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96
Global Health NOW: As Temperatures Soar, Physical Activity Drops—With Deadly Consequences; and Pregnant Minors Stranded at San Benito
March 17, 2026
TOP STORIES
Afghanistan reported that 400 people died and ~250 were injured after a Pakistani airstrike hit a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul yesterday, while Pakistan denied the accusation that it had hit the 2,000-bed facility; the tragedy marks a sharp escalation in the conflict that began in late February.
The U.S. State Department may withhold assistance to people with HIV in Zambia unless its government signs a deal handing the U.S. more access to its critical minerals, per a draft memo obtained by The New York Times; ~1.3 million people in Zambia rely on daily HIV treatment through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
A U.S. federal judge temporarily blocked sweeping vaccine policy changes recommended by health secretary RFK, Jr.’s handpicked advisory committee; in response to the decision—related to a lawsuit brought by medical associations—the administration said the advisory committee’s planned meeting this week will be postponed. Mosquitoes could serve up a surprising vaccine delivery system—carrying vaccines against rabies and Nipah viruses in their saliva, to be transferred to bats feeding on the insects (or when the insects feed on the bats), per Chinese-led research ; the method would require extensive safety assessments and regulatory approval. IN FOCUS A boy pours water on his face to get some relief from a heat wave on a hot summer afternoon on May 29, 2024, in New Delhi, India. Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty As Temperatures Soar, Physical Activity Drops—With Deadly Consequences
Driving instead of walking. Skipping a too-hot trip to the playground or an evening walk.
In a warming world, these decisions have a dire, if less obvious impact on global health, estimating the long-term impact of forgoing physical activity because of unbearable heat,
How Foreign-Trained Health Workers Saved the NHS £14 Billion –
PhD students are turning to side hustles to make ends meet, finds Nature poll –
Irish Cancer Society provided ‘almost 30,000 free lifts to treatment in 2025’ – Issue No. 2881
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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The U.S. State Department may withhold assistance to people with HIV in Zambia unless its government signs a deal handing the U.S. more access to its critical minerals, per a draft memo obtained by The New York Times; ~1.3 million people in Zambia rely on daily HIV treatment through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
A U.S. federal judge temporarily blocked sweeping vaccine policy changes recommended by health secretary RFK, Jr.’s handpicked advisory committee; in response to the decision—related to a lawsuit brought by medical associations—the administration said the advisory committee’s planned meeting this week will be postponed. Mosquitoes could serve up a surprising vaccine delivery system—carrying vaccines against rabies and Nipah viruses in their saliva, to be transferred to bats feeding on the insects (or when the insects feed on the bats), per Chinese-led research ; the method would require extensive safety assessments and regulatory approval. IN FOCUS A boy pours water on his face to get some relief from a heat wave on a hot summer afternoon on May 29, 2024, in New Delhi, India. Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty As Temperatures Soar, Physical Activity Drops—With Deadly Consequences
Driving instead of walking. Skipping a too-hot trip to the playground or an evening walk.
In a warming world, these decisions have a dire, if less obvious impact on global health, estimating the long-term impact of forgoing physical activity because of unbearable heat,
- Globally, reduced physical activity could result in 470,000–520,000 additional deaths by 2050 and billions of dollars in productivity losses every year, .
The calculations: The researchers analyzed physical activity surveys and temperature records across 156 countries from 2000 to 2022.
- Each additional month where the average temperature exceeded 82F (27.8C) degrees coincided with a 1.4 percentage point increase in physical inactivity.
Striking disparity: LMICs were projected to see the biggest impact of “rising heat and falling activity,” the Post reports, while high-income countries showed no statistically significant change—perhaps because of better access to air conditioning, gyms, and flexible work arrangements, researchers theorized.
The link between sedentary lifestyles and chronic disease is well known—but a third of people worldwide already . “… Any compromise to achieving regular exercise—in this case excessively hot temperatures—will pose broad public health risks,” said Jonathan Patz of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who was not involved in the study.
While the study, based on self-reported data and national temperature averages, has limitations, the projections point to a clear need for heat-proofing physical activity, such as subsidizing climate-controlled gyms and public spaces for those at risk.
- At least half of the minors are estimated to be pregnant from rape, and some are as young as 13.
- Plus: A new federal proposal could repeal the rule that requires minors seeking abortions to be transferred to a state where it is legal.
How Foreign-Trained Health Workers Saved the NHS £14 Billion –
PhD students are turning to side hustles to make ends meet, finds Nature poll –
Irish Cancer Society provided ‘almost 30,000 free lifts to treatment in 2025’ – Issue No. 2881
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Cuba’s Drug Crisis Hits a Health System Under Strain; and A Cross‑Border Commitment to End River Blindness
March 16, 2026
TOP STORIES
The WHO has verified the deaths of 12 doctors, paramedics, and nurses killed Friday in an Israeli strike on Lebanon’s Bourj Qalaouiyeh primary health care center, citing WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; in Israel, 58 people were injured last Thursday by glass shrapnel after an Iranian missile hit a complex of four private homes in the town of Zarzir, .
A meningitis outbreak at the University of Kent in the U.K. has killed two and left 11 seriously ill; the U.K. Health Security Agency said it provided antibiotics to students in the area to stem cases of invasive meningococcal disease, a combination of meningitis and septicemia.
U.S. flu vaccines had some of the lowest effectiveness rates in decades this past flu season, partially due to the circulation of a new strain, H3N2 subclade K; this season’s vaccines were ~25%–30% effective in preventing adult clinic or hospital visits, while officials generally aim for a 40%–60% effectiveness rate. A multinational consortium to find a hepatitis B cure has been launched by Johns Hopkins Medicine after being awarded a five-year, $24 million NIH grant; the consortium—which includes research groups from Brazil, India, Senegal, Uganda, and the U.S.—aims to enroll ~450 people with both HIV and chronic hepatitis B and 225 with only chronic hepatitis B in treatment and various studies. IN FOCUS Young people in rehabilitation and pastors talk outside The Rescue House (Casa de Rescate). Havana, Cuba; August 22, 2025. Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Cuba’s Drug Crisis Hits a Health System Under Strain Drug use has surged in Cuba amid the country’s deepening economic crisis, as cheap synthetic substances flood the market and the country’s fragile health system struggles to respond, . New threat: Drugs, once rare in the zero-tolerance country, have become increasingly accessible in the form of “químico,” a potent synthetic cannabinoid originating from the U.S.
Six years later, COVID symptoms linger for many Latino farmworkers in Washington –
Confidential Report Calls for Sweeping Changes to Track Covid Vaccine Harms –
‘My Lungs Had Nothing Left.’ Inside The Epidemic Killing Countertop Stonecutters –
Peru takes steps against bad drugs – but we still have questions –
‘We’re not wombs’: Japan women seek rights to sterilization –
Influencers push 'parasite cleanses' but doctors say to steer clear –
Michelle Bachelet, Running for UN Chief, Says Global Cooperation Can Save Humanity – Issue No. 2880
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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A meningitis outbreak at the University of Kent in the U.K. has killed two and left 11 seriously ill; the U.K. Health Security Agency said it provided antibiotics to students in the area to stem cases of invasive meningococcal disease, a combination of meningitis and septicemia.
U.S. flu vaccines had some of the lowest effectiveness rates in decades this past flu season, partially due to the circulation of a new strain, H3N2 subclade K; this season’s vaccines were ~25%–30% effective in preventing adult clinic or hospital visits, while officials generally aim for a 40%–60% effectiveness rate. A multinational consortium to find a hepatitis B cure has been launched by Johns Hopkins Medicine after being awarded a five-year, $24 million NIH grant; the consortium—which includes research groups from Brazil, India, Senegal, Uganda, and the U.S.—aims to enroll ~450 people with both HIV and chronic hepatitis B and 225 with only chronic hepatitis B in treatment and various studies. IN FOCUS Young people in rehabilitation and pastors talk outside The Rescue House (Casa de Rescate). Havana, Cuba; August 22, 2025. Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Cuba’s Drug Crisis Hits a Health System Under Strain Drug use has surged in Cuba amid the country’s deepening economic crisis, as cheap synthetic substances flood the market and the country’s fragile health system struggles to respond, . New threat: Drugs, once rare in the zero-tolerance country, have become increasingly accessible in the form of “químico,” a potent synthetic cannabinoid originating from the U.S.
- ER visits for drug emergencies in Havana more than doubled from 467 in 2024 to 886 in 2025—a spike that has “overwhelmed the country’s capacity to address it,” says one father whose son is in recovery. It has also driven Cuban authorities to create a National Drug Observatory.
- The mounting crisis arrives as Cuba’s health system is already under severe strain from medicine and energy shortages due to the U.S. blockade, .
- Cuba has historically dispatched tens of thousands of health care workers internationally in contracts with other countries. Critics have called the system exploitative, saying doctors are paid minimal amounts by the Cuban government, which funds the country’s own health system with the revenues, .
- But the abrupt departure of the doctors could have a significant impact on host countries’ health systems, officials say.
- “To a cross-border threat, there must be a cross-border response,” stated the opening address at the Benin–Nigeria Cross-Border Meeting on Onchocerciasis.
Six years later, COVID symptoms linger for many Latino farmworkers in Washington –
Confidential Report Calls for Sweeping Changes to Track Covid Vaccine Harms –
‘My Lungs Had Nothing Left.’ Inside The Epidemic Killing Countertop Stonecutters –
Peru takes steps against bad drugs – but we still have questions –
‘We’re not wombs’: Japan women seek rights to sterilization –
Influencers push 'parasite cleanses' but doctors say to steer clear –
Michelle Bachelet, Running for UN Chief, Says Global Cooperation Can Save Humanity – Issue No. 2880
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 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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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Migrant Workers Stranded Between Worlds; and Dangers Flowing Downstream in Alberta
March 12, 2026
TOP STORIES
Health crises across the Middle East have escalated, including 18 WHO-verified attacks on health care in Iran and 25 such attacks in Lebanon since the initial strikes on Iran in February; meanwhile public health risks are rising as ~800,000 people face internal displacement.
One-third of Americans say that to cover their health care expenses they have resorted to cutting daily spending—such as food or driving—or have had to borrow money to cover health bills, per a new survey from , conducted with ~20,000 adults.
Efforts to curb antimicrobial resistance have led to some recent “bright spots,” , which highlighted the recent approval of two new gonorrhea drugs—zoliflodacin and gepotidacin—as a pivotal development for treating the infection as cases rise and standard treatments become less effective.
Two U.S. vaccine advisory panels are weighing the future of COVID-19 and flu vaccines, with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices abandoning efforts to attack mRNA vaccines amid fears that such a move could harm Republicans in the midterms, ; meanwhile, FDA vaccine advisers to meet publicly for the first time since the Biden administration to recommend strains for fall flu shots, after last year’s meeting was canceled, .
IN FOCUS
Essential and Exposed: Migrant Workers Stranded Between Worlds
Across Asia and the Middle East, millions of migrant workers are critical to the health care, construction, and domestic labor sectors of the economy. And yet these migrants—many from Southeast Asia—are often left stranded and unprotected when conflict and illness strike. Fired after falling ill: In some of Asia’s richest cities like Hong Kong and Singapore, migrant domestic workers who develop critical illnesses are often terminated, cutting them off from health care access and leaving them stuck between worlds, .
Indigenous groups in northern Alberta have become increasingly alarmed by signs of toxic pollution in their environment: Vanishing wildlife, contaminated fish, and surging cancer rates within communities. The problems have flowed from Canada’s massive oil drilling operations, say scientists and advocates.
Global Health NOW helps you by providing critical news about research, emerging health threats, and solutions from around the world at no cost. Can you help us today? A helps sustain our work, ensuring that timely, trusted global health news and analysis remain available—without a paywall. Bonus: A $35 gift not only helps us; it earns you a spiffy, limited-edition Hopkins sesquicentennial backpack! Thank you! —Team GHN ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION This Is a Lot to Unpack
Did you happen to lose a bionic knee on your red-eye from Boston to Los Angeles?
