96
Global Health NOW: Sudan鈥檚 Spiraling Humanitarian Crisis; India Has a Drug Naming Problem; and Shearing the Love
July 11, 2024
A child who fled Singa, the capital of Sudan's southeastern Sennar state, arrives in a makeshift camp for displaced people in Kassala in eastern Sudan on July 6. AFP via Getty
Sudan鈥檚 Spiraling Humanitarian Crisis
The civil war in Sudan is forcing millions of internally displaced people to try to survive amid rampant disease, hunger, and attacks on health care.
Health care attacks: At least 77 hospitals in Sudan have been attacked since the crisis began in April 2023 when fighting broke out between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, .
Related: Sudanese refugees hiding in Ethiopian forest to escape bandits and militias 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners The UN Human Rights Council strongly condemned violations and human rights abuses of the Rohingya community by the military and armed opposition groups in Burma (Myanmar) in a resolution yesterday, underscoring reports of targeted killings, indiscriminate violence, and forced conscription.
Dozens of salmonella illnesses have been linked to consuming raw milk from a Fresno, California, farm this past February, per newly released state records showing the outbreak was much bigger than previously disclosed; currently, the U.S. public is being warned to avoid unpasteurized milk due to an avian flu virus found in dairy cows.
Nearly 200 people have been infected with dengue in the states of New York and New Jersey this year, per the CDC, adding to the ~2,500 people infected in the U.S. so far鈥攁bout 5X more than the same time last year; Puerto Rico, which has the bulk of the cases, declared a dengue emergency last March.
Anyone under 16 in Brussels caught riding an electric scooter now risks a 鈧58 fine, as scooter companies are mandated to improve age verification efforts to prevent underage use鈥攑art of a new regulatory structure implemented in response to a marked rise in scooter-related accidents. GHN EXCLUSIVE Q&A Carlos Duarte/Getty India Has a Drug Naming Problem
India鈥檚 $50 billion pharmaceutical industry supplies drugs across the globe, but flimsy regulation in the domestic market allows the sale of countless easily confused drug names, says Dinesh Thakur, co-author of The Truth Pill: The Myth of Drug Regulation in India.
Takeaways from GHN鈥檚 talk with Thakur, who has spent the past decade advocating for tighter drug safety regulations:
On dangerously similar drug names: 鈥淢edzole鈥 is marketed in India by four different companies to sell four different active ingredients for different medical conditions. There鈥檚 a sedative, Medzole; Medzole-DSR, which treats acid reflux; Medzole 400, a deworming treatment; and Medzole 200, an antifungal treatment.
On the risk similar names present: In India, most drug dispensaries don't have properly trained pharmacists, so the probability of somebody making a mistake鈥攆or example, dispensing a sedative for somebody who's actually suffering from an infection鈥攊s very high.
On India鈥檚 fragmented drug name approval process: If you're making a medicine formulation that already exists in the market, you just start a company and 鈥 get approval from a state drug regulator. 200 milligrams of acetaminophen, for example鈥攖here'll be thousands and thousands of drugs with that formulation called everything under the sun.
There鈥檚 more: Read the full article to learn why there鈥檚 finally political interest in reforming the drug naming process.
Ed Note: This article is part of a two-part GHN series on drug naming. : 鈥淲hy Do Prescription Drugs Have Such Crazy Names?鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES KIDNEY DISEASE CKDu Epidemic in Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka鈥檚 farming and fishing communities, men in their 30s and 40s have been experiencing what doctors call 鈥渃hronic kidney disease of unknown origin鈥 or CKDu.
Likely culprits: The cause is not clear, but experts suspect groundwater contaminated by pesticides and dehydration caused by extreme heat.
But: Many of the men cannot afford to reduce their risk for CKDu by staying hydrated with filtered water or stopping work that exposes them to dangerous pesticides and sweltering conditions.
Wander into one North London neighborhood, and you may wonder if you鈥檝e tripped down Alice鈥檚 rabbit hole or into a Seussian fantasyland.
Throughout the streets, large, leafy creatures stand sentry: A pair of elephants, a squirrel, a hippo, and many more鈥攅ven a freight train with a plum of pruned smoke.
It鈥檚 the topiary menagerie of Tim Bushe (yes, Bushe: 鈥淢aybe it was my destiny,鈥 he says). For 15 years, Bushe has been meticulously clipping hedgerows into living art.
Topiary luminary: Bushe鈥檚 first topiary came as a request for a cat-shaped hedge from his late wife. Since then, he has grown his topiary garden as a labor of love for his neighborhood.
Hedge of allegiance: Maintaining his work takes dedication. Some 鈥渉aircuts鈥 are monthly rituals; a limb or facial feature may take months to manifest.
Anger mounts in southeast Texas as crippling power outages and heat turn deadly 鈥
Bird flu response in Michigan sparks COVID-era worry on farms 鈥
WHO prequalifies the first self-test for hepatitis C virus 鈥
Dengue Virus Linked To Elevated Risk Of Depression & Sleep Disorders 鈥
Scientists edit the genes of gut bacteria in living mice 鈥
Biden plan requires hospitals to improve maternal care 鈥
Why new tools for fighting malaria need more media coverage 鈥
Why Do So Many Food Documentaries Seem to Think We鈥檙e Stupid? 鈥 Issue No. 2569
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 .
The civil war in Sudan is forcing millions of internally displaced people to try to survive amid rampant disease, hunger, and attacks on health care.
- With at least 9.1 million people displaced, the country has 鈥渢he largest internally displaced population ever reported,鈥 .
- A conservative estimate says at least 14,000 civilians have been killed,
- Since the war began, 7 million+ people have been internally displaced鈥4 million of them are children.
- 8.9 million children are 鈥渁cutely food insecure,鈥 per Mandeep O鈥橞rien, Unicef鈥檚 country representative for Sudan.
Health care attacks: At least 77 hospitals in Sudan have been attacked since the crisis began in April 2023 when fighting broke out between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, .
- Just 2% of internally displaced people in the country can access health care, according to the International Rescue Committee.
Related: Sudanese refugees hiding in Ethiopian forest to escape bandits and militias 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners The UN Human Rights Council strongly condemned violations and human rights abuses of the Rohingya community by the military and armed opposition groups in Burma (Myanmar) in a resolution yesterday, underscoring reports of targeted killings, indiscriminate violence, and forced conscription.
Dozens of salmonella illnesses have been linked to consuming raw milk from a Fresno, California, farm this past February, per newly released state records showing the outbreak was much bigger than previously disclosed; currently, the U.S. public is being warned to avoid unpasteurized milk due to an avian flu virus found in dairy cows.
Nearly 200 people have been infected with dengue in the states of New York and New Jersey this year, per the CDC, adding to the ~2,500 people infected in the U.S. so far鈥攁bout 5X more than the same time last year; Puerto Rico, which has the bulk of the cases, declared a dengue emergency last March.
Anyone under 16 in Brussels caught riding an electric scooter now risks a 鈧58 fine, as scooter companies are mandated to improve age verification efforts to prevent underage use鈥攑art of a new regulatory structure implemented in response to a marked rise in scooter-related accidents. GHN EXCLUSIVE Q&A Carlos Duarte/Getty India Has a Drug Naming Problem
India鈥檚 $50 billion pharmaceutical industry supplies drugs across the globe, but flimsy regulation in the domestic market allows the sale of countless easily confused drug names, says Dinesh Thakur, co-author of The Truth Pill: The Myth of Drug Regulation in India.
Takeaways from GHN鈥檚 talk with Thakur, who has spent the past decade advocating for tighter drug safety regulations:
On dangerously similar drug names: 鈥淢edzole鈥 is marketed in India by four different companies to sell four different active ingredients for different medical conditions. There鈥檚 a sedative, Medzole; Medzole-DSR, which treats acid reflux; Medzole 400, a deworming treatment; and Medzole 200, an antifungal treatment.
On the risk similar names present: In India, most drug dispensaries don't have properly trained pharmacists, so the probability of somebody making a mistake鈥攆or example, dispensing a sedative for somebody who's actually suffering from an infection鈥攊s very high.
On India鈥檚 fragmented drug name approval process: If you're making a medicine formulation that already exists in the market, you just start a company and 鈥 get approval from a state drug regulator. 200 milligrams of acetaminophen, for example鈥攖here'll be thousands and thousands of drugs with that formulation called everything under the sun.
There鈥檚 more: Read the full article to learn why there鈥檚 finally political interest in reforming the drug naming process.
Ed Note: This article is part of a two-part GHN series on drug naming. : 鈥淲hy Do Prescription Drugs Have Such Crazy Names?鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES KIDNEY DISEASE CKDu Epidemic in Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka鈥檚 farming and fishing communities, men in their 30s and 40s have been experiencing what doctors call 鈥渃hronic kidney disease of unknown origin鈥 or CKDu.
Likely culprits: The cause is not clear, but experts suspect groundwater contaminated by pesticides and dehydration caused by extreme heat.
But: Many of the men cannot afford to reduce their risk for CKDu by staying hydrated with filtered water or stopping work that exposes them to dangerous pesticides and sweltering conditions.
- 鈥淭hey would rather buy food than clean drinking water, not realizing the impact of their decision,鈥 says fisheries biologist Thanusanth Santhalingam.
