What is mpox? A microbiologist explains what’s known about this smallpox cousin

What is mpox? A microbiologist explains what’s known about this smallpox cousin

Mpox causes lesions that resemble pus-filled blisters, which eventually scab over. CDC/Getty Images By Rodney E. Rohde, Texas State University On Aug. 14, 2024, the World Health Organization declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern. There have been over 15,600 cases and over 530 deaths reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries in Africa. The disease had previously caused a global outbreak […]

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Health / Medical

WHO has declared mpox a global health emergency. What happens next?

Inkoly/Shutterstock By C Raina MacIntyre, UNSW Sydney The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, after rising cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the potential for further spread. This now triggers a coordinated international response to an extraordinary event and the mobilisation of resources, such as vaccines and diagnostic testing, to curb the spread of this infectious disease. But […]

August 15, 2024 68

Environment

Reforestation to capture carbon could be done much more cheaply, study says

By Liz Kimbrough, via Mongabay Trees are allies in the struggle against climate change, and regrowing forests to capture carbon may be cheaper than we thought. According to new research published in Nature Climate Change, a strategic mix of natural regrowth and tree planting could be the most cost-effective way to capture carbon. Researchers analyzed reforestation projects in 138 low- and middle-income countries to compare the costs of different […]

August 15, 2024 16

Environment

At-risk groups in Indonesia demand greater say in climate policymaking

By Hans Nicholas Jong, via Mongabay Civil society groups and communities most affected by the effects of climate change are calling on the Indonesian government to include them in the decision-making process of climate policies. Groups such as those representing the urban poor and the disabled say they haven’t been meaningfully involved in the process, particularly the drafting of Indonesia’s revised goals and commitments for reducing greenhouse gas […]

August 15, 2024 18

Sport

Paris 2024: How Africa performed in Paris and the road to the 2028 LA Olympics

By Stephen Granger, via bird story agency For a little over two weeks, hundreds of thousands of Paris-based spectators and billions globally were treated to another edition of ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’. The Olympic Games have no equal as a vehicle to show off the extraordinary sporting talent of the human race. Tickets for sports, which normally would scarcely attract more than the families of the participants, […]

August 15, 2024 24

World

Why did Japan’s prime minister decide to step down? And who might replace him?

By Craig Mark, Hosei University In a surprise announcement, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said today he would step down as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) next month, bringing his premiership to an early end. Since coming to office in October 2021, Kishida has struggled to overcome dire approval ratings. The party has been dogged by revelations of ties to the Korean-based Unification Church […]

August 15, 2024 21

Africa

Nigeria’s highest court says local governments can spend their funds without interference: why this matters

By Abiodun Odusote, University of Lagos Nigeria’s Supreme Court has affirmed the financial autonomy of the country’s 774 local government areas. It upheld the suit brought by the federal government to strengthen the independence of local governments in the country. Nigeria’s attorney-general and minister of justice filed the suit in May. Local governments have been hampered in most states, where the governors seize their federal allocations and only […]

August 14, 2024 20

Africa

Air pollution in South Africa: affordable new devices use AI to monitor hotspots in real time

By Bruce Mellado, University of the Witwatersrand Air quality has become one of the most important public health issues in Africa. Poor air quality kills more people globally every year than HIV, TB and malaria combined. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Air pollution makes people less productive because they get headaches and feel tired. India, for example, has poor air quality. The impact of India’s […]

August 14, 2024 7

Opinion Pieces

US election: does it matter who is the vice-presidential pick? In Tim Walz’s case, yes

By David Hastings Dunn, University of Birmingham The fanfare and publicity surrounding Tim Walz for his first fortnight as Kamala Harris’s vice-presidential pick has sparked renewed interest as to whether the second person on the ticket makes any difference when it comes to the result of the election. The conventional wisdom on the role and significance of the US vice-presidential office – in the words of Franklin […]

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