Mental health crisis after 2023 Maui wildfires extends beyond burn zones –
Global Fund Faces $5bn Shortfall as France Slashes Support, EU Delays Pledge –
The Current Threat to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and Why It Matters –
The Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony Is Moving to Europe (after 35 years in the USA) – Issue No. 2879
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2026 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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Across Asia and the Middle East, millions of migrant workers are critical to the health care, construction, and domestic labor sectors of the economy. And yet these migrants—many from Southeast Asia—are often left stranded and unprotected when conflict and illness strike. Fired after falling ill: In some of Asia’s richest cities like Hong Kong and Singapore, migrant domestic workers who develop critical illnesses are often terminated, cutting them off from health care access and leaving them stuck between worlds, .
- In many countries, employers are legally required to provide medical care—but face little recourse for sudden firings. Some workers are forced to return to their home countries without treatment while others remain stuck in legal limbo.
- “Then their situation deteriorates. It’s almost like a death sentence,” said Rachel Li, with the Hong Kong charity HELP for Domestic Workers
- Fatalities have been reported among Filipino, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi workers, and governments of migrants' home nations say they are preparing for emergency evacuations and potential repatriation.
- Migrants have faced total abandonment in previous Middle East conflicts, often stuck without wages or travel documents.
Indigenous groups in northern Alberta have become increasingly alarmed by signs of toxic pollution in their environment: Vanishing wildlife, contaminated fish, and surging cancer rates within communities. The problems have flowed from Canada’s massive oil drilling operations, say scientists and advocates.
- The sites rely on ponds to hold toxic wastewater, known as oil sands tailings—which may leak up to ~11 million liters of pollutants like arsenic, mercury, and other carcinogenic chemicals daily.
Global Health NOW helps you by providing critical news about research, emerging health threats, and solutions from around the world at no cost. Can you help us today? A helps sustain our work, ensuring that timely, trusted global health news and analysis remain available—without a paywall. Bonus: A $35 gift not only helps us; it earns you a spiffy, limited-edition Hopkins sesquicentennial backpack! Thank you! —Team GHN ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION This Is a Lot to Unpack
Did you happen to lose a bionic knee on your red-eye from Boston to Los Angeles?
It might be in Scottsboro, Alabama.
In America’s mecca for orphaned luggage, the retailer has been collecting and reselling abandoned bags and their contents for 55+ years—and just published .
-
“We often believe we've seen it all. But then we uncover something like a matching set of Samurai swords…,” .
To Owens, it’s not just stuff, but cultural study via suitcase. (How many shoulder pads went unclaimed in the ’80s?!)
Our take is more psychological: What’s going through the mind of someone who bothers to pack a full beekeeping suit … or a teak didgeridoo … or a taxidermy deer form … and simply shrugs when it vanishes into the abyss?! If you don’t go looking for your suitcase full of rat poison … was it ever really yours?
Does the fact that an clearly make its recovery more sad ... or less? Do they even want to be reunited?!
All that to say: If you really care about your custom diamond-studded grills, we have two words of advice: Carry. On.
QUICK HITS ‘Tour de force’ mouse study shows a gut microbe can promote memory loss –Mental health crisis after 2023 Maui wildfires extends beyond burn zones –
Global Fund Faces $5bn Shortfall as France Slashes Support, EU Delays Pledge –
The Current Threat to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and Why It Matters –
The Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony Is Moving to Europe (after 35 years in the USA) – Issue No. 2879
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2026 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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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Solving the Global Stagnation in Physical Movement; and Reimagining Transit for Blind Commuters
March 11, 2026
TOP STORIES
The pipeline of new drugs to combat superbugs remains “worryingly thin,” shrinking by 35% in the last five years from 92 to 60 medicines in development, ; the Netherlands-based researchers predict that annual deaths linked to drug-resistant infections globally will double to 8 million by 2050.
China will boost its science spending, with officials announcing that the country’s overall research and development expenditure will increase by ~7% over the next five years, and that this year’s science and technology budget will increase 10% over 2025’s budget—amounting to billions in new investments. The FDA has walked back claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump and other administration officials about the drug leucovorin’s effectiveness for autism; while the agency approved the generic medication for a rare brain folate deficiency this week, officials estimate the condition impacts fewer than one in a million people in the U.S.
Psilocybin shows promise as a smoking cessation tool, , which found that participants who received one dose of the psychedelic had 6X+ greater odds of being abstinent from cigarettes after six months than counterparts who relied on a nicotine substitute. IN FOCUS A Chinese martial arts teacher demonstrates an exercise to students in Freetown at the Confucius Institute University of Sierra Leone. October 15, 2024. Saidu Bah BAH/AFP via Getty Solving the Global Stagnation in Physical Movement Over the last two decades, governments worldwide have adopted policies promoting physical activity. But physical activity prevalence in most countries remains unchanged, .
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2026 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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China will boost its science spending, with officials announcing that the country’s overall research and development expenditure will increase by ~7% over the next five years, and that this year’s science and technology budget will increase 10% over 2025’s budget—amounting to billions in new investments. The FDA has walked back claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump and other administration officials about the drug leucovorin’s effectiveness for autism; while the agency approved the generic medication for a rare brain folate deficiency this week, officials estimate the condition impacts fewer than one in a million people in the U.S.
Psilocybin shows promise as a smoking cessation tool, , which found that participants who received one dose of the psychedelic had 6X+ greater odds of being abstinent from cigarettes after six months than counterparts who relied on a nicotine substitute. IN FOCUS A Chinese martial arts teacher demonstrates an exercise to students in Freetown at the Confucius Institute University of Sierra Leone. October 15, 2024. Saidu Bah BAH/AFP via Getty Solving the Global Stagnation in Physical Movement Over the last two decades, governments worldwide have adopted policies promoting physical activity. But physical activity prevalence in most countries remains unchanged, .
- 1 in 3 adults and 80% of adolescents still fail to meet the WHO physical activity guidelines of ~150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity weekly.
- While 92% of countries have policies that address movement, inactivity rates have remained flat since 2012.
- Most policies approach movement through a metabolic and cardiovascular health lens, rather than demonstrating the wide, holistic scope of benefits—including mental health improvements, improved immunity, and cancer prevention.
- “Physical activity should be embedded in the way we design our cities, helping create communities where people want to live and move more,” said the study’s principal investigator Andrea Ramírez Varela.
- Two-thirds of New York’s subways are not ADA-compliant, and 90% of the city’s 40,000 intersections still lack audible crossing signals.
- Still needed: Real-time audio updates and improved cell and Wi-Fi connectivity, including in tunnels, are critical for maintaining accessibility and safety.
- Namgya C. Khampa: Chargé d’Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India in the U.S.
- Sunil Wadhwani: Cofounder and CEO, Mastech Inc. and IGATE
- Seema Chaturvedi: Founder and Managing Partner, Achieving Women Equity Funds
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Iran Attacks’ Dangerous Fallout; and India Launches Pivotal HPV Vaccine Drive
March 10, 2026
TOP STORIES
Thousands of Black kidney transplant candidates in the U.S. got moved up on the transplant waiting list as part of an effort to help correct for an earlier race-based formula used to test kidney function—which made their kidneys appear healthier than they were, delaying transplant referral; that test was discontinued in 2022.
Taking a daily multivitamin can slow some signs of biological aging; in who took the daily supplement for two years certain biomakers of aging were slowed by around four months, compared with those who did not; the effect was greater in people who were already biologically older than their years.
The U.S. FDA signaled openness yesterday to considering e-cigarettes in flavors deemed appealing to adults, such as mint, coffees, teas, and spices—but would continue to reject fruit- and candy-flavored versions thought to be more appealing to teenagers that continue to flood the market.
Stimulant prescriptions—mostly to treat ADHD—doubled among adults in Ontario since the COVID-19 pandemic began, ; the findings may reflect improved recognition and treatment of adult ADHD, but the authors suggest more research to understand the causes and potential impacts of the rapid rise. IN FOCUS Smoke and flames rise at the site of airstrikes on an oil depot on March 7, in Tehran. Sasan/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Iran Attacks’ Dangerous Fallout
Thousands of people killed or wounded, toxic rain, damaged water infrastructure, and regional instability have followed attacks by U.S. and Israel on Iran. Casualties: At least 1,255 people—including 200 children and 11 health care workers—have been killed, Iran's deputy health minister Ali Jafarian .
U.S. Tomahawk Hit Naval Base Beside Iranian School, Video Shows – Lebanon: Israel Unlawfully Using White Phosphorus – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CERVICAL CANCER India Launches Pivotal HPV Vaccine Drive
India has launched the world’s largest free HPV vaccination campaign, offering shots to ~11.5 million 14-year-old girls each year in an effort to prevent cervical cancer, . Meeting a high burden: India accounts for roughly a quarter of global cervical cancer cases, reporting ~130,000 new cases and ~80,000 deaths each year from the disease.
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Taking a daily multivitamin can slow some signs of biological aging; in who took the daily supplement for two years certain biomakers of aging were slowed by around four months, compared with those who did not; the effect was greater in people who were already biologically older than their years.
The U.S. FDA signaled openness yesterday to considering e-cigarettes in flavors deemed appealing to adults, such as mint, coffees, teas, and spices—but would continue to reject fruit- and candy-flavored versions thought to be more appealing to teenagers that continue to flood the market.
Stimulant prescriptions—mostly to treat ADHD—doubled among adults in Ontario since the COVID-19 pandemic began, ; the findings may reflect improved recognition and treatment of adult ADHD, but the authors suggest more research to understand the causes and potential impacts of the rapid rise. IN FOCUS Smoke and flames rise at the site of airstrikes on an oil depot on March 7, in Tehran. Sasan/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Iran Attacks’ Dangerous Fallout
Thousands of people killed or wounded, toxic rain, damaged water infrastructure, and regional instability have followed attacks by U.S. and Israel on Iran. Casualties: At least 1,255 people—including 200 children and 11 health care workers—have been killed, Iran's deputy health minister Ali Jafarian .
- 12,000+ people have been wounded—the majority of which are burn and crush injuries.
- Black smoke billowed from Tehran facilities, posing “serious acute and long-term health concerns” for Tehran’s 9 million+ people.
- Oil-heavy, toxic rain later fell on the city, .
- The Iranian desalination plant provided water for 30 villages, said an Iranian official.
- Much of the country has already endured a years-long drought—last year’s rainfall was nearly half the normal amount.
U.S. Tomahawk Hit Naval Base Beside Iranian School, Video Shows – Lebanon: Israel Unlawfully Using White Phosphorus – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES CERVICAL CANCER India Launches Pivotal HPV Vaccine Drive
India has launched the world’s largest free HPV vaccination campaign, offering shots to ~11.5 million 14-year-old girls each year in an effort to prevent cervical cancer, . Meeting a high burden: India accounts for roughly a quarter of global cervical cancer cases, reporting ~130,000 new cases and ~80,000 deaths each year from the disease.
- The country has also historically had some of the lowest rates of HPV vaccination coverage in the world.
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: How Political Messaging Rapidly Reshapes Care; and China’s Push for a ‘Childbirth-friendly’ Culture
March 9, 2026
TOP STORIES
At least 13 hospitals and health sites have been hit during the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, per the WHO, and evacuation orders have forced health facility closures in Lebanon; the WHO’s logistics hub for global health emergencies in Dubai has also paused operations, threatening emergency supply requests to 25 countries and Gaza.
A landmark human rights ruling has ordered Peru to pay reparations for the 1997 death of an Indigenous woman who died while undergoing forced, government-ordered sterilization; the Inter-American Court of Human Rights judgment is the first to address the policy, which systematically targeted impoverished and Indigenous women in the 1990s.
UK women experiencing miscarriage often face further trauma and distress due to inadequate follow-up care, , which found that ~65% of 1,000+ women reported insufficient follow-up care and that ~42% of those who sought mental health support did not receive it.
Top U.S. FDA vaccine regulator Vinay Prasad will leave the agency at the end of April; his departure follows controversial decisions including declining to review Moderna’s new mRNA flu vaccine application (a decision that was later reversed) and rejecting approvals for multiple rare disease drugs. IN FOCUS Pills spill out of an open bottle of Tylenol brand pain reliever medication, in New York City, on November 3, 2025. Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty How Political Messaging Rapidly Reshapes Care In the weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Tylenol causes autism, emergency room prescriptions of the medication to pregnant women dropped ~10%, —a reflection of how swiftly political messaging can influence health behaviors, . The statement: At a September 2025 White House briefing, Trump warned pregnant women against taking Tylenol, generically known as acetaminophen and paracetamol, claiming it could cause autism—over physician recommendations and widespread scientific consensus that there is no causal link.
