💉 Gavi calls for $9 billion; Bird flu on the down low; Mpox rages in Africa

#522 | Air pollution kills the young 'uns; The hunger alleviation SDG likely to fail; IVI and Pasteur link up

Jun 21, 2024

Hello, and welcome back to what is a delightfully short edition of The Kable today. Probably because there isn't too much new and relevant reporting on the bird flu front. So shall we get that out of the way first?

Bird flu has spread to one more Australian poultry farm, bringing the total number of affected farms to 7. The next bit of bird flu news for this week is actually a what-if? Because we all remember how the global supply chain was affected by Covid. And if there were to be a bird flu pandemic, food supply chain disruptions will likely be much worse, especially because this thing even uses fomite transmission to spread. Elsewhere, experts say the never-seen-before spread of bird flu around the world, especially among mammals, is down to, what else, climate change.

Speaking of climate change, there is lots happening and none of it is good. People on 4 different continents are reeling under the effects of one heat wave or the other. At least 1000 pilgrims on their haj pilgrimage to Mecca have perished to the heat. In India, over 40,000 heatstroke cases have been reported in the unusually long heatwave that has the northern part of the country reeling. In Greece, tourists are dropping dead or going missing due to an ongoing heatwave. In Nigeria, climate change is leading to displacement, death, and distress. But there is one bit of really good news in all this gloom. Fossil fuel use and carbon emissions have both hit record numbers in 2023. Yay!

In South Africa, more mpox cases and deaths have been reported, even as the country awaits its first shipment of vaccines. The Africa CDC says across Africa, over 8,400 cases of mpox have been reported in 7 countries.

In Japan, a flesh-eating bacteria is, well, eating a lot of flesh.

In another fairly busy week for CEPI, the agency partnered with the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) to launch the international Bio Funders Compact. What will said Compact do? Aim to ensure researchers follow biosecurity norms earnestly.

And finally, thanks to some brave trial participants who volunteered to get infected with Covid, we now know why some people seem immune to it.

Stories Of The Week

A child a minute. That is the cost we're paying for air pollution around the world. The fifth State of Global Air (SoGA) report highlights air pollution as the second-leading global risk factor for death, particularly affecting children and causing non-communicable diseases. Despite some progress in reducing child mortality rates, air pollution remains a critical concern, with nearly 2,000 children under five dying daily due to exposure. The report underscores the severe health impacts of pollutants like PM 2.5, household air pollution, and ozone, as well as the contribution of traffic-related nitrogen dioxide to childhood asthma. It reveals significant climate inequities, with developing countries like India, Nigeria, and Pakistan experiencing the highest child death rates from air pollution.
(SoGA)

End malaria, mint money. The recent Malaria ‘Dividend’ report by Malaria No More UK highlights that reducing malaria cases by 90% by 2030 could save over 600,000 lives annually and boost the global GDP by over $140 billion. The report says Africa alone could see a GDP boost of $126 billion. Not surprising considering 95% of malaria deaths occur in Africa at present, predominantly affecting children under five and working-age adults, exacerbating economic burdens. Although progress has stalled due to climate change, conflicts, drug resistance, and THE pandemic, the report stresses that with concerted efforts, new vaccines, and innovative solutions, the target reduction is still achievable.
(Malaria No More UK)

Agency Observer

Stronger together. The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and the Pasteur Network have signed a landmark agreement to enhance collaboration in global health initiatives, focusing on vaccine research and development, training, and collaborative projects. This agreement aims to strengthen vaccine R&D, particularly in the global South, support joint educational activities, and actively pursue funding opportunities.
(IVI)

Investing for the future. The biggest news of this week was easily yesterday's launch of the Gavi-backed African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA). The event also saw Gavi launching its investment opportunity for the next five years, calling for $9 billion in investment. Investment that can save 8 million additional lives. Gavi also has a breakdown of the numbers involved here. On the sidelines of the event, Afreximbank and Africa CDC pledged $2 billion in funding for the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM) and the Platform for Harmonized African Health Products Manufacturing (PHAHM). This funding will work concurrently with the $1 billion earmarked by AVMA to finance health and pharma product manufacturing in Africa.
(Gavi, Gavi, Africa CDC)

Bottom line

Let them eat cake. A UN report reveals that the world is significantly behind on the sustainable development targets set in 2015, including poverty and hunger alleviation. The annual Sustainable Development Report, assessing the progress of 193 member states on 17 goals, indicates that none are on track to be met by 2030, with many showing limited or reversed progress. Contributing factors include funding shortfalls, geopolitical tensions, and obviously the pandemic. Key areas of concern are hunger, sustainable cities, biodiversity protection, and political goals like press freedom. The report highlights that the poorest countries are falling further behind, while Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and China show notable progress. The report also assessed countries on their willingness to cooperate globally through UN institutions. Coming in dead last on this assessment? The United States.
(UN)

Long reads

Big Brother. Speaking of the United States, this bombshell report by Reuters exposes how the US sowed anti-vax sentiment in the Philippines to try and minimise China's influence in the region. And yes, people died as a consequence. Hey, but the US is a human rights and welfare leader, no? So what if China says the US did this with malign intentions? And so what if the Philippines is pushing for a probe into this?
(Reuters)

Preparing for the worst. Do we know what the next pandemic will be? Uhm... no? Okay but can we agree that there will indeed be another pandemic at some point? Yes. And here is a read on how we can be prepared for it. It doesn't take much actually. Surveillance, governance with a plan, rapid development of biomedical countermeasures, and testing.
(Gavi)

Oh, and Gopal Nair doesn't want you to see this.