A shocking new CDC report shows that an unprecedented number of Americans are dealing with depression, yet most aren't receiving the care they require. From drowning teenagers to burnout adults, this epidemic mental health crisis runs deeper and more widespread than many think but what's behind this epidemic exactly? And why is treatment still beyond reach for so many? Depression has hit record high levels — reaching more than 1 in 8 Americans 12 years of age and older, says new information recently made public. The upward swing is alarming, yet most of those living with depression go untreated, which indicates not only a crisis of health but also a profound disconnect in access, awareness, and acceptance of mental health treatment.

Between 2015 and 2023, the percentage of Americans who reported depressive symptoms has almost doubled — increasing from 7.3% to more than 13%, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) reports. This increase is especially steep among teens and women, two cohorts that are facing intense psychological pressure in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Teenagers aged 12 to 19 reported the highest levels of depression, with 19% reporting symptoms in the last two weeks—a dramatic number that underscores the teen mental health crisis. Women are also disproportionately impacted, with 16% reporting depression versus 10% of men, highlighting a major gender disparity in mental health outcomes. By comparison, people over 60 years reported having the lowest level of depression at a mere 9%, raising the potential linkage between life stability, age, or accessibility of coping tools and younger cohorts who may be bereft thereof.

Teenage girls are particularly at risk — over 1 in 4 teen girls suffer from clinical depression, the largest affected group. At the same time, the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey gives a grim picture, 53% of high school girls said they often felt sad or hopeless — almost twice as many boys and 14 points more than a decade ago.

Why Most People Aren't Getting Treated?

And perhaps the most unsettling part of the CDC report is the huge treatment gap. Although 88% of those surveyed did admit that depression affected work, school, and social life — just around 40% were given any kind of counseling or therapy.

Women are more likely than men to go to therapy (43% vs 33%), and they're over twice as likely to be on antidepressant medication. Yet most adolescents — while having higher levels of depression — are less likely to be on medication, creating an imbalance between need and treatment.

Socioeconomic status also comes into play: individuals with higher incomes had lower rates of depression, and most likely had greater access to mental health care.

How COVID-19 Changed Everything?

The surge in depression tracks perfectly with the social and psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Disruption of routine, extended isolation, loss of loved ones, economic uncertainty, and uncertainty about the future converged into a perfect storm of mental tension.

Additionally, shifts in how the NHANES survey was conducted during the pandemic could have impacted reporting, but experts say the increase in symptoms is too uniform across demographics to be an artifact of statistics.

What Untreated Depression Does to the Body?

Clinical depression isn’t just an emotional struggle; it fundamentally alters brain function and structure. Functional imaging studies reveal abnormalities in the ventral limbic system — a brain region responsible for regulating emotions and bodily functions.

Untreated depression has been found to cause shrinkage in the hippocampus, thalamus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex, all of which are linked to mood and cognitive function. These alterations can exacerbate the severity of the condition over time, and recovery becomes more challenging.

Also, depression left untreated disables neurotransmitter function — possibly derailing communication between areas of the brain. Whether or not this is an effect or cause of the illness is uncertain, but the result is the same: ongoing suffering without adequate medical or therapeutic intervention.

Physical Cost of Ignoring Mental Health

Clinical depression is a physical health hazard as well. Research indicates that individuals with major depression who are recovering from heart attacks or strokes have difficulty in adhering to medical instructions, controlling symptoms, and making treatment choices. These patients are also at increased risk of premature mortality within months of a cardiac condition.

This highlights the need to consider mental health care as part of general health — not a luxury or an add-on.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) — a widely used group of antidepressants — have been in the public eye recently. US Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made false claims that SSRIs are potentially more addictive than heroin, something not backed by existing evidence.

Yet, figures from Truveta, a prominent health analytics company, indicate that trends in antidepressant prescriptions since 2018 have been stable, albeit for a brief surge in the early years of the pandemic. This is contrary to fears of overprescription and may indicate that dependency fears are exaggerated.

