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Thirty-five years ago, polio, a highly infectious viral disease, paralysed around 350,000 children per year. Following a UN-led international push, that number is now less than 50.

96 Global Health NOW: Cancer Besieges Lebanon; The Untold Stories Contest of 2026 Has Launched, and A Jaw-Dropping Face-Off October 23, 2025 A flock of birds flies over a cloud of smog. Beirut, Lebanon, August 14. Joseph EID/AFP via Getty Cancer Besieges Lebanon    Beirut is often shrouded in smog pumped out by unregulated vehicles and diesel generators. Cigarette smoke permeates public places.  
  The toxic air and smoke have contributed to a staggering cancer crisis in Lebanon, , which analyzes the cancer burden worldwide from 1990 to 2023 and forecasts the cancer burden up to 2050. 
  The survey projects that cancer cases and deaths will rise worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries. But Lebanon鈥檚 crisis is particularly acute, :  

• The country has the fastest increase in cancer incidence and deaths worldwide, with new cancer cases up 162% and deaths by 80% over the period covered in the survey.  

Systemic inaction: Lebanon has no anti-smoking or health education campaigns. And few people seek out available screening tools due to low awareness.  

• 鈥淐ancer is killing 鈥� Why have you been waiting so long to take action?鈥� study coauthor Ali Mokdad asked of the Lebanese government. 

Meanwhile, a rise of several cancers in adults of all ages worldwide could be driven by obesity, finds a separate global cancer study published in the , which recorded an uptick in cancer incidence rates from 2003 to 2017, .     Related: Of Corn and Cancer: Iowa鈥檚 Deadly Water Crisis 鈥�  Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner! GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners

1,600+ measles cases in the U.S. have been reported this year, , as an linked to two schools with low vaccination rates expands to 20 cases.

Major methane leak alerts from the world鈥檚 oil and gas sectors are often ignored by companies and governments, despite improved satellite detection from the UN Environment Programme, , which determined that just 12% of alerts lead to responsive action.

Pregnant detainees in ICE facilities in Louisiana and Georgia are not receiving adequate care, says the ACLU, which called on U.S. officials to release expectant and postpartum mothers from federal detention facilities.  

Members of Gen Z are significantly underrepresented in clinical trials and health studies, meaning millions of young people could miss out on new treatments for health conditions, or may risk using unsafe or ineffective medication due to low participation in medical research.  

UNTOLD STORIES CONTEST OF 2026 Boatmen sleep inside mosquito nets on their boats on the Buriganga River. Dhaka, Bangladesh, June 24. Syed Mahamudur Rahman/NurPhoto via Getty Send in Your Untold Stories 
! A joint effort between GHN and the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, this annual contest is your chance to spotlight an underreported issue that you care about. 

• Nominate an issue you feel deserves a broader audience, whether you鈥檝e worked on it firsthand or come across it in your travels. 

• If you win, we'll send a reporter to cover your story and help it get the spotlight it deserves. 

Pro tip for Professors: Having students write a short (50-word max) pitch makes a great assignment. Students have won in some of our previous years!  
  Looking for inspiration? Check out some of our , including , reported by Lucien Chauvin, and , covered by Joanne Silberner. 

• Deadline: November 24, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST
•  

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH When a Menstrual Cycle Brings Mental Chaos    Millions of people worldwide experience premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) marked by extreme mood changes, irritability, and thoughts of self harm.  

• of ~3,600 women with PMDD found that 82% had suicidal thoughts , and 25% had tried to end their lives   

Despite symptoms that typically impair a person鈥檚 daily life, diagnosis is inconsistent. Clinicians often debate whether PMDD falls under gynecology or psychiatry.  

• By , 90% of women with PMDD are mistakenly thought to have another condition. 

Treatment options vary widely鈥攆rom hormonal contraceptives, , and therapy to drug-induced menopause or surgical removal of reproductive organs.    Despite the high burden, PMDD research and funding lag behind comparable women鈥檚 health conditions.      ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION A Jaw-Dropping Face-Off    Like all elite athletes, competitors in the World Gurning Championships all seek the optimal physique: A flexible forehead with extremely muscular eyebrows. A lower lip that can stretch over the nose. And a bug-eyed stare befitting a Halloween mask.    After all, a win hinges on 鈥渢he grotesqueness of the grimace鈥� contenders make onstage, per the official rules of this centuries-old 鈥渞everse beauty pageant鈥濃�� a fixture of the annual Egremont Crab Fair in Egremont, England, . 

• 鈥淕urning鈥� is another word for making the kind of face your mother warns 鈥渨ill freeze like that鈥�; the sort of grimace people make when they bite into the sour crab apples for which is named. 

The rules: Competitors contort their faces while framed with a horse collar called a 鈥渂affin.鈥� Per the official rules, no hands or excessive makeup may be used; however, 鈥渢hrashing around onstage and making wild, animal-like noises鈥� is acceptable. To an extent:  

• 鈥淵ou've got to make people laugh without scaring the children,鈥� organizer Lesley Rogers told . 

QUICK HITS Hundreds of thousands of NHS workers urge Starmer not to cut support for Global Fund 鈥�  
'An urgent public health crisis': Why so many people are struggling to get medicine 鈥�  
How Did Dengue Go Global? This Mosquito Species Might be to Blame. 鈥�  
Nicholas Kristof: Opinion: Trump Revives Foreign Aid, Helping Needy Billionaires 鈥�  
HIV specialists in short supply, especially in the South 鈥�  
Updated CPR guidelines provide expanded recommendations for managing choking and opioid overdose 鈥�  
Why Women Feel Unsafe in Nature: The Gender Gap in Green Spaces 鈥�  Issue No. 2810
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Gaza鈥檚 health system remains in ruins despite the fragile ceasefire holding, with hundreds of thousands still facing urgent medical and humanitarian needs, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday.

黑料网 is proud to present the聽2024 Louis and Artur Lucian Award for Research in Circulatory Diseases听迟辞听Dr. Joseph C. Wu, Director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute.

