As the war in Sudan between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) enters its third year, millions of people remain unseen, bombed, besieged, displaced, and deprived of food, medical care, and basic lifesaving services. Sixty percent of the country’s 50 million people need humanitarian assistance, according to the UN, amid simultaneous health crises and limited access to public health care.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reiterates our call on the warring parties and their allies to ensure that civilians, humanitarian personnel, and medical teams are protected and that all restrictions impeding the movement of humanitarian supplies and staff are lifted, especially as the rainy season fast approaches.
“The warring parties are not only failing to protect civilians—they are actively compounding their suffering,” said Claire San Filippo, MSF emergency coordinator. “Wherever you look in Sudan, you will find needs—overwhelming, urgent, and unmet. Millions are receiving almost no humanitarian assistance, medical facilities and staff remain under attack, and the global humanitarian system is failing to deliver even a fraction of what’s required.”
Wherever you look in Sudan, you will find needs—overwhelming, urgent, and unmet.
Claire San Filippo, MSF emergency coordinator
As front lines have shifted over the course of the war, especially in Khartoum and Darfur, civilians have feared retaliatory attacks from both warring parties. For the past two years, both RSF and SAF have repeatedly and indiscriminately bombed densely populated areas. The RSF and allied militias have unleashed a campaign of brutality, including systematic sexual violence, abductions, mass killings, looting of aid, erasure of civilian neighborhoods, and occupation of medical facilities. Both sides have laid siege to towns, destroyed vital infrastructure, and blocked humanitarian aid.
RSF and allied armed groups launched a large-scale ground offensive on April 11, attacking Zamzam camp and leaving its residents starved, shelled, and deprived of lifesaving assistance. Marion Ramstein, MSF emergency field coordinator in North Darfur, described the situation:
“There are reports of people fleeing and many casualties, although we can’t verify how many at the moment.
“Back in February, we were forced to suspend all MSF activities in the camp because of escalating security issues. Repeated shelling, shooting at our ambulances, and a tightened siege that prevented us from resupplying facilities and sending staff made it impossible for MSF to continue working in Zamzam despite the immense needs.
“The communication network with Zamzam has been shut down. We don’t have news of many of the people who worked with us and decided to remain with their relatives in the camp after the suspension of our field hospital. We’re horrified by what they have to endure, and extremely worried about them and the hundreds of thousands of people already on the brink of survival in the area. We were appalled to learn that nine staff from Relief International were killed. It was the only international humanitarian organization still operating in Zamzam.
We were appalled to learn that nine staff from Relief International were killed. It was the only international humanitarian organization still operating in Zamzam.
Marion Ramstein, MSF emergency field coordinator
“On April 12 and 13, our team in Tawila saw more than 10,000 people fleeing from Zamzam and nearby areas. They arrived in an advanced state of dehydration, exhaustion, and stress. They have nothing but the clothes they’re wearing, nothing to eat, nothing to drink. They sleep on the ground under the trees. Several people told us about family members left behind—lost during the escape, injured, or killed.”
MSF set up a health post at the entrance of Tawila city to receive the new arrivals and provide water and medical care. Our teams quickly distributed what we had on hand, such as blankets, mosquito nets, and buckets; and we are referring the most critical cases to the local hospital MSF has been supporting since last October. MSF teams are also screening newly arrived children for malnutrition so they can immediately receive therapeutic food and be enrolled in our nutritional program for adequate care.
Widespread starvation is taking hold in areas across Sudan, according to the UN: Sudan is currently the only place in the world where famine has been officially declared in multiple locations. Famine was first declared in Zamzam camp for internally displaced people in August 2024, and has since spread to 10 more areas. Seventeen additional regions are now on the brink. Without immediate intervention, hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk.
In March, MSF supported multi-antigen catch up vaccination campaigns for children under 2 years old in South Darfur. The over 17,000 children who received vaccinations in 11 of the 14 localities were also screened for malnutrition, with 7 percent of those screened found to be suffering from severe acute malnutrition and with 30 percent with global acute malnutrition. In December 2024, during a therapeutic food distribution in Tawila locality, North Darfur, MSF teams screened over 9,500 children under 5 years old. They found a staggering 35.5 percent global acute malnutrition rate, with 7 percent of the children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
Sudan is facing multiple, overlapping health emergencies at the same time. MSF teams have treated over 12,000 patients—including women and children—for trauma injuries directly resulting from violent attacks. During the first week of February 2025, MSF teams in three areas of Sudan—Khartoum, North Darfur, and South Darfur states—treated mass influxes of war-wounded patients. Sudan is also experiencing one of the worst maternal and child health crises we are seeing anywhere in the world. In October 2024, in two MSF-supported facilities in Nyala, capital of South Darfur, 26 percent of pregnant and breastfeeding women seeking care were acutely malnourished.
“Outbreaks of measles, cholera, and diphtheria are spreading, driven by poor living conditions and disrupted vaccination campaigns,” said Marta Cazorla, MSF emergency coordinator. “Mental health support and care for survivors of sexual violence remain painfully limited. These compounding crises reflect not just the brutality of the conflict, but the dire consequences of the crumbling public health care system and a failing humanitarian response.”
Since April 2023, more than 1.7 million people have sought medical consultations at hospitals, health facilities and mobile clinics MSF supports or is working in, and more than 32,000 people were admitted to our emergency wards.
About 13 million people have been displaced by the conflict, according to the UN—many of them displaced multiple times. Of these, 8.9 million remain displaced inside Sudan, while 3.9 million have crossed into neighboring countries. Many live in overcrowded camps or makeshift shelters, without access to food, water, health care, or a sense of the future. People depend entirely on humanitarian organizations—but organizations are not responding everywhere.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 70 percent of health facilities in conflict-affected areas are barely operational or completely closed, leaving millions without access to critical care amid one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history. Since the war began, MSF has recorded over 80 violent incidents targeting our staff, infrastructure, vehicles, and supplies. Clinics have been looted and destroyed, medicines stolen, and health care workers assaulted, threatened, or killed.
“Buildings were destroyed, even beds were looted, and medicines ,” said Muhammad Yusuf Ishaq Abdullah, MSF health promotion officer in Tawila, North Darfur, about the state of Tawila’s hospital after being attacked and looted in June 2023. “From afar, it looked like a hospital, but when you entered it, it was a shelter for snakes and grass.”
These attacks must stop. Medical personnel and facilities are not targets.
The fast-approaching rainy season threatens to make an already catastrophic situation even worse—severing supply routes, flooding entire regions, and cutting off communities just as the hunger gap peaks and malnutrition and malaria spike.
MSF calls for immediate preparedness measures ahead of the rainy season. More border crossings must be opened, and key roads and bridges must be repaired and kept accessible, especially in Darfur, where seasonal flooding isolates communities year after year.
In addition, humanitarian restrictions must be lifted, and unhindered access must be guaranteed. MSF urges all actors—including donors, governments, and UN agencies—to enable and prioritize aid delivery, ensuring that assistance not only reaches the country but is transported swiftly and safely to the hardest-hit and most remote communities. Without a serious commitment to overcoming the political, financial, logistical, and security barriers that hinder last-mile delivery, countless lives will remain beyond the reach of help.
The people of Sudan have endured this horror for too long. They cannot and should not wait any longer to access essential needs.
Madame Chair, President of the General Assembly, Excellencies, Distinguished delegates, Dear young people,
I greet you in peace, always of concern for African people all over the world and the noble pursuit of the United Nations.
It is an honor for me to join you at this esteemed Forum. Since its establishment four years ago, UNFPA has been present at every session, a testament to our unflinching support for the crucial mandate of this Forum.
As a people, we have come to learn through history – our shared African history – that progress comes when we rise and demand long overdue justice. Referencing the great Frederick Douglass:
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation, want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning, they want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.”
And so the struggle for full freedom carries on, in this generation spearheaded by the African Union, including its sixth region, its proud diaspora.
For UNFPA, that means carrying on with our important work to uphold the dignity and rights of women and girls of African descent, who continually face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and oppression, yet still contributing massively to shaping economies, cultures and scientific developments, including robotics, artificial intelligence, mathematics, populations studies, and so much more.
UNFPA is assisting countries to disaggregate population data by race and ethnicity to help us lift the cloak of invisibility off groups too often left behind. Why? Because you cannot change what you cannot see.
With UNFPA’s support, 22 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean now include race and ethnic self-identification in their censuses, which is essential in devising policies to end inequality and discrimination.
UNFPA addresses disparities in reproductive health, because as we know all too well, it is Black women and adolescent girls who are at a much higher risk of maternal mortality and the consequences of adolescent pregnancy. This must change and it should not take five, ten or twenty years for that change to manifest.
In partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and with the generous support of Luxembourg, UNFPA recently launched the Global Maternal Health Coalition for People of African Descent. The first technical workshop of this Coalition is due to take place later this year.
We are also pleased to partner on targeted interventions for the implementation of Recommendation Number 5 of the Committee of Experts for the Belém do Pará Convention. It calls on countries to end gender-based violence against women of African descent.
Gender-based violence is an ugly, troubling epidemic now exacerbated by online toxicity directed at women and girls of African descent. This Forum has a role to play in insisting that racism and sexism have no place in public dialogue, including in the digital space.
Let us take heart from last year’s first-ever commemoration of the International Day for Women and Girls of African Descent on July 25th, led by the Governments of Brazil and Colombia. This is another important step towards uplifting people of African descent and advancing gender equality.
The beauty of Black women is undeniable and it is our business to instill in every young girl an appreciation of her inner beauty and her inherent strength.
Excellencies, dear partners,
Stony the road we trod Bitter the chastening rod Felt in the days when hope unborn had died Yet with a steady beat Have not our weary feet Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
Yes we have arrived to this place, yet am I wrong to say that the road ahead is uncertain? We cannot wait to act to protect the hard-won gains that began from the moment of abduction from Africa, through the Middle Passage, up until today.
Already, there is heightened pushback on progress that intended to level the playing field and improve the everyday lives of Black people in areas such as education, health and employment.
Already, we have seen attacks on innocent migrants whose only desire was to make a better life for themselves and their children.
Meanwhile, on the African continent conflict and war are having repercussions far and wide.
Now is the time to recommit to our quest for peace and equality. Now is the time for recognition. Now is the time to raise the demand for justice for all people of African descent.
Excellencies, dear partners,
“I am my mother’s daughter, and the drums of Africa still beat in my heart.”
These are words of educator and activist Mary McLeod Bethune.
That drum invites us to dialogue.
I am delighted to invite all of you to an extraordinary moment that will take place outside this afternoon at 1:15pm at the Ark of Return memorial dedicated to the victims of enslavement, which is marking 10 years since it was unveiled. It is there that you will be able to hear the sounds and rhythms of drums – drums that will connect us and guide our common heartbeats as we work together towards building a peaceful, equal, healthy and just world for people of African descent, and for all.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Reprepsentative Kathy Castor (FL14)
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) led the Florida Democrats in urging the new National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya to reverse cuts to life-saving medical research into treatments and cures for diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. This drastic reduction in funding will hurt Florida families, eliminate thousands of Florida jobs, and cede American dominance in health research to our foreign competitors like China.
The lawmakers wrote, “We look forward to working with you to advance critical research that will improve the lives of countless Floridians and Americans. However, as members of the Florida Congressional delegation, we also write to express concern about the impact of NIH guidance (NOT-OD-25-068), stating that existing and new grant recipients will be subject to a 15 percent indirect cost rate. This policy would curtail the groundbreaking and life-saving research being done across the state of Florida by colleges and universities, cancer centers, health systems and more. Such a drastic cut in federal support for biomedical research would diminish our nation’s research capacity, slow scientific gains and harm access to patients and families across the country who benefit from NIH-funded research. While a nationwide temporary restraining order is in place, we implore you to permanently rescind this guidance.”
The lawmakers continued, “Indirect costs are an essential part of this federally funded research, supporting high-quality research with robust oversight mechanisms, critical safety measures and necessary infrastructure. There is a substantial cost associated with conducting research on behalf of the federal government, including state-of-the-art laboratory space and equipment, high-speed data processing, secure data storage, hazardous waste disposal, patient safety protocols, and utilities.”
In Fiscal Year 2024 alone, the NIH awarded the state of Florida $869 million in grants and contracts, which had a $2.82 billion economic impact and supported over 14,600 jobs.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mark Alford (Missouri 4th District)
Today, Congressmen Mark Alford (R-MO-04) and Randy Feenstra (R-IA-04), along with Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Deb Fischer (R-NE), led a bicameral group of colleagues in sending a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin. In the letter, the members call for the use of sound science and risk-based analysis as the MAHA Commission finalizes its work, particularly on crop protection tools and food-grade ingredients. The letter states:
“We write to express our strong appreciation for your leadership and interest in working with each of you to ensure America has the healthiest people in the world. In recent decades, chronic illness rates have risen. This warrants our careful scrutiny to support better health outcomes. It is essential that policies supported by sound science and risk-based analyses are used to accomplish this goal.”
“We have concerns that environmentalists are advancing harmful health, economic, or food security policies under the guise of human health,” the letter continues. “Despite insinuations to the contrary, regular testing by FDA and USDA finds that more than 99% of all pesticide residues meet extremely conservative limits established by EPA according to the best available science.”
In addition to Congressmen Alford and Feenstra, the letter was also signed by Reps. Mike Flood (R-NE-01), Don Bacon (R-NE-02), Adrian Smith (R-NE-03), Michael Baumgartner (R-WA-05), Jack Bergman (R-MI-01), Mike Bost (R-IL-12), James Comer (R-KY-01), Troy Downing (R-MT-02), Jake Ellzey (R-TX-06), Gabe Evans (R-CO-08), Mike Ezell (R-MS-04), Randy Feenstra (R-IA-04), Mark Alford (R-MO-04), Vince Fong (R-CA-20), Michael Guest (R-MS-03), Dusty Johnson (R-SD-AL), David Kustoff (R-TN-08), Darin LaHood (R-IL-16), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-01), Frank Lucas (R-OK-03), Tracy Mann (R-KS-01), Mark Messmer (R-IN-08), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-01), Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04), Mike Rogers (R-AL-03), Derek Schmidt (R-KS-02), Austin Scott (R-GA-08), Jefferson Shreve (R-IN-06), Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24), David Valadao (R-CA-22), and Ann Wagner (R-MO-02).
The letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Steve Daines (R-MT), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Jim Justice (R-WV), Jim Risch (R-ID), Todd Young (R-IN), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Mike Rounds (R-SD).
Read the full letter here or below:
Dear Secretary Kennedy, Secretary Rollins, and Administrator Zeldin:
We write to express our strong appreciation for your leadership and interest in working with each of you to ensure America has the healthiest people in the world. In recent decades, chronic illness rates have risen. This warrants our careful scrutiny and to support better health outcomes. It is essential that policies supported by sound science and risk-based analyses are used to accomplish this goal.
We also urge you to safeguard the work of the Make America Healthy Again Commission (Commission) from activist groups promoting misguided and sometimes even malicious policies masquerading as health solutions. The influence of these groups in the Commission would result in shoddy science; a less abundant, less affordable food supply; greater reliance on foreign adversaries for our food; diminished U.S. agricultural production and manufacturing; and, ultimately, poorer health outcomes.
President Trump recently stated environmental activists were holding the economic prosperity of our country hostage. We now have concerns that they are seeking to influence the work of the Commission to advance their agenda. For decades activist groups have tried to ban safe, well-regulated agricultural inputs by any means necessary. Without these products, yields and quality are negatively impacted by otherwise avoidable insects, fungus, weeds, and other pest pressures. This drives up food prices for American consumers and forces reliance of food imports.
The same groups have seized upon the Commission’s work as an opportunity to misrepresent the science on common food and feed categories or ingredients, such as plant-based oils. These inputs are subject to a robust, risk-based regulatory system which focuses on protecting human health. Unfounded accusations harm the U.S. farmers who grow our food, upend food and feed supply chains, and significantly increase grocery food prices – all without public health benefit.
We have concerns that environmentalists are advancing harmful health, economic, or food security policies under the guise of human health. Despite insinuations to the contrary, regular testing by FDA and USDA finds that more than 99% of all pesticide residues meet extremely conservative limits established by EPA according to the best available science.
We applaud the Commission’s desire to improve the health and well-being of Americans. We implore you to ensure policy decisions are grounded in sound science and risk-based analyses. With unity, we can protect American agricultural producers from environmental activists’ attacks on proven-safe inputs critical to their profitability and long-term viability while promoting positive health outcomes.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine looks at CT scans and lifetime cancer risk in the USA.
Lynda Johnson, Professional Officer for Clinical Imaging and Radiation Protection, The Society and College of Radiographers, said:
“The Society and College of Radiographers (SoR) welcomes research into the harmful effects of ionising radiation and recognises the importance of balancing benefit and risk information to patients and the public.
“This paper articulates the complexities of large-scale dose estimation and acknowledges the many variables which influence an individual’s likelihood of developing cancer at some point in their lifetime. In the UK, the use of ionising radiation is governed by The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 (The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2018). Central to the legislation and UK radiographic practice, as this paper rightly concludes, are the principles of justification and optimisation. Justification means that any exposures to ionising radiation for medical purposes must be demonstrated to provide a greater benefit than risk to the individual. Once justified, the exposure must be optimised, meaning that it is as low as reasonably practicable to provide the intended outcome, or answer the clinical question.
“Computed Tomography (CT) scans are undertaken by highly trained radiographers and nuclear medicine technologists who have met the educational and professional standards required to ensure all CT scans are appropriately justified and optimised. Considering the increased use of CT as an invaluable diagnostic tool, it is imperative that the risk of harm from potential misuse, poor quality referrals, or inappropriate exposure parameters continues to be managed effectively. This is achieved by safeguarding standards of education, training and practical experience, compliance with the regulations, and applying best practice quality standards such as The Quality Standard for Imaging.
“It is particularly important to recognise, as this paper highlights, the increased risk to children from unjustified CT exposures. Staff are trained to give special consideration to the justification and optimisation of CT scans for children and will assess the benefits and risks of using CT against alternative techniques that do not involve ionising radiation such as MRI and Ultrasound.
“Accurate communication around the benefits and risks of CT is essential to protect the public from harm. Focussing on risk alone is not helpful and, in some cases, might prevent a person from attending a scan that could provide early diagnosis of cancer. Anyone undergoing a CT scan must be provided with balanced, accurate and relevant information to enable them to understand what it means to them as an individual in terms of their diagnosis, treatment and potential long-term care.
“The UK Health Security Agency is responsible for undertaking dose audits and producing National Diagnostic Reference levels (NDRLs) for computed tomography. These inform local practices and employers must ensure their organisational doses do not consistently exceed the NDRLs. They are publicly available here alongside helpful dose comparisons here and benefit and risk information for patients here.”
Dr Doreen Lau, Lecturer in Inflammation, Ageing and Cancer Biology at Brunel University of London, said:
“This is a well-conducted modelling study using robust data from US hospitals and established methods for estimating cancer risk from radiation exposure. It provides a timely reminder that while CT scans are often life-saving and essential for diagnosis, they do come with a small but real potential risk of contributing to cancer over a lifetime, especially when used repeatedly, in younger patients, or when not clinically necessary.
“The findings don’t mean that people should avoid CT scans when recommended by a doctor. In most cases, the benefit of detecting or ruling out serious illness far outweighs the very small risk of harm. What this research highlights is the need to minimise unnecessary imaging and use the lowest dose possible, particularly in settings where CT usage is high. Where appropriate, clinicians may also consider alternative imaging methods that do not involve ionising radiation, such as MRI or ultrasound—especially for younger patients or when repeat imaging is anticipated.
“CT scan rates are much higher in the US than in the UK, where imaging is used more conservatively and with stricter clinical justification. That means the estimated risks in this study are likely to be much lower in the UK context, though the message about appropriate use still holds.
“Importantly, this study models estimated cancer risk from radiation exposure. It does not show a direct causal link between specific CT scans and individual cancer cases. These are projections based on population-level data and assumptions about radiation risk, not observed cancer rates. Although the model estimates a small increased risk with each scan, it does not prove that any one scan causes cancer. Other factors such as underlying health issues and clinical decision-making, may also influence who gets scanned and how often.”
Prof Stephen Duffy, Emeritus Professor of Cancer Screening, Centre for Cancer Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis, Queen Mary University of London, said:
“This paper reports on a very high quality numerical modelling exercise, estimating the likely number of cancers occurring in the USA as a result of 93 million CT examinations. The authors estimate that just over 100,000 cancers are predicted to occur as a result of radiation from these CT examinations. This amounts to around a 0.1% increase in cancer risk over the patients lifetime per CT examination. When we consider that the lifetime risk of cancer in the general population is around 50%, the additional risk is small. Doctors do not order CT examinations unless they are necessary, and it seems to me that the likely benefit in diagnosis and subsequent treatment of disease outweighs the very small increase in cancer risk.
“I would also remark that the estimates, while based on the best models available to the authors, are indirect, so there is considerable uncertainty about the estimates.
“Thus I would say to patients that if you are recommended to have a CT scan, it would be wise to do so.”
Dr Giles Roditi, Consultant Cardiovascular Radiologist and Honorary Clinical Associate Professor of Radiology, University of Glasgow, said:
“CT scanning is a powerful diagnostic tool and has become a bedrock of modern radiology departments, particularly for emergency department imaging. However, the paper by Smith-Bindman et al. is a timely reminder that with great power comes great responsibility. The paper makes the case that the rise in the utilisation of CT scanning is now at such a scale that its projected use could lead to scenario in which CT-associated cancer eventually accounts for 5% of all new cancer diagnoses annually in the USA. What should we do with this information and how does this translate to and inform practise in the UK ?
“Firstly, the evidence base is sound and there is little new as regards the basic assumptions that the paper is based upon but the authors have updated this with more modern dose estimates and data on the utilisation of CT scanning not only across different age groups but also stratified by gender and the exposure of different organs that have different sensitivities to ionising radiation induced damage. The authors are to be congratulated in the detailed breakdown of CT utilisation across these categories and how lifetime risk of cancer impacts across age and gender etc. as well as the modern dosimetric approach used plus accounting for multiphase CT examinations that inevitably entail higher dose.
“With all medical endeavours there is an element of risk. Risk is generally defined as a situation involving exposure to danger or the possibility that something unpleasant will occur. Furthermore, the use of the word risk often implies an element of chance, uncertainty or unpredictability. However, risk can often be well defined in any particular context as – Risk = (probability of an event) x (impact of event)
“Risk is thus different for ‘well’ versus ‘sick’ patients with the latter deriving greater benefit. This paper helps us better define risk at a population level by updating knowledge on the probable incidence of later CT-associated cancer. A potential limitation that could be levelled at the paper is that not all the risks associated with CT are included, only those related to later development of cancer diagnoses. For example, other relevant factors as a demerit to CT scanning could include the very small risks of anaphylaxis related to the use of contrast medium, used now in a large proportion of scans in Western medicine. Similarly, the small but potential other risks such as cataract acceleration are not mentioned.
“On the other hand, while the authors mention that ‘CT is frequently lifesaving’ they have not in my opinion really put the information in full relevant context. The authors context is that this is approximately 5% of new cancer diagnoses could be attributable to CT i.e. a figure of 100,000 cancers in the USA is where there were 1,777,566 new cancer cases reported in 2021 and 608,366 people died of cancer in 2022 (the latest CDC data available). This is because the natural incidence of cancer induction is 1 in 2 for adults. Hence, an alternative way of looking at this would be that although the figure of 100,000 cancers is alarming this is only a small additional risk over and above an individual’s lifetime risk of developing cancer i.e. a risk rising from about 50% to 52.5%. The authors also do not address how many of these cancer will be fatal although we presume based upon CD data it would be approximately one third.
“The main issue, however, is that the benefits of CT scanning are not more explicitly stated. This is likely because the benefits of most medical imaging in terms of morbidity & mortality have been very difficult to quantify with surprisingly little published in the literature. This is mainly because imaging has too often only been part of an overall therapeutic strategy where the main treatment outcomes depend critically upon the imaging but the imaging itself is not tested (e.g. treatments for stroke and cancer). However, there have been recent trials that provide some context, for example SCOT-HEART was probably the first major trial in which diagnostic CT was shown to save lives. In SCOT-THEART the patients were randomised to a conventional treatment pathway without CT scan or an investigative arm in which the standard care pathway was simply supplemented by a CT scan of the coronary arteries. This trial showed clear benefit for those patients that had CT with a significantly lower mortality rate and this has been shown to persist now up to 10 years following the end of the trial. Similarly trials of lung cancer screening have now shown positive benefit from CT scanning in the detection of early, treatable stage lung cancer in high risk patients.
“So how does this translate into the situation in the UK ? Firstly, there are significant differences in practise due to both cultural and legislative environments. In the UK we operate under the precepts of the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations last updated in 2017 which mandates that we apply the ALARA/ALARP principles and should opt for diagnostic imaging tests with the lowest radiation dose, or preferably an imaging test with no ionising radiation exposure (e.g. ultrasound or MRI) where this answers the clinical question. Culturally in the UK we also regard all requests for imaging as just that, requests that can be questioned through discussion. In the USA clinicians order scans and radiology departments have little room to manoeuvre when it comes to not performing or changing these orders, particularly since the imaging fees that accompany the scanning activity are the lifeblood of the department. Another issue in the USA in addition to the overuse of CT mentioned in the paper is the repeat imaging that is often performed in a fragmented healthcare system where it is easier (and more profitable) for an institution to simply repeat a scan on a patient referred in from elsewhere rather than seek out and transfer the original scans.
“In the NHS we have systems that allow image transfer between institutions and of course unlike the USA we are very capacity limited and often have long waiting times for scans. One side effect of this is that it tends to reduce demand such that tests unlikely to influence clinical decision-making are less likely to be requested. On the downside is that the CT scanner base in the UK is aging and we know that older scanners inevitably expose patients to higher radiation doses than modern systems for the same type of scan, often with less good image quality. Indeed, on modern generation systems with advanced iterative reconstruction algorithms and AI enhancements in the imaging chain then CT scans can be acquired at doses similar to (or little more than) conventional x-rays. These advances have largely been spurred by the drive to reduce dose in coronary CT scans but the benefits potentially reduce doses across all CT scanning. The paper by Smith-Bindman et al. reminds us that we must advocate more strongly to upgrade our CT scanners for the benefit of our patients.
“So what would I say to a UK patient scheduled to have a CT scan and worried by this paper ? In general terms I would strongly advise them not to worry as they are highly likely to benefit from a well indicated scan, this is particularly so in those who are unwell and in older patients (those > 55 years). For younger patients, particularly those of child-bearing age where the breasts and/or reproductive organs would be included and for those who are physically well then if concerned they can always ask to discuss the merits of alternative scans such as ultrasound and MRI. For example, in our own practise we image all our altruistic potential living kidney donors with MRI rather than CT since our own (unpublished) estimates indicate that if we used CT then 1 in 526 of these well people would have a fatal induced cancer, a risk eliminated by using MRI.”
Prof Richard Wakeford, Honorary Professor in Epidemiology, Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH), University of Manchester, said:
“Although it is not unreasonable to reiterate guidance on the potential risks to health arising from exposures to low levels of ionising radiation, such as the x-ray doses received from CT scans, considerable caution is required in providing quantitative estimates of the effects produced by such exposures. This is largely because of the substantial assumptions that must be made in applying risk models derived from epidemiological studies of populations briefly exposed to moderate and high doses, primarily the Japanese survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to low-level exposure circumstances. For example, for the purposes of radiological protection, it is prudent to assume that the size of the additional risk is directly proportional to the dose received, with no threshold dose below which the risk is zero, and this is the assumption made by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) in making its recommendations. However, ICRP notes that these assumptions “conceal large biological and statistical uncertainties”, and cautions against risk projections based on large numbers of people receiving low doses.
“The direct epidemiological investigation of cancer incidence among patients who have been examined by CT is a worthwhile exercise, but substantial care is required in the interpretation of results – as with all medical diagnostic procedures, people are examined because they are ill, have been ill, or are suspected of being ill, and such selection for exposure leads to difficulties in obtaining reliable conclusions about the effects of radiation exposure from these studies.
