NYU GPH Journal of Public Health Disasters
A student-led journal driven by the latest research in public health disaster preparedness and management.
In 2016, the Zika virus spread across the Americas, leading the World Health Organization to declare an epidemic. With over 175,000 confirmed cases by the end of 2016, health officials led a rapid response to prevent further transmission and increase research to fully understand the mosquito-borne pathogen.
Continue reading “Diya Mehta’s Case Study on the 2016 Zika Outbreak”
Following the recent wave of employee layoffs, President Donald Trump and his administration continue their onslaught against the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). The layoffs target probationary employees, specifically those who had recently transitioned into their role or have been with the organization for less than two years.
Continue reading “NIH Funding in Potential Peril”
In this report, Shen comments on the critical trend of de-globalization, highlighting the decrease in international trade, supply chains, and cross-border investments. Shen argues this trend has the potential to worsen global inequality and notes that to avoid such negative effects, governments should employ open trade talks and innovation-driven expansion.
Continue reading “Tony Shen’s Global Trends Précis: De-globalization”
In December 2019, several individuals in Wuhan, a city in China’s Hubei Province, experienced symptoms of an unusual viral pneumonia-like illness. Five years later, that illness, now etched into history as the Coronavirus (COVID-19), has taken over 20 million lives, cost trillions of dollars (disputed number), disrupted the education for 1.6 billion students, and directly impacted over 777 million people around the world. Yet, in a similar and brighter spotlight, the response to the pandemic included significant transformations in healthcare and record-breaking vaccine development and production rates, setting the world back on track toward a new normal.
Continue reading “Revisiting the Past Five Years of COVID-19”
Health professionals—from seasoned veterans to newly trained medical students—are fleeing Sudan at an alarming rate. At the root of this mass migration lies the destructive effects of the Sudanese civil war, which has already displaced over 11 million people since the conflict first unfolded in April 2023, while more than 3 million have fled Sudan. Hospitals have been bombed, medical schools shuttered, and humanitarian aid obstructed, forcing Sudan’s healthcare workers to seek opportunities elsewhere, often turning to adjacent countries.
Continue reading “Sudan’s Civil War Force Mass Departure of Medical Workers”
In 2016, the multidrug-resistant fungal strain of Candida auris reappeared in the U.S., being traced back to a case in 2013. As of January 2025, nearly 3,000 cases have been reported in New York. A particular surge of cases during the COVID-19 pandemic led to many improvements in case screening and management by the New York Department of Health.
Continue reading “Natalia Ramon’s Case Study on the New York C. Auris Outbreak”
President Donald J. Trump was recently inaugurated for his second term as the President of the United States. His previous term was from 2017 to 2021, notably during the COVID-19 pandemic, the global health crisis that shook the world. In just the first days of his second term in office, President Trump has expressed his intention to reform, develop, or modify policies that would directly influence America’s position in global health and the current state of Americans’ health. Trump’s announcements and executive orders have made the American public wonder what can be expected in the next four years he will be in the Oval Office.
Continue reading “Trump’s Second Presidency: Withdrawal From WHO and More”Introduction: Nipah virus (NiV), which was recognized in Malaysia in 1999, is a zoonotic virus spread through direct contact between infected pigs and humans. This virus can also be transmitted through contaminated food and person-to-person via exposure to secretions from infected animals and unprotected person-to-person contact. Thus it is both highly infectious as well as potentially fatal, with a fatality rate of 40-76%.
Continue reading “Ishita Nair, Manasi Narayan, and Madison Crombie’s Disaster Response Plan for Kerala, India”
Water fluoridation, the controlled addition of fluoride to public water supplies, has been a cornerstone of public health initiatives aimed at reducing dental decay. Initiated in the United States in 1945, it has since been adopted in numerous countries, though not without controversy. In light of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services ahead of the second administration for incoming-President Donald Trump, both critics and supporters have pointed to Kennedy’s pronounced opposition to the fluoridation of water. Safety and health experts now share concerns about what this will mean for the future of public health.
Continue reading “History and Controversy of Fluoride in Drinking Water”
In October 2024, member states of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) gathered to adopt a thorough strategy that strengthens early detection and response to health threats across the Americas. This initiative tackles the vulnerabilities revealed by recent global health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing attention to the necessity for strong systems that can monitor and respond effectively to new diseases as they arise. Countries without these measures may risk common outbreaks and significant loss of life, with underserved regions being especially affected.
Continue reading “PAHO States Introduce Way to Enhance Early Detection of Health Threats”