International
650,000 African children given malaria jab: WHO
AFP/Editor
wo years into a malaria vaccine pilot scheme, more than 650,000 children have been immunised across Kenya, Ghana and Malawi, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.
Global advisory bodies for immunisation and malaria are expected to convene in October to review data on the vaccine and consider whether to recommend using it more widely.
The RTS,S vaccine is the only existing jab shown to reduce malaria in children. It acts against plasmodium falciparum — the most deadly malaria parasite globally and the most prevalent in Africa.
Progress against malaria has been stalling for a number of years.
The WHO’s World Malaria Report 2020 said progress against the mosquito-borne disease was plateauing, particularly in African countries bearing the brunt of cases and deaths.
The annual report, published in November, said that after steadily tumbling from 736,000 in 2000, the disease claimed an estimated 411,000 lives in 2018 and 409,000 in 2019.
Meanwhile in 2019 the global tally of malaria cases was estimated at 229 million — a figure that has been at the same level for the past four years.
Over 90 percent of malaria deaths occur in Africa, the majority — more than 265,000 — in young children.
The WHO said clinical testing had demonstrated that the RTS,S vaccine, when given in four doses, prevented four in 10 cases of malaria, and three in 10 cases of life-threatening severe malaria, over a four-year period.
“Ghana, Kenya and Malawi show that existing childhood vaccination platforms can effectively deliver the malaria vaccine to children, some of whom have not been able to access an insecticide treated bed net or other malaria prevention measures,” said Kate O’Brien, the WHO’s immunisation chief.
“This vaccine may be key to making malaria prevention more equitable, and to saving more lives.”
Central America
El Salvador extends condolences to Turkey following deadly hotel fire
The Government of El Salvador extends its condolences and expresses solidarity with the Government of Turkey following the death of at least 76 people and more than 50 injuries in the fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu Province on January 21.
“El Salvador offers its hopes for the swift recovery of those affected and expresses its deepest sympathy to the families of the deceased due to this tragic event,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Our country reaffirms the strong bonds of friendship shared with the Republic of Turkey, especially during this time of profound sorrow.”
The Turkish government began burying the victims on Wednesday, amid accusations of negligence.
International
Trump’s decree to halt electric vehicle subsidies and support combustion engines
A presidential decree signed on Monday after the inauguration aims to bring internal combustion engines back to the forefront and suspend federal subsidies for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations in the United States.
Other measures could follow, such as the elimination of a federal tax credit for those purchasing electric vehicles, or the cancellation of an exemption that allows California to have stricter automotive standards than the rest of the country.
Upon taking office, Trump stated that he intends to end the “Green New Deal,” an initiative that includes the incentives promoted by Biden to stimulate electric vehicle sales.
Shares of electric vehicle manufacturers like Rivian and charging equipment providers such as EVgo fell on the stock market. Tesla, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, a close ally of Trump, also saw a decline.
For Kathy Harris, director of the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), which focuses on clean energy vehicles, Trump is seeking to please “the big bosses of the oil industry.”
Harris insists that electric vehicles are better for the environment and allow for fuel savings.
The presidential decree on electric vehicles, like other ones signed since Monday, could lead to legal challenges.
International
Student killed, two injured in shooting at Nashville High School
A student was killed and two others were injured in a shooting that occurred this morning at a high school in Nashville, the capital city of Tennessee, in the southern United States, according to the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department.
The shooter, a 17-year-old student armed with a handgun, opened fire in the cafeteria of Antioch High School around 11:00 a.m. local time before taking his own life, police reported during a press conference.
One student was fatally shot. Of the injured, one student sustained a gunshot wound to the arm and is in stable condition at a hospital. Another student suffered a facial injury that was not caused by a gunshot and is receiving treatment, according to ABC News.
The school was placed on lockdown following the shooting. Students were transported by bus to an off-campus reunification site where distraught parents picked them up.
“Antioch High School is on lockdown due to shots fired inside the school building,” the school posted on social media. “Metro police are on the scene. The person responsible for the shooting no longer poses a threat.”
A SWAT team cleared the school, and authorities have launched an ongoing investigation.
Antioch High School serves approximately 2,000 students in grades nine through twelve, according to its website.
-
International5 days ago
Trump appoints Stallone, Voight, and Gibson as special ambassadors to Hollywood
-
International5 days ago
Latin American and Caribbean diplomats voice concern over U.S. mass deportation plan
-
International2 days ago
Deaths in a hotel fire in a ski resort in Turkey rise to 69
-
International3 days ago
Trump to sign over 200 executive orders, declaring National Emergency at U.S.-Mexico Border
-
International2 days ago
Hamas calls for counterattack on Israeli soldiers during their incursion in the West Bank
-
International2 days ago
Indigenous candidate Leonidas Iza predicts a new social explosion if there is no change in Ecuador
-
International2 days ago
The Israeli Chief of Staff submits his resignation for October 7
-
International2 days ago
Sheinbaum says that “it will remain the Gulf of Mexico for the whole world” despite Trump
-
International3 days ago
Pope Francis hopes Trump will build a more just society free of hatred
-
International2 days ago
Trump begins his first day in power with a mass in Washington Cathedral
-
International2 days ago
Rubio promises to work for “a safer world” after swearing in as US Secretary of State
-
International3 days ago
Brazil’s Lula wishes Trump a successful term focused on prosperity and peace
-
Sin categoría4 days ago
Paraguayan president Santiago Peña meets Venezuela’s opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia in Washington
-
International3 days ago
Trump to sign executive order recognizing only two sexes
-
Central America16 hours ago
ANDA to replace 49 km of pipelines in San Salvador by 2025
-
International3 days ago
Iran hopes U.S. will adopt realistic approaches under Trump administration
-
International2 days ago
Mexico will return migrants affected by Trump’s restrictions to its countries
-
International16 hours ago
Student killed, two injured in shooting at Nashville High School
-
International16 hours ago
Trump’s decree to halt electric vehicle subsidies and support combustion engines
-
International2 days ago
Terrorism, prisoners and the Vatican: autopsy of the agreement between the US and Cuba that was born dead
-
International2 days ago
What are the first measures approved by Trump after taking office as US president?
-
International2 days ago
At least 409 minors were recruited in Colombia in 2024, according to the Ombudsman’s Office
-
Central America16 hours ago
El Salvador extends condolences to Turkey following deadly hotel fire
-
International2 days ago
Israel shifts the spotlight to the West Bank with a large-scale raid and kills 9 Palestinians