Daily Archives: March 20, 2020

2020-03-20: News Headlines

Sabri àñncຠ(2020-03-20). Triggering a Global Financial Crisis: COVID-19 as the Last Straw. counterpunch.org Whether a black swan or a scapegoat, Covid-19 is an extraordinary event. Declared by the WHO as a pandemic, Covid-19 has given birth to the concept of the economic "sudden stop." We need extraordinary measures to contain it. Initially referred to as the novel coronavirus 2019, the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) originated late in 2019 in Wuhan,

Evaggelos Vallianatos (2020-03-20). Nature's Revenge: Climate Change and COVID-19. counterpunch.org The corona virus pandemic is no accident. Like past global epidemics, it's a warning that nature has had it with the ecocidal proclivities of man. These outrageous actions are changing climate and are warming and threatening planet Earth. Nature (the Earth) is fighting back. Climate change is sowing pandemic diseases. Corona virus in America No

Jonah Raskin (2020-03-20). Reading Camus' The Plague in a Time of Pandemic. counterpunch.org "Each of us has the plague within him, no one, no one on earth is free from it. We must keep endless watch on ourselves lest in a careless moment we breathe in somebody's face and fasten the infection on him." — Albert Camus, The Plague, 1947 Like millions of other "shut-ins" in northern California, where

Staff (2020-03-20). Doctor: As Coronavirus Cases Spike Worldwide, We Need Global Cooperation to Halt Spread. democracynow.org As the worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has topped 10,000, with over 250,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, we speak with Stanford University's global health expert Dr. Michele Barry, an infectious disease doctor. Italy has surpassed China in coronavirus deaths, and cases are rising in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, as the governor of California has ordered all 40 million residents to shelter in place.

RT (2020-03-20). Top Doctor at Moscow's leading disease hospital says current Covid-19 crisis will likely last SIX MONTHS. rt.com Coronavirus panic is already threatening a worldwide economic disaster, as millions are forced to live under lockdown. This has left many people wondering how long we can expect these circumstances to endure. | "When I call my parents, I say jokingly: 'see you in September,'" Denis Protsenko has told RT. He's the head doctor of Moscow's main disease hospital in Kommunarka. | Protsenko believes that while the pandemic may slow in summer, it's more like it will be autumn before the siege will be lifted. If the country has a similar experience to China, then the spread will decline in May or June, he believes, bu…

C.J. Atkins (2020-03-20). Coronavirus clean-up: Sanitation workers face increased risk, job loss. peoplesworld.org Wherever there is poor sanitation, disease and illness spread. That's why those who work in the waste management industry are just as much an "essential service" right now as are health care, pharmacy, grocery, and restaurant workers. Dealing with all the trash society produces is a dirty and dangerous job even in normal times; during …

RT (2020-03-20). –°hina reports record number of imported Covid-19 cases from US & Europe as global death toll exceeds 10,000. rt.com China may have managed to contain the coronavirus at home, but it's not over the hump yet. There's danger of a return of the deadly disease as the number of infected travelers entering the country reaches record levels. | The Chinese authorities have done huge work since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in Wuhan in late December. The blow was hard as 3,248 have died and 80,967 were infected, but for the last two days there was not a single domestically transmitted coronavirus case in the country. | But as the situation improved, many Chinese expatriates, including students, rushed back home to escape the corona…

RT (2020-03-20). Finland scoffs at WHO's coronavirus testing protocol, suggests organization doesn't understand how pandemics work. rt.com A senior Finnish health official has dismissed a World Health Organization (WHO) advisory to test as many people as possible for coronavirus, arguing that such a measure would be completely illogical when combating a pandemic. | Finland's head of health security, Mika Salminen, took aim at the notion that stopping the spread of Covid-19 requires testing on a mass-scale. | "We don't understand the WHO's instructions for testing. We can't fully remove the disease from the world anymore," she said, adding: "If someone claims that, they don't understand pandemics." | Citing limited supplies, Finland has narrowed c…

