The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of the highest-risk countries for meningitis in the world. During the annual dry season from December to June, the disease claims thousands of lives and disables survivors with chronic illnesses.
Following decades of meningitis-related deaths and urgent calls for international support, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Defeating Meningitis by 2030: A Global Road Map. The 2030 roadmap lists three goals: eliminate bacterial meningitis epidemics, reduce cases of vaccine-preventable bacterial meningitis by 50% and deaths by 70% and improve aftercare.
In its new approach, WHO plans an aggressive intervention in the DRC and across the African continent. Experts from across the world have supported and contributed to the campaign through research and advocacy efforts. Yet, reaching the 2030 goal requires much more attention from organizations, funds and community advocacy.
Meningitis in the DRC
Meningitis has plagued the DRC for decades with an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 cases each year. It takes various forms, with some serogroups being more fatal or serious than others. The most recent success in meningitis research targeted meningitis A through the MenAfriVac conjugate vaccine. In the DRC and across the sub-Saharan region where meningitis is most prevalent, MenAfriVac significantly reduced cases of meningitis A. Still, many other common serogroups require attention.
Furthermore, meningitis does not always leave individuals unaffected. “Meningitis is the second cause of neurological conditions in Africa, after strokes,” said Dr. Andre Bita, Regional Control Officer for WHO Africa, in an interview with The Borgen Project. “In the world, it’s the fifth. With meningitis you can have epilepsy, blindness, and so many disorders.” The long-term effects of meningitis have caused medical debt, burdens on families and communities, and lifelong aftercare.
“It is very difficult for a country to have a vaccine stockpile,” continued Bita. In the DRC where diseases including COVID-19, Ebola and measles also run rampant, there is a “competing outbreak response” that often delays meningitis research or vaccinations. For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, meningitis control activities fell by 50% from 2019 to 2020.
WHO’s 2030 Plan
Still, the many variations of meningitis leave the DRC vulnerable. “Unfortunately,” Bita continued, “we have other epidemics due to other germs.” Where the MenAfriVac campaign focused on eliminating only meningitis A, WHO’s new vision “towards a world free of meningitis” is to completely defeat the disease and all of its variations by 2030.
The Defeating Meningitis by 2030 initiative outlines five interconnected pillars of meningitis treatment: prevention and epidemic control, diagnosis and treatment, meningitis surveillance, aftercare for meningitis survivors and advocacy and engagement. If WHO can meet these five goals, it will have a higher chance of reducing bacterial meningitis.
While the 2030 roadmap will particularly help sub-Saharan countries like the DRC, it also addresses meningitis in other regions. Bita helped conduct a risk assessment to determine a country’s risk for meningitis, discovering that “we now have 38 countries at high to medium risk, and we only have nine countries at low risk. That means, apart from the sub-Sahara, we have other countries such as Algeria with medium risk.” Therefore, to completely defeat meningitis by 2030, WHO will have to use a continental approach.
Spreading the Word
The 2030 roadmap has all the right goals in place. Experts in meningitis research and community advocates have created a medical and social approach to the problem. However, carrying out the plan will be no easy feat. To be successful, it will require more funds and community awareness from the DRC and the international community.
Bita stated that to carry out the 2030 plan, “we need to really involve all the beneficiaries, all the people who can support it, to make it possible.” It will require advocacy and engagement “at all stages” and resources that many countries do not have.
Through mobilizing provinces around the DRC, Bita hopes the 2030 plan will reach as many communities as possible. To do so, there needs to be more visibility on the 2030 plan, meningitis research, and community engagement at the local, national and international levels. If WHO’s regional plan for Africa receives full funding at its $1.5 billion estimate, the 2030 plan could save more than 140,000 lives.
– Anna Lee
Photo: Flickr
5 Charities in the Central African Republic
5 Charities in the Central African Republic
Overall, the work of these five organizations has been integral in the elevation of underprivileged communities plagued by food and health crises, civil war and poor literacy rates.
