Infectious Disease

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Six small line charts show global disease burden trends, measured in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) per 100,000 people, from 2000 to 2023. The top row—diarrheal diseases, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis—shows steady declines. A vertical line in 2020 marks the COVID-19 pandemic. The bottom row—ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and depressive disorders—shows ischemic heart disease remaining high with slight fluctuation, while diabetes and depression rise modestly. Infectious diseases fall sharply as noncommunicable diseases rise.

Around the World, Chronic Diseases Are Rising

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A new iteration of the Global Burden of Disease Study charts how 25 leading health risks have improved or worsened

Scientific officer Anathi Nkayi works in the research lab at the University of Cape Town's Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, in Cape Town, South Africa February 17, 2025.

America First in Global Health: How Africa Should Respond

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A new U.S. strategy reframes health assistance from a global public good to a strategic asset for national advantage

A New Malaria Drug Can Treat Infants—If Health Systems Support It

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In July, Coartem Baby became the first approved malaria treatment for newborns and infants

Map of Africa shaded to show malaria mortality rates among children under 5, measured per 100,000 people in 2021. Darker red indicates higher mortality, with rates up to 500. The highest rates appear across West and Central Africa, with Burkina Faso marked as having the highest rate. Countries in northern and southern Africa are shaded light gray, indicating very low or no reported mortality. A legend in the top right shows the gradient from 0 (light gray) to 500 (dark red).

Africa's Internal Migration Crisis

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Migrants in several African countries face a new, worrying social discriminatory phenomenon called medical xenophobia

Florence Mushimye poses for a portrait in a classroom where they are taking refuge after being asked to leave Kalenga village by the M23 rebels, in Sake, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on March 13, 2025.

Measles Takes Root in Mexico

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Measles is thriving and causing deaths among Mexico's unvaccinated communities, amid deep budget cuts to health care

A map shows confirmed measles cases in Mexico and the United States from January to mid-August 2025, with circle sizes representing total cases by state. In Mexico, Chihuahua has the largest circle in the country—much larger than any other federal state—indicating it has four and a half times more cases than Texas despite having about one-tenth its population. Chihuahua’s circle is bright orange, while Texas’s circle is dark blue and smaller. A legend shows reference circles for 40, 400, and 4,000 cases.

White House Empties Office for U.S. Pandemic Policy: The Gaps Left Behind

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Summer departures leave the White House without a senior official for pandemic preparedness, biosecurity, or biodefense

White House Empties Office for U.S. Pandemic Policy: The Gaps Left Behind

Preserving Refugee Health in Uganda

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Amid U.S. funding cuts, Uganda works to protect its rapidly growing refugee population from deadly diseases

Preserving Refugee Health in Uganda

American Indian Vaccination Gaps Amid Measles Outbreak

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A Pascua Yaqui-Yavapai Apache physician explains what vaccination gaps mean for American Indians during the outbreak

American Indian Vaccination Gaps Amid Measles Outbreak

What Sudan's Cholera Outbreak Reveals About Its Fragile Health System

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Conflict and neglect have destroyed Sudan's health-care infrastructure, overwhelming the remaining medical facilities

What Sudan's Cholera Outbreak Reveals About Its Fragile Health System

Life After USAID: Africa's Development, Education, and Health Care

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Alternative strategies to sustain progress on economic development, education investment, and disease responses

Life After USAID: Africa's Development, Education, and Health Care

Mpox Vaccine Tracker: Millions Pledged, Millions Still to Be Delivered

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A weekly updated tracker for vaccine donations announced in response to the mpox Clade I outbreak

Mpox Vaccine Tracker: Millions Pledged, Millions Still to Be Delivered

Preparing for Disease X

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A recent outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo underscores the need to prepare for future pandemics

Preparing for Disease X