DESPITE BEING the epicenter of the mpox outbreak that has infected over 103,000 people across 122 countries since January 2022, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) received its first batch of vaccines on September 5— nearly two years after the US and European nations began stockpiling them following their own cases.
So far, DRC has received 99,000 doses from the EU, with another 110,000 doses expected soon. However, these figures fall far short of the 3 million doses officials estimate are needed to bring the outbreak under control (see "The politics and economics of mpox', p44-45). Nigeria, the only other African country to secure vaccines, has managed to receive just 10,000 doses.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared mpox a public health emergency twice in the past three years-first between July 2022 and May 2023, due to its rapid spread outside Africa, and again on August 14, 2024, following a surge in cases across Africa, largely driven by mutations in the virus.
The mpox virus is categorised into two main clades: I, endemic to Central Africa, and II, which was previously known as the West African clade. Both have two subclades a and b. Clade IIb drove the 2022 global outbreak. The current spike in cases, however, is largely attributed to the more virulent clade Ib, which spreads through close contact and contaminated surfaces.
Denne historien er fra September 16, 2024-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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Denne historien er fra September 16, 2024-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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THE GREAT FARM HUSTLE
Agroforestry is fast emerging as a win-win strategy to mitigate climate change and improve farmers' income. It is particularly so in India, home to one-fifth of the agroforestry carbon projects in the world. Over the past months ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY has travelled to almost 20 villages across the country to understand how this market works. At all locations, she finds that communities and their land and labour are central to the projects. But they do not always benefit from the carbon revenue
CAN AGROFORESTRY CREDITS BE SAVED?
Ensure that farmers benefit from the carbon revenue and stay protected against market failure
Urban trap
Fearing loss of autonomy and access to government schemes, several villages across India are protesting against the decision to change their status to town
Dubious distinction
How Madhya Pradesh displaced Punjab as the country's leading state in stubble burning
TRADE TENSIONS
Why the benefits of agroforestry carbon trade do not trickle down to farmers
A fantastical lens
BIOPECULIARIS A LAUDABLE ATTEMPT TO CARVE A SPACE FOR SPECULATIVE CLIMATE FICTION WITHIN INDIAN LITERATURE. WHILE THE STORIES MAY NOT ALWAYS HIT THEIR MARK, THE ANTHOLOGY IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN A GENRE THAT DESERVES MORE ATTENTION
Help on hold
US' decision to pause foreign aid could lead to hunger deaths, ruin economies of nations across Africa
Irrigation by snow
Declining rain and snowfall make farmers collect snow from higher altitudes to water their apple crops
Stem the rot
A fungal disease has hit the most widely sown sugarcane variety in Uttar Pradesh, threatening the country's sugar production
The mythos of ancient India's scientific excellence
Policymakers are obsessed by a fuddled idea of resurrecting a glorious civilisational past, and even IITs have fallen in line