– Namra Tahir
Photo: Flickr
Addressing Malnutrition in Tunisia
A Dependency on Imports
A 2019 article by Aymen Amayed says “Tunisia is not self-sufficient in terms of food production: more than 50[%]of the food the country consumes is imported.” Although the importing of food products allows Tunisia to meet the country’s food needs, and even though the government provides subsidies for specific basic food products, affordability is still an issue. Amayed explains that “because many agricultural inputs such as seeds and fertilizers are imported, locally produced food is also subject to price pressure and fluctuation related to currency exchange rates and other uncertainties of international trade.” Also, the planting of imported seeds and trees depletes local varieties of crops.
Extreme weather patterns also exacerbate the situation. Tunisia’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) document created in 2015 predicts that droughts will decrease the land area used for cereal crops by 200,000 hectares and will reduce the land area for arboriculture by 800,000 hectares by 2030. There will be a 30% decrease in “available land area for rain-fed cereal production,” resulting in the country’s GDP shrinking by 5-10% by 2030.
Impacts of the Russia-Ukraine War on Malnutrition in Tunisia
Due to the war in Ukraine, food dependence in Tunisia has become a major issue. The impacts of the war in Ukraine on the global food system have long-term consequences. Tunisia’s current food insecurity issues originate from “agricultural, economic and social policies introduced by successive governments since independence and which are directly related to global food systems,” Arab Reform Initiative says. For example, instead of strengthening the production of local cereal crops, Tunisia’s government increased cereal imports.
Despite the problems related to malnutrition in Tunisia, the WFP is working to help the government address these issues through the Tunisia Country Strategic Plan (2022–2025). The WFP will help to strengthen and expand state-run school feeding programs with the goal of reaching 260,000 vulnerable Tunisian children.
The government acknowledged the importance of school feeding programs in improving education, nutritional and developmental outcomes; therefore, in 2019, it expanded the budget for the school feeding program to $16 million annually. Furthermore, the “WFP is providing technical assistance in establishing a national food security monitoring system that can inform efforts to make the national social protection system and safety nets more inclusive and shock-responsive.” The Strategic Plan aims to accomplish two main outcomes:
Through continued reform commitments from the Tunisia government, hunger in Tunisia can reduce.
– Olga Petrovska
Photo: Flickr
New App Designed to Improve Agriculture in Kyrgyzstan
Causes of a Bad Harvest
Bad harvests can occur due to a wide variety of completely random influences, which can be exacerbated by a lack of infrastructural technologies that could assist farmers in preventing bad harvests from occurring when they are preventable. Notably, extreme weather patterns have hurt harvests in recent years including the harvest of 2020 when snow in the walnut’s budding season led to a dramatic decrease in yield that year.
In 2022, in addition to changing weather patterns, overgrazing by nearby livestock has caused devastating effects on the walnut harvest. Many Kyrgyz herd cattle and sheep as their primary source of income. This livestock requires a lot of food and when nearby pastures are overgrazed, the shepherds need to lead their herd elsewhere. The massive walnut grove provides shelter from the intense heat, as well as plenty of food for the herds, so it becomes an obvious choice for livestock herders.
Effects of a Bad Harvest on Agriculture in Kyrgyzstan
Some families depend entirely on the land as both a source of income and food. Because of this dependence, when a particularly bad harvest occurs the farming families must either settle for significantly lower selling prices or sell fewer walnuts in favor of keeping more for consumption.
New “Pasture Monitoring” App to Boost Agriculture in Kyrgyzstan
In 2022, in an effort to aid both walnut farmers and livestock herders in protecting their main sources of income, a Kyrgyz environmental protection organization, CAMP Alatoo, created and began the testing of a new app called “Pasture Monitoring.” This app, which functions in English, Kyrgyz and Russian, allows livestock herders to input information and photographs about their pastures.
The app then compiles the data and sends it to a team of experts made up of members of the Kyrgyzstan Ministry of Agriculture, the Water Resources and Regional Development of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Design Institute of Land Management. The Pasture Monitoring app also allows environmental experts to send recommendations directly to the herders on how they can individually improve the quality of their pasture. Additionally, government officials can access this information at any point in the future when making decisions regarding the development of these lands on a larger scale.
