June 30 to August 11, 2025.
- Application deadline: June 13, 2025
- Learn more and apply
The Dangerous Consequences of Funding Cuts to U.S. Global Health Programs – Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (news release)
‘We’re ready to fight’: activists brace as US anti-rights figures descend on Africa – The Guardian
New Drug Combos Could Cut Heart Failure Mortality by 60% – Medscape
Meta-analysis: Zika-infected pregnant moms 4 times more likely to have babies with microcephaly – CIDRAP
A Texas abortion ban sponsor aims to clarify when doctors can do the procedure – NPR Shots
A new generation of birth control skeptics leans right – The 19th
Low-quality papers are surging by exploiting public data sets and AI – Science
The tick-borne disease turning MAGA-supporters vegan – The Telegraph
Are beards really dirtier than toilet seats? – The Washington Post (gift link Issue No. 2726
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @globalhealth.now and X @GHN_News.
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues: http://www.globalhealthnow.org/subscribe
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. -->
ABOUT
SUPPORT US
CONTACT US
Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
Catégories: Global Health Feed
‘The world is failing its health checkup,’ says WHO
In just two years, between 2019 and 2021, life expectancy worldwide fell by 1.8 years – the largest fall in recent history according to the World Health Organization (WHO), in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Catégories: Global Health Feed
Global Health NOW: Forced From Home; South Africa’s Backstreet Abortion Problem; and Scaling Up Desalination
96
Global Health NOW: Forced From Home; South Africa’s Backstreet Abortion Problem; and Scaling Up Desalination
View this email in your browser
May 14, 2025
Forward
Share
Post
Displaced Sudanese girls, who fled the Zamzam camp, look on as they gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur, on February 14. AFP via Getty
Forced From Home
Conflicts and disasters drove a record number of people worldwide from their homes in 2024, with 83.4 million living in internal displacement, finds a new report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).
The FDA is seeking to ban prescription fluoride supplements for children from the market, with the agency’s announcement saying ingested fluoride changes the human microbiome, even though research is inconclusive; the move contradicts years of medical best practices. NPR Shots
Nasal boosters can trigger strong local immune protection in the lungs and airways against respiratory diseases like COVID-19, per a new study published in Nature Immunology—findings that may help researchers design more safe and effective nasal vaccines. Yale News
Half of women’s aid organizations are at risk of shutting down in six months due to global aid cuts, a new survey across 44 countries shows; such closures are looming as women’s aid needs are intensifying amid conflict and displacement. UN Women U.S. and Global Heatlh Policy News Brown Professor Sounds an Alarm: An Interview with Dr. Craig Spencer – Brown Political Review NSF board member resigns in protest of Trump policies at agency – Science
Trump’s Focus on Punishing Drug Dealers May Hurt Drug Users Trying to Quit – The New York Times (gift link)
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signs order restricting autism data collection – USA Today
A matchmaking service with a twist: Connecting big givers to programs cut by USAID – NPR Goats and Soda REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS South Africa’s Backstreet Abortion Problem Although abortion is legal in South Africa, unsafe abortion clinics are thriving: a result of scammers, social media misinformation, and a lack of knowledge about legal options.
Real information: Efforts to deliver science-based, nonjudgmental help—especially for teenagers who become pregnant—seek to flip the script on social media.
Related:
More than 50 cross-party MPs back amendment to decriminalise abortion – The Guardian
Digging into the math of a study attacking the safety of the abortion pill – The Washington Post (gift link) GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES WATER Scaling Up Desalination
Hundreds of thousands of people in the Arabian Gulf are gaining access to a stable source of drinking water, as innovations in desalination lower barriers.
Energy efficiencies like solar-powered reverse osmosis have lowered costs from $5 to under $0.50 per cubic meter over a decade.
Growing demand: Desalination is rapidly expanding in both historically arid regions and regions newly grappling with water scarcity.
The Quote: “Access to safe drinking water is key to public health, and … desalination is not just a utility—it’s a lifeline,” said Jasim al-Zarai, a resident of Jalan Bani Bu Ali in Oman.
The Telegraph OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS The deadly riddle of blackwater fever: the search for answers over illness killing Uganda’s children – The Guardian
US brain drain: the scientists seeking jobs abroad amid Trump’s assault on research – Nature
Indonesia builds AI model for malaria diagnosis – Vietnam News
A Different Way to Think About Medicine’s Most Stubborn Enigma – The Atlantic
What’s Behind the Rise in Serious Injuries on New York City’s Streets? – Bloomberg CityLab
So you want to increase your country’s birth rate? Experts say it’s tough – PBS NewsHour
Bill Gates says the world will be better in 20 years: 'My optimism hasn't been shaken' – CNBC
The 'Oscar' of food prizes goes to a Brazilian who harnessed the power of bacteria – NPR Goats and Soda Issue No. 2725
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.