View Previous Recipients

黑料网 is proud to present the聽2024 Louis and Artur Lucian Award for Research in Circulatory Diseases听迟辞听Dr. Joseph C. Wu, Director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute.

View Previous Recipients

96 Global Health NOW: Anti-Science Bills Sweep U.S; Azithromycin Trial Has No Impact on Infant Deaths; and 鈥楪ut-Healing鈥� Food Treats Malnutrition October 22, 2025 Crates of freshly bottled raw milk at the Lolans Farm stand. Middleborough, Massachusetts, March 17. David L Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Anti-Science Bills Sweep State Legislatures     A wave of legislation aiming to weaken or roll back public health protections has been introduced in U.S. states this year, , which of 420+ bills, and found that ~30 such bills have already been adopted in 12 states.     Most of the laws focus on three categories鈥攙accines, raw milk, and water fluoridation鈥攁nd cover a range of directives, including:  

• Anti-vaccine bills: Make it easier to get vaccine exemptions; prohibit vaccine requirements; place more restrictions on certain vaccines or programs.  

• Raw milk: Remove restrictions on raw milk sales.  

• Fluoride: Ban fluoride in drinking water or make fluoridation a ballot measure.  

Organized effort: While campaigns behind such legislation typically frame themselves as grassroots, found that most are backed by well-funded national organizations tied to HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and include members benefiting politically and financially.    Conspiracy-to-policy pipeline: The trend signals the normalization of an anti-vaccine movement that has already led to falling vaccination rates and the comeback of preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough.  

• 鈥淭he march of conspiracy thinking from the margins to the mainstream now guiding public policy should be a wake-up call for all Americans,鈥� said Devin Burghart, president of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   DRC鈥檚 cholera outbreak has spread to 20 of the country鈥檚 26 provinces, with 58,000+ suspected cases and 1,700+ deaths so far this year, M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res reports; separately, the UN issued a warning that incidents of rape and conflict-related sexual violence in the country have surged by a third compared to last year. ;  
Ambulances supplied to Malawi by the UK Aid Match Maternal Health program from 2015 to 2018 were sold off to fund repairs for officials鈥� cars, drawing outrage from locals and civil society groups; one official defended the move, claiming that the vehicles 鈥渨ere faulty and would be costly to fix.鈥�  
A hepatitis A outbreak in the Czech Republic is among the worst the country has seen in decades, with 21 deaths and 1,842 cases recorded earlier this month; centered in Prague, the outbreak has begun to spread to other regions.  
  Men who use plastic tableware have a higher accumulation of microplastics in their semen and lower sperm counts, that studied samples from ~200 men of reproductive age in Chongqing, China.   U.S. and Global Health Policy News   The Pentagon Retreats from Climate Fight as Heat and Storms Slam Troops 鈥�  

It鈥檚 been a month. And we still don鈥檛 know much about Kennedy鈥檚 long COVID consortium 鈥�      Government shutdown means many CDC experts are skipping a pivotal meeting on infectious disease 鈥�     The Deceptive Phrase Behind Trump鈥檚 Medicaid Purge 鈥� INFANT MORTALITY Mass Azithromycin Trial Has No Impact on Infant Deaths    A major trial in Mali that aimed to help reduce infant mortality through mass antibiotic distribution had no impact on infant death rates, 鈥攆indings that could change WHO-recommended intervention tactics.     Background: After a 2018 trial showed that administering the commonly used antibiotic azithromycin 2X per year reduced deaths in 1鈥�5-year-olds, the WHO recommended the intervention for infants.     The study: 149,000+ infants ages 1鈥�11 months received either a placebo every three months, or azithromycin, distributed 2X or 4X per year.  

• Mortality rates were nearly identical across all groups.  

Implications: Researchers suggest that broader age groups may need to be targeted to see a benefit鈥攖hough that could raise antibiotic resistance risks.          Related: 鈥業 fear we are sitting on a time bomb.鈥� Scientists debate mass distribution of antibiotics in Africa 鈥�    GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MALNUTRITION The Growing Impact of a 鈥楪ut-Healing鈥� Food    A food supplement for undernourished children that also seeks to repair the gut microbiome is gaining recognition after .    Feeding the body鈥攁nd bacteria: Severe childhood malnutrition can lead to the maldevelopment of digestive bacteria critical for growth and immunity.  

• The new food formulation, dubbed MDCF-2 (microbiome-directed complementary food), blends chickpea, soybean, and peanut flours with green banana into an affordable combination that nourishes this microbiome.  

• The therapeutic food was the result of a collaboration between researchers studying malnutrition at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) and those studying the gut microbiome at Washington University in St. Louis.  

Global reach: Studies of MDCF-2 are currently underway in India, Mali, Pakistan, and Tanzania.       OPPORTUNITY Community Reporters from ICFP and the Family Planning News Network (FPNN) interview Indigenous activists in Riohacha, Colombia, in August 2025. Courtesy of ICFP It鈥檚 Not Too Late to Register for ICFP    The fight for sexual and reproductive health and rights is happening now鈥攁nd you can be part of it.    Join the International Conference on Family Planning 2025 virtually to connect with advocates, learn from global leaders, and add your voice to a movement shaping the future of health and equity worldwide. 

• November 1鈥�6, 2025
•  

QUICK HITS Dangerous or life-saving? Why drug programs that stop disease are under fire. 鈥�     More Europeans are dying from HIV now than 15 years ago 鈥�  
Eight countries added to methanol poisoning warning list 鈥�     WHO warns $1.7bn funding shortfall threatens polio eradication efforts 鈥�     More people are freezing their eggs 鈥� but most will never use them 鈥�      How one Michigan town is putting partisanship aside in pursuit of clean water 鈥�     Bird flu hiding in cheese? The surprising new discovery 鈥�   Issue No. 2809
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Findings could help tailor interventions to encourage physical activity in older people with heart and blood flow conditions

A diagnosis is often a cue for people to change the way they live. For people diagnosed with cardiovascular conditions such as heart disease or diabetes, it is often a motivator to get more physical exercise, which can improve long-term health. However, the rate of physical activity increase after diagnosis varies widely depending on the individual.

