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[Articles] Suicide-related outcomes in veterans with post-traumatic headache: a retrospective cohort study

Veterans with PTH have an increased risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts compared to veterans with TBI and without headache. There was no difference in suicide mortality between the two groups. Clinicians should be aware of heightened suicide risk among veterans with PTH and be especially diligent in terms of screening for suicide risk and related medical and mental health comorbidities that contribute to increased risk.

[Comment] Reconceptualizing access: advancing pharmaceutical equity for health system resilience in Central and South America

Persistent inequities in access to safe, effective, and affordable medicines continue to challenge health systems across Latin America.1 Despite steady progress toward universal health coverage (UHC), millions continue to incur catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditures for essential medicines.2 Shortages, fragmented procurement processes, and price volatility reveal structural vulnerabilities within pharmaceutical supply chains. Recent disruptions, including pandemics, geopolitical instability, and inflation, have exacerbated these deficiencies, demonstrating that access to medicines is a critical determinant of health system resilience.

[Comment] Oil spill in Esmeraldas: a public health emergency in the context of environmental racism

Esmeraldas, a coastal province in northern Ecuador, is among the country's most vulnerable and marginalized regions. With more than 70% of its population self-identified as Afro-descendant and high levels of multidimensional poverty, it faces historical exclusion from essential public services such as health care, potable water, and sanitation. This configuration of vulnerability is key to understanding the impact of the oil spill that occurred on March 13, 2025,1 not only as an environmental disaster but also as a public health emergency and a human rights crisis.

[Comment] Strategic approaches to reducing the substance use-related burden of disease in Canada

Substance use is a primary risk factor for premature mortality and morbidity, and Burden of Disease (BoD) in the populations of high-income countries.1 The reduction of this substance use-related BoD requires effective public health intervention strategies. In Canada, a recent primary focus has been on responses to the ‘overdose death crisis’ which has claimed >52,000 lives since 2016, through acute drug toxicity fatalities—mostly from synthetic, toxic opioids.2 In 2023, this toll involved 8,623 fatalities (population rate: 21.5/100,000) of mostly young/middle-aged adults, making it the leading cause of unnatural deaths and a measurable driver of reduced life-expectancy in the Canadian population.

[Viewpoint] Call to action: integrating steatotic liver disease into public health strategies in Canada

Steatotic liver disease (SLD), formerly known as fatty liver disease, is the most common chronic liver condition, affecting one in three people in the Americas, including Canada. Characterized by excess fat in the liver, SLD can progress from a benign state to advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis and is strongly linked to increased risks of cardiovascular disease, extra-hepatic cancers, and premature mortality. Despite its rising prevalence, SLD remains largely absent from Canada's public health agenda.

[Health Policy] Ensuring respiratory protection to improve population health, economic vitality, and national security

Respiratory protection decreases the risk of inhalation-related illnesses, but only if such protection is available, with a robust framework in place to support it. There are many current and potential inhalational hazards, and without adequate respiratory protection, these threaten not only health, but also economic prosperity and national security. The United States needs to build off existing expertise to implement a framework for respiratory protection of the entire populace. A recent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Report laid out detailed recommendations for such a framework, and there are steps that can be taken now.

[Health Policy] Firearm-related violence in the Caribbean is a complex systemic issue: how do we move towards a solution?

In the Caribbean, gun violence has reached crisis levels and regional heads of government have called for a public health approach to inform prevention and control. We describe the work of a multisectoral group convened to develop a “Pathway to Policy” to inform the regional approach. We utilized a systems mapping technique to inform our understanding of firearm-related crimes and injuries based on the expertise of stakeholders. The analysis is informed by publicly available data from thirteen countries of the Caribbean Community.

[Articles] 23 years of public policy towards universal health coverage in Mexico. A cross-sectional time-series analysis using routinely collected health data, 2000–2022

Despite major reforms with significant public expenditure increase, inequities between PLSS and PWSS, fragmentation, accessibility and quality challenges persist. Addressing the root causes of health inequities in Mexico will require not only health system reforms but also tackling structural vulnerabilities linked to widespread informal employment, which limits access to health and social protection.

[Articles] Environmental and social injustices impact dementia risk among older adults with end-stage kidney disease: a national registry study

Older adults with ESKD in neighborhoods with high PM2.5 experienced an increased risk of dementia; this risk was particularly pronounced among individuals in high segregation and predominantly minority neighborhoods. Environmental and social injustices likely drive racial and ethnic disparities in dementia for older adults with ESKD, underscoring the need for interventions and policies to mitigate these injustices.

[Correspondence] Late toxicities of head and neck radiotherapy

The head and neck service at Princess Margaret Cancer Center should be commended for their excellent study of radiation late toxicities (RLTs).1 In a cohort of 7622 patients, Mathew and colleagues identify modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors associated with RLTs. RLTs were found to be associated with decreased survival, but this association was mitigated in a cohort referred to a specialist RLT clinic.

[Comment] Food and Nutrition Security in the context of structural inequities: insights from Brazilian favelas

The resumption of Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) policies has brought the social agenda back to the center of debate, following setbacks that affected 33 million people who experienced severe food and nutrition insecurity (FNI), that is, hunger.1 In 2025, the SOFI report confirmed that the country was once again removed from the Hunger Map.2 While this is an important achievement, it is insufficient to declare the issue resolved, particularly among vulnerable populations.

[Comment] A framework for governing Canada's tobacco settlement funds

Canada's $32.5 billion tobacco settlement, the largest legal resolution in the country's history, has entered its implementation phase. The settlement allocates $24 billion to provinces, $2.5 billion to compensate individual smokers, and $1 billion to a research foundation.1 Payments began in August 2025 and will continue for the next 18 years.

[Comment] Redesigning school food environments in Brazil: public sector innovation to protect children and adolescents and promote food and nutrition security

In Latin America, the widespread availability of ultra-processed foods in school environments has emerged as a pressing public health concern. The increasing exposure of children and adolescents to these products jeopardises not only their individual well-being, but also broader regional efforts to address malnutrition, childhood obesity, and food and nutrition insecurity.1

[Comment] Tuberculosis in the Americas: a worsening crisis amid genomic surveillance gaps

In 2023, tuberculosis (TB) returned as the leading infectious disease killer, after falling behind COVID-19 during the pandemic. An estimated 1.25 million lives were lost and 8.2 million new TB cases were reported worldwide, the highest number since the World Health Organization (WHO) began global TB monitoring in 1995.1 These facts reveal the failure to achieve the global commitment made in 2014 through the WHO's End TB Strategy, which set goals of reducing TB incidence by 90% and mortality by 95% by 2035.