RT (2020-03-20). Russia testing MULTIPLE prototype Covid-19 vaccines. rt.com Russia's research center of virology and biotechnology, known as the Vector Institute, is testing multiple different vaccine prototypes against Covid-19 in a race to find a cure for the virus behind a global pandemic. | This week, it "began immunogenicity studies in sensitive laboratory animals… of all developed vaccine prototypes," The composition, dose, route of administration of the future vaccine will be determi…

Alan Macleod (2020-03-20). The Kushner Family Could Be Getting Very Rich Thanks to the Coronavirus. mintpressnews.com The Kushner family's ties to for-profit healthcare companies underscore the myriad of conflicts of interests that billionaire businessmen have, making them particularly unsuited to holding public office.

RT (2020-03-20). 'F***ing petrifying': London hospital declares 'critical incident' as Covid-19 crisis cranks up pressure on UK healthcare system. rt.com A hospital in north west London has declared a "critical incident" as it counts those requiring a high level of care, revealing that it doesn't have enough space to treat such people, due to an escalation in coronavirus patients. | In a message sent to its workers on Thursday, Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow said that it has no critical care capacity left,

RT (2020-03-20). Germany's leading health official says decision on curfew is 'up to authorities'. rt.com The health official leading Germany's fight against coronavirus urged people on Friday to keep their distance to curb the pandemic. | However, Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute, also said it was up to the authorities to decide whether to impose a curfew to force people to follow official guidelines. | "We recommend keeping maximal distance. It is up to the authorities to decide on the measures needed to achieve that," Wieler told reporters. | He spoke after the number of German cases of Covid-19 rose by 2,958 overnight to 13,957. The number of fatalities rose by 11 to 31, according to Reute…

W. T. Whitney Jr. (2020-03-20). Fighting COVID-19 in Cuba, China, and the United States. peoplesworld.org Governments, according to Thomas Jefferson, are supposed to guarantee people's rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." COVID-19 has put people's lives and health in the spotlight now. What kinds of tools do governments have at their disposal to protect lives and health? Cuba has the advantages of forward-looking leadership, well-orchestrated state planning, …

RT (2020-03-20). 'You are NOT invincible': WHO chiefs give desperate warning to world's youth about Covid-19. rt.com Though coronavirus has disproportionately affected the elderly and infirm, the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has issued a stark warning to younger generations: "You are not invincible." | "Data from many countries clearly show that people under 50 make up a significant proportion of patients requiring hospitalization," the agency's director-general said at a press briefing on Friday. | He then urged young people directly to take the threat of Covid-19 seriously: "This coronavirus could put you in hospital for weeks, or even kill you." | Tedros added that even if younge…

RT (2020-03-20). You can wash your hands 'all day' but Covid-19 still can get you with ONE cough, medical expert tells Larry King. rt.com The belief that furious hand-washing fends off coronavirus doesn't seem to have any factual basis, doctor and award-winning journalist Bob Arnot told Larry King, noting that self-isolation is the best strategy to stay healthy. | Appearing on RT America's Politicking, Doctor Bob Arnot, former chief medical correspondent for NBC and CBS news, said that the current emphasis on washing hands was perpetuating a myth that has yet to be substantiated by evidence. | You can wash your hands all day long, but you're still going to get [coronavirus] if someone next to you coughs… No one has proven it yet that people ar…

RT (2020-03-20). Farnborough Airshow CANCELED due to 'unprecedented' Covid-19 pandemic. rt.com The world famous Farnborough International Airshow in England — which gives a platform to the aerospace and military industries — has been forced to cancel this summer's event due to the coronavirus crisis. | Confirming the scrapping of the event via social media on Friday afternoon, organizers said that they understood the news would come as a blow to the international aerospace industry, but the health and safety of attendees came first. It was scheduled for July 20, but will now be pushed back to 2022. | After very careful consideration, the unprecedented impact of the global Coronavirus pandemi…

RT (2020-03-20). California governor issues mandatory STAY AT HOME order, projects 56% of population infected with coronavirus in 8 weeks. rt.com California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued a mandatory "stay at home" order to all residents, shuttering all businesses beyond "critical sectors" while suggesting the state's hospitals could soon hit their breaking point. | "Everyone is required to stay home except to get food, care for a relative or friend, get necessary health care, or go to an essential job," read a

RT (2020-03-20). WHO welcomes 'hope' as Wuhan reports no new coronavirus cases — But deaths in Europe hit horrifying new record. rt.com The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the reduction of Covid-19 cases in the Chinese city of Wuhan "provides hope for the rest of the world." The comments come as the virus takes a terrible toll in Europe.