Wander into one North London neighborhood, and you may wonder if you鈥檝e tripped down Alice鈥檚 rabbit hole or into a Seussian fantasyland.
Throughout the streets, large, leafy creatures stand sentry: A pair of elephants, a squirrel, a hippo, and many more鈥攅ven a freight train with a plum of pruned smoke.
It鈥檚 the topiary menagerie of Tim Bushe (yes, Bushe: 鈥淢aybe it was my destiny,鈥 he says). For 15 years, Bushe has been meticulously clipping hedgerows into living art.
Topiary luminary: Bushe鈥檚 first topiary came as a request for a cat-shaped hedge from his late wife. Since then, he has grown his topiary garden as a labor of love for his neighborhood.
Hedge of allegiance: Maintaining his work takes dedication. Some 鈥渉aircuts鈥 are monthly rituals; a limb or facial feature may take months to manifest.
- 鈥淚 could end up with one ear, for instance, and have to wait years for the other ear to grow,鈥 Bushe said.
Anger mounts in southeast Texas as crippling power outages and heat turn deadly 鈥
Bird flu response in Michigan sparks COVID-era worry on farms 鈥
WHO prequalifies the first self-test for hepatitis C virus 鈥
Dengue Virus Linked To Elevated Risk Of Depression & Sleep Disorders 鈥
Scientists edit the genes of gut bacteria in living mice 鈥
Biden plan requires hospitals to improve maternal care 鈥
Why new tools for fighting malaria need more media coverage 鈥
Why Do So Many Food Documentaries Seem to Think We鈥檙e Stupid? 鈥 Issue No. 2569
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
More Israeli evacuation orders in Gaza are further threatening the health of people in the embattled enclave, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) said during a media briefing in Geneva on Thursday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Why Do Prescription Drugs Have Such Crazy Names?; Dying Alone in Japan; and Memories of Measles
July 10, 2024
Tablets of the antidepressant Prozac. Paul S. Howell/Liaison Agency
Why Do Prescription Drugs Have Such Crazy Names?
Wegovy. Zepbound. Prozac. Cialis. Xeljanz.
How do drugs get such bizarre brand names?
There is an intricate method to the madness鈥攚ith safety at its core.
WHO has 鈥渓ook-alike, sound-alike鈥 () medicines鈥攖hink Klonopin (a branded seizure medication) versus clonidine (a generic blood pressure drug)鈥攁s a leading global cause of medication errors. In the U.S. alone, these errors cause at least one death every day and injure approximately 1.3 million people per year.
Today, the world鈥檚 strictest drug-naming regulators鈥攖he U.S., the European Union, and Canada鈥攈ave increasingly tight rules designed to help avoid confusion.
Branding consultants play an ever-larger role in identifying names that not only satisfy regulators, but make household names out of made-up words. That all started with 鈥淏ig Bang鈥濃攁s in Prozac. The blockbuster antidepressant was the first branded drug to really capture 鈥渉earts and minds鈥濃攁nd it changed everything, says Scott Piergrossi of Brand Institute, the firm behind countless drug names.
Today, he says, the naming process is harder than ever and involves less free-associating over pizza and more asking ChatGPT for suggestions. Thousands of them.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners A key tuberculosis drug will be 40% cheaper in South Africa after drugmaker Johnson & Johnson decided not to enforce its patent on SIRTURO (bedaquiline)鈥攁 reversal that came after South African authorities opened an investigation into J&J鈥檚 鈥渁buse of dominance.鈥
HIV infections increased in cities along the U.S.鈥揗exico border despite COVID-era restrictions, according to a published in The Lancet Americas that focused on HIV and injection drug use in Tijuana and San Diego.
Nine polio cases in Afghanistan have been logged by the WHO in 2024鈥攄espite the Taliban Health Ministry鈥檚 announcement that the country has zero polio cases this year.
STD diagnoses rose 4.8% in the U.S. between 2020 and 2023, with a 23.8% increase in people ages 65+, per a in FAIR Health that analyzed insurance claims. POPULATIONS Dying Alone in Japan
As Japan鈥檚 population continues to age, solitary, unnoticed deaths are increasing.
Community support: Since 2004, the Tokiwadaira community has had a 鈥渮ero solitary death鈥 campaign that includes a hotline and volunteer patrols. This year, apartment motion sensors were also introduced.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MEASLES Memories of Misery
It鈥檚 been over 60 years since the measles vaccine paved the way for the disease to be largely eliminated in the U.S.
That is enough time that few have any memory of measles鈥 devastating symptoms and long-term side effects鈥攁nd even many doctors have never encountered it.
That lack of memory is one reason cases are on the rise again:
In yesterday鈥檚 lead summary on Vancouver鈥檚 catastrophic overdose epidemic, we neglected to include the link to the article.
It was published in . We regret making this error on such an important article. QUICK HITS Record-Breaking Dengue Infection Persists in the Caribbean 鈥
Stimulant users caught up in fatal 'fourth wave' of opioid epidemic 鈥
Understanding patient distress in sickle cell disease 鈥
Using human rights to advance global health justice in an age of inequality 鈥
South Korea politician blames women for rising male suicides 鈥
Children鈥檚 daily sugar consumption halved just a year after tax, study finds
&苍产蝉辫;鈥
Middle East and North African countries need better rules for gain of function pathogen research 鈥
How PhD students and other academics are fighting the mental-health crisis in science 鈥 Issue No. 2568
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 .
Wegovy. Zepbound. Prozac. Cialis. Xeljanz.
How do drugs get such bizarre brand names?
There is an intricate method to the madness鈥攚ith safety at its core.
WHO has 鈥渓ook-alike, sound-alike鈥 () medicines鈥攖hink Klonopin (a branded seizure medication) versus clonidine (a generic blood pressure drug)鈥攁s a leading global cause of medication errors. In the U.S. alone, these errors cause at least one death every day and injure approximately 1.3 million people per year.
Today, the world鈥檚 strictest drug-naming regulators鈥攖he U.S., the European Union, and Canada鈥攈ave increasingly tight rules designed to help avoid confusion.
Branding consultants play an ever-larger role in identifying names that not only satisfy regulators, but make household names out of made-up words. That all started with 鈥淏ig Bang鈥濃攁s in Prozac. The blockbuster antidepressant was the first branded drug to really capture 鈥渉earts and minds鈥濃攁nd it changed everything, says Scott Piergrossi of Brand Institute, the firm behind countless drug names.
Today, he says, the naming process is harder than ever and involves less free-associating over pizza and more asking ChatGPT for suggestions. Thousands of them.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners A key tuberculosis drug will be 40% cheaper in South Africa after drugmaker Johnson & Johnson decided not to enforce its patent on SIRTURO (bedaquiline)鈥攁 reversal that came after South African authorities opened an investigation into J&J鈥檚 鈥渁buse of dominance.鈥
HIV infections increased in cities along the U.S.鈥揗exico border despite COVID-era restrictions, according to a published in The Lancet Americas that focused on HIV and injection drug use in Tijuana and San Diego.
Nine polio cases in Afghanistan have been logged by the WHO in 2024鈥攄espite the Taliban Health Ministry鈥檚 announcement that the country has zero polio cases this year.
STD diagnoses rose 4.8% in the U.S. between 2020 and 2023, with a 23.8% increase in people ages 65+, per a in FAIR Health that analyzed insurance claims. POPULATIONS Dying Alone in Japan
As Japan鈥檚 population continues to age, solitary, unnoticed deaths are increasing.
- Nearly 22,000 people died alone at home in the first three months of 2024. 80% were 65 or older.
- Kodokushi, or solitary deaths, are expected to reach 68,000 by year鈥檚 end.
Community support: Since 2004, the Tokiwadaira community has had a 鈥渮ero solitary death鈥 campaign that includes a hotline and volunteer patrols. This year, apartment motion sensors were also introduced.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MEASLES Memories of Misery
It鈥檚 been over 60 years since the measles vaccine paved the way for the disease to be largely eliminated in the U.S.
That is enough time that few have any memory of measles鈥 devastating symptoms and long-term side effects鈥攁nd even many doctors have never encountered it.
That lack of memory is one reason cases are on the rise again:
- The U.S. has seen more measles cases this year than in each of the past two years.
- Being confined to dark rooms to lessen the risk of blindness.
- Extreme fatigue lasting months.
- Being unable to walk.
- Spreading the disease to more vulnerable family members.
In yesterday鈥檚 lead summary on Vancouver鈥檚 catastrophic overdose epidemic, we neglected to include the link to the article.