Findings could help tailor interventions to encourage physical activity in older people with heart and blood flow conditions

A diagnosis is often a cue for people to change the way they live. For people diagnosed with cardiovascular conditions such as heart disease or diabetes, it is often a motivator to get more physical exercise, which can improve long-term health. However, the rate of physical activity increase after diagnosis varies widely depending on the individual.

Findings could help tailor interventions to encourage physical activity in older people with heart and blood flow conditions

A diagnosis is often a cue for people to change the way they live. For people diagnosed with cardiovascular conditions such as heart disease or diabetes, it is often a motivator to get more physical exercise, which can improve long-term health. However, the rate of physical activity increase after diagnosis varies widely depending on the individual.

96 Global Health NOW: High Costs of Malaria Funding Cuts; Navigating Taliban Taboos to Care for Women; and Iran鈥檚 Transgender Care Paradox October 21, 2025 Women breastfeed their babies while waiting to have them vaccinated against malaria at the launch of a vaccination campaign for children from zero to 23 months. Abidjan, C么te d'Ivoire, July 15, 2024. Sia Kambou/AFP via Getty High Costs of Malaria Funding Cuts       Draconian cuts to malaria prevention programs could translate to 990,000 more deaths in the next five years,  by the African Leaders Malaria Alliance and Malaria No More UK. 

• Even a 20% reduction in support to the Global Fund in its upcoming replenishment could lead to 33 million more cases and 82,000 more deaths by 2030. 

• Beyond lives lost, that Global Fund shortfall would mean a $5.14 billion hit to Africa鈥檚 GDP by 2030.  

• Malaria currently kills ~600,000 people鈥攎ostly children under five鈥攅very year.  

Fundraising in doubt: 

• The Global Fund, which delivers nearly two-thirds of all international funds for fighting malaria, convenes its supporters on November 21. It aims to raise $18 billion in the next three years, . 

• Germany committed $1 billion to the Global Fund last week, but that amount is  than its previous commitment, .   

• The UK is poised to make a similar funding reduction.   

The takeaway: The report underscores both the human and economic impact of an era defined by wealthy countries鈥� retreat from international commitments.      The Quote: 鈥淐utting funding risks the deadliest resurgence we鈥檝e ever seen,鈥� warned Malaria No More UK鈥檚 Gareth Jenkins, per The Guardian.     Related:     Malaria resurgence could kill 750,000 children and wipe $83 billion from Africa's GDP by 2030, new report warns 鈥�     New Insights into Malaria Could Reshape Treatment 鈥�     Innovation: The unique programme protecting children against malaria 鈥�   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   A groundbreaking retinal implant鈥攁 tiny photovoltaic microchip, thick as a human hair鈥攁llowed 27 out of 32 participants in to see well enough to read again, offering hope to people with an advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration.     Pregnancy and breastfeeding trigger the accumulation of protective immune cells鈥擳 cells that can live for decades postpartum鈥攖hat lower the chances of breast cancer, per a Melbourne-based study in humans and mice that sheds light on the mechanism underpinning breastfeeding as a known cancer risk reducer.     Cancer patients who received an mRNA COVID vaccine within 100 days of beginning immunotherapy lived significantly longer than those who didn鈥檛; research presented Sunday at the 2025 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Berlin suggests the vaccine may act like a 鈥渇lare鈥� to activate the immune system and boost cancer-fighting responses.     Shingles vaccination may reduce the risk of heart disease, dementia, and death in adults aged 50 and older, matched cohort study presented at IDWeek 2025 (not yet published); compared to the pneumococcal vaccine, shingles-vaccinated adults had a 50% lower risk of vascular dementia, 25% lower risk of heart attack or stroke, and 21% lower risk of death.   DATA POINT  

887 million
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌�
People鈥撯�搉early 80% of the world鈥檚 poor鈥撯�搘ho live in regions that are exposed to extreme heat, flooding, and other climate hazards. 鈥�
  DISASTER RESPONSE: AFGHANISTAN Navigating Taliban Taboos to Care for Women     In the days following deadly earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan in August, aid agencies trying to help women were forced to navigate strict鈥攁nd often contradictory鈥擳aliban gender-based regulations.     Women bear the brunt: The majority of the 2,200+ people who died were women and girls, who were more likely to sleep inside structures that collapsed. 

• Taliban restrictions prevented men from aiding many injured women, forcing the few female workers available to travel treacherous terrain with male guardians. 

• Women鈥檚 exclusion from medical schools also meant a diminished female health workforce to assist in the crisis. 

Seeking workarounds: The crisis has also exposed tensions between Taliban hardliners enforcing bans and pragmatic officials who urged international female aid workers to head to earthquake zones to help women.


Related: Let Afghan women work: maternal health depends on it 鈥�    GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES HUMAN RIGHTS Iran鈥檚 Transgender Care Paradox     Despite Iran鈥檚 widespread discriminatory policies against LGBTQ+ people, the country is billing itself as a global destination for gender-affirming surgery鈥攚ith medical tourism agencies offering low-cost operations and luxury stays in an advertising push that aims to generate ~$7 billion annually.    But the promotion diminishes often-contradictory cultural attitudes toward trans and gay rights and hides the grim reality of ongoing stigma, say advocates.    Background: Iran is one of the few places in the Muslim world that permits gender-affirming care, with religious leaders legalizing transition surgeries ~40 years ago as a legitimate medical need.     Abusive tool: But gay and gender-nonconforming people have also been coerced into unwanted procedures, under threat of violence or the death penalty, to maintain strict gender binaries and suppress gay rights.       OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Sexual violence, torture and betrayal: Life under Putin鈥檚 occupation 鈥�     My life with ALS: A week in Brooke Eby's life behind the phone camera lens 鈥�     New Leaders' Initiative Aims To Drive Investment In Health 鈥�     New medical school center set to investigate healthy aging with HIV 鈥�  

