39,000 Test Kits for Africa – No Single Vaccine Dose, No Antiviral Treatment 09/09/2022 Paul Adepoju Dr Fiona Braka, Team Lead, Emergency Operations at WHO AFRO More than a month after declaring Monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), WHO’s Africa Region has only received 39,000 test kits for the virus – while vaccines and treatments remain unavailable on the continent where the disease is endemic and often more deadly. That was the key message emerging out of a briefing by WHO’s African Regional Office on Thursday by senior WHO officials in the agency’s African Regional Office. “Except for a small cohort study in the Central African Republic (CAR), Monkeypox vaccines [and treatments] are not yet available on the continent,” said WHO Regional Director, Matshidiso Moetiotshidiso. She was referring to the study of the anti-viral treatment Tecovirimat (TPOXX™), which has been ongoing amongst a small group of volunteers in CAR, under the direction of the University of Oxford, the Ministry of Health and SIGA, the drug manufacturer. See the full story here: Exclusive: Manufacturer of World’s Only Monkeypox Drug Says There’s No Shortage; Will Work with WHO on Supplies to LMICs Dr Fiona Braka, Team Lead, Emergency Operations at WHO AFRO told Health Policy Watch, that in the absence of other tools the continent is relying more on non-pharmaceutical measures to control the spread of the disease – which seems to be transmitting more intensively person to person in Africa as well as abroad, after decades in which exposure was more limited to people in contact with infected animal populations. The infection control modalities being put in place, howver, stem from the experience of several countries in the region, such as CAR and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria – that have been experiencing Monkeypox outbreaks since the 1970s. The modalities include ensuring that the local communities are aware of the diseases and that they protect themselves and those that are around them, and ensuring that there is no contact to avoid transmission. “It is spread by direct skin-to-skin or mouth-to-skin kind of contact. So it’s important that there is separation when it comes to infection. We also ensure that there is adequate surveillance in place to be able to detect these cases rapidly and provide the necessary management. So I think that it’s a collective use of strategies in the African region where vaccines and therapeutics are not very much available,” she said. Fighting the Scourge of Fake Medicines: Global Fund Replenishment is Moment of Truth 09/09/2022 Adam Aspinall One a number of fake batches of the anti-malaria drug, quinine sulphate, identified in a WHO medical product alert for the Central African Republic. The upcoming Global Fund Replenishment drive, 19-21 September, will be critical to holding onto and advancing progress against infectious diseases in multiple ways – among them ensuring the flow of quality-assured medicines to low-income countries and fighting falsified and substandard medicines that can comprise up to 70% of drugs on the market in some parts of Africa. At Rwanda’s Kigali Summit on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) held in June on the margins of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, world leaders and representatives from the private sector, civil society organisations, philanthropists and trusts recommitted to combat the scourge of malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). Those commitments were made despite the unprecedented challenges facing the world from the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the climate crisis. Commitments are encouraging and important, but to deliver real progress in the fight against NTDs they must be backed by funding. One of the biggest single-donor organisations in public health is the Global Fund to fight AIDs, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria, a partnership that has invested more than $55 billion to date to help defeat these three diseases and others in more than 100 countries through commodity procurement. It has helped to strengthen health systems and provided support for specific programmes, helping save an estimated 44 million lives, mostly vulnerable people. This month, the Global Fund meets for its 7th funding replenishment from donor governments, and the outcome will have a decisive impact on global public health in the coming years. Global Fund’s role fighting fake medicines is less well known While the Global Fund’s work is familiar to many, perhaps less well known is its critical role in protecting patients from fake medicines. Only quality-assured medicines may be procured with Global Fund financing – those cleared by stringent regulatory authorities, the World Health Organisation’s Prequalification Programme, or Global Fund’s Expert Review Panel. Why does this matter? Simple: because counterfeits are a global problem. Estimates suggest that in some parts of Africa, up to 70% of all medicines may be falsified or substandard. The World Health Organization (WHO) says 1-in-10 medicines in lower-and middle-income countries (LMICs) are falsified or substandard, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. And according to one field survey in South-East Asia, 53% of all antimalarials sampled did not contain the correct level of active ingredients. These “medicines” can kill due to little to no active ingredients or toxic substances that are poisonous. If they don’t kill, they are likely to have little or no therapeutic impact. That results in additional morbidity from treatment failure and significant economic impact due to the costs of re-treatment, hospitalisation and lost working days. Fake Medicines can also foster antimicrobial resistance Causes, impacts and strategies for fighting fake and substandard medicines. There have been too many preventable deaths caused by falsified and substandard medicines. Falsified and substandard medicines can also facilitate the emergence of antimicrobial resistance through exposure of pathogens or parasites to sub-therapeutic doses of active pharmaceutical ingredients. This is a very serious problem that can result in drug failure and potentially millions more deaths. Producing and distributing counterfeits is not a victimless crime. Perpetrators are perfectly aware of the likely consequences and are criminally responsible for deaths on a potentially vast scale. Children and vulnerable people are disproportionately affected. Malaria medicines are among those most commonly counterfeited Children affected by Malaria Malaria control is one of the therapeutic areas most affected by falsified and substandard medicines. A WHO-commissioned study found counterfeit malarials cause an additional 72,000 to 267,000 deaths every year in sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, a 2019 review showed up to 155,000 children a year die from falsified or substandard antimalarial drugs – a staggering figure that seems to have passed almost unnoticed. One cannot help but wonder what the public reaction would be in higher-income countries to a news headline such as this: “FAKE DRUG HORROR– 155,000 CHILDREN MURDERED.” Without a doubt it would capture the attention of news outlets and law enforcement agencies alike. In reality, of course, there is no simple solution to this issue. Combatting this scourge requires coordinated efforts between regulators, law enforcement and customs agencies. There must be stronger penalties for perpetrators, stronger regulatory systems, improved detection and verification technologies, better public and professional awareness of the issue, and action by drug manufacturers to incorporate anti-counterfeiting measures into packaging. And all of these efforts need to be supported with adequate funding for effective, high-quality medicines. Fake meds blocking achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 One of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), target 3.8, calls for “access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all”. The widespread availability of falsified and substandard medicines is a substantial and important barrier to the achievement of this goal in the immediate future, and adequate funding for quality medicines is an essential prerequisite if it is to be delivered. Given that the Global Fund provides 56% of all international financing for malaria programmes alone, this is a critical safeguard against the scourge of counterfeits and reinforces the crucial importance of a full replenishment of its funding. The estimated total financing need for HIV, TB and malaria for the 2024-26 timeframe is US$130.2 billion, of which at least US$18 billion needs to be funded by the Global Fund. The minimum US$18 billion replenishment is, therefore, of huge importance, especially because the Global Fund only procures quality-assured medicines and medicinal products for low-and middle-income countries. If the replenishment is not met in full, it increases the likelihood that countries will procure non-quality assured medicines. That raises the likelihood of falsified and substandard medicines reaching patients through formal or informal supply pathways. This risks undermining the progress made so far in halting the progression of these diseases, and directly puts patients’ health and lives in jeopardy. With a successful replenishment, the Global Fund will also be able to increase its efforts to strengthen health systems more broadly over the next three years. Given the extraordinary financial strains placed on national governments by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic consequences of the Ukraine war, it is understandable that governments have competing priorities and domestic pressures that may be viewed as more urgent than international aid and supporting the Global Fund. Nevertheless, disruptions caused by the pandemic to the legal supply chains and limited regulatory enforcement helped spawn a surge in fake medicines, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Interventions to support the fight against HIV, TB and malaria (stronger health systems, improved disease surveillance, more health care worker training, improved laboratory capacity for diagnosis, etc.) are also the foundation of future pandemic preparedness. Resourcing the battle against these diseases is also, therefore, equivalent to resourcing future health crisis readiness. And since pandemics, by definition, affect us all, this should be viewed as investment in future global health. Climate change is already affecting virtually every part of the world, with more extreme weather events recorded across our planet. The already record levels of internally displaced people and refugees will increase, and poverty, food and water insecurity will create immense negative pressures on health, increasing the risk of future pandemics and altering the dynamics of diseases such as HIV, TB and malaria. Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250 000 additional deaths a year, including 60,000 from malaria alone. Business as usual is no longer good enough Someone far wiser than I once said: “Do what you’ve always done, and you’ll get what you’ve always got”. Business as usual isn’t going to cut it in the interconnected set of challenges posed by climate change, emerging pandemics and global public health that we will face over the coming years and decades. Neither is merely “responding” good enough – proactive planning and preemptive interventions are going to be crucial. That’s why the Fight the Fakes Alliance strongly endorses the Global Fund’s philosophy of a “One Health” ethos that envisions an integrated approach: “… positioning human health interventions within the context of a broader planetary health agenda, encompassing animal, human, plant health and the shared environment.” The question is not whether the world can afford to, but rather if we can afford not to support the crucial public health programmes that are financed by the Global Fund. Public health investments in LMICs have a direct impact on the quality of life in developed and high-income countries too. We are all in this together. As the global health challenges we face together continue to grow, so does the opportunity for counterfeiters and criminals. While the market size for fakes medicines is, by its very nature, difficult to quantify accurately, it is worth an estimated US$70-$200 billion. During a single operation (Action Against Counterfeit and Illicit Medicines, ACIM) carried out in 16 African countries in 2016, 113 million “suspect” medicines worth an estimated €52 million were seized over a 10-day period. Increased public awareness of the issue is clearly essential, and one positive consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic is the attention it brought to the problem of falsified and substandard medicines and PPE, including masks, gloves, hydroxychloroquine and vaccines. Almost any pharmaceutical product can be falsified, but those used to treat malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are amongst the most widely abused. For this reason, the Fight the Fakes Alliance calls upon governments to be bold and increase pledges so the global programmes to tackle HIV, TB and malaria are fully funded. That will help avoid millions of preventable deaths, accomplish the SDGs, and ensure preparedness for future health crises. _________________________ The author of this article is Chair of the Fight the Fakes Alliance (commonly referred to as ‘Fight the Fakes’), a multi-stakeholder non-profit association based in Geneva, Switzerland, that aims to raise awareness and influence change about the proliferation of falsified and substandard medicines. He is also Senior Director, Access & Product Management at Medicines for Malaria Venture, a leading product development partnership engaged in the discovery, development and delivery of novel antimalarials. Image Credits: The Global Fund , WHO Medical Product Alert 10/2019, Pyzik, O.Z., Abubakar, I. Fighting the fakes: tackling substandard and falsified medicines. Nat Rev Dis Primers 8, 55 (2022)., Emmanuel Museruka/ MMV. Time to Invest in Preventing and Treating NCDs 08/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Testing patients for diabetes at a World Health Organization event. If all countries significantly raise taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugary beverages, this could prevent 50 million premature deaths over the next 50 years, according to Michael Bloomberg, World Health Organization (WHO) Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and Injuries. “Plus, the taxes would raise more than $20 trillion in revenue to support public health programmes, helping to save even more lives,” Bloomberg told a virtual event convened to make a global appeal for more investment in NCDs. “Every year, 17 million people under the age of 70 die of non-communicable diseases, mostly in low and middle-income countries,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the event, co-hosted by WHO, the NCD Alliance and the World Diabetes Foundation. “Nearly seven million lives could be saved by 2030 if low and lower middle-income countries invest an additional $1 per person per year on cost-effective interventions, like graphic warnings on cigarette packaging, food labelling and bicycle lanes,” said Tedros. Katie Dain, CEO of the NCD Alliance, decried the fact that “a multitude of political commitments have yet to really translate into adequate [financial] commitments”. “NCDs will cause more suffering in lives lost this decade than any other health issue. They wi’ll drain the global economy and impede human capital and undermine any effort to ensure the world is better prepared for future pandemics after COVID-19,” said Dain. Financing for NCDs has stagnated at around 2% of the development assistance for health for two decades. Paul Fife from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation stressed that “the proper way to finance NCD action is in general through health system reform more broadly, as opposed to very focused disease control programme approaches, such as we have seen for some infectious diseases.” Fife added that “we need to be careful to not give the impression that donors and donor financing are the most instrumental in driving or not driving investments in NCDs”. “For all but the poorest countries and countries in conflict or humanitarian crises, the investments made by governments, insurance agencies, private companies – and the degree to which they are universal, meaning equitable – are far more important than donor aid,” Fife stressed. Preventing NCDs key to achieving universal health coverage From a luxury good to a part of daily diets, sugary drinks that increase the risks of diabetes have become highly popular in Africa. “The big challenge is actually to build a broader, more equitable and efficient health system and integrate NCDs into the system. The path forward is the progressive realisation of universal health coverage.” Dr Omary Ubuguyu from Tanzania’s health ministry said that many of his citizens had to pay for their own NCD treatment as only 15% of the population had health insurance. “So 85% have to pay out of their pockets for health care services and this makes them very vulnerable,” said Ubuguyu. “At the moment, what we are paying for the dialysis, for example, is almost $400 per week, So we have seen a lot of people selling their assets, only to find after one year that they can’t afford to continue with this was a treatment and then dying,” he said, adding that his country was introducing a mandatory health insurance scheme for all – although there were significant financial challenges. “Integration of NCDs with other services, notably HIV and tuberculosis, is also on our agenda,” he added. Uruguay has implemented a number of policies to address NCDs including provisions to regulate tobacco and unhealthy food, according to health ministry official Luis Galicia. Citizens have universal health coverage with a “payment by performance system”, where suppliers are reimbursed if patients comply with targets linked to cancer, hypertension, diabetes, heart and cerebral vascular indicators, said Galicia. “We have allocated a part of the taxes on alcohol and sugary beverages to the prevention and control of NCDs,” he added. Funding targets Bente Mikkelsen Bente Mikkelsen, WHO director of NCDs, said that it is “a huge disappointment that many, many countries don’t realise the epidemiological shift that has happened from HIV, malaria, TB, to actually looking at that seven out of 10 deaths in the world is now linked to NCD”. Earlier in the meeting, South African HIV activist and academic Dr Vuyiseka Dubula, had called on people to put pressure on African countries to ensure that they spent more on health. Mikkelsen said that the NCD sector should set a global target for NCD expenditure as the HIV sector had. “I think we need a target for investment in NCDs, and we need to target for also including NCD into UHC. Part of that should be measures for domestic funding, which can very well be also linked to the health taxation,” said Mikkelsen. However, she also stressed that the demand for increased investment in NCDs had to come from WHO member countries. Despite a raft of global resolutions, policy options and implementation tools, a global roadmap “what we totally lack is the demand”. Demand creation “There is no demand to be seen when the proposal comes from a country that doesn’t include NCD. How can that be? So, even before the data, we are about demand creation.” Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Dr Kelly Henning warned that progress against NCDs was being hampered by “powerful stakeholders promoting and selling harmful products”. “It takes resolve at the highest levels of leadership to push back against these interests and requires effective public education so that the population can support and participate in the change that’s needed,” said Henning. In 2018, Bloomberg convened a task force on fiscal policy for health, which concluded that raising health taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sweetened beverages, “is highly underutilised and would save millions of lives and bring in much needed government revenue”, said Henning. “After reviewing the evidence, the task force found that tobacco taxes can do more to reduce premature mortality than any other single health policy. Unfortunately, since the taskforce report came out, we haven’t really made all that much progress,” said Henning. “And why is that? The task force concluded that implementing health taxes was a measure of government resolve because industry’s pushback against tax increases with false and misleading standards, and oftentimes, influences them.” The NCD Alliance is running a week-long awareness campaign about the need to invest in NCDs. Only 14 countries are on track to meet the WHO’s nine voluntary global targets for the prevention and control of NCDs, due to be assessed at the fourth High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (HLM4) in 2025. Image Credits: Twitter: @WHO, Heala_SA/Twitter. Pan-American Region Secures First Monkeypox Vaccines Deal 08/09/2022 Raisa Santos & Stefan Anderson Carissa Etienne, PAHO Director In an effort to prevent the spread of monkeypox, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) signed an agreement with Bavarian Nordic to obtain 100,000 vaccine doses for Latin America and the Caribbean. That will allow PAHO to start delivering the doses to the 12 countries that requested them in September. The agreement will make the Americas the first and only region to receive monkeypox vaccines through a multilateral effort. PAHO used its Revolving Fund, which provides access to vaccines at affordable prices, to secure its first agreement with the Danish vaccine company. Attempts to secure vaccines in other regions, such as Africa, where monkeypox is endemic, have been stymied, with little discussion from the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO is in talks, however, with some vaccine manufacturers and nations to obtain some of their large vaccine reserves and distribute those monkeypox doses more widely and equitably. A WHO spokesperson told Health Policy Watch it has been “in close contact” with those manufacturers and nations “since the beginning of the outbreak.” “WHO continues to urge countries with larger stockpiles to share and donate vaccines,” the spokesperson said, “[and] is concerned that the inequitable access to vaccines and treatments seen during the COVID-19 response is repeating itself in this monkeypox multi-country outbreak.” The spokesperson also noted that PAHO is still consolidating nations’ formal requests for some of the doses and is “working to define the best way forward to guarantee an equitable vaccine distribution.” Twelve countries in the Americas region have signed up to receive the vaccines from PAHO’s Revolving Fund, with an additional seven countries talking toPAHO about ordering some. PAHO says it expects to receive the first batch of doses from Bavarian Nordic in September, then a second batch in November and a third batch in December — making for 100,000 doses in all. PAHO did not disclose how much it is paying for the doses. The Americas – highest burden of monkeypox worldwide More than 30,000 new monkeypox cases have been reported in the Americas as of 6 September, saddling the region with the highest burden anywhere. Most of the cases are concentrated in the United States, Brazil, Peru, and Canada. The fraction of monkeypox cases that do not involve any recent contact with men who have sex with men (MSM) continues to rise in the US, suggesting a silent spread of the virus to other communities. Four monkeypox-related deaths have been reported in Brazil, Cuba, and Ecuador. Though PAHO was able to secure an agreement with Bavarian Nordic for monkeypox vaccines, PAHO’s Director Carissa Etienne noted these doses remain in limited supply, necessitating the use of other public health measures as well. Due to the shortage, WHO does not recommend mass vaccinations. “Vaccination, when available, can be deployed as a preventative measure,” said Etienne. “With vaccines in short supply, and with no effective treatment for monkeypox, countries should intensify efforts to prevent the spread of the virus in our region,” she said. “We need to guarantee equitable allocation, and this requires the prioritizing of vaccine distribution to maximize the health impact.” Monkeypox response must involve affected communities Ciro Ugarte, PAHO Director of Health Emergencies The limited vaccine supply highlights the need to involve affected communities in the public health response to monkeypox. Ciro Ugarte, PAHO’s director of health emergencies, said public health authorities “need to be in close contact with the individuals who have higher risk of transmission and involve them in the prevention and early diagnosis efforts, as well as care.”As vaccine shortages limit the potential to stem the outbreak, Ugarte emphasized, there can be no effective response without community involvement. “Risk communication is extremely important and effective,” he said. “The vaccine is a tool to help, but it will not be solving the final problem.” To achieve full community participation, Etienne said, all possible efforts must be made to reduce the harmful impact that stigma can have on people’s ability to get treatment. “LGBTQ+ communities face stigma and discrimination that impacts their health and well being, but stigma has no place in public health”, she said. “It prevents those at risk from accessing information, getting tested, or seeking medical attention when they show symptoms.” Etienne said the continent’s experience with HIV/AIDS should serve as a cautionary tale. “We must work to break down stigma and discrimination or most at-risk populations will not seek care,” she said. “The pandemic is not behind us” Marcos Espinal, Interim Assistant Director, PAHO Though the region’s renewed focus and cooperation on monkeypox response is a welcome development, PAHO officials said, significant work remains to be done to confront the COVID-19 threat. “COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have decreased across the Americas,” said Etienne. “Despite this trend, hundreds of people are still dying every day from COVID-19 across our region. Just last week, we had 4,954 reported deaths in the Americas.” Dr Marcos Espinal, director of PAHO’s department of communicable diseases and health analysis, said public health authorities must keep delivering COVID-19 vaccinations, too. “We have many countries in the region where less than 40% are covered,” said Espinal. “We have not left the pandemic behind.” China Maintains “zero-COVID” Policy in Chengdu Despite Fatal 6.8 Magnitude Earthquake 07/09/2022 Raisa Santos China’s Chengdu enforces strict lockdown despite earthquake Authorities in China’s southwestern city of Chengdu are sticking to the nation’s “zero-COVID” policy demanding a lockdown on the city’s 21 million inhabitants even in the face of a major earthquake that has killed at least 66 people in the region. Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan province, has been beset by a heatwave and drought this summer and last week was plunged into a lockdown after an increase in COVID cases. Some in Chengdu say they were ordered to stay inside while the 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck a mountainous area in Luding County, about 200 km (125 miles) from Chengdu, while those that ran outside say their movements were severely restricted due to the pandemic. Videos shared on Douyin, China’s TikTok platform, show panicked residents behind chained gates, shouting to be let out. In one, a man swears at a security guard, rattling what appears to be his apartment gates and trying to open it, then shouts: “Hurry up, open the door, it’s an earthquake!” In response, the guards say: “It’s over, the earthquake’s already over.” Another video claims to be an audio recording of a loudspeaker message: “Go back home and do not gather here, it’s just an earthquake. We [here in Sichuan] have a lot of experience [when it comes to earthquakes]. The 6.8-magnitude earthquake on Monday was the strongest Sichuan has seen since 2017. Provincial authorities said at least 66 people were dead, 253 people were injured and 15 others were missing as of Tuesday afternoon. Chengdu lockdown most severe since Shanghai Citizens in Chengdu, China, rush to gather necessities before city-wide lockdown. Chengdu’s lockdown is the most severe since China’s largest city of Shanghai was placed in isolation over the spring and summer. Starting last week, 1 September, residents were no longer allowed to leave their homes without special permission. Authorities also began citywide testing. Nationwide, China reported 1,499 new cases of local infection, most of them asymptomatic, on Tuesday. Sichuan province accounted for 138 of those cases. In all, 65 million people across China in 33 cities are grappling with partial or full lockdowns, according to Chinese media, from Chengdu to the southern economic powerhouse of Shenzhen to the oil-producing city of Daqing, near Russia. Chengdu, which reported 121 cases, is showing signs of tightening restrictions. At least one district in Chengdu has banned even the ordering of takeout meals and coffee, according to a notice posted on the internet. Business owners are preparing for the worst. Eli Sweet, an American who runs a chain of dance studios in Chengdu, told Bloomberg his business was already hit by power cuts across Sichuan province in recent weeks before the COVID lockdown. “We’re definitely teetering on the brink of dying,” he said of his chain of dance studios, “which is pretty sad considering we built this business from scratch to a pretty significant scale.” The atmosphere in Chengdu, he added, has become one of “fatigue, annoyance and general compliance.” Chinese president Xi Jinping’s “zero-COVID” strategy tested before October re-election China’s Xi Jinping in 18 May address before the World Health Assembly China has stuck to its “zero-COVID” policy of compulsory testing, lockdowns, quarantines and masking despite moves from the rest of the world to open up again since the virus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019. World Health Organization Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called this strategy unsustainable in the face of the more infectious but less lethal Omicron variant that emerged in May. For China’s President Xi Jinping, his nation’s strategy may seem like evidence that the Communist Party’s system of governance has distinct advantages over Western democracy. But for George Magnus, a research associate at Oxford University, the situation may be masking a hard truth: China still isn’t in a position to handle a COVID-19 outbreak. “Its hospital system is not up to it, mRNA vaccines are not yet widely available, and the elderly vaccination rate is still low,” Magnus told Bloomberg. “This is a problem for the 2020s and for Xi, whose opponents in the party, sensing all this, and also Xi’s risky foreign policies, may not be as docile in the future as now,” he said. With the Communist Party’s twice-a-decade leadership summit coming up in October, in which Jinping is expected to be re-elected as China’s top leader for another five years, the evolving situation in Chengdu, alongside the outbreaks in other cities, may in fact undermine Jinping’s proclamation that the “zero-COVID” strategy is a winning one. “The more cities get locked down, the more Chinese will turn against COVID-zero,” said Frank Tsai, founder of consulting firm China Crossroads. “The party knows that there is a tipping point,” he said, “and it would be smart to get ahead of this tipping point and declare victory before it comes.” Image Credits: Global News/Twitter , Manya Koetse/Twitter. WHO Warns Against ‘Complacency’ over COVID-19 and Monkeypox 07/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Maria van Kerkhove Although COVID-19 and monkeypox cases are declining globally, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned against complacency on Wednesday. Although COVID-19 cases were down by 80% since February, “last week, one person died with COVID-19 every 44 seconds and most of those those those deaths are avoidable,” said Tedros. “There is no guarantee these trends will persist. The most dangerous thing is to assume they will,” he added. “You might be tired of hearing me say the pandemic is not over. But I will keep saying it until it is. This virus will not just fade away.” On monkeypox, Tedros said that there was a downward trend in Europe and although cases in the Americas also appeared to decline, it was “harder to draw firm conclusions about the epidemic in that region”. “Some countries in the Americas continue to report increasing number of cases and in some, there is likely to be under-reporting due to stigma and discrimination or a lack of information for those who need it most. “But as I said earlier, a downward trend can be the most dangerous time if it opens the door to complacency,” stressed Tedros. “WHO continues to recommend that all countries persist with a tailored combination of public health measures: Testing, research and targeted vaccination where vaccines are available.” He added that community engagement is vital, and that the WHO had consulted with community leaders from all over the world to listen to their views and concerns and to “emphasise the informed importance of responding to monkeypox using existing services and infrastructure, including those for HIV and sexual health”. Tedros also stressed the importance of the global negotiations on an appropriate global instrument to address future pandemics, adding that more public hearings on this would be held by the WHO’s intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) later this month. COVID vaccine schedule? Meanwhile, WHO Executive Director of Health Emergencies, Dr Mike Ryan said that he hoped that it would be possible for the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) to develop a vaccination schedule for COVID-19. “Many countries now are offering people third and fourth doses of vaccine and we will have to come to a point where there’s some kind of schedule created that’s beyond the idea of a primary schedule,” said