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Top U.S. FDA vaccine regulator Vinay Prasad will leave the agency at the end of April; his departure follows controversial decisions including declining to review Moderna’s new mRNA flu vaccine application (a decision that was later reversed) and rejecting approvals for multiple rare disease drugs. IN FOCUS Pills spill out of an open bottle of Tylenol brand pain reliever medication, in New York City, on November 3, 2025. Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty How Political Messaging Rapidly Reshapes Care In the weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Tylenol causes autism, emergency room prescriptions of the medication to pregnant women dropped ~10%, —a reflection of how swiftly political messaging can influence health behaviors, . The statement: At a September 2025 White House briefing, Trump warned pregnant women against taking Tylenol, generically known as acetaminophen and paracetamol, claiming it could cause autism—over physician recommendations and widespread scientific consensus that there is no causal link.
- He also touted leucovorin as a promising autism treatment for children, despite no new supporting evidence.
- Prescriptions returned to earlier levels by December, but scientists say the research does not account for cold and flu season, or reflect the rates of acetaminophen taken at home, .
- Priorities include increasing medical care services, plus “refining the social security system.”
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Addiction-Fighting Promise of GLP-1s; and Punished for Pregnancy Loss in El Salvador
Plus: Just a Little R & R.I.P.
March 5, 2026
TOP STORIES
Chile has eliminated leprosy—the first country in the Americas to do so and the second globally; WHO and PAHO verified the achievement after the country reached 30+ years without a locally acquired case, the result of .
Cuts to RNA vaccine research threaten to stall three decades of high-stakes scientific research into infectious diseases, cancer, and vaccine development, , which found that RNA technology had the potential to “impact virtually every aspect of human health.”
Breast cancer cases worldwide among women are expected to reach ~3.56 million by 2050, up from ~2.30 million cases in 2023, finds a new statistical analysis, which projected that the mounting burden will disproportionately affect “the world's most vulnerable populations” and “will further exacerbate health inequalities across the globe without decisive immediate action.”
Global sea levels could be far higher than previously understood, as inaccurate modeling has led to the levels being underestimated, that could “significantly” affect current and future assessments of climate change on coastal communities.
IN FOCUS
Basak Gurbuz Derman/Getty Images
The Addiction-Fighting Promise of GLP-1s
A large new study adds to building evidence that GLP-1s could be a powerful tool in curbing and even preventing addiction to a wide range of substances, offering new insights and new hope in the field of addiction treatment, .
Details: The study, , followed 600,000+ U.S. veterans with type 2 diabetes, and compared the impact of GLP-1 drugs to another diabetes treatment.
Strong risk reductions: Those with existing substance-use disorders who took the GLP-1s saw the following outcomes, :
Mental health care is delivered in many ways and by many people across diverse settings around the world. The 2026 Virtual Speaker Series from the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Mental Health convenes practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and community leaders to explore a central question: Who provides mental health support, and in what contexts? Lara Gregorio, LCSW, of 4C Mental Health kicks off the monthly virtual series on March 11, 2026. Subsequent sessions will feature speakers from around the world, including Kenya’s Kenyatta National Hospital, Utrecht University, the University of Zimbabwe, King’s College London, and more.
Michael Bourgon brought us so much joy with And how did we thank him? By misspelling his home city. Canada's capital, no less. It’s Ottawa, of course—not Ottowa. We regret the error. Please don’t send the turkeys after us.—The Editors ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Just a Little R & R.I.P.
It can be hard to get certain workaholic types to chill out. Spas and meditation retreats just don’t always cut it for the “I’ll-rest-when-I’m-dead” set. But a coffin just might do the trick! A Japanese wellness trend promotes reclining in a coffin as a way to put things in perspective, (Such perspective can be gained via closed-or open-lidded casket options.) In this case, the box is not a final resting place: A typical 30-minute coffin-lying stint (which can cost ~2,000 yen, or $12–$13 USD) offers just enough time “to gaze at life through being conscious of death,” explains designer and custom coffin-maker Mikako Fuse. Immortalize your memento mori: “Cute coffins” are bedecked with Instagrammable designs including ginghams and florals, . It's all part of making existential dread, the inevitability of mortality, and the staring into oblivion ...“bright and not so scary." QUICK HITS Scientists create autism panel, citing RFK Jr.’s politicization of research – Emergency supplies for nuclear or chemical attack distributed across Middle East, says WHO – Sudan Declared 'Cholera Free' Amid Rise in Dengue, Malaria, Measles – Study warns of underrecognized Lassa fever threat with global implications – Navigating conversations with children about war, conflict and other traumatic events – Issue No. 2875
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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- 31% fewer ER visits
- 26% fewer hospitalizations
- 39% fewer overdoses
- 25% fewer suicide attempts
- 50% fewer drug-related deaths
- “[Existing] treatments have been targeting substances one at a time, when the right target was craving, the engine that drives addiction across substances,” .
- Or in the words of one Rhode Island mother who was able to reach sobriety from alcohol with the help of a separate pilot program that used GLP-1s: “I could walk past those bottles and not care,” .
- Still, steady advocacy between 2009–2023 led to the release of 81 women imprisoned for abortion-related charges.
- Since then, ~29 women have faced prosecution following miscarriages or obstetric emergencies—“a new spiral of criminalization against women,” said advocate Morena Herrera.
Mental health care is delivered in many ways and by many people across diverse settings around the world. The 2026 Virtual Speaker Series from the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Mental Health convenes practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and community leaders to explore a central question: Who provides mental health support, and in what contexts? Lara Gregorio, LCSW, of 4C Mental Health kicks off the monthly virtual series on March 11, 2026. Subsequent sessions will feature speakers from around the world, including Kenya’s Kenyatta National Hospital, Utrecht University, the University of Zimbabwe, King’s College London, and more.
- Held via Zoom the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 9 a.m. ET
Michael Bourgon brought us so much joy with And how did we thank him? By misspelling his home city. Canada's capital, no less. It’s Ottawa, of course—not Ottowa. We regret the error. Please don’t send the turkeys after us.—The Editors ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Just a Little R & R.I.P.
It can be hard to get certain workaholic types to chill out. Spas and meditation retreats just don’t always cut it for the “I’ll-rest-when-I’m-dead” set. But a coffin just might do the trick! A Japanese wellness trend promotes reclining in a coffin as a way to put things in perspective, (Such perspective can be gained via closed-or open-lidded casket options.) In this case, the box is not a final resting place: A typical 30-minute coffin-lying stint (which can cost ~2,000 yen, or $12–$13 USD) offers just enough time “to gaze at life through being conscious of death,” explains designer and custom coffin-maker Mikako Fuse. Immortalize your memento mori: “Cute coffins” are bedecked with Instagrammable designs including ginghams and florals, . It's all part of making existential dread, the inevitability of mortality, and the staring into oblivion ...“bright and not so scary." QUICK HITS Scientists create autism panel, citing RFK Jr.’s politicization of research – Emergency supplies for nuclear or chemical attack distributed across Middle East, says WHO – Sudan Declared 'Cholera Free' Amid Rise in Dengue, Malaria, Measles – Study warns of underrecognized Lassa fever threat with global implications – Navigating conversations with children about war, conflict and other traumatic events – Issue No. 2875
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 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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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Stemming the Tide of Stigma; and An Aid Vacuum Leading to Violence
March 4, 2026
TOP STORIES
The UN issued an urgent call for the protection of civilians amid the Israeli and U.S. airstrikes against Iran, which are displacing thousands and disrupting humanitarian services as violence and instability spreads through the Middle East; UN officials also called for a “prompt, impartial and thorough investigation” into the Saturday airstrike that hit a Minab school, killing dozens—many children—and injuring dozens more.
26 Médecins Sans Frontières staffers remain unaccounted for a month after two of the organization’s medical facilities in South Sudan’s Jonglei State were attacked, that said the staff fled with much of the local population into rural regions with limited communication connectivity amid ongoing violence.
A breakthrough shipment of 11 routine vaccines to South Sudan’s South Kordofan state will “restore lifesaving immunization services” to communities cut off from vaccine deliveries since July 2023 because of conflict and siege; the two truckloads of supplies include shots for TB, polio, and measles, and the pentavalent vaccine.
U.S. maternal deaths dropped in 2024, that found that 649 mothers died in 2024 during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth, compared to 669 in 2023—a continued decline from a COVID-19 era spike; the report also found the Black maternal death rate was 3X+ that of the white and Hispanic rates. IN FOCUS Stemming the Tide of Stigma The health impacts of stigma on people with mental illness can be severe—including delays in seeking treatment, lower-quality care, and reduced rates of recovery. A push for policy: Such impacts are why stigma reduction must play a critical role not just in grassroots advocacy but in national health policy, say Danish health authorities, who adopted a sustained anti-stigma initiative in 2021, .
The abrupt closure of U.S.-funded youth programs in Colombia’s Chocó province last year has left thousands of at-risk young people without a stable source of community, leading gangs to fill that role. Background: Violence prevention programs like Youth Resilience and Black Boys Chocó once provided mentoring, leadership training, and social activities like dance to thousands of young people, helping to keep them out of gangs.
Delays in awards and funding calls worry NIH-funded researchers – Leana S. Wen: The CDC is in chaos. But here’s where it’s devastating. – How Kennedy Is Trying to Revamp Medical School – Investigation finds ‘secretly’ added chemicals of unknown safety in US food supply – Syngenta says it will stop making pesticide linked to Parkinson’s disease – Climate shocks, not just warming, threaten malaria control efforts in Africa – Why Is America Fixated on Protein? – Issue No. 2874
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2026 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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A breakthrough shipment of 11 routine vaccines to South Sudan’s South Kordofan state will “restore lifesaving immunization services” to communities cut off from vaccine deliveries since July 2023 because of conflict and siege; the two truckloads of supplies include shots for TB, polio, and measles, and the pentavalent vaccine.
U.S. maternal deaths dropped in 2024, that found that 649 mothers died in 2024 during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth, compared to 669 in 2023—a continued decline from a COVID-19 era spike; the report also found the Black maternal death rate was 3X+ that of the white and Hispanic rates. IN FOCUS Stemming the Tide of Stigma The health impacts of stigma on people with mental illness can be severe—including delays in seeking treatment, lower-quality care, and reduced rates of recovery. A push for policy: Such impacts are why stigma reduction must play a critical role not just in grassroots advocacy but in national health policy, say Danish health authorities, who adopted a sustained anti-stigma initiative in 2021, .
- “Stigma has such an effect that people do not seek psychiatric services,” said Niels Sandø, the former director of prevention and inequity at the Danish Health Authority, who explained that to strengthen overall treatment, “we have to do something about the stigmatization.”
- Such policy-based priorities resonate with a key message of : “We cannot change the status quo on mental health without tackling stigma and discrimination.”
The abrupt closure of U.S.-funded youth programs in Colombia’s Chocó province last year has left thousands of at-risk young people without a stable source of community, leading gangs to fill that role. Background: Violence prevention programs like Youth Resilience and Black Boys Chocó once provided mentoring, leadership training, and social activities like dance to thousands of young people, helping to keep them out of gangs.
- But in the months since USAID funds ceased, those initiatives have struggled to stay afloat.
Delays in awards and funding calls worry NIH-funded researchers – Leana S. Wen: The CDC is in chaos. But here’s where it’s devastating. – How Kennedy Is Trying to Revamp Medical School – Investigation finds ‘secretly’ added chemicals of unknown safety in US food supply – Syngenta says it will stop making pesticide linked to Parkinson’s disease – Climate shocks, not just warming, threaten malaria control efforts in Africa – Why Is America Fixated on Protein? – Issue No. 2874
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: India’s ‘Blood Deserts’; and A ‘Game Changer’ for Sleeping Sickness
March 3, 2026
TOP STORIES
U.S. health officials asked to postpone a PAHO-convened panel to review the U.S. measles elimination status, originally set for April, until November—after the midterm elections; the Health and Human Services Department said it needs more time to analyze its measles data.
The malaria vaccine is reducing hospitalizations and deaths of children in northwestern Nigeria, state health workers say, with hospital cases declining up to 50% a year after the malaria vaccine was added to the routine immunization schedule in Nigeria’s Kebbi State; 200,000+ children have received at least a first dose.
