Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · Jun 24

Today marks the third anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

What's happened since?

A record number of women have been prosecuted. Pregnancy loss is now considered extremely suspicious, even when it has nothing to do with abortion.

Criminalizing pregnancy: A record number of women were prosecuted the year after Dobbs

They were targeted for substance use, miscarriages, and stillbirths, largely driven by fetal personhood laws.

www.motherjones.com

670 6K 13K

Martha Tholanah @martthol.bsky.social · May 19

1 1

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

The New York Times @nytimes.com · May 16

Robert “Ed” Smylie, the NASA official who saved the Apollo 13 crew in 1970, has died at 95. He cobbled together an apparatus made of cardboard, plastic bags and duct tape after an explosion crippled the spacecraft as it sped toward the moon. nyti.ms/3Sbusb3

430 3K 15K

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

Wim Vandevelde (he/him) @wimvandevelde.bsky.social · Apr 9

"The projected cost of production at scale is <$100 per person-year. Gilead's new VL for #lenacapavir prevention and treatment undermines access. MICs with fast-growing HIV epidemics have been excluded; 23% of new HIV infections occur in these countries."

academic.oup.com/cid/advance-...

The Need for Lenacapavir Compulsory Licences in Ending the HIV Epidemic

The projected cost of production for lenacapavir is <$100 per person-year, far below current Gilead prices of $40 000 per person-year. Gilead's voluntar

academic.oup.com

2 2

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

WHO @who.int · Apr 7

Investing in maternal and newborn health is an investment in the future, not a cost.

It supports:

💙 Lifelong health

💙 Healthy societies

💙 #HopefulFutures

💙 Prosperity and stability

Improving the health of women and babies means collaborating and investing in #HealthForAll

5 56 280

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

TAG - Treatment Action Group @treatmentactiongroup.org · Apr 4

Our original “Cheat Sheets for Tuberculosis Activists” are so popular we split one of them into two separate pieces. Download the “TB Treatment Regimen Cheat Sheet” and the “TB Preventive Treatment (TPT) Regimen Cheat Sheet” now. www.treatmentactiongroup.org/publication/...

6 11

Martha Tholanah @martthol.bsky.social · Apr 2

2

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

AmplifyChange @amplifychange.org · Apr 2

AmplifyChange is accepting proposals for an IT support services supplier over 3 years. We seek a proactive partner who can drive innovation, keep AmplifyChange agile, and lead on necessary changes.

Click here to read more: https://f.mtr.cool/xfdzoiwjbs

1 1

Martha Tholanah @martthol.bsky.social · Apr 1

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Better engagement, better evidence: working in partnership with patients, the public, and communities in clinical trials with involvement and good participatory practice

In May 2022, member states of WHO adopted the World Health Assembly WHA75.8 resolution on strengthening clinical trials to provide high-quality evidence on health interventions and to improve research...

www.thelancet.com

1

Martha Tholanah @martthol.bsky.social · Mar 22

Coffee all the way, and forever... Long live ☕️

1

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

TAG - Treatment Action Group @treatmentactiongroup.org · Mar 21

Every year TAG works collaboratively to co-organize and co-sponsor a community #HIV cure research workshop ahead of the CROI scientific meeting. Slides and recordings from the 2025 event – kindly hosted by @sfaidsfound.bsky.social – are now available. www.treatmentactiongroup.org/webinar/2025...

5 7

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

WHO @who.int · Mar 21

Now more than ever, we must step up action and protect #HealthForAll.

Recent funding cuts are hitting global health hard—let’s take action before it’s too late! 🧵

6 160 450

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

TAG - Treatment Action Group @treatmentactiongroup.org · Mar 21

Vivid Coffee is helping get us through this week w/their Treatment Action Group Blend. For every bag of this ethically sourced coffee, Vivid will donate $5 to support our mission. Support TAG while fueling your response to enact some good trouble. Thank you Vivid! vividcoffee.com/shop/tag

2 6

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

Carlos del Río, MD, FACP, FIDSA @docdelrio.bsky.social · Mar 21

www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/meas... Sure wished we had HHS focused on increasing vaccination coverage to control this outbreak instead of saying it is “normal” and pushing bogus strategies.

Measles cases top 350 in Texas-New Mexico measles outbreak

www.cidrap.umn.edu

2 4 16

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

SARS‑CoV‑2 (COVID-19) @covid19disease.bsky.social · Mar 21

We are entering a dangerous phase of the H5N1 outbreak.

With spring migration underway, the virus will spread faster, threatening wildlife, livestock, and humans.

Migratory birds will carry the D1.1 (D701N) variant worldwide, raising the risk of mammal outbreaks.

