BMJ - British Medical Journal

The death toll continues to rise in central Myanmar after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit South East Asia on 28 March. Over 2700 people have died so far, with another 4521 injured and 441 reported missing.1The disaster prompted Myanmar’s ruling military junta, the State Administration Council (SAC), to make a rare call for humanitarian aid on 29 March, despite the ongoing civil war. On 1 April, however, aid agencies reported that the junta was preventing humanitarian assistance from reaching earthquake survivors.2 SAC resumed airstrikes in rebel areas barely three hours after the earthquake struck.3A UN assessment found that many health facilities in Myanmar have been damaged by the earthquake and warned that a “severe shortage” of medical supplies, including trauma kits, blood bags, anaesthetics, and assistive devices, was hampering response efforts. According to the World Health Organization4 three hospitals were severely damaged, with 22 sustaining partial damage.In a 30 March...

When hurricane Helene flooded a North Carolina plant that made 60% of the US’s intravenous fluids in October 20241 it was a grimly familiar situation. The damage worsened a shortage that had lingered since hurricane Maria hit the same company’s production in Puerto Rico in 2017.Medical procedures had to be altered to reduce the use of IV products. Fluids were rationed and surgeries postponed, and some patients had to get by with sports drinks.2 It took three months to bring the crisis under control.A broader, more intractable crisis has replaced it. Trump’s aggressive reconfiguration of US trade relations and a pledge to make all of the country’s essential drugs and their inputs at home is threatening the stability of medical supply chains that have only just recovered from covid.Additionally, tariffs targeting both traditional US allies and rivals are likely to hamper progress already made on relocating some medical sourcing from...

In this feature by Sally Howard (BMJ 2025;388:r305, doi:10.1136/bmj.r305, published 6 March 2025) we have removed a sentence stating that more than 1000 women a year die each year from unsafe abortion in Malawi—a statistic that has been disputed, including in the paper originally referenced in our article (Miller C. Maternal mortality from induced abortion in Malawi: what does the latest evidence suggest? Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021;18:10506. doi:10.3390/ijerph181910506. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8507663/).

The World Health Organization will slash its budget for 2026-27 by more than a fifth after the US withdrew, and other nations reduced, its funding.WHO plans to cut back the scale of its projects and its workforce to tackle a funding gap of nearly $600m (£464m; €555m) this year, Reuters reported after seeing an internal memo from 28 March. WHO proposes cutting its 2026-27 budget by 21%, from $5.3bn to $4.2bn. It had initially proposed a more modest cut, reducing spending to $4.9bn.“Despite our best efforts, we are now at the point where we have no choice but to reduce the scale of our work and workforce,” the memo reportedly said. Staff numbers will be cut by the end of April.In an earlier memo dated 10 March, WHO announced a one year limit on staff contracts and was working to alleviate the funding shortfall with more contributions from countries, private...

Singh and colleagues answer questions on managing HIV in primary care.1 Several other aspects are relevant to primary care clinicians caring for people with HIV.Many people with HIV, such as men who have sex with men, are at higher risk of mpox infection and are therefore recommended to receive mpox vaccination by the UK Health Security Agency.2Patients who have taken pre-exposure prophylaxis drugs and have suspected recent HIV acquisition might present atypically with, for example, HIV indeterminate serology and an undetectable or low RNA viral load. Discussion with a local expert or with a national clinical service for people with unusual HIV test results is recommended in this circumstance.3Although Singh and colleagues are right that HIV-2 infections are observed mainly in people with links to West Africa, HIV-1 is probably still more common than HIV-2 in many countries in that region, although data on HIV-2 prevalence are generally more limited.45Regarding...

We have a capacity problem in general practice. There are too few GPs, either as partners or employed, for the number of patients who need looking after. This is despite there being GPs unable to find work and practices that would like to employ them but lack the money or space.1Unsurprisingly, capacity and access are a priority for the government—perhaps because nothing says that the system is broken quite as effectively as an 8 am queue for appointments snaking around the block. Last year’s primary care network contract included extra payments related to this, with a number of boxes that needed to be ticked to earn them.2 Unfortunately, the focus was entirely on ease of access (how the patient makes contact with the surgery through new telephone systems and online triage) rather than on increasing capacity (the number of GP appointments available). This doesn’t help patients or doctors, and it...

