The history of vaccines starts centuries ago, with some accounts dating back to 2000 B.C. In the 1500s, smallpox inoculations took place in India and China. In the 17th century, Buddist monks drank snake venom for immunity as an early form of vaccination. Smallpox Inoculation meant cutting up smallpox scabs and blowing them into the nostrils, the left nostril for the girls and right nostril for the boys. Even though Emperor K’ang Hsi had his children inoculated, these practices did not spread to the rest of the country and the smallpox epidemic continued for 200 years.
Most virologists cite 1796 as the history of vaccines’ beginning. Edward Jenner was a country doctor living in England when he performed the first vaccination in history. He took pus from a cowpox wound and injecting it into James Phillips, an 8-year-old boy. Six weeks later Jenner visited the two spots with smallpox on Phillips’s arm to find he was not affected. In addition, Jenner did 12 more experiments and 16 case studies before publishing “Inquiry Into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccines.” Cow-pox protects humans from the infection of smallpox created the foundation for vaccinology.
Advancements in Vaccines
Until 1885 after the invention of a rabies vaccine, the word “ vaccine” had only referred to smallpox inoculation. The history of vaccines continued with French physicians Albert Calmette and Camille Guerin creating the tuberculosis vaccine by weakening the bacteria over 230 versions. Furthermore, the first influenza vaccine emerged in the 1940s, 10 years after the discovery of the virus. The U.S. Army sponsored the flu vaccine and used fertilized chicken eggs, something still used today.
In 1952, the U.S. reached 57,879 polio cases resulting in 3,145 deaths. Survivors ended up in wheelchairs or crutches, severely paralyzed or having to use an iron lung to breathe. Moreover, Jonas Salk created the Polio Virus vaccine in 1955. Consequently, Salk became one of the most celebrated scientists in the world. Between 1955 and 1962, more than 400 million vaccines were distributed under leading drug manufacturers and polio cases were reduced by 90%.
Vaccine Safety Worldwide
In 1901, the U.S. Congress passed The Biologics Control Act which regulated the selling of serums, toxins and analogic products. This was the first legislation in the history of vaccines for managing vaccines and drugs. Additionally, the act established the Hygienic Laboratory of the U.S. Public Health Service, now known as the National Institution of Health.
Since then, other countries have taken many steps to ensure vaccine safety. China currently has a three-level moderating system for monitoring vaccines. The country’s vaccine industry is able to produce over 1 billion doses per year for preventing 30+ diseases. Moreover, vaccine efforts have made significant progress in Bangladesh. The country has established two production facilities for vaccines. In addition, Bangladesh has increased the monitoring of Adverse Events following Immunization (AEFI).
COVID-19 Vaccine
While vaccine development has advanced since Edward Jenner’s invention of vaccinology, citizens all around the world are waiting for a new event in vaccine history: the coronavirus vaccine. With 22.4 million cases worldwide, 778,000 deaths and countries re-entering lockdown, it’s no exaggeration to say a COVID-19 vaccine is necessary to end the pandemic. The good news is that over 165 vaccines have undergone development around the world. About 35 of the vaccines are in the human trial stage and two vaccines have received approval for early or limited use.
The U.S. is running an experimental vaccine, mRNA-1273, in the phase one trial. The Washington Health Research Institute, being led by Lisa Jackson, began the initial trial in March with 45 participants from 18 to 55 years old. In April 2020, the trial expanded to add citizens over the age of 55 and 120 participants. After no serious side effects occurred, phase two began in late May 2020 and Phase 3 launched in early July 2020.
A Chinese company Cansino Biologics partnered with the Academy of Military Medical Sciences to create the Ad5 vaccine. In May, phase one was completed with promise. In July, the company concluded that phase two produced “a strong immune response.” In addition, the military approved the vaccine after just two trial runs on June 25 as a needed drug. The third trial will take place in Saudi Arabia and negotiations with other countries are taking place.
The failures and successes of the coronavirus vaccine all add to the history of vaccines. The quality of life has drastically increased thanks to Jenner’s first vaccine trials in 1796. With the help of vaccines, polio measles and smallpox cases are incredibly rare in the 21st century. Using the history of vaccines and the invention of new technology, a COVID-19 vaccine is right on the horizon.
