Public Health

In the summer of 1982, seven heroin users were admitted to a California hospital paralyzed and mute. They were in their 20s, otherwise healthy — until a synthetic drug they had manufactured in makeshift labs left them frozen inside their own bodies. Doctors quickly discovered the cause: MPTP, a neurotoxic contaminant that had destroyed a small but critical part of the brain, the substantia nigra, which controls movement.

The patients had developed symptoms of late-stage Parkinson’s, almost overnight.

The cases shocked neurologists. Until then, Parkinson’s was thought to be a disease of aging, its origins slow and mysterious. But here was proof that a single chemical could reproduce the same devastating outcome. And more disturbing still: MPTP turned out to be chemically similar to paraquat, a widely used weedkiller that, for decades, had been sprayed on farms across the United States and Europe.

For a young Dutch doctor named Bas Bloem, the story would become formative. In 1989, shortly after finishing medical school, Bloem traveled to the United States to work with William Langston, the neurologist who had uncovered the MPTP-Parkinson’s link. What he saw there reshaped his understanding of the disease — and its causes.

https://archive.ph/DgsFC

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/61748028

Just a reminder that one of the biggest promoters of the lab leak theory is Trump's former CDC director Robert Redfield.

The accusation the virus originally escaped from a Chinese lab, while a possibility, has never been conclusively proven, and may have arisen in retaliation after the Chinese government circulated a video of Redfield as propaganda during the earliest months of the pandemic, in order to claim the U.S. was actually responsible for COVID.

Last June, Reuters released an investigative report which revealed the U.S. military had actually retaliated against the Chinese government's accusations by running a secret anti-vax campaign attempting to undermine China during the pandemic.

Tensions have since arisen regarding accusations against the NIH's involvement in "dangerous" gain-of-function research at a Wuhan lab, and testimony provided by Anthony Fauci.

I am working on a 3 part series covering this information, and how it relates to recent issues surrounding the creation of an updated bird flu vaccine. The first part covers common misunderstandings related to the NIH and Gain of Function research in detail.

I am still working on the two follow ups which will cover the lab leak theory and vaccine roll out, but have not had much time to get back into writing them. I hope to have time soon. I feel it's important to keep people informed ahead of the administration's attempts to spread new propaganda, because this all seems to be part of an elaborate public campaign that has been in the making for quite some time.

Please also keep in mind that Redfield actually wrote a public health commentary attacking "dangerous" gain-of-function research back in February, and praising Trump's planned EO to halt Gain of Function research, which was one of Trump's first announcements upon taking office. Redfield's commentary was published on the Heritage Foundation's website.

According to an article released today by a right wing White House press member, Trump's EO is nearing completion.

An increase in pregnancy-related deaths has been observed in the United States between 2018 and 2022, according to a recent study published in JAMA Network Open.

In 2015, the US maternal mortality rate was 26.4 per 100,000 live births, but Maternal Mortality Review Committees have reported that over 80% of deaths caused by pregnancy are preventable. These mortalities often occur with significant disparities, including a 2- to 3-fold increase in maternal mortality prevalence among non-Hispanic Black patients vs White patients.

“Given the increasing median age at childbirth and the decreasing number of live births observed annually, a more detailed characterization of the current US pregnancy-related death rates with age-standardized estimates would help guide tailored interventions necessary to reduce avoidable pregnancy-related deaths,” wrote investigators.

More evidence for an immune model of dementia onset

Since Spring of 2020, there have been ongoing convoluted political attacks against "dangerous" gain of function research. This includes attacks against American scientists, with many accusers citing the still unproven COVID lab leak theory.

One of the biggest supporters of this theory is former CDC director during Trump's previous administration, Robert Redfield.

Redfield also authored public health commentary for the Heritage Foundation in February, supporting Trump's proposed executive order to ban GOF research.

Some fungal diseases in humans no longer respond to medicines, which increases the risk of severe illness and death as well disease spread, according to a new report.

On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) published what it calls its first-ever report on the lack of tests and treatments for fungal infections.

Yeasts, moulds and mushrooms are all examples of fungi. Common toenail infections or vaginal yeast infections are common and treatable, but that's not always the case.

"Fungal diseases are an increasing public health concern, with common infections — such as Candida, which causes oral and vaginal thrush — growing increasingly resistant to treatment," WHO said.

The WHO report: https://www.who.int/news/item/01-04-2025-who-issues-its-first-ever-reports-on-tests-and-treatments-for-fungal-infections

What does it mean that religion, not porn use, predicts porn-related problems?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new report, Dementia in refugees and migrants: epidemiology, public health implications and global health responses, which synthesizes the latest global evidence on the factors affecting the health and care of displaced populations and offers policy considerations to address these challenges. This is the sixth report in the Global Evidence Review on Health and Migration (GEHM) series.

Dementia affects over 57 million people worldwide, with nearly 10 million new cases each year. It is the seventh leading cause of death and a major driver of disability among older people. While no cure exists, physical activity, social engagement, and some medications can help manage symptoms. However, people with dementia frequently face discrimination and barriers to care, highlighting the need for robust policies that safeguard their rights and ensure access to support services.

For refugees and migrants, these challenges are even more pronounced. Many face limited access to culturally and linguistically appropriate care, disrupted support networks, and the compounded effects of migration-related stressors. A lack of cross-cultural assessment tools and limited specialist training for health care professionals contributes to underdiagnosis and undertreatment among refugees and migrants.

In October 2024, the global stockpile of oral cholera vaccine (OCV) ran dry yet again, leaving no unallocated doses for new or worsening outbreaks. This underscores the ongoing shortfall of tens of millions of doses, driven by growing need, with both cases and deaths increasing globally in recent years, and lack of supply, with only one manufacturer currently serving the global stockpile. Meanwhile, however, pharmaceutical companies are reaping profits from a booming parallel market for OCV for a much lower-risk population: travelers from high-income countries (HICs). The current situation, where a tourist from a HIC at essentially zero risk of dying from cholera has more ready access to vaccines than a resident of the endemic country they will visit, exemplifies the chasm between commercial priorities and global health needs.