It was published in . We regret making this error on such an important article. QUICK HITS Record-Breaking Dengue Infection Persists in the Caribbean 鈥
Stimulant users caught up in fatal 'fourth wave' of opioid epidemic 鈥
Understanding patient distress in sickle cell disease 鈥
Using human rights to advance global health justice in an age of inequality 鈥
South Korea politician blames women for rising male suicides 鈥
Children鈥檚 daily sugar consumption halved just a year after tax, study finds
&苍产蝉辫;鈥
Middle East and North African countries need better rules for gain of function pathogen research 鈥
How PhD students and other academics are fighting the mental-health crisis in science 鈥 Issue No. 2568
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
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that it has prequalified the first self-test for the hepatitis C virus (HCV), thus accelerating efforts towards elimination of the viral infection.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Vancouver鈥檚 Catastrophic Overdose Epidemic; Milk Bank Banned; and More Organs鈥擬ore Ethical Questions
British Columbia backtracks on experiment with decriminalizing drugs
July 9, 2024
Medics attend to a man who overdosed on drugs in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Thursday, May 5, 2022. Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times via Getty
Vancouver鈥檚 Catastrophic Overdose Epidemic
Scene from downtown Vancouver: 38-year-old Hailey lies on the pavement and gets an injection of fentanyl and benzodiazepines in her neck. Her eyes go out of focus as she confides she can鈥檛 wait to go into detox.
Blame game: While critics blame the government for creating a substance use epidemic, advocates for substance users say inadequate housing and social services are responsible.
鈥淭he reality is Vancouver has seen a 32 per cent increase in homelessness since the beginning of Covid,鈥 says Brittany Graham, the executive director of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, adding: 鈥淲hat we are witnessing right now is a homelessness crisis on top of a toxic and unregulated drug supply.鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Researchers in Kenya will soon be releasing genetically modified mosquitoes to stem the spread of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes; the mosquitoes include a 鈥渟elf-limiting gene鈥 that shortens the lifespan of female mosquitoes and a fluorescent marker gene that makes it possible to identify GM mosquitoes in the wild.
Two cousins in Cambodia who touched dead chickens have been infected with avian flu; the country has now recorded seven H5N1 cases this year.
STD diagnoses among U.S. seniors 65+ rose by nearly 24% during the pandemic; syphilis diagnoses among all adults increased by 29%, per FAIR Health鈥檚 database of 47 billion commercial health care claim records.
~22 million Americans live in a county that doesn鈥檛 have a cardiologist, forcing them to drive an average of nearly 90 miles round trip to get specialty heart care. SURGERY More Organs鈥擬ore Ethical Questions
More than for organs, and ~17 die every day waiting for a transplant.
To both help alleviate the and improve transplant outcomes, doctors are turning to a new kind of organ retrieval procedure, (NRP), that produces more, high quality livers, kidneys, and hearts.
The procedure replenishes the oxygen deprivation that the organs incur during the dying process, meaning they鈥檙e recovered in a healthier state. About half of the nation鈥檚 56 organ procurement organizations have already started using NRP, according to the .
But鈥擭RP has sparked an over whether the technique blurs the definition of death.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES RELIGION Milk Bank Banned
The first, long-awaited breast milk bank in Pakistan has been shuttered before it could receive a single donation after Islamic clerics withdrew their approval.
Background: Doctors and advocates had been working on the bank for over a year, in hopes that it would help improve Pakistan鈥檚 neonatal mortality rate鈥攚hich is one of the highest in the world.
Young people's mental health suffered amid COVID pandemic, 3 new studies suggest 鈥
Thanks to a $1 billion gift, most Johns Hopkins medical students will no longer pay tuition 鈥
Lebanon鈥檚 Deep Healthcare Crisis Exposed through Communicable Diseases 鈥
How Milwaukee's Native community is fighting opioid death surge 鈥
Surviving Breast Cancer - Nigerian Women Share Their Stories 鈥
Microwave technology saves diabetic patient from double amputation 鈥 Issue No. 2567
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 .
Scene from downtown Vancouver: 38-year-old Hailey lies on the pavement and gets an injection of fentanyl and benzodiazepines in her neck. Her eyes go out of focus as she confides she can鈥檛 wait to go into detox.
- Hailey is one of 5,000 active substance users in a 10-block corridor in the heart of the city, per a must-read feature by The Telegraph.
- Vancouver鈥檚 overdose death rate is 56 per 100,000 people, far above the U.S.鈥檚 rate of .
- The province reported 2,511 drug-related overdoses in 2023鈥87% of which were caused by fentanyl.
Blame game: While critics blame the government for creating a substance use epidemic, advocates for substance users say inadequate housing and social services are responsible.
鈥淭he reality is Vancouver has seen a 32 per cent increase in homelessness since the beginning of Covid,鈥 says Brittany Graham, the executive director of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, adding: 鈥淲hat we are witnessing right now is a homelessness crisis on top of a toxic and unregulated drug supply.鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Researchers in Kenya will soon be releasing genetically modified mosquitoes to stem the spread of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes; the mosquitoes include a 鈥渟elf-limiting gene鈥 that shortens the lifespan of female mosquitoes and a fluorescent marker gene that makes it possible to identify GM mosquitoes in the wild.
Two cousins in Cambodia who touched dead chickens have been infected with avian flu; the country has now recorded seven H5N1 cases this year.
STD diagnoses among U.S. seniors 65+ rose by nearly 24% during the pandemic; syphilis diagnoses among all adults increased by 29%, per FAIR Health鈥檚 database of 47 billion commercial health care claim records.
~22 million Americans live in a county that doesn鈥檛 have a cardiologist, forcing them to drive an average of nearly 90 miles round trip to get specialty heart care. SURGERY More Organs鈥擬ore Ethical Questions
More than for organs, and ~17 die every day waiting for a transplant.
To both help alleviate the and improve transplant outcomes, doctors are turning to a new kind of organ retrieval procedure, (NRP), that produces more, high quality livers, kidneys, and hearts.
The procedure replenishes the oxygen deprivation that the organs incur during the dying process, meaning they鈥檙e recovered in a healthier state. About half of the nation鈥檚 56 organ procurement organizations have already started using NRP, according to the .
But鈥擭RP has sparked an over whether the technique blurs the definition of death.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES RELIGION Milk Bank Banned
The first, long-awaited breast milk bank in Pakistan has been shuttered before it could receive a single donation after Islamic clerics withdrew their approval.
Background: Doctors and advocates had been working on the bank for over a year, in hopes that it would help improve Pakistan鈥檚 neonatal mortality rate鈥攚hich is one of the highest in the world.
- 鈥淭he milk bank was one way of reducing our dismal neonatal mortality rate,鈥 said Syed Rehan Ali, a NICU physician.
- Advocates of the bank say they had devised a process to record donations digitally so that parents could know the source.
Young people's mental health suffered amid COVID pandemic, 3 new studies suggest 鈥
Thanks to a $1 billion gift, most Johns Hopkins medical students will no longer pay tuition 鈥
Lebanon鈥檚 Deep Healthcare Crisis Exposed through Communicable Diseases 鈥
How Milwaukee's Native community is fighting opioid death surge 鈥
Surviving Breast Cancer - Nigerian Women Share Their Stories 鈥
Microwave technology saves diabetic patient from double amputation 鈥 Issue No. 2567
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 . -->
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Categories: Global Health Feed
A treatment for anorexia nervosa?
A 苹果淫院-led research team working in collaboration with a French team (CNRS, INSERM and Sorbonne university) believes it has identified both the neurological mechanism underlying anorexia nervosa as well as a possible cure.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Russian Missiles Hit Children鈥檚 Hospital; Pulse Oximeter Problem; and Nipah Road Map
The attack was part of a larger bombardment across Ukraine that killed at least 20 people.
July 8, 2024
People clear rubble at Okhmatdyt children鈥檚 hospital, partially destroyed by a Russian missile strike today, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty
Kyiv Children鈥檚 Hospital Hit in Air Strike
A Russian missile attack destroyed a Kyiv children鈥檚 hospital today鈥攑art of a larger bombardment across Ukraine that killed at least 20 people, .
Search and rescue efforts are underway to reach people still trapped beneath the rubble at Okhmatdyt Children鈥檚 Hospital, which treats 20,000 children annually.
Live H5N1 virus was grown from raw milk samples by FDA and USDA scientists, per a new ; meanwhile Delaware lawmakers have become the latest state to legalize raw milk sales.
South Korea dropped a plan today to suspend the licenses of striking trainee doctors鈥攁 concession to end a months-long walkout by medical interns and resident doctors protesting the government鈥檚 decision to increase medical school admissions.
Air pollution can decrease odds of live birth after IVF by 38%, according to findings to be presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology annual meeting in Amsterdam today. MEDICAL DEVICES Fly View Productions via Getty The Problem With Pulse Oximeters
For decades, studies have shown that pulse oximeters overestimate oxygen levels in patients with darker skin tones.
MATERNAL HEALTH Deficient Stillbirth Data
Fetal death certificates, recorded for stillborn babies, are supposed to contain essential data that can be used to better track and research stillbirth and improve obstetric care.
But ProPublica鈥檚 investigative has found that such records are often incomplete, delayed, or inaccurate.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ZOONOTIC DISEASES A New Road Map for Nipah
Nipah virus is 鈥渙ne of the most lethal viruses known to infect humans鈥濃攚ith a case fatality rate ranging from 40%-100% in outbreaks recorded in Malaysia, Bangladesh, and India.
While the virus is not yet transmissible enough to become a pandemic, that high risk makes it critical to develop countermeasures to help prevent a catastrophe, said Stanford University鈥檚 Stephen Luby, one of the authors of a new , published by CIDRAP.
Background: There are currently no diagnostics, vaccines, or other countermeasures for Nipah.