– Breanna Bonner
Photo: Flickr
How Beehives Are Protecting Rural Farmers in East Africa
That said, more individuals and organizations have become more committed to halting human-wildlife conflict and poaching. Governments wanting to maintain the wildlife tourism industry, conservation groups aiming to protect animals from extinction and poor farmers seeking a reliable and legal wage all share a common goal of eliminating the prevalence of poaching in Africa. In recent years, a potential solution has emerged for rural farmers in East Africa: beehive fences.
An Emerging Solution: Beehive Fences
After consulting with farmers in Kenya who noticed elephants tended to avoid trees that contained beehives, Dr. Lucy King of Save the Elephants conducted a study to determine whether fences lined with beehives could effectively deter elephants. These fences consist of wooden posts equipped with a beehive, as well as a thatched roof to protect the hive from the elements and metal wires running between each post. Dr. King used Langstroth beehives which, though not the most modern beehives, are easy to construct and operate.
The general process by which the fences function is that an elephant will attempt to walk between the two posts, causing it to hit the wires. The subsequent movement of the posts and hives upsets the bees, who will in turn bother the elephant and force it to turn around.
Dr. King found that 80% percent of elephants in her study were deterred from entering farms equipped with beehive fences, representing a clear validation of her theory. However, it should be noted that the fences do not work equally worldwide: the fences appear to work better in East Africa than in Asian countries where the fences were also tested. This discrepancy is likely due to regional variations in elephant and bee species. Studies indicate that African bees are more aggressive than their Asian counterparts, resulting in differing reactions from elephants. Even if the effectiveness of beehive fences is localized, this solution maintains the potential to transform living standards for rural farmers in East Africa.
Taking the Lead: Implementing Beehive Fences
One organization helping to build beehive fences is the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. This nonprofit organization aspires “to protect Africa’s wildlife and to preserve habitats for the future of all wild species,” and has a vested interest in improving the lives of rural Kenyans. To date, the Trust has built more than two kilometers of fence line including 131 beehives bordering the Tsavo Conservation Area. Farmers receive lessons from a professional beekeeper on how to properly maintain and harvest their hives, enabling them to profit from honey sales. Clearly, in addition to increasing outputs by reducing damages from elephants, the beehive fences themselves provide an income boost because the bees pollinate farmers’ crops.
The Future of Farmer Protection
Beehive fences are not a perfect solution to human-elephant conflict: they require training to maintain, can be evaded by some elephants and are less effective depending on the geographic area. Many believe electric fences would surely be a better elephant deterrent; however, these systems are too expensive and difficult to maintain, especially in rural regions. As such, beehive fences are the best solution currently available to mitigate human-elephant conflict in East Africa. More investment is necessary to establish beehive fence lines across all human-wildlife borders in East Africa in order to guarantee that all farms are protected. By giving farmers greater confidence in their abilities to sell crops at market, beehive fences increase yields and enable rural farmers in East Africa to ultimately escape poverty.
– Jeff Keare
Photo: Flickr
The 2020 Election and Global Poverty
The 2020 Election and Global Poverty: Two Candidates
President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are running as Republican candidates on a platform similar to their 2016 campaign. Running as Democratic candidates are former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and his running mate, Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA). Both candidates have already proposed new policies as part of their campaign platforms. President Trump has proposed reducing foreign aid by 21%, while increasing border security and tax cuts if he remains in office. On the other hand, former Vice President Biden, if elected, would make foreign aid the focus of U.S. foreign policy.
As much as the candidates may vary in their views on foreign aid, however, these differences are not likely to influence the election much. Overall, voters do not consider global poverty to be a core issue. In the 2016 presidential election, global poverty played little to no role in voters’ decisions. Currently, the voters’ top five issues are the economy, healthcare, the Supreme Court appointments, the COVID-19 response and violent crime, none of which are directly related to global poverty. While foreign policy remains in the top 12 issues, it is not a major concern for current voters.
The Response to the COVID-19 Outbreak
The response to COVID-19 has significantly impacted the 2020 election and global poverty reduction efforts. As of October 2020, the U.S. faces five million confirmed cases, 176,000 deaths, a declining economy and restrictions that could affect voter turnout. COVID-19 has accordingly become a major concern for many voters. Indeed, 62% of voters believe the outbreak will play an important role in the candidate they choose.