Medical Care in the Hardest Places: Dr. Jill Seaman's Three Decades in South Sudan 鈥�  
Mosquitoes found in Iceland for first time as climate crisis warms country 鈥� Thanks for the tip, Cecilia Meisner!   Issue No. 2808
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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  Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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96 Global Health NOW: The Resistance to Ending UNAIDS; Gaza鈥檚 Ecological Wounds; and Spreading the Benefits of Child Spacing in Nigeria October 20, 2025 Headquarters of the WHO and UNAIDS. Geneva, Switzerland, May 16, 2009. Gunter Fischer/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty The Resistance to Ending UNAIDS    A growing number of voices are decrying a proposal made by UN Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres last month to sunset UNAIDS by the end of 2026鈥攆our years early鈥攁s part of a broader UN restructuring plan, .     Background: The single-sentence proposal appeared without warning in a UN80 reform plan released in September.    Sounding the alarm: UNAIDS officials and member states argued at the World Health Summit last week that such a timeline could be the 鈥渘ail in the coffin鈥� of global HIV response, and especially dangerous given destabilization this year from funding cuts by the U.S. and other countries, . 

• 鈥淪unsetting can be good if you stand in a beautiful sunset. And it can be terrifying if you鈥檙e standing by yourself, and it just all of a sudden gets dark,鈥� said Christine Stegling, deputy executive director of UNAIDS, at the summit.   

• 1,000+ civil society organizations worldwide at the proposal. 

Voices from vulnerable regions: Health leaders from sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia have described how dismantling critical UNAIDS assistance like surveillance and advocacy could quickly lead to a resurgence in HIV transmission.  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   The last Ebola patient in the DRC was released yesterday from a treatment center in Kasai province; the outbreak, which began Sept. 4 and numbered 64 cases with 45 deaths, will be declared over if no new cases occur in the next 42 days.
  Fiji has earned WHO validation for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem, following surveys and studies to improve understanding of the disease as well as school WASH initiatives; it is the 26th country to achieve the milestone, and it鈥檚 the first NTD to be eliminated in Fiji.
  The FDA will expedite reviews for a round of nine experimental drugs that align with 鈥淯.S. national interests,鈥� including drugs for pancreatic cancer, infertility, deafness, and vaping addiction.
  Peanut allergies have declined sharply among children since pediatric guidelines issued in 2017 encouraged parents to introduce infants to peanuts rather than avoid them, , which found the rate of peanut allergies among children under 3 plunged from 1.46% in 2012鈥�2015 to 0.93% in 2017鈥�2020. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Gaza鈥檚 Ecological Wounds     Two years of bombardment have left Gaza facing ecological disaster, 鈥攚ith contaminated ground, air, and water that threaten residents鈥� safety. 

• 鈥淲hat we are witnessing is not just a humanitarian catastrophe but an ecological collapse that threatens the very possibility of recovery,鈥� said study author David Lehrer.   

Toxic rubble: ~200,000 destroyed buildings have left behind ~61 million tons of rubble contaminated with asbestos, heavy metals, and industrial chemicals. 
  Afflicted air: Airborne rubble particles and open waste burning have filled Gaza鈥檚 air with hazardous dust, raising risks of cancer and respiratory illness, especially for children. 
  Waste-filled water: Gaza鈥檚 water supply is critically low and heavily polluted, leaving just 8.4 liters of water daily per person for drinking and sanitation鈥攚ell below emergency standards.     GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES FAMILY PLANNING Spreading the Benefits of Child Spacing in Nigeria     Nigeria鈥檚 Kano State has one of the country鈥檚 highest fertility rates at 5.8, and modern contraceptive use remains low at just 10.6%鈥攍eading to rapid population growth that strains the region鈥檚 fragile economy. 
Child spacing, the practice of timing pregnancies around safe and manageable intervals, is a key tool in family planning efforts鈥攂ut most messaging targets women.    Meeting men: To address this gap, MSI Nigeria Reproductive Choices, a sexual and reproductive health care services provider, is actively engaging men through targeted discussions about child spacing and contraceptive use during traditional social gatherings known as Majalisa.     And supporting women: The organization is reaching Kano women through 100+ door-to-door community health workers called MS Ladies.       Related: Trump Administration Decimates Birth Control Office in Layoffs 鈥�   OPPORTUNITY Attention Humanitarian Workers: Apply to the H.E.L.P. Course     The Health Emergencies in Large Populations (H.E.L.P) course, offered by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is accepting applications for the January 2026 session.      For 25+ years, the H.E.L.P. course has offered humanitarian workers intensive training in the public health principles of disaster preparedness and disaster management, drawing participants from a variety of civil society, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement鈥攊ncluding nurses, physicians, public health professionals, lawyers, journalists, managers, planners, logisticians, and aid workers鈥攕ome with many years of experience, and others just beginning their careers.

• The virtual course will run January 5鈥�16, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern time.
• Both noncredit and academic credit options are available.
• More questions? Email helpcourse.jhsph@gmail.com 

QUICK HITS Sudan hit by triple outbreak of deadly diseases 鈥�     鈥榊ou Could Treat a Child for a Few Dollars.鈥� Now Those Clinics Are Gone. 鈥�     New study shows faster way to cure vivax malaria Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health 鈥�     Overdose in America: analysis reveals deaths rising in some regions even as US sees national decline 鈥�     Global Health Leaders Urge Fewer Agencies Amid Funding Crisis 鈥�     Is academic research becoming too competitive? Nature examines the data 鈥�     Surrey-developed colour-changing label will prevent vaccine waste 鈥�     It鈥檚 a Bird! It鈥檚 a Plane! It鈥檚 a Chemtrail? New Conspiracy Theory Takes Wing at Kennedy鈥檚 HHS 鈥�   Issue No. 2807
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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  Copyright 2025 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in Global Health NOW do not necessarily reflect those of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Johns Hopkins University.