“The “bottom line” of the paper is that ~103,000 cases of cancer (which does not include cases of non-melanoma skin cancer, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma) are estimated to result from CT scans conducted in the USA in 2023, an estimate that must be viewed with circumspection. This estimate of ~103,000 cases of cancer is, on the face of it, rather alarming, but it is also uncertain, to an extent that extends (well) beyond the uncertainty limits presented in the paper. ICRP emphasises that all medical exposures must be justified as doing more good than harm, and the potential risk from radiation exposure during a diagnostic examination clearly needs to be factored into clinical judgement about the need for a specific diagnostic procedure. The level of potential risk posed by exposure to low doses of radiation should be taken into account in reaching a balanced decision on whether or not a CT scan is clinically desirable, but this judgement should not be unduly influenced by large, but uncertain, projected numbers of cancers.”
‘Projected Lifetime Cancer Risks From Current Computed Tomography Imaging’ by Rebecca Smith-Bindman et al. was published in JAMA Internal Medicine at 16:00 UK time on Monday 14 April 2025.
DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.0505
Declared interests
Prof Stephen Duffy: I have no conflict of interest.
Dr Giles Roditi: Prof Roditi is a Past-President of the British Society of Cardiovascular Imaging/Cardiovascular CT, a Past President of the Society of Magnetic Resonance Angiography and a member of the SCOT-HEART investigators.
Prof Richard Wakeford: “I am, or was, a member of a number of national and international expert committees addressing radiation risks, such as ICRP, UNSCEAR and (previously) COMARE, SAGE, etc.. Details can be found at: https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/richard.wakeford
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34)
Brutal Cuts compromise the health of 166 million Americans, other impact includes long delays and skyrocketing caseloads
WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) joined House Ways and Means Committee Democrats in demanding answers from the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the closure of half of all HHS Regional Offices. These Regional Offices (RO) have collaborated with state and local communities to ensure that nursing homes and childcare centers are safe, local fraud is rooted out, federal law is followed, and state and local communities have a voice in federal policies for over 50 years. The closure of these offices will profoundly endanger communities across America.
The affected ROs were in Boston, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle. This gross act of retribution will not only compromise the health of 166 million Americans, but also put remaining ROs under even more stress, with long delays and skyrocketing caseloads because of the brutal cuts.
“Since 1974 when the Nixon Administration created the 10-region structure to facilitate efficiency and collaboration at a local level, ROs have partnered with state and local communities to ensure that nursing homes and child care centers are safe, local fraud is rooted out, federal law is followed, and state and local communities have a voice in federal policies,” Gomez and lawmakers wrote. “Eliminating these functions in half of the country will harm the health and safety of local communities and risks inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars by eroding oversight over programs like Medicare and Medicaid.”
The lawmakers continued, “Staff in these offices work on essential functions to improve quality and reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in federal health care programs and ensure human service programs support vulnerable children and families—the value these offices bring to all of our communities cannot be overstated.”
Finally, the Gomez and his colleagues wrote: “Simply put, they make our communities healthier and safer for us all.”
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Francisca Mutapi, Professor in Global Health Infection and Immunity. and co-Director of the Global Health Academy, University of Edinburgh
African countries face a major challenge of dealing with high rates of communicable diseases, such as malaria and HIV/Aids, and rising levels of non-communicable diseases. But the continent’s health systems don’t have the resources to provide accessible and affordable healthcare to address these challenges.
Historically, aid has played a critical role in supporting African health systems. It has funded key areas, including medical research, treatment programmes, healthcare infrastructure and workforce salaries. In 2021, half of sub-Saharan Africa’s countries relied on external financing for more than one-third of their health expenditures.
As aid dwindles, a stark reality emerges: many African governments are unable to achieve universal health coverage or address rising healthcare costs.
The reduction in aid restricts healthcare services and threatens to reverse decades of health progress on the continent. A fundamental shift in healthcare strategy is necessary to address this crisis.
The well-known maxim that “prevention is better than cure” holds not just for health outcomes but also for economic efficiency. It’s much more affordable to prevent diseases than it is to treat them.
As an infectious diseases specialist, I have seen how preventable diseases can put a financial burden on health systems and households.
For instance, each year, there are global economic losses of over US$33 billion due to neglected tropical diseases. Many conditions, such as lymphatic filariasis, often require lifelong care. This places a heavy burden on families and stretches national healthcare systems to their limits.
African nations can cut healthcare costs through disease prevention. This often requires fewer specialist health workers and less expensive interventions.
To navigate financial constraints, African nations must rethink and redesign their healthcare systems.
Three key areas where cost-effective, preventive strategies can work are: improving water, sanitation, and hygiene; expanding vaccination programmes; and making non-communicable disease prevention part of community health services.
A shift in healthcare delivery
Improving water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure
Many diseases prevalent in Africa are transmitted through contact with contaminated water and soil. Investing in safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure is an opportunity. This alone can prevent a host of illnesses such as parasitic worms and diarrhoeal diseases. It can also improve infection control and strengthen epidemic and pandemic disease control.
Currently, WASH coverage in Africa remains inadequate. Millions are vulnerable to preventable illnesses. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020 alone, about 510,000 deaths in Africa could have been prevented with improved water and sanitation. Of these, 377,000 deaths were caused by diarrhoeal diseases.
Unsafe WASH conditions also contribute to secondary health issues, such as under-nutrition and parasitic infections. Around 14% of acute respiratory infections and 10% of the undernutrition disease burden – such as stunting – are linked to unsafe WASH conditions.
By investing in functional WASH infrastructure, African governments can significantly reduce the incidence of these diseases. This will lead to lower healthcare costs and improved public health outcomes.
Local production of relevant vaccines
Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective health interventions available for preventing infection. Immunisation efforts save over four million lives every year across the continent.
There is an urgent need for vaccines against diseases prevalent in Africa whose current control is heavily reliant on aid. Neglected tropical diseases are among them.
Vaccines can also prevent some non-communicable diseases. A prime example is the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which can prevent up to 85% of cervical cancer cases in Africa.
HPV vaccination is also more cost-effective than treating cervical cancer. In some African countries, the cost per vaccine dose averages just under US$20. Treatment costs can reach up to US$2,500 per patient, as seen in Tanzania.
It is vital to invest in a comprehensive vaccine ecosystem. This includes strengthening local research and building innovation hubs. Regulatory bodies across the continent must also be harmonised and markets created to attract vaccine investment.
Integrating disease prevention into community healthcare services
Historically, African healthcare systems were designed to address communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis and HIV. This left them ill-equipped to handle the rising burden of non-communicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. One cost-effective approach is to integrate the prevention and management of these diseases into existing community health programmes.
Community health workers currently provide low-cost interventions for health issues such as pneumonia and malaria. They can be trained to address non-communicable diseases as well.
In some countries, community health workers are already filling the service gap. Getting them more involved in prevention strategies will strengthen primary healthcare services in Africa. This investment will ultimately reduce the long-term financial burden of treating chronic diseases.
A treatment-over-prevention approach will not be affordable
Current estimates suggest that by 2030, an additional US$371 billion per year – roughly US$58 per person – will be required to provide basic primary healthcare services across Africa.
Adding to the challenge is the rising global cost of healthcare, projected to increase by 10.4% this year alone. This marks the third consecutive year of escalating costs. For Africa, costs also come from population growth and the rising burden of non-communicable diseases.
By shifting focus from treatment to prevention, African nations can make healthcare accessible, equitable and financially sustainable despite the decline in foreign aid.
Francisca Mutapi is affiliated with Uniting to Combat NTDs
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Francisca Mutapi, Professor in Global Health Infection and Immunity. and co-Director of the Global Health Academy, University of Edinburgh
African countries face a major challenge of dealing with high rates of communicable diseases, such as malaria and HIV/Aids, and rising levels of non-communicable diseases. But the continent’s health systems don’t have the resources to provide accessible and affordable healthcare to address these challenges.
Historically, aid has played a critical role in supporting African health systems. It has funded key areas, including medical research, treatment programmes, healthcare infrastructure and workforce salaries. In 2021, half of sub-Saharan Africa’s countries relied on external financing for more than one-third of their health expenditures.
As aid dwindles, a stark reality emerges: many African governments are unable to achieve universal health coverage or address rising healthcare costs.
The reduction in aid restricts healthcare services and threatens to reverse decades of health progress on the continent. A fundamental shift in healthcare strategy is necessary to address this crisis.
The well-known maxim that “prevention is better than cure” holds not just for health outcomes but also for economic efficiency. It’s much more affordable to prevent diseases than it is to treat them.
As an infectious diseases specialist, I have seen how preventable diseases can put a financial burden on health systems and households.
For instance, each year, there are global economic losses of over US$33 billion due to neglected tropical diseases. Many conditions, such as lymphatic filariasis, often require lifelong care. This places a heavy burden on families and stretches national healthcare systems to their limits.
African nations can cut healthcare costs through disease prevention. This often requires fewer specialist health workers and less expensive interventions.
To navigate financial constraints, African nations must rethink and redesign their healthcare systems.
Three key areas where cost-effective, preventive strategies can work are: improving water, sanitation, and hygiene; expanding vaccination programmes; and making non-communicable disease prevention part of community health services.
A shift in healthcare delivery
Improving water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure
Many diseases prevalent in Africa are transmitted through contact with contaminated water and soil. Investing in safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure is an opportunity. This alone can prevent a host of illnesses such as parasitic worms and diarrhoeal diseases. It can also improve infection control and strengthen epidemic and pandemic disease control.
Currently, WASH coverage in Africa remains inadequate. Millions are vulnerable to preventable illnesses. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020 alone, about 510,000 deaths in Africa could have been prevented with improved water and sanitation. Of these, 377,000 deaths were caused by diarrhoeal diseases.
Unsafe WASH conditions also contribute to secondary health issues, such as under-nutrition and parasitic infections. Around 14% of acute respiratory infections and 10% of the undernutrition disease burden – such as stunting – are linked to unsafe WASH conditions.
By investing in functional WASH infrastructure, African governments can significantly reduce the incidence of these diseases. This will lead to lower healthcare costs and improved public health outcomes.
Local production of relevant vaccines
Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective health interventions available for preventing infection. Immunisation efforts save over four million lives every year across the continent.
There is an urgent need for vaccines against diseases prevalent in Africa whose current control is heavily reliant on aid. Neglected tropical diseases are among them.
Vaccines can also prevent some non-communicable diseases. A prime example is the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which can prevent up to 85% of cervical cancer cases in Africa.
HPV vaccination is also more cost-effective than treating cervical cancer. In some African countries, the cost per vaccine dose averages just under US$20. Treatment costs can reach up to US$2,500 per patient, as seen in Tanzania.
It is vital to invest in a comprehensive vaccine ecosystem. This includes strengthening local research and building innovation hubs. Regulatory bodies across the continent must also be harmonised and markets created to attract vaccine investment.
Integrating disease prevention into community healthcare services
Historically, African healthcare systems were designed to address communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis and HIV. This left them ill-equipped to handle the rising burden of non-communicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. One cost-effective approach is to integrate the prevention and management of these diseases into existing community health programmes.
Community health workers currently provide low-cost interventions for health issues such as pneumonia and malaria. They can be trained to address non-communicable diseases as well.
In some countries, community health workers are already filling the service gap. Getting them more involved in prevention strategies will strengthen primary healthcare services in Africa. This investment will ultimately reduce the long-term financial burden of treating chronic diseases.
A treatment-over-prevention approach will not be affordable
Current estimates suggest that by 2030, an additional US$371 billion per year – roughly US$58 per person – will be required to provide basic primary healthcare services across Africa.
Adding to the challenge is the rising global cost of healthcare, projected to increase by 10.4% this year alone. This marks the third consecutive year of escalating costs. For Africa, costs also come from population growth and the rising burden of non-communicable diseases.
By shifting focus from treatment to prevention, African nations can make healthcare accessible, equitable and financially sustainable despite the decline in foreign aid.
Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Deb Fischer (R-NE), with Congressmen Randy Feenstra (R-IA-04) and Mark Alford (R-MO-04), led a bicameral group of colleagues in sending a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin. In the letter, the members call for the use of sound science and risk-based analysis as the MAHA Commission finalizes its work, particularly on crop protection tools and food-grade ingredients. The letter states:
“We write to express our strong appreciation for your leadership and interest in working with each of you to ensure America has the healthiest people in the world. In recent decades, chronic illness rates have risen. This warrants our careful scrutiny to support better health outcomes. It is essential that policies supported by sound science and risk-based analyses are used to accomplish this goal.”
“We have concerns that environmentalists are advancing harmful health, economic, or food security policies under the guise of human health,” the letter continues. “Despite insinuations to the contrary, regular testing by FDA and USDA finds that more than 99% of all pesticide residues meet extremely conservative limits established by EPA according to the best available science.”
In addition to Ricketts and Fischer, other signatories include Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Jim Justice (R-WV), Jim Risch (R-ID), Todd Young (R-IN), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Mike Rounds (R-SD).
The letter was also signed by members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Mike Flood (R-NE-01), Don Bacon (R-NE-02), Adrian Smith (R-NE-03), Michael Baumgartner (R-WA-05), Jack Bergman (R-MI-01), Mike Bost (R-IL-12), James Comer (R-KY-01), Troy Downing (R-MT-02), Jake Ellzey (R-TX-06), Gabe Evans (R-CO-08), Mike Ezell (R-MS-04), Randy Feenstra (R-IA-04), Mark Alford (R-MO-04), Vince Fong (R-CA-20), Michael Guest (R-MS-03), Dusty Johnson (R-SD-AL), David Kustoff (R-TN-08), Darin LaHood (R-IL-16), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-01), Frank Lucas (R-OK-03), Tracy Mann (R-KS-01), Mark Messmer (R-IN-08), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-01), Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04), Mike Rogers (R-AL-03), Derek Schmidt (R-KS-02), Austin Scott (R-GA-08), Jefferson Shreve (R-IN-06), Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24), David Valadao (R-CA-22), and Ann Wagner (R-MO-02).
Read the full letter here or below:
Dear Secretary Kennedy, Secretary Rollins, and Administrator Zeldin:
We write to express our strong appreciation for your leadership and interest in working with each of you to ensure America has the healthiest people in the world. In recent decades, chronic illness rates have risen. This warrants our careful scrutiny and to support better health outcomes. It is essential that policies supported by sound science and risk-based analyses are used to accomplish this goal.
We also urge you to safeguard the work of the Make America Healthy Again Commission (Commission) from activist groups promoting misguided and sometimes even malicious policies masquerading as health solutions. The influence of these groups in the Commission would result in shoddy science; a less abundant, less affordable food supply; greater reliance on foreign adversaries for our food; diminished U.S. agricultural production and manufacturing; and, ultimately, poorer health outcomes.
