News

Only three African countries are expected to meet the global target for exclusive breastfeeding, “an unparalleled source of nutrition for newborns and infants, no matter where they are born,” according to a global health expert. A new study, published in Nature Medicine, finds areas of persistent low prevalence in countries that have made progress overall. Detailed maps accompanying the analysis reveal vulnerable populations, especially those living in rural areas and in extreme poverty.  

Chronic diseases, such as stroke, ischemic heart disease, and lung cancer, now represent the leading causes of premature death in China, according to a new scientific study.

Research published today in Nature Microbiology paints a startling new picture of where dengue, the world’s fastest-growing mosquito-borne virus, will spread to put more than 6 billion people at risk toward the end of the century. The study predicts risk to increase in the southeastern United States, coastal areas of China and Japan, and inland regions of Australia, based on researchers’ analysis of climate change data, urbanization, and resources and expertise available to control the virus. However, the biggest changes are predicted to occur in nations where dengue is already endemic.

A new scientific paper reveals striking variation in HIV prevalence at provincial and district levels. The paper, published in Nature, provides precise geographic estimates of HIV prevalence and numbers of people living with HIV to identify priority areas for health care support to reduce the burden of HIV.

One in six countries is expected to have substantially high out-of-pocket spending as a proportion of total health expenditures by 2050, according to a new scientific study. As low-income countries increase their GDP, they often face the “missing middle” problem: As they receive less development assistance, they are not able to fill the resulting gap due to slower growth in government health spending. 

Dr. Richard Horton, the “activist editor” of the international medical journal The Lancet, will be honored June 10 in London for his accomplishments as one of the world’s most “committed, articulate, and influential advocates for population health.” He is receiving the 2019 Roux Prize, given annually to individuals on the front lines of global health innovation in data science. Past winners include health ministers of Rwanda and Mali.

Poor diet is responsible for more deaths globally than tobacco, high blood pressure, or any other health risk, according to a new scientific study. Consuming low amounts of healthy foods, such as whole grains, and too much unhealthy foods, including sweetened beverages, account for one in every five deaths globally.

Democratic rule, enforced by regular free and fair elections, appears to make an important contribution to adult health by increasing government spending on health and potentially reducing deaths from several non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and transport injuries. Conversely, autocracies that escape this general scrutiny, and do not have the same external pressures or support from global health donors to tackle NCDs and injuries, may have less incentive to finance their prevention and treatment, and seem to underperform as a result.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s new NHS Long Term Plan, a 10-year blueprint for health services, relies substantially on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study to frame priorities for tackling premature death and disability.

Q&A with Professor Valery Feigin, Director of the National Institute for Stroke and Applied Neurosciences, and Professor of Epidemiology & Neurology at AUT University, New Zealand

Two IHME papers are featured in the “Altmetric 100” for 2018, the annual listing by the UK-based data science firm of research that most captured the public’s interest.