A Kickstart Towards Health Care ‘Ecosystems’ 20/01/2023 John Heilprin Participants in a private Davos panel discussion on building better health ‘ecosystems’ to solve the health challenges of tomorrow Across disciplines and sectors, experts say it will take treating health care as ‘ecosystems’ and a greater focus on access and equity to achieve solutions to critical health challenges of tomorrow and beyond. DAVOS, Switzerland – In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, huge inequities in access to health care have been exposed that demand more multi-sectoral cooperation to solve, a roundtable of leading health experts agreed. The discussion among a small group of leading experts in health care focused on equity in health care – finding ways for everyone to attain their full health potential regardless of race or ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, socioeconomic status, or geographical background. “I’m afraid to say the whole ecosystem needs to be cured,” said Dr Victor Dzau, a 1989 Nobel Prize winner who is president of the National Academy of Medicine and co-chair of the National Research Council in the United States. “Equity needs to be central to it,” he said. “Whatever the technology is, it has to address that.” Dhivya Venkat, left, and Seema Kumar, right, listen as Dr Victor Dzau speaks at a private Davos panel discussion on building better health “ecosystems” Building access and equity from the start into health care ‘ecosystems’ Beth Thompson, director of strategy for the London-based Wellcome Trust, one of the world’s largest providers of non-governmental funding for scientific research, agreed. “We have a strong science pipeline in lots of ways, but we really struggle with that leakiness in terms of actually putting it into practice,” said Thompson. “We have to know where we’re going at the start and build that sense of access and equity from the very beginning into the science where it’s very first done,” she said, “because otherwise we won’t get there.” Held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering in the Swiss resort town of Davos, the discussion was moderated by Seema Kumar, CEO of CURE., which operates a New York City-based “innovations campus” hosted by Deerfield Management Company. Kumar framed the discussion as an opportunity for change makers, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders to consider how to foster a health care ecosystems approach to solving the health care puzzle. Some called for a more people-centric approach. “We’ve got to put not just the patients at the center and listen to what they have say, we’ve got to listen to people before they become patients,” said Katja Iversen, an executive adviser, author, board member and advocate. Beth Thompson participates in a private Davos panel discussion on building better health “ecosystems” Health care ‘ecosystems’ puzzle needs diversity of data Francis deSouza, CEO of Illumina, a US developer, manufacturer, and marketer of life science tools and integrated systems for large-scale analysis of genetic variation and function, took the point about equity – including a need to improve data – a step further. “Equity is not just a nice-to-have,” he told the group. “If you don’t have equity in the very beginning of the process, you may not even have the right solutions.” DeSouza said he’s more optimistic than ever that humanity is entering a golden age of biology – in some ways accelerated by the pandemic – that will lead to new screening modalities starting with newborns and lasting for a lifetime of health services. “You’ll see more sophisticated screens emerge like we have for cancer now,” he predicted, adding it will encourage a more proactive, preventive approach. “We’ll see therapeutics that leverage your own immune system and are much more powerful than any chemicals you could put into your body,” he said. “We’re seeing that emerging already.” But some big challenges remain in reforming health care ecosystems, particularly in confronting a lack of diversity in data. “That’s a huge risk, because we risk systematizing racism into our medicines and diagnostics because those are the datasets used to deliver the future of medicine,” said DeSouza. “And we need to change that,” he said. “We’ve seen the access issues and, you know, bringing costs down. We’ll do that. But that’s not the whole solution.” Rick Bright, Daniella Foster, and Francis deSouza, left to right, participate in a private Davos panel discussion on building better health ‘ecosystems’ Post-pandemic health care ‘ecosystems’ approaches More patient advocacy and data sharing might create pressure to change health care ecosystems, according to Rick Bright, an American immunologist who directed the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) from 2016 to 2020. “We’ve seen it change somewhat and the pandemic is opening these databases,” he said, adding that there has been an “extraordinary” evolution in partnerships with private companies that also has resulted in more data sharing. “We’ve seen private sector companies partnering in different ways and sharing information very openly and transparently,” said Bright, who also served as CEO of the Pandemic Prevention Institute (PPI) at The Rockefeller Foundation. “And the risk now is as the attention focuses and shifts to other things, and as we see these panic-and-neglect cycles constantly for pandemic or the outbreaks, everyone’s recoiling it back and retracting back into their business as usual,” he said. “And how do we keep some of those threads active?” Daniella Foster, an executive board member and senior vice president for public affairs, science and sustainability for Bayer, said she worries about the billions of people who lack basic health care. “What keeps me up at night is the half of the world that doesn’t have access to the basic essentials,” she said. “And it’s the basics. It’s heart health and cardio. It’s the lifestyle components. There’s a nutrition component to this. So how do we really pull that through so we don’t have half of the world that’s left behind?” During the pandemic, much of the world has also been left behind despite the public-private partnerships and increased data sharing that contributed to the rapid development of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines. Rich nations mostly benefited because of the inequitable distribution of those vaccines – another prominent topic at the World Economic Forum – due to a “complete collapse of global cooperation and solidarity,” Dr John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), told a panel on vaccine equity at Davos earlier in the week. “We have to remain optimistic in Africa that, as a continent, we should strive to get to the 70% [global vaccination] target, but we are on 10%. How do we get from 10% to 70%?” he asked. Image Credits: John Heilprin. Small Island States Bear Disproportionate Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases 20/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan Over 85% of Fiji’s residents die of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), primarily strokes, heart disease and diabetes. Almost two-thirds of adults in the south Pacific country are overweight and 30% are obese. Similarly, three-quarters of the residents of Vanuatu, a collection of 80 islands also in the south Pacific, die prematurely of NCDs, primarily strokes and heart disease. Two-thirds of those who die of cardiovascular diseases are under the age of 70. Some 57% of adults are overweight and 40% have hypertension. Both Fiji and Vanuatu are small island developing states (SIDS), where deaths from NCDs are much higher than average, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) The WHO hosted a meeting this week to discuss NCDs in the states and launched a data portal that profiles the 40 member states classified as SIDS. SIDS are defined as a set of islands and coastal states that share similar sustainable development challenges as a result of their size, geography and vulnerability to climate change. Marginalised communities These countries are disproportionately affected by the four main NCDs – namely cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. Ten of the nations with the highest obesity rates in the world are SIDS, 30% of adults have hypertension, and SIDS also have one of the highest prevalence of adult diabetes in the world. In addition, rates of mental health conditions reach as high as 15% in the Caribbean and the Pacific. “The climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with poverty, unemployment, inequality and the marginalization of minority communities, are fuelling an increase in non-communicable diseases and mental health conditions,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the SIDS meeting. During the meeting, participants identified key steps to achieve a one-third reduction in premature mortality from NCDs and suicide before 2030. These include early detection, prevention and management; strengthening health systems in the face of the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic; tackling obesity, and providing adequate, sustainable financial and human resources for NCDs and mental health. The promotion of ultra-processed products, cigarettes and alcohol, were also identified as culprits driving premature deaths in the SIDS. Some states have already introduced health taxation, incorporating health into climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts, and maintaining NCD and mental health services during health emergencies. Image Credits: Monika MG/ Unsplash. Amendments to International Health Regulations Focus on Accountability, Compliance and Equity 20/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan Members of the South African National Defence Force patrol a taxi rank in Johannesburg during the country’s imposed lockdown. Proposed amendments to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR) focus on improving accountability and compliance, according to Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Speaking at the start of last week’s meeting of the IHR review committee, Tedros said that he expected a report from the committee, which is considering the amendments, by last Friday. The WHO did not respond to a Health Policy Watch query about whether this report would be made public, but it is expected to be considered by the WHO’s executive board meeting that starts at the end of the month. So nice to see you my friend @LawrenceGostin! Thank you for your support in the International Health Regulations review process and development of a #PandemicAccord. We also discussed the #COVID19 situation and importance of applying the lessons learnt on health equity. Together! pic.twitter.com/g9sKn4W9PZ — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 12, 2023 By late December, over 300 amendments had been proposed by member states to the IHR, which provides the global legal framework of countries’ rights and obligations in public health emergencies. The IHR set out the rights and obligations of countries in health emergencies, including the requirement to report public health events and the criteria for a “public health emergency of international concern”. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that the regulations, adopted in 2005, were inadequate. Major shortcomings of the regulations include the lack of urgency of the reporting process, that they don’t enable the WHO to get immediate access to sites of outbreaks, and the silence on equitable access to pandemic-mitigating products. Improving pandemic prevention “The proposed amendments reflect the critical need to strengthen the IHR to improve prevention, preparedness, and response to public health events that carry a risk of international spread,” said Tedros last week at the start of the IHR review committee’s meeting. “The committee has identified several cross-cutting themes, including equity, transparency, trust, sovereignty, collaboration, and assistance, with the overarching goal of protecting public health,” he added. “In particular, the committee noted a strong intention in the proposed amendments towards strengthening accountability and compliance with the regulations.” The committee’s report will be submitted to the Working Group on Amendments to the IHR, which will submit the final amendment proposals to the Tedros. He then has to forward these to member states at least four months before the 2024 World Health Assembly. Africa wants equity The WHO Africa region, India, Bangladesh and Malaysia want Article 3 of the IHR, which sets out the principles for implementing the regulations, to be amended to equity and solidarity. Detailed analysis of the 55 developing countries’ proposals on equity has been published by Third World Network (TWN). These include the inclusion of equitable access to the health products, technologies and know-how; health systems strengthening, and an access and benefit sharing mechanism for genetic material. Other amendments from African member states have focused on intellectual property, licensing, transfer of technology, and know-how, as summarised by Knowledge Ecology International. The key amendment in this regard, proposed by Eswatini on behalf of the WHO Africa region, is for the inclusion of a new article on Access to Health Products, Technologies and Know-How. According to this proposal, once a public health emergency of international concern has been declared, there should be “exemptions and limitations to the exclusive rights of intellectual property holders” to “facilitate the manufacture, export and import of the required health products, including their materials and components”. Conspiracy theories In tandem with updating the IHR, the WHO is in the process of negotiating a pandemic accord to guide future pandemics, and this too will be tabled at the 2024 World Health Assembly. Both processes have been the focus of conspiracy theorists, who allege that they are part of a secret WHO campaign to increase its power and undermine member states’ national sovereignty. These claims, given legs by a hodgepodge of anti-vaxxers and right-wing opponents of the WHO, usually intensify on social media whenever there are important meetings and milestones, as happened last week to coincide with the review committee’s meeting. Image Credits: Mstyslav Chernov/ Wikimedia Commons, Flickr: IMF Photo/James Oatway. European Union Pushes for Stronger Air Pollution Rules 19/01/2023 Stefan Anderson Air pollution is the 10th leading cause of death in the European Union. At least 300,000 people lose their lives to air pollution each year across the European Union, and the bloc is pushing to tighten air quality regulations as part of its Green New Deal legislative package. The new rules aim to reduce the number of premature deaths and illness caused by air pollution, as well as reducing pressure on ecosystems and biodiversity caused by poor air quality – two criteria the EU said are critical to its ambition of reaching an environment free of harmful pollution by 2050. “Each year, hundreds of thousands of Europeans die prematurely and many more suffer from heart- and lung diseases or pollution-induced cancers,” said Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president for the European Green Deal. “The longer we wait to reduce this pollution, the higher the costs to society.” The new rules aim to limit PM2.5 and NO2, the two deadliest air pollutants, to 10 µg/m3 and 20 µg/m3 respectively, which the EU says will cut premature deaths due to air pollution by at least 55% by 2030, potentially saving over 150,000 lives. The WHO’s air quality guidelines are more stringent, advising targets of 5 µg/m3 for PM2.5 and 10 µg/m3 for NO2, half of the levels under the new proposal. But the EU says its proposed levels will reduce deaths resulting from air pollution above WHO guidelines by 75% in 10 years. Ambient air pollution is a leading cause of strokes, cancer and diabetes in the EU, costing an estimated €300-853 billion per year to public authorities. The new air quality standards will cost less than 0.1% of GDP and provide a return of at least seven times that number, with gross annual benefits estimated between €42 billion and €121 billion in 2030, at an annual cost of less than €6 billion. “The cost in inaction is far greater than the cost of prevention,” EU Commissioner for the Environment Virginijus Sinkevičius said in a statement. The health effects of polluted air affect “the vulnerable most of all,” he added. Most European cities are above new air pollution targets European cities will need to make major advances by 2030 to meet the new limits. An analysis of 2019 data released this week by the Health Effects Institute and State of Global Air found only 22% of European cities met the proposed limits on PM2.5 levels, while 84% met the new target for NO2 concentration. The health effects of air pollution, even if they are not fatal, can be devastating. Pregnant women who are exposed to air with PM2.5 concentrations are at a higher risk of delivering infants with health issues such as premature birth and low birth weight. Additionally, research has shown that air pollution caused by traffic can lead to the development of asthma in both children and adults, as well as increase the risk of acute lower respiratory infections in children and lung cancer-related deaths. For its part, NO2 has been linked to increased vulnerability to severe respiratory infections and asthma, while long-term exposure can cause chronic lung disease. That report also reinforced the stark geographic patterns in air quality noted by previous studies, with countries and cities in Central and Western Europe seeing the highest PM2.5 concentrations. Higher air pollution levels in the region correlate to its elevated reliance on coal and solid fuel in industrial and domestic settings. The Bulgarian capital of Sophia topped the list for most polluted air of European capital cities, while 15 of the top 20 most polluted cities overall were in Poland. NO2 concentrations were observed to be highest in large cities like Paris and Barcelona, likely due to heavy vehicle traffic. Central and Eastern European cities tended to have lower NO2 concentrations. Overall, eight out of 10 urban residents in the EU are exposed to PM2.5 levels above the new target of 10 µg/m3, while 5 out of 10 breathe air above the 20 µg/m target for NO2. While the modelling of NO2’s effects on premature mortality are not yet well-developed, a recent study found PM2.5 to be associated with 90.4% of all air pollutions deaths in Europe between 1990 and 2019. Progress is in the right direction, but danger lingers in the air The average annual population-weighted aPM2.5 concentration in European countries for 1990 (left) and 2019 (right). While it still has a long way to go to meet its goals, Europe has made steady progress in reducing air pollution in recent decades. A 2021 study exploring the impact of air quality on health in 43 European countries – including Russia and Iceland – between 1990 and 2019 found that on average, public exposure to PM2.5 fell by 33.7%. The report also found socioeconomic determinants had a substantial impact on air pollution-related deaths. Countries ranking in the lowest income bracket lost 11 times as many adjusted life years on average to ischemic heart disease attributed to air pollution, and 25 times more adjusted life years to air pollution-induced strokes. Air-pollution deaths per capita were highest in Eastern European countries where PM2.5 concentrations remain unchecked. Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia had death rates five and seven times higher than the European average, respectively. Their average lost adjusted life years were also the highest in Europe and 32 times higher than Iceland, which had the lowest rate of the countries surveyed. Some 24,917 years of life were lost per 100,000 people in Europe in 2019 from premature deaths from air pollution exposure, which marked a decrease of 63% from 1990. “By 2050, we want our environment to be free of harmful pollutants,” Timmermans said. “That means we need to step up action today.” Image Credits: Tangopaso, Mariordo, State of Global Air, Scientific Reports. Hybrid Immunity Protects Better Against Hospitalisation and Severe COVID Infection 19/01/2023 Megha Kaveri Those with hybrid immunity enjoy better protection from hospitalisation and severe COVID even after a year. Hybrid immunity from a combination of being vaccinated and previously infected with COVID-19 offers better protection against hospitalisation and severe infection than immunity simply from a previous infection, according to a new study in The Lancet. People with hybrid immunity were 97.4% less likely to be hospitalised or suffer severe infection at 12 months, whereas those who were previously infected but unvaccinated were 74.6% less likely, according to the study, which was funded by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). The likelihood reported on unvaccinated individuals could, however, be a combination of several factors, while “exposure could also differ between groups, as in the case of individuals who are unvaccinated because they are severely immunocompromised, and thus also have a greater risk of infection”. The study analysed 26 papers, of which 11 reported on the immunity derived from previous infections and 15 reported on hybrid immunity. Individuals with immunity from previous infections were 25% less likely to be reinfected at 12 months, while individuals with hybrid immunity were 42% less likely to be reinfected at 12 months. Individuals who had previously been infected and received their first booster doses were 95% less likely to be hospitalised or severely ill and 47% less likely to be reinfected six months after receiving the booster. “Individuals with hybrid immunity had the highest magnitude and durability of protection, and as a result might be able to extend the period before booster vaccinations are needed compared to individuals who have never been infected,” the authors noted. They added that individuals with previous infection and full primary vaccination can delay receiving their booster shots by six months, while still having high protection against severe COVID. The analysis demonstrates the advantages of vaccination even after people have had COVID-19, the WHO said in a press statement. In countries with low resources and high infection rates, this evidence can come in handy for policy-makers. “In settings with high seroprevalence, scarce resources, and competing health priorities, evidence suggests that it is reasonable to focus on achieving high coverage rates with primary series vaccination among individuals who are at higher risk of poor outcomes, as this will provide a high level of protection against severe disease for at least 1 year among those with previous infection,” the authors added. Image Credits: Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash. New Partnership to Produce Health and Climate Research 19/01/2023 Megha Kaveri Climate and health panel at WEF 2023, Davos. The World Economic Forum (WEF) will partner with Wellcome Trust to collect research-based data on how climate change is affecting health. Making the announcement, WEF’s head of health Shyam Bishen said that while several organisations were working on data collection, most data is fragmented with different organisations. “We want to ensure that we have a good amount of research-based data that we can take to policymakers and bring it all together to respond to it,” said Bishen. However, Dr Victor Dzau, the president of the US National Academy of Medicine, said that not research was being produced on climate change and health. “Most of the evidence is associative evidence, like air pollution causes 700,000 deaths and therefore it’s climate change. So we need to do some serious research in linking climate and health and health outcomes, providing the evidence,” he told a panel on climate and health. “I think there needs to be more action-oriented research to say, what do we need to do? Or what are the interventions that will result in any evidence. I think the policy makers will be willing to listen to those issues. We’ve told the narratives and data to say it’s really hurting people’s lives, but here’s where actions need to be taken,” Dzau explained. Disease prevention key What several people overlook when talking about climate crisis and the ways to address it is the role prevention of diseases plays in it, said Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson. “If you go on to be diabetic, you’ll create between 30 and 45 tons of carbon because the way healthcare is delivered to you, medicines that are made, transportation to a hospital, caregivers getting to a hospital. So preventative health, helping people not make the journey from pre-diabetic to diabetic, for example, can have a mind boggling impact, positively, not only on them, but also on the climate,” said Hudson. The global average carbon emissions per person is around five tons. While the world thinks a lot about climate change and communicable diseases, the same importance is not given to the relationship between climate change and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), said Vanessa Kerry, CEO of Seed Global Health. She added that malnutrition, preterm births and stillbirths are all impacted by climate change. “Air pollution is the second leading cause of non-communicable diseases globally right now and the first in southeast Asia. When you think about what that impact looks like, that’s actually about $47 trillion in costs globally between 2010 and 2030 just to manage some of that disease,” she pointed out. A 2022 study of 137 countries estimated that nearly half of all stillbirths across the world have links with air pollution. Although the exact mechanisms behind this link are unclear, the study estimated that cutting air pollution down to the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) could prevent around 710,000 stillbirths every year. Image Credits: Screengrab from WEF live stream. . Switzerland and Ecuador Appeal for Treaty to End the ‘Plastic Crisis’ 17/01/2023 John Heilprin Microplastics from a river in Maryland, collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Marine Debris Program. Recent research have now found microplastics in human blood samples. DAVOS, Switzerland – The presidents of Switzerland and Ecuador led a call here at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Tuesday for greater international cooperation to fight plastic pollution, urging passage of a global treaty with tough regulations to confront a burgeoning environmental and health crisis from the ubiquitous material once seen as a symbol of modernity. Swiss President Alain Berset, heading a panel discussion hosted by Switzerland, told a packed room that an international treaty and new “regulatory framework” is needed to get rid of plastics that are clogging the world’s ecosystems, choking oceans and poisoning fish and wildlife – with severe human health consequences. “We are facing a major plastic crisis. The world cannot deal with the amount of plastic it produces,” he said. “If we continue on this path there could be more plastic than fish by 2050.” Berset said the plastic crisis is not only an environmental crisis, but also a health and socioeconomic challenge, “and Switzerland is ready to do its part.” Switzerland’s President Alain Berset at the WEF panel on plastic pollution. Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza noted that his nation and Switzerland are “united by a historic commitment” to work together to end plastics pollution as two of the five countries joining the United Nations Security Council this year. Japan, Malta, Mozambique are the other three countries elected to a two-year term on the 15-nation Council, the world body’s most powerful arm, based in New York. “With our commitment we are indeed making history. We must find a solution to the global crisis of plastic waste,” said Lasso Mendoza. “In just a few years, there will be more plastic in our oceans by tons than there is fauna.” Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza at the WEF panel on plastic pollution. In a historic moment in March 2022, the world’s environment ministries agreed to negotiate a treaty on plastics pollution. The decision by some 175 UN member states was reached at the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi. But the road to approval and ratification of a legal instrument that has teeth promises to be a major lift in light of the powerful oil and gas interests that will oppose it every step of the way. Political leadership by countries such as Switzerland and Ecuador, in the Security Council and in other UN Fora, will thus be key to making progress in treaty negotiations. Fossil fuel producers scale up plastics production Currently, an estimated 5% of global total goods trade is in plastics, Lasso Mendoza said, citing UN data. But even as knowledge about the enormous environmental and health risks of plastics grows, fossil fuel producers are scaling up their plastics production, with plans to double the production of virgin plastic resin by 2040. At current rates, plastics are on track to account for 20% of oil and gas consumption by 2050, according to the UN Environment Programme. “Political will and leadership are the foundations upon which we must build,” Lasso Mendoza said. “Ecuador takes the fight against plastic very seriously. We need a globally binding treaty. We should reach agreement by the end of 2024.” Over the past 30 years, plastics production increased fourfold, with growth rates still rising exponentially. Already over the past 30 years, plastic consumption increased four-fold. Although global production of recycled plastics more than quadrupled over the same period, recycled plastics only represent about 6% of global plastics production, while 94% are “virgin” plastics, according to the OECD. Burgeoning health and environmental impacts Plastic waste from an informal landfill litters a rural seascape in Albania while goats graze nearby. Of the majority of plastic waste that doesn’t get reprocessed and reused, 19% is incinerated, 50% ends up in landfills, and 22% is burned in open pits, with the remainder winding up in uncontrolled dumpsites, scattered along roadsides, farmlands or littering coastal beaches and waters of poorer countries. A 2021 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that plastic contamination of farmland from single-use soil and plant coverings, tubing and other materials, poses an increasing threat to soil quality, food safety and human health. In 2022, a new study identified microplastics in human blood samples for the first time. On the high seas, a recent Nature study found that the blue whales, which typically feed upon krill, may consume some 10 million pieces of microplastics a day, a taste of what other large fish like tuna and salmon are likely eating as well. Human exposure to plastic additives such as DEHP and Phthalates, which are used to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC), leads to higher risks of cancer and hormonal disorders that cause reproductive health problems, research has shown. Not only are phthalate additives health harmful, but the production of PVC out of fossil fuel-derived ethylene, generates considerable mercury emissions, which are toxic for humans and to wildlife. Along with its uses in waterproof garments and building materials, PVC is ubiquitous in healthcare settings where it is a key component of basic medical devices like IV tubes. ‘Dangerous for all living things’ Rwanda’s Environment Minister Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, whose nation has teamed with Norway to eliminate plastic pollution by 2040, told the panel that “plastic pollution is not only dangerous for nature but for all living things, including human beings.” “No one country can solve the problem alone, she emphasized. Marco Lambertini, a special envoy for Gland, Switzerland-based World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), said that negotiations on an international treaty need to be inclusive of governments, businesses, investors and citizens. “Without everybody, we won’t get anywhere,” he said. “We also need to look at the plastic value chain in its entirety, from production to disposal.” (Left to right): At the WEF panel on plastic pollution, the Graduate Institute’s Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, moderator; WHO’s Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; Rwanda’s Environment Minister Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya; Kristin Hughes of WEF; and Marco Lambertini of WWF. Developing countries that lack the infrastructure for waste management will need special help, he added, and recycling must be increased globally from its current “outrageous” low of less than 10%. “I see a real parallel between the phasing out of fossil fuels and the phasing out of fossil fuel- based plastics,” he said. Kristin Hughes, director of WEF’s Global Plastic Action Partnership, added: “you don’t just need business, you also need the government component. And they need to work together.” WHO – ending plastics pollution critical to healthier environment The World Health Organization’s director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said ending plastics pollution is a critical part of creating a healthier environment for everyone, but more study is needed to determine the range of biological and human health impacts that plastics can and do have. “I don’t think plastics pollution and health – that connection – has been given the attention it needed,” Tedros said. “And not only that, we don’t have research that documents well how plastics affect human health throughout the [product] lifecycle. “They do actually.” Image Credits: John Heilprin, Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program, Plastics Atlas, 2019, @Antoine Giret/ Unsplash. ‘Transactional’ Pathogen Sharing Undermines Global Health Security 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The existing international framework for sharing pathogens is ‘transactional’ and undermines global health security, according to research commissioned by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA). Produced by legal consultancy Covington, the research was developed partly from interviews with 82 public health experts. There were drawn from the pharmaceutical companies (44% of respondents), the World Health Organization (17%), public health institutions including the US Center for Disease Control, (23%), biobanks (7%), academia (1%), NGOs (7%), and other stakeholders (1%). Through interviews with global health experts, our new report points to concerns of a “politicization” of #pathogens sharing, leading to significant delays in developing vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics. Find out more: https://t.co/xmjfhNz7as #NagoyaProtocol @IFPMA pic.twitter.com/cR6CRxWKm0 — Covington (@CovingtonLLP) January 17, 2023 “The research “points to an increased ‘politicization’ of access to samples of pathogens, as well as access to sequence information on pathogens,” according to a statement released by the IFPMA on Tuesday. “This is due to countries’ adoption of national access and benefit-sharing (ABS) rules under the Nagoya Protocol and potentially, the future draft Pandemic Accord,” The Nagoya Protocol “employs a transactional model”, requiring almost 100 countries to get a permit “each time a researcher wishes to access that nation’s biodiversity for R&D”, according to the IFPMA. “In return for the permit, benefit-sharing in the form of a payment on the result from R&D is usually required.” While this was meant to attach value to and protect biodiversity, “there is a broad consensus among stakeholders interviewed by Covington that the transactional model of the Nagoya Protocol applied to pathogens is not logical, and undermines global health security”. A possible solution, it adds, would be to unlink “access” to pathogens from “benefits” derived from such access. This would “ensure rapid and free sharing of pathogen samples and sequence data, while addressing equity concerns separately”, it adds. “Coming on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and as negotiations commence on the so-called pandemic accord led by the WHO, our report demonstrates the need to secure free, rapid and unhindered access for scientists to pathogen samples and sequence data,” said Bart Van Vooren, who led the Covington team. ‘Held hostage to deals’ “Currently, pathogens are being held hostage to deals on benefit-sharing through the Nagoya Protocol. This represents a grave risk for humanity when the next pandemic hits,” he added. The report provides examples of how ABS laws have blocked or delayed researchers’ access to pathogen samples of seasonal influenza, SARS-CoV-2, Zika, mpox, Japanese Encephalitis, Foot and Mouth Disease, Ebola, and African Swine Fever. It also shows that delays or refusals for pathogen-sharing have led to “sub-optimal vaccine composition, including lack of regional representativeness”; diagnostics that were not tailored or tested against original or new variants of pathogens and “skewed and non-representative epidemiology in genomic surveillance”. Thomas Cueni, Director General of IFPMA, said: “Investments in global health security, especially improved and expanded pathogen and disease surveillance, will not achieve the ultimate goal of protecting people and saving lives, if immediate and unfettered access to pathogens and their genetic information is constrained.” Image Credits: Paul Owere/Twitter . Amid Grim Economic Outlook, Women’s Health is Still Best Investment 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, Diminishing democracy, growing nationalism, widening social inequality, growing climate-related crises and debt are part of the “unprecedented” trends of 2023, according to world leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday. “Our generation has reached a turning point confronted by truly existential problems: climate change, exploitation of nature, nuclear possible incidents or even worse, extreme poverty and violence. They all can lead to the extinction of large parts of our global population,” warned WEF founder Klaus Schwab. Swiss president Alain Berset warned that “extreme inequality undermines social cohesion, creates resentments, causing us to seek scapegoats and it is politically toxic, eating away at our faith in democracy”. Only 20% of the world’s population lives in democracies, down from 50% 30 years ago, said Berset. Inequality was exacerbated by climate change, the Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic, added Berst, pointing out that 300 million people faced “acute risk of hunger”. Investment in women’s health UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem But investment in basic healthcare for women still offers one of the best returns on investment. UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem said that “there are still 300 million women who would want to access family planning that are knocking on the door of a clinic and nobody is there. “We’ve seen the wisdom and the high return of almost $10 for every dollar you invest in family planning and maternal health,” Kanem added. Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, said her government’s introduction of health insurance for the country’s poorest families had resulted in the “unprecedented number “ of 120 million Indian women being scanned for cervical and breast cancer. Irani said that there is “a conscious effort on behalf of the government to ensure that the whole life cycle needs of a woman’s health are looked after by every government entity”. After a 40-year wait, a Bill allowing abortion from 24 weeks “passed both houses of parliament without a whimper”, said Irani. In addition, 703 emergency and crisis centres for women had helped 220 million women in distress, and “given them medical, psychological and police help so that they can transition from challenges towards solutions”. “When you invest in the health of a woman, you invest in the health of community. When you empower her financially, she tends to spend more on health and education.” Bio-pharmaceutical company Organon is focusing on “femtech” solutions to address women’s health, said CEO Kevin Ali. In the 18 months since it was listed on the New York stock exchange, Organon has “done eight deals’, said Ali. “Two are in the medical device space, one to solve the issues of postpartum haemorrhage, and one to solve some of the issues around minimally invasive hysterectomy,” said Ali. His company is also investing in “new mechanisms of action for endometriosis, preterm labour and polycystic ovary syndrome”. Nutrition and pregnancy Mark Suzman, Gates Foundation CEO “Nutrition is such a critical enabler for healthy pregnancies and healthy birth,” said Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman. “An area where we are prioritising investment right now is treatments for anaemia, which is actually one of the most fundamental challenges facing women and particularly women in pregnancy.” While a number of companies were researching the microbiome “to figure out how to do better weight loss”, the Gates Foundation was focusing on “what elements of treating the microbiome can actually be most important in the antenatal and postnatal period for women and children”, added Suzman. “We were also able to do some research as a public good which showed the efficacy of a single dose of HPV vaccine [to prevent cervical cancer] was as good as multiple doses. That basically allowed you to vaccinate twice as many children,” he added. World Economic Forum Warns of Uncertain and Turbulent Decade Ahead 16/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The “cost-of-living crisis” and failure to mitigate climate change are the most acute global risks, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) which opened in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday. The forum’s risk assessment report 2023 released last week identifies a “polycrisis” of risks, most of which relate to environmental and societal issues, such as biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and large-scale involuntary migration. However, despite the prominence of environmental concerns, environmental activists have already called out WEF leaders for hypocrisy. On Sunday, protestors blocked a number of private jets from landing at Davos airport – over 1000 jets are expected to bring the rich and powerful to the meeting, causing significant carbon emissions. Protestors block private jets at Davos’s airport. In addition, a social media campaign was also launched by climate activists Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate and Luisa Neubauer, demanding that energy company CEOs “immediately stop opening any new oil, gas, or coal extraction sites, and stop blocking the clean energy transition we all so urgently need” or face legal action and protests. ‘Tax the rich’ Meanwhile, Oxfam also called for new measures to tax the world’s super-rich, releasing research on the eve of the meeting showing that, since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, the richest 1% had “grabbed nearly two-thirds of all new wealth” – almost twice as much money as the bottom 99% of the world’s population. “A billionaire gained roughly $1.7 million for every $1 of new global wealth earned by a person in the bottom 90%,” according to Oxfam, which calculated that a tax of up to 5% on the world’s multi-millionaires and billionaires “could raise $1.7 trillion a year, enough to lift two billion people out of poverty”. The WEF, the first in-person meeting of the annual event since 2020, was set up to promote public-private collaboration, and has become a marketplace for world leaders to promote investment in their countries and for businesses to court government support. However, the annual risk assessment frankly acknowledges the dire economic conditions faced particularly by people in poorer countries thanks to the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Cost-of-living crisis Based on interviews with key leaders, the cost-of-living crisis is ranked as the most severe global risk over the next two years. “We have seen a return of ‘older’ risks – inflation, cost-of-living crises, trade wars, capital outflows from emerging markets, widespread social unrest, geopolitical confrontation and the spectre of nuclear warfare – which few of this generation’s business leaders and public policy-makers have experienced,” it warns. “These are being amplified by comparatively new developments in the global risks landscape, including unsustainable levels of debt, a new era of low growth, low global investment and de-globalization, a decline in human development after decades of progress, rapid and unconstrained development of dual-use (civilian and military) technologies, and the growing pressure of climate change impacts and ambitions in an ever-shrinking window for transition to a 1.5°C world.” Taking all these factors into account, the WEF warns of a “unique, uncertain and turbulent decade” ahead. Nine risks are featured in the top 10 rankings over both the short and the long term, including “geoeconomic confrontation” and “erosion of social cohesion and societal polarisation”, alongside “widespread cybercrime and cyber insecurity” and “large-scale involuntary migration”. Health is the focus of a number of sessions of the forum, which runs midday on Friday These include sessions on pandemic preparedness, women’s health, tuberculosis and equity. Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts This site uses cookies to help give you the best experience on our website. Cookies enable us to collect information that helps us personalise your experience and improve the functionality and performance of our site. By continuing to read our website, we assume you agree to this, otherwise you can adjust your browser settings. Please read our cookie and Privacy Policy. Our Cookies and Privacy Policy Loading Comments... You must be logged in to post a comment.
Small Island States Bear Disproportionate Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases 20/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan Over 85% of Fiji’s residents die of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), primarily strokes, heart disease and diabetes. Almost two-thirds of adults in the south Pacific country are overweight and 30% are obese. Similarly, three-quarters of the residents of Vanuatu, a collection of 80 islands also in the south Pacific, die prematurely of NCDs, primarily strokes and heart disease. Two-thirds of those who die of cardiovascular diseases are under the age of 70. Some 57% of adults are overweight and 40% have hypertension. Both Fiji and Vanuatu are small island developing states (SIDS), where deaths from NCDs are much higher than average, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) The WHO hosted a meeting this week to discuss NCDs in the states and launched a data portal that profiles the 40 member states classified as SIDS. SIDS are defined as a set of islands and coastal states that share similar sustainable development challenges as a result of their size, geography and vulnerability to climate change. Marginalised communities These countries are disproportionately affected by the four main NCDs – namely cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. Ten of the nations with the highest obesity rates in the world are SIDS, 30% of adults have hypertension, and SIDS also have one of the highest prevalence of adult diabetes in the world. In addition, rates of mental health conditions reach as high as 15% in the Caribbean and the Pacific. “The climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with poverty, unemployment, inequality and the marginalization of minority communities, are fuelling an increase in non-communicable diseases and mental health conditions,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the SIDS meeting. During the meeting, participants identified key steps to achieve a one-third reduction in premature mortality from NCDs and suicide before 2030. These include early detection, prevention and management; strengthening health systems in the face of the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic; tackling obesity, and providing adequate, sustainable financial and human resources for NCDs and mental health. The promotion of ultra-processed products, cigarettes and alcohol, were also identified as culprits driving premature deaths in the SIDS. Some states have already introduced health taxation, incorporating health into climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts, and maintaining NCD and mental health services during health emergencies. Image Credits: Monika MG/ Unsplash. Amendments to International Health Regulations Focus on Accountability, Compliance and Equity 20/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan Members of the South African National Defence Force patrol a taxi rank in Johannesburg during the country’s imposed lockdown. Proposed amendments to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR) focus on improving accountability and compliance, according to Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Speaking at the start of last week’s meeting of the IHR review committee, Tedros said that he expected a report from the committee, which is considering the amendments, by last Friday. The WHO did not respond to a Health Policy Watch query about whether this report would be made public, but it is expected to be considered by the WHO’s executive board meeting that starts at the end of the month. So nice to see you my friend @LawrenceGostin! Thank you for your support in the International Health Regulations review process and development of a #PandemicAccord. We also discussed the #COVID19 situation and importance of applying the lessons learnt on health equity. Together! pic.twitter.com/g9sKn4W9PZ — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 12, 2023 By late December, over 300 amendments had been proposed by member states to the IHR, which provides the global legal framework of countries’ rights and obligations in public health emergencies. The IHR set out the rights and obligations of countries in health emergencies, including the requirement to report public health events and the criteria for a “public health emergency of international concern”. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that the regulations, adopted in 2005, were inadequate. Major shortcomings of the regulations include the lack of urgency of the reporting process, that they don’t enable the WHO to get immediate access to sites of outbreaks, and the silence on equitable access to pandemic-mitigating products. Improving pandemic prevention “The proposed amendments reflect the critical need to strengthen the IHR to improve prevention, preparedness, and response to public health events that carry a risk of international spread,” said Tedros last week at the start of the IHR review committee’s meeting. “The committee has identified several cross-cutting themes, including equity, transparency, trust, sovereignty, collaboration, and assistance, with the overarching goal of protecting public health,” he added. “In particular, the committee noted a strong intention in the proposed amendments towards strengthening accountability and compliance with the regulations.” The committee’s report will be submitted to the Working Group on Amendments to the IHR, which will submit the final amendment proposals to the Tedros. He then has to forward these to member states at least four months before the 2024 World Health Assembly. Africa wants equity The WHO Africa region, India, Bangladesh and Malaysia want Article 3 of the IHR, which sets out the principles for implementing the regulations, to be amended to equity and solidarity. Detailed analysis of the 55 developing countries’ proposals on equity has been published by Third World Network (TWN). These include the inclusion of equitable access to the health products, technologies and know-how; health systems strengthening, and an access and benefit sharing mechanism for genetic material. Other amendments from African member states have focused on intellectual property, licensing, transfer of technology, and know-how, as summarised by Knowledge Ecology International. The key amendment in this regard, proposed by Eswatini on behalf of the WHO Africa region, is for the inclusion of a new article on Access to Health Products, Technologies and Know-How. According to this proposal, once a public health emergency of international concern has been declared, there should be “exemptions and limitations to the exclusive rights of intellectual property holders” to “facilitate the manufacture, export and import of the required health products, including their materials and components”. Conspiracy theories In tandem with updating the IHR, the WHO is in the process of negotiating a pandemic accord to guide future pandemics, and this too will be tabled at the 2024 World Health Assembly. Both processes have been the focus of conspiracy theorists, who allege that they are part of a secret WHO campaign to increase its power and undermine member states’ national sovereignty. These claims, given legs by a hodgepodge of anti-vaxxers and right-wing opponents of the WHO, usually intensify on social media whenever there are important meetings and milestones, as happened last week to coincide with the review committee’s meeting. Image Credits: Mstyslav Chernov/ Wikimedia Commons, Flickr: IMF Photo/James Oatway. European Union Pushes for Stronger Air Pollution Rules 19/01/2023 Stefan Anderson Air pollution is the 10th leading cause of death in the European Union. At least 300,000 people lose their lives to air pollution each year across the European Union, and the bloc is pushing to tighten air quality regulations as part of its Green New Deal legislative package. The new rules aim to reduce the number of premature deaths and illness caused by air pollution, as well as reducing pressure on ecosystems and biodiversity caused by poor air quality – two criteria the EU said are critical to its ambition of reaching an environment free of harmful pollution by 2050. “Each year, hundreds of thousands of Europeans die prematurely and many more suffer from heart- and lung diseases or pollution-induced cancers,” said Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president for the European Green Deal. “The longer we wait to reduce this pollution, the higher the costs to society.” The new rules aim to limit PM2.5 and NO2, the two deadliest air pollutants, to 10 µg/m3 and 20 µg/m3 respectively, which the EU says will cut premature deaths due to air pollution by at least 55% by 2030, potentially saving over 150,000 lives. The WHO’s air quality guidelines are more stringent, advising targets of 5 µg/m3 for PM2.5 and 10 µg/m3 for NO2, half of the levels under the new proposal. But the EU says its proposed levels will reduce deaths resulting from air pollution above WHO guidelines by 75% in 10 years. Ambient air pollution is a leading cause of strokes, cancer and diabetes in the EU, costing an estimated €300-853 billion per year to public authorities. The new air quality standards will cost less than 0.1% of GDP and provide a return of at least seven times that number, with gross annual benefits estimated between €42 billion and €121 billion in 2030, at an annual cost of less than €6 billion. “The cost in inaction is far greater than the cost of prevention,” EU Commissioner for the Environment Virginijus Sinkevičius said in a statement. The health effects of polluted air affect “the vulnerable most of all,” he added. Most European cities are above new air pollution targets European cities will need to make major advances by 2030 to meet the new limits. An analysis of 2019 data released this week by the Health Effects Institute and State of Global Air found only 22% of European cities met the proposed limits on PM2.5 levels, while 84% met the new target for NO2 concentration. The health effects of air pollution, even if they are not fatal, can be devastating. Pregnant women who are exposed to air with PM2.5 concentrations are at a higher risk of delivering infants with health issues such as premature birth and low birth weight. Additionally, research has shown that air pollution caused by traffic can lead to the development of asthma in both children and adults, as well as increase the risk of acute lower respiratory infections in children and lung cancer-related deaths. For its part, NO2 has been linked to increased vulnerability to severe respiratory infections and asthma, while long-term exposure can cause chronic lung disease. That report also reinforced the stark geographic patterns in air quality noted by previous studies, with countries and cities in Central and Western Europe seeing the highest PM2.5 concentrations. Higher air pollution levels in the region correlate to its elevated reliance on coal and solid fuel in industrial and domestic settings. The Bulgarian capital of Sophia topped the list for most polluted air of European capital cities, while 15 of the top 20 most polluted cities overall were in Poland. NO2 concentrations were observed to be highest in large cities like Paris and Barcelona, likely due to heavy vehicle traffic. Central and Eastern European cities tended to have lower NO2 concentrations. Overall, eight out of 10 urban residents in the EU are exposed to PM2.5 levels above the new target of 10 µg/m3, while 5 out of 10 breathe air above the 20 µg/m target for NO2. While the modelling of NO2’s effects on premature mortality are not yet well-developed, a recent study found PM2.5 to be associated with 90.4% of all air pollutions deaths in Europe between 1990 and 2019. Progress is in the right direction, but danger lingers in the air The average annual population-weighted aPM2.5 concentration in European countries for 1990 (left) and 2019 (right). While it still has a long way to go to meet its goals, Europe has made steady progress in reducing air pollution in recent decades. A 2021 study exploring the impact of air quality on health in 43 European countries – including Russia and Iceland – between 1990 and 2019 found that on average, public exposure to PM2.5 fell by 33.7%. The report also found socioeconomic determinants had a substantial impact on air pollution-related deaths. Countries ranking in the lowest income bracket lost 11 times as many adjusted life years on average to ischemic heart disease attributed to air pollution, and 25 times more adjusted life years to air pollution-induced strokes. Air-pollution deaths per capita were highest in Eastern European countries where PM2.5 concentrations remain unchecked. Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia had death rates five and seven times higher than the European average, respectively. Their average lost adjusted life years were also the highest in Europe and 32 times higher than Iceland, which had the lowest rate of the countries surveyed. Some 24,917 years of life were lost per 100,000 people in Europe in 2019 from premature deaths from air pollution exposure, which marked a decrease of 63% from 1990. “By 2050, we want our environment to be free of harmful pollutants,” Timmermans said. “That means we need to step up action today.” Image Credits: Tangopaso, Mariordo, State of Global Air, Scientific Reports. Hybrid Immunity Protects Better Against Hospitalisation and Severe COVID Infection 19/01/2023 Megha Kaveri Those with hybrid immunity enjoy better protection from hospitalisation and severe COVID even after a year. Hybrid immunity from a combination of being vaccinated and previously infected with COVID-19 offers better protection against hospitalisation and severe infection than immunity simply from a previous infection, according to a new study in The Lancet. People with hybrid immunity were 97.4% less likely to be hospitalised or suffer severe infection at 12 months, whereas those who were previously infected but unvaccinated were 74.6% less likely, according to the study, which was funded by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). The likelihood reported on unvaccinated individuals could, however, be a combination of several factors, while “exposure could also differ between groups, as in the case of individuals who are unvaccinated because they are severely immunocompromised, and thus also have a greater risk of infection”. The study analysed 26 papers, of which 11 reported on the immunity derived from previous infections and 15 reported on hybrid immunity. Individuals with immunity from previous infections were 25% less likely to be reinfected at 12 months, while individuals with hybrid immunity were 42% less likely to be reinfected at 12 months. Individuals who had previously been infected and received their first booster doses were 95% less likely to be hospitalised or severely ill and 47% less likely to be reinfected six months after receiving the booster. “Individuals with hybrid immunity had the highest magnitude and durability of protection, and as a result might be able to extend the period before booster vaccinations are needed compared to individuals who have never been infected,” the authors noted. They added that individuals with previous infection and full primary vaccination can delay receiving their booster shots by six months, while still having high protection against severe COVID. The analysis demonstrates the advantages of vaccination even after people have had COVID-19, the WHO said in a press statement. In countries with low resources and high infection rates, this evidence can come in handy for policy-makers. “In settings with high seroprevalence, scarce resources, and competing health priorities, evidence suggests that it is reasonable to focus on achieving high coverage rates with primary series vaccination among individuals who are at higher risk of poor outcomes, as this will provide a high level of protection against severe disease for at least 1 year among those with previous infection,” the authors added. Image Credits: Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash. New Partnership to Produce Health and Climate Research 19/01/2023 Megha Kaveri Climate and health panel at WEF 2023, Davos. The World Economic Forum (WEF) will partner with Wellcome Trust to collect research-based data on how climate change is affecting health. Making the announcement, WEF’s head of health Shyam Bishen said that while several organisations were working on data collection, most data is fragmented with different organisations. “We want to ensure that we have a good amount of research-based data that we can take to policymakers and bring it all together to respond to it,” said Bishen. However, Dr Victor Dzau, the president of the US National Academy of Medicine, said that not research was being produced on climate change and health. “Most of the evidence is associative evidence, like air pollution causes 700,000 deaths and therefore it’s climate change. So we need to do some serious research in linking climate and health and health outcomes, providing the evidence,” he told a panel on climate and health. “I think there needs to be more action-oriented research to say, what do we need to do? Or what are the interventions that will result in any evidence. I think the policy makers will be willing to listen to those issues. We’ve told the narratives and data to say it’s really hurting people’s lives, but here’s where actions need to be taken,” Dzau explained. Disease prevention key What several people overlook when talking about climate crisis and the ways to address it is the role prevention of diseases plays in it, said Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson. “If you go on to be diabetic, you’ll create between 30 and 45 tons of carbon because the way healthcare is delivered to you, medicines that are made, transportation to a hospital, caregivers getting to a hospital. So preventative health, helping people not make the journey from pre-diabetic to diabetic, for example, can have a mind boggling impact, positively, not only on them, but also on the climate,” said Hudson. The global average carbon emissions per person is around five tons. While the world thinks a lot about climate change and communicable diseases, the same importance is not given to the relationship between climate change and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), said Vanessa Kerry, CEO of Seed Global Health. She added that malnutrition, preterm births and stillbirths are all impacted by climate change. “Air pollution is the second leading cause of non-communicable diseases globally right now and the first in southeast Asia. When you think about what that impact looks like, that’s actually about $47 trillion in costs globally between 2010 and 2030 just to manage some of that disease,” she pointed out. A 2022 study of 137 countries estimated that nearly half of all stillbirths across the world have links with air pollution. Although the exact mechanisms behind this link are unclear, the study estimated that cutting air pollution down to the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) could prevent around 710,000 stillbirths every year. Image Credits: Screengrab from WEF live stream. . Switzerland and Ecuador Appeal for Treaty to End the ‘Plastic Crisis’ 17/01/2023 John Heilprin Microplastics from a river in Maryland, collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Marine Debris Program. Recent research have now found microplastics in human blood samples. DAVOS, Switzerland – The presidents of Switzerland and Ecuador led a call here at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Tuesday for greater international cooperation to fight plastic pollution, urging passage of a global treaty with tough regulations to confront a burgeoning environmental and health crisis from the ubiquitous material once seen as a symbol of modernity. Swiss President Alain Berset, heading a panel discussion hosted by Switzerland, told a packed room that an international treaty and new “regulatory framework” is needed to get rid of plastics that are clogging the world’s ecosystems, choking oceans and poisoning fish and wildlife – with severe human health consequences. “We are facing a major plastic crisis. The world cannot deal with the amount of plastic it produces,” he said. “If we continue on this path there could be more plastic than fish by 2050.” Berset said the plastic crisis is not only an environmental crisis, but also a health and socioeconomic challenge, “and Switzerland is ready to do its part.” Switzerland’s President Alain Berset at the WEF panel on plastic pollution. Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza noted that his nation and Switzerland are “united by a historic commitment” to work together to end plastics pollution as two of the five countries joining the United Nations Security Council this year. Japan, Malta, Mozambique are the other three countries elected to a two-year term on the 15-nation Council, the world body’s most powerful arm, based in New York. “With our commitment we are indeed making history. We must find a solution to the global crisis of plastic waste,” said Lasso Mendoza. “In just a few years, there will be more plastic in our oceans by tons than there is fauna.” Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza at the WEF panel on plastic pollution. In a historic moment in March 2022, the world’s environment ministries agreed to negotiate a treaty on plastics pollution. The decision by some 175 UN member states was reached at the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi. But the road to approval and ratification of a legal instrument that has teeth promises to be a major lift in light of the powerful oil and gas interests that will oppose it every step of the way. Political leadership by countries such as Switzerland and Ecuador, in the Security Council and in other UN Fora, will thus be key to making progress in treaty negotiations. Fossil fuel producers scale up plastics production Currently, an estimated 5% of global total goods trade is in plastics, Lasso Mendoza said, citing UN data. But even as knowledge about the enormous environmental and health risks of plastics grows, fossil fuel producers are scaling up their plastics production, with plans to double the production of virgin plastic resin by 2040. At current rates, plastics are on track to account for 20% of oil and gas consumption by 2050, according to the UN Environment Programme. “Political will and leadership are the foundations upon which we must build,” Lasso Mendoza said. “Ecuador takes the fight against plastic very seriously. We need a globally binding treaty. We should reach agreement by the end of 2024.” Over the past 30 years, plastics production increased fourfold, with growth rates still rising exponentially. Already over the past 30 years, plastic consumption increased four-fold. Although global production of recycled plastics more than quadrupled over the same period, recycled plastics only represent about 6% of global plastics production, while 94% are “virgin” plastics, according to the OECD. Burgeoning health and environmental impacts Plastic waste from an informal landfill litters a rural seascape in Albania while goats graze nearby. Of the majority of plastic waste that doesn’t get reprocessed and reused, 19% is incinerated, 50% ends up in landfills, and 22% is burned in open pits, with the remainder winding up in uncontrolled dumpsites, scattered along roadsides, farmlands or littering coastal beaches and waters of poorer countries. A 2021 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that plastic contamination of farmland from single-use soil and plant coverings, tubing and other materials, poses an increasing threat to soil quality, food safety and human health. In 2022, a new study identified microplastics in human blood samples for the first time. On the high seas, a recent Nature study found that the blue whales, which typically feed upon krill, may consume some 10 million pieces of microplastics a day, a taste of what other large fish like tuna and salmon are likely eating as well. Human exposure to plastic additives such as DEHP and Phthalates, which are used to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC), leads to higher risks of cancer and hormonal disorders that cause reproductive health problems, research has shown. Not only are phthalate additives health harmful, but the production of PVC out of fossil fuel-derived ethylene, generates considerable mercury emissions, which are toxic for humans and to wildlife. Along with its uses in waterproof garments and building materials, PVC is ubiquitous in healthcare settings where it is a key component of basic medical devices like IV tubes. ‘Dangerous for all living things’ Rwanda’s Environment Minister Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, whose nation has teamed with Norway to eliminate plastic pollution by 2040, told the panel that “plastic pollution is not only dangerous for nature but for all living things, including human beings.” “No one country can solve the problem alone, she emphasized. Marco Lambertini, a special envoy for Gland, Switzerland-based World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), said that negotiations on an international treaty need to be inclusive of governments, businesses, investors and citizens. “Without everybody, we won’t get anywhere,” he said. “We also need to look at the plastic value chain in its entirety, from production to disposal.” (Left to right): At the WEF panel on plastic pollution, the Graduate Institute’s Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, moderator; WHO’s Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; Rwanda’s Environment Minister Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya; Kristin Hughes of WEF; and Marco Lambertini of WWF. Developing countries that lack the infrastructure for waste management will need special help, he added, and recycling must be increased globally from its current “outrageous” low of less than 10%. “I see a real parallel between the phasing out of fossil fuels and the phasing out of fossil fuel- based plastics,” he said. Kristin Hughes, director of WEF’s Global Plastic Action Partnership, added: “you don’t just need business, you also need the government component. And they need to work together.” WHO – ending plastics pollution critical to healthier environment The World Health Organization’s director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said ending plastics pollution is a critical part of creating a healthier environment for everyone, but more study is needed to determine the range of biological and human health impacts that plastics can and do have. “I don’t think plastics pollution and health – that connection – has been given the attention it needed,” Tedros said. “And not only that, we don’t have research that documents well how plastics affect human health throughout the [product] lifecycle. “They do actually.” Image Credits: John Heilprin, Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program, Plastics Atlas, 2019, @Antoine Giret/ Unsplash. ‘Transactional’ Pathogen Sharing Undermines Global Health Security 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The existing international framework for sharing pathogens is ‘transactional’ and undermines global health security, according to research commissioned by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA). Produced by legal consultancy Covington, the research was developed partly from interviews with 82 public health experts. There were drawn from the pharmaceutical companies (44% of respondents), the World Health Organization (17%), public health institutions including the US Center for Disease Control, (23%), biobanks (7%), academia (1%), NGOs (7%), and other stakeholders (1%). Through interviews with global health experts, our new report points to concerns of a “politicization” of #pathogens sharing, leading to significant delays in developing vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics. Find out more: https://t.co/xmjfhNz7as #NagoyaProtocol @IFPMA pic.twitter.com/cR6CRxWKm0 — Covington (@CovingtonLLP) January 17, 2023 “The research “points to an increased ‘politicization’ of access to samples of pathogens, as well as access to sequence information on pathogens,” according to a statement released by the IFPMA on Tuesday. “This is due to countries’ adoption of national access and benefit-sharing (ABS) rules under the Nagoya Protocol and potentially, the future draft Pandemic Accord,” The Nagoya Protocol “employs a transactional model”, requiring almost 100 countries to get a permit “each time a researcher wishes to access that nation’s biodiversity for R&D”, according to the IFPMA. “In return for the permit, benefit-sharing in the form of a payment on the result from R&D is usually required.” While this was meant to attach value to and protect biodiversity, “there is a broad consensus among stakeholders interviewed by Covington that the transactional model of the Nagoya Protocol applied to pathogens is not logical, and undermines global health security”. A possible solution, it adds, would be to unlink “access” to pathogens from “benefits” derived from such access. This would “ensure rapid and free sharing of pathogen samples and sequence data, while addressing equity concerns separately”, it adds. “Coming on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and as negotiations commence on the so-called pandemic accord led by the WHO, our report demonstrates the need to secure free, rapid and unhindered access for scientists to pathogen samples and sequence data,” said Bart Van Vooren, who led the Covington team. ‘Held hostage to deals’ “Currently, pathogens are being held hostage to deals on benefit-sharing through the Nagoya Protocol. This represents a grave risk for humanity when the next pandemic hits,” he added. The report provides examples of how ABS laws have blocked or delayed researchers’ access to pathogen samples of seasonal influenza, SARS-CoV-2, Zika, mpox, Japanese Encephalitis, Foot and Mouth Disease, Ebola, and African Swine Fever. It also shows that delays or refusals for pathogen-sharing have led to “sub-optimal vaccine composition, including lack of regional representativeness”; diagnostics that were not tailored or tested against original or new variants of pathogens and “skewed and non-representative epidemiology in genomic surveillance”. Thomas Cueni, Director General of IFPMA, said: “Investments in global health security, especially improved and expanded pathogen and disease surveillance, will not achieve the ultimate goal of protecting people and saving lives, if immediate and unfettered access to pathogens and their genetic information is constrained.” Image Credits: Paul Owere/Twitter . Amid Grim Economic Outlook, Women’s Health is Still Best Investment 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, Diminishing democracy, growing nationalism, widening social inequality, growing climate-related crises and debt are part of the “unprecedented” trends of 2023, according to world leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday. “Our generation has reached a turning point confronted by truly existential problems: climate change, exploitation of nature, nuclear possible incidents or even worse, extreme poverty and violence. They all can lead to the extinction of large parts of our global population,” warned WEF founder Klaus Schwab. Swiss president Alain Berset warned that “extreme inequality undermines social cohesion, creates resentments, causing us to seek scapegoats and it is politically toxic, eating away at our faith in democracy”. Only 20% of the world’s population lives in democracies, down from 50% 30 years ago, said Berset. Inequality was exacerbated by climate change, the Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic, added Berst, pointing out that 300 million people faced “acute risk of hunger”. Investment in women’s health UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem But investment in basic healthcare for women still offers one of the best returns on investment. UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem said that “there are still 300 million women who would want to access family planning that are knocking on the door of a clinic and nobody is there. “We’ve seen the wisdom and the high return of almost $10 for every dollar you invest in family planning and maternal health,” Kanem added. Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, said her government’s introduction of health insurance for the country’s poorest families had resulted in the “unprecedented number “ of 120 million Indian women being scanned for cervical and breast cancer. Irani said that there is “a conscious effort on behalf of the government to ensure that the whole life cycle needs of a woman’s health are looked after by every government entity”. After a 40-year wait, a Bill allowing abortion from 24 weeks “passed both houses of parliament without a whimper”, said Irani. In addition, 703 emergency and crisis centres for women had helped 220 million women in distress, and “given them medical, psychological and police help so that they can transition from challenges towards solutions”. “When you invest in the health of a woman, you invest in the health of community. When you empower her financially, she tends to spend more on health and education.” Bio-pharmaceutical company Organon is focusing on “femtech” solutions to address women’s health, said CEO Kevin Ali. In the 18 months since it was listed on the New York stock exchange, Organon has “done eight deals’, said Ali. “Two are in the medical device space, one to solve the issues of postpartum haemorrhage, and one to solve some of the issues around minimally invasive hysterectomy,” said Ali. His company is also investing in “new mechanisms of action for endometriosis, preterm labour and polycystic ovary syndrome”. Nutrition and pregnancy Mark Suzman, Gates Foundation CEO “Nutrition is such a critical enabler for healthy pregnancies and healthy birth,” said Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman. “An area where we are prioritising investment right now is treatments for anaemia, which is actually one of the most fundamental challenges facing women and particularly women in pregnancy.” While a number of companies were researching the microbiome “to figure out how to do better weight loss”, the Gates Foundation was focusing on “what elements of treating the microbiome can actually be most important in the antenatal and postnatal period for women and children”, added Suzman. “We were also able to do some research as a public good which showed the efficacy of a single dose of HPV vaccine [to prevent cervical cancer] was as good as multiple doses. That basically allowed you to vaccinate twice as many children,” he added. World Economic Forum Warns of Uncertain and Turbulent Decade Ahead 16/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The “cost-of-living crisis” and failure to mitigate climate change are the most acute global risks, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) which opened in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday. The forum’s risk assessment report 2023 released last week identifies a “polycrisis” of risks, most of which relate to environmental and societal issues, such as biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and large-scale involuntary migration. However, despite the prominence of environmental concerns, environmental activists have already called out WEF leaders for hypocrisy. On Sunday, protestors blocked a number of private jets from landing at Davos airport – over 1000 jets are expected to bring the rich and powerful to the meeting, causing significant carbon emissions. Protestors block private jets at Davos’s airport. In addition, a social media campaign was also launched by climate activists Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate and Luisa Neubauer, demanding that energy company CEOs “immediately stop opening any new oil, gas, or coal extraction sites, and stop blocking the clean energy transition we all so urgently need” or face legal action and protests. ‘Tax the rich’ Meanwhile, Oxfam also called for new measures to tax the world’s super-rich, releasing research on the eve of the meeting showing that, since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, the richest 1% had “grabbed nearly two-thirds of all new wealth” – almost twice as much money as the bottom 99% of the world’s population. “A billionaire gained roughly $1.7 million for every $1 of new global wealth earned by a person in the bottom 90%,” according to Oxfam, which calculated that a tax of up to 5% on the world’s multi-millionaires and billionaires “could raise $1.7 trillion a year, enough to lift two billion people out of poverty”. The WEF, the first in-person meeting of the annual event since 2020, was set up to promote public-private collaboration, and has become a marketplace for world leaders to promote investment in their countries and for businesses to court government support. However, the annual risk assessment frankly acknowledges the dire economic conditions faced particularly by people in poorer countries thanks to the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Cost-of-living crisis Based on interviews with key leaders, the cost-of-living crisis is ranked as the most severe global risk over the next two years. “We have seen a return of ‘older’ risks – inflation, cost-of-living crises, trade wars, capital outflows from emerging markets, widespread social unrest, geopolitical confrontation and the spectre of nuclear warfare – which few of this generation’s business leaders and public policy-makers have experienced,” it warns. “These are being amplified by comparatively new developments in the global risks landscape, including unsustainable levels of debt, a new era of low growth, low global investment and de-globalization, a decline in human development after decades of progress, rapid and unconstrained development of dual-use (civilian and military) technologies, and the growing pressure of climate change impacts and ambitions in an ever-shrinking window for transition to a 1.5°C world.” Taking all these factors into account, the WEF warns of a “unique, uncertain and turbulent decade” ahead. Nine risks are featured in the top 10 rankings over both the short and the long term, including “geoeconomic confrontation” and “erosion of social cohesion and societal polarisation”, alongside “widespread cybercrime and cyber insecurity” and “large-scale involuntary migration”. Health is the focus of a number of sessions of the forum, which runs midday on Friday These include sessions on pandemic preparedness, women’s health, tuberculosis and equity. Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts This site uses cookies to help give you the best experience on our website. Cookies enable us to collect information that helps us personalise your experience and improve the functionality and performance of our site. By continuing to read our website, we assume you agree to this, otherwise you can adjust your browser settings. Please read our cookie and Privacy Policy. Our Cookies and Privacy Policy Loading Comments... You must be logged in to post a comment.