A UN drug alert blocked a shipment of chemicals that could have produced ~1.4 to 3.3 tons of fentanyl—up to 1.6 billion potentially lethal doses; the UN International Narcotics Control Board released news of the March 2025 seizure as an “international success story” to demonstrate the importance of the early warning system.
Consumer Reports found heavy metals in more than half of infant formulas it tested in the U.S.—despite an FDA pledge to tighten oversight; 26 of 49 formulas contained inorganic arsenic at or above CR's level of concern; more than a quarter of the products tested revealed PFAS, “forever chemicals,” and three exceeded CR’s lead level of concern, though CR stressed none of the levels were high enough to cause immediate harm. IN FOCUS Employees of a private company donating blood in a LG Mega Blood Donation Camp. March 27, 2025, Noida, India. Sunil Ghosh/Hindustan Times via Getty India’s ‘Blood Deserts’ Families of patients needing donated blood in India routinely post desperate pleas on social media because the blood system in states like Jharkhand lacks sufficient supplies, .
Unreliable blood testing: Even when donor blood is obtained, procedures for testing the blood for HIV and other pathogens aren’t always followed.
A new treatment for sleeping sickness is being heralded as “truly spectacular”—and a potential key toward eliminating the parasitic disease by 2030, . The disease is spread through bites of tsetse flies in sub-Saharan Africa and dramatically impacts the nervous system. It is almost always fatal if left untreated. The new drug acoziborole—a one-dose, three-pill treatment for sleeping sickness made by Sanofi—received endorsement from the European Medicines Agency last week, paving the way for approval across Africa, . What makes it different:
US Speeds up Signing of Bilateral Health Agreements, DRC Lawyers Challenge Minerals Deal – Acting CDC director Bhattacharya urges measles vaccines – Egyptian Women Are Still Being Asked to Prove Their Virginity – States Move to Limit Access to H.I.V. Treatment – Malawi bans dual jobs for health workers – Made-in-America Guns Are Fueling Death and Destruction in Mexico – Will the next World Food Programme chief answer to Trump? – Should tick safety be as popular as 'slip, slop, slap'? – Issue No. 2873
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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The malaria vaccine is reducing hospitalizations and deaths of children in northwestern Nigeria, state health workers say, with hospital cases declining up to 50% a year after the malaria vaccine was added to the routine immunization schedule in Nigeria’s Kebbi State; 200,000+ children have received at least a first dose.
A UN drug alert blocked a shipment of chemicals that could have produced ~1.4 to 3.3 tons of fentanyl—up to 1.6 billion potentially lethal doses; the UN International Narcotics Control Board released news of the March 2025 seizure as an “international success story” to demonstrate the importance of the early warning system.
Consumer Reports found heavy metals in more than half of infant formulas it tested in the U.S.—despite an FDA pledge to tighten oversight; 26 of 49 formulas contained inorganic arsenic at or above CR's level of concern; more than a quarter of the products tested revealed PFAS, “forever chemicals,” and three exceeded CR’s lead level of concern, though CR stressed none of the levels were high enough to cause immediate harm. IN FOCUS Employees of a private company donating blood in a LG Mega Blood Donation Camp. March 27, 2025, Noida, India. Sunil Ghosh/Hindustan Times via Getty India’s ‘Blood Deserts’ Families of patients needing donated blood in India routinely post desperate pleas on social media because the blood system in states like Jharkhand lacks sufficient supplies, .
- Large parts of India are considered “blood deserts” where local timely, affordable demand goes unmet in at least 75% of transfusion cases.
- Patients with the inherited blood disorder thalassemia require frequent blood transfusions, so unreliable blood supplies can make tracking down the correct blood group an ordeal for each procedure.
Unreliable blood testing: Even when donor blood is obtained, procedures for testing the blood for HIV and other pathogens aren’t always followed.
- Three members of a Jharkhand family were infected with HIV in January after the mother received a blood transfusion during labor, .
A new treatment for sleeping sickness is being heralded as “truly spectacular”—and a potential key toward eliminating the parasitic disease by 2030, . The disease is spread through bites of tsetse flies in sub-Saharan Africa and dramatically impacts the nervous system. It is almost always fatal if left untreated. The new drug acoziborole—a one-dose, three-pill treatment for sleeping sickness made by Sanofi—received endorsement from the European Medicines Agency last week, paving the way for approval across Africa, . What makes it different:
- The pill treats both mild and severe cases, eliminating invasive diagnostics that can include spinal taps.
- It is one dose and easily transportable to remote regions.
- And it is effective: that 95%+ of treated patients were cured after 18 months.
US Speeds up Signing of Bilateral Health Agreements, DRC Lawyers Challenge Minerals Deal – Acting CDC director Bhattacharya urges measles vaccines – Egyptian Women Are Still Being Asked to Prove Their Virginity – States Move to Limit Access to H.I.V. Treatment – Malawi bans dual jobs for health workers – Made-in-America Guns Are Fueling Death and Destruction in Mexico – Will the next World Food Programme chief answer to Trump? – Should tick safety be as popular as 'slip, slop, slap'? – Issue No. 2873
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Warnings of Human Toll as Middle East Conflict Widens; and High-Impact, Home-Based Prevention
March 2, 2026
TOP STORIES
Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces during and after the takeover of El Fasher last October, per a published last week drawing on interviews with 22 survivors and witnesses.
Both the DRC and Guinea have forged health cooperation agreements with the U.S.—the latest of several bilateral deals the U.S. has made in Africa after dismantling its former USAID health funding last year; Guinea’s agreement totals ~$143 million in funding over the next five years, , and the DRC’s agreement totals $1.2 billion through 2030, . Spain reported a possible infection with the swine flu virus—the A(H1N1)v variant—that may have been transmitted between humans, but a Catalonia region health official said the risk of transmission to other people was very low; the WHO is conducting additional tests to confirm the diagnosis and rule out contamination or external interference. Meningococcal B vaccine is not effective at preventing gonorrhea infection in high-risk groups, presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Infections last week ; the findings show that gonorrhea incidence among gay and bisexual men with a history of gonorrhea infection was essentially the same whether they received the vaccine or a placebo. IN FOCUS Severe damage is seen at Gandi Hospital, in northern Tehran, following U.S. and Israeli joint strikes on the Iranian capital, on March 2. Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Warnings of Human Toll as Middle East Conflict Widens
As conflict spreads rapidly across the Middle East following joint U.S.-Israel strikes across Iran this weekend, global leaders are warning against escalating humanitarian impacts throughout the region—including attacks on health care and other civilian institutions: “Health facilities are protected under international humanitarian law,” in response to “extremely worrying” reports that Tehran's Gandhi Hospital was struck during bombardment, —details that WHO leaders were still working to verify today.
1,100+
—ĔĔĔ
US measles cases so far in 2026, per the CDC—with a placing the number of confirmed cases at 1,153 since January 1.—
Related: Measles outbreaks are costing the U.S. millions of dollars. The true losses can't be counted. – LETTER TO THE EDITOR Correcting the Story on Australia’s Cigarette Taxes Regarding the February 17 GHN summary on a highlighting the recent increase in illicit cigarettes in Australia, the newspaper missed crucial parts of this important story. As noted, when cigarette taxes and prices increase dramatically, some smokers may shift to illicit cigarettes. However, experiences in other countries including the U.K. and Montenegro demonstrate that straightforward measures to secure the supply chain mitigate the illegal market. In the U.K., prices are comparable to Australia’s, but illicit trade is a manageable ~10%. They did this through strong policies including registering vendors who are adequately punished for tax violations; placing their customs officials in source countries through mutual agreements; and developing a tracking and tracing system for all tobacco products that permits tax authorities to know precisely where products are. Australia, however, has done little along these lines, which is their real challenge. Contrary to this reporting, higher taxes are not the central problem but rather a proven public health success. Jeffrey Drope, PhD QUICK HITS White House stalls release of approved US science budgets – More Parents Say 'No' to Vitamin K Shots for Newborns – Why new doctors aren't specializing in infectious diseases –
Families Defend Disability Services Amid Medicaid Cuts –
Ivermectin is making a post-pandemic comeback, among cancer patients – Why We Vaccinate Our Dogs and Cats – Issue No. 2872
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Both the DRC and Guinea have forged health cooperation agreements with the U.S.—the latest of several bilateral deals the U.S. has made in Africa after dismantling its former USAID health funding last year; Guinea’s agreement totals ~$143 million in funding over the next five years, , and the DRC’s agreement totals $1.2 billion through 2030, . Spain reported a possible infection with the swine flu virus—the A(H1N1)v variant—that may have been transmitted between humans, but a Catalonia region health official said the risk of transmission to other people was very low; the WHO is conducting additional tests to confirm the diagnosis and rule out contamination or external interference. Meningococcal B vaccine is not effective at preventing gonorrhea infection in high-risk groups, presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Infections last week ; the findings show that gonorrhea incidence among gay and bisexual men with a history of gonorrhea infection was essentially the same whether they received the vaccine or a placebo. IN FOCUS Severe damage is seen at Gandi Hospital, in northern Tehran, following U.S. and Israeli joint strikes on the Iranian capital, on March 2. Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Warnings of Human Toll as Middle East Conflict Widens
As conflict spreads rapidly across the Middle East following joint U.S.-Israel strikes across Iran this weekend, global leaders are warning against escalating humanitarian impacts throughout the region—including attacks on health care and other civilian institutions: “Health facilities are protected under international humanitarian law,” in response to “extremely worrying” reports that Tehran's Gandhi Hospital was struck during bombardment, —details that WHO leaders were still working to verify today.
- In Israel, health care facilities have moved operations underground and to other protected spaces, .
- such a strike as “a grave violation of humanitarian law.”
- “As always, in any armed conflict, it is civilians who end up paying the ultimate price,” said Türk.
- ~500 community health workers delivered tests and PrEP/PEP drugs directly to homes and coordinated follow-up care via smartphone apps.
- Overall, the intervention led to a 4X increase in use of anti-HIV drugs in people who were not infected with the virus.
1,100+
—ĔĔĔ
US measles cases so far in 2026, per the CDC—with a placing the number of confirmed cases at 1,153 since January 1.—
Related: Measles outbreaks are costing the U.S. millions of dollars. The true losses can't be counted. – LETTER TO THE EDITOR Correcting the Story on Australia’s Cigarette Taxes Regarding the February 17 GHN summary on a highlighting the recent increase in illicit cigarettes in Australia, the newspaper missed crucial parts of this important story. As noted, when cigarette taxes and prices increase dramatically, some smokers may shift to illicit cigarettes. However, experiences in other countries including the U.K. and Montenegro demonstrate that straightforward measures to secure the supply chain mitigate the illegal market. In the U.K., prices are comparable to Australia’s, but illicit trade is a manageable ~10%. They did this through strong policies including registering vendors who are adequately punished for tax violations; placing their customs officials in source countries through mutual agreements; and developing a tracking and tracing system for all tobacco products that permits tax authorities to know precisely where products are. Australia, however, has done little along these lines, which is their real challenge. Contrary to this reporting, higher taxes are not the central problem but rather a proven public health success. Jeffrey Drope, PhD QUICK HITS White House stalls release of approved US science budgets – More Parents Say 'No' to Vitamin K Shots for Newborns – Why new doctors aren't specializing in infectious diseases –
Families Defend Disability Services Amid Medicaid Cuts –
Ivermectin is making a post-pandemic comeback, among cancer patients – Why We Vaccinate Our Dogs and Cats – Issue No. 2872
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Somalia’s Severe Food Insecurity; How Dentists are Driving Antibiotic Overuse
Plus: Let’s Talk Turkey … Attacks
February 26, 2026
TOP STORIES
~$900 million in U.S. funds designated for two public health emergency preparedness programs lack coordinated oversight, , with the two HHS programs—the Public Health Emergency Preparedness program and the Hospital Preparedness Program—both failing to adequately track state and local emergency readiness.
Assisted dying legislation has passed in Jersey, making it the second British Isles region to pass such a statute following the Isle of Man; however, advocates warn that the law’s enactment could be slowed due to delays in the final approval process known as royal assent.
A “cocktail” of plastic particles and chemicals has been identified in microwavable meals, by Greenpeace International that analyzed 24 recent scientific studies on such products.
