96
Global Health NOW: Europe鈥檚 鈥楴arrowing Window鈥� for Climate Action; and Burkina Faso鈥檚 Psychiatric Care Deficit
Plus: Your Photos May Be Bad鈥擝ut Are They Bad Enough?
April 23, 2026
TOP STORIES
21 African countries are battling measles outbreaks, and 493 deaths associated with the disease have been registered, reports the Africa CDC鈥攚hich highlighted that 72% of all cases and 95% of the deaths have occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The CDC will not publish a report showing the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines; sources familiar with the blocked report say it showed the vaccines reduced hospitalizations and emergency department visits 鈥宎mong 鈦爃ealthy adults by about half this past winter. A revamped suicide and crisis hotline, 988, has been associated with an 11% drop in suicides among adolescents and young adults in U.S. compared with projected rates since the shortened number was launched in 2022, ; states with the biggest increases in answered calls also saw the largest decline in suicide rates. A UK generational smoking ban passed this week in Parliament following a yearslong campaign; the directive means that children born after Dec. 31, 2008, will be banned from ever buying cigarettes. IN FOCUS Locals and forest firefighters try to battle a wildfire in the village of Veiga das Meas, in northwestern Spain, on August 16, 2025. Miguel Riopa/AFP via Getty Europe鈥檚 鈥楴arrowing Window鈥� for Climate Action
Extreme heat, drought, vector-borne illnesses, and other climate-driven health risks are rapidly escalating across Europe, 鈥攚hich warns that political action and public will are not keeping pace with the need for urgent interventions, .
Prolonged screen use is a reality of daily life for many of us. Students at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have launched a campaign鈥擳ake 60鈥攖o encourage 60-second hourly screen breaks to help reduce digital eye strain and support better focus and overall eye health. We hope you鈥檒l give it a try ... after scrolling down to read the Thursday Diversion! ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Gullfoss, a waterfall on the Hv铆t谩 River, in southwest Iceland, in November 2023. This photo was taken by GHN's Morgan Coulson, who spent just 24 hours in Iceland on her way to Ireland, and couldn't find a bad shot. Your Photos May Be Bad鈥擝ut Are They Bad Enough?
Are you generally uninterested in photography, not good at it, and regularly disappointed with your own photos? Do you have no regard for composition and take portraits from below? Of people eating? Did you
There鈥檚 a prize for that鈥攁nd it comes with 鈥減ossible worldwide recognition鈥� and a trip to Iceland.
Icelandair is seeking the 鈥溾�� to prove that this supermodel of a country has no bad angles鈥攁 once-in-a-lifetime opportunity where 鈥渁 lack of skill makes you ideal for this task.鈥�
We admire Icelandair鈥檚 optimism, but suspect there鈥檚 someone out there that can still make a glacier look like a murky pond, a majestic volcano resemble an anthill, and give the Geysir a double chin. And we hope it鈥檚 us.
Thanks for the tip, Lindsay Smith Rogers! QUICK HITS Why these treatments for one of the deadliest cancers are stirring such hope 鈥� Residents in rural Sudan say the Iran war has made it harder to get medicines 鈥� Pace of N.I.H. Funding Slows Further in Trump鈥檚 Second Year 鈥� In hearings, RFK Jr claims no responsibility for measles spread 鈥� Two common drugs may reverse fatty liver disease, study finds 鈥� Britain鈥檚 拢8bn bet on the developing world 鈥� Issue No. 2903
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:
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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 .
