(2024-02-10). Correspondence] R21/Matrix-M vaccine: optimising supply, maximising impact. thelancet.com Following decades of extensive research and development, a second malaria vaccine, the R21/Matrix-M vaccine, has been recommended by WHO.1 The recommendation comes at a crucial time when progress has stalled over the past decade due to a host of factors, including parasite resistance and persisting suboptimal access to preventive interventions, diagnostics, and therapeutics, with service disruptions by the COVID-19 pandemic posing additional constraints.2 The addition of the new vaccine to the arsenal of malaria control and elimination tools offers a glimmer of hope and creates an impetus for expediting current e…
(2024-02-10). Correspondence] Intramuscular vaccination needle length: a call to arms. thelancet.com When compared with intramuscular administration, subcutaneous administration of vaccines can be associated with a higher frequency and severity of injection site reactions.1 These reactions are of public health significance because adverse events following immunisation contribute to vaccine hesitancy or refusal, which at a population level can contribute to reduced vaccine uptake and an associated increased prevalence of vaccine-preventable disease.1,2 Immunogenicity of some vaccines, such as hepatitis B and influenza vaccines, is reduced if given via a subcutaneous injection rather than an intramuscular injectio…
(2024-02-10). Correspondence] Health implications of GSK's departure from Nigeria. thelancet.com GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced plans to cease operations in Nigeria in the face of worsening economic conditions and declining revenues.1 GSK's departure as a crucial pharmaceutical provider in Nigeria holds substantial implications for the country's health-care sector, including disruptions in disease management, treatment access, and immunisation efforts, and potentially puts patients at risk due to supply chain disruptions for medicines and vaccines.2 The absence of GSK-manufactured medications such as Amoxil (amoxicillin), Cervarix (a human papillomavirus vaccine), and Bexsero (a meningitis vaccine) could le…
(2024-02-10). Prime Minister of Slovakia Links COVID-19 Vaccines to Cardiovascular Deaths. globalresearch.ca
(2024-02-10). Correspondence] Vaccination and the defence of democracy — Authors' reply. thelancet.com Roger L Albin's Correspondence shows some of the many ways to conceptualise the potential mechanisms underlying the evolution and expansion of anti-vaccine activism in the USA. Two of Albin's points prompted us to elaborate here on ideas we discussed in our Viewpoint.1…
(2024-02-10). Correspondence] Vaccination and the defence of democracy. thelancet.com Richard M Carpiano and colleagues provide a useful summary of anti-vaccine activism in the USA.1 Their policy prescriptions are sensible but are likely to fall short because they fail to confront a fundamental feature of anti-vaccine activism. Anti-vaccine activism is one of numerous right-wing initiatives defending free market fundamentalism.2…
(2024-02-10). Editorial] Malaria vaccines: a test for global health. thelancet.com Throughout recorded history, malaria has blighted populations across the globe. Today, by far, WHO's African region has the highest burden. In 2022, the region was home to 233 million (94%) malaria cases and 580‚Äà000 (95%) malaria deaths, about 80% of which were in children younger than 5 years. Despite ambitions to reduce this burden, efforts to control malaria have stagnated: global cases dropped by 29% between 2000 and 2019 but only by 2% between 2015 and 2019. Might this all be about to change? On Jan 22, 2024, Cameroon began the roll-out of RTS,S/AS01, the first malaria vaccine to be used…
(2024-02-09). Not only vaccine hesitancy, but also vaccination campaign hesitancy drives measles epidemics in conflict-torn eastern DR Congo. reliefweb.int 
(2024-02-09). New malaria vaccine has substantial public health benefit. imperial.ac.uk
(2024-02-09). Pfizer's "Secret" Report on the Covid Vaccine. Beyond Manslaughter. The Evidence is Overwhelming. The Vaccine Should Be Immediately Withdrawn Worldwide. globalresearch.ca Pfizer was fully aware that the mRNA vaccine which it is marketing Worldwide would result in a wave of mortality and morbidity. This is tantamount to a crime against humanity on the part of Big Pharma.