Many voters are also concerned about the condition of the economy as a result of the pandemic. In the second quarter of 2020, the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) decreased by an annual rate of 32.9%. Congress has also spent trillions of dollars on unemployment benefits and support for small businesses. Many of the voters who believe that the U.S. government should focus on the national debt worry that this stimulus spending could hurt the economy in the long run.
The Influence on Global Poverty
In 2019, the International Affairs Budget received $52.2 billion for foreign aid. This amounted to almost 1% of the entire budget of the U.S. government. With proposed budget cuts and increased concerns over the economy and COVID-19, global poverty is in danger of remaining an issue considered unimportant to many voters and secondary to policy-makers. Despite this relative neglect, it is important that the government address global poverty. Congress must be reminded to protect the International Affairs Budget as a measure just as important as any other policy. Overall, the 2020 U.S. election will likely have a minimal effect on global poverty, given other global crises. As such, the citizens of the U.S. must communicate the importance of the 2020 election and global poverty support to their national leaders, whoever they end up being.
– Nada Abuasi
Photo: Flickr
US Foreign Policy: Diversification of Medical Supply Chains
Current US Foreign Policy
Currently, officials in Washington D.C. are working to extend a foreign policy that promotes economic growth in manufacturing areas around the world. Doing so will allow multiple areas around the globe to manufacture the same products. This will help secure medical supply chains globally and drive costs down as it introduces competition to markets. Senior Fellow Prashant Yadav voiced his support of supply chain diversification before Congress. Specifically, Yadav noted that these actions will also open new markets and strengthen relations between countries.
Why Supply Chain Diversification Is So Important
As COVID-19 swept across the world, it shut down many areas and halted the production of several products. The biggest issue was that many areas that faced shutdowns were the sole manufacturing areas of life-saving supplies. Northern Italy produced the cotton swabs that are used for the COVID-19 nasal tests. Countries like Cambodia and China were the world’s largest producers of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as masks and shields. The pandemic effectively shut down these areas as outbreaks began — which meant that the accessibility of these products plummeted and prices rose. Not only does this leave the general population at risk but also, those who live below the poverty line. These people face incredible barriers that only increase due to the situation.
Specific Policies Currently Implemented
Just after the pandemic reached the U.S., the government proposed and implemented the SAFER plan. Part of this plan includes addressing certain healthcare needs. In this way, the U.S. is making an effort to ensure that all medical facilities have access to the supplies that they need. However, the U.S. does not have unlimited stockpiles of all medical supplies. As a result, the U.S. government is obligated to ensure the stability and accessibility of its medical supply chains.
Under the SAFER plan, the U.S. agreed to send 200 ventilators to India with the understanding that India would supply the U.S. with different medications. This will not only provide mutual medical benefits to both countries but it will also strengthen ties between the U.S. and India. In this same vein, the SAFER plan helps to promote economic growth within India and to lessen the world’s reliance on China as the major producer of medical supplies.
While the U.S. is working to ensure domestic security, it is important to note that this will invariably help people across the globe as well. As the nation with one of the largest economies, the U.S. has a lot of clout in the global market. This means that as the U.S. fights for more security in the manufacturing of PPE, cotton swabs and COVID-19 treatments — accessibility for all nations will increase. This positive outcome — a result of more areas beginning to produce products to fulfill trade agreements with the U.S.
– Allison Moss
Photo: Pixbay
Mental Health Services and Online Therapy in Nigeria
Mental Health Services
In Nigeria, there are limited resources for mental health services. An estimated 80% of people with mental illnesses are not able to access the correct care facilities. The majority of care is in the hand of family members, who are not properly trained or informed. The lack of facilities, resources and proper information on mental health services and illnesses worldwide is why the World Health Organization (WHO) is determined to help. In a 2013 mental health action plan, the WHO planned to have 50% of countries by 2020 update or expand on its law in order to revise with the international and regional human rights instructions.