The CDC will not publish a report showing the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines; sources familiar with the blocked report say it showed the vaccines reduced hospitalizations and emergency department visits 鈥宎mong 鈦爃ealthy adults by about half this past winter. A revamped suicide and crisis hotline, 988, has been associated with an 11% drop in suicides among adolescents and young adults in U.S. compared with projected rates since the shortened number was launched in 2022, ; states with the biggest increases in answered calls also saw the largest decline in suicide rates. A UK generational smoking ban passed this week in Parliament following a yearslong campaign; the directive means that children born after Dec. 31, 2008, will be banned from ever buying cigarettes. IN FOCUS Locals and forest firefighters try to battle a wildfire in the village of Veiga das Meas, in northwestern Spain, on August 16, 2025. Miguel Riopa/AFP via Getty Europe鈥檚 鈥楴arrowing Window鈥� for Climate Action
Extreme heat, drought, vector-borne illnesses, and other climate-driven health risks are rapidly escalating across Europe, 鈥攚hich warns that political action and public will are not keeping pace with the need for urgent interventions, .
-
鈥淭he health impacts of climate change are intensifying faster than our response is keeping up,鈥� said Joacim Rockl枚v, co-director of the Lancet Countdown Europe.
Heat-related harms: Compared with the 1990s, extreme heat alerts are up 318%, and nearly all monitored European regions saw an increase in deaths attributable to heat.
-
Heat is also exacerbating sleep disruption and complications in chronic diseases and birth outcomes.
Accelerating disease: The overall average risk of dengue outbreaks in Europe has quadrupled over the last decade, and reported cases of West Nile virus, chikungunya, and Zika virus are also rising regionwide.
Food insecurity: Meanwhile, drought is contributing to rising food prices, which pushed over a million more people into moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023 compared to past decades.
Lagging political response: While Europe has been a global leader in climate policy progress, the report warns that political and public engagement are stalling, and urges further actions 鈥渘eed to be accelerated鈥� including:
-
Swifter transition away from fossil fuels to other energy sources.
-
Implementing early warning systems for heat and other climate dangers into health care.
-
Targeted adaptation measures including expanded green spaces.
Related: Heatwaves, floods and wildfires pose rising threat to democracy, report finds 鈥�
MENTAL HEALTH Burkina Faso鈥檚 Psychiatric Care Deficit In Burkina Faso, access to mental health care is scarce, with just 11 psychiatrists available to a population of 20 million+ people. Strained system: Mental health services were already fragile, but recent years of conflict and insecurity in the region have led to the withdrawal of NGOs that helped provide care.- Meanwhile, a key nurse training program has been suspended, and the country is dealing with an exodus of medical professionals to other countries.
Prolonged screen use is a reality of daily life for many of us. Students at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have launched a campaign鈥擳ake 60鈥攖o encourage 60-second hourly screen breaks to help reduce digital eye strain and support better focus and overall eye health. We hope you鈥檒l give it a try ... after scrolling down to read the Thursday Diversion! ALMOST FRIDAY DIVERSION Gullfoss, a waterfall on the Hv铆t谩 River, in southwest Iceland, in November 2023. This photo was taken by GHN's Morgan Coulson, who spent just 24 hours in Iceland on her way to Ireland, and couldn't find a bad shot. Your Photos May Be Bad鈥擝ut Are They Bad Enough?
Are you generally uninterested in photography, not good at it, and regularly disappointed with your own photos? Do you have no regard for composition and take portraits from below? Of people eating? Did you
There鈥檚 a prize for that鈥攁nd it comes with 鈥減ossible worldwide recognition鈥� and a trip to Iceland.
Icelandair is seeking the 鈥溾�� to prove that this supermodel of a country has no bad angles鈥攁 once-in-a-lifetime opportunity where 鈥渁 lack of skill makes you ideal for this task.鈥�
We admire Icelandair鈥檚 optimism, but suspect there鈥檚 someone out there that can still make a glacier look like a murky pond, a majestic volcano resemble an anthill, and give the Geysir a double chin. And we hope it鈥檚 us.
Thanks for the tip, Lindsay Smith Rogers! QUICK HITS Why these treatments for one of the deadliest cancers are stirring such hope 鈥� Residents in rural Sudan say the Iran war has made it harder to get medicines 鈥� Pace of N.I.H. Funding Slows Further in Trump鈥檚 Second Year 鈥� In hearings, RFK Jr claims no responsibility for measles spread 鈥� Two common drugs may reverse fatty liver disease, study finds 鈥� Britain鈥檚 拢8bn bet on the developing world 鈥� Issue No. 2903
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.