(2024-02-10). Shocking CDC Report: Autoimmune Heart Disease Risk Skyrockets Post-COVID Vaccination. expose-news.com
(2024-02-10). Perspectives] Hospital dogs and Sigrid Nunez's The Friend. thelancet.com The start of the COVID-19 lockdown brought with it an unprecedented spike in animal adoptions. But as policies relaxed and societies moved on from the pandemic, countless pets suddenly found themselves once again abandoned. These unwanted pets were not the only animals that ended up shelters. As millions of people worldwide died or became chronically ill from COVID-19, many animals lost their owners, highlighting a question often overlooked in hospitals: what happens to pets when their owners are no longer able to take care of them?
(2024-02-10). Correspondence] Manufactured scarcity and the allocation of scarce resources. thelancet.com I appreciated the discussion by Ezekiel J Emanuel and Govind Persad,1 but would like to raise three considerations. First, although the authors claim, "A consensus exists on what ethical values are relevant to addressing the challenges of allocating scarce medical resources within and among countries",1 such arguably broad consensus did not always translate into clear and fair prioritisation criteria during the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, at times during the COVID-19 pandemic, governments and various advisory commissions and panels developed criteria that neglected some individuals most at risk of developing…
(2024-02-10). Correspondence] Manufactured scarcity and the allocation of scarce resources. thelancet.com Ezekiel J Emanuel and Govind Persad have pinned the failures of the COVID-19 pandemic response on inadequate operationalisation of ethical principles in public health.1 The authors outline three procedural approaches they claim would have facilitated rapid development of priority groups and avoided mistakes in resource allocation.2 In doing so, the authors sidestep an important question: how useful or relevant are high-level guiding principles if we continually fail to implement them faithfully in different contexts?
(2024-02-10). Correspondence] Draft of WHO Pandemic Agreement plays down primary prevention. thelancet.com As scientists who are deeply engaged in reducing the risk of another pandemic, we are concerned that primary pandemic prevention—actions taken to reduce the risk of an outbreak occurring at all—gets inadequate attention in the draft text of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, released on Oct 16, 2023.1…
(2024-02-09). Government supports call for men to commit to end GBVF. sanews.gov.za Government supports call for men to commit to end GBVF | President Cyril Ramaphosa says government supports the call for a pledge that men in South Africa are invited to take to demonstrate their personal commitment to ending gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). | "Our ultimate goal is to end gender-based violence altogether by mobilising all of society," President Ramaphosa said during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday night. | Highlighting government's efforts and achievements to end the scourge, which he described as the second pandemic in the country, the Head of State said together wi…
(2024-02-09). How companies are revamping empty office buildings. america.cgtn.com 
Post-pandemic — children are back at school, cruise ships are sailing again and airplanes are full — but offices in the United States are struggling. More office space is currently sitting empty in the U.S. than at any point since economic research firm Moody's Analytics began tracking vacancies in 1979. It's led some businesses to think creatively about how this empty real estate could be repurposed. CGTN's Kate Fisher reports.