As livestock herders begin to implement the recommendations of the environmental officials, they will be able to more sustainably allow their herds to graze on their own pastures without needing to utilize the massive walnut grove near Arslanbob. Consequently, walnut farmers will no longer need to worry about livestock encroaching on and damaging their livelihoods. As of October 2022, the new farming app has commenced testing in the Aksy and Bazar-Korgon districts with the goal of boosting agriculture in Kyrgyzstan.
– Chris Dickinson
Photo: Flickr
Education in Norway and Poverty Reduction
More About Education in Norway
Education in Norway is state-supported and even college is cost-free. Students in Norway generally go through three levels of education before the college level:
Attending primary and lower secondary school is compulsory in Norway and high school is “a statutory right.” There is no upper age limit to entering high school, but most students start at age 16. According to statistics from 2019, about 80% of Norwegians have completed upper secondary education, which is higher than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average.
Different Types of Learning for Different People
There are several options for education in Norway, depending on one’s background and needs. Below are some of these options:
The more educated a population is, the less likely they are to experience poverty. When personalized approaches to education are available, learners can focus their studies on what is most important for them and advance their natural skills and abilities, thereby improving employability.
Diversity
The systems of education in Norway are diverse. In fact, the country has some of the most socio-economically diverse schools in the world. Norway is also doing well with regard to closing the gender gap, ensuring equitable access to education and creating a diverse workforce. In 2017, the World Economic Forum ranked Norway as the most inclusive advanced economy in the world.
To further explain how education in Norway reduces class barriers, The Borgen Project interviewed Ingunn Jakobsen, a veteran senior high school teacher of English and Norwegian with 40 years of experience. Jakobsen states that every year, secondary schools evaluate their progress in terms of providing equal opportunities to all socioeconomic groups. She explains that these schools then “apply statistics where each school is measured in its contribution to [raising] pupils from lower income groups to a high-performing group of pupils.”
Regardless of what country workers live in, Indeed states that having a diverse workforce means a wider recruitment pool, better decision-making in the workplace, improved employee satisfaction and expanded profits.
Impact on Poverty Reduction
When education is made accessible to poor populations, it breaks the cycle of generational poverty by opening doors to greater employment opportunities. Additionally, learning skills such as reading, writing and math significantly increase marginalized groups’ incomes and strengthen the economy.
– Ava Ronning
Photo: Unsplash
Everything You Need to Know About Food Insecurity in Laos
The Human Capital Index report by the World Bank indicates that “Lao children born today only reach 45% of productivity they could have if afforded full health and education.” This shows that these deprivations are not only detrimental to the individual but to the progression of the country as a whole.
Reasons Behind Food Insecurity in Laos
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, hunger in Laos rose. Prior to the pandemic, Laos depended on food aid from Vietnam to meet citizens’ food needs. However, when countries closed their borders, this was no longer possible. Additionally, the food programs already in place in Laos are failing as these initiatives are not able to “[keep]pace with the changing circumstances,” including changing weather patterns, natural disasters and “land mismanagement” according to the RFA.
Laos’ geographic location also makes the nation more vulnerable to droughts and floods. These extreme weather events severely impact food security in Laos by destroying existing crops, thus affecting the livelihoods of farmers. Furthermore, as a landlocked and predominantly rural country, it is more difficult to transport and access food.
Additionally, issues regarding access to clean water and sanitation contribute to poor nutritional outcomes in Laos. A lack of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities can lead to diseases that impact the body’s ability to absorb nutrients. ReliefWeb reports that “malnutrition can be widespread even in regions with plentiful supplies of affordable food because this food is not well absorbed by the body.”
Efforts to Reduce Food Insecurity in Laos
The WFP has been “working in partnership with the Government of Lao PDR on promoting access to nutritious food for school-age children for two decades,” according to the WFP website. To improve nutrition and reduce hunger among children, the WFP leads school feeding programs. During times of crisis and emergency when the government cannot adequately provide for citizens’ needs, the WFP “provides nutritious food and cash assistance.”
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is helping to address hunger and malnutrition in Laos through various programs and interventions. As part of the positive Deviance/Hearth initiative, a community nutrition rehabilitation program, in 2021, ADRA Lao’s health and nutrition officer, known as Chef Touktick, taught children and women how to cook healthy and nutritious food.
