Virus curfew imposed in Melbourne as South Africa tops 500,000 cases
Australia's second-largest city Melbourne imposed an overnight curfew on Sunday to halt the spread of coronavirus cases, as South Africa's infection count topped more than half a million......»»
Clampdown and grief as Iranians remember Mahsa Amini
Iranians at home and abroad marked the first anniversary Saturday of the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, with activists speaking of a renewed crackdown to prevent any resurgence of the protests which rocked major cities last year. Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, died a few days after her arrest by religious police for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women in force since shortly after the 1979 revolution. Her family says she died from a blow to the head but this is disputed by Iranian authorities. Anger over her death rapidly expanded into weeks of taboo-breaking protests which saw women tearing off their mandatory headscarves in an open challenge to the Islamic republic's system of government under supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But after several months, they lost momentum in the face of a crackdown that saw security forces kill 551 protesters, according to Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), and arrest more than 22,000, according to Amnesty International. Iranian authorities say dozens of security personnel were also killed in what they describe as "riots" incited by foreign governments and hostile media. Seven men have been executed after being convicted in protest-related cases. Campaigners say the authorities have renewed their crackdown in the runup to the anniversary, putting pressure on relatives of those killed in the protests in a bid to stop them speaking out. New York-based Human Rights Watch said family members of at least 36 people killed or executed in the crackdown had been interrogated, arrested, prosecuted or sentenced to prison over the past month. "Iranian authorities are trying to impose a chokehold on dissent to prevent public commemoration of Mahsa Jina Amini's death in custody, which has become the symbol of the government's systematic oppression of women, injustice and impunity," said HRW's senior Iran researcher, Tara Sepehri Far. 'Repressive forces' deployed The two journalists who did the most to publicize the Amini case –- Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi who respectively reported from her hospital and funeral –- have been held in prison for almost a year. Another reporter, Nazila Maroufian who interviewed Amini's father Amjad, has been arrested repeatedly. Amjad Amini has told Persian media based outside Iran that he plans to hold a commemoration for his daughter in their hometown of Saqez in Kurdish-populated western Iran later Saturday. Outlets, including Prague-based Radio Farda, said he was summoned by intelligence officials after his announcement. He was not arrested but one of Amini's uncles, Safa Aeli, was detained in Saqez on 5 September. According to Kurdish-focused news outlet Hengaw, the government has sent additional security forces to Saqez and other towns in western Iran that could become flashpoints. On Saturday, Hengaw said, "repressive forces" were deployed around the Amini family residence in Saqez. It posted photos on X, formerly Twitter, showing armed men in fatigues on the streets of Saqez, as well as video of shops shuttered and on strike to mark the anniversary in Saqez, Sanandaj and other cities of Kurdistan province. 'Doubling down' While some women are still seen walking in public without headscarves, particularly in wealthy, traditionally liberal areas of north Tehran, the conservative-dominated parliament is currently considering a draft law that would impose far stiffer penalties for non-compliance. "The Islamic republic is doubling down on repression and reprisals against its citizens and seeking to introduce new and more draconian laws that severely restrict further the rights of women and girls," said Sara Hossain, the chair of the UN fact-finding mission set up to investigate the crackdown. Under the slogan "Say her name!", Iranian emigres are expected to hold commemorative rallies, with large demonstrations expected in Paris and Toronto. Amnesty International accused Iran's authorities of committing a "litany of crimes under international law to eradicate any challenge to their iron grip on power" and lamented that not a single official had been even investigated over Amini's death or the crackdown. "The anniversary offers a stark reminder for countries around the world of the need to initiate criminal investigations into the heinous crimes committed by the Iranian authorities under universal jurisdiction," said Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa deputy director, Diana Eltahawy. On the eve of the anniversary, Iran's arch-foe the United States and its Western allies including Britain and the European Union imposed new sanctions on the Islamic republic over its protest crackdown. Announcing the measures, US President Joe Biden led international calls in solidarity with Iranians on the anniversary of Amini's death. "Iranians alone will determine the fate of their country, but the United States remains committed to standing with them," he said. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani slammed the Western countries' "illegal and undiplomatic actions" in a statement late Friday. The post Clampdown and grief as Iranians remember Mahsa Amini appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
