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96 Global Health NOW: A New Vaccine for the Meningitis Belt; How Early Unions Endanger Girls; and Bologna Slows Down鈥攁nd Sparks a Showdown September 30, 2025 A New Vaccine for the Meningitis Belt    A century of meningitis outbreaks across a wide strip of sub-Saharan Africa may be dramatically reduced thanks to a new vaccine that prevents the lethal disease.  

• Outbreaks from Senegal to Ethiopia have claimed tens of thousands of lives every few years.  

How will the new vaccine help? Men5CV targets the five Neisseria meningitidis bacteria that cause most epidemic meningitis across the belt. Bacteria can infect the meninges (the lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord) and kill within hours, if untreated.  

• The vaccine has been distributed in Niger and Nigeria and will roll out in other countries soon.  

• Men5CV, developed by India鈥檚 Serum Institute of India and the Seattle-based PATH, is expected to cost $3 per dose. 

Why is there a meningitis belt? Dust storms across the region can cause sand and dust to damage people鈥檚 airways, allowing bacteria to enter the bloodstream and then lead to new infections of close contacts. 
  The Quote: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a powerful new weapon that, with wider rollout, has the potential to protect millions of vulnerable people,鈥� said the University of Southampton鈥檚 Michael Head. 
    GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Hospitalized COVID-19 patients who inhaled heparin were half as likely to require ventilation and had a significantly lower risk of dying compared with those receiving standard care, of data from ~500 patients across six countries.

A new, affordable human papillomavirus test delivers results in less than an hour with no specialized laboratory required, led by Rice University, in collaboration with colleagues in Mozambique and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.     More than 99% of people suffering first-time heart attacks, strokes, or heart failure also had at least one of four risk factors for cardiovascular disease: 鈥渟uboptimal鈥� high blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood glucose, or smoking, 鈥攁 far higher prevalence of warning signs than previous studies found.  
  Opioid use disorder diagnoses among commercially insured U.S. patients soared ~40% post-pandemic鈥攆rom 386 patients per 100,000 in 2021 to 539 patients per 100,000 in 2024, ; the hardest-hit states were Tennessee, West Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Delaware.     U.S. and Global Health Policy News Trump鈥檚 USAID pause stranded lifesaving drugs. Children died waiting. 鈥�     Fragile N.C. Residents Lose Medicaid Support for Food and Housing Health 鈥�     HHS would furlough nearly 32,500 in shutdown 鈥�      Researchers are relieved at Trump鈥檚 likely pick for National Cancer Institute 鈥�

Energy Dept. adds 鈥榗limate change鈥� and 鈥榚missions鈥� to banned words list 鈥�  

Cannabis stocks soar after Trump shares video promoting drug鈥檚 use for seniors 鈥�   CHILD MARRIAGE How Early Unions Endanger Girls    Child marriage鈥攂oth formal and informal鈥攃ontinues to harm millions of girls globally, , which drew from interviews with 250+ girls across 15 countries.     Even in countries with laws prohibiting child marriage, there are few protections against cohabitations or informal marriages, .  

• The report found that a significant number of girls in early unions face intimate partner violence and have lost access to education or employment. 

Lack of agency: The most common reasons girls in the study said they married young were economic hardship, familial pressure, and cultural norms.    Breakthrough in Bolivia: Bolivia has banned all marriages and unions under age 18 with no exceptions, in a major victory for girls鈥� rights, . Previously, the law allowed for exceptions through parental or judicial authorization.
  Related: When I was married at 13 I was told refusal would end in my death. Now girls in Iraq as young as nine face the same fate 鈥�    GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ROAD SAFETY Bologna Slows Down鈥攁nd Sparks a Showdown     Last year, Bologna became Italy鈥檚 first major city to adopt a 30 km/h (19 mph) speed limit on most streets in an effort to reduce crashes, pollution, and noise. 

• Crash deaths dropped significantly in 2024, and no pedestrian deaths were recorded.  

