2025's Global Health Polycrisis: Climate, Contagion, Mental Health & AMR Collide

• 2025 saw a "polycrisis" where climate change, declining vaccination, and new threats caused a dramatic redrawing of the global disease map, with vector-borne illnesses spreading and measles resurging.
• Climate change became a direct health emergency, driving record heatwaves, floods, and air pollution, leading to surges in heat-related illnesses, infectious diseases, and mental health issues.
• A deepening mental health crisis affected adolescents and young adults, exacerbated by economic uncertainty, climate anxiety, and digital lives, with calls for integrated, non-pharmacological solutions.
• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) escalated to frontline emergencies, with hospitals reporting resistant bacteria and drug-resistant TB surging, highlighting fragile global health defenses.
• The year reset global health priorities, emphasizing integrated surveillance, climate-resilient systems, universal vaccination, and accessible mental healthcare, with AI and medtech offering crucial solutions.

Why It Matters: 2025 revealed interconnected global health crises, demanding integrated, long-term investments and tech solutions.