Hundreds of international scientists could face increasing restrictions from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, with 3-year work limits, reduced access to labs, and some scientists from certain countries potentially losing all access as a part of proposed new rules.
IN FOCUS
A man and children eat together at a camp as people receive food aid packages in Mogadishu, Somalia, February 25. Halil Ibrahim Sincar/Anadolu via Getty Images
Somalia’s Severe Food Insecurity
The number of Somalis facing acute food insecurity has nearly doubled since last year, impacting a “staggering” 6.5 million people, as deepening drought, ongoing conflict, exorbitant food prices, and reduced aid all lead to deteriorating conditions, .
U.S. dentists are prescribing antibiotics at increasing rates, contributing to rising antimicrobial resistance, while failing to install systems to prevent overuse, By the numbers: Dentists issued 27 million+ antibiotic prescriptions in 2025—a 6% increase since 2020.
Curbing overuse of dental antibiotics proves daunting – How to avoid inappropriate dental antibiotics – OPPORTUNITY Nominations Open for Fries Awards for Health
Do you know someone who has achieved a major accomplishment in health? Nominate them for the CDC Foundation’s Fries Awards for Health.
When Ottowa lab tech Michael Bourgon encountered two brazen birds on his walk home from work last week, he tried to be cordial.
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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The number of Somalis facing acute food insecurity has nearly doubled since last year, impacting a “staggering” 6.5 million people, as deepening drought, ongoing conflict, exorbitant food prices, and reduced aid all lead to deteriorating conditions, .
- And drought conditions are expected to remain “dire” through the spring, triggering further hunger across southern, central, and parts of northern Somalia—taking a particular toll on farming families, pastoralists, and people who are displaced, .
- Since aid cuts last year, there has been a “significant reduction in the availability of nutrition treatment services,” including preventive treatment, supplemental feeding and therapeutic clinics, and early detection and referral services for children.
U.S. dentists are prescribing antibiotics at increasing rates, contributing to rising antimicrobial resistance, while failing to install systems to prevent overuse, By the numbers: Dentists issued 27 million+ antibiotic prescriptions in 2025—a 6% increase since 2020.
- 80% of antibiotic prescriptions in dentistry are unnecessary, .
- Clindamycin ranks as the second-most prescribed dental antibiotic despite experts’ calls to minimize it.
Curbing overuse of dental antibiotics proves daunting – How to avoid inappropriate dental antibiotics – OPPORTUNITY Nominations Open for Fries Awards for Health
Do you know someone who has achieved a major accomplishment in health? Nominate them for the CDC Foundation’s Fries Awards for Health.
- The Fries Prize for Improving Health, a $100,000 prize, is awarded to an individual who has made major accomplishments in health improvement, with emphasis on recent contributions to health, and with the general criteria of the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
- The Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award, a $50,000 prize, recognizes a practitioner or scholar who has made a substantial contribution to advancing the field of health education or health promotion through research, program development, or program delivery.
When Ottowa lab tech Michael Bourgon encountered two brazen birds on his walk home from work last week, he tried to be cordial.
“Hey, what’s up turkeys?” he greeted.
But they had come for blood, aggressively following Bourgon and giving him “the business,” . As they pecked around his ankles, he quickly realized: “Whatever this is, I don’t want it.”
His next thought: “Please don’t let me be the guy who goes viral for kicking a turkey in the face.” Instead, he gently kicked snow around the birds, which only provoked them further.
Then, a stunning rescue.
“Hey, hop in!” a perfect stranger called from a white SUV, despite Bourgon looking—self-described—“like the Unabomber.”
We know all this thanks to another hero: Quick-thinking passerby Jody Paul knew “a naturally funny situation” when he saw one, and captured the
But it didn’t stop there. Bourgon still had to face work—and the turkeys—the next day, and the next.
“By round three, I was ready”—with some turkey face-off strategies for us all: Stand your ground, and don’t be “chaseable.”
“Doormats get walked on,” he advised. “Don’t put up with the turkey nonsense.”
QUICK HITS Group unveils 10-year blueprint to reduce blindness – Newly released 2025 scorecard unveils progress and setbacks on health and gender equality across Southern Africa – More pregnant Americans are skipping prenatal care, CDC finds – Scientists discover a key to staying mentally sharp in old age – When the next global health crisis strikes, will we be ready in 100 days? – Issue No. 2871Global 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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Scrutiny of Shifting U.S. Aid Strategy; and Antiquated, Isolated TB Care
February 25, 2026
TOP STORIES
Guinea-Bissau has terminated a controversial U.S.-funded hepatitis B vaccine trial that was suspended earlier over ethics concerns, as it would deny half of all enrolled babies a birth-dose inoculation in the country, which carries one of the world’s heaviest burdens of hepatitis B infections.
15 U.S. states are suing to reverse changes to federal recommendations that reduced from 17 to 11 the number of diseases children are routinely vaccinated against, contending that the changes were not based on scientific evidence; HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., CDC acting director Jay Bhattacharya, and their respective agencies are named as defendants.
Cervical cancer rates in young U.S. women vary “substantially” by state, based on HPV vaccine uptake, as states with low vaccination rates see minimal progress, ; overall, rates have dropped 27% among U.S. women ages 20–31 since the introduction of the vaccine.
~6 in 10 U.S. women will have some type of cardiovascular disease in the next 25 years, , which also forecasts “surges” in health factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.
IN FOCUS
Health workers assist a patient inside a tent at Kuwadzana polyclinic. Harare, Zimbabwe, November 18, 2023. Shaun Jusa/Xinhua via Getty
Scrutiny of Shifting U.S. Aid Strategy
As the new “America First” health aid strategy moves toward more transactional agreements, Zimbabwe has rejected a proposed $367 million health package from the U.S.—citing a “lopsided” deal that “undermines the sovereignty and independence of Zimbabwe as a country” and that compromises established global health frameworks, .
Objections: Zimbabwe’s leaders halted the talks over U.S. requirements for Zimbabwe to share sensitive biological and population data without guaranteed access to resulting medical innovations, . Zimbabwe leadership was also concerned about efforts to fold in mineral deals.
How debt relief for developing countries could help reverse the devastating consequences of UK aid cuts –
Little Clarity on Legality of Trump’s Foreign Aid Shutdown One Year After – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TUBERCULOSIS Antiquated, Isolated Care
In northern Cameroon, patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis are often confined in hospital wards for months, unable to see their families or interact with their community until they test negative. “We’re just here,” said TB patient Asta Djouma, who has been in isolation since October. Outdated model: This sanitarium model was abandoned in many countries decades ago. The WHO has recommended home-based care for most TB patients for the last 15 years, citing research that shows people on home treatment do better mentally and medically.
Rapid sequencing approach could transform tuberculosis surveillance and care –
Tuberculosis funding cuts could cost households up to $80 billion – OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Trump cites health care issues in Greenland saying he’s sending a hospital ship. His claims are off –
As measles cases climb, these 9 diseases threaten comebacks –
Hundreds of American nurses choose Canada over the U.S. under Trump –
Bhattacharya’s growing power in Trump's HHS worries health experts –
There’s a Measles Alert in My Area. Now What? –
Major Chinese funder to stop paying fees for 30 pricey open-access journals –
New Type Of Vaccine Could One Day Give Universal Protection Against Colds, Flu, COVID – Issue No. 2870
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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- In response, the U.S. embassy in Harare said health assistance for HIV/AIDS, malaria, and maternal and child health would be wound down.
- Now, China is moving away from such bilateral deals, investing instead in self-described “small and beautiful” health projects while strengthening WHO ties and global health partnerships.
How debt relief for developing countries could help reverse the devastating consequences of UK aid cuts –
Little Clarity on Legality of Trump’s Foreign Aid Shutdown One Year After – GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TUBERCULOSIS Antiquated, Isolated Care
In northern Cameroon, patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis are often confined in hospital wards for months, unable to see their families or interact with their community until they test negative. “We’re just here,” said TB patient Asta Djouma, who has been in isolation since October. Outdated model: This sanitarium model was abandoned in many countries decades ago. The WHO has recommended home-based care for most TB patients for the last 15 years, citing research that shows people on home treatment do better mentally and medically.
- But policy change in Cameroon and other low-income countries has lagged as health systems lack funds to monitor at-home care.
Rapid sequencing approach could transform tuberculosis surveillance and care –
Tuberculosis funding cuts could cost households up to $80 billion – OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Trump cites health care issues in Greenland saying he’s sending a hospital ship. His claims are off –
As measles cases climb, these 9 diseases threaten comebacks –
Hundreds of American nurses choose Canada over the U.S. under Trump –
Bhattacharya’s growing power in Trump's HHS worries health experts –
There’s a Measles Alert in My Area. Now What? –
Major Chinese funder to stop paying fees for 30 pricey open-access journals –
New Type Of Vaccine Could One Day Give Universal Protection Against Colds, Flu, COVID – Issue No. 2870
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Power of Polio Influencers in Malawi; and Fiji’s ‘Tsunami’ of HIV Infections
February 24, 2026
TOP STORIES
Renewed fighting in South Sudan has displaced nearly 280,000, damaged health facilities and hindered humanitarian aid operations, and fueled the spread of cholera; UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher warns it amounts to a “perfect storm” of conflict, climate shocks, and deprivation.
The U.S. FDA will drop the two-study requirement for new drug approvals—eliminating the longtime standard of requiring two rigorous studies—in an attempt to speed up the availability of certain medical products.
Hepatitis B vax rates in the U.S. have slipped in the last couple of years to 73.2% in August 2025, researchers from Harvard and the UC San Diego School of Medicine found—reversing an era of growth with a high of 83.5% in 2023.
Cannabis use among adolescents increases the risks of being diagnosed with bipolar and psychotic disorders, as well as anxiety and depression, years later, that analyzed data on 460,000 teenagers in Northern California for a 25–year period. IN FOCUS Health worker Mable Njunga marks a door in Lilongwe, Malawi, indicating the home's children under 5 have had the polio vaccine. March 20, 2022. Amos Gumulira / AFP via Getty The Power of Polio Influencers in Malawi The detection of poliovirus in sewage treatment plants in Blantyre, Malawi, triggered a massive vaccination drive in the past week. But health authorities are fighting more than the virus.
Drugs, denial and stigma: the babies and children swept up in Fiji's HIV nightmare –
Zimbabwe rolls out long-acting HIV drug, among first countries to do so – DATA POINT
2881
—ĔĔ
The number of attacks on health care in Ukraine—including health workers, facilities, and ambulances—documented by the WHO since the full-scale war began on February 24, 2022. — CORRECTION In a Top Story last week that , we said “Five years into Ukraine’s war” … but we should have said, “As the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year.” Thanks for flagging that error, Angeline Sawaya! SPONSORED Cells to Society: The Building Blocks of a Public Health Career
Considering a career in public health? The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is now offering online, noncredit courses for adult learners who are thinking about a career change, are seeking ways to be more helpful in their local communities, or are simply curious about how public health works. Explore available courses and register today to get a preview into a formal public health education. QUICK HITS Destitute survivors of south-east Asia’s cyberscam farms an ‘international crisis’ – South Africa regulator backed by the food industry blocks ad on sugar’s health risks – NIH research grant funding rates plummeted in 2025 – Study: Antibiotic resistance threatens 30-year decline in deaths from lower respiratory infections – Vaccine skeptic stepping down from No. 2 post at CDC – Biohackers and wellness influencers are pushing nicotine as part of their ‘stacks’ – Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner!
How a Syrian refugee built a global mental health lifeline for displaced communities – Issue No. 2869
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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The U.S. FDA will drop the two-study requirement for new drug approvals—eliminating the longtime standard of requiring two rigorous studies—in an attempt to speed up the availability of certain medical products.
Hepatitis B vax rates in the U.S. have slipped in the last couple of years to 73.2% in August 2025, researchers from Harvard and the UC San Diego School of Medicine found—reversing an era of growth with a high of 83.5% in 2023.
Cannabis use among adolescents increases the risks of being diagnosed with bipolar and psychotic disorders, as well as anxiety and depression, years later, that analyzed data on 460,000 teenagers in Northern California for a 25–year period. IN FOCUS Health worker Mable Njunga marks a door in Lilongwe, Malawi, indicating the home's children under 5 have had the polio vaccine. March 20, 2022. Amos Gumulira / AFP via Getty The Power of Polio Influencers in Malawi The detection of poliovirus in sewage treatment plants in Blantyre, Malawi, triggered a massive vaccination drive in the past week. But health authorities are fighting more than the virus.