Amendments to International Health Regulations Focus on Accountability, Compliance and Equity 20/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan Members of the South African National Defence Force patrol a taxi rank in Johannesburg during the country’s imposed lockdown. Proposed amendments to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR) focus on improving accountability and compliance, according to Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Speaking at the start of last week’s meeting of the IHR review committee, Tedros said that he expected a report from the committee, which is considering the amendments, by last Friday. The WHO did not respond to a Health Policy Watch query about whether this report would be made public, but it is expected to be considered by the WHO’s executive board meeting that starts at the end of the month. So nice to see you my friend @LawrenceGostin! Thank you for your support in the International Health Regulations review process and development of a #PandemicAccord. We also discussed the #COVID19 situation and importance of applying the lessons learnt on health equity. Together! pic.twitter.com/g9sKn4W9PZ — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 12, 2023 By late December, over 300 amendments had been proposed by member states to the IHR, which provides the global legal framework of countries’ rights and obligations in public health emergencies. The IHR set out the rights and obligations of countries in health emergencies, including the requirement to report public health events and the criteria for a “public health emergency of international concern”. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that the regulations, adopted in 2005, were inadequate. Major shortcomings of the regulations include the lack of urgency of the reporting process, that they don’t enable the WHO to get immediate access to sites of outbreaks, and the silence on equitable access to pandemic-mitigating products. Improving pandemic prevention “The proposed amendments reflect the critical need to strengthen the IHR to improve prevention, preparedness, and response to public health events that carry a risk of international spread,” said Tedros last week at the start of the IHR review committee’s meeting. “The committee has identified several cross-cutting themes, including equity, transparency, trust, sovereignty, collaboration, and assistance, with the overarching goal of protecting public health,” he added. “In particular, the committee noted a strong intention in the proposed amendments towards strengthening accountability and compliance with the regulations.” The committee’s report will be submitted to the Working Group on Amendments to the IHR, which will submit the final amendment proposals to the Tedros. He then has to forward these to member states at least four months before the 2024 World Health Assembly. Africa wants equity The WHO Africa region, India, Bangladesh and Malaysia want Article 3 of the IHR, which sets out the principles for implementing the regulations, to be amended to equity and solidarity. Detailed analysis of the 55 developing countries’ proposals on equity has been published by Third World Network (TWN). These include the inclusion of equitable access to the health products, technologies and know-how; health systems strengthening, and an access and benefit sharing mechanism for genetic material. Other amendments from African member states have focused on intellectual property, licensing, transfer of technology, and know-how, as summarised by Knowledge Ecology International. The key amendment in this regard, proposed by Eswatini on behalf of the WHO Africa region, is for the inclusion of a new article on Access to Health Products, Technologies and Know-How. According to this proposal, once a public health emergency of international concern has been declared, there should be “exemptions and limitations to the exclusive rights of intellectual property holders” to “facilitate the manufacture, export and import of the required health products, including their materials and components”. Conspiracy theories In tandem with updating the IHR, the WHO is in the process of negotiating a pandemic accord to guide future pandemics, and this too will be tabled at the 2024 World Health Assembly. Both processes have been the focus of conspiracy theorists, who allege that they are part of a secret WHO campaign to increase its power and undermine member states’ national sovereignty. These claims, given legs by a hodgepodge of anti-vaxxers and right-wing opponents of the WHO, usually intensify on social media whenever there are important meetings and milestones, as happened last week to coincide with the review committee’s meeting. Image Credits: Mstyslav Chernov/ Wikimedia Commons, Flickr: IMF Photo/James Oatway. European Union Pushes for Stronger Air Pollution Rules 19/01/2023 Stefan Anderson Air pollution is the 10th leading cause of death in the European Union. At least 300,000 people lose their lives to air pollution each year across the European Union, and the bloc is pushing to tighten air quality regulations as part of its Green New Deal legislative package. The new rules aim to reduce the number of premature deaths and illness caused by air pollution, as well as reducing pressure on ecosystems and biodiversity caused by poor air quality – two criteria the EU said are critical to its ambition of reaching an environment free of harmful pollution by 2050. “Each year, hundreds of thousands of Europeans die prematurely and many more suffer from heart- and lung diseases or pollution-induced cancers,” said Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president for the European Green Deal. “The longer we wait to reduce this pollution, the higher the costs to society.” The new rules aim to limit PM2.5 and NO2, the two deadliest air pollutants, to 10 µg/m3 and 20 µg/m3 respectively, which the EU says will cut premature deaths due to air pollution by at least 55% by 2030, potentially saving over 150,000 lives. The WHO’s air quality guidelines are more stringent, advising targets of 5 µg/m3 for PM2.5 and 10 µg/m3 for NO2, half of the levels under the new proposal. But the EU says its proposed levels will reduce deaths resulting from air pollution above WHO guidelines by 75% in 10 years. Ambient air pollution is a leading cause of strokes, cancer and diabetes in the EU, costing an estimated €300-853 billion per year to public authorities. The new air quality standards will cost less than 0.1% of GDP and provide a return of at least seven times that number, with gross annual benefits estimated between €42 billion and €121 billion in 2030, at an annual cost of less than €6 billion. “The cost in inaction is far greater than the cost of prevention,” EU Commissioner for the Environment Virginijus Sinkevičius said in a statement. The health effects of polluted air affect “the vulnerable most of all,” he added. Most European cities are above new air pollution targets European cities will need to make major advances by 2030 to meet the new limits. An analysis of 2019 data released this week by the Health Effects Institute and State of Global Air found only 22% of European cities met the proposed limits on PM2.5 levels, while 84% met the new target for NO2 concentration. The health effects of air pollution, even if they are not fatal, can be devastating. Pregnant women who are exposed to air with PM2.5 concentrations are at a higher risk of delivering infants with health issues such as premature birth and low birth weight. Additionally, research has shown that air pollution caused by traffic can lead to the development of asthma in both children and adults, as well as increase the risk of acute lower respiratory infections in children and lung cancer-related deaths. For its part, NO2 has been linked to increased vulnerability to severe respiratory infections and asthma, while long-term exposure can cause chronic lung disease. That report also reinforced the stark geographic patterns in air quality noted by previous studies, with countries and cities in Central and Western Europe seeing the highest PM2.5 concentrations. Higher air pollution levels in the region correlate to its elevated reliance on coal and solid fuel in industrial and domestic settings. The Bulgarian capital of Sophia topped the list for most polluted air of European capital cities, while 15 of the top 20 most polluted cities overall were in Poland. NO2 concentrations were observed to be highest in large cities like Paris and Barcelona, likely due to heavy vehicle traffic. Central and Eastern European cities tended to have lower NO2 concentrations. Overall, eight out of 10 urban residents in the EU are exposed to PM2.5 levels above the new target of 10 µg/m3, while 5 out of 10 breathe air above the 20 µg/m target for NO2. While the modelling of NO2’s effects on premature mortality are not yet well-developed, a recent study found PM2.5 to be associated with 90.4% of all air pollutions deaths in Europe between 1990 and 2019. Progress is in the right direction, but danger lingers in the air The average annual population-weighted aPM2.5 concentration in European countries for 1990 (left) and 2019 (right). While it still has a long way to go to meet its goals, Europe has made steady progress in reducing air pollution in recent decades. A 2021 study exploring the impact of air quality on health in 43 European countries – including Russia and Iceland – between 1990 and 2019 found that on average, public exposure to PM2.5 fell by 33.7%. The report also found socioeconomic determinants had a substantial impact on air pollution-related deaths. Countries ranking in the lowest income bracket lost 11 times as many adjusted life years on average to ischemic heart disease attributed to air pollution, and 25 times more adjusted life years to air pollution-induced strokes. Air-pollution deaths per capita were highest in Eastern European countries where PM2.5 concentrations remain unchecked. Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia had death rates five and seven times higher than the European average, respectively. Their average lost adjusted life years were also the highest in Europe and 32 times higher than Iceland, which had the lowest rate of the countries surveyed. Some 24,917 years of life were lost per 100,000 people in Europe in 2019 from premature deaths from air pollution exposure, which marked a decrease of 63% from 1990. “By 2050, we want our environment to be free of harmful pollutants,” Timmermans said. “That means we need to step up action today.” Image Credits: Tangopaso, Mariordo, State of Global Air, Scientific Reports. Hybrid Immunity Protects Better Against Hospitalisation and Severe COVID Infection 19/01/2023 Megha Kaveri Those with hybrid immunity enjoy better protection from hospitalisation and severe COVID even after a year. Hybrid immunity from a combination of being vaccinated and previously infected with COVID-19 offers better protection against hospitalisation and severe infection than immunity simply from a previous infection, according to a new study in The Lancet. People with hybrid immunity were 97.4% less likely to be hospitalised or suffer severe infection at 12 months, whereas those who were previously infected but unvaccinated were 74.6% less likely, according to the study, which was funded by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). The likelihood reported on unvaccinated individuals could, however, be a combination of several factors, while “exposure could also differ between groups, as in the case of individuals who are unvaccinated because they are severely immunocompromised, and thus also have a greater risk of infection”. The study analysed 26 papers, of which 11 reported on the immunity derived from previous infections and 15 reported on hybrid immunity. Individuals with immunity from previous infections were 25% less likely to be reinfected at 12 months, while individuals with hybrid immunity were 42% less likely to be reinfected at 12 months. Individuals who had previously been infected and received their first booster doses were 95% less likely to be hospitalised or severely ill and 47% less likely to be reinfected six months after receiving the booster. “Individuals with hybrid immunity had the highest magnitude and durability of protection, and as a result might be able to extend the period before booster vaccinations are needed compared to individuals who have never been infected,” the authors noted. They added that individuals with previous infection and full primary vaccination can delay receiving their booster shots by six months, while still having high protection against severe COVID. The analysis demonstrates the advantages of vaccination even after people have had COVID-19, the WHO said in a press statement. In countries with low resources and high infection rates, this evidence can come in handy for policy-makers. “In settings with high seroprevalence, scarce resources, and competing health priorities, evidence suggests that it is reasonable to focus on achieving high coverage rates with primary series vaccination among individuals who are at higher risk of poor outcomes, as this will provide a high level of protection against severe disease for at least 1 year among those with previous infection,” the authors added. Image Credits: Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash. New Partnership to Produce Health and Climate Research 19/01/2023 Megha Kaveri Climate and health panel at WEF 2023, Davos. The World Economic Forum (WEF) will partner with Wellcome Trust to collect research-based data on how climate change is affecting health. Making the announcement, WEF’s head of health Shyam Bishen said that while several organisations were working on data collection, most data is fragmented with different organisations. “We want to ensure that we have a good amount of research-based data that we can take to policymakers and bring it all together to respond to it,” said Bishen. However, Dr Victor Dzau, the president of the US National Academy of Medicine, said that not research was being produced on climate change and health. “Most of the evidence is associative evidence, like air pollution causes 700,000 deaths and therefore it’s climate change. So we need to do some serious research in linking climate and health and health outcomes, providing the evidence,” he told a panel on climate and health. “I think there needs to be more action-oriented research to say, what do we need to do? Or what are the interventions that will result in any evidence. I think the policy makers will be willing to listen to those issues. We’ve told the narratives and data to say it’s really hurting people’s lives, but here’s where actions need to be taken,” Dzau explained. Disease prevention key What several people overlook when talking about climate crisis and the ways to address it is the role prevention of diseases plays in it, said Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson. “If you go on to be diabetic, you’ll create between 30 and 45 tons of carbon because the way healthcare is delivered to you, medicines that are made, transportation to a hospital, caregivers getting to a hospital. So preventative health, helping people not make the journey from pre-diabetic to diabetic, for example, can have a mind boggling impact, positively, not only on them, but also on the climate,” said Hudson. The global average carbon emissions per person is around five tons. While the world thinks a lot about climate change and communicable diseases, the same importance is not given to the relationship between climate change and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), said Vanessa Kerry, CEO of Seed Global Health. She added that malnutrition, preterm births and stillbirths are all impacted by climate change. “Air pollution is the second leading cause of non-communicable diseases globally right now and the first in southeast Asia. When you think about what that impact looks like, that’s actually about $47 trillion in costs globally between 2010 and 2030 just to manage some of that disease,” she pointed out. A 2022 study of 137 countries estimated that nearly half of all stillbirths across the world have links with air pollution. Although the exact mechanisms behind this link are unclear, the study estimated that cutting air pollution down to the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) could prevent around 710,000 stillbirths every year. Image Credits: Screengrab from WEF live stream. . Switzerland and Ecuador Appeal for Treaty to End the ‘Plastic Crisis’ 17/01/2023 John Heilprin Microplastics from a river in Maryland, collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Marine Debris Program. Recent research have now found microplastics in human blood samples. DAVOS, Switzerland – The presidents of Switzerland and Ecuador led a call here at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Tuesday for greater international cooperation to fight plastic pollution, urging passage of a global treaty with tough regulations to confront a burgeoning environmental and health crisis from the ubiquitous material once seen as a symbol of modernity. Swiss President Alain Berset, heading a panel discussion hosted by Switzerland, told a packed room that an international treaty and new “regulatory framework” is needed to get rid of plastics that are clogging the world’s ecosystems, choking oceans and poisoning fish and wildlife – with severe human health consequences. “We are facing a major plastic crisis. The world cannot deal with the amount of plastic it produces,” he said. “If we continue on this path there could be more plastic than fish by 2050.” Berset said the plastic crisis is not only an environmental crisis, but also a health and socioeconomic challenge, “and Switzerland is ready to do its part.” Switzerland’s President Alain Berset at the WEF panel on plastic pollution. Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza noted that his nation and Switzerland are “united by a historic commitment” to work together to end plastics pollution as two of the five countries joining the United Nations Security Council this year. Japan, Malta, Mozambique are the other three countries elected to a two-year term on the 15-nation Council, the world body’s most powerful arm, based in New York. “With our commitment we are indeed making history. We must find a solution to the global crisis of plastic waste,” said Lasso Mendoza. “In just a few years, there will be more plastic in our oceans by tons than there is fauna.” Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza at the WEF panel on plastic pollution. In a historic moment in March 2022, the world’s environment ministries agreed to negotiate a treaty on plastics pollution. The decision by some 175 UN member states was reached at the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi. But the road to approval and ratification of a legal instrument that has teeth promises to be a major lift in light of the powerful oil and gas interests that will oppose it every step of the way. Political leadership by countries such as Switzerland and Ecuador, in the Security Council and in other UN Fora, will thus be key to making progress in treaty negotiations. Fossil fuel producers scale up plastics production Currently, an estimated 5% of global total goods trade is in plastics, Lasso Mendoza said, citing UN data. But even as knowledge about the enormous environmental and health risks of plastics grows, fossil fuel producers are scaling up their plastics production, with plans to double the production of virgin plastic resin by 2040. At current rates, plastics are on track to account for 20% of oil and gas consumption by 2050, according to the UN Environment Programme. “Political will and leadership are the foundations upon which we must build,” Lasso Mendoza said. “Ecuador takes the fight against plastic very seriously. We need a globally binding treaty. We should reach agreement by the end of 2024.” Over the past 30 years, plastics production increased fourfold, with growth rates still rising exponentially. Already over the past 30 years, plastic consumption increased four-fold. Although global production of recycled plastics more than quadrupled over the same period, recycled plastics only represent about 6% of global plastics production, while 94% are “virgin” plastics, according to the OECD. Burgeoning health and environmental impacts Plastic waste from an informal landfill litters a rural seascape in Albania while goats graze nearby. Of the majority of plastic waste that doesn’t get reprocessed and reused, 19% is incinerated, 50% ends up in landfills, and 22% is burned in open pits, with the remainder winding up in uncontrolled dumpsites, scattered along roadsides, farmlands or littering coastal beaches and waters of poorer countries. A 2021 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that plastic contamination of farmland from single-use soil and plant coverings, tubing and other materials, poses an increasing threat to soil quality, food safety and human health. In 2022, a new study identified microplastics in human blood samples for the first time. On the high seas, a recent Nature study found that the blue whales, which typically feed upon krill, may consume some 10 million pieces of microplastics a day, a taste of what other large fish like tuna and salmon are likely eating as well. Human exposure to plastic additives such as DEHP and Phthalates, which are used to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC), leads to higher risks of cancer and hormonal disorders that cause reproductive health problems, research has shown. Not only are phthalate additives health harmful, but the production of PVC out of fossil fuel-derived ethylene, generates considerable mercury emissions, which are toxic for humans and to wildlife. Along with its uses in waterproof garments and building materials, PVC is ubiquitous in healthcare settings where it is a key component of basic medical devices like IV tubes. ‘Dangerous for all living things’ Rwanda’s Environment Minister Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, whose nation has teamed with Norway to eliminate plastic pollution by 2040, told the panel that “plastic pollution is not only dangerous for nature but for all living things, including human beings.” “No one country can solve the problem alone, she emphasized. Marco Lambertini, a special envoy for Gland, Switzerland-based World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), said that negotiations on an international treaty need to be inclusive of governments, businesses, investors and citizens. “Without everybody, we won’t get anywhere,” he said. “We also need to look at the plastic value chain in its entirety, from production to disposal.” (Left to right): At the WEF panel on plastic pollution, the Graduate Institute’s Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, moderator; WHO’s Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; Rwanda’s Environment Minister Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya; Kristin Hughes of WEF; and Marco Lambertini of WWF. Developing countries that lack the infrastructure for waste management will need special help, he added, and recycling must be increased globally from its current “outrageous” low of less than 10%. “I see a real parallel between the phasing out of fossil fuels and the phasing out of fossil fuel- based plastics,” he said. Kristin Hughes, director of WEF’s Global Plastic Action Partnership, added: “you don’t just need business, you also need the government component. And they need to work together.” WHO – ending plastics pollution critical to healthier environment The World Health Organization’s director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said ending plastics pollution is a critical part of creating a healthier environment for everyone, but more study is needed to determine the range of biological and human health impacts that plastics can and do have. “I don’t think plastics pollution and health – that connection – has been given the attention it needed,” Tedros said. “And not only that, we don’t have research that documents well how plastics affect human health throughout the [product] lifecycle. “They do actually.” Image Credits: John Heilprin, Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program, Plastics Atlas, 2019, @Antoine Giret/ Unsplash. ‘Transactional’ Pathogen Sharing Undermines Global Health Security 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The existing international framework for sharing pathogens is ‘transactional’ and undermines global health security, according to research commissioned by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA). Produced by legal consultancy Covington, the research was developed partly from interviews with 82 public health experts. There were drawn from the pharmaceutical companies (44% of respondents), the World Health Organization (17%), public health institutions including the US Center for Disease Control, (23%), biobanks (7%), academia (1%), NGOs (7%), and other stakeholders (1%). Through interviews with global health experts, our new report points to concerns of a “politicization” of #pathogens sharing, leading to significant delays in developing vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics. Find out more: https://t.co/xmjfhNz7as #NagoyaProtocol @IFPMA pic.twitter.com/cR6CRxWKm0 — Covington (@CovingtonLLP) January 17, 2023 “The research “points to an increased ‘politicization’ of access to samples of pathogens, as well as access to sequence information on pathogens,” according to a statement released by the IFPMA on Tuesday. “This is due to countries’ adoption of national access and benefit-sharing (ABS) rules under the Nagoya Protocol and potentially, the future draft Pandemic Accord,” The Nagoya Protocol “employs a transactional model”, requiring almost 100 countries to get a permit “each time a researcher wishes to access that nation’s biodiversity for R&D”, according to the IFPMA. “In return for the permit, benefit-sharing in the form of a payment on the result from R&D is usually required.” While this was meant to attach value to and protect biodiversity, “there is a broad consensus among stakeholders interviewed by Covington that the transactional model of the Nagoya Protocol applied to pathogens is not logical, and undermines global health security”. A possible solution, it adds, would be to unlink “access” to pathogens from “benefits” derived from such access. This would “ensure rapid and free sharing of pathogen samples and sequence data, while addressing equity concerns separately”, it adds. “Coming on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and as negotiations commence on the so-called pandemic accord led by the WHO, our report demonstrates the need to secure free, rapid and unhindered access for scientists to pathogen samples and sequence data,” said Bart Van Vooren, who led the Covington team. ‘Held hostage to deals’ “Currently, pathogens are being held hostage to deals on benefit-sharing through the Nagoya Protocol. This represents a grave risk for humanity when the next pandemic hits,” he added. The report provides examples of how ABS laws have blocked or delayed researchers’ access to pathogen samples of seasonal influenza, SARS-CoV-2, Zika, mpox, Japanese Encephalitis, Foot and Mouth Disease, Ebola, and African Swine Fever. It also shows that delays or refusals for pathogen-sharing have led to “sub-optimal vaccine composition, including lack of regional representativeness”; diagnostics that were not tailored or tested against original or new variants of pathogens and “skewed and non-representative epidemiology in genomic surveillance”. Thomas Cueni, Director General of IFPMA, said: “Investments in global health security, especially improved and expanded pathogen and disease surveillance, will not achieve the ultimate goal of protecting people and saving lives, if immediate and unfettered access to pathogens and their genetic information is constrained.” Image Credits: Paul Owere/Twitter . Amid Grim Economic Outlook, Women’s Health is Still Best Investment 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, Diminishing democracy, growing nationalism, widening social inequality, growing climate-related crises and debt are part of the “unprecedented” trends of 2023, according to world leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday. “Our generation has reached a turning point confronted by truly existential problems: climate change, exploitation of nature, nuclear possible incidents or even worse, extreme poverty and violence. They all can lead to the extinction of large parts of our global population,” warned WEF founder Klaus Schwab. Swiss president Alain Berset warned that “extreme inequality undermines social cohesion, creates resentments, causing us to seek scapegoats and it is politically toxic, eating away at our faith in democracy”. Only 20% of the world’s population lives in democracies, down from 50% 30 years ago, said Berset. Inequality was exacerbated by climate change, the Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic, added Berst, pointing out that 300 million people faced “acute risk of hunger”. Investment in women’s health UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem But investment in basic healthcare for women still offers one of the best returns on investment. UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem said that “there are still 300 million women who would want to access family planning that are knocking on the door of a clinic and nobody is there. “We’ve seen the wisdom and the high return of almost $10 for every dollar you invest in family planning and maternal health,” Kanem added. Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, said her government’s introduction of health insurance for the country’s poorest families had resulted in the “unprecedented number “ of 120 million Indian women being scanned for cervical and breast cancer. Irani said that there is “a conscious effort on behalf of the government to ensure that the whole life cycle needs of a woman’s health are looked after by every government entity”. After a 40-year wait, a Bill allowing abortion from 24 weeks “passed both houses of parliament without a whimper”, said Irani. In addition, 703 emergency and crisis centres for women had helped 220 million women in distress, and “given them medical, psychological and police help so that they can transition from challenges towards solutions”. “When you invest in the health of a woman, you invest in the health of community. When you empower her financially, she tends to spend more on health and education.” Bio-pharmaceutical company Organon is focusing on “femtech” solutions to address women’s health, said CEO Kevin Ali. In the 18 months since it was listed on the New York stock exchange, Organon has “done eight deals’, said Ali. “Two are in the medical device space, one to solve the issues of postpartum haemorrhage, and one to solve some of the issues around minimally invasive hysterectomy,” said Ali. His company is also investing in “new mechanisms of action for endometriosis, preterm labour and polycystic ovary syndrome”. Nutrition and pregnancy Mark Suzman, Gates Foundation CEO “Nutrition is such a critical enabler for healthy pregnancies and healthy birth,” said Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman. “An area where we are prioritising investment right now is treatments for anaemia, which is actually one of the most fundamental challenges facing women and particularly women in pregnancy.” While a number of companies were researching the microbiome “to figure out how to do better weight loss”, the Gates Foundation was focusing on “what elements of treating the microbiome can actually be most important in the antenatal and postnatal period for women and children”, added Suzman. “We were also able to do some research as a public good which showed the efficacy of a single dose of HPV vaccine [to prevent cervical cancer] was as good as multiple doses. That basically allowed you to vaccinate twice as many children,” he added. World Economic Forum Warns of Uncertain and Turbulent Decade Ahead 16/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The “cost-of-living crisis” and failure to mitigate climate change are the most acute global risks, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) which opened in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday. The forum’s risk assessment report 2023 released last week identifies a “polycrisis” of risks, most of which relate to environmental and societal issues, such as biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and large-scale involuntary migration. However, despite the prominence of environmental concerns, environmental activists have already called out WEF leaders for hypocrisy. On Sunday, protestors blocked a number of private jets from landing at Davos airport – over 1000 jets are expected to bring the rich and powerful to the meeting, causing significant carbon emissions. Protestors block private jets at Davos’s airport. In addition, a social media campaign was also launched by climate activists Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate and Luisa Neubauer, demanding that energy company CEOs “immediately stop opening any new oil, gas, or coal extraction sites, and stop blocking the clean energy transition we all so urgently need” or face legal action and protests. ‘Tax the rich’ Meanwhile, Oxfam also called for new measures to tax the world’s super-rich, releasing research on the eve of the meeting showing that, since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, the richest 1% had “grabbed nearly two-thirds of all new wealth” – almost twice as much money as the bottom 99% of the world’s population. “A billionaire gained roughly $1.7 million for every $1 of new global wealth earned by a person in the bottom 90%,” according to Oxfam, which calculated that a tax of up to 5% on the world’s multi-millionaires and billionaires “could raise $1.7 trillion a year, enough to lift two billion people out of poverty”. The WEF, the first in-person meeting of the annual event since 2020, was set up to promote public-private collaboration, and has become a marketplace for world leaders to promote investment in their countries and for businesses to court government support. However, the annual risk assessment frankly acknowledges the dire economic conditions faced particularly by people in poorer countries thanks to the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Cost-of-living crisis Based on interviews with key leaders, the cost-of-living crisis is ranked as the most severe global risk over the next two years. “We have seen a return of ‘older’ risks – inflation, cost-of-living crises, trade wars, capital outflows from emerging markets, widespread social unrest, geopolitical confrontation and the spectre of nuclear warfare – which few of this generation’s business leaders and public policy-makers have experienced,” it warns. “These are being amplified by comparatively new developments in the global risks landscape, including unsustainable levels of debt, a new era of low growth, low global investment and de-globalization, a decline in human development after decades of progress, rapid and unconstrained development of dual-use (civilian and military) technologies, and the growing pressure of climate change impacts and ambitions in an ever-shrinking window for transition to a 1.5°C world.” Taking all these factors into account, the WEF warns of a “unique, uncertain and turbulent decade” ahead. Nine risks are featured in the top 10 rankings over both the short and the long term, including “geoeconomic confrontation” and “erosion of social cohesion and societal polarisation”, alongside “widespread cybercrime and cyber insecurity” and “large-scale involuntary migration”. Health is the focus of a number of sessions of the forum, which runs midday on Friday These include sessions on pandemic preparedness, women’s health, tuberculosis and equity. Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts This site uses cookies to help give you the best experience on our website. Cookies enable us to collect information that helps us personalise your experience and improve the functionality and performance of our site. By continuing to read our website, we assume you agree to this, otherwise you can adjust your browser settings. Please read our cookie and Privacy Policy. Our Cookies and Privacy Policy Loading Comments... You must be logged in to post a comment.