14 190 600

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

Carlos del Río, MD, FACP, FIDSA @docdelrio.bsky.social · Mar 12

#CROI2025 is winding to a close. @EmoryUniversity finished strong with 12 posters. Congrats to all who presented this week, esp. Emory's CROI New Investigator Scholarship Awardees - Tehillah Chinunga, Kamaria Dansby, Jairo Fonseca, Felipe Ten-Caten, Ashvini Vaidya, & Simon Yang!

1 10

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

SARS‑CoV‑2 (COVID-19) @covid19disease.bsky.social · Mar 12

JUST IN: Heavily Mutated SARS-CoV-2 BA.3 Variant Detected in South Africa with 57 Spike Mutations.

250 1.5K 4.5K

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

WHO @who.int · Mar 10

📢 New study on causes of maternal death:

Severe bleeding (haemorrhage) and hypertensive disorders like preeclampsia are the leading causes of maternal deaths, together claiming around 130,000 lives worldwide in 2020.

bit.ly/43AzEvM

Many women lack access to essential sexual & reproductive health services that prevent maternal deaths.

LEADING DIRECT CAUSES ARE:
Haemorrhage
(Severe heavy bleeding)
27%

Hypertensive disorders including preeclampsia
16%

Other direct causes including birth injuries and anaesthetic complications
10%

Spontaneous and induced abortion
including complications from miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, unsafe abortions
8%

Sepsis/infections
7%

Pulmonary embolism
7%

Underlying health issues like anaemia, HIV/ AIDS, diabetes and malaria are major contributors to many maternal deaths.
23%

7 120 390

Martha Tholanah @martthol.bsky.social · Mar 10

Everjoice Win (EJ) is gone, and I feel empty. Rest easy, my sister.

Condolences for women rights activist EJ pour in–https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200039330/condolences-for-women-rights-activist-ej-pour-in

Martha Tholanah @martthol.bsky.social · Mar 8

WHO @who.int · Mar 8

Today is #InternationalWomensDay

Progress on #GenderEquality in health care is too slow.
Women have distinct & changing health needs at different stages of their lives. Health care should be easy to access, fair & tailored to meet each woman’s unique needs & circumstances.

🔗 bit.ly/3DmZQ2o

Against a blue background, graphic representation shows a diverse group of women holding a megaphone and placard. In the background are two yellow and black striped tapes. The text reads 'Women's health needs change from the time they are born to older age. But they often hit roadblocks to receive the right diagnosis and treatment they need.'

1

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

Kerry Cullinan @kerrycullinan.bsky.social · Mar 3

#USAID Memos Detail Human Costs of Cuts to Foreign Aid.

We will never forget this cruelty.

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/02/h...

U.S.A.I.D. Memos Detail Human Costs of Cuts to Foreign Aid

The world is likely to see millions more malaria infections and 200,000 cases of paralytic polio each year, according to an agency whistle-blower.

www.nytimes.com

1 5

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

Wim Vandevelde (he/him) @wimvandevelde.bsky.social · Mar 4

"Together with SMART4TB, the BETTER project had published a clinical field guide for how to treat people living with TB who had “expanded drug resistance” – meaning they had TB which is resistant to some of the new TB drugs like BDQ, CFZ, DLM, LZD, and Pa."
www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2025/03/04/m...

Massive $200 million TB research programme derailed by US funding cuts

Just over a month after US President Donald Trump implemented a 90-day freeze of all foreign assistance, the future looks very uncertain for tuberculosis research. Among others, a large TB research pr...

www.spotlightnsp.co.za

5 9

Reposted by Martha Tholanah

WHO @who.int · Mar 4

Did you know? 1 in 8 people worldwide are living with obesity.
#Obesity can lead to serious health conditions like type 2 diabetes, hypertension & cardiovascular diseases.

Learn how to prevent obesity 🔗 bit.ly/3SAcdeE
#WorldObesityDay

11 28 210

Martha Tholanah @martthol.bsky.social · Mar 4

At its core are power imbalances, discrimination, & systemic neglect, which exacerbate the physical & emotional challenges faced by pregnant girls under 18, violating their rights to dignity, safety, and equitable healthcare.

Martha Tholanah @martthol.bsky.social · Mar 4

Obstetric violence—defined as mistreatment & abuse during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care—is an under-recognized form of GBV that disproportionately affects pregnant children & teenage mothers in Zimbabwe.

healthtimes.co.zw/2025/03/03/o...

Obstetric Violence: A sinister form of GBV against pregnant children | HealthTimes

By Chipo Tsitsi Mlambo

healthtimes.co.zw

1