💉 Africa to finally get mpox vaccines; New antimicrobials from the gut; An antibiotic pandemic
💉 Africa to finally get mpox vaccines; New antimicrobials from the gut; An antibiotic pandemic
#531 | Move animals, the humans are a-coming; AI for health for all; How it all began
Hello, and welcome back to Week 2 of the 2nd mpox emergency of the 2020s. We have a round-up of everything that's new on that front a little later.
But first, guess what's making a comeback in Gaza? It is polio with the identification of the first case over there in 25 years. Surely, inoculation campaigns must be underway. But no, even while the WHO and medical professionals press on the imperative and urgent need for them.
Speaking of polio, India too reported a case of the once-eradicated scourge in the Northeastern state of Meghalaya, a case that health authorities are calling vaccine-derived.
Speaking of India, the US FDA has issued another rebuke to Aurobindo Pharma arm Eugia's manufacturing facility in Telangana. This unit had only recently restarted production, after a pause to address observations following an inspection earlier this year.
Elsewhere in India, a pharma factory exploded, killing and injuring several workers at the facility.
Still in India (whew!), the government has banned 156 fixed dose combo drugs, the largest such ban in the last 8 years.
And finally, the case of the defective cough syrups that led to paediatric deaths in Indonesia recently? A court in Indonesia has held the drugmakers responsible (duh), ordering them to pay up to 60 million rupiah to the families of each dead child.
Stories Of The Week
A brave new world. So it has been over 10 days since an emergency declaration over mpox by the Africa CDC and the WHO. What has this intervening period looked like for the state of preparedness for the world, and Africa in particular?
Let's talk about vaccine availability and access first. Bavarian Nordic says it is upping its manufacturing game, making 2 million doses available this year, while ramping up capacity to 10 million doses by the end of 2025. Interestingly, and in a first for Africa, the company communicated this intent to Africa CDC, promising vaccine doses for the continent. The company also announced that it has signed yet another agreement for supply of 440,000 doses with an unnamed European country. Also joining the response is Emergent Bio with a promise of 50,000 doses to Africa of its as-yet-unlicensed smallpox vaccine. Elsewhere, India's Serum Institute says it will have its own mpox vaccine out soon.
The worst-affected nation in the current outbreak, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) says it is expecting to receive vaccines soon, thanks to donations from the US and Japan. DRC is currently reporting more than 1000 new cases every week. And now Burundi, where the disease is relatively new, is racing to catch up, 11 new cases taking the case total there to 171. Thailand also reported a case of the new Clade 1b variant, making it the second reported case outside Africa. Reuters has a breakdown of all the countries that have reported cases of this new variant.
In Africa though, increasingly the worry is that cases are rising among children, that most infectious of vectors. Here is a new WHO dashboard showing key figures for mpox globally and for the African Region. WHO Europe officials say mpox is not the new Covid and the world is better equipped to beat this scourge back. Funnily though, if you took a gander at the WHO dashboard, the UK has more confirmed cases of mpox this year than 52 of the 54 countries in Africa combined.
(Bavarian Nordic, Bavarian Nordic, Emergent, The Financial Express, AP, L'Orient-Le Jour, Reuters, UNICEF, WHO, UN)
Breakthroughs
Gut instinct. Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University have discovered that the human gut microbiome, which hosts around 100 trillion microbes, could be a rich source of new antibiotics. By analysing gut microbiome data from nearly 2,000 people, they identified and tested 78 potential peptide antibiotics, with over half showing effectiveness against bacterial growth. One standout, prevotellin-2, exhibited activity comparable to polymyxin B, a last-resort antibiotic. This groundbreaking research suggests that mining the human microbiome could uncover new classes of antimicrobials, offering promising avenues for treating drug-resistant bacteria.
(Cell)
Bottom line
Fasting for better health. An international team of researchers has raised concerns about the growing threat of a pandemic due to antimicrobial resistance in animals used for food, particularly in Southeast Asia. Their study, published in the International Journal of Food Science and Technology, highlights that overuse and misuse of antimicrobial drugs in livestock could lead to the emergence of deadly superbugs, posing a significant risk to global health and food security. The researchers emphasise that resistant bacteria from animals can transfer to humans through the food chain, urging the need for stronger regulations, regional collaboration, and alternative solutions in farming practices across Southeast Asia to mitigate this looming crisis.
(International Journal of Food Science and Technology)
Pandemic pandemonium. If a pandemic caused by giving livestock antibiotics is not your cuppa tea, how about a regular zoonotic consternation? Because we sure are headed that way. Over the next 50 years, human expansion into wildlife habitats is expected to increase across 57% of the Earth's land, intensifying biodiversity loss and raising the risk of future pandemics. With humans already transforming up to 75% of the world's land, this encroachment will bring people and wildlife into closer contact, particularly in densely populated regions like India, China, and parts of Africa and South America. And yes, this overlap heightens the chances of disease transmission from animals to humans, much like Covid.
(The Guardian)
Long reads
No healthcare workers? Use AI. The WEF, on its Agenda blog, argues that AI can bridge the existing healthcare gap in the world by doing much of what human healthcare workers would otherwise do. Do you agree?
(WEF)
From Africa to the world. A fascinating read in Science about the origins of the global mpox outbreak and the Nigerian researchers who first sounded alarm bells that the world conveniently ignored. Gavi also has a conversation with the scientists who were at the forefront of this outbreak in Nigeria in 2017.
(Science, Gavi)
Oh, and Gopal Nair doesn't want you to see this.