Public Health

The herbicide ingredient used to replace glyphosate in Roundup and other weedkiller products can kill gut bacteria and damage organs in multiple ways, new research shows.

The ingredient, diquat, is widely employed in the US as a weedkiller in vineyards and orchards, and is increasingly sprayed elsewhere as the use of controversial herbicide substances such as glyphosate and paraquat drops in the US.

But the new piece of data suggests diquat is more toxic than glyphosate, and the substance is banned over its risks in the UK, EU, China and many other countries. Still, the EPA has resisted calls for a ban, and Roundup formulas with the ingredient hit the shelves last year.

A new study investigates the link between processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, and trans fatty acids, to diseases such as cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

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The “3 by 35” Initiative targets tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks to cut deaths and boost health and development funding

The World Health Organization (WHO) today has launched a major new initiative urging countries to raise real prices on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks by at least 50% by 2035 through health taxes in a move designed to curb chronic diseases and generate critical public revenue. The “3 by 35” Initiative comes at a time when health systems are under enormous strain from rising noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), shrinking development aid and growing public debt.

The consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks are fueling the NCD epidemic. NCDs, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, account for over 75% of all deaths worldwide. A recent report shows that a one-time 50% price increase on these products could prevent 50 million premature deaths over the next 50 years.

The man in his 50s was bitten by a bat carrying Australian bat lyssavirus several months ago, the health service in New South Wales said.

"We express our sincere condolences to the man's family and friends for their tragic loss," NSW Health said in a statement.

"While it is extremely rare to see a case of Australian bat lyssavirus, there is no effective treatment for it."

The man from northern New South Wales, who has not been identified, was this week listed as being in a "critical condition" in hospital.

Officials said he was treated following the bite and they were investigating to see whether other exposures or factors played a role in his illness.

The virus -- a close relative to rabies, which does not exist in Australia -- is transmitted when bat saliva enters the human body through a bite or scratch.

Air pollution has been linked to a swathe of lung cancer-driving DNA mutations, in a study of people diagnosed with the disease despite never having smoked tobacco.

The findings from an investigation into cancer patients around the world helps explain why those who have never smoked make up a rising proportion of people developing the cancer, a trend the researchers called an “urgent and growing global problem”.

Prof Ludmil Alexandrov, a senior author on the study at the University of California in San Diego, said researchers had observed the “problematic trend” but had not understood the cause.

Despite reporting over 4,400 confirmed cases of mpox as of 27 June 2025, Sierra Leone has performed genomic characterization on only approximately 2.5% of these cases (108 sequences), representing a significant limitation in understanding viral evolution and informing targeted public health interventions. Currently, these genomic data are deposited in international repositories such as Pathoplexus, GISAID, and NCBI Virus; however, the disparity between outbreak detection and genomic data generation hampers real-time surveillance efforts.

The week-long workshop employed a multidisciplinary, hands-on approach combining didactic instruction, practical exercises, and group data analysis. The curriculum included:

• Day 1: Introduction to genomic surveillance principles, sequencing technologies, and foundational bioinformatics tools such as Linux and Conda environments.
• Day 2: Emphasis on sequencing data quality control (FastQC, MultiQC), read trimming (Fastp, Hostile), and genome assembly techniques utilizing reference-based (BWA, Cutadapt) and de novo (SPAdes) approaches.
• Day 3: Variant detection and analysis (SAMtools, FreeBayes, Snippy), consensus sequence generation (Bcftools), and genome annotation (SnpEff, VEP).
• Day 4: Phylogenetic analysis, clade classification (Nextclade, Nextstrain), and visualization using platforms such as GISAID, Pathoplexus, NCBI Virus, Microreact, iTOL, and Galaxy.
• Day 5: Integration of all components through a case study simulating mpox outbreak response, culminating in data interpretation and strategic planning.

Walter Oguta, WHO AFRO EPI Analytics Specialist and the Lead Bioinformatics Trainer, underscored the practical value of the training, stating, “Translating genomic data into actionable public health strategies is the ultimate goal. Our aim was to equip participants with both technical proficiency and confidence to utilize these tools effectively.”

