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Newsletter

Newsletter

Urbanization

More than half the world’s population now resides in cities. Urbanization in low-income countries could offer billions of people better access to jobs and health-care services and a gateway to the world economy. To reap those benefits, those nations will have to confront the looming health and environmental challenges of urban life. This section examines the ways in which health and infectious diseases shape urbanization, but also the ways in which cities will define the future of global health

Urbanization

70%

More than 70% of Dutch citizens cycle at least once per week

More than 70% of Dutch citizens cycle at least once per weekFostering Bicycle Safety for Human and Planetary Well-Being

100

The U.S. unsheltered population is 100 times larger than Japan's

The U.S. unsheltered population is 100 times larger than Japan’sAddressing Homelessness: U.S. Sweeps Versus Japan's Public Assistance

70%

Nearly 70% of the world's population is expected to live in a city by 2050

Climate and Health: Global Problems, Local SolutionsClimate and Health: Global Problems, Local Solutions

58,000

Snakebites cause approximately 58,000 deaths per year in India

An Antivenom Plan for IndiaAn Antivenom Plan for India

42%

42% of public housing projects were built before 1975

Obstacles to Healing AsthmaObstacles to Healing Asthma

30%

Climate change fuels an increase in the share of wildfires deemed extreme, to 14% by 2030 and and 30% by 2050

Connecting the Dots Between Climate and Air QualityConnecting the Dots Between Climate and Air Quality

6,000

An explosion in a Beirut warehouse in 2020—resulted in more than 6,000 injuries and deaths

Injuries: A Leading Killer of Youth in LebanonInjuries: A Leading Killer of Youth in Lebanon

2 X

In Lebanon, children who are refugees have twice the risk of dying from a traffic injury than local children

Injuries: A Leading Killer of Youth in LebanonInjuries: A Leading Killer of Youth in Lebanon

1 in 10

One in ten Americans has asthma, making the United States the worldwide leader in asthma prevalence rates

The link between poverty, housing, and asthma in the U.S.Obstacles to Healing Asthma

90%

Of future urban growth will be in Africa and Asia

Contribution of Africa and Asia to future global urban growthGlobal Health by the Numbers: December 2019

2.0 B

Projected number of people living in slums by 2030

Projected number of people living in slums by 2030Global Health by the Numbers: December 2019

Featured

When Working Too Much Turns Deadly
Urbanization

When Working Too Much Turns Deadly

by Elena Every

As awareness grows around karoshi, or "death by overwork," so do calls to rethink the boundaries of sustainable work

Urbanization

Iran War Threatens Water Desalination in the Middle East

by Alejandra Martinez
Pie chart titled “Middle East Dominates Water Desalination.” It shows the share of global operational cumulative desalination capacity by region. The Middle East has the largest share at 41.8%, followed by East Asia and the Pacific at 22.2%, North America at 10.3%, Europe and Central Asia at 9.56%, Latin America and the Caribbean at 6.1%, Africa at 5.89%, and South Asia at 4.15%. Subtitle notes that the region processes 29 million cubic meters of water per day, equal to 42% of the world’s capacity. A footnote says Africa excludes Egypt, and Europe and Central Asia excludes Turkey and Cyprus.
Urbanization

England Closes Several Long-COVID Clinics, Deserting Patients 

by Emma Smith
Felicity Callard, a 49-year-old British university professor and lecturer who continues to struggle with symptoms following a COVID-19 infection, poses after an interview at her house, in London, Britain, on September 2, 2020.
Urbanization

London Opens New Clinic for Tuberculosis Survivors

by Gabriela Galvin
The x-ray scan is shown on a computer after a screening for tuberculosis, in London, England, on January 27, 2014.
Urbanization

How AI "Besties" in South Africa Are Changing Uptake of HIV Medication 

by Sarah Morris, Jirair Ratevosian
HIV patients chat at Nkosi's Haven, in south of Johannesburg, South Africa, on November 28, 2014.
Urbanization

Why Mumbai's Overcrowded Trains Prove Fatal

by Puja Changoiwala
Commuters wait for a train at Goregaon railway station in suburban Mumbai on August 7, 2025.
Urbanization

Shifting the Narrative on Global Road Safety

by Matthew Taylor
Road safety officers stand, as traffic is blocked up on a road, in Lokoja, Nigeria, on October 13, 2022.
Urbanization

Addressing Homelessness: U.S. Sweeps Versus Japan's Public Assistance

by Matthew D. Marr, Hiroshi Goto, Dennis P. Culhane
Nathaniel, who is homeless, panhandles near the National Mall after U.S. President Donald Trump federalized the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed National Guard to assist in crime prevention, in Washington, DC, on August 15, 2025.
Urbanization

Light Pollution Reshapes Growing Seasons 

by Lin Meng 
A building is pictured through trees amid heave smog on a polluted day, in Beijing, China, on December 2, 2018.
Urbanization

Colombia Opens South America's First Safe Injection Sites

by Hannah Harris Green
Colombia Opens South America's First Safe Injection Sites
Urbanization

Homicide Rates Near Supervised Consumption Sites: A Study from Canada

by Suhanee Mitragotri, David T. Zhu
Homicide Rates Near Supervised Consumption Sites: A Study from Canada
Urbanization

Fostering Bicycle Safety for Human and Planetary Well-Being

by Madeline Moberg, Theo Vos, Liane Ong, Hailey Lenox
Fostering Bicycle Safety for Human and Planetary Well-Being