A report published on Thursday from the World Health Organization鈥檚 (WHO) European region has revealed alarming health disparities in young people, especially those from less affluent families, representing a 鈥渧icious cycle of disadvantage鈥.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Attacks on Health Care Escalate 鈥榓t a Relentless Pace鈥; Global Mental Health NOW; and Heat Spikes Increase Snake Bites
May 22, 2024
Employees of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and medical staff evacuate medical equipment from a maternity hospital destroyed by a Russian missile attack in Selydove, Donetsk, Ukraine, on February 16. Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty
Attacks on Health Care Escalate 鈥榓t a Relentless Pace鈥
Attacks on health workers and hospitals spiked 25% last year鈥攖he highest level ever recorded, .
The surge was driven by new conflict in Gaza and Sudan, though such attacks continued 鈥渁t a relentless pace鈥 in 30 conflict zones including Ukraine and Burma (Myanmar), per a released by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict coalition.
By the numbers:
The Quote: 鈥淭he lack of restraint we are seeing, from the beginning of conflicts, suggests to me that the law on protecting healthcare has had no meaning to combatants,鈥 said Leonard Rubenstein of the Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights and the Center for Humanitarian Health.
Related:
Mapping the damage to Gaza鈥檚 hospitals: Battered, abandoned and raided 鈥
Ukraine: humanitarian, health needs soar as Kharkiv hostilities intensify 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Australia鈥檚 first human H5N1 case has been reported after a child traveling back from India developed a 鈥渟evere infection鈥; no other cases have been detected in the country.
Type 2 diabetes diagnoses among UK residents under age 40 have jumped 39% over six years, per a new report from 鈥攚ith related NHS costs forecast to rise to 拢10 billion a year by 2050.
The WHO has expanded its of 鈥渢rusted national regulatory authorities鈥 from three to 36 agencies鈥攁nd now includes the U.S. FDA and the European Medicines Agency.
888,000 U.S. military veterans have made 1 million+ disability benefits claims related to toxic exposure from burn pits and other sources encountered during their service. GHN EXCLUSIVE Young man hiding his face. November 24, 2017. BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Global Mental Health NOW Imagine explaining to a senior official that they could prevent and treat a whole category of diseases that cause a third of all global disability鈥攎ostly through local nonprofessional workers, and without medications and equipment.
Now picture that person鈥檚 eyes glazing over with disinterest. That鈥檚 what it鈥檚 like being a mental health advocate, writes Paul Bolton, a senior scientist in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
In a blind spot: Mental health is always a low-priority issue鈥攕uperseded by other public health issues, and treatment is undercut by many myths, Bolton says, including that mental illness is due to an inherent weakness, uncommon in LMICs, or requires expensive treatment.
鈥淚 think it is time to recognize that our 20th-century priorities are outdated. 鈥 People with mental illness have been ignored and poorly served for too long,鈥 Bolton concludes.
PHARMACEUTICALS Fake Drugs, Real Dangers
In need of medications but faced with steep prices, more Americans than ever are purchasing discount drugs online鈥攅xposing them to the risk of receiving substandard and falsified medications.
Despite FDA safeguards, the U.S. has seen an 鈥渁larming鈥 growth in fake medications, like counterfeit Adderall pills laced with meth and a cancer drug with no active ingredient.
To increase awareness of fake meds among patients and health care providers, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health experts have partnered with Pfizer in a project called BESAFE.
In a survey of providers, the BESAFE team found that:
Higher temperatures in Zimbabwe have sparked early fire seasons and increased human-wildlife conflict, including a record number of snake bites.
The heat has shortened hibernation periods for snakes, causing them to emerge earlier than usual and, in some cases, move to human-populated areas.
OPPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS In the house of psychiatry, a jarring tale of violence 鈥
Heat stress: how soaring temperatures are taking their toll on migrant workers in India鈥檚 garden city 鈥
New tool may help identify infants at high risk for poor RSV outcomes 鈥
Trump says he is open to restrictions on contraception before backing away from the statement 鈥嬧嬧
Black men are a hidden segment of caregivers. It's stressful but rewarding, too 鈥
How Do You Make A Global Health Podcast? 鈥 Issue No. 2543
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Attacks on health workers and hospitals spiked 25% last year鈥攖he highest level ever recorded, .
The surge was driven by new conflict in Gaza and Sudan, though such attacks continued 鈥渁t a relentless pace鈥 in 30 conflict zones including Ukraine and Burma (Myanmar), per a released by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict coalition.
By the numbers:
- 2,562 incidents of 鈥渧iolence against or obstruction of healthcare鈥
- 487 cases of health workers killed鈥攁lmost 2X the 2022 number
- 685 cases of health workers being detained or kidnapped
- 625 incidents of facilities damaged
- 24 attacks on providers working vaccination campaigns across 10 countries
The Quote: 鈥淭he lack of restraint we are seeing, from the beginning of conflicts, suggests to me that the law on protecting healthcare has had no meaning to combatants,鈥 said Leonard Rubenstein of the Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights and the Center for Humanitarian Health.
Related:
Mapping the damage to Gaza鈥檚 hospitals: Battered, abandoned and raided 鈥
Ukraine: humanitarian, health needs soar as Kharkiv hostilities intensify 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Australia鈥檚 first human H5N1 case has been reported after a child traveling back from India developed a 鈥渟evere infection鈥; no other cases have been detected in the country.
Type 2 diabetes diagnoses among UK residents under age 40 have jumped 39% over six years, per a new report from 鈥攚ith related NHS costs forecast to rise to 拢10 billion a year by 2050.
The WHO has expanded its of 鈥渢rusted national regulatory authorities鈥 from three to 36 agencies鈥攁nd now includes the U.S. FDA and the European Medicines Agency.
888,000 U.S. military veterans have made 1 million+ disability benefits claims related to toxic exposure from burn pits and other sources encountered during their service. GHN EXCLUSIVE Young man hiding his face. November 24, 2017. BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Global Mental Health NOW Imagine explaining to a senior official that they could prevent and treat a whole category of diseases that cause a third of all global disability鈥攎ostly through local nonprofessional workers, and without medications and equipment.
Now picture that person鈥檚 eyes glazing over with disinterest. That鈥檚 what it鈥檚 like being a mental health advocate, writes Paul Bolton, a senior scientist in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
In a blind spot: Mental health is always a low-priority issue鈥攕uperseded by other public health issues, and treatment is undercut by many myths, Bolton says, including that mental illness is due to an inherent weakness, uncommon in LMICs, or requires expensive treatment.
- Extensive data and experience exist to counter all of these myths鈥攅specially the belief that most people can鈥檛 be helped, Bolton says.
鈥淚 think it is time to recognize that our 20th-century priorities are outdated. 鈥 People with mental illness have been ignored and poorly served for too long,鈥 Bolton concludes.
