Pandemic Watch News Brief: The News You Need To Know ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

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[link removed] December 13, 2023
AVAC's weekly Pandemic Watch is a curated news digest on the latest pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPPR) news and resources.


While some might think that climate change and epidemics are either exaggerated or transient, there is overwhelming evidence linking climate change to the surge of disease outbreaks and epidemics." - the Climate Amplified Diseases and Epidemics (Climade) consortium in The Telegraph (UK) ([link removed])
Table of Contents
• If You Are in a Hurry (#If You Are in a Hurry)
• New Funding for African Vaccine Development (#New Funding for African Vaccine Development)
• Getting Medicines to Africa Faster (#Getting Medicines to Africa Faster)
• Taliban Now Allows Polio Vaccinations (#Taliban Now Allows Polio Vaccinations)
• Gossip and Childhood Vaccines in India (#Gossip and Childhood Vaccines in India)
• Solar Powered Freezers Expand Vaccine Access in Ethiopia (#Solar Powered Freezers Expand Vaccine Access in Ethiopia)
• Anthrax Outbreak in East and Southern Africa (#Anthrax Outbreak in East and Southern Africa)
• DRC Mpox Response Delayed by Stigma and Regulatory Barriers (#DRC Mpox Response Delayed by Stigma and Regulatory Barriers)
• WHO and Africa CDC Partner to Tackle Disease Outbreaks (#WHO and Africa CDC Partner to Tackle Disease Outbreaks)
• Challenges for Health Financing and the Pandemic Fund (#Challenges for Health Financing and the Pandemic Fund)
• Long COVID in Africa (#Long COVID in Africa)
• Reporting on Long COVID (#Reporting on Long COVID)
• Lessons for TB from COVID (#Lessons for TB from COVID)
• New Data on COVID Vaccine Inequities (#New Data on COVID Vaccine Inequities)
• Climate Change and Excess Deaths in the UK (#Climate Change and Excess Deaths in the UK)
• Growing Number of MDR Infections in Ukraine (#Growing Number of MDR Infections in Ukraine)
The United Nations climate change summit COP 28 went into overtime this week as negotiations for a climate deal lasted beyond what was meant to be the end of the meeting. COP 28 did not seem to find many solutions to the problems caused by climate change. It did, however, draw more attention to the links between climate change and health. The Telegraph ([link removed]) (UK) reports on a new report from the Climate Amplified Diseases and Epidemics (Climade ([link removed]) ) consortium of 100+ 100 scientists and policy makers. “’While some might think that climate change and epidemics are either exaggerated or transient, there is overwhelming evidence linking climate change to the surge of disease outbreaks and epidemics,’ the report said…. Prof Tulio de Oliviera, the consortium’s leader, said the threat from shifting patterns of infectious disease had also become increasingly clear, with
diseases like dengue, malaria and West Nile virus heading to Europe and America. He told the Telegraph: ‘One thing that is going to become quite clear is that these epidemics will and are coming to the Global north, even including malaria.’”

The Daily Nation ([link removed]) (Kenya) headlines coverage, “How climate change sends more people to hospitals ... and even to graves,” and reports, “The ongoing El Nino events are a perfect embodiment of health crises caused by the impacts of climate change. Simply put, our health needs will be overstretched in the wake of the climate crisis…. Amref Health Africa CEO Gitahi Githinji, one of the climate and health envoys for COP28, [said] ‘We already have a fragile health system. We are trying to build it and protect it. A climate crisis will dismantle it and make our work even more difficult. It’s a frontline human crisis.’”

Health Times ([link removed]) (Zambia) quotes AMREF’s Desta Lakew who says, “We are seeing the effects of climate change. If you check in the last 20 years, for example, climate has been the key issue that has affected human health. In Africa itself, when we look at 2000 to 2021, we see that more than 50 percent of nearly 2000 public health events were climate-related and we are seeing that increasing…. “For us as Africa, it’s not just about climate change being a problem, it is a crisis that our health system is so fragile. We have very fragile health systems.”

South America is experiencing a severe El Niño, which Vox ([link removed]) (US) reports “has created a preview of life on the planet as temperatures continue to rise…. There are solutions to many of these problems stemming from El Niño and climate change. The main strategy is anticipating threats rather than just responding to them. Over the long term, the goal is to reduce overall risk by incorporating models of future warming into current land, development, and disaster plans.”

If You Are in a Hurry

* Read an essay by science writer Ed Yong in New York Times ([link removed]) about the lessons he learned reporting on long COVID.
* Read Reuters ([link removed]) on new funding for African vaccine development and Jean Kaseya and William Ampofo in The Telegraph ([link removed]) on why Africa needs vaccine independence.
* Read Globalization and Health ([link removed]) on challenges in health financing they may impact the Pandemic Fund.
* Read three good news stories about childhood vaccines: Taliban allowing polio vaccination in Afghanistan in The Washington Post ([link removed]) ; Using gossip to encourage vaccines in India in Vox ([link removed]) and solar-powered freezers bringing vaccines to remote rural areas in Ethiopia in The Telegraph ([link removed]) .
* Read Reuters ([link removed]) and The Washington Post ([link removed]) on rising concerns about the mpox outbreak in DRC.


New Funding for African Vaccine Development

Reuters ([link removed]) (UK) reports, “Up to $1 billion will be available to boost African vaccine manufacturing as part of a new scheme set up by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the global health organisation said on Thursday. The ‘African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator’ aims to address the inequality in access to vaccines that plagued the continent during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to use domestically-produced shots to tackle diseases that kill hundreds of thousands of African children every year, such as cholera and malaria. Read the GAVI statement ([link removed]) .

Africa CDC director Jean Kaseya and William Ampofo, Chairman of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative, write in The Telegraph ([link removed]) (UK) that a key lesson learned from the COVID response is, “the need for vaccine manufacturing capacity in every global region as an insurance policy against the type of vaccine nationalism that saw Africa deprived of COVID-19 vaccines in the early days of the pandemic…. Building sustainable African vaccine manufacturing is a non-negotiable objective of Africa. As part of this, we are focusing on building the enablers for a vibrant manufacturing ecosystem, such as the free movement of goods and services, incentivising the building of a skilled and capable continental workforce, implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area, and other key initiatives. Together with our partners, we aim to deliver global equity and African health security as
well as greater economic, technical, and social participation for Africa by Africa.”

Getting Medicines to Africa Faster

Bhekesisa ([link removed]) (South Africa) reports on the new African Medicines Agency and how it can help get medicines to Africa faster. “Ama, with its headquarters in Rwanda, will review new medicines and production facilities on behalf of African countries, who can then decide to register the products locally if they want to, without having to go through the costly process of reviewing the data themselves, or, in cases where a country doesn’t have a regulator, wait for World Health Organisation (WHO) approval of a medicine. Ama’s review will focus on medications for conditions that are public health worries in Africa, such as heart disease and diabetes, or tropical diseases such as bilharzia and sleeping sickness, which don’t crop up often in other parts of the world anymore but affect many poor people on the continent.”

Taliban Now Allows Polio Vaccinations

The Washington Post ([link removed]) (US) reports the Taliban repeatedly banned polio campaigns in Afghanistan which led to the country being one of only two where naturally acquired polio is still endemic. “Two years after the Taliban took power, however, it has done an about-face, and its unexpected efforts may now represent the best shot in two decades at eradicating the highly transmissible, crippling children’s disease in Afghanistan…. Vaccination volunteers in Achin, long a poliovirus hot spot, said the Taliban’s endorsement of immunizations has led to a significant overall decline in vaccine holdouts over the past two years, from around 230 cases per campaign to around 60 most recently, even as the number of children reached by vaccinators here has more than doubled.”

Gossip and Childhood Vaccines in India

Vox ([link removed]) (US) profiles Suvita, a nonprofit that works to improve vaccination rates in India. Suvita boosts uptake of immunizations in two ways. The first is a simple nudge: sending text messages to parents to remind them when it’s time to bring their kids in for shots. But the second is a bit more unexpected: gossip.” The program identifies local “influencers” and recruits them to get the word out about vaccines. “So far, Suvita has reached hundreds of thousands of parents.”

Solar Powered Freezers Expand Vaccine Access in Ethiopia

The Telegraph ([link removed]) (UK) reports on a new program in rural Ethiopia, “which will use solar energy to power the freezers needed to store precious vaccine doses, will ultimately be sustainable, so the aid agency can hand over responsibility to local governments.”

Anthrax Outbreak in East and Southern Africa

The Dispatch ([link removed]) (Uganda) reports, “In East and Southern Africa, an anthrax outbreak has been reported, affecting five countries and resulting in over 1,100 suspected cases and 20 deaths this year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have collectively reported 1,166 suspected cases…. While seasonal outbreaks are common in these regions, Zambia is facing its most severe anthrax outbreak since 2011, and Malawi has reported its first human case this year. Uganda has documented 13 deaths. CIDRAP ([link removed]) (US) reports, “The WHO said the recent uptick in cases is caused by a number of factors, including climate change, food insecurity, and a low perception of risk when handling animal products.”

DRC Mpox Response Delayed by Stigma and Regulatory Barriers

Reuters ([link removed]) (UK) reports, “Vaccines and treatments that could help tackle an mpox epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo are lying unused outside the country despite a death rate far higher than from the global outbreak that began last year. Stigma, regulatory hurdles and competing disease outbreaks are all factors holding back the response, according to almost a dozen scientists, public health officials and drugmakers involved…. Global health officials said a lack of urgency was a sign the world had learned nothing from the unequal access to vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘This is a stain on our humanity,’ said Winnie Byanyima, the head of the United Nations AIDS programme, who has been vocal on inequality and stigma during pandemics. ‘What are we waiting for?’”

The Washington Post ([link removed]) (US) reports the mpox outbreak in DRC “has raised concerns of another global outbreak with more deaths than the one ignited last year, prompting scientists to worry the world will again fail to recognize warnings from Africa…. While there’s no evidence of another global outbreak starting, health authorities are especially attuned to a virus that was declared an international and U.S. health emergency last year. The WHO warned that the situation in Congo, if not controlled, poses a significant risk of international outbreaks ‘with potentially more severe consequences than the one which has been affecting the world since 2022.’”

WHO and Africa CDC Partner to Tackle Disease Outbreaks

The Independent ([link removed]) (Uganda) reports Africa CDC and WHO plan to work together to respond to disease outbreaks on the African continent. “Every year, close to 100 disease outbreaks are reported across Africa according to research from the Africa CDC…. Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa said the visionary plan seeks to establish fully operational Public Health Emergency Operations Centres (PHEOCs) in at least 50 African countries. ‘This strategic initiative is a leap toward enhancing regional health preparedness and response,’ she said.”

Challenges for Health Financing and the Pandemic Fund

An article in Globalization and Health ([link removed]) (Germany) lays out “eight challenges associated with global health financing instruments and development aid for health within the global health literature” that may affect the new Pandemic Fund. “These include misaligned aid allocation; accountability; multistakeholder representation and participation; country ownership; donor coherency and fragmentation; transparency; power dynamics, and; anti-corruption. Using available information about the Pandemic Fund, the article positions the Pandemic Fund against these challenges to determine in what ways the financing instrument recognizes, addresses, partially addresses, or ignores them. The assessment argues that although the Pandemic Fund has adopted a few measures to recognise and address some of the challenges, overall, the Pandemic Fund has unclear policies in response to most of the challenges while leaving many
unaddressed.”

Long COVID in Africa

The Times ([link removed]) (Nigeria) reports, “Recent data indicates that nearly 50% of COVID-19 survivors in African countries are grappling with at least one ongoing symptom, impacting their quality of life and potentially hindering their ability to work, according to researchers…. Researchers pooled results from 25 studies across African nations, involving 29,213 participants, and discovered a 48.6% incidence of Long COVID symptoms. Fatigue emerged as the most common, affecting 35.4% of participants, potentially leading to productivity issues and economic setbacks. Mental health concerns, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety, were observed in up to 25% of patients.” Read the study in Nature ([link removed]) .

Reporting on Long COVID

Ed Yong, a journalist whose extensive and detailed coverage of COVID in The Atlantic was must read through most of the pandemic reflects on his experiences in a New York Times ([link removed]) (US) essay. “As a science writer, I have written about many topics throughout my career. None have affected me more than long COVID. None have more profoundly changed my view about what journalism can achieve and how it can do so…. Covering long COVID solidified my view that science is not the objective, neutral force it is often misconstrued as. It is instead a human endeavor, relentlessly buffeted by our culture, values and politics.

Lessons for TB from COVID

A study published in Public Health Action ([link removed]) (France) looked at lessons for TB from the COVID response in Brazil, India and South Africa. The study found, “Political will – whether national or subnational – enabled implementation of widespread prevention measures during the COVID-19 response in each country and stimulated mobile and telehealth service delivery innovations. Participants in all three countries emphasised the importance of mobilising and engaging communities in public health responses and noted limited health education and information as barriers to implementing TB control efforts at the community level.”

New Data on COVID Vaccine Inequities

CIDRAP ([link removed]) (US) reports, “New global survey data published in Health Affairs shows that half of unvaccinated respondents said they wanted a COVID-19 vaccine but were not able to obtain the shots, suggesting that unmet supply needs still drives low vaccine uptake in many low- and middle-income countries…. African countries had the highest rate of respondents who said they wanted to be vaccinated but were unable to obtain a vaccine. Unmet immunization demand was highest in the DRC (43%), Nigeria (39%), Cameroon (36%), Senegal (30%), and Kenya (27%).” Read the study at Health Affairs ([link removed]) .

Climate Change and Excess Deaths in the UK

The Guardian ([link removed]) (UK) reports, “The climate crisis could cause up to 10,000 extra deaths in the UK every year by the 2050s as a result of extreme heat and bring a host of tropical diseases, a stark report has warned. The worst-case scenario, published in a damning document by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Monday, would see average temperatures rise by 4.3C, bringing an estimated twelvefold rise in heat-related deaths by 2070. It adds that deaths could increase by one-and-a-half times in the 2030s…. It states that diseases transmitted by insects – such as dengue fever or Zika virus – could also become widely transmissible across the UK due to the arrival of species native to hotter countries.”

Growing Number of MDR Infections in Ukraine

A report in the US CDC’s MMWR ([link removed]) (US) highlights concerns about multi-drug resistant organisms in Ukraine. “In Ukraine, the confluence of high prewar rates of antimicrobial resistance, an increase in the prevalence of traumatic wounds, and the war-related strain on health care facilities is leading to increased detection of multidrug-resistant organisms with spread into Europe. Evidence of increased rates of antimicrobial resistance in other conflict settings such as Iraq, and the long-term consequences for civilian, military, and other populations, argue that the spread of antimicrobial resistance in Ukraine is an urgent crisis that must be addressed, even during an ongoing war.
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