Think Global Health

Hello Bluesky! Think Global Health is an online bulletin that examines the ways in which changes in health are reshaping economies, societies, and the everyday lives of people around the globe. Check out our website below and subscribe to our newsletter: www.thinkglobalhealth.org/newsletter

This week, the vaccine-preventable tracker finds rising cases of diphtheria. In Senegal, 368 cases were confirmed on October 18, including 14 deaths. Also, in Ceuta, Spain, the third case of the disease was declared in one week.

As conversations about reforming the global health architecture continue, talanoa—an approach to group discussion rooted in Pacific practice—could help diverse members participate equally in the dialogues that shape decision-making.

Preliminary estimates from @ihmeuw.bsky.social show that financing for global health dropped even further in 2026 from a record low in 2025. Read how countries and nongovernmental organizations are coping with these shortfalls.

As political priorities shift, researchers can work to find and adapt solutions to improve health across borders, helping build the case for more global health research funding and investment globally.

Pennsylvania announced a sixth death related to measles in its ongoing outbreak. Meanwhile, Mexico has recorded 13,687 measles cases in 2026, more than double the country’s 2025 count. Chile's Atacama region also recorded 79 whooping cough cases this year.

Africa's over-60 population is suspected to surge over the next several decades. Read about the importance of adapting tools that assess the health and well-being of older adults for different cultures and languages.

The incident involving a worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute raises need for transparency during potentially dangerous disease events. Judy Twigg analyzes what Russia's response reveals about the gaps in international law.

Zambia and the United States have reached a bilateral health deal, following a stalemate over data and specimen sharing clauses. The countries announced a five-year, $2.49 billion agreement, approximately 40% to be cofinanced by Zambia.

Central Africa’s massive Ebola outbreak highlights the need for early detection. A financial mechanism to mitigate potential economic fallout could encourage fast reporting and help prevent a future emergency.

Pennsylvania recorded 1,004 measles cases, making it the state with the largest U.S. outbreak in more than 30 years. Elsewhere, Costa Rica reported 772 hepatitis A cases and Afghanistan reported seven new polio cases in one week.

Myanmar's civil war has destroyed the country's health-care system. @cfr.org's Josh Kurlantzick explains how the conflict has enabled cross-border transmission of diseases such as cholera and malaria.

Today, the remaining $1.3 billion of unobligated U.S. global health funds will expire. Simultaneously, the U.S. is withdrawing its health funding for Zimbabwe after the country rejected its MOU terms in February because of data sharing demands.

The World Health Organization cannot be reshaped without being honest about what is broken and why, writes independent analyst Summer Galloway.

#Ebola Bundibugyo vaccine development: Learn about the five vaccines in the pipeline, and how AI is helping turbocharge the process. https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/the-race-to-develop-an-ebola-bundibugyo-vaccine?utm_medium=social_owned&utm_source=tw_tgh

New interview: Access to medicines expert Suerie Moon speaks to how far the world has come in responding to health emergencies since COVID-19 and the 2014-2016 West African #Ebola outbreak, and what challenges remain. https://bit.ly/47jII96

As India attempts to redefine its role in #BRICS as a leader on mental health and other NCDs, an expert asks whether the country will go beyond lofty declarations to make measurable progress. https://bit.ly/4xQ0njr

African countries and like-minded partners should band together to get what they need from the pandemic agreement, write two #healthsecurity strategists, Armand Mbanya and Luchuo Engelbert Bain. https://bit.ly/4yiGV03

Summer Galloway and @cfr.org's Stephanie Psaki outline five ways to deliver on the Pandemic Agreement's promises ahead of this Friday’s High-Level Meeting, from preparing countries’ legal systems to sustaining technology transfer agreements between emergencies. https://bit.ly/4hdJMQw

India’s policymakers are under pressure to protect people from intensifying heat waves, yet the country’s climate response frequently omits the very people doing the riskiest jobs.

According to a study led by @aly_singleton, the development of a highway connecting Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru led to more than 10,000 dengue cases in one Amazonian region. Kunal Arora explains how development brings opportunity but also health risks.

Bangladesh's coasts are some of the world's fastest-salinizing landscapes, as tidal flooding, cyclones, and sea-level rise move saltwater farther inland. Read how this, along with antibiotic overuse, increases the risk of antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. @cfr.org's Elena Every explains how a proposed bill could expand mental health care access for those who served in the U.S. military post 9/11, including incarcerated veterans.

Senegal has recorded 57 confirmed diphtheria cases and 8 deaths since the beginning of August. Elsewhere, Bangladesh’s measles cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have increased after a period of decline, now reaching nearly 20,000 confirmed infections.

Recent rulings holding Meta and Google liable for damage to young users’ mental health could change how people think about social media and adolescent wellbeing. Experts explain why teens need better access to support for cyberbullying and other harms.

Social media bans for youth have gained traction across several countries, including Australia and the United Kingdom. TGH explores how well these bans could work to protect young people’s mental health:

Cervical cancer is the primary cause of death from cancer for women in 29 sub-Saharan African countries. Read how improving access to self-testing kits for human papillomavirus could help fill the gap in screenings and early diagnoses.