President Trump recently stated environmental activists were holding the economic prosperity of our country hostage. We now have concerns that they are seeking to influence the work of the Commission to advance their agenda. For decades activist groups have tried to ban safe, well-regulated agricultural inputs by any means necessary. Without these products, yields and quality are negatively impacted by otherwise avoidable insects, fungus, weeds, and other pest pressures. This drives up food prices for American consumers and forces reliance of food imports.
The same groups have seized upon the Commission’s work as an opportunity to misrepresent the science on common food and feed categories or ingredients, such as plant-based oils. These inputs are subject to a robust, risk-based regulatory system which focuses on protecting human health. Unfounded accusations harm the U.S. farmers who grow our food, upend food and feed supply chains, and significantly increase grocery food prices – all without public health benefit.
We have concerns that environmentalists are advancing harmful health, economic, or food security policies under the guise of human health. Despite insinuations to the contrary, regular testing by FDA and USDA finds that more than 99% of all pesticide residues meet extremely conservative limits established by EPA according to the best available science.
We applaud the Commission’s desire to improve the health and well-being of Americans. We implore you to ensure policy decisions are grounded in sound science and risk-based analyses. With unity, we can protect American agricultural producers from environmental activists’ attacks on proven-safe inputs critical to their profitability and long-term viability while promoting positive health outcomes.
National Booking System opens for COVID-19 vaccinations spring/summer 2025
NHS offers COVID-19 vaccines to people who are at increased risk of serious illness from the virus – including those aged 75 and over (by 17 June 2025)
Residents of care homes for older adults, and those with a weakened immune system urged to top up protection
The vaccine has saved countless lives, prevented thousands from needing to go to hospital and helped us to live with the virus without fear or restrictions.
Top up your protection against COVID-19 by getting vaccinated this spring if you are eligible. Those at increased risk from severe illness can get the vaccine, including those aged 75 or over (on 17 June 2025), people with a weakened immune system or who live in an older adult care home. Those eligible will be able book from 25 March, for appointments from 1 April.
If eligible, you do not need to wait for an invitation to book your vaccine. To book, please visit the NHS App, the NHS website or call 119 for free. You may also be able to visit a walk-in site which does not require a booking.
Don’t get caught out. If you or your child are eligible, make sure you get any extra protection you need this spring. Get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Councillor John Merry, Lead Member for Social Care and Mental Health at Salford City Council said:
“Long COVID-19 can still be very dangerous and even life threatening, particularly for older people and those with a weakened immune system. The COVID-19 vaccines provide good protection against severe disease, hospitalisation and can protect those most vulnerable from death.
“The vaccine has saved countless lives in Salford, prevented thousands from needing to go to hospital and helped us to live with the virus without fear or restrictions. The NHS will be sending out invitations, but you do not need to be invited to book your COVID-19 spring vaccine so please do take up the offer when you receive it.”
How to get the COVID-19 vaccine
There are several ways you can get you COVID jab.
If you’re eligible for the spring COVID-19 vaccine, you can:
You do not need to wait for an invitation before booking an appointment.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) affects almost all dimensions of the health of women and girls, according to a new study published today from the World Health Organization (WHO) together with the United Nations’ Human Reproduction Programme (HRP). Health complications of the practice can be severe and life-long, causing both mental and physical health risks.
Published in BMC Public Health, the publication analyzes evidence from more than 75 studies in around 30 countries to paint a comprehensive picture of the ways that FGM impacts survivors’ health at different life stages.
It shows that women with FGM are significantly more likely to experience a wide range of complications during childbirth compared to those without, for instance. They have more than double the risk of enduring prolonged or obstructed labour or haemorrhage, while being significantly more likely to require emergency caesarean sections or forceps delivery.
In addition, women with FGM have an almost three-times greater risk of depression or anxiety, and a 4.4 times higher likelihood of experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.
There is a critical need to ensure timely, high-quality health care for survivors, to engage communities for prevention and ensure families are aware of FGM’s harmful effects, alongside serious political commitment to stop the practice and educate and empower women and girls.
Dr Pascale Allotey / Director of SRHR at WHO and head of HRP
“This study paints a devastating picture of the manifold health implications of female genital mutilation, spanning mental and physical health and undermining emotional well-being,” said Dr Pascale Allotey, Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at WHO and head of HRP. “There is a critical need to ensure timely, high-quality health care for survivors, to engage communities for prevention and ensure families are aware of FGM’s harmful effects, alongside serious political commitment to stop the practice and educate and empower women and girls.”
FGM is a harmful practice that involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs such as cutting or burning. It is an extreme form of gender discrimination and a stark violation of women and girls’ human rights.
It is estimated that around 230 million women and girls alive today have undergone FGM. While evidence shows the overall proportion of those who experience FGM is declining, absolute numbers could increase given rising youth populations in countries where it is practiced. Abandonment of FGM is challenging, given that it is driven by deep-set cultural beliefs and norms.
Also of concern, evidence shows more cases of FGM are now performed by health workers – its so-called medicalization – due in part to misperceptions that their involvement makes it safer and reduces risks. In fact, some studies have shown that longer-term damage from “medicalized” FGM may be greater, since it can result in deeper, more severe cuts.
FGM’s immediate risks can be life-threatening and include severe infections, heavy blood loss, as well as extreme pain and emotional trauma. Longer-term consequences for survivors include, as well as those described above, menstrual difficulties; urological complications, including urinary tract infections and difficulty urinating; and painful sexual intercourse.
In addition to various obstetric risks for women, the paper highlights that FGM can also have impacts on babies during or following childbirth. Babies born to women who had FGM are more likely to experience birth complications like fetal distress or asphyxia, resulting in lower newborn survival rates.
Recognizing FGM’s devastating health impacts, WHO supports efforts to strengthen prevention efforts within the health sector, engaging health workers to educate communities and family members, while providing clinical guidance on effective care for survivors.
Understanding the range of complications FGM can cause – spanning acute risks as well as impacts on obstetric and neonatal, gynaecological, urological, sexual and mental health – is critical for ensuring survivors receive appropriate treatment and support. Drawing on this evidence, WHO will shortly release a new guideline covering both FGM prevention and clinical care for affected women and girls. FGM is currently common in around 30 countries across Africa and Asia.
The study was supported by the Governments of Norway and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland alongside HRP (the UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction). HRP is the main research institution within the United Nations system for sexual and reproductive health.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
Surgery manager deducted money from staff wages but failed to pay it into NHS pension scheme
Sonia Simkins faces seven years of bankruptcy restrictions following an investigation by the Insolvency Service.
The Official Receiver’s investigation found Sonia Simkins failed to pay £75,000 into the NHS pension fund – despite deducting contributions from staff
Seven-year restrictions prevent Simkins from starting a new company or being a company director
Hawes Lane Surgery in Rowley Regis closed after a bankruptcy order was made against Simkins
A GP practice manager who failed to pay more than £75,000 into the pension funds of staff at her surgery now faces seven years of bankruptcy restrictions.
Sonia Simkins, 54, of Foxglove Way, Dudley, ran Hawes Lane Surgery in Rowley Regis as a sole trader. But in July 2024, the practice closed after a bankruptcy order was made against her.
Following the order, an investigation by the Official Receiver found Simkins had deducted pension contributions from staff wages, but failed to pay the money into the NHS Pension Scheme.
Investigations by the Official Receiver have been unable to confirm exactly what happened to the money.
On 3 April 2025, Simkins agreed a Bankruptcy Restrictions Undertaking (BRU), which prevents her from managing a limited company for the next seven years, taking out a loan of more than £500 without disclosing the restriction, or working in some senior health service roles.
David Chapman, Senior Official Receiver at the Insolvency Service, said:
Sonia Simkins deducted pension contributions from her staff’s wages, but failed to pay more than £75,000 into the NHS pension fund – while the closure of Hawes Lane Surgery had an immediate impact on staff and patients in Rowley Regis.
Following an Insolvency Service investigation by the Official Receiver, Simkins accepted her misconduct. The BRU will prevent her from acting as a company director or starting a new company until April 2032.
Hawes Lane Surgery closed on 25 July 2024 with almost 4,000 registered patients receiving no notice of the closure.
The Official Receiver worked closely with the Black Country Integrated Care Board (BCICB) to ensure patients arriving for appointments that day were provided with appropriate medical care at nearby surgeries. BCICB also ensured patients at the surgery had continuing access to a GP before being re-registered at a new practice.
At the time of the closure, the practice employed 10 members of staff including a GP, and employees in receptionist and administrative roles.
Between August 2019 and December 2020, and June 2023 and June 2024, Simkins should have paid £76,868 into the NHS pension fund for her staff, but only £1,722 was contributed.
During this period, she deducted more than £25,000 from her employees’ salaries as pension contributions and failed to pay more than £50,000 of employer contributions.
Further information
Sonia Simkins is of Foxglove Way, Dudley. Her date of birth is 24 November 1970.
Bankruptcy restrictions are wide ranging. A Bankruptcy Restrictions Undertaking (BRU) allows a bankrupt person suspected of misconduct to accept restrictions without needing to go to court. Accepting a BRU can also lead to a shorter time period of restrictions.
More information is available on bankruptcy restrictions, including the full list of rules around orders and undertakings.
On April 24, Apple Watch users are encouraged to close their Activity rings to earn a special Global Close Your Rings Day limited-edition award
Apple Watch is the world’s most popular watch, and the ultimate fitness and health companion. Every day, Apple Watch offers fitness motivation to millions of people around the globe, along with powerful insights into their workouts, training, and more, across a wide range of activities. Leveraging its advanced sensor technology, Apple Watch also provides users with information on important aspects of their health, including sleep, heart health, and menstrual health.
Over the past 10 years, Activity rings on Apple Watch have offered a simple, engaging, and customizable way for users to stay active throughout the day. To highlight how staying active can lead to a healthier life, on April 24, all Apple Watch users are encouraged to close their Activity rings to earn a special Global Close Your Rings Day limited-edition award, along with animated stickers for Messages.1
“Apple Watch has changed the way people think about, monitor, and engage with their fitness and health. A decade ago, we introduced Activity rings — and since then, Apple Watch has grown to offer an extensive set of features designed to empower every user,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “People write to us almost every day sharing how Apple Watch has made a difference in their life, from motivating them to move more throughout the day, to changing the trajectory of their health.”
April 24: Global Close Your Rings Day
On April 24, Apple Watch users are encouraged to do something they love, push themselves further, or try something new, and then share what they did using #CloseYourRings. Users who close all three Activity rings will earn a limited-edition award, plus 10 animated stickers and an animated badge for Messages.
To celebrate Global Close Your Rings Day, customers can obtain a special pin inspired by the award. Customers can pick up a pin at Apple Store locations worldwide starting April 24, while supplies last.
New Apple Watch Activity and Health Research Insights
Fitness and health are deeply intertwined. A new analysis of data contributed by more than 140,000 participants in the Apple Heart and Movement Study identified positive associations between the closure of Activity rings and aspects of sleep, heart health, and mental wellbeing.2 These associations were consistent across men and women, and across all age groups.
Relative to people who infrequently closed their Activity rings, people who closed their rings most of the time were 48 percent less likely to experience poor sleep quality — defined as waking up frequently during the night — and 73 percent less likely to experience elevated resting heart rate levels; lower resting heart rate can be a key indicator of fitness and heart health. They were also 57 percent less likely to report elevated stress, as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4), a four-item questionnaire designed to assess an individual’s perception of their stress levels.
The Apple Heart and Movement Study is conducted in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the American Heart Association, and Apple, and has more than 200,000 participants across the United States who consented to participate.3
Activity and Health on Apple Watch
The Activity app is one of the most beloved Apple Watch features, encouraging users to close their three Activity rings — Move, Exercise, and Stand — by hitting personal daily goals for active calories burned, minutes of brisk activity completed, and number of hours when they stand up for at least a minute. Users can customize their goals to fit their lifestyle, even by the day of the week, and Activity rings can be paused if a user needs a rest day.
Activity rings are just one of many Apple Watch features that offer motivating and actionable insights that break down barriers between users and their fitness and health information. Users can also:
Track a wide range of workouts with validated custom heart rate and calorie algorithms using the Workout app, with advanced metrics provided for running, cycling, swimming, hiking, and more.
Stay motivated with Activity challenges and sharing, keep an eye on their progress with weekly summaries and trends, and monitor key fitness metrics like training load, cardio fitness, and cardio recovery.
Track their sleep, receive insights on heart health, track their menstrual cycle, manage their medications, monitor environmental noise levels, and more.
As with all of the fitness and health features on Apple Watch, the Activity and Workout apps are grounded in science with rigorous standards for accuracy. A recently published validation summary shares highlights of the methodologies and underlying hardware and software technologies of Apple Watch that measure heart rate, estimate calories burned, and inform associated fitness and heart health data, with machine learning models developed using data from hundreds of thousands of hours of studies involving thousands of participants from diverse populations.
Apple’s fitness and health features put users’ privacy at the center, offering protections like transparency and control over their personal data. When iPhone and iPad are locked with a passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID, all fitness and health data in the Health app — other than Medical ID — is encrypted, and any health data synced to iCloud is encrypted both in transit and on Apple servers. And if a user has a recent version of watchOS, iOS, and iPadOS with the default two-factor authentication and a passcode, their health and activity data will be stored in a way that Apple can’t read it.4
The limited-edition award is available to users running watchOS 5.0 or later.
Analysis compares people who closed all three Activity rings at least 50 percent of the time with people who closed all three Activity rings 10 percent or less of the time. Poor sleep quality is defined as a sleep efficiency [Total Sleep Time / (Total Sleep Time + Wake After Sleep Onset)] of less than 87.5 percent. Elevated stress is defined as a PSS-4 score of 8 or more.
PENSACOLA, Fla., April 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Advanced Technology Recycling (ATR), a leader in IT asset disposition (ITAD) and IT asset management (ITAM) services for over 30 years, today announced a significant investment in enhancing its Data Center IT Asset Management Services throughout the United States. The new Mack Anthem 64T Semi Tractor and AI enhanced Geotab fleet monitoring systems are the latest addition to our fleet. This strategic expansion underlines ATR’s commitment to providing state-of-the-art logistics capabilities and comprehensive onsite services to data center operators nationwide.