Ryan. ‘Obviously, it’s tough for countries to deal with ad hoc policy where you’re adding an extra booster on for certain people after so many months, and it’s very easy to become incoherent,” he added. “I think governments are making the best decisions they can, based on the data that they have, but ultimately we need to settle down into some acceptable pattern of vaccination boosting.” However, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, Maria van Kerkhove, said that while many people were hoping that SARS CoV2 would “fall into some kind of a seasonal pattern like we see with influenza, right now we don’t have that predictability”. “The reason for that is because we’re seeing this virus continue to evolve quite rapidly.” Ethiopian Ambassador Slams WHO Director General Tedros over Tigray Conflict 06/09/2022 Editorial team Hirut Zemene Kassa, Ethiopian ambassador to the European Union The Ethiopian ambassador to the European Union has spoken sharply against World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, calling his criticisms against the Ethiopian government and its role in the Tigray conflict in northern Ethiopia “unprofessional” and that he was using his position “degrading” and “abusing”. “The way he’s handling the matter is completely unprofessional to me,” Hirut Zemene said in an interview in Brussels on Wednesday afternoon. “He is a United Nations figure … The role he is playing right now … is very, very much degrading his position. I would think he would think about global health — like he says ‘global health for all’ — around the world, around Ethiopia, not only in one particular area.” Tedros, an ethnic Tigrayan, has publicly denounced the Ethiopian government in the past for its blockade in the Tigray region, calling it a “complete blockade” on health and humanitarian aid. Zemene once worked under Tedros when the latter was foreign minister of Ethiopia under the previous government, and she helped celebrate Tedros’ election as WHO Director General in May 2017. On Wednesday, however, she said he has been “abusing his position” at the WHO by commenting “about only one area” in northern Ethiopia — “a very shameful thing to do.” “Financially, the government has supported him, invested resources in him, to be a representation of the world in the WHO, coming from Ethiopia,” Zemene said. Read more on Devex Image Credits: UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré. Unitaid Invests in New TB Tests, as South Africa Study Reports Importance of Better Screening 06/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Many children with tuberculosis don’t receive the necessary treatment because of challenges with diagnosis. Two-fifths of people with tuberculosis are unaware that they are infected because their diagnosis relies on outdated tests – something Unitaid and partners aim to change with a $30 million investment in new diagnostic technologies to enable same-day results. Announcing the investment on Tuesday, the global health agency explained that the current diagnosis in low and middle-income countries relies on sputum tests that have low sensitivity, especially in the presence of HIV coinfection, require patients to make multiple visits to health centres and are “largely ineffective in diagnosing children or people in advanced stages of disease who have difficulty producing sputum”. New US$30 million investment will improve access to same-day test results to enable more people to quickly access appropriate treatment. Find out more: https://t.co/QYvznt0aDl pic.twitter.com/OEJ1Djy1Rw — Unitaid (@UNITAID) September 6, 2022 The announcement comes shortly after the publication in this month’s International Journal of Infectious Diseases of a massive 29-year study of TB in South Africa, which found that incidence and mortality were substantially reduced by the introduction of antiretroviral HIV therapy and increased screening. South Africa has one of the highest TB rates in the world and the researchers, from the Universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, found that 8.8 million people had developed TB, and 2.1 million died during the study period from 1990 to 2019. HIV, which weakens a person’s immunity, was responsible for 4.8 million of the cases and 1.4 million deaths. Testing doubled The study also estimated the impact on TB incidence of various treatment interventions, finding that antiretroviral therapy (ART) and increased TB screening, were the most effective. “Between 2005 and 2012, South Africa scaled-up efforts to identify TB cases and testing rates doubled. As a result, there were rapid reductions in TB incidence owing to increased TB screening during this period. In 2019, increased screening led to a 28% reduction in TB incidence,” according to lead author, Mmamapudi Kubjane, a researcher in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town. The study also found that the provision of ART led to a 20% reduction in TB incidence by 2019. “The benefits of ART in reducing incidence depend on CD4 count and duration of ART. HIV-positive individuals who initiate ART earlier at higher CD4 counts and stay on ART for longer experience the greatest benefits of ART,” said Kubjane. The impact of the other treatment interventions – directly observed therapy (DOTS), isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT), and Xpert MTB/RIF – were “modest” single-figure percentages. Xpert MTB/RIF is a highly sensitive test that can simultaneously detect TB and resistance to the TB drug rifampin (RIF) in less than two hours. When South Africa introduced this new Xpert MTB/RIF test in 2011 to replace sputum testing, it was expected to bring substantial health benefits – yet clinical trials have found little or no impact on TB mortality, according to recent analyses. “To understand these dynamics better, modelling studies with detailed diagnostic algorithms that account for empirical treatment are required,” the study recommends. Combination approaches to diagnosis This is something that Untaid and its partners could tackle. Unitaid has partnered with FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), to evaluate alternative TB sampling approaches, and develop and evaluate combination approaches to diagnosis. More than 10 million people each year fall ill with tuberculosis (TB), and an estimated four million people with TB – two out of every five – go undiagnosed, according to Unitaid. “Efforts to reduce the TB burden are greatly hampered by the large number of people who never receive a diagnosis and therefore do not access treatment,” it adds. “For those who do receive a positive diagnosis, the process can be lengthy and sometimes means patients do not start on the correct treatment from the outset, which can lead to drug resistance.” Image Credits: University of Cape Town Lung Institute. Argentina Now Requires Big Food to Add Warning Labels to Ultra-Processed Foods 06/09/2022 Raisa Santos Big food companies in Argentina now need to add warning labels to their ultra-processed products. Consumers in Argentina are getting help to identify unhealthy food, thanks to new food promotion laws that mandate front-of-package warning labels, the first phase of which started recently. Last year, Argentina’s president signed one of the world’s strongest and most comprehensive food policy laws, requiring ultra-processed products with excess levels of sodium, sugar, fats and calories to include black octagonal warnings on the front of the package. Big food companies were given until 20 August to add the warnings, while small and medium food and beverage companies have until 20 February 2023 to do so. Companies that produce products that are high in sugar, calories, sodium and fat are prohibited from advertising these to children or selling them at schools. Argentinian civil society groups applauded the start of the new law, emphasizing it was a step in the right direction after years of advocacy. “This moment is the time when people in Argentina will start to have the chance to know what they are eating,” said Luciana Castronuovo of Fundacion InterAmerica del Corazon (FIC) Argentina, speaking to the Global Health Advocacy Incubator. The law is comprehensive as it also includes the regulation of food marketing and school environments, guaranteeing the rights to health and healthy food of children and youth, Victoria Tiscornia, nutritionist and researcher at FIC Argentina, told Health Policy Watch. “This comprehensive law is evidence-based and includes the best public health standards to tackle the double burden of malnutrition in Argentina.” ‘Major step’ to ensuring the right to healthy food Argentina’s accomplishment comes at a time when advocates are pushing for healthy food policies across Latin America in response to high rates of diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity and heart disease and an increase in the availability of ultra-processed food and drinks. For the past five years, civil society organizations in Argentina fought for a package of policies that include front-of-package warning labels (FOPL), marketing restrictions and the removal of unhealthy food and drinks from schools. “This law is a major step towards guaranteeing both the population’s right to healthy food and the right to information.,” said Tiscornia. “It seeks to provide clear and truthful information to consumers about the products they buy so that they can make informed decisions and choose the healthiest consumption options.” The new law in Argentina is based on the experiences of other countries in the region, such as Chile, Mexico, and Peru, which have also implemented FOPL in their packaging. Chile was the first country to implement front-of-package labelling in 2016. Research has shown favourable significant positive changes in food choices as a result of labelling. Some 68% of people changed their eating habits and 20% of industries reformulated their products to comply with the established profile and thus avoid warning seals on the packaging. In addition, the purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages showed a significant decrease of almost 24% since the implementation of labelling. Other parts of the world have also been working towards changing food policy with highly processed foods. Nigeria recently introduced a new tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in June in an effort to curb the growing rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related non-communicable diseases in the country. Challenges in implementation and communication in months to come Supermarket in Argentina with processed sugary food products. However, the new law in Argentina includes an article that allows companies to request a time extension for including the front of package warning labels (FOPL), Tiscornia added. FIC Argentina and other civil society organizations have been monitoring this process and conducting information requests but no official response explaining the number and reason for extensions has been yet provided. “This situation, although legal, affects the transparency of the policy process and the proper implementation of the law.” she said FIC Argentina and other civil society groups will be facing many challenges in the coming months in regards to the new law, such as implementation and communication to the public, said Maga Ailén Merlo Vijarra from Argentinian human rights nonprofit FUNDEPS. “In the coming months we will be working on disseminating key information about the law and the need for this public health strategy and we will also focus on the human right to healthy food.” Products that were manufactured and packaged before the law came into force are not required to add labels. Additionally, rice, dry noodles and legumes, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables and milk, amongst other unprocessed or minimally processed foods are exempted from the labels. Table sugar and salt, vegetable oils, dried fruits and nuts, will also be exempted from labelling. Vijarra noted that the challenges with implementation include understanding which products have labels and which companies will have extensions approved. “In the coming months we expect to better protect Argentinean children and adolescents from abusive marketing strategies employed by the food industry, leading to a safer and healthier environment to develop and grow,” she concluded. Image Credits: Global Health Policy Incubator , Vera and Jean-Christophe/Flickr . Africa Pushes Gas as Transitional Energy Source, Insisting Climate Goals Cannot Hamper Economic Progress 05/09/2022 Paul Adepoju Solar panels in the Egyptian desert. The US government committed itself to supporting Nigeria’s transition away from fossil fuels during a meeting between US vice-president Kamala Harris and Nigeria’s vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, last Friday. However, despite global commitments to reduce fossil fuel reliance to address climate change, a number of African countries have recently committed to expanding their oil and coal production, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. African leaders have also asserted that achieving global climate goals cannot come at the price of economic development on the continent – and they intend to invest in gas as a transitional form of energy on the continent’s path to renewable energy. Nigeria launched its Energy Transition Plan on 24 August, mapping out how the country intends to achieve carbon emission neutrality by 2060, including by transitioning from petrol to gas – but the continent’s most populous nation needs over $400 billion to implement the plan and many western countries have moratoriums on financing hydrocarbon projects. It was truly a pleasure to meet with Vice-President Kamala Harris to discuss Nigeria's #EnergyTransition Plan and other interests between our Governments. pic.twitter.com/8qJnhTOQRf — Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) September 2, 2022 During last week’s meeting, Harris welcomed Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan and applauded Osinbajo’s leadership for just energy transitions in Africa and “the two leaders committed to working closely to support Nigeria’s energy access and energy security goals, as well as our shared global climate goals”, according to a White House statement. Continued investment in oil But some African countries’ actions are not in line with the globally set climate goals. The Democratic Republic of Congo is planning to issue 30 new licenses for oil rigs that could threaten some parts of the country’s rainforest. “We had concerns about the announcement of the auction of these oil and gas exploration blocks, some of the blocks infringe on sensitive rainforest and peatland areas, including in the Virunga National Park and Salonga National Park,” said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during a recent visit to the DRC. Meanwhile in Kenya, in early August President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the Kipevu terminal, a large new oil storage facility at the Mombasa port intended to store large volumes of oil for the country’s development. In August 2021, the government of Ghana revealed plans to invest $1.65 billion to accelerate oil and gas exploration via the acquisition and development of oil and gas assets. Following an EU ban on coal importation from Russia, South Africa’s coal sales to Europe rose eight-fold during the first half of 2022 compared with last year. ‘Moral and economic madness’ After the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report reported that the expansion of coal, oil and gas production is a great risk to global climate goals, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, described the expansion as “moral and economic madness”. But many African governments are getting behind the gas transition, arguing that moving immediately to renewable energy will hamper the continent’s economy and development. In May, 10 countries – the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe – adopted a seven-point communique urging the international community to support gas “as a transition fuel and the long-term displacement of gas by renewable energy and green hydrogen for industrial development, if financially and technically sustainable”. In Senegal, $5 billion is projected to be spent on the second phase of the country’s liquefied natural gas project. President Macky Sall is a firm critic of what he described as the hypocrisy of western governments that guzzle gas at home but have declared a virtual moratorium on financing hydrocarbon projects abroad. “You cannot tell us that renewables alone can develop a continent — it has never been the case anywhere else and it cannot be the case in Africa,” Sall said. Egypt to host COP27 In November, Egypt’s “green city” of Sharm El Sheikh will host the 27th United Nations climate change conference, COP27, and this will offer an opportunity to show what the continent is doing to align with global climate goals including net zero carbon emissions by 2060 and mainstreaming renewable energies. Egypt has described the provision, mobilization and delivery of climate finance for developing countries as an urgent priority — particularly in light of current financial crises, debt challenges and increasing interest rates. “It is imperative to make appropriate financial flows that are based on needs identified through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other vehicles, with a focus on concessional finance instruments, and grants as appropriate, while providing a clear revision of the definition of bankable projects that takes into consideration climate benefits and not only risks, and achieving cross-cutting impacts,” Egypt said on its website for COP27. At COP26, a major talking point among African delegates and climate activists was the need for richer countries, who are also the world’s majornpolluters, to provide sufficient funds for developing countries to fight the crisis. During COP26, South Africa, the European Union, France, Germany, the UK and the US launched an ambitious long-term Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to support the South Africa’s decarbonisation efforts in order to move its economy towards more reliance on renewable energy resources. The JETP aims to mobilise $8.5 billion for South Africa, and Nigeria hopes to achieve similar support for its energy transition plan. 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.
Fighting the Scourge of Fake Medicines: Global Fund Replenishment is Moment of Truth 09/09/2022 Adam Aspinall One a number of fake batches of the anti-malaria drug, quinine sulphate, identified in a WHO medical product alert for the Central African Republic. The upcoming Global Fund Replenishment drive, 19-21 September, will be critical to holding onto and advancing progress against infectious diseases in multiple ways – among them ensuring the flow of quality-assured medicines to low-income countries and fighting falsified and substandard medicines that can comprise up to 70% of drugs on the market in some parts of Africa. At Rwanda’s Kigali Summit on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) held in June on the margins of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, world leaders and representatives from the private sector, civil society organisations, philanthropists and trusts recommitted to combat the scourge of malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). Those commitments were made despite the unprecedented challenges facing the world from the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the climate crisis. Commitments are encouraging and important, but to deliver real progress in the fight against NTDs they must be backed by funding. One of the biggest single-donor organisations in public health is the Global Fund to fight AIDs, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria, a partnership that has invested more than $55 billion to date to help defeat these three diseases and others in more than 100 countries through commodity procurement. It has helped to strengthen health systems and provided support for specific programmes, helping save an estimated 44 million lives, mostly vulnerable people. This month, the Global Fund meets for its 7th funding replenishment from donor governments, and the outcome will have a decisive impact on global public health in the coming years. Global Fund’s role fighting fake medicines is less well known While the Global Fund’s work is familiar to many, perhaps less well known is its critical role in protecting patients from fake medicines. Only quality-assured medicines may be procured with Global Fund financing – those cleared by stringent regulatory authorities, the World Health Organisation’s Prequalification Programme, or Global Fund’s Expert Review Panel. Why does this matter? Simple: because counterfeits are a global problem. Estimates suggest that in some parts of Africa, up to 70% of all medicines may be falsified or substandard. The World Health Organization (WHO) says 1-in-10 medicines in lower-and middle-income countries (LMICs) are falsified or substandard, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. And according to one field survey in South-East Asia, 53% of all antimalarials sampled did not contain the correct level of active ingredients. These “medicines” can kill due to little to no active ingredients or toxic substances that are poisonous. If they don’t kill, they are likely to have little or no therapeutic impact. That results in additional morbidity from treatment failure and significant economic impact due to the costs of re-treatment, hospitalisation and lost working days. Fake Medicines can also foster antimicrobial resistance Causes, impacts and strategies for fighting fake and substandard medicines. There have been too many preventable deaths caused by falsified and substandard medicines. Falsified and substandard medicines can also facilitate the emergence of antimicrobial resistance through exposure of pathogens or parasites to sub-therapeutic doses of active pharmaceutical ingredients. This is a very serious problem that can result in drug failure and potentially millions more deaths. Producing and distributing counterfeits is not a victimless crime. Perpetrators are perfectly aware of the likely consequences and are criminally responsible for deaths on a potentially vast scale. Children and vulnerable people are disproportionately affected. Malaria medicines are among those most commonly counterfeited Children affected by Malaria Malaria control is one of the therapeutic areas most affected by falsified and substandard medicines. A WHO-commissioned study found counterfeit malarials cause an additional 72,000 to 267,000 deaths every year in sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, a 2019 review showed up to 155,000 children a year die from falsified or substandard antimalarial drugs – a staggering figure that seems to have passed almost unnoticed. One cannot help but wonder what the public reaction would be in higher-income countries to a news headline such as this: “FAKE DRUG HORROR– 155,000 CHILDREN MURDERED.” Without a doubt it would capture the attention of news outlets and law enforcement agencies alike. In reality, of course, there is no simple solution to this issue. Combatting this scourge requires coordinated efforts between regulators, law enforcement and customs agencies. There must be stronger penalties for perpetrators, stronger regulatory systems, improved detection and verification technologies, better public and professional awareness of the issue, and action by drug manufacturers to incorporate anti-counterfeiting measures into packaging. And all of these efforts need to be supported with adequate funding for effective, high-quality medicines. Fake meds blocking achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 One of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), target 3.8, calls for “access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all”. The widespread availability of falsified and substandard medicines is a substantial and important barrier to the achievement of this goal in the immediate future, and adequate funding for quality medicines is an essential prerequisite if it is to be delivered. Given that the Global Fund provides 56% of all international financing for malaria programmes alone, this is a critical safeguard against the scourge of counterfeits and reinforces the crucial importance of a full replenishment of its funding. The estimated total financing need for HIV, TB and malaria for the 2024-26 timeframe is US$130.2 billion, of which at least US$18 billion needs to be funded by the Global Fund. The minimum US$18 billion replenishment is, therefore, of huge importance, especially because the Global Fund only procures quality-assured medicines and medicinal products for low-and middle-income countries. If the replenishment is not met in full, it increases the likelihood that countries will procure non-quality assured medicines. That raises the likelihood of falsified and substandard medicines reaching patients through formal or informal supply pathways. This risks undermining the progress made so far in halting the progression of these diseases, and directly puts patients’ health and lives in jeopardy. With a successful replenishment, the Global Fund will also be able to increase its efforts to strengthen health systems more broadly over the next three years. Given the extraordinary financial strains placed on national governments by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic consequences of the Ukraine war, it is understandable that governments have competing priorities and domestic pressures that may be viewed as more urgent than international aid and supporting the Global Fund. Nevertheless, disruptions caused by the pandemic to the legal supply chains and limited regulatory enforcement helped spawn a surge in fake medicines, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Interventions to support the fight against HIV, TB and malaria (stronger health systems, improved disease surveillance, more health care worker training, improved laboratory capacity for diagnosis, etc.) are also the foundation of future pandemic preparedness. Resourcing the battle against these diseases is also, therefore, equivalent to resourcing future health crisis readiness. And since pandemics, by definition, affect us all, this should be viewed as investment in future global health. Climate change is already affecting virtually every part of the world, with more extreme weather events recorded across our planet. The already record levels of internally displaced people and refugees will increase, and poverty, food and water insecurity will create immense negative pressures on health, increasing the risk of future pandemics and altering the dynamics of diseases such as HIV, TB and malaria. Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250 000 additional deaths a year, including 60,000 from malaria alone. Business as usual is no longer good enough Someone far wiser than I once said: “Do what you’ve always done, and you’ll get what you’ve always got”. Business as usual isn’t going to cut it in the interconnected set of challenges posed by climate change, emerging pandemics and global public health that we will face over the coming years and decades. Neither is merely “responding” good enough – proactive planning and preemptive interventions are going to be crucial. That’s why the Fight the Fakes Alliance strongly endorses the Global Fund’s philosophy of a “One Health” ethos that envisions an integrated approach: “… positioning human health interventions within the context of a broader planetary health agenda, encompassing animal, human, plant health and the shared environment.” The question is not whether the world can afford to, but rather if we can afford not to support the crucial public health programmes that are financed by the Global Fund. Public health investments in LMICs have a direct impact on the quality of life in developed and high-income countries too. We are all in this together. As the global health challenges we face together continue to grow, so does the opportunity for counterfeiters and criminals. While the market size for fakes medicines is, by its very nature, difficult to quantify accurately, it is worth an estimated US$70-$200 billion. During a single operation (Action Against Counterfeit and Illicit Medicines, ACIM) carried out in 16 African countries in 2016, 113 million “suspect” medicines worth an estimated €52 million were seized over a 10-day period. Increased public awareness of the issue is clearly essential, and one positive consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic is the attention it brought to the problem of falsified and substandard medicines and PPE, including masks, gloves, hydroxychloroquine and vaccines. Almost any pharmaceutical product can be falsified, but those used to treat malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are amongst the most widely abused. For this reason, the Fight the Fakes Alliance calls upon governments to be bold and increase pledges so the global programmes to tackle HIV, TB and malaria are fully funded. That will help avoid millions of preventable deaths, accomplish the SDGs, and ensure preparedness for future health crises. _________________________ The author of this article is Chair of the Fight the Fakes Alliance (commonly referred to as ‘Fight the Fakes’), a multi-stakeholder non-profit association based in Geneva, Switzerland, that aims to raise awareness and influence change about the proliferation of falsified and substandard medicines. He is also Senior Director, Access & Product Management at Medicines for Malaria Venture, a leading product development partnership engaged in the discovery, development and delivery of novel antimalarials. Image Credits: The Global Fund , WHO Medical Product Alert 10/2019, Pyzik, O.Z., Abubakar, I. Fighting the fakes: tackling substandard and falsified medicines. Nat Rev Dis Primers 8, 55 (2022)., Emmanuel Museruka/ MMV. Time to Invest in Preventing and Treating NCDs 08/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Testing patients for diabetes at a World Health Organization event. If all countries significantly raise taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugary beverages, this could prevent 50 million premature deaths over the next 50 years, according to Michael Bloomberg, World Health Organization (WHO) Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and Injuries. “Plus, the taxes would raise more than $20 trillion in revenue to support public health programmes, helping to save even more lives,” Bloomberg told a virtual event convened to make a global appeal for more investment in NCDs. “Every year, 17 million people under the age of 70 die of non-communicable diseases, mostly in low and middle-income countries,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the event, co-hosted by WHO, the NCD Alliance and the World Diabetes Foundation. “Nearly seven million lives could be saved by 2030 if low and lower middle-income countries invest an additional $1 per person per year on cost-effective interventions, like graphic warnings on cigarette packaging, food labelling and bicycle lanes,” said Tedros. Katie Dain, CEO of the NCD Alliance, decried the fact that “a multitude of political commitments have yet to really translate into adequate [financial] commitments”. “NCDs will cause more suffering in lives lost this decade than any other health issue. They wi’ll drain the global economy and impede human capital and undermine any effort to ensure the world is better prepared for future pandemics after COVID-19,” said Dain. Financing for NCDs has stagnated at around 2% of the development assistance for health for two decades. Paul Fife from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation stressed that “the proper way to finance NCD action is in general through health system reform more broadly, as opposed to very focused disease control programme approaches, such as we have seen for some infectious diseases.” Fife added that “we need to be careful to not give the impression that donors and donor financing are the most instrumental in driving or not driving investments in NCDs”. “For all but the poorest countries and countries in conflict or humanitarian crises, the investments made by governments, insurance agencies, private companies – and the degree to which they are universal, meaning equitable – are far more important than donor aid,” Fife stressed. Preventing NCDs key to achieving universal health coverage From a luxury good to a part of daily diets, sugary drinks that increase the risks of diabetes have become highly popular in Africa. “The big challenge is actually to build a broader, more equitable and efficient health system and integrate NCDs into the system. The path forward is the progressive realisation of universal health coverage.” Dr Omary Ubuguyu from Tanzania’s health ministry said that many of his citizens had to pay for their own NCD treatment as only 15% of the population had health insurance. “So 85% have to pay out of their pockets for health care services and this makes them very vulnerable,” said Ubuguyu. “At the moment, what we are paying for the dialysis, for example, is almost $400 per week, So we have seen a lot of people selling their assets, only to find after one year that they can’t afford to continue with this was a treatment and then dying,” he said, adding that his country was introducing a mandatory health insurance scheme for all – although there were significant financial challenges. “Integration of NCDs with other services, notably HIV and tuberculosis, is also on our agenda,” he added. Uruguay has implemented a number of policies to address NCDs including provisions to regulate tobacco and unhealthy food, according to health ministry official Luis Galicia. Citizens have universal health coverage with a “payment by performance system”, where suppliers are reimbursed if patients comply with targets linked to cancer, hypertension, diabetes, heart and cerebral vascular indicators, said Galicia. “We have allocated a part of the taxes on alcohol and sugary beverages to the prevention and control of NCDs,” he added. Funding targets Bente Mikkelsen Bente Mikkelsen, WHO director of NCDs, said that it is “a huge disappointment that many, many countries don’t realise the epidemiological shift that has happened from HIV, malaria, TB, to actually looking at that seven out of 10 deaths in the world is now linked to NCD”. Earlier in the meeting, South African HIV activist and academic Dr Vuyiseka Dubula, had called on people to put pressure on African countries to ensure that they spent more on health. Mikkelsen said that the NCD sector should set a global target for NCD expenditure as the HIV sector had. “I think we need a target for investment in NCDs, and we need to target for also including NCD into UHC. Part of that should be measures for domestic funding, which can very well be also linked to the health taxation,” said Mikkelsen. However, she also stressed that the demand for increased investment in NCDs had to come from WHO member countries. Despite a raft of global resolutions, policy options and implementation tools, a global roadmap “what we totally lack is the demand”. Demand creation “There is no demand to be seen when the proposal comes from a country that doesn’t include NCD. How can that be? So, even before the data, we are about demand creation.” Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Dr Kelly Henning warned that progress against NCDs was being hampered by “powerful stakeholders promoting and selling harmful products”. “It takes resolve at the highest levels of leadership to push back against these interests and requires effective public education so that the population can support and participate in the change that’s needed,” said Henning. In 2018, Bloomberg convened a task force on fiscal policy for health, which concluded that raising health taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sweetened beverages, “is highly underutilised and would save millions of lives and bring in much needed government revenue”, said Henning. “After reviewing the evidence, the task force found that tobacco taxes can do more to reduce premature mortality than any other single health policy. Unfortunately, since the taskforce report came out, we haven’t really made all that much progress,” said Henning. “And why is that? The task force concluded that implementing health taxes was a measure of government resolve because industry’s pushback against tax increases with false and misleading standards, and oftentimes, influences them.” The NCD Alliance is running a week-long awareness campaign about the need to invest in NCDs. Only 14 countries are on track to meet the WHO’s nine voluntary global targets for the prevention and control of NCDs, due to be assessed at the fourth High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (HLM4) in 2025. Image Credits: Twitter: @WHO, Heala_SA/Twitter. Pan-American Region Secures First Monkeypox Vaccines Deal 08/09/2022 Raisa Santos & Stefan Anderson Carissa Etienne, PAHO Director In an effort to prevent the spread of monkeypox, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) signed an agreement with Bavarian Nordic to obtain 100,000 vaccine doses for Latin America and the Caribbean. That will allow PAHO to start delivering the doses to the 12 countries that requested them in September. The agreement will make the Americas the first and only region to receive monkeypox vaccines through a multilateral effort. PAHO used its Revolving Fund, which provides access to vaccines at affordable prices, to secure its first agreement with the Danish vaccine company. Attempts to secure vaccines in other regions, such as Africa, where monkeypox is endemic, have been stymied, with little discussion from the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO is in talks, however, with some vaccine manufacturers and nations to obtain some of their large vaccine reserves and distribute those monkeypox doses more widely and equitably. A WHO spokesperson told Health Policy Watch it has been “in close contact” with those manufacturers and nations “since the beginning of the outbreak.” “WHO continues to urge countries with larger stockpiles to share and donate vaccines,” the spokesperson said, “[and] is concerned that the inequitable access to vaccines and treatments seen during the COVID-19 response is repeating itself in this monkeypox multi-country outbreak.” The spokesperson also noted that PAHO is still consolidating nations’ formal requests for some of the doses and is “working to define the best way forward to guarantee an equitable vaccine distribution.” Twelve countries in the Americas region have signed up to receive the vaccines from PAHO’s Revolving Fund, with an additional seven countries talking toPAHO about ordering some. PAHO says it expects to receive the first batch of doses from Bavarian Nordic in September, then a second batch in November and a third batch in December — making for 100,000 doses in all. PAHO did not disclose how much it is paying for the doses. The Americas – highest burden of monkeypox worldwide More than 30,000 new monkeypox cases have been reported in the Americas as of 6 September, saddling the region with the highest burden anywhere. Most of the cases are concentrated in the United States, Brazil, Peru, and Canada. The fraction of monkeypox cases that do not involve any recent contact with men who have sex with men (MSM) continues to rise in the US, suggesting a silent spread of the virus to other communities. Four monkeypox-related deaths have been reported in Brazil, Cuba, and Ecuador. Though PAHO was able to secure an agreement with Bavarian Nordic for monkeypox vaccines, PAHO’s Director Carissa Etienne noted these doses remain in limited supply, necessitating the use of other public health measures as well. Due to the shortage, WHO does not recommend mass vaccinations. “Vaccination, when available, can be deployed as a preventative measure,” said Etienne. “With vaccines in short supply, and with no effective treatment for monkeypox, countries should intensify efforts to prevent the spread of the virus in our region,” she said. “We need to guarantee equitable allocation, and this requires the prioritizing of vaccine distribution to maximize the health impact.” Monkeypox response must involve affected communities Ciro Ugarte, PAHO Director of Health Emergencies The limited vaccine supply highlights the need to involve affected communities in the public health response to monkeypox. Ciro Ugarte, PAHO’s director of health emergencies, said public health authorities “need to be in close contact with the individuals who have higher risk of transmission and involve them in the prevention and early diagnosis efforts, as well as care.”As vaccine shortages limit the potential to stem the outbreak, Ugarte emphasized, there can be no effective response without community involvement. “Risk communication is extremely important and effective,” he said. “The vaccine is a tool to help, but it will not be solving the final problem.” To achieve full community participation, Etienne said, all possible efforts must be made to reduce the harmful impact that stigma can have on people’s ability to get treatment. “LGBTQ+ communities face stigma and discrimination that impacts their health and well being, but stigma has no place in public health”, she said. “It prevents those at risk from accessing information, getting tested, or seeking medical attention when they show symptoms.” Etienne said the continent’s experience with HIV/AIDS should serve as a cautionary tale. “We must work to break down stigma and discrimination or most at-risk populations will not seek care,” she said. “The pandemic is not behind us” Marcos Espinal, Interim Assistant Director, PAHO Though the region’s renewed focus and cooperation on monkeypox response is a welcome development, PAHO officials said, significant work remains to be done to confront the COVID-19 threat. “COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have decreased across the Americas,” said Etienne. “Despite this trend, hundreds of people are still dying every day from COVID-19 across our region. Just last week, we had 4,954 reported deaths in the Americas.” Dr Marcos Espinal, director of PAHO’s department of communicable diseases and health analysis, said public health authorities must keep delivering COVID-19 vaccinations, too. “We have many countries in the region where less than 40% are covered,” said Espinal. “We have not left the pandemic behind.” China Maintains “zero-COVID” Policy in Chengdu Despite Fatal 6.8 Magnitude Earthquake 07/09/2022 Raisa Santos China’s Chengdu enforces strict lockdown despite earthquake Authorities in China’s southwestern city of Chengdu are sticking to the nation’s “zero-COVID” policy demanding a lockdown on the city’s 21 million inhabitants even in the face of a major earthquake that has killed at least 66 people in the region. Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan province, has been beset by a heatwave and drought this summer and last week was plunged into a lockdown after an increase in COVID cases. Some in Chengdu say they were ordered to stay inside while the 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck a mountainous area in Luding County, about 200 km (125 miles) from Chengdu, while those that ran outside say their movements were severely restricted due to the pandemic. Videos shared on Douyin, China’s TikTok platform, show panicked residents behind chained gates, shouting to be let out. In one, a man swears at a security guard, rattling what appears to be his apartment gates and trying to open it, then shouts: “Hurry up, open the door, it’s an earthquake!” In response, the guards say: “It’s over, the earthquake’s already over.” Another video claims to be an audio recording of a loudspeaker message: “Go back home and do not gather here, it’s just an earthquake. We [here in Sichuan] have a lot of experience [when it comes to earthquakes]. The 6.8-magnitude earthquake on Monday was the strongest Sichuan has seen since 2017. Provincial authorities said at least 66 people were dead, 253 people were injured and 15 others were missing as of Tuesday afternoon. Chengdu lockdown most severe since Shanghai Citizens in Chengdu, China, rush to gather necessities before city-wide lockdown. Chengdu’s lockdown is the most severe since China’s largest city of Shanghai was placed in isolation over the spring and summer. Starting last week, 1 September, residents were no longer allowed to leave their homes without special permission. Authorities also began citywide testing. Nationwide, China reported 1,499 new cases of local infection, most of them asymptomatic, on Tuesday. Sichuan province accounted for 138 of those cases. In all, 65 million people across China in 33 cities are grappling with partial or full lockdowns, according to Chinese media, from Chengdu to the southern economic powerhouse of Shenzhen to the oil-producing city of Daqing, near Russia. Chengdu, which reported 121 cases, is showing signs of tightening restrictions. At least one district in Chengdu has banned even the ordering of takeout meals and coffee, according to a notice posted on the internet. Business owners are preparing for the worst. Eli Sweet, an American who runs a chain of dance studios in Chengdu, told Bloomberg his business was already hit by power cuts across Sichuan province in recent weeks before the COVID lockdown. “We’re definitely teetering on the brink of dying,” he said of his chain of dance studios, “which is pretty sad considering we built this business from scratch to a pretty significant scale.” The atmosphere in Chengdu, he added, has become one of “fatigue, annoyance and general compliance.” Chinese president Xi Jinping’s “zero-COVID” strategy tested before October re-election China’s Xi Jinping in 18 May address before the World Health Assembly China has stuck to its “zero-COVID” policy of compulsory testing, lockdowns, quarantines and masking despite moves from the rest of the world to open up again since the virus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019. World Health Organization Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called this strategy unsustainable in the face of the more infectious but less lethal Omicron variant that emerged in May. For China’s President Xi Jinping, his nation’s strategy may seem like evidence that the Communist Party’s system of governance has distinct advantages over Western democracy. But for George Magnus, a research associate at Oxford University, the situation may be masking a hard truth: China still isn’t in a position to handle a COVID-19 outbreak. “Its hospital system is not up to it, mRNA vaccines are not yet widely available, and the elderly vaccination rate is still low,” Magnus told Bloomberg. “This is a problem for the 2020s and for Xi, whose opponents in the party, sensing all this, and also Xi’s risky foreign policies, may not be as docile in the future as now,” he said. With the Communist Party’s twice-a-decade leadership summit coming up in October, in which Jinping is expected to be re-elected as China’s top leader for another five years, the evolving situation in Chengdu, alongside the outbreaks in other cities, may in fact undermine Jinping’s proclamation that the “zero-COVID” strategy is a winning one. “The more cities get locked down, the more Chinese will turn against COVID-zero,” said Frank Tsai, founder of consulting firm China Crossroads. “The party knows that there is a tipping point,” he said, “and it would be smart to get ahead of this tipping point and declare victory before it comes.” Image Credits: Global News/Twitter , Manya Koetse/Twitter. WHO Warns Against ‘Complacency’ over COVID-19 and Monkeypox 07/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Maria van Kerkhove Although COVID-19 and monkeypox cases are declining globally, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned against complacency on Wednesday. Although COVID-19 cases were down by 80% since February, “last week, one person died with COVID-19 every 44 seconds and most of those those those deaths are avoidable,” said Tedros. “There is no guarantee these trends will persist. The most dangerous thing is to assume they will,” he added. “You might be tired of hearing me say the pandemic is not over. But I will keep saying it until it is. This virus will not just fade away.” On monkeypox, Tedros said that there was a downward trend in Europe and although cases in the Americas also appeared to decline, it was “harder to draw firm conclusions about the epidemic in that region”. “Some countries in the Americas continue to report increasing number of cases and in some, there is likely to be under-reporting due to stigma and discrimination or a lack of information for those who need it most. “But as I said earlier, a downward trend can be the most dangerous time if it opens the door to complacency,” stressed Tedros. “WHO continues to recommend that all countries persist with a tailored combination of public health measures: Testing, research and targeted vaccination where vaccines are available.” He added that community engagement is vital, and that the WHO had consulted with community leaders from all over the world to listen to their views and concerns and to “emphasise the informed importance of responding to monkeypox using existing services and infrastructure, including those for HIV and sexual health”. Tedros also stressed the importance of the global negotiations on an appropriate global instrument to address future pandemics, adding that more public hearings on this would be held by the WHO’s intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) later this month. COVID vaccine schedule? Meanwhile, WHO Executive Director of Health Emergencies, Dr Mike Ryan said that he hoped that it would be possible for the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) to develop a vaccination schedule for COVID-19. “Many countries now are offering people third and fourth doses of vaccine and we will have to come to a point where there’s some kind of schedule created that’s beyond the idea of a primary schedule,” said Ryan. ‘Obviously, it’s tough for countries to deal with ad hoc policy where you’re adding an extra booster on for certain people after so many months, and it’s very easy to become incoherent,” he added. “I think governments are making the best decisions they can, based on the data that they have, but ultimately we need to settle down into some acceptable pattern of vaccination boosting.” However, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, Maria van Kerkhove, said that while many people were hoping that SARS CoV2 would “fall into some kind of a seasonal pattern like we see with influenza, right now we don’t have that predictability”. “The reason for that is because we’re seeing this virus continue to evolve quite rapidly.” Ethiopian Ambassador Slams WHO Director General Tedros over Tigray Conflict 06/09/2022 Editorial team Hirut Zemene Kassa, Ethiopian ambassador to the European Union The Ethiopian ambassador to the European Union has spoken sharply against World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, calling his criticisms against the Ethiopian government and its role in the Tigray conflict in northern Ethiopia “unprofessional” and that he was using his position “degrading” and “abusing”. “The way he’s handling the matter is completely unprofessional to me,” Hirut Zemene said in an interview in Brussels on Wednesday afternoon. “He is a United Nations figure … The role he is playing right now … is very, very much degrading his position. I would think he would think about global health — like he says ‘global health for all’ — around the world, around Ethiopia, not only in one particular area.” Tedros, an ethnic Tigrayan, has publicly denounced the Ethiopian government in the past for its blockade in the Tigray region, calling it a “complete blockade” on health and humanitarian aid. Zemene once worked under Tedros when the latter was foreign minister of Ethiopia under the previous government, and she helped celebrate Tedros’ election as WHO Director General in May 2017. On Wednesday, however, she said he has been “abusing his position” at the WHO by commenting “about only one area” in northern Ethiopia — “a very shameful thing to do.” “Financially, the government has supported him, invested resources in him, to be a representation of the world in the WHO, coming from Ethiopia,” Zemene said. Read more on Devex Image Credits: UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré. Unitaid Invests in New TB Tests, as South Africa Study Reports Importance of Better Screening 06/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Many children with tuberculosis don’t receive the necessary treatment because of challenges with diagnosis. Two-fifths of people with tuberculosis are unaware that they are infected because their diagnosis relies on outdated tests – something Unitaid and partners aim to change with a $30 million investment in new diagnostic technologies to enable same-day results. Announcing the investment on Tuesday, the global health agency explained that the current diagnosis in low and middle-income countries relies on sputum tests that have low sensitivity, especially in the presence of HIV coinfection, require patients to make multiple visits to health centres and are “largely ineffective in diagnosing children or people in advanced stages of disease who have difficulty producing sputum”. New US$30 million investment will improve access to same-day test results to enable more people to quickly access appropriate treatment. Find out more: https://t.co/QYvznt0aDl pic.twitter.com/OEJ1Djy1Rw — Unitaid (@UNITAID) September 6, 2022 The announcement comes shortly after the publication in this month’s International Journal of Infectious Diseases of a massive 29-year study of TB in South Africa, which found that incidence and mortality were substantially reduced by the introduction of antiretroviral HIV therapy and increased screening. South Africa has one of the highest TB rates in the world and the researchers, from the Universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, found that 8.8 million people had developed TB, and 2.1 million died during the study period from 1990 to 2019. HIV, which weakens a person’s immunity, was responsible for 4.8 million of the cases and 1.4 million deaths. Testing doubled The study also estimated the impact on TB incidence of various treatment interventions, finding that antiretroviral therapy (ART) and increased TB screening, were the most effective. “Between 2005 and 2012, South Africa scaled-up efforts to identify TB cases and testing rates doubled. As a result, there were rapid reductions in TB incidence owing to increased TB screening during this period. In 2019, increased screening led to a 28% reduction in TB incidence,” according to lead author, Mmamapudi Kubjane, a researcher in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town. The study also found that the provision of ART led to a 20% reduction in TB incidence by 2019. “The benefits of ART in reducing incidence depend on CD4 count and duration of ART. HIV-positive individuals who initiate ART earlier at higher CD4 counts and stay on ART for longer experience the greatest benefits of ART,” said Kubjane. The impact of the other treatment interventions – directly observed therapy (DOTS), isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT), and Xpert MTB/RIF – were “modest” single-figure percentages. Xpert MTB/RIF is a highly sensitive test that can simultaneously detect TB and resistance to the TB drug rifampin (RIF) in less than two hours. When South Africa introduced this new Xpert MTB/RIF test in 2011 to replace sputum testing, it was expected to bring substantial health benefits – yet clinical trials have found little or no impact on TB mortality, according to recent analyses. “To understand these dynamics better, modelling studies with detailed diagnostic algorithms that account for empirical treatment are required,” the study recommends. Combination approaches to diagnosis This is something that Untaid and its partners could tackle. Unitaid has partnered with FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), to evaluate alternative TB sampling approaches, and develop and evaluate combination approaches to diagnosis. More than 10 million people each year fall ill with tuberculosis (TB), and an estimated four million people with TB – two out of every five – go undiagnosed, according to Unitaid. “Efforts to reduce the TB burden are greatly hampered by the large number of people who never receive a diagnosis and therefore do not access treatment,” it adds. “For those who do receive a positive diagnosis, the process can be lengthy and sometimes means patients do not start on the correct treatment from the outset, which can lead to drug resistance.” Image Credits: University of Cape Town Lung Institute. Argentina Now Requires Big Food to Add Warning Labels to Ultra-Processed Foods 06/09/2022 Raisa Santos Big food companies in Argentina now need to add warning labels to their ultra-processed products. Consumers in Argentina are getting help to identify unhealthy food, thanks to new food promotion laws that mandate front-of-package warning labels, the first phase of which started recently. Last year, Argentina’s president signed one of the world’s strongest and most comprehensive food policy laws, requiring ultra-processed products with excess levels of sodium, sugar, fats and calories to include black octagonal warnings on the front of the package. Big food companies were given until 20 August to add the warnings, while small and medium food and beverage companies have until 20 February 2023 to do so. Companies that produce products that are high in sugar, calories, sodium and fat are prohibited from advertising these to children or selling them at schools. Argentinian civil society groups applauded the start of the new law, emphasizing it was a step in the right direction after years of advocacy. “This moment is the time when people in Argentina will start to have the chance to know what they are eating,” said Luciana Castronuovo of Fundacion InterAmerica del Corazon (FIC) Argentina, speaking to the Global Health Advocacy Incubator. The law is comprehensive as it also includes the regulation of food marketing and school environments, guaranteeing the rights to health and healthy food of children and youth, Victoria Tiscornia, nutritionist and researcher at FIC Argentina, told Health Policy Watch. “This comprehensive law is evidence-based and includes the best public health standards to tackle the double burden of malnutrition in Argentina.” ‘Major step’ to ensuring the right to healthy food Argentina’s accomplishment comes at a time when advocates are pushing for healthy food policies across Latin America in response to high rates of diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity and heart disease and an increase in the availability of ultra-processed food and drinks. For the past five years, civil society organizations in Argentina fought for a package of policies that include front-of-package warning labels (FOPL), marketing restrictions and the removal of unhealthy food and drinks from schools. “This law is a major step towards guaranteeing both the population’s right to healthy food and the right to information.,” said Tiscornia. “It seeks to provide clear and truthful information to consumers about the products they buy so that they can make informed decisions and choose the healthiest consumption options.” The new law in Argentina is based on the experiences of other countries in the region, such as Chile, Mexico, and Peru, which have also implemented FOPL in their packaging. Chile was the first country to implement front-of-package labelling in 2016. Research has shown favourable significant positive changes in food choices as a result of labelling. Some 68% of people changed their eating habits and 20% of industries reformulated their products to comply with the established profile and thus avoid warning seals on the packaging. In addition, the purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages showed a significant decrease of almost 24% since the implementation of labelling. Other parts of the world have also been working towards changing food policy with highly processed foods. Nigeria recently introduced a new tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in June in an effort to curb the growing rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related non-communicable diseases in the country. Challenges in implementation and communication in months to come Supermarket in Argentina with processed sugary food products. However, the new law in Argentina includes an article that allows companies to request a time extension for including the front of package warning labels (FOPL), Tiscornia added. FIC Argentina and other civil society organizations have been monitoring this process and conducting information requests but no official response explaining the number and reason for extensions has been yet provided. “This situation, although legal, affects the transparency of the policy process and the proper implementation of the law.” she said FIC Argentina and other civil society groups will be facing many challenges in the coming months in regards to the new law, such as implementation and communication to the public, said Maga Ailén Merlo Vijarra from Argentinian human rights nonprofit FUNDEPS. “In the coming months we will be working on disseminating key information about the law and the need for this public health strategy and we will also focus on the human right to healthy food.” Products that were manufactured and packaged before the law came into force are not required to add labels. Additionally, rice, dry noodles and legumes, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables and milk, amongst other unprocessed or minimally processed foods are exempted from the labels. Table sugar and salt, vegetable oils, dried fruits and nuts, will also be exempted from labelling. Vijarra noted that the challenges with implementation include understanding which products have labels and which companies will have extensions approved. “In the coming months we expect to better protect Argentinean children and adolescents from abusive marketing strategies employed by the food industry, leading to a safer and healthier environment to develop and grow,” she concluded. Image Credits: Global Health Policy Incubator , Vera and Jean-Christophe/Flickr . Africa Pushes Gas as Transitional Energy Source, Insisting Climate Goals Cannot Hamper Economic Progress 05/09/2022 Paul Adepoju Solar panels in the Egyptian desert. The US government committed itself to supporting Nigeria’s transition away from fossil fuels during a meeting between US vice-president Kamala Harris and Nigeria’s vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, last Friday. However, despite global commitments to reduce fossil fuel reliance to address climate change, a number of African countries have recently committed to expanding their oil and coal production, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. African leaders have also asserted that achieving global climate goals cannot come at the price of economic development on the continent – and they intend to invest in gas as a transitional form of energy on the continent’s path to renewable energy. Nigeria launched its Energy Transition Plan on 24 August, mapping out how the country intends to achieve carbon emission neutrality by 2060, including by transitioning from petrol to gas – but the continent’s most populous nation needs over $400 billion to implement the plan and many western countries have moratoriums on financing hydrocarbon projects. It was truly a pleasure to meet with Vice-President Kamala Harris to discuss Nigeria's #EnergyTransition Plan and other interests between our Governments. pic.twitter.com/8qJnhTOQRf — Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) September 2, 2022 During last week’s meeting, Harris welcomed Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan and applauded Osinbajo’s leadership for just energy transitions in Africa and “the two leaders committed to working closely to support Nigeria’s energy access and energy security goals, as well as our shared global climate goals”, according to a White House statement. Continued investment in oil But some African countries’ actions are not in line with the globally set climate goals. The Democratic Republic of Congo is planning to issue 30 new licenses for oil rigs that could threaten some parts of the country’s rainforest. “We had concerns about the announcement of the auction of these oil and gas exploration blocks, some of the blocks infringe on sensitive rainforest and peatland areas, including in the Virunga National Park and Salonga National Park,” said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during a recent visit to the DRC. Meanwhile in Kenya, in early August President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the Kipevu terminal, a large new oil storage facility at the Mombasa port intended to store large volumes of oil for the country’s development. In August 2021, the government of Ghana revealed plans to invest $1.65 billion to accelerate oil and gas exploration via the acquisition and development of oil and gas assets. Following an EU ban on coal importation from Russia, South Africa’s coal sales to Europe rose eight-fold during the first half of 2022 compared with last year. ‘Moral and economic madness’ After the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report reported that the expansion of coal, oil and gas production is a great risk to global climate goals, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, described the expansion as “moral and economic madness”. But many African governments are getting behind the gas transition, arguing that moving immediately to renewable energy will hamper the continent’s economy and development. In May, 10 countries – the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe – adopted a seven-point communique urging the international community to support gas “as a transition fuel and the long-term displacement of gas by renewable energy and green hydrogen for industrial development, if financially and technically sustainable”. In Senegal, $5 billion is projected to be spent on the second phase of the country’s liquefied natural gas project. President Macky Sall is a firm critic of what he described as the hypocrisy of western governments that guzzle gas at home but have declared a virtual moratorium on financing hydrocarbon projects abroad. “You cannot tell us that renewables alone can develop a continent — it has never been the case anywhere else and it cannot be the case in Africa,” Sall said. Egypt to host COP27 In November, Egypt’s “green city” of Sharm El Sheikh will host the 27th United Nations climate change conference, COP27, and this will offer an opportunity to show what the continent is doing to align with global climate goals including net zero carbon emissions by 2060 and mainstreaming renewable energies. Egypt has described the provision, mobilization and delivery of climate finance for developing countries as an urgent priority — particularly in light of current financial crises, debt challenges and increasing interest rates. “It is imperative to make appropriate financial flows that are based on needs identified through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other vehicles, with a focus on concessional finance instruments, and grants as appropriate, while providing a clear revision of the definition of bankable projects that takes into consideration climate benefits and not only risks, and achieving cross-cutting impacts,” Egypt said on its website for COP27. At COP26, a major talking point among African delegates and climate activists was the need for richer countries, who are also the world’s majornpolluters, to provide sufficient funds for developing countries to fight the crisis. During COP26, South Africa, the European Union, France, Germany, the UK and the US launched an ambitious long-term Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to support the South Africa’s decarbonisation efforts in order to move its economy towards more reliance on renewable energy resources. The JETP aims to mobilise $8.5 billion for South Africa, and Nigeria hopes to achieve similar support for its energy transition plan. 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.