Related:
New human trials for novel antibody offer hope for immediate protection against deadly Nipah 鈥
Measures to prevent and treat Nipah virus disease: research priorities for 2024鈥29 鈥 QUICK HITS UN official describes total devastation in Carriacou following Hurricane Beryl 鈥
As anti-refugee sentiment rises, Syrians in Lebanon are increasingly afraid to seek medical care 鈥
African mpox surges show lack of vaccine access 鈥
An Innovative Test to Diagnose Chagas Disease in Newborns 鈥
Talc "probably" causes cancer, WHO agency finds 鈥
Diabetes patients on GLP-1s instead of insulin have lower cancer risk, study shows 鈥
Exploring the impacts of risk factors on mortality patterns of global Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and related dementias from 1990 to 2021 鈥
A bench and a grandmother鈥檚 ear: Zimbabwe鈥檚 novel mental health therapy spreads overseas 鈥 Issue No. 2566
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 .
A Russian missile attack destroyed a Kyiv children鈥檚 hospital today鈥攑art of a larger bombardment across Ukraine that killed at least 20 people, .
Search and rescue efforts are underway to reach people still trapped beneath the rubble at Okhmatdyt Children鈥檚 Hospital, which treats 20,000 children annually.
- Doctors and others inside the hospital shared 鈥渋mages of blood stained hallways, collapsed ceilings and destroyed operating rooms.鈥
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described Okhmatdyt as "one of the most important children's hospitals not only in Kyiv but also in Europe,鈥 .
- One of Ukraine鈥檚 top government officials said Russian forces 鈥減urposefully attacked the children today,鈥 .
Live H5N1 virus was grown from raw milk samples by FDA and USDA scientists, per a new ; meanwhile Delaware lawmakers have become the latest state to legalize raw milk sales.
South Korea dropped a plan today to suspend the licenses of striking trainee doctors鈥攁 concession to end a months-long walkout by medical interns and resident doctors protesting the government鈥檚 decision to increase medical school admissions.
Air pollution can decrease odds of live birth after IVF by 38%, according to findings to be presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology annual meeting in Amsterdam today. MEDICAL DEVICES Fly View Productions via Getty The Problem With Pulse Oximeters
For decades, studies have shown that pulse oximeters overestimate oxygen levels in patients with darker skin tones.
- But until recently, these findings were largely ignored and even denied by both manufacturers and regulators, and not well understood by clinicians鈥攁llowing for the proliferation of biased devices and misleading readings for patients with darker skin tones that can lead to life-threatening lapses in care.
- Readings from the devices help guide essential care decisions, like whether a patient in surgery or an intensive care unit needs lifesaving supplemental oxygen.
MATERNAL HEALTH Deficient Stillbirth Data
Fetal death certificates, recorded for stillborn babies, are supposed to contain essential data that can be used to better track and research stillbirth and improve obstetric care.
But ProPublica鈥檚 investigative has found that such records are often incomplete, delayed, or inaccurate.
- An analysis of CDC data for 2019-2021 found that the records for more than a third of all 63,437 stillbirths in the U.S. were missing the cause of death.
- Data on stillbirth risk factors and race is also inadequate.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ZOONOTIC DISEASES A New Road Map for Nipah
Nipah virus is 鈥渙ne of the most lethal viruses known to infect humans鈥濃攚ith a case fatality rate ranging from 40%-100% in outbreaks recorded in Malaysia, Bangladesh, and India.
While the virus is not yet transmissible enough to become a pandemic, that high risk makes it critical to develop countermeasures to help prevent a catastrophe, said Stanford University鈥檚 Stephen Luby, one of the authors of a new , published by CIDRAP.
Background: There are currently no diagnostics, vaccines, or other countermeasures for Nipah.
- The roadmap provides action steps for developing such tools by 2030.
Related:
New human trials for novel antibody offer hope for immediate protection against deadly Nipah 鈥
Measures to prevent and treat Nipah virus disease: research priorities for 2024鈥29 鈥 QUICK HITS UN official describes total devastation in Carriacou following Hurricane Beryl 鈥
As anti-refugee sentiment rises, Syrians in Lebanon are increasingly afraid to seek medical care 鈥
African mpox surges show lack of vaccine access 鈥
An Innovative Test to Diagnose Chagas Disease in Newborns 鈥
Talc "probably" causes cancer, WHO agency finds 鈥
Diabetes patients on GLP-1s instead of insulin have lower cancer risk, study shows 鈥
Exploring the impacts of risk factors on mortality patterns of global Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and related dementias from 1990 to 2021 鈥
A bench and a grandmother鈥檚 ear: Zimbabwe鈥檚 novel mental health therapy spreads overseas 鈥 Issue No. 2566
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
Ukrainian cities faced another barrage of missiles fired by Russian forces on Monday with dozens killed and a children鈥檚 hospital among the locations hit, UN humanitarians have said.
Categories: Global Health Feed
苹果淫院 scholars receive $190,000 to expand impact of research in the social sciences and humanities
Seven 苹果淫院 researchers have been awarded over $190,000 in Connection Grants by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). The awards are part of $1.7 million in federal funding invested in 54 projects nationwide.聽
Categories: Global Health Feed
Provost awards 28 苹果淫院 professors with distinguished awards
苹果淫院 honours its accomplished researchers with Distinguished James 苹果淫院 Professor, James 苹果淫院 Professor, and William Dawson Scholars awards.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: FDA Approves Second Alzheimer鈥檚 Drug; How Sickle Cell Disease and Malaria Defined Evolution; and Automated Resume Screening Bias
July 3, 2024
An aerial view of the campus headquarters of Eli Lilly and Company. March 17, Indianapolis. Scott Olson/Getty
Second Alzheimer鈥檚 Drug Gains FDA Approval
U.S. drug officials have approved a second Alzheimer's drug, providing access to a growing class of drugs that aim to slow the brain's decline in early-stage patients, .
The new drug: Eli Lilly's drug Kisunla uses the monoclonal antibody donanemab to clear amyloid plaques from the brain.
A new STI status-sharing app called Zults will allow users to share their sexual health status and testing results with potential partners鈥攁 tool the U.K. developers hope will help combat the uptick in infections across the country.
Major funding cuts to PEPFAR, the U.S.-led AIDS relief program in Africa, have been planned by the Biden administration鈥攚ith more than 6% in reductions set for fiscal year 2025.
A nasal COVID vaccine is set for a phase 1 trial, ; the vaccine stems from Project NextGen鈥攁 government-led effort to advance next-generation vaccines against the virus. GHN EXCLUSIVE Q & A Illustration of red blood cells affected by sickle cell disease. Nemes Laszlo/Science Photo Library/Getty How Sickle Cell Disease and Malaria Defined Evolution
Sickle cell disease affects more than 20 million people worldwide and can be a devastating鈥攁nd deadly鈥攃ondition.
But being a carrier of the sickle cell gene鈥攚hich evolved in Africa ~20,000 years ago鈥攈as had an evolutionary benefit: Those with just one copy of the sickle cell gene avoid the worst symptoms of the disease, and are also protected against malaria.
This remarkable genetic link 鈥渋s a story of how our genome adapts to the environment鈥濃攂ut there is still much to learn about it, Ambroise Wonkam, a Cameroonian physician and president of the , explains in an exclusive Q&A.
It鈥檚 also a story of how little is known about the African genome, despite the fact that 鈥渨e are all African. That鈥檚 where we all evolved as humankind some 300,000 years ago,鈥 says Wonkam. Yet most studies on sickle cell and other diseases rely on samples with 鈥渙nly a fraction鈥 of the genetic variation found in Africa.
From migration patterns to diet and geography, Wonkam explains the imperative of studying the African genome more thoroughly: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have a choice as scientists and as a human society.鈥
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES RESEARCH Bridging a Brain Gap
When it comes to studying disparities in neurological diseases鈥攍ike why Black Americans are two times as likely to develop Alzheimer鈥檚 disease鈥攍arge genetic databases have a major weakness:
Findings: Researchers found that genetics and environmental factors like pollution and water quality contribute to higher rates of Alzheimer's, stroke, and mental health conditions among Black Americans.
Key caveat: Researchers say the studies should not be used to support a biological basis for race, but instead suggest how lived experiences impact gene expression.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Automated Resume Screening Shows Bias
Using AI to sort job applications is increasingly popular, despite a lack of data on its safety and effectiveness.
Researchers asked ChatGPT to rank almost-identical resumes. The only difference was that some included credentials that implied disability鈥攆or example, an autism leadership award.
, citing biased perceptions of people with disabilities.
"For a disabled job seeker, there's always this question 鈥 of whether you should include disability credentials," said lead author Kate Glazko.
Room to improve: When researchers told the tool not to exhibit ableism, rankings improved, but not for all disabilities.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Young Palestinians Face a Steep Toll on Mental Health 鈥
Stronger than fentanyl and heroin: Nitazenes are causing fear amongst Australian law enforcement and medical authorities 鈥
New Lab Test to Detect Persistent HIV Strains in Africa May Aid Search for Cure 鈥
America鈥檚 international public health plan is too focused on Americans 鈥
Sizzling sidewalks, unshaded playgrounds pose risk for surface burns over searing Southwest summer 鈥
Period poverty, reuse needs, and depressive symptoms among refugee menstruators in Jordan鈥檚 camps: a cross-sectional study 鈥
How Politicizing Migration Harms Health 鈥
Visually impaired women find hope in eastern Afghanistan 鈥
A Kissing Bug Was Found On Someone's Pillow In Delaware, Raising Concerns Around The Risks Of Chagas Disease 鈥
How Rwandan paediatrician Agnes Binagwaho fights racial stereotypes in global health 鈥 Issue No. 2565
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 .
