Angola and Congo yellow fever outbreak to be contained

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Yellow Fever ◽  
Vaccination Campaign ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Inadequate Response ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Care Infrastructure ◽  
Limited Health

Significance A rapid and effective vaccination campaign is vital to halting the proliferation of yellow fever in central Africa. Health authorities are particularly concerned about stopping the outbreak at the source to prevent new cycles of transmission in other regions of the world. Impacts Limited health care infrastructure in Angola and DRC will hinder long-term solutions to yellow fever outbreaks. Entry into affected countries could face stricter checks for vaccination records. An inadequate response in Kinshasa could alienate voters ahead of elections scheduled for November. Should the yellow fever outbreak spread, international bodies may advise against travel and trade with affected areas.

scholarly journals Modelling the impact of delaying vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 assuming unlimited vaccine supply

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Amaku ◽  
Dimas Tadeu Covas ◽  
Francisco Antonio Bezerra Coutinho ◽  
Raymundo Soares Azevedo ◽  
Eduardo Massad
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Vaccination Campaign ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
The State ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
The World ◽  
The Moment ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background At the moment we have more than 177 million cases and 3.8 million deaths (as of June 2021) around the world and vaccination represents the only hope to control the pandemic. Imperfections in planning vaccine acquisition and difficulties in implementing distribution among the population, however, have hampered the control of the virus so far. Methods We propose a new mathematical model to estimate the impact of vaccination delay against the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the number of cases and deaths due to the disease in Brazil. We apply the model to Brazil as a whole and to the State of Sao Paulo, the most affected by COVID-19 in Brazil. We simulated the model for the populations of the State of Sao Paulo and Brazil as a whole, varying the scenarios related to vaccine efficacy and compliance from the populations. Results The model projects that, in the absence of vaccination, almost 170 thousand deaths and more than 350 thousand deaths will occur by the end of 2021 for Sao Paulo and Brazil, respectively. If in contrast, Sao Paulo and Brazil had enough vaccine supply and so started a vaccination campaign in January with the maximum vaccination rate, compliance and efficacy, they could have averted more than 112 thousand deaths and 127 thousand deaths, respectively. In addition, for each month of delay the number of deaths increases monotonically in a logarithmic fashion, for both the State of Sao Paulo and Brazil as a whole. Conclusions Our model shows that the current delay in the vaccination schedules that is observed in many countries has serious consequences in terms of mortality by the disease and should serve as an alert to health authorities to speed the process up such that the highest number of people to be immunized is reached in the shortest period of time.

India’s vaccine diplomacy brings money and influence

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
The United States ◽  
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pharmaceutical Ingredients ◽  
The World

Significance Last week, its partners in the ‘Quad’ grouping -- the United States, Japan and Australia -- agreed to help increase its vaccine manufacturing and exporting capacity. Each of the Quad members is wary of China, which like India is gifting and selling coronavirus jabs around the world. Impacts India’s manufacturing sector will attract more foreign direct investment. Greater cooperation over supply chains will help strengthen India-Australia ties. Indian pharma will in the long term aim to ease dependence on imports of active pharmaceutical ingredients from China.

Study shows significant influence of HRD to shape and inspire CSR and sustainability initiatives

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-39
Keyword(s):  
Performance Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives ◽  
Campbell Soup ◽  
Equity And Inclusion

Purpose The authors wrote their study in response to the pressures businesses face today to behave responsibly. More than 90% of the largest 250 MNCs in the world, they said, disclose information about various aspects of their CSR and sustainability. Meanwhile, HRD practices play a significant role in the design and effectiveness of these initiatives. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted an analysis of the contents of CR reports to detect themes. They used a list of the top 100 CSR companies in the 2016 Global CSR Rep Trak 100. Overall, 55 reports were included from 23 large MNCs in 17 industries and 10 countries across Europe, Asia and North America. Household names included BMW, Campbell Soup, Dell, FedEx, Nike, Visa, Sony, Honda, Samsung, LEGO, Air Canada, Hilton Worldwide, and Fujifilm. Findings Initial analysis showed that seven areas of HRD work were the most important in supporting CSR and sustainability agendas. They were (1) Diversity, equity and inclusion. (2) Community engagement. (3) Work-life balance. (4) Employee long-term growth and development. (5) Performance management. (6) Business ethics and ethical culture and (7) Raising CSR awareness. Originality/value The study addressed two fundamental questions: First, what is the role of HRD in CSR and sustainability as portrayed in CR reports? Second, what areas of HRD work are highlighted in CR reports as important in the context of CSR and sustainability?