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96 Global Health NOW: Upending Lesotho鈥檚 HIV Fight; The Danger of 鈥楢merica First鈥� in Global Health; and A Series of Very Fortunate Events October 16, 2025 Upending Lesotho鈥檚 HIV Fight    Over two decades, U.S. funding helped Lesotho, a small nation with one of the world鈥檚 highest HIV rates, build an effective health network that allowed it to make lifesaving gains to set it on track for AIDS elimination by 2030.  

• Last year Lesotho reached UNAIDS鈥檚 95-95-95 target of HIV-positive people aware of their status, in treatment, and reporting a suppressed viral load. 

But that progress has quickly unraveled in the months following the Trump administration鈥檚 abrupt freeze on foreign aid and the dismantling of USAID. Lesotho officials estimate that the country has been set back 15 years and that thousands of lives are at risk.    Through and , the consequences of cuts and subsequent chaos come into sharp focus: 

• 鈥淓veryone who is HIV-positive in Lesotho is a dead man walking,鈥� said Hlaoli Monyamane, a 32-year-old miner with HIV.  

Pivotal PEPFAR funds slashed: Lesotho lost 23% of its PEPFAR funding鈥攐ne of the hardest-hit nations in terms of the share of such funding cuts. The immediate cutoff led to shuttered clinics and labs, widespread layoffs among health workers, and the sudden halt of prevention programs, including ones targeting mother-to-baby HIV transmission.  

• "When a child who was receiving treatment stops getting treatment, it feels like a crime against humanity,鈥� said Catherine Connor, with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation 

Temporary reinstatement, persistent uncertainty: The U.S. State Department has since announced 鈥渂ridge鈥� programs to resume lifesaving HIV services, but restarting the programs is slow and fear remains high. 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Uruguay has legalized euthanasia, making it one of the first countries in Latin America to pass such legislation; it is now among a dozen countries worldwide to allow assisted suicide.     Abortion access in Costa Rica has now been restricted to cases when the mother鈥檚 life is in danger after a rule change made by the country鈥檚 president that required no legislative approval.     ~700 drugs used in the U.S. depend on chemicals solely produced in China, ; experts fear that such heavy reliance on China could leave American patients vulnerable if the country curtails exports.   A New York resident with chikungunya is the state鈥檚 first known locally acquired case, health officials say; the U.S. hasn't seen a locally acquired infection since 2019. U.S. and Global Health Policy News Democratic governors form a public health alliance in a rebuke of Trump 鈥�     How Texas Planned Parenthood is surviving without public funds 鈥�     Foreign Aid Cuts Halt Migrant and Refugee Health Project in Peru Partners In Health 鈥�     Trump Rattles Vaccine Experts Over Aluminum 鈥�   GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY A pharmacist stocks PrEP medicine at a pharmacy in a community center operated by LoveYourself, a nonprofit impacted by U.S. foreign aid cuts. February 19, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. Ezra Acayan/Getty The Danger of 鈥楢merica First鈥� in Global Health    The recently released  presents a bold vision of U.S. leadership while overlooking the realities on the ground that determine whether lives are saved or lost, in an exclusive commentary for GHN. 
The argument: 

• The strategy equates health leadership with dollars spent and medical products exported. However, among high-income nations, the U.S. health system has the  ($13,432 per person) and the  (78.4 years).  

• The strategy correctly notes that U.S. foreign assistance programs are often inefficient, but it offers misguided solutions including privatization, conditional aid, and bilateral agreements.  

• Its narrow focus on infectious diseases reflects yesterday鈥檚 battles, not today鈥檚 realities.  

• The report overlooks the pivotal role of soft diplomacy yet concedes that programs like PEPFAR and smallpox eradication did more than save lives.  

• The authors are most concerned by the strategy鈥檚 retreat from multilateralism. Global health crises cannot be contained through a patchwork of bilateral agreements, the pair argues.  

The takeaway: If implemented, the strategy would worsen the very problems it seeks to solve, write Crawford, a Stanford University clinical professor, and Barry, senior associate dean for Global Health at Stanford.    GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES SUBSTANCE USE Ireland鈥檚 Alcohol Labels Dry Up    Passed in 2018, Ireland鈥檚 Public Health (Alcohol) Act鈥攁 law that would require cancer warnings on all alcohol containers鈥攚as due to take effect in 2026.     But in July, the Irish government quietly postponed the measure until 2028.    Why? Newly obtained documents reveal a campaign by alcohol companies to delay the law鈥檚 implementation.     How did they do it? 

• Weaponizing trade disputes by calling the proposed legislation a non-tariff trade barrier. 

• Insisting that future labeling requirements are best pursued at the European level. 

• Using 鈥渟cience鈥慴ased鈥� reports to downplay alcohol鈥檚 cancer risks. 

Health experts expressed concern the label rollout may never materialize.         ICYMI: Why Alcohol Needs a Cancer Warning Label 鈥� 