RT (2020-03-20). Erdogan orders all events in Turkey postponed until end-April. rt.com Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a decree on Friday postponing all events related to science, culture and the arts, as the country seeks to contain a surge in coronavirus cases. | Turkey's Covid-19 death toll has reached four, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday. The number of confirmed cases in the country has surged since the first case was announced last week, reaching 359 on Thursday. The cases have roughly doubled every day since Sunday, Reuters reports. | Erdogan's decree, published in the Official Gazette on Friday, said all meetings and activities, indoors or outdoors, related…

W. T. Whitney (2020-03-20). Fighting COVID 19 in Cuba, China and the United States. counterpunch.org Governments, according to Thomas Jefferson, are supposed to guarantee people's rights to "life liberty and the pursuit of happiness." COVID 19 has out people's lives and health in the spotlight now. What kind of tools do governments have at their disposal to protect lives and health? Cuba has the advantages of forward-looking leadership, well-orchestrated state

Al Neal (2020-03-20). Silent streets: The homeless, the financially desperate, and essential services carry on. peoplesworld.org This is the second installment of a two-part series featuring interviews with the workers in the service, health, and other sectors who are still going to their jobs each day during the coronavirus crisis—the ones keeping our society functioning. Part 1 can be read here. ST. LOUIS—They speak with their eyes. Who are they? The …

WSWS (2020-03-20). Immigrants in US detention facilities plead for help as coronavirus pandemic spreads. wsws.org The lack of medical care and the extremely close quarters in America's detention camps create excellent conditions for the coronavirus to spread rapidly if even a single person catches the disease.

WSWS (2020-03-20). Immigrants in US detention facilities plea for help as coronavirus pandemic spreads. wsws.org The lack of medical care and the extremely close quarters in America's detention camps create excellent conditions for the coronavirus to spread rapidly if even a single person catches the disease.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-03-20). Spinning Fear and Panic Across America. Analysis of COVID-19 Data. globalresearch.ca The US media is relentlessly spinning fear, panic and despair, with the endorsement of "authoritative" American scientists. "The new coronavirus could kill millions across the United States", according to Dr. Kathleen Neuzil a specialist in vaccines at the University of …

The Lancet (2020-03-20). [Editorial] Peace and health in Afghanistan. thelancet.com After years of war and political instability, Afghanistan is at a potentially historic crossroads. On Feb 29, 2020, a peace deal was agreed between the Taliban and the USA. The anticipated resumption of talks between the Afghan Government and the Taliban could signal a new phase, but what this means for the Afghan people is unclear. Weak health systems and disrupted access to health care have left many in poor health for decades, but since the fall of the Taliban some extraordinary gains in health have occurred.

Ole Haagen Nielsen, Casper Steenholdt, Carsten Bogh Juhl, Gerhard Rogler (2020-03-20). Efficacy and safety of methotrexate in the management of inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials. thelancet.com Current data support the efficacy of parenteral MTX monotherapy for maintenance of clinical remission in CD. MTX is not confirmed to be effective for treatment of UC or for induction of remission in CD. No evidence supports concomitant MTX to improve efficacy of IFX (no other biologics investigated).