Militant Group Causes Need for Therapy
One significant reason for the need for therapy in Nigeria is the militant group Boko Haram in the northeastern part of the country. The group has been trying to gain more territory, and in doing so, it has caused more than 20,000 deaths and nearly 1.8 million people displaced from their homes, according to a June 2019 report. In Maiduguri, the group’s violence has affected almost the entire population. Due to the ongoing brutality, many are suffering from post-traumatic stress, and the WHO recorded that Nigeria has the seventh-highest number of suicides in Africa.
Online Therapy in Nigeria
Nearly 103 million Nigerians have access to the Internet. As such, receiving virtual therapy is far easier than traveling to one of the few facilities in the country. A typical therapy session can be about $70 a meeting, which is unaffordable for most of the population since the minimum wage is $49 a month. Online therapy makes for an easier and a more reasonable form of care.
Additionally, online therapy is an easier option for some because it does not require the person to be face to face with the therapist. The patient is able to have these conversations from the comfort of their own home. Services like Talkspace, Calmerry and Amwell include packages that can be paid for weekly, and some even accept insurance. These packages may also include unlimited messages, live video chats and phone calls. All of the programs also go through a questionnaire process to match the patient with the best therapist for them.
Another program, MANI, is run through Twitter and WhatsApp. The nonprofit mental health service has counselors that are volunteer psychiatrists and medical officers. Since volunteers run the program, a patient cannot receive more than five sessions. However, the suicide hotline is always free to call.
It is clear that Nigeria needs more mental health services. Therapy is hard to access and often too expensive. With the country’s rising population, there is still a long way to go in order to provide reasonable access to people suffering from mental illnesses. However, through these online programs, therapy in Nigeria is increasing. Additionally, with the growing amount of Internet access, there is now an increase in the availability of these services.
– Sarah Kirchner
Photo: Flickr
5 Things Alleviating Water Insecurity in South Africa
Located at the Southern tip of Africa, South Africa is one of the most developed Sub-Saharan African states on the continent. However, water insecurity in South Africa poses a risk to the economy and livelihoods of the country’s 49 million inhabitants. Rains that once provided much-needed water now fall less frequently. On top of this, some cities like Durban face issues surrounding water theft. About 35% of their water supply is stolen or dealt with illegally. For example, Cape Town has been rationing water since 2018. It has even geared up for a Day Zero, a day in which no person from the city would receive any water.
Water is a human necessity for hydration. However, it is also necessary for proper cooking, sanitation, sewage, bathing, washing dishes and cleaning clothes. Because of this, there are many favorable forces at work to alleviate the effects of water insecurity in South Africa.
5 Forces Alleviating the Effects of Water Insecurity in South Africa
Overall, water insecurity in South Africa is not a problem that is going away. The country has averted many crises; however, it still needs to find a long-term solution. This issue does not only pertain to South Africa. With watersheds drying up all around the world, this issue will become more pervasive worldwide with each year that passes. Emphasizing the importance of this issue in South Africa could provide the fix that ultimately saves the rest of the world in the future. Thus, giving the South African government and its researchers the tools to succeed has the potential to solve a problem inevitable to everyone.
– Keagan James
Photo: Flickr
The Fight for Women’s Rights in Sudan
For decades, the subject of women’s rights has been at the forefront of media and politics. While the world has made progress, women in countries such as Sudan are still fighting for equal rights. The fight for women’s rights in Sudan is in motion by opposing laws such as the Personal Status Law of 1991. This law allows child marriages and states that women can only marry if they have consent from a father or male guardian. Here are five things to know about the women’s rights movement in Sudan.
Women’s Rights in Sudan
Though there is a long way to go to achieve equal rights in Sudan, as protests continue and women persist in fighting for their rights, there is hope for the future.
– Olivia Eaker
Photo: Flickr
Twiga Foods is Helping Families During COVID-19
COVID-19 has caused many issues for poor families around the world. However, Kenyan food distributor Twiga Foods is helping families during COVID-19.
What is Twiga Foods?
Twiga Foods emerged in 2014 as a mobile-based food distribution company. What it does is source produce from local farmers and manufacturers. Suppliers can post their produce online so vendors can order it at an affordable price. Today, Twiga employs about 4,000 suppliers and about 35,000 vendors.
Fast Company has listed Twiga Foods as one of the most innovative companies. Twiga Foods was also listed as one of the World Economic Forum’s “Technology Pioneers.” The company has “reinvented Africa’s approach to retail, making it less time-consuming and more efficient.” The company “presents a convenient and reliable alternative to the current expensive farm and factory-to-market processes.”