scholarly journals Changing Molecular Epidemiology of Vibrio cholerae Outbreaks in Shanghai, China

mSystems ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalong Hu ◽  
Zhiqiu Yin ◽  
Chao Yuan ◽  
Pan Yang ◽  
Chengqian Qian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
East Asia ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Watery Diarrhea ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Genome Sequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World ◽  
Pandemic Strains

ABSTRACT The 7th cholera pandemic began in 1961 in Sulawesi, Indonesia, and then spread around the world in at least three waves. However, the lack of genome sequences for Vibrio cholerae strains under long-term surveillance in East Asia, especially in China, has restricted our understanding of the dynamics of the intracountry and intercountry evolution and transmission of the 7th-pandemic clones. In this study, we obtained the genome sequences of 60 V. cholerae strains isolated in Shanghai, the largest port in the world and the largest city in China, from 1961 to 2011. Our whole-genome-based phylogeny of 7th-pandemic strains revealed that all but one fell into five “stages,” most of which are single clades and share independent ancestors. Each stage dominated in succession for a period, with little overlap between them. In addition, two near-identical Shanghai strains belonging to a pre-7th-pandemic precursor and 4 nontoxigenic O1/O139 strains attributed to independent recombination events at the O-antigen loci were present. The major lineages of the 7th pandemic in Shanghai appeared to be closely related to V. cholerae strains isolated from South or Southeast Asia. Stage succession was consistently related to changes in society and human activity, implying that human-caused niche change may play a vital role in the cholera dynamics in Shanghai. IMPORTANCE V. cholerae is the causative agent of cholera, a life-threatening disease characterized by severe, watery diarrhea. The 7th pandemic started in Indonesia in 1961 and spread globally, currently infecting 1.3 million to 4 million people annually. Here, we applied whole-genome sequencing to analyze a long-term collection of V. cholerae clinical strains to reveal the phylogenetic background and evolutionary dynamics of the 7th pandemic in Shanghai, which had undergone breathtakingly rapid development in the last half-century. All but one of the Shanghai 7th-pandemic strains fell into five “stages” that were dominant in Shanghai and appeared to be closely related to 7th-pandemic strains of South or Southeast Asia. Our findings extended the understanding of the dynamics of the evolution and transmission of the 7th-pandemic clones in East Asia and the relationship between social changes and cholera epidemiology.

Global lessons from Ebola crisis may be ignored

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Priorities ◽  
Local Health ◽  
International Organisations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World ◽  
National Governments

Subject Lessons from the Ebola crisis. Significance The Ebola epidemic in West Africa caught national governments and international organisations off-guard. As the epidemic begins to abate in the affected countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has begun an internal process to learn lessons for future global health emergencies. However, many of the required responses were well-known before the Ebola outbreak but ignored. Shifting entrenched political attitudes will be a challenge. Impacts Popular distrust of local health services continues to mar comprehensive detection of Ebola infections in affected countries. Re-building local health services will be distorted if the Ebola crisis dominates planning over long-term health priorities. However, donors tend to prefer orientation towards disease-specific programmes and interventions over strengthening health systems.

Niger migration corridor to Europe will persist

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Central Africa ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The North ◽  
Political Challenge ◽  
West And Central Africa ◽  
Migration Corridor ◽  
Northern City

Subject Migration flows through Niger. Significance Over the past three years, informal migration from West and Central Africa across the Mediterranean to Europe has attracted massive public attention in Europe and become a major practical and political challenge for EU governments. Niger, and in particular its northern city of Agadez, has become a key transit hub for migrants. Impacts France and the United States will remain partners in helping Niger counter the threat of Saharan jihadist terrorism. Despite occasional jihadist attacks from Malian territory and instability in Libya, Issoufou will maintain his authority over the north. However, instability may rise in the long term; politics is highly polarised and trust in democracy has declined sharply.

Germany’s trade surplus benefits the euro-area

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Euro Area ◽  
Domestic Demand ◽  
Growth Potential ◽  
Gdp Growth ◽  
Trade Surplus ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World ◽  
The Eu

Subject Germany’s trade surplus. Significance Germany runs a large trade surplus with other euro-area countries and the rest of the world. Critics have argued that wages in Germany have not increased enough in recent years and that the country should boost domestic demand. However, trade and wage developments with other euro-area countries show that such criticism is largely misguided. Impacts Germany’s offshoring of production processes helps boost GDP growth in countries such as Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Creating a more innovation-friendly environment and investing in R&D would lift the long-term growth potential of the euro-area. Completing the digital single market could contribute to more innovation across the EU.

