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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Commentary

Why Public Health Must Oppose Fascism

When we talk about threats to public health, we usually think about diseases, disasters, or lack of medical care. But political systems also shape health. One of the biggest dangers to wellbeing is fascism. Fascist governments do more than limit freedom. They also create conditions that harm the health of individuals, families, and entire communities. […]

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Commentary

When Public Health Is Reframed Against Itself: A Critical Look at CDC’s New Priorities

Public health professionals across the country work daily to build trust, protect communities, and advance equity. So when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), long considered the world’s leading public health agency, updates its priorities, we all pay attention. Unfortunately, the newly released priorities statement raises serious concerns. While it speaks the language […]

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AI

Only 2 in 10 Communities Are Prepared for AI in Health

In a busy county hospital, staff rely on every tool to keep patients moving through crowded wards. AI software promises to shave hours off diagnostic work and predict who needs urgent care first. But here’s the catch: while early results look impressive, the evidence shows many of these gains depend on best-case scenarios—not the messy […]

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Health tips

How Vitamin A Transforms Children’s Health Worldwide

Vitamin A deficiency remains a prevalent global health issue, particularly among children under the age of five. As reports from Frontiers in Public Health highlight, efforts to combat this deficiency through vitamin A supplementation have transformative potential for child health, particularly in low-income countries like Ethiopia and Tanzania. With nearly one-third of children aged 6-59 […]

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Research

What This Study Reveals About Vaping and Sleep

Last year, nearly one in three U.S. high school students reported using e-cigarettes. At the same time, adolescent sleep health is in crisis: most teens fail to get the recommended seven to nine hours a night. New evidence suggests these two issues may be deeply connected—and that vaping could be quietly fueling the nation’s sleep […]

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Commentary

After the Kirk Killing: Public Health, Justice, and Politicizing Violence

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, senior officials like JD Vance framed the tragedy as proof of a coordinated “left-wing domestic terror movement,” vowing sweeping crackdowns on nonprofits and activists. To be clear: Investigators have not established a motive, yet the rhetoric has raced ahead of the facts, turning a criminal investigation into a […]

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Wellbeing

The End of Childhood Vacccines?

This week, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is set to debate whether to weaken or even remove recommendations for several routine childhood vaccines. Public health leaders warn the move could drastically lower vaccination rates and fuel new outbreaks of preventable diseases. The meeting comes amid turmoil at the Department of Health and […]

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Society

Are Our Cities Ready for a Rapidly Aging World?

Picture yourself in 2050. You’re 70, walking to a neighborhood park in Bandung. The sidewalks are smooth, buses have ramps, and a nearby clinic knows your medical history. Aging feels manageable—even empowering. But just a few hundred miles away, in smaller Indonesian cities without safe streets or accessible healthcare, older adults struggle with isolation, limited […]

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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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