The philosopher Derek Parfit, introducing his 1984 book Reasons and Persons, sets out a few basic concepts—that we have reasons for acting, that some ways of acting are morally wrong, and that some outcomes are good or bad in a sense that has moral relevance.1 Reaching for what he presumably judged to be an uncontroversial example of a poor outcome, he notes that “it is bad, for example, if people become paralysed.” Whatever hopes one might have about the arc of the moral universe bending towards justice, the US elections have placed enormous power in the hands of a Republican Party intent on sabotaging vaccination programmes and medical research, while withdrawing support from international programmes funded by USAID.2 This threatens the health and wellbeing of millions of people risking the resurgence of polio (and thus paralysis) as well as other existing and novel infectious diseases.While basic human decency calls for...

bmj;389/apr01_2/r614/FAF1faSteve was born in Preston, only two miles from where he would later practice as a consultant physician for 28 years. The maternity ward was hit by an outbreak of neonatal diarrhoea and there were several tragic deaths. Steve teetered on the brink but survived, according to his mother’s account, as a result of copious amounts of Lourdes holy water sprinkled daily on his forehead. Some 60 years later, by complete coincidence, he attended a domiciliary consultation with a lady with a similar birth date—and discovered that she also was one of the Preston outbreak survivors.Steve was the middle of three boys. His father was an engineer, his mother a teacher. Secondary education was at the Bishop Ullathorne School in Coventry. He commenced medical training at University College London, proceeding to Westminster Hospital Medical School in 1968. As a medical student, his artistic talents were in great demand and he...

bmj;389/apr01_1/r621/FAF1faChris Howard studied medicine at Liverpool University, qualifying in 1968. He completed his houseman, senior house officer, and registrar training in medicine and paediatrics at Leeds General Infirmary and in hospitals across Liverpool, obtaining his membership of the Royal College of Physicians in 1973.In 1974 he saw a “positions vacant” advertisement for a paediatrician in a private practice in Hong Kong and immediately applied. He got the job and moved to Hong Kong that summer, joining the Dr Oram and Partners practice where he worked as a paediatrician and GP for the next 23 years. He retired temporarily from medicine in 1997 to embark on a round-the-world sailing trip, returning to practise in his beloved Hong Kong in 2000.Chris had many interests outside of work. He was a keen yachtsman, a member of his university sailing team, and a member of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, where he raced...

The head of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F Kennedy Jr, announced on 27 March that he would cut 10 000 employees from department agencies as part of government restructuring by Elon Musk’s Department Government Efficiency. Another 10000 HHS employees left through early retirement and buyouts.1 President Donald Trump had previously told Kennedy to “go wild on health.”2Other major changes are also under way in the agencies that sit under HHS. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will lose about 3500 employees and get a new head, Susan Monarez, current acting director. Trump’s original choice, David Weldon, was withdrawn when it became clear he didn’t have enough votes for approval.3 The CDC will also conduct a large study to investigate a possible link between vaccines and autism, although many studies have debunked such a link.4 Researcher David Geier, who is not a doctor...

What you need to knowPeople experiencing homelessness face multiple barriers to accessing health care and have high mortality and morbidity from preventable or treatable conditionsClinicians should consider preventive care, harm reduction, and the increased rates of multimorbidity and early onset frailty when caring for people experiencing homelessnessTrauma informed practice provides a framework to enable respectful, safe, collaborative, and empowering relationshipsThere has been a worldwide rise in homelessness over the past 10 years.1 On a single night in 2024 roughly 771 480 people in the United States were experiencing homelessness, the highest figure since reporting began in 2007.2 Equivalent figures in England showed that, on a given night in 2024, an estimated 354 016 people were homeless which is 1 in 160 people.3Health and homelessness are closely interconnected, and there is much that can be done by healthcare professionals to improve the lives of people experiencing homelessness. Here, we explore the...

South Africa, HIV/AIDS hit hardHIV/AIDS researchers in South Africa are reeling from the termination or suspension of grants from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). Science1 reported that the cuts seem linked to a crackdown on grants with components of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Researchers told Science that grants related to LGBTQ+ health in the US were also terminated. Bhekisisa reported a leaked memo that instructed NIH staff to “hold all awards to entities located in South Africa,” listing it as a “country of concern” alongside China.2Modelling analysis published in TheLancet HIV3 this week estimated “an additional 4.43 to 10.75 million new HIV infections and 0.77 to 2.93 million HIV related deaths between 2025 and 2030” because of international aid cuts proposed by various countries. France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the US provide over 90% of all international HIV funding.NIH will stop funding climate health researchAn internal...

