Թ

Hippocampus does more than store memories: it predicts rewards, study finds

Թ Faculty of Medicine news - Thu, 01/29/2026 - 08:58

A preclinical study published in Nature has found evidence that the hippocampus, the brain region that stores memory, also reorganizes memories to anticipate future outcomes.

Categories: Global Health Feed

Hippocampus does more than store memories: it predicts rewards, study finds

Թ Faculty of Medicine news - Thu, 01/29/2026 - 08:58

A preclinical study published in Nature has found evidence that the hippocampus, the brain region that stores memory, also reorganizes memories to anticipate future outcomes.

Categories: Global Health Feed

Global Health Now - Wed, 01/28/2026 - 09:10
96 Global Health NOW: Grasping for Hope as Haiti Unravels; and Volunteer Vector Control in Bangladesh January 28, 2026 TOP STORIES The U.S. maternal syphilis rate spiked 28% from 2022 to 2024, ; the latest uptick is part of a worsening trend that has involved a 200%+ rise in maternal syphilis over the past decade, which is leading to a surge of congenital syphilis in infants.     The Trump administration has directed Gavi to eliminate vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal as a precondition for continued funding; anti-vaccine groups have claimed that thimerosal causes autism, despite scientific evidence to the contrary.  
Humanity’s risk of self-annihilation is closer than ever, say scientists who set the symbolic “Doomsday Clock” to 85 seconds to catastrophe yesterday—noting existential threats including nuclear war, climate change, risks of artificial intelligence, and biological disaster.     The WHO has issued global guidance for school lunches—limiting sugars, saturated fats, and sodium, while expanding pulses and whole grains; the agency says it will provide technical assistance to support countries in meeting the goal.   IN FOCUS A person walks past cars burned and used as a barricade by armed gangs during clashes last week with Haitian security forces in Port-au-Prince. January 16. Clarens Siffroy/AFP via Getty Grasping for Hope as Haiti Unravels     Violence continues to roil Haiti as powerful gangs clash with state police—displacing civilians, gutting health care, and precipitating an ongoing exodus of foreign aid that the country has long depended on. 
  Continued escalation: 100+ violence victims have been treated in Port-au-Prince in just two weeks, —one of the few groups still providing medical care amid attacks from gangs, which control ~90% of the capital and have displaced more than 1.4 million people. 
  • In 2025, 686 patients with violence-related injuries were admitted to MSF’s Tabarre Hospital. 47 were children under 14. 
Foreign aid falters: Dwindling aid has deepened the country’s security crises, including USAID cuts last year that canceled vital water restoration and earthquake reconstruction projects. 
  • The aid exodus has also revealed the scale of national institutions’ dependence on foreign aid—something local leaders say must change, .
Local resilience: As international aid retreats, small-scale solutions and interventions are cropping up, including grassroots water infrastructure projects and a gang rehabilitation and job training center known as Haiti Teen Challenge.     No safe haven in the U.S.: Temporary Protective Status for Haitians is set to expire on Feb. 3, endangering ~350,000 Haitians’ U.S. legal status and livelihoods in the country, .   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES Volunteer Vector Control in Bangladesh    In Bangladesh, thousands of volunteers are taking mosquito control into their own hands, organizing weekly cleanups to collect trash from city streets and clear polluted waterways.     Background: Amid rapid population growth in cities like Dhaka, waterway pollution has increased and daily waste piles up. 
  • The trash, combined with rainier, hotter weather, creates ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes. 
Grassroots response: A youth-led clean-up movement, Bangladesh Clean, was formed 10 years ago. The group has now grown to 50,000+ volunteers.  
  • “We are trying to change people’s mindset,” said university student Umme Kulsum Siddiki Brishti.  
  OPPORTUNITY QUICK HITS South Carolina Is America’s New Measles Norm –    After Donations, Trump Administration Revoked Rule Requiring More Nursing Home Staff –     Antibiotic use in US meat production jumped 16% in 2024, report shows –     How ‘gas station drugs’ remain legal –      Being a night owl may not be great for your heart but you can do something about it –     What the Rise of AI Scientists May Mean for Human Research –     What ‘The Office’ and other TV shows get wrong about CPR –   Issue No. 2854
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 .

