Biological Agents & Infectious Diseases
What is HTLV-1? The Devastating Health Crisis Afflicting Central Australia (
The Guardian) Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 is spread through contaminated blood, unprotected sex and breastmilk. Like HIV, there is no cure. Like HIV, the virus causes potentially fatal complications but unlike HIV it takes much longer for symptoms to appear. Some people may carry the virus for 30 years before chronic complications appear.
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Domestic Preparedness & Response
Disasters Are Costing Us More. Why Aren't We Insuring More? (
Bloomberg View) Last year was the second-costliest year for disasters since 1970, according to a new analysis from reinsurance firm Swiss Re AG. Global economic losses from these events reached $337 billion in 2017, behind only 2011's total losses, and less than 40 percent were insured. A close look at Swiss Re's data reveals several worrying trends. Losses from natural and man-made disasters are increasing, markets are not getting better at insuring them, and our own choices aren't helping.
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Government Affairs & National Security
Inside the Secret US Stockpile Meant to Save Us All in a Bioterror Attack (
Washington Post) From the outside, it looks like an ordinary commercial warehouse, only much bigger, about the size of two super Walmarts. Inside it's dark except when motion sensors are triggered. When the lights come on, hundreds of thousands of shrink-wrapped boxes of medicines emerge from the gloom, stacked on shelves nearly five stories high.
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Global Health Security
Staying on Track to End Malaria (
Project Syndicate) Ending an epidemic is a marathon undertaking, and in the case of malaria, we are nearing the finish line. But we will need to keep up the momentum. Over the past few decades, governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector have broken new ground in the science of treating malaria, and have channeled extraordinary resources toward the cause. The investments have paid off: the global malaria mortality rate fell by 60% between 2000 and 2015.
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ECDC: Emerging Spread of New Fungal Species Poses Risk for Healthcare Settings in the EU/EEA (
H5N1) The rise in Europe of
Candida auris infections, a difficult-to-control fungus, is of concern. The fungus spreads easily in healthcare settings, can cause invasive infections, and is also associated with resistance to multiple classes of anti-fungal medication. Difficulties with laboratory identification, and lack of awareness of this new Candida species might result in transmission and outbreaks remaining unnoticed.
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Proud to Protect Burkinabe from Meningitis (
CDC) In a remote village of Burkina Faso, a woman around 60 years old lined up to get vaccinated with the meningococcal serogroup A conjugate vaccine during a recent vaccine campaign. The health workers explained that she could not get the vaccine because of her age. She said she would not go back home without receiving "le bon vaccin" because she wants to live longer in order to take care of her grandsons, whose mother passed away. This story illustrates that demand for MACV is very high in Burkina Faso.
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Medicine & Public Health
Science & Technology
Can a Genetic Weapon Combat One of the World's Major Crop Destroyers? (
Science) The spotted wing fruit fly is one of the world's major crop destroyers. Scientifically known as
Drosophila suzukii, this peppercorn-size insect uses a serrated organ to lay its eggs inside - rather than on top of - unripe fruit, damaging raspberry, strawberry, and cherry crops across the globe. Now, scientists may have found a way to fight this pest using a strategy called gene drive, which can spread genes rapidly through a population. When coupled with a lethal "cargo gene," the approach could kill the flies in their tracks when exposed to a specific chemical compound, or just simple summertime heat.
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