However, the policy drew fierce opposition from conservative national leaders, who argued that the limit created a burden on industries that rely on drivers and have since moved to block enforcement and pursue legal challenges against the local policy. 
  Unclear future: Enforcement gaps and national pushback have weakened the policy鈥檚 impact, advocates say, and crash fatalities rose again in 2025. 

• But other Italian cities鈥攊ncluding Milan and Rome鈥攈ave now followed Bologna鈥檚 lead, issuing their own slow-street policies.  

  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Halal concerns drive vaccine hesitancy as Indonesia fights measles outbreak 鈥�

鈥業 wanted to be dead鈥�: Survivors of Assad鈥檚 prisons battle trauma and disease 鈥�     Louisiana issues warrant for California doctor accused of mailing abortion pills 鈥�     Ecuadorian scientists cleared of criminal charges in COVID-19 testing case 鈥�      Mpox Outbreaks Expose Global Vulnerability As Smallpox Immunity Fades, Experts Warn 鈥�     Gender differences in opioid and stimulant poisoning in the central region of Iran 鈥�     Gaps in the global health research landscape for mpox 鈥�      Want to do disruptive science? Include more rookie researchers 鈥�   Issue No. 2796
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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Doctors in Gaza are warning of a surge in respiratory illnesses as families 鈥� cut off from basic supplies 鈥� burn plastic and cardboard to cook and keep warm. They say the outbreak will worsen unless life-saving medicines, fuel and food are allowed into the devastated territory.

Faced with a deadly outbreak of cholera and a lack of sanitation infrastructure, one Haitian mother sparked a community movement that has transformed her neighbourhood 鈥� and saved multiple lives.

96 Global Health NOW: New Consensus to Tackle NCDs鈥擶ithout the U.S.; Wrapping Babies in Malaria Protection; and Contraceptive Stigma in Sierra Leone September 29, 2025 Rural doctor Zhu Daqing (L) and another doctor measure a patient's blood pressure in Xinshui Village. Guizhou Province, China, July 19, 2023. Yang Wenbin/Xinhua via Getty New Consensus to Tackle NCDs鈥擶ithout the U.S.    A UN declaration to address noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health will move forward with wide global support, despite being derailed by the U.S. at a High-Level General Assembly session, .     Broad support: The declaration sets 2030 targets for ongoing efforts in areas like tobacco reduction and hypertension control and introduces goals around mental health access for the first time, . The draft was widely supported by UN blocs, with leaders of countries like the Philippines saying 鈥渢he investment case is clear.鈥�  
  RFK Jr.鈥檚 rejection: But the draft could not be adopted by consensus after U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the country would 鈥渞eject鈥� the declaration. 

• Kennedy said the declaration overreached while failing to address key health issues鈥攖hough he did not elaborate on those problems, . He also cited concerns over gender identity and abortion, though the declaration does not address either of those issues.  

• The declaration will still be submitted for a vote at the UN General Assembly in October; advocates remain optimistic about its adoption without U.S. support.  

Critical components missing: Key tax measures on unhealthy products were weakened by corporate lobbying, .  

• 鈥淲e saw specifically language changing from having countries implement health taxes 鈥� to now have countries consider health taxes, and we saw the removal of targets,鈥� Mary-Ann Etiebet, president and CEO of Vital Strategies, (video). 

• And air pollution goals omitted any mention of fossil fuels, which 鈥渋s like pledging to tackle smoking without mentioning tobacco,鈥� said the Clean Air Fund鈥檚 Jane Burston, . 

GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES DATA POINT

~3.3 million
鈥斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌斺赌�
The number of lives saved around the world by American foreign aid in 2023. 鈥�
  The Latest One-Liners   1,000+ children in Indonesia fell ill with food poisoning last week, 鈥攂ringing total cases to 6,000+ since January鈥攊n a spate of incidents tied to an ambitious push to deliver ~80 million free meals; President Prabowo Subianto defended the program today and announced steps to improve safety.      The U.S. FDA announced plans last Friday to review the safety of the abortion drug mifepristone, in a move that could lead to new dispensing restrictions.     A distinct form of diabetes with symptoms meeting neither type 1 nor type 2 criteria has been named type 5 diabetes by the International Diabetes Federation in a that urges other health entities to adopt the name for the condition, which could affect ~25 million people.     Flu in U.S. children is leading to more cases of severe encephalopathy and related deaths, ; the nation logged 280 pediatric flu deaths last year鈥攖he deadliest apart from the H1N1 pandemic in 2009鈥�2010鈥攁s fewer children receive flu vaccines.   U.S. and Global Health Policy News Ebere Okereke: America First in Global Health: How Africa Should Respond 鈥�      Trump Cancels Trail, Bike-Lane Grants Deemed 鈥楬ostile鈥� to Cars 鈥�     鈥楥ompletely shattered.鈥� Changes to NSF鈥檚 graduate student fellowship spur outcry 鈥�     White House considers funding advantage for colleges that align with Trump policies 鈥�     Medical Groups Warn Against Visa Fees for Foreign Doctors 鈥�  

WHO Staff in Geneva Call for Freeze in Layoffs and Independent Review of Downsizing Plans 鈥�   MALARIA Wrapping Babies in a New Protection    Infants in Uganda spend much of their first two years carried snugly in cloth wraps called lesus. Such wraps could potentially provide even greater security against malaria once treated with mosquito repellent, .     Key findings: Among 400 pairs of moms and children who used baby wraps treated with permethrin鈥攁n insecticide commonly sprayed on bed nets and clothes鈥攎alaria infections fell by ~65%, .  

• The benefit held through 24 weeks, with fewer hospitalizations and no serious side effects. 

Wraps to address gaps: The wraps could offer low-cost protection for infants too young for vaccination.  

• 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of the day when you鈥檙e not under a net. Baby wraps fill in some of those gaps when a net isn鈥檛 particularly helpful,鈥� author Ross Boyce .  

Thanks for the tip, Michael Macdonald!   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES Thanks for the tip, Dave Cundiff!  FAMILY PLANNING Contraceptive Stigma in Sierra Leone    Stigma around contraceptive implants in women is an ongoing barrier to family planning in Sierra Leone, even as the country seeks to improve reproductive health services.    No women spared: The stigma applies both to single women, who are expected to abstain from sex, and to married women, who are encouraged to embrace having children.  

• 鈥淪ocietal pressure has driven many girls to remove the implant or switch to less visible methods,鈥� said Eunice Dumbuya, an activist in Freetown.  

And yet: The country is seeing progress in access. Contraceptive prevalence is 24% for all women in Sierra Leone, .  

• The country is part of the , which aims to make modern contraception available to all women and girls by 2030. 

 

Related: Why more Kenyan women are turning to IUDs for family planning 鈥�  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS They fled war and sexual violence and found a safe space in Athens. Then the aid cuts hit 鈥�

Hundreds of Israeli soldiers were badly wounded in Gaza. Here's what saved them 鈥�

The forgotten pandemic: Hong Kong influenza in Australia (1968鈥�1970) 鈥�

For Indigenous Infants, This Devastating Virus Finally Meets a Formidable Foe 鈥�

Twenty-Five Years of Mifepristone: How Activists Brought the Abortion Pill to America and Changed Reproductive Health Forever 鈥�

Nearly 7 in 10 COVID survivors tested didn't know they had a dulled sense of smell 鈥�

Some people tape their mouths shut at night. Doctors wish they wouldn鈥檛 鈥� Issue No. 2795
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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Le devoir de m茅moire est aussi celui de l鈥檃ction vers la d茅colonisation.

World leaders have thrown their weight behind the first-ever United Nations global political declaration tackling noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health together.

Demonstration of an AI-powered tool during a live surgery at The Neuro

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A surgical device powered by artificial intelligence (AI) was demonstrated live for the first time at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) in a historic step forward for the field of precision neurosurgery. 厂贰狈罢搁驰鈩�, an innovative technology developed by Montreal-based Reveal and its university partners, can differentiate cancerous tissue from healthy tissue in real time, offering tangible hope to patients for better outcomes.

