.
South America
Argentina
April 9, 2024 The dengue virus has exploded across Latin America over the past muggy weeks of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Argentina contends with its worst outbreak of dengue fever in recent memory. It means the Aedes aegypti mosquito has widened its range. Dengue infections in Argentina have soared to over 180,500 this season, including 129 deaths. That’s six times higher than last season’s count, which was already the worst on record. Recent drenching rains that flooded Buenos Aires have created ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes. “Transmission never stopped in the previous season, because less cold winters are favorable for adult mosquitoes,” said Lloveras, a specialist at the Francisco Javier Muñiz Infectious Diseases Hospital in Buenos Aires. “The magnitude is really worrisome, because there is a lot of demand on our health system". Shelves of mosquito repellent are empty as residents hunt in vain and resort to DIY alternatives. The product for avoid the bite of the mosquito that transmits the disease is sold out in virtually all Buenos Aires stores and going for shocking, exorbitant prices online, even to Argentines accustomed to triple-digit inflation, in some cases as much as ten times the retail value. Since February, wholesalers have hiked prices and some Argentines have stockpiled repellent to resell when stories run out. Now most lotions and sprays online fetch between $20 and $40 - five or 10 times the original market price. Rampant hoarding and surging prices have stoked desperation. “That’s a day’s wage', said 53-year-old Contrares, a seller of Gaucho-themed knickknacks in northern Buenos Aires. "Who can afford that?" Contrares and other Argentines are resorting to homespun methods to keep bugs away. He sets egg cartons alight and tosses citronella incense sticks into tiny crackling fires. Other people's technique mixing coffee grounds with garlic cloves to fend off the flying insects. Buenos Aires’ municipal health minister, Quirós, hosted a dengue prevention workshop last week in a crowded shantytown where sanitation is poor and mosquitoes abound. Instagram videos show him instructing residents how to make repellent at home with heaps of herbs and boiled essential oil, both well beyond their purchasing power. And the final step? “Cover and let it rest for 40 days.' Political opponents of Libertarian President Milei’s have used the repellent crisis to criticize the government’s push to deregulate the economy and scrap price controls. In one widely shared video from a market in the town of El Talar outside the capital on April 4, shoppers are seen descending on an employee opening new boxes of bug spray, snatching up stock before he could place a single bottle on a shelf. On that day, as public outrage mounted and the repellent shortage evolved from nuisance to national news, the government - busy battling sky-high inflation and near-daily protests - was forced to intervene: Health Minister Russo has his first TV appearance since the dengue outbreak on the local Telefé channel. He said that authorities lifted import restrictions on foreign-made mosquito repellents to boost supply and announced they would ramp up production at local labs. When asked how Argentines should protect themselves in the meantime, he offered a warning that was instantly mocked on social media: “Be careful with shorts”. (Source: apnews *)
* Associated Press
World Health Organization
9 April 2024 More than 6000 people are getting newly infected with viral hepatitis each day. Every day, there are 3500 people dying globally due to hepatitis B and C infections. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2024 Global Hepatitis Report released at the World Hepatitis Summit, the viral hepatitis disease is the second leading infectious cause of death globally. New data from 187 countries show that the estimated number of deaths from viral hepatitis increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022, the same as tuberculosis, a top infectious killer. Updated WHO estimates indicate that 83% - 254 million people - live with hepatitis B and 50 million with hepatitis C in 2022. Half the burden of chronic hepatitis B and C infections is among people 30–54 years old, with 12% among children under 18 years of age. Men account for 58% of all cases. In 2022, there were 2.2 million new infections, down from 2.5 million in 2019. These include 1.2 million new hepatitis B infections and nearly 1 million new hepatitis C infections. Prevention measures such as immunization and safe injections, along with the expansion of hepatitis C treatment, have contributed to reducing the incidence. The report highlights that despite better tools for diagnosis and treatment, and decreasing product prices, testing and treatment coverage rates have stalled. Far too few people with hepatitis are being diagnosed and treated, said WHO Director-General Dr Ghebreyesus. Across all regions, only 13% of people living with chronic hepatitis B infection had been diagnosed and approximately 3% (7 million) had received antiviral therapy at the end of 2022. Regarding hepatitis C, 36% had been diagnosed and 20% (12.5 million) had received curative treatment. The burden of viral hepatitis varies regionally. The WHO African Region bears 63% of new hepatitis B infections, yet despite this burden, only 18% of newborns in the region receive the hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination. In the Western Pacific Region, which accounts for 47% of hepatitis B deaths, treatment coverage stands at 23% among people diagnosed, which is far too low to reduce mortality. Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Russian Federation and 'Viet Nam', collectively shoulder nearly two-thirds of the global burden of hepatitis B and C. These results fall well below the global targets to treat 80% of people living with chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C by 2030. Despite the availability of affordable generic viral hepatitis medicines, many countries fail to procure them at lower prices. Pricing disparities persist both across and within WHO regions, with many countries paying above global benchmarks, even for off-patent drugs or when included in voluntary licensing agreements. For example, although tenofovir for treatment of hepatitis B is off patent and available at a global benchmark price of US$2.4 per month, only 7 of the 26 reporting countries paid prices at or below the benchmark. Similarly, a 12-week course of pangenotypic sofosbuvir/daclatasvir to treat hepatitis C is available at a global benchmark price of US$60, yet only 4 of 24 reporting countries paid prices at or below the benchmark. Only 60% of reporting countries offer viral hepatitis testing and treatment services free of charge, either entirely or partially, in the public sector. Financial protection is lower in the African Region, where only about one third of reporting countries provide these services free of charge. Funding for viral hepatitis both at a global level or within dedicated country health budgets, is not sufficient to meet the needs. This arises from a combination of factors, including limited awareness of cost-saving interventions and tools, as well as competing priorities in global health agendas. This report seeks to shed light on strategies for countries to address these inequities and access the tools at the most affordable prices available. 'The WHO elimination goal by 2030 should still be achievable, if swift actions are taken now'. They include: Expanding access to testing and diagnostics; Shifting from policies to implementation for equitable treatment; Strengthening primary care prevention efforts; Simplifying service delivery, optimizing product regulation and supply; Developing investment cases in priority countries; Mobilizing innovative financing; Using improved data for action; Engaging affected communities and civil society and advancing research for improved diagnostics and potential cures for hepatitis B. (Source: who)