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You can or .
Categories: Global Health Feed
Despite significant funding cuts, the World Health Organization (WHO) was able to support significant national health gains for hundreds of millions of people in 2025, according to its annual Results Report released on Thursday.
Categories: Global Health Feed
96
Global Health NOW: The Civilian Impact of War in Iran; and A Disease-Busting House Design
April 22, 2026
TOP STORIES
Human rights violations are on the rise internationally at the hands of both states and non-state actors who largely face no accountability, ; despite the grim findings, the report praises the 鈥渕asterful work鈥� of diplomats and activists seeking to strengthen civil rights and liberties.
Nearly half of U.S. children breathe dangerous levels of air pollution, , which also warned that the Trump administration鈥檚 sweeping rollback of protections will worsen the outlook.
A major mRNA vaccine trial will launch soon in Britain as the country seeks to prepare for a potential bird flu pandemic; the trial, led by Moderna and the U.K. Health Security Agency, will recruit 3,000 participants to test the human vaccine鈥檚 effectiveness.
WHO-recommended antibiotics for neonatal sepsis are largely ineffective in low-resource nations, of antibiotic resistance, which found that antibiotics like ampicillin and gentamicin were active against only 25% of cases in which they were used and had 鈥渓imited coverage against locally prevalent, highly resistant pathogens.鈥�
IN FOCUS
A woman looks out over Resalat Square, where photos of civilians killed in recent U.S.-Israeli strikes are displayed. Tehran, Iran, April 20, Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty
The Civilian Impact of War in Iran
The war in Iran is taking a deepening toll on civilian life as widespread damage to the country鈥檚 already-fragile natural resources, infrastructure, and health systems is 鈥減ushing one of the world鈥檚 most environmentally vulnerable regions toward catastrophe,鈥� (CAP).
So far, 1,700+ civilians鈥攊ncluding at least 254 children鈥攈ave been killed, .
Related: Geopolitics and Humanitarian Health in Iran, Cuba, and Ukraine 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ARCHITECTURE A Disease-Busting House Design
Well-designed 鈥淪tar Homes鈥濃�攚hich promote airflow, block insects, and feature outdoor latrines and rainwater collection systems鈥攃an reduce child mortality, demonstrates a randomized controlled trial in southern Tanzania, . Per the research, led by Lorenz von Seidlein of the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit:
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:
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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.
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You can or .
- But the true toll is difficult to gauge due to restricted reporting, damage to hospitals, and widespread communications blackouts.
- Such impacts will be most deeply felt by low-income countries in Africa and Asia.
Related: Geopolitics and Humanitarian Health in Iran, Cuba, and Ukraine 鈥� GLOBAL HEALTH VOICES ARCHITECTURE A Disease-Busting House Design
Well-designed 鈥淪tar Homes鈥濃�攚hich promote airflow, block insects, and feature outdoor latrines and rainwater collection systems鈥攃an reduce child mortality, demonstrates a randomized controlled trial in southern Tanzania, . Per the research, led by Lorenz von Seidlein of the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit:
- Children under 13 living in Star Homes were 44% less likely than those in the control group to suffer from malaria.
- Cases of diarrhea and respiratory infections were down by 30% and 18%, respectively.
- The study showed that 鈥渋f you use better principles in building, you can probably achieve a massive effect,鈥� he said.
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
More than 840,000 people die each year from health conditions linked to risks such as long working hours, job insecurity, workplace harassment and bullying, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Categories: Global Health Feed
Extreme heat is pushing global food and farming systems to the brink, threatening the livelihoods of over a billion people as rising temperatures and more frequent heatwaves redefine how food is produced worldwide, a new UN report warns.
Categories: Global Health Feed
