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Redefining global health in the 21st century: Towards a more equitable global health agenda; Reid, Michael J A ; Katz, Ingrid T; Global public health, 2025, Vol.20 (1), p.2464060

Global health is at a critical juncture, with significant achievements in reducing deaths from HIV and under-five mortality since 2000. However, progress in other areas, such as maternal mortality and tuberculosis, remains uneven, and cardiovascular diseases continue to rise. Compounding these challenges is the emerging threat of climate change, which is predicted to cause millions of health-related deaths by the end of the century. This commentary proposes a new global health model inspired by Kate Raworth's 'doughnut' framework, which emphasizes maintaining ecological and social boundaries to foster sustainable health.

Global partnerships in combating tropical diseases: assessing the impact of a U.S. withdrawal from the WHO; Ikponmwosa Jude Ogieuhi, Victor Oluwatomiwa Ajekiigbe, Stephen Olaide Aremu, et al.; Tropical Medicine and Health, 2025-03, Vol.53 (1), p.36-16, Article 36

Annually, tropical diseases are a major cause of mortality; for instance, in 2019, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) caused 150,000 deaths and 19 million DALYs, with sub-Saharan Africa bearing over half the burden and the other concentrations in Asia and South America. Their impact, though significant, is lower than ischemic heart disease and respiratory infections. The World Health Organization is critical in combating these tropical diseases through surveillance, information campaigns and health promotion. Through international collaborations and initiatives, tropical diseases have been relatively mitigated; for example, global initiatives eradicated smallpox (1980), cut polio cases by 99% (1988-2022), and reduced Guinea worm cases from 3.5 million (1986) to 14 (2023), while NTD prevalence dropped significantly from 1990 to 2020. Main body The potential departure of a major player like the United States, the largest WHO donor, which contributed $1.284 billion (20% of its budget) in 2022-2023, surpassing the Gates Foundation ($689M), Gavi ($500M), and the EU ($412M), and its potential withdrawal threatens WHO's financial stability, jeopardizing emergency responses, disease prevention, and global health initiatives, urging stakeholders to reinforce global health systems. (…)

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