Comprehensive Onsite Services Tailored for Data Centers
Recognizing the unique challenges faced by data center administrators—especially concerning the secure decommissioning and recycling of sensitive legacy assets—ATR has augmented its onsite capabilities to meet these demands head-on. Additionally, ATR assigns each data center client with their own account manager and Operations Support Specialist to ensure maximum account oversight. Key onsite service offerings include:
Expert Onsite Support: ATR’s trained professionals provide optimized value recovery assistance during rack and server decommissioning and enhancement projects. Customized assessments empower you to handpick from a scalable portfolio of on-site services that put our resources where you need them most. This means you can choose services that best suit your needs—ranging from equipment removal and packing for transport, data destruction, value recovery evaluations, to assistance with installing replacement equipment, and much more.
Mobile Equipment Solutions: For facilities without docks, ATR’s fleet, including vehicles with lift gates, is fully equipped to bring all necessary supplies and labor for efficient pack-and-ship operations right at the site.
Asset Inventory & Reconciliation Services: ATR offers optional onsite asset reconciliation, capturing accurate inventory and identifying anomalies before equipment leaves the facility, contributing to transparent reporting and improving efficiencies.
Optional Onsite Hard Drive Shredding: ATR delivers self-contained, portable shredders directly to your data center to securely and irretrievably destroy sensitive data onsite, ensuring complete transparency, robust security, and full regulatory compliance.
Scalable Commodity Recovery Programs: ATR’s commodity recovery program is a powerful fee mitigation tool, providing a robust and incentivized solution that rewards customers for helping sort and separate enclosures, cabling, non-inventoried e-waste, and other end-of-life electronics. With our program, you gain maximum value from assets that most ITAD providers charge to recycle.
ATR’s mission is to transform outdated electronics into profitable assets while assuring clients that every step—from initial pickup through final resale—is executed with precision, security, and environmental responsibility.
Enhancing Logistics Capabilities with Next-Generation Fleet Technology
ATR’s ongoing investment includes the integration of top-tier fleet tracking systems utilizing Geotab technology. The Geotab system integrates advanced features into our fleet vehicles ensuring every step of the IT asset disposition process is secure, transparent, and efficient:
Precise GPS Tracking & Real-Time Route Visibility: Each ATR vehicle is equipped with Geotab GPS and video monitoring software, providing real-time satellite location data, accurate route diagnostics, and geofencing capabilities.
Vehicle Health Assessments & Collision Detection: Advanced AI monitoring systems continuously assess engine performance, detect faults, and alert the team to any collision events, ensuring prompt maintenance, enhanced safety, and added assurances shipments are completed on time and in optimal condition.
In-Vehicle Driver Monitoring: Forward and aft-facing cameras monitor driving conditions while providing audible coaching alerts to address driver fatigue or distractions, such as cell phone use. This proactive approach helps maintain high safety standards, and enhanced security monitoring for each route traveled.
Secured Data & Advanced Data Capture: With R2v3 and RIOS certified data protocols in place, ATR guarantees that all logistical information is handled with the utmost confidentiality, supporting strict compliance with industry standards.
These enhancements not only improve operational efficiency but also bolster ATR’s secure chain of custody for data center equipment. Every shipment is safeguarded through padlocked cargo doors, unique trailer seals, real-time vehicular monitoring, and on-site real-time inventory and data destruction services, ensuring full audit readiness.
Data Center Recycling: Unlocking Value with Sustainability in Mind
The expanded investment reinforces ATR’s vision to not only manage assets securely but also to optimize their residual value. By leveraging a transparent profit-sharing program, ATR maximizes the returns on legacy equipment through certified R2v3/RIOS resale and wholesale channels.
This approach supports clients in:
Turning decommissioned data center assets and non-inventoried e-Commodities into profitable, recoverable revenue streams.
Achieving eco-friendly operations through responsible electronics reselling and recycling is a simple click away.
Meeting sustainability targets with comprehensive lifecycle management of IT assets.
Commitment to Excellence and Future-Ready Solutions
“Our increased investment in Data Center IT Asset Management Services demonstrates ATR’s unwavering commitment to staying ahead in a rapidly evolving technological landscape,” said Brodie Ehresman, Director of Marketing and Strategic Business Development at ATR. “By integrating Geotab’s advanced fleet tracking capabilities and expanding our onsite service offerings, we are poised to offer unparalleled efficiency, security, and value recovery for our clients. We understand the critical nature of managing legacy IT assets, and our enhanced solutions are designed to support our clients’ operational and sustainability goals while mitigating risk.”
ATR’s enhanced logistics and onsite service portfolio positions the company as a trusted partner for data center operators looking to navigate the complexities of technology refresh cycles, secure data destruction, and environmental compliance.
About Advanced Technology Recycling (ATR)
For more than three decades, ATR has been at the forefront of the IT asset disposition and management industry, offering innovative, secure, and eco-friendly solutions to organizations across the nation. With a fully company-owned fleet of over 60 logistics assets and seven strategically located, R2v3 and RIOS certified facilities, ATR delivers complete lifecycle management—ensuring high recoverable value, robust security, and streamlined operational processes for every client.
Media Contact: Brodie Ehresman Director of Marketing and Strategic Business Development 877-781-7779
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Dennis W. Jansen, Professor of Economics and Director of the Private Enterprise Research Center, Texas A&M University
The retirement and disability program has been running a cash-flow deficit since 2010. The $2.7 trillion held in its two trust funds may seem immense, but those reserves are diminishing as the number of Americans getting benefits grows. Social Security’s trustees, a group that includes the secretaries of the departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services, as well as the Social Security commissioner, projected in 2024 that both of its trust funds would be completely drained by 2035.
Under current law, when that trust fund is empty, Social Security can pay benefits only from dedicated tax revenues, which would, by that point, cover only about 79% of promised benefits. Another way to say this is that when that trust fund is depleted, the people who rely on Social Security for some or the bulk of their income would see a sudden 21% cut in their monthly checks in 2036.
As an economist who studies the Social Security system, I am alarmed that Democratic and Republican administrations alike have failed for more than three decades to take the actions necessary to keep its funding on track, either by raising taxes or cutting benefits. Instead, Congress has only made the program’s funding outlook worse. And now, the Trump administration is reducing the program’s staff, sending confusing signals about changes it intends to make, and undercutting the quality of service for the people who are eligible for these benefits.
But I do believe there are strategies that could help.
Taking steps backward
This gloomy outlook was clear to experts at least 32 years ago. In 1993, the Social Security trustees projected that the assets of the systems’ trust funds would be depleted in 2036.
Rather than resolve this now more imminent problem, Congress passed a law in December 2024 that could accelerate the crisis.
Called the Social Security Fairness Act, President Joe Biden signed it into law in early January. This measure ended the government’s prior practice of paying reduced Social Security benefits to retired teachers, firefighters and others who had pensions from their years of public service and who had not paid Social Security tax on much of their income. Now, these retirees will get full Social Security benefits. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this change will cause the trust fund to be depleted six months earlier than previously expected.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Wharton Budget Model finds that should this new exemption take effect, it could make the trust fund run out of money two years earlier than the model currently predicts, hastening the day the Social Security program is forced to cut benefits.
In addition, Social Security already had record-sized backlogs of what it calls “pending actions,” according to a report from its own inspector general in August 2024.
And yet, despite this need to process paperwork faster, the agency is now less able to carry out its mission due to staffing cuts attributed to billionaire and Trump adviser Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
Principles for successful reform
Social Security is funded by a payroll tax of 12.4% on wages, which is split equally between workers and employers. Self-employed people pay the entire 12.4%. This payroll tax only applies to earnings up to $176,100 for 2025. The government increases this cap annually based on wage increases and inflation.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan nonprofit that focuses on fiscal policy, provides an online interactive tool to help people see for themselves what specific measures might do to shore up Social Security. Examples include increasing the retirement age by one month every two years and increasing the cap on income subject to the payroll tax that funds Social Security so it covers more of the highest-earners’ income.
Three main principles characterize the approaches supported by the policy analysts and researchers who have considered which reforms to Social Security might strengthen its finances and long-term continuing viability:
The program should be self-funded in the long run so that its annual revenues match its annual expenses.
The reform burden should be shared across generations. Current retirees can share the burden through a reduction in the cost-of-living adjustment. Today’s workers can share the burden through an increase in the cap on income subjected to Social Security taxes. Gradually increasing the retirement age to keep pace with anticipated longevity gains would also be borne by current workers and young Americans who haven’t gotten their first job yet.
The government should make sure that Social Security benefits will be adequate for lower-income retirees for years to come. That means reforms that slow the benefit growth of future retirees would be designed to affect only payments to higher-income retirees.
The last time the government made big changes to Social Security was in 1983, during the Reagan administration.
Back then, the government enacted reforms that slowly reduced benefits over time. These changes included raising the full retirement age, a change that is still being phased in. Because of those changes, workers born in 1960 or later cannot retire with full benefits until age 67 – two years later than the original retirement age.
The 1983 reforms also gradually increased the Social Security payroll tax rate from 10.4% to 12.4% by 1990, and for the first time levied federal income taxes on higher-income retirees’ benefits. Workers bore the burden of the payroll tax increases, and higher-income retirees bore the burden of the tax on benefits.
Those changes bolstered the program’s finances. One of those measures could potentially end if Trump manages to end the taxation of retirees’ Social Security benefits.
Today, about half of the Americans getting Social Security benefits pay some federal income taxes on that income, contributing revenue that helps finance the program as a whole. Taxpayers with annual income of at least $205,000 pay income tax that claws back about 20% of their benefits. That percentage is smaller for taxpayers with lower incomes. Individuals who get Social Security benefits and have incomes of less than $25,000 and couples making no more than $32,000 pay no income taxes on their Social Security benefits at all.
The most recent bipartisan effort to preserve the system’s solvency was in 2001. The Commission to Strengthen Social Security, during the George W. Bush administration, tried – and failed – to get Congress to enact reforms to shore up the program’s finances.
More than 20 years later, Americans and their elected representatives still seem unwilling to have a serious debate on these issues.
I believe waiting any longer is unwise.
Any solutions that might be introduced gradually today will no longer be viable in 2035 if the trust fund has been completely hollowed out. That would leave millions of older adults with lower incomes than they were counting on, plunging many of them into poverty.
Dennis W. Jansen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Imagine nearly every seat in Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center − over 20,000 seats − are empty. That’s the scale of Pennsylvania’s projected shortfall of registered nurses by 2026, according to the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania’s nursing shortage is the result of long-standing issues in education, workforce retention and health care delivery.
Education bottlenecks: Nursing schools in Pennsylvania and nationwide turn away thousands of qualified applicants each year due to faculty shortages, limited classroom space and scarce clinical placements. More than 65,000 qualified applications were turned away from U.S. nursing programs in 2023 alone, according to a report from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
A key issue is the lack of preceptors. Preceptors are experienced nurses who teach students in real-world settings. A shortage of preceptors directly limits how many students can complete their education.
Uneven distribution: While Pennsylvania may have a sufficient number of licensed nurses on paper, those nurses don’t all still work in the profession. And among those that do, they are not evenly spread across roles or locations. Rural hospitals, long-term care centers, behavioral health settings and maternal-child health units are experiencing acute shortages.
Many cite stress as their reason for leaving the profession. New graduates often leave within their first two years, feeling unprepared for the emotional and operational realities of practice.
In Pennsylvania, the shortage has created a feedback loop. Understaffing increases pressure on those who remain. A 2023 National Council of State Boards of Nursing survey found that 41% of nurses under age 35 reported feeling emotionally drained.
This turnover erodes institutional knowledge, increases costs for onboarding and overtime, and limits the capacity to mentor incoming staff.
What’s being done
To help address the problem, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in March 2025 proposed a US$5 million Nurse Shortage Assistance Program. If approved by the General Assembly, the program would cover tuition costs for nursing students who commit to working in Pennsylvania hospitals for three years after graduation.
HB 390 is also currently under review in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. It aims to establish a $1,000 tax deduction for licensed nurses who serve as clinical preceptors.
To meet the growing demand for nurses, Pennsylvania hospitals are partnering with colleges and universities to expand clinical training capacity, streamline pathways into nursing and develop innovative education models such as hybrid and accelerated programs.
Hospitals statewide are also offering substantial sign-on bonuses, loan forgiveness programs, housing stipends and flexible scheduling to attract nurses.
They are also increasingly using virtual nursing, telehealth services and AI-driven administrative tools to reduce nurses’ workloads, enhance patient interactions and address staffing gaps.
Continuing Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs are another solution. These federal grants, reauthorized under the March 2020 CARES Act, help fund nursing pathways and the availability of high-quality nursing care for patients nationwide.
Research consistently demonstrates that care provided by nurses who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher directly leads to better patient outcomes, improved safety and overall health. A commitment to shoring up the nurse pipeline in Pennsylvania is a commitment to improving the well-being of individuals and communities across the state.
Board Member for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The views, analyses, and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or positions of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
Kymberlee Montgomery does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
When the Trump administration announced in February 2025 that it was cutting 10% of staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it seemed that a small but storied program within it called the Epidemic Intelligence Service – also known as the CDC’s disease detectives – would also be cut. A few days later, the program was reinstated. And in March, Epidemic Intelligence Service officers traveled to Texas to support the state’s public health officials in fighting the ongoing measles epidemic.
The Epidemic Intelligence Service is a dynamic crisis response team. Just as firefighters rush into burning buildings to save lives, this team’s specialists mobilize both domestically and internationally to help curb disease outbreaks. But first and foremost, it is a training program that has produced some of the most highly trained and regarded public health experts in the country who have gone on to work at local and state public health offices, academic departments and international health organizations.
We are public health experts – one an experienced professor who served in the Epidemic Intelligence Service from 1994-1996, and the other an early career trainee who was accepted to its incoming class of 2025-2027. Although it’s not clear how the administration will enact its new vision for the CDC, we hope a continued urgency to identify and fight infectious disease threats – the essence of the Epidemic Intelligence Service – remains a national priority.
A program rooted in national security
The Epidemic Intelligence Service is a two-year fellowship open to physicians, scientists and other health professionals. The program accepts 50 to 80 people each year.
Students participate in an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer training course in July 1955. Dr. Alex Langmuir, CDC
The Epidemic Intelligence Service was founded in 1951, just five years after the launch of the CDC, in response to Cold War-era concerns about biological warfare. Alexander Langmuir, its founder, was the CDC’s chief epidemiologist and has often been called the father of shoe-leather epidemiology – on-the-ground, out-of-the-office disease investigation through extensive field work and engagement with affected populations.