- 1.3 million children have been vaccinated against the disease in four days with supplies airlifted by the WHO, .
- At a Blantyre school, one in 10 students remained at their desks during a vaccination drive because their parents didn’t give consent.
- One parent told The Guardian: “I feel my child has had enough vaccines in her life.”
- “You can give [a mother] any argument. It doesn’t matter. And then you have a local influencer walk in, and he says ‘vaccinate’, and she just hands you the child.”
- And without intervention, Fiji health officials warn that number could swell to ~25,000 cases by 2029.
- But at-risk populations are expanding beyond people who use drugs: 33 babies were born with HIV in early 2025.
Drugs, denial and stigma: the babies and children swept up in Fiji's HIV nightmare –
Zimbabwe rolls out long-acting HIV drug, among first countries to do so – DATA POINT
2881
—ĔĔ
The number of attacks on health care in Ukraine—including health workers, facilities, and ambulances—documented by the WHO since the full-scale war began on February 24, 2022. — CORRECTION In a Top Story last week that , we said “Five years into Ukraine’s war” … but we should have said, “As the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year.” Thanks for flagging that error, Angeline Sawaya! SPONSORED Cells to Society: The Building Blocks of a Public Health Career
Considering a career in public health? The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is now offering online, noncredit courses for adult learners who are thinking about a career change, are seeking ways to be more helpful in their local communities, or are simply curious about how public health works. Explore available courses and register today to get a preview into a formal public health education. QUICK HITS Destitute survivors of south-east Asia’s cyberscam farms an ‘international crisis’ – South Africa regulator backed by the food industry blocks ad on sugar’s health risks – NIH research grant funding rates plummeted in 2025 – Study: Antibiotic resistance threatens 30-year decline in deaths from lower respiratory infections – Vaccine skeptic stepping down from No. 2 post at CDC – Biohackers and wellness influencers are pushing nicotine as part of their ‘stacks’ – Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner!
How a Syrian refugee built a global mental health lifeline for displaced communities – Issue No. 2869
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Global Health sNOW Day
February 23, 2026
iStock/Getty
Global Health SNOW Day
GHN is off today due to inclement weather and reduced operations at Johns Hopkins University. We plan to be back tomorrow with all the latest global health news! —Dayna Issue No. 2868
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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GHN is off today due to inclement weather and reduced operations at Johns Hopkins University. We plan to be back tomorrow with all the latest global health news! —Dayna Issue No. 2868
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Afghanistan’s ‘Catastrophic’ Hunger
Plus: Birth Certificates for Bangladesh’s ‘Invisible’ Children
February 19, 2026
TOP STORIES
Libya has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, the WHO has validated—the result of a decades-long effort that involved improved surveillance, expanded surgical care, and training and support for eye health workers that was “particularly notable given years of political instability and humanitarian challenges” that strained health services.
New FDA guidance for antibiotic use in food-producing animals seeks to add duration limits to medically important antibiotics; but critics say fails to adequately address the rise and spread of antibiotic resistance and the potential impacts on human health.
Early prenatal care has declined in the U.S., with the share of births to women who had prenatal care in the first trimester dropping from 78.3% in 2021 to 75.5% in 2024, ; while reasons for the decline were not cited, the decrease was higher for mothers in minority groups, and specialists pointed to the rise in maternity deserts as a likely factor.
Greater air pollution exposure has been linked to heightened Alzheimer’s risk, , which found that air pollution affected the brain through direct effects rather than through other chronic conditions. IN FOCUS A malnourished child holding his mother’s hand inside the Médecins Sans Frontières therapeutic nutrition center at a hospital in Herat, Afghanistan, on January 8. Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Afghanistan’s ‘Catastrophic’ Hunger
Afghanistan faces a historic surge in malnutrition, as aid cuts, displacement, and drought leave two-thirds of the country’s population facing serious or crisis levels for acute malnutrition, .
Hundreds of undocumented, “invisible” children born in brothels in Bangladesh now have birth certificates, opening the door to education and protections they previously could not access. 700+ children are newly documented after years of campaigning by activists with the Freedom Fund, who advocated for better documentation by pointing to a 2018 law that allows registration without a father’s details, and who worked to identify the children and collect their information. Unlocking basic rights: The certificates will allow the children to enroll in school, acquire passports, and vote.
It’s safe to say that us non-athletes don’t spend most of our lives thinking about triple axels, frantically sweeping near a kettle-type-thing, or cross-country-skiing-really-far-then-shooting-something.
But then for a few weeks every four years, we sink into our sofas and become winter sports dilettantes. We cry tears of joy and disappointment, lament scoring injustices, marvel at back stories—and wonder, popcorn in hand, if we might have stood a chance at Olympic greatness.
A true sportsman, Nazgul congratulated fellow athletes with bum-sniffs at the finish line. Greek skier Konstantina Charalampidou welcomed the competition.
“I wanted to pet him, but I didn’t have the time.”
The sacrifices of an Olympian. QUICK HITS Measles cases in South Carolina rise by 12 to 962, state health department says – NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya will take over leadership of CDC temporarily – Why is the US targeting Cuba’s global medical missions? – FDA will drop two-study requirement for new drug approvals, aiming to speed access – New Inhalable Tuberculosis Treatment Could Replace Months of Daily Pills – The most dangerous sport at the Winter Olympics? It’s not luge or ice skating – Issue No. 2867
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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New FDA guidance for antibiotic use in food-producing animals seeks to add duration limits to medically important antibiotics; but critics say fails to adequately address the rise and spread of antibiotic resistance and the potential impacts on human health.
Early prenatal care has declined in the U.S., with the share of births to women who had prenatal care in the first trimester dropping from 78.3% in 2021 to 75.5% in 2024, ; while reasons for the decline were not cited, the decrease was higher for mothers in minority groups, and specialists pointed to the rise in maternity deserts as a likely factor.
Greater air pollution exposure has been linked to heightened Alzheimer’s risk, , which found that air pollution affected the brain through direct effects rather than through other chronic conditions. IN FOCUS A malnourished child holding his mother’s hand inside the Médecins Sans Frontières therapeutic nutrition center at a hospital in Herat, Afghanistan, on January 8. Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Afghanistan’s ‘Catastrophic’ Hunger
Afghanistan faces a historic surge in malnutrition, as aid cuts, displacement, and drought leave two-thirds of the country’s population facing serious or crisis levels for acute malnutrition, .
- “We have a catastrophic nutritional crisis on our hands,” said John Aylieff, Afghanistan Country Director for the UN's World Food Program, noting that levels of malnutrition are the highest ever recorded in the country at 17.4 million people.
- Children: ~4 million children are acutely malnourished, and 500+ child deaths have been logged in recent months—likely an undercount.
- Women: Prohibited from work, women are especially vulnerable. WFP has recorded a 30% rise in malnourished pregnant and breastfeeding women, and is seeing an uptick in suicidal calls from women with nowhere to turn.
Hundreds of undocumented, “invisible” children born in brothels in Bangladesh now have birth certificates, opening the door to education and protections they previously could not access. 700+ children are newly documented after years of campaigning by activists with the Freedom Fund, who advocated for better documentation by pointing to a 2018 law that allows registration without a father’s details, and who worked to identify the children and collect their information. Unlocking basic rights: The certificates will allow the children to enroll in school, acquire passports, and vote.
- Documentation can also help protect children from trafficking.
It’s safe to say that us non-athletes don’t spend most of our lives thinking about triple axels, frantically sweeping near a kettle-type-thing, or cross-country-skiing-really-far-then-shooting-something.
But then for a few weeks every four years, we sink into our sofas and become winter sports dilettantes. We cry tears of joy and disappointment, lament scoring injustices, marvel at back stories—and wonder, popcorn in hand, if we might have stood a chance at Olympic greatness.
- What we never considered: What if we just … joined in?
A true sportsman, Nazgul congratulated fellow athletes with bum-sniffs at the finish line. Greek skier Konstantina Charalampidou welcomed the competition.
“I wanted to pet him, but I didn’t have the time.”
The sacrifices of an Olympian. QUICK HITS Measles cases in South Carolina rise by 12 to 962, state health department says – NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya will take over leadership of CDC temporarily – Why is the US targeting Cuba’s global medical missions? – FDA will drop two-study requirement for new drug approvals, aiming to speed access – New Inhalable Tuberculosis Treatment Could Replace Months of Daily Pills – The most dangerous sport at the Winter Olympics? It’s not luge or ice skating – Issue No. 2867
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Forced Begging in Ethiopia; and Botswana’s Health Care Breakdown
February 18, 2026
TOP STORIES
Five years into Ukraine’s war, more than a third of the country’s children—2,589,900—remain displaced, including 791,000+ children inside Ukraine and nearly 1.8 million children who are now refugees outside the country.
The UK government launched a vaccination campaign in response to a measles outbreak in North London; vaccine coverage with both doses of the MMR vaccine have now dropped to 89% across England, and below 65% for some areas. Moderna’s flu vaccine will now be reviewed by the U.S. FDA after the agency reversed its decision last week to reject the application for the vaccine, which is made with mRNA technology. The maker of Roundup, the weedkiller, has announced a proposed $7.25 billion settlement to resolve thousands of U.S. lawsuits which allege the chemical company, Bayer, failed to warn people that Roundup could cause cancer. IN FOCUS People beg in the streets in central Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. November 16, 2010. Per-Anders Pettersson Forced Begging in Ethiopia People with disabilities are frequently trafficked and forced to beg in Ethiopia’s major cities in an often overlooked form of human trafficking that researchers describe as a “crime hiding in plain sight,” that is among the first to focus on the specific form of trafficking. Exploiting vulnerability: Children with disabilities from poor rural families are especially at risk, facing stigma, exclusion, and almost no access to school or social support.
in the Escape the Neglect: Stories from the Front Lines docuseries, following the innovation arc in the treatment of sleeping sickness in the DRC, is now live.
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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The UK government launched a vaccination campaign in response to a measles outbreak in North London; vaccine coverage with both doses of the MMR vaccine have now dropped to 89% across England, and below 65% for some areas. Moderna’s flu vaccine will now be reviewed by the U.S. FDA after the agency reversed its decision last week to reject the application for the vaccine, which is made with mRNA technology. The maker of Roundup, the weedkiller, has announced a proposed $7.25 billion settlement to resolve thousands of U.S. lawsuits which allege the chemical company, Bayer, failed to warn people that Roundup could cause cancer. IN FOCUS People beg in the streets in central Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. November 16, 2010. Per-Anders Pettersson Forced Begging in Ethiopia People with disabilities are frequently trafficked and forced to beg in Ethiopia’s major cities in an often overlooked form of human trafficking that researchers describe as a “crime hiding in plain sight,” that is among the first to focus on the specific form of trafficking. Exploiting vulnerability: Children with disabilities from poor rural families are especially at risk, facing stigma, exclusion, and almost no access to school or social support.
- Traffickers often convince parents to allow them to take their children to urban areas like Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and Mekelle—promising education or medical care.
- “I would go out crawling on my hands since I didn’t have a wheelchair,” reported one female survivor with a physical disability, adding that if she returned with too few earnings her trafficker “insults me and hits me.”
- Most were too afraid or dependent upon traffickers to seek help, and the police rarely provided a pathway out.
- Stigma reduction, including inclusive education and jobs for those with disabilities.
- Safer reporting mechanisms and tailored law enforcement response.
- Support systems after rescue, informed by survivor experience.
- A public health emergency was declared six months ago, but an ombudsman’s new investigation reveals continued struggles, including the country’s largest hospital being reduced to an “old, heavily worn vehicle, overloaded with passengers.”
in the Escape the Neglect: Stories from the Front Lines docuseries, following the innovation arc in the treatment of sleeping sickness in the DRC, is now live.
-
produced by Devex in partnership with the Gates Foundation, spotlights the human stories from the global effort to end neglected tropical diseases in Nigeria, India, and the DRC.
Host a screening: These short films (5–10 minutes each) offer a simple, meaningful way to spark conversation. To make hosting easy, the creators of the series developed a flexible toolkit that provides everything you need to facilitate an in-person or hybrid event, including:
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A facilitation guide with inclusive, action‑oriented discussion prompts.