(2024-02-09). Crotty Judgement: If the Irish government ratifies WHO's Pandemic Treaty without holding a referendum, "all hell will break loose" expose-news.com In 1987, the Irish Supreme Court ruled that the Irish government, as guardians of the Irish Constitution, could not enter into certain international agreements without a majority approval of Irish citizens through …
(2024-02-10). Perspectives] Ashwin Vasan: committed to addressing NYC's health challenges. thelancet.com In 2019, an inhabitant of New York City (NYC) could expect to live into their early eighties, but in 2020 that age fell to late seventies. Tackling this "challenge of falling life expectancy" is a public health priority for Ashwin Vasan, the Commissioner of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, NY, USA. "There are many direct and indirect drivers of this drop in lifespan", he says. "Certainly COVID-19 has caused significant excess deaths, but when you examine more closely there are other drivers like rising overdoses, increasing rates of interpersonal violence, widening birth inequities, and stubborn a…
(2024-02-09). State of the Nation Address in numbers. sanews.gov.za State of the Nation Address in numbers | President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Cape Town City Hall on Thursday. | Below is the SONA in numbers: | Social Assistance | | More than 26 million — South Africans who continue to receive social assistance every month provided by the democratic state. | Some 9 million — unemployed people receiving the Special Social Relief of Distress Grant every month. | | Unemployment and Job Creation | | Two million ≠— people who lost their jobs due to COVID-19. | 15 to 24 — the ages of millions of young peo…
(2024-02-09). Chinese scientists reveal DNA replication mechanism of monkeypox virus for first time. ecns.cn A research conducted by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences revealed the DNA replication mechanism of the monkeypox virus for the first time.
(2024-02-09). Mayo Clinic Minute: Syphilis surge is cause for concern. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that cases of syphilis continue to rise in the U.S. This is while rates of other forms of sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea are flat or declining. Learn more about what syphilis is, what the symptoms are and how it can be prevented in this Mayo Clinic Minute. Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute youtu.be/hFJIE8UnNjA Journalists: Broadcast-quality video pkg (0: 58) is in the downloads…
(2024-02-09). Treating stomach cancer. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org More than 26,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with stomach cancer this year, and nearly 11,000 people will die of the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. Stomach cancer accounts for about 1.5% of all new cancers diagnosed in the U.S. each year. Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, can affect any part of the stomach. In most of the world, stomach cancers form in the main part of the stomach. In the…
(2024-02-09). Mayo Clinic Minute: What to do for a healthier heart. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart disease refers to a range of conditions, of which many can be prevented or treated by making healthy lifestyle choices. Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute youtu.be/wXk1Nj28Hm4 Journalists: Broadcast-quality video pkg (1: 07) is in the downloads at the end of…
(2024-02-09). Mayo Clinic Minute: How a coronary calcium scan assesses heart attack risk. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Do you know your risk of coronary artery disease, the most common form of heart disease? Dr. Regis Fernandes, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, says an easy and efficient test called a coronary calcium scan can help determine your risk before you show symptoms. Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute youtu.be/r1Q45bi8nhM Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1: 04) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script. What a coronary calcium scan measures…
(2024-02-09). New 4D imaging may detect poor pumping in deadly heart disease. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida have found that a newer imaging technique may find subtle changes in heart dysfunction during acute stages of myocarditis and also heart functional differences by sex.
(2024-02-09). Save the date! RegenBio Summit: Transforming Next-Gen Biotherapeutics. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org The need for lifesaving options for diseases with no treatment or cure is great, and Mayo Clinic is addressing that challenge in part with a new conference focused on advancing first-of-their kind regenerative biotherapies. RegenBio Summit: Transforming Next-Gen Biotherapeutics will be held Dec. 9 to 11 at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Save the date for an event that will bring together the best minds in medicine, biotechnology and…
(2024-02-09). Growing mini-organs to find new treatments for complex disease. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Microscopic view of an intestinal organoid Mayo Clinic investigators are growing three-dimensional human intestines in a dish to track disease and find new cures for complex conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease. These mini organs function like human intestines with the ability to process metabolites that convert food into energy on a cellular level and secrete mucus that protects against bacteria. These 3D mini intestines in a dish, known as "organoids," provide a unique platform…