European Union Pushes for Stronger Air Pollution Rules 19/01/2023 Stefan Anderson Air pollution is the 10th leading cause of death in the European Union. At least 300,000 people lose their lives to air pollution each year across the European Union, and the bloc is pushing to tighten air quality regulations as part of its Green New Deal legislative package. The new rules aim to reduce the number of premature deaths and illness caused by air pollution, as well as reducing pressure on ecosystems and biodiversity caused by poor air quality – two criteria the EU said are critical to its ambition of reaching an environment free of harmful pollution by 2050. “Each year, hundreds of thousands of Europeans die prematurely and many more suffer from heart- and lung diseases or pollution-induced cancers,” said Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president for the European Green Deal. “The longer we wait to reduce this pollution, the higher the costs to society.” The new rules aim to limit PM2.5 and NO2, the two deadliest air pollutants, to 10 µg/m3 and 20 µg/m3 respectively, which the EU says will cut premature deaths due to air pollution by at least 55% by 2030, potentially saving over 150,000 lives. The WHO’s air quality guidelines are more stringent, advising targets of 5 µg/m3 for PM2.5 and 10 µg/m3 for NO2, half of the levels under the new proposal. But the EU says its proposed levels will reduce deaths resulting from air pollution above WHO guidelines by 75% in 10 years. Ambient air pollution is a leading cause of strokes, cancer and diabetes in the EU, costing an estimated €300-853 billion per year to public authorities. The new air quality standards will cost less than 0.1% of GDP and provide a return of at least seven times that number, with gross annual benefits estimated between €42 billion and €121 billion in 2030, at an annual cost of less than €6 billion. “The cost in inaction is far greater than the cost of prevention,” EU Commissioner for the Environment Virginijus Sinkevičius said in a statement. The health effects of polluted air affect “the vulnerable most of all,” he added. Most European cities are above new air pollution targets European cities will need to make major advances by 2030 to meet the new limits. An analysis of 2019 data released this week by the Health Effects Institute and State of Global Air found only 22% of European cities met the proposed limits on PM2.5 levels, while 84% met the new target for NO2 concentration. The health effects of air pollution, even if they are not fatal, can be devastating. Pregnant women who are exposed to air with PM2.5 concentrations are at a higher risk of delivering infants with health issues such as premature birth and low birth weight. Additionally, research has shown that air pollution caused by traffic can lead to the development of asthma in both children and adults, as well as increase the risk of acute lower respiratory infections in children and lung cancer-related deaths. For its part, NO2 has been linked to increased vulnerability to severe respiratory infections and asthma, while long-term exposure can cause chronic lung disease. That report also reinforced the stark geographic patterns in air quality noted by previous studies, with countries and cities in Central and Western Europe seeing the highest PM2.5 concentrations. Higher air pollution levels in the region correlate to its elevated reliance on coal and solid fuel in industrial and domestic settings. The Bulgarian capital of Sophia topped the list for most polluted air of European capital cities, while 15 of the top 20 most polluted cities overall were in Poland. NO2 concentrations were observed to be highest in large cities like Paris and Barcelona, likely due to heavy vehicle traffic. Central and Eastern European cities tended to have lower NO2 concentrations. Overall, eight out of 10 urban residents in the EU are exposed to PM2.5 levels above the new target of 10 µg/m3, while 5 out of 10 breathe air above the 20 µg/m target for NO2. While the modelling of NO2’s effects on premature mortality are not yet well-developed, a recent study found PM2.5 to be associated with 90.4% of all air pollutions deaths in Europe between 1990 and 2019. Progress is in the right direction, but danger lingers in the air The average annual population-weighted aPM2.5 concentration in European countries for 1990 (left) and 2019 (right). While it still has a long way to go to meet its goals, Europe has made steady progress in reducing air pollution in recent decades. A 2021 study exploring the impact of air quality on health in 43 European countries – including Russia and Iceland – between 1990 and 2019 found that on average, public exposure to PM2.5 fell by 33.7%. The report also found socioeconomic determinants had a substantial impact on air pollution-related deaths. Countries ranking in the lowest income bracket lost 11 times as many adjusted life years on average to ischemic heart disease attributed to air pollution, and 25 times more adjusted life years to air pollution-induced strokes. Air-pollution deaths per capita were highest in Eastern European countries where PM2.5 concentrations remain unchecked. Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia had death rates five and seven times higher than the European average, respectively. Their average lost adjusted life years were also the highest in Europe and 32 times higher than Iceland, which had the lowest rate of the countries surveyed. Some 24,917 years of life were lost per 100,000 people in Europe in 2019 from premature deaths from air pollution exposure, which marked a decrease of 63% from 1990. “By 2050, we want our environment to be free of harmful pollutants,” Timmermans said. “That means we need to step up action today.” Image Credits: Tangopaso, Mariordo, State of Global Air, Scientific Reports. Hybrid Immunity Protects Better Against Hospitalisation and Severe COVID Infection 19/01/2023 Megha Kaveri Those with hybrid immunity enjoy better protection from hospitalisation and severe COVID even after a year. Hybrid immunity from a combination of being vaccinated and previously infected with COVID-19 offers better protection against hospitalisation and severe infection than immunity simply from a previous infection, according to a new study in The Lancet. People with hybrid immunity were 97.4% less likely to be hospitalised or suffer severe infection at 12 months, whereas those who were previously infected but unvaccinated were 74.6% less likely, according to the study, which was funded by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). The likelihood reported on unvaccinated individuals could, however, be a combination of several factors, while “exposure could also differ between groups, as in the case of individuals who are unvaccinated because they are severely immunocompromised, and thus also have a greater risk of infection”. The study analysed 26 papers, of which 11 reported on the immunity derived from previous infections and 15 reported on hybrid immunity. Individuals with immunity from previous infections were 25% less likely to be reinfected at 12 months, while individuals with hybrid immunity were 42% less likely to be reinfected at 12 months. Individuals who had previously been infected and received their first booster doses were 95% less likely to be hospitalised or severely ill and 47% less likely to be reinfected six months after receiving the booster. “Individuals with hybrid immunity had the highest magnitude and durability of protection, and as a result might be able to extend the period before booster vaccinations are needed compared to individuals who have never been infected,” the authors noted. They added that individuals with previous infection and full primary vaccination can delay receiving their booster shots by six months, while still having high protection against severe COVID. The analysis demonstrates the advantages of vaccination even after people have had COVID-19, the WHO said in a press statement. In countries with low resources and high infection rates, this evidence can come in handy for policy-makers. “In settings with high seroprevalence, scarce resources, and competing health priorities, evidence suggests that it is reasonable to focus on achieving high coverage rates with primary series vaccination among individuals who are at higher risk of poor outcomes, as this will provide a high level of protection against severe disease for at least 1 year among those with previous infection,” the authors added. Image Credits: Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash. New Partnership to Produce Health and Climate Research 19/01/2023 Megha Kaveri Climate and health panel at WEF 2023, Davos. The World Economic Forum (WEF) will partner with Wellcome Trust to collect research-based data on how climate change is affecting health. Making the announcement, WEF’s head of health Shyam Bishen said that while several organisations were working on data collection, most data is fragmented with different organisations. “We want to ensure that we have a good amount of research-based data that we can take to policymakers and bring it all together to respond to it,” said Bishen. However, Dr Victor Dzau, the president of the US National Academy of Medicine, said that not research was being produced on climate change and health. “Most of the evidence is associative evidence, like air pollution causes 700,000 deaths and therefore it’s climate change. So we need to do some serious research in linking climate and health and health outcomes, providing the evidence,” he told a panel on climate and health. “I think there needs to be more action-oriented research to say, what do we need to do? Or what are the interventions that will result in any evidence. I think the policy makers will be willing to listen to those issues. We’ve told the narratives and data to say it’s really hurting people’s lives, but here’s where actions need to be taken,” Dzau explained. Disease prevention key What several people overlook when talking about climate crisis and the ways to address it is the role prevention of diseases plays in it, said Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson. “If you go on to be diabetic, you’ll create between 30 and 45 tons of carbon because the way healthcare is delivered to you, medicines that are made, transportation to a hospital, caregivers getting to a hospital. So preventative health, helping people not make the journey from pre-diabetic to diabetic, for example, can have a mind boggling impact, positively, not only on them, but also on the climate,” said Hudson. The global average carbon emissions per person is around five tons. While the world thinks a lot about climate change and communicable diseases, the same importance is not given to the relationship between climate change and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), said Vanessa Kerry, CEO of Seed Global Health. She added that malnutrition, preterm births and stillbirths are all impacted by climate change. “Air pollution is the second leading cause of non-communicable diseases globally right now and the first in southeast Asia. When you think about what that impact looks like, that’s actually about $47 trillion in costs globally between 2010 and 2030 just to manage some of that disease,” she pointed out. A 2022 study of 137 countries estimated that nearly half of all stillbirths across the world have links with air pollution. Although the exact mechanisms behind this link are unclear, the study estimated that cutting air pollution down to the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) could prevent around 710,000 stillbirths every year. Image Credits: Screengrab from WEF live stream. . Switzerland and Ecuador Appeal for Treaty to End the ‘Plastic Crisis’ 17/01/2023 John Heilprin Microplastics from a river in Maryland, collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Marine Debris Program. Recent research have now found microplastics in human blood samples. DAVOS, Switzerland – The presidents of Switzerland and Ecuador led a call here at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Tuesday for greater international cooperation to fight plastic pollution, urging passage of a global treaty with tough regulations to confront a burgeoning environmental and health crisis from the ubiquitous material once seen as a symbol of modernity. Swiss President Alain Berset, heading a panel discussion hosted by Switzerland, told a packed room that an international treaty and new “regulatory framework” is needed to get rid of plastics that are clogging the world’s ecosystems, choking oceans and poisoning fish and wildlife – with severe human health consequences. “We are facing a major plastic crisis. The world cannot deal with the amount of plastic it produces,” he said. “If we continue on this path there could be more plastic than fish by 2050.” Berset said the plastic crisis is not only an environmental crisis, but also a health and socioeconomic challenge, “and Switzerland is ready to do its part.” Switzerland’s President Alain Berset at the WEF panel on plastic pollution. Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza noted that his nation and Switzerland are “united by a historic commitment” to work together to end plastics pollution as two of the five countries joining the United Nations Security Council this year. Japan, Malta, Mozambique are the other three countries elected to a two-year term on the 15-nation Council, the world body’s most powerful arm, based in New York. “With our commitment we are indeed making history. We must find a solution to the global crisis of plastic waste,” said Lasso Mendoza. “In just a few years, there will be more plastic in our oceans by tons than there is fauna.” Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza at the WEF panel on plastic pollution. In a historic moment in March 2022, the world’s environment ministries agreed to negotiate a treaty on plastics pollution. The decision by some 175 UN member states was reached at the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi. But the road to approval and ratification of a legal instrument that has teeth promises to be a major lift in light of the powerful oil and gas interests that will oppose it every step of the way. Political leadership by countries such as Switzerland and Ecuador, in the Security Council and in other UN Fora, will thus be key to making progress in treaty negotiations. Fossil fuel producers scale up plastics production Currently, an estimated 5% of global total goods trade is in plastics, Lasso Mendoza said, citing UN data. But even as knowledge about the enormous environmental and health risks of plastics grows, fossil fuel producers are scaling up their plastics production, with plans to double the production of virgin plastic resin by 2040. At current rates, plastics are on track to account for 20% of oil and gas consumption by 2050, according to the UN Environment Programme. “Political will and leadership are the foundations upon which we must build,” Lasso Mendoza said. “Ecuador takes the fight against plastic very seriously. We need a globally binding treaty. We should reach agreement by the end of 2024.” Over the past 30 years, plastics production increased fourfold, with growth rates still rising exponentially. Already over the past 30 years, plastic consumption increased four-fold. Although global production of recycled plastics more than quadrupled over the same period, recycled plastics only represent about 6% of global plastics production, while 94% are “virgin” plastics, according to the OECD. Burgeoning health and environmental impacts Plastic waste from an informal landfill litters a rural seascape in Albania while goats graze nearby. Of the majority of plastic waste that doesn’t get reprocessed and reused, 19% is incinerated, 50% ends up in landfills, and 22% is burned in open pits, with the remainder winding up in uncontrolled dumpsites, scattered along roadsides, farmlands or littering coastal beaches and waters of poorer countries. A 2021 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that plastic contamination of farmland from single-use soil and plant coverings, tubing and other materials, poses an increasing threat to soil quality, food safety and human health. In 2022, a new study identified microplastics in human blood samples for the first time. On the high seas, a recent Nature study found that the blue whales, which typically feed upon krill, may consume some 10 million pieces of microplastics a day, a taste of what other large fish like tuna and salmon are likely eating as well. Human exposure to plastic additives such as DEHP and Phthalates, which are used to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC), leads to higher risks of cancer and hormonal disorders that cause reproductive health problems, research has shown. Not only are phthalate additives health harmful, but the production of PVC out of fossil fuel-derived ethylene, generates considerable mercury emissions, which are toxic for humans and to wildlife. Along with its uses in waterproof garments and building materials, PVC is ubiquitous in healthcare settings where it is a key component of basic medical devices like IV tubes. ‘Dangerous for all living things’ Rwanda’s Environment Minister Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, whose nation has teamed with Norway to eliminate plastic pollution by 2040, told the panel that “plastic pollution is not only dangerous for nature but for all living things, including human beings.” “No one country can solve the problem alone, she emphasized. Marco Lambertini, a special envoy for Gland, Switzerland-based World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), said that negotiations on an international treaty need to be inclusive of governments, businesses, investors and citizens. “Without everybody, we won’t get anywhere,” he said. “We also need to look at the plastic value chain in its entirety, from production to disposal.” (Left to right): At the WEF panel on plastic pollution, the Graduate Institute’s Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, moderator; WHO’s Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; Rwanda’s Environment Minister Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya; Kristin Hughes of WEF; and Marco Lambertini of WWF. Developing countries that lack the infrastructure for waste management will need special help, he added, and recycling must be increased globally from its current “outrageous” low of less than 10%. “I see a real parallel between the phasing out of fossil fuels and the phasing out of fossil fuel- based plastics,” he said. Kristin Hughes, director of WEF’s Global Plastic Action Partnership, added: “you don’t just need business, you also need the government component. And they need to work together.” WHO – ending plastics pollution critical to healthier environment The World Health Organization’s director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said ending plastics pollution is a critical part of creating a healthier environment for everyone, but more study is needed to determine the range of biological and human health impacts that plastics can and do have. “I don’t think plastics pollution and health – that connection – has been given the attention it needed,” Tedros said. “And not only that, we don’t have research that documents well how plastics affect human health throughout the [product] lifecycle. “They do actually.” Image Credits: John Heilprin, Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program, Plastics Atlas, 2019, @Antoine Giret/ Unsplash. ‘Transactional’ Pathogen Sharing Undermines Global Health Security 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The existing international framework for sharing pathogens is ‘transactional’ and undermines global health security, according to research commissioned by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA). Produced by legal consultancy Covington, the research was developed partly from interviews with 82 public health experts. There were drawn from the pharmaceutical companies (44% of respondents), the World Health Organization (17%), public health institutions including the US Center for Disease Control, (23%), biobanks (7%), academia (1%), NGOs (7%), and other stakeholders (1%). Through interviews with global health experts, our new report points to concerns of a “politicization” of #pathogens sharing, leading to significant delays in developing vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics. Find out more: https://t.co/xmjfhNz7as #NagoyaProtocol @IFPMA pic.twitter.com/cR6CRxWKm0 — Covington (@CovingtonLLP) January 17, 2023 “The research “points to an increased ‘politicization’ of access to samples of pathogens, as well as access to sequence information on pathogens,” according to a statement released by the IFPMA on Tuesday. “This is due to countries’ adoption of national access and benefit-sharing (ABS) rules under the Nagoya Protocol and potentially, the future draft Pandemic Accord,” The Nagoya Protocol “employs a transactional model”, requiring almost 100 countries to get a permit “each time a researcher wishes to access that nation’s biodiversity for R&D”, according to the IFPMA. “In return for the permit, benefit-sharing in the form of a payment on the result from R&D is usually required.” While this was meant to attach value to and protect biodiversity, “there is a broad consensus among stakeholders interviewed by Covington that the transactional model of the Nagoya Protocol applied to pathogens is not logical, and undermines global health security”. A possible solution, it adds, would be to unlink “access” to pathogens from “benefits” derived from such access. This would “ensure rapid and free sharing of pathogen samples and sequence data, while addressing equity concerns separately”, it adds. “Coming on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and as negotiations commence on the so-called pandemic accord led by the WHO, our report demonstrates the need to secure free, rapid and unhindered access for scientists to pathogen samples and sequence data,” said Bart Van Vooren, who led the Covington team. ‘Held hostage to deals’ “Currently, pathogens are being held hostage to deals on benefit-sharing through the Nagoya Protocol. This represents a grave risk for humanity when the next pandemic hits,” he added. The report provides examples of how ABS laws have blocked or delayed researchers’ access to pathogen samples of seasonal influenza, SARS-CoV-2, Zika, mpox, Japanese Encephalitis, Foot and Mouth Disease, Ebola, and African Swine Fever. It also shows that delays or refusals for pathogen-sharing have led to “sub-optimal vaccine composition, including lack of regional representativeness”; diagnostics that were not tailored or tested against original or new variants of pathogens and “skewed and non-representative epidemiology in genomic surveillance”. Thomas Cueni, Director General of IFPMA, said: “Investments in global health security, especially improved and expanded pathogen and disease surveillance, will not achieve the ultimate goal of protecting people and saving lives, if immediate and unfettered access to pathogens and their genetic information is constrained.” Image Credits: Paul Owere/Twitter . Amid Grim Economic Outlook, Women’s Health is Still Best Investment 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, Diminishing democracy, growing nationalism, widening social inequality, growing climate-related crises and debt are part of the “unprecedented” trends of 2023, according to world leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday. “Our generation has reached a turning point confronted by truly existential problems: climate change, exploitation of nature, nuclear possible incidents or even worse, extreme poverty and violence. They all can lead to the extinction of large parts of our global population,” warned WEF founder Klaus Schwab. Swiss president Alain Berset warned that “extreme inequality undermines social cohesion, creates resentments, causing us to seek scapegoats and it is politically toxic, eating away at our faith in democracy”. Only 20% of the world’s population lives in democracies, down from 50% 30 years ago, said Berset. Inequality was exacerbated by climate change, the Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic, added Berst, pointing out that 300 million people faced “acute risk of hunger”. Investment in women’s health UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem But investment in basic healthcare for women still offers one of the best returns on investment. UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem said that “there are still 300 million women who would want to access family planning that are knocking on the door of a clinic and nobody is there. “We’ve seen the wisdom and the high return of almost $10 for every dollar you invest in family planning and maternal health,” Kanem added. Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, said her government’s introduction of health insurance for the country’s poorest families had resulted in the “unprecedented number “ of 120 million Indian women being scanned for cervical and breast cancer. Irani said that there is “a conscious effort on behalf of the government to ensure that the whole life cycle needs of a woman’s health are looked after by every government entity”. After a 40-year wait, a Bill allowing abortion from 24 weeks “passed both houses of parliament without a whimper”, said Irani. In addition, 703 emergency and crisis centres for women had helped 220 million women in distress, and “given them medical, psychological and police help so that they can transition from challenges towards solutions”. “When you invest in the health of a woman, you invest in the health of community. When you empower her financially, she tends to spend more on health and education.” Bio-pharmaceutical company Organon is focusing on “femtech” solutions to address women’s health, said CEO Kevin Ali. In the 18 months since it was listed on the New York stock exchange, Organon has “done eight deals’, said Ali. “Two are in the medical device space, one to solve the issues of postpartum haemorrhage, and one to solve some of the issues around minimally invasive hysterectomy,” said Ali. His company is also investing in “new mechanisms of action for endometriosis, preterm labour and polycystic ovary syndrome”. Nutrition and pregnancy Mark Suzman, Gates Foundation CEO “Nutrition is such a critical enabler for healthy pregnancies and healthy birth,” said Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman. “An area where we are prioritising investment right now is treatments for anaemia, which is actually one of the most fundamental challenges facing women and particularly women in pregnancy.” While a number of companies were researching the microbiome “to figure out how to do better weight loss”, the Gates Foundation was focusing on “what elements of treating the microbiome can actually be most important in the antenatal and postnatal period for women and children”, added Suzman. “We were also able to do some research as a public good which showed the efficacy of a single dose of HPV vaccine [to prevent cervical cancer] was as good as multiple doses. That basically allowed you to vaccinate twice as many children,” he added. World Economic Forum Warns of Uncertain and Turbulent Decade Ahead 16/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The “cost-of-living crisis” and failure to mitigate climate change are the most acute global risks, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) which opened in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday. The forum’s risk assessment report 2023 released last week identifies a “polycrisis” of risks, most of which relate to environmental and societal issues, such as biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and large-scale involuntary migration. However, despite the prominence of environmental concerns, environmental activists have already called out WEF leaders for hypocrisy. On Sunday, protestors blocked a number of private jets from landing at Davos airport – over 1000 jets are expected to bring the rich and powerful to the meeting, causing significant carbon emissions. Protestors block private jets at Davos’s airport. In addition, a social media campaign was also launched by climate activists Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate and Luisa Neubauer, demanding that energy company CEOs “immediately stop opening any new oil, gas, or coal extraction sites, and stop blocking the clean energy transition we all so urgently need” or face legal action and protests. ‘Tax the rich’ Meanwhile, Oxfam also called for new measures to tax the world’s super-rich, releasing research on the eve of the meeting showing that, since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, the richest 1% had “grabbed nearly two-thirds of all new wealth” – almost twice as much money as the bottom 99% of the world’s population. “A billionaire gained roughly $1.7 million for every $1 of new global wealth earned by a person in the bottom 90%,” according to Oxfam, which calculated that a tax of up to 5% on the world’s multi-millionaires and billionaires “could raise $1.7 trillion a year, enough to lift two billion people out of poverty”. The WEF, the first in-person meeting of the annual event since 2020, was set up to promote public-private collaboration, and has become a marketplace for world leaders to promote investment in their countries and for businesses to court government support. However, the annual risk assessment frankly acknowledges the dire economic conditions faced particularly by people in poorer countries thanks to the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Cost-of-living crisis Based on interviews with key leaders, the cost-of-living crisis is ranked as the most severe global risk over the next two years. “We have seen a return of ‘older’ risks – inflation, cost-of-living crises, trade wars, capital outflows from emerging markets, widespread social unrest, geopolitical confrontation and the spectre of nuclear warfare – which few of this generation’s business leaders and public policy-makers have experienced,” it warns. “These are being amplified by comparatively new developments in the global risks landscape, including unsustainable levels of debt, a new era of low growth, low global investment and de-globalization, a decline in human development after decades of progress, rapid and unconstrained development of dual-use (civilian and military) technologies, and the growing pressure of climate change impacts and ambitions in an ever-shrinking window for transition to a 1.5°C world.” Taking all these factors into account, the WEF warns of a “unique, uncertain and turbulent decade” ahead. Nine risks are featured in the top 10 rankings over both the short and the long term, including “geoeconomic confrontation” and “erosion of social cohesion and societal polarisation”, alongside “widespread cybercrime and cyber insecurity” and “large-scale involuntary migration”. Health is the focus of a number of sessions of the forum, which runs midday on Friday These include sessions on pandemic preparedness, women’s health, tuberculosis and equity. Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts This site uses cookies to help give you the best experience on our website. Cookies enable us to collect information that helps us personalise your experience and improve the functionality and performance of our site. By continuing to read our website, we assume you agree to this, otherwise you can adjust your browser settings. Please read our cookie and Privacy Policy. Our Cookies and Privacy Policy Loading Comments... You must be logged in to post a comment.