U.S. drug officials have approved a second Alzheimer's drug, providing access to a growing class of drugs that aim to slow the brain's decline in early-stage patients, .
The new drug: Eli Lilly's drug Kisunla uses the monoclonal antibody donanemab to clear amyloid plaques from the brain.
- An 18-month study showed Kisunla slowed brain decline by 22% compared to a placebo, .
- Kisunla is administered once a month, compared to Leqembi鈥檚 twice-a-month regimen.
- Patients can stop taking Kisunla if they respond well.
- The committee ultimately voted unanimously that the drug鈥檚 benefits outweigh its risks.
A new STI status-sharing app called Zults will allow users to share their sexual health status and testing results with potential partners鈥攁 tool the U.K. developers hope will help combat the uptick in infections across the country.
Major funding cuts to PEPFAR, the U.S.-led AIDS relief program in Africa, have been planned by the Biden administration鈥攚ith more than 6% in reductions set for fiscal year 2025.
A nasal COVID vaccine is set for a phase 1 trial, ; the vaccine stems from Project NextGen鈥攁 government-led effort to advance next-generation vaccines against the virus. GHN EXCLUSIVE Q & A Illustration of red blood cells affected by sickle cell disease. Nemes Laszlo/Science Photo Library/Getty How Sickle Cell Disease and Malaria Defined Evolution
Sickle cell disease affects more than 20 million people worldwide and can be a devastating鈥攁nd deadly鈥攃ondition.
But being a carrier of the sickle cell gene鈥攚hich evolved in Africa ~20,000 years ago鈥攈as had an evolutionary benefit: Those with just one copy of the sickle cell gene avoid the worst symptoms of the disease, and are also protected against malaria.
This remarkable genetic link 鈥渋s a story of how our genome adapts to the environment鈥濃攂ut there is still much to learn about it, Ambroise Wonkam, a Cameroonian physician and president of the , explains in an exclusive Q&A.
It鈥檚 also a story of how little is known about the African genome, despite the fact that 鈥渨e are all African. That鈥檚 where we all evolved as humankind some 300,000 years ago,鈥 says Wonkam. Yet most studies on sickle cell and other diseases rely on samples with 鈥渙nly a fraction鈥 of the genetic variation found in Africa.
From migration patterns to diet and geography, Wonkam explains the imperative of studying the African genome more thoroughly: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have a choice as scientists and as a human society.鈥
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES RESEARCH Bridging a Brain Gap
When it comes to studying disparities in neurological diseases鈥攍ike why Black Americans are two times as likely to develop Alzheimer鈥檚 disease鈥攍arge genetic databases have a major weakness:
- Such databases are dominated by material from participants of European descent.
Findings: Researchers found that genetics and environmental factors like pollution and water quality contribute to higher rates of Alzheimer's, stroke, and mental health conditions among Black Americans.
Key caveat: Researchers say the studies should not be used to support a biological basis for race, but instead suggest how lived experiences impact gene expression.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Automated Resume Screening Shows Bias
Using AI to sort job applications is increasingly popular, despite a lack of data on its safety and effectiveness.
Researchers asked ChatGPT to rank almost-identical resumes. The only difference was that some included credentials that implied disability鈥攆or example, an autism leadership award.
, citing biased perceptions of people with disabilities.
"For a disabled job seeker, there's always this question 鈥 of whether you should include disability credentials," said lead author Kate Glazko.
Room to improve: When researchers told the tool not to exhibit ableism, rankings improved, but not for all disabilities.
OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Young Palestinians Face a Steep Toll on Mental Health 鈥
Stronger than fentanyl and heroin: Nitazenes are causing fear amongst Australian law enforcement and medical authorities 鈥
New Lab Test to Detect Persistent HIV Strains in Africa May Aid Search for Cure 鈥
America鈥檚 international public health plan is too focused on Americans 鈥
Sizzling sidewalks, unshaded playgrounds pose risk for surface burns over searing Southwest summer 鈥
Period poverty, reuse needs, and depressive symptoms among refugee menstruators in Jordan鈥檚 camps: a cross-sectional study 鈥
How Politicizing Migration Harms Health 鈥
Visually impaired women find hope in eastern Afghanistan 鈥
A Kissing Bug Was Found On Someone's Pillow In Delaware, Raising Concerns Around The Risks Of Chagas Disease 鈥
How Rwandan paediatrician Agnes Binagwaho fights racial stereotypes in global health 鈥 Issue No. 2565
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: A 鈥楽low Motion鈥 Epidemic鈥檚 Bad/Good News; Dengue Ascending; and Mental Health in Africa: A Personal Priority
Insufficient surveillance hinders public health efforts against the H5N1 avian flu virus.
July 2, 2024
Cows graze in a field at a dairy farm in Petaluma, California, on April 26. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A 鈥楽low Motion鈥 Epidemic鈥檚 Bad/Good News
Insufficient surveillance in the U.S. is hindering public health efforts against the H5N1 avian flu virus, .
The Quote: 鈥淚t almost seems like a pandemic unfolding in slow motion,鈥 said University of Pennsylvania microbiologist Scott Hensley. 鈥淩ight now, the threat is pretty low ... but that could change in a heartbeat.鈥
Issues:
More good news: Standard pasteurization techniques in milk processing inactivate H5N1, U.S. government scientists report in . The study supports findings from previous research, . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
In Finland, new ADHD diagnoses doubled during the pandemic, with the steepest rises among females ages 13鈥30, according to a study that analyzed medical data from 5.6 million participants.
Eating healthy foods throughout your life could reduce the risk of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and slow cognitive decline later in life, ; researchers followed 3,059 people in the U.K. from age 4 to 70.
A new prosthetic technology has made it possible for people with leg amputations to control their prosthetic limbs with their brains and walk with a smooth gait, in the journal Nature Medicine.
To protect U.S. workers from excessive heat, the Biden administration proposed a new rule to establish a federal safety heat exposure standard; the measure would protect some 36 million U.S. employees, especially those who work outdoors and in affected indoor spaces. INFECTIOUS DISEASES Dengue Ascending
A record 10 million people have fallen ill with dengue so far this year鈥攁n 鈥渦nprecedented surge鈥 stemming from high global temperatures that have enabled mosquitoes鈥 spread.
From Brazil to Bangladesh, patients have overwhelmed hospitals. Puerto Rico declared a public health emergency this spring.
Rising risk in the U.S.: Last week, the CDC of an increased danger of dengue infections in the U.S.鈥攗rging clinicians to be alert for the disease when treating feverish patients.
A preview of the future?: Without 鈥渄rastic action鈥 to control the virus, ~2 billion additional people across the globe could be at risk for dengue in the next 50 years, .
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POLICY Mental Health in Africa: A Personal Priority
Mental health care is a growing priority for Africa CDC鈥攊n part because of the top leader鈥檚 personal background.
Director General Jean Kaseya became passionate about improving mental health care delivery across the continent after watching his late brother, an army officer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, suffer from untreated mental illness.
Seeking change: Africa CDC is now trying to integrate mental health care into community health initiatives, launching a this year.
QUICK HITS WHO releases first-ever clinical treatment guideline for tobacco cessation in adults 鈥
Combined COVID-flu vaccines are coming: Moderna jab clears major test 鈥
Fauci on why he never quit during Trump administration 鈥
Namibia Takes a Step Towards a Healthier Future with the Launch of a National One Health Strategy 鈥
Degradation of cell wall key in the spread of antibiotic resistance 鈥
Growing Body of Data Links India鈥檚 Polluted Air to Worsening Health 鈥
Kids spend a lot of time outside in the summer. Here鈥檚 how to deal with their common injuries 鈥 Issue No. 2564
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 .
Insufficient surveillance in the U.S. is hindering public health efforts against the H5N1 avian flu virus, .
The Quote: 鈥淚t almost seems like a pandemic unfolding in slow motion,鈥 said University of Pennsylvania microbiologist Scott Hensley. 鈥淩ight now, the threat is pretty low ... but that could change in a heartbeat.鈥
Issues:
- U.S. government testing occurs only when dairy cattle cross state lines.
- State testing of dairy cows is haphazard.
- Testing of humans exposed to sick cows is insufficient.
- The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations aims to develop a library of prototype vaccines against pandemic pathogens that could be deployed within 100 days of an outbreak.
- The U.S. and Europe are arranging for 鈥減re-pandemic鈥 flu vaccines for high-risk groups.
- The U.S. is negotiating with Moderna to develop mRNA pandemic flu shots.
More good news: Standard pasteurization techniques in milk processing inactivate H5N1, U.S. government scientists report in . The study supports findings from previous research, . GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
In Finland, new ADHD diagnoses doubled during the pandemic, with the steepest rises among females ages 13鈥30, according to a study that analyzed medical data from 5.6 million participants.
