All articles tagged with #health equity
The WHO projects global cancer cases could rise from about 21 million in 2024 to 35 million per year by 2050, with the heaviest impact in low-income countries where surveillance and treatment are limited; aging and obesity will drive rises, though gains in tobacco control and HPV vaccination show progress and prevention remains uneven.
WHO warns that despite medical progress, cancer outcomes remain unequally distributed: about 20.6 million new cases and 10 million deaths annually, with survival far higher in high-income countries than in poorer ones; many low- and middle-income countries lack access to essential drugs and radiotherapy, and up to 90% of patients abandon treatment due to cost. Projections put cases near 35 million by 2050. Yet progress exists in cervical cancer elimination efforts and reduced tobacco use, underscoring the need for sustained investment in prevention, diagnosis and care to close the gap.
A Louisiana man became the state’s first functionally cured sickle cell patient via 2023 FDA-approved gene therapies Casgevy and Lyfgenia; while these treatments hold promise for tens of thousands who are Black or African American, their high cost (around $2–$3 million) and limited treatment centers create access barriers, highlighting the need for broader insurance coverage, expanded care in underserved communities, and thorough discussion of risks like infertility and long‑term cancer risk.
MLK Community Healthcare launched a Diabetes Management Center of Excellence with a modest grant, building a multidisciplinary support network and community services for high-risk diabetes patients. Four years in, most patients show improved blood sugar and blood pressure, appointment adherence increased, and diabetic-related amputations dropped to near zero, illustrating how targeted investment can deliver equity-based, best-practice care in South Los Angeles. The program's funding ends next year, with talks of partnerships to continue the model.
A Lancet projection across 35 developed nations suggests South Korean women could become the first population to average life expectancy above 90 by 2030, surpassing Japan. The prediction—not guaranteed—rests on near-universal healthcare, equity in health gains, and favorable trends in obesity and blood pressure; the United States trails due to unequal access. The 90-year threshold is plausible (about 57% probability) with a 90% chance of exceeding 86.7 years. If realized, it would reshape retirement, elder care, and healthcare policy amid rapid aging in Korea.
At the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly in Geneva on May 20, 2026, WHO and prize foundations honored six laureates from Mali, Thailand, France, Singapore, Bangladesh and Egypt for strengthening primary health care, expanding access to essential services and reducing inequities, including the Dr LEE Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health; the awards also mark 20 years since Dr Lee Jong-wook’s death.
Africa carries about a quarter of the global disease burden and around 20% of the population, yet its communities are underrepresented in leading randomized trials. An analysis of 2,472 trials from 2019–2024 found only 3.9% conducted exclusively in Africa, with just 0.6% of major cardiovascular trials Africa-only. This underrepresentation undermines external validity and the applicability of results to African populations, while infectious diseases still dominate Africa-based research even as non-communicable diseases rise. The piece argues for Africa-led research, ring-fenced funding, regional trial networks, and better reporting of trial diversity to align global medical knowledge with Africa’s health reality.
PrEP could end HIV in the United States, but access remains uneven due to insurance gaps, provider knowledge gaps, stigma, and racial/geographic disparities; telemedicine and long-acting injections are expanding reach, but affordability and policy changes—like funding cuts to HIV prevention—could threaten progress.
A Cancer Research Communications study finds never-married men have 68% higher cancer rates and never-married women 83% higher than their married counterparts, with the protective effect seemingly accumulating with age. Researchers say marriage may confer health benefits through social support, better healthcare access, and reduced risky behaviors, though some experts caution that findings could reflect broader social systems or biases. The authors advocate more research and increased support for unmarried individuals to ensure equitable care and screening.
A Axios piece argues the body positivity movement remains vital even as a GLP-1–driven slimming trend and celebrity focus dominate media, risking a return to thin-ideal norms. Experts warn this creates a two-tier world where access to medical weight interventions shapes self-perception and mental health, while activists emphasize reframing GLP-1s as disease-treating tools rather than vanity products. The fight for body diversity is framed as a social-justice issue that remains ongoing despite changing trends.
A policy change provides waiting-list credit to Black kidney transplant candidates to offset harms from race-based testing, aiming to reduce disparities and improve access to kidney transplants.
A prospective FDA-funded study called EquiOx measured 631 patients with pulse oximeters against arterial blood gases to quantify bias across skin tones. The preprint results were surprising: they suggested pulse oximeters may underestimate oxygen levels in darker-skinned patients, while also showing higher readings in darker versus lighter skin tones, a combination that undermines a simple universal correction. With the study not yet peer-reviewed, clinicians face unclear guidance on how to adjust readings, and questions remain about study design and applicability. Funding gaps and political pressures around health disparities add to delays in final FDA guidance and larger multi-site research plans, though researchers are pursuing broader datasets and international collaboration (e.g., Uganda) to resolve the issue.
Younger women are increasingly being diagnosed with breast cancer, with rates rising over the past 20 years. Improved screening practices, including earlier mammograms and genetic testing, are crucial for early detection and better outcomes. Health equity initiatives, such as mobile mammogram services, aim to make preventive care more accessible, especially for underserved communities. Understanding individual risk factors and ensuring timely screenings can save lives, as highlighted by the story of Cari Moskow Beegle, a breast cancer survivor diagnosed at 36.
Thea James, vice president of mission and associate chief medical officer at Boston Medical Center, is leading efforts to reduce racial health disparities by prioritizing patient input and empowerment. Through the Health Equity Accelerator initiative, BMC has seen promising results in reducing racial disparities in diabetes risk and postpartum readmissions. By focusing on patient needs and experiences, BMC has implemented simple but effective solutions, such as a blood pressure monitoring strap and standardized protocols, to improve maternal health outcomes and address racial disparities in healthcare.
Thousands of Black kidney transplant candidates have had their wait times modified after a racially biased organ test overestimated their kidney function, delaying their access to transplants. The U.S. organ transplant network ordered hospitals to use race-neutral test results, and more than 14,300 Black kidney transplant candidates have had their wait times adjusted. This is part of a larger effort to address racial bias in medical algorithms and restore faith in the health system, as Black Americans are over three times more likely than white people to experience kidney failure.