Linda-Gail Bekker, One Dintwe, Andrew Fiore-Gartland, Keren Middelkoop, Julia Hutter, Anthony Williams, April K. Randhawa, Morten Ruhwald, Ingrid Kromann, Peter L. Andersen, Carlos A. DiazGranados, Kathryn T. Rutkowski, Dereck Tait, Maurine D. Miner, Erica Andersen-Nissen, Stephen C. De Rosa, Kelly E. Seaton, Georgia D. Tomaras, M. Juliana McElrath, Ann Ginsberg, James G. Kublin, HVTN 602 (2020-03-20). [Research Paper] A phase 1b randomized study of the safety and immunological responses to vaccination with H4:IC31, H56:IC31, and BCG revaccination in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-uninfected adolescents in Cape Town, South Africa. thelancet.com BCG revaccination administered as a single dose ID and both H4: IC31 and H56: IC31 administered as 2 doses IM had acceptable safety profiles in healthy, QFT-negative, previously BCG-vaccinated adolescents. Characterization of the assays and the immunogenicity of these vaccines may help to identify valuable markers of protection for upcoming immune correlates analyses of C-040-404 and future TB vaccine efficacy trials.

Alan Macleod (2020-03-20). "A Storm is Coming" — Doctors Warn of COVID-19 Wave Racking US Prisons. mintpressnews.com Doctors are warning that the huge numbers of inmates locked inside large communal cells, often with dozens of other people, a perfect breeding ground for disease.

F. William Engdahl (2020-03-20). Coronavirus, Vaccines and the Gates Foundation. globalresearch.ca Arguably, no one has been more active in promoting and funding research on vaccines aimed at dealing with coronavirus than Bill Gates and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. From sponsoring a simulation of a coronavirus global pandemic, just weeks …

Lee Price (2020-03-20). Supreme Court Could Soon Make Government Regulation. zcomm.org Without the power to regulate health, safety, finance and other critical areas, we'll be living in a much sicker, more dangerous and more economically unstable world…

Howard Lisnoff (2020-03-20). Living at the End of the World. counterpunch.org The coronavirus spreads like a kind of modern plague across the global landscape. The view from my study window is of the gently rolling hills of the Berkshires in the foothills of the Appalachians. Today, they are lightly dusted with snow that will vanish in the warmer air by mid afternoon. Here, looking toward my

Yunpeng Ji, Zhongren Ma, Maikel P Peppelenbosch, Qiuwei Pan (2020-03-20). [Correspondence] Potential association between COVID-19 mortality and health-care resource availability. thelancet.com The ongoing epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is devastating, despite extensive implementation of control measures. The outbreak was sparked in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province in China, and quickly spread to different regions of Hubei and across all other Chinese provinces.

Yan Niud, Fujie Xu (2020-03-20). [Comment] Deciphering the power of isolation in controlling COVID-19 outbreaks. thelancet.com Isolation of cases and contacts has long been a strategy in the fight against infectious diseases; however, its effectiveness has varied. The modelling study by Joel Hellewell and colleagues1 qualitatively explored the parameters that determine whether isolation of cases and contacts can successfully contain COVID-19 outbreaks after importation of travel-related cases and initial transmissions.

Jos Luttjeboer, Abrham Wondimu, Jurjen Van der Schans, Maarten J Postma (2020-03-20). [Comment] Maximising the potential of HPV vaccines. thelancet.com In The Lancet Global Health, Kaja M Abbas and colleagues1 present revised estimates of the worldwide impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination on prevention of cervical cancer, using the Papillomavirus Rapid Interface for Modelling and Economics (PRIME) model. Their updated analysis uses population demography data from the UN World Population Prospects 2019 revision, disability weights from the Global Burden of Disease 2017 study, and cervical cancer burden from the Global Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence 2018 database.

WSWS (2020-03-20). Italian army drafted to transport corpses as coronavirus deaths surge in Europe. wsws.org Health systems in Italy, the European epicenter of the disease, are so overwhelmed that they cannot process the corpses of the dead, let alone tend to the sick.

