💉 Welcome back to The Kable; 2024 was super hot; Drink more cola
#548 | New hope for tracking variants; What to beware this year; Subscribe, why don't you?
Hello, and welcome back to The Kable for the first time this year. What a wretched year 2024 was, no? Thankfully, at least based on early indications, 2025 won't be better. Yay.
It has been five New Years now that we've been living in the shadow of Covid. Five years of public messaging intent on making people forget that Covid is still here. Five years of public messaging intent on minimising the (ongoing) toll Covid has taken. And over the year-end, rising cases of HMPV in China, with odd cases reported from India as well, led to claims that HMPV is nothing to worry about and that it is "not as dangerous as Covid." This from the same people who claim Covid isn't dangerous at all. Anyway, yeah, HMPV isn't something you need to worry about just yet. And remember, N95s work.
The more things change, the more they remain the same. Alternatively titled: Brand new year, same old shit.
We ended last year - some of us did, at least - dreading what bird flu has in store for us. France lost its bird flu-free status, the US reported its first human fatality - the same person who late last year was the first severe human case in the country. The WHO continues to iterate that the risk to humans from bird flu is negligible, even as the US CDC says the virus showed significant mutations in the first human to die of it in the US. The US has also earmarked over $300 million in funding towards bird flu monitoring and preparedness, out of an abundance of caution, we're sure.
And mpox. France jumps into the news here too, reporting its first case of the new Clade 1b variant, while China reported an entire cluster.
And finally, TB sends in a reminder that it is not just here, it is thriving. And, in a new study, researchers report that TB strains resistant to new drugs are being transmitted between patients. Happy 2025, y'all.
Stories Of The Week
Calls for a cola, don't you think? Sugary drinks are fueling a rise in diabetes and cardiovascular disease, with sub-Saharan Africa experiencing the largest increases due to changing consumption patterns, according to a Tufts University study in Nature. In sub-Saharan Africa, one in five new type 2 diabetes cases and over 10% of new cardiovascular disease cases are linked to sugary beverages, as regional consumption shifts toward Western dietary habits. Countries like South Africa, where sugary drinks account for nearly 28% of diabetes cases and 14.6% of cardiovascular disease cases, highlight the growing health crisis. Despite some nations implementing taxes and regulations, most African countries lack measures to curb intake, hindered by industry opposition and scarce local data. The study underscores the urgent need for public health campaigns and policy interventions to address the long-term consequences of sugary drink consumption, especially in vulnerable low- and middle-income regions.
(Nature)
It's official: 2024 was hot. Naysayers have long been preaching that climate change is not real, while minimisers have dismissed the 1.5°C limit breach as inconsequential. Governments and corporations, particularly in the fossil fuel and plastic industries, have assured us this threshold is not at risk under current manufacturing and "recycling" practices. Well, turns out they are wrong. Because for the first time, the planet's average temperature in 2024 exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Every month of 2024 was among the warmest on record, driven by human-caused emissions and amplified by El Niño. This milestone highlights the urgency of meeting Paris Agreement targets, as the impacts of climate change—wildfires, deadly heatwaves, floods, and billion-dollar disasters—are already wreaking havoc globally. Scientists warn that continued inaction will push temperatures beyond catastrophic levels, but emphasise that rapid emissions cuts could still alter the trajectory. We'd like to say we live in hope, but no, not anymore.
(Copernicus)
Breakthroughs
On to some great news. Researchers have unveiled a groundbreaking method to identify more infectious and vaccine-evading variants of viruses and bacteria in real-time, revolutionizing global disease surveillance. Published in Nature, this innovative approach uses genetic sequencing to track pathogens like Covid, flu, whooping cough, and TB, automatically detecting emerging variants and predicting their spread. With just a few samples from infected individuals, it identifies antibiotic-resistant strains and guides tailored vaccine and treatment development, especially valuable for resource-limited settings. Already tested on whooping cough and TB, the method has revealed previously undetected variants and antibiotic-resistant strains, offering a powerful, objective tool to stay ahead of evolving pathogens.
(Nature)
Bottom line
Spilling the tea. Never did we expect an insurance company to spew truth bombs, but there must be a first time for everything, eh? In 2024, global natural disasters caused an astonishing $320 billion in losses, $140 billion of which were insured, marking the third costliest year for insurers on record. Hurricanes Helene and Milton wreaked havoc in the U.S., with devastating floods and wind damage contributing to $105 billion in total losses. Meanwhile, Typhoon Yagi, the deadliest event of the year, claimed 850 lives across Southeast Asia. The year’s climate disasters underscore the growing impact of climate change, with studies confirming extreme weather events like these are intensifying due to global warming. As the planet’s temperature hit an annual average of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time, the message is clear: resilience and global action are more urgent than ever.
(Munich Re)
Long reads
What to watch out for? Since it is the beginning of the year, it makes sense to read about which diseases/pathogens we need to be most wary of this year. And The Conversation has a whole plethora to choose from.
(The Conversation)
Vaccines work. Excellent piece in Gavi's VaccinesWork on how childhood vaccinations can lead to healthier outcomes in later life and how one Indian state has made children allies in this quest. Of course, if you're in the US, you can ignore this. Adherence to science isn't something to be proud of over there lately.
(Gavi)
Oh, and Gopal Nair doesn't want you to see this.