Here’s how public health fared in 2024

The world faced many public health challenges this year, including dangerous heat waves and outbreaks of the infectious diseases dengue and mpox. In the United States, after years of increases, there are early but promising signs of a downward trend in drug overdose deaths.

Dengue, mpox and bird flu raised the alarm

Dengue has broken out in the Americas, where countries have reported more than 12.6 million cases since early December, according to the Pan American Health Organization. In 2023, there were about 4.6 million cases. Mpox again became a public health emergency, with close to 60,000 confirmed and suspected cases in Africa by early December, according to the World Health Organization. And bird flu spread on US diary farms (SN: 12/12/24). There have been 60 confirmed cases of bird flu in humans in the United States since Dec. 13, mostly among exposed workers on dairy and poultry farms.

Extreme heat endangers health

Heat threatened health around the world in 2024, from India to Europe to North Africa. A heat dome brought high temperatures to the United States earlier than usual this summer (SN: 21.6.24). People in Australia and Brazil experienced scorching heat during their winter (SN: 9/2/24). Extreme heat is partly due to climate change (SN: 12/5/24).

In the United States, a new online resource called HeatRisk, which uses data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, made its debut this spring. People can put in a postcode to find out about the current heat health risk in their area and what the air quality is like (SN: 6/1/24, p. 4).

Clean water is out of reach for billions of people

More than half of the world’s population does not have access to safe drinking water (SN: 9/7/24 & 9/21/24, p. 7). Clean drinking water is a human right, but a new estimate, based on surveys and computer simulations, predicts that more than 4.4 billion people do not have access. This is more than double the official report provided by the World Health Organization and based on country reports.

US drug overdose deaths are trending lower

The CDC estimates that drug overdose deaths have fallen from about 113,000 in the year ending July 2023 to about 94,000 in the year ending July 2024, a drop of nearly 17 percent. It’s the largest drop on record for U.S. overdose deaths, according to a statement from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. The CDC had announced a downward trend in May, when the agency reported that the estimated total for 2023 — close to 108,000 overdose deaths — was the first annual decline since 2018. Experts are still assessing what is contributing to the decline.

COVID-19 is still with us

March marked four years since the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic (SN: 4/6/24, p. 14). CDC released COVID-19 isolation guidelines in 2024. The SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to spread, making people sick. There were high levels of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage this summer and an increase in infections (SN: 19.7.24). The US Food and Drug Administration approved updated vaccines in August to better match circulating variants (SN: 22.8.24). And the Biden Administration restarted a program that sends free rapid tests for COVID-19 to homes ahead of an expected spike in winter cases.

The long covid received an official definition

With input from patients, the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine announced a definition for long-term COVID (SN: 7/13/24 & 7/27/24, p. 13). The medical condition persists for at least three months after infection with the coronavirus, affects any organ or system in the body, and can include more than 200 symptoms. A formal definition can help with diagnosis and treatment.

Nasal spray for severe allergic reactions wins approval

The first epinephrine nasal spray for adults and children weighing 30 pounds or more got the nod from the FDA (SN: 27.8.24). The drug treats severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. The new formulation, available by prescription, offers an undiluted option for the first time and could encourage wider use of the drug for severe reactions.

Sensitive examinations require written informed consent

Hospitals must obtain written informed consent to perform breast, pelvic, prostate, and rectal examinations that are not medically necessary (SN: 24.4.24). The US Health and Human Services guidance came in response to ethical concerns about unauthorized medical training exams performed on patients under anesthesia.

A new rule for mammography

Mammogram reports in the United States must now include whether the person being screened has dense breast tissue, under an FDA rule that took effect on September 10. Having dense breasts modestly increases the risk of a breast cancer diagnosis, but it is only one component of a person’s overall risk (SN: 3/10/23).