Two measles deaths were reported in Pennsylvania and several cases were confirmed in Iowa, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Maryland. Elsewhere, 2,267 people, mostly infants, were hospitalized for RSV in Argentina and Nigeria reported 29 diphtheria cases in 2026.

Amid shifts in health funding, @cfr.org's @spsaki.bsky.social, Anya Hirschfeld, Annabelle Gallinek, and @tombollyky.bsky.social conducted a rapid review of recommendations on the future of global health. They will continue to update their analysis as new ideas emerge.

In Italy, authorities are investigating parents for potential involuntary manslaughter by omission after their unvaccinated child died from diphtheria. In Africa, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo are seeing increases in measles cases.

To secure financing for climate projects and improve community health, Kenya is developing carbon markets that turns pollution into a cost, incentivizing emission reductions and low-carbon investments.

As Africa's walls of protection against malaria crack against invasive, insecticide-resistant mosquitoes, countries need to test the promising technology of editing mosquitoes' genes, not dismiss it based on speculative rumors, suggests @Fredrosinc. https://bit.ly/4wDcQq6

U.S. vaccine exemptions rose sharply this year as measles cases grow to more than 2,500, according to @CDCgov. Elsewhere, deaths from Bangladesh’s measles outbreak have exceeded 900. Ecuador reported a surge in Hepatitis A. https://bit.ly/4iTAnOu

Donald Trump's executive order recommending that vaccines against measles, mumps, and rubella be administered individually, instead of as a combination shot, could influence demand and supply for those vaccines globally, explains Prashant Yadav.

More than 500,000 young Americans have opioid use disorder, but many are not getting buprenorphine, a medication proven to reduce overdose deaths that can be prescribed by any doctor or nurse practitioner. Sam Nichols investigates:

The Gaza Strip reported more than 58,000 cases of chickenpox this year. In the United States, 94 new measles cases bring the nationwide total to 2,465. And, in Vietnam, 10 cases of whooping cough were reported in the last three weeks.

In Japan, new programs could introduce up to 1.23 million foreign workers by March 2029. Hansani Madushika Abeywickrama outlines the health-system reforms needed to ensure that quality care is available to non-Japanese residents.

Honduras reported 215 whooping cough cases and 17 deaths; a sharp increase compared to 2025. Brazil reported1,880 cases of hepatitis A in São Paulo, and El Salvador confirmed 9 measles cases among individuals connected to health centers.

Bangladesh’s measles outbreak is now the world’s largest, with nearly 132,000 suspected cases and 849 child deaths. Zakir Houssain Chowdhury explains how a series of policy failures created the conditions for the latest surge in cases.

As the Ukraine war intensifies, Lithuanian medical professionals are preparing for a potential attack. Bella May and Samuel Wands describe how doctors are traveling to Ukraine to learn how to treat war injuries and care for wounded patients.

Michigan confirmed the first two deaths in the U.S. Cyclospora outbreak. As cases climb, Lee-Ann Jaykus, a food microbiology and safety researcher at North Carolina State University, describes the factors driving this and other foodborne illness outbreaks.

Democratic Republic of Congo recorded over 2,089 measles cases and 21 deaths in children under 5. Bangladesh's measles outbreak climbed to 14,841 cases with 800 reported deaths. Colombia also reported 41 whooping cough cases in an Indigenous community.

June 2026 was the hottest month on record in Western Europe. Michael Brauer and Rémy Slama urge European policymakers to follow France’s lead and create strategies that mitigate the harms of extreme heat as climate change intensifies.

As the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak worsens, Ranu Dhillon and Jean-Vivien Mombouli draw on their experience leading Guinea’s 2014-16 Ebola outbreak response to provide valuable insights for interventions.

This week, TGH updates its America First bilateral health agreements tracker to include South Sudan's and Ivory Coast's agreements. The strategy’s effect on PEPFAR notably received scrutiny at the 2026 International AIDS Conference.

As global health aid shifts toward greater country self-reliance, Chris Collins, Jirair Ratevosian, and Jeffrey Sturchio explain how private sector strategies, such as accountability and data-driven decision-making, could guide this transition.

Funding cuts to international aid and biomedical research have jeopardized the discovery of new therapeutics. Maya Butani explains how scientists could take matters into their own hands by creating new approaches to catalyze drug development.

@cfr.org's Prashant Yadav and Anya Hirschfeld give an update on how resumed strikes and a reimposed blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will likely continue to increase drug prices, despite initial signs of course correcting in June.

Seven measles cases were identified in an Arizona immigration detention center, while Guatemala has confirmed 26 measles deaths. Elsewhere, Gaza has reported more than 9,000 chickenpox cases in the first two weeks of July 2026.

In Imala Odo, Nigeria, a river dam project created new hotspots for Schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection that can cause cancer. William McCarthy and contributors share how drone mapping can help control and treat this threat.

To remain relevant in a changing landscape, Anders Nordström encourages World Health Organization members to prioritize reforms that focus on collective benefits and security, economic resilience, and political trust.