In a report announcing the unit’s establishment, Langmuir and a colleague wrote that one of the “problems that would emerge in the event of biological warfare attacks” was “the dearth of trained epidemiologists.” They recognized the urgent need for a specialized team capable of rapidly identifying and responding to potential bioterrorism threats.
The new division soon evolved to address a wide range of civilian public health threats. In 1955, as one of its first major actions, the program’s officers were tasked with investigating an outbreak of polio in children that started just as the first mass vaccination campaign against the disease launched. Within weeks, Epidemic Intelligence Service officers helped trace the outbreak to a few batches of a vaccine manufactured by a California company called Cutter Laboratories in which the virus had not been properly killed. The incident led to increased safety regulations in vaccine production and boosted public confidence, paving the way to eliminating polio from the U.S. in the ensuing decades.
And in 1981, a tip from an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer serving in the Los Angeles County Health Department led to the first description of a new disease that would become the global epidemic of HIV-AIDS. The program’s officers went on to help lead foundational studies on prevalence, prevention and treatment of AIDS around the world.
Beyond vaccines and immunization
Even from its earliest days, vaccine-preventable and infectious diseases were far from the Epidemic Intelligence Service’s only focus. During the program’s first 15 years, its officers were involved in a wide swath of epidemiological investigations in areas including lead paint exposure, a cancer cluster’s connection to birth defects, family planning practices and famine relief.
These activities established the group’s priorities of addressing chronic diseases and population health – goals that have also driven its involvement in disaster response efforts, including hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria and Katrina, as well as the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
The Epidemic Intelligence Service has also played a key role in keeping the nation’s food supply safe. It investigates major outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, helping to identify which foods are implicated so that contaminated products are removed from shelves and disseminating investigation findings that inform food safety policy. For example, officers investigated a 1993 outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 linked to undercooked hamburgers at several Jack in the Box restaurants. The outbreak sickened more than 700 people and resulted in the deaths of four children. It also led to major food safety reforms including expanded meat and poultry inspection nationwide.
The CDC’s “disease detectives” train at sites across the U.S. and abroad.
A legacy of impact
The importance of an expert, nimble team of disease detectives has only increased. Over the past few years, Epidemic Intelligence Service officers have responded to countless public health threats.
Perhaps the Epidemic Intelligence Service’s most significant legacy has been in building a worldwide network of deep epidemiological expertise. To date, the program has trained more than 4,000 disease detectives, and its officers have collectively conducted thousands of outbreak investigations.
All of these activities, at home and abroad, have shaped health policy in crucial ways that in turn protect people’s health. It is increasingly clear that disease outbreaks will continue to occur in the U.S. and abroad. In our view, the Epidemic Intelligence Service’s history provides rich evidence of its value.
I am currently a member of the EIS Alumni Association Executive Committee.
Casey Luc does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
Sarah Newton Reappointed as Chair of the Health and Safety Executive.
The Department for Work and Pensions has reappointed Sarah Newton as Chair of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Board.
The Health and Safety Executive is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety and advises the DWP.
Sarah Newton “delighted” to continue her work on delivering on its 10-year strategy.
The Department for Work and Pensions has reappointed Sarah Newton as Chair of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Board.
The reappointment will last for two years starting from 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2027.
Sarah Newton has led HSE since 2020, overseeing its important role in ensuring the health, safety, and welfare of workers across Great Britain.
During her tenure, she has driven strategic improvements, strengthened regulatory frameworks, and championed HSE’s mission to protect people and places.
Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms, said:
I congratulate Sarah on her reappointment as HSE chair, and I look forward to continuing to work with her over the next few years.
As we overhaul our employment support system and give workers the skills and support they need to succeed in their careers, the role of HSE will be vital to ensure workplaces are safe environments for them to flourish in.
Chair of the HSE Board, Sarah Newton, said:
I am delighted to be reappointed as the Chair of the HSE to deliver our ten-year strategy, Protecting People and Places, while supporting the Government’s aim to improve the productivity of and growth in the UK economy.
HSE does this by supporting business-led innovation and employers in their duty to prevent work related fatalities, ill health and injuries.
Over the past five years, HSE has significantly expanded the scope of our work, taking on the responsibility of regulating chemicals in Great Britain and setting up the Building Safety Regulator for England.
Throughout this journey, it has been a privilege to work with the non-executive and executive leadership team and many dedicated HSE employees. I look forward to tackling the challenges ahead.
The Health and Safety Executive is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It is dedicated to protecting people and places and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
The HSE Board oversees the activities of HSE, ensuring that high standards of corporate governance and ways of working are maintained.
The HSE 10-year strategy sets out clear objectives and core themes to ensure people are protected in the workplace. The strategy prioritises on delivering a reduction in occupational ill health, specifically focusing on work-related stress and mental health.
Additional Information
About Sarah Newton
Sarah has 30 years’ experience of strategic planning, leadership and change management, dealing with complex issues across the business, voluntary and governmental sectors. She has considerable experience of building partnerships between diverse people and organisations to deliver shared aims. She has served on a wide range of boards and is currently a Non-Executive Director of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust.
Between 2010 and 2019 she was an MP and served for 3 years as a Member of the Science and Technology Select Committee before becoming a Minister in the Home Office and latterly at the Department of Work and Pensions, where she had the honour of working with the HSE and leading the Health and Work unit. Amongst other responsibilities while at the Home Office she led work on tackling modern slavery, human trafficking and human exploitation.
Before entering the House of Commons, she was Director of the International Longevity Centre – UK, Age Concern England and American Express Europe. She also served as a Councillor in the London Borough of Merton.
Sarah was educated at Falmouth Comprehensive School and Kings College London. Sarah won a Rotary International postgraduate scholarship in the USA.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Dr Camilla Kingdon to chair review of children’s hearing services
Dr Camilla Kingdon has been appointed by the Secretary of State to chair an independent review of children’s hearing services.
Dr Camilla Kingdon has accepted a direct ministerial appointment by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
As a consultant neonatologist and former President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), Dr Kingdon brings extensive expertise to the review
the NHS England response to the service failures in paediatric audiology
how the relevant governance arrangements between NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) could be improved and identify lessons learned
how NHS England’s handling of any future service failures in similar services could be improved and identify lessons learned
Dr Kingdon brings extensive expertise to the review. She has been a consultant neonatologist at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital for over 20 years and until March last year she was President of RCPCH. She has an MA in Medical Careers Management and was Head of the London School of Paediatrics and Child Health for 5 years from 2014.
Dr Kingdon is also the independent chair of the NHS Children and Young People’s Gender Service National Provider Network for England, tasked with implementing the recommendations of the Cass Review (the independent review of gender identity services for children and young people) in England. She has been a non-executive director on the board at Great Ormond Street Hospital since January 2025, is chair of the UK Healthy Air Coalition, a coalition of charities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working to tackle air pollution, and is a member of the NHS Assembly.
Background to the review
In December 2021, a report was published into service issues in paediatric audiology in NHS Lothian, which focused on whether children’s hearing tests were being conducted properly and effectively followed up.
Further issues with the diagnosis of hearing issues in newborns and children were identified in other Scottish NHS trusts in 2023. Subsequent assessment of NHS audiology services in paediatric departments across England in 2023 and 2024 identified similar problems. NHS England established the Paediatric Hearing Services Improvement Programme in 2023 to address the issues and oversee remedial action.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
Government steps in to back British business in changing world
The Chancellor announces a multi-billion-pound increase in government-backed financing.
British businesses across the country have today been given further stability and certainty with access to new support through a multi-billion-pound increase in government-backed financing as the world enters a new era of global trade.
The new package will give UK Export Finance (UKEF) the power to expand financing support for British businesses by £20 billion, with small businesses also able to access loans of up to £2 million through the British Business Bank’s Growth Guarantee Scheme.
Thousands of companies are expected to benefit from the move, including those directly affected by tariffs – with iconic British brands like Rolls Royce through to local businesses like Alicat Workboats previously benefitting from similar programmes.
Today’s boost reaffirms government’s commitment to free and open trade, and means an £80 billion boost for businesses, meaning they can access government-backed finance and support to grow their presence both domestically and overseas, create new jobs and drive economic growth as part of the Plan for Change.
New measures come as prime minister goes further and faster to boost growth, working in partnership with business to deliver it.
This week alone has seen swift and decisive action from the government to protect UK businesses and workers by:
Taking action to keep British Steel operating, saving thousands of jobs
Increasing flexibility on the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate to help British carmakers
Cutting the red tape that slows down clinical trials in the life sciences sector
Investing up to £600 million in a new Health Data Research Service
Backing a £30 million package to support the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport which is expected to support 5,000 jobs and boost the economy by £5 billion
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves said:
The world is changing, which is why it is more important than ever to back our world-leading businesses and support them to navigate the challenges ahead.
Today’s announcement will do that just, with thousands of businesses right across the country set to benefit.
We are going further and faster to boost growth, but we cannot do it alone. Only by working with businesses will we achieve our Plan for Change and put more money into people’s pockets.
Business and Trade Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds said:
Our message to British business is clear – we’ve got your back. This package, backed by the British Business Bank and UKEF, will be a crucial shot in the arm to exporters and small firms looking to trade around the world.
Within a changing world, we need to adapt, and as part of our Plan for Change, this Government is responding. These changes will help to boost growth support jobs and supercharge thousands of businesses across all four corners of the country.
UKEF will also offer businesses partial loan guarantees through more flexible uses of its Export Development Guarantee, helping to mitigate the impact of new tariffs and associated economic uncertainty. Of the £80 billion, up to £10 billion will be allocated to ensure that businesses significantly impacted in the short term by the current situation have access to the finance they need to grow.
The British Business Bank will also expand its Growth Guarantee Scheme by £500 million, which will provide vital finance for smaller businesses as they look to invest and grow. This scheme provides the lender with a 70% government-backed guarantee against loans or other types of finance, enabling lenders to support smaller businesses that would struggle to obtain financing through traditional means – and has so far enabled more than £2.1 billion of lending.
This comes on top of £1 billion of funding for British Business Bank programmes for this financial year, confirmed at Autumn Budget 2024. This includes additional support for smaller housebuilders through the ENABLE Build programme, funding for Start Up Loans and additional funding for three equity programmes supporting innovative high growth businesses
This week, the Chancellor and Business and Trade Secretary also took part in the 13th UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) in order to strengthen ties between the two countries. In addition to India, the UK is negotiating trade deals with partners including the Gulf Cooperation Council, South Korea and Switzerland, which will give businesses more opportunities than ever before to expand into new markets.
New Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee named, as three board members reappointed
A series of appointments and reappointments have been made to the Board of the Environment Agency.
Jon Watts has been appointed as a Non-Executive Board Member, as well as Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee. His appointment began on 1 April 2025 and will run for three years until 31 March 2028. The Committee provides essential scrutiny, challenge, and oversight of the Environment Agency’s risk controls and governance.
Furthermore, Stewart Davies, Lilli Matson, and Ines Faden da Silva have been reappointed as board members for second terms, all of which commenced on 1 February 2025 and will run for eighteen months until 1 July 2026. Ines Faden da Silva has also been appointed as the new Deputy Chair of the Board. All appointments have been made on merit and in accordance with the Ministerial Governance Code on Public Appointments.
The Environment Agency would like to thank Judith Batchelar, Robert Gould, and John Lelliott for their exemplary service and commitment as they step down from the Board.
Biographies
Jon Watts
Jon is a finance leader with a career spanning global businesses and the third sector. Jon is a trustee of the Eden Trust and chair of the Finance Audit and Risk Committee. He has held senior leadership roles, including regional Chief Financial Officer of Unilever Latin America, Director of Finance and Control at SABMiller, and as global Chief Financial Officer for Save the Children and for the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation. He currently advises foundations and NGOs on organisational capability and resilience.
Stewart Davies
Stewart is Chair of OPRL Ltd, which serves over 900 companies across the packaging cycle, collaborating to drive circularity and a transformation in packaging resource efficiency. He is founding Chair of the Bradford Sustainable Development Partnership. Stewart’s prior career was as an executive in regulated industries, including petrochemicals, steel, cement and waste management. He has served as Chair of the Environmental Services Association and as a Non-Executive Director on the board of Innovate UK.
Lilli Matson
Lilli has worked for Transport for London since 2006, currently as Chief Officer of Safety, Health & Environment, where she leads initiatives to enhance safety and environmental performance across London’s transport network. Previously, Lilli was a member of the UK Government’s Commission for Integrated Transport and ran her own transport consultancy, leading major projects on sustainable transport for a range of clients.
Ines Faden da Silva
Ines Faden da Silva is a part-time consultant at Tideway London, the company delivering London’s super sewer. She is a Committee Member of the Transition Pathway Initiative and Member of the Expert Panel for Accounting for Sustainability. Prior to Tideway, Ines worked for Citigroup where she advised and arranged financing for infrastructure and energy projects and later managed a portfolio of structured assets.
Notes for Editors
The Environment Agency works to create better places for people and wildlife, and supports sustainable development. It is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.
The Environment Agency Board currently comprises a Chair and eight members.
NHS Health Checks are available to eligible 40 to 74 year olds – those without pre-existing conditions – once every 5 years. They assess the individual’s health and identify relatively simple lifestyle changes they could make to lower their risk of developing serious but preventable conditions such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers and dementia.
The Health Check also includes referral to relevant local lifestyle and behaviour changes services such as smoking cessation and weight management as required. For more information, please visit Health and wellbeing.
Figures show that 8,310 NHS Health Checks were delivered in Wolverhampton in 2024-25, an increase of 1,323 on the previous year.
Additionally, over the last 5 years, almost 90% of Wolverhampton’s eligible population have been invited for their NHS Health Check, putting Wolverhampton in the top 25% performing local authorities in England.
Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults and Wellbeing, said: “It’s great that so many more people in Wolverhampton are coming forward for their NHS Health Check when it is due, and I would like to thank the excellent work of our city’s GP practices in helping us achieve improved uptake.
“The Health Check is free and will help you to take steps to maintain or improve your health. It only takes about 30 minutes and you’ll be asked some simple questions, such as family history and choices which may put your health at risk. Your height, weight and blood pressure will be recorded and there will also be a simple blood test to check your cholesterol level.