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 2026 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.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed

Global Health Now - Tue, 01/27/2026 - 10:06
96 Global Health NOW: Measles Marches Across Europe; Tributes to William Foege; and Classifying Postpartum Psychosis January 27, 2026 TOP STORIES

Mozambique’s worst floods in decades are sparking fears of cholera and other threats; several people have been killed by crocodiles roaming waterlogged neighborhoods and 300,000+ have fled their homes. 

Airports in Thailand, Nepal, Taiwan and other Asian countries are stepping up health-screening measures after the confirmation of five Nipah virus cases in India’s West Bengal state, where ~100 people are quarantined following detection of the virus in a hospital last week. 

The prevalence of two proteins connected to inflammation and stress supports the “weathering hypothesis” that systemic racism accounts for much of the difference between the average life expectancy of Black and white adults, per a new study published in . 

Australia is enduring a brutal heat wave as temperatures near 50C (122F) in parts of the country today; no deaths have been reported, though three wildfires are burning in Victoria. 

IN FOCUS Luke Tanner, 7, receives the combined Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination at Neath Port Talbot Hospital. South Wales, April 20, 2013. Geoff Caddick/AFP via Getty Measles Marches Across Europe    Six European countries officially lost their measles-free status—and the U.S. is poised to follow—as the highly contagious virus resurges. 
  • The WHO called for increased vaccination rates in the U.K., Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, the countries removed from the list of measles-free countries, . 
  • European countries reported 127,000+ measles cases last year—the highest number since 1997, . 
What’s behind measles in the U.K.? It’s not just vaccine hesitancy. Difficulty accessing general practitioners, especially in dense urban areas, is a significant problem.  
  Meanwhile in the U.S.: The 2,400+ cases in the last year are the “cost of doing business” in a free country that has lots of global travelers, CDC principal deputy director Ralph Abraham told reporters last week, . 
  • “We have these communities that choose to be unvaccinated,” Abraham said. “That’s their personal freedom.” 
  • The measles-free status of the U.S. depends on proof that the virus “has not circulated continuously in the nation for a year, between Jan. 20, 2025, and Jan. 20, 2026,” Undark reports. Scientists are reviewing South Carolina, Utah, Arizona, and Texas outbreaks to determine if they are linked.   
  • The research will be completed in approximately two months. 
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES: RIP BILL FOEGE More Tributes: ‪ —ĔĔĔ “We lost a giant in public health today … His legacy is the antidote to today’s antiscience, anti-vaccine rhetoric.” ‪ –ēsharing William H. Foege, Key Figure in the Eradication of Smallpox, Dies at 89 –

“ …if I remain in India, too much attention would be directed toward the external support that India received, and it is very important that recognition be given to the accomplishments of the hundreds of thousands of Indians who really did the work.” ‪–ēFoege on his decision to leave India after the country was certified to be free of smallpox, recounted in Madhukar Pai’s tribute: William H. Foege, Key Figure in the Eradication of Smallpox, Dies at 89 –
“If you look at the simple metric of who has saved the most lives, he is right up there with the pantheon. Smallpox eradication has prevented hundreds of millions of deaths.” –ēTom Frieden, quoted in Leader in smallpox eradication, Dr. William Foege, dies at 89 – MATERNAL HEALTH Classifying Postpartum Psychosis    As awareness of postpartum psychosis grows, U.S. psychiatrists are debating where the condition might fit into the DSM—psychiatry’s core diagnostic manual.    Background: Postpartum psychosis is a psychiatric disorder occurring in 1–2 out of 1,000 births. Weeks after delivery, symptoms of the disorder in new mothers—including those with no history of mental illness—can include paranoia or delusions. In the worst cases, it can lead to suicide or infanticide.    The debate: Advocates say a stand-alone DSM category would improve doctor training, research, and courts’ handling of such cases. 
  • But experts can’t agree where in the manual the condition fits—bipolar, depressive, or psychotic disorder—and they fear a flawed definition could lead to misguided treatment or coercive interventions. 
 Thanks for the tip, Peri Barest!    SPONSORED Cells to Society: The Building Blocks of a Public Health Career
Explore public health at your own pace with the first four courses in a series of 12 non-credit learning experiences from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Designed for those interested in public health careers, these flexible courses build foundational knowledge in key areas and deepen professional skillsets.
QUICK HITS Ethiopia Declares End of Marburg Outbreak That Killed Nine –      Tobacco companies win — again — in South Korean lawsuit over costs to treat sick smokers –     Russia Cuts Its Disability Count As War Against Ukraine Wounds Hundreds of Thousands –     Rejecting Decades of Science, Vaccine Panel Chair Says Polio and Other Shots Should Be Optional –     CDC Restores $5 Billion in Public Health Grants After 24-Hour Pause –  