Demonstration of an AI-powered tool during a live surgery at The Neuro

听

A surgical device powered by artificial intelligence (AI) was demonstrated live for the first time at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) in a historic step forward for the field of precision neurosurgery. 厂贰狈罢搁驰鈩�, an innovative technology developed by Montreal-based Reveal and its university partners, can differentiate cancerous tissue from healthy tissue in real time, offering tangible hope to patients for better outcomes.

Demonstration of an AI-powered tool during a live surgery at The Neuro

听

A surgical device powered by artificial intelligence (AI) was demonstrated live for the first time at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) in a historic step forward for the field of precision neurosurgery. 厂贰狈罢搁驰鈩�, an innovative technology developed by Montreal-based Reveal and its university partners, can differentiate cancerous tissue from healthy tissue in real time, offering tangible hope to patients for better outcomes.

Demonstration of an AI-powered tool during a live surgery at The Neuro

听

A surgical device powered by artificial intelligence (AI) was demonstrated live for the first time at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) in a historic step forward for the field of precision neurosurgery. 厂贰狈罢搁驰鈩�, an innovative technology developed by Montreal-based Reveal and its university partners, can differentiate cancerous tissue from healthy tissue in real time, offering tangible hope to patients for better outcomes.

Demonstration of an AI-powered tool during a live surgery at The Neuro

听

A surgical device powered by artificial intelligence (AI) was demonstrated live for the first time at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) in a historic step forward for the field of precision neurosurgery. 厂贰狈罢搁驰鈩�, an innovative technology developed by Montreal-based Reveal and its university partners, can differentiate cancerous tissue from healthy tissue in real time, offering tangible hope to patients for better outcomes.

Demonstration of an AI-powered tool during a live surgery at The Neuro

听

A surgical device powered by artificial intelligence (AI) was demonstrated live for the first time at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) in a historic step forward for the field of precision neurosurgery. 厂贰狈罢搁驰鈩�, an innovative technology developed by Montreal-based Reveal and its university partners, can differentiate cancerous tissue from healthy tissue in real time, offering tangible hope to patients for better outcomes.

Demonstration of an AI-powered tool during a live surgery at The Neuro

听

A surgical device powered by artificial intelligence (AI) was demonstrated live for the first time at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) in a historic step forward for the field of precision neurosurgery. 厂贰狈罢搁驰鈩�, an innovative technology developed by Montreal-based Reveal and its university partners, can differentiate cancerous tissue from healthy tissue in real time, offering tangible hope to patients for better outcomes.

96 Global Health NOW: High Stakes, Shifting Landscapes on Climate Action; 鈥楴ightmare Bacteria鈥� on the Rise; and They鈥檙e Kind of a bIg Deal China, the world鈥檚 top emitter, pledged to cut emissions while U.S. sits on the sidelines at climate summit. September 25, 2025 People ride in heavily polluted fog on Wenhua West Road in Zaozhuang in China's Shandong province. January 3, 2024. CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images  High Stakes, Shifting Landscapes on Climate Action    Ten years on from the Paris Agreement, the 鈥渟takes could not be higher鈥� as global warming accelerates, leading scientists and UN officials warned world leaders convened at the UN General Assembly yesterday.  

• 2024 was the first year global temperatures exceeded 1.5掳C, the Agreement鈥檚 critical threshold鈥攍eading to extreme weather disasters and worsening health and infrastructure challenges in communities across the globe, .  

Intervention still possible: If countries cooperate to transition to clean energy sources and eliminate food system waste, the under-1.5掳C goal can still be reached, scientists said. And yesterday, most of the world鈥檚 leading powers signaled they were willing to do that, , which provided a rundown of where major players stand.  

• 鈥淲e need new plans for 2035 that go much further, and much faster,鈥� said UN Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres.  

