In Madagascar, people with albinism face escalating violence driven by superstitious beliefs about their body parts. At least 13 people with albinism, mostly children, have been killed this year through ritual beheadings, with their body parts sought by witch-doctors. The killings represent a recent but worsening crisis that has prompted international concern and advocacy efforts.
A new study published in The Lancet Oncology found that infections caused approximately 2.3 million cancer cases worldwide in 2024, representing 12 percent of all new cases. Researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer identified Helicobacter pylori bacteria and human papillomavirus as leading infectious causes, alongside hepatitis viruses and Epstein-Barr virus, with significant regional variations linked to access to prevention and screening programs.
The US and Russia manage diabetes differently, with the WHO reporting global diabetes cases surged from 200 million to 830 million between 1990 and 2022. Type 1 diabetes results from immune system failure to produce insulin, while type 2 involves insulin resistance; the US healthcare system struggles with insulin rationing and cost barriers, whereas management depends heavily on healthcare infrastructure and regular medical support.
Since May, Anthropic's Claude AI has been deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to accelerate Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak response efforts. Working with WHO AFRO, CEPI, and local health authorities, Claude analyzes health worker field data and automates situation reports, reducing compilation time from a full day to under an hour and enabling faster disease modeling and resource allocation.
Zambia's medicines regulator approved the HIV drug lenacapavir in just 12 days by using regulatory reliance, a streamlined approach that decomposes the approval process. Lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injection developed by Gilead Sciences, showed over 99.9% efficacy in preventing HIV infection and addresses adherence and stigma problems associated with daily oral PrEP. The rapid approval demonstrates how resource-constrained regulators in low- and middle-income countries can accelerate access to critical medicines.