Has the golden age of global health ended? The health takeaways from Davos 2026 –     Ancient DNA Reveals Twisted Roots of Syphilis Go Back 5,500 Years –   Issue No. 2853
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 .

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 2026 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.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed

World Health Organization - Tue, 01/27/2026 - 07:00
For the first time ever, the World Health Organization (WHO) is providing recommendations for healthy and nutritious food in schools around the world.
Categories: Global Health Feed

Global Health Now - Mon, 01/26/2026 - 09:37
96 Global Health NOW: Global Health sNOW Day January 26, 2026 Edmund Lowe Photography / Getty Creative Global Health SNOW Day
GHN is off today due to inclement weather and reduced operations at Johns Hopkins University. We plan to be back tomorrow with all the latest global health news! —Dayna Issue No. 2852
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 .

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 2026 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.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed

Dr. Pai Forbes - Sun, 01/25/2026 - 15:45
Dr William H. Foege, a legend in global public health, passed away on 24 January 2026. His life and legacy offer several lessons for global public health
Categories: Global Health Feed

World Health Organization - Sat, 01/24/2026 - 07:00
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a detailed statement regretting the United States decision to leave the UN agency, and declaring that it will leave both the US and the world less safe as a result.
Categories: Global Health Feed

Global Health Now - Thu, 01/22/2026 - 09:31
96 Global Health NOW: The U.S. Has Left the WHO. What Now? January 22, 2026 TOP STORIES An ‘era of global water bankruptcy’ is now in effect, with irreversible consequences that mean “many regions are living beyond their hydrological means,”  that calls for a shift from emergency thinking to long-term response and restructuring.  
 
Cardiovascular disease fatalities dropped in the U.S. by 2.7% between 2022 and 2023, —but heart disease and stroke are still the nation’s leading cause of death, accounting for more than a quarter of all deaths in the U.S. in 2023.   
 
An infant formula recall affecting 18 countries has been issued by French dairy company Lactalis after some batches were flagged for a dangerous toxin; the recall marks the third major infant formula recall this year following other contamination incidents from Nestlé and Danone.  
 
Maternal genetic factors may shed new light on common factors behind pregnancy loss, , which analyzed ~140,000 IVF embryos and found links between specific variations in a mother's DNA and their risk of miscarriage.    IN FOCUS A sign with the WHO logo outside their headquarters in Geneva, on August 17, 2020. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images The U.S. Has Left the WHO
The U.S. formally leaves the WHO today, completing a yearlong withdrawal process begun on President Trump’s first day in office in 2025, and leaving a budgetary crisis and ruptured global health security in its wake, .   
 
Global fallout: The loss of the U.S.—once the WHO’s largest donor—has led the agency to make deep budget cuts and plan layoffs for nearly a quarter of its staff. 
  • These losses, combined with the loss of U.S. cooperation, leaves the world less equipped to handle worldwide disease detection, response coordination, and intelligence sharing—crucial collaborations during recent global health crises like COVID-19 and the Ebola outbreak. 
Unpaid bills: As the U.S. departs, it is stiffing the organization ~$278 million in owed dues from both 2025 and from 2024—before Trump took office, . The lapsed payments defy a 1948 U.S. law that likely will not be enforced. 
 
A path to return?: While global health leaders say they do not anticipate a U.S. return to the organization in the near future,  that some WHO reforms, including results-based accountability, could eventually lure the U.S. back.  
  
