Latest news with #COMBAT
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
COMBAT dengue: India-EU science alliance takes aim at dengue in global health push
Dengue fever affects nearly 400 million people annually, with India among the countries most severely impacted. Now, as part of the India-EU partnership under the Horizon Europe program, the COMBAT dengue initiative will soon be launched to tackle the world's most rapidly spreading viral infection. This project brings together top researchers, clinicians, and technologists across both continents. The Swedish Karolinska Institute in Stockholm coordinates the COMBAT research initiative. The acronym stands for 'Advancing Pandemic Preparedness Innovative Multidisciplinary Strategies for COMBATing Severe Dengue'. Dr Ujjwal Neogi, Project Coordinator, Karolinska Institute, told The Indian Express, 'Infectious diseases don't respect borders. The aim is to uncover the underlying mechanisms of severe dengue and reduce the disease burden. This can be done through innovation, precision medicine, and translational research, which will contribute to saving lives, protecting the brain, and strengthening preparedness for future outbreaks.' 'It is not just a response to dengue, but also a critical advancement in global health, integrating fundamental science with clinical and societal applications,' Dr Neogi further said. Scientists involved in the project said that while dengue fever has primarily occurred in tropical and subtropical regions, the risk of contracting the disease is also rising in Europe due to climate change. At present, India bears a significant share of the dengue burden, and as per data from the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control, close to 12 lakh lab-confirmed dengue cases and over 1,650 deaths have been reported since 2019 till March this year. However, experts like Dr Swarup Sarkar of the World Health Organization, who is advising the COMBAT project, said that the dengue problem is compounded by underreporting in India and other South Asian countries. 'Pending vaccine trial results and good clinical protocols, there is a need for biomarkers to identify potential severe cases that would be helpful to reduce adverse outcomes due to dengue,' Dr Sarkar said. Led by Prof Arindam Maitra, National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, clinical samples will be collected from Artemis Hospital and Max Hospital in New Delhi, and Kasturba Medical College Hospital in Mangaluru. Scientists said that these sites, located in regions with high dengue prevalence, are central to generating critical scientific insights that will not only strengthen India's outbreak response capabilities but also contribute to global knowledge alongside cohorts in Guatemala. They also said that the data and findings will support the European Union's efforts to enhance pandemic preparedness against emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Scientists said what sets COMBAT apart is its integration of high-end, innovative, and affordable technologies seldom seen in virus research. The project employs brain organoids, miniature, lab-grown human brain-like tissues, to investigate how dengue invades the nervous system. Advanced super-resolution and photonic microscopy allow scientists to visualise the virus in action within living cells, while artificial intelligence sifts through complex patient data to discover biomarkers that could predict severe disease outcomes. The approach is a fusion of virology, physics, engineering, and data science, emblematic of the EU-India strategy to position science at the crossroads of innovation and accessibility, according to scientists. They also noted that COMBAT dengue also comes at a vital moment in India-EU relations, following the renewal of the Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement until 2030. Though dengue is the immediate target, the platform being developed has wider ambitions. The technologies and workflows created under COMBAT – from multi-modal imaging to AI-integrated biological pipelines – are designed to be rapidly adaptable to other pathogens. Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition. ... Read More
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
These ideas from Jackson County Prosecutor's Office blocked in county budget stalemate
Reality Check is a Star series holding those with power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at RealityCheck@ Have the latest Reality Checks delivered to your inbox with our free newsletter. As the Jackson County Legislature continues to debate which county services should be funded in an emergency capacity without an approved 2025 budget, the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office says several of its proposals have been effectively disabled by the legislature's refusal to vote on their passage. The prosecutor's office helps administer COMBAT, a quarter-cent tax which has been funding law enforcement, violence prevention, substance-abuse treatment and recidivism organizations in Jackson County since the 1990s. With 2025 COMBAT funds and leftover 2024 funding out of reach, Prosecutor Melesa Johnson and her staffers have focused on trying to free up funding for three specific staffing and operations proposals. Johnson, who testified in depth on her office's budget freeze woes during a May 14th meeting of the Jackson County Legislature, has been vocal about the impact of the legislature's refusal to treat COMBAT and other programs as candidates for emergency funding. All three proposals have been through several legislative votes but remain in committee. Among them is a request to release $75,000 for the prosecutor's office to hire a community engagement specialist for COMBAT. The proposed new role, formally titled Community Organizer and Social Media Content Specialist, has been on the legislature's agenda since March 31, where legislators have delayed their final vote at least five times. COMBAT will be back on the ballot in Jackson County in 2027. Promoting COMBAT to future voters would be a main function of the community engagement specialist, Johnson said. A second COMBAT-related proposal before the legislature, which would allow the purchase of new grant management software for $100,000, has also been delayed at least six times since March 31. The seven full-time staffers who manage the COMBAT program currently organize all grant funding through Microsoft Excel, a process which Johnson described as slow and counterproductive. 