Eating healthy foods throughout your life could reduce the risk of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and slow cognitive decline later in life, ; researchers followed 3,059 people in the U.K. from age 4 to 70.
A new prosthetic technology has made it possible for people with leg amputations to control their prosthetic limbs with their brains and walk with a smooth gait, in the journal Nature Medicine.
To protect U.S. workers from excessive heat, the Biden administration proposed a new rule to establish a federal safety heat exposure standard; the measure would protect some 36 million U.S. employees, especially those who work outdoors and in affected indoor spaces. INFECTIOUS DISEASES Dengue Ascending
A record 10 million people have fallen ill with dengue so far this year鈥攁n 鈥渦nprecedented surge鈥 stemming from high global temperatures that have enabled mosquitoes鈥 spread.
From Brazil to Bangladesh, patients have overwhelmed hospitals. Puerto Rico declared a public health emergency this spring.
Rising risk in the U.S.: Last week, the CDC of an increased danger of dengue infections in the U.S.鈥攗rging clinicians to be alert for the disease when treating feverish patients.
A preview of the future?: Without 鈥渄rastic action鈥 to control the virus, ~2 billion additional people across the globe could be at risk for dengue in the next 50 years, .
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES POLICY Mental Health in Africa: A Personal Priority
Mental health care is a growing priority for Africa CDC鈥攊n part because of the top leader鈥檚 personal background.
Director General Jean Kaseya became passionate about improving mental health care delivery across the continent after watching his late brother, an army officer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, suffer from untreated mental illness.
- His brother, Dieudonn茅, was jailed rather than hospitalized鈥攁 common problem across the DRC, Kaseya said.
Seeking change: Africa CDC is now trying to integrate mental health care into community health initiatives, launching a this year.
QUICK HITS WHO releases first-ever clinical treatment guideline for tobacco cessation in adults 鈥
Combined COVID-flu vaccines are coming: Moderna jab clears major test 鈥
Fauci on why he never quit during Trump administration 鈥
Namibia Takes a Step Towards a Healthier Future with the Launch of a National One Health Strategy 鈥
Degradation of cell wall key in the spread of antibiotic resistance 鈥
Growing Body of Data Links India鈥檚 Polluted Air to Worsening Health 鈥
Kids spend a lot of time outside in the summer. Here鈥檚 how to deal with their common injuries 鈥 Issue No. 2564
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
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday released the first-ever guidelines for those seeking to quit tobacco use, recommending a range of initiatives, treatments and digital interventions.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: Big Tobacco鈥檚 Behind-The-Scenes Tactics and June鈥檚 Must-Reads
July 1, 2024
Big Tobacco鈥檚 Behind-The-Scenes Tactics
Philip Morris International, one of the world鈥檚 largest tobacco companies, has positioned itself as a vanguard of a 鈥渟moke-free future鈥濃攑romoting heated tobacco products as a healthier alternative to cigarettes.
But its updated playbook involves seeking to influence scientific studies鈥攁nd downplaying harmful effects of its new products, per an in-depth report by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
Among the findings, which focused on the company's strategy in Japan:
Related:
Revealed: Big Tobacco鈥檚 campaign to undermine UK generational smoking 鈥
Tobacco giant accused of 鈥榤anipulating science鈥 to attract non-smokers 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Dozens of sick and injured children were evacuated from Gaza via Egypt on Friday in an international effort to connect the children with medical treatment.
Older people with anxiety may be up to 2X as likely to develop Parkinson鈥檚 disease as their peers without anxiety, .
Progress towards the SDGs is 鈥渁larmingly insufficient,鈥 according to a new 鈥攚ith just 17% the targets currently on track, while over one-third are stalled or going in reverse.
Childhood obesity is linked with 2X the risk of hospitalization for dengue virus, based on a cohort of 4,782 Sri Lankan schoolchildren. JUNE RECAP: MUST-READS A Senior Overdose Crisis
In a must-read analysis, The New York Times and The Baltimore Banner illuminated the tragic trend among Black men born from 1951 to 1970.
Curbing Cervical Cancer in India
Every seven minutes, a woman dies of cervical cancer in India鈥攚hich accounts for one-fifth of the global cervical cancer burden鈥攚ith ~23,000 women diagnosed in the country last year.
Health Worker Exodus Exacerbates Inequality
Low pay is driving more health care workers to leave sub-Saharan Africa for wealthier countries鈥攚orsening already dire staffing shortages.
Children Exploited for Europe鈥檚 Cocaine Trade
Unaccompanied child migrants throughout Europe are being exploited by powerful drug syndicates to work in the continent鈥檚 booming cocaine trade.
India: Unrelenting high temperatures have assailed much of India for weeks, causing dozens of deaths and 鈥渦nleashing a public health crisis,鈥 .
A new antiviral drug provided young women in Uganda and South Africa with total protection from HIV鈥100% efficacy鈥攁ccording to a large randomized controlled trial. The trial compared lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injection made by Gilead Sciences, against two daily pills, Truvada and Descovy, , citing Gilead results ahead of peer review.
Global physical inactivity rises, challenging 2030 reduction targets 鈥
Street medicine teams search for homeless people to deliver lifesaving IV hydration in extreme heat 鈥
Combined COVID-flu vaccines are coming: Moderna jab clears major test 鈥
Suspected sepsis driving US broad-spectrum antibiotic use, study finds 鈥
Supreme Court ruling may threaten role of science in U.S. rulemaking 鈥
WHO and partners launch global dashboard on child health 鈥
The Science of Pet Ownership Needs a Reality Check 鈥 Issue No. 2563
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 .
Philip Morris International, one of the world鈥檚 largest tobacco companies, has positioned itself as a vanguard of a 鈥渟moke-free future鈥濃攑romoting heated tobacco products as a healthier alternative to cigarettes.
But its updated playbook involves seeking to influence scientific studies鈥攁nd downplaying harmful effects of its new products, per an in-depth report by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
Among the findings, which focused on the company's strategy in Japan:
- Routing funds for research: PMI has targeted academic institutions and specific researchers to produce studies, but it steered funding through third-party 鈥渃onsultancy firms鈥 and 鈥渉ealthcare contractors.鈥
- Insidious influence: These funded studies are often cited in public health policy discussions and factor into marketing around its new products. Many researchers do not disclose PMI's financial support.
- 鈥淭here are governments out there that are maybe vulnerable and may be seduced by some of these arguments,鈥 said Stella Bialous, a University of California tobacco specialist.
Related:
Revealed: Big Tobacco鈥檚 campaign to undermine UK generational smoking 鈥
Tobacco giant accused of 鈥榤anipulating science鈥 to attract non-smokers 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Dozens of sick and injured children were evacuated from Gaza via Egypt on Friday in an international effort to connect the children with medical treatment.
Older people with anxiety may be up to 2X as likely to develop Parkinson鈥檚 disease as their peers without anxiety, .
Progress towards the SDGs is 鈥渁larmingly insufficient,鈥 according to a new 鈥攚ith just 17% the targets currently on track, while over one-third are stalled or going in reverse.
Childhood obesity is linked with 2X the risk of hospitalization for dengue virus, based on a cohort of 4,782 Sri Lankan schoolchildren. JUNE RECAP: MUST-READS A Senior Overdose Crisis
In a must-read analysis, The New York Times and The Baltimore Banner illuminated the tragic trend among Black men born from 1951 to 1970.
- The group makes up 7% of the city鈥檚 population, but accounts for ~30% of drug fatalities鈥20X the death rate of the rest of the U.S.
- The men in this group have had 鈥渢heir lives shaped by forces that have animated the city鈥檚 drug crisis for decades鈥濃攚ith 4,000+ lives lost among their generation to various drug epidemics since 1993.
Curbing Cervical Cancer in India
Every seven minutes, a woman dies of cervical cancer in India鈥攚hich accounts for one-fifth of the global cervical cancer burden鈥攚ith ~23,000 women diagnosed in the country last year.
- 鈥淢ost of our patients come in the third and fourth stage and die within six months to a year of diagnosis,鈥 says gynecological oncologist Chetna Parekh.
- The obstacles include poor prevention鈥攖he HPV vaccine is not included in India鈥檚 free vaccination program鈥攁s well as low screening rates and stigma.
Health Worker Exodus Exacerbates Inequality
Low pay is driving more health care workers to leave sub-Saharan Africa for wealthier countries鈥攚orsening already dire staffing shortages.
- The brain drain is hampering basic efforts to fight infectious diseases and improve health outcomes like infant mortality.
Children Exploited for Europe鈥檚 Cocaine Trade
Unaccompanied child migrants throughout Europe are being exploited by powerful drug syndicates to work in the continent鈥檚 booming cocaine trade.
- In an , The Guardian found 鈥渋ndustrial-scale鈥 exploitation that forces hundreds of vulnerable North African children to sell drugs at the street level鈥攁nd commit violent acts, per a recent .
India: Unrelenting high temperatures have assailed much of India for weeks, causing dozens of deaths and 鈥渦nleashing a public health crisis,鈥 .
- Rising humidity and unusually high night-time temperatures have contributed to the body鈥檚 inability to cool down.
- Hospitals and ambulances are now being outfitted with cooling tubs and ice boxes to rapidly respond to heatstroke.