Related: Maga-backed researchers call for WHO to be ‘reformed or replaced’ on eve of US withdrawal –   GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ZOONOTIC DISEASES Pangolins and Pandemic Risk  
Pangolins are one of the most trafficked animals in the world, as demand for their scales and meat remains high in places like Laos—a major hub of illegal wildlife trade.     Rampant trafficking threatens the mammal with extinction and poses a global health security threat, say epidemiologists.  
  • Pangolins' unique immune tolerance allows them to host pathogens undetected, and the animals’ long captivity with other species and humans in unsanitary spaces creates a risk for spillover.  
The Quote: “To me, this really is ground zero for disease emergence,” said University of Sydney virologist Edward Holmes, who described the trade as “both horrendous for the animals in question, and could easily spark another pandemic.”    ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Should We All Just Lüften Up? 
Flinging the windows open for some fresh air: It’s an invigorating feeling now and again.  

In Germany, it’s much more than that. The practice of multiple daily airings—no matter the weather—is ingrained from childhood and for tenants, often a contractual obligation.  

üڳٱ-ٱ: But now, much to some Germans’ chagrin, American influencers have co-opted lüften under a new name: “house burping,” presenting it . A refreshing home hack, with no threat of eviction for noncompliance—or warning that over-commitment may ruin your relationship. 

Breeze-crossed lovers: For one German-American couple, the partner doing the heavy lüften-ing invited in cold air, chilly feelings, and one time, three bats, . His practice, which exceeded the lüften minimums required by his lease, left his American girlfriend cold and “confused,” and their love went out the open window like stale air caught in a crossbreeze. “Lüften is largely responsible for the fact that they’re no longer together.” 

QUICK HITS The US is on the verge of losing its measles elimination status. Here’s why that matters –  

Dozens Are Sickened by a Rare Fungal Infection in Tennessee –  

Study highlights impact of gender dynamics on antibiotic use –   

Vitamin D can help protect you against the flu, study suggests – 

ActionAid to rethink child sponsorship as part of plan to ‘decolonise’ its work – 

Can your health records be sold for profit? A lawsuit says it’s happening. –   
Trees — not grass and other greenery — associated with lower heart disease risk in cities –   

Global buzzwords that will be buzzing in your ear in 2026 –  Issue No. 2851
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 .

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 2026 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.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed

Global Health Now - Wed, 01/21/2026 - 09:18
96 Global Health NOW: Mpox’s Silent Spread; and U.K. Seeks a Road Safety Overhaul January 21, 2026 TOP STORIES U.S. lawmakers are pushing back against NIH cuts proposed by the Trump administration with a new Congressional bill that rejects a proposed 40% cut to the NIH budget and instead includes a $415 million increase and language that limits White House influence over grant funding.   
 
The Africa CDC confirmed the cancelation yesterday of a U.S.-funded study on hepatitis B vaccines involving newborns in Guinea-Bissau, citing ethical concerns over the proposed research design—particularly the possibility of delaying access to a lifesaving vaccine for some newborn participants.  
 
Prenatal exposure to wildfire smoke may be associated with an increased likelihood of autism diagnosis by age 5, ; the strongest association was found among those exposed to more than 10 days of wildfire smoke in the third trimester.  
 
A coalition of U.S. health groups has expanded a lawsuit against HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., challenging his agency’s “egregious, reckless, and dangerous” changes to the childhood vaccine schedule; the plaintiffs—which include the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, and the American Public Health Association—had already sued over the agency’s changes to COVID-19 vaccine policy.   IN FOCUS Social mobilizers wait for community members ahead of the launch of an mpox vaccination campaign at the General Hospital in Goma, DRC. October 5, 2024. Aubin Mukoni/AFP via Getty Mpox’s Silent Spread
Mpox may be spreading asymptomatically in parts of Africa, new research shows—a revelation that could have significant implications for understanding and preventing transmission, .  
 
