Talk about packing the good news with the bad one - all in one package.

The new global health study has delivered a mixed message: on one hand, the world is seeing a recovery. Life expectancy, the average number of years people are expected to live, has rebounded to levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this good news is accompanied by a deeply troubling trend: deaths among teens and young adults are rising in many places, prompting researchers to call this an "emerging crisis."

This report, drawn from the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) analysis coordinated by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and published in The Lancet, pulled together data from over 300,000 sources and more than 16,500 scientists to chart mortality, causes of disease, and health risks across 204 countries and territories.

The underlying theme: the world as a whole is recovering from the shock of COVID, but not everyone is. Teenagers and young adults -- who previously saw steady improvements -- are now seeing reversals in mortality in many regions. But what are the factors that are driving this worrisome trend? More importantly, what could be done to put a lid on it?

Understanding the root cause of such an emerging crisis is imperative because when young lives are lost prematurely, the social, family, and economic costs are profound.