PHARMACEUTICALS Fake Drugs, Real Dangers
In need of medications but faced with steep prices, more Americans than ever are purchasing discount drugs online鈥攅xposing them to the risk of receiving substandard and falsified medications.
Despite FDA safeguards, the U.S. has seen an 鈥渁larming鈥 growth in fake medications, like counterfeit Adderall pills laced with meth and a cancer drug with no active ingredient.
To increase awareness of fake meds among patients and health care providers, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health experts have partnered with Pfizer in a project called BESAFE.
In a survey of providers, the BESAFE team found that:
- 91% don鈥檛 talk to patients about counterfeit drugs.
- 74% said an inability to determine counterfeit products is a barrier to reporting incidents.
- ~90% said cost savings are the main reason patients end up with counterfeit medications.
Higher temperatures in Zimbabwe have sparked early fire seasons and increased human-wildlife conflict, including a record number of snake bites.
The heat has shortened hibernation periods for snakes, causing them to emerge earlier than usual and, in some cases, move to human-populated areas.
- 141 snake bites with seven deaths were recorded in a single week in February, .
- In comparison, there were 707 bites and three deaths during all of 2023.
OPPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS In the house of psychiatry, a jarring tale of violence 鈥
Heat stress: how soaring temperatures are taking their toll on migrant workers in India鈥檚 garden city 鈥
New tool may help identify infants at high risk for poor RSV outcomes 鈥
Trump says he is open to restrictions on contraception before backing away from the statement 鈥嬧嬧
Black men are a hidden segment of caregivers. It's stressful but rewarding, too 鈥
How Do You Make A Global Health Podcast? 鈥 Issue No. 2543
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
A comprehensive review by the UN health agency has revealed critical gaps in understanding the full impact of climate change on malaria, dengue, trachoma and other tropical diseases.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: H5N1 Vaccine and Surveillance Options; Race-Neutral Lung Tests; and New Native-Led Forensics Lab 鈥楢 Beacon of Hope鈥
As many as 10 companies are looking into making H5N1 vaccines for poultry and cattle
May 21, 2024
A cow grazes in a field at a dairy farm on April 26, 2024, in Petaluma, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty
H5N1 Vaccine and Surveillance Possibilities
As many as 10 companies are looking into making H5N1 vaccines for poultry and cattle in the U.S., but it鈥檚 not easy work, .
Vaccine makers have to consider:
Why is this important?
Related:
The Disease Detectives Trying to Keep the World Safe From Bird Flu 鈥
How annual bird migration could spread avian flu 鈥
US FDA tested retail milk samples for bird flu in 17 states 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Ex-smokers who vape were more likely to develop lung cancer than people who didn鈥檛 use e-cigarettes after quitting, according to a large, decade-long study in South Korea.
New data from the WHO warns that a global burden in HIV, hepatitis, and STIs like syphilis continues to pose a major public health challenge, causing 2.5 millions deaths per year; four curable STIs account for over a million infections daily.
Long COVID codes used in electronic health records may play a part in underestimating the prevalence of the condition, according to a report based on clinical data from over 19 million NHS users in England.
Microplastics were found in human testicles in that suggests the tiny plastic particles may be linked to the decades-long decline in sperm counts. HEALTH DISPARITIES Race-Neutral Lung Tests: 鈥楶rofound鈥 Implications
Updated race-neutral guidelines for U.S. lung health assessments will likely have far-reaching impacts on both health outcomes and disability payouts, a new published in The New England Journal of Medicine has found.
Background: Equations for interpreting the results of pulmonary function tests have traditionally included a racial component, based on assumptions that Black people naturally have smaller lungs than white people.
Tuberculosis remains the biggest infectious killer in the world鈥攍eading to 1.5 million deaths in 2022 alone鈥攁n average of 2.5 deaths per minute.
And yet there is only one, partially effective, TB vaccine鈥攄eveloped more than a century ago.
New hopes: Researchers in South Africa have begun field trials to test whether a promising new vaccine, known as M72, is effective.
The Quote: 鈥淲e need a funding revolution, so we won鈥檛 be sitting here 50 or 100 years from now, lamenting the situation,鈥 says Mel Spigelman, president and chief executive of the TB Alliance.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE New Native-Led Forensics Lab 鈥楢 Beacon of Hope鈥
Amid the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people in the U.S., Montana stands out as a state with one of the highest disappearance rates.
QUICK HITS Brazil counts cost of worst-ever floods with little hope of waters receding soon 鈥
Toxic bullying claims blow up Brussels鈥 biggest health NGO 鈥
How American Women Could Lose the Right to Birth Control 鈥
Why are girls suffering so much right now? The problem is bigger than you think 鈥
Medicaid Unwinding Deals Blow to Tenuous System of Care for Native Americans 鈥
The booming business of eternal youth 鈥 Issue No. 2542
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
As many as 10 companies are looking into making H5N1 vaccines for poultry and cattle in the U.S., but it鈥檚 not easy work, .
Vaccine makers have to consider:
- Strict regulations for dealing with type A avian influenza viruses.
- The risk of the market disappearing if the nation鈥檚 biosecurity efforts are successful.
- Challenge trials of the vaccine that determine the effective virus dose must take place in biosecurity level-3 (BSL-3) labs, but few are built to handle cattle.
Why is this important?
- Knowing the sequence makes it easier to monitor the virus鈥檚 spread via commercially purchased milk products鈥攚hich is necessary because cattle owners have been reluctant to allow testing.
- The sequence also creates a baseline from which to watch for changes in the virus that could make it easier to infect mammals.
Related:
The Disease Detectives Trying to Keep the World Safe From Bird Flu 鈥
How annual bird migration could spread avian flu 鈥
US FDA tested retail milk samples for bird flu in 17 states 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Ex-smokers who vape were more likely to develop lung cancer than people who didn鈥檛 use e-cigarettes after quitting, according to a large, decade-long study in South Korea.
New data from the WHO warns that a global burden in HIV, hepatitis, and STIs like syphilis continues to pose a major public health challenge, causing 2.5 millions deaths per year; four curable STIs account for over a million infections daily.
Long COVID codes used in electronic health records may play a part in underestimating the prevalence of the condition, according to a report based on clinical data from over 19 million NHS users in England.
Microplastics were found in human testicles in that suggests the tiny plastic particles may be linked to the decades-long decline in sperm counts. HEALTH DISPARITIES Race-Neutral Lung Tests: 鈥楶rofound鈥 Implications
Updated race-neutral guidelines for U.S. lung health assessments will likely have far-reaching impacts on both health outcomes and disability payouts, a new published in The New England Journal of Medicine has found.
Background: Equations for interpreting the results of pulmonary function tests have traditionally included a racial component, based on assumptions that Black people naturally have smaller lungs than white people.
- Experts now believe smaller lung capacities may be due to risk factors like pollution and poor nutrition; the new guidelines seek to correct for this disparity.