Researchers analyzed new and historic blood samples from 176 Nigerian adults with no known mpox exposure and discovered something unexpected: ~3% had developed new mpox antibodies over nine months—indicating recent infection, , which was conducted by scientists at the University of Cambridge and the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria.  
  • The research points not to “explosive spread”—but rather to persistent transmission via “sporadic chains of infection” shaped and potentially contained by past smallpox vaccination, .  
  • The study also found no major differences in immune responses between health care workers and the general population—meaning exposure isn’t limited to medical settings, .  
Potential public health impact: The insights could reshape surveillance and prevention, especially in mpox-endemic regions where blood tests could better reveal exposure and help target vaccination efforts rather than relying on symptoms alone. 
  • “If we only look for obvious disease, we will miss part of the picture,” said Alash'le Abimiku, executive director of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria.
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ROAD SAFETY U.K. Seeks a Road Safety Overhaul
U.K. officials have unveiled the country’s first comprehensive road safety strategy in over a decade, aiming to cut road deaths and serious injuries by 65% by 2035. 
 
Background: Advocates and officials say the reforms come after years of inaction, as the country falls further behind European road standards. 
  • “For too long, progress on road safety has stalled. This strategy marks a turning point,” said U.K. transport secretary Heidi Alexander.  
Plans include:  
  • Stricter alcohol limits and higher penalties for violators. 
  • Mandatory eye tests for drivers ages 70+. 
  • Longer learning periods for new drivers. 
  • Automatic emergency braking in all new cars. 
  • Increased penalties for uninsured motorists and those not wearing seatbelts. 
  • Improved crash testing.
QUICK HITS The divorce between the U.S. and WHO is final this week. Or is it? –     Doctors in Minnesota decry fear and chaos amid Trump administration’s immigration crackdown –      One Year Later: The Effect of US ‘Chainsaw’ on Global Health –      New report reveals shocking prevalence of illegal children’s homes –      Pharmacists' Risk of Suicide Higher Than the General Public –  Thanks for the tip, Chiara Jaffe!     The activists taking on Brazil’s femicide crisis – via social media –      What lingers in ‘The Pitt’ is heartache. What’s missing is outrage –   Issue No. 2850
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 .

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 2026 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.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed

Global Health Now - Tue, 01/20/2026 - 09:24
96 Global Health NOW: The Bacterial Detective Battling Superbugs in Nigeria; and Historic Clues for a Modern Medical Mystery January 20, 2026 TOP STORIES Unusually heavy rains across Mozambique in the last few weeks have triggered a “rapidly escalating emergency” affecting 513,000+ people—over half of them children, who are at an especially high risk in disease outbreaks, given compromised access to safe water and preexisting high malnutrition rates.    
Chinese authorities are blocking online searches about the country's plunging births after official figures released yesterday showed the country's birth rate dipped to 5.63 per 1,000 last year—the lowest since the 1949 founding of the People's Republic.     A personalized experimental drug based on mRNA technology halved melanoma patients’ risk of recurrence or death after five years compared with patients treated only with immunotherapy, per Moderna.  
A new meta-analysis and systematic review of 43 studies concluded that taking Tylenol (also known as paracetamol) during pregnancy does not cause autism in children, ; the review follows President Trump’s warning against taking the medication during pregnancy.   IN FOCUS: GHN EXCLUSIVE Iruka Okeke and her small team run a national surveillance project tracking antimicrobial resistance in Nigeria. Andrew Esiebo The Bacterial Detective Battling Superbugs in Nigeria    IBADAN, Nigeria—Inside a crowded University of Ibadan lab, Iruka Okeke and her dozen students are running a national surveillance project for one of Nigeria's—and Africa's—most understudied problems: antimicrobial resistance (AMR).  
  • More than 1 million deaths in the  were associated with bacterial AMR.  
  • “AMR deaths threaten Africa’s future,” says Okeke.      
Big ambitions: Okeke founded the Nigeria National Surveillance Unit at the University of Ibadan’s College of Medicine in 2022. 
  • She and her team use whole genome sequencing and other tools to understand how microbes inherit and spread resistant traits.  
  • They’ve already investigated more than a dozen suspected outbreaks. 
  • The lab—Nigeria’s first reference lab for AMR surveillance—obtains samples from three sentinel hospitals in Ibadan and sequences pathogenic bacteria, sharing data with the Nigeria CDC. 
Daily challenges: Doing science in Nigeria with limited resources isn’t easy.  
  • “There are days I wake up, and I think, ‘Oh, gosh, there’s too many problems to solve—like how are you going to keep the electricity uninterrupted?’” Okeke says. “And then, there are days I wake up and think, ‘It’s amazing we’re doing this stuff that nobody else is doing.’”   
DATA POINT

