Blink and another year passes: but 2025 brings a chance for a new start and a reflection on where we are and what is to come. I don’t have a crystal ball and can’t predict exactly what the year has in store for me (astrology is still not a recognized science at the University of Edinburgh, where I work), but this What I can do is draw on my expertise and data signals from around the world to suggest seven public health topics – from potential pandemics to widespread weight-loss drugs – which I think will likely be important in the coming months.
Let’s start with less encouraging news: avian flu will continue to take on worrying importance. Since my last columnthe United States has confirmed first serious case of H5N1 in Louisiana in a patient infected with the strain circulating in birds (unlike mild infections in humans linked to the strain in cattle). California also issued a state of emergency in the face of increasing numbers of humans infected with the disease and fears that it could mutate further. Given the extent of the H5N1 virus in birds, wild and domestic, throughout the world, as well as in dairy cows in the United States, human infections will continue to be detected. The question is whether these are isolated cases, each linked to contact with an infected animal, or whether we start to see clusters of human cases in the coming months – the latter suggesting that the virus could be transmitted between humans, which would be the next case. major step in a pandemic scenario. Let’s hope this remains a scenario and not a future reality.
On the positive side, a growing number of studies show the beneficial impact of regular movement and exercise not only on the body, but also on the body. in the mind. We now have strong evidence on the effect of exercise on reducing depression and delaying dementia, in addition to improving overall health, for example reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, stroke and chronic pain. Expect more good news to come, and more discoveries about the biological and cellular mechanisms that explain this brain-body connection.
When it comes to mental health, I bet we’ll see more regulation of teen social media use in the coming year. We now have scientific evidence that extended periods Screen time, especially on social media platforms, is detrimental to mental health. It’s no surprise that the Oxford word of the year 2024 is brain rot. As the evidence mounts, expect to see country after country pass legislation to protect minors under the age of 16 from social media algorithms and harmful content, especially since this is an issue that has cross-party support.
Anything else that could bring us down? Drink alcohol. It is well known that alcohol is a depressant, but we now have strong evidence that alcohol, even red wine, is bad for our bodyand that ethanol (a key ingredient in alcoholic beverages) causes cell mutations. Have a drink if you want – we balance risks and benefits every day as human beings – but don’t pretend it’s good for your health. This year we will likely provide more evidence of the harmful effects of alcohol on our bodies, particularly the risk of cancer.
In 2024, we’ve seen celebrity after celebrity lose a lot of weight in a short period of time, then admit to taking medications like Ozempic or Wegovy. These injections contains semaglutide which suppresses appetite by mimicking the role of a natural hormone called GLP-1 which tells the brain that we have eaten and are full. However, far from being a magic bullet for weight loss, side effects (including kidney damage, gallbladder problems, and certain types of cancer) are documented, as is weight rebound when stopping the injections. In 2025, there is expected to be increased hesitancy about the use of these medications and awareness that they should be limited to those with a clear medical need; not for those who want to lose 15 pounds to fit into a size 0 dress.
To send you into 2025 with good news: we are getting ever closer to eliminate cervical cancer use the HPV vaccine; and also to see more efforts aimed at reducing child deaths from malaria thanks to the deployment of the malaria vaccine in African countries. Vaccines are sometimes considered controversial, but the science is simple: they train our immune systems to respond and fight pathogens. Safety and effectiveness are carefully studied and documented for scientists to analyze and discuss. A child dies every minute from malaria and a woman dies from cervical cancer every two minutes. There is now a real opportunity to prevent these early deaths and give millions of children and women the chance to live longer. It is worth celebrating this new year.