By implementing long-term strategies, the government of Laos can ensure sustainable solutions to food insecurity in Laos while improving the quality of life of citizens.
– Priya Maiti
Photo: Flickr
The Fight to End Human Trafficking in Togo
Human Trafficking in Togo
Tragically, the western border of the Plateau region is often used by traffickers because it provides easy access to major transportation routes between Lomé and Accra. Reports indicate that most Togolese trafficking victims are children who become subjected to either forced labor or prostitution. NGOs and government officials report that devissime markets, meaning ‘small girls markets’ or ‘child markets’ exist in Lomé and elsewhere in the country.
The trafficking networks in Togo are predominantly community-based and organized loosely by local actors. Often, the traffickers visit rural areas in the north and central regions of Togo. They usually target impoverished families in need of money. Reports indicate that the traffickers promise the parents employment for the children and offer an advanced payment. Then, they transport the minors to Lomé, where the children become immersed in forced labor and sex markets. COVID-19 travel restrictions economically hindered Togolese families in the service and retail sectors, leaving them even more vulnerable to exploitation. As a result, the majority of trafficking victims are children from economically disadvantaged families.
Fighting Human Trafficking in Togo
In recognizing the prevalence of human trafficking across the globe, Congress passed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, establishing guidelines and anti-trafficking policies in order to prevent trafficking, protect trafficking victims and prosecute traffickers. Togo is ranked on the Tier 2 watchlist because the government does not meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking.
Unfortunately, Togo’s government has not updated its anti-trafficking National Action Plan NAP since 2008. However, in 2020, Togolese officials finalized Togo’s five-year NAP on child labor which partially addresses human trafficking in Togo. Furthermore, the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report from the U.S Department of State cites that Togolese authorities have prosecuted and convicted more traffickers than in previous years. Togo’s government has also continued an awareness-raising campaign and established a national anti-trafficking committee to coordinate efforts.
Providing Support to Victims
La Conscience, a humanitarian organization, located outside Togo’s capital city of Lomé in Ahépé Kpowla aims to protect human trafficking victims and prevent trafficking from occurring through an integrated service delivery approach. La Conscience provides housing, psychosocial services, educational and financial support and reintegration programs for young human trafficking victims. In order to ensure enrollment in school, La Conscience organizes mobile court hearings with local leaders and judges to obtain birth certificates. The organization also works closely with police and border officers to rescue children that are trafficked. To date, La Conscience’s consistent efforts have helped more than 40,000 people.
The Togolese government’s efforts to combat human trafficking along with nonprofit organizations’ efforts paint a prosperous picture for a future end to human trafficking in Togo.
– Sophie Caldwell
Photo: Flickr
4 International Organizations Helping Single Mothers
Around the world, 13% of women are single mothers with children under 15-year-old, according to research. However, in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, there are 25% and 32% of single mothers, respectively. One direct consequence caused by single motherhood is child poverty and this correlation between child poverty and single mothers do not exist without reasons. For instance, since single mothers tend to have relatively lower incomes, their children are unlikely to receive complete education, limiting their career options. In turn, this makes the single mothers and their offspring more difficult to escape poverty, thereby forming a poverty cycle. Yet, some international organizations are helping single mothers by providing guidance and support, both mentally and financially.
Littleones (Japan)
Among the 34 OECD countries, Japan has the highest poverty rate for single mothers. Approximately 48% of single-mother families have no more than 500,000 yen or $3,500 USD of savings. Despite the depressing figures, there is the NGO, Littleones, meaning “little children.” According to the organization, its objective is to support children in both big and small ways since “children are the hope of the future.”
Focusing on single families in Tokyo, Littleones helps needy families in three different ways. First, to organize social events such as hiking and Christmas parties, allowing mothers to build friendships and establish solidarity. Second, to advise mothers on issues including education, legal matters and employment opportunities. Third, to help those mothers to find suitable housing.
Empowering Young African Single Mothers (EYASM) (Cameroon)
In Cameroon, it is common to find many single mothers between their 20s and 30s. Single mothers live in poverty and the public also discriminates against them. However, the government has not done much to help single mothers. Therefore, Empowering Young African Single Mothers has taken the lead. Similar to Littleones, EYASM believes that “children of today are the leaders of tomorrow.” Such conviction leads the NGO to a series of objectives, for example, to help children break the poverty cycle and encourage single mothers to establish self-reliance, self-esteem and self-awareness.