Hybrid Immunity Protects Better Against Hospitalisation and Severe COVID Infection 19/01/2023 Megha Kaveri Those with hybrid immunity enjoy better protection from hospitalisation and severe COVID even after a year. Hybrid immunity from a combination of being vaccinated and previously infected with COVID-19 offers better protection against hospitalisation and severe infection than immunity simply from a previous infection, according to a new study in The Lancet. People with hybrid immunity were 97.4% less likely to be hospitalised or suffer severe infection at 12 months, whereas those who were previously infected but unvaccinated were 74.6% less likely, according to the study, which was funded by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). The likelihood reported on unvaccinated individuals could, however, be a combination of several factors, while “exposure could also differ between groups, as in the case of individuals who are unvaccinated because they are severely immunocompromised, and thus also have a greater risk of infection”. The study analysed 26 papers, of which 11 reported on the immunity derived from previous infections and 15 reported on hybrid immunity. Individuals with immunity from previous infections were 25% less likely to be reinfected at 12 months, while individuals with hybrid immunity were 42% less likely to be reinfected at 12 months. Individuals who had previously been infected and received their first booster doses were 95% less likely to be hospitalised or severely ill and 47% less likely to be reinfected six months after receiving the booster. “Individuals with hybrid immunity had the highest magnitude and durability of protection, and as a result might be able to extend the period before booster vaccinations are needed compared to individuals who have never been infected,” the authors noted. They added that individuals with previous infection and full primary vaccination can delay receiving their booster shots by six months, while still having high protection against severe COVID. The analysis demonstrates the advantages of vaccination even after people have had COVID-19, the WHO said in a press statement. In countries with low resources and high infection rates, this evidence can come in handy for policy-makers. “In settings with high seroprevalence, scarce resources, and competing health priorities, evidence suggests that it is reasonable to focus on achieving high coverage rates with primary series vaccination among individuals who are at higher risk of poor outcomes, as this will provide a high level of protection against severe disease for at least 1 year among those with previous infection,” the authors added. Image Credits: Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash. New Partnership to Produce Health and Climate Research 19/01/2023 Megha Kaveri Climate and health panel at WEF 2023, Davos. The World Economic Forum (WEF) will partner with Wellcome Trust to collect research-based data on how climate change is affecting health. Making the announcement, WEF’s head of health Shyam Bishen said that while several organisations were working on data collection, most data is fragmented with different organisations. “We want to ensure that we have a good amount of research-based data that we can take to policymakers and bring it all together to respond to it,” said Bishen. However, Dr Victor Dzau, the president of the US National Academy of Medicine, said that not research was being produced on climate change and health. “Most of the evidence is associative evidence, like air pollution causes 700,000 deaths and therefore it’s climate change. So we need to do some serious research in linking climate and health and health outcomes, providing the evidence,” he told a panel on climate and health. “I think there needs to be more action-oriented research to say, what do we need to do? Or what are the interventions that will result in any evidence. I think the policy makers will be willing to listen to those issues. We’ve told the narratives and data to say it’s really hurting people’s lives, but here’s where actions need to be taken,” Dzau explained. Disease prevention key What several people overlook when talking about climate crisis and the ways to address it is the role prevention of diseases plays in it, said Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson. “If you go on to be diabetic, you’ll create between 30 and 45 tons of carbon because the way healthcare is delivered to you, medicines that are made, transportation to a hospital, caregivers getting to a hospital. So preventative health, helping people not make the journey from pre-diabetic to diabetic, for example, can have a mind boggling impact, positively, not only on them, but also on the climate,” said Hudson. The global average carbon emissions per person is around five tons. While the world thinks a lot about climate change and communicable diseases, the same importance is not given to the relationship between climate change and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), said Vanessa Kerry, CEO of Seed Global Health. She added that malnutrition, preterm births and stillbirths are all impacted by climate change. “Air pollution is the second leading cause of non-communicable diseases globally right now and the first in southeast Asia. When you think about what that impact looks like, that’s actually about $47 trillion in costs globally between 2010 and 2030 just to manage some of that disease,” she pointed out. A 2022 study of 137 countries estimated that nearly half of all stillbirths across the world have links with air pollution. Although the exact mechanisms behind this link are unclear, the study estimated that cutting air pollution down to the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) could prevent around 710,000 stillbirths every year. Image Credits: Screengrab from WEF live stream. . Switzerland and Ecuador Appeal for Treaty to End the ‘Plastic Crisis’ 17/01/2023 John Heilprin Microplastics from a river in Maryland, collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Marine Debris Program. Recent research have now found microplastics in human blood samples. DAVOS, Switzerland – The presidents of Switzerland and Ecuador led a call here at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Tuesday for greater international cooperation to fight plastic pollution, urging passage of a global treaty with tough regulations to confront a burgeoning environmental and health crisis from the ubiquitous material once seen as a symbol of modernity. Swiss President Alain Berset, heading a panel discussion hosted by Switzerland, told a packed room that an international treaty and new “regulatory framework” is needed to get rid of plastics that are clogging the world’s ecosystems, choking oceans and poisoning fish and wildlife – with severe human health consequences. “We are facing a major plastic crisis. The world cannot deal with the amount of plastic it produces,” he said. “If we continue on this path there could be more plastic than fish by 2050.” Berset said the plastic crisis is not only an environmental crisis, but also a health and socioeconomic challenge, “and Switzerland is ready to do its part.” Switzerland’s President Alain Berset at the WEF panel on plastic pollution. Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza noted that his nation and Switzerland are “united by a historic commitment” to work together to end plastics pollution as two of the five countries joining the United Nations Security Council this year. Japan, Malta, Mozambique are the other three countries elected to a two-year term on the 15-nation Council, the world body’s most powerful arm, based in New York. “With our commitment we are indeed making history. We must find a solution to the global crisis of plastic waste,” said Lasso Mendoza. “In just a few years, there will be more plastic in our oceans by tons than there is fauna.” Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza at the WEF panel on plastic pollution. In a historic moment in March 2022, the world’s environment ministries agreed to negotiate a treaty on plastics pollution. The decision by some 175 UN member states was reached at the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi. But the road to approval and ratification of a legal instrument that has teeth promises to be a major lift in light of the powerful oil and gas interests that will oppose it every step of the way. Political leadership by countries such as Switzerland and Ecuador, in the Security Council and in other UN Fora, will thus be key to making progress in treaty negotiations. Fossil fuel producers scale up plastics production Currently, an estimated 5% of global total goods trade is in plastics, Lasso Mendoza said, citing UN data. But even as knowledge about the enormous environmental and health risks of plastics grows, fossil fuel producers are scaling up their plastics production, with plans to double the production of virgin plastic resin by 2040. At current rates, plastics are on track to account for 20% of oil and gas consumption by 2050, according to the UN Environment Programme. “Political will and leadership are the foundations upon which we must build,” Lasso Mendoza said. “Ecuador takes the fight against plastic very seriously. We need a globally binding treaty. We should reach agreement by the end of 2024.” Over the past 30 years, plastics production increased fourfold, with growth rates still rising exponentially. Already over the past 30 years, plastic consumption increased four-fold. Although global production of recycled plastics more than quadrupled over the same period, recycled plastics only represent about 6% of global plastics production, while 94% are “virgin” plastics, according to the OECD. Burgeoning health and environmental impacts Plastic waste from an informal landfill litters a rural seascape in Albania while goats graze nearby. Of the majority of plastic waste that doesn’t get reprocessed and reused, 19% is incinerated, 50% ends up in landfills, and 22% is burned in open pits, with the remainder winding up in uncontrolled dumpsites, scattered along roadsides, farmlands or littering coastal beaches and waters of poorer countries. A 2021 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that plastic contamination of farmland from single-use soil and plant coverings, tubing and other materials, poses an increasing threat to soil quality, food safety and human health. In 2022, a new study identified microplastics in human blood samples for the first time. On the high seas, a recent Nature study found that the blue whales, which typically feed upon krill, may consume some 10 million pieces of microplastics a day, a taste of what other large fish like tuna and salmon are likely eating as well. Human exposure to plastic additives such as DEHP and Phthalates, which are used to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC), leads to higher risks of cancer and hormonal disorders that cause reproductive health problems, research has shown. Not only are phthalate additives health harmful, but the production of PVC out of fossil fuel-derived ethylene, generates considerable mercury emissions, which are toxic for humans and to wildlife. Along with its uses in waterproof garments and building materials, PVC is ubiquitous in healthcare settings where it is a key component of basic medical devices like IV tubes. ‘Dangerous for all living things’ Rwanda’s Environment Minister Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, whose nation has teamed with Norway to eliminate plastic pollution by 2040, told the panel that “plastic pollution is not only dangerous for nature but for all living things, including human beings.” “No one country can solve the problem alone, she emphasized. Marco Lambertini, a special envoy for Gland, Switzerland-based World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), said that negotiations on an international treaty need to be inclusive of governments, businesses, investors and citizens. “Without everybody, we won’t get anywhere,” he said. “We also need to look at the plastic value chain in its entirety, from production to disposal.” (Left to right): At the WEF panel on plastic pollution, the Graduate Institute’s Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, moderator; WHO’s Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; Rwanda’s Environment Minister Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya; Kristin Hughes of WEF; and Marco Lambertini of WWF. Developing countries that lack the infrastructure for waste management will need special help, he added, and recycling must be increased globally from its current “outrageous” low of less than 10%. “I see a real parallel between the phasing out of fossil fuels and the phasing out of fossil fuel- based plastics,” he said. Kristin Hughes, director of WEF’s Global Plastic Action Partnership, added: “you don’t just need business, you also need the government component. And they need to work together.” WHO – ending plastics pollution critical to healthier environment The World Health Organization’s director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said ending plastics pollution is a critical part of creating a healthier environment for everyone, but more study is needed to determine the range of biological and human health impacts that plastics can and do have. “I don’t think plastics pollution and health – that connection – has been given the attention it needed,” Tedros said. “And not only that, we don’t have research that documents well how plastics affect human health throughout the [product] lifecycle. “They do actually.” Image Credits: John Heilprin, Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program, Plastics Atlas, 2019, @Antoine Giret/ Unsplash. ‘Transactional’ Pathogen Sharing Undermines Global Health Security 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The existing international framework for sharing pathogens is ‘transactional’ and undermines global health security, according to research commissioned by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA). Produced by legal consultancy Covington, the research was developed partly from interviews with 82 public health experts. There were drawn from the pharmaceutical companies (44% of respondents), the World Health Organization (17%), public health institutions including the US Center for Disease Control, (23%), biobanks (7%), academia (1%), NGOs (7%), and other stakeholders (1%). Through interviews with global health experts, our new report points to concerns of a “politicization” of #pathogens sharing, leading to significant delays in developing vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics. Find out more: https://t.co/xmjfhNz7as #NagoyaProtocol @IFPMA pic.twitter.com/cR6CRxWKm0 — Covington (@CovingtonLLP) January 17, 2023 “The research “points to an increased ‘politicization’ of access to samples of pathogens, as well as access to sequence information on pathogens,” according to a statement released by the IFPMA on Tuesday. “This is due to countries’ adoption of national access and benefit-sharing (ABS) rules under the Nagoya Protocol and potentially, the future draft Pandemic Accord,” The Nagoya Protocol “employs a transactional model”, requiring almost 100 countries to get a permit “each time a researcher wishes to access that nation’s biodiversity for R&D”, according to the IFPMA. “In return for the permit, benefit-sharing in the form of a payment on the result from R&D is usually required.” While this was meant to attach value to and protect biodiversity, “there is a broad consensus among stakeholders interviewed by Covington that the transactional model of the Nagoya Protocol applied to pathogens is not logical, and undermines global health security”. A possible solution, it adds, would be to unlink “access” to pathogens from “benefits” derived from such access. This would “ensure rapid and free sharing of pathogen samples and sequence data, while addressing equity concerns separately”, it adds. “Coming on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and as negotiations commence on the so-called pandemic accord led by the WHO, our report demonstrates the need to secure free, rapid and unhindered access for scientists to pathogen samples and sequence data,” said Bart Van Vooren, who led the Covington team. ‘Held hostage to deals’ “Currently, pathogens are being held hostage to deals on benefit-sharing through the Nagoya Protocol. This represents a grave risk for humanity when the next pandemic hits,” he added. The report provides examples of how ABS laws have blocked or delayed researchers’ access to pathogen samples of seasonal influenza, SARS-CoV-2, Zika, mpox, Japanese Encephalitis, Foot and Mouth Disease, Ebola, and African Swine Fever. It also shows that delays or refusals for pathogen-sharing have led to “sub-optimal vaccine composition, including lack of regional representativeness”; diagnostics that were not tailored or tested against original or new variants of pathogens and “skewed and non-representative epidemiology in genomic surveillance”. Thomas Cueni, Director General of IFPMA, said: “Investments in global health security, especially improved and expanded pathogen and disease surveillance, will not achieve the ultimate goal of protecting people and saving lives, if immediate and unfettered access to pathogens and their genetic information is constrained.” Image Credits: Paul Owere/Twitter . Amid Grim Economic Outlook, Women’s Health is Still Best Investment 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, Diminishing democracy, growing nationalism, widening social inequality, growing climate-related crises and debt are part of the “unprecedented” trends of 2023, according to world leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday. “Our generation has reached a turning point confronted by truly existential problems: climate change, exploitation of nature, nuclear possible incidents or even worse, extreme poverty and violence. They all can lead to the extinction of large parts of our global population,” warned WEF founder Klaus Schwab. Swiss president Alain Berset warned that “extreme inequality undermines social cohesion, creates resentments, causing us to seek scapegoats and it is politically toxic, eating away at our faith in democracy”. Only 20% of the world’s population lives in democracies, down from 50% 30 years ago, said Berset. Inequality was exacerbated by climate change, the Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic, added Berst, pointing out that 300 million people faced “acute risk of hunger”. Investment in women’s health UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem But investment in basic healthcare for women still offers one of the best returns on investment. UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem said that “there are still 300 million women who would want to access family planning that are knocking on the door of a clinic and nobody is there. “We’ve seen the wisdom and the high return of almost $10 for every dollar you invest in family planning and maternal health,” Kanem added. Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, said her government’s introduction of health insurance for the country’s poorest families had resulted in the “unprecedented number “ of 120 million Indian women being scanned for cervical and breast cancer. Irani said that there is “a conscious effort on behalf of the government to ensure that the whole life cycle needs of a woman’s health are looked after by every government entity”. After a 40-year wait, a Bill allowing abortion from 24 weeks “passed both houses of parliament without a whimper”, said Irani. In addition, 703 emergency and crisis centres for women had helped 220 million women in distress, and “given them medical, psychological and police help so that they can transition from challenges towards solutions”. “When you invest in the health of a woman, you invest in the health of community. When you empower her financially, she tends to spend more on health and education.” Bio-pharmaceutical company Organon is focusing on “femtech” solutions to address women’s health, said CEO Kevin Ali. In the 18 months since it was listed on the New York stock exchange, Organon has “done eight deals’, said Ali. “Two are in the medical device space, one to solve the issues of postpartum haemorrhage, and one to solve some of the issues around minimally invasive hysterectomy,” said Ali. His company is also investing in “new mechanisms of action for endometriosis, preterm labour and polycystic ovary syndrome”. Nutrition and pregnancy Mark Suzman, Gates Foundation CEO “Nutrition is such a critical enabler for healthy pregnancies and healthy birth,” said Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman. “An area where we are prioritising investment right now is treatments for anaemia, which is actually one of the most fundamental challenges facing women and particularly women in pregnancy.” While a number of companies were researching the microbiome “to figure out how to do better weight loss”, the Gates Foundation was focusing on “what elements of treating the microbiome can actually be most important in the antenatal and postnatal period for women and children”, added Suzman. “We were also able to do some research as a public good which showed the efficacy of a single dose of HPV vaccine [to prevent cervical cancer] was as good as multiple doses. That basically allowed you to vaccinate twice as many children,” he added. World Economic Forum Warns of Uncertain and Turbulent Decade Ahead 16/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The “cost-of-living crisis” and failure to mitigate climate change are the most acute global risks, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) which opened in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday. The forum’s risk assessment report 2023 released last week identifies a “polycrisis” of risks, most of which relate to environmental and societal issues, such as biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and large-scale involuntary migration. However, despite the prominence of environmental concerns, environmental activists have already called out WEF leaders for hypocrisy. On Sunday, protestors blocked a number of private jets from landing at Davos airport – over 1000 jets are expected to bring the rich and powerful to the meeting, causing significant carbon emissions. Protestors block private jets at Davos’s airport. In addition, a social media campaign was also launched by climate activists Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate and Luisa Neubauer, demanding that energy company CEOs “immediately stop opening any new oil, gas, or coal extraction sites, and stop blocking the clean energy transition we all so urgently need” or face legal action and protests. ‘Tax the rich’ Meanwhile, Oxfam also called for new measures to tax the world’s super-rich, releasing research on the eve of the meeting showing that, since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, the richest 1% had “grabbed nearly two-thirds of all new wealth” – almost twice as much money as the bottom 99% of the world’s population. “A billionaire gained roughly $1.7 million for every $1 of new global wealth earned by a person in the bottom 90%,” according to Oxfam, which calculated that a tax of up to 5% on the world’s multi-millionaires and billionaires “could raise $1.7 trillion a year, enough to lift two billion people out of poverty”. The WEF, the first in-person meeting of the annual event since 2020, was set up to promote public-private collaboration, and has become a marketplace for world leaders to promote investment in their countries and for businesses to court government support. However, the annual risk assessment frankly acknowledges the dire economic conditions faced particularly by people in poorer countries thanks to the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Cost-of-living crisis Based on interviews with key leaders, the cost-of-living crisis is ranked as the most severe global risk over the next two years. “We have seen a return of ‘older’ risks – inflation, cost-of-living crises, trade wars, capital outflows from emerging markets, widespread social unrest, geopolitical confrontation and the spectre of nuclear warfare – which few of this generation’s business leaders and public policy-makers have experienced,” it warns. “These are being amplified by comparatively new developments in the global risks landscape, including unsustainable levels of debt, a new era of low growth, low global investment and de-globalization, a decline in human development after decades of progress, rapid and unconstrained development of dual-use (civilian and military) technologies, and the growing pressure of climate change impacts and ambitions in an ever-shrinking window for transition to a 1.5°C world.” Taking all these factors into account, the WEF warns of a “unique, uncertain and turbulent decade” ahead. Nine risks are featured in the top 10 rankings over both the short and the long term, including “geoeconomic confrontation” and “erosion of social cohesion and societal polarisation”, alongside “widespread cybercrime and cyber insecurity” and “large-scale involuntary migration”. Health is the focus of a number of sessions of the forum, which runs midday on Friday These include sessions on pandemic preparedness, women’s health, tuberculosis and equity. Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts This site uses cookies to help give you the best experience on our website. Cookies enable us to collect information that helps us personalise your experience and improve the functionality and performance of our site. By continuing to read our website, we assume you agree to this, otherwise you can adjust your browser settings. Please read our cookie and Privacy Policy. Our Cookies and Privacy Policy Loading Comments... You must be logged in to post a comment.