Vice President J.D. Vance took heat from critics this week when he downplayed legislation that would result in millions of Americans losing Medicaid coverage as mere "minutiae."

Vance defended the budget megabill that's currently being pushed through the United States Senate by arguing that it will massively increase funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which he deemed to be a necessary component of carrying out the Trump administration's mass deportation operation.

France has struggled to kick its smoking habit. A new public health decree published Saturday aims to change that. In the coming days, smoking will be banned in all French parks and sports venues, at beaches and bus stops, in a perimeter around all schools, and anywhere children could gather in public.

The growing recognition of the environmental impact of health care has led to increased efforts to develop sustainable practices.1 Hospitals are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, with intensive care units (ICUs) often generating the most waste. This issue has driven the rise of the concept of green ICUs in high-income countries (HICs);2 initiatives to create green ICUs are focusing on incorporation of advanced technologies, reduction of medical and electronic waste, and optimisation of resource use. Ironically, low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) have long embraced frugality and sustainability in health care and critical care—out of necessity, not choice. These practices are now being rebranded by HICs under the banner of green ICUs, including many resource-conscious approaches that have been integral to LMIC ICUs for decades. Here, we highlight examples of sustainable ICU and health-care practices in LMICs, challenging the prevailing narrative and advocating for a more inclusive approach to sustainable critical care.

Groundbreaking device instantly detects dangerous street drugs, offering hope for harm reduction A portable device that instantly detects illicit street drugs at very low concentrations, thereby highlighting the risks they pose. The device has the potential to address the growing global problem of people unknowingly taking drugs that have been mixed with undeclared substances, including synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and nitazenes.

TLDR, it's complicated

Cholera is one of the severe forms of acute diarrhoeal disease that can be fatal within hours if not treated promptly.1 In 2024, among 33 countries across five WHO regions, 733 956 cholera cases were identified and 5162 people died from this disease. Importantly, there was 1·25-times increase in the number of cholera cases in Africa from 2022 to 2023.2 Nevertheless, compared with 2023, the incidence of cholera was 37% higher and cholera-associated deaths were 27% higher, relative to 2024. With the prevailing surge in both cholera incidence and mortality and emerging outbreaks of cholera in so many countries, in addition to better access to water and sanitation for populations of all ages, there is an urgent need for an effective and widely available cost-efficient vaccine against cholera.

In The Lancet Global Health, Hanmeng Xu and colleagues3 published a systematic review and meta-analysis to understand the current evidence on the protection provided by killed whole-cell oral cholera vaccines (kOCVs). To generate this work, they identified randomised trials and observational studies that reported estimates of protection conferred by kOCVs against medically attended confirmed cholera in children and adults. The systematic review included five randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and ten observational studies that revealed an average two-dose efficacy 1 year after vaccination of 55% (95% CI 46–62), declining to 44% (25–59) 5 years after vaccination, and an average two-dose effectiveness 1 year after vaccination of 69% (58–78), declining to 47% (9–70) 5 years after vaccination. On the other hand, the efficacy of these average two doses in children younger than 5 years was found to be half that of people aged 5 years and older. Importantly, the systematic review and meta-analysis identified only one randomised trial on one dose of kOCV over 2 years, which revealed sustained protection (52%, 95% CI 8–75). This is a positive finding because WHO currently recommends one dose of kOCV in outbreak response for short-term protection.

Also

Thus, several actions need to be considered to make cholera vaccine more effective and accessible to vulnerable populations. More work needs to be done to specifically identify the people who would most likely benefit from kOCVs. In future, rigorous studies should focus on identifying the high-risk factors and comorbidities that are associated with a higher burden of cholera, which might help in the design of more effective cholera vaccines for such a population. Children with malnutrition have the lowest protection against cholera5 because of a diminished acidic barrier in their stomachs; they are the childhood population most vulnerable to infection with bacteria,6 especially with symptomatic cholera, and they are more prone to die within a short period of the development of symptomatic cholera because of rapidly evolving hypovolemic shock. Thus, the efficacy of cholera vaccines in individuals with comorbidities needs to be explored. Whether the use of kOCVs could potentially help save costs for hospitals, communities, and patients also needs to be discussed.