One interesting project that EYASM did in 2020 was the Single Mothers Empowerment Contest, in which the top five winners received money as prizes. The purpose of this was to encourage single mothers to become entrepreneurs for livelihood.
Korean Unwed Mothers Families Association (KUMFA) (South Korea)
The conventional social conceptions in Korean society make single mothers harder to sustain themselves and their families – the public perceives them as sexually promiscuous. Consequently, finding a stable job becomes a challenge for unwed mothers. Yet, the government does not provide sufficient financial support to them. According to the National Statistical Office and Bank of Korea, while the monthly income of the average Korean family was 4 million won in 2017 or $3,640 USD, only 200,000 won or $180 USD a month for single parents with an income of less than 1.55 million or $1,400 USD.
KUMFA aims to protect the maternal rights of single mothers and establish a support network for the mothers to exchange information. Moreover, the NGO also practically helps single mothers – providing shelter for them and their children.
Hong Kong Federation Of Women’s Centers (HKFWC) (Hong Kong)
According to the government’s thematic report on single parents in 2016, Hong Kong had approximately 56,515 single mothers, with an average monthly income of 12,000 HKD or $1,520 USD.
Similar to other organizations, HKFWC understands the need to establish a community for single mothers. Calling the project “You’re Not Alone,” the organization matches volunteers with the same background as single mothers, forming a more personal relationship.
Looking Ahead
Overall, it is more challenging for children coming from single-parent households to break the poverty chain. However, international organizations are helping single mothers, changing the lives of many single-parent families.
– Mimosa Ngai
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
HIV/AIDS in Japan: Addressing Testing and Awareness
Background on HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks and weakens the body’s immune system by destroying CD4 cells, which leads to a higher risk of contracting other infections, viruses and diseases, such as tuberculosis and specific cancers. In 2021, 38.4 million people around the world were living with HIV, but only 75% had access to treatment therapy. Of those who were tested in 2021, 15% were unaware of having HIV or symptoms. A key problem in Japan is that the number of people unaware of their HIV status is at least double that rate.
Symptoms of HIV may not be noticeable within the first few months and could be mistaken for influenza. However, as the symptoms progress to having possibly swollen lymph nodes, weight loss, diarrhea, fever or cough, people should take a test to determine the diagnosis. HIV spreads through unprotected intercourse, the sharing of needles and blood transfusions, all due to the sharing of specific bodily fluids.
By using protection during intercourse and not sharing needles, people can prevent HIV spread. If infected people take antiretroviral treatment (ART), they can keep their viral load low and prevent transmitting HIV to others. If they do not use ART, their viral load will rise and HIV progresses to (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) AIDS. People with AIDS have extremely low immunity and are vulnerable to life-threatening infections. Mothers can take ART to prevent mother-to-child transmission through pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding.
The State of HIV/AIDS in Japan
The annual number of new cases of HIV/AIDS in Japan remained relatively flat or slightly declining from 2006 to 2019 at about 1300 cases. Still, HIV/AIDS in Japan is a concern because from 1985 to 2019, physicians diagnosed 19,216 men and 2,523 women with HIV. During the same period, physicians diagnosed 9,646 people with AIDS, and they reported 720 deaths. In 2019, 72% of the new 903 cases were men who had sex with other men. The majority of these men were 20 to 40 years old. In the same year, heterosexual contact contributed to 11% of new male cases and 27 of 29 new female cases.
The number of cases undiagnosed as HIV and diagnosed as AIDS is a key concern for HIV/AIDS in Japan. Annually, about 30% of new cases nationwide are diagnosed through AIDS onset which means that they were not diagnosed as HIV cases before they progressed to AIDS. Further, the discrepancy between the number of rural versus urban cases of HIV that have progressed to AIDS before diagnosis has been a concern. In 2009, the discrepancy in rural areas of the Aichi region was almost double that of the region as a whole. In Sapporo in the Hokkaido region cases diagnosed as AIDS were 27.3% in urban areas and 87.3% in rural areas where tests are less accessible. These discrepancies led the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to call on local governments to implement more HIV testing programs in rural areas.
