💉 Apparently the Congo mystery is malaria; The Africa CDC has a podcast; A vaccine for MERS
#557 | Fork fast fashion; Funding cuts come for the kids; Thankfully, we have less food to compensate
Hello, and welcome back for a final weekly round-up of all things life sciences this March. Consider yourself warned: If you really, really like coffee, you may not want to read further.
Anyway, health authorities in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have "confirmed" that the mystery illness that saw over 50 people die just a few weeks ago was malaria. Just like the mystery illness outbreak that immediately preceded this one.
Ongoing US aid cuts have been dominating the headlines since late January this year. In a new development, it appears that the US is also scratching all contributions to Gavi.
The Africa CDC has taken a lot of steps recently, especially in the past 12 to 15 months, to justifiably stake claim to being Africa's apex health agency. However, its latest move on this path is a bit... well, words fail us. The agency has launched a podcast.
The Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus was originally found in Saudi Arabia a little over a decade ago. Obviously, because most cases were not in Europe or the US, it doesn't yet have a vaccine. However, new CEPI funding for a vaccine might change that status quo.
The WHO says policies for mental health care and treatment need a drastic overhaul. Well, duh.
They say consistency is a good thing. Well, not much has changed in India this week.
Not that we, or people we know, have an organ transplant scheduled anytime soon. But, new fear unlocked: a person died of rabies thanks to a rabies-infected organ they got.
And finally, a study we didn't know we needed. But if you have to consume coffee, apparently the oral means of consumption is way better than rectal.
Stories Of The Week
Toddler triumphs. Stillborn stalemates. 2023 saw a mixed bag of results in child health outcomes, according to the latest UN IGME dispatch. Under-five fatalities - according to the UN IGME child mortality report - dipped to a historic low of 4.8 million, flaunting the fruits of global health investments, while stillbirths - according to the UN IGME stillbirth report - stubbornly hovered around 1.9 million, revealing a modest decline that's barely a blip on the radar. Despite over two decades of plummeting child mortality rates - cut by half since 2000 - and stillbirths down by a third, the slowdown is palpable and the future looks murky with looming global funding cuts. As usual, the poorest regions bear the brunt, with children in sub-Saharan Africa facing death rates 18 times higher than their counterparts down under. If disparity were a sport, we'd be setting world records. The prognosis? Healthcare worker shortages, clinic closures, and a disruption of essential services like vaccinations. Will the world pony up, or will bureaucratic belt-tightening strangle these hard-won gains? Wait, that was a rhetorical question.
(UN News)
Zara today, gone tomorrow. During an International Day of Zero Waste event, UN Secretary-General António Guterres donned his eco-critic hat, spotlighting the fashion industry's oversized carbon footprint with a stark warning: "Dressing to kill could kill the planet." The fashion sector, notorious for consuming enough water to fill 86 million Olympic-sized pools annually and contributing up to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, is in dire need of a sustainability makeover. As fast fashion accelerates, producing clothes faster than you can discard them, the impact is grim. Garments, often worn a mere handful of times before disposal, embody a crisis that stitches waste into every fibre of our wardrobes. With the globe churning over two billion tonnes of waste each year, enough to circle the Earth 25 times if packed in shipping containers, the stakes are high, particularly for the poorest, who are often the dumping ground for the rich world's stylish excess. The solution, according to the UN chief, lies in embracing the resale markets (ewww), demanding durable goods (as if), and advocating for stringent policies against greenwashing (heh).
(UN News)
Bottom line
Not everything super is super. In a world of quick fixes for climate change, "super pollutants" like black carbon, methane, and ozone are starting to sound like an environmentalist’s dream boy band. These pollutants, known for their short atmospheric gigs but headline-worthy impact on global warming, are now touted as the "emergency brake" for halting climate change.
Speaking on the eve of the WHO Air Pollution and Health Conference, experts emphasised that slashing emissions of these high-impact players could not only cool the planet swiftly but also significantly improve public health. Despite their potential for a dramatic encore in climate mitigation, these pollutants currently play second fiddle to the more notorious CO2. Yet, with their ability to deliver quick results, they might just be the chart-toppers we've been waiting for to keep the 1.5°C climate goal within reach. No, just kidding. That goal has been obliterated long ago. But we gotta keep up with the motions, no?
(Health Policy Watch)
SOS for seeds and saplings. The FAO has a new report out and it is a red flag - yes, another one - for global biodiversity: our planet's plant and forest genetic diversity is dwindling, posing serious risks to resilient agrifood systems. With climate change, land degradation, and biodiversity loss on the rise, the least we ought to be doing is safeguarding the genetic resources that underpin food security and environmental health. However, the FAO reports show that we're doing quite the opposite. Well, plants have had a good run of it for a while.
(FAO)
Long reads
Did you hear that? As much as several conspiracy theorists and health authorities might want, vaccines still serve some purpose. And a new study says vaccines might even reduce hearing loss in children around the world.
(Nature)
Talking about bird flu. On the latest episode of the Decoder podcast, Lauren Leffer and Nilay Patel talk about how, for a change, capitalism might be our saviour when the bird flu pandemic inevitably arrives. Okay, this one's more of a long listen than a long read but words are words.
(The Verge)
Oh, and Gopal Nair doesn't want you to see this.