- In Texas alone, at least 14 prison deaths per year can be to extreme heat.
- Prisons in Florida, Texas, Georgia, and Alabama lack AC, and recent efforts to include prison air conditioning in state budgets have stalled.
A new antiviral drug provided young women in Uganda and South Africa with total protection from HIV鈥100% efficacy鈥攁ccording to a large randomized controlled trial. The trial compared lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injection made by Gilead Sciences, against two daily pills, Truvada and Descovy, , citing Gilead results ahead of peer review.
- None of the 2,134 women who received lenacapavir contracted HIV鈥攐ne trial investigator called the results 鈥渟urreal.鈥
Global physical inactivity rises, challenging 2030 reduction targets 鈥
Street medicine teams search for homeless people to deliver lifesaving IV hydration in extreme heat 鈥
Combined COVID-flu vaccines are coming: Moderna jab clears major test 鈥
Suspected sepsis driving US broad-spectrum antibiotic use, study finds 鈥
Supreme Court ruling may threaten role of science in U.S. rulemaking 鈥
WHO and partners launch global dashboard on child health 鈥
The Science of Pet Ownership Needs a Reality Check 鈥 Issue No. 2563
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: Big Tobacco鈥檚 Behind-The-Scenes Tactics and June鈥檚 Must-Reads
July 1, 2024
Big Tobacco鈥檚 Behind-The-Scenes Tactics
Philip Morris International, one of the world鈥檚 largest tobacco companies, has positioned itself as a vanguard of a 鈥渟moke-free future鈥濃攑romoting heated tobacco products as a healthier alternative to cigarettes.
But its updated playbook involves seeking to influence scientific studies鈥攁nd downplaying harmful effects of its new products, per an in-depth report by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
Among the findings, which focused on the company's strategy in Japan:
Related:
Revealed: Big Tobacco鈥檚 campaign to undermine UK generational smoking 鈥
Tobacco giant accused of 鈥榤anipulating science鈥 to attract non-smokers 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Dozens of sick and injured children were evacuated from Gaza via Egypt on Friday in an international effort to connect the children with medical treatment.
Older people with anxiety may be up to 2X as likely to develop Parkinson鈥檚 disease as their peers without anxiety, .
Progress towards the SDGs is 鈥渁larmingly insufficient,鈥 according to a new 鈥攚ith just 17% the targets currently on track, while over one-third are stalled or going in reverse.
Childhood obesity is linked with 2X the risk of hospitalization for dengue virus, based on a cohort of 4,782 Sri Lankan schoolchildren. JUNE RECAP: MUST-READS A Senior Overdose Crisis
In a must-read analysis, The New York Times and The Baltimore Banner illuminated the tragic trend among Black men born from 1951 to 1970.
Curbing Cervical Cancer in India
Every seven minutes, a woman dies of cervical cancer in India鈥攚hich accounts for one-fifth of the global cervical cancer burden鈥攚ith ~23,000 women diagnosed in the country last year.
Health Worker Exodus Exacerbates Inequality
Low pay is driving more health care workers to leave sub-Saharan Africa for wealthier countries鈥攚orsening already dire staffing shortages.
Children Exploited for Europe鈥檚 Cocaine Trade
Unaccompanied child migrants throughout Europe are being exploited by powerful drug syndicates to work in the continent鈥檚 booming cocaine trade.
India: Unrelenting high temperatures have assailed much of India for weeks, causing dozens of deaths and 鈥渦nleashing a public health crisis,鈥 .
A new antiviral drug provided young women in Uganda and South Africa with total protection from HIV鈥100% efficacy鈥攁ccording to a large randomized controlled trial. The trial compared lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injection made by Gilead Sciences, against two daily pills, Truvada and Descovy, , citing Gilead results ahead of peer review.
Global physical inactivity rises, challenging 2030 reduction targets 鈥
Street medicine teams search for homeless people to deliver lifesaving IV hydration in extreme heat 鈥
Combined COVID-flu vaccines are coming: Moderna jab clears major test 鈥
Suspected sepsis driving US broad-spectrum antibiotic use, study finds 鈥
Supreme Court ruling may threaten role of science in U.S. rulemaking 鈥
WHO and partners launch global dashboard on child health 鈥
The Science of Pet Ownership Needs a Reality Check 鈥 Issue No. 2563
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 .
Philip Morris International, one of the world鈥檚 largest tobacco companies, has positioned itself as a vanguard of a 鈥渟moke-free future鈥濃攑romoting heated tobacco products as a healthier alternative to cigarettes.
But its updated playbook involves seeking to influence scientific studies鈥攁nd downplaying harmful effects of its new products, per an in-depth report by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
Among the findings, which focused on the company's strategy in Japan:
- Routing funds for research: PMI has targeted academic institutions and specific researchers to produce studies, but it steered funding through third-party 鈥渃onsultancy firms鈥 and 鈥渉ealthcare contractors.鈥
- Insidious influence: These funded studies are often cited in public health policy discussions and factor into marketing around its new products. Many researchers do not disclose PMI's financial support.
- 鈥淭here are governments out there that are maybe vulnerable and may be seduced by some of these arguments,鈥 said Stella Bialous, a University of California tobacco specialist.
Related:
Revealed: Big Tobacco鈥檚 campaign to undermine UK generational smoking 鈥
Tobacco giant accused of 鈥榤anipulating science鈥 to attract non-smokers 鈥 GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners Dozens of sick and injured children were evacuated from Gaza via Egypt on Friday in an international effort to connect the children with medical treatment.
Older people with anxiety may be up to 2X as likely to develop Parkinson鈥檚 disease as their peers without anxiety, .
Progress towards the SDGs is 鈥渁larmingly insufficient,鈥 according to a new 鈥攚ith just 17% the targets currently on track, while over one-third are stalled or going in reverse.
Childhood obesity is linked with 2X the risk of hospitalization for dengue virus, based on a cohort of 4,782 Sri Lankan schoolchildren. JUNE RECAP: MUST-READS A Senior Overdose Crisis
In a must-read analysis, The New York Times and The Baltimore Banner illuminated the tragic trend among Black men born from 1951 to 1970.
- The group makes up 7% of the city鈥檚 population, but accounts for ~30% of drug fatalities鈥20X the death rate of the rest of the U.S.
- The men in this group have had 鈥渢heir lives shaped by forces that have animated the city鈥檚 drug crisis for decades鈥濃攚ith 4,000+ lives lost among their generation to various drug epidemics since 1993.
Curbing Cervical Cancer in India
Every seven minutes, a woman dies of cervical cancer in India鈥攚hich accounts for one-fifth of the global cervical cancer burden鈥攚ith ~23,000 women diagnosed in the country last year.
- 鈥淢ost of our patients come in the third and fourth stage and die within six months to a year of diagnosis,鈥 says gynecological oncologist Chetna Parekh.
- The obstacles include poor prevention鈥攖he HPV vaccine is not included in India鈥檚 free vaccination program鈥攁s well as low screening rates and stigma.
Health Worker Exodus Exacerbates Inequality
Low pay is driving more health care workers to leave sub-Saharan Africa for wealthier countries鈥攚orsening already dire staffing shortages.
- The brain drain is hampering basic efforts to fight infectious diseases and improve health outcomes like infant mortality.
Children Exploited for Europe鈥檚 Cocaine Trade
Unaccompanied child migrants throughout Europe are being exploited by powerful drug syndicates to work in the continent鈥檚 booming cocaine trade.
- In an , The Guardian found 鈥渋ndustrial-scale鈥 exploitation that forces hundreds of vulnerable North African children to sell drugs at the street level鈥攁nd commit violent acts, per a recent .
India: Unrelenting high temperatures have assailed much of India for weeks, causing dozens of deaths and 鈥渦nleashing a public health crisis,鈥 .
- Rising humidity and unusually high night-time temperatures have contributed to the body鈥檚 inability to cool down.
- Hospitals and ambulances are now being outfitted with cooling tubs and ice boxes to rapidly respond to heatstroke.
- In Texas alone, at least 14 prison deaths per year can be to extreme heat.
- Prisons in Florida, Texas, Georgia, and Alabama lack AC, and recent efforts to include prison air conditioning in state budgets have stalled.
A new antiviral drug provided young women in Uganda and South Africa with total protection from HIV鈥100% efficacy鈥攁ccording to a large randomized controlled trial. The trial compared lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injection made by Gilead Sciences, against two daily pills, Truvada and Descovy, , citing Gilead results ahead of peer review.
- None of the 2,134 women who received lenacapavir contracted HIV鈥攐ne trial investigator called the results 鈥渟urreal.鈥
Global physical inactivity rises, challenging 2030 reduction targets 鈥
Street medicine teams search for homeless people to deliver lifesaving IV hydration in extreme heat 鈥
Combined COVID-flu vaccines are coming: Moderna jab clears major test 鈥
Suspected sepsis driving US broad-spectrum antibiotic use, study finds 鈥
Supreme Court ruling may threaten role of science in U.S. rulemaking 鈥
WHO and partners launch global dashboard on child health 鈥
The Science of Pet Ownership Needs a Reality Check 鈥 Issue No. 2563
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
The United Nations on Monday launched a new global road safety campaign to improve traffic safety and create inclusive, safe and sustainable streets.