Progress to Date
In December 2020, UNAIDS launched new HIV/AIDS prevention goals. The 95-95-95 goals aim to ensure that 95% of people living with HIV know their status, 95% of them are on ART and 95% of those on ART to have viral suppression by 2025. Japan is currently working to meet UNAID’s 95-95-95 target. In fact, UNAIDS and Japan’s National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGHM) entered into an agreement in 2020 to promote awareness of HIV symptoms and prevention, including a campaign during the 2022 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. There is also health insurance and social support in Japan. Third, Japan is testing treatments to find the most effective one. One such drug is Dovato, which is an oral drug available for both adults and children over 12.
While Japan offers doctors and patients a host of the original ART, many of the newer medicines that are available in Western countries and generic ART are not available in Japan at this time. Also, mouth ulcers are one of the first signs of HIV infection, and patients with mouth ulcers have trouble swallowing pills. Pharmaceutical Technology underlined that due to the need to run clinical trials in Japan versus just accepting the results of trials run elsewhere, the Japanese market does not have enough injectable medicines available for these HIV/AIDS patients.
Looking Ahead
It is clear that there is a need to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in Japan. Early diagnosis and treatment are key. The government’s work with UNAIDS and its treatment testing campaign should help Japan get on track with the 95-95-95 goal.
– Deanna Barratt
Photo: Flickr
Everything to Know About Poverty in Australia
As a signatory of the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), Australia aims to completely eradicate poverty by 2030. Unfortunately, the country is yet to reach the goal of zero poverty and the problem persists for the nation coming out of COVID-19 restrictions. Presently, Australia has a comparatively higher-than-average poverty rate when considering the other 34 wealthiest countries in the OECD. With the general fall of average income across the nation and the cuts on income support for poorer families coming out of the pandemic, poverty in Australia is not going to disappear any time soon. Here are several facts to know about poverty in Australia.
The Poverty Line
In order to get to grips with everything you need to know about poverty in Australia, one must become familiar with the specified criteria the nation has for quantifying poverty. Due to its reputation as a developed nation, the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) and UNSW classify poverty through a measure of the number of people living below the country’s poverty line. This amounts to the number of people living below the 50% median household after-tax income, or $489 a week for a single adult and $1,027 a week for a couple with two children. Unfortunately, as of the most recent 2022 report, one in eight Australians are living below this minimum. In other words, poverty in Australia disproportionately impacts more than 3.3 million people.
How Income Support Lifted Australians Out of Poverty During the Pandemic
According to the latest 2022 report by ACOSS, the number of people living below the poverty line fell drastically after the introduction of temporary income support payments to mediate the aftereffects of COVID-19 restrictions. From the start of the pandemic, 13.4% of Australians lived below the poverty line, this soared in the March quarter of 2020 to 14.6%. However, the supplementary payments granted citizens the necessary support required to lift themselves out of poverty. A consequence of the increased income support saw an additional 646,000 people or 2.6% of Australians rise out of poverty, with overall poverty in Australia falling to just 12%.
The effects these payments had on the overall number of children living below the poverty line are even more dramatic. The child poverty rate fell from 19% in March 2020 to an impressive feat of 13.7% in June of the same year, effectively managing to lift 245,000 children out of poverty.
As of April 2021, however, the Australian government has retracted these income support payments, feeling they are no longer necessary after coming out of the pandemic. The “coronavirus supplement” has been entirely redacted and in its place, the JobSeeker payment has been increased by only $25 a week. The Senate has launched an inquiry into the rates and main drivers of poverty in the nation, however, welfare advocates argue that the state has all the evidence necessary to make a change. Instead, they believe that the subsequent inaction is a deliberate means of neglecting the most vulnerable. Some have taken it further and equated the reduction to a “political choice.”
An Influential Organization
The Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) is an organization that facilitates the eradication of poverty and inequality throughout the continent. Working to ensure that Australia complies with the targets under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), they advocate for the nation’s most vulnerable, while mobilizing governments and communities to contribute to the discourse surrounding poverty.
