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01 / 05
AI Spotting Sick Tulips to Reduce Disease in Dutch Bulb Fields

Associated Press | Communicable Disease

AI Spotting Sick Tulips to Reduce Disease in Dutch Bulb Fields

“The boxy robot — named after a retired employee at the WAM Pennings farm near the Dutch North Sea coast — is a new high-tech weapon in the battle to root out disease from the bulb fields as they erupt into a riot of springtime color.

On a windy spring morning, the robot trundled Tuesday along rows of yellow and red ‘goudstuk’ tulips, checking each plant and, when necessary, killing diseased bulbs to prevent the spread of the tulip-breaking virus. The dead bulbs are removed from healthy ones in a sorting warehouse after they have been harvested.”

From Associated Press.

World Health Organization | Communicable Disease

Suriname Certified Malaria-Free by WHO

“Today [6/30/25], Suriname became the first country in the Amazon region to receive malaria-free certification from the World Health Organization…

Certification of malaria elimination is granted by WHO when a country has proven, beyond reasonable doubt, that the chain of indigenous transmission has been interrupted nationwide for at least the previous three consecutive years.”

From World Health Organization.

NPR | Drug Use

Drug Deaths Plummet Among Young Americans as Fentanyl Carnage Eases

“‘What we’re seeing is a massive reduction in [fatal] overdose risk, among Gen Z in particular,’ said Nabarun Dasgupta, an addiction researcher at the University of North Carolina. ‘Ages 20 to 29 lowered the risk by 47%, cut it right in half.’

This stunning drop in drug deaths among people in the U.S. is being tracked in data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal agencies.

The latest available records found fentanyl and other drugs killed more than 31,000 people (see chart) under the age of 35 in 2021. By last year, that number had plummeted to roughly 16,690 fatal overdoses, according to provisional CDC data.”

From NPR.

Our World in Data | Noncommunicable Disease

Childhood Pneumonia Deaths Have Plummeted in Nepal

“In the early 1980s, Nepal’s children suffered from some of the highest death rates from pneumonia in the world, with over 1,400 deaths for every 100,000 children under five. That meant around 39,000 children died from pneumonia each year, more than from any other cause.

Since then, Nepal has made huge progress. The death rate has fallen almost 20-fold. This improvement is due to various measures, including pneumococcal and Hib vaccines, better access to healthcare and antibiotics, and improved nutrition.”

From Our World in Data.