Simon Wigley, Joseph L Dieleman, Tara Templin, Samantha Kiernan, Thomas J Bollyky (2020-03-20). [Correspondence] Democracy and implementation of non-communicable disease policies. thelancet.com In their Article in The Lancet Global Health, Luke Allen and colleagues1 found weak evidence for a positive association between democracy and the implementation of polices recommended by WHO to reduce the burden of premature non-communicable disease mortality.1 As Allen and colleagues note, that finding is in contrast with our research on the positive association between democracy and population health outcomes on non-communicable diseases.2 Accordingly, here we build on the important analysis of Allen and colleagues by closely examining the association between democracy and implementation of non-communicable dis…

Quintina Dawson (2020-03-20). [News] NELSON trial: reduced lung-cancer mortality with volume CT screening. thelancet.com Globally, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death, accounting for an estimated 2 ∑09 million cases yearly, which results in 1 ∑76 million deaths. The high mortality rate is due to many patients not being diagnosed until they have advanced-stage disease, at which point treatment options are limited and prognosis is poor. Therefore, early detection and intervention is crucial for better outcome and survival.

Roy M Anderson, Hans Heesterbeek, Don Klinkenberg, T Déirdre Hollingsworth (2020-03-20). [Comment] How will country-based mitigation measures influence the course of the COVID-19 epidemic? thelancet.com Governments will not be able to minimise both deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the economic impact of viral spread. Keeping mortality as low as possible will be the highest priority for individuals; hence governments must put in place measures to ameliorate the inevitable economic downturn. In our view, COVID-19 has developed into a pandemic, with small chains of transmission in many countries and large chains resulting in extensive spread in a few countries, such as Italy, Iran, South Korea, and Japan.

Amanda M Rojek, Shevin T Jacob, Jake Dunning (2020-03-20). [Correspondence] Treating Ebola in eastern DRC. thelancet.com Since the onset of the west Africa Ebola virus outbreak, there has been remarkable progress in efforts to provide patients with improved supportive care and access to experimental treatments. It is reasonable to explore the potential therapeutic value of both pathogen-directed antiviral therapies and host-directed therapies (eg, monoclonal antibody combinations). Given unacceptably high mortality rates among patients with Ebola virus disease, treatments shown to be safe and efficacious in clinical trials would be welcomed by clinicians and affected communities.

Jinnong Zhang, Luqian Zhou, Yuqiong Yang, Wei Peng, Wenjing Wang, Xuelin Chen (2020-03-20). [Correspondence] Therapeutic and triage strategies for 2019 novel coronavirus disease in fever clinics. thelancet.com In December, 2019, numerous unexplained pneumonia cases occurred in Wuhan, China. This outbreak was confirmed to be caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), belonging to the same family of viruses responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).1 The SARS epidemic in 2003 was controlled through numerous measures in China. One effective strategy was the establishment of fever clinics for triaging patients. Based on our first-hand experience in dealing with the present outbreak in Wuhan, we have established the following clinical s…

Laurie Garrett (2020-03-20). [Perspectives] COVID-19: the medium is the message. thelancet.com In a world of polarising distrust and trade tensions, the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), both within nations and internationally, is aided and abetted by misinformation that circumnavigates the planet in microseconds. Such misinformation is not all malevolent, although its impact can be devastating. The only bastion of defence against rising public panic, financial market hysteria, and unintended misunderstandings of the science and epidemiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is agile, accurate, worldwide-available counter-information that takes the high moral grou…

Tianbing Wang, Zhe Du, Fengxue Zhu, Zhaolong Cao, Youzhong An, Yan Gao, Baoguo Jiang (2020-03-20). [Correspondence] Comorbidities and multi-organ injuries in the treatment of COVID-19. thelancet.com "We now have a name for the disease caused by coronavirus and it's COVID-19", said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO on Feb 11, 2020.1 WHO recently updated the name novel coronavirus pneumonia, previously named by Chinese scientists,2 to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Zhou Xu, Shu Li, Shen Tian, Hao Li, Ling-quan Kong (2020-03-20). [Correspondence] Full spectrum of COVID-19 severity still being depicted. thelancet.com Chaolin Huang and colleagues1 first reported the clinical features of patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; previously known as 2019-nCoV), which emerged in Wuhan, China. Their study will contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Meanwhile, the conclusions have caused a certain degree of social panic.

