News Pouch: 20 September 2019
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Pandemic Threats and Health Emergencies
News Pouch: 20 September 2019
Welcome to this issue of the newsletter where we highlight key latest news and literature relevant to health emergencies preparedness and response research and policy, tagged by thematic area.
We appreciate receiving your reports, articles and studies to share widely within our network. Please contact Chadia Wannous via email at cwannous@yahoo.com
Wishing you useful reading!
Chadia
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Topics:
- Spotlight: Ebola Outbreak Situation
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Updates and News on Outbreaks
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Priority Infectious Diseases
- Influenza
- VBD, and more
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Priority Infectious Diseases
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One Health
- Biodiversity and ecosystem
- Food Security and Safety
-
AMR
- Health in Emergencies and Disasters
- Health and Climate Change
- Urban Health
- Migration Health
- Global Health
- Contact us
WHO External Situation Report 59: 15 September 2019
In the 21 days from 26 August to 15 September 2019, 52 health areas in 15 health zones reported new cases. During this period, a total of 149 confirmed cases were reported, with the majority coming from the health zones of Mambasa (19%, n=29), Kalunguta (19%, n=28), Mandima (19%, n=28), and Beni (10%, n=15). Fourteen health zones that have previously reported cases of EVD since the beginning of the outbreak have not reported a case in more than 21 days. As of 15 September 2019, a total of 3129 EVD cases were reported, including 3018 confirmed and 111 probable cases, of which 2096 cases died (overall case fatality ratio 67%). Of the total confirmed and probable cases with reported sex and age, 56% (1755) were female, 29% (893) were children aged less than 18 years, and 5% (159) were healthcare workers.
Under Pillar 1 of the current Strategic Response Plan, the estimated funding requirement for all partners for the period July to December 2019 is US$ 287 million, including US$ 120-140 million for WHO. As of 17 September 2019, close to US$ 60 million have been received by WHO, with further funds committed or pledged. Currently available funds will close the financing gap up until the end of October 2019. Further resources are needed to fund the response through to December 2019, and WHO is appealing to donors to provide generous support. A summary of funding received by WHO since the start of this outbreak can be foundhere.
click here to download the complete situation report (PDF).
WHO deploys technical team to Tanzania to support investigation of a rumour of unknown illness The World Health Organization (WHO) is aware of a rumour related to the death of a person due to an unknown illness in Tanzania. We have reached out to Ministry of Health officials for further details and have offered our support.
https://www.afro.who.int/news/who-deploys-technical-team-tanzania-support-investigation-rumour-unknown-illness
Tanzanian authorities inform WHO they have no cases of Ebola
https://www.afro.who.int/news/tanzanian-authorities-inform-who-they-have-no-cases-ebola
The Ebola Virus Is Winning in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
Hard barriers to access lie at the very heart of the agonizing struggle by international and Congolese responders to contain and ultimately arrest the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
https://www.csis.org/analysis/ebola-virus-winning-eastern-democratic-republic-congo
As Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Drags On, Untracked Cases Sow Confusion
The United States remains committed to fighting Ebola in Africa, American health officials said on Monday, but the scope of the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become somewhat unclear.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/16/health/ebola-congo-azar-fauci.html
US officials end visit to DRC Ebola region; cases rise to 3,129
US officials said other outbreak indicators such as deaths in the community need to improve before they feel more confident about the recent drop in cases.
More »
Violence, 15 New Ebola Cases Reported in DRC Outbreak
After yesterday's warning by the World Health Organization's (WHO) African regional office to not be overly optimistic about a recent drop in Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the agency today reported 15 new infections on its Ebola online dashboard.
WHO Ebola dashboard
Sep 17 WHO situation report
Sep 17 CMRE update
Inside the nurseries caring for children impacted by Ebola
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, nurseries are providing a safe space for children and babies facing the terrifying prospect of separation from their parents.
https://www.unicef.org/stories/inside-nurseries-caring-children-impacted-ebola
Researchers find building mutations into Ebola virus protein disrupts ability to cause disease
Creating mutations in a key Ebola virus protein that helps the deadly virus escape from the body’s defenses can make the virus unable to produce sickness and activate protective immunity in the infected host, according to a study by the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University. The mutated virus even works as a vaccine to protect animals from infection with the virulent Ebola virus
https://scienmag.com/researchers-find-building-mutations-into-ebola-virus-protein-disrupts-ability-to-cause-disease/
Uninfected patients key to improving Ebola response
Research on the logistics of responding to Ebola outbreaks has revealed that an often-overlooked, but critical, factor in resource deployment to treat victims of the disease is how many of the people in treatment centers are Ebola-negative...Individuals who test negative take up bed space and treatment capacity needed for those who have contracted the disease. More accurate forecasts of Ebola-negative cases, coupled with streamlined testing procedures to reduce their stay, increases the efficiency of treatment facilities and makes response programs more effective.
http://news.mit.edu/2019/uninfected-patients-key-improving-ebola-response-0916
GPMB Annual Report
From the foreword by Co-Chairs H.E. Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland and Mr Elhadj As Sy: “For its first report, the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board reviewed recommendations from previous high-level panels and commissions following the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic and the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak, along with its own commissioned reports and other data. The result is a snapshot of where the world stands in its ability to prevent and contain a global health threat.
http://apps.who.int/gpmb/annual_report.html
Are the multilaterals ready to act on pandemic prevention and other global public goods?
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2019/09/11/are-the-multilaterals-ready-to-act-on-pandemic-prevention-and-other-global-public-goods/
Read the report here http://centerforpolicyimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2019/09/Multilateral-Support-for-GPGs-and-Global-Action-Plan-4.pdf
Sierra Leone launches a comprehensive five-year national action plan for health security in compliance with international health regulations
Sierra Leone is now the seventh country in the African region to launch a National Action Plan for Health Security. The National Action Plan for Health Security outlines activities that will be carried out over the coming years (2018-2022) to accelerate attainment of Health Security in the country. In 2018, Sierra Leone also launched a one health platform to holistically address human, animal and environmental health challenges.
https://www.afro.who.int/news/sierra-leone-launches-comprehensive-five-year-national-action-plan-health-security-compliance
Italy: Superbug NDM-1 outbreak reported in Tuscany
Health officials in Tuscany, Italy are reporting (computer translated) an outbreak of the superbug bacterium, New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in hospitals since November 2018.
http://outbreaknewstoday.com/italy-superbug-ndm-1-outbreak-reported-in-tuscany-24484
See also: https://www.ars.toscana.it/2-articoli/4161-batterio-new-delhi-in-toscana.html
PAHO Epidemiological Update: Situation Summary
In the Region of the Americas, between epidemiological week (EW) 1 and EW 351 of 2019, a total of 2,384,029 cases of dengue (244.1 cases per 100,000 population) have been reported, including 949 deaths. Of the total cases, 1,065,701 (44.7%) were laboratory-confirmed and 17,794 (0.7%) were classified as severe dengue.
https://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_docman&view=download&slug=13-september-2019-dengue-epidemiological-update&Itemid=270&lang=en
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Influenza
Burden of influenza-associated respiratory hospitalizations in the Americas, 2010–2015
Despite having influenza vaccination policies and programs, countries in the Americas underutilize seasonal influenza vaccine, in part because of insufficient evidence about severe influenza burden. We aimed to estimate the annual burden of influenza-associated respiratory hospitalizations in the Americas.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0221479
WHO biweekly global influenza update
www.who.int/influenza/surveillance_monitoring/updates/latest_update_GIP_surveillance/
The latest FluNet summary of lab-confirmed data from GISRS
www.who.int/influenza/gisrs_laboratory/updates/summaryreport
Hand sanitizer shown less effective than hand washing against flu
The problem appears to be a mucus barrier that takes awhile to overcome.
More »
Gates Foundation awards up to $2 million for universal flu vaccine research
Earlier this week a team of researchers from the University of Chicago, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and the Scripps Research Institute, received a Grand Challenge for Universal Influenza Vaccine Development grant—part of a $12 million initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Flu Lab.
Sep 16 University of Chicago press release
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Vector-Borne Diseases (VBD)
Armed with tech tools, Colombian cities combat mosquito-borne diseases
Armed with a mobile app, Glenis Barragan has been knocking from door to door in the poor neighbourhoods of Colombia’s northern city of Cucuta, aiming to combat the spread of the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease. In the past year, Barragan has helped fellow residents identify and destroy mosquito breeding grounds - from water stored in containers and buckets in homes to puddles of water, rubbish and discarded tyres in city streets and parks. Using a phone app and platform created by Premise, a U.S.-based data and analytics company, the information collected was recorded, georeferenced and photographed and then passed on to city health authorities.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-colombia-health-tech/armed-with-tech-tools-colombian-cities-combat-mosquito-borne-diseases-idUSKBN1W122M
Malaria vaccine launched in Kenya
The aim is to vaccinate about 120 000 children per year in Kenya across the selected introduction areas. Within the eight counties, some sub-counties will introduce the vaccine into immunization schedules while others are expected to introduce the vaccine later.
https://www.afro.who.int/news/malaria-vaccine-launched-kenya-kenya-joins-ghana-and-malawi-roll-out-landmark-vaccine-pilot
An Africa free of malaria
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)31952-X/fulltext
The malaria eradication challenge
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)31951-8/fulltext
Countries and territories certified malaria-free by WHO.
https://www.who.int/malaria/areas/elimination/malaria-free-countries/en/
UPDATE on IV Artesunate: CDC/FDA Joint Statement: Access to New Front-Line Treatment for Severe Malaria is a Top Priority for U.S. Agencies
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) are aware of concerns about the availability of intravenous artesunate for treatment of severe malaria. CDC and FDA are committed to working with clinicians and public health partners to provide the best possible care and access to treatment for patients with severe malaria.
View the joint statement here.
Dengue surges in the Americas as Florida reports more local cases
With about 2.4 million dengue cases reported in the Americas so far, the 2019 total will probably top the number for the last epidemic year, which occurred in 2015, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said its latest update late last week.
Sep 13 PAHO dengue update
Bangladesh dengue outbreak tops 80K cases, Getting worse outside Dhaka
http://outbreaknewstoday.com/bangladesh-dengue-outbreak-tops-80k-cases-getting-worse-outside-dhaka-53851/
Ethiopia chikungunya outbreak skyrockets
http://outbreaknewstoday.com/ethiopia-chikungunya-outbreak-skyrockets-37929/
Themis Raises €40M to Run Phase 3 Chikungunya Vaccine Trial
Themis has raised €40 million ($44 million). The Merck-backed series D positions Themis to take its chikungunya vaccine through a phase 3 trial and move the lead candidate from its immuno-oncology R&D program into humans.
https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/themis-raises-eu40m-to-run-phase-3-chikungunya-vaccine-trial
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ASF
Expert Group Formed to Prevent ASF in Americas
Given the gravity of the situation and following the request of member countries at the OIE General Session in May, OIE launched a global initiative for the control of ASF with the objective to control the disease, strengthen countries’ prevention and preparation efforts and minimize the adverse effects on animal health, animal welfare and international trade.
https://www.nationalhogfarmer.com/agenda/expert-group-formed-prevent-asf-americas
ASF China Update for 20 September 2019 from FAO/EMPRES – Animal Health.
* The Republic of Korea reported ASF for the first time.
* More deaths of pigs reported in the Philippines.
* Deaths of pigs also found in Thailand, test pending.
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MERS
New Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) Situation Update fromFAO/EMPRES – Animal Health
- Three new human cases have been reported in Saudi Arabia, all of them fatal;
- Updated epidemiological timeline (by exposure source);
- Four new relevant publications;
- Project updates by Egypt, Ethiopia, and Kenya;
http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/programmes/en/empres/mers/situation_update.html
See also Sep 19 WHO EMRO monthly MERS-CoV report
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Measles
Measles Cases and Outbreaks
From January 1 to September 12, 2019, 1,241** individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 31 states. No new cases were reported September 6 – 12, 2019.
https://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html
Air disinfection in measles transmission hotspots
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)31889-6/fulltext
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Polio
The Philippines Declares Polio Outbreak
The Philippines health department has declared a polio outbreak in the country nearly two decades after the World Health Organisation declared it to be free of the highly contagious and potentially deadly disease.
https://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/the-philippines-declares-polio-outbreak/news-story/2cae283040fc9dda4c19f1a066de4819
Sep 19 WHO statement
Batavia Biosceinces receives grant for novel oral polio vaccine
The Gates Foundation has awarded Batavia Biosciences $6.5 million to develop a manufacturing process for making a novel oral polio vaccine to protect against the type 2 strain(nOPV2).
Sep 16 Batavia Biosciences press release
Sep 13 GPEI update
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HIV
How close are we to a ‘workable’ HIV vaccine?
https://www.scidev.net/global/hiv-aids/feature/how-close-are-we-to-a-workable-hiv-vaccine.html
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The surprising ways that city and country kids think about wildlife
It's widely assumed that rural children are closer to nature than their urban counterparts. But is that really true? Read More
Open access and data accelerate ILRI’s innovation and research
https://maarifa.ilri.org/2019/09/16/open-ilri/
Managing epidemics- Key facts about major deadly diseases
This manual provides concise and up-to-date knowledge on 15 infectious diseases that have the potential to become international threats, and tips on how to respond to each of them.
The 21st century has already been marked by major epidemics. Old diseases - cholera, plague and yellow fever - have returned, and new ones have emerged - SARS, pandemic influenza, MERS, Ebola and Zika. These epidemics and their impact on global public health have convinced the world's governments of the need for a collective and coordinated defense against emerging public health threats and accelerated the revision of the International Health Regulations (2005), entered into force in 2007.
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/managing-epidemics/en/
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Biodiversity and Ecosystem
Biodiversity touches every aspect of our lives – so why has its loss been ignored?
From our environment to our economies, our security to our societies, biodiversity is vital. But preserving it will require transformative change
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/19/biodiversity-touches-every-aspect-of-our-lives-so-why-has-its-loss-been-ignored
Trouble at the top of the world
Arctic sea ice is at a near-record low — but that’s just one of the north’s problems. From raging wildfires to melting ice in Greenland, the top of the world is screaming for help. Discover some of the shocking records broken this year, and the effect the changes are having on everything from carbon emissions to wildlife.
Nature | 6 min read
'Respect dirt and dung' to combat desertification
https://www.scidev.net/global/environment/feature/respect-the-dung-to-combat-desertification.html
How to save coral reefs, for real
Coral reefs cover only a tiny fraction of the ocean floor, but they support almost 30% of the world’s marine fish species — and roughly 400 million people depend on them for work, food and protection. Yet every single reef could be gone by 2070 if global heating continues on its current path. Six researchers describe in detail how a bolder, scaled-up approach to the stewardship of land and sea could save reefs much more effectively than desperate, piecemeal initiatives.
Nature | 10 min read
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Food Safety and Security
Time for complete transparency about conflicts of interest in public health nutrition research
https://hrbopenresearch.org/articles/2-1/v2
Dietary change could save a quarter of tropical forest from destruction
New research reveals the benefits of plant based diets not just in reducing land-use and greenhouse gases, but also in protecting vulnerable animal species in the tropics.
Read More
The Problem With Sugar-Daddy Science
The pursuit of money from wealthy donors distorts the research process—and yields flashy projects that don’t help and don’t work. The “food computer” was the flagship technology at the Media Lab’s Open Agriculture Initiative. The purpose of the hydroponic device was to rapidly grow plants to exact specifications. Program the right amounts of water, nutrients, and light into the plastic box, and it would automatically grow plants up to four times faster than normal. How do we stop sugar-daddy science? The only long-term solution is to bring back federal funding so researchers can stop relying on donations from the beneficiaries of widening inequality
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/problem-sugar-daddy-science/598231
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AMR
Five avoidable deaths per minute shows urgent need for action on patient safety
With at least five people dying every minute due to unsafe health care, the World Health Organization (WHO) is urging medical professionals, policy makers, caregivers and patients to take urgent action to ensure no one is harmed while receiving treatment.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1046552
Rising levels of antibiotic resistance noted in dolphins
Many of the findings parallel increases detected recently in hospital settings.
More »
Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Sep 17, 2019
- Early diagnostics in sepsis
- CARB-X funds novel antibiotic
Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Sep 19, 2019
- Antibiotic resistance in pork chops
- XDR Salmonella in DRC
WHO AFRO - Outbreaks and Emergencies Bulletin - Week 37/2019
09 - 15 September 2019
The WHO Health Emergencies Programme is currently monitoring 70 events in the region. This week's edition covers key new and ongoing events, including:
- Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Measles outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Lassa fever outbreak in Liberia
- Humanitarian crisis in South Sudan
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/327408/OEW37-0915092019.pdf
Center for Health Security Report assesses preparedness for high-impact respiratory pathogen
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security was commissioned by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) to assess the state of readiness for a high-impact respiratory pathogen pandemic—that is, pathogens with the potential for widespread transmission and high observed mortality. If a high-impact respiratory pathogen were to emerge, either naturally or as the result of accidental or deliberate release, it would likely have significant public health, economic, social, and political consequences.
Go to report
One million facing food shortages, nutrition crisis after Mozambique cyclones: UNICEF
Such was the extent of devastation caused by two back-to-back cyclones in Mozambique earlier this year, nearly one million people, including 160,000 children under five, are still facing food shortages and a nutrition crisis, the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said on Monday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1046522
Real-Time Information for People Displaced by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas
https://www.iom.int/news/iom-offers-real-time-information-people-displaced-hurricane-dorian-bahamas
African nations push for drought research
Scientists from African countries attending the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification have called for help with research and data collection so that they can better identify and prepare for drought. The UN estimates that by 2030, 700 million people will be forced to leave their homes because of drought. But there isn’t even a scientific consensus on what ‘drought’ means.
Nature | 4 min read
How extreme weather threatens people with disabilities
https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2019/09/how-extreme-weather-threatens-people-with-disabilities/
IOM Launches Manual on Community-Based Mental Health and Psychosocial Support inEmergencies and Displacement
Read more
The mental health imperative of children in conflict
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)32143-9/fulltext
Opinion: Water and sanitation are unexpected life savers for children in war zones
https://www.devex.com/news/opinion-water-and-sanitation-are-unexpected-life-savers-for-children-in-war-zones-95587
The World’s Children Need Clean Water, Clean Air And A Safe Climate
Climate change has the potential to undermine most of the gains made in child survival and development over the past 30 years. There is perhaps no greater threat facing the rights of the next generation of children.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/unicefusa/2019/09/17/the-worlds-children-need-clean-water-clean-air-and-a-safe-climate
Air pollution particles found on foetal side of placentas – study
Research finds black carbon breathed by mothers can cross into unborn children
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/17/air-pollution-particles-found-on-foetal-side-of-placentas-study
ECHO Daily Flash Archive
https://erccportal.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ECHO-Flash/ECHO-Flash-List/yy/2019/mm/9
Disaster victims to double by 2050 in climate-battered world
Punishing droughts and more severe storms, floods and wildfires driven by climate change could contribute to twice as many people requiring international humanitarian assistance by mid-century, an IFRC warned on Thursday.
http://news.trust.org//item/20190919210536-omx6k
HOT Summit 2019: Improving humanitarian mapping
Date: 19-20 Sep 2019
Organizer: Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT/OSM)
Some sessions of particular interest include:
- The power of OpenStreetMap and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to anticipate disasters
- Integration of (digital) volunteers in disaster management
Event website: https://summit2019.hotosm.org
Global Climate Strike → Sep. 20–27
In over 150 countries, people are stepping up to support young climate strikers and demand an end to the age of fossil fuels. The climate crisis won’t wait, so neither will we.
https://globalclimatestrike.net/
Climate change is one of the greatest threats to global health, experts warn
Climate change poses a range of health threats, the 619 experts polled by the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene warned. Half of those polled said that mass migration, emerging infectious diseases such as dengue and a shortage of food would be the biggest health-related implications of climate change. Earlier this year the UK Department of Health announced a£56million research fund to investigate the health implications of climate change. However, the survey respondents - 40 per cent of whom are based in Africa - overwhelmingly thought that governments and health bodies were not doing enough in preparation.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/climate-and-people/climate-change-one-greatest-threats-global-health-experts-warn
WHO Director-General urges world leaders to protect health from climate change - including heatwaves
In advance of the upcoming Climate Action Summit, WHO Director-General urges all nations to join those who have pledged action to protect people from the devastating heatwaves, floods and cyclones linked with climate change, and to reduce the risk of malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea, and heat stress.
Read more >
UN climate summit aims to speed up transition to cleaner, greener future
New measures to speed up the transition to clean energy and green economies are among the initiatives to be unveiled during the UN Climate Change Summit next week.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1046602
Climate Change Will Create 1.5 Billion Migrants by 2050 and We Have No Idea Where They'll Go
The climate crisis has already created millions of invisible refugees and could create up to 1.5 billion more in the next 30 years. But under international law no country is obliged to take them in.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/59n9qa/climate-change-will-create-15-billion-migrants-by-2050-and-we-have-no-idea-where-theyll-go
Inequality and climate change: the double threat to life on Earth
The twin threats of climate change and rising inequality are challenging and unprecedented obstacles for our species.
https://stories.undp.org/997ccd59d6fbff50efc5c08552f3602f
The danger of heat and cold across Australia
Cold temperatures are not nearly as deadly as heat, with around 2% of all deaths nationwide related to heat. The study is the first to use a national data set of mortality records to calculate the number of deaths linked to heat and cold in Australia. A key part of the analysis was estimating temperature-related deaths across six climate zones.
https://www.uts.edu.au/news/business-law/danger-heat-and-cold-across-australia
Launch of European Heat Health System Website
Network partners at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health's (ISGlobal) Climate and Health Program recently launched the European Heat Health System at heathealth.eu. The system calibrates temperature-mortality models with DLNM, and uses ECMWF weather forecasts (from 1 to 15 day lead times) to study the decay in the predictability of heat and cold attributable numbers.
Visit and learn more >
How extreme weather threatens people with disabilities
https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2019/09/how-extreme-weather-threatens-people-with-disabilities/
We must rethink health care to include social and environmental costs of treatment
http://theconversation.com/we-must-rethink-health-care-to-include-social-and-environmental-costs-of-treatment-121649
Americans believe in climate change, but aren’t sure that scientists do, too
Two-thirds of people in the United States believe climate change is either a crisis or a serious problem, says a representative poll of 2,000 people by CBS News. But almost half of respondents did not accept that there is a scientific consensus about the human causes of global warming. “Our own and others’ research has repeatedly found that this is a critical misunderstanding, promoted by the fossil fuel industry for decades, in order to sow doubt, increase public uncertainty and thus keep people stuck in the status quo,” says Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
The Guardian | 6 min read or see the poll results as cartoons!
Air Pollution and flood in Assam-India
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1909/S00064/air-pollution-and-assam-floods.htm
Ozone on track to heal completely in our lifetime, UN environment agency declares on World Day.
At the current momentum, scientists predict the planet’s protective shield of gas - or ozone layer as we know it - will be completely healed as far as some regions of the planet are concerned, by the 2030’s, the UN’s environmental agency (UNEP) revealed on Monday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1046452
Follow the climate money
An estimated half a trillion dollars is being spent each year to help deal with the effects of climate change. But it’s not enough, it’s not all going to where it’s needed most — and almost as much cash is going to subsidize fossil fuels. Economic analysts say we need firm commitments from wealthy nations, promises to the low-income communities that will suffer most, and nothing short of a total transformation in how we think about the carbon impact of every dollar spent.
Nature | 12 min read
Cities: a 'cause of and solution to' climate change
Cities around the world are the “main cause of climate change” but can also offer a part of the solution to reducing the harmful greenhouses gases that are causing global temperatures to rise according to UN-Habitat Executive Director Maimunah Mohd Sharif.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1046662
Natural ways of cooling cities
Urban heat islands are a phenomenon where the temperature in a city is noticeably higher than in the surrounding rural area. When combined with the sort of heatwave that hit many parts of Europe at the beginning of July, urban heat can pose a real threat to the elderly, sick or other vulnerable people. The urban heat island phenomenon is more pronounced the bigger the city and the more rainfall in that region. As a general rule, more rain encourages plant growth in the surrounding area, making this cooler than the city.
https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2019/09/cooling-cities.html
read the study here https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1512-9
H2020 Funding Opportunity: Innovative actions for improving urban health and wellbeing
A new Horizon 2020 funding opportunity is now open for Innovative actions for improving urban health and wellbeing - addressing environment, climate and socioeconomic factors (ID: SC1-BHC-29-2020). Deadline: 24 September 2019.
Learn more.
Events:
C40 World Mayors Summit
9-12 October 2019 / Copenhagen, Denmark
https://c40summit2019.org/
Healthy City Design 2019
14-15 October 2019 / London, UK
https://healthycitydesign2019.salus.global/conference-show/healthy-city-design-2019
Child Immigration Detention is Not Only Wrong, It Is Ineffective
Read here
Better Health for Migrants. Better Health for All.
Read more
Watch a visual summary here
Health monitoring should account for diversity of people with a migration background
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20190918/Health-monitoring-should-account-for-diversity-of-people-with-a-migration-background.aspx
Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals Reach 63,417 in 2019; Deaths Reach 953
https://www.iom.int/news/mediterranean-migrant-arrivals-reach-63417-2019-deaths-reach-953
World must redouble efforts to meet SDGs, scientists warn
- UN report on SDGs progress calls for greater international collaboration
- Urgent change needed in cities, energy and food production systems
- World at risk of being ‘altered beyond recognition’ through failure to act
10 key issues in ensuring gender equity in the global health workforce
https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/10-key-issues-in-ensuring-gender-equity-in-the-global-health-workforce
Health Inequalities amongst People of African Descent in the Americas, 2005–2017: A Systematic Review of the Literature
http://bit.ly/ListaEquidad09102019
While China embraces the SDGs, the US government would rather not talk about them
In the “2030 Agenda Talking Points” memo, officials are instructed to differentiate between the SDGs as a platform, which the U.S. government “recognizes,” and the SDGs as a set of specific goals, which the U.S. government cannot individually endorse.
https://www.devex.com/news/while-china-embraces-the-sdgs-the-us-government-would-rather-not-talk-about-them-95597
Investing in leadership for universal health coverage
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(19)30363-8/fulltext
Opinion: Reflections on a youth-led approach to health, tech, and the 2030 agenda
Africa’s population is expected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050 — a growth that must be met with sustainable health systems. We know that many countries do not have the infrastructure in place to understand where the gaps are and, as a result, they are falling behind on their 2030 targets. This is where digital technologies offer an opportunity we simply cannot afford to miss. By better integrating and scaling systems for real-time data collection and analysis, we can better equip our policymakers and health workers to respond to the population’s needs.
https://www.devex.com/news/sponsored/opinion-reflections-on-a-youth-led-approach-to-health-tech-and-the-2030-agenda-95586
Opinion: The real problem with vaccine hesitancy
If we stopped vaccinating children, how long would it take before a host of deadly diseases came back with a vengeance? If the news that Albania, Czechia, Greece, and the United Kingdom have all now lost their official measles elimination status is anything to go by, the answer is not long at all. The reality is that there are very few diseases that can be completely eradicated, like smallpox. For the vast majority of them, we can at best keep them at bay. The fundamental failure to understand this is what lies behind vaccine hesitancy.
https://www.devex.com/news/opinion-the-real-problem-with-vaccine-hesitancy-95595
Opinion: The hidden drain on universal health coverage gains and health care budgets
https://www.devex.com/news/sponsored/opinion-the-hidden-drain-on-universal-health-coverage-gains-and-health-care-budgets-95622
The global maternal mortality rate has decreased
But the current pace will not be enough to meet the SDG target of fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030, according to the U.N
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/sep/19/number-women-dying-childbirth-off-track
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