980,000
—ĔĔĔ—
The number of midwives needed across 181 countries—90% of them LMICs; improved access could potentially save 4.3m lives a year by 2035, by the International Confederation of Midwives. —
  CANCER Historic Clues for a Modern Medical Mystery    U.K. scientists seeking to understand why colorectal cancer continues to rise sharply among young people are looking to hospital archives for leads.    The clues: A vast collection of century-old cancer samples stored at St. Mark’s Hospital in London.  
  • The samples, which have been preserved in wax, are being sent to the Institute of Cancer Research for molecular tests that can identify DNA damage “signatures,” revealing possible triggers.  
The stakes: Bowel cancer rates in the U.K. have spiked 75% among people under age 24 since the early 1990s—mirroring a global phenomenon that still does not have a clear underlying cause.        Related: 

What science says about how weight-loss drugs affect cancer risk –  

Sugar Land resident advances global cancer research while still an undergrad –  GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Napkins for bandages: How 11 doctors survived the siege of El Fasher –     The near death — and last-minute reprieve — of a trial for an HIV vaccine –     The Obituary Of The US Childhood Immunization Schedule –     Drug use disorders a growing public health concern in the Americas, PAHO study finds –      Public Views About Opioid Overdose and People With Opioid Use Disorder –     More than half of mpox patients in 2022 outbreak experienced lasting physical effects: Study –     Alzheimer's finger-prick test could help diagnosis –   Issue No. 2849
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 .

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 2026 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.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed

Global Health Now - Thu, 01/15/2026 - 09:43
96 How Concerning Are Microplastics? The Jury Is Still Out. January 15, 2026 TOP STORIES Reproductive care in Gaza has faced widespread destruction, leading to limited access to medical facilities, severe malnutrition, and restrictions on humanitarian aid, and resulting in poor birth outcomes and death, and in “reproductive violence in violation of international law,”  by Physicians for Human Rights.  

Earth's average 2025 temperature was one of the three hottest on record, and the pattern of the past three years indicates that warming could be accelerating, international climate monitoring teams say.  

Vaccine exemptions among kindergarteners for religious or personal beliefs have risen steadily in counties throughout the U.S. since the COVID-19 pandemic, finds , which showed the median rate for such exemptions rising from 0.6% in 2010-2011 to 3.1% in 2023-2024.  

Mosquitoes are increasingly using humans as a blood source instead of wildlife as deforestation expands, —a shift researchers say will continue to raise the potential for the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.  EDITORS' NOTE No GHN Monday 

We will not be sending out the newsletter on Monday, January 19, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

We’ll be back Tuesday with more news! 

IN FOCUS Plastic fragments on a person's fingers. Peter Dazeley/Getty Images Microplastics Research Faces Tough Critiques 
Widely publicized studies claiming that microplastics are pervasive in human tissue and organs are being increasingly debated by scientists, some of whom argue that limits and flaws in the nascent research field may have led to distorted results, .     A young field: While researchers agree plastic pollution is ubiquitous and its impact on the body merits urgent study, there is no consensus on how the tiniest particles may infiltrate and impact the body, leaving the true risk—and appropriate level of public concern—an open question. 
  • Critics of recent papers say that microplastic and nanoplastic particles are so small they are at the limit of today’s analytical techniques and instruments.  
  • Amid the rush to publish research, scientists say routine scientific checks have been missed, potentially leading to false positives, contamination, and weak lab controls.  
One example: In February,  about the accumulation of microplastics in brains.  
  • But in November a group of scientists published  citing “methodological challenges.” It is one of many studies being questioned for the same reason.  
A need for more, better studies: Amid the debate, scientists agree that research must continue and become more robust, especially as plastic production continues to boom, .  
  • “We do have plastics in us—I think that is safe to assume. But real hard proof on how much is yet to come,” said Dusan Materic, one of the researchers who signed the letter to Nature. 
GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES TUBERCULOSIS   Poland’s Transformed TB Response
When Poland saw a rapid influx of 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees in 2022, health officials were on high alert for drug-resistant tuberculosis, as Ukraine has one of the highest TB burdens in the world. 
 