(2024-02-09). Understanding whooping cough with a Mayo Clinic expert. newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Whooping cough (pertussis) is caused by Bordetella pertussis bacteria. Some areas of the U.S. —and abroad — are seeing an uptick in whooping cough (pertussis) cases — including in parts of Wisconsin. Whooping cough is an infectious respiratory illness caused by Bordetella pertussis bacteria. It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. "This is an infection that causes quite a significant cough," says Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a pediatric infectious diseases expert with the Mayo…
(2024-02-09). Headlines for February 9, 2024. democracynow.org UNICEF Warns Israeli Escalation in Rafah Attack Will Cause Hunger and Disease to Skyrocket, Palestinian American Brothers Detained by Israel After Raid on Gaza Home, Senate Moves Ahead with $95 Billion Funding Bill for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, Northwestern Drops Case Against Students Who Made Mock School Paper, AFL-CIO Joins Labor Union Call for Gaza Ceasefire, Special Counsel Hur Declines to Charge Joe Biden in Classified Docs Case, Attacks Biden's Memory, SCOTUS Appears Skeptical of Colorado's Ruling That Disqualified Trump from the Ballot, Allies of Jailed Ex-PM Imran Khan Hold Lead in Tight Pakist…
(2024-02-09). Deputy Minister Bogopane-Zulu to launch ChommY in Manenberg. sanews.gov.za Deputy Minister Bogopane-Zulu to launch ChommY in Manenberg | Following the State of the Nation Address on Thursday, Social Development Deputy Minister, Dr Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, in partnership with USAID, will on Saturday launch ChommY at the Silverstream Primary School in Manenberg, in the Western Cape. | ChommY is a social and behavioural change programme for boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 14 years. | Manenberg is largely a coloured community on the Cape Flats that has been characterised as an area plagued by gang-related violent crimes and drug abuse. | ChommY, a colloquial term for "friend", se…
(2024-02-09). Unrest on Repeat: Plotting a Route to Stability in Peru. reliefweb.int 
Country: Peru | Source: International Crisis Group | Please refer to the attached file. | No country in Latin America suffers higher rates of dissatisfaction with democracy and government institutions than Peru. Absent remedies for political polarisation and state dysfunction, the mass protests that rocked the country in late 2022 could easily recur, bringing comparably violent crackdowns. | Principal Findings | What's new? The protests that engulfed Peru after the arrest of the president in late 2022 marked its largest outbreak of instability in recent times. Although peace has returned, public grievances…
(2024-02-09). Mayo Clinic Minute: Can honey help with coughs? newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org Coughs due to respiratory infections such as colds are common this time of year. An effective treatment for a disruptive cough might be sitting in your kitchen pantry. Dr. Angela Mattke, a pediatrician with Mayo Clinic Children's Center, says honey can help soothe coughs for adults and children. But, she says, never give honey to a child under 1. Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute youtu.be/15hD2BHRQfY Journalists: Broadcast-quality video pkg (0: 56) is in the downloads at the end of this post….
(2024-02-09). Infections on the rise in Gaza as Israel impedes delivery of water, food. peoplesdispatch.org Shortages of food and water in the Gaza Strip are leading to increasing numbers of infections, while healthcare continues to suffer Israeli assaults. The Nasser Hospital and the Al-Amal Hospital, both key facilities, are under constant attack…
(2024-02-10). Israeli Occupation's Aggression Continues on Day 127: Martyrs and Wounded in Gaza Strip Raids. english.almanar.com.lb 
On the 127th day of Israel's occupation aggression against the Gaza Strip, the region continues to be targeted by land, sea, and air attacks, resulting in a devastating toll on its citizens. More than 27,840 people have been martyred and 67,300 wounded, with thousands of victims trapped under rubble and obstructed ambulances from reaching them. …
(2024-02-09). US-UK launch new raids on Hodeida port city of Salif. albawaba.com
(2024-02-09). Canada announces support for climate adaptation, disaster resilience and health services in Philippines during International Development Week. reliefweb.int Countries: Canada, Philippines | Source: Government of Canada | The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, announced today an investment of $28.15 million in development programming for the Philippines, emphasizing support for climate adaptation, for resilience against natural disasters, and for improved health care services. | Forest Foundation Philippines will implement an $8 million project to support vulnerable communities as they mitigate the impact of climate change and biodiversity loss. The project will assist with financing and capacity building to support gender-responsive, n…