We’re back from our short break with an exciting edition about Kenya’s eradication of sleeping sickness, Brazil’s homicide rate dropping to the lowest level since 2012, and the percentage of Americans who drink hitting a record low.
Kenya eradicates human African trypanosomiasis, WHO announces
The virus also known as sleeping sickness has been officially eliminated in the East African nation, according to the World Health Organization. Kenya is now the tenth country to hit this milestone, largely thanks to strengthened HAT surveillance (the monitoring and tracking of the disease’s prevalence) in 12 health facilities in six historically endemic counties.
Brazil sees homicide numbers drop to lowest rate since 2012
According to a newly published report, the South American country’s homicide rate has seen a 5.4% decrease compared to 2023 figures, as well as a 25% drop compared to those from 2012.
Percentage of US citizens who drink alcohol hits record low
A survey conducted last month suggests that only 54% of Americans drink alcohol, one percentage point under the previous record low in 1958. Researchers believe this might be in part to changing attitudes surrounding the negative health effects of alcohol consumption.
In 2014, over 140 million minks, foxes, chinchillas, and raccoon dogs around the world were farmed and killed for their fur. By 2024, that number had shrunk to 20.5 million in what animal rights activists are calling “the biggest animal welfare campaign success story of the 21st century”.
Oil spills from tankers fall to less than one-thirtieth of levels seen in 1970s
In the 1970s, over 300,000 tonnes of oil were spilled from oil tankers in most years. Last year, 10,000 tonnes were spilled, less than one-thirtieth of the amount lost in a typical year in the 1970s.
Single-use plastics have been banned in one of the world’s most polluted cities
Under the law that kicked off on July 1st in Lagos, Nigeria, the use of single-use plastics such as cutlery, plates and straws is banned and offenders risk their businesses being shut down.
Student invents self-disinfecting door handle for hospitals
Rayvon Stewart, now 30, was just 23 and a student at Jamaica’s University of Technology when he conceptualised the pioneering ultra-violet self-sanitising door handle model, he calls Xermosol, which he says can kill 99.9% of pathogens but is safe for people and animals.
Rocky Mountain National Park is rolling out all-terrain wheelchairs
As of today, about 28 national park sites offer adaptive equipment and mobility tools for visitors to use for free when they visit. At Rocky Mountain, upgrades include new accessible picnic tables, an accessible bus to transport visitors across the park, and all-terrain wheelchairs.
The tools helping people who struggle to communicate
From voice banking (a method that preserves someone’s voice before it’s lost) to a brain chip that turns neural signals into speech, new technologies are helping people across the world who have difficulty speaking for themselves.
Natural regeneration is reviving forests in northern Ghana
A women’s group is restoring degraded land naturally across Ghana’s Upper East Region, involving pruning shoots from living tree stumps to encourage strong regrowth. By selectively pruning and shielding them from bushfires and livestock, the trees grow faster and healthier.
