Gun Violence’s Hospital Toll: Costa Rica’s public hospitals logged 9,970 firearm-related gunshot emergencies from 2020 through July 31, 2026—about one every 5.8 hours—showing armed violence is straining care well beyond homicide counts. Follow-Up Care Burden: Between 2020 and July 2026, 3,606 firearm-related cases required hospitalization, with 1,968 follow-up consultations for rehab, wound care, bullet fragment removal, and long-term disability treatment. Digital Eye Strain Awareness: A new global look at screen habits highlights digital eye strain symptoms like dry eyes, blurred vision, tearing, and headaches, driven by reduced blinking and prolonged focus. Conversion Therapy Ban Proposal: A Costa Rica bill would amend the General Health Law to prohibit practices aimed at changing or suppressing sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, framing it as discrimination-free, science-based care. El Niño Health Risks: Forecasts warn El Niño could bring hotter conditions and shifting rainfall patterns across the Americas, raising risks tied to heat, wildfires, and food insecurity. Plastic Waste Public Health Pressure: After China’s plastic-waste import ban, Latin America faces rising pollution and open-dump waste, with health concerns growing where countries lack capacity to manage it. Indigenous Health Knowledge Network: Healers from Guyana, Suriname, and Brazil launched a regional traditional knowledge and healers network, aiming to integrate Indigenous medicinal practices into national healthcare systems.