fbpx

Human Progress Logo Human Progress

01 / 05
Deep Brain Stimulation Working Wonders against OCD

CNN | Mental Health

Deep Brain Stimulation Working Wonders against OCD

“Deep brain stimulation can be life-changing, but it doesn’t work equally well for everyone, and researchers say they’re getting closer to understanding why.

In a recent study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, Horn and an international team of researchers took data from more than 530 electrodes implanted in the brains of more than 200 people living with four conditions: Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, Tourette’s syndrome and OCD.

They looked at where the devices were stimulating each person’s brain and how much improvement each had. Then, they used these records to map the nerve networks that seem to become dysfunctional in each of the four disorders…

 The team used their maps to adjust deep brain stimulators for three patients… All of them saw substantial improvement in their symptoms.”

From CNN.

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.