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An NTD factsheet with episode‑specific context.
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‑t‑u&Բ;ԱٲپDz and promotional language.
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Booming ‘Bootleg Cigarettes’ Down Under; and the Race for WHO Leadership Ramps Up
February 17, 2026
TOP STORIES
Mortality among people who inject drugs and participated in a Stockholm, Sweden, needle and syringe program declined over a decade of harm reduction intervention expansion, including a take-home naloxone effort; observed a marked reduction in opioid overdose deaths.
Plastic water bottles contained more chemicals than glass: tested 37 Belgian brands and found 17 endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including bisphenol B and acetaminophen—and observed that higher price correlated with increased phthalate levels.
The benefits of intermittent fasting “fail to match the hype,” of 22 studies that found little to no weight loss improvement compared to regular dietary advice or doing nothing at all for people who were overweight or obese.
Ultra-processed food companies hijacked the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) “loophole” to let questionable ingredients slip into American food products, says U.S. health secretary RFK Jr., who pledged to act on a petition from former FDA chief David Kesler to address the issue. IN FOCUS Pedestrians walk past signs outside a tobacconist and convenience store in central Sydney, Australia. March 27, 2025. David Gray/AFP via Getty Booming ‘Bootleg Cigarettes’ Down Under
Australia’s aggressive taxes on cigarettes have driven down smoking rates and raised an average pack’s cost to US$40. But they’ve also unleashed a nationwide black market, .
Public health perspective: The illegal market has made prices so cheap that further tax increases wouldn’t do much good, said Becky Freeman, a University of Sydney tobacco expert.
Smoking And Quitting Behaviors Vary by Socioeconomic Position – Exclusive: India sticks to e-cigarette ban in snub for Philip Morris – DATA POINT
123 million
—ĔĔĔ——
Additional malaria cases in Africa by 2050 that could be triggered by climate change, driven mostly by extreme weather events, led by researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia and Curtin University. —
WHO Race for WHO Leadership Ramps Up Diplomatic maneuvering has begun for the WHO's next director-general, as the nomination process opens in April for next year’s vote. And while a list of rumored candidates is growing, the successor to current chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus faces an “existential convergence of crises” amid geopolitical rifts and major funding challenges. An agency at a crossroads: The WHO’s next leader will have to steer the agency at a critical juncture that includes a $1 billion funding gap after the U.S. withdrawal, a 25% staff cut, and low morale. Seeking a “unicorn”: The incoming chief will also need to balance demands for global equity with fiscal reform—all while trying to meet 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and prepare for potential pandemics in a post-COVID landscape. SPONSORED Cells to Society: The Building Blocks of a Public Health Career Considering a career in public health? The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is now offering online, noncredit courses for adult learners who are thinking about a career change, are seeking ways to be more helpful in their local communities, or are simply curious about how public health works. Explore available courses and register today to get a preview into a formal public health education. QUICK HITS Mexico Risks Losing Its Measles-Free Status, Months Before Millions Arrive for World Cup – Doctors bear the burden as ‘medical freedom’ fuels worst US measles outbreak in 30 years – Investment in Malaria Venture Yields 13x Health Benefits – Indian Health Service to phase out use of dental fillings containing mercury by 2027 – As More Schools Turn to AI Weapons Detection, Questions Persist –
As US presence wanes, China works to increase its influence through foreign aid –
The Karate Class Where Kenya’s Grandmothers Learn to Fight Back – Issue No. 2865
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2026 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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Ultra-processed food companies hijacked the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) “loophole” to let questionable ingredients slip into American food products, says U.S. health secretary RFK Jr., who pledged to act on a petition from former FDA chief David Kesler to address the issue. IN FOCUS Pedestrians walk past signs outside a tobacconist and convenience store in central Sydney, Australia. March 27, 2025. David Gray/AFP via Getty Booming ‘Bootleg Cigarettes’ Down Under
Australia’s aggressive taxes on cigarettes have driven down smoking rates and raised an average pack’s cost to US$40. But they’ve also unleashed a nationwide black market, .
- The tax on a single cigarette has tripled in a decade to about US$1.06.
- The price spike has launched a huge demand for illegal cigarettes. A pack of under-the-counter cigarettes costs as little as US$7.
- Illegal cigs are commonly sold at shops and via private sales, accounting for perhaps half of all tobacco sales.
- Criminal gangs are smuggling in cigarettes from the Middle East or China.
- “ ” have spawned 100+ firebombings and hundreds of attacks on shopkeepers and others, as turf battles have erupted among gangs.
Public health perspective: The illegal market has made prices so cheap that further tax increases wouldn’t do much good, said Becky Freeman, a University of Sydney tobacco expert.
- “I only support tax increases if they are effective at reducing smoking,” Freeman said.
Smoking And Quitting Behaviors Vary by Socioeconomic Position – Exclusive: India sticks to e-cigarette ban in snub for Philip Morris – DATA POINT
123 million
—ĔĔĔ——
Additional malaria cases in Africa by 2050 that could be triggered by climate change, driven mostly by extreme weather events, led by researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia and Curtin University. —
WHO Race for WHO Leadership Ramps Up Diplomatic maneuvering has begun for the WHO's next director-general, as the nomination process opens in April for next year’s vote. And while a list of rumored candidates is growing, the successor to current chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus faces an “existential convergence of crises” amid geopolitical rifts and major funding challenges. An agency at a crossroads: The WHO’s next leader will have to steer the agency at a critical juncture that includes a $1 billion funding gap after the U.S. withdrawal, a 25% staff cut, and low morale. Seeking a “unicorn”: The incoming chief will also need to balance demands for global equity with fiscal reform—all while trying to meet 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and prepare for potential pandemics in a post-COVID landscape. SPONSORED Cells to Society: The Building Blocks of a Public Health Career Considering a career in public health? The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is now offering online, noncredit courses for adult learners who are thinking about a career change, are seeking ways to be more helpful in their local communities, or are simply curious about how public health works. Explore available courses and register today to get a preview into a formal public health education. QUICK HITS Mexico Risks Losing Its Measles-Free Status, Months Before Millions Arrive for World Cup – Doctors bear the burden as ‘medical freedom’ fuels worst US measles outbreak in 30 years – Investment in Malaria Venture Yields 13x Health Benefits – Indian Health Service to phase out use of dental fillings containing mercury by 2027 – As More Schools Turn to AI Weapons Detection, Questions Persist –
As US presence wanes, China works to increase its influence through foreign aid –
The Karate Class Where Kenya’s Grandmothers Learn to Fight Back – Issue No. 2865
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
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Copyright 2026 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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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Progress and Pushback on Polio Vaccination; and Peru’s Defective Cancer Drugs
February 16, 2026
TOP STORIES
A measles outbreak in London is spreading rapidly among children under age 10, per the U.K. Health Security Agency, which has reported 34 laboratory-confirmed cases over the last month linked to schools and nurseries in Enfield.
A new recombinant mpox strain combining genomic elements of clades Ib and IIb of the virus has been identified in two cases—one in the U.K. and the other in India—, which has urged continued genomic surveillance.
Whooping cough cases in Australia have hit their highest level recorded in 35 years following a “potentially catastrophic” drop in vaccinations; 57,000+ cases were reported in 2024—mostly among children.
France will slash its funding for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by 58%+ for the next two-year cycle, from €1.6 billion to €660 million; French NGOs warned that the cuts—which could impact antiretroviral HIV treatments, malaria prevention, condom availability, and testing services—will cost lives. IN FOCUS Progress and Pushback on Polio Vaccination The WHO is expanding the global arsenal for polio outbreak response by aimed at curbing vaccine-derived outbreaks “more sustainably” in the ongoing quest to eradicate the virus. But the progress comes as vaccination strategy is under threat in a new era of politicization—potentially endangering decades of gains. The new nOPV2 vaccine is designed to be more genetically stable than older vaccines, reducing risk of vaccine-derived outbreaks while effectively curbing virus transmission, . Meanwhile in Malawi, health officials have launched a new oral polio vaccination campaign in schools and door-to-door, seeking to administer 1.7 million nOPV2 doses after detecting vaccine-derived type 2 virus in sewage in the southern city Blantyre last month, . “Polio endgame”: The WHO's SAGE Polio Working Group convened in Geneva this month to review global polio eradication strategies, including phasing out the two-strain oral vaccine (bOPV) while improving the nOPV2 and next-generation shots (IPV), . An uncertain future in the U.S.: Despite these global strides, the future of vaccine strategy in the U.S. is uncertain as allies of HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. form coalitions to roll back state-level school vaccine mandates—alarming public health experts who warn this could swiftly erode a century of protections against deadly childhood diseases, including polio, . DATA POINT
123 million
—ĔĔĔ——
Additional malaria cases in Africa by 2050 that could be triggered by climate change, driven mostly by extreme weather events, led by researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia and Curtin University. —
PHARMACEUTICALS Peru’s Defective Cancer Drugs Ineffective and even dangerous cancer drugs have been repeatedly shipped to Peru health facilities amid an ongoing pattern of regulatory failures within the country. Unfit for use: ~118,000 vials of chemo bought with government funds have been ordered destroyed since 2019, though some reached hospitals and even patients before they were scrapped. Poor track records: Pharma companies with problematic track records have been awarded state contracts, even after their drugs have failed quality tests. Exacerbating a crisis: 1 in 4 cancer patients in Peru experience treatment delays because of drug shortages. , in partnership with OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Key US infectious-diseases centre to drop pandemic preparation – NSF’s flagship fellowship program is rejecting applicants without peer review – RFK Jr. shakes up top health department staff – She was denied a legal abortion and sent to prison over an illegal one. Now she tells her story – HIV made him expect to die at 40. At 73, Edwin Cameron asks: Who’s planning for our ageing survivors? – Photos: The flying doctors of Lesotho won’t let their wings be clipped – Issue No. 2864
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2026 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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A new recombinant mpox strain combining genomic elements of clades Ib and IIb of the virus has been identified in two cases—one in the U.K. and the other in India—, which has urged continued genomic surveillance.
Whooping cough cases in Australia have hit their highest level recorded in 35 years following a “potentially catastrophic” drop in vaccinations; 57,000+ cases were reported in 2024—mostly among children.
France will slash its funding for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by 58%+ for the next two-year cycle, from €1.6 billion to €660 million; French NGOs warned that the cuts—which could impact antiretroviral HIV treatments, malaria prevention, condom availability, and testing services—will cost lives. IN FOCUS Progress and Pushback on Polio Vaccination The WHO is expanding the global arsenal for polio outbreak response by aimed at curbing vaccine-derived outbreaks “more sustainably” in the ongoing quest to eradicate the virus. But the progress comes as vaccination strategy is under threat in a new era of politicization—potentially endangering decades of gains. The new nOPV2 vaccine is designed to be more genetically stable than older vaccines, reducing risk of vaccine-derived outbreaks while effectively curbing virus transmission, . Meanwhile in Malawi, health officials have launched a new oral polio vaccination campaign in schools and door-to-door, seeking to administer 1.7 million nOPV2 doses after detecting vaccine-derived type 2 virus in sewage in the southern city Blantyre last month, . “Polio endgame”: The WHO's SAGE Polio Working Group convened in Geneva this month to review global polio eradication strategies, including phasing out the two-strain oral vaccine (bOPV) while improving the nOPV2 and next-generation shots (IPV), . An uncertain future in the U.S.: Despite these global strides, the future of vaccine strategy in the U.S. is uncertain as allies of HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. form coalitions to roll back state-level school vaccine mandates—alarming public health experts who warn this could swiftly erode a century of protections against deadly childhood diseases, including polio, . DATA POINT
123 million
—ĔĔĔ——
Additional malaria cases in Africa by 2050 that could be triggered by climate change, driven mostly by extreme weather events, led by researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia and Curtin University. —
PHARMACEUTICALS Peru’s Defective Cancer Drugs Ineffective and even dangerous cancer drugs have been repeatedly shipped to Peru health facilities amid an ongoing pattern of regulatory failures within the country. Unfit for use: ~118,000 vials of chemo bought with government funds have been ordered destroyed since 2019, though some reached hospitals and even patients before they were scrapped. Poor track records: Pharma companies with problematic track records have been awarded state contracts, even after their drugs have failed quality tests. Exacerbating a crisis: 1 in 4 cancer patients in Peru experience treatment delays because of drug shortages. , in partnership with OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Key US infectious-diseases centre to drop pandemic preparation – NSF’s flagship fellowship program is rejecting applicants without peer review – RFK Jr. shakes up top health department staff – She was denied a legal abortion and sent to prison over an illegal one. Now she tells her story – HIV made him expect to die at 40. At 73, Edwin Cameron asks: Who’s planning for our ageing survivors? – Photos: The flying doctors of Lesotho won’t let their wings be clipped – Issue No. 2864
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: EPA Moves to Revoke Key Climate Health Warning
Plus: Kenya Battles Kala-azar
February 12, 2026
TOP STORIES
Life-threatening blood clots that have been a rare side effect of some COVID-19 vaccines, including those by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, are caused by an adenovirus protein used by both vaccines which triggered “rogue” antibodies in people with a particular genetic background, .