The mission for Twiga Foods is simple: “to feed and supply Africa’s growing urban population with traceable, quality and affordable products whose quality, health and safety standards are at one with global conventions and best practice.”
What Twiga is Doing During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The spread of COVID-19 created a lot of concern for Twiga Foods. Some of its clients include hotels and restaurants which have run minimally during the pandemic. However, Twiga was listed as an essential business, and the company was able to keep operating and employ thousands of people.
In June 2020, Twiga partnered up with Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) and Jumia to support families during the pandemic. The program these companies created offers a “convenient way for customers who wish to donate during the pandemic period.” Twiga Foods is providing discounted prices of fresh produce up to 50% as an incentive for people to donate to the cause.
How Companies like Twiga Foods Can Help the Market
The success of Twiga Foods matches Kenya’s growing economy and reduction of poverty. Kenya’s GDP went from $61.45 billion in 2014 to $95.5 billion in 2019. However, Kenya’s GDP in 2020 has gone down to about $80 billion.
Not only has the GDP risen over the past few years, but poverty rates in Kenya have gone down. From 2005 to 2006, 46.8% of Kenyans lived below the poverty line. From 2015 to 2016, the amount of Kenyans living under the poverty line dropped to 36.1%. This drop in the poverty rate was due to the increasing importance of non-agricultural income to supplement agricultural income for rural households.
Between 2013 and 2017, about 25% of the nation’s GDP came from agriculture. However, farmers across Kenya find it hard to make a living due to the insufficiency of the African agricultural market. Having companies like Twiga Foods support these farmers can help improve food safety, environmental and social practices.
When Twiga Foods connects rural farmers to informal retail vendors in the cities, it can enhance the agricultural market for both the suppliers and the consumers. Farmers can have guaranteed access to a fairly-priced, transparent and mobile marketplace. Vendors can get high-quality and fresh produce to sell to consumers at a lower price. Having food sold at a lower price is a way that Twiga foods is helping families afford the food they need to survive.
– Jackson Lebedun
Photo: Flickr
The History of Vaccines and COVID-19
The history of vaccines starts centuries ago, with some accounts dating back to 2000 B.C. In the 1500s, smallpox inoculations took place in India and China. In the 17th century, Buddist monks drank snake venom for immunity as an early form of vaccination. Smallpox Inoculation meant cutting up smallpox scabs and blowing them into the nostrils, the left nostril for the girls and right nostril for the boys. Even though Emperor K’ang Hsi had his children inoculated, these practices did not spread to the rest of the country and the smallpox epidemic continued for 200 years.
Most virologists cite 1796 as the history of vaccines’ beginning. Edward Jenner was a country doctor living in England when he performed the first vaccination in history. He took pus from a cowpox wound and injecting it into James Phillips, an 8-year-old boy. Six weeks later Jenner visited the two spots with smallpox on Phillips’s arm to find he was not affected. In addition, Jenner did 12 more experiments and 16 case studies before publishing “Inquiry Into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccines.” Cow-pox protects humans from the infection of smallpox created the foundation for vaccinology.
Advancements in Vaccines
Until 1885 after the invention of a rabies vaccine, the word “ vaccine” had only referred to smallpox inoculation. The history of vaccines continued with French physicians Albert Calmette and Camille Guerin creating the tuberculosis vaccine by weakening the bacteria over 230 versions. Furthermore, the first influenza vaccine emerged in the 1940s, 10 years after the discovery of the virus. The U.S. Army sponsored the flu vaccine and used fertilized chicken eggs, something still used today.
In 1952, the U.S. reached 57,879 polio cases resulting in 3,145 deaths. Survivors ended up in wheelchairs or crutches, severely paralyzed or having to use an iron lung to breathe. Moreover, Jonas Salk created the Polio Virus vaccine in 1955. Consequently, Salk became one of the most celebrated scientists in the world. Between 1955 and 1962, more than 400 million vaccines were distributed under leading drug manufacturers and polio cases were reduced by 90%.
Vaccine Safety Worldwide
In 1901, the U.S. Congress passed The Biologics Control Act which regulated the selling of serums, toxins and analogic products. This was the first legislation in the history of vaccines for managing vaccines and drugs. Additionally, the act established the Hygienic Laboratory of the U.S. Public Health Service, now known as the National Institution of Health.
Since then, other countries have taken many steps to ensure vaccine safety. China currently has a three-level moderating system for monitoring vaccines. The country’s vaccine industry is able to produce over 1 billion doses per year for preventing 30+ diseases. Moreover, vaccine efforts have made significant progress in Bangladesh. The country has established two production facilities for vaccines. In addition, Bangladesh has increased the monitoring of Adverse Events following Immunization (AEFI).
COVID-19 Vaccine
While vaccine development has advanced since Edward Jenner’s invention of vaccinology, citizens all around the world are waiting for a new event in vaccine history: the coronavirus vaccine. With 22.4 million cases worldwide, 778,000 deaths and countries re-entering lockdown, it’s no exaggeration to say a COVID-19 vaccine is necessary to end the pandemic. The good news is that over 165 vaccines have undergone development around the world. About 35 of the vaccines are in the human trial stage and two vaccines have received approval for early or limited use.
The U.S. is running an experimental vaccine, mRNA-1273, in the phase one trial. The Washington Health Research Institute, being led by Lisa Jackson, began the initial trial in March with 45 participants from 18 to 55 years old. In April 2020, the trial expanded to add citizens over the age of 55 and 120 participants. After no serious side effects occurred, phase two began in late May 2020 and Phase 3 launched in early July 2020.
A Chinese company Cansino Biologics partnered with the Academy of Military Medical Sciences to create the Ad5 vaccine. In May, phase one was completed with promise. In July, the company concluded that phase two produced “a strong immune response.” In addition, the military approved the vaccine after just two trial runs on June 25 as a needed drug. The third trial will take place in Saudi Arabia and negotiations with other countries are taking place.
The failures and successes of the coronavirus vaccine all add to the history of vaccines. The quality of life has drastically increased thanks to Jenner’s first vaccine trials in 1796. With the help of vaccines, polio measles and smallpox cases are incredibly rare in the 21st century. Using the history of vaccines and the invention of new technology, a COVID-19 vaccine is right on the horizon.
– Breanna Bonner
Photo: Flickr
How Kerala Tackled the Nipah Virus Outbreak in 2018
The first documented outbreak of the Nipah virus (NiV) took place in a Malaysian village called Sungai Nipah in the year 1999. Since then, there have been outbreaks reported in Bangladesh, India and Singapore. Contact with infected animals such as pigs and fruit bats and consuming contaminated fruit lead to contracting the virus. Then, the virus is transmitted from person to person. It can also cause acute respiratory illness and encephalitis or be asymptomatic.
In Kozhikode city in the South Indian state of Kerala, an outbreak of the Nipah virus occurred in May 2018. The virus originated from infected fruit bats. In early May, an index patient was admitted to a local hospital. Within weeks, 18 cases were confirmed and 17 patients succumbed. By July 2018, the outbreak was contained.
Contact Tracing and Quarantine
Infected patients were confined and treated in isolation wards. Exhaustive contact tracing efforts helped identify over 2,000 individuals who may have come in contact with those who were infected. They were quarantined and periodically checked on throughout the maximum incubation period.
At the onset of the outbreak, the government issued health and travel advisories for the citizens and visitors to the affected areas. Members of the response team also visited houses to inform citizens about the required precautions. They encouraged people to wear masks since the virus was transmitted via droplets of body fluids. They were also advised to avoid consuming fruits due to the possibility of contamination.
Field Visits and Collaborative Efforts
Officials visited the homes and localities of the infected patients. They collected information from family members and inspected the surrounding areas to uncover the source of the virus. In a sealed well in the home of an infected patient, health officials discovered dead bats.
The World Health Organization (WHO) describes the early response to the outbreak as improvised. However, a centralized, efforts from top state government officials and health experts helped create an organized approach to managing and curbing the crisis. Their efforts collaborated with support and guidance from the Central Government as well. Furthermore, several heroes in the fight against the NiV outbreak were praised, including Lini Puthussery. Puthussery was a nurse to patients diagnosed with the virus, and she later caught the disease.
Quick Response Measures for Future Outbreaks
In anticipation of NiV outbreaks in the future, the Kerala government established a network that includes public and private hospitals to enable testing. These hospitals quickly identify index patients as well. In June 2019, this allowed a swift response to a possible outbreak, and there were no fatalities. There are plans to upgrade existing Virology Institutes in the State. Additionally, there are efforts toward overcoming challenges from previous outbreaks. One of the challenges is ensuring the sufficient stock of PPE equipment. These challenges also include proper management of bio-medical waste and decontamination of ambulances and treatment centers.
The experience garnered from the NiV outbreaks helped facilitate the Kerala Governments’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The State has adopted a people-centric approach to the coronavirus pandemic. It has also implemented a vigorous, centralized effort for contact tracing and quarantine and the sustenance of vulnerable groups.
There is neither a known vaccine nor a cure for the Nipah virus. The disease has an estimated fatality rate of 40% to 75%. However, Kerala’s success in containing the NiV outbreak in 2018 and possible outbreaks in the following year has established an admirable model for a global response to combat it.
– Amy Olassa
Photo: Flickr
How Ricult is Fighting Rural Poverty in Thailand
Although modern civilization could not exist without it, agriculture persists as one of the most impoverished industries in the world today. While many continue to make significant strides towards reducing global poverty as a whole, recent data has revealed that rural communities feel its most severe economic and social pressures. One can observe evidence of this trend across multiple continents, but some of the clearest illustrations of this phenomenon are Central and Southeast Asia, where rapid regional growth has noticeably failed to translate into a substantial decrease in rural poverty. In places like India, Pakistan, Thailand and other Asian countries where significant proportions of the labor force continue to work in agriculture, many producers and communities have seen inconsistent poverty reduction despite the decreasing of overall poverty rates. For some, the solution to this problem is technological, with companies like Ricult Inc. dedicated to alleviating rural poverty in Thailand and Pakistan by providing farmers with the modern tools to work smarter rather than harder.
Ricult’s Vision
Four MIT graduates founded Ricult in 2016 to bring the benefits of modern technology to farmers and smallholders in Pakistan and Thailand. Since then, the company has worked to develop mobile technologies designed to aid farmers in developing countries through remote satellite monitoring of crops and analytics which allow them to sow, fertilize and irrigate crops more efficiently. Farmers can also use Ricult’s system to track weather patterns and even for financial services such as loan applications. These and other features not only empower farmers with powerful data but also facilitate more transparent and efficient relationships between producers, creditors and suppliers. The entire suite of services is easily accessible via the Google Play Store and Ricult reported crossing the 150,000 users threshold earlier in 2020.
Rural Poverty in Thailand
Over the past 20 years, Thailand has been successful in lowering its national poverty rate with the introduction of new industries, but much of this growth has not trickled down to the bottom of the economic ladder. Instead, conditions have worsened for the country’s agricultural sector since 2013 due to growing investment in the competing manufacturing and service industries. In addition to these trends, Thailand’s current lack of modern agricultural infrastructure has made many farmers vulnerable to drought and other natural phenomena. With nearly 35 million people still dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods, technological development in the sector is paramount for keeping many communities above the poverty line.
Digitizing Thailand’s Agricultural Sector
As CEO of Ricult Thailand and co-founder of the company, Aukrit Unahalekhaka has set out to combine the agricultural advancements of developed economies to smallholders across the country. In 2018, Ricult reported a nearly 40% increase in profitability among farms and smallholdings which use its platform, resulting from a 50% increase in yields. In a 2018 statement to MIT News, Unahalekhaka stressed the importance that such growth can have on small farmers and their families, explaining that it may have the potential to provide rural children with quality education and health care.
Recently the Thailand branch of the company reached a seed funding milestone by partnering with several of Thailand’s major banks, securing $5 million which it plans to use to expand its operations across the country and continue to digitize farming operations. In addition to this domestic growth, Ricult has also announced future intentions to expand into the nearby countries of Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam. In keeping with the company’s guiding mantra “those who feed us, need us,” Ricult continues to offer its platform free of charge to smallholders and producers in order to alleviate rural poverty in Thailand.
– Matthew Otey
Photo: Flickr