Latest Global Health Updates
Latest Global Health Updates
Source: Medscape Medical News, July–August 2025
1. WHO’s First Global Arbovirus Guidelines
Giuliana Miranda – July 25, 2025
• Diseases like dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever are now spreading beyond tropical areas because of climate change, urban growth, population increase, and more travel.
• Over 5.6 billion people are at risk.
• WHO has released its first global guidelines to help doctors diagnose and treat these diseases, especially in places with limited labs or hospital resources.
• The main carriers are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, now appearing in new parts of the world.
2. Arboviruses Spreading in Europe:
• Dengue, chikungunya, and Zika are no longer just tropical diseases — they are now being reported in parts of Europe.
• In the last 20 years, their spread has grown, reaching non-endemic areas like the Mediterranean.
• From 2021 to 2024, Europe saw more locally acquired dengue cases, and mosquito and tick species are moving further north and west.
3. Economic Risk from Chronic Diseases in South America
• From 2020–2050, chronic diseases (like diabetes and heart disease) and mental health problems could cost as much as the total yearly GDP of all Latin America and the Caribbean.
• This is due to high healthcare costs and lost productivity.
• PAHO says stronger primary care and health promotion can reduce the damage.
4. New Lyme Disease Blood Test
• A new blood test using machine learning and a special lab method can detect Lyme disease with over 90% accuracy at all stages.
• It was tested on 308 blood samples and presented at a major lab medicine conference in Chicago.
• Lyme disease is spread by ticks and affects about 476,000 people each year in the US.
• Detecting it early is important, but has always been a challenge for doctors.