Related: When men drink, women and children pay the price 鈥�   ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION A Series of Very Fortunate Events    To connect with fellow humans, some people get together for dinner, coffee, or a walk. Others make art from pork scraps, or celebrate the birth of someone long dead.    It seems that no matter the hobby, there鈥檚 a gathering to match. It just may be on the other side of the planet.     Some options:    Put a fork in it: Pudding mit Gabel鈥擥erman for 鈥淚 eat pudding wrong,鈥� 鈥攊s the ideal meetup if you want to eat the soupy treat with a fork.    Pork art: In Pennsylvania, there鈥檚 a , an iconic but infamous 鈥減orcine delicacy鈥� that marries meat scraps and cornmeal in a loaf to eat or, better yet, use for arts and crafts.     Lipstick on a water buffalo: For the bovine enthusiast, a Chonburi, Thailand, festival to the humble, and probably unsuspecting, . Yes, that is its official scientific name.    Posthume drama: Everyone except Jane Austen herself seemed to descend on Bath, England, many in costume, to celebrate the . Being honored with a 10-day, 2,000-guest extravaganza sounds 鈥� exhausting. Fortunately for Austen, she is already asleep.    QUICK HITS Proposed UK cuts to global aid fund could lead to 300,000 preventable deaths, say charities 鈥�     'I can't afford to save both twins': Sudan's war left one mother with an impossible choice 鈥�     Study finds no link between mRNA COVID vaccines early in pregnancy and birth defects 鈥�     Nearly 70% of U.S. adults considered obese under new definition, study finds 鈥�     California to ban ultra processed foods from school meals 鈥�     Tiny brain nanotubes found by Johns Hopkins may spread Alzheimer鈥檚 鈥�     Did lead poisoning doom Neanderthals? 鈥�    Issue No. 2806
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Amid the destruction of the Second World War, nations responded to the danger of hunger and malnutrition by creating the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on 16 October 1945. The UN agency celebrates this achievement as World Food Day every year on its birthday, recognizing the work of all those who are committed to ensuring food for everyone. We鈥檒l be bringing you the highlights live from FAO throughout the day. UN News app users can follow coverage here.

96 Global Health NOW: Demanding Justice for Health Workers; Rehabilitation: The Forgotten Frontline; and Triple Triumph in the Maldives October 15, 2025 A portrait of Viktoriia, a nurse who was injured on July 8, 2024, when a Russian missile struck the Ohmatdyt National Children's Hospital where she worked. Lviv, Ukraine, September 28, 2024. Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Demanding Justice for Health Workers    U.K. medical leaders are urging the government to back International Criminal Court prosecutions for war crimes targeting health workers, patients, and medical facilities.    comes in the wake of that details the rising incidence of violence against health workers, and the 鈥渄eep and lasting scars鈥� left on communities through such brazen attacks, as described by nurses working under threat in Afghanistan, Burma, Gaza, and Lebanon.  

• 鈥淲hat is the point of international law if they murder our colleagues and don鈥檛 face consequences?鈥� asked one senior nurse quoted in the report.  

Key details of the report:  

• Killings of health workers spiked 5X over a decade, from 175 in 2016 to 932 in 2024, driven by conflicts in Palestine, Ukraine, Lebanon, and Sudan. 1,200+ attacks have been reported this year. 

• Working under intimidation from family members and authorities has become common in places like Afghanistan.  

• Health infrastructure collapse and severe shortages hinder the ability to provide basic care.  

A need for action: Along with calling for international partners to investigate and prosecute health law violations, nursing leaders are also calling for restored foreign aid for health systems.  
    GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Cannabis use and addiction have been associated with genes also linked to bipolar disorder, obesity, and other traits, ; while the findings may one day lead to treatments for cannabis use disorder, researchers caution that clinical application is years away.     The Sudanese city of El Fasher has been declared 鈥渦ninhabitable,鈥� 鈥攚hich described tens of thousands of people trapped inside 鈥減ushed to the edge of survival鈥� as they face severe malnourishment, total destruction of infrastructure, and a cutoff from humanitarian aid amid ongoing artillery and drone attacks.     120+ people have been hospitalized in Gabes, Tunisia, for respiratory distress related to fumes from a nearby chemical factory that residents say is emitting toxic fumes.      Safety of children鈥檚 toys will be more closely regulated by the EU, which will now require all toys sold online to include a 鈥渄igital product passport鈥� that will allow consumers and regulators to check each toy鈥檚 compliance with EU laws.   GHN EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY A member of China Search and Rescue Team provides medical consultations for local residents in Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar), April 5. Cai Yang/Xinhua via Getty Rehabilitation: The Forgotten Frontline     Following a disaster, like the March 28 earthquake that shook the Sagaing region in Burma (Myanmar), rehabilitation services are often an afterthought鈥攂ut they should be introduced far earlier in the response, , a physiotherapy student at Gulf Medical University, UAE.  
  鈥淭hese are not optional extras; they are medically proven, evidence-based interventions,鈥� writes Ijaz. For many survivors, the real challenge begins after surgery, she notes: Without the aid of early rehabilitation, they face a greater risk of long-term disability, pain, and, critically, the loss of independence. 
  Yet rehabilitation is one of the most overlooked elements of disaster response. Despite international guidelines confirming the need for early introduction鈥攊deally within the first few days鈥斺�渆arly rehab is still seen as optional or secondary and is systemically excluded from emergency response plans,鈥� Ijaz says. 
  Success stories: Examples that could serve as models include the ICRC鈥檚 deployment of rehabilitation professionals within weeks following the 2020 Beirut Port blast in Lebanon, and the Norwegian Afghanistan Committee鈥檚 efforts following the August earthquake in Afghanistan.   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MATERNAL & CHILD HEALTH Triple Triumph in the Maldives    
The Maldives has officially become the first country in the world to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of three diseases: hepatitis B, HIV, and syphilis.    Recipe for success: 

• 95% of pregnant women receive antenatal care.  

• 95% of newborns receive hepatitis B vaccinations on time.  

• Free antenatal care, vaccines, and diagnostic services鈥攊ncluding testing for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B鈥攁re included in the Maldives鈥� universal health coverage. 

A model to follow: Mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B, HIV, and syphilis still affects millions worldwide. But the Maldives elimination efforts are a strong example of elimination strategies for others moving forward.        EVENT A Call to Action for Youth Mental Health     Join the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Mental Health for A Call to Action for Youth Mental Health, a hybrid convening to mark the U.S. launch of the Second Lancet Commission Report, spotlighting the urgent need to address the global adolescent mental health crisis.     This gathering will bring together young people, researchers, and decision-makers to develop an agenda of actionable change for adolescent mental health in the U.S. while highlighting lessons from the Global North and South. 

