Health Today: Year-End Breakthroughs and Winter Wellness
December 31, 2025
As 2025 draws to a close, the landscape of global health is being reshaped by rapid-fire medical innovations and a renewed focus on preventive care. From “miracle” eye drops to historic disease eliminations, here is the final health update of the year.
🔬 Breakthrough of the Month: The End of Reading Glasses?
In a major win for aging populations, the FDA-approved VIZZ eye drops (by LENZ Therapeutics) have become the breakout health story of December. Designed to treat age-related farsightedness (presbyopia), these drops can improve vision by three or more lines on an eye chart within just 30 minutes, with effects lasting up to 10 hours.
🌍 Global Health Milestones
The World Health Organization (WHO) released its end-of-year report, highlighting several historic achievements in disease control:
- Malaria-Free Certifications: Georgia, Suriname, and Timor-Leste were officially certified malaria-free this year.
- Triple Elimination: The Maldives became the first country to achieve “triple elimination” of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B.
- Cancer Prevention: HPV vaccination programs expanded to eight more countries, including China and Brazil, bringing the world significantly closer to the goal of eliminating cervical cancer.
🌡️ Winter Virus Watch
Public health officials are urging caution as the Northern Hemisphere enters the peak of the respiratory virus season. - Influenza Update: A new subclade of the H3N2 virus is driving a severe flu season. Fortunately, this year’s trivalent vaccine is showing a 70–75% effectiveness rate against hospitalization in children.
- Measles Surge: Despite an 88% drop in global measles deaths since 2000, 2025 saw a surprising surge in cases across the U.S. and Europe, primarily due to gaps in routine immunization.
- Marburg Virus: Monitoring continues for a Marburg outbreak in East Africa. While the risk to the general public remains low, genomic analysis is helping scientists track the strain’s origin.
💊 The “GLP-1” Revolution Continues
The class of drugs that began with Ozempic has hit a new milestone. This month, the WHO officially added several GLP-1 treatments to its recommended list for managing adult obesity.
Note: New data from late 2025 suggests that while long-term adherence remains a challenge, the introduction of generic Liraglutide (Teva) is significantly lowering costs and increasing global access.
🧠 Mental Health Minute: A “Slow” Start to 2026
With the New Year’s resolution rush approaching, health experts are advocating for “Steady Wellness” over “Perfection.”
- Digital Detox: Research this year linked reduced screen time in the final hour of the day to a 20% improvement in deep sleep cycles.
- Self-Compassion: Psychologists recommend setting “intentions” rather than strict “resolutions” to avoid the burnout typical of mid-January.
How you can take action today:- Check your eligibility for the latest trivalent flu shot if you haven’t received it.
- Schedule a routine eye exam to see if new non-invasive treatments like VIZZ are right for you.
- Practice 30 minutes of “offline” time tonight to reset your circadian rhythm for the New Year.
Would you like me to look up specific local clinic availability for flu shots or provide more details on the new gene-editing treatments mentioned in the year-end report?