But the crisis laid bare Poland’s own outdated tuberculosis response system, which involved long, isolated hospital stays and multiyear, often toxic, drug regimens.  
 
Rapid revitalization: Poland swiftly overhauled its care model, implementing a pilot program that included a six‑month course of an oral drug combination known as BPaL/M, which has far higher cure rates than Poland’s previous standard protocol of various drugs.
  • The pilot inspired a new national TB program set to be implemented by 2030.  
ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Fly Like the Bin
This week in YOLO news: He wanted the fastest trash can on wheels, and he made it so.

Completing “literally the most rubbish project” he’d ever worked on, U.K. inventor Michael Wallhead’s motorized bin—known as the Great General Waste—accelerated to an unprecedented 55mph, beating out the previous Guinness world record by 10mph.

The speeds are impressive, but we’re more interested in pun-ability. Suggested names included:
  • Light-bin McQueen 
  • Bin Diesel  
  • Gone Bin 60 Seconds 
And that’s !  

One bin of contention: Wallhead demonstrated his warp-speed wheelie bin by riding in it. But we’d much rather it drag our trash to the curb without us going near it, let alone inside it. Please and thank you. QUICK HITS HHS terminates, then reinstates, thousands of grants for substance use, mental health –      Hundreds of laid-off researchers at US workplace safety center are being reinstated –     Medical groups will ask court to block new CDC vaccine recommendations –      25,000 TB Cases Unreported ... Ghana Risks Missing WHO Target - Dr Amenyo –     Should younger and older people receive different treatments for the same infection? –     Researchers uncover hundreds of emojis in patient records –   Issue No. 2848
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 .

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 2026 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.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed

Findings suggest that certain medications for Type 2 diabetes reduce risk of dementia

Թ Faculty of Medicine news - Thu, 01/15/2026 - 09:02

A large Թ study has found that two classes of medications commonly prescribed for Type 2 diabetes, both incretin-based, are associated with a reduced risk of dementia.

Drawing on clinical data from more than 450,000 patients, the research adds to growing evidence that incretin-based therapies have protective benefits for the brain.

examined GLP-1 receptor agonists, which include such medications as Ozempic, as well as DPP-4 inhibitors.

Categories: Global Health Feed

Findings suggest that certain medications for Type 2 diabetes reduce risk of dementia

Թ Faculty of Medicine news - Thu, 01/15/2026 - 09:02

A large Թ study has found that two classes of medications commonly prescribed for Type 2 diabetes, both incretin-based, are associated with a reduced risk of dementia.

Drawing on clinical data from more than 450,000 patients, the research adds to growing evidence that incretin-based therapies have protective benefits for the brain.

examined GLP-1 receptor agonists, which include such medications as Ozempic, as well as DPP-4 inhibitors.

Categories: Global Health Feed

Three Թ researchers receive SSHRC Partnership Engage Grants

Թ Faculty of Medicine news - Wed, 01/14/2026 - 11:32

The Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) announced recipients of the latest Partnership Engage Grants competition, including a total of $73,782 awarded to three Թ researchers. 

