Category Health & Medical

What is the Pandemic Accord

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: When the world was shaken by Covul-19 which shredded economies. Overturned societies, crippled health systems, and killed millions of people-many countries came together and decided to build a framework of binding commitments to stop such such trauma from ever happening again. This happened in 2021

Since then, countries have been holding talks to make this happen but the talks have been caught in many issues. The final round of talks is happening this week, but countries are not even close to maching a deal that is acceptable to all parties.

World Health Organization [3:50 pm, 8/4/2024] IIFL: chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has repeatedly warned nations that “everyone will have to give something, or no one will get anything.”

 

Who wants what?

European countries – who led calls for a pandemic treaty want more money invested in pandemic prevention, while African nations want the knowledge and financing to make that work, plus proper access to pandemic “counter-measures” like vaccines and treatments.

The United States wants to ensure all countries share data and samples from emerging outbreaks quickly and transparently, while developing countries are holding out firm for guaranteed equity to stop them getting left behind.

According to the roadmap, a finalised accord on pandemic preparedness, prevention and response would be adopted at the May 27 to June 1 World Health Assembly of the WHO’S 194 member states

Issues at hand

The main topics still in play include access to emerging pathogens, better prevention and monitoring of disease outbreaks, reliable financing and transferring technology to poorer countries. The talks are being conducted by an Intergovemmental Negotiating Body.

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How do MRNA vaccines work?

A shot in the arm!

Vaccines have helped control many infectious diseases. But developing them is not easy and also takes years. With researchers working tirelessly for months together, what seemed like an endless wait for a vaccine against COMD-19 has given way to hope with the UK approving the Pfizer/ BioNTech vaccine for the coronavirus. COVID-19 has claimed over 1.5 million lives worldwide

Pfizer’s BNT162b2, which took only 10 months from conception to approval is an MRNA vaccine approved for use in humans for the first time. The vaccine has been shown to be 95% effective in preventing COMD-19. It needs to be stored in bones containing dry ice that are capable of staying at -70 degrees Celsius, the frigid temperature needed to preserve the drug. Besides the U.K., other countries such as Bahrain Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Israel and the U.S. have approved the emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine.

What is an MRNA vaccine?           

Vaccines work by priming the body to recognise and fight the proteins produced by disease-causing organisms. Instead of using an inactivated coronavirus or viral proteins in a vaccine, an MRNA vaccine uses a messenger RNA, or MRNA, to prompt an immune response in the body. An MRNA is a synthetic genetic material, a copy of a natural component of living cells. An mRNA vaccine carries genetic instructions, which direct cells in the body to make viral proteins that prime the immune system to produce protective antibodies. If these antibodies adhere to a virus, it cannot enter the cells to replicate.

Are they safe?

MRNA vaccines are said to be safer than live vaccines, as there is a risk of the virus reverting to a dangerous form with the latter. MRNA vaccines are not likely to produce unwanted reactions. Besides, they can be made much faster than the traditional vaccines.

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What are superbugs and super resistance and why are they a major problem for human health?

In articles about infections and medicines, you may have come across words such as superbugs and drug resistance. What do they mean and what is providing superbugs (microbes resistant to medication used for treating the infections they cause) the perfect circumstances to thrive? Come, let's find out

It is common knowledge that microbes such as bacteria, virus, fungi, and parasites cause infection in humans, animals, and plants. Such infections are tackled using antibiotics (to fight bacteria), antivirals, antifungal, and antiparasitics. These medicines are collectively called antimicrobials; they prevent or treat infections by killing or inhibiting the growth of the microbes. Medicines tackle erring microbes and bring the infection under control. However, not always do antimicrobials succeed in doing what they set out to. This is because the microbes begin to resist these medicines-in essence, they continue to grow unaffected. This is called drug (medicine) resistance. Now, how do these germs develop that resistance? Most microbes – such as bacteria, fungi, and parasites – are living organisms. So they always find ways to survive by protecting themselves from anything that could harm them. One important way this happens is through change in one or more of their genes- also known as gene mutation. This can help microbes ignore the antimicrobial, block, or even destroy it. And, surviving germs pass on these genes to the subsequent generation that keeps both the resistance and itself alive.

But, what causes the resistance in the first place? Several reasons! Overuse and misuse of antimicrobials are among the most common reasons that lead to drug resistance. Of growing concern in recent times is how climate change is driving drug resistance.

Here's an example. "Higher temperatures have been found to promote the growth, infection and spread of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, both in humans and animals." Extreme weather events lead to sharing of limited resources such as water in extremely crowded places, increasing risk of infection. Drought, agricultural run-offs, pollutants, etc. exacerbate the growth and spread of drug-resistant microbes.

As drug-resistant microbes cause millions of death the world over, it is important to not just develop newer drugs to combat these microbes but also tackle the pressing issue of climate change.

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How do hearing aids work?

A hearing aid, which consists of a microphone, amplifier, and speaker, makes sound louder for the user.

A hearing aid is a small electronic or digital medical device designed to help people who are hard of hearing. It makes sound louder for the user.

A hearing aid basically consists of three parts- a microphone, amplifier, and speaker. The microphone collects the sounds from the user’s environment and converts the sound waves into electrical (or digital) signals. The amplifier magnifies the power of the signals and then sends them to the inner ear through a speaker.

Those with a hearing disability have damaged hair cells in the inner ear. The surviving hair cells detect the sound vibrations magnified by the hearing aid and transmit them to the brain. However, if the hair cells are too damaged, then a hearing aid may be ineffective.

Hearing aids are available in various styles. The most common ones known as behind-the-ear (BTE) aids, consist of plastic cases worn behind the ear, which contain the electronic parts. The cases are connected with a narrow tube to the earmold which is inserted inside the ear. Smaller hearing aids in the form of earmolds that fit in snugly inside the ear are almost invisible to others like in-the-ear (ITE), in-the-canal (ITC) and completely-in-canal (CIC) aids.

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What is ‘domestication syndrome’?

Thousands of years ago all species of animals lived in the wild and roamed our planet freely. However, centuries ago, humans domesticated some species for their own benefit. This list is fairly endless from dogs, donkeys, camels, and horses to cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats. In the 19th Century, naturalist Charles Darwin was among the earliest to detect something interesting about these animals "different species often developed similar changes when compared to their ancient wild ancestors”. How could that be? Come, let's find out.

The set of shared changes seen in domesticated animals is referred to as "domestication syndrome". And, for long, one of the main reasons for this was attributed to the tamer behaviour of domesticated animals. It is understandable that our ancestors would have selected calmer animals of the lot for domestication, and so, this trait continued in the subsequent generations too, irrespective of the species. Some of the noticeable changes are "shorter faces, smaller teeth, more fragile skeletons, smaller brains, and different colours in skin, fur, and feathers". (Remember, not all species display all the changes. A few species may share several of these changes while some may share just a few. But all of them seem to display at least a few changes.)

One of the theories associated with tamer behaviour is that it "somehow triggered all of the other traits too". Another theory states that "selection for tameness causes the other features because they're all linked by genes controlling neural crest cells. These cells, found in embryos, form many animal features-so changing them could cause several differences at once". However, a new hypothesis by researchers suggests that these theories are over-simplified and do not offer the complete picture. They say the "removal of pre-existing selection" is as important as tameness. For instance, domesticated animals may not face the threat of predators, and "so wild traits for avoiding them might be lost. Similarly, competition for mating partners too comes down, bringing down "wild reproductive features and behaviours". Since domesticated animals are provided food, this could change not just their "metabolism and growth" but even their features over a period of time.

The researchers argue that several selective changes are at play when it comes to the characteristics of domesticated animals, not just "selection for tameness".

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Have you ever wondered why different spots are chosen for different shots by your doctor?

Have you ever wondered why different spots are chosen for different shots by your doctor? Read on to find out

DID YOU KNOW?

Muscles are good places for injecting vaccines because they contain immune cells that immediately recognise the disease-fighting antigens in the vaccine and transport them to the lymphatic system.

Time to scream! Because we are talking about your least favourite topic: injections! From babyhood onwards, you’ve probably wailed your way through any number of injections or shots. A lot of them are vaccines, but some are medicines.

Most shots are injected into the arm, but for some, the doctor may tell you to pull down your shorts or pants and poke the needle into your butt or into the stomach. There are also intravenous injections where the medicines are introduced directly into a vein in your arm or hand via a needle.

Have you ever wondered why different spots are chosen for different shots?

It depends on the type of medicine being injected, the amount of medicine and the time it takes for the medicine to be absorbed in the body.

Since intravenous (IV) injections go directly into the vein, the medicine goes into the body really quickly. For example, saline or glucose is administered intravenously in the hospital during emergency medical care.

Some shots are injected directly into a muscle. They are called intramuscular (IM) injections. The medicine is absorbed more slowly by the blood than in IV shots. The most common locations for IM shots are the deltoid muscle of the shoulder or arm (where you got your anti-COVID vaccine), the gluteus medius (a fancier name for the butt), or vastus lateralis or thigh muscle for little children (your mom will probably tell you that’s where you got your DPT vaccine as a baby).

Subcutaneous (SC) injections are directed into fatty tissue, where there is less blood supply. The medicine is taken up by the body more slowly than IM shots. SC shots are usually injected into the abdominal fold. For instance, insulin shots are given in the stomach.

The last kind are intradermal (ID) injections. They are aimed into the middle layer of the skin and are absorbed slowest of all. The inner surface of the forearm and the upper back, under the shoulder blade, are chosen sites for testing allergens and injecting some kinds of local anaesthetics.

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