The WHO director-general has called a U.S.-funded hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau “unethical,” as the trial will deny half the children the vaccine despite its proven efficacy; instead of testing benefits or efficacy, the study appears focused on looking for adverse outcomes in children who receive a birth dose.
Measles cases fell across Europe and Central Asia last year, dropping by 75% in 2025 compared to 2024 due to outbreak response measures and “the gradual decline in the number of people susceptible” to infection as the virus infected undervaccinated communities, per new UN data; still, outbreak risks remain.
More than 70% of baby foods, drinks, and snacks sold in the U.S.—including crackers, yogurt, and puffs—are ultraprocessed and contain additives that have been linked to health issues, according to
IN FOCUS
Steam rises from the smoke stacks of the Ravenswood Generating Station, New York City's largest power plant, on January 26. Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty
EPA Moves to Revoke Key Climate Health Warning
The EPA is poised to revoke its own 2009 scientific conclusion that greenhouse gases are a threat to public health and welfare—upending the legal foundation for a wide range of federal climate protections, . Background: Known as the determination established wide-ranging health threats posed by greenhouse gases produced by oil, gas, and coal, and has since been invoked to set emissions limits for vehicles and power plants. The long road to repeal: Members of President Trump’s administration have long worked to dismantle climate legislation they describe as unfounded and harmful to the economy, , with White House officials lauding the rollback as “the largest deregulatory action in American history.” Long-term impact: Ending the finding could block future presidents from using the EPA to limit emissions, allowing industries to fully abandon regulations, Scientific backlash: Leading scientific and health organizations overwhelmingly oppose the rollback, saying it ignores vast and mounting scientific evidence that links pollution- and climate change-driven disasters to illness, higher medical costs, and premature deaths “beyond scientific dispute,” .
94 million+
—ĔĔĔ—––
The number of people worldwide who suffer from cataracts; half of them lack access to the corrective surgery, according to the WHO. —
NEGLECTED DISEASES Kenya Battles Kala-azar
An outbreak of kala-azar, also known as visceral leishmaniasis, has surged in Kenya's dry regions over the last year. By the numbers: Cases spiked from 1,575 in 2024 to 3,577 in 2025, and the disease has a 95% fatality rate if untreated.
It’s been said that revenge is a dish best served cold. But it may actually be a dish best served to an armadillo, . Thankfully, every February, a slew of zoos and wildlife conservation groups offer such a service, de facto guide to vengeful Valentines. A sampling: Bugs and hisses: The San Antonio Zoo’s annual allows donors to pay $5 to name a cockroach after an ex, then have it fed to inhabitants, .
Study supports shorter treatment regimens for TB prevention –
Four states sue Trump administration over cuts to public health funding –
Nurses on strike in New York approve new contracts at 2 of 3 hospital systems –
Public health workers reflect on a year since mass layoffs at the CDC –
‘At 2am, it feels like someone’s there’: why Nigerians are choosing chatbots to give them advice and therapy – Issue No. 2863
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2026 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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The EPA is poised to revoke its own 2009 scientific conclusion that greenhouse gases are a threat to public health and welfare—upending the legal foundation for a wide range of federal climate protections, . Background: Known as the determination established wide-ranging health threats posed by greenhouse gases produced by oil, gas, and coal, and has since been invoked to set emissions limits for vehicles and power plants. The long road to repeal: Members of President Trump’s administration have long worked to dismantle climate legislation they describe as unfounded and harmful to the economy, , with White House officials lauding the rollback as “the largest deregulatory action in American history.” Long-term impact: Ending the finding could block future presidents from using the EPA to limit emissions, allowing industries to fully abandon regulations, Scientific backlash: Leading scientific and health organizations overwhelmingly oppose the rollback, saying it ignores vast and mounting scientific evidence that links pollution- and climate change-driven disasters to illness, higher medical costs, and premature deaths “beyond scientific dispute,” .
- Environmental groups have pledged to fight the EPA “every step of the way” with legal challenges that could stretch for years.
- “Communities across the country will bear the brunt of this decision—through dirtier air, higher health costs, and increased climate harm,” said Michelle Roos, executive director of the Environmental Protection Network, .
94 million+
—ĔĔĔ—––
The number of people worldwide who suffer from cataracts; half of them lack access to the corrective surgery, according to the WHO. —
NEGLECTED DISEASES Kenya Battles Kala-azar
An outbreak of kala-azar, also known as visceral leishmaniasis, has surged in Kenya's dry regions over the last year. By the numbers: Cases spiked from 1,575 in 2024 to 3,577 in 2025, and the disease has a 95% fatality rate if untreated.
- Few facilities in Kenya have the capacity to diagnose or treat the illness, and more training to address the medical crisis is needed.
It’s been said that revenge is a dish best served cold. But it may actually be a dish best served to an armadillo, . Thankfully, every February, a slew of zoos and wildlife conservation groups offer such a service, de facto guide to vengeful Valentines. A sampling: Bugs and hisses: The San Antonio Zoo’s annual allows donors to pay $5 to name a cockroach after an ex, then have it fed to inhabitants, .
- Similarly, the lets donors revenge-name mealworms or rats which are then fed to birds of prey with “video proof of their revenge being swallowed whole.”
Study supports shorter treatment regimens for TB prevention –
Four states sue Trump administration over cuts to public health funding –
Nurses on strike in New York approve new contracts at 2 of 3 hospital systems –
Public health workers reflect on a year since mass layoffs at the CDC –
‘At 2am, it feels like someone’s there’: why Nigerians are choosing chatbots to give them advice and therapy – Issue No. 2863
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2026 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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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Deteriorating Health Conditions in Immigration Detention; and The Struggle to Keep Mobile Crisis Teams in Action
February 11, 2026
TOP STORIES
At least nine people were killed and at least 25 injured yesterday in Canada’s deadliest mass shooting in decades; the shootings, at the hands of a suspect who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, took place in a home and a secondary school in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.
The U.S. FDA has refused to review Moderna’s application for a new mRNA flu vaccine, though no safety or efficacy concerns were identified; Moderna has requested an urgent meeting with the FDA, noting that it has submitted the vaccine for review in Europe, Canada, and Australia.
Aluminum exposure from dietary sources over the course of a 100-year lifespan is “orders of magnitude” higher than the cumulative lifetime exposure from all the recommended aluminum-containing vaccines, .
Tanning companies are spreading harmful misinformation about suntanning beds—claiming a range of health benefits, from boosting energy to preventing colds and flu—on social media ads targeting young people, while cancer charities link the sunbeds to rising melanoma cases among youth in the UK. IN FOCUS Texas State Troopers prepare to disperse a crowd protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside the South Texas Family Residential Center. January 28, Dilley, Texas. Joel Angel Juarez/Getty Deteriorating Health Conditions in Immigration Detention As U.S. immigration detention centers expand under the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, detainees and health workers are reporting severe health and safety breakdowns—including among children. In Dilley, Texas: Families are being held for weeks or months at facilities like the Dilley Detention Center, . Despite legal limits on detaining minors, ~300 have been held for 20+ days.
91%
—ĔĔ
Share of Americans across the political spectrum who agree it is important for the U.S. to be a global leader in science and technology; 63% expressed willingness to pay $1 more per week in taxes in support of medical and health research. — MENTAL HEALTH The Struggle to Keep Mobile Crisis Teams in Action Over the last decade, U.S. communities have increasingly turned to mobile crisis teams to respond to psychiatric emergencies rather than dispatching law enforcement.
We incorrectly spelled out IOM in our top story yesterday, about a ; IOM stands for the International Organization for Migration. Thanks to a sharp-eyed reader for setting us straight! QUICK HITS In Sudan, sick and starving children ‘wasting away’ –
India sticks to e-cigarette ban in snub for Philip Morris – Landmark settlement could create new protections for harm reduction under disability law – Film series memorializing the AIDS epidemic provides 'chilling parallels' to today – Dozens of researchers will move to France from US following high-profile bid to lure talent – Benjamin Korinek: Why global health shouldn’t be political – FDA to reassess the safety of BHA, a preservative used in popular snack foods – Affordable microscope speeds up malaria diagnosis with AI – Issue No. 2862
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
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The U.S. FDA has refused to review Moderna’s application for a new mRNA flu vaccine, though no safety or efficacy concerns were identified; Moderna has requested an urgent meeting with the FDA, noting that it has submitted the vaccine for review in Europe, Canada, and Australia.
Aluminum exposure from dietary sources over the course of a 100-year lifespan is “orders of magnitude” higher than the cumulative lifetime exposure from all the recommended aluminum-containing vaccines, .
Tanning companies are spreading harmful misinformation about suntanning beds—claiming a range of health benefits, from boosting energy to preventing colds and flu—on social media ads targeting young people, while cancer charities link the sunbeds to rising melanoma cases among youth in the UK. IN FOCUS Texas State Troopers prepare to disperse a crowd protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside the South Texas Family Residential Center. January 28, Dilley, Texas. Joel Angel Juarez/Getty Deteriorating Health Conditions in Immigration Detention As U.S. immigration detention centers expand under the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, detainees and health workers are reporting severe health and safety breakdowns—including among children. In Dilley, Texas: Families are being held for weeks or months at facilities like the Dilley Detention Center, . Despite legal limits on detaining minors, ~300 have been held for 20+ days.
- Parents and children there report regular illness and limited medical attention. “Children with medical complaints frequently experience delays, dismissals, or lack of follow-up,” reported nonprofit advocacy organization RAICES, which has logged ~700 reports of insufficient medical care since August 2025.
- Others describe worsening mental health, with many children struggling with depression and self-harm amid prolonged stays and lack of schooling.
- U.S. Public Health Service officers describe inadequate care, overcrowding, and dark, windowless cells. Several have resigned, saying they cannot serve under such conditions.
- “Public health officers are being asked to facilitate a man-made humanitarian crisis,” said nurse Rebekah Stewart, who resigned from the service.
91%
—ĔĔ
Share of Americans across the political spectrum who agree it is important for the U.S. to be a global leader in science and technology; 63% expressed willingness to pay $1 more per week in taxes in support of medical and health research. — MENTAL HEALTH The Struggle to Keep Mobile Crisis Teams in Action Over the last decade, U.S. communities have increasingly turned to mobile crisis teams to respond to psychiatric emergencies rather than dispatching law enforcement.
- A found that there are ~1,800 mobile teams nationwide, providing people with therapeutic care and helping them avoid jail or the ER.
- “A much-needed service is available and then not available, available and then not available,” said Sierra Riesberg, director of the Behavioral Health Alliance of Montana.
We incorrectly spelled out IOM in our top story yesterday, about a ; IOM stands for the International Organization for Migration. Thanks to a sharp-eyed reader for setting us straight! QUICK HITS In Sudan, sick and starving children ‘wasting away’ –
India sticks to e-cigarette ban in snub for Philip Morris – Landmark settlement could create new protections for harm reduction under disability law – Film series memorializing the AIDS epidemic provides 'chilling parallels' to today – Dozens of researchers will move to France from US following high-profile bid to lure talent – Benjamin Korinek: Why global health shouldn’t be political – FDA to reassess the safety of BHA, a preservative used in popular snack foods – Affordable microscope speeds up malaria diagnosis with AI – Issue No. 2862
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 and follow us on Instagram and X .
Please send the Global Health NOW free sign-up link to friends and colleagues:
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can or . -->
Copyright 2026 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 or .
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