Asal Golshaie (2020-03-20). [News] The first global forum on childhood pneumonia. thelancet.com Worldwide, 800‚Äà000 children die from pneumonia annually—more than from any other infectious disease that affects children younger than 5 years. Children in lower to middle income countries (LMICs), which carry the highest mortality burden, are most at risk. Established risk factors for childhood pneumonia include outdoor air pollution, household air pollution from cooking fuels, malnutrition, and lack of vaccination.

K Srinath Reddy (2020-03-20). [Comment] Measuring mortality from non-communicable diseases: broadening the band. thelancet.com Despite inexplicable exclusion from the Millennium Development Goals of 2000, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were recognised as a major global public health threat by the UN in 2011 and found a place in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of 2015. Periodically updated estimates of NCD-related death and disability, from the Global Burden of Disease Study, and associated economic losses, make a compelling case for a determined response.1—3…

Xiaoying Gu, Bin Cao, Jianwei Wang (2020-03-20). [Correspondence] Full spectrum of COVID-19 severity still being depicted — Authors' reply. thelancet.com Zhou Xu and colleagues point out that mortality, which should be referred correctly and more clearly as case fatality ratio, among the first 41 cases with laboratory-confirmed 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19; previously known as 2019-nCoV) was misleading in our Article.1…

teleSUR (2020-03-20). Cuba Sends 53 Doctors and Nurses to Fight Covid-19 in Italy. telesurenglish.net Cuban health authorities announced on Thursday that the country will send 53 health professionals to Lombardy, Italy, to help contain the new coronavirus pandemic. | RELATED: | The 53 doctors and nurses have experience in caring for these types of diseases. In 2014, they traveled to Sierra Leone in West Africa to fight the Ebola virus. | According to Cuban authorities, the arrival in Lombardy will take place…

The Lancet Infectious Diseases (2020-03-20). [Editorial] Challenges of coronavirus disease 2019. thelancet.com Yet again, the world is experiencing a global viral epidemic of zoonotic origin. As of Feb 12, 45‚Äà204 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 1116 deaths had been reported in 25 countries. The majority of cases and, at the time of writing, all but one death have been in China, despite efforts in the country to halt transmission through shutting down transport, quarantining entire cities, and enforcing the use of face masks. International flights have been cancelled and affected cruise ships quarantined.

The Lancet (2020-03-20). [Editorial] Ebola in DR Congo: getting the job done. thelancet.com With the world's focus on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, a good news story receiving far less attention is that of Semida Masika, the last person in DR Congo confirmed to have Ebola virus infection and discharged from care after her recovery on March 4. This important milestone is a remarkable achievement given the insecurity in DR Congo, which led to serious attacks on health-care facilities, workers, and patients, and a continual disabling of the outbreak response.

De Chang, Huiwen Xu, Andre Rebaza, Lokesh Sharma, Charles S Dela Cruz (2020-03-20). [Correspondence] Protecting health-care workers from subclinical coronavirus infection. thelancet.com Health-care workers face an elevated risk of exposure to infectious diseases, including the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in China. It is imperative to ensure the safety of health-care workers not only to safeguard continuous patient care but also to ensure they do not transmit the virus. COVID-19 can spread via cough or respiratory droplets, contact with bodily fluids, or from contaminated surfaces.1 According to recent guidelines from the China National Health Commission, pneumonia caused by COVID-19 was included as a Group B infectious disease, which is in the same category as other infectious viruses such as s…

2020-03-20: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

Immigrants in US detention facilities plea for help as coronavirus pandemic spreads
wsws.org | 2020-03-20
The lack of medical care and the extremely close quarters in America's detention camps create excellent conditions for the coronavirus to spread rapidly if even a single person catches the disease.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/20/coro…

Spinning Fear and Panic Across America. Analysis of COVID-19 Data
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-20
The US media is relentlessly spinning fear, panic and despair, with the endorsement of "authoritative" American scientists. "The new coronavirus could kill millions across the United States", according to Dr. Kathleen Neuzil a specialist in vaccines at the University of …
globalresearch.ca/spinning-fear-and-panic-across-america-analysis-of-covid-19-data/5706785