New Partnership to Produce Health and Climate Research 19/01/2023 Megha Kaveri Climate and health panel at WEF 2023, Davos. The World Economic Forum (WEF) will partner with Wellcome Trust to collect research-based data on how climate change is affecting health. Making the announcement, WEF’s head of health Shyam Bishen said that while several organisations were working on data collection, most data is fragmented with different organisations. “We want to ensure that we have a good amount of research-based data that we can take to policymakers and bring it all together to respond to it,” said Bishen. However, Dr Victor Dzau, the president of the US National Academy of Medicine, said that not research was being produced on climate change and health. “Most of the evidence is associative evidence, like air pollution causes 700,000 deaths and therefore it’s climate change. So we need to do some serious research in linking climate and health and health outcomes, providing the evidence,” he told a panel on climate and health. “I think there needs to be more action-oriented research to say, what do we need to do? Or what are the interventions that will result in any evidence. I think the policy makers will be willing to listen to those issues. We’ve told the narratives and data to say it’s really hurting people’s lives, but here’s where actions need to be taken,” Dzau explained. Disease prevention key What several people overlook when talking about climate crisis and the ways to address it is the role prevention of diseases plays in it, said Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson. “If you go on to be diabetic, you’ll create between 30 and 45 tons of carbon because the way healthcare is delivered to you, medicines that are made, transportation to a hospital, caregivers getting to a hospital. So preventative health, helping people not make the journey from pre-diabetic to diabetic, for example, can have a mind boggling impact, positively, not only on them, but also on the climate,” said Hudson. The global average carbon emissions per person is around five tons. While the world thinks a lot about climate change and communicable diseases, the same importance is not given to the relationship between climate change and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), said Vanessa Kerry, CEO of Seed Global Health. She added that malnutrition, preterm births and stillbirths are all impacted by climate change. “Air pollution is the second leading cause of non-communicable diseases globally right now and the first in southeast Asia. When you think about what that impact looks like, that’s actually about $47 trillion in costs globally between 2010 and 2030 just to manage some of that disease,” she pointed out. A 2022 study of 137 countries estimated that nearly half of all stillbirths across the world have links with air pollution. Although the exact mechanisms behind this link are unclear, the study estimated that cutting air pollution down to the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) could prevent around 710,000 stillbirths every year. Image Credits: Screengrab from WEF live stream. . Switzerland and Ecuador Appeal for Treaty to End the ‘Plastic Crisis’ 17/01/2023 John Heilprin Microplastics from a river in Maryland, collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Marine Debris Program. Recent research have now found microplastics in human blood samples. DAVOS, Switzerland – The presidents of Switzerland and Ecuador led a call here at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Tuesday for greater international cooperation to fight plastic pollution, urging passage of a global treaty with tough regulations to confront a burgeoning environmental and health crisis from the ubiquitous material once seen as a symbol of modernity. Swiss President Alain Berset, heading a panel discussion hosted by Switzerland, told a packed room that an international treaty and new “regulatory framework” is needed to get rid of plastics that are clogging the world’s ecosystems, choking oceans and poisoning fish and wildlife – with severe human health consequences. “We are facing a major plastic crisis. The world cannot deal with the amount of plastic it produces,” he said. “If we continue on this path there could be more plastic than fish by 2050.” Berset said the plastic crisis is not only an environmental crisis, but also a health and socioeconomic challenge, “and Switzerland is ready to do its part.” Switzerland’s President Alain Berset at the WEF panel on plastic pollution. Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza noted that his nation and Switzerland are “united by a historic commitment” to work together to end plastics pollution as two of the five countries joining the United Nations Security Council this year. Japan, Malta, Mozambique are the other three countries elected to a two-year term on the 15-nation Council, the world body’s most powerful arm, based in New York. “With our commitment we are indeed making history. We must find a solution to the global crisis of plastic waste,” said Lasso Mendoza. “In just a few years, there will be more plastic in our oceans by tons than there is fauna.” Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza at the WEF panel on plastic pollution. In a historic moment in March 2022, the world’s environment ministries agreed to negotiate a treaty on plastics pollution. The decision by some 175 UN member states was reached at the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi. But the road to approval and ratification of a legal instrument that has teeth promises to be a major lift in light of the powerful oil and gas interests that will oppose it every step of the way. Political leadership by countries such as Switzerland and Ecuador, in the Security Council and in other UN Fora, will thus be key to making progress in treaty negotiations. Fossil fuel producers scale up plastics production Currently, an estimated 5% of global total goods trade is in plastics, Lasso Mendoza said, citing UN data. But even as knowledge about the enormous environmental and health risks of plastics grows, fossil fuel producers are scaling up their plastics production, with plans to double the production of virgin plastic resin by 2040. At current rates, plastics are on track to account for 20% of oil and gas consumption by 2050, according to the UN Environment Programme. “Political will and leadership are the foundations upon which we must build,” Lasso Mendoza said. “Ecuador takes the fight against plastic very seriously. We need a globally binding treaty. We should reach agreement by the end of 2024.” Over the past 30 years, plastics production increased fourfold, with growth rates still rising exponentially. Already over the past 30 years, plastic consumption increased four-fold. Although global production of recycled plastics more than quadrupled over the same period, recycled plastics only represent about 6% of global plastics production, while 94% are “virgin” plastics, according to the OECD. Burgeoning health and environmental impacts Plastic waste from an informal landfill litters a rural seascape in Albania while goats graze nearby. Of the majority of plastic waste that doesn’t get reprocessed and reused, 19% is incinerated, 50% ends up in landfills, and 22% is burned in open pits, with the remainder winding up in uncontrolled dumpsites, scattered along roadsides, farmlands or littering coastal beaches and waters of poorer countries. A 2021 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that plastic contamination of farmland from single-use soil and plant coverings, tubing and other materials, poses an increasing threat to soil quality, food safety and human health. In 2022, a new study identified microplastics in human blood samples for the first time. On the high seas, a recent Nature study found that the blue whales, which typically feed upon krill, may consume some 10 million pieces of microplastics a day, a taste of what other large fish like tuna and salmon are likely eating as well. Human exposure to plastic additives such as DEHP and Phthalates, which are used to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC), leads to higher risks of cancer and hormonal disorders that cause reproductive health problems, research has shown. Not only are phthalate additives health harmful, but the production of PVC out of fossil fuel-derived ethylene, generates considerable mercury emissions, which are toxic for humans and to wildlife. Along with its uses in waterproof garments and building materials, PVC is ubiquitous in healthcare settings where it is a key component of basic medical devices like IV tubes. ‘Dangerous for all living things’ Rwanda’s Environment Minister Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, whose nation has teamed with Norway to eliminate plastic pollution by 2040, told the panel that “plastic pollution is not only dangerous for nature but for all living things, including human beings.” “No one country can solve the problem alone, she emphasized. Marco Lambertini, a special envoy for Gland, Switzerland-based World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), said that negotiations on an international treaty need to be inclusive of governments, businesses, investors and citizens. “Without everybody, we won’t get anywhere,” he said. “We also need to look at the plastic value chain in its entirety, from production to disposal.” (Left to right): At the WEF panel on plastic pollution, the Graduate Institute’s Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, moderator; WHO’s Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; Rwanda’s Environment Minister Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya; Kristin Hughes of WEF; and Marco Lambertini of WWF. Developing countries that lack the infrastructure for waste management will need special help, he added, and recycling must be increased globally from its current “outrageous” low of less than 10%. “I see a real parallel between the phasing out of fossil fuels and the phasing out of fossil fuel- based plastics,” he said. Kristin Hughes, director of WEF’s Global Plastic Action Partnership, added: “you don’t just need business, you also need the government component. And they need to work together.” WHO – ending plastics pollution critical to healthier environment The World Health Organization’s director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said ending plastics pollution is a critical part of creating a healthier environment for everyone, but more study is needed to determine the range of biological and human health impacts that plastics can and do have. “I don’t think plastics pollution and health – that connection – has been given the attention it needed,” Tedros said. “And not only that, we don’t have research that documents well how plastics affect human health throughout the [product] lifecycle. “They do actually.” Image Credits: John Heilprin, Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program, Plastics Atlas, 2019, @Antoine Giret/ Unsplash. ‘Transactional’ Pathogen Sharing Undermines Global Health Security 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The existing international framework for sharing pathogens is ‘transactional’ and undermines global health security, according to research commissioned by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA). Produced by legal consultancy Covington, the research was developed partly from interviews with 82 public health experts. There were drawn from the pharmaceutical companies (44% of respondents), the World Health Organization (17%), public health institutions including the US Center for Disease Control, (23%), biobanks (7%), academia (1%), NGOs (7%), and other stakeholders (1%). Through interviews with global health experts, our new report points to concerns of a “politicization” of #pathogens sharing, leading to significant delays in developing vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics. Find out more: https://t.co/xmjfhNz7as #NagoyaProtocol @IFPMA pic.twitter.com/cR6CRxWKm0 — Covington (@CovingtonLLP) January 17, 2023 “The research “points to an increased ‘politicization’ of access to samples of pathogens, as well as access to sequence information on pathogens,” according to a statement released by the IFPMA on Tuesday. “This is due to countries’ adoption of national access and benefit-sharing (ABS) rules under the Nagoya Protocol and potentially, the future draft Pandemic Accord,” The Nagoya Protocol “employs a transactional model”, requiring almost 100 countries to get a permit “each time a researcher wishes to access that nation’s biodiversity for R&D”, according to the IFPMA. “In return for the permit, benefit-sharing in the form of a payment on the result from R&D is usually required.” While this was meant to attach value to and protect biodiversity, “there is a broad consensus among stakeholders interviewed by Covington that the transactional model of the Nagoya Protocol applied to pathogens is not logical, and undermines global health security”. A possible solution, it adds, would be to unlink “access” to pathogens from “benefits” derived from such access. This would “ensure rapid and free sharing of pathogen samples and sequence data, while addressing equity concerns separately”, it adds. “Coming on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and as negotiations commence on the so-called pandemic accord led by the WHO, our report demonstrates the need to secure free, rapid and unhindered access for scientists to pathogen samples and sequence data,” said Bart Van Vooren, who led the Covington team. ‘Held hostage to deals’ “Currently, pathogens are being held hostage to deals on benefit-sharing through the Nagoya Protocol. This represents a grave risk for humanity when the next pandemic hits,” he added. The report provides examples of how ABS laws have blocked or delayed researchers’ access to pathogen samples of seasonal influenza, SARS-CoV-2, Zika, mpox, Japanese Encephalitis, Foot and Mouth Disease, Ebola, and African Swine Fever. It also shows that delays or refusals for pathogen-sharing have led to “sub-optimal vaccine composition, including lack of regional representativeness”; diagnostics that were not tailored or tested against original or new variants of pathogens and “skewed and non-representative epidemiology in genomic surveillance”. Thomas Cueni, Director General of IFPMA, said: “Investments in global health security, especially improved and expanded pathogen and disease surveillance, will not achieve the ultimate goal of protecting people and saving lives, if immediate and unfettered access to pathogens and their genetic information is constrained.” Image Credits: Paul Owere/Twitter . Amid Grim Economic Outlook, Women’s Health is Still Best Investment 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, Diminishing democracy, growing nationalism, widening social inequality, growing climate-related crises and debt are part of the “unprecedented” trends of 2023, according to world leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday. “Our generation has reached a turning point confronted by truly existential problems: climate change, exploitation of nature, nuclear possible incidents or even worse, extreme poverty and violence. They all can lead to the extinction of large parts of our global population,” warned WEF founder Klaus Schwab. Swiss president Alain Berset warned that “extreme inequality undermines social cohesion, creates resentments, causing us to seek scapegoats and it is politically toxic, eating away at our faith in democracy”. Only 20% of the world’s population lives in democracies, down from 50% 30 years ago, said Berset. Inequality was exacerbated by climate change, the Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic, added Berst, pointing out that 300 million people faced “acute risk of hunger”. Investment in women’s health UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem But investment in basic healthcare for women still offers one of the best returns on investment. UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem said that “there are still 300 million women who would want to access family planning that are knocking on the door of a clinic and nobody is there. “We’ve seen the wisdom and the high return of almost $10 for every dollar you invest in family planning and maternal health,” Kanem added. Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, said her government’s introduction of health insurance for the country’s poorest families had resulted in the “unprecedented number “ of 120 million Indian women being scanned for cervical and breast cancer. Irani said that there is “a conscious effort on behalf of the government to ensure that the whole life cycle needs of a woman’s health are looked after by every government entity”. After a 40-year wait, a Bill allowing abortion from 24 weeks “passed both houses of parliament without a whimper”, said Irani. In addition, 703 emergency and crisis centres for women had helped 220 million women in distress, and “given them medical, psychological and police help so that they can transition from challenges towards solutions”. “When you invest in the health of a woman, you invest in the health of community. When you empower her financially, she tends to spend more on health and education.” Bio-pharmaceutical company Organon is focusing on “femtech” solutions to address women’s health, said CEO Kevin Ali. In the 18 months since it was listed on the New York stock exchange, Organon has “done eight deals’, said Ali. “Two are in the medical device space, one to solve the issues of postpartum haemorrhage, and one to solve some of the issues around minimally invasive hysterectomy,” said Ali. His company is also investing in “new mechanisms of action for endometriosis, preterm labour and polycystic ovary syndrome”. Nutrition and pregnancy Mark Suzman, Gates Foundation CEO “Nutrition is such a critical enabler for healthy pregnancies and healthy birth,” said Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman. “An area where we are prioritising investment right now is treatments for anaemia, which is actually one of the most fundamental challenges facing women and particularly women in pregnancy.” While a number of companies were researching the microbiome “to figure out how to do better weight loss”, the Gates Foundation was focusing on “what elements of treating the microbiome can actually be most important in the antenatal and postnatal period for women and children”, added Suzman. “We were also able to do some research as a public good which showed the efficacy of a single dose of HPV vaccine [to prevent cervical cancer] was as good as multiple doses. That basically allowed you to vaccinate twice as many children,” he added. World Economic Forum Warns of Uncertain and Turbulent Decade Ahead 16/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The “cost-of-living crisis” and failure to mitigate climate change are the most acute global risks, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) which opened in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday. The forum’s risk assessment report 2023 released last week identifies a “polycrisis” of risks, most of which relate to environmental and societal issues, such as biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and large-scale involuntary migration. However, despite the prominence of environmental concerns, environmental activists have already called out WEF leaders for hypocrisy. On Sunday, protestors blocked a number of private jets from landing at Davos airport – over 1000 jets are expected to bring the rich and powerful to the meeting, causing significant carbon emissions. Protestors block private jets at Davos’s airport. In addition, a social media campaign was also launched by climate activists Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate and Luisa Neubauer, demanding that energy company CEOs “immediately stop opening any new oil, gas, or coal extraction sites, and stop blocking the clean energy transition we all so urgently need” or face legal action and protests. ‘Tax the rich’ Meanwhile, Oxfam also called for new measures to tax the world’s super-rich, releasing research on the eve of the meeting showing that, since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, the richest 1% had “grabbed nearly two-thirds of all new wealth” – almost twice as much money as the bottom 99% of the world’s population. “A billionaire gained roughly $1.7 million for every $1 of new global wealth earned by a person in the bottom 90%,” according to Oxfam, which calculated that a tax of up to 5% on the world’s multi-millionaires and billionaires “could raise $1.7 trillion a year, enough to lift two billion people out of poverty”. The WEF, the first in-person meeting of the annual event since 2020, was set up to promote public-private collaboration, and has become a marketplace for world leaders to promote investment in their countries and for businesses to court government support. However, the annual risk assessment frankly acknowledges the dire economic conditions faced particularly by people in poorer countries thanks to the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Cost-of-living crisis Based on interviews with key leaders, the cost-of-living crisis is ranked as the most severe global risk over the next two years. “We have seen a return of ‘older’ risks – inflation, cost-of-living crises, trade wars, capital outflows from emerging markets, widespread social unrest, geopolitical confrontation and the spectre of nuclear warfare – which few of this generation’s business leaders and public policy-makers have experienced,” it warns. “These are being amplified by comparatively new developments in the global risks landscape, including unsustainable levels of debt, a new era of low growth, low global investment and de-globalization, a decline in human development after decades of progress, rapid and unconstrained development of dual-use (civilian and military) technologies, and the growing pressure of climate change impacts and ambitions in an ever-shrinking window for transition to a 1.5°C world.” Taking all these factors into account, the WEF warns of a “unique, uncertain and turbulent decade” ahead. Nine risks are featured in the top 10 rankings over both the short and the long term, including “geoeconomic confrontation” and “erosion of social cohesion and societal polarisation”, alongside “widespread cybercrime and cyber insecurity” and “large-scale involuntary migration”. Health is the focus of a number of sessions of the forum, which runs midday on Friday These include sessions on pandemic preparedness, women’s health, tuberculosis and equity. Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts This site uses cookies to help give you the best experience on our website. Cookies enable us to collect information that helps us personalise your experience and improve the functionality and performance of our site. By continuing to read our website, we assume you agree to this, otherwise you can adjust your browser settings. Please read our cookie and Privacy Policy. Our Cookies and Privacy Policy Loading Comments... You must be logged in to post a comment.
Switzerland and Ecuador Appeal for Treaty to End the ‘Plastic Crisis’ 17/01/2023 John Heilprin Microplastics from a river in Maryland, collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Marine Debris Program. Recent research have now found microplastics in human blood samples. DAVOS, Switzerland – The presidents of Switzerland and Ecuador led a call here at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Tuesday for greater international cooperation to fight plastic pollution, urging passage of a global treaty with tough regulations to confront a burgeoning environmental and health crisis from the ubiquitous material once seen as a symbol of modernity. Swiss President Alain Berset, heading a panel discussion hosted by Switzerland, told a packed room that an international treaty and new “regulatory framework” is needed to get rid of plastics that are clogging the world’s ecosystems, choking oceans and poisoning fish and wildlife – with severe human health consequences. “We are facing a major plastic crisis. The world cannot deal with the amount of plastic it produces,” he said. “If we continue on this path there could be more plastic than fish by 2050.” Berset said the plastic crisis is not only an environmental crisis, but also a health and socioeconomic challenge, “and Switzerland is ready to do its part.” Switzerland’s President Alain Berset at the WEF panel on plastic pollution. Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza noted that his nation and Switzerland are “united by a historic commitment” to work together to end plastics pollution as two of the five countries joining the United Nations Security Council this year. Japan, Malta, Mozambique are the other three countries elected to a two-year term on the 15-nation Council, the world body’s most powerful arm, based in New York. “With our commitment we are indeed making history. We must find a solution to the global crisis of plastic waste,” said Lasso Mendoza. “In just a few years, there will be more plastic in our oceans by tons than there is fauna.” Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza at the WEF panel on plastic pollution. In a historic moment in March 2022, the world’s environment ministries agreed to negotiate a treaty on plastics pollution. The decision by some 175 UN member states was reached at the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi. But the road to approval and ratification of a legal instrument that has teeth promises to be a major lift in light of the powerful oil and gas interests that will oppose it every step of the way. Political leadership by countries such as Switzerland and Ecuador, in the Security Council and in other UN Fora, will thus be key to making progress in treaty negotiations. Fossil fuel producers scale up plastics production Currently, an estimated 5% of global total goods trade is in plastics, Lasso Mendoza said, citing UN data. But even as knowledge about the enormous environmental and health risks of plastics grows, fossil fuel producers are scaling up their plastics production, with plans to double the production of virgin plastic resin by 2040. At current rates, plastics are on track to account for 20% of oil and gas consumption by 2050, according to the UN Environment Programme. “Political will and leadership are the foundations upon which we must build,” Lasso Mendoza said. “Ecuador takes the fight against plastic very seriously. We need a globally binding treaty. We should reach agreement by the end of 2024.” Over the past 30 years, plastics production increased fourfold, with growth rates still rising exponentially. Already over the past 30 years, plastic consumption increased four-fold. Although global production of recycled plastics more than quadrupled over the same period, recycled plastics only represent about 6% of global plastics production, while 94% are “virgin” plastics, according to the OECD. Burgeoning health and environmental impacts Plastic waste from an informal landfill litters a rural seascape in Albania while goats graze nearby. Of the majority of plastic waste that doesn’t get reprocessed and reused, 19% is incinerated, 50% ends up in landfills, and 22% is burned in open pits, with the remainder winding up in uncontrolled dumpsites, scattered along roadsides, farmlands or littering coastal beaches and waters of poorer countries. A 2021 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that plastic contamination of farmland from single-use soil and plant coverings, tubing and other materials, poses an increasing threat to soil quality, food safety and human health. In 2022, a new study identified microplastics in human blood samples for the first time. On the high seas, a recent Nature study found that the blue whales, which typically feed upon krill, may consume some 10 million pieces of microplastics a day, a taste of what other large fish like tuna and salmon are likely eating as well. Human exposure to plastic additives such as DEHP and Phthalates, which are used to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC), leads to higher risks of cancer and hormonal disorders that cause reproductive health problems, research has shown. Not only are phthalate additives health harmful, but the production of PVC out of fossil fuel-derived ethylene, generates considerable mercury emissions, which are toxic for humans and to wildlife. Along with its uses in waterproof garments and building materials, PVC is ubiquitous in healthcare settings where it is a key component of basic medical devices like IV tubes. ‘Dangerous for all living things’ Rwanda’s Environment Minister Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, whose nation has teamed with Norway to eliminate plastic pollution by 2040, told the panel that “plastic pollution is not only dangerous for nature but for all living things, including human beings.” “No one country can solve the problem alone, she emphasized. Marco Lambertini, a special envoy for Gland, Switzerland-based World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), said that negotiations on an international treaty need to be inclusive of governments, businesses, investors and citizens. “Without everybody, we won’t get anywhere,” he said. “We also need to look at the plastic value chain in its entirety, from production to disposal.” (Left to right): At the WEF panel on plastic pollution, the Graduate Institute’s Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, moderator; WHO’s Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; Rwanda’s Environment Minister Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya; Kristin Hughes of WEF; and Marco Lambertini of WWF. Developing countries that lack the infrastructure for waste management will need special help, he added, and recycling must be increased globally from its current “outrageous” low of less than 10%. “I see a real parallel between the phasing out of fossil fuels and the phasing out of fossil fuel- based plastics,” he said. Kristin Hughes, director of WEF’s Global Plastic Action Partnership, added: “you don’t just need business, you also need the government component. And they need to work together.” WHO – ending plastics pollution critical to healthier environment The World Health Organization’s director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said ending plastics pollution is a critical part of creating a healthier environment for everyone, but more study is needed to determine the range of biological and human health impacts that plastics can and do have. “I don’t think plastics pollution and health – that connection – has been given the attention it needed,” Tedros said. “And not only that, we don’t have research that documents well how plastics affect human health throughout the [product] lifecycle. “They do actually.” Image Credits: John Heilprin, Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program, Plastics Atlas, 2019, @Antoine Giret/ Unsplash. ‘Transactional’ Pathogen Sharing Undermines Global Health Security 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The existing international framework for sharing pathogens is ‘transactional’ and undermines global health security, according to research commissioned by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA). Produced by legal consultancy Covington, the research was developed partly from interviews with 82 public health experts. There were drawn from the pharmaceutical companies (44% of respondents), the World Health Organization (17%), public health institutions including the US Center for Disease Control, (23%), biobanks (7%), academia (1%), NGOs (7%), and other stakeholders (1%). Through interviews with global health experts, our new report points to concerns of a “politicization” of #pathogens sharing, leading to significant delays in developing vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics. Find out more: https://t.co/xmjfhNz7as #NagoyaProtocol @IFPMA pic.twitter.com/cR6CRxWKm0 — Covington (@CovingtonLLP) January 17, 2023 “The research “points to an increased ‘politicization’ of access to samples of pathogens, as well as access to sequence information on pathogens,” according to a statement released by the IFPMA on Tuesday. “This is due to countries’ adoption of national access and benefit-sharing (ABS) rules under the Nagoya Protocol and potentially, the future draft Pandemic Accord,” The Nagoya Protocol “employs a transactional model”, requiring almost 100 countries to get a permit “each time a researcher wishes to access that nation’s biodiversity for R&D”, according to the IFPMA. “In return for the permit, benefit-sharing in the form of a payment on the result from R&D is usually required.” While this was meant to attach value to and protect biodiversity, “there is a broad consensus among stakeholders interviewed by Covington that the transactional model of the Nagoya Protocol applied to pathogens is not logical, and undermines global health security”. A possible solution, it adds, would be to unlink “access” to pathogens from “benefits” derived from such access. This would “ensure rapid and free sharing of pathogen samples and sequence data, while addressing equity concerns separately”, it adds. “Coming on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and as negotiations commence on the so-called pandemic accord led by the WHO, our report demonstrates the need to secure free, rapid and unhindered access for scientists to pathogen samples and sequence data,” said Bart Van Vooren, who led the Covington team. ‘Held hostage to deals’ “Currently, pathogens are being held hostage to deals on benefit-sharing through the Nagoya Protocol. This represents a grave risk for humanity when the next pandemic hits,” he added. The report provides examples of how ABS laws have blocked or delayed researchers’ access to pathogen samples of seasonal influenza, SARS-CoV-2, Zika, mpox, Japanese Encephalitis, Foot and Mouth Disease, Ebola, and African Swine Fever. It also shows that delays or refusals for pathogen-sharing have led to “sub-optimal vaccine composition, including lack of regional representativeness”; diagnostics that were not tailored or tested against original or new variants of pathogens and “skewed and non-representative epidemiology in genomic surveillance”. Thomas Cueni, Director General of IFPMA, said: “Investments in global health security, especially improved and expanded pathogen and disease surveillance, will not achieve the ultimate goal of protecting people and saving lives, if immediate and unfettered access to pathogens and their genetic information is constrained.” Image Credits: Paul Owere/Twitter . Amid Grim Economic Outlook, Women’s Health is Still Best Investment 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, Diminishing democracy, growing nationalism, widening social inequality, growing climate-related crises and debt are part of the “unprecedented” trends of 2023, according to world leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday. “Our generation has reached a turning point confronted by truly existential problems: climate change, exploitation of nature, nuclear possible incidents or even worse, extreme poverty and violence. They all can lead to the extinction of large parts of our global population,” warned WEF founder Klaus Schwab. Swiss president Alain Berset warned that “extreme inequality undermines social cohesion, creates resentments, causing us to seek scapegoats and it is politically toxic, eating away at our faith in democracy”. Only 20% of the world’s population lives in democracies, down from 50% 30 years ago, said Berset. Inequality was exacerbated by climate change, the Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic, added Berst, pointing out that 300 million people faced “acute risk of hunger”. Investment in women’s health UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem But investment in basic healthcare for women still offers one of the best returns on investment. UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem said that “there are still 300 million women who would want to access family planning that are knocking on the door of a clinic and nobody is there. “We’ve seen the wisdom and the high return of almost $10 for every dollar you invest in family planning and maternal health,” Kanem added. Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, said her government’s introduction of health insurance for the country’s poorest families had resulted in the “unprecedented number “ of 120 million Indian women being scanned for cervical and breast cancer. Irani said that there is “a conscious effort on behalf of the government to ensure that the whole life cycle needs of a woman’s health are looked after by every government entity”. After a 40-year wait, a Bill allowing abortion from 24 weeks “passed both houses of parliament without a whimper”, said Irani. In addition, 703 emergency and crisis centres for women had helped 220 million women in distress, and “given them medical, psychological and police help so that they can transition from challenges towards solutions”. “When you invest in the health of a woman, you invest in the health of community. When you empower her financially, she tends to spend more on health and education.” Bio-pharmaceutical company Organon is focusing on “femtech” solutions to address women’s health, said CEO Kevin Ali. In the 18 months since it was listed on the New York stock exchange, Organon has “done eight deals’, said Ali. “Two are in the medical device space, one to solve the issues of postpartum haemorrhage, and one to solve some of the issues around minimally invasive hysterectomy,” said Ali. His company is also investing in “new mechanisms of action for endometriosis, preterm labour and polycystic ovary syndrome”. Nutrition and pregnancy Mark Suzman, Gates Foundation CEO “Nutrition is such a critical enabler for healthy pregnancies and healthy birth,” said Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman. “An area where we are prioritising investment right now is treatments for anaemia, which is actually one of the most fundamental challenges facing women and particularly women in pregnancy.” While a number of companies were researching the microbiome “to figure out how to do better weight loss”, the Gates Foundation was focusing on “what elements of treating the microbiome can actually be most important in the antenatal and postnatal period for women and children”, added Suzman. “We were also able to do some research as a public good which showed the efficacy of a single dose of HPV vaccine [to prevent cervical cancer] was as good as multiple doses. That basically allowed you to vaccinate twice as many children,” he added. World Economic Forum Warns of Uncertain and Turbulent Decade Ahead 16/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The “cost-of-living crisis” and failure to mitigate climate change are the most acute global risks, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) which opened in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday. The forum’s risk assessment report 2023 released last week identifies a “polycrisis” of risks, most of which relate to environmental and societal issues, such as biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and large-scale involuntary migration. However, despite the prominence of environmental concerns, environmental activists have already called out WEF leaders for hypocrisy. On Sunday, protestors blocked a number of private jets from landing at Davos airport – over 1000 jets are expected to bring the rich and powerful to the meeting, causing significant carbon emissions. Protestors block private jets at Davos’s airport. In addition, a social media campaign was also launched by climate activists Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate and Luisa Neubauer, demanding that energy company CEOs “immediately stop opening any new oil, gas, or coal extraction sites, and stop blocking the clean energy transition we all so urgently need” or face legal action and protests. ‘Tax the rich’ Meanwhile, Oxfam also called for new measures to tax the world’s super-rich, releasing research on the eve of the meeting showing that, since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, the richest 1% had “grabbed nearly two-thirds of all new wealth” – almost twice as much money as the bottom 99% of the world’s population. “A billionaire gained roughly $1.7 million for every $1 of new global wealth earned by a person in the bottom 90%,” according to Oxfam, which calculated that a tax of up to 5% on the world’s multi-millionaires and billionaires “could raise $1.7 trillion a year, enough to lift two billion people out of poverty”. The WEF, the first in-person meeting of the annual event since 2020, was set up to promote public-private collaboration, and has become a marketplace for world leaders to promote investment in their countries and for businesses to court government support. However, the annual risk assessment frankly acknowledges the dire economic conditions faced particularly by people in poorer countries thanks to the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Cost-of-living crisis Based on interviews with key leaders, the cost-of-living crisis is ranked as the most severe global risk over the next two years. “We have seen a return of ‘older’ risks – inflation, cost-of-living crises, trade wars, capital outflows from emerging markets, widespread social unrest, geopolitical confrontation and the spectre of nuclear warfare – which few of this generation’s business leaders and public policy-makers have experienced,” it warns. “These are being amplified by comparatively new developments in the global risks landscape, including unsustainable levels of debt, a new era of low growth, low global investment and de-globalization, a decline in human development after decades of progress, rapid and unconstrained development of dual-use (civilian and military) technologies, and the growing pressure of climate change impacts and ambitions in an ever-shrinking window for transition to a 1.5°C world.” Taking all these factors into account, the WEF warns of a “unique, uncertain and turbulent decade” ahead. Nine risks are featured in the top 10 rankings over both the short and the long term, including “geoeconomic confrontation” and “erosion of social cohesion and societal polarisation”, alongside “widespread cybercrime and cyber insecurity” and “large-scale involuntary migration”. Health is the focus of a number of sessions of the forum, which runs midday on Friday These include sessions on pandemic preparedness, women’s health, tuberculosis and equity. Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts This site uses cookies to help give you the best experience on our website. Cookies enable us to collect information that helps us personalise your experience and improve the functionality and performance of our site. By continuing to read our website, we assume you agree to this, otherwise you can adjust your browser settings. Please read our cookie and Privacy Policy. Our Cookies and Privacy Policy Loading Comments... You must be logged in to post a comment.
