• A program launched in the 1990s has eliminated river blindness completely in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Guatemala. WHO (PDF link)
• In the United States, the age-adjusted overall cancer death rate has been steadily declining since the 1990s, with the reductions between 1991 and 2019 translating into nearly 3.5 million cancer deaths avoided. AACR.
• Breast cancer death rates in the United States dropped by 43% between 1989 and 2020. American Cancer Society (PDF link).
• Malawi has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. WHO. Vanuatu has also eliminated trachoma. WHO.
• Nigeria has recorded a significant decrease in child marriage, with the proportion of girls married before their 18th birthday falling from 44% in 2016 to 30% in 2021. There has also been considerable progress in child mortality, which has decreased from one in eight children dying before their fifth birthday in 2016, to one in ten in 2021. UNICEF (PDF link).
• Between 2012 and 2021, the rate of violent crime in the United States declined from 26.1 to 16.5 incidents per 1,000 people. Department of Justice (PDF link).
• Major milestone for Greek energy as renewables power 100% of electricity demand. Euronews.
• Social Security boost will help millions of kids, too. AP.

For more good news, check out The Progress Network, and Future Crunch.