Categories: Global Health Feed

Global Health Now - Wed, 01/14/2026 - 09:16
96 Global Health NOW: U.S. Aid Cuts Threaten Progress Against AIDS Orphanhood; and America’s New ‘Trade for Aid’ Global Health Paradigm January 14, 2026 TOP STORIES 124 new measles cases have been confirmed in South Carolina since Friday—including six fully vaccinated people—bringing the total infected to 434 since the start of the outbreak last September. 
  U.S. kidney donations from recently deceased people fell for the first time in over a decade last year—from 15,937 in 2024 to 15,274, ; the decline follows heightened scrutiny of the transplant system that prompted thousands to remove themselves from U.S. organ donor registries.  
  Sugary drinks and alcohol are getting relatively cheaper, fueling diseases like diabetes and cancer, and prompting the WHO to call for tax increases on such products to stem consumption levels and allow countries to capture funds for health services.  
  Cancer survival rates have reached a major new milestone, as 70% people now survive five years+ after diagnosis of all cancers, ; in the 1970s, just half of those diagnosed survived that length of time.  IN FOCUS A client waits to be seen by a doctor during an HIV clinic day at TASO Mulago service center. Kampala, Uganda, February 17. Hajarah Nalwadda/Getty U.S. Aid Cuts Threaten Progress Against AIDS Orphanhood    Expanded access to HIV treatment and prevention has led to a major decline in AIDS-related orphanhood in sub-Saharan African countries like Uganda—gains that have been jeopardized by abrupt U.S. cuts to such programs, .     The research: A Uganda-based  found that scaling up antiretroviral therapy cut AIDS-related orphanhood in Rakai, Uganda, by ~70%—from 21.5% in 2003 to 6.3% in 2022.    Still vulnerable: Despite this progress, ~10.3 million children in sub-Saharan Africa have already lost a parent to HIV.  
  • And a high burden of orphanhood persisted in 2022—showing that “sustained investment and adaptation” of HIV programs is critical to prevent a new wave of orphanhood and instability.  
U.S. interruption: Researchers say sudden U.S. cuts to PEPFAR and related programs have the potential to leave another 2.8 million children orphaned. 
  • And the U.S. is pulling back support for primary prevention tools—a move advocates called “the most short-sighted policy imaginable.” 
Beyond Africa: Experts warn that weakening HIV control in Africa, where ~30 million people live with HIV, raises the risk of more infections worldwide: “Africa is not sealed off from the rest of the world,” said Emory University HIV specialist Boghuma Titanji.     Turning to new tools: Amid the upheaval, countries are relying on new funding sources, including Unitaid—which has agreed to support expanded access to the HIV prevention drug lenacapavir in South Africa and Zambia, CIDRAP noted, citing a STAT report.   DATA POINT

1 in 4
—ĔĔ
UK teenagers in care, including foster, residential, and kinship care, have attempted suicide, and are 4X more likely to do so than their peers with no care experience,  per UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies researchers.

  HEALTH POLICY America’s New ‘Trade for Aid’ Global Health Paradigm     As the U.S. negotiates new international aid deals with African governments, a new framework is taking shape—with funding linked directly to trade and geopolitical goals.    The basics: The U.S. has pledged ~$16 billion and signed 14 deals with countries in recent weeks as part of the new “America First” aid strategy. Agreements in the works include:  
  • A $1.5 billion deal with Zambia that is reportedly contingent on mining access. 
  • A $2.1 billion deal with Nigeria—made with the condition that the country increase its own health spending and promote Christian faith-based health care providers.  
Rerouted funds: The new deals also cut out UN agencies and NGOs, sending money directly to governments.     And still: Overall U.S. aid remains ~50% below 2024 levels.        Related: 

Inside Trump's $11 billion health plan to replace “neo-colonial” USAID –  

KFF Tracker: America First MOU Bilateral Global Health Agreements - GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES QUICK HITS Cocoa, Child Labour and Côte d’Ivoire: The Emerging Change –  
New RFK Jr. pick for vaccine panel: ‘I was not anti-vaccine. I am now.’ –     Lawsuit dismissed after Trump admin quietly restored tens of millions to Planned Parenthood –     Harvard Chan researchers win $100 million MacArthur grant for infectious disease surveillance system –     Sleeping less than 7 hours could cut years off your life – 

‘It’s not the 90s any more’: the all-women team reinventing abortion advice for the TikTok age –   Issue No. 2847
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 .

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 2026 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.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed

The 2026 Dr. Donald G. Doehring Memorial Lecture

Թ Faculty of Medicine news - Tue, 01/13/2026 - 09:54

Thursday March 12 2026 • 4:30pm to 6pm
Dentistry Suite #102, 2001 Avenue Թ College

Anna Papafragou, PhD
Professor • Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania

Categories: Global Health Feed

Pages

Թ GHP Logo (Թ crest separated by a vertical bar from a purple globe and a partial arc with "Թ Global health Programs" in English & French)

Թ is located on land which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous Peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg Nations. Թ honours, recognizes, and respects these nations as the traditional stewards of the lands and waters on which peoples of the world now gather. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous Peoples from across Turtle Island. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.

Learn more about Indigenous Initiatives at Թ.

Back to top