“You will be provided with your results and given advice on any steps you might need to take to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease.”
She added: “Whilst there has been an increase in those taking up the offer of a health check, we continue to encourage more people to accept the offer of a health check if invited – and if you think your NHS Health Check is overdue, please speak to your GP practice.
“As always, if you are concerned about any aspect of your health, contact your GP practice to discuss these – don’t wait for an invitation for your NHS Health Check.”
(Joshua Quek and Edmund Tan, Operations Managers of Primech A & P)
SINGAPORE, April 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Primech Holdings Limited (the “Company”) (Nasdaq: PMEC), an established technology-driven facility services provider in the public and private sectors operating mainly in Singapore, today announced its strategic transformation initiatives that are revolutionizing the industry through cutting-edge innovation, operational excellence, and sustainable growth strategies.
“We’re not just adapting to the future of facility services—we’re actively creating it,” said Mr. Kin Wai Ho, Chief Executive Officer of Primech Holdings. “Through our comprehensive integration of AI, robotics, and digital solutions, Primech A & P is establishing new benchmarks for efficiency, quality, and sustainability in the facility services sector.”
Pioneering Smart Cleaning Through Technology Primech A & P has invested significantly in AI-powered cleaning robots and IoT-enabled monitoring systems operating across high-traffic commercial spaces. These autonomous solutions ensure consistent hygiene standards while effectively addressing labor shortages in the industry.
The Company’s technological ecosystem includes:
Cloud-based workforce management systems for real-time operations tracking
Equipment health monitoring via software API to minimize downtime
Resource allocation optimization through performance metrics analysis
This digital transformation has enhanced service delivery while optimizing operational costs, directly benefiting customers through higher quality and more reliable facility services.
Excellence Through People and Performance Primech A & P’s market leadership is built on a foundation of workforce development and superior service standards. The Company has implemented comprehensive training and upskilling programs that equip employees with cutting-edge industry knowledge and technological expertise.
The Company currently maintains facilities at several of Singapore’s most prestigious locations, including:
Singapore’s internationally acclaimed airport
Premium commercial office buildings
Essential public spaces, including food courts
Private residential condominiums
Government housing developments
Strategic Expansion into High-Value Sectors As part of its growth strategy, Primech A & P is actively expanding into specialized sectors requiring advanced cleaning solutions:
Healthcare and Hospitals: Providing hygiene-critical cleaning for medical facilities, laboratories, and pharmaceutical environments
Road Sweeping Innovation: Conducting in-depth assessments to drive technological advancements in public infrastructure maintenance
High-Tech Environments: Delivering precision cleaning for semiconductor cleanrooms and cloud data centers
Luxury Residential and Commercial: Increasing market share in premium property segments
Environmental Leadership Primech A & P has integrated substantial eco-friendly practices into its operations, including:
Deployment of an electric vehicle fleet to reduce carbon emissions
Installation of solar panels at company headquarters
Development of sustainable cleaning methodologies
With a strong market presence, a commitment to AI-driven innovation, and a roadmap for expansion, Primech A & P presents an exciting investment opportunity. The Company’s leadership team continues to drive operational excellence, digital transformation, and sustainable growth—paving the way for the next era of smart cleaning and automation.
Primech A & P is not just shaping the future of facility services—it is revolutionizing the industry through technology, excellence, and forward-thinking solutions.
About Primech Holdings Limited Headquartered in Singapore, Primech Holdings Limited is a leading provider of comprehensive technology-driven facilities services, predominantly serving both public and private sectors throughout Singapore. Primech Holdings offers an extensive range of services tailored to meet the complex demands of its diverse clientele. Services include advanced general facility maintenance services, specialized cleaning solutions such as marble polishing and facade cleaning, meticulous stewarding services, and targeted cleaning services for offices and homes. Known for its commitment to sustainability and cutting-edge technology, Primech Holdings integrates eco-friendly practices and smart technology solutions to enhance operational efficiency and client satisfaction. This strategic approach positions Primech Holdings as a leader in the industry and a proactive contributor to advancing industry standards and practices in Singapore and beyond. For more information, visit www.primechholdings.com.
Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including, for example, statements about completing the acquisition, anticipated revenues, growth, and expansion. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are also based on assumptions regarding the Company’s present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “likely to” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure that such expectations will be correct. The Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the SEC.
The atopic dermatitis (AD) treatment landscape is witnessing intensified competition with several novel therapies nearing market entry. While biologics like dupilumab have already transformed care, emerging drug classes such as OX40 inhibitors are showing promise in clinical trials. Their potential for long-lasting efficacy and favorable safety profiles may significantly advance treatment options for moderate-to-severe AD patients, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’s report, “Atopic Dermatitis (AD) Epidemiology Analysis and Forecast to 2033,” reveals that the diagnosed prevalent cases of AD will register an annual growth rate of less than 1% during 2023-2033 across the seven major markets (7MM: The US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and Japan).
Following the introduction of Sanofi/Regeneron’s Dupixent (dupilumab), biologics have had a dramatic impact on the AD space, offering targeted treatments with minimal side effects to patients with AD, who have previously exhibited inadequate responses to topical or immunomodulatory treatments.
Although oral treatments such as Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors have entered the market and are paving the way for other oral therapies, they have demonstrated a strong side-effect profile that may not allow them to have a similar impact to Dupixent. A new drug class that is currently being investigated is OX40 inhibitors, which target OX40 receptors and ligands, providing an anti-inflammatory effect.
Filippos Maniatis, Healthcare Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “OX40 inhibitors may be promising as AD treatments, as the key opinion leaders interviewed by GlobalData have shared their excitement about the effects that these drugs may bring to patients with AD. At the moment, Amgen/Kyowa Kirin’s rocatinlimab is at the forefront of OX40 inhibitors for AD, followed by Astria Therapeutics’ telazorlimab, and Sanofi’s amlitelimab, the readouts of which are highly anticipated by the community.”
Rocatinlimab has previously demonstrated significant improvement in disease severity, with a durable long-lasting effect, as seen in the Phase IIb, results. In addition, the recent topline results of one of the six Phase III clinical trials that have further reinforced rocatinlimab’s position, showing that 42.3% of patients who received a high dose met the improvement criteria of ≥75% improvement from baseline based on the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI-75), brings rocatinlimab closer to a potential approval for AD.
Maniatis adds: “Rocatinlimab is currently ahead of the other OX40s being investigated in AD, showing very promising results. Nevertheless, as Sanofi’s OX40 inhibitor amlitelimab is also in Phase III with a primary completion date in October 2025, it will be interesting to see what the outcomes reported for amlitelimab will be and how they compare to rocatinlimab’s studies.”
Telazorlimab, which is another OX40 inhibitor in the pipeline within AD developed by Astria Therapeutics, is currently behind on development, as its Phase IIb trial has been completed and the results have demonstrated a well-tolerated and clinically significant profile. Nevertheless, the excitement around this new drug remains, with the experts in the field awaiting further results to understand their potential positioning in the AD market.
Maniatis concludes: “OX40 inhibitors offer a new mechanism of action to a crowded market, with the potential of resulting in a shift in clinical practice. The potential long-lasting effects of these pipeline agents, as seen with rocatinlimab, and their good clinical profiles may offer a significant advancement in AD management, addressing current unmet needs and increasing the anticipation for these potential therapies in the AD market.”
Are twins allergic to the same things? – Ella, age 7, Philadelphia
Allergies, whether spring sneezes due to pollen or trouble breathing triggered by a certain food, are caused by a combination of someone’s genes and the environment they live in.
The more things two people share, the higher their chances of being allergic to the same things. Twins are more likely to share allergies because of everything they have in common, but the story doesn’t end there.
I’m an allergist and immunologist, and part of my job is treating patients who have environmental, food or drug allergies. Allergies are really complex, and a lot of factors play a role in who gets them and who doesn’t.
What is an allergy?
Your immune system makes defense proteins called antibodies. Their job is to keep watch and attack any invading germs or other dangerous substances that get inside your body before they can make you sick.
An allergy happens when your body mistakes some usually harmless substance for a harmful intruder. These trigger molecules are called allergens.
Y-shaped antibodies are meant to grab onto any harmful germs, but sometimes they make a mistake and grab something that isn’t actually a threat: an allergen. ttsz/iStock via Getty Images Plus
The antibodies stick like suction cups to the allergens, setting off an immune system reaction. That process leads to common allergy symptoms: sneezing, a runny or stuffy nose, itchy, watery eyes, a cough. These symptoms can be annoying but minor.
Allergies can also cause a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis that requires immediate medical attention. For example, if someone ate a food they were allergic to, and then had throat swelling and a rash, that would be considered anaphylaxis.
The traditional treatment for anaphylaxis is a shot of the hormone epinephrine into the leg muscle. Allergy sufferers can also carry an auto-injector to give themselves an emergency shot in case of a life-threatening case of anaphylaxis. An epinephrine nasal spray is now available, too, which also works very quickly.
A person can be allergic to things outdoors, like grass or tree pollen and bee stings, or indoors, like pets and tiny bugs called dust mites that hang out in carpets and mattresses.
A person can also be allergic to foods. Food allergies affect 4% to 5% of the population. The most common are to cow’s milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish and sesame. Sometimes people grow out of allergies, and sometimes they are lifelong.
Who gets allergies?
Each antibody has a specific target, which is why some people may only be allergic to one thing.
The antibodies responsible for allergies also take care of cleaning up any parasites that your body encounters. Thanks to modern medicine, people in the United States rarely deal with parasites. Those antibodies are still ready to fight, though, and sometimes they misfire at silly things, like pollen or food.
Kids are less likely to develop food allergies if they try foods early in life rather than waiting until they are older. Sometimes a certain job can contribute to an adult developing environmental allergies. For example, hairdressers, bakers and car mechanics can develop allergies due to chemicals they work with.
Genetics can also play a huge role in why some people develop allergies. If a mom or dad has environmental or food allergies, their child is more likely to have allergies. Specifically for peanut allergies, if your parent or sibling is allergic to peanuts, you are seven times more likely to be allergic to peanuts!
Back to the idea of twins: Yes, they can be allergic to the same things, but not always.
Researchers in Australia found that 60% to 70% of twins in one study both had environmental allergies, and identical twins were more likely to share allergies than fraternal (nonidentical) twins. Identical twins share 100% of their genes, while fraternal twins only share about 50% of their genes, the same as any pair of siblings.
A lot more research has been done on the genetics of food allergies. One peanut allergy study found that identical twins were more likely to both be allergic to peanuts than fraternal twins were.
So, twins can be allergic to the same things, and it’s more likely that they will be, based on their shared genetics and growing up together. But twins aren’t automatically allergic to the exact same things.
Imagine if two twins are separated at birth and raised in different homes: one on a farm with pets and one in the inner city. What if one’s parents smoke, and the others don’t? What if one lives with a lot of siblings and the other is an only child? They certainly could develop different allergies, or maybe not develop allergies at all.
Scientists like me are continuing to research allergies, and we hope to have more answers in the future.
Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.
And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.
Breanne Hayes Haney does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Depending on who is asked, artificial intelligence (AI) may be revered, feared, or just plain weird. To some, AI represents the dawn of a new golden age of technology and humanity. And others would argue that so-called AI is not really that “intelligent” at all.
In order to have these disagreements productively, arguesUConn Humanities InstituteDirector Anna Mae Duane, we first have to clear something up: are we even talking about the same thing?
“There’s an issue of disciplinary language — when we’re talking about AI, even when we’re using the same words in the same language, we don’t mean the same thing at all,” says Duane. “What a philosopher means by ‘intelligence’ and what a computer programmer means by ‘intelligence,’ or ‘learning’ or ‘training’ or ‘language,’ are all very different things.”
Duane has had a career-long penchant for collaborating with other scholars, across disciplines and continents. Under her leadership, the UCHI’s latest venture is “Reading Between the Lines: An Interdisciplinary Glossary for Human-Centered AI,” a partnership with the International University at Rabat (UIR) in Morocco.
This partnership is supported by a $25,000 grant from theConsortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI).
It will include a series of podcasts with interdisciplinary experts weighing in on these critical AI conversations, culminating in a cross-campus, in-person symposium in fall 2025.
‘L’ is for Large Language Model
What we refer to as “AI” is usually a large language model, which works just how it sounds – by absorbing vast amounts of linguistic data and learning to synthesize outputs based on this data. Examples of LLMs include ChatGPT and the built-in AI features on many apps.
But exactly what language are these models being trained on? Predominantly English, notes Duane.
This can result in issues when AI is used for non-English contexts. For example, Duane recalls a colleague at UIR who is developing an application to help seniors in need of arthritis care.
“What became clear was that just because the AI she was using was trained on English, there were all sorts of mistranslations and misunderstandings,” Duane says.
In addition to mistranslations on a literal level, AI can also introduce cultural errors.Culturally informed careis critical to increasing access to healthcare for everyone; an LLM that is trained on mainstream American ideologies will be less useful in every other cultural context.
This is just one unforeseen consequence of modeling LLMs on a diet of data dominated by one small corner of the world. Others are likely to emerge as AI is integrated into more industries and technologies.
But by establishing a strong scholarly basis for understanding these consequences, Duane thinks we can also help mitigate them.
“We’re not helpless in how this turns out, including how we speak about it now,” she says. “We don’t have to do this sort of passive, ‘Well, it’s off and running…’ thing.”
Collaborating with an international university, where the primary languages spoken are French and Arabic, is an important step in building this understanding.
“This project is a bold step toward reimagining AI in ways that respect and reflect linguistic and cultural diversity,” says Dr. Ihsane Hmamouchi, Vice-Dean at the International Faculty of Medicine at UIR. “What excites me most is our commitment to embedding patient stories and social realities into AI models. By doing so, we’re not only challenging the structural biases of conventional systems but also paving the way for more equitable, human-centered digital healthcare solutions. It’s about developing technology that listens as much as it computes.”
Taking the Conversation Global
“One reason this became possible is because we’ve been putting together an interdisciplinaryAI working grouphere, building that conversation,” says Duane. “We have computer scientists and philosophers and historians and journalists, and we meet once a month via the Institute.”
This working group was first supported by a UConnCLAS Multidisciplinary Research Grant. With the interdisciplinary groundwork already laid, the research team was able to then expand the conversation, growing what had previously been an “informal collaboration” with AI scholars at UIR.