- Asian and Black patients will move forward on U.S. lung transplant waiting lists, with 4.3 fewer days of wait time.
- U.S. diagnoses of lung disorders will likely jump 141% for Black patients.
- Annual disability payments for Black military veterans will likely rise by more than $1 billion.
Tuberculosis remains the biggest infectious killer in the world鈥攍eading to 1.5 million deaths in 2022 alone鈥攁n average of 2.5 deaths per minute.
And yet there is only one, partially effective, TB vaccine鈥攄eveloped more than a century ago.
New hopes: Researchers in South Africa have begun field trials to test whether a promising new vaccine, known as M72, is effective.
- The trial will take up to five years鈥攂ut its launch is a relief to researchers.
The Quote: 鈥淲e need a funding revolution, so we won鈥檛 be sitting here 50 or 100 years from now, lamenting the situation,鈥 says Mel Spigelman, president and chief executive of the TB Alliance.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE New Native-Led Forensics Lab 鈥楢 Beacon of Hope鈥
Amid the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people in the U.S., Montana stands out as a state with one of the highest disappearance rates.
- Native Americans make up just 6.2% of the state鈥檚 population鈥攂ut account for 30.6% of missing persons cases.
- 鈥淭here鈥檚 this huge gap between what families need and what law enforcement is doing鈥攐r not doing,鈥 said Omeasoo.
QUICK HITS Brazil counts cost of worst-ever floods with little hope of waters receding soon 鈥
Toxic bullying claims blow up Brussels鈥 biggest health NGO 鈥
How American Women Could Lose the Right to Birth Control 鈥
Why are girls suffering so much right now? The problem is bigger than you think 鈥
Medicaid Unwinding Deals Blow to Tenuous System of Care for Native Americans 鈥
The booming business of eternal youth 鈥 Issue No. 2542
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis are on the rise in most regions of the world, UN health agency WHO said in a new report on Tuesday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Ambulances Targeted in S. Africa; Pain Relief Out of Reach; and Seeking Justice After Sterilization
Armed thieves are hindering Cape Town paramedics' emergency response.
May 20, 2024
Ambulances Targeted in South Africa
Armed thieves are robbing paramedics in Cape Town of medical equipment, drugs, wallets, and cellphones.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Every year, millions of people die 鈥渘eedlessly in pain鈥 due to a lack of palliative care and access to painkillers.
Worst-affected: Africa. Only 11 of the continent鈥檚 54 countries have basic palliative care plans or policies, and even fewer include palliative care in medical school curricula.
Deep disparities: Just six high-income countries consume 79% of all global morphine production.
Taking steps: While countries like Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, and South Africa have begun integrating hospice care into public health services, access is still limited鈥攅specially in rural areas.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS Seeking Justice After Sterilization
Between 1996 and 2001, more than 272,000 women and 22,000 men in Peru were sterilized in a nationwide campaign鈥攚ith estimates suggesting <10% gave their consent.
Despite growing revelations of the scope of the abuse, the vast majority of victims have never received justice in a decades-long legal battle.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS U.S. doctor who refused to leave Gaza says he 鈥榗annot abandon my team鈥 鈥
ECDC warns of invasive meningococcal infections in travelers from Saudi Arabia 鈥
Bad Blood? The Uncertainty Around Microclots and Long Covid 鈥
Scientists make potential breast cancer breakthrough after preserving tissue in gel 鈥
Inside the Global Burden of Disease Study 鈥
Keto diet may cause organ damage, mouse study finds 鈥
Why babies in South Korea are suing the government 鈥
The known unknowns about Ozempic, explained 鈥
Like to bike? Your knees will thank you and you may live longer, too 鈥嬧嬧 Issue No. 2541
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Armed thieves are robbing paramedics in Cape Town of medical equipment, drugs, wallets, and cellphones.
- The persistent attacks are adding to the stress of working in one of the world鈥檚 鈥渕ost crime-prone cities.鈥
- 44 ambulance attacks were documented in Western Cape province in 2023鈥攖hough officials say many minor cases are going unreported.
- Attacks are down from 2016, when officials recorded 100+.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
A 鈥済round-breaking package of amendments鈥 to the WHO鈥檚 International Health Regulations have been agreed to by member states ahead of next week鈥檚 World Health Assembly鈥攚ith many changes formulated in the wake of COVID-19.
~3,000 HIV or hepatitis C deaths and ~30,000 infections traced to contaminated blood in the U.K. from the 1970s to the 90s could have been avoided, according to a five-year inquiry published today; it concluded that a government and NHS cover-up put financial and reputational concerns over patient safety.
People with HIV can breastfeed their babies, as long as they are taking antiretroviral medications, ; the guidance reverses recommendations in place since the 1980s.
Waiting to withdrawing life support until at least 72 hours after a patient鈥檚 admission to the ICU could lead to better-informed decisions about the patient鈥檚 long-term prognosis, ; researchers looked at a 鈥渓imited鈥 database of 1,392 traumatic brain injury patients and found 42% who continued life support recovered some degree of independence.
Every year, millions of people die 鈥渘eedlessly in pain鈥 due to a lack of palliative care and access to painkillers.
Worst-affected: Africa. Only 11 of the continent鈥檚 54 countries have basic palliative care plans or policies, and even fewer include palliative care in medical school curricula.
Deep disparities: Just six high-income countries consume 79% of all global morphine production.
- In many African countries, morphine .
Taking steps: While countries like Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, and South Africa have begun integrating hospice care into public health services, access is still limited鈥攅specially in rural areas.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS Seeking Justice After Sterilization
Between 1996 and 2001, more than 272,000 women and 22,000 men in Peru were sterilized in a nationwide campaign鈥攚ith estimates suggesting <10% gave their consent.
- 鈥淭he forced sterilizations perpetrated in the 1990s represent a grave violation of the human rights of thousands of people,鈥 said Marina Navarro, director of Amnesty International in Peru.
Despite growing revelations of the scope of the abuse, the vast majority of victims have never received justice in a decades-long legal battle.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS U.S. doctor who refused to leave Gaza says he 鈥榗annot abandon my team鈥 鈥
ECDC warns of invasive meningococcal infections in travelers from Saudi Arabia 鈥
Bad Blood? The Uncertainty Around Microclots and Long Covid 鈥
Scientists make potential breast cancer breakthrough after preserving tissue in gel 鈥
Inside the Global Burden of Disease Study 鈥
Keto diet may cause organ damage, mouse study finds 鈥
Why babies in South Korea are suing the government 鈥
The known unknowns about Ozempic, explained 鈥
Like to bike? Your knees will thank you and you may live longer, too 鈥嬧嬧 Issue No. 2541
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
Failure to invest in the health of the Syrian people will only deepen instability in the war-ravaged country and pose threats to regional and global security, a senior official with the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Psychiatry in Sierra Leone: Changing the Narrative; Growing 鈥楪lobal Threat鈥 of Mpox; and 鈥嬧婣 Poodle With a 鈥楯e Ne Sage Quoi鈥
May 17, 2024
View of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Blessed Sheriff
Psychiatry in Sierra Leone: Changing the Narrative
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone鈥擨n the past, many patients with mental illness were chained in hospital wards or abandoned at Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital鈥攖he country鈥檚 only hospital for people with mental health conditions, colloquially known as the Kissy Crase Yard (the Kissy Crazy Yard).
