U.S. wind and solar power helped prevent up to 12,700 deaths
The lower carbon emissions were worth billions of dollars as a result of the avoidance of the range of problems caused by fossil fuels.
Public health & disease
From disease eradication efforts to advances in vaccination and maternal health, this archive tracks real progress in public health. Stories here focus on what’s working — policies, interventions, and research that are improving and extending lives around the world.
U.K. pledges £100m to global efforts to eradicate polio
Money will fund vaccination of 45 million children annually until 2020, when the world could finally be declared polio-free
FDA announces comprehensive regulatory plan to shift trajectory of tobacco-related disease, death
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced a new comprehensive plan for tobacco and nicotine regulation that will serve as a multi-year roadmap to better protect kids and significantly reduce tobacco-related disease and death.
Scientists report a rare case of H.I.V. remission
For the third time in recent years, a child born with H.I.V. has been found free of the virus for a long period after a high dose of treatment early in life.
World’s first malaria vaccine will be given to thousands of babies in Africa
Last week WHO announced that one of several potential malaria vaccines in development has made it through a crucial phase of trials and is now ready to be tested in the field.
Life expectancy improves for blacks in the U.S., and the racial gap is closing, CDC reports
African Americans have made significant gains in life expectancy, and the mortality gap between white and black Americans has been cut in half since 1999.
World Health Organization hails major progress on tackling tropical diseases
WHO director general says significant strides have been made in fight against sleeping sickness, elephantiasis and other neglected tropical diseases
FDA approves first treatment for severe type of multiple sclerosis
“We’ve been banging on a wall with a bunch of drugs, and we finally put a big crack in the wall,” said Dr. Jerry Wolinsky.
Global life expectancy rises by more than a decade since 1980
Global life expectancy climbed past a decade between 1980 and 2015, with men reaching 69 years and women nearly 75, according to the Global Burden of Disease study. Childhood deaths halved since 1990, and malaria mortality dropped by roughly 60% after 2000. A quiet reminder that coordinated effort, over time, bends the curve.
Sri Lanka’s malaria-free status puts 30+ nations on path to elimination
Sri Lanka was certified malaria-free in 2016, a hard-won milestone for a tropical island still recovering from civil conflict. Mobile clinics reached remote villages, and quick diagnosis in children stopped the parasite before mosquitoes could carry it further. The country had nearly beaten malaria once before, in the 1960s, only to watch it roar back — making this second victory feel earned.