ACOSS’ main areas of focus include access to employment services for the disadvantaged, an impartial social security system and ensuring governments are accountable for an equitable tax system. Its research papers have been pivotal to the understanding and further implementation of poverty-reducing measures. Key organizations now hold a deeper insight into everything you need to know about poverty in Australia as a result.
– Namra Tahir
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
A Possible Solution for Meningitis in the DRC
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of the highest-risk countries for meningitis in the world. During the annual dry season from December to June, the disease claims thousands of lives and disables survivors with chronic illnesses.
Following decades of meningitis-related deaths and urgent calls for international support, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Defeating Meningitis by 2030: A Global Road Map. The 2030 roadmap lists three goals: eliminate bacterial meningitis epidemics, reduce cases of vaccine-preventable bacterial meningitis by 50% and deaths by 70% and improve aftercare.
In its new approach, WHO plans an aggressive intervention in the DRC and across the African continent. Experts from across the world have supported and contributed to the campaign through research and advocacy efforts. Yet, reaching the 2030 goal requires much more attention from organizations, funds and community advocacy.
Meningitis in the DRC
Meningitis has plagued the DRC for decades with an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 cases each year. It takes various forms, with some serogroups being more fatal or serious than others. The most recent success in meningitis research targeted meningitis A through the MenAfriVac conjugate vaccine. In the DRC and across the sub-Saharan region where meningitis is most prevalent, MenAfriVac significantly reduced cases of meningitis A. Still, many other common serogroups require attention.
Furthermore, meningitis does not always leave individuals unaffected. “Meningitis is the second cause of neurological conditions in Africa, after strokes,” said Dr. Andre Bita, Regional Control Officer for WHO Africa, in an interview with The Borgen Project. “In the world, it’s the fifth. With meningitis you can have epilepsy, blindness, and so many disorders.” The long-term effects of meningitis have caused medical debt, burdens on families and communities, and lifelong aftercare.
“It is very difficult for a country to have a vaccine stockpile,” continued Bita. In the DRC where diseases including COVID-19, Ebola and measles also run rampant, there is a “competing outbreak response” that often delays meningitis research or vaccinations. For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, meningitis control activities fell by 50% from 2019 to 2020.
WHO’s 2030 Plan
Still, the many variations of meningitis leave the DRC vulnerable. “Unfortunately,” Bita continued, “we have other epidemics due to other germs.” Where the MenAfriVac campaign focused on eliminating only meningitis A, WHO’s new vision “towards a world free of meningitis” is to completely defeat the disease and all of its variations by 2030.
The Defeating Meningitis by 2030 initiative outlines five interconnected pillars of meningitis treatment: prevention and epidemic control, diagnosis and treatment, meningitis surveillance, aftercare for meningitis survivors and advocacy and engagement. If WHO can meet these five goals, it will have a higher chance of reducing bacterial meningitis.
While the 2030 roadmap will particularly help sub-Saharan countries like the DRC, it also addresses meningitis in other regions. Bita helped conduct a risk assessment to determine a country’s risk for meningitis, discovering that “we now have 38 countries at high to medium risk, and we only have nine countries at low risk. That means, apart from the sub-Sahara, we have other countries such as Algeria with medium risk.” Therefore, to completely defeat meningitis by 2030, WHO will have to use a continental approach.
Spreading the Word
The 2030 roadmap has all the right goals in place. Experts in meningitis research and community advocates have created a medical and social approach to the problem. However, carrying out the plan will be no easy feat. To be successful, it will require more funds and community awareness from the DRC and the international community.
Bita stated that to carry out the 2030 plan, “we need to really involve all the beneficiaries, all the people who can support it, to make it possible.” It will require advocacy and engagement “at all stages” and resources that many countries do not have.
Through mobilizing provinces around the DRC, Bita hopes the 2030 plan will reach as many communities as possible. To do so, there needs to be more visibility on the 2030 plan, meningitis research, and community engagement at the local, national and international levels. If WHO’s regional plan for Africa receives full funding at its $1.5 billion estimate, the 2030 plan could save more than 140,000 lives.
– Anna Lee
Photo: Flickr