The increasing mental health load — particularly among women and adolescents — necessitates immediate policy response. Stepping up access to affordable counselling, increasing school-based mental health clinics, combating stigma in hard-to-reach communities, and an investment in preventative care are necessary measures.

Every year on 25 April, World Malaria Day is observed to raise awareness about one of the deadliest yet preventable diseases. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), there were 263 million malaria cases and 5,97,000 malaria deaths across 83 countries in 2023. The WHO African Region carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. As per the numbers, this Region was home to 94% of the malaria cases, accounting for 246 million and 95% of malaria deaths. Children under 5 accounted for about 75% of all malaria deaths in the Region.

Ahead of World Malaria Day, WHO also called for renewed efforts at all levels - from global policy to community action to accelerate progress towards eliminating malaria.

World Malaria Day 2025 Theme

This year, WHO has joined the RBM Partnership to End Malaria and other partners in promoting: "Malaria Ends With US: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite". This is a grassroot campaign that aims to re-energize efforts at all levels, from global policy to community action, to accelerate progress towards malaria elimination.

World Malaria Day History

World Malaria Day was first celebrated internationally in 2008, building upon the earlier "Africa Malaria Day", which had been observed b African countries since 2001. The date, April 25, was established by WHO in 2007 during the World Health Assembly. In 2007, it was the 60th session of the World Health Assembly where the proposal to rename Africa Malaria Day to World Malaria Day was made to acknowledge the global presence of malaria.

World Malaria Day Significance

The day has a strong significance in healthcare as it brings attention to the disease that still continues to take so many lives, especially in low-income and tropical regions. It also serves as an important reminder to continue spreading awareness about the disease as well as promoting its prevention, treatment and continuous international cooperation to fight against it.

What Is Malaria?

The WHO describes malaria as a life-threatening disease spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes, mostly found in tropical countries. However, they are preventable and curable.

WHO notes: "Malaria is spread to people through the bites of some infected anopheles mosquitoes. Blood transfusion and contaminated needles may also transmit malaria. The first symptoms may be mild, similar to many febrile illnesses, and difficult to recognize as malaria. Left untreated, P. falciparum malaria can progress to severe illness and death within 24 hours.

There are 5 Plasmodium parasite species that cause malaria in humans, and 2 of these species – P. falciparum and P. vivax – pose the greatest threat. P. falciparum is the deadliest malaria parasite and the most prevalent on the African continent. P. vivax is the dominant malaria parasite in most countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa. The other malaria species which can infect humans are P. malariae, P. ovale and P. knowlesi."

What Are The Symptoms?

The early symptoms are fever, headache and chills, which can usually start within 10 to 15 days of getting bitten by an infected mosquito.

Some types of malaria can cause severe illness and death. Infants, children under 5 years, pregnant women, travellers and people with HIV or AIDS are at higher risk. Severe symptoms include:

• extreme tiredness and fatigue
• impaired consciousness
• multiple convulsions
• difficulty breathing
• dark or bloody urine
• jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin)
• abnormal bleeding

A new AI-powered blood test that can detect 12 types of cancer is to be tested on NHS patients. Using this test, experts would now be able to detect cancerous cells in people much before the symptoms appear. The trial, conducted on 8,000 patients, will analyse blood samples for tiny fragments of genetic material released by tumours.

The test called miONCO-Dx, was created using data from 20,000 patients. Initial tests have produced promising results, having shown that it can detect 12 of the most lethal and common cancers, including bowel cancer, at an early stage, with over 99% accuracy. With no other trial currently working in the same way, this is a world-leader and will support in placing Britain at the forefront of revolutionising healthcare. Notably, the UK government has awarded £2.4m to run the trial of the genetic test, which was developed by the University of Southampton and the biotech startup Xgenera.

How Does It Work?

The test was created by Xgenera, in collaboration with the University of Southampton. As little as 10 drops of blood are all that's needed to detect up to 12 common cancers. The test works by measuring the microRNA in a blood sample and using AI to identify if cancer is present and, if so, where it is located in the body.

What Cancers Will It Detect?

