Blogs - This Week In Public Health

Communication

Beyond “Trust the Science”: How Public Health Must Relearn How to Engage Communities

Public health is facing a paradox. On the one hand, never before has scientific evidence played such a visible role in public life. During COVID-19, epidemiological models shaped national policy. Scientists became household names. Research moved at historic speed. On the other hand, trust fractured. Scientists were harassed. Communities disengaged. Evidence was reframed as ideology. […]

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Epi

Surprising Trends in Post-Flood Infectious Disease Risks

The sound of pouring rain patters against a small clinic in a flood-stricken Thai village. The health worker inside anxiously checks the clinic’s stock of antibiotics and rehydration solutions, knowing that after the waters recede, a wave of patients is likely to follow. Floods are a relentless global foe, affecting 1.36 billion people from 2004 […]

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AI

AI’s Hidden Challenge in Heart Health Communication

A cardiology nurse in Augusta, Georgia scrolls through her phone between patients. She’s looking for a clearer way to explain heart failure symptoms to a man with limited literacy and newly diagnosed hypertension. She types his question—“Why does my heart feel tired?”—into a popular AI chatbot. The response is fast, technically accurate… and almost impossible […]

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Health tips

We Received a Copyright Demand Letter. Here’s How We Survived It.

If you run a nonprofit, blog, or small research platform, this could save you thousands of dollars. One afternoon, we received an email that made our stomachs drop. A law firm was contacting us on behalf of a major international news agency. They claimed one image on our website violated copyright law. They attached a […]

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Global

Human Trafficking in Central America: Trends, Challenges, and Hope for Change

Human trafficking is a widespread crisis throughout Central America, capturing countless children, women, and men into modern slavery. From forced labor on farms to sexual exploitation in illegal brothels, trafficking in persons violates fundamental human rights and creates serious public health and social issues. As Central America faces poverty, violence, and large-scale migration, traffickers target […]

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Climate

Extreme Weather Is Overloading Health Systems

On a humid July afternoon, the emergency department in a mid-sized city is already strained. Ambulances arrive nonstop. Elderly residents struggle with heat exhaustion. A dialysis patient collapses after missing treatment because the clinic shut down during a storm. The charge nurse scans the waiting room and quietly wonders: how much more can this system […]

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Society

Navigating Vaccine Hesitancy and Misinformation

We are continuously challenged by vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. These issues have been central to discussions at several international forums and publications, including a special section on trust in public health by the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH). Building trust and trustworthiness in public health has emerged as a crucial theme for 2026, highlighting […]

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Environment

Why 5G Matters for Bees, Birds, and Public Health

Just after sunrise, a small flock of migratory birds lifts from a patch of coastal marshland. They rise, circle, and attempt to orient—yet something is off. Their compass seems scrambled. Instead of settling into their usual migratory path, the birds loop again, drifting dangerously close to the new 5G small-cell transmitters mounted along a nearby […]

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Commentary

“The Great Healthcare Plan” Sounds Simple. Healthcare Isn’t.

If you’ve ever tried to compare health insurance plans, argue with a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), or figure out why your prescription costs more than your rent, you know the U.S. healthcare system has a special talent for making basic things feel impossible. That’s why a short, punchy policy document like The Great Healthcare Plan […]

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Health tips

How Much Water We Really Need After Age 40

On a cool morning in Salzburg, a 52-year-old office worker arrives at a clinic for a routine health study visit. She hasn’t eaten for 10 hours, her urine sample is collected, and her blood is drawn. She thinks her hydration is “fine”—after all, she drinks tea, coffee, and eats fruits daily. But when her results […]

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