scholarly journals Does BCG protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection ?: elements of proof

Author(s):  
Yassine Ouanes ◽  
Mokhtar Bibi ◽  
Nesrine Baradai ◽  
Marouane Boukhris ◽  
Kays Chaker ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBackgroundThere are several factors explaining the difference in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection including the BCG vaccination. This fact is supported by the concept of beneficial non specific effect of this live vaccine associated to its interaction with the immune system.Our study aims to identify the correlation between the universal BCG vaccination policy and the mortality attributed to COVID-19.MethodsWe conducted an epidemiological study in which we collected COVID-19 pandemic data of April 11th, 2020 from the web site worldometers.info. The exclusion criteria for our study were a number of inhabitants less than one million, low-income countries according to the World Bank classification, a total number of infection cases less than 500 and countries that have performed less than one hundred tests per million inhabitants.ResultsCountries that never had universal BCG vaccination policy have a higher mortality (correlated to performed diagnostic tests) attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection (p<0.001).We found that the year of introduction of vaccination influenced significantly the mortality. Countries that started immunization policy before 1960 had more favorable results (p=0.049).For countries that started the BCG vaccination after 1960, countries with current policies have lower mortality attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection than countries that have stopped immunization (p=0.047).ConclusionsCountries that have a BCG vaccination policy have a lower mortality attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The populations of countries that applied this immunization before 1960 are more protected even if this universal policy has been interrupted.

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (05) ◽  
pp. 4810-4821
Author(s):  
Arun Gulati ◽  
Talagavadi Channaiah Anudeep ◽  
Madhan Jeyaraman ◽  
Sushmitha ES ◽  
Arunabh Arora ◽  
...  

The world is witnessing a great toll on human lives and economy due to nCOVID-19 pandemic. The newly emerged strain (SARS-CoV-2) is spreading rampantly with no regional barriers. No proven vaccination or a proven drug exist to pulverize SARS-CoV-2. Few studies have linked BCG vaccination policy to account for the difference in nCOVID-19 morbidity and mortality between countries experiencing an avalanche in comparison to those with moderate to mild disease. Apart from its prime discovery for combating TB infection, BCG vaccination holds a wide array of clinical utility because of its immunomodulatory potential. This serves as a ray of hope for extrapolating its use in nCOVID-19 with greater and earliest response. However, at present, it is wrapped with a fear of overutilization without proven efficacy against this contagion and may further result in a shortage of vaccines for children who are covered under immunization policy. A number of clinical trials are underway to enlighten upon BCG and its effectivity parameters to combat this scenario. These outcomes will surely be more significant for countries not following universal vaccination policy. In the interim, containment strategy along with supportive care is the mainstay to battle the prevailing scenario with a positive outlook on the results of ongoing clinical trials.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. 49-74
Author(s):  
John Smith ◽  

The globalization of production and its spread to low-income countries is the most notable transformation of the neoliberal era. Its driving force is the efforts by companies in Europe, North America and Japan to cut costs and raise profits, replacing relatively well-paid domestic labor for cheaper foreign labor. The gap in global wages, in great part the result of the suppression of the free movement of labor, provides a distorted view of the global differences in the rate of exploitation (simply, the difference between the value generated by the workers and what they are paid) upon which profits, prosperity and social peace in Europe, North America and Japan are ever-more reliant. Thus, neoliberal globalization should be seen as a new imperialist stage in capitalist development, where «imperialism» is defined by its economic foundation: the exploitation of labor in the South by capitalists from the North.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1536-1568
Author(s):  
Juan Manuel Gil ◽  
Luis Angel Madrid ◽  
Carlos Hernán Fajardo

The TRIPS agreement states that Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) protection should contribute to the promotion of technological innovation, economic welfare, and to the transfer and dissemination of technology. However, there is still no consensus on whether IPRs protection has achieved its goal. Thus, the chapter provides a discussion on how the impact of IPRs on innovation, technology transfer, and economic welfare is affected by the difference in the income level of the countries. The results suggest that in high-income and upper middle-income countries, IPRs have a positive impact in these variables. Nevertheless, it seems that in lower middle-income and low-income countries, IPRs have not increased innovation, spurred transfer of technology. or created economic welfare.


Author(s):  
D. Brent Edwards ◽  
Inga Storen

Since the 1950s, the World Bank’s involvement and influence in educational assistance has increased greatly. The World Bank has not only been a key player, but, at times, has been the dominant international organization working with low-income countries to reform their education systems. Given the contributions that education makes to country development, the World Bank works in the realm of education as part of its broad mission to reduce poverty and to increase prosperity. This work takes the form of financing, technical assistance and knowledge production (among others) and occurs at multiple levels, as the World Bank seeks to contribute to country development and to shape the global conversation around the purposes and preferred models of education reform, in addition to engaging in international processes and politics with other multi- and bilateral organizations. The present article examines the work of the World Bank in historical perspective in addition to discussing how the role of this institution has been theorized and research by scholars. Specifically, the first section provides an overview of this institution’s history with a focus on how the leadership, preferred policies, organizational structure, lending, and larger politics to which it responds have changed over time, since the 1940s. Second, the article addresses the ways that the World Bank is conceptualized and approached by scholars of World Culture Theory, international political economy, and international relations. The third section contains a review of research on (a) how the World Bank is involved in educational policy making at the country level, (b) the ways the World Bank engages with civil society and encourages its general participation in educational assistance, (c) what is known about the World Bank in relation to policy implementation, and (d) the production of research in and on the Bank.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Antonio Martín Cervantes ◽  
Nuria Rueda López ◽  
Salvador Cruz Rambaud