At UN, fading hopes for improving lives on planet
World leaders meeting in New York next week will try to revive key goals meant to improve the lot of humanity by 2030, plans that are in doubt today as hunger, poverty and other crises persist. Leave no one behind In 2015, UN member-states adopted 17 wide-ranging development goals to be met by 2030, which included eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, providing access to drinking water, ensuring gender equality and health care for all. "In thriving economically in the 21st century, you cannot any longer try to do so at the expense of nature, or at the expense of people who are left behind," the head of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Achim Steiner, told AFP. But the 2030 Agenda is in trouble, according to the UN. "The Sustainable Development goals are in peril," the UN said in a report published in July. In order to meet these goals, governments coming together at the UN General Assembly on Monday are slated to commit to "act with urgency... for people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership, leaving no one behind," according to the draft declaration. Poverty and hunger Progress has been slow and, in some cases, things are even worse now than they were in 2015. The Covid-19 pandemic has halted progress in combating extreme poverty, defined as living on less than $2.15 per day. Far from the hoped-for eradication, at the current rate 575 million people will still be living in such conditions in 2030, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa. And the world has returned to levels of hunger not seen since 2005. Furthermore, 1.1 billion people live in urban areas in slum-like conditions, more than two billion still do not have access to drinking water, 38 out of 1,000 children die before their fifth birthday and the impacts of climate change are increasingly devastating. Debt burden Crippled by various world crises, from Covid-19 to the war in Ukraine, many countries are crumbling under the weight of their debt and do not have the means to change course. "Countries are not able to pursue the development they want right now, but they can only opt for a recovery, where they go for the growth they can get," Steiner said. That, however, is a risky path. "That growth takes us back to the fossil fuel dependency and to greater inequalities, precisely the things that have led to so many tensions, protests on our streets," he added. That is why the draft declaration that will be discussed on Monday talks about reforming international financial institutions, over which, however, the UN has no control. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called for investing an additional $500 billion per year by 2030 in order to meet the ambitious goals. His plan received support at the recent G20 summit. Vicious or virtuous circle? Getting out of poverty, having access to education, drinking water or clean energy, being in good health and living in peace -- all these development goals are largely interdependent. Global warming and the extreme weather events it causes undermine most of the development goals as they destroy crops, infrastructure and livelihoods. That is why change must be comprehensive, Steiner said.. "We can use $1 to deliver more than $1 of impact. If you address poverty, you can also address access to electricity or vice versa," he said. "If you address access to electricity and combine it with the objective of decarbonization, you can achieve both poverty reduction" and address climate change. Steiner has worked with 95 countries to identify priorities to modify the growth model, such as policies aimed at creating decent jobs and investing in sustainable cities that offer basic services and affordable housing and infrastructure. The post At UN, fading hopes for improving lives on planet appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Court to deliver verdict on hacker behind biggest leak in football history
A Portuguese court was due on Monday to deliver its verdict on hacker Rui Pinto, whose flood of "Football Leaks" revelations exposed dirty dealings in international football. It was the biggest information leak in sports history and sparked criminal investigations in Belgium, Britain, France, Spain and Switzerland. The verdict, which has been postponed several times, was due to be delivered at a hearing in Lisbon starting at 2:30 pm (1330 GMT). Pinto, 34, is charged with 89 hacking offences, and with attempted extortion, a crime punishable in Portugal by between two and 10 years in prison. He argues he is a whistleblower, whose actions exposed underhand dealings involving top football stars, clubs and agents. Between 2015 and 2018, he shared 18.6 million documents on the internet and with a consortium of European newspapers, which published details. The revelations shook the football world. They included the salaries of Lionel Messi and Neymar, an accusation of rape against Cristiano Ronaldo, alleged financial sleight of hand at Manchester City and ethnic profiling at Paris Saint Germain. Defendant and witness Pinto is both a defendant and a protected witness in Portugal. When his trial began in September 2020, Pinto told the court he had been shocked by what he had discovered and was proud of bringing it to public knowledge. But he has admitted