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Global Health NOW: Sudan鈥檚 Widening 鈥楴ightmare鈥; No Known Animal Contact in Missouri Bird Flu Case; and Bat Declines Linked to Infant Mortality
September 9, 2024
Sudanese families carrying their belongings arrive at a transit center for refugees in Renk, South Sudan, on February 14.
Luis Tato/AFP via Getty
Sudan鈥檚 Widening 鈥楴ightmare鈥
Eighteen months of brutal civil war in Sudan have left the nation trapped in a 鈥渘ightmare of conflict鈥 that the world continues to ignore, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said yesterday, .
Additionally, a from the latest UN fact-finding mission cataloged 鈥渉arrowing鈥 human rights abuses committed by both sides of the conflict and called for independent peacekeepers to intervene, .
The toll 500 days in:
- 20,000+ people have been killed; 12+ million people have been displaced.
- The nation鈥檚 health system is 鈥渘ear collapse,鈥 with 70%鈥80% of facilities affected.
- ~25 million people are 鈥渋n dire need of humanitarian aid.鈥
Ongoing atrocities: Both Sudan鈥檚 army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have attacked civilians, committed torture and rape, and made arbitrary arrests, the UN鈥檚 fact-finding mission found.
- But: Sudan鈥檚 government said it 鈥渞ejects in their entirety鈥 the UN鈥檚 recommendations, demanding that the body support its 鈥渘ational process,鈥 .
On top of this:
- 25.6 million people鈥攈alf the population鈥攁re facing acute food insecurity.
- Outbreaks of cholera are on the rise, .
- Disease surveillance has been impossible in areas under RSF control, .
- Floods have destabilized infrastructure.
Renewed call to action: UN officials are calling for more protection for health workers and facilities, an expanded arms embargo, more humanitarian funding鈥攁nd an immediate ceasefire.
鈥淭he best medicine is peace,鈥 said Tedros.
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Brian
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES
The Latest
One-Liners
The African CDC and the WHO launched a Friday to boost the mpox outbreak response amid an escalation of cases鈥攊ncluding in DRC, which now has 20,000+ cases; Guinea鈥檚 report of a confirmed case brings the total number of African countries affected to 14.
Texas is suing the Biden administration to overturn a federal rule that protects the medical records of women from criminal investigation if they cross state lines to seek legal abortion.
Hair and skin care products expose kids to endocrine-disrupting chemicals called phthalates, per a published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, which found that Black children had the highest levels of phthalates in their urine.
Teen vaping has dropped to a 10-year low, CDC officials 鈥攁ttributing the 鈥渕onumental public health win鈥 to recent age restrictions and aggressive enforcement against retailers and manufacturers.
RADAR: AVIAN FLU
Missouri鈥檚 First Case
The the first case of H5 bird flu in a person with no known animal contact, .
- The case, in Missouri, was detected through the state鈥檚 seasonal flu surveillance system.
- The patient, who was hospitalized in August and has been released, had underlying medical conditions.
- At least 13 other people in the U.S. have been infected with bird flu this year, but all had occupational exposure to infected animals.
Missouri has not reported any H5 outbreaks in dairy cattle, , adding that additional testing will be important to confirm whether this is the same strain of the H5 virus causing the cattle outbreak.
- The CDC said the risk to the general public remains low.
Related: 5 burning questions about Missouri鈥檚 mysterious H5 bird flu case: Could raw milk 鈥 or a cat 鈥 help explain how a person who had no contact with animals caught the virus? 鈥
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES
BIODIVERSITY
Bat Declines Linked to Infant Mortality
A 鈥済roundbreaking鈥 study showing the connection between bats鈥 decline in the U.S. and infant mortality is the latest to demonstrate the stark toll of imbalanced ecosystems.
According to the research, , a decline in bat populations due to a fungal disease led farmers in 245 counties to increase their use of insecticides by 31% to combat an increase in insect activity.
- In those same counties, infant mortality rose by ~8%鈥攁ccounting for 1,334 infant deaths鈥攆rom 2006 to 2017.
鈥淚t is a sobering result,鈥 said environmental economist Eli Fenichel.
Other possible factors鈥攍ike unemployment and drug use鈥攚ere ruled out as causes.
A warning: 52% of bat species in North America are at risk of severe declines over the next 15 years.
CORRECTION
Not 鈥楯abbed鈥
Our Sept. 3 lead summary on the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza incorrectly said that 161,000+ children under 10 had been 鈥渏abbed鈥 during the drive鈥檚 first two days. The campaign is distributing the oral polio vaccine. We regret the error.
Thanks, Alexandra Brown for pointing out our mistake!
OPPORTUNITY
QUICK HITS
Hundreds of thousands of parents died from drugs. Their kids need more help, advocates say. 鈥
US is beefing up mpox testing, vaccine access against new strain, officials say 鈥
India records first suspected mpox case, male patient in isolation 鈥
Determinants of the desire to avoid pregnancy after the disaster of the century in T眉rkiye 鈥
Strengthening surgical systems in LMICs: data-driven approaches 鈥嬧嬧
New polio strain threatens setback to eradication in Nigeria 鈥
Light pollution at night may increase risk of Alzheimer鈥檚, study finds 鈥
Off-Broadway musical warns of deadly threat of antibiotic resistance 鈥
Issue No. 2776
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Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, Aliza Rosen, and Rin Swann. Write us:
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