Categories: Global Health Feed
The health system in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince is 鈥渙n the brink鈥 and 鈥渃rippled by escalating violence鈥 according to the UN鈥檚 Pan American Health Organization鈥檚 (PAHO) representative in the Caribbean island nation, Dr. Oscar Barreneche.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: No Safe Harbors for Haiti鈥檚 Children; Surgery Socialized for Scarcity; and Headline Blunders Puzzle Readers
Haitian children face violence, hunger鈥攁nd acute mental health struggles.
June 27, 2024
A young Haitian girl in the Delmas 3 area, controlled by the G-9 gang, on February 20, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Giles Clarke/Getty Images
No Safe Harbors for Haiti鈥檚 Children
As widespread violence continues to roil Haiti, the physical and mental toll on children continues to escalate.
ICYMI: 鈥攅xclusive commentary for Global Health NOW GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
A CRISPR-based technique to eliminate malaria-carrying mosquitoes鈥Anopheles gambiae鈥攕howed 99% efficacy, per a new published in PNAS.
RSV vaccine guidance for seniors has been updated and simplified by the U.S. CDC, with the agency recommending that everyone 75+ get the vaccine, as well as anyone aged 60 to 74 who is 鈥渁t increased risk of severe RSV.鈥
Daily multivitamin supplements do not increase longevity, per a new from NIH that analyzed data from 400,000 adults over 20 years.
Racial health disparities in the U.S. widely persist鈥攚ith little improvement over the last 20 years, according to a new by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY The surgery building in Nyarugusu refugee camp鈥檚 main health post, April 11, 2022. Alexander J. Blum Socialized for Scarcity: Surgical Care in Tanzania鈥檚 Remote Refugee Camps
Peau d鈥檕range. French for 鈥渟kin of an orange,鈥 the medical exam phrase refers to breast tissue that is swollen, tough, and red鈥攗sually because of cancer.
That is what came to mind for Alexander J. Blum and Zachary Obinna Enumah, clinical volunteers asked to examine a 40-year-old woman, critically ill with advanced, untreated breast cancer, who had just arrived at Nyarugusu refugee camp, home to nearly 150,000 Congolese and Burundians.
The woman was not a refugee, but a Tanzanian citizen. Many camps exist in clinical deserts鈥攇eographically remote areas with little health infrastructure where underserved locals often seek care at dramatically under-resourced camps:
Ed Note: Alexander Blum, an internal medicine resident in the Hiatt Global Health Equity Residency at Brigham and Women鈥檚 Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, submitted the idea for this commentary, which won an honorable mention in the 2023 Untold Global Health stories contest co-sponsored by GHN and the Consortium of Universities for Global Health. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DISABILITIES How States Segregate People with Disabilities
An 鈥渆xtensive鈥 U.S. Department of Justice investigation has found that three states鈥擬issouri, Utah, and Nebraska鈥攈ave illegally institutionalized thousands of people with mental health disabilities in state facilities, cutting them off from the rest of society.
The investigations, which date back to March 2021, found widespread violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act鈥攚hich says adults with disabilities must live in settings that are as integrated as possible.
THURSDAY DIVERSION Headline Blunders Puzzle Readers
No, you didn鈥檛 misread that headline. Your brain simply snagged on a 鈥渃rash blossom.鈥
Syntactical gymnastics: These kinds of flummoxing phrases flourish in the English language, which includes many shifty words gallivanting as both nouns and verbs (think fire, crash, blossom).
Blossom鈥檚 roots: Such headlines are as old as newspapers, but weren鈥檛 named until 2009, when Japan Today published 鈥淰iolinist linked to JAL crash blossoms鈥 as the headline on a story about a violinist whose father died in a 1985 Japan Airlines crash.
Malaria drug may treat root cause of PCOS, early study hints 鈥 Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner!
US FDA recommends steps to improve diversity in clinical trials 鈥
New study aims to define long COVID through phenotypes of patients 鈥
Clearing the air: Healio launches special report on medical cannabis&苍产蝉辫;鈥
The brain makes a lot of waste. Now scientists think they know where it goes 鈥 Issue No. 2562
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 widespread violence continues to roil Haiti, the physical and mental toll on children continues to escalate.
- Of the half a million Haitians displaced by widespread gang violence, 55% are children, per the UN Migration Agency.
- 80+ children were killed or wounded between January and March this year, reports Save the Children鈥攁 55% increase over the last quarter of 2023.
- At least one-third of the 10,000 victims of sexual violence in Haiti last year were children, reports UNICEF.
- ~1.3 million children in Haiti are in need of protection services.
- But most of Haiti鈥檚 psychiatry and psychology services have been shuttered since March, leaving young people increasingly vulnerable.
ICYMI: 鈥攅xclusive commentary for Global Health NOW GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
A CRISPR-based technique to eliminate malaria-carrying mosquitoes鈥Anopheles gambiae鈥攕howed 99% efficacy, per a new published in PNAS.
RSV vaccine guidance for seniors has been updated and simplified by the U.S. CDC, with the agency recommending that everyone 75+ get the vaccine, as well as anyone aged 60 to 74 who is 鈥渁t increased risk of severe RSV.鈥
Daily multivitamin supplements do not increase longevity, per a new from NIH that analyzed data from 400,000 adults over 20 years.
Racial health disparities in the U.S. widely persist鈥攚ith little improvement over the last 20 years, according to a new by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY The surgery building in Nyarugusu refugee camp鈥檚 main health post, April 11, 2022. Alexander J. Blum Socialized for Scarcity: Surgical Care in Tanzania鈥檚 Remote Refugee Camps
Peau d鈥檕range. French for 鈥渟kin of an orange,鈥 the medical exam phrase refers to breast tissue that is swollen, tough, and red鈥攗sually because of cancer.
That is what came to mind for Alexander J. Blum and Zachary Obinna Enumah, clinical volunteers asked to examine a 40-year-old woman, critically ill with advanced, untreated breast cancer, who had just arrived at Nyarugusu refugee camp, home to nearly 150,000 Congolese and Burundians.
The woman was not a refugee, but a Tanzanian citizen. Many camps exist in clinical deserts鈥攇eographically remote areas with little health infrastructure where underserved locals often seek care at dramatically under-resourced camps:
- Despite existing for more than 25 years, Nyarugusu refugee camp鈥檚 main health post still lacks reliable electricity; there is no defibrillator or X-ray machine, and essential medications are often out of stock.
Ed Note: Alexander Blum, an internal medicine resident in the Hiatt Global Health Equity Residency at Brigham and Women鈥檚 Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, submitted the idea for this commentary, which won an honorable mention in the 2023 Untold Global Health stories contest co-sponsored by GHN and the Consortium of Universities for Global Health. GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DISABILITIES How States Segregate People with Disabilities
An 鈥渆xtensive鈥 U.S. Department of Justice investigation has found that three states鈥擬issouri, Utah, and Nebraska鈥攈ave illegally institutionalized thousands of people with mental health disabilities in state facilities, cutting them off from the rest of society.
The investigations, which date back to March 2021, found widespread violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act鈥攚hich says adults with disabilities must live in settings that are as integrated as possible.
- Instead, states were placing people in segregated 鈥渨arehouse-like鈥 facilities for day programs, where they often performed repetitive tasks like sorting, recycling, or folding laundry.
- Others were funneled into 鈥渉ighly restricted鈥 nursing facilities.
THURSDAY DIVERSION Headline Blunders Puzzle Readers
No, you didn鈥檛 misread that headline. Your brain simply snagged on a 鈥渃rash blossom.鈥
Syntactical gymnastics: These kinds of flummoxing phrases flourish in the English language, which includes many shifty words gallivanting as both nouns and verbs (think fire, crash, blossom).
Blossom鈥檚 roots: Such headlines are as old as newspapers, but weren鈥檛 named until 2009, when Japan Today published 鈥淰iolinist linked to JAL crash blossoms鈥 as the headline on a story about a violinist whose father died in a 1985 Japan Airlines crash.
- An editor鈥檚 response in an online forum? 鈥淲hat鈥檚 a crash blossom?鈥
- 鈥淓ye Drops Off Shelves鈥
- 鈥淔armer Bill Dies in House鈥
- 鈥淐hester Morrill, 92, Was Fed Secretary鈥
- 鈥淢ilk Drinkers Turn to Powder鈥
Malaria drug may treat root cause of PCOS, early study hints 鈥 Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner!
US FDA recommends steps to improve diversity in clinical trials 鈥
New study aims to define long COVID through phenotypes of patients 鈥
Clearing the air: Healio launches special report on medical cannabis&苍产蝉辫;鈥
The brain makes a lot of waste. Now scientists think they know where it goes 鈥 Issue No. 2562
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
Have you ever been driving in your car and pressed the accelerator instead of the brake? It happens more than you might think and it鈥檚 a cause of serious accidents that UN road safety experts have found a fix to, they announced on Thursday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
The risk of widespread famine in Sudan caused by war there was confirmed on Thursday by leading hunger experts who warned that the country faces 鈥渢he worst levels of acute food insecurity ever recorded鈥, with no less than 14 areas at the highest level of risk.
Categories: Global Health Feed