Conflicts and disasters drove a record number of people worldwide from their homes in 2024, with 83.4 million living in internal displacement, finds a new report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).
- That is 2X the number from 2018, reflecting "both a policy failure and a moral stain on humanity," said Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, per Le Monde. Cuts to humanitarian aid only heighten and prolong the crisis, he said.
- Sudan reported 11.6 million internally displaced people, the highest ever for one country.
- Tens of millions live in “protracted displacement” in Afghanistan, Colombia, Syria, and Yemen.
- The U.S. saw 11 million displacements—the highest ever for a single country—as storms and other disasters inflicted mass damage and evacuations.
The FDA is seeking to ban prescription fluoride supplements for children from the market, with the agency’s announcement saying ingested fluoride changes the human microbiome, even though research is inconclusive; the move contradicts years of medical best practices. NPR Shots
Nasal boosters can trigger strong local immune protection in the lungs and airways against respiratory diseases like COVID-19, per a new study published in Nature Immunology—findings that may help researchers design more safe and effective nasal vaccines. Yale News
Half of women’s aid organizations are at risk of shutting down in six months due to global aid cuts, a new survey across 44 countries shows; such closures are looming as women’s aid needs are intensifying amid conflict and displacement. UN Women U.S. and Global Heatlh Policy News Brown Professor Sounds an Alarm: An Interview with Dr. Craig Spencer – Brown Political Review NSF board member resigns in protest of Trump policies at agency – Science
Trump’s Focus on Punishing Drug Dealers May Hurt Drug Users Trying to Quit – The New York Times (gift link)
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signs order restricting autism data collection – USA Today
A matchmaking service with a twist: Connecting big givers to programs cut by USAID – NPR Goats and Soda REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS South Africa’s Backstreet Abortion Problem Although abortion is legal in South Africa, unsafe abortion clinics are thriving: a result of scammers, social media misinformation, and a lack of knowledge about legal options.
- 16% of deaths from miscarriages were attributed to unsafe abortion, per a 2020–2022 maternal deaths report from South Africa’s health department. But that’s likely an undercount, as abortions obtained at unsafe or illegal clinics are often concealed.
Real information: Efforts to deliver science-based, nonjudgmental help—especially for teenagers who become pregnant—seek to flip the script on social media.
- On TikTok, Marie Stopes South Africa posts videos like “how to put on a condom” and “how to avoid getting scammed” by illegal abortion providers.
Related:
More than 50 cross-party MPs back amendment to decriminalise abortion – The Guardian
Digging into the math of a study attacking the safety of the abortion pill – The Washington Post (gift link) GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES WATER Scaling Up Desalination
Hundreds of thousands of people in the Arabian Gulf are gaining access to a stable source of drinking water, as innovations in desalination lower barriers.
Energy efficiencies like solar-powered reverse osmosis have lowered costs from $5 to under $0.50 per cubic meter over a decade.
- Some Gulf nations now rely on desalination for up to 90% of their drinking water.
Growing demand: Desalination is rapidly expanding in both historically arid regions and regions newly grappling with water scarcity.
The Quote: “Access to safe drinking water is key to public health, and … desalination is not just a utility—it’s a lifeline,” said Jasim al-Zarai, a resident of Jalan Bani Bu Ali in Oman.
The Telegraph OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS The deadly riddle of blackwater fever: the search for answers over illness killing Uganda’s children – The Guardian
US brain drain: the scientists seeking jobs abroad amid Trump’s assault on research – Nature
Indonesia builds AI model for malaria diagnosis – Vietnam News
A Different Way to Think About Medicine’s Most Stubborn Enigma – The Atlantic
What’s Behind the Rise in Serious Injuries on New York City’s Streets? – Bloomberg CityLab
So you want to increase your country’s birth rate? Experts say it’s tough – PBS NewsHour
Bill Gates says the world will be better in 20 years: 'My optimism hasn't been shaken' – CNBC
The 'Oscar' of food prizes goes to a Brazilian who harnessed the power of bacteria – NPR Goats and Soda Issue No. 2725
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.
Catégories: Global Health Feed
Funding cuts in Afghanistan mean ‘lives lost and lives less lived’
In a remote village clinic in the Bamyan Province in Afghanistan last week, a group of teenage girls were given potentially life-saving reproductive health advice, excited by the small kit of menstrual supplies they had been given.
Catégories: Global Health Feed