Lung, gastric, prostate, oesophageal, liver, bladder, ovarian, bowel, pancreatic and breast cancers–as well as bone and soft tissue sarcoma and a type of brain tumour. The Department of Health said the test was now ready for the "validation and verification" stage.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England's national medical director, said: "This blood test has the potential to help us detect bowel cancer earlier and reduce the need for invasive tests, and the next step in this trial will now be vital in gathering further evidence on its effectiveness and how it could work in practice."

How Is A Blood Test Conducted?

A blood test is a simple medical procedure used to check various health conditions. Here's how it is typically conducted:

1. Preparation: Depending on the test, you may be asked to fast for 8–12 hours. The healthcare provider will explain any specific instructions.

2. Collection: You’ll usually be seated or lying down. A healthcare professional will tie a tourniquet around your upper arm to make the veins more visible. The inside of your elbow is the most common site for drawing blood.

3. Cleaning: The area is cleaned with an antiseptic to reduce the risk of infection.

4. Drawing Blood: A sterile needle is inserted into the vein, and blood is collected into one or more vials or tubes.

5. Post-collection: Once enough blood is collected, the needle is removed, and a cotton ball or bandage is applied to stop any bleeding.

6. Processing: The blood samples are then sent to a lab for analysis.

Novovax, the maker of the only protein-based COVID-19 vaccine available in the US announced that its shot is on track for full approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is an important development for the company. It has sent its stock soaring up to 21% on Wednesday morning for trading. It is said that this will also ease the fears of political interference that may have caused delay in the process.

Vaccine For Emergency Use Only

While the other mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna have received full FDA approval for specific age groups, Novovax's vaccine still awaits the approval. It is only authorized for emergency use.

The emergency use authorization or the EUA allows vaccines to be distributed during public health emergencies. However, once the emergency ends, the FDA can remove them from the market unless full approval is granted.

Why Did The Delay Happen?

The FDA originally planned to approve Novovax's vaccine by April 1. However, as per the inside sources, the process was paused at the direction of Dr Sara Brenner, the FDA's acting commissioner. The delay has also raised concerns, especially after Dr Peter Marks, the FDA's longtime vaccine chief, reportedly left his post due to disagreements with the Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who is a known vaccine skeptic.

What Makes Him A Vaccine Skeptic?

In the past, RFK Jr. has worked closely with many anti-vaccine activists who work for his nonprofit group Children's Health Defense. While in his recent speech, he said that he has "never been anti-vax and have never told the public to avoid vaccination", his track record shows otherwise.

In a podcast interview, he said, "There is no vaccine that is safe and effective" and told FOX News that he still believes in the now long-debunked idea that vaccines can cause autism. In another 2021 podcast, he urged people to "resist" CDC guidelines on getting their kids vaccinated. "I see somebody on a hiking trail carrying a little baby and I say to him, better not get them vaccinated," he said.

His non-profit also led an anti-vax campaign sticker and he appeared next on the screen to a sticker that read: "If you are not an anti-vaxxer you are not paying attention," reports AP.

What Does The Vaccine Need For Approval?

The FDA recently asked Novavax to outline a plan to collect additional clinical data from people who have received the vaccine. Novavax says it is “engaging with the FDA expeditiously” and hopes to secure full approval as soon as possible. Full FDA approval is considered the gold standard, as it reflects a higher level of scrutiny and confidence in a product’s safety and effectiveness.

How Is This Vaccine Different From Others?

The COVID-19 vaccines that are currently available in the US teach the immune system to recognize the virus' spike protein, which is its outer coating. the Pfizer and Moderna's mRNA vaccine deliver genetic instructions that help the body create a temporary version of spike protein that trigger an immune response. In contrast, the Novovax's shot contains lab-grown copies of the spike protein itself, which are then combined with a substance that boosts the immune response.

This traditional approach—called a protein-based vaccine—has been used for decades in vaccines for diseases like hepatitis B and shingles. For people who are hesitant about mRNA vaccines, Novavax offers an alternative that uses a well-established method.