Please see some excerpts from recent news/media reports on COVID-19, Malaria, Marburg Virus, Ebola, Microplastics and more. Follow links for full articles.

Channels TV reports that Nigeria has confirmed 357 new cases of COVID-19 amid the wave of fresh infections resurging in parts of the country. The number of new cases has continued to rise as authorities have yet to restore the relaxed measures initially put in place to curb the spread of the disease. In a tweet on Tuesday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) explained that the fresh infections were confirmed between July 9 and 11. These cases, it stated, were reported in five states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

BioNTech to take malaria vaccine into clinical trials later this year as reported on 12-Jul-2022 By Rachel Arthur. BioNTech is readying to take its mRNA malaria vaccine candidates into clinical trials later this year.

Mzuzah Webinar on “The Effects of Microplastics on Human Health” on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM CDT. Mzuzah Africa is a multidimensional platform, which connects stakeholders from key sectors in the sustainability discourse. These dialogues are essential to ensure the development of Sustainable Leadership with highly skilled, right-thinking individuals leading the transformational movement in Africa.

Faced with COVID and monkeypox, new USAID leader draws strength from African proverb. From NPR July 11, 2022. Dr. Atul Gawande began a challenging new job this year. The surgeon, former New Yorker staff writer and bestselling author of books like Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, is now the head of global health for the U.S. Agency for International Development, which provides foreign and humanitarian aid around the world. So far it’s been quite a daunting year. The pandemic has of course continued and cases are now surging in many countries. Then there’s the worldwide monkeypox outbreak, the potential global repercussions of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and other health crises that have arisen in the wake of the pandemic. Gawande spoke to NPR about the agency’s top health priorities in low-income countries.

On July 11, 2022 Jessica Nye wrote that Ebola Reduces Visual Quality of Life in Pediatric Patients. Survivors of EVD and their close contacts were found to have poor health- and vision-related quality of life, especially among children with one or more ocular complications. Shantha JG, Canady D, Hartley C, et al. Ophthalmic sequelae and psychosocial impact in pediatric ebola survivors. EClinicalMedicine. 2022;49:101483. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101483

The Express (UK) reported that Marburg Virus, an Ebola-like virus with 88% death rate has hit Ghana as fever sparks ‘serious concern’ AN OUTBREAK of a deadly virus similar to Ebola, called Marburg, has been identified in Ghana, as two people were diagnosed with the highly contagious disease after they had died. Vassia Barba wrote on Jul 8, 2022. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday “preparations for a possible outbreak response are being set up swiftly as further investigations are underway”. In a statement, the WHO said preliminary assessment of samples from the two patients indicate the cases were positive for Marburg. However, it clarified those results must be confirmed by a laboratory in Senegal.

FutureLearn is offering an online course, The Resistant Mosquito: Staying Ahead of the Game in the Fight against Malaria. Discover how we can keep the upper hand in our fight against the malaria mosquito by managing insecticide resistance development. This course will be available on FutureLearn from 25 July 2022. The link to the course will follow on July 25th.