New plans submitted: Ahead of COP30 in Brazil in November, 47 countries submitted updated climate plans, but big emitters like the EU and India have yet to show their new plans.     China makes a modest鈥攂ut pivotal鈥攑ledge: The world鈥檚 top emitter pledged to cut emissions by 7%鈥�10% by 2035 and expand clean energy, aiming for over 30% non-fossil fuel use. The relatively small goal could still be 鈥渢ransformative鈥� globally, experts said.  
U.S. on the sidelines: The U.S. did not participate in the summit, with President Donald Trump roundly dismissing climate action as a 鈥済reen scam,鈥� . Other global leaders appeared undeterred, with the EU鈥檚 climate commissioner saying the bloc would do the 鈥渆xact opposite of what the U.S. is doing.鈥�  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners
90% of global research and development funding is being spent on universities, nonprofits, and government agencies in high-income countries, ; while that money is directed to solve problems such as neglected diseases in LMICs, just 10% of the funding is going directly to LMICs themselves.     A potential treatment for leishmaniasis has been identified in compounds found in Okinawan marine sponges, which effectively killed the disease-causing parasite while sparing human cells, ; researchers are hopeful the treatment could also be used against other protozoan diseases.     Over one-third of hospital-acquired infections involved drug-resistant bacteria, that drew on 34 hospital-based studies involving 20,658 patients across 18 countries.     Basic services in health facilities鈥攊ncluding reliable water, sanitation, hygiene, waste management, and electricity鈥攈ave improved in 100+ countries that have made 鈥渦nprecedented efforts鈥�; however, billions are still served by facilities without those essential features.   ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE 鈥楴ightmare Bacteria鈥� on the Rise    Infections from drug-resistant 鈥渘ightmare bacteria鈥� spiked ~70% in the U.S. between 2019 and 2023, .    Driving the increase: bacteria with the NDM gene, a resistance gene that makes treating infections extremely difficult.  

• Once rare, NDM-related infections rose 460%, with 1,800+ cases in 2023 across 29 reporting states. But that is likely only a partial picture, researchers say.   

• 鈥淭he rise of NDMs in the U.S. is a grave danger and very worrisome,鈥� said David Weiss, an infectious disease researcher at Emory University.  

Possible COVID link: Heavy antibiotic use during the pandemic may have fueled resistance.      GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES VACCINES New Protections for Newborns    Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of newborn sepsis, meningitis, and lifelong disabilities鈥攃ausing 400,000 infections, 91,000 infant deaths, and 46,000 stillbirths annually, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.     Yet it has long flown under the radar. It is often undetected in pregnancy, carried by 15% of women without symptoms.  

• While testing and antibiotic protocols have become standard in high-income countries, many cases go undetected worldwide.  

Vaccines on the horizon: A long-awaited maternal vaccine from Pfizer is now in phase 3 trials, and another vaccine from Danish company MinervaX is also under development.  

• 鈥淭here has been incredible progress. But it has taken so long,鈥� said physician Carol Baker, who proposed a GBS vaccine in 1976.  

  ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION They鈥檙e Kind of a bIg Deal     It鈥檚 鈥�.鈥� Science鈥檚 鈥�.鈥�      It鈥檚 the Ig Nobels, the prize for research that 鈥渕akes people laugh, then think.鈥� And year after year, it does.      It鈥檚 hard to pick a favorite from this year鈥檚 roster of ridiculousness. Some top choices investigate pressing issues like: 

• The growth rate of  

• Whether   

• 尝颈锄补谤诲蝉鈥�  

• Alcohol鈥檚 impact on 鈥攁nd how well humans  

The honors were presented in a that grumbled with entertainment, including research explained in 24 seconds, an operatic ode to gastroenterology, and paper planes pelting winners.     We can鈥檛 all win bIg, but can we at least be invited to the party?  QUICK HITS EU, WHO counter Trump's warnings on autism and pregnancy 鈥�     Sexually transmitted disease cases fall, but not syphilis in newborns 鈥�  
Phase 1 trial finds high dose of malaria monoclonal antibody is safe, elicits immune response 鈥�     New European Partnership on One Health AMR: 鈧�253 million for research and innovation against antimicrobial resistance 鈥�     Harvard Dean Was Paid $150,000 as an Expert Witness in Tylenol Lawsuits 鈥�   What to Know About MMR and MMRV Vaccines 鈥�  
  The rare disease that stops us feeling fear 鈥�   Issue No. 2794
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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For the first time, mental health is the focus of an official meeting of the General Assembly on Thursday, with world leaders expected to agree on a set of principles designed to drive global action to help alleviate the symptoms of those living with a complex variety of disorders.