Immigrants in US detention facilities plead for help as coronavirus pandemic spreads
wsws.org | 2020-03-20
The lack of medical care and the extremely close quarters in America's detention camps create excellent conditions for the coronavirus to spread rapidly if even a single person catches the disease.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/20/coro…

[Editorial] Peace and health in Afghanistan
The Lancet | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
After years of war and political instability, Afghanistan is at a potentially historic crossroads. On Feb 29, 2020, a peace deal was agreed between the Taliban and the USA. The anticipated resumption of talks between the Afghan Government and the Taliban could signal a new phase, but what this means for the Afghan people is unclear. Weak health systems and disrupted access to health care have left many in poor health for decades, but since the fall of the Taliban some extraordinary gains in health have occurred.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)30643-7/fulltext?rss=yes

[Research Paper] A phase 1b randomized study of the safety and immunological responses to vaccination with H4:IC31, H56:IC31, and BCG revaccination in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-uninfected adolescents in Cape Town, South Africa
Linda-Gail Bekker, One Dintwe, Andrew Fiore-Gartland, Keren Middelkoop, Julia Hutter, Anthony Williams, April K. Randhawa, Morten Ruhwald, Ingrid Kromann, Peter L. Andersen, Carlos A. DiazGranados, Kathryn T. Rutkowski, Dereck Tait, Maurine D. Miner, Erica Andersen-Nissen, Stephen C. De Rosa, Kelly E. Seaton, Georgia D. Tomaras, M. Juliana McElrath, Ann Ginsberg, James G. Kublin, HVTN 602 | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
BCG revaccination administered as a single dose ID and both H4: IC31 and H56: IC31 administered as 2 doses IM had acceptable safety profiles in healthy, QFT-negative, previously BCG-vaccinated adolescents. Characterization of the assays and the immunogenicity of these vaccines may help to identify valuable markers of protection for upcoming immune correlates analyses of C-040-404 and future TB vaccine efficacy trials.
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PI…(20)30057-2/fulltext?rss=yes

Efficacy and safety of methotrexate in the management of inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials
Ole Haagen Nielsen, Casper Steenholdt, Carsten Bogh Juhl, Gerhard Rogler | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
Current data support the efficacy of parenteral MTX monotherapy for maintenance of clinical remission in CD. MTX is not confirmed to be effective for treatment of UC or for induction of remission in CD. No evidence supports concomitant MTX to improve efficacy of IFX (no other biologics investigated).
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PI…(20)30015-8/fulltext?rss=yes

Doctor: As Coronavirus Cases Spike Worldwide, We Need Global Cooperation to Halt Spread
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-03-20
As the worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has topped 10,000, with over 250,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, we speak with Stanford University's global health expert Dr. Michele Barry, an infectious disease doctor. Italy has surpassed China in coronavirus deaths, and cases are rising in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, as the governor of California has ordered all 40 million residents to shelter in place.
www.democracynow.org/2020/3/20/coronavir…

The Kushner Family Could Be Getting Very Rich Thanks to the Coronavirus
Alan Macleod | mintpressnews.com | 2020-03-20
The Kushner family's ties to for-profit healthcare companies underscore the myriad of conflicts of interests that billionaire businessmen have, making them particularly unsuited to holding public office.
mintpressnews.com/kushner-family-getting…

Supreme Court Could Soon Make Government Regulation
Lee Price | zcomm.org | 2020-03-20
Without the power to regulate health, safety, finance and other critical areas, we'll be living in a much sicker, more dangerous and more economically unstable world…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/supreme-court-coul…

Coronavirus, Vaccines and the Gates Foundation
F. William Engdahl | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-20
Arguably, no one has been more active in promoting and funding research on vaccines aimed at dealing with coronavirus than Bill Gates and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. From sponsoring a simulation of a coronavirus global pandemic, just weeks …
globalresearch.ca/coronavirus-gates-foundation/5706842

The capitalist pandemic, Coronavirus and the economic crisis
Éric Toussaint | mronline.org | 2020-03-20
The coronavirus pandemic is a serious public health problem and the human suffering caused by the spread of this virus will be enormous. If it massively affects countries of the Global South with very fragile public health systems that have been undermined by 40 years of neo-liberal policies, the death toll will be very high. […] | Source…
mronline.org/2020/03/20/the-capitalist-p…

