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how the rapid development of vaccines against Covid-19 prepares us for future pandemics

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Since the first report of Covid-19 in December 2019, greater than 775 million registered infections and greater than 7 million deaths from the disease. This is what makes COVID seventh deadliest pandemic in recorded history.

Factors akin to climate change, disruption of animal habitats, poverty and global travel mean we’re prone to see more pandemics in the future.

It is unattainable to predict exactly when the next pandemic will occur or what it’s going to be. However, experts around the world are working to arrange for this inevitable “Disease X.”

One of the cornerstones of preparing for the next pandemic is to be in the absolute best position to design and implement appropriate vaccine. To this end, scientists and researchers can learn rather a lot from the development of a Covid vaccine.

A glance back

After the discovery of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID), work on the vaccine progressed in a short time. IN February 2020 the first batch of vaccines (from Moderna) was accomplished and the first clinical trials were conducted began in March.

The first vaccine was Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA for approvalDecember 2, 2020 in the UK. Approvals of this and other vaccines, including shots developed by Moderna (one other mRNA vaccine) and Oxford/AstraZeneca (a viral vector vaccine), followed elsewhere shortly thereafter.

Previously the fastest vaccine developed took about 4 years (for mumps in the Sixties). If Covid-19 vaccines took so long, it will mean we’d only introduce them this yr.

Estimated 13.72 billion doses of Covid vaccine have already been administered, and over 70% of the world’s population has received a minimum of one dose.

The rapid development and commercialization of Covid-19 vaccines will likely be one of the biggest achievements in medical science in history. It also means we’re in a a lot better position to reply to emerging pathogens in the future.

New vaccine technology

Rather a lot of work has been preparing us for development for a few years Covid vaccines as fast as us. This included the development of recent platforms, akin to viral vector and mRNA vaccines, that might be rapidly adapted to recent pathogens.

While scientists were working on mRNA vaccines for many years before the virus pandemic, Covid shots from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna were the first mRNA vaccines approved for use in humans.

These vaccines work by instructing our bodies (the “m” in mRNA stands for messenger) to provide the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins. These are proteins found on the surface of the virus that help it attach to our cells. This implies that once we come into contact with SARS-CoV-2, our immune system is able to react.

This technology will almost actually be used to guard against other diseasesand will potentially assist in a future pandemic.

In the meantime, scientists are working to further improve mRNA technology. For example, “self-amplifying RNA” has the potential to reinforce the immune response at lower doses compared to traditional mRNA.

mRNA vaccines train our bodies to provide the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.
Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock

While our current Covid-19 vaccines are protected and really effective at protecting against severe disease, they usually are not perfect. We may never have the opportunity to create a “perfect” vaccine, but some additional properties we would prefer to see in future COVID vaccines include higher reduction in transmission, longer-lasting effects, and the need for less frequent updates as recent variants emerge.

Even now they’re multiple Covid vaccines in clinical trials. So let’s hope that Covid-19 vaccines that improve the effectiveness of initial vaccinations might be available relatively soon.

Other desirable features include the vaccines we will administer with alternative routes for needles. For Covid-19 and other diseases akin to influenza, we’re seeing significant progress locally and internationally in terms of vaccines that might be administered through skin patches, through the noseand even orally.

Some challenges

Developing Covid vaccines has been an enormous challenge, but for the most part it may well be considered successful. Studies have estimated Covid vaccines In the first yr alone, 14.4 million lives were saved in 185 countries.

However, the history of vaccination against Covid-19 has also been related to many other challenges and doubtless many failures.

First, vaccine distribution was not equitable. An evaluation of the initial implementation was suggested almost 80% eligible people in high-income countries have been vaccinated, compared with just over 10% in low-income countries.

Vaccine delivery there was an issue in lots of parts of the world, so expanding local capability to enable faster vaccine production and distribution might be necessary in the next pandemic.

Moreover, hostile events related to Covid-19 vaccines, akin to rare blood clots after administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine, have influenced perceptions of the vaccine’s safety. Although any serious hostile event is very important, these events were very rare.