96 Global Health NOW: A Surge of Diseases in Sudan; Centering Youth and Mental Health at UNGA; and Firearm Suicides Among Older Americans September 24, 2025 Patients receive treatment in the cholera isolation center at the refugee camps of western Sudan. Tawila, Darfur, August 14. AFP via Getty A Surge of Diseases in Sudan   In war-ravaged Sudan, medics are fighting their own multifront war against a surge of diseases overwhelming the country鈥檚 devastated health infrastructure, .     Malaria, typhoid, and dengue are all on the rise amid the country鈥檚 rainy season鈥攅specially in Khartoum, which reported 5,000+ cases of those diseases and dozens of deaths in the past month.  

• Khartoum state鈥檚 health ministry recorded 14,012 dengue cases since January 2024, . Mobile clinics have been deployed throughout the region.   

Cholera has spread to all 18 states of Sudan, with 113,600+ cases and 3,000+ deaths nationwide. Darfur is particularly affected, reporting a high fatality rate, .  

• The WHO has launched a vaccination campaign in the worst-hit areas, after weeks battling 鈥渁ccess, transport and logistical challenges,鈥� The campaign aims to protect 1.86 million people, especially children, who are disproportionately affected. 

Hospitals are overcrowded and struggling to treat patients amid medicine and equipment shortages. 

• In conflict-affected areas, 70% of hospitals are non-operational; half of Khartoum鈥檚 hospitals have been destroyed.  

Related: Sudanese children face forced recruitment, sexual violence in war, official says 鈥�   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES The Latest One-Liners   Afghanistan鈥檚 malaria case count rose 21%+ from July to August, with ~13,000 infections, 鈥攚hich also notes declining but still-high caseloads of other diseases including respiratory infections, diarrhea, and measles, and warns that the August 31 earthquake has further taxed already overloaded health services.
  Consuming alcohol in any amount raises dementia risk, ; the findings also 鈥渃hallenge the notion that low levels of alcohol are neuroprotective.鈥�     Childhood exposure to chemicals in plastic household items has been linked to long-term health risks, that found that three commonly used classes of chemicals鈥攑hthalates, bisphenols, and PFAS鈥攃an be tied to ongoing conditions like heart disease, asthma, infertility, and obesity, especially when encountered early in life.     A study linking apple cider vinegar to weight loss has been retracted by The BMJ Group; the study claimed drinking diluted apple cider vinegar could lead to dramatic weight loss, but a later investigation found irregularities in the data and that the results could not be replicated.   U.S. and Global Health Policy News Death by aid cuts: how a decision in the US led to the loss of a mother in Yemen 鈥�  
The nation where Trump鈥檚 aid cuts are colliding with a deadly Ebola outbreak: 鈥榃hat we feared has now happened鈥� 鈥�     Trump鈥檚 鈥榯ough it out鈥� to pregnant women meets wave of opposition by medical experts 鈥�     Trump says Cuba has 鈥榲irtually no autism.鈥� That鈥檚 news to Cuban doctors 鈥�  

White House slashes medical research on monkeys and other animal testing, sparking fierce new debate 鈥� GHN EXCLUSIVE Teenage girls planting a tree near homes destroyed by floods along the bank of the Mathare River. Nairobi, Kenya, June 5, 2024. Boniface Muthoni/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Centering Youth at the UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health
Tomorrow, for the first time, mental health will be at the heart of a UN meeting involving all member states at the heads of state level鈥攑resenting an opportunity to make mental health, and specifically young people鈥檚 mental health, an economic and moral priority, .     At the UN High-Level Meeting on the Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, taking place tomorrow in New York, governments will make political and financial commitments to mental health鈥攂ut the negotiations to shape the outcomes have been underway for months.     The draft political declaration calls on all UN member states to take steps including: 

• Scaling up services, support, and treatment for mental health conditions. 