It’s a testament to the creative and scholarly potential that is unlocked when academics can freely share and build on one another’s expertise.
“Here at UConn, we have this great synergy between people in several disciplines, and the capacity to really learn from each other’s work, in ways that produce better research and better conversations than staying in our silos,” Duane says.“We can’t [stay in our silos], on something like AI. It’s going to change everything about how we work and live.”
In addition to Duane and Hmamouchi, the project’s collaborators include Clarissa J. Ceglio, UCHI Associate Director of Collaborative Research and Associate Professor of Digital Humanities; Nasya Al-Saidy, UCHI Managing Director; Dan Weiner, Vice Provost of UConn Global Affairs; and Allison Cassaly, Global Initiatives Coordinator, UConn Global Affairs.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, April 14 — China is intensifying efforts to tackle rising obesity rates by adding a nationwide weight management campaign to its Healthy China initiative, a comprehensive public health strategy launched in 2019 to improve national health outcomes.
The move was announced Monday in a circular issued by the National Health Commission, which stated that the new weight management drive targets overweight and obesity, now considered “a major public health threat” to Chinese people.
Under the updated plan, China aims to make substantial progress by 2030. Key goals include creating supportive environments for healthy weight management, raising public awareness and skills, encouraging healthy lifestyles, and slowing the rising trend of obesity.
Authorities also hope to improve weight-related health outcomes among high-risk groups.
“By 2030, we aim to build a system of broad participation and shared benefits in body weight management,” the circular said.
The initiative reflects growing concern over expanding waistlines in China. Experts have pointed to increasingly sedentary lifestyles and high-calorie diets as key contributors to the problem — trends consistent with global patterns.
Data from the National Health Commission shows that more than half of Chinese adults are overweight or obese. If current trends continue, that figure could rise to 70.5 percent by 2030, health officials have warned.
Two additional initiatives — one focused on improving rural health and another on promoting traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) — were also incorporated into the Healthy China framework.
The rural health program aims to bridge the gaps in health literacy and access between urban and rural residents, while the traditional medicine initiative focuses on expanding the availability and acceptance of TCM services, according to the circular.
With just five years remaining before the 2030 deadline, the Healthy China initiative now comprises 18 targeted action plans, all aimed at building a healthier and more resilient population.
The financial close for Quail Ranch includes $243 million of construction loans; COD is expected towards the end of 2025
Enlight’s three U.S. projects now under construction have a combined capacity of 1.4 FGW and are projected to generate total annual revenues of $135-140 million
TEL AVIV, Israel, April 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Enlight Renewable Energy Ltd. (“Enlight”, “the Company”, NASDAQ: ENLT, TASE: ENLT.TA), a leading global renewable energy platform, announces the financial close for project Quail Ranch (“Quail Ranch” or “the Project”), located near Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. The Company, through its U.S. subsidiary Clenera Holdings LLC, has secured $243 million in construction financing commitments for the Project.
Combining 128 MW solar generation with 400 MWh of battery storage capacity, Quail Ranch is scheduled for completion towards the end of 2025. Offtake for both generation and storage volumes is secured by a 20-year busbar PPA with the Public Service Company of New Mexico (“PNM”).
The Project is an expansion of Atrisco, which commenced commercial operation in 2024. The shared infrastructure between the two sites accelerated Quail Ranch’s development and will reduce construction and operating costs. Both projects are situated on a desert plateau at an elevation of 1,800 meters, offering optimal solar generation conditions.
Quail Ranch’s financial close joins those of Roadrunner and Country Acres, two other projects now under construction in the U.S., which have achieved a total of $1.5 billion in financing over the past four months with the same consortium of lenders. The three projects have a combined capacity of 1.4 FGW and are expected to generate annual revenues of $135-140 million and EBITDA of $100-110 million when commencing operations in 2025-2026.
The financial close was led by a consortium of four global banks, including BNP Paribas Securities Corp, Crédit Agricole, Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking, and Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale (Nord/LB). Upon the Project’s COD, the construction loan is expected to convert into a $120 million term loan. The Project is expected to be eligible for the Energy Community Tax Credit Bonus, and the Company anticipates finalizing a tax equity transaction during 2025.
Gilad Yavetz, CEO of Enlight, said, “We are proud to have achieved the exceptional milestone of three significant financial closings within such a short timeframe, completing the funding for the second wave of Enlight’s U.S. projects. When operational, they will join Atrisco and Apex to generate combined annual revenues of approximately $200 million in the U.S. Quail Ranch completed its financial close after the administration announced its new tariff policy, demonstrating the project’s strength and the Company’s preparedness for this scenario.
“Additionally, Enlight is focused on advancing the development of two additional megaprojects in the western U.S. with a combined capacity of 2.6 FGW, and which are located in areas with some of the highest solar irradiation in the country. The new projects are part of the Company’s third wave in the U.S., and construction is expected to begin in the coming months.”
“I am very proud to partner with world-leading banks and complete a third major funding package this year,” said Adam Pishl, CEO and President of Clenera. “We continue to demonstrate our ability to bring high-quality projects banks remain excited about, despite market turbulence. Quail Ranch builds on our incredible success in New Mexico and will help meet the high demand for power to fuel American businesses and homes.”
About Enlight Renewable Energy
Founded in 2008, Enlight develops, finances, constructs, owns, and operates utility-scale renewable energy projects. Enlight operates across the three largest renewable segments today: solar, wind and energy storage. A global platform, Enlight operates in the United States, Israel and 10 European countries. Enlight has been traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange since 2010 (TASE: ENLT) and completed its U.S. IPO (Nasdaq: ENLT) in 2023. Learn more at www.enlightenergy.co.il.
Investor Contact
Yonah Weisz Director IR investors@enlightenergy.co.il
Erica Mannion or Mike Funari Sapphire Investor Relations, LLC +1 617 542 6180 investors@enlightenergy.co.il
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements contained in this press release other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s expectations relating to the Project, the PPA and the related interconnection agreement and lease option, and the completion timeline for the Project, are forward-looking statements. The words “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “target,” “seek,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “contemplate,” “possible,” “forecasts,” “aims” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, though not all forward-looking statements use these words or expressions. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: our ability to site suitable land for, and otherwise source, renewable energy projects and to successfully develop and convert them into Operational Projects; availability of, and access to, interconnection facilities and transmission systems; our ability to obtain and maintain governmental and other regulatory approvals and permits, including environmental approvals and permits; construction delays, operational delays and supply chain disruptions leading to increased cost of materials required for the construction of our projects, as well as cost overruns and delays related to disputes with contractors; our suppliers’ ability and willingness to perform both existing and future obligations; competition from traditional and renewable energy companies in developing renewable energy projects; potential slowed demand for renewable energy projects and our ability to enter into new offtake contracts on acceptable terms and prices as current offtake contracts expire; offtakers’ ability to terminate contracts or seek other remedies resulting from failure of our projects to meet development, operational or performance benchmarks; various technical and operational challenges leading to unplanned outages, reduced output, interconnection or termination issues; the dependence of our production and revenue on suitable meteorological and environmental conditions, and our ability to accurately predict such conditions; our ability to enforce warranties provided by our counterparties in the event that our projects do not perform as expected; government curtailment, energy price caps and other government actions that restrict or reduce the profitability of renewable energy production; electricity price volatility, unusual weather conditions (including the effects of climate change, could adversely affect wind and solar conditions), catastrophic weather-related or other damage to facilities, unscheduled generation outages, maintenance or repairs, unanticipated changes to availability due to higher demand, shortages, transportation problems or other developments, environmental incidents, or electric transmission system constraints and the possibility that we may not have adequate insurance to cover losses as a result of such hazards; our dependence on certain operational projects for a substantial portion of our cash flows; our ability to continue to grow our portfolio of projects through successful acquisitions; changes and advances in technology that impair or eliminate the competitive advantage of our projects or upsets the expectations underlying investments in our technologies; our ability to effectively anticipate and manage cost inflation, interest rate risk, currency exchange fluctuations and other macroeconomic conditions that impact our business; our ability to retain and attract key personnel; our ability to manage legal and regulatory compliance and litigation risk across our global corporate structure; our ability to protect our business from, and manage the impact of, cyber-attacks, disruptions and security incidents, as well as acts of terrorism or war; changes to existing renewable energy industry policies and regulations that present technical, regulatory and economic barriers to renewable energy projects; the reduction, elimination or expiration of government incentives for, or regulations mandating the use of, renewable energy; our ability to effectively manage our supply chain and comply with applicable regulations with respect to international trade relations, the impact of tariffs on the cost of construction and our ability to mitigate such impact, , sanctions, export controls and anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws; our ability to effectively comply with Environmental Health and Safety and other laws and regulations and receive and maintain all necessary licenses, permits and authorizations; our performance of various obligations under the terms of our indebtedness (and the indebtedness of our subsidiaries that we guarantee) and our ability to continue to secure project financing on attractive terms for our projects; limitations on our management rights and operational flexibility due to our use of tax equity arrangements; potential claims and disagreements with partners, investors and other counterparties that could reduce our right to cash flows generated by our projects; our ability to comply with tax laws of various jurisdictions in which we currently operate as well as the tax laws in jurisdictions in which we intend to operate in the future; the unknown effect of the dual listing of our ordinary shares on the price of our ordinary shares; various risks related to our incorporation and location in Israel; the costs and requirements of being a public company, including the diversion of management’s attention with respect to such requirements; certain provisions in our Articles of Association and certain applicable regulations that may delay or prevent a change of control; and other risk factors set forth in the section titled “Risk factors” in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and our other documents filed with or furnished to the SEC.
These statements reflect management’s current expectations regarding future events and speak only as of the date of this press release. You should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or will occur. Except as may be required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
News Release – DOH Reports Sixth Travel-Related Dengue Virus Case of 2025
Posted on Apr 11, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom
STATE OFHAWAIʻI
KA MOKU ʻĀINA OHAWAIʻI
DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH
KA ʻOIHANAOLAKINO
JOSH GREEN, M.D. GOVERNOR
KE KIA‘ĀINA
KENNETH S. FINK, M.D., MGA,MPH DIRECTOR
KA LUNAHO‘OKELE
DOH REPORTS SIXTH TRAVEL-RELATED DENGUE VIRUS CASE OF 2025
FOR IMMEDIATERELEASE
April 11, 2025 25-035
HONOLULU — The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed a new travel-related case of dengue virus on Oʻahu, bringing the total number of dengue cases to six in the state in 2025 (one on Maui, five on Oʻahu). The affected individual in this current case was exposed to the virus while traveling in a region where dengue is common. This case is unrelated to the dengue case previously reported on April 10, 2025.
DOH teams have been deployed to conduct inspections and implement mosquito control measures in the affected area. The public is encouraged to follow best practices to help prevent local transmission, as outlined below.
Dengue virus is transmitted from an infected person to a mosquito, and then to another person. While Hawai‘i is home to the mosquitoes that can carry dengue, the disease is not endemic (established) in the state, and cases are currently limited to travelers. Several regions worldwide are experiencing higher-than-usual dengue activity.
Dengue outbreaks occur in many parts of the world, including Central and South America, Asia (including the Republic of the Philippines), the Middle East, Africa, and several Pacific Islands, such as U.S. territories like American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau. Many popular tourist destinations in the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, are also affected.
In 2024, there were 16 travel-related cases of dengue reported in the state of Hawaiʻi. Cases reported travel to the following countries prior to symptoms onset: Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Philippines and India. All destinations listed are areas where dengue is known to be endemic.
Anyone who plans to travel to or has recently visited an area with dengue risk is vulnerable to infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises travelers to take standard precautions when visiting such areas. This includes using an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants outdoors, and sleeping in air-conditioned rooms, rooms with window screens, or under insecticide-treated bed nets. Some countries are reporting increased dengue cases, so travelers should review up-to-date country-specific travel information for guidance on dengue risk and prevention measures at least four to six weeks before traveling.
Travelers returning from dengue-endemic areas should take precautions to prevent mosquito bites for three weeks. If dengue symptoms develop within two weeks of return, travelers should seek medical evaluation.
Symptoms of dengue can range from mild to severe and include fever, nausea, vomiting, rash and body aches. Symptoms typically last two to seven days, and while severe illness can occur, most people recover within a week. Individuals who have recently traveled and are experiencing these symptoms should contact their healthcare provider.
In areas with suspected or confirmed dengue cases, DOH personnel from the Vector Control Branch (VCB) are conducting inspections and mosquito-reduction activities. Reducing mosquito populations lowers the risk of dengue transmission to others. In areas without reported dengue cases, eliminating mosquito breeding sites around the home is a helpful preventive measure.
Mosquitoes need only small amounts of standing water to breed. Common breeding sites include buckets, water-catching plants (such as bromeliads), small containers, planters, rain barrels and even cups left outside. Pouring out containers of standing water can significantly reduce the potential for mosquito breeding.
For more information, visit the Disease Outbreak Control Division (DOCD) and Vector Control Branch (VCB) websites.
Today, Governor Joe Lombardo announced the appointment of Dylan V. Frehner as a Judge for the Seventh Judicial District Court, Department 2.
“I am honored to announce the appointment of Dylan V. Frehner to the Seventh Judicial District Court, Department 2,” said Governor Joe Lombardo. “Frehner is well-rounded in many areas of the law and brings 20 years of experience as a rural attorney. His dedication to Nevada law and his commitment to serving the public make him a valuable addition to this judicial position.”
Frehner has served as the Lincoln County District Attorney since 2018, where he has managed criminal cases and provided legal counsel to county officials. Over the last 20 years, he has practiced in various areas of law, including family law, estate planning, and representation of the Lincoln County Water District (LCWD). He earned recognition from the Nevada Department of Wildlife for securing the first felony conviction for a wildlife crime in the state.
“I am grateful and honored by Governor Lombardo’s appointment,” said Dylan Frehner. “It is extremely humbling to follow in the footsteps of great judges like Judge Fairman and Judge Papez. I will work tirelessly to maintain the standard of fairness that has been established in the Seventh Judicial District.”
Frehner earned his Juris Doctor with Distinction from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. While attending the University of Nevada, Reno, he met his wife and started a family. Additionally, he served as a legislative intern for the minority leader during the 2001 Nevada Legislative Session. During law school, he impressively won his first mock trial competition, which awarded him scholarship money to help finance his education.
Outside of his legal career, Frehner considers his most significant role to be that of a husband and father to five children.
