Blogs - This Week In Public Health

Commentary

Destined to Suffer. How Prosperity Theology Is Shaping U.S. Health Policy

What if your health wasn’t just a matter of biology or economics, but of divine judgment? For centuries, American culture has been shaped by an unspoken theology: that the healthy are favored, and the sick are suspect. Today, as proposed cuts to Medicaid target the most vulnerable, it is worth asking. Are we still living […]

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Health tips

Hey Doctors: Wash your hands!

It’s the sound you hear a thousand times in a hospital—the squirt of sanitizer from a dispenser, the rush of water at a sink. These small acts seem routine, even forgettable. But in reality, hand hygiene is one of the most powerful weapons we have against hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). And yet, compliance has long been […]

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News

Next Week in Public Health, September 12, 2025

It’s been a little too quiet this week on the policy front, but I suppose we should be grateful for that. Here’s what’s in the research. We are working on a project involving Lil Sis to help understand the special interests driving these policy changes, so we can hopefully have that done soonish. And we we can […]

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Society

America’s Public Health System Isn’t Ready for the Next Disaster

“Are we ready for the next big one?” That question has haunted U.S. public health for two decades. After 9/11, billions of dollars flowed into strengthening emergency response, building laboratories, and stockpiling medicines. And yet, when COVID-19 hit in 2020, the cracks showed: overwhelmed hospitals, broken supply chains, and communities left behind. The irony is […]

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Global

Prevention Pays Off – In Dollars and Lives

The bottom line: Investing in public health prevention pays for itself. This is a message we NEED to hit over and over as the current public health infrastructure is systematically dismantled. A large body of U.S. research shows that every dollar spent on effective prevention programs yields many times more in savings on healthcare costs […]

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Global

Exploring the Rise of Obesity as a Global Public Health Challenge

Obesity is no longer just a personal health issue; it has transformed into a formidable global public health challenge. Recent reports from the United Nations and public health research highlight that for the first time, obesity has overtaken underweight issues among school-age children worldwide [UN Report]. This shift underscores a looming epidemic with substantial implications […]

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Health equity

Florida’s Anti-Vaccine Push

Introduction In a recent article by the New Scientist, Florida’s decision to potentially abolish all vaccine mandates, including those for schoolchildren, has generated significant concern among public health officials and the general population. This drastic change in policy threatens not only the health of Florida’s residents but may also have repercussions for public health across […]

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Epi

What Rift Valley Fever Teaches Us About Hidden Epidemics

In 2007, Kenya faced a Rift Valley fever (RVF) epidemic so severe it drained $32 million from its economy. Four years later, South Africa’s sheep industry lost nearly $14 million to the same disease. For decades, scientists explained these outbreaks through a neat, if chilling, story: infected mosquito eggs lie dormant during dry spells, then […]

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Policy

MAHA reports….Quick Reaction

Two major documents have recently emerged today from the White House: the Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment and the follow-up Strategy Report. Both aim to address a very real concern: the rise of chronic disease among American children. But while these reports raise important issues, they also reveal deep problems in how the administration […]

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Environment

Air Pollution: The Threat to Public Health

Air pollution is still a pressing public health issue, with its detrimental impacts being felt globally. According to the World Health Organization, exposure to air pollution is a significant risk factor for a variety of health conditions, ranging from lung and heart diseases to diabetes and cancer. The Health Impact of Air Pollution Air pollutants […]

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