However, these problems have exacerbated other challenges which might be hampering the vaccine rollout, including: spreading disinformation.

Disinformation stays an issue today and can likely proceed to be widespread as we face the next pandemic. Meeting this challenge requires understanding what stops people from getting vaccinated, then informing, educating, and eliminating misinformation about each vaccinations and the risks of the disease itself.

The essential goal should proceed to be to revive and construct trust in public health authorities. Trust in governments and health authorities has declined during the Covid-19 pandemic, and evidence shows that less trust is related to fewer vaccines.

A woman receives the vaccine.
The rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine has posed many challenges.
Yuganov Konstantin/Shutterstock

Current preparations

There is little doubt that our recent experience with Covid-19, particularly the rapid development of a number of protected and effective vaccines, has placed us in a greater position to face one other pandemic.

This didn’t occur by accident. Even before the discovery of the Covid-19 virus, many preparations were made to facilitate this. Organizations akin to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) have been supporting research to rapidly develop vaccines to reply to a brand new threat.

CEPI conducts an ongoing program aimed toward developing a vaccine against the recent threat, i.e. disease just 100 days. While Covid-19 vaccines have been an enormous achievement, work continues in the hope that next time we will develop a vaccine even faster.

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
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Health and Wellness

Jury awarded $310 million to parents of teenager who died after falling on a ride at Florida amusement park – Essence

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Sun Sentinel/Getty Images

The family of Tire Sampson, the 14-yr-old who tragically died on an amusement park ride in Orlando, Florida, in 2022, has been awarded $310 million in a civil lawsuit.

Tire, who was visiting ICON Park along with his family on March 24, 2022, fell from the FreeFall drop tower. Although he was taken to a nearby hospital, he didn’t survive his injuries.

Now, greater than two years later, a jury has held the vehicle manufacturer, Austria-based Funtime Handels, responsible for the accident and awarded the Tire family $310 million. According to reports from local news stations WFTV AND KSDKthe jury reached its verdict after about an hour of deliberation.

Tyre’s parents will each receive $155 million, according to attorney spokesman Michael Haggard.

Attorneys Ben Crump and Natalie Jackson, who represented Tyre’s family, shared their thoughts on this landmark decision via X (formerly Twitter). “This ruling is a step forward in holding corporations accountable for the safety of their products,” they said in a statement.

Lawyers stressed that Tyre’s death was attributable to “gross negligence and a failure to put safety before profits.” They added that the ride’s manufacturer had “neglected its duty to protect passengers” and that the substantial award ensured it could “face the consequences of its decisions.”

Crump and Jackson said they hope the result will encourage change throughout the theme park industry. “We hope this will spur the entire industry to enforce more stringent safety measures,” they said. “Tire heritage will provide a safer future for drivers around the world.”

An investigation previously found that Tyre’s harness was locked through the descent, but he dislodged from his seat through the 430-foot fall when the magnets engaged. Tire’s death was ruled the result of “multiple injuries and trauma.”

ICON Park said at the time that it could “fully cooperate” with the authorities.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Tireless HIV/AIDS advocate A. Cornelius Baker dies

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HIV/AIDS Advocate, A. Cornelius Baker


A. Cornelius Baker, a tireless advocate of HIV and AIDS testing, research and vaccination, died Nov. 8 at his home in Washington, D.C., of hypertensive, atherosclerotic heart problems, in response to his partner, Gregory Nevins.

As previously reported, Baker was an early supporter for people living with HIV and AIDS within the Nineteen Eighties, when misinformation and fear-mongering in regards to the disease were rampant.

According to Douglas M. Brooks, director of the Office of National AIDS Policy under President Obama, it was Baker’s Christian faith that guided him toward compassion for others.

“He was very kind, very warm and inclusive – his circles, both professional and personal, were the most diverse I have ever seen, and he was guided by his Christian values,” Brooks told the outlet. “His ferocity was on display when people were marginalized, rejected or forgotten.”

In 1995, when he was executive director of the National AIDS Association, Baker pushed for June 27 to be designated National HIV Testing Day.

In 2012, he later wrote on the web site of the Global Health Advisor for which he was a technical advisor that: “These efforts were intended to help reduce the stigma associated with HIV testing and normalize it as part of regular screening.”

https://twitter.com/NBJContheMove/status/1856725113967632663?s=19

Baker also feared that men like himself, black gay men, and other men from marginalized communities were disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS.

Baker pressured the Clinton administration to incorporate black and Latino people in clinical drug trials, and in 1994 he pointedly told the Clinton administration that he was bored with hearing guarantees but seeing no motion.

According to Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings, yes that daring attitude that defines Baker’s legacy in the world of ​​HIV/AIDS promotion.

“Cornelius was a legendary leader in the fight for equality for LGBTQ+ people and all people living with HIV,” Jennings said in a press release. “In the more than twenty years that I knew him, I was continually impressed not only by how effective he was as a leader, but also by how he managed to strike the balance between being fierce and kind at the same time. His loss is devastating.”

Jennings continued: “Cornelius’ leadership can’t be overstated. For many years, he was one in all the nation’s leading HIV/AIDS warriors, working locally, nationally and internationally. No matter where he went, he proudly supported the HIV/AIDS community from the Nineteen Eighties until his death, serving in various positions including the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Association of Persons with Disabilities AIDS, and the Whitman-Walker Clinic . Jennings explained.

Jennings concluded: “His career also included several honors, including being the first recipient of the American Foundation for AIDS Research Foundation’s organization-building Courage Award. Our communities have lost a pillar in Cornelius, and as we mourn his death, we will be forever grateful for his decades of service to the community.”

Kaye Hayes, deputy assistant secretary for communicable diseases and director of the Office of Infectious Diseases and HIV/AIDS Policy, in her comment about his legacy, she called Baker “the North Star.”.

“It is difficult to overstate the impact his loss had on public health, the HIV/AIDS community or the place he held in my heart personally,” Hayes told Hiv.gov. “He was pushing us, charging us, pulling us, pushing us. With his unwavering commitment to the HIV movement, he represented the north star, constructing coalitions across sectors and dealing with leaders across the political spectrum to deal with health disparities and advocate for access to HIV treatment and look after all. He said, “The work isn’t done, the charge is still there, move on – you know what you have to do.” It’s in my ear and in my heart in the case of this job.

Hayes added: “His death is a significant loss to the public health community and to the many others who benefited from Cornelius’ vigilance. His legacy will continue to inspire and motivate us all.”

Baker is survived by his mother, Shirley Baker; his partner Nevins, who can be senior counsel at Lambda Legal; his sisters Chandrika Baker, Nadine Wallace and Yavodka Bishop; in addition to his two brothers, Kareem and Roosevelt Dowdell; along with the larger HIV/AIDS advocacy community.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Health and Wellness

Bovaer is added to cow feed to reduce methane emissions. Does it pass into milk and meat? And is it harmful to humans?

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There are growing concerns in regards to the use of feed supplements, Bowar 10to reduce methane production in cows.

Bovaer 10 consists of silicon dioxide (mainly sand), propylene glycol (food stabilizer approved by Food Safety Australia New Zealand) and lively substance 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP).

There has been an enormous amount of misinformation in regards to the safety of 3-NOP, with some milk from herds fed this additive being labeled “Frankenmilk”. Others feared it could get to humans through beef.

The most significant thing is that 3-NOP is secure. Let’s clear up some major misconceptions.

Why do we want to limit methane production?

In our attempts to limit global warming, we’ve placed the best emphasis on CO₂ because the major man-made greenhouse gas. But methane is also a greenhouse gas, and although we produce less of it, it is: a much stronger greenhouse gas than CO₂.

Agriculture is the largest a man-made source of methane. As cattle herds expand to meet our growing demand for meat and milk, reducing methane production from cows is a vital way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

There are several ways to do that. Stopping bacteria within the stomachs of cows that produce methane one approach is to produce methane.

The methane produced by cows and sheep doesn’t come from the animals themselves, but from the microbes living of their digestive systems. 3-NO stop the enzymes that perform the last step of methane synthesis in these microorganisms.

3-NOP is not the one compound tested as a feed additive. Australian product based on seaweed, Rumin8for instance, it is also in development. Saponins, soap-like chemicals present in plants, and essential oils as well has been examined.

However, 3-NOP is currently one of the popular effective treatments.

Nitrooxypropanol structure: red balls are oxygen, gray carbon, blue nitrogen and white hydrogen.
PubChem

But is not it poison?

There are concerns on social media that Bovaer is “poisoning our food.”

But, as we are saying in toxicology, it’s the dose that makes the poison. For example, arsenic is deadly 2–20 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

In contrast, 3-NOP was not lethal on the doses utilized in safety studies, up to 600 mg 3-NOP per kg body weight. At a dose of 100 mg per kg body weight in rats, it didn’t cause any adversarial effects.

What about reproductive issues?

The effect of 3-NOP on the reproductive organs has generated numerous commentary.

Studies in rats and cows showed that doses of 300–500 mg per kg body weight caused: contraction of the ovaries and testicles.

In comparison, to achieve the identical exposure in humans, a 70 kg human would want to eat 21–35 grams (about 2 tablespoons) of pure 3-NOP every day for a lot of weeks to see this effect.

No human will likely be exposed to this amount because 3-NOP doesn’t pass into milk – is fully metabolized within the cow’s intestines.

No cow will likely be exposed to these levels either.

The cow licks itself
Cows will not be exposed to levels tested on animals in laboratory studies.
Ground photo/Shutterstock

What about cancer?

3-NOP is not genotoxic or mutagenicwhich implies it cannot damage DNA. Thus, the results of 3-NOP are dose-limited, meaning that small doses will not be harmful, while very high doses are (unlike radiation where there is no secure dose).

Scientists found that at a dose of 300 mg per kilogram of body weight benign tumors of the small intestine of female ratsbut not male rats, after 2 years of every day consumption. At a dose of 100 mg 3-NOP per kg body weight, no tumors were observed.

Cows eat lower than 2 grams of Bovaer 10 per day (of which only 10% or 0.2 grams is 3-NOP). This is about 1,000 times lower than the appropriate every day intake 1 mg 3-NOP per kg body weight per day for a cow weighing 450 kg.

This level of consumption will likely be not the result in cancer or any of them other adversarial effects.

So how much are people exposed to?

Milk and meat consumers will likely be exposed to zero 3-NOP. 3-NOP doesn’t penetrate milk and meat: is completely metabolized within the cow’s intestines.

Farmers could also be exposed to small amounts of the feed additive, and industrial employees producing 3-NOP will potentially be exposed to larger amounts. Farmers and industrial employees already wear personal protective equipment to reduce exposure to other agricultural chemicals – and it is advisable to do that with Bovear 10 as well.

Milk
3-NOP doesn’t penetrate milk and meat.
Shutterstock

How widely has it been tested?

3-NOP has been in development for 15 years and has been subject to multiple reviews by European Food Safety Authority, UK Food Safety Authority AND others.

It has been extensively tested over months of exposure to cattle and has produced no unintended effects. Some studies actually say so improves the standard of milk and meat.

Bovaer was approved for use in dairy cattle by the European Union from 2022 and Japan in 2024. It is also utilized in many other countries, including: in beef products, amongst others Australia.

A really small amount of 3-NOP enters the environment (lower than 0.2% of the dose taken), no accumulates and is easily decomposed subsequently, it doesn’t pose a threat to the environment.

Since humans will not be exposed to 3-NOP through milk and meat, long-term exposure is not an issue.

What does Bill Gates have to do with this?

Bill Gates has invested in a distinct feed processing method for methane, Australian seaweed-based Rumin8. But he has nothing to do with Bovaer 10.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded research grants to the corporate producing 3-NOP for malaria control researchnot for 3-NOP.

The bottom line is that adding 3-NOP to animal feed doesn’t pose any risk to consumers, animals or the environment.

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
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