Science is under siege. Political forces are undermining expertise, dismantling research institutions, and replacing evidence based policymaking with ideology. This is a global crisis. The covid-19 pandemic underscored the importance of scientific independence. While vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics saved many lives, governments that ignored expert advice and downplayed the threat allowed lives to be lost. Sometimes, it became a political battleground as public health experts were vilified and disinformation flourished, with deadly consequences.1In the US, history is currently being rewritten. Life-saving vaccines are falsely being portrayed as harmful, and researchers are being demonised. Scientific institutions are in disarray, with frozen research grants, staff dismissals, and defunded public health agencies.2 Disinformation is rampant, damaging domestic research and international collaborations. The erosion of scientific credibility threatens global health.This assault on science is also evident in Europe.3 Climate science, vaccine policies, and social research are under attack as populist politicians seek to control...

A New York State county clerk has refused to enforce penalties filed by the state of Texas against a doctor in New York State who posted medication abortion drugs to a Texan woman.1The US constitution requires states to enforce judgments against their citizens by another state, so the dispute is almost certain to go to the Supreme Court. The constitutional right to abortion was overturned in 2022 and the decision left to individual states.2 Texas is one of 19 of the 50 states that have almost completely banned abortion.Despite the bans, abortions have increased as women travel out of their home state for the procedure or receive the medication abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol by telemedicine.34 The drugs are now used in around two thirds of US abortions.The doctor at the centre of the Texas lawsuit is Margaret Daley Carpenter of New Paltz, north of New York City. She is...

When Susan Cole was pregnant with her third child her HIV viral load started to rise, even though she was continuing to take her antiretroviral treatment. “Initially I was told I probably wasn’t taking my treatment properly, but that wasn’t the case: there just wasn’t enough research about drug levels during pregnancy,” she says.Cole, a health equity writer and advocate, shared her experiences at a webinar organised by the Message project (Medical Science Sex and Gender Equity).1 The project aims to improve the integration of sex and gender considerations across data collection, analysis, and reporting in the UK’s biomedical, health, and care research.Cole’s lived experiences clearly highlight the problem that Message is trying to tackle. She says that a lack of research involving women affects their experiences of illness and treatment, as well as their outcomes.What is the Message project?When it comes to guidance and policies on sex and gender...

Make them feel safeCatriona McVey, final year medical student, says, “Neurodivergent colleagues often bring unique strengths—such as attention to detail and deep focus in specialised areas—but they can also face additional challenges and barriers to success.“Work with them to identify what they personally find difficult, and explore what accommodations can be made at work. Neurodiversity is a spectrum and something that helps an autistic colleague may not be useful for a colleague with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Likewise, some people with ADHD might prefer to work alone when they need to concentrate, whereas others find they’re more productive when they can ‘body double’ by working alongside colleagues.“Culture is an important part of supporting neurodivergent colleagues. Neurodivergent problem solving can be unconventional, but still effective. As long as professional standards are met, focus on outcomes rather than rigid processes by being open to different approaches and communication styles. Lack of eye...

The evolution of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been shaped by the continuous challenge of balancing ischaemic protection with bleeding risk. While prolonged DAPT confers thrombotic risk reduction, it invariably increases bleeding complications, which are themselves associated with adverse prognostic implications.1 This dilemma has prompted the exploration of de-escalation strategies—gradual tapering of antiplatelet intensity or duration—as a means of optimising patient outcomes. Currently, the concept of DAPT de-escalation refers to the strategy of discontinuing aspirin after a short period of dual antiplatelet therapy after PCI, leaving patients on monotherapy with a potent P2Y12 inhibitor—typically ticagrelor, as supported by available evidence.234 The rationale behind this approach is to maximise ischaemic protection during the initial months after PCI, when the thrombotic risk is highest, while simultaneously mitigating the bleeding risk, which remains relatively constant and is directly associated with DAPT duration.5 In a previous meta-analysis from our...

Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s oldest pandemic, accounting for around a billion deaths in the past two centuries.1 In the UK, after more than a decade of declining incidence, numbers are on the rise. In 2024, 5480 people became unwell with TB in England—up 13% from 2023, the largest increase recorded since 1970, and reflecting a trend that started in 2021.2 The TB Action Plan for England 2021-263 commits the country to meet the World Health Organization target of eliminating TB by 2035.4 But achieving the required 18% annual rate reduction from 2025 is not certain.TB is linked to conditions of poverty. People who become unwell with the disease face stigma, financial precarity, digital exclusion, language barriers, and housing insecurity.5 They need the scaffolding provided by support networks to enable them to receive the health and social care required to complete treatment successfully. TB exists on a spectrum between asymptomatic...

Over the past two decades my research has centred on systematic reviews. Developing and evaluating statistical and research methodology for reviews has been a focus, but I have also collaborated on many reviews. These collaborations inevitably reveal the importance of complete, clear, and accurate reporting of primary studies. At best, incomplete and inaccurate reporting wastes research investment—often substantial in the case of large randomised trials—and at worst, it may lead to incorrect conclusions with far reaching consequences.Primary studies that are reported well contribute maximally to the evidence base and can be fairly assessed. The opposite is true when reporting is unclear or incomplete. I have spent countless hours scouring trial reports for information that should be present but is not; trying to decipher unclear text; or trying to decide what to do when the information reported is inconsistent within or across reports of the same study. This time adds up...

AbstractObjectivesTo investigate whether a less intense antiplatelet regimen could be used for people receiving drug coated balloons.DesignMulticentre, randomised, open label, assessor blind, non-inferiority trial (REC-CAGEFREE II).Setting41 hospitals in China between 27 November 2021 and 21 January 2023.Participants1948 adults (18-80 years) with acute coronary syndrome who received treatment exclusively with paclitaxel-coated balloons according to the international drug coated balloon consensus.InterventionsParticipants were randomly assigned (1:1) to either the stepwise dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) de-escalation group (n=975) consisting of aspirin plus ticagrelor for one month, followed by five months of ticagrelor monotherapy, and then six months of aspirin monotherapy, or to the standard DAPT group (n=973) consisting of aspirin plus ticagrelor for 12 months.Main outcome measuresThe primary endpoint was net adverse clinical events (all cause death, stroke, myocardial infarction, revascularisation, and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 3 or 5 bleeding) at 12 months in the intention-to-treat population. Non-inferiority was established if the upper limit of the one sided 95% confidence interval (CI) for the absolute risk difference was smaller than 3.2%.ResultsThe mean age of participants was 59.2 years, 74.9% were men, 30.5% had diabetes, and 20.6% were at high bleeding risk. 60.9% of treated lesions were in small vessels, and 17.8% were in-stent restenosis. The mean drug coated balloon diameter was 2.72 mm (standard deviation 0.49). At 12 months, the primary endpoint occurred in 87 (8.9%) participants in the stepwise de-escalation group and 84 (8.6%) in the standard group (difference 0.36%; upper boundary of the one sided 95% CI 2.47%; Pnon-inferiority=0.013). In the stepwise de-escalation versus standard groups, BARC type 3 or 5 bleeding occurred in four versus 16 participants (0.4% v 1.6%, difference −1.19% (95% CI −2.07% to −0.31%), P=0.008), and all cause death, stroke, myocardial infarction, and revascularisation occurred in 84 versus 74 participants (8.6% v 7.6%, difference 1.05% (95% CI −1.37% to 3.47%), P=0.396). Treated as having hierarchical clinical importance by the win ratio method, more wins were noted with the stepwise de-escalation group (14.4% wins) compared with the standard group (10.1% wins) for the predefined hierarchical composite endpoint of all cause death, stroke, myocardial infarction, BARC type 3 bleeding, revascularisation, and BARC type 2 bleeding (win ratio 1.43 (95% CI 1.12 to 1.83), P=0.004). Results from the per-protocol and the intention-to-treat analysis were similar.ConclusionsAmong participants with acute coronary syndrome who could be treated by drug coated balloons exclusively, a stepwise DAPT de-escalation was non-inferior to 12 month DAPT for net adverse clinical events.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT04971356