Glacier melt poses multiple threats around the world

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Water Security ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Andes ◽  
The World ◽  
Governance Institutions ◽  
National Boundaries ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
Mountain Development

Subject Melting glaciers. Significance The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, in Nepal, released a report in February highlighting the long-term impact of increasing glacial melt in the Himalayas and the risks that climate change will pose to fragile mountain ecosystems and societies. Similar issues affecting glaciers in the Andes have also raised concerns about water security. Venezuela’s last glacier, Pico Humboldt, is no longer a significant source of water and is expected to disappear completely by 2021. Longer-term warnings have been issued regarding Ecuador’s Carihuairazo glacier. Impacts Impacts of reduced glacial melt will be greatest on areas closest to glaciers, but distant areas downstream will also be affected. Effective adaptation responses will rely on increased coordination among governance institutions, including across national boundaries. Increased water stress in agricultural areas will risk food insecurity and exacerbate migration pressures internally and internationally. Demographic changes and development efforts suggest that water demand will increase, putting further pressure on supplies.

Introduction to the JPCC special issue: Professionalism in the Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 201-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Scanlan
Keyword(s):  
School Effectiveness ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Professional Capital ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Field Area

PurposeIntroduction to the JPCC special issue: Professionalism in the Pandemic.Design/methodology/approachAs educators around the world respond to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Journal of Professional Capital and Community (JPCC), the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI) and the ARC Education Project are collaboratively launching a special issue of JPCC: Professionalism in the Pandemic. This essay provides a brief introduction to this special issue.FindingsThe purpose of this special issue is to create a scholarly forum for sharing perspectives from around the world about how educators in classrooms, schools, school systems and broader communities are innovatively, creatively and productively responding to this unfolding crisis. Some guiding questions these essays consider: In your field/area of expertise, what are some examples of creative responses to the pandemic that you are witnessing? What lessons do you see educators learning in the short term? Medium term? Long term? What are some ways the current crisis is spurring new opportunities to build professional capital and community? How are educators (re)conceptualizing their roles in the face of this crisis? What kinds of connections are educators fostering to support one another through this time? How are responses exhibiting consistency and variation internationally?Originality/valueThe thought leaders contributing to this special issue come from around the world. Speaking in the voice of public intellectuals, they provide perspectives for practitioners and policymakers who are seeking to not simply adapt to meet the crisis at hand but also to step back and consider the medium to longer-term implications.

Reconciling global projections of precipitation with CMIP6 and CMIP5 multi-model trends

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph Trancoso ◽  
Jozef Syktus
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Seasonal Precipitation ◽  
Precipitation Patterns ◽  
Seasonal Time Series ◽  
The World ◽  
Projected Changes ◽  
Precipitation Trends

<p>Changing precipitation patterns due to climate change is a critical concern affecting society and the environment. Projected changes in global seasonal precipitation are largely heterogeneous in space, time, magnitude and direction. Therefore, reconciling projected future precipitation is pivotal for climate change science and adaptation and mitigation schemes.</p><p>This research contributes to disentangle future precipitation uncertainty globally by exploring long-term trends in projected seasonal precipitation of 33 CMIP5 and 16 CMIP6 models for the period 1980-2100. We first estimate trend slopes and significance in long-term future seasonal precipitation using the Sen-Slope and Mann-Kendall tests and constrain trends with at least 10% of cumulative changes over the 120-year period. Then, we assess convergence in the direction of trends across seasons. We highlight the world’s jurisdictions with consistent drying and wetting patterns as well as the seasonal dominance of precipitation trends.</p><p>A consistent drying pattern – where at least 78% of GCMs have decreasing precipitation trends – was observed in Central America, South and North Africa, South Europe, Southern USA and Southern South America. Unlike, a strong convergence in projected long-term wetness – where at least 78% of GCMs have increasing precipitation trends – was observed across most of Asia, Central Africa, Northern Europe, Canada, Northern US and South Brazil and surrounds.</p><p>Results show convergence in direction of seasonal precipitation trends revealing the world’s jurisdictions more likely to experience changes in future precipitation patterns. The approach is promisor to summarize trends in seasonal time-series from multiple GCMs and better constrain wetting and drying precipitation patterns. This study provides meaningful insights to inform water resource management and climate change adaptation globally.</p>

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