Time to Invest in Preventing and Treating NCDs 08/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Testing patients for diabetes at a World Health Organization event. If all countries significantly raise taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugary beverages, this could prevent 50 million premature deaths over the next 50 years, according to Michael Bloomberg, World Health Organization (WHO) Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and Injuries. “Plus, the taxes would raise more than $20 trillion in revenue to support public health programmes, helping to save even more lives,” Bloomberg told a virtual event convened to make a global appeal for more investment in NCDs. “Every year, 17 million people under the age of 70 die of non-communicable diseases, mostly in low and middle-income countries,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the event, co-hosted by WHO, the NCD Alliance and the World Diabetes Foundation. “Nearly seven million lives could be saved by 2030 if low and lower middle-income countries invest an additional $1 per person per year on cost-effective interventions, like graphic warnings on cigarette packaging, food labelling and bicycle lanes,” said Tedros. Katie Dain, CEO of the NCD Alliance, decried the fact that “a multitude of political commitments have yet to really translate into adequate [financial] commitments”. “NCDs will cause more suffering in lives lost this decade than any other health issue. They wi’ll drain the global economy and impede human capital and undermine any effort to ensure the world is better prepared for future pandemics after COVID-19,” said Dain. Financing for NCDs has stagnated at around 2% of the development assistance for health for two decades. Paul Fife from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation stressed that “the proper way to finance NCD action is in general through health system reform more broadly, as opposed to very focused disease control programme approaches, such as we have seen for some infectious diseases.” Fife added that “we need to be careful to not give the impression that donors and donor financing are the most instrumental in driving or not driving investments in NCDs”. “For all but the poorest countries and countries in conflict or humanitarian crises, the investments made by governments, insurance agencies, private companies – and the degree to which they are universal, meaning equitable – are far more important than donor aid,” Fife stressed. Preventing NCDs key to achieving universal health coverage From a luxury good to a part of daily diets, sugary drinks that increase the risks of diabetes have become highly popular in Africa. “The big challenge is actually to build a broader, more equitable and efficient health system and integrate NCDs into the system. The path forward is the progressive realisation of universal health coverage.” Dr Omary Ubuguyu from Tanzania’s health ministry said that many of his citizens had to pay for their own NCD treatment as only 15% of the population had health insurance. “So 85% have to pay out of their pockets for health care services and this makes them very vulnerable,” said Ubuguyu. “At the moment, what we are paying for the dialysis, for example, is almost $400 per week, So we have seen a lot of people selling their assets, only to find after one year that they can’t afford to continue with this was a treatment and then dying,” he said, adding that his country was introducing a mandatory health insurance scheme for all – although there were significant financial challenges. “Integration of NCDs with other services, notably HIV and tuberculosis, is also on our agenda,” he added. Uruguay has implemented a number of policies to address NCDs including provisions to regulate tobacco and unhealthy food, according to health ministry official Luis Galicia. Citizens have universal health coverage with a “payment by performance system”, where suppliers are reimbursed if patients comply with targets linked to cancer, hypertension, diabetes, heart and cerebral vascular indicators, said Galicia. “We have allocated a part of the taxes on alcohol and sugary beverages to the prevention and control of NCDs,” he added. Funding targets Bente Mikkelsen Bente Mikkelsen, WHO director of NCDs, said that it is “a huge disappointment that many, many countries don’t realise the epidemiological shift that has happened from HIV, malaria, TB, to actually looking at that seven out of 10 deaths in the world is now linked to NCD”. Earlier in the meeting, South African HIV activist and academic Dr Vuyiseka Dubula, had called on people to put pressure on African countries to ensure that they spent more on health. Mikkelsen said that the NCD sector should set a global target for NCD expenditure as the HIV sector had. “I think we need a target for investment in NCDs, and we need to target for also including NCD into UHC. Part of that should be measures for domestic funding, which can very well be also linked to the health taxation,” said Mikkelsen. However, she also stressed that the demand for increased investment in NCDs had to come from WHO member countries. Despite a raft of global resolutions, policy options and implementation tools, a global roadmap “what we totally lack is the demand”. Demand creation “There is no demand to be seen when the proposal comes from a country that doesn’t include NCD. How can that be? So, even before the data, we are about demand creation.” Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Dr Kelly Henning warned that progress against NCDs was being hampered by “powerful stakeholders promoting and selling harmful products”. “It takes resolve at the highest levels of leadership to push back against these interests and requires effective public education so that the population can support and participate in the change that’s needed,” said Henning. In 2018, Bloomberg convened a task force on fiscal policy for health, which concluded that raising health taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sweetened beverages, “is highly underutilised and would save millions of lives and bring in much needed government revenue”, said Henning. “After reviewing the evidence, the task force found that tobacco taxes can do more to reduce premature mortality than any other single health policy. Unfortunately, since the taskforce report came out, we haven’t really made all that much progress,” said Henning. “And why is that? The task force concluded that implementing health taxes was a measure of government resolve because industry’s pushback against tax increases with false and misleading standards, and oftentimes, influences them.” The NCD Alliance is running a week-long awareness campaign about the need to invest in NCDs. Only 14 countries are on track to meet the WHO’s nine voluntary global targets for the prevention and control of NCDs, due to be assessed at the fourth High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (HLM4) in 2025. Image Credits: Twitter: @WHO, Heala_SA/Twitter. Pan-American Region Secures First Monkeypox Vaccines Deal 08/09/2022 Raisa Santos & Stefan Anderson Carissa Etienne, PAHO Director In an effort to prevent the spread of monkeypox, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) signed an agreement with Bavarian Nordic to obtain 100,000 vaccine doses for Latin America and the Caribbean. That will allow PAHO to start delivering the doses to the 12 countries that requested them in September. The agreement will make the Americas the first and only region to receive monkeypox vaccines through a multilateral effort. PAHO used its Revolving Fund, which provides access to vaccines at affordable prices, to secure its first agreement with the Danish vaccine company. Attempts to secure vaccines in other regions, such as Africa, where monkeypox is endemic, have been stymied, with little discussion from the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO is in talks, however, with some vaccine manufacturers and nations to obtain some of their large vaccine reserves and distribute those monkeypox doses more widely and equitably. A WHO spokesperson told Health Policy Watch it has been “in close contact” with those manufacturers and nations “since the beginning of the outbreak.” “WHO continues to urge countries with larger stockpiles to share and donate vaccines,” the spokesperson said, “[and] is concerned that the inequitable access to vaccines and treatments seen during the COVID-19 response is repeating itself in this monkeypox multi-country outbreak.” The spokesperson also noted that PAHO is still consolidating nations’ formal requests for some of the doses and is “working to define the best way forward to guarantee an equitable vaccine distribution.” Twelve countries in the Americas region have signed up to receive the vaccines from PAHO’s Revolving Fund, with an additional seven countries talking toPAHO about ordering some. PAHO says it expects to receive the first batch of doses from Bavarian Nordic in September, then a second batch in November and a third batch in December — making for 100,000 doses in all. PAHO did not disclose how much it is paying for the doses. The Americas – highest burden of monkeypox worldwide More than 30,000 new monkeypox cases have been reported in the Americas as of 6 September, saddling the region with the highest burden anywhere. Most of the cases are concentrated in the United States, Brazil, Peru, and Canada. The fraction of monkeypox cases that do not involve any recent contact with men who have sex with men (MSM) continues to rise in the US, suggesting a silent spread of the virus to other communities. Four monkeypox-related deaths have been reported in Brazil, Cuba, and Ecuador. Though PAHO was able to secure an agreement with Bavarian Nordic for monkeypox vaccines, PAHO’s Director Carissa Etienne noted these doses remain in limited supply, necessitating the use of other public health measures as well. Due to the shortage, WHO does not recommend mass vaccinations. “Vaccination, when available, can be deployed as a preventative measure,” said Etienne. “With vaccines in short supply, and with no effective treatment for monkeypox, countries should intensify efforts to prevent the spread of the virus in our region,” she said. “We need to guarantee equitable allocation, and this requires the prioritizing of vaccine distribution to maximize the health impact.” Monkeypox response must involve affected communities Ciro Ugarte, PAHO Director of Health Emergencies The limited vaccine supply highlights the need to involve affected communities in the public health response to monkeypox. Ciro Ugarte, PAHO’s director of health emergencies, said public health authorities “need to be in close contact with the individuals who have higher risk of transmission and involve them in the prevention and early diagnosis efforts, as well as care.”As vaccine shortages limit the potential to stem the outbreak, Ugarte emphasized, there can be no effective response without community involvement. “Risk communication is extremely important and effective,” he said. “The vaccine is a tool to help, but it will not be solving the final problem.” To achieve full community participation, Etienne said, all possible efforts must be made to reduce the harmful impact that stigma can have on people’s ability to get treatment. “LGBTQ+ communities face stigma and discrimination that impacts their health and well being, but stigma has no place in public health”, she said. “It prevents those at risk from accessing information, getting tested, or seeking medical attention when they show symptoms.” Etienne said the continent’s experience with HIV/AIDS should serve as a cautionary tale. “We must work to break down stigma and discrimination or most at-risk populations will not seek care,” she said. “The pandemic is not behind us” Marcos Espinal, Interim Assistant Director, PAHO Though the region’s renewed focus and cooperation on monkeypox response is a welcome development, PAHO officials said, significant work remains to be done to confront the COVID-19 threat. “COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have decreased across the Americas,” said Etienne. “Despite this trend, hundreds of people are still dying every day from COVID-19 across our region. Just last week, we had 4,954 reported deaths in the Americas.” Dr Marcos Espinal, director of PAHO’s department of communicable diseases and health analysis, said public health authorities must keep delivering COVID-19 vaccinations, too. “We have many countries in the region where less than 40% are covered,” said Espinal. “We have not left the pandemic behind.” China Maintains “zero-COVID” Policy in Chengdu Despite Fatal 6.8 Magnitude Earthquake 07/09/2022 Raisa Santos China’s Chengdu enforces strict lockdown despite earthquake Authorities in China’s southwestern city of Chengdu are sticking to the nation’s “zero-COVID” policy demanding a lockdown on the city’s 21 million inhabitants even in the face of a major earthquake that has killed at least 66 people in the region. Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan province, has been beset by a heatwave and drought this summer and last week was plunged into a lockdown after an increase in COVID cases. Some in Chengdu say they were ordered to stay inside while the 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck a mountainous area in Luding County, about 200 km (125 miles) from Chengdu, while those that ran outside say their movements were severely restricted due to the pandemic. Videos shared on Douyin, China’s TikTok platform, show panicked residents behind chained gates, shouting to be let out. In one, a man swears at a security guard, rattling what appears to be his apartment gates and trying to open it, then shouts: “Hurry up, open the door, it’s an earthquake!” In response, the guards say: “It’s over, the earthquake’s already over.” Another video claims to be an audio recording of a loudspeaker message: “Go back home and do not gather here, it’s just an earthquake. We [here in Sichuan] have a lot of experience [when it comes to earthquakes]. The 6.8-magnitude earthquake on Monday was the strongest Sichuan has seen since 2017. Provincial authorities said at least 66 people were dead, 253 people were injured and 15 others were missing as of Tuesday afternoon. Chengdu lockdown most severe since Shanghai Citizens in Chengdu, China, rush to gather necessities before city-wide lockdown. Chengdu’s lockdown is the most severe since China’s largest city of Shanghai was placed in isolation over the spring and summer. Starting last week, 1 September, residents were no longer allowed to leave their homes without special permission. Authorities also began citywide testing. Nationwide, China reported 1,499 new cases of local infection, most of them asymptomatic, on Tuesday. Sichuan province accounted for 138 of those cases. In all, 65 million people across China in 33 cities are grappling with partial or full lockdowns, according to Chinese media, from Chengdu to the southern economic powerhouse of Shenzhen to the oil-producing city of Daqing, near Russia. Chengdu, which reported 121 cases, is showing signs of tightening restrictions. At least one district in Chengdu has banned even the ordering of takeout meals and coffee, according to a notice posted on the internet. Business owners are preparing for the worst. Eli Sweet, an American who runs a chain of dance studios in Chengdu, told Bloomberg his business was already hit by power cuts across Sichuan province in recent weeks before the COVID lockdown. “We’re definitely teetering on the brink of dying,” he said of his chain of dance studios, “which is pretty sad considering we built this business from scratch to a pretty significant scale.” The atmosphere in Chengdu, he added, has become one of “fatigue, annoyance and general compliance.” Chinese president Xi Jinping’s “zero-COVID” strategy tested before October re-election China’s Xi Jinping in 18 May address before the World Health Assembly China has stuck to its “zero-COVID” policy of compulsory testing, lockdowns, quarantines and masking despite moves from the rest of the world to open up again since the virus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019. World Health Organization Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called this strategy unsustainable in the face of the more infectious but less lethal Omicron variant that emerged in May. For China’s President Xi Jinping, his nation’s strategy may seem like evidence that the Communist Party’s system of governance has distinct advantages over Western democracy. But for George Magnus, a research associate at Oxford University, the situation may be masking a hard truth: China still isn’t in a position to handle a COVID-19 outbreak. “Its hospital system is not up to it, mRNA vaccines are not yet widely available, and the elderly vaccination rate is still low,” Magnus told Bloomberg. “This is a problem for the 2020s and for Xi, whose opponents in the party, sensing all this, and also Xi’s risky foreign policies, may not be as docile in the future as now,” he said. With the Communist Party’s twice-a-decade leadership summit coming up in October, in which Jinping is expected to be re-elected as China’s top leader for another five years, the evolving situation in Chengdu, alongside the outbreaks in other cities, may in fact undermine Jinping’s proclamation that the “zero-COVID” strategy is a winning one. “The more cities get locked down, the more Chinese will turn against COVID-zero,” said Frank Tsai, founder of consulting firm China Crossroads. “The party knows that there is a tipping point,” he said, “and it would be smart to get ahead of this tipping point and declare victory before it comes.” Image Credits: Global News/Twitter , Manya Koetse/Twitter. WHO Warns Against ‘Complacency’ over COVID-19 and Monkeypox 07/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Maria van Kerkhove Although COVID-19 and monkeypox cases are declining globally, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned against complacency on Wednesday. Although COVID-19 cases were down by 80% since February, “last week, one person died with COVID-19 every 44 seconds and most of those those those deaths are avoidable,” said Tedros. “There is no guarantee these trends will persist. The most dangerous thing is to assume they will,” he added. “You might be tired of hearing me say the pandemic is not over. But I will keep saying it until it is. This virus will not just fade away.” On monkeypox, Tedros said that there was a downward trend in Europe and although cases in the Americas also appeared to decline, it was “harder to draw firm conclusions about the epidemic in that region”. “Some countries in the Americas continue to report increasing number of cases and in some, there is likely to be under-reporting due to stigma and discrimination or a lack of information for those who need it most. “But as I said earlier, a downward trend can be the most dangerous time if it opens the door to complacency,” stressed Tedros. “WHO continues to recommend that all countries persist with a tailored combination of public health measures: Testing, research and targeted vaccination where vaccines are available.” He added that community engagement is vital, and that the WHO had consulted with community leaders from all over the world to listen to their views and concerns and to “emphasise the informed importance of responding to monkeypox using existing services and infrastructure, including those for HIV and sexual health”. Tedros also stressed the importance of the global negotiations on an appropriate global instrument to address future pandemics, adding that more public hearings on this would be held by the WHO’s intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) later this month. COVID vaccine schedule? Meanwhile, WHO Executive Director of Health Emergencies, Dr Mike Ryan said that he hoped that it would be possible for the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) to develop a vaccination schedule for COVID-19. “Many countries now are offering people third and fourth doses of vaccine and we will have to come to a point where there’s some kind of schedule created that’s beyond the idea of a primary schedule,” said Ryan. ‘Obviously, it’s tough for countries to deal with ad hoc policy where you’re adding an extra booster on for certain people after so many months, and it’s very easy to become incoherent,” he added. “I think governments are making the best decisions they can, based on the data that they have, but ultimately we need to settle down into some acceptable pattern of vaccination boosting.” However, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, Maria van Kerkhove, said that while many people were hoping that SARS CoV2 would “fall into some kind of a seasonal pattern like we see with influenza, right now we don’t have that predictability”. “The reason for that is because we’re seeing this virus continue to evolve quite rapidly.” Ethiopian Ambassador Slams WHO Director General Tedros over Tigray Conflict 06/09/2022 Editorial team Hirut Zemene Kassa, Ethiopian ambassador to the European Union The Ethiopian ambassador to the European Union has spoken sharply against World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, calling his criticisms against the Ethiopian government and its role in the Tigray conflict in northern Ethiopia “unprofessional” and that he was using his position “degrading” and “abusing”. “The way he’s handling the matter is completely unprofessional to me,” Hirut Zemene said in an interview in Brussels on Wednesday afternoon. “He is a United Nations figure … The role he is playing right now … is very, very much degrading his position. I would think he would think about global health — like he says ‘global health for all’ — around the world, around Ethiopia, not only in one particular area.” Tedros, an ethnic Tigrayan, has publicly denounced the Ethiopian government in the past for its blockade in the Tigray region, calling it a “complete blockade” on health and humanitarian aid. Zemene once worked under Tedros when the latter was foreign minister of Ethiopia under the previous government, and she helped celebrate Tedros’ election as WHO Director General in May 2017. On Wednesday, however, she said he has been “abusing his position” at the WHO by commenting “about only one area” in northern Ethiopia — “a very shameful thing to do.” “Financially, the government has supported him, invested resources in him, to be a representation of the world in the WHO, coming from Ethiopia,” Zemene said. Read more on Devex Image Credits: UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré. Unitaid Invests in New TB Tests, as South Africa Study Reports Importance of Better Screening 06/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Many children with tuberculosis don’t receive the necessary treatment because of challenges with diagnosis. Two-fifths of people with tuberculosis are unaware that they are infected because their diagnosis relies on outdated tests – something Unitaid and partners aim to change with a $30 million investment in new diagnostic technologies to enable same-day results. Announcing the investment on Tuesday, the global health agency explained that the current diagnosis in low and middle-income countries relies on sputum tests that have low sensitivity, especially in the presence of HIV coinfection, require patients to make multiple visits to health centres and are “largely ineffective in diagnosing children or people in advanced stages of disease who have difficulty producing sputum”. New US$30 million investment will improve access to same-day test results to enable more people to quickly access appropriate treatment. Find out more: https://t.co/QYvznt0aDl pic.twitter.com/OEJ1Djy1Rw — Unitaid (@UNITAID) September 6, 2022 The announcement comes shortly after the publication in this month’s International Journal of Infectious Diseases of a massive 29-year study of TB in South Africa, which found that incidence and mortality were substantially reduced by the introduction of antiretroviral HIV therapy and increased screening. South Africa has one of the highest TB rates in the world and the researchers, from the Universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, found that 8.8 million people had developed TB, and 2.1 million died during the study period from 1990 to 2019. HIV, which weakens a person’s immunity, was responsible for 4.8 million of the cases and 1.4 million deaths. Testing doubled The study also estimated the impact on TB incidence of various treatment interventions, finding that antiretroviral therapy (ART) and increased TB screening, were the most effective. “Between 2005 and 2012, South Africa scaled-up efforts to identify TB cases and testing rates doubled. As a result, there were rapid reductions in TB incidence owing to increased TB screening during this period. In 2019, increased screening led to a 28% reduction in TB incidence,” according to lead author, Mmamapudi Kubjane, a researcher in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town. The study also found that the provision of ART led to a 20% reduction in TB incidence by 2019. “The benefits of ART in reducing incidence depend on CD4 count and duration of ART. HIV-positive individuals who initiate ART earlier at higher CD4 counts and stay on ART for longer experience the greatest benefits of ART,” said Kubjane. The impact of the other treatment interventions – directly observed therapy (DOTS), isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT), and Xpert MTB/RIF – were “modest” single-figure percentages. Xpert MTB/RIF is a highly sensitive test that can simultaneously detect TB and resistance to the TB drug rifampin (RIF) in less than two hours. When South Africa introduced this new Xpert MTB/RIF test in 2011 to replace sputum testing, it was expected to bring substantial health benefits – yet clinical trials have found little or no impact on TB mortality, according to recent analyses. “To understand these dynamics better, modelling studies with detailed diagnostic algorithms that account for empirical treatment are required,” the study recommends. Combination approaches to diagnosis This is something that Untaid and its partners could tackle. Unitaid has partnered with FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), to evaluate alternative TB sampling approaches, and develop and evaluate combination approaches to diagnosis. More than 10 million people each year fall ill with tuberculosis (TB), and an estimated four million people with TB – two out of every five – go undiagnosed, according to Unitaid. “Efforts to reduce the TB burden are greatly hampered by the large number of people who never receive a diagnosis and therefore do not access treatment,” it adds. “For those who do receive a positive diagnosis, the process can be lengthy and sometimes means patients do not start on the correct treatment from the outset, which can lead to drug resistance.” Image Credits: University of Cape Town Lung Institute. Argentina Now Requires Big Food to Add Warning Labels to Ultra-Processed Foods 06/09/2022 Raisa Santos Big food companies in Argentina now need to add warning labels to their ultra-processed products. Consumers in Argentina are getting help to identify unhealthy food, thanks to new food promotion laws that mandate front-of-package warning labels, the first phase of which started recently. Last year, Argentina’s president signed one of the world’s strongest and most comprehensive food policy laws, requiring ultra-processed products with excess levels of sodium, sugar, fats and calories to include black octagonal warnings on the front of the package. Big food companies were given until 20 August to add the warnings, while small and medium food and beverage companies have until 20 February 2023 to do so. Companies that produce products that are high in sugar, calories, sodium and fat are prohibited from advertising these to children or selling them at schools. Argentinian civil society groups applauded the start of the new law, emphasizing it was a step in the right direction after years of advocacy. “This moment is the time when people in Argentina will start to have the chance to know what they are eating,” said Luciana Castronuovo of Fundacion InterAmerica del Corazon (FIC) Argentina, speaking to the Global Health Advocacy Incubator. The law is comprehensive as it also includes the regulation of food marketing and school environments, guaranteeing the rights to health and healthy food of children and youth, Victoria Tiscornia, nutritionist and researcher at FIC Argentina, told Health Policy Watch. “This comprehensive law is evidence-based and includes the best public health standards to tackle the double burden of malnutrition in Argentina.” ‘Major step’ to ensuring the right to healthy food Argentina’s accomplishment comes at a time when advocates are pushing for healthy food policies across Latin America in response to high rates of diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity and heart disease and an increase in the availability of ultra-processed food and drinks. For the past five years, civil society organizations in Argentina fought for a package of policies that include front-of-package warning labels (FOPL), marketing restrictions and the removal of unhealthy food and drinks from schools. “This law is a major step towards guaranteeing both the population’s right to healthy food and the right to information.,” said Tiscornia. “It seeks to provide clear and truthful information to consumers about the products they buy so that they can make informed decisions and choose the healthiest consumption options.” The new law in Argentina is based on the experiences of other countries in the region, such as Chile, Mexico, and Peru, which have also implemented FOPL in their packaging. Chile was the first country to implement front-of-package labelling in 2016. Research has shown favourable significant positive changes in food choices as a result of labelling. Some 68% of people changed their eating habits and 20% of industries reformulated their products to comply with the established profile and thus avoid warning seals on the packaging. In addition, the purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages showed a significant decrease of almost 24% since the implementation of labelling. Other parts of the world have also been working towards changing food policy with highly processed foods. Nigeria recently introduced a new tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in June in an effort to curb the growing rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related non-communicable diseases in the country. Challenges in implementation and communication in months to come Supermarket in Argentina with processed sugary food products. However, the new law in Argentina includes an article that allows companies to request a time extension for including the front of package warning labels (FOPL), Tiscornia added. FIC Argentina and other civil society organizations have been monitoring this process and conducting information requests but no official response explaining the number and reason for extensions has been yet provided. “This situation, although legal, affects the transparency of the policy process and the proper implementation of the law.” she said FIC Argentina and other civil society groups will be facing many challenges in the coming months in regards to the new law, such as implementation and communication to the public, said Maga Ailén Merlo Vijarra from Argentinian human rights nonprofit FUNDEPS. “In the coming months we will be working on disseminating key information about the law and the need for this public health strategy and we will also focus on the human right to healthy food.” Products that were manufactured and packaged before the law came into force are not required to add labels. Additionally, rice, dry noodles and legumes, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables and milk, amongst other unprocessed or minimally processed foods are exempted from the labels. Table sugar and salt, vegetable oils, dried fruits and nuts, will also be exempted from labelling. Vijarra noted that the challenges with implementation include understanding which products have labels and which companies will have extensions approved. “In the coming months we expect to better protect Argentinean children and adolescents from abusive marketing strategies employed by the food industry, leading to a safer and healthier environment to develop and grow,” she concluded. Image Credits: Global Health Policy Incubator , Vera and Jean-Christophe/Flickr . Africa Pushes Gas as Transitional Energy Source, Insisting Climate Goals Cannot Hamper Economic Progress 05/09/2022 Paul Adepoju Solar panels in the Egyptian desert. The US government committed itself to supporting Nigeria’s transition away from fossil fuels during a meeting between US vice-president Kamala Harris and Nigeria’s vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, last Friday. However, despite global commitments to reduce fossil fuel reliance to address climate change, a number of African countries have recently committed to expanding their oil and coal production, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. African leaders have also asserted that achieving global climate goals cannot come at the price of economic development on the continent – and they intend to invest in gas as a transitional form of energy on the continent’s path to renewable energy. Nigeria launched its Energy Transition Plan on 24 August, mapping out how the country intends to achieve carbon emission neutrality by 2060, including by transitioning from petrol to gas – but the continent’s most populous nation needs over $400 billion to implement the plan and many western countries have moratoriums on financing hydrocarbon projects. It was truly a pleasure to meet with Vice-President Kamala Harris to discuss Nigeria's #EnergyTransition Plan and other interests between our Governments. pic.twitter.com/8qJnhTOQRf — Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) September 2, 2022 During last week’s meeting, Harris welcomed Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan and applauded Osinbajo’s leadership for just energy transitions in Africa and “the two leaders committed to working closely to support Nigeria’s energy access and energy security goals, as well as our shared global climate goals”, according to a White House statement. Continued investment in oil But some African countries’ actions are not in line with the globally set climate goals. The Democratic Republic of Congo is planning to issue 30 new licenses for oil rigs that could threaten some parts of the country’s rainforest. “We had concerns about the announcement of the auction of these oil and gas exploration blocks, some of the blocks infringe on sensitive rainforest and peatland areas, including in the Virunga National Park and Salonga National Park,” said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during a recent visit to the DRC. Meanwhile in Kenya, in early August President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the Kipevu terminal, a large new oil storage facility at the Mombasa port intended to store large volumes of oil for the country’s development. In August 2021, the government of Ghana revealed plans to invest $1.65 billion to accelerate oil and gas exploration via the acquisition and development of oil and gas assets. Following an EU ban on coal importation from Russia, South Africa’s coal sales to Europe rose eight-fold during the first half of 2022 compared with last year. ‘Moral and economic madness’ After the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report reported that the expansion of coal, oil and gas production is a great risk to global climate goals, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, described the expansion as “moral and economic madness”. But many African governments are getting behind the gas transition, arguing that moving immediately to renewable energy will hamper the continent’s economy and development. In May, 10 countries – the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe – adopted a seven-point communique urging the international community to support gas “as a transition fuel and the long-term displacement of gas by renewable energy and green hydrogen for industrial development, if financially and technically sustainable”. In Senegal, $5 billion is projected to be spent on the second phase of the country’s liquefied natural gas project. President Macky Sall is a firm critic of what he described as the hypocrisy of western governments that guzzle gas at home but have declared a virtual moratorium on financing hydrocarbon projects abroad. “You cannot tell us that renewables alone can develop a continent — it has never been the case anywhere else and it cannot be the case in Africa,” Sall said. Egypt to host COP27 In November, Egypt’s “green city” of Sharm El Sheikh will host the 27th United Nations climate change conference, COP27, and this will offer an opportunity to show what the continent is doing to align with global climate goals including net zero carbon emissions by 2060 and mainstreaming renewable energies. Egypt has described the provision, mobilization and delivery of climate finance for developing countries as an urgent priority — particularly in light of current financial crises, debt challenges and increasing interest rates. “It is imperative to make appropriate financial flows that are based on needs identified through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other vehicles, with a focus on concessional finance instruments, and grants as appropriate, while providing a clear revision of the definition of bankable projects that takes into consideration climate benefits and not only risks, and achieving cross-cutting impacts,” Egypt said on its website for COP27. At COP26, a major talking point among African delegates and climate activists was the need for richer countries, who are also the world’s majornpolluters, to provide sufficient funds for developing countries to fight the crisis. During COP26, South Africa, the European Union, France, Germany, the UK and the US launched an ambitious long-term Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to support the South Africa’s decarbonisation efforts in order to move its economy towards more reliance on renewable energy resources. The JETP aims to mobilise $8.5 billion for South Africa, and Nigeria hopes to achieve similar support for its energy transition plan. 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.
Pan-American Region Secures First Monkeypox Vaccines Deal 08/09/2022 Raisa Santos & Stefan Anderson Carissa Etienne, PAHO Director In an effort to prevent the spread of monkeypox, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) signed an agreement with Bavarian Nordic to obtain 100,000 vaccine doses for Latin America and the Caribbean. That will allow PAHO to start delivering the doses to the 12 countries that requested them in September. The agreement will make the Americas the first and only region to receive monkeypox vaccines through a multilateral effort. PAHO used its Revolving Fund, which provides access to vaccines at affordable prices, to secure its first agreement with the Danish vaccine company. Attempts to secure vaccines in other regions, such as Africa, where monkeypox is endemic, have been stymied, with little discussion from the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO is in talks, however, with some vaccine manufacturers and nations to obtain some of their large vaccine reserves and distribute those monkeypox doses more widely and equitably. A WHO spokesperson told Health Policy Watch it has been “in close contact” with those manufacturers and nations “since the beginning of the outbreak.” “WHO continues to urge countries with larger stockpiles to share and donate vaccines,” the spokesperson said, “[and] is concerned that the inequitable access to vaccines and treatments seen during the COVID-19 response is repeating itself in this monkeypox multi-country outbreak.” The spokesperson also noted that PAHO is still consolidating nations’ formal requests for some of the doses and is “working to define the best way forward to guarantee an equitable vaccine distribution.” Twelve countries in the Americas region have signed up to receive the vaccines from PAHO’s Revolving Fund, with an additional seven countries talking toPAHO about ordering some. PAHO says it expects to receive the first batch of doses from Bavarian Nordic in September, then a second batch in November and a third batch in December — making for 100,000 doses in all. PAHO did not disclose how much it is paying for the doses. The Americas – highest burden of monkeypox worldwide More than 30,000 new monkeypox cases have been reported in the Americas as of 6 September, saddling the region with the highest burden anywhere. Most of the cases are concentrated in the United States, Brazil, Peru, and Canada. The fraction of monkeypox cases that do not involve any recent contact with men who have sex with men (MSM) continues to rise in the US, suggesting a silent spread of the virus to other communities. Four monkeypox-related deaths have been reported in Brazil, Cuba, and Ecuador. Though PAHO was able to secure an agreement with Bavarian Nordic for monkeypox vaccines, PAHO’s Director Carissa Etienne noted these doses remain in limited supply, necessitating the use of other public health measures as well. Due to the shortage, WHO does not recommend mass vaccinations. “Vaccination, when available, can be deployed as a preventative measure,” said Etienne. “With vaccines in short supply, and with no effective treatment for monkeypox, countries should intensify efforts to prevent the spread of the virus in our region,” she said. “We need to guarantee equitable allocation, and this requires the prioritizing of vaccine distribution to maximize the health impact.” Monkeypox response must involve affected communities Ciro Ugarte, PAHO Director of Health Emergencies The limited vaccine supply highlights the need to involve affected communities in the public health response to monkeypox. Ciro Ugarte, PAHO’s director of health emergencies, said public health authorities “need to be in close contact with the individuals who have higher risk of transmission and involve them in the prevention and early diagnosis efforts, as well as care.”As vaccine shortages limit the potential to stem the outbreak, Ugarte emphasized, there can be no effective response without community involvement. “Risk communication is extremely important and effective,” he said. “The vaccine is a tool to help, but it will not be solving the final problem.” To achieve full community participation, Etienne said, all possible efforts must be made to reduce the harmful impact that stigma can have on people’s ability to get treatment. “LGBTQ+ communities face stigma and discrimination that impacts their health and well being, but stigma has no place in public health”, she said. “It prevents those at risk from accessing information, getting tested, or seeking medical attention when they show symptoms.” Etienne said the continent’s experience with HIV/AIDS should serve as a cautionary tale. “We must work to break down stigma and discrimination or most at-risk populations will not seek care,” she said. “The pandemic is not behind us” Marcos Espinal, Interim Assistant Director, PAHO Though the region’s renewed focus and cooperation on monkeypox response is a welcome development, PAHO officials said, significant work remains to be done to confront the COVID-19 threat. “COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have decreased across the Americas,” said Etienne. “Despite this trend, hundreds of people are still dying every day from COVID-19 across our region. Just last week, we had 4,954 reported deaths in the Americas.” Dr Marcos Espinal, director of PAHO’s department of communicable diseases and health analysis, said public health authorities must keep delivering COVID-19 vaccinations, too. “We have many countries in the region where less than 40% are covered,” said Espinal. “We have not left the pandemic behind.” China Maintains “zero-COVID” Policy in Chengdu Despite Fatal 6.8 Magnitude Earthquake 07/09/2022 Raisa Santos China’s Chengdu enforces strict lockdown despite earthquake Authorities in China’s southwestern city of Chengdu are sticking to the nation’s “zero-COVID” policy demanding a lockdown on the city’s 21 million inhabitants even in the face of a major earthquake that has killed at least 66 people in the region. Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan province, has been beset by a heatwave and drought this summer and last week was plunged into a lockdown after an increase in COVID cases. Some in Chengdu say they were ordered to stay inside while the 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck a mountainous area in Luding County, about 200 km (125 miles) from Chengdu, while those that ran outside say their movements were severely restricted due to the pandemic. Videos shared on Douyin, China’s TikTok platform, show panicked residents behind chained gates, shouting to be let out. In one, a man swears at a security guard, rattling what appears to be his apartment gates and trying to open it, then shouts: “Hurry up, open the door, it’s an earthquake!” In response, the guards say: “It’s over, the earthquake’s already over.” Another video claims to be an audio recording of a loudspeaker message: “Go back home and do not gather here, it’s just an earthquake. We [here in Sichuan] have a lot of experience [when it comes to earthquakes]. The 6.8-magnitude earthquake on Monday was the strongest Sichuan has seen since 2017. Provincial authorities said at least 66 people were dead, 253 people were injured and 15 others were missing as of Tuesday afternoon. Chengdu lockdown most severe since Shanghai Citizens in Chengdu, China, rush to gather necessities before city-wide lockdown. Chengdu’s lockdown is the most severe since China’s largest city of Shanghai was placed in isolation over the spring and summer. Starting last week, 1 September, residents were no longer allowed to leave their homes without special permission. Authorities also began citywide testing. Nationwide, China reported 1,499 new cases of local infection, most of them asymptomatic, on Tuesday. Sichuan province accounted for 138 of those cases. In all, 65 million people across China in 33 cities are grappling with partial or full lockdowns, according to Chinese media, from Chengdu to the southern economic powerhouse of Shenzhen to the oil-producing city of Daqing, near Russia. Chengdu, which reported 121 cases, is showing signs of tightening restrictions. At least one district in Chengdu has banned even the ordering of takeout meals and coffee, according to a notice posted on the internet. Business owners are preparing for the worst. Eli Sweet, an American who runs a chain of dance studios in Chengdu, told Bloomberg his business was already hit by power cuts across Sichuan province in recent weeks before the COVID lockdown. “We’re definitely teetering on the brink of dying,” he said of his chain of dance studios, “which is pretty sad considering we built this business from scratch to a pretty significant scale.” The atmosphere in Chengdu, he added, has become one of “fatigue, annoyance and general compliance.” Chinese president Xi Jinping’s “zero-COVID” strategy tested before October re-election China’s Xi Jinping in 18 May address before the World Health Assembly China has stuck to its “zero-COVID” policy of compulsory testing, lockdowns, quarantines and masking despite moves from the rest of the world to open up again since the virus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019. World Health Organization Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called this strategy unsustainable in the face of the more infectious but less lethal Omicron variant that emerged in May. For China’s President Xi Jinping, his nation’s strategy may seem like evidence that the Communist Party’s system of governance has distinct advantages over Western democracy. But for George Magnus, a research associate at Oxford University, the situation may be masking a hard truth: China still isn’t in a position to handle a COVID-19 outbreak. “Its hospital system is not up to it, mRNA vaccines are not yet widely available, and the elderly vaccination rate is still low,” Magnus told Bloomberg. “This is a problem for the 2020s and for Xi, whose opponents in the party, sensing all this, and also Xi’s risky foreign policies, may not be as docile in the future as now,” he said. With the Communist Party’s twice-a-decade leadership summit coming up in October, in which Jinping is expected to be re-elected as China’s top leader for another five years, the evolving situation in Chengdu, alongside the outbreaks in other cities, may in fact undermine Jinping’s proclamation that the “zero-COVID” strategy is a winning one. “The more cities get locked down, the more Chinese will turn against COVID-zero,” said Frank Tsai, founder of consulting firm China Crossroads. “The party knows that there is a tipping point,” he said, “and it would be smart to get ahead of this tipping point and declare victory before it comes.” Image Credits: Global News/Twitter , Manya Koetse/Twitter. WHO Warns Against ‘Complacency’ over COVID-19 and Monkeypox 07/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Maria van Kerkhove Although COVID-19 and monkeypox cases are declining globally, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned against complacency on Wednesday. Although COVID-19 cases were down by 80% since February, “last week, one person died with COVID-19 every 44 seconds and most of those those those deaths are avoidable,” said Tedros. “There is no guarantee these trends will persist. The most dangerous thing is to assume they will,” he added. “You might be tired of hearing me say the pandemic is not over. But I will keep saying it until it is. This virus will not just fade away.” On monkeypox, Tedros said that there was a downward trend in Europe and although cases in the Americas also appeared to decline, it was “harder to draw firm conclusions about the epidemic in that region”. “Some countries in the Americas continue to report increasing number of cases and in some, there is likely to be under-reporting due to stigma and discrimination or a lack of information for those who need it most. “But as I said earlier, a downward trend can be the most dangerous time if it opens the door to complacency,” stressed Tedros. “WHO continues to recommend that all countries persist with a tailored combination of public health measures: Testing, research and targeted vaccination where vaccines are available.” He added that community engagement is vital, and that the WHO had consulted with community leaders from all over the world to listen to their views and concerns and to “emphasise the informed importance of responding to monkeypox using existing services and infrastructure, including those for HIV and sexual health”. Tedros also stressed the importance of the global negotiations on an appropriate global instrument to address future pandemics, adding that more public hearings on this would be held by the WHO’s intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) later this month. COVID vaccine schedule? Meanwhile, WHO Executive Director of Health Emergencies, Dr Mike Ryan said that he hoped that it would be possible for the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) to develop a vaccination schedule for COVID-19. “Many countries now are offering people third and fourth doses of vaccine and we will have to come to a point where there’s some kind of schedule created that’s beyond the idea of a primary schedule,” said Ryan. ‘Obviously, it’s tough for countries to deal with ad hoc policy where you’re adding an extra booster on for certain people after so many months, and it’s very easy to become incoherent,” he added. “I think governments are making the best decisions they can, based on the data that they have, but ultimately we need to settle down into some acceptable pattern of vaccination boosting.” However, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, Maria van Kerkhove, said that while many people were hoping that SARS CoV2 would “fall into some kind of a seasonal pattern like we see with influenza, right now we don’t have that predictability”. “The reason for that is because we’re seeing this virus continue to evolve quite rapidly.” Ethiopian Ambassador Slams WHO Director General Tedros over Tigray Conflict 06/09/2022 Editorial team Hirut Zemene Kassa, Ethiopian ambassador to the European Union The Ethiopian ambassador to the European Union has spoken sharply against World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, calling his criticisms against the Ethiopian government and its role in the Tigray conflict in northern Ethiopia “unprofessional” and that he was using his position “degrading” and “abusing”. “The way he’s handling the matter is completely unprofessional to me,” Hirut Zemene said in an interview in Brussels on Wednesday afternoon. “He is a United Nations figure … The role he is playing right now … is very, very much degrading his position. I would think he would think about global health — like he says ‘global health for all’ — around the world, around Ethiopia, not only in one particular area.” Tedros, an ethnic Tigrayan, has publicly denounced the Ethiopian government in the past for its blockade in the Tigray region, calling it a “complete blockade” on health and humanitarian aid. Zemene once worked under Tedros when the latter was foreign minister of Ethiopia under the previous government, and she helped celebrate Tedros’ election as WHO Director General in May 2017. On Wednesday, however, she said he has been “abusing his position” at the WHO by commenting “about only one area” in northern Ethiopia — “a very shameful thing to do.” “Financially, the government has supported him, invested resources in him, to be a representation of the world in the WHO, coming from Ethiopia,” Zemene said. Read more on Devex Image Credits: UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré. Unitaid Invests in New TB Tests, as South Africa Study Reports Importance of Better Screening 06/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Many children with tuberculosis don’t receive the necessary treatment because of challenges with diagnosis. Two-fifths of people with tuberculosis are unaware that they are infected because their diagnosis relies on outdated tests – something Unitaid and partners aim to change with a $30 million investment in new diagnostic technologies to enable same-day results. Announcing the investment on Tuesday, the global health agency explained that the current diagnosis in low and middle-income countries relies on sputum tests that have low sensitivity, especially in the presence of HIV coinfection, require patients to make multiple visits to health centres and are “largely ineffective in diagnosing children or people in advanced stages of disease who have difficulty producing sputum”. New US$30 million investment will improve access to same-day test results to enable more people to quickly access appropriate treatment. Find out more: https://t.co/QYvznt0aDl pic.twitter.com/OEJ1Djy1Rw — Unitaid (@UNITAID) September 6, 2022 The announcement comes shortly after the publication in this month’s International Journal of Infectious Diseases of a massive 29-year study of TB in South Africa, which found that incidence and mortality were substantially reduced by the introduction of antiretroviral HIV therapy and increased screening. South Africa has one of the highest TB rates in the world and the researchers, from the Universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, found that 8.8 million people had developed TB, and 2.1 million died during the study period from 1990 to 2019. HIV, which weakens a person’s immunity, was responsible for 4.8 million of the cases and 1.4 million deaths. Testing doubled The study also estimated the impact on TB incidence of various treatment interventions, finding that antiretroviral therapy (ART) and increased TB screening, were the most effective. “Between 2005 and 2012, South Africa scaled-up efforts to identify TB cases and testing rates doubled. As a result, there were rapid reductions in TB incidence owing to increased TB screening during this period. In 2019, increased screening led to a 28% reduction in TB incidence,” according to lead author, Mmamapudi Kubjane, a researcher in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town. The study also found that the provision of ART led to a 20% reduction in TB incidence by 2019. “The benefits of ART in reducing incidence depend on CD4 count and duration of ART. HIV-positive individuals who initiate ART earlier at higher CD4 counts and stay on ART for longer experience the greatest benefits of ART,” said Kubjane. The impact of the other treatment interventions – directly observed therapy (DOTS), isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT), and Xpert MTB/RIF – were “modest” single-figure percentages. Xpert MTB/RIF is a highly sensitive test that can simultaneously detect TB and resistance to the TB drug rifampin (RIF) in less than two hours. When South Africa introduced this new Xpert MTB/RIF test in 2011 to replace sputum testing, it was expected to bring substantial health benefits – yet clinical trials have found little or no impact on TB mortality, according to recent analyses. “To understand these dynamics better, modelling studies with detailed diagnostic algorithms that account for empirical treatment are required,” the study recommends. Combination approaches to diagnosis This is something that Untaid and its partners could tackle. Unitaid has partnered with FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), to evaluate alternative TB sampling approaches, and develop and evaluate combination approaches to diagnosis. More than 10 million people each year fall ill with tuberculosis (TB), and an estimated four million people with TB – two out of every five – go undiagnosed, according to Unitaid. “Efforts to reduce the TB burden are greatly hampered by the large number of people who never receive a diagnosis and therefore do not access treatment,” it adds. “For those who do receive a positive diagnosis, the process can be lengthy and sometimes means patients do not start on the correct treatment from the outset, which can lead to drug resistance.” Image Credits: University of Cape Town Lung Institute. Argentina Now Requires Big Food to Add Warning Labels to Ultra-Processed Foods 06/09/2022 Raisa Santos Big food companies in Argentina now need to add warning labels to their ultra-processed products. Consumers in Argentina are getting help to identify unhealthy food, thanks to new food promotion laws that mandate front-of-package warning labels, the first phase of which started recently. Last year, Argentina’s president signed one of the world’s strongest and most comprehensive food policy laws, requiring ultra-processed products with excess levels of sodium, sugar, fats and calories to include black octagonal warnings on the front of the package. Big food companies were given until 20 August to add the warnings, while small and medium food and beverage companies have until 20 February 2023 to do so. Companies that produce products that are high in sugar, calories, sodium and fat are prohibited from advertising these to children or selling them at schools. Argentinian civil society groups applauded the start of the new law, emphasizing it was a step in the right direction after years of advocacy. “This moment is the time when people in Argentina will start to have the chance to know what they are eating,” said Luciana Castronuovo of Fundacion InterAmerica del Corazon (FIC) Argentina, speaking to the Global Health Advocacy Incubator. The law is comprehensive as it also includes the regulation of food marketing and school environments, guaranteeing the rights to health and healthy food of children and youth, Victoria Tiscornia, nutritionist and researcher at FIC Argentina, told Health Policy Watch. “This comprehensive law is evidence-based and includes the best public health standards to tackle the double burden of malnutrition in Argentina.” ‘Major step’ to ensuring the right to healthy food Argentina’s accomplishment comes at a time when advocates are pushing for healthy food policies across Latin America in response to high rates of diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity and heart disease and an increase in the availability of ultra-processed food and drinks. For the past five years, civil society organizations in Argentina fought for a package of policies that include front-of-package warning labels (FOPL), marketing restrictions and the removal of unhealthy food and drinks from schools. “This law is a major step towards guaranteeing both the population’s right to healthy food and the right to information.,” said Tiscornia. “It seeks to provide clear and truthful information to consumers about the products they buy so that they can make informed decisions and choose the healthiest consumption options.” The new law in Argentina is based on the experiences of other countries in the region, such as Chile, Mexico, and Peru, which have also implemented FOPL in their packaging. Chile was the first country to implement front-of-package labelling in 2016. Research has shown favourable significant positive changes in food choices as a result of labelling. Some 68% of people changed their eating habits and 20% of industries reformulated their products to comply with the established profile and thus avoid warning seals on the packaging. In addition, the purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages showed a significant decrease of almost 24% since the implementation of labelling. Other parts of the world have also been working towards changing food policy with highly processed foods. Nigeria recently introduced a new tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in June in an effort to curb the growing rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related non-communicable diseases in the country. Challenges in implementation and communication in months to come Supermarket in Argentina with processed sugary food products. However, the new law in Argentina includes an article that allows companies to request a time extension for including the front of package warning labels (FOPL), Tiscornia added. FIC Argentina and other civil society organizations have been monitoring this process and conducting information requests but no official response explaining the number and reason for extensions has been yet provided. “This situation, although legal, affects the transparency of the policy process and the proper implementation of the law.” she said FIC Argentina and other civil society groups will be facing many challenges in the coming months in regards to the new law, such as implementation and communication to the public, said Maga Ailén Merlo Vijarra from Argentinian human rights nonprofit FUNDEPS. “In the coming months we will be working on disseminating key information about the law and the need for this public health strategy and we will also focus on the human right to healthy food.” Products that were manufactured and packaged before the law came into force are not required to add labels. Additionally, rice, dry noodles and legumes, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables and milk, amongst other unprocessed or minimally processed foods are exempted from the labels. Table sugar and salt, vegetable oils, dried fruits and nuts, will also be exempted from labelling. Vijarra noted that the challenges with implementation include understanding which products have labels and which companies will have extensions approved. “In the coming months we expect to better protect Argentinean children and adolescents from abusive marketing strategies employed by the food industry, leading to a safer and healthier environment to develop and grow,” she concluded. Image Credits: Global Health Policy Incubator , Vera and Jean-Christophe/Flickr . Africa Pushes Gas as Transitional Energy Source, Insisting Climate Goals Cannot Hamper Economic Progress 05/09/2022 Paul Adepoju Solar panels in the Egyptian desert. The US government committed itself to supporting Nigeria’s transition away from fossil fuels during a meeting between US vice-president Kamala Harris and Nigeria’s vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, last Friday. However, despite global commitments to reduce fossil fuel reliance to address climate change, a number of African countries have recently committed to expanding their oil and coal production, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. African leaders have also asserted that achieving global climate goals cannot come at the price of economic development on the continent – and they intend to invest in gas as a transitional form of energy on the continent’s path to renewable energy. Nigeria launched its Energy Transition Plan on 24 August, mapping out how the country intends to achieve carbon emission neutrality by 2060, including by transitioning from petrol to gas – but the continent’s most populous nation needs over $400 billion to implement the plan and many western countries have moratoriums on financing hydrocarbon projects. It was truly a pleasure to meet with Vice-President Kamala Harris to discuss Nigeria's #EnergyTransition Plan and other interests between our Governments. pic.twitter.com/8qJnhTOQRf — Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) September 2, 2022 During last week’s meeting, Harris welcomed Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan and applauded Osinbajo’s leadership for just energy transitions in Africa and “the two leaders committed to working closely to support Nigeria’s energy access and energy security goals, as well as our shared global climate goals”, according to a White House statement. Continued investment in oil But some African countries’ actions are not in line with the globally set climate goals. The Democratic Republic of Congo is planning to issue 30 new licenses for oil rigs that could threaten some parts of the country’s rainforest. “We had concerns about the announcement of the auction of these oil and gas exploration blocks, some of the blocks infringe on sensitive rainforest and peatland areas, including in the Virunga National Park and Salonga National Park,” said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during a recent visit to the DRC. Meanwhile in Kenya, in early August President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the Kipevu terminal, a large new oil storage facility at the Mombasa port intended to store large volumes of oil for the country’s development. In August 2021, the government of Ghana revealed plans to invest $1.65 billion to accelerate oil and gas exploration via the acquisition and development of oil and gas assets. Following an EU ban on coal importation from Russia, South Africa’s coal sales to Europe rose eight-fold during the first half of 2022 compared with last year. ‘Moral and economic madness’ After the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report reported that the expansion of coal, oil and gas production is a great risk to global climate goals, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, described the expansion as “moral and economic madness”. But many African governments are getting behind the gas transition, arguing that moving immediately to renewable energy will hamper the continent’s economy and development. In May, 10 countries – the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe – adopted a seven-point communique urging the international community to support gas “as a transition fuel and the long-term displacement of gas by renewable energy and green hydrogen for industrial development, if financially and technically sustainable”. In Senegal, $5 billion is projected to be spent on the second phase of the country’s liquefied natural gas project. President Macky Sall is a firm critic of what he described as the hypocrisy of western governments that guzzle gas at home but have declared a virtual moratorium on financing hydrocarbon projects abroad. “You cannot tell us that renewables alone can develop a continent — it has never been the case anywhere else and it cannot be the case in Africa,” Sall said. Egypt to host COP27 In November, Egypt’s “green city” of Sharm El Sheikh will host the 27th United Nations climate change conference, COP27, and this will offer an opportunity to show what the continent is doing to align with global climate goals including net zero carbon emissions by 2060 and mainstreaming renewable energies. Egypt has described the provision, mobilization and delivery of climate finance for developing countries as an urgent priority — particularly in light of current financial crises, debt challenges and increasing interest rates. “It is imperative to make appropriate financial flows that are based on needs identified through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other vehicles, with a focus on concessional finance instruments, and grants as appropriate, while providing a clear revision of the definition of bankable projects that takes into consideration climate benefits and not only risks, and achieving cross-cutting impacts,” Egypt said on its website for COP27. At COP26, a major talking point among African delegates and climate activists was the need for richer countries, who are also the world’s majornpolluters, to provide sufficient funds for developing countries to fight the crisis. During COP26, South Africa, the European Union, France, Germany, the UK and the US launched an ambitious long-term Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to support the South Africa’s decarbonisation efforts in order to move its economy towards more reliance on renewable energy resources. The JETP aims to mobilise $8.5 billion for South Africa, and Nigeria hopes to achieve similar support for its energy transition plan. 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.
China Maintains “zero-COVID” Policy in Chengdu Despite Fatal 6.8 Magnitude Earthquake 07/09/2022 Raisa Santos China’s Chengdu enforces strict lockdown despite earthquake Authorities in China’s southwestern city of Chengdu are sticking to the nation’s “zero-COVID” policy demanding a lockdown on the city’s 21 million inhabitants even in the face of a major earthquake that has killed at least 66 people in the region. Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan province, has been beset by a heatwave and drought this summer and last week was plunged into a lockdown after an increase in COVID cases. Some in Chengdu say they were ordered to stay inside while the 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck a mountainous area in Luding County, about 200 km (125 miles) from Chengdu, while those that ran outside say their movements were severely restricted due to the pandemic. Videos shared on Douyin, China’s TikTok platform, show panicked residents behind chained gates, shouting to be let out. In one, a man swears at a security guard, rattling what appears to be his apartment gates and trying to open it, then shouts: “Hurry up, open the door, it’s an earthquake!” In response, the guards say: “It’s over, the earthquake’s already over.” Another video claims to be an audio recording of a loudspeaker message: “Go back home and do not gather here, it’s just an earthquake. We [here in Sichuan] have a lot of experience [when it comes to earthquakes]. The 6.8-magnitude earthquake on Monday was the strongest Sichuan has seen since 2017. Provincial authorities said at least 66 people were dead, 253 people were injured and 15 others were missing as of Tuesday afternoon. Chengdu lockdown most severe since Shanghai Citizens in Chengdu, China, rush to gather necessities before city-wide lockdown. Chengdu’s lockdown is the most severe since China’s largest city of Shanghai was placed in isolation over the spring and summer. Starting last week, 1 September, residents were no longer allowed to leave their homes without special permission. Authorities also began citywide testing. Nationwide, China reported 1,499 new cases of local infection, most of them asymptomatic, on Tuesday. Sichuan province accounted for 138 of those cases. In all, 65 million people across China in 33 cities are grappling with partial or full lockdowns, according to Chinese media, from Chengdu to the southern economic powerhouse of Shenzhen to the oil-producing city of Daqing, near Russia. Chengdu, which reported 121 cases, is showing signs of tightening restrictions. At least one district in Chengdu has banned even the ordering of takeout meals and coffee, according to a notice posted on the internet. Business owners are preparing for the worst. Eli Sweet, an American who runs a chain of dance studios in Chengdu, told Bloomberg his business was already hit by power cuts across Sichuan province in recent weeks before the COVID lockdown. “We’re definitely teetering on the brink of dying,” he said of his chain of dance studios, “which is pretty sad considering we built this business from scratch to a pretty significant scale.” The atmosphere in Chengdu, he added, has become one of “fatigue, annoyance and general compliance.” Chinese president Xi Jinping’s “zero-COVID” strategy tested before October re-election China’s Xi Jinping in 18 May address before the World Health Assembly China has stuck to its “zero-COVID” policy of compulsory testing, lockdowns, quarantines and masking despite moves from the rest of the world to open up again since the virus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019. World Health Organization Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called this strategy unsustainable in the face of the more infectious but less lethal Omicron variant that emerged in May. For China’s President Xi Jinping, his nation’s strategy may seem like evidence that the Communist Party’s system of governance has distinct advantages over Western democracy. But for George Magnus, a research associate at Oxford University, the situation may be masking a hard truth: China still isn’t in a position to handle a COVID-19 outbreak. “Its hospital system is not up to it, mRNA vaccines are not yet widely available, and the elderly vaccination rate is still low,” Magnus told Bloomberg. “This is a problem for the 2020s and for Xi, whose opponents in the party, sensing all this, and also Xi’s risky foreign policies, may not be as docile in the future as now,” he said. With the Communist Party’s twice-a-decade leadership summit coming up in October, in which Jinping is expected to be re-elected as China’s top leader for another five years, the evolving situation in Chengdu, alongside the outbreaks in other cities, may in fact undermine Jinping’s proclamation that the “zero-COVID” strategy is a winning one. “The more cities get locked down, the more Chinese will turn against COVID-zero,” said Frank Tsai, founder of consulting firm China Crossroads. “The party knows that there is a tipping point,” he said, “and it would be smart to get ahead of this tipping point and declare victory before it comes.” Image Credits: Global News/Twitter , Manya Koetse/Twitter. WHO Warns Against ‘Complacency’ over COVID-19 and Monkeypox 07/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Maria van Kerkhove Although COVID-19 and monkeypox cases are declining globally, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned against complacency on Wednesday. Although COVID-19 cases were down by 80% since February, “last week, one person died with COVID-19 every 44 seconds and most of those those those deaths are avoidable,” said Tedros. “There is no guarantee these trends will persist. The most dangerous thing is to assume they will,” he added. “You might be tired of hearing me say the pandemic is not over. But I will keep saying it until it is. This virus will not just fade away.” On monkeypox, Tedros said that there was a downward trend in Europe and although cases in the Americas also appeared to decline, it was “harder to draw firm conclusions about the epidemic in that region”. “Some countries in the Americas continue to report increasing number of cases and in some, there is likely to be under-reporting due to stigma and discrimination or a lack of information for those who need it most. “But as I said earlier, a downward trend can be the most dangerous time if it opens the door to complacency,” stressed Tedros. “WHO continues to recommend that all countries persist with a tailored combination of public health measures: Testing, research and targeted vaccination where vaccines are available.” He added that community engagement is vital, and that the WHO had consulted with community leaders from all over the world to listen to their views and concerns and to “emphasise the informed importance of responding to monkeypox using existing services and infrastructure, including those for HIV and sexual health”. Tedros also stressed the importance of the global negotiations on an appropriate global instrument to address future pandemics, adding that more public hearings on this would be held by the WHO’s intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) later this month. COVID vaccine schedule? Meanwhile, WHO Executive Director of Health Emergencies, Dr Mike Ryan said that he hoped that it would be possible for the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) to develop a vaccination schedule for COVID-19. “Many countries now are offering people third and fourth doses of vaccine and we will have to come to a point where there’s some kind of schedule created that’s beyond the idea of a primary schedule,” said Ryan. ‘Obviously, it’s tough for countries to deal with ad hoc policy where you’re adding an extra booster on for certain people after so many months, and it’s very easy to become incoherent,” he added. “I think governments are making the best decisions they can, based on the data that they have, but ultimately we need to settle down into some acceptable pattern of vaccination boosting.” However, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, Maria van Kerkhove, said that while many people were hoping that SARS CoV2 would “fall into some kind of a seasonal pattern like we see with influenza, right now we don’t have that predictability”. “The reason for that is because we’re seeing this virus continue to evolve quite rapidly.” Ethiopian Ambassador Slams WHO Director General Tedros over Tigray Conflict 06/09/2022 Editorial team Hirut Zemene Kassa, Ethiopian ambassador to the European Union The Ethiopian ambassador to the European Union has spoken sharply against World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, calling his criticisms against the Ethiopian government and its role in the Tigray conflict in northern Ethiopia “unprofessional” and that he was using his position “degrading” and “abusing”. “The way he’s handling the matter is completely unprofessional to me,” Hirut Zemene said in an interview in Brussels on Wednesday afternoon. “He is a United Nations figure … The role he is playing right now … is very, very much degrading his position. I would think he would think about global health — like he says ‘global health for all’ — around the world, around Ethiopia, not only in one particular area.” Tedros, an ethnic Tigrayan, has publicly denounced the Ethiopian government in the past for its blockade in the Tigray region, calling it a “complete blockade” on health and humanitarian aid. Zemene once worked under Tedros when the latter was foreign minister of Ethiopia under the previous government, and she helped celebrate Tedros’ election as WHO Director General in May 2017. On Wednesday, however, she said he has been “abusing his position” at the WHO by commenting “about only one area” in northern Ethiopia — “a very shameful thing to do.” “Financially, the government has supported him, invested resources in him, to be a representation of the world in the WHO, coming from Ethiopia,” Zemene said. Read more on Devex Image Credits: UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré. Unitaid Invests in New TB Tests, as South Africa Study Reports Importance of Better Screening 06/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Many children with tuberculosis don’t receive the necessary treatment because of challenges with diagnosis. Two-fifths of people with tuberculosis are unaware that they are infected because their diagnosis relies on outdated tests – something Unitaid and partners aim to change with a $30 million investment in new diagnostic technologies to enable same-day results. Announcing the investment on Tuesday, the global health agency explained that the current diagnosis in low and middle-income countries relies on sputum tests that have low sensitivity, especially in the presence of HIV coinfection, require patients to make multiple visits to health centres and are “largely ineffective in diagnosing children or people in advanced stages of disease who have difficulty producing sputum”. New US$30 million investment will improve access to same-day test results to enable more people to quickly access appropriate treatment. Find out more: https://t.co/QYvznt0aDl pic.twitter.com/OEJ1Djy1Rw — Unitaid (@UNITAID) September 6, 2022 The announcement comes shortly after the publication in this month’s International Journal of Infectious Diseases of a massive 29-year study of TB in South Africa, which found that incidence and mortality were substantially reduced by the introduction of antiretroviral HIV therapy and increased screening. South Africa has one of the highest TB rates in the world and the researchers, from the Universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, found that 8.8 million people had developed TB, and 2.1 million died during the study period from 1990 to 2019. HIV, which weakens a person’s immunity, was responsible for 4.8 million of the cases and 1.4 million deaths. Testing doubled The study also estimated the impact on TB incidence of various treatment interventions, finding that antiretroviral therapy (ART) and increased TB screening, were the most effective. “Between 2005 and 2012, South Africa scaled-up efforts to identify TB cases and testing rates doubled. As a result, there were rapid reductions in TB incidence owing to increased TB screening during this period. In 2019, increased screening led to a 28% reduction in TB incidence,” according to lead author, Mmamapudi Kubjane, a researcher in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town. The study also found that the provision of ART led to a 20% reduction in TB incidence by 2019. “The benefits of ART in reducing incidence depend on CD4 count and duration of ART. HIV-positive individuals who initiate ART earlier at higher CD4 counts and stay on ART for longer experience the greatest benefits of ART,” said Kubjane. The impact of the other treatment interventions – directly observed therapy (DOTS), isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT), and Xpert MTB/RIF – were “modest” single-figure percentages. Xpert MTB/RIF is a highly sensitive test that can simultaneously detect TB and resistance to the TB drug rifampin (RIF) in less than two hours. When South Africa introduced this new Xpert MTB/RIF test in 2011 to replace sputum testing, it was expected to bring substantial health benefits – yet clinical trials have found little or no impact on TB mortality, according to recent analyses. “To understand these dynamics better, modelling studies with detailed diagnostic algorithms that account for empirical treatment are required,” the study recommends. Combination approaches to diagnosis This is something that Untaid and its partners could tackle. Unitaid has partnered with FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), to evaluate alternative TB sampling approaches, and develop and evaluate combination approaches to diagnosis. More than 10 million people each year fall ill with tuberculosis (TB), and an estimated four million people with TB – two out of every five – go undiagnosed, according to Unitaid. “Efforts to reduce the TB burden are greatly hampered by the large number of people who never receive a diagnosis and therefore do not access treatment,” it adds. “For those who do receive a positive diagnosis, the process can be lengthy and sometimes means patients do not start on the correct treatment from the outset, which can lead to drug resistance.” Image Credits: University of Cape Town Lung Institute. Argentina Now Requires Big Food to Add Warning Labels to Ultra-Processed Foods 06/09/2022 Raisa Santos Big food companies in Argentina now need to add warning labels to their ultra-processed products. Consumers in Argentina are getting help to identify unhealthy food, thanks to new food promotion laws that mandate front-of-package warning labels, the first phase of which started recently. Last year, Argentina’s president signed one of the world’s strongest and most comprehensive food policy laws, requiring ultra-processed products with excess levels of sodium, sugar, fats and calories to include black octagonal warnings on the front of the package. Big food companies were given until 20 August to add the warnings, while small and medium food and beverage companies have until 20 February 2023 to do so. Companies that produce products that are high in sugar, calories, sodium and fat are prohibited from advertising these to children or selling them at schools. Argentinian civil society groups applauded the start of the new law, emphasizing it was a step in the right direction after years of advocacy. “This moment is the time when people in Argentina will start to have the chance to know what they are eating,” said Luciana Castronuovo of Fundacion InterAmerica del Corazon (FIC) Argentina, speaking to the Global Health Advocacy Incubator. The law is comprehensive as it also includes the regulation of food marketing and school environments, guaranteeing the rights to health and healthy food of children and youth, Victoria Tiscornia, nutritionist and researcher at FIC Argentina, told Health Policy Watch. “This comprehensive law is evidence-based and includes the best public health standards to tackle the double burden of malnutrition in Argentina.” ‘Major step’ to ensuring the right to healthy food Argentina’s accomplishment comes at a time when advocates are pushing for healthy food policies across Latin America in response to high rates of diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity and heart disease and an increase in the availability of ultra-processed food and drinks. For the past five years, civil society organizations in Argentina fought for a package of policies that include front-of-package warning labels (FOPL), marketing restrictions and the removal of unhealthy food and drinks from schools. “This law is a major step towards guaranteeing both the population’s right to healthy food and the right to information.,” said Tiscornia. “It seeks to provide clear and truthful information to consumers about the products they buy so that they can make informed decisions and choose the healthiest consumption options.” The new law in Argentina is based on the experiences of other countries in the region, such as Chile, Mexico, and Peru, which have also implemented FOPL in their packaging. Chile was the first country to implement front-of-package labelling in 2016. Research has shown favourable significant positive changes in food choices as a result of labelling. Some 68% of people changed their eating habits and 20% of industries reformulated their products to comply with the established profile and thus avoid warning seals on the packaging. In addition, the purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages showed a significant decrease of almost 24% since the implementation of labelling. Other parts of the world have also been working towards changing food policy with highly processed foods. Nigeria recently introduced a new tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in June in an effort to curb the growing rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related non-communicable diseases in the country. Challenges in implementation and communication in months to come Supermarket in Argentina with processed sugary food products. However, the new law in Argentina includes an article that allows companies to request a time extension for including the front of package warning labels (FOPL), Tiscornia added. FIC Argentina and other civil society organizations have been monitoring this process and conducting information requests but no official response explaining the number and reason for extensions has been yet provided. “This situation, although legal, affects the transparency of the policy process and the proper implementation of the law.” she said FIC Argentina and other civil society groups will be facing many challenges in the coming months in regards to the new law, such as implementation and communication to the public, said Maga Ailén Merlo Vijarra from Argentinian human rights nonprofit FUNDEPS. “In the coming months we will be working on disseminating key information about the law and the need for this public health strategy and we will also focus on the human right to healthy food.” Products that were manufactured and packaged before the law came into force are not required to add labels. Additionally, rice, dry noodles and legumes, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables and milk, amongst other unprocessed or minimally processed foods are exempted from the labels. Table sugar and salt, vegetable oils, dried fruits and nuts, will also be exempted from labelling. Vijarra noted that the challenges with implementation include understanding which products have labels and which companies will have extensions approved. “In the coming months we expect to better protect Argentinean children and adolescents from abusive marketing strategies employed by the food industry, leading to a safer and healthier environment to develop and grow,” she concluded. Image Credits: Global Health Policy Incubator , Vera and Jean-Christophe/Flickr . Africa Pushes Gas as Transitional Energy Source, Insisting Climate Goals Cannot Hamper Economic Progress 05/09/2022 Paul Adepoju Solar panels in the Egyptian desert. The US government committed itself to supporting Nigeria’s transition away from fossil fuels during a meeting between US vice-president Kamala Harris and Nigeria’s vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, last Friday. However, despite global commitments to reduce fossil fuel reliance to address climate change, a number of African countries have recently committed to expanding their oil and coal production, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. African leaders have also asserted that achieving global climate goals cannot come at the price of economic development on the continent – and they intend to invest in gas as a transitional form of energy on the continent’s path to renewable energy. Nigeria launched its Energy Transition Plan on 24 August, mapping out how the country intends to achieve carbon emission neutrality by 2060, including by transitioning from petrol to gas – but the continent’s most populous nation needs over $400 billion to implement the plan and many western countries have moratoriums on financing hydrocarbon projects. It was truly a pleasure to meet with Vice-President Kamala Harris to discuss Nigeria's #EnergyTransition Plan and other interests between our Governments. pic.twitter.com/8qJnhTOQRf — Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) September 2, 2022 During last week’s meeting, Harris welcomed Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan and applauded Osinbajo’s leadership for just energy transitions in Africa and “the two leaders committed to working closely to support Nigeria’s energy access and energy security goals, as well as our shared global climate goals”, according to a White House statement. Continued investment in oil But some African countries’ actions are not in line with the globally set climate goals. The Democratic Republic of Congo is planning to issue 30 new licenses for oil rigs that could threaten some parts of the country’s rainforest. “We had concerns about the announcement of the auction of these oil and gas exploration blocks, some of the blocks infringe on sensitive rainforest and peatland areas, including in the Virunga National Park and Salonga National Park,” said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during a recent visit to the DRC. Meanwhile in Kenya, in early August President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the Kipevu terminal, a large new oil storage facility at the Mombasa port intended to store large volumes of oil for the country’s development. In August 2021, the government of Ghana revealed plans to invest $1.65 billion to accelerate oil and gas exploration via the acquisition and development of oil and gas assets. Following an EU ban on coal importation from Russia, South Africa’s coal sales to Europe rose eight-fold during the first half of 2022 compared with last year. ‘Moral and economic madness’ After the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report reported that the expansion of coal, oil and gas production is a great risk to global climate goals, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, described the expansion as “moral and economic madness”. But many African governments are getting behind the gas transition, arguing that moving immediately to renewable energy will hamper the continent’s economy and development. In May, 10 countries – the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe – adopted a seven-point communique urging the international community to support gas “as a transition fuel and the long-term displacement of gas by renewable energy and green hydrogen for industrial development, if financially and technically sustainable”. In Senegal, $5 billion is projected to be spent on the second phase of the country’s liquefied natural gas project. President Macky Sall is a firm critic of what he described as the hypocrisy of western governments that guzzle gas at home but have declared a virtual moratorium on financing hydrocarbon projects abroad. “You cannot tell us that renewables alone can develop a continent — it has never been the case anywhere else and it cannot be the case in Africa,” Sall said. Egypt to host COP27 In November, Egypt’s “green city” of Sharm El Sheikh will host the 27th United Nations climate change conference, COP27, and this will offer an opportunity to show what the continent is doing to align with global climate goals including net zero carbon emissions by 2060 and mainstreaming renewable energies. Egypt has described the provision, mobilization and delivery of climate finance for developing countries as an urgent priority — particularly in light of current financial crises, debt challenges and increasing interest rates. “It is imperative to make appropriate financial flows that are based on needs identified through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other vehicles, with a focus on concessional finance instruments, and grants as appropriate, while providing a clear revision of the definition of bankable projects that takes into consideration climate benefits and not only risks, and achieving cross-cutting impacts,” Egypt said on its website for COP27. At COP26, a major talking point among African delegates and climate activists was the need for richer countries, who are also the world’s majornpolluters, to provide sufficient funds for developing countries to fight the crisis. During COP26, South Africa, the European Union, France, Germany, the UK and the US launched an ambitious long-term Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to support the South Africa’s decarbonisation efforts in order to move its economy towards more reliance on renewable energy resources. The JETP aims to mobilise $8.5 billion for South Africa, and Nigeria hopes to achieve similar support for its energy transition plan. 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.
WHO Warns Against ‘Complacency’ over COVID-19 and Monkeypox 07/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Maria van Kerkhove Although COVID-19 and monkeypox cases are declining globally, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned against complacency on Wednesday. Although COVID-19 cases were down by 80% since February, “last week, one person died with COVID-19 every 44 seconds and most of those those those deaths are avoidable,” said Tedros. “There is no guarantee these trends will persist. The most dangerous thing is to assume they will,” he added. “You might be tired of hearing me say the pandemic is not over. But I will keep saying it until it is. This virus will not just fade away.” On monkeypox, Tedros said that there was a downward trend in Europe and although cases in the Americas also appeared to decline, it was “harder to draw firm conclusions about the epidemic in that region”. “Some countries in the Americas continue to report increasing number of cases and in some, there is likely to be under-reporting due to stigma and discrimination or a lack of information for those who need it most. “But as I said earlier, a downward trend can be the most dangerous time if it opens the door to complacency,” stressed Tedros. “WHO continues to recommend that all countries persist with a tailored combination of public health measures: Testing, research and targeted vaccination where vaccines are available.” He added that community engagement is vital, and that the WHO had consulted with community leaders from all over the world to listen to their views and concerns and to “emphasise the informed importance of responding to monkeypox using existing services and infrastructure, including those for HIV and sexual health”. Tedros also stressed the importance of the global negotiations on an appropriate global instrument to address future pandemics, adding that more public hearings on this would be held by the WHO’s intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) later this month. COVID vaccine schedule? Meanwhile, WHO Executive Director of Health Emergencies, Dr Mike Ryan said that he hoped that it would be possible for the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) to develop a vaccination schedule for COVID-19. “Many countries now are offering people third and fourth doses of vaccine and we will have to come to a point where there’s some kind of schedule created that’s beyond the idea of a primary schedule,” said Ryan. ‘Obviously, it’s tough for countries to deal with ad hoc policy where you’re adding an extra booster on for certain people after so many months, and it’s very easy to become incoherent,” he added. “I think governments are making the best decisions they can, based on the data that they have, but ultimately we need to settle down into some acceptable pattern of vaccination boosting.” However, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, Maria van Kerkhove, said that while many people were hoping that SARS CoV2 would “fall into some kind of a seasonal pattern like we see with influenza, right now we don’t have that predictability”. “The reason for that is because we’re seeing this virus continue to evolve quite rapidly.” Ethiopian Ambassador Slams WHO Director General Tedros over Tigray Conflict 06/09/2022 Editorial team Hirut Zemene Kassa, Ethiopian ambassador to the European Union The Ethiopian ambassador to the European Union has spoken sharply against World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, calling his criticisms against the Ethiopian government and its role in the Tigray conflict in northern Ethiopia “unprofessional” and that he was using his position “degrading” and “abusing”. “The way he’s handling the matter is completely unprofessional to me,” Hirut Zemene said in an interview in Brussels on Wednesday afternoon. “He is a United Nations figure … The role he is playing right now … is very, very much degrading his position. I would think he would think about global health — like he says ‘global health for all’ — around the world, around Ethiopia, not only in one particular area.” Tedros, an ethnic Tigrayan, has publicly denounced the Ethiopian government in the past for its blockade in the Tigray region, calling it a “complete blockade” on health and humanitarian aid. Zemene once worked under Tedros when the latter was foreign minister of Ethiopia under the previous government, and she helped celebrate Tedros’ election as WHO Director General in May 2017. On Wednesday, however, she said he has been “abusing his position” at the WHO by commenting “about only one area” in northern Ethiopia — “a very shameful thing to do.” “Financially, the government has supported him, invested resources in him, to be a representation of the world in the WHO, coming from Ethiopia,” Zemene said. Read more on Devex Image Credits: UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré. Unitaid Invests in New TB Tests, as South Africa Study Reports Importance of Better Screening 06/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Many children with tuberculosis don’t receive the necessary treatment because of challenges with diagnosis. Two-fifths of people with tuberculosis are unaware that they are infected because their diagnosis relies on outdated tests – something Unitaid and partners aim to change with a $30 million investment in new diagnostic technologies to enable same-day results. Announcing the investment on Tuesday, the global health agency explained that the current diagnosis in low and middle-income countries relies on sputum tests that have low sensitivity, especially in the presence of HIV coinfection, require patients to make multiple visits to health centres and are “largely ineffective in diagnosing children or people in advanced stages of disease who have difficulty producing sputum”. New US$30 million investment will improve access to same-day test results to enable more people to quickly access appropriate treatment. Find out more: https://t.co/QYvznt0aDl pic.twitter.com/OEJ1Djy1Rw — Unitaid (@UNITAID) September 6, 2022 The announcement comes shortly after the publication in this month’s International Journal of Infectious Diseases of a massive 29-year study of TB in South Africa, which found that incidence and mortality were substantially reduced by the introduction of antiretroviral HIV therapy and increased screening. South Africa has one of the highest TB rates in the world and the researchers, from the Universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, found that 8.8 million people had developed TB, and 2.1 million died during the study period from 1990 to 2019. HIV, which weakens a person’s immunity, was responsible for 4.8 million of the cases and 1.4 million deaths. Testing doubled The study also estimated the impact on TB incidence of various treatment interventions, finding that antiretroviral therapy (ART) and increased TB screening, were the most effective. “Between 2005 and 2012, South Africa scaled-up efforts to identify TB cases and testing rates doubled. As a result, there were rapid reductions in TB incidence owing to increased TB screening during this period. In 2019, increased screening led to a 28% reduction in TB incidence,” according to lead author, Mmamapudi Kubjane, a researcher in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town. The study also found that the provision of ART led to a 20% reduction in TB incidence by 2019. “The benefits of ART in reducing incidence depend on CD4 count and duration of ART. HIV-positive individuals who initiate ART earlier at higher CD4 counts and stay on ART for longer experience the greatest benefits of ART,” said Kubjane. The impact of the other treatment interventions – directly observed therapy (DOTS), isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT), and Xpert MTB/RIF – were “modest” single-figure percentages. Xpert MTB/RIF is a highly sensitive test that can simultaneously detect TB and resistance to the TB drug rifampin (RIF) in less than two hours. When South Africa introduced this new Xpert MTB/RIF test in 2011 to replace sputum testing, it was expected to bring substantial health benefits – yet clinical trials have found little or no impact on TB mortality, according to recent analyses. “To understand these dynamics better, modelling studies with detailed diagnostic algorithms that account for empirical treatment are required,” the study recommends. Combination approaches to diagnosis This is something that Untaid and its partners could tackle. Unitaid has partnered with FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), to evaluate alternative TB sampling approaches, and develop and evaluate combination approaches to diagnosis. More than 10 million people each year fall ill with tuberculosis (TB), and an estimated four million people with TB – two out of every five – go undiagnosed, according to Unitaid. “Efforts to reduce the TB burden are greatly hampered by the large number of people who never receive a diagnosis and therefore do not access treatment,” it adds. “For those who do receive a positive diagnosis, the process can be lengthy and sometimes means patients do not start on the correct treatment from the outset, which can lead to drug resistance.” Image Credits: University of Cape Town Lung Institute. Argentina Now Requires Big Food to Add Warning Labels to Ultra-Processed Foods 06/09/2022 Raisa Santos Big food companies in Argentina now need to add warning labels to their ultra-processed products. Consumers in Argentina are getting help to identify unhealthy food, thanks to new food promotion laws that mandate front-of-package warning labels, the first phase of which started recently. Last year, Argentina’s president signed one of the world’s strongest and most comprehensive food policy laws, requiring ultra-processed products with excess levels of sodium, sugar, fats and calories to include black octagonal warnings on the front of the package. Big food companies were given until 20 August to add the warnings, while small and medium food and beverage companies have until 20 February 2023 to do so. Companies that produce products that are high in sugar, calories, sodium and fat are prohibited from advertising these to children or selling them at schools. Argentinian civil society groups applauded the start of the new law, emphasizing it was a step in the right direction after years of advocacy. “This moment is the time when people in Argentina will start to have the chance to know what they are eating,” said Luciana Castronuovo of Fundacion InterAmerica del Corazon (FIC) Argentina, speaking to the Global Health Advocacy Incubator. The law is comprehensive as it also includes the regulation of food marketing and school environments, guaranteeing the rights to health and healthy food of children and youth, Victoria Tiscornia, nutritionist and researcher at FIC Argentina, told Health Policy Watch. “This comprehensive law is evidence-based and includes the best public health standards to tackle the double burden of malnutrition in Argentina.” ‘Major step’ to ensuring the right to healthy food Argentina’s accomplishment comes at a time when advocates are pushing for healthy food policies across Latin America in response to high rates of diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity and heart disease and an increase in the availability of ultra-processed food and drinks. For the past five years, civil society organizations in Argentina fought for a package of policies that include front-of-package warning labels (FOPL), marketing restrictions and the removal of unhealthy food and drinks from schools. “This law is a major step towards guaranteeing both the population’s right to healthy food and the right to information.,” said Tiscornia. “It seeks to provide clear and truthful information to consumers about the products they buy so that they can make informed decisions and choose the healthiest consumption options.” The new law in Argentina is based on the experiences of other countries in the region, such as Chile, Mexico, and Peru, which have also implemented FOPL in their packaging. Chile was the first country to implement front-of-package labelling in 2016. Research has shown favourable significant positive changes in food choices as a result of labelling. Some 68% of people changed their eating habits and 20% of industries reformulated their products to comply with the established profile and thus avoid warning seals on the packaging. In addition, the purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages showed a significant decrease of almost 24% since the implementation of labelling. Other parts of the world have also been working towards changing food policy with highly processed foods. Nigeria recently introduced a new tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in June in an effort to curb the growing rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related non-communicable diseases in the country. Challenges in implementation and communication in months to come Supermarket in Argentina with processed sugary food products. However, the new law in Argentina includes an article that allows companies to request a time extension for including the front of package warning labels (FOPL), Tiscornia added. FIC Argentina and other civil society organizations have been monitoring this process and conducting information requests but no official response explaining the number and reason for extensions has been yet provided. “This situation, although legal, affects the transparency of the policy process and the proper implementation of the law.” she said FIC Argentina and other civil society groups will be facing many challenges in the coming months in regards to the new law, such as implementation and communication to the public, said Maga Ailén Merlo Vijarra from Argentinian human rights nonprofit FUNDEPS. “In the coming months we will be working on disseminating key information about the law and the need for this public health strategy and we will also focus on the human right to healthy food.” Products that were manufactured and packaged before the law came into force are not required to add labels. Additionally, rice, dry noodles and legumes, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables and milk, amongst other unprocessed or minimally processed foods are exempted from the labels. Table sugar and salt, vegetable oils, dried fruits and nuts, will also be exempted from labelling. Vijarra noted that the challenges with implementation include understanding which products have labels and which companies will have extensions approved. “In the coming months we expect to better protect Argentinean children and adolescents from abusive marketing strategies employed by the food industry, leading to a safer and healthier environment to develop and grow,” she concluded. Image Credits: Global Health Policy Incubator , Vera and Jean-Christophe/Flickr . Africa Pushes Gas as Transitional Energy Source, Insisting Climate Goals Cannot Hamper Economic Progress 05/09/2022 Paul Adepoju Solar panels in the Egyptian desert. The US government committed itself to supporting Nigeria’s transition away from fossil fuels during a meeting between US vice-president Kamala Harris and Nigeria’s vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, last Friday. However, despite global commitments to reduce fossil fuel reliance to address climate change, a number of African countries have recently committed to expanding their oil and coal production, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. African leaders have also asserted that achieving global climate goals cannot come at the price of economic development on the continent – and they intend to invest in gas as a transitional form of energy on the continent’s path to renewable energy. Nigeria launched its Energy Transition Plan on 24 August, mapping out how the country intends to achieve carbon emission neutrality by 2060, including by transitioning from petrol to gas – but the continent’s most populous nation needs over $400 billion to implement the plan and many western countries have moratoriums on financing hydrocarbon projects. It was truly a pleasure to meet with Vice-President Kamala Harris to discuss Nigeria's #EnergyTransition Plan and other interests between our Governments. pic.twitter.com/8qJnhTOQRf — Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) September 2, 2022 During last week’s meeting, Harris welcomed Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan and applauded Osinbajo’s leadership for just energy transitions in Africa and “the two leaders committed to working closely to support Nigeria’s energy access and energy security goals, as well as our shared global climate goals”, according to a White House statement. Continued investment in oil But some African countries’ actions are not in line with the globally set climate goals. The Democratic Republic of Congo is planning to issue 30 new licenses for oil rigs that could threaten some parts of the country’s rainforest. “We had concerns about the announcement of the auction of these oil and gas exploration blocks, some of the blocks infringe on sensitive rainforest and peatland areas, including in the Virunga National Park and Salonga National Park,” said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during a recent visit to the DRC. Meanwhile in Kenya, in early August President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the Kipevu terminal, a large new oil storage facility at the Mombasa port intended to store large volumes of oil for the country’s development. In August 2021, the government of Ghana revealed plans to invest $1.65 billion to accelerate oil and gas exploration via the acquisition and development of oil and gas assets. Following an EU ban on coal importation from Russia, South Africa’s coal sales to Europe rose eight-fold during the first half of 2022 compared with last year. ‘Moral and economic madness’ After the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report reported that the expansion of coal, oil and gas production is a great risk to global climate goals, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, described the expansion as “moral and economic madness”. But many African governments are getting behind the gas transition, arguing that moving immediately to renewable energy will hamper the continent’s economy and development. In May, 10 countries – the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe – adopted a seven-point communique urging the international community to support gas “as a transition fuel and the long-term displacement of gas by renewable energy and green hydrogen for industrial development, if financially and technically sustainable”. In Senegal, $5 billion is projected to be spent on the second phase of the country’s liquefied natural gas project. President Macky Sall is a firm critic of what he described as the hypocrisy of western governments that guzzle gas at home but have declared a virtual moratorium on financing hydrocarbon projects abroad. “You cannot tell us that renewables alone can develop a continent — it has never been the case anywhere else and it cannot be the case in Africa,” Sall said. Egypt to host COP27 In November, Egypt’s “green city” of Sharm El Sheikh will host the 27th United Nations climate change conference, COP27, and this will offer an opportunity to show what the continent is doing to align with global climate goals including net zero carbon emissions by 2060 and mainstreaming renewable energies. Egypt has described the provision, mobilization and delivery of climate finance for developing countries as an urgent priority — particularly in light of current financial crises, debt challenges and increasing interest rates. “It is imperative to make appropriate financial flows that are based on needs identified through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other vehicles, with a focus on concessional finance instruments, and grants as appropriate, while providing a clear revision of the definition of bankable projects that takes into consideration climate benefits and not only risks, and achieving cross-cutting impacts,” Egypt said on its website for COP27. At COP26, a major talking point among African delegates and climate activists was the need for richer countries, who are also the world’s majornpolluters, to provide sufficient funds for developing countries to fight the crisis. During COP26, South Africa, the European Union, France, Germany, the UK and the US launched an ambitious long-term Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to support the South Africa’s decarbonisation efforts in order to move its economy towards more reliance on renewable energy resources. The JETP aims to mobilise $8.5 billion for South Africa, and Nigeria hopes to achieve similar support for its energy transition plan. 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.
Ethiopian Ambassador Slams WHO Director General Tedros over Tigray Conflict 06/09/2022 Editorial team Hirut Zemene Kassa, Ethiopian ambassador to the European Union The Ethiopian ambassador to the European Union has spoken sharply against World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, calling his criticisms against the Ethiopian government and its role in the Tigray conflict in northern Ethiopia “unprofessional” and that he was using his position “degrading” and “abusing”. “The way he’s handling the matter is completely unprofessional to me,” Hirut Zemene said in an interview in Brussels on Wednesday afternoon. “He is a United Nations figure … The role he is playing right now … is very, very much degrading his position. I would think he would think about global health — like he says ‘global health for all’ — around the world, around Ethiopia, not only in one particular area.” Tedros, an ethnic Tigrayan, has publicly denounced the Ethiopian government in the past for its blockade in the Tigray region, calling it a “complete blockade” on health and humanitarian aid. Zemene once worked under Tedros when the latter was foreign minister of Ethiopia under the previous government, and she helped celebrate Tedros’ election as WHO Director General in May 2017. On Wednesday, however, she said he has been “abusing his position” at the WHO by commenting “about only one area” in northern Ethiopia — “a very shameful thing to do.” “Financially, the government has supported him, invested resources in him, to be a representation of the world in the WHO, coming from Ethiopia,” Zemene said. Read more on Devex Image Credits: UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré. Unitaid Invests in New TB Tests, as South Africa Study Reports Importance of Better Screening 06/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Many children with tuberculosis don’t receive the necessary treatment because of challenges with diagnosis. Two-fifths of people with tuberculosis are unaware that they are infected because their diagnosis relies on outdated tests – something Unitaid and partners aim to change with a $30 million investment in new diagnostic technologies to enable same-day results. Announcing the investment on Tuesday, the global health agency explained that the current diagnosis in low and middle-income countries relies on sputum tests that have low sensitivity, especially in the presence of HIV coinfection, require patients to make multiple visits to health centres and are “largely ineffective in diagnosing children or people in advanced stages of disease who have difficulty producing sputum”. New US$30 million investment will improve access to same-day test results to enable more people to quickly access appropriate treatment. Find out more: https://t.co/QYvznt0aDl pic.twitter.com/OEJ1Djy1Rw — Unitaid (@UNITAID) September 6, 2022 The announcement comes shortly after the publication in this month’s International Journal of Infectious Diseases of a massive 29-year study of TB in South Africa, which found that incidence and mortality were substantially reduced by the introduction of antiretroviral HIV therapy and increased screening. South Africa has one of the highest TB rates in the world and the researchers, from the Universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, found that 8.8 million people had developed TB, and 2.1 million died during the study period from 1990 to 2019. HIV, which weakens a person’s immunity, was responsible for 4.8 million of the cases and 1.4 million deaths. Testing doubled The study also estimated the impact on TB incidence of various treatment interventions, finding that antiretroviral therapy (ART) and increased TB screening, were the most effective. “Between 2005 and 2012, South Africa scaled-up efforts to identify TB cases and testing rates doubled. As a result, there were rapid reductions in TB incidence owing to increased TB screening during this period. In 2019, increased screening led to a 28% reduction in TB incidence,” according to lead author, Mmamapudi Kubjane, a researcher in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town. The study also found that the provision of ART led to a 20% reduction in TB incidence by 2019. “The benefits of ART in reducing incidence depend on CD4 count and duration of ART. HIV-positive individuals who initiate ART earlier at higher CD4 counts and stay on ART for longer experience the greatest benefits of ART,” said Kubjane. The impact of the other treatment interventions – directly observed therapy (DOTS), isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT), and Xpert MTB/RIF – were “modest” single-figure percentages. Xpert MTB/RIF is a highly sensitive test that can simultaneously detect TB and resistance to the TB drug rifampin (RIF) in less than two hours. When South Africa introduced this new Xpert MTB/RIF test in 2011 to replace sputum testing, it was expected to bring substantial health benefits – yet clinical trials have found little or no impact on TB mortality, according to recent analyses. “To understand these dynamics better, modelling studies with detailed diagnostic algorithms that account for empirical treatment are required,” the study recommends. Combination approaches to diagnosis This is something that Untaid and its partners could tackle. Unitaid has partnered with FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), to evaluate alternative TB sampling approaches, and develop and evaluate combination approaches to diagnosis. More than 10 million people each year fall ill with tuberculosis (TB), and an estimated four million people with TB – two out of every five – go undiagnosed, according to Unitaid. “Efforts to reduce the TB burden are greatly hampered by the large number of people who never receive a diagnosis and therefore do not access treatment,” it adds. “For those who do receive a positive diagnosis, the process can be lengthy and sometimes means patients do not start on the correct treatment from the outset, which can lead to drug resistance.” Image Credits: University of Cape Town Lung Institute. Argentina Now Requires Big Food to Add Warning Labels to Ultra-Processed Foods 06/09/2022 Raisa Santos Big food companies in Argentina now need to add warning labels to their ultra-processed products. Consumers in Argentina are getting help to identify unhealthy food, thanks to new food promotion laws that mandate front-of-package warning labels, the first phase of which started recently. Last year, Argentina’s president signed one of the world’s strongest and most comprehensive food policy laws, requiring ultra-processed products with excess levels of sodium, sugar, fats and calories to include black octagonal warnings on the front of the package. Big food companies were given until 20 August to add the warnings, while small and medium food and beverage companies have until 20 February 2023 to do so. Companies that produce products that are high in sugar, calories, sodium and fat are prohibited from advertising these to children or selling them at schools. Argentinian civil society groups applauded the start of the new law, emphasizing it was a step in the right direction after years of advocacy. “This moment is the time when people in Argentina will start to have the chance to know what they are eating,” said Luciana Castronuovo of Fundacion InterAmerica del Corazon (FIC) Argentina, speaking to the Global Health Advocacy Incubator. The law is comprehensive as it also includes the regulation of food marketing and school environments, guaranteeing the rights to health and healthy food of children and youth, Victoria Tiscornia, nutritionist and researcher at FIC Argentina, told Health Policy Watch. “This comprehensive law is evidence-based and includes the best public health standards to tackle the double burden of malnutrition in Argentina.” ‘Major step’ to ensuring the right to healthy food Argentina’s accomplishment comes at a time when advocates are pushing for healthy food policies across Latin America in response to high rates of diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity and heart disease and an increase in the availability of ultra-processed food and drinks. For the past five years, civil society organizations in Argentina fought for a package of policies that include front-of-package warning labels (FOPL), marketing restrictions and the removal of unhealthy food and drinks from schools. “This law is a major step towards guaranteeing both the population’s right to healthy food and the right to information.,” said Tiscornia. “It seeks to provide clear and truthful information to consumers about the products they buy so that they can make informed decisions and choose the healthiest consumption options.” The new law in Argentina is based on the experiences of other countries in the region, such as Chile, Mexico, and Peru, which have also implemented FOPL in their packaging. Chile was the first country to implement front-of-package labelling in 2016. Research has shown favourable significant positive changes in food choices as a result of labelling. Some 68% of people changed their eating habits and 20% of industries reformulated their products to comply with the established profile and thus avoid warning seals on the packaging. In addition, the purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages showed a significant decrease of almost 24% since the implementation of labelling. Other parts of the world have also been working towards changing food policy with highly processed foods. Nigeria recently introduced a new tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in June in an effort to curb the growing rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related non-communicable diseases in the country. Challenges in implementation and communication in months to come Supermarket in Argentina with processed sugary food products. However, the new law in Argentina includes an article that allows companies to request a time extension for including the front of package warning labels (FOPL), Tiscornia added. FIC Argentina and other civil society organizations have been monitoring this process and conducting information requests but no official response explaining the number and reason for extensions has been yet provided. “This situation, although legal, affects the transparency of the policy process and the proper implementation of the law.” she said FIC Argentina and other civil society groups will be facing many challenges in the coming months in regards to the new law, such as implementation and communication to the public, said Maga Ailén Merlo Vijarra from Argentinian human rights nonprofit FUNDEPS. “In the coming months we will be working on disseminating key information about the law and the need for this public health strategy and we will also focus on the human right to healthy food.” Products that were manufactured and packaged before the law came into force are not required to add labels. Additionally, rice, dry noodles and legumes, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables and milk, amongst other unprocessed or minimally processed foods are exempted from the labels. Table sugar and salt, vegetable oils, dried fruits and nuts, will also be exempted from labelling. Vijarra noted that the challenges with implementation include understanding which products have labels and which companies will have extensions approved. “In the coming months we expect to better protect Argentinean children and adolescents from abusive marketing strategies employed by the food industry, leading to a safer and healthier environment to develop and grow,” she concluded. Image Credits: Global Health Policy Incubator , Vera and Jean-Christophe/Flickr . Africa Pushes Gas as Transitional Energy Source, Insisting Climate Goals Cannot Hamper Economic Progress 05/09/2022 Paul Adepoju Solar panels in the Egyptian desert. The US government committed itself to supporting Nigeria’s transition away from fossil fuels during a meeting between US vice-president Kamala Harris and Nigeria’s vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, last Friday. However, despite global commitments to reduce fossil fuel reliance to address climate change, a number of African countries have recently committed to expanding their oil and coal production, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. African leaders have also asserted that achieving global climate goals cannot come at the price of economic development on the continent – and they intend to invest in gas as a transitional form of energy on the continent’s path to renewable energy. Nigeria launched its Energy Transition Plan on 24 August, mapping out how the country intends to achieve carbon emission neutrality by 2060, including by transitioning from petrol to gas – but the continent’s most populous nation needs over $400 billion to implement the plan and many western countries have moratoriums on financing hydrocarbon projects. It was truly a pleasure to meet with Vice-President Kamala Harris to discuss Nigeria's #EnergyTransition Plan and other interests between our Governments. pic.twitter.com/8qJnhTOQRf — Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) September 2, 2022 During last week’s meeting, Harris welcomed Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan and applauded Osinbajo’s leadership for just energy transitions in Africa and “the two leaders committed to working closely to support Nigeria’s energy access and energy security goals, as well as our shared global climate goals”, according to a White House statement. Continued investment in oil But some African countries’ actions are not in line with the globally set climate goals. The Democratic Republic of Congo is planning to issue 30 new licenses for oil rigs that could threaten some parts of the country’s rainforest. “We had concerns about the announcement of the auction of these oil and gas exploration blocks, some of the blocks infringe on sensitive rainforest and peatland areas, including in the Virunga National Park and Salonga National Park,” said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during a recent visit to the DRC. Meanwhile in Kenya, in early August President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the Kipevu terminal, a large new oil storage facility at the Mombasa port intended to store large volumes of oil for the country’s development. In August 2021, the government of Ghana revealed plans to invest $1.65 billion to accelerate oil and gas exploration via the acquisition and development of oil and gas assets. Following an EU ban on coal importation from Russia, South Africa’s coal sales to Europe rose eight-fold during the first half of 2022 compared with last year. ‘Moral and economic madness’ After the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report reported that the expansion of coal, oil and gas production is a great risk to global climate goals, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, described the expansion as “moral and economic madness”. But many African governments are getting behind the gas transition, arguing that moving immediately to renewable energy will hamper the continent’s economy and development. In May, 10 countries – the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe – adopted a seven-point communique urging the international community to support gas “as a transition fuel and the long-term displacement of gas by renewable energy and green hydrogen for industrial development, if financially and technically sustainable”. In Senegal, $5 billion is projected to be spent on the second phase of the country’s liquefied natural gas project. President Macky Sall is a firm critic of what he described as the hypocrisy of western governments that guzzle gas at home but have declared a virtual moratorium on financing hydrocarbon projects abroad. “You cannot tell us that renewables alone can develop a continent — it has never been the case anywhere else and it cannot be the case in Africa,” Sall said. Egypt to host COP27 In November, Egypt’s “green city” of Sharm El Sheikh will host the 27th United Nations climate change conference, COP27, and this will offer an opportunity to show what the continent is doing to align with global climate goals including net zero carbon emissions by 2060 and mainstreaming renewable energies. Egypt has described the provision, mobilization and delivery of climate finance for developing countries as an urgent priority — particularly in light of current financial crises, debt challenges and increasing interest rates. “It is imperative to make appropriate financial flows that are based on needs identified through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other vehicles, with a focus on concessional finance instruments, and grants as appropriate, while providing a clear revision of the definition of bankable projects that takes into consideration climate benefits and not only risks, and achieving cross-cutting impacts,” Egypt said on its website for COP27. At COP26, a major talking point among African delegates and climate activists was the need for richer countries, who are also the world’s majornpolluters, to provide sufficient funds for developing countries to fight the crisis. During COP26, South Africa, the European Union, France, Germany, the UK and the US launched an ambitious long-term Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to support the South Africa’s decarbonisation efforts in order to move its economy towards more reliance on renewable energy resources. The JETP aims to mobilise $8.5 billion for South Africa, and Nigeria hopes to achieve similar support for its energy transition plan. 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.
Unitaid Invests in New TB Tests, as South Africa Study Reports Importance of Better Screening 06/09/2022 Kerry Cullinan Many children with tuberculosis don’t receive the necessary treatment because of challenges with diagnosis. Two-fifths of people with tuberculosis are unaware that they are infected because their diagnosis relies on outdated tests – something Unitaid and partners aim to change with a $30 million investment in new diagnostic technologies to enable same-day results. Announcing the investment on Tuesday, the global health agency explained that the current diagnosis in low and middle-income countries relies on sputum tests that have low sensitivity, especially in the presence of HIV coinfection, require patients to make multiple visits to health centres and are “largely ineffective in diagnosing children or people in advanced stages of disease who have difficulty producing sputum”. New US$30 million investment will improve access to same-day test results to enable more people to quickly access appropriate treatment. Find out more: https://t.co/QYvznt0aDl pic.twitter.com/OEJ1Djy1Rw — Unitaid (@UNITAID) September 6, 2022 The announcement comes shortly after the publication in this month’s International Journal of Infectious Diseases of a massive 29-year study of TB in South Africa, which found that incidence and mortality were substantially reduced by the introduction of antiretroviral HIV therapy and increased screening. South Africa has one of the highest TB rates in the world and the researchers, from the Universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, found that 8.8 million people had developed TB, and 2.1 million died during the study period from 1990 to 2019. HIV, which weakens a person’s immunity, was responsible for 4.8 million of the cases and 1.4 million deaths. Testing doubled The study also estimated the impact on TB incidence of various treatment interventions, finding that antiretroviral therapy (ART) and increased TB screening, were the most effective. “Between 2005 and 2012, South Africa scaled-up efforts to identify TB cases and testing rates doubled. As a result, there were rapid reductions in TB incidence owing to increased TB screening during this period. In 2019, increased screening led to a 28% reduction in TB incidence,” according to lead author, Mmamapudi Kubjane, a researcher in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town. The study also found that the provision of ART led to a 20% reduction in TB incidence by 2019. “The benefits of ART in reducing incidence depend on CD4 count and duration of ART. HIV-positive individuals who initiate ART earlier at higher CD4 counts and stay on ART for longer experience the greatest benefits of ART,” said Kubjane. The impact of the other treatment interventions – directly observed therapy (DOTS), isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT), and Xpert MTB/RIF – were “modest” single-figure percentages. Xpert MTB/RIF is a highly sensitive test that can simultaneously detect TB and resistance to the TB drug rifampin (RIF) in less than two hours. When South Africa introduced this new Xpert MTB/RIF test in 2011 to replace sputum testing, it was expected to bring substantial health benefits – yet clinical trials have found little or no impact on TB mortality, according to recent analyses. “To understand these dynamics better, modelling studies with detailed diagnostic algorithms that account for empirical treatment are required,” the study recommends. Combination approaches to diagnosis This is something that Untaid and its partners could tackle. Unitaid has partnered with FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), to evaluate alternative TB sampling approaches, and develop and evaluate combination approaches to diagnosis. More than 10 million people each year fall ill with tuberculosis (TB), and an estimated four million people with TB – two out of every five – go undiagnosed, according to Unitaid. “Efforts to reduce the TB burden are greatly hampered by the large number of people who never receive a diagnosis and therefore do not access treatment,” it adds. “For those who do receive a positive diagnosis, the process can be lengthy and sometimes means patients do not start on the correct treatment from the outset, which can lead to drug resistance.” Image Credits: University of Cape Town Lung Institute. Argentina Now Requires Big Food to Add Warning Labels to Ultra-Processed Foods 06/09/2022 Raisa Santos Big food companies in Argentina now need to add warning labels to their ultra-processed products. Consumers in Argentina are getting help to identify unhealthy food, thanks to new food promotion laws that mandate front-of-package warning labels, the first phase of which started recently. Last year, Argentina’s president signed one of the world’s strongest and most comprehensive food policy laws, requiring ultra-processed products with excess levels of sodium, sugar, fats and calories to include black octagonal warnings on the front of the package. Big food companies were given until 20 August to add the warnings, while small and medium food and beverage companies have until 20 February 2023 to do so. Companies that produce products that are high in sugar, calories, sodium and fat are prohibited from advertising these to children or selling them at schools. Argentinian civil society groups applauded the start of the new law, emphasizing it was a step in the right direction after years of advocacy. “This moment is the time when people in Argentina will start to have the chance to know what they are eating,” said Luciana Castronuovo of Fundacion InterAmerica del Corazon (FIC) Argentina, speaking to the Global Health Advocacy Incubator. The law is comprehensive as it also includes the regulation of food marketing and school environments, guaranteeing the rights to health and healthy food of children and youth, Victoria Tiscornia, nutritionist and researcher at FIC Argentina, told Health Policy Watch. “This comprehensive law is evidence-based and includes the best public health standards to tackle the double burden of malnutrition in Argentina.” ‘Major step’ to ensuring the right to healthy food Argentina’s accomplishment comes at a time when advocates are pushing for healthy food policies across Latin America in response to high rates of diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity and heart disease and an increase in the availability of ultra-processed food and drinks. For the past five years, civil society organizations in Argentina fought for a package of policies that include front-of-package warning labels (FOPL), marketing restrictions and the removal of unhealthy food and drinks from schools. “This law is a major step towards guaranteeing both the population’s right to healthy food and the right to information.,” said Tiscornia. “It seeks to provide clear and truthful information to consumers about the products they buy so that they can make informed decisions and choose the healthiest consumption options.” The new law in Argentina is based on the experiences of other countries in the region, such as Chile, Mexico, and Peru, which have also implemented FOPL in their packaging. Chile was the first country to implement front-of-package labelling in 2016. Research has shown favourable significant positive changes in food choices as a result of labelling. Some 68% of people changed their eating habits and 20% of industries reformulated their products to comply with the established profile and thus avoid warning seals on the packaging. In addition, the purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages showed a significant decrease of almost 24% since the implementation of labelling. Other parts of the world have also been working towards changing food policy with highly processed foods. Nigeria recently introduced a new tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in June in an effort to curb the growing rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related non-communicable diseases in the country. Challenges in implementation and communication in months to come Supermarket in Argentina with processed sugary food products. However, the new law in Argentina includes an article that allows companies to request a time extension for including the front of package warning labels (FOPL), Tiscornia added. FIC Argentina and other civil society organizations have been monitoring this process and conducting information requests but no official response explaining the number and reason for extensions has been yet provided. “This situation, although legal, affects the transparency of the policy process and the proper implementation of the law.” she said FIC Argentina and other civil society groups will be facing many challenges in the coming months in regards to the new law, such as implementation and communication to the public, said Maga Ailén Merlo Vijarra from Argentinian human rights nonprofit FUNDEPS. “In the coming months we will be working on disseminating key information about the law and the need for this public health strategy and we will also focus on the human right to healthy food.” Products that were manufactured and packaged before the law came into force are not required to add labels. Additionally, rice, dry noodles and legumes, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables and milk, amongst other unprocessed or minimally processed foods are exempted from the labels. Table sugar and salt, vegetable oils, dried fruits and nuts, will also be exempted from labelling. Vijarra noted that the challenges with implementation include understanding which products have labels and which companies will have extensions approved. “In the coming months we expect to better protect Argentinean children and adolescents from abusive marketing strategies employed by the food industry, leading to a safer and healthier environment to develop and grow,” she concluded. Image Credits: Global Health Policy Incubator , Vera and Jean-Christophe/Flickr . Africa Pushes Gas as Transitional Energy Source, Insisting Climate Goals Cannot Hamper Economic Progress 05/09/2022 Paul Adepoju Solar panels in the Egyptian desert. The US government committed itself to supporting Nigeria’s transition away from fossil fuels during a meeting between US vice-president Kamala Harris and Nigeria’s vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, last Friday. However, despite global commitments to reduce fossil fuel reliance to address climate change, a number of African countries have recently committed to expanding their oil and coal production, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. African leaders have also asserted that achieving global climate goals cannot come at the price of economic development on the continent – and they intend to invest in gas as a transitional form of energy on the continent’s path to renewable energy. Nigeria launched its Energy Transition Plan on 24 August, mapping out how the country intends to achieve carbon emission neutrality by 2060, including by transitioning from petrol to gas – but the continent’s most populous nation needs over $400 billion to implement the plan and many western countries have moratoriums on financing hydrocarbon projects. It was truly a pleasure to meet with Vice-President Kamala Harris to discuss Nigeria's #EnergyTransition Plan and other interests between our Governments. pic.twitter.com/8qJnhTOQRf — Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) September 2, 2022 During last week’s meeting, Harris welcomed Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan and applauded Osinbajo’s leadership for just energy transitions in Africa and “the two leaders committed to working closely to support Nigeria’s energy access and energy security goals, as well as our shared global climate goals”, according to a White House statement. Continued investment in oil But some African countries’ actions are not in line with the globally set climate goals. The Democratic Republic of Congo is planning to issue 30 new licenses for oil rigs that could threaten some parts of the country’s rainforest. “We had concerns about the announcement of the auction of these oil and gas exploration blocks, some of the blocks infringe on sensitive rainforest and peatland areas, including in the Virunga National Park and Salonga National Park,” said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during a recent visit to the DRC. Meanwhile in Kenya, in early August President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the Kipevu terminal, a large new oil storage facility at the Mombasa port intended to store large volumes of oil for the country’s development. In August 2021, the government of Ghana revealed plans to invest $1.65 billion to accelerate oil and gas exploration via the acquisition and development of oil and gas assets. Following an EU ban on coal importation from Russia, South Africa’s coal sales to Europe rose eight-fold during the first half of 2022 compared with last year. ‘Moral and economic madness’ After the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report reported that the expansion of coal, oil and gas production is a great risk to global climate goals, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, described the expansion as “moral and economic madness”. But many African governments are getting behind the gas transition, arguing that moving immediately to renewable energy will hamper the continent’s economy and development. In May, 10 countries – the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe – adopted a seven-point communique urging the international community to support gas “as a transition fuel and the long-term displacement of gas by renewable energy and green hydrogen for industrial development, if financially and technically sustainable”. In Senegal, $5 billion is projected to be spent on the second phase of the country’s liquefied natural gas project. President Macky Sall is a firm critic of what he described as the hypocrisy of western governments that guzzle gas at home but have declared a virtual moratorium on financing hydrocarbon projects abroad. “You cannot tell us that renewables alone can develop a continent — it has never been the case anywhere else and it cannot be the case in Africa,” Sall said. Egypt to host COP27 In November, Egypt’s “green city” of Sharm El Sheikh will host the 27th United Nations climate change conference, COP27, and this will offer an opportunity to show what the continent is doing to align with global climate goals including net zero carbon emissions by 2060 and mainstreaming renewable energies. Egypt has described the provision, mobilization and delivery of climate finance for developing countries as an urgent priority — particularly in light of current financial crises, debt challenges and increasing interest rates. “It is imperative to make appropriate financial flows that are based on needs identified through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other vehicles, with a focus on concessional finance instruments, and grants as appropriate, while providing a clear revision of the definition of bankable projects that takes into consideration climate benefits and not only risks, and achieving cross-cutting impacts,” Egypt said on its website for COP27. At COP26, a major talking point among African delegates and climate activists was the need for richer countries, who are also the world’s majornpolluters, to provide sufficient funds for developing countries to fight the crisis. During COP26, South Africa, the European Union, France, Germany, the UK and the US launched an ambitious long-term Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to support the South Africa’s decarbonisation efforts in order to move its economy towards more reliance on renewable energy resources. The JETP aims to mobilise $8.5 billion for South Africa, and Nigeria hopes to achieve similar support for its energy transition plan. 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.
Argentina Now Requires Big Food to Add Warning Labels to Ultra-Processed Foods 06/09/2022 Raisa Santos Big food companies in Argentina now need to add warning labels to their ultra-processed products. Consumers in Argentina are getting help to identify unhealthy food, thanks to new food promotion laws that mandate front-of-package warning labels, the first phase of which started recently. Last year, Argentina’s president signed one of the world’s strongest and most comprehensive food policy laws, requiring ultra-processed products with excess levels of sodium, sugar, fats and calories to include black octagonal warnings on the front of the package. Big food companies were given until 20 August to add the warnings, while small and medium food and beverage companies have until 20 February 2023 to do so. Companies that produce products that are high in sugar, calories, sodium and fat are prohibited from advertising these to children or selling them at schools. Argentinian civil society groups applauded the start of the new law, emphasizing it was a step in the right direction after years of advocacy. “This moment is the time when people in Argentina will start to have the chance to know what they are eating,” said Luciana Castronuovo of Fundacion InterAmerica del Corazon (FIC) Argentina, speaking to the Global Health Advocacy Incubator. The law is comprehensive as it also includes the regulation of food marketing and school environments, guaranteeing the rights to health and healthy food of children and youth, Victoria Tiscornia, nutritionist and researcher at FIC Argentina, told Health Policy Watch. “This comprehensive law is evidence-based and includes the best public health standards to tackle the double burden of malnutrition in Argentina.” ‘Major step’ to ensuring the right to healthy food Argentina’s accomplishment comes at a time when advocates are pushing for healthy food policies across Latin America in response to high rates of diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity and heart disease and an increase in the availability of ultra-processed food and drinks. For the past five years, civil society organizations in Argentina fought for a package of policies that include front-of-package warning labels (FOPL), marketing restrictions and the removal of unhealthy food and drinks from schools. “This law is a major step towards guaranteeing both the population’s right to healthy food and the right to information.,” said Tiscornia. “It seeks to provide clear and truthful information to consumers about the products they buy so that they can make informed decisions and choose the healthiest consumption options.” The new law in Argentina is based on the experiences of other countries in the region, such as Chile, Mexico, and Peru, which have also implemented FOPL in their packaging. Chile was the first country to implement front-of-package labelling in 2016. Research has shown favourable significant positive changes in food choices as a result of labelling. Some 68% of people changed their eating habits and 20% of industries reformulated their products to comply with the established profile and thus avoid warning seals on the packaging. In addition, the purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages showed a significant decrease of almost 24% since the implementation of labelling. Other parts of the world have also been working towards changing food policy with highly processed foods. Nigeria recently introduced a new tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in June in an effort to curb the growing rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related non-communicable diseases in the country. Challenges in implementation and communication in months to come Supermarket in Argentina with processed sugary food products. However, the new law in Argentina includes an article that allows companies to request a time extension for including the front of package warning labels (FOPL), Tiscornia added. FIC Argentina and other civil society organizations have been monitoring this process and conducting information requests but no official response explaining the number and reason for extensions has been yet provided. “This situation, although legal, affects the transparency of the policy process and the proper implementation of the law.” she said FIC Argentina and other civil society groups will be facing many challenges in the coming months in regards to the new law, such as implementation and communication to the public, said Maga Ailén Merlo Vijarra from Argentinian human rights nonprofit FUNDEPS. “In the coming months we will be working on disseminating key information about the law and the need for this public health strategy and we will also focus on the human right to healthy food.” Products that were manufactured and packaged before the law came into force are not required to add labels. Additionally, rice, dry noodles and legumes, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables and milk, amongst other unprocessed or minimally processed foods are exempted from the labels. Table sugar and salt, vegetable oils, dried fruits and nuts, will also be exempted from labelling. Vijarra noted that the challenges with implementation include understanding which products have labels and which companies will have extensions approved. “In the coming months we expect to better protect Argentinean children and adolescents from abusive marketing strategies employed by the food industry, leading to a safer and healthier environment to develop and grow,” she concluded. Image Credits: Global Health Policy Incubator , Vera and Jean-Christophe/Flickr . Africa Pushes Gas as Transitional Energy Source, Insisting Climate Goals Cannot Hamper Economic Progress 05/09/2022 Paul Adepoju Solar panels in the Egyptian desert. The US government committed itself to supporting Nigeria’s transition away from fossil fuels during a meeting between US vice-president Kamala Harris and Nigeria’s vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, last Friday. However, despite global commitments to reduce fossil fuel reliance to address climate change, a number of African countries have recently committed to expanding their oil and coal production, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. African leaders have also asserted that achieving global climate goals cannot come at the price of economic development on the continent – and they intend to invest in gas as a transitional form of energy on the continent’s path to renewable energy. Nigeria launched its Energy Transition Plan on 24 August, mapping out how the country intends to achieve carbon emission neutrality by 2060, including by transitioning from petrol to gas – but the continent’s most populous nation needs over $400 billion to implement the plan and many western countries have moratoriums on financing hydrocarbon projects. It was truly a pleasure to meet with Vice-President Kamala Harris to discuss Nigeria's #EnergyTransition Plan and other interests between our Governments. pic.twitter.com/8qJnhTOQRf — Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) September 2, 2022 During last week’s meeting, Harris welcomed Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan and applauded Osinbajo’s leadership for just energy transitions in Africa and “the two leaders committed to working closely to support Nigeria’s energy access and energy security goals, as well as our shared global climate goals”, according to a White House statement. Continued investment in oil But some African countries’ actions are not in line with the globally set climate goals. The Democratic Republic of Congo is planning to issue 30 new licenses for oil rigs that could threaten some parts of the country’s rainforest. “We had concerns about the announcement of the auction of these oil and gas exploration blocks, some of the blocks infringe on sensitive rainforest and peatland areas, including in the Virunga National Park and Salonga National Park,” said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during a recent visit to the DRC. Meanwhile in Kenya, in early August President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the Kipevu terminal, a large new oil storage facility at the Mombasa port intended to store large volumes of oil for the country’s development. In August 2021, the government of Ghana revealed plans to invest $1.65 billion to accelerate oil and gas exploration via the acquisition and development of oil and gas assets. Following an EU ban on coal importation from Russia, South Africa’s coal sales to Europe rose eight-fold during the first half of 2022 compared with last year. ‘Moral and economic madness’ After the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report reported that the expansion of coal, oil and gas production is a great risk to global climate goals, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, described the expansion as “moral and economic madness”. But many African governments are getting behind the gas transition, arguing that moving immediately to renewable energy will hamper the continent’s economy and development. In May, 10 countries – the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe – adopted a seven-point communique urging the international community to support gas “as a transition fuel and the long-term displacement of gas by renewable energy and green hydrogen for industrial development, if financially and technically sustainable”. In Senegal, $5 billion is projected to be spent on the second phase of the country’s liquefied natural gas project. President Macky Sall is a firm critic of what he described as the hypocrisy of western governments that guzzle gas at home but have declared a virtual moratorium on financing hydrocarbon projects abroad. “You cannot tell us that renewables alone can develop a continent — it has never been the case anywhere else and it cannot be the case in Africa,” Sall said. Egypt to host COP27 In November, Egypt’s “green city” of Sharm El Sheikh will host the 27th United Nations climate change conference, COP27, and this will offer an opportunity to show what the continent is doing to align with global climate goals including net zero carbon emissions by 2060 and mainstreaming renewable energies. Egypt has described the provision, mobilization and delivery of climate finance for developing countries as an urgent priority — particularly in light of current financial crises, debt challenges and increasing interest rates. “It is imperative to make appropriate financial flows that are based on needs identified through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other vehicles, with a focus on concessional finance instruments, and grants as appropriate, while providing a clear revision of the definition of bankable projects that takes into consideration climate benefits and not only risks, and achieving cross-cutting impacts,” Egypt said on its website for COP27. At COP26, a major talking point among African delegates and climate activists was the need for richer countries, who are also the world’s majornpolluters, to provide sufficient funds for developing countries to fight the crisis. During COP26, South Africa, the European Union, France, Germany, the UK and the US launched an ambitious long-term Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to support the South Africa’s decarbonisation efforts in order to move its economy towards more reliance on renewable energy resources. The JETP aims to mobilise $8.5 billion for South Africa, and Nigeria hopes to achieve similar support for its energy transition plan. 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
Africa Pushes Gas as Transitional Energy Source, Insisting Climate Goals Cannot Hamper Economic Progress 05/09/2022 Paul Adepoju Solar panels in the Egyptian desert. The US government committed itself to supporting Nigeria’s transition away from fossil fuels during a meeting between US vice-president Kamala Harris and Nigeria’s vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, last Friday. However, despite global commitments to reduce fossil fuel reliance to address climate change, a number of African countries have recently committed to expanding their oil and coal production, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. African leaders have also asserted that achieving global climate goals cannot come at the price of economic development on the continent – and they intend to invest in gas as a transitional form of energy on the continent’s path to renewable energy. Nigeria launched its Energy Transition Plan on 24 August, mapping out how the country intends to achieve carbon emission neutrality by 2060, including by transitioning from petrol to gas – but the continent’s most populous nation needs over $400 billion to implement the plan and many western countries have moratoriums on financing hydrocarbon projects. It was truly a pleasure to meet with Vice-President Kamala Harris to discuss Nigeria's #EnergyTransition Plan and other interests between our Governments. pic.twitter.com/8qJnhTOQRf — Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) September 2, 2022 During last week’s meeting, Harris welcomed Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan and applauded Osinbajo’s leadership for just energy transitions in Africa and “the two leaders committed to working closely to support Nigeria’s energy access and energy security goals, as well as our shared global climate goals”, according to a White House statement. Continued investment in oil But some African countries’ actions are not in line with the globally set climate goals. The Democratic Republic of Congo is planning to issue 30 new licenses for oil rigs that could threaten some parts of the country’s rainforest. “We had concerns about the announcement of the auction of these oil and gas exploration blocks, some of the blocks infringe on sensitive rainforest and peatland areas, including in the Virunga National Park and Salonga National Park,” said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during a recent visit to the DRC. Meanwhile in Kenya, in early August President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the Kipevu terminal, a large new oil storage facility at the Mombasa port intended to store large volumes of oil for the country’s development. In August 2021, the government of Ghana revealed plans to invest $1.65 billion to accelerate oil and gas exploration via the acquisition and development of oil and gas assets. Following an EU ban on coal importation from Russia, South Africa’s coal sales to Europe rose eight-fold during the first half of 2022 compared with last year. ‘Moral and economic madness’ After the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report reported that the expansion of coal, oil and gas production is a great risk to global climate goals, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, described the expansion as “moral and economic madness”. But many African governments are getting behind the gas transition, arguing that moving immediately to renewable energy will hamper the continent’s economy and development. In May, 10 countries – the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe – adopted a seven-point communique urging the international community to support gas “as a transition fuel and the long-term displacement of gas by renewable energy and green hydrogen for industrial development, if financially and technically sustainable”. In Senegal, $5 billion is projected to be spent on the second phase of the country’s liquefied natural gas project. President Macky Sall is a firm critic of what he described as the hypocrisy of western governments that guzzle gas at home but have declared a virtual moratorium on financing hydrocarbon projects abroad. “You cannot tell us that renewables alone can develop a continent — it has never been the case anywhere else and it cannot be the case in Africa,” Sall said. Egypt to host COP27 In November, Egypt’s “green city” of Sharm El Sheikh will host the 27th United Nations climate change conference, COP27, and this will offer an opportunity to show what the continent is doing to align with global climate goals including net zero carbon emissions by 2060 and mainstreaming renewable energies. Egypt has described the provision, mobilization and delivery of climate finance for developing countries as an urgent priority — particularly in light of current financial crises, debt challenges and increasing interest rates. “It is imperative to make appropriate financial flows that are based on needs identified through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other vehicles, with a focus on concessional finance instruments, and grants as appropriate, while providing a clear revision of the definition of bankable projects that takes into consideration climate benefits and not only risks, and achieving cross-cutting impacts,” Egypt said on its website for COP27. At COP26, a major talking point among African delegates and climate activists was the need for richer countries, who are also the world’s majornpolluters, to provide sufficient funds for developing countries to fight the crisis. During COP26, South Africa, the European Union, France, Germany, the UK and the US launched an ambitious long-term Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to support the South Africa’s decarbonisation efforts in order to move its economy towards more reliance on renewable energy resources. The JETP aims to mobilise $8.5 billion for South Africa, and Nigeria hopes to achieve similar support for its energy transition plan. Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts