New strain raises global concerns
JOHANNESBURG - It's been more than five years since Covid-19 was declared a pandemic.
And, as we head into the cold winter months, a new variant is causing concern in China, where it's led to an increase in hospitalisations.
The World Health Organisation has designated this new strain, NB.1.8.1, as a 'variant under monitoring'.
Is there cause for concern?
Prof Tulio de Oliveira, director at the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation, said this variant is part of the omicron family.
"It is identified as a variant, and we are monitoring this is the lowest level we have on the WHO," he said.
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Daily Maverick
5 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Restructuring global health – WHO faces major challenges as foreign aid reductions take toll
While the immediate effects of the US cuts in health aid are being felt primarily by the Global South, the associated risks extend worldwide. Last week, global leaders gathered for the World Health Assembly in Geneva to address the reality that the global health landscape is being reshaped by dramatic shifts in funding, priorities, and leadership. Chief among these is the United States' decision to slash foreign aid and withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite spending only 0.24% of its gross national income on foreign aid, the United States has been the largest donor to global health programmes, providing one-third of the international assistance in global health. This is not just a US issue – other countries have also signalled reductions in foreign health aid, and Argentina also recently announced it will withdraw from the WHO. These dramatic shifts have forced the WHO to plan a reduction in staff by nearly 50%, triggering massive restructuring. Non-government organisations (NGOs) are laying off large numbers of staff worldwide. While other donors and philanthropies are stepping in, they cannot fill the void alone. Meanwhile, the shock to the system is already resulting in lives lost. According to the WHO, countries such as Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso and Nigeria may run out of HIV antiretroviral medications within months. The Africa CDC's director-general, Dr Jean Kaseya, warned in March that 'two to four million additional Africans are likely to die annually' as a result of the aid cuts. T The continent now faces a $12-billion shortfall in healthcare financing. Substantial impacts will be felt across the globe, from Afghanistan to Lao PDR, in many low- and middle-income countries. While the immediate effects of these cuts are being felt primarily by the Global South, the associated risks extend globally. When countries become overwhelmed by preventable infections, they will lose the ability to detect and contain pathogens with epidemic potential that could cross borders in days. The current situation carries serious implications for global security as well as health. A new era needs to begin with a roadmap for sustainable domestic funding by individual nations, a strategic view of the role of WHO, and a coordinated plan among major donors. Governments must take the lead in reshaping their health budgets to reflect urgent needs while navigating competing priorities. Donors, NGOs, and multilaterals can support this shift if they embrace flexible, trust-based funding models tailored to local strategies. African health financing The desire to create long-term sustainability is apparent in the Africa CDC's strategic plan to transform health financing, which focuses on domestic resource mobilisation, diversifying funding sources, optimising health fund management and using evidence-based data for efficient resource allocation. The plan calls for member countries to meet the Abuja Declaration target of spending at least 15% of national budgets on health and explores innovative ideas such as solidarity levies and mobilising Africa's $95-billion in annual diaspora remittances. Nigeria's Basic Health Care Provision Fund, which dedicates 1% of revenue (about $150-million annually) to primary care, is a promising example. Any effort to reform global health infrastructure must prioritise resilient, widely accessible primary healthcare. Since the Alma-Ata declaration of 1978, we've known that primary care is the foundation of 'Health for All'. Doing so will not only reduce the impact of chronic and endemic infectious diseases, but also serve to enable systems that quickly identify when infectious disease outbreaks of concern appear. As the WHO recalibrates, it must assess realistically the current situation and focus on its most important core functions for the future: setting global standards, responding to emergencies and coordinating transnational responses. Routine programme implementation should be handled by individual countries, NGOs, and the private sector. The WHO can no longer afford to take on the management of basic health functions within countries. Instead, it needs to focus on maintaining surge capacity to meet needs during health emergencies and facilitate cooperation in transboundary issues. The WHO needs to prioritise doing fewer things better. Now is also the time for new global coalitions, agreements and leadership among non-government actors. The Gates Foundation has reaffirmed its commitment to address emerging challenges. Philanthropies must align their efforts to successfully cooperate, identify priorities and gaps, reduce duplication and maximise impact. Meanwhile, the private sector has a vital role to play in connecting national health priorities to new markets, innovations and partnerships. Global health needs a multisector coalition of the willing right now that is felicitous, innovative, able to learn from past mistakes and adapt to meet the world's current needs and prevent future crises. The time for action is now – the consequences of inaction are too great, and the lives lost are both predictable and preventable. DM Mitchell Wolfe is Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic Studies, Washington, DC; Nahid Bhadelia is Associate Professor at the Boston University School of Medicine; and Wilmot James is Professor and Strategic Advisor to the Pandemic Center at Brown University's School of Public Health and a former Member of Parliament (South Africa).
The Citizen
8 hours ago
- The Citizen
Sanlam pays out R6.62 billion in death and disease claims
Sanlam paid out 9.24% more than in 2023, with a sharp increase in cancer claims, while cardiovascular claims showed an uptick. Sanlam Risk and Savings has paid out R6.62 billion in 2024 for claims for deaths and diseases, with lifestyle-related conditions taking a growing toll. The statistics point to shifting health challenges facing South Africans today, evidenced by increases in claims for illnesses such as heart disease, certain cancers, musculoskeletal disorders and mental health concerns. Dr Marion Morkel, chief medical officer at Sanlam, says the increase in claims for diseases which have a good prognosis when detected early puts the spotlight on the importance of regular screenings and checks. 'The World Health Organisation recommends that annual health screenings and checks start in our thirties, and we urge South Africans to prioritise these as part of their yearly routine.' ALSO READ: Liberty pays out R600 million for two-pot retirement system in 2024 What the claims statistics show for deaths and diseases The claims statistics show that: R6.62 billion was paid across all claims, including R5.47 billion in death and funeral claims; R501.6 million in disability, loss of income and impairment claims and R650.3 million in severe illness and injury claims. Over the past six years, the group has paid out more than R36 billion in claims, with 2024 being one of the highest annual claim totals aside from the Covid-19 peak in 2021. Cancer accounted for 54% of all severe illness claims, up 30% in the number of cancer claims from 2023. Prostate cancer claims in men doubled, while breast cancer claims in women increased by 33%. Cardiovascular conditions made up 20% of death claims and 17% of disability claims. Sanlam paid more than 99% of all death claims. The highest claim was R36.2 million. Morkel says lifestyle diseases came through very strongly in the claims data, with cardiovascular disease and cancer the top two causes of death and disability. 'Cancer claims under the severe illness category increased by 30%, while prostate cancer claims doubled in men and breast cancer claims increased by 33% in women.' 'These increases, while concerning, are partly the result of the knock-on effect of the Covid-19 pandemic when proactive screenings were delayed for several years.' ALSO READ: How to ensure that your future life insurance claim is paid out Claims statistics also show increase in strokes among women She points out that this year's data also shows an increase in stroke and musculoskeletal disorders among women, including women in the younger age groups under the age of 50. 'While much of the data mirrors that of other countries, South Africa's high blood pressure rate is among the highest in the world, an early indicator of heart disease and stroke.' 'Regular screenings and self-checks, especially for breast cancer, are essential. For heart health, know your numbers: blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and BMI. And once you reach your mid-40s to early 50s, make regular check-ups a priority.' The claims statistics also show: Disability claims skewed male, with 60% filed for men, compared to 40% for women. Sickness income claims had a higher representation of female clients (61% female vs 39% male), with 20% of total claims for women for being pregnancy and childbirth. Severe illness claims were relatively gender-balanced (52% female, 48% male), reinforcing the universal health risks across both genders. ALSO READ: Why trust is so important when it comes to life insurance Also many claims from younger people Rhoderic Nel, chief executive of Sanlam Risk and Savings, says currently about 24% of all living benefit claims are from clients younger than 35, with increases in income protection claims (up from 15% in 2022 to around 25% in 2024).' 'It is a sobering reminder that life-changing illness can strike at any age. Being financially prepared is not something to delay but something to start now.'
TimesLIVE
9 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Critical TB research in South Africa at risk after US aid cuts
At a tense meeting in Nigeria's capital Abuja, health workers pored over drug registers and testing records to gauge whether US aid cuts would unravel years of painstaking work against tuberculosis in one of Africa's hardest-hit countries. For several days in May, they brainstormed ways to limit the fallout from a halt to US funding for the TB Local Network (TB LON), which delivers screening, diagnosis and treatment. 'To tackle the spread of TB, you must identify cases and that is in a coma because of the aid cuts,' said Ibrahim Umoru, co-ordinator of the African TB Coalition civil society network, who was at the Abuja meeting. 'This means more cases will be missed and disaster is looming.' This desperate struggle to save endangered programmes is being replicated from the Philippines to South Africa as experts warn that US aid cuts risk reviving a deadly infectious disease that kills about one million people every year. President Donald Trump's gutting of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has put TB testing and tracing on hold in Pakistan and Nigeria, stalled vital research in South Africa and left TB survivors lacking support in India. The World Health Organization (WHO) says 'the drastic and abrupt cuts in global health funding' threaten to reverse the gains made by global efforts to fight the disease — namely 79-million lives saved since 2000 — with rising drug resistance and conflicts exacerbating the risks. In Nigeria, TB LON is in the firing line. The project was set up in 2020, during Trump's first term, and received $45m (R806m) worth of funding from USAID. The US development agency said at the time it was committed to a 'TB-free Nigeria'. Five years later and with the same president back in charge but now with a more radical 'America first' agenda, USAID support for TB LON's community testing work was terminated in February, according to a TB LON official who did not want to be named. 'HARD WORK IN JEOPARDY' TB kills 268 Nigerians every day and cases have historically been underreported, increasing the risk of transmission. If one case is missed, that person can transmit TB to 15 people over a year, according to the WHO. The Thomson Reuters Foundation spoke to health workers who collect TB test samples for TB LON but had stopped doing so in January due to the US aid freeze. Between 2020-2024, TB LON screened about 20-million people in southwestern states in Nigeria, and more than 100,000 patients were treated as a result. Every major TB treatment and vaccine advance in the past two decades has relied on research carried out in South Africa Lindsay McKenna, TAG TB project co-director 'All that hard work is in jeopardy if we don't act quickly,' Umoru said, adding that non-profits working with TB LON had laid off more than 1,000 contract workers who used to do TB screening. Nigeria's health ministry did not respond to request for comment on the effect of the USAID cuts on TB programmes. In March, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu declared TB a national emergency and donated 1-billion naira (R11.3m) to efforts to eradicate the disease by 2030. In South Africa, medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said TB and HIV programmes had been disrupted across the country, making patient tracking and testing more difficult, according to a statement sent to the Thomson Reuters Foundation. South Africa had a TB incidence rate of 427 per 100,000 people in 2023, government data showed, down 57% from 2015. TB-related deaths in South Africa dropped 16% over that period, the data showed. Minister of health Aaron Motsoaledi said in May that the government would launch an End TB campaign to screen and test 5-million people, and was also seeking new donor funding. 'Under no circumstances will we allow this massive work performed over a period of more than a decade-and-a-half to collapse and go up in smoke,' he said at the time, referring to efforts to tackle TB and HIV. BLOW TO CRITICAL RESEARCH South Africa is also a hub for research into both TB and HIV and the health experts say funding cuts risk derailing this vital work. The Treatment Action Group (TAG), a community-based research and policy think-tank, says about 39 clinical research sites and at least 20 TB trials and 24 HIV trials are at risk. 'Every major TB treatment and vaccine advance in the past two decades has relied on research carried out in South Africa,' said TAG TB project co-director Lindsay McKenna in a March statement. People struggling with poor nutrition and those living with HIV — the latter affects 8-million people in South Africa — were also more at risk of contracting TB, as aid cuts made them more vulnerable by derailing nutrition programmes, community outreach and testing, said Cathy Hewison, head of MSF's TB working group. 'It's the No 1 killer of people with HIV,' she said. In the Philippines, US cuts have disrupted TB testing in four USAID-funded projects, and affected the supply of drugs, Stop TB Partnership, a UN-funded agency said. 'The country has a nationwide problem with recurrent drug shortages, which is leading to a direct impact on efforts to eliminate TB,' said Ghazali Babiker, head of mission for MSF Philippines. In Pakistan, which has 510,000 TB infections each year, MSF said US cuts had disrupted TB screening in communities and other services in the hard-hit southeastern province of Sindh. 'We are worried that the US funding cuts that have impacted the community-based services will have a disproportionate effect on children, leading to more children with TB and more avoidable deaths,' said Ei Hnin Hnin Phyu, medical co-ordinator for MSF in Pakistan. 'We cannot afford to let funding decisions cost children's lives.'