‘Transactional’ Pathogen Sharing Undermines Global Health Security 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The existing international framework for sharing pathogens is ‘transactional’ and undermines global health security, according to research commissioned by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA). Produced by legal consultancy Covington, the research was developed partly from interviews with 82 public health experts. There were drawn from the pharmaceutical companies (44% of respondents), the World Health Organization (17%), public health institutions including the US Center for Disease Control, (23%), biobanks (7%), academia (1%), NGOs (7%), and other stakeholders (1%). Through interviews with global health experts, our new report points to concerns of a “politicization” of #pathogens sharing, leading to significant delays in developing vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics. Find out more: https://t.co/xmjfhNz7as #NagoyaProtocol @IFPMA pic.twitter.com/cR6CRxWKm0 — Covington (@CovingtonLLP) January 17, 2023 “The research “points to an increased ‘politicization’ of access to samples of pathogens, as well as access to sequence information on pathogens,” according to a statement released by the IFPMA on Tuesday. “This is due to countries’ adoption of national access and benefit-sharing (ABS) rules under the Nagoya Protocol and potentially, the future draft Pandemic Accord,” The Nagoya Protocol “employs a transactional model”, requiring almost 100 countries to get a permit “each time a researcher wishes to access that nation’s biodiversity for R&D”, according to the IFPMA. “In return for the permit, benefit-sharing in the form of a payment on the result from R&D is usually required.” While this was meant to attach value to and protect biodiversity, “there is a broad consensus among stakeholders interviewed by Covington that the transactional model of the Nagoya Protocol applied to pathogens is not logical, and undermines global health security”. A possible solution, it adds, would be to unlink “access” to pathogens from “benefits” derived from such access. This would “ensure rapid and free sharing of pathogen samples and sequence data, while addressing equity concerns separately”, it adds. “Coming on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and as negotiations commence on the so-called pandemic accord led by the WHO, our report demonstrates the need to secure free, rapid and unhindered access for scientists to pathogen samples and sequence data,” said Bart Van Vooren, who led the Covington team. ‘Held hostage to deals’ “Currently, pathogens are being held hostage to deals on benefit-sharing through the Nagoya Protocol. This represents a grave risk for humanity when the next pandemic hits,” he added. The report provides examples of how ABS laws have blocked or delayed researchers’ access to pathogen samples of seasonal influenza, SARS-CoV-2, Zika, mpox, Japanese Encephalitis, Foot and Mouth Disease, Ebola, and African Swine Fever. It also shows that delays or refusals for pathogen-sharing have led to “sub-optimal vaccine composition, including lack of regional representativeness”; diagnostics that were not tailored or tested against original or new variants of pathogens and “skewed and non-representative epidemiology in genomic surveillance”. Thomas Cueni, Director General of IFPMA, said: “Investments in global health security, especially improved and expanded pathogen and disease surveillance, will not achieve the ultimate goal of protecting people and saving lives, if immediate and unfettered access to pathogens and their genetic information is constrained.” Image Credits: Paul Owere/Twitter . Amid Grim Economic Outlook, Women’s Health is Still Best Investment 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, Diminishing democracy, growing nationalism, widening social inequality, growing climate-related crises and debt are part of the “unprecedented” trends of 2023, according to world leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday. “Our generation has reached a turning point confronted by truly existential problems: climate change, exploitation of nature, nuclear possible incidents or even worse, extreme poverty and violence. They all can lead to the extinction of large parts of our global population,” warned WEF founder Klaus Schwab. Swiss president Alain Berset warned that “extreme inequality undermines social cohesion, creates resentments, causing us to seek scapegoats and it is politically toxic, eating away at our faith in democracy”. Only 20% of the world’s population lives in democracies, down from 50% 30 years ago, said Berset. Inequality was exacerbated by climate change, the Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic, added Berst, pointing out that 300 million people faced “acute risk of hunger”. Investment in women’s health UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem But investment in basic healthcare for women still offers one of the best returns on investment. UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem said that “there are still 300 million women who would want to access family planning that are knocking on the door of a clinic and nobody is there. “We’ve seen the wisdom and the high return of almost $10 for every dollar you invest in family planning and maternal health,” Kanem added. Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, said her government’s introduction of health insurance for the country’s poorest families had resulted in the “unprecedented number “ of 120 million Indian women being scanned for cervical and breast cancer. Irani said that there is “a conscious effort on behalf of the government to ensure that the whole life cycle needs of a woman’s health are looked after by every government entity”. After a 40-year wait, a Bill allowing abortion from 24 weeks “passed both houses of parliament without a whimper”, said Irani. In addition, 703 emergency and crisis centres for women had helped 220 million women in distress, and “given them medical, psychological and police help so that they can transition from challenges towards solutions”. “When you invest in the health of a woman, you invest in the health of community. When you empower her financially, she tends to spend more on health and education.” Bio-pharmaceutical company Organon is focusing on “femtech” solutions to address women’s health, said CEO Kevin Ali. In the 18 months since it was listed on the New York stock exchange, Organon has “done eight deals’, said Ali. “Two are in the medical device space, one to solve the issues of postpartum haemorrhage, and one to solve some of the issues around minimally invasive hysterectomy,” said Ali. His company is also investing in “new mechanisms of action for endometriosis, preterm labour and polycystic ovary syndrome”. Nutrition and pregnancy Mark Suzman, Gates Foundation CEO “Nutrition is such a critical enabler for healthy pregnancies and healthy birth,” said Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman. “An area where we are prioritising investment right now is treatments for anaemia, which is actually one of the most fundamental challenges facing women and particularly women in pregnancy.” While a number of companies were researching the microbiome “to figure out how to do better weight loss”, the Gates Foundation was focusing on “what elements of treating the microbiome can actually be most important in the antenatal and postnatal period for women and children”, added Suzman. “We were also able to do some research as a public good which showed the efficacy of a single dose of HPV vaccine [to prevent cervical cancer] was as good as multiple doses. That basically allowed you to vaccinate twice as many children,” he added. World Economic Forum Warns of Uncertain and Turbulent Decade Ahead 16/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The “cost-of-living crisis” and failure to mitigate climate change are the most acute global risks, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) which opened in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday. The forum’s risk assessment report 2023 released last week identifies a “polycrisis” of risks, most of which relate to environmental and societal issues, such as biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and large-scale involuntary migration. However, despite the prominence of environmental concerns, environmental activists have already called out WEF leaders for hypocrisy. On Sunday, protestors blocked a number of private jets from landing at Davos airport – over 1000 jets are expected to bring the rich and powerful to the meeting, causing significant carbon emissions. Protestors block private jets at Davos’s airport. In addition, a social media campaign was also launched by climate activists Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate and Luisa Neubauer, demanding that energy company CEOs “immediately stop opening any new oil, gas, or coal extraction sites, and stop blocking the clean energy transition we all so urgently need” or face legal action and protests. ‘Tax the rich’ Meanwhile, Oxfam also called for new measures to tax the world’s super-rich, releasing research on the eve of the meeting showing that, since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, the richest 1% had “grabbed nearly two-thirds of all new wealth” – almost twice as much money as the bottom 99% of the world’s population. “A billionaire gained roughly $1.7 million for every $1 of new global wealth earned by a person in the bottom 90%,” according to Oxfam, which calculated that a tax of up to 5% on the world’s multi-millionaires and billionaires “could raise $1.7 trillion a year, enough to lift two billion people out of poverty”. The WEF, the first in-person meeting of the annual event since 2020, was set up to promote public-private collaboration, and has become a marketplace for world leaders to promote investment in their countries and for businesses to court government support. However, the annual risk assessment frankly acknowledges the dire economic conditions faced particularly by people in poorer countries thanks to the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Cost-of-living crisis Based on interviews with key leaders, the cost-of-living crisis is ranked as the most severe global risk over the next two years. “We have seen a return of ‘older’ risks – inflation, cost-of-living crises, trade wars, capital outflows from emerging markets, widespread social unrest, geopolitical confrontation and the spectre of nuclear warfare – which few of this generation’s business leaders and public policy-makers have experienced,” it warns. “These are being amplified by comparatively new developments in the global risks landscape, including unsustainable levels of debt, a new era of low growth, low global investment and de-globalization, a decline in human development after decades of progress, rapid and unconstrained development of dual-use (civilian and military) technologies, and the growing pressure of climate change impacts and ambitions in an ever-shrinking window for transition to a 1.5°C world.” Taking all these factors into account, the WEF warns of a “unique, uncertain and turbulent decade” ahead. Nine risks are featured in the top 10 rankings over both the short and the long term, including “geoeconomic confrontation” and “erosion of social cohesion and societal polarisation”, alongside “widespread cybercrime and cyber insecurity” and “large-scale involuntary migration”. Health is the focus of a number of sessions of the forum, which runs midday on Friday These include sessions on pandemic preparedness, women’s health, tuberculosis and equity. Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts This site uses cookies to help give you the best experience on our website. Cookies enable us to collect information that helps us personalise your experience and improve the functionality and performance of our site. By continuing to read our website, we assume you agree to this, otherwise you can adjust your browser settings. Please read our cookie and Privacy Policy. Our Cookies and Privacy Policy Loading Comments... You must be logged in to post a comment.
Amid Grim Economic Outlook, Women’s Health is Still Best Investment 17/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, Diminishing democracy, growing nationalism, widening social inequality, growing climate-related crises and debt are part of the “unprecedented” trends of 2023, according to world leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday. “Our generation has reached a turning point confronted by truly existential problems: climate change, exploitation of nature, nuclear possible incidents or even worse, extreme poverty and violence. They all can lead to the extinction of large parts of our global population,” warned WEF founder Klaus Schwab. Swiss president Alain Berset warned that “extreme inequality undermines social cohesion, creates resentments, causing us to seek scapegoats and it is politically toxic, eating away at our faith in democracy”. Only 20% of the world’s population lives in democracies, down from 50% 30 years ago, said Berset. Inequality was exacerbated by climate change, the Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic, added Berst, pointing out that 300 million people faced “acute risk of hunger”. Investment in women’s health UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem But investment in basic healthcare for women still offers one of the best returns on investment. UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem said that “there are still 300 million women who would want to access family planning that are knocking on the door of a clinic and nobody is there. “We’ve seen the wisdom and the high return of almost $10 for every dollar you invest in family planning and maternal health,” Kanem added. Smriti Zubin Irani, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development, said her government’s introduction of health insurance for the country’s poorest families had resulted in the “unprecedented number “ of 120 million Indian women being scanned for cervical and breast cancer. Irani said that there is “a conscious effort on behalf of the government to ensure that the whole life cycle needs of a woman’s health are looked after by every government entity”. After a 40-year wait, a Bill allowing abortion from 24 weeks “passed both houses of parliament without a whimper”, said Irani. In addition, 703 emergency and crisis centres for women had helped 220 million women in distress, and “given them medical, psychological and police help so that they can transition from challenges towards solutions”. “When you invest in the health of a woman, you invest in the health of community. When you empower her financially, she tends to spend more on health and education.” Bio-pharmaceutical company Organon is focusing on “femtech” solutions to address women’s health, said CEO Kevin Ali. In the 18 months since it was listed on the New York stock exchange, Organon has “done eight deals’, said Ali. “Two are in the medical device space, one to solve the issues of postpartum haemorrhage, and one to solve some of the issues around minimally invasive hysterectomy,” said Ali. His company is also investing in “new mechanisms of action for endometriosis, preterm labour and polycystic ovary syndrome”. Nutrition and pregnancy Mark Suzman, Gates Foundation CEO “Nutrition is such a critical enabler for healthy pregnancies and healthy birth,” said Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman. “An area where we are prioritising investment right now is treatments for anaemia, which is actually one of the most fundamental challenges facing women and particularly women in pregnancy.” While a number of companies were researching the microbiome “to figure out how to do better weight loss”, the Gates Foundation was focusing on “what elements of treating the microbiome can actually be most important in the antenatal and postnatal period for women and children”, added Suzman. “We were also able to do some research as a public good which showed the efficacy of a single dose of HPV vaccine [to prevent cervical cancer] was as good as multiple doses. That basically allowed you to vaccinate twice as many children,” he added. World Economic Forum Warns of Uncertain and Turbulent Decade Ahead 16/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The “cost-of-living crisis” and failure to mitigate climate change are the most acute global risks, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) which opened in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday. The forum’s risk assessment report 2023 released last week identifies a “polycrisis” of risks, most of which relate to environmental and societal issues, such as biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and large-scale involuntary migration. However, despite the prominence of environmental concerns, environmental activists have already called out WEF leaders for hypocrisy. On Sunday, protestors blocked a number of private jets from landing at Davos airport – over 1000 jets are expected to bring the rich and powerful to the meeting, causing significant carbon emissions. Protestors block private jets at Davos’s airport. In addition, a social media campaign was also launched by climate activists Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate and Luisa Neubauer, demanding that energy company CEOs “immediately stop opening any new oil, gas, or coal extraction sites, and stop blocking the clean energy transition we all so urgently need” or face legal action and protests. ‘Tax the rich’ Meanwhile, Oxfam also called for new measures to tax the world’s super-rich, releasing research on the eve of the meeting showing that, since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, the richest 1% had “grabbed nearly two-thirds of all new wealth” – almost twice as much money as the bottom 99% of the world’s population. “A billionaire gained roughly $1.7 million for every $1 of new global wealth earned by a person in the bottom 90%,” according to Oxfam, which calculated that a tax of up to 5% on the world’s multi-millionaires and billionaires “could raise $1.7 trillion a year, enough to lift two billion people out of poverty”. The WEF, the first in-person meeting of the annual event since 2020, was set up to promote public-private collaboration, and has become a marketplace for world leaders to promote investment in their countries and for businesses to court government support. However, the annual risk assessment frankly acknowledges the dire economic conditions faced particularly by people in poorer countries thanks to the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Cost-of-living crisis Based on interviews with key leaders, the cost-of-living crisis is ranked as the most severe global risk over the next two years. “We have seen a return of ‘older’ risks – inflation, cost-of-living crises, trade wars, capital outflows from emerging markets, widespread social unrest, geopolitical confrontation and the spectre of nuclear warfare – which few of this generation’s business leaders and public policy-makers have experienced,” it warns. “These are being amplified by comparatively new developments in the global risks landscape, including unsustainable levels of debt, a new era of low growth, low global investment and de-globalization, a decline in human development after decades of progress, rapid and unconstrained development of dual-use (civilian and military) technologies, and the growing pressure of climate change impacts and ambitions in an ever-shrinking window for transition to a 1.5°C world.” Taking all these factors into account, the WEF warns of a “unique, uncertain and turbulent decade” ahead. Nine risks are featured in the top 10 rankings over both the short and the long term, including “geoeconomic confrontation” and “erosion of social cohesion and societal polarisation”, alongside “widespread cybercrime and cyber insecurity” and “large-scale involuntary migration”. Health is the focus of a number of sessions of the forum, which runs midday on Friday These include sessions on pandemic preparedness, women’s health, tuberculosis and equity. Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts This site uses cookies to help give you the best experience on our website. Cookies enable us to collect information that helps us personalise your experience and improve the functionality and performance of our site. By continuing to read our website, we assume you agree to this, otherwise you can adjust your browser settings. Please read our cookie and Privacy Policy. Our Cookies and Privacy Policy
World Economic Forum Warns of Uncertain and Turbulent Decade Ahead 16/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan The “cost-of-living crisis” and failure to mitigate climate change are the most acute global risks, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) which opened in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday. The forum’s risk assessment report 2023 released last week identifies a “polycrisis” of risks, most of which relate to environmental and societal issues, such as biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and large-scale involuntary migration. However, despite the prominence of environmental concerns, environmental activists have already called out WEF leaders for hypocrisy. On Sunday, protestors blocked a number of private jets from landing at Davos airport – over 1000 jets are expected to bring the rich and powerful to the meeting, causing significant carbon emissions. Protestors block private jets at Davos’s airport. In addition, a social media campaign was also launched by climate activists Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate and Luisa Neubauer, demanding that energy company CEOs “immediately stop opening any new oil, gas, or coal extraction sites, and stop blocking the clean energy transition we all so urgently need” or face legal action and protests. ‘Tax the rich’ Meanwhile, Oxfam also called for new measures to tax the world’s super-rich, releasing research on the eve of the meeting showing that, since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, the richest 1% had “grabbed nearly two-thirds of all new wealth” – almost twice as much money as the bottom 99% of the world’s population. “A billionaire gained roughly $1.7 million for every $1 of new global wealth earned by a person in the bottom 90%,” according to Oxfam, which calculated that a tax of up to 5% on the world’s multi-millionaires and billionaires “could raise $1.7 trillion a year, enough to lift two billion people out of poverty”. The WEF, the first in-person meeting of the annual event since 2020, was set up to promote public-private collaboration, and has become a marketplace for world leaders to promote investment in their countries and for businesses to court government support. However, the annual risk assessment frankly acknowledges the dire economic conditions faced particularly by people in poorer countries thanks to the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Cost-of-living crisis Based on interviews with key leaders, the cost-of-living crisis is ranked as the most severe global risk over the next two years. “We have seen a return of ‘older’ risks – inflation, cost-of-living crises, trade wars, capital outflows from emerging markets, widespread social unrest, geopolitical confrontation and the spectre of nuclear warfare – which few of this generation’s business leaders and public policy-makers have experienced,” it warns. “These are being amplified by comparatively new developments in the global risks landscape, including unsustainable levels of debt, a new era of low growth, low global investment and de-globalization, a decline in human development after decades of progress, rapid and unconstrained development of dual-use (civilian and military) technologies, and the growing pressure of climate change impacts and ambitions in an ever-shrinking window for transition to a 1.5°C world.” Taking all these factors into account, the WEF warns of a “unique, uncertain and turbulent decade” ahead. Nine risks are featured in the top 10 rankings over both the short and the long term, including “geoeconomic confrontation” and “erosion of social cohesion and societal polarisation”, alongside “widespread cybercrime and cyber insecurity” and “large-scale involuntary migration”. Health is the focus of a number of sessions of the forum, which runs midday on Friday These include sessions on pandemic preparedness, women’s health, tuberculosis and equity. Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts