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20/11/2022 ---- 28/11/2022

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28.11.2022
THEME: WORLD

There is growing socioeconomic pressure in China due to COVID-19 restrictions

China is arguably the developed nation which fought against the COVID-19 pandemic with the most rigid restrictions. While most other countries have now substantially declared the end of the sanitary emergency, in China, the fight is still ongoing. Authorities put entire cities under lockdown, even with just a handful of cases. Those in quarantine report difficulties in having access to food and medicines. The situation also puts stress on many commercial activities and companies. The economic and social costs of such measures have been incredibly high. The lockdowns are the cause of growing socioeconomic pressure. Several civil protests have erupted across the country in the last few days against the draconian anti-pandemic measures. Some of these protests have turned violent with the intervention of the police. At universities and in Shanghai where hundreds chanted, "Step down, Xi Jinping! Step down, Communist Party!". Protests have also broken out in the capital city of Beijing. One student at the prestigious Peking University reported that he arrived at the protest scene at around 1 a.m. Sunday local time, there were approximately 100 students, and security guards were using jackets to cover a protest slogan painted on the wall. Hundreds of people took to the streets of Urumqi on Friday night against the containment measures, which saw many of the city's 4 million residents barred from leaving their homes for as long as 100 days. Chinese media showed footage of people breaking through metal fences and shouting, "End the lockdown!". China is now the only major country in the world still fighting the pandemic through mass testing and lockdowns. Authorities defend President Xi Jinping's zero-COVID policy as life-saving and necessary to prevent overwhelming the health care system. Officials have vowed to continue with it despite the growing public pushback and its mounting toll on the world's second-biggest economy. The explosion of criticism marks a sharp turn in public opinion. Authorities are now designing more gradual measures, but they still claim a zero-Covid policy as the objective.

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25.11.2022
THEME: HEALTH

About WHO's work to identify pathogens that could cause future outbreaks and pandemics

The World Health Organization (WHO) is launching a global scientific study to update the list of priority pathogens - those microbes that can cause outbreaks and pandemics - to guide global investment, research and development (especially in vaccines), and development of tests and treatments. Starting with a meeting on Friday, November 18, WHO is convening over 300 scientists who will consider the evidence on more than 25 families of viruses and bacteria, as well as the so-called "Disease X." Disease X is a placeholder name adopted by WHO to represent a hypothetical, unknown pathogen that could cause a future international epidemic. As an outcome of the process, the experts will recommend a list of priority pathogens that need further research and investment. Both scientific and public health criteria are considered, as well as standards related to socioeconomic impact, access, and equity. The current list includes COVID-19, Crimean-Cong haemorrhagic fever, Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease, Lassa fever, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Nipah and henipaviral diseases, Rift Valley fever, Zika and Disease X. Targeting priority pathogens and virus families for research and development of countermeasures is essential for a fast and effective epidemic and pandemic response. "Without significant R&D investments before the COVID-19 pandemic, it would not have been possible to develop safe and effective vaccines in record time," said Dr Michael Ryan, Executive Director of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme. "This list of priority pathogens has become a reference point for the research community on where to focus energies to manage the next threat," said Dr Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Chief Scientist. "It is developed with experts in the field and is the agreed direction for where we - as a global research community - need to invest energy and funds to build tests, treatments and vaccines. The revised list is expected to be published in the first quarter of 2023.

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22.11.2022
THEME: HEALTH

First drug to delay onset of type 1 diabetes is now approved by FDA

Type 1 diabetes is a disease that occurs when the immune system attacks and destroys the cells that make insulin (pancreatic beta-cells). People with this type of diabetes have increased glucose that requires insulin shots (or wearing an insulin pump) to survive and must check their blood sugar levels regularly throughout the day. Although it can appear at any age, type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. A person is at higher risk for type 1 diabetes if they have a parent, brother or sister with type 1 diabetes, although most patients with type 1 diabetes do not have a family history. On November 17, the US Food and Drug Administration - the FDA - approved Teplizumab to delay the onset of stage 3 diabetes in adults and pediatric patients eight years and older with stage 2 diabetes. Teplizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody, which will be marketed under the brand name Tzield from ProventionBio and Sanofi. Teplizumab acts by binding a specific molecule (CD3 marker) on the surface of specific immune cells-CD8 T lymphocytes - responsible for the destructive action on the pancreatic beta cells. The binding blocks the activation of these cells, thus preventing their damaging effect. Tzield evaluated safety and efficacy in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 76 patients with stage 2 type 1 diabetes. In the trial, patients randomly received Teplizumab or a placebo once daily via intravenous infusion for 14 days. The trial results showed that over a median follow-up of 51 months, 45% of the 44 patients who received the drug were later diagnosed with stage 3 type 1 diabetes, compared to 72% of the 32 patients who received a placebo. The average time from randomization to stage 3 diabetes diagnosis was 50 months for the patients who received Teplizumab and 25 months for those who received a placebo. These results represent a significant delay in developing stage 3 type 1 diabetes.

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21.11.2022
THEME: ENVIRONMENT

COP27 concludes with a decision to establish a loss and damage fund

The Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP) is where the United Nations come together to act towards achieving the world's collective climate goals agreed upon in the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris on December 12 2015. Its goal is to limit global warming to below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. The Paris Agreement was a landmark because, for the first time, a binding agreement brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects. COP27 took place from 6 to November 18 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Building on the outcomes and momentum of COP26 in Glasgow last year, nations were expected to demonstrate at COP27 that they are in a new era of implementation by turning their commitments into action. COP27 came at a particular historical moment, where the ongoing energy crisis is forcing some nations to increase the use of fossil fuels to produce electricity and heating. Therefore, at COP27, it was impossible to reach a joint statement of severe actions to reduce the use of fossils. This fact was interpreted as alarming in the news worldwide, which depicted the event as inconclusive and marginal. However, in the COP27 final statement, some conclusions may help deal with future climate change. First, it is acknowledged that climate change is a common concern of humankind. Nations should address it promptly while guaranteeing minimal economic impact and human rights, especially indigenous people, children, and the disabled. The importance of ensuring the integrity of all ecosystems, including the forests and the ocean, is noted. It is recognized that some food production systems are also prone to adverse impacts from climate change and that action against such change would aim to safeguard food security and end hunger. It is noted the importance of protecting and preserve water systems. It is stressed that the challenging geopolitical situation and its impact on the energy, food and economy should not be used as a pretext for backtracking, backsliding or de-prioritizing climate action. The limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature rise is reiterated, and the efforts once more confirmed to avoid surpassing such a threshold. Despite recognizing the negative impact of the energy crisis and geopolitical situation on the fight against climate change, a decision has yet to be formulated on the topic. It is iterated that, to meet the 1.5 degrees goal, rapid and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions of 43 per cent by 2030 relative to the 2019 level is needed. The growing gravity and frequency of loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change are recognized in all regions. It results in devastating economic and non-economic losses, including forced displacement and impacts on cultural heritage, human mobility, and local communities' lives and livelihoods. At COP27, it was confirmed for the first time the importance of an adequate and effective response to loss and damage through solidarity among nations. Matters relating to responding to loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change led to decisions on funding arrangements, including supporting developing countries in catalyzing technical assistance for the implementation of approaches at the local, national and regional levels. Such agreement is the most important achievement at COP27 since rich countries, which will contribute financially to the mechanism, had long opposed its concept. It is estimated that USD 4 trillion per year needs to be invested in renewable energy up until 2030 to reach net zero emissions by 2050. It is noted with concern that the current investment rate is below one-third of what is needed. Climate change is increasingly a threat impacting our lives as humans, and a race is ongoing to save our planet and its ecosystems. In COP27, the closing words of the UN Secretary-General António Guterres: "Together, let's not relent in the fight for climate justice and climate ambition. We can and must win this battle for our lives."

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