• October 27鈥�28 at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in D.C.
•   (A detailed agenda and logistics information will follow upon confirmation)
•  

QUICK HITS They Fought Outbreaks Worldwide. Now They鈥檙e Fighting for New Lives. 鈥�     Scientists lose jobs and grants as US government shutdown takes a toll 鈥�   
  Health of world's forests at 'dismal' levels, causing threat to humanity, report warns 鈥�     This Nobel Peace Prize front-runner didn't win 鈥� but did get the 'alternative Nobel' 鈥�     On the Front Line of the Fluoride Wars, Debate Over Drinking Water Treatment Turns Raucous 鈥�     Shamans openly using psychedelic drugs for treatment in South Africa 鈥�     Microplastics are everywhere. You can do one simple thing to avoid them. 鈥�      Ditch 鈥榮hrink it and pink it鈥� women鈥檚 trainer design, say experts 鈥�   Issue No. 2805
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Over 212,000 Afghan children are now at risk of acute watery diarrhoea and other deadly waterborne diseases, according to the UN Children鈥檚 Fund (UNICEF).

96 Global Health NOW: ICE Hinders U.S. Care; A WWII 鈥楪host Fleet鈥� Poses a Current Threat; and Reporting Beyond the Crash October 14, 2025 People rally outside Glendale Memorial Hospital during the "Good Trouble Lives On" vigils for civil rights icon John Lewis. July 17, Glendale, California. David McNew/Getty ICE Hinders U.S. Care     The latest stressor for overburdened U.S. nurses and other health workers: Masked, armed ICE agents in hospitals.      Health workers have reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have interfered with care for some patients, including ICE detainees, .     On their own: Nurses and doctors are unsure how to protect patients because of a lack of direction from hospitals. 

• But some health workers have erased white boards that list patient names and hidden medical records.  

Recent examples of ICE interference:

• ICE agents have refused to step away from confidential medical conversations between detainees and health care providers. 

• Los Angeles doctors said they can鈥檛 do follow-up care for patients taken to an ICE processing facility, . 

• ICE agents also prevented an emergency nurse from assessing the health of a screaming detainee, . 

Aren鈥檛 hospitals safe havens? No,  a Biden-era 鈥渟ensitive locations鈥� policy that banned immigration enforcement in hospitals, schools, and churches, per Axios.     The Quote: 鈥淲e have an ethical and moral duty to provide excellent medical care and to serve the patient鈥檚 interest,鈥� an LA doctor told LAist, but armed agents鈥� presence in the hospital has made it 鈥渧ery difficult to do that.鈥�     Related:     Know Your Rights: Immigrant Safety in Hospitals and Clinics 鈥�      Health Care Providers and Immigration Enforcement: Know Your Rights, Know Your Patients鈥� Rights 鈥�   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Heavy flooding that swept across Mexico鈥檚 Gulf Coast and central states last week killed 64 people; dozens more are missing and 100,000+ homes were destroyed as the government faces criticism over response time and failure to issue alerts or order evacuations.     Aging men鈥檚 brains shrink more quickly than those of aging women鈥檚, per published in PNAS yesterday; the finding indicates women鈥檚 brains age more slowly than men鈥檚, but it doesn鈥檛 explain why Alzheimer鈥檚 is more common in women.    
   Middle-aged people who stop smoking can effectively erase the habit鈥檚 negative impact on cognitive skills such that, after 10 years, they have the same risk for dementia as those who never smoked, per a study involving 9,436 people published in yesterday.     The WHO and partners launched an upgraded version of its public health intelligence system to aid early detection of public health threats; the 2.0 Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) system incorporates new data sources and AI functionalities and is offered as a public good, free of charge to member states and eligible organizations.   DATA POINT

680,000
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌�
Children in Haiti uprooted from their homes by violence鈥攁 doubling over last year鈥檚 figures. 鈥�
  POLLUTION A WWII 鈥楪host Fleet鈥� Poses a Current Threat    Oil leaking from a World War II-era Japanese warship poses a growing environmental risk in waters off Micronesia鈥攁nd officials worry it鈥檚 just the start of a burgeoning crisis with historical origins.     The Rio de Janeiro Maru, which sank in the Chuuk Lagoon in 1944, began to leak last month, initially releasing ~4,000 liters of oil per day. 

• Fishing鈥攁 critical source of food and income鈥攈as been halted in the region, with residents warned not to consume affected food or water. 

鈥淭icking time bombs鈥�: The 60+ WWII wrecks remaining in the lagoon contain ~39.5 million liters of oil and toxins, and their containment tanks are expected to begin failing within five years without urgent international intervention, say local officials. 
    GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ROAD SAFETY Reporting Beyond the Crash    Africa is home to the world鈥檚 highest road fatality rates.    But news articles about crashes across the continent all too often miss the big picture鈥攂laming victims鈥� actions and failing to account for unsafe infrastructure, weak laws, and other factors that contribute to preventable deaths.     Shifting framework: That problematic pattern, of ~1,000 news reports in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tanzania, is driving to report on crashes as a public health crisis rather than isolated accidents.      A new narrative: So far, ~5,000 journalists have been trained worldwide in solutions-based reporting, leading to more expansive stories, investigations, and documentaries.     (commentary)  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Africa: Beyond Malaria - Uncovering the Overlapping Crisis of Long Covid in Ethiopia and Uganda 鈥�  

Torture, blackmail, extortion: the dangers of queer online dating in Ghana 鈥�  

Africa鈥檚 floods and droughts are messing with our minds. Researchers are trying to figure out how 鈥�   
  Lessons from Peru: what Australia can learn about the growing risk of dengue fever 鈥�     Innovation in medicines for global health: a 20-year landscape analysis 鈥�   
HEPA purifiers not tied to less viral exposure in elementary classrooms, analysis finds 鈥�     Kids who use social media score lower on reading and memory tests, a study shows 鈥�      What the Anti-Sunscreen Movement Misses 鈥�   Issue No. 2804
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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A 黑料网-led clinical trial is the first in humans to show online brain training exercises can improve brain networks affecting learning and memory.

The study found 10 weeks鈥� use of the game-like app BrainHQ by older adults enhanced cholinergic function, a chemical system in the brain that typically declines with age and influences attention, memory and decision-making.

Countries must scale up investment and care to treat neurological disorders, responsible for over 11 million deaths each year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. 

96 Global Health NOW: Post-Pandemic Picture of Health; 鈥楲owest Layer of Hell鈥� for Burmese Refugees; and Superbugs Stalk Ukraine鈥檚 Hospitals 鈥淎n emerging crisis鈥� of youth deaths. October 13, 2025 A view of the "Silent Struggle" statue, an art project by artist Sazza created to break the taboo surrounding suicide, decorated with photos and candles, in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, on November 4, 2024. Ana Fernandez/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty A Post-Pandemic Picture of Health    The top causes of mortality around the world are shifting away from COVID-19 and back to increasingly urgent noncommunicable threats like heart disease, and in Berlin鈥攖he first snapshot of global health since the height of the pandemic, .     Highlights of the 2023 report, drawing from 300,000+ data sources across 204 countries, include:     Chronic conditions on top: Heart disease is once again the world鈥檚 leading cause of death, eclipsing COVID-19, which fell from 1st in 2021 to 20th in 2023.  

• Other NCDs like stroke, diabetes, and COPD now account for two-thirds of global deaths and disability, while deaths from infectious disease continue to decline.  

Rising youth mortality: The world faces 鈥渁n emerging crisis鈥� of rising deaths among teenagers and young adults, . 

• In North America and parts of Latin America, deaths from suicide, drug overdoses, and alcohol use are on the rise among people ages 20鈥�39.  

Global life expectancy rates have also recovered from the pandemic dip鈥攂ut stark disparities remain, with life expectancy ranging from 83 years in high-income regions to 62 years in sub-Saharan Africa, .  

• That gap is 鈥渟ure to widen鈥� with international aid cuts this year, warned senior author Emmanuela Gakidou. 

Preventable loss: Nearly half of all global death and disability is linked to modifiable risk factors like high blood sugar, poor diet, and smoking.                                                                                          GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
Rift Valley Fever has killed 17 in Senegal in an outbreak that has led to 119 cases in the country鈥檚 northern livestock-producing region, per the nation鈥檚 health ministry.     Antibiotic resistance is increasing sharply among common hospital infections, , which found that 40%+ of antibiotics lost potency against infections between 2018 and 2023, and 1 in 6 bacterial infections were resistant to antibiotic treatments in 2023.

Overdose deaths among adults 65+ from fentanyl mixed with stimulants surged 9,000% from 2015 to 2023, according to findings presented at the Anesthesiology 2025 annual meeting; the research used CDC data to reveal the trend among older adults, who are often left out of overdose analyses.     ~600 U.S. CDC workers have been terminated as part of the Trump administration's mass layoffs of federal agency workers; while the administration rescinded more than half of ~1,300 termination notices it originally sent Friday, upheaval at the agency is ongoing.   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES REFUGEES Aid Cuts Deepen the 鈥楲owest Layer of Hell鈥� in Burma    Burmese families that have endured years of conflict and displacement now face even more acute suffering after U.S. aid cuts deprive them of essential food and medical aid. 

• 鈥淲e are in the lowest layer of hell already,鈥� said an advocate with one shuttered aid group.  

• Now, increasingly desperate refugees along the Thailand-Burma border are forced to scour jungles and rivers for even menial sources of sustenance. 

Vast need: The UN estimates ~40% of Burma鈥檚 population now requires humanitarian aid, with children especially vulnerable to malnutrition and starvation.     Void left behind: The U.S. was once the largest aid donor to this population before the abrupt cuts. Aid groups are now seeking new lines of support, with little traction.       OPPORTUNITY ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE The Superbugs Stalking Ukraine鈥檚 Hospitals    Drug-resistant infections are surging among Ukraine鈥檚 wounded and spreading beyond hospitals into the general population as overwhelmed trauma wards, poor infection control, and misguided antibiotic use fuel spread. 
  Especially notorious: Klebsiella pneumoniae, a once-rare bacterium, is now the 鈥渟ignature pathogen鈥� of the war, and an often-untreatable threat.     New tactics: Doctors have been deploying a range of new strategies against the superbugs, including doubling up on antibiotic regimens, using faster genetic testing to ID strains, and improving antibiotic stewardship.     Stemming from the start: A new pilot program aims to treat battlefield wounds like bioweapon exposure, using hazmat gear and improved antiseptics to prevent infections.  

• 鈥淲e can鈥檛 afford to lose more limbs and more lives,鈥� said Hailie Uren, a clinician who led antimicrobial resistance efforts in Lviv. 

   QUICK HITS Germany announces billion-euro investment to fight AIDS and malaria 鈥�  
Why Fiji has the world's fastest growing HIV epidemic 鈥�     A brain test may predict antidepressant-related sexual problems, early research suggests 鈥�      In Kenya, a search for links between a changing climate and mental health 鈥�      Bangladesh launches typhoid vaccination drive to combat drug-resistant threat 鈥�     Maryland failed to document many deaths from suspected child abuse or neglect 鈥�     Post-monsoon dengue outbreak risk high: Experts 鈥�      Your nose gets colder when you're stressed. These thermal images show the change 鈥�    Issue No. 2803
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Contributors include Brian W. Simpson, MPH, Dayna Kerecman Myers, Annalies Winny, Morgan Coulson, Kate Belz, Melissa Hartman, Jackie Powder, and Rin Swann. Write us: dkerecm1@jhu.edu, like us on and follow us on Instagram and X .

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Common infections are becoming harder 鈥� and sometimes impossible 鈥� to treat, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday, as new data show that one in six bacterial infections globally are resistant to standard antibiotics, endangering millions and straining health systems worldwide.