'Frankly, given the delay of fiscal year 2025 with getting the funded agencies their dollars, that expedited payment system is all the more important,' Johnson said. 'We're going to be playing catch-up, and we can't play catch-up doing things manually.' At a May 14 meeting of the Jackson County Legislature, first district legislator Jalen Anderson referred to the $175,000 pair of proposals as 'overwhelmingly needed in COMBAT.' 'COMBAT is still very much so stuck in the '90s in a lot of ways,' Anderson said. At its May 19th meeting, the Jackson County Legislature also declined for the eighth time to make a decision on whether to enter into a $25,000 agreement with former prosecutor's office communications director Mike Mansur for ongoing work with crime prevention campaign SAVE KC. Mansur's position, which he has been filling on a voluntary basis since January, organizes one of SAVE KC's main events — 'call-in' meetings where police, religious leaders and victims' families connect with community members identified as likely to be involved in violent crimes. Johnson told legislators that SAVE KC is the backbone of the county's efforts against nonfatal shootings, which she said have been reduced by more than half in the past year. Johnson said that she worries that unfunded or underfunded violence prevention programs will lose out on their greatest potential for impact if COMBAT funding remains tied up into the summer, when violent crime tends to spike. 'Because we don't have a budget, that does not mean crime stops,' Johnson said.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jackson County budget still undecided as officials' frustrations grow
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County officials have yet to decide on the 2025 budget, leaving it up in the air, as it has been since January. No decisions were made when legislators met Wednesday morning. 'So today, not much has changed. We've heard kind of a justification as to why things need to change quickly for the prosecutor leading into the summer, which we hear not just from the prosecutor, we hear from our outside agencies, we hear from contractors who haven't been paid,' said 1st District Legislator Manny Abarca. As crime rises in Kansas City, Mayor Lucas prepares for trip to Qatar Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson shared the impact of not having a solidified budget. She said it's impacting the preventive work of agencies funded through COMBAT, the Community-Backed Anti-Crime Tax. 'They're taking out loans, they're laying people off, they're limiting the amount of people that they serve,' Johnson said during Wednesday's meeting. On December 31, 2024, the Jackson County Legislature approved this year's budget. However, it was vetoed by County Executive Frank White. The legislature has not passed a new one since, and the county has been operating without an approved budget. Legislator Manny Abarca says the disagreement has to do with budgets for the assessment department, the board of equalization, and the collections department. 'We're kind of stuck at the moment, trying to figure out how we move forward. We just had conversations about how we do amendments and how we make changes. But fundamentally, the County Executive disagrees on a lot of our approach here,' Abarca explained. The Jackson County Legislature is expected to discuss the 2025 budget again on Thursday morning. The agenda says, 'There may be an ordinance introduced regarding the 2025 budget.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Zawya
24-03-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Mainstreaming Progressive Control Pathways for Animal Trypanosomiasis in Africa
Today, the Inter African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) begins a three-day pivotal workshop in Mombasa, Kenya. This event is organized in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and supported by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program through the COMBAT project. The workshop focuses on integrating the Progressive Control Pathway (PCP) into regional and national strategies to combat Animal Trypanosomiasis across Africa. Animal Trypanosomiasis remains a significant constraint to animal health and food security in most African countries. The COMBAT project, coordinated by the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development (CIRAD), involves 21 institutions and 13 African countries affected by Animal Trypanosomiasis. The workshop is part of a broader effort to raise awareness about the Progressive Control Pathway (PCP) for Animal Trypanosomiasis, particularly to promote the alignment of regional and national strategies against animal trypanosomiasis with the PCP principles. The workshop brings together sixty-five participants from twenty Member States, including Chief Veterinary Officers and focal points for Animal Trypanosomiasis, as well as representatives from Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and development partners such as the Gates Foundation (GF), French Agricultural Research Center for International Development (CIRAD) and Research and Development Institute (IRD). The primary objectives of the workshop include presenting the general principles of the PCP for Animal Trypanosomiasis, discussing the economic burden of the disease, reviewing PCP guidelines, outlining the roadmap for developing a continental strategy against Animal Trypanosomiasis, and sharing case studies from enzootic countries. Key presentations and interactive sessions will facilitate these discussions, fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among participants. As the workshop commences, AU-IBAR and FAO are committed to supporting the development of animal resources in Africa. The outcomes of this workshop will be crucial in shaping the future of Animal Trypanosomiasis control in Africa. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The African Union – Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR).