Background: The analysis of the problems derived from globalization has become one of the most densely studied topics at the beginning of this millennium, as they can have a crucial impact on present and future sustainable development. This paper analyzes the differential patterns of globalization in four worldwide areas predefined by The World Bank (namely, High-, Upper-Middle-, Lower-Middle-, and Low-Income countries). The main objective of this work is to estimate the effect of globalization on some economic development indicators (specifically per capita income and public expenditure on health) in 217 countries over the period 2000–2016. Methods: Our empirical approach is based on the implementation of a novel econometric methodology: The so-called Toda–Yamamoto procedure, which has been used to analyze the possible causal relationships between the involved variables. We employ World Development Indicators, provided by The World Bank, and the KOF Globalization Index, elaborated by the KOF Swiss Economic Institute. Results: The results show that there is a causal relationship in the sense of Granger between globalization and public expenditure on health, except in High-Income countries. This can be interpreted both negatively and positively, confirming the double character of globalization, as indicated by Stiglitz.


Policy Papers ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (67) ◽  
Author(s):  

In December 1999, the World Bank (the Bank) and the International Monetary Fund (the Fund) introduced a new approach to their relations with low-income countries, centered around the development and implementation of poverty reduction strategies (PRS) by the countries as a precondition for access to debt relief and concessional financing from both institutions. These strategies were also expected to serve as a framework for better coordination of development assistance among other development partners.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 7061-7061
Author(s):  
Maria Teresa Bourlon ◽  
Brenda Jimenez ◽  
Charbel Fadi Matar ◽  
Emilie M. Gunn ◽  
Ophira M. Ginsburg ◽  
...  

7061 Background: Global Oncology is a movement to improve equitable access to cancer control and care, recognizing challenges due to economic and social factors between high, middle, and low-income countries (HIC, MIC, LIC). Access to local, regional, and global cancer data and analysis is a major driver for building a global oncology community. The JCO Global Oncology (JCO GO) online open access journal was established in 2015 with the mission to be the voice of research relevant to populations with limited resources. To assess its goals of encouraging global interaction and increasing MIC and LIC engagement, we analyzed authorship and accessing data. Methods: Logged views of articles published in 2018 were identified by DOI, using Google Analytics during the period 01/01/2018 to 06/30/2019. The country of origin of all authors and the location of downloads were classified according to the 218 economies listed in The World Bank Data (WBC) of 2019. Results: 132 articles were published in JCO GO in 2018 with 88152 views, from which the accessing nation was identified for 99%. Views originated from 180 countries: 35% HIC, 51% MIC, and 14% LIC. The most common accessing countries were: USA (37%), India (14%), United Kingdom (3%), Brazil (3%), and Ethiopia (3%). Corresponding authors came from 34 nations: 60% HIC, 32% MIC, and 8% LIC. The most common economies involved in any authorship were: USA (47%), India (10%), Brazil (5%), Mexico (4%), and Nigeria (3%). Reader origin did not differ according to corresponding author WBC. Article authorship was exclusively from one economic category in 49%: 23% HIC 16% MIC, 2% LIC. For 59% of articles, authorship came from mixed economies: 42% HIC + MIC, 11% HIC + LIC, 0% MIC + LIC, 6% HIC + MIC + LIC. Conclusions: JCO GO ’s reach extends to over 80% of the world´s economies. The majority of articles have authors from mixed WBC countries. Areas identified to address are: low level of LIC corresponding authorship; few papers from authors across all economies; no papers from only LMICs authors; low percentage of views by LIC. This information provides focus for global oncology authorities to target interventions to reduce the academic segregation of LICs, such as global oncology funding opportunities, mentorship and policies to encourage interactions and develop MIC and LIC leaders.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (48) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Berg ◽  
Enrico Berkes ◽  
Catherine Pattillo ◽  
Andrea Presbitero ◽  
Yorbol Yakhshilikov ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8412
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Taguchi ◽  
Kota Yasumura

This paper aims to provide empirical evidence for demonstrating financial additionality of multilateral development banks (MDBs) in private participation in infrastructure (PPI) projects in terms of financing beyond what is available in the markets. To verify MDB financial additionality, this study examines whether the PPI projects with multilateral support have significantly larger investment commitments than the total average projects by using the PPI database of the World Bank for 1996–2020. The empirical analysis identifies MDB financial additionality, in that the larger investment commitments of multilateral-supported projects beyond the average are confirmed in any income levels and regions in host countries and any sectors and types in the projects. In particular, MDB financial additionality is valid even in low-income countries where private finance is still too premature to be available. In the host countries where their government effectiveness is in the poorest edge, however, MDB financial additionality loses its significance, thereby requiring the governance enhancement and capacity building in the host countries and innovative blended finance instruments for its additionality to work.


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