• Improving suicide prevention measures and addressing mental health stigma. 

• Regulating harmful digital environments in a way that protects young people鈥檚 rights.    

To improve young people鈥檚 lives around the world, these words need to be translated into action, the authors say鈥攕haring examples of partnerships like the Being Initiative, a global, multistakeholder effort to promote investment in mental health led by Grand Challenges Canada, with partners including Science for Africa Foundation, Fondation Botnar, United for Global Mental Health, Orygen, and the UK鈥檚 Department for Health. 
     GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES GUNS Firearm Suicides Among Older Americans    Gun suicides among Americans ages 70+ have risen steadily from 2009 to 2023, claiming 63,836 lives over that period, finds a new analysis of CDC data. 

• The trend worries researchers, as the demographic makes up a growing share of the U.S. population.  

Behind the uptick: A range of factors impacting older people: severe illness, isolation, lack of mental health support, financial pressures, and easy access to firearms.  

• The U.S. among older adults than Mexico or Canada, which have stricter gun laws. 

Most at risk: Older white men in rural areas.     Possible interventions: Doctors can do more to assess their older patients鈥� mental health and connect them to resources, say advocates. Gun sellers can also provide screening and resources.       OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS Decades after they endured forced contraception, Greenlandic women still suffer from the trauma 鈥�
  Toxic Air in Tanzania鈥檚 Port City Threatens Millions, Researchers Warn 鈥�     Two new studies predict results of declining MMR uptake, restricting non-medical vaccine exemptions 鈥�     Endemicity, disability and neglect: Leprosy in Colombia 2007鈥�2020 鈥�     Officials, doctors urge vaccination amid 'concerning' surge in Chicago mpox cases 鈥�     Chicago Has Hundreds of Thousands of Toxic Lead Pipes鈥攁nd Millions of Unspent Dollars to Replace Them 鈥�      The wellness industry needs to stop scaring people 鈥�     Ethicists flirt with AI to review human research 鈥�   Issue No. 2793
Global Health NOW is an initiative of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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

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The World Health Organization (WHO) stressed on Wednesday that there is no conclusive scientific evidence linking the use of paracetamol 鈥� also known as acetaminophen 鈥� during pregnancy, with autism spectrum disorder.

Weston Family Foundation grant will fund the first ultra-high-sensitivity whole body PET/CT scanner in Canada

A groundbreaking project led by Dr. Pedro Rosa-Neto at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of 黑料网 has received a major boost thanks to a $10-million grant from the Weston Family Foundation.

The funding is part of a $20-million initiative by the foundation to support highly ambitious scientific endeavors under its Healthy Aging Strategy, comprised of the Weston Brain Institute and the Weston Family Microbiome Initiative.

Weston Family Foundation grant will fund the first ultra-high-sensitivity whole body PET/CT scanner in Canada

A groundbreaking project led by Dr. Pedro Rosa-Neto at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of 黑料网 has received a major boost thanks to a $10-million grant from the Weston Family Foundation.

The funding is part of a $20-million initiative by the foundation to support highly ambitious scientific endeavors under its Healthy Aging Strategy, comprised of the Weston Brain Institute and the Weston Family Microbiome Initiative.

Weston Family Foundation grant will fund the first ultra-high-sensitivity whole body PET/CT scanner in Canada

A groundbreaking project led by Dr. Pedro Rosa-Neto at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of 黑料网 has received a major boost thanks to a $10-million grant from the Weston Family Foundation.

The funding is part of a $20-million initiative by the foundation to support highly ambitious scientific endeavors under its Healthy Aging Strategy, comprised of the Weston Brain Institute and the Weston Family Microbiome Initiative.