he used illegal means to obtain documents. His alleged victims include top Portuguese football club Sporting Lisbon, the Portuguese Football Federation, lawyers, magistrates and Doyen Sports -- a Malta-based investment fund run by Kazakh-Turkish oligarchs. Pinto was arrested in Hungary in 2019 and extradited to Portugal, where he spent a year behind bars before agreeing to cooperate with the Portuguese authorities on other cases, giving them access to encrypted documents he had obtained. The French authorities have also sought his cooperation over the "Luanda Leaks", a release of 715,000 documents providing compromising information on Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos, daughter of former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos. Dos Santos, once the richest woman in Africa, has faced several court cases on charges she syphoned billions of dollars from Angolan state companies during her father's four decades in office. The post Court to deliver verdict on hacker behind biggest leak in football history appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Climate change supercharged this summer’s record heat: study
Record-shattering temperatures that impacted billions of people in the northern hemisphere this summer were given a massive boost by human-caused climate change, an analysis showed Thursday. The new paper by the nonprofit Climate Central group examined the period from June to August 2023, finding that greenhouse gas emissions pumped into the atmosphere since the start of the industrial era made the heat waves that baked Asia, Africa, Europe and North America far more likely. Nearly half of the global population -- more than 3.8 billion people -- were exposed to 30 or more days of extreme heat worsened by climate change, while at least 1.5 billion people lived through such temperatures every day over those three months. "Virtually no one on Earth escaped the influence of global warming during the past three months," said Andrew Pershing, Climate Central's vice president for science. "In every country we could analyze, including the southern hemisphere where this is the coolest time of year, we saw temperatures that would be difficult -- and in some cases nearly impossible -- without human-caused climate change. Carbon pollution is clearly responsible for this season's record-setting heat." The analysis relied on peer-reviewed methods to determine the likelihood of daily temperatures in each country of the world with and without today's levels of carbon pollution. A similar approach has allowed scientists to identify the climate influence, or "fingerprint," of extreme weather events, including recently the fire prone weather conditions that led to this year's wildfires in Quebec. Climate Central has developed a Climate Shift Index (CSI) that ranges from -5 to 5, with positive levels indicating temperatures that are becoming more likely due to climate change. A CSI of level 0 means climate change had no detectable influence, while level 3 indicates it made the odds of recording a specific temperature in a given time and place three times greater. According to the team's calculations, 48 percent of the world experienced 30 days during June-August with a CSI level of 3 or higher, while 1.5 billion people had such heat over the whole summer. "There really is this divide between the countries that have been the most responsible for climate change for the pollution that is driving the heat that we're experiencing right now," said Pershing. The world's least-developed nations and small island states, he said, are experiencing heat that is three to four times more climate-supercharged than G20 countries with the largest economies. Global exposure meanwhile peaked on August 16, 2023, when 4.2 billion people worldwide experienced climate-caused extreme heat. "A big part of what we're trying to do with this analysis, is to really come up with ways to try to localize that climate, that experience that individuals are having with climate change," said Pershing. The post Climate change supercharged this summer’s record heat: study appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DIABETIC NEUROPATHY: SAVE YOUR LIFE THROUGH EARLY DETECTION
Tingling, stabbing pain, numbness or burning sensation in your hands and feet? It could be peripheral neuropathy, the most common type of diabetic neuropathy — and early diagnosis is key to avoid a life of disability. [caption id="attachment_178290" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Aalok Agrawal senior vice president of P&G Health in Asia. | photograph courtesy of P&G[/caption] Neuropathy is no joke. It is a condition wherein the nerves located outside of the brain and spinal cord — the peripheral nerves — are damaged or compressed. Infections, traumatic injuries, metabolic problems and inherited conditions are some of the underlying causes of PN. But the most common cause is diabetes. Unfortunately, a staggering 80 percent of patients with diabetic neuropathy were undiagnosed, as revealed by a 2020 study by Georgios Ponirakis et al. Since a patient’s PN symptoms may not seem too severe at its earliest stage, many continue about their daily lives without seeking medical attention. If the underlying cause of peripheral neuropathy is not treated, a person may be at risk of developing a foot ulcer that becomes infected. Untreated, the ulcer can lead to gangrene, and in severe cases, the foot has to be amputated. This is why P&G Health continues to advocate awareness on peripheral neuropathy. Aalok Agrawal, the senior vice president of P&G Health in Asia, India, Africa and Middle East, sat down with DAILY TRIBUNE via video conference to emphasize the need for neuropathy awareness in the Philippines. “Peripheral neuropathy is a significant public health issue that I think needs a significant amount of more awareness from both healthcare practitioners, as well as from patients themselves. It can have a significant impact on both quality of life and serious complications,” he said. “And, to that end, you know, awareness remains very low. We think 80 percent of cases are untreated and undiagnosed. And our efforts, both on Neuropathy Awareness Week as well as World Diabetes Day, are to really bring out just how critical this public health issue is and to bring it up in its awareness. Because the most important thing for collective action here is the fact that this can be managed. This is something that we can diagnose early, and early diagnosis can help improve treatment outcomes, improve quality of life and prevent serious complications.” According to Agrawal, P&G Health’s efforts are tailored across all groups, including the marginalized sector. Hence, they utilize accessible language to better communicate neuropathy to everybody. “Our efforts are tailored across all groups. Our media, for example, is very much in Tagalog in some cases in Mindanao and Visayas, and we also tend to do more local language radio,” he explained. He also shared that P&G Health, apart from gathering global health experts to discuss neuropathy in medical forums and also partnering with media to spread knowledge on neuropathy, sees the importance of pharmacists in the war against PN. “So we have a lot of engagement with pharmacists as they are the frontliners in many cases — especially for marginalized groups that may not even reach out to doctors but they would just go to a pharmacist and say, ‘I have these symptoms; would you suggest something to me?’ And again, our effort has been to educate pharmacists consistently about these risk factors, about asking the right questions, and then about being able to give some sort of first-line therapy while also hopefully referring these patients to a doctor to be able to follow up on their treatment,” he explained. He also explained that demystifying neuropathy is not a one-time event, but is an ongoing effort on the part of P&G Health. “We go quite deep into the community. We’re trying to continue to expand our outreach. We try to make our materials as widely available on as many educational platforms as possible so that we can, again, reach out to doctors who may not be able to physically attend our forum. So, you know, but I think all of the different partners in the community and in the ecosystem will be what will help us create this awareness amongst all of these different groups of patients.” He also underscores the importance of not just seeking immediate medical treatment once you experience unusual sensations on your hands and feet, but also subscribing to a healthy lifestyle to prevent or combat PN. “Diet and exercise are so critical. We’ve got to help patients and consumers understand that a healthy diet with the right combination of fruits and vegetables, a balanced diet and nutrition and exercise for 30 to 60 minutes a day are going to be super critical for us to really overcome and manage both diabetes and peripheral neuropathy. So, it really has to be a combination of lifestyle as well as some early diagnosis and treatment. I hope that we can raise that awareness together to help both the Philippines and Asian consumers in general, who are generally at high risk of diabetes. We want to make sure that the entire region can help combat this public health issue.” When asked about a person’s hesitancy in seeing a doctor for “mild” symptoms due to common reasons like health anxiety or stress over the financial costs of diagnostic tests and consultation, Agrawal gave this advice: “I think the most important thing to help manage both financially and as well from a mental reassurance standpoint is actually an early diagnosis, because, frankly, the costs of not diagnosing early are far greater. You may postpone it for a few months or a year, but then when you’re looking at these serious complications coming from peripheral neuropathy, or loss of sensation in the foot, which can become a foot ulcer and potentially lead to things like amputations and so on, that is a huge and almost unthinkable cost that anybody would have to bear,” he said. “Early diagnosis, I think, can have a very favorable outcome and, in fact, will give you reassurance as well. It can help take care of the symptoms, regenerate the nerves and prevent this from progressing further to the point where it might actually become unaffordable later to do that.” The post DIABETIC NEUROPATHY: SAVE YOUR LIFE THROUGH EARLY DETECTION appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
BOC seized P18.3-M cocaine at NAIA 3
The Bureau of Customs Port of NAIA (BOC-NAIA), with the help of NAIA PDEA-IADITG personnel, caught a passenger carrying 3.5 kilograms of cocaine at NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay City. The arrested passenger was identified as Zenaida Losloso y Esperanza, a 49-year-old Filipino woman who resides in Ilayang Iyam Lucena City's Venus St., Jael Subdivision. Gerald Javier, the head of NAIA PDEA-IADITG, said that the suspect entered the country on Thursday night by Ethiopian Airlines flight ET644 from Addis Ababa, South Africa, which arrived at NAIA terminal 3. BOC-NAIA said that the port discovered the illegal drugs after the baggage of the suspect passed through the initial X-ray inspection. The alerted X-ray screener tagged it with an "X" mark as a sign that the baggage had suspicious images and needed to undergo a physical inspection. Upon conducting a 100 percent physical examination of the said baggage, the authorities found out that it contained a total of 3,454 grams of cocaine concealed in its lining, with an estimated value of P18,306,200. The suspect and all evidence were surrendered to the PDEA for use in cases related to violating Republic Act No. 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002. The post BOC seized P18.3-M cocaine at NAIA 3 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Raison d’être
Legal eagles are betting that the International Criminal Court will rule today to continue its investigation into the alleged extrajudicial killings being pinned on the Duterte administration at the height of its campaign against illegal drugs from 2016 to 2019. That’s to be expected because scuttling the probe would run against the raison d’être, or reason for being, of the ICC. The ICC, of course, has to justify the hundreds of millions of dollars it wastes each year on the bloated paychecks of its judges and prosecutorial staff, who are known to travel like royalty, pretending to be doing something. While the ICC claims to be a bastion of justice, the reality is that its insistence on investigating and bagging former President Rodrigo Duterte, including for his actions as Davao City mayor from 2011 to 2016, feeds its arrogant posturing while blatantly encroaching on Philippine sovereignty. This concern strikes at the heart of the ICC’s legitimacy and calls into question its adherence to the principle of national self-determination. The Philippines, like any other sovereign nation, has the right to manage its internal affairs and address alleged crimes within its own legal framework. Furthermore, the ICC has demonstrated abject bias not only against African countries but also against developing nations like the Philippines. The ICC is nothing more than a schoolyard bully, running roughshod over those it thinks are weak. In fact, many of the cases investigated by the ICC have been in Africa. This perceived bias undermines the credibility of the ICC and calls into question its ability to dispense justice fairly. It is only in recent years that the ICC has ventured to add the Philippines among its targets, precisely to counter criticism of its African bias. The ICC itself needs scrutiny, particularly its judges and the Office of the Prosecutor. What little reputation the ICC had has been thrown out the window by the controversies surrounding its own judges’ lawsuit against the ICC over pay, bringing their complaint before the International Labor Organization. These internal conflicts raise doubts about the independence and impartiality of the institution, further eroding public trust and inviting scrutiny regarding the character of its very judges. The same holds true for its current prosecutor, Karim Khan, specifically for his past role as a defense lawyer for William Ruto, the Deputy President of Kenya, who faced charges of crimes against humanity. Khan’s successful defense of Ruto and his 180-degree turn from defender to prosecutor speaks volumes about the lengths he would go to in order to add shine to his legal star. No doubt, we must consider the implications of his previous role when evaluating his current position as ICC Prosecutor. So, are the ICC judges and its prosecutorial staff worthy of trust, worthy enough to be given the mantle of authority to pass judgment on anyone? The Philippines’ arguments against the ICC investigation into the alleged drug war killings cannot be dismissed lightly. The country has maintained that it did not ratify the Rome Statute that created the ICC, thus it never fell under the purview of the tribunal, like the United States, China and Russia. If Duterte pulled the country out of the ICC in 2018, it was only because the country was a signatory to the statute, which did not amount to anything without the required ratification. The complementarity issue is another significant concern raised by the Philippines. The country has asserted that the ICC should not investigate the alleged crimes because the Philippine government is already conducting its own investigations. The ICC, on the other hand, questions the genuineness of the Philippine government’s investigations, claiming that they are merely a cover-up to protect the perpetrators from accountability. Ultimately, the ICC’s decision on whether or not to proceed with the investigation into the alleged drug war killings in the Philippines will have far-reaching implications, more so for the ICC as it tries to stave off irrelevancy. The post Raison d’être appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
OFW assistance now with DMW
The Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday announced that the Department of Migrant Workers will take over the Assistance to Nationals functions for overseas Filipino workers starting the first of July. According to the DFA, the turnover of the ATN is in compliance with Republic Act 11641, which paved the way for the creation of the newly created department. “Under the said law, all assistance cases involving OFWs, including legal or medical assistance, repatriation, and shipment of remains shall now be handled by the DMW through the use of its AKSYON Fund, except in countries where there are no resident Migrant Workers Offices under the DMW,” the agency said. To ensure uninterrupted service, the public is requested to refer to the DMW all requests for assistance involving OFWs (whether documented or undocumented) situated in the following countries/territories with resident MWOs: Asia-Pacific: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, China (including Hong Kong, Macau), Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore. Middle East and Northern Africa: Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates. Europe: Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom. Americas: Canada, United States of America. OFWs from the mentioned territories who need assistance may personally, or through their relatives contact the DMW through the following hotline numbers: 87221144 or 87221155 87221155; or email addresses: repat@dmw.gov.ph, connect@dmw.gov.ph or cacdac@dmw.gov.ph. The DFA said assistance for OFWs in territories that were not part of the list will still be processed by the agency. Likewise, the agency noted that it would also continue to assist all other Filipinos worldwide who are not OFWs, including students, tourists, and dual and permanent residents. Meanwhile, the public can reach the DFA through its hotline: 88344996, email address: oumwa@dfa.gov.ph, or Facebook: htps://www.facebook.com/OFWHelpPH. The post OFW assistance now with DMW appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PCGG plea to present new witness junked
For “lack of merit,” the Sandiganbayan 4th Division has turned down the plea of government prosecutors to present other witnesses and documents in Civil Case 0178, one of several forfeiture cases filed against the Marcos family. In a seven-page resolution, the anti-graft court thumbed down the prosecution’s bid to present an unnamed officer of the court’s Third Division, which heard Civil Case 009, in place of nine other witnesses. The Office of the Solicitor General and the Presidential Commission on Good Government wanted to present the unnamed officer who was to testify on stenographic notes pertaining to statements of witnesses who could no longer be found or who had refused to testify. The Sandiganbayan agreed with the defense that the prosecutors must pursue the case diligently and secure its witnesses. “Its inability to locate its witnesses now, after a period of 26 years, demonstrates its complacent attitude or lack of due diligence in pursuing the present case,” the Sandiganbayan said. According to the court, government prosecutors acknowledged that the PCGG was still determining the whereabouts of the proposed witnesses as of 20 March 2023, or during the initial presentation of its evidence. The PCGG filed numerous civil forfeiture cases before the Sandiganbayan against the Marcos family to recoup billions of pesos allegedly illegally obtained during martial law. Civil Case 0178 was filed by the PCGG in 1997 against private respondents Andres Africa, Victor Africa, Lourdes Africa, Nathalie Africa-Verceles, Jose Enrique Africa and Paul Delfin Africa, among others, who were alleged cronies or business associates of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and his wife, former first lady Imelda Marcos. The case sought to reclaim in favor of the government 3,305 shares of stock in Eastern Telecommunications Philippines Inc. that were allegedly held in trust for the late president and erstwhile first lady. The post PCGG plea to present new witness junked appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
67 million children missed out on vaccines because of Covid: UNICEF
Some 67 million children partially or fully missed routine vaccines globally between 2019 and 2021 because of lockdowns and health care disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the United Nations said Wednesday. "More than a decade of hard-earned gains in routine childhood immunization have been eroded," read a new report from the UN's children's agency, UNICEF, adding that getting back on track "will be challenging." Of the 67 million children whose vaccinations were "severely disrupted," 48 million missed out on routine vaccines entirely, UNICEF said, flagging concerns about potential polio and measles outbreaks. Vaccine coverage among children declined in 112 countries and the percent of children vaccinated worldwide slipped 5 points to 81 percent -- a low not seen since 2008. Africa and South Asia were particularly hard hit. "Worryingly, the backsliding during the pandemic came at the end of a decade when, in broad terms, growth in childhood immunization had stagnated," the report said. Vaccines save 4.4 million lives each year, a number the United Nations figures could jump to 5.8 million by 2030 if its ambitious targets to leave "no one behind" are met. "Vaccines have played a really important role in allowing more children to live healthy, long lives," Brian Keeley, the report's editor in chief, told AFP. "Any decline at all in vaccination rates is worrying." Before the introduction of a vaccine in 1963, measles killed approximately 2.6 million people each year, mostly children. By 2021, that number had fallen to 128,000. But between 2019 and 2021, the percentage of children vaccinated against measles fell from 86 percent to 81 percent, and the number of cases in 2022 doubled compared to 2021. Declining vaccine confidence The slide in vaccination rates could be compounded by other crises, Keeley warned, from climate change to food insecurity. "You've got increasing number of conflicts, economic stagnation in a lot of countries, climate emergencies, and so on," he said. "This all sort of makes it harder and harder for health systems and countries to meet vaccination needs." UNICEF called on governments "to double-down on their commitment to increase financing for immunization" with special attention on accelerating "catch-up" vaccination efforts for those who missed their shots. The report also raised concerns about a drop in people's confidence in vaccines, seen in 52 out of 55 countries surveyed. "We cannot allow confidence in routine immunizations to become another victim of the pandemic," Catherine Russell, UNICEF's executive director, said in a statement. "Otherwise, the next wave of deaths could be of more children with measles, diphtheria or other preventable diseases." Vaccine confidence can be "volatile and time specific," the report said, noting that "further analysis will be required to determine if the findings are indicative of a longer-term trend" beyond the pandemic. Overall, it said that support for vaccines "remains relatively strong." In about half of the 55 countries surveyed, more than 80 percent of respondents "perceived vaccines as important for children." "There is reason to be somewhat hopeful that services are recovering in quite a few countries," said Keeley, who added that preliminary vaccination data from 2022 showed encouraging signs. But even getting numbers back up to pre-pandemic levels will take years, he said, not including reaching "the children who were missing before the pandemic." "And they are not an insubstantial number." The post 67 million children missed out on vaccines because of Covid: UNICEF appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Monkeypox preventable with Covid-19 protocols
MANILA - Although no cases of monkeypox have been detected in the country so far, a disease expert advised continuing Covid-19 health protocols as they may help prevent the virus now spreading across Europe and Africa.Infectious disease expert Dr. Edsel Salvana said Tuesday that wearing mask.....»»
Africa suffers record number of COVID cases
Africa has suffered a record number of coronavirus cases over the past week, registering over 36,000 new infections per day, according to an AFP count based on official figures......»»
Zamboanga City confirms S. Africa variant cases
Zamboanga City confirms S. Africa variant cases.....»»
678 new cases of coronavirus variants detected in Philippines
Of these new cases, 289 are infected with the variant first detected in the United Kingdom known as B.1.1.7, while 380 are infected with the variant first identified in South Africa known as B.1.351......»»
Pfizer says vaccine effective against S.Africa variant
Pfizer and BioNTech said Thursday their Covid-19 vaccine was highly effective against the South African variant in the latest phase of ongoing clinical trials. No cases of the disease were observed in South Africa during the phase-three trial study among participants who had received their second dose, the companies said in a statement. Several coronavirus […] The post Pfizer says vaccine effective against S.Africa variant appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Students advocate stricter travel restrictions
With the arrival in the country of the highly contagious UK and South Africa variants of COVID-19 as well as the discovery of a homegrown variant, cases have surged, resulting in the record for most cases recorded in a day being broken......»»
A dose of new hope from the private sector
So many explanations are circulating on what’s causing the record-breaking spike of 7,999 new COVID-19 cases last Saturday. The Department of Health has pointed to breaches in health protocols as people now have more mobility, because they need to make a living, and the arrival of new variants. Quite worrisome is the newly detected Philippine variant labeled “P.3” said to resemble the recently discovered Japanese variant and the notorious Brazilian variant observed to escape immunity. Already detected locally are the more transmissible mutations from South Africa, Brazil, and the UK......»»
DOH: Cases up but more info needed to confirm local transmission of South African variant
The Department of Health said Saturday that there is still not enough evidence to conclude that there is local transmission of the highly contagious coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa even after it logged 52 new cases of it the day before......»»
More cases of South Africa, UK variants detected
More cases of South Africa, UK variants detected.....»»
Phl detects 52 new cases of South Africa variant, 31 cases of UK type
The Philippines has detected 52 new cases of the South Africa variant and 31 additional patients with the United Kingdom type, the Department of Health (DOH) announced Friday, as the country reported 42 more “mutations of interest.” The new variants were found in the ninth batch of the 350 samples that were studied by the […] The post Phl detects 52 new cases of South Africa variant, 31 cases of UK type appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»