Today, thanks to the efforts of the country鈥檚 first psychiatry residency program at SLPH and the efforts of mental health advocacy groups, the narrative around mental health is changing鈥攁nd some of the societal stigma associated with receiving treatment is falling away.
But the needs are still vast:
Still, one of the youngest psychiatry residents in SLPH鈥檚 program, Sao Fatorma, is excited about the possibility of a growing mental health workforce, and hopes that residents will not limit themselves to SLPH post-training: 鈥淭he rest of the country is waiting for our services.鈥
Ed note: This is the second story in a 2-part series. , was published yesterday. Sheriff traveled to Sierra Leone with support from the Johns Hopkins-Pulitzer Global Health Reporting Fellowship in 2023 to report on efforts to transform mental health care in the country, including a psychiatric hospital鈥檚 innovative treatment methods and the first class of psychiatry residents trained there. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners The death of a Palestinian doctor in Israeli custody has been condemned as 鈥渉orrifying鈥 by a UN human rights expert, who called for an independent inquiry 鈥媔nto the matter.
Global life expectancy is forecasted to increase by nearly 5 years by 2050, finds a new global published today in The Lancet鈥攁 trend largely driven by public health measures.
A Seoul court has rejected a bid made by doctors and medical students to stop the government鈥檚 plan to drastically increase medical school quotas鈥攁s a monthslong strike by the country鈥檚 junior doctors continues.
A list of drug-resistant bacteria deemed 鈥渕ost threatening to human health鈥 has been updated by the WHO, with the identification of helping to guide a global response. 鈥 INFECTIOUS DISEASES Growing 鈥楪lobal Threat鈥 of Mpox
The U.S. CDC is that the escalating mpox epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 鈥減oses a global threat鈥 for further spread鈥攊ntensifying response efforts in the DRC, and leading to increased surveillance and vaccination efforts worldwide, .
The outbreak in the DRC is being fueled by a newer version of the virus called Clade Ib. It is a deadlier and more easily transmissible version than Clade IIb, which caused the 2022 epidemic.
Meanwhile, a new report in the Journal of Infectious Diseases found that asymptomatic mpox patients contributed to the 2022 mpox outbreak in New York City, . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HAITI 鈥楬eroic鈥 Work Persists Amid Violence
As gang violence continues to threaten medical infrastructure in Haiti, an indefatigable group of doctors and researchers refuse to stop working, even in the country鈥檚 鈥渄arkest hour.鈥
A few times a year we get the chance to remember that the absurd dog show mockumentary is barely a sniff removed from reality.
Handed 鈥渢he best assignment in journalism,鈥 the was invited to pet all 200 breeds at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show this week鈥攕ome only with the back of her hand, lest she contaminate their coifs with her palm oils. She described the experience as 鈥渋nstant serotonin, better than therapy.鈥
The went absolutely bonkers for the trotting topiary that is Sage, a miniature poodle who 鈥渃ame up big when it mattered most鈥濃攁t her handler鈥檚 very last dog show.
What鈥檚 so special about Sage? 鈥淚t鈥檚 face. It鈥檚 hair. It鈥檚 walk. It鈥檚 carriage. It was perfection last night,鈥 while Sage looked on, stone-faced.
In moments like these, it鈥檚 a shame that we can鈥檛 read canine minds 鈥 but at least tries. Wait for the Newfoundland. QUICK HITS Richard Horton: Indifference鈥攖he biggest threat to global health 鈥
Thailand increasingly unsafe for foreign activists fleeing persecution, warns report 鈥
Vaccinations crucial in curbing spike in measles cases among children 鈥
They survived Maui's deadly wildfires. Now many are suffering from food insecurity and deteriorating health. 鈥
Properly cooked hamburgers pose no bird flu risk, US study finds 鈥
Could bird flu in cows lead to a human outbreak? Slow response worries scientists 鈥
What's worse for disease spread: animal loss, climate change or urbanization? 鈥
Could 鈥楽cience Courts鈥 Help Build Public Trust? 鈥
Singing repairs the language network of the brain after a cerebrovascular accident 鈥 Issue No. 2540
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 Bloomberg School.
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FREETOWN, Sierra Leone鈥擨n the past, many patients with mental illness were chained in hospital wards or abandoned at Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital鈥攖he country鈥檚 only hospital for people with mental health conditions, colloquially known as the Kissy Crase Yard (the Kissy Crazy Yard).
Today, thanks to the efforts of the country鈥檚 first psychiatry residency program at SLPH and the efforts of mental health advocacy groups, the narrative around mental health is changing鈥攁nd some of the societal stigma associated with receiving treatment is falling away.
But the needs are still vast:
- SLPH employs less than 1 psychiatrist per 100,000 persons, well below average for the African region.
- Sierra Leone has no primary-level mental health care, preventing SLPH from focusing solely on severely ill patients.
Still, one of the youngest psychiatry residents in SLPH鈥檚 program, Sao Fatorma, is excited about the possibility of a growing mental health workforce, and hopes that residents will not limit themselves to SLPH post-training: 鈥淭he rest of the country is waiting for our services.鈥
Ed note: This is the second story in a 2-part series. , was published yesterday. Sheriff traveled to Sierra Leone with support from the Johns Hopkins-Pulitzer Global Health Reporting Fellowship in 2023 to report on efforts to transform mental health care in the country, including a psychiatric hospital鈥檚 innovative treatment methods and the first class of psychiatry residents trained there. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners The death of a Palestinian doctor in Israeli custody has been condemned as 鈥渉orrifying鈥 by a UN human rights expert, who called for an independent inquiry 鈥媔nto the matter.
Global life expectancy is forecasted to increase by nearly 5 years by 2050, finds a new global published today in The Lancet鈥攁 trend largely driven by public health measures.
A Seoul court has rejected a bid made by doctors and medical students to stop the government鈥檚 plan to drastically increase medical school quotas鈥攁s a monthslong strike by the country鈥檚 junior doctors continues.
A list of drug-resistant bacteria deemed 鈥渕ost threatening to human health鈥 has been updated by the WHO, with the identification of helping to guide a global response. 鈥 INFECTIOUS DISEASES Growing 鈥楪lobal Threat鈥 of Mpox
The U.S. CDC is that the escalating mpox epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 鈥減oses a global threat鈥 for further spread鈥攊ntensifying response efforts in the DRC, and leading to increased surveillance and vaccination efforts worldwide, .
The outbreak in the DRC is being fueled by a newer version of the virus called Clade Ib. It is a deadlier and more easily transmissible version than Clade IIb, which caused the 2022 epidemic.
- Between January and April, the Clade Ib virus has led to ~20,000 cases and ~1,000 deaths in the DRC.
- While no cases of Clade Ib have been identified outside Africa so far, growing numbers make surveillance critical, 鈥攁nd "underscores the importance of coordinated, urgent global action," to support the DRC, CDC officials said.
Meanwhile, a new report in the Journal of Infectious Diseases found that asymptomatic mpox patients contributed to the 2022 mpox outbreak in New York City, . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HAITI 鈥楬eroic鈥 Work Persists Amid Violence
As gang violence continues to threaten medical infrastructure in Haiti, an indefatigable group of doctors and researchers refuse to stop working, even in the country鈥檚 鈥渄arkest hour.鈥
- 鈥淭here is this heroic network of physicians and scientists that have figured out ways to keep aspects of science and medicine happening,鈥 said Eric Nelson, a cholera researcher who partners with a research facility in Haiti.
- A mobile pediatric service called MotoMeds, in which nurses field calls from parents and dispatch motorcycle drivers with medicines.
- Disease surveillance, including tracking the spread of cholera and identifying other viruses.
A few times a year we get the chance to remember that the absurd dog show mockumentary is barely a sniff removed from reality.
Handed 鈥渢he best assignment in journalism,鈥 the was invited to pet all 200 breeds at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show this week鈥攕ome only with the back of her hand, lest she contaminate their coifs with her palm oils. She described the experience as 鈥渋nstant serotonin, better than therapy.鈥
The went absolutely bonkers for the trotting topiary that is Sage, a miniature poodle who 鈥渃ame up big when it mattered most鈥濃攁t her handler鈥檚 very last dog show.
What鈥檚 so special about Sage? 鈥淚t鈥檚 face. It鈥檚 hair. It鈥檚 walk. It鈥檚 carriage. It was perfection last night,鈥 while Sage looked on, stone-faced.
In moments like these, it鈥檚 a shame that we can鈥檛 read canine minds 鈥 but at least tries. Wait for the Newfoundland. QUICK HITS Richard Horton: Indifference鈥攖he biggest threat to global health 鈥
Thailand increasingly unsafe for foreign activists fleeing persecution, warns report 鈥
Vaccinations crucial in curbing spike in measles cases among children 鈥
They survived Maui's deadly wildfires. Now many are suffering from food insecurity and deteriorating health. 鈥
Properly cooked hamburgers pose no bird flu risk, US study finds 鈥
Could bird flu in cows lead to a human outbreak? Slow response worries scientists 鈥
What's worse for disease spread: animal loss, climate change or urbanization? 鈥
Could 鈥楽cience Courts鈥 Help Build Public Trust? 鈥
Singing repairs the language network of the brain after a cerebrovascular accident 鈥 Issue No. 2540
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 Bloomberg School.
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Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Movement to Transform Mental Health in Sierra Leone; U.S. Drowning Deaths Rise; and the Politics in Iran鈥檚 Drug Distribution
Addiction to kush, a synthetic cannabis blend, is spurring a crisis among youth in Sierra Leone
May 16, 2024
The pediatric ward of the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. September 2023. Blessed Sheriff
Inside the Movement to Transform Mental Health in Sierra Leone
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone鈥斺淗olding his mother鈥檚 shaking hand,鈥 Ishmael 鈥渋s led to a small scale 鈥 where his cuffed jeans reveal bloated feet, covered from the shin down in mottled skin and scars,鈥 looking 鈥渘othing like the feet of a young man in his 20s, more closely resembling the swollen limbs of a heart failure patient,鈥 writes Blessed Sheriff.
Ishmael moves on to see Abdul Jalloh, MD, one of a handful of psychiatrists at the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital helping to battle an unprecedented crisis enveloping the country鈥檚 youth: addiction to kush, a synthetic cannabis blend, purportedly adulterated with such toxic substances as formalin, insecticides, and even human bones.
Several years ago, Jalloh was one of only three psychiatrists in the country, but now he has a team of seven young trainees, who make up Sierra Leone鈥檚 first psychiatry residency program.
It鈥檚 an important first step. But as the only psychiatric hospital in the country, SLPH鈥攚ith just 10 psychiatrists鈥攂ears the daunting burden of mental health care for a country of 8 million people. And kush isn鈥檛 the only mental health crisis the country faces: SLPH commonly treats patients with epilepsy, psychotic disorders, developmental disabilities, dementia, and other conditions historically neglected by the medical system, writes Sheriff.
Ed note: Sheriff traveled to Sierra Leone with support from the Johns Hopkins-Pulitzer Global Health Reporting Fellowship in 2023 to report on efforts to transform mental health care in the country, including a psychiatric hospital鈥檚 innovative treatment methods and the first class of psychiatry residents trained there. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Taiwan urged the WHO yesterday to stand by its 鈥淗ealth for All鈥 goal and allow it to attend the World Health Assembly later this month; Taiwan is often excluded from such meetings because China claims the island is part of China.
The WHO authorized yesterday a second dengue vaccine鈥擰denga from Japanese pharmaceutical giant Takeda; the agency recommended its use among 6- to 16-year-olds in areas with high dengue rates.
The European Commission is investigating Meta over concerns that Facebook and Instagram are causing addictive behavior in kids and harming their mental health; the investigation centers on possible violations of the , which holds digital companies liable for child abuse, scams, disinformation, and other harms.
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the U.S. had a 35% greater risk of dying than flu patients from October 2023 to March 2024, ; researchers based the estimate on examination of veterans鈥 health records from all 50 states. INJURY PREVENTION Drowning Deaths Increase in the U.S.
For the first time in more than two decades, accidental drowning rates in the U.S. have significantly increased.
Related:
The Increase in Drowning Deaths Should Be a National Priority 鈥
Bloomberg Philanthropies Invests Additional $60 Million to Help Prevent Drowning Deaths Globally 鈥 CONFLICT 80-year-old Munitions Still Maim and Kill in Solomon Islands
Hundreds of thousands of unexploded World War II grenades and other munitions discarded by U.S. and Japanese troops remain buried below major population areas in the Solomon Islands.
Bullets, cannon rounds, and assorted ordnance are regularly discovered by curious children and explode when people dig or cook over open fires.
鈥淗ere you are 80 years later and people have literally got stuff in their gardens that is dangerous,鈥 says program manager Simon Conway.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POLICY The Politics in Iran鈥檚 Drug Distribution
Allocating fewer drugs to Iranian pharmacies that fail to enforce the country鈥檚 hijab law is the government鈥檚 latest strategy to make businesses comply.
Political response: Enforcement of the hijab policy has escalated since the 2022 demonstrations following the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody. She was accused of improperly wearing her hijab.
The head of Iran鈥檚 FDA stated that if the medication deterrent measures fail, violators will be prosecuted.
QUICK HITS California鈥檚 鈥榳ellness鈥 devotees think raw milk infected with bird flu will 鈥榖oost immunity鈥 鈥
Report calls for 'urgent action' to boost antibiotic pipeline 鈥
New task force prescribes mental health support to curb maternal deaths 鈥
Unsung No More, Cambodia鈥檚 Malaria Hero 鈥
Fighting malaria with math? How one U of T researcher is studying the evolution of a parasite 鈥 Issue No. 2539
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone鈥斺淗olding his mother鈥檚 shaking hand,鈥 Ishmael 鈥渋s led to a small scale 鈥 where his cuffed jeans reveal bloated feet, covered from the shin down in mottled skin and scars,鈥 looking 鈥渘othing like the feet of a young man in his 20s, more closely resembling the swollen limbs of a heart failure patient,鈥 writes Blessed Sheriff.
Ishmael moves on to see Abdul Jalloh, MD, one of a handful of psychiatrists at the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital helping to battle an unprecedented crisis enveloping the country鈥檚 youth: addiction to kush, a synthetic cannabis blend, purportedly adulterated with such toxic substances as formalin, insecticides, and even human bones.
Several years ago, Jalloh was one of only three psychiatrists in the country, but now he has a team of seven young trainees, who make up Sierra Leone鈥檚 first psychiatry residency program.
It鈥檚 an important first step. But as the only psychiatric hospital in the country, SLPH鈥攚ith just 10 psychiatrists鈥攂ears the daunting burden of mental health care for a country of 8 million people. And kush isn鈥檛 the only mental health crisis the country faces: SLPH commonly treats patients with epilepsy, psychotic disorders, developmental disabilities, dementia, and other conditions historically neglected by the medical system, writes Sheriff.
Ed note: Sheriff traveled to Sierra Leone with support from the Johns Hopkins-Pulitzer Global Health Reporting Fellowship in 2023 to report on efforts to transform mental health care in the country, including a psychiatric hospital鈥檚 innovative treatment methods and the first class of psychiatry residents trained there. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Taiwan urged the WHO yesterday to stand by its 鈥淗ealth for All鈥 goal and allow it to attend the World Health Assembly later this month; Taiwan is often excluded from such meetings because China claims the island is part of China.
The WHO authorized yesterday a second dengue vaccine鈥擰denga from Japanese pharmaceutical giant Takeda; the agency recommended its use among 6- to 16-year-olds in areas with high dengue rates.
The European Commission is investigating Meta over concerns that Facebook and Instagram are causing addictive behavior in kids and harming their mental health; the investigation centers on possible violations of the , which holds digital companies liable for child abuse, scams, disinformation, and other harms.
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the U.S. had a 35% greater risk of dying than flu patients from October 2023 to March 2024, ; researchers based the estimate on examination of veterans鈥 health records from all 50 states. INJURY PREVENTION Drowning Deaths Increase in the U.S.
For the first time in more than two decades, accidental drowning rates in the U.S. have significantly increased.
- Compared to 2019, when the drowning rate was 1.2 deaths per 100,000 people, there was an increase of 10.5% in 2020, 13.7% in 2021, and 9.1% in 2022, .
- For preschool-aged children, for whom drowning is a leading cause of death, the increase is almost 30%, .
- On average, 4,000 Americans die each year from accidental drowning.
- More than half of adults have never taken a swimming lesson.
- 1 in 3 Black adults don鈥檛 know how to swim compared to 1 in 7 in the general population.
- American Indian and Alaskan Native people have the highest drowning rate, with three deaths per 100,000 people.
Related:
The Increase in Drowning Deaths Should Be a National Priority 鈥
Bloomberg Philanthropies Invests Additional $60 Million to Help Prevent Drowning Deaths Globally 鈥 CONFLICT 80-year-old Munitions Still Maim and Kill in Solomon Islands
Hundreds of thousands of unexploded World War II grenades and other munitions discarded by U.S. and Japanese troops remain buried below major population areas in the Solomon Islands.
Bullets, cannon rounds, and assorted ordnance are regularly discovered by curious children and explode when people dig or cook over open fires.
- 42,000 calls were made to the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team from 2011 to 2022.
鈥淗ere you are 80 years later and people have literally got stuff in their gardens that is dangerous,鈥 says program manager Simon Conway.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POLICY The Politics in Iran鈥檚 Drug Distribution
Allocating fewer drugs to Iranian pharmacies that fail to enforce the country鈥檚 hijab law is the government鈥檚 latest strategy to make businesses comply.
- The measure ensuring compliance among female workers and customers has been widely criticized.
Political response: Enforcement of the hijab policy has escalated since the 2022 demonstrations following the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody. She was accused of improperly wearing her hijab.
The head of Iran鈥檚 FDA stated that if the medication deterrent measures fail, violators will be prosecuted.
QUICK HITS California鈥檚 鈥榳ellness鈥 devotees think raw milk infected with bird flu will 鈥榖oost immunity鈥 鈥
Report calls for 'urgent action' to boost antibiotic pipeline 鈥
New task force prescribes mental health support to curb maternal deaths 鈥
Unsung No More, Cambodia鈥檚 Malaria Hero 鈥
Fighting malaria with math? How one U of T researcher is studying the evolution of a parasite 鈥 Issue No. 2539
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Heat鈥檚 鈥楩ar-Reaching鈥 Harm to Global Health; Helping Haitian Parents Help Kids; and Keeping Sight of Outdoor Time
May 15, 2024
A firefighter works to extinguish a forest fire that erupted in the mountainous area of Castelammare del Golfo, in western Sicily, on May 7. Alberto Lo Bianco/Anadolu via Getty
Heat鈥檚 鈥楩ar-Reaching鈥 Harm to Global Health
Warming temperatures are already taking a severe toll鈥攁nd are having a disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations, a trio of separate studies published this week find.
In Europe, heat-related dangers are having 鈥渇ar-reaching鈥 health impacts, especially in the southern regions, per a new published in The Lancet Public Health. Among those, per :
Seniors at risk: 200 million+ older adults will face extreme heat risks in coming years, as the global population ages and the effects of climate change worsen, per a new study published in .
U.S. abortions increased slightly from 82,000 per month in 2022鈥攖he year the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade鈥攖o 86,000 in 2023, that also marked an uptick in medication abortions by people in states with abortion bans鈥40,000+ between July and December 2023.
In sub-Saharan African countries where homosexuality is legal, gay and bisexual men were 2X as likely to have ever tested for HIV compared to countries where it鈥檚 illegal, according to a that also found countries with targeted HIV policies for this key population saw a more than twofold testing increase.
TB and COVID-19 co-infections are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide, increasing patients鈥 risk for hospitalization and death, per a new of 17 studies published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
鈥嬧婾.S. government officials temporarily relaxed strict guidelines on the handling, storage, and transport of H5N1 bird flu samples by public health laboratories and health care facilities, a move requested by the Association of Public Health Laboratories in response to the virus鈥檚 recent spread to dairy cows. MENTAL HEALTH Helping Haitian Parents Help Kids
As gangs have taken over Haiti鈥檚 key infrastructure, children have suffered disproportionately:
DATA POINT VISION Keeping Sight of Outdoor Time
Spending at least two hours outside is one of the best ways to prevent children from developing near-sightedness, or myopia, according to ophthalmologists.
Policy in practice: Pei-Chang Wu, a Taiwanese ophthalmologist, convinced Taiwan鈥檚 Ministry of Education to send elementary school students outdoors for at least two hours daily.
Risks of handcuffing someone facedown long known; people die when police training fails to keep up 鈥
COVID-19 survivors show lasting brain function alterations, fMRI study finds 鈥
Scientists demystify why subsequent bouts of dengue are worse than a first-time infection 鈥
鈥楴o safe amount of exposure鈥 to gas stove pollution 鈥
Medscape Cuts Million Dollar Deal With Tobacco Giant After Outcry 鈥
San Francisco Set to Ban "Forever Chemicals" in Firefighter Gear 鈥
My rendezvous with the raw milk black market: quick, easy, and unchecked by the FDA 鈥 Issue No. 2538
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Warming temperatures are already taking a severe toll鈥攁nd are having a disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations, a trio of separate studies published this week find.
In Europe, heat-related dangers are having 鈥渇ar-reaching鈥 health impacts, especially in the southern regions, per a new published in The Lancet Public Health. Among those, per :
- Heat-related deaths have increased by 30.8%.
- Disease risks have increased as the climate becomes more suitable to various pathogens and vectors.
- Women and low-income communities are disproportionately affected, reports 鈥攚ith heat-related mortality 2X as high in women.
Seniors at risk: 200 million+ older adults will face extreme heat risks in coming years, as the global population ages and the effects of climate change worsen, per a new study published in .
- By 2050, more than 20% of Earth's population will be 60+, and the number of people at risk from chronic extreme heat is set to at least double, .
U.S. abortions increased slightly from 82,000 per month in 2022鈥攖he year the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade鈥攖o 86,000 in 2023, that also marked an uptick in medication abortions by people in states with abortion bans鈥40,000+ between July and December 2023.
In sub-Saharan African countries where homosexuality is legal, gay and bisexual men were 2X as likely to have ever tested for HIV compared to countries where it鈥檚 illegal, according to a that also found countries with targeted HIV policies for this key population saw a more than twofold testing increase.
TB and COVID-19 co-infections are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide, increasing patients鈥 risk for hospitalization and death, per a new of 17 studies published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
鈥嬧婾.S. government officials temporarily relaxed strict guidelines on the handling, storage, and transport of H5N1 bird flu samples by public health laboratories and health care facilities, a move requested by the Association of Public Health Laboratories in response to the virus鈥檚 recent spread to dairy cows. MENTAL HEALTH Helping Haitian Parents Help Kids
As gangs have taken over Haiti鈥檚 key infrastructure, children have suffered disproportionately:
- 80+ children were killed or wounded from January to March, per Save the Children.
- 360,000 people have been displaced鈥攖he majority women and children.
- 900 schools have closed, affecting ~200,000 children.
- Of the 10,000 victims of sexual violence last year in Haiti, at least one-third were children.
- 鈥淐hildren are left to fend for themselves, without assistance, without enough protection,鈥 said UNICEF鈥檚 Bruno Maes.
DATA POINT VISION Keeping Sight of Outdoor Time
Spending at least two hours outside is one of the best ways to prevent children from developing near-sightedness, or myopia, according to ophthalmologists.
- 42% of people are myopic in the U.S.鈥攗p from 25% in the 1970s.
- Up to 90% are myopic in East Asia by young adulthood.
Policy in practice: Pei-Chang Wu, a Taiwanese ophthalmologist, convinced Taiwan鈥檚 Ministry of Education to send elementary school students outdoors for at least two hours daily.
- Since the program鈥檚 implementation, myopia cases in primary school students have fallen for the first time in decades, from 50% in 2011 to 45.1% by 2015.
Risks of handcuffing someone facedown long known; people die when police training fails to keep up 鈥
COVID-19 survivors show lasting brain function alterations, fMRI study finds 鈥
Scientists demystify why subsequent bouts of dengue are worse than a first-time infection 鈥
鈥楴o safe amount of exposure鈥 to gas stove pollution 鈥
Medscape Cuts Million Dollar Deal With Tobacco Giant After Outcry 鈥
San Francisco Set to Ban "Forever Chemicals" in Firefighter Gear 鈥
My rendezvous with the raw milk black market: quick, easy, and unchecked by the FDA 鈥 Issue No. 2538
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: U.S. State Moves to Outlaw Abortion Meds; 鈥楢larming鈥 Insights into Autism and Suicide; and Insulin Injustice
May 14, 2024
A medical resident gives a 25-year-old woman medication to terminate her pregnancy at a clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico. June 23, 2022. Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty
U.S. State Moves to Outlaw Abortion Meds
Louisiana may become the first U.S. state to criminalize possession of mifepristone and misoprostol without a prescription,
Timing: The U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule within weeks on access to medication abortion.
Meanwhile in technology: Apps that monitor women鈥檚 health, medical, and fertility data are collecting sensitive information, including about previous abortions鈥攑utting them at risk, .
Nearly two-thirds of Americans want abortion access: Pew poll 鈥
Arizona Supreme Court delays enforcement of 1864 abortion ban 鈥
Attacking birth control pills, US influencers push misinformation 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Yemen鈥檚 cholera outbreak is rapidly escalating鈥攚ith 40,000+ suspected cases, hundreds of new infections reported daily, and a rising death toll鈥攃ompounding the suffering of Yemeni civilians coping with the impacts of the country鈥檚 long-running conflict, UN officials warned.
Sex work in bars is likely driving rapid mpox transmission in DRC hot spots, according to a preprint observational study of patients hospitalized with suspected infections from September 2023 to April 2024; 88.4% of the 371 patients had recently visited bars for professional sexual interactions, the researchers said.
12 new breast cancer genes of 40,000 women of African ancestry in the U.S., Africa, and Barbados鈥攊ncluding 18,034 with breast cancer鈥攃ould help improve efforts to predict the risk of women of African descent; most prior studies on genetic mutations linked to breast cancer focused on women of European ancestry.
Wildlife trafficking persists worldwide, affecting more than 4,000 species鈥攊nflicting 鈥渦ntold harm upon nature鈥 and jeopardizing livelihoods, public health, and efforts against climate change, that calls for better enforcement, anti-corruption laws, and stronger monitoring and research. GHN EXCLUSIVE Q&A Zhou Pengcheng provides music therapy for a child with autism in Tianjin, north China, March 23, 2021. Zhao Zishuo/Xinhua via Getty 鈥楢larming鈥 Insights into Autism and Suicide
The rate of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among young people with autism has long been unclear to researchers, as traditional suicide risk-screening tools are typically not designed with autism-related communication needs in mind.
So when researchers at Baltimore鈥檚 Kennedy Krieger Institute surveyed over 950 caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder, they did not anticipate the startlingly high rates鈥攅specially among very young children:
Next steps: The findings are now spurring the institute to widen research to understand what鈥檚 driving the trend鈥攁nd equip caregivers to better intervene.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES Insulin Injustice
The 鈥渁stonishing鈥 price markups on insulin are a key reason only half the people who need the critical drug have access to it, per a new M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res .
Meanwhile, in South Africa, diabetes is the second-leading cause of death鈥攜et the country鈥檚 health infrastructure provides little insight into the number of diabetes cases or how many people are receiving diabetes care. The gaps 鈥渓eave our health system ill-equipped to handle the growing diabetes crisis,鈥 .
Related: Does the American Diabetes Association work for patients or companies? A lawsuit dared to ask 鈥 OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Trapped in Rafah, U.S. medical volunteers say they can't save lives and can't evacuate 鈥
Course Correcting the U.S. Response to Bird Flu 鈥
鈥業 poured gasoline then set fire to my clothes 鈥 the flames shot up my body鈥 鈥嬧嬧
What to Know About the COVID FLiRT Variants 鈥
The surge of mpox in Africa: a call for action 鈥
鈥楩ailure to Thrive,鈥 or a Failure to Investigate?: An outdated medical term often masks treatable illnesses, health experts contend. 鈥嬧嬧
More than a third of children鈥檚 restaurant meals still exceed salt target 鈥
Speed limits are too darn high 鈥
Have the new weight-loss drugs changed what it means to be body positive? 鈥 Issue No. 2537
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, Aliza Rosen, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .
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Copyright 2024 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 Bloomberg School.
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Louisiana may become the first U.S. state to criminalize possession of mifepristone and misoprostol without a prescription,
- A conviction for possessing the drugs, which induce abortion, includes prison time.
- But: It鈥檚 not illegal for a pregnant woman to possess either drug 鈥渇or her own consumption,鈥 . (Health care practitioners would not be prosecuted, but a person helping a woman get the medications could be, .
- The effort to criminalize the two drugs is an amendment to a bill that would make it illegal to give an abortion medication to someone without their consent.
Timing: The U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule within weeks on access to medication abortion.
Meanwhile in technology: Apps that monitor women鈥檚 health, medical, and fertility data are collecting sensitive information, including about previous abortions鈥攑utting them at risk, .
- The analysis of 20 such apps used by hundreds of millions of people found that for most apps 鈥渦ser data could be subject to access from law enforcement or security authorities,鈥 .
Nearly two-thirds of Americans want abortion access: Pew poll 鈥
Arizona Supreme Court delays enforcement of 1864 abortion ban 鈥
Attacking birth control pills, US influencers push misinformation 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Yemen鈥檚 cholera outbreak is rapidly escalating鈥攚ith 40,000+ suspected cases, hundreds of new infections reported daily, and a rising death toll鈥攃ompounding the suffering of Yemeni civilians coping with the impacts of the country鈥檚 long-running conflict, UN officials warned.
Sex work in bars is likely driving rapid mpox transmission in DRC hot spots, according to a preprint observational study of patients hospitalized with suspected infections from September 2023 to April 2024; 88.4% of the 371 patients had recently visited bars for professional sexual interactions, the researchers said.
12 new breast cancer genes of 40,000 women of African ancestry in the U.S., Africa, and Barbados鈥攊ncluding 18,034 with breast cancer鈥攃ould help improve efforts to predict the risk of women of African descent; most prior studies on genetic mutations linked to breast cancer focused on women of European ancestry.
Wildlife trafficking persists worldwide, affecting more than 4,000 species鈥攊nflicting 鈥渦ntold harm upon nature鈥 and jeopardizing livelihoods, public health, and efforts against climate change, that calls for better enforcement, anti-corruption laws, and stronger monitoring and research. GHN EXCLUSIVE Q&A Zhou Pengcheng provides music therapy for a child with autism in Tianjin, north China, March 23, 2021. Zhao Zishuo/Xinhua via Getty 鈥楢larming鈥 Insights into Autism and Suicide
The rate of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among young people with autism has long been unclear to researchers, as traditional suicide risk-screening tools are typically not designed with autism-related communication needs in mind.
So when researchers at Baltimore鈥檚 Kennedy Krieger Institute surveyed over 950 caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder, they did not anticipate the startlingly high rates鈥攅specially among very young children:
- Of the nearly 400 autistic children who reported wanting to die over their lifetime, 35% experienced onset at 8 years old and younger, .
Next steps: The findings are now spurring the institute to widen research to understand what鈥檚 driving the trend鈥攁nd equip caregivers to better intervene.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES Insulin Injustice
The 鈥渁stonishing鈥 price markups on insulin are a key reason only half the people who need the critical drug have access to it, per a new M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res .
- The report, released ahead of the in Athens, illustrates an 鈥渦rgent need鈥 for policymakers to intervene in the market globally, dominated by Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, and Sanofi, .
Meanwhile, in South Africa, diabetes is the second-leading cause of death鈥攜et the country鈥檚 health infrastructure provides little insight into the number of diabetes cases or how many people are receiving diabetes care. The gaps 鈥渓eave our health system ill-equipped to handle the growing diabetes crisis,鈥 .
Related: Does the American Diabetes Association work for patients or companies? A lawsuit dared to ask 鈥 OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Trapped in Rafah, U.S. medical volunteers say they can't save lives and can't evacuate 鈥
Course Correcting the U.S. Response to Bird Flu 鈥
鈥業 poured gasoline then set fire to my clothes 鈥 the flames shot up my body鈥 鈥嬧嬧
What to Know About the COVID FLiRT Variants 鈥
The surge of mpox in Africa: a call for action 鈥
鈥楩ailure to Thrive,鈥 or a Failure to Investigate?: An outdated medical term often masks treatable illnesses, health experts contend. 鈥嬧嬧
More than a third of children鈥檚 restaurant meals still exceed salt target 鈥
Speed limits are too darn high 鈥
Have the new weight-loss drugs changed what it means to be body positive? 鈥 Issue No. 2537
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, Aliza Rosen, 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 2024 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 Bloomberg School.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
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