[Spotlight] Coronavirus epidemic: preparing for extracorporeal organ support in intensive care
Claudio Ronco, Paolo Navalesi, Jean Louis Vincent | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
Zoonotic viral infections are more frequently crossing species to infect human populations. In 2003, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus was transmitted to humans from exotic animals in wet markets in China, and in 2015, the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) virus was transmitted from camels in Saudi Arabia. In both cases, and with the 2019 coronavirus outbreak in China, the original host of the virus is likely to be bats.
thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PI…(20)30060-6/fulltext?rss=yes

[Comment] The burden of allergic diseases in the Indian subcontinent: barriers and challenges
Mamidipudi T Krishna, Padukudru Anand Mahesh, Pudupakkam K Vedanthan, Vinay Mehta, Saibal Moitra, Devasahayam Jesudas Christopher | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
Allergic diseases occur because of a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. High-income countries have faced an allergy epidemic during the past 3–4 decades, with nearly one in four children diagnosed with allergic rhinitis, asthma, or eczema. An increasing prevalence of allergic rhinitis and asthma has also been reported in the Indian subcontinent.1,2 India is the second most populous country (1 ∑35 billion people) in the world and is classified as a lower-middle income country.
thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PI…(20)30061-9/fulltext?rss=yes

Nature's Revenge: Climate Change and COVID-19
Evaggelos Vallianatos | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-20
The corona virus pandemic is no accident. Like past global epidemics, it's a warning that nature has had it with the ecocidal proclivities of man. These outrageous actions are changing climate and are warming and threatening planet Earth. Nature (the Earth) is fighting back. Climate change is sowing pandemic diseases. Corona virus in America No…
counterpunch.org/2020/03/20/natures-reve…

[Comment] Measles epidemic in Samoa and other Pacific islands
Adam T Craig, Anita E Heywood, Heather Worth | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
On Oct 16, 2019, the Samoan Ministry of Health declared a measles outbreak, the first Pacific island country to do so in the current global resurgence of measles.1 As of Jan 22, 2020, 5707 measles cases and 83 measles-related deaths (estimated attack rate of approximately 285 cases per 10‚Äà000 population) have been reported.2 87% of deaths have been reported as children younger than 5 years, a mortality rate of approximately 25 deaths per 10‚Äà000 people in this age group.2…
thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PI…(20)30053-0/fulltext?rss=yes

China's Wuhan Marks No New Coronavirus Case, Success of Strict Measures
Xinhua | globalresearch.ca | 2020-03-20
No new infections of the novel coronavirus were reported on Wednesday in Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic, marking a notable first in the city's months-long battle with the deadly virus and sending a message of hope to the world …
globalresearch.ca/china-wuhan-marks-no-new-coronavirus-case-success-strict-measures/5706860

If Trump Declares Martial Law Due to Coronavirus, Can He Suspend the Election?
Staff | truthdig.com | 2020-03-20
Following the criticism that he has mismanaged the nation's response to the coronavirus epidemic, Trump has declared himself a "wartime president." If martial law is next, what will happen to the November election?
truthdig.com/articles/if-trump-declares-…

[Comment] A public health emergency among young people
Andy Bush, Jayesh M Bhatt, Gary J Connett, Iolo Doull, Francis J Gilchrist, Jonathan Grigg, Simon C Langton Hewer, Julian Legg, Warren Lenney, Ian P Sinha | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
While some countries have banned the use of e-cigarettes or vaping products altogether (eg, India), and others have strongly advised against their use (eg, Australia), in the UK, Public Health England (PHE) appears to be a lone voice in stating that vaping is 95% safer than smoking tobacco. Here we consider whether vaping can be considered safe; whether vaping is a means of smoking cessation or at least harm reduction; and the correct response to the spiralling epidemic of vaping in young people (
thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PI…(19)30468-0/fulltext?rss=yes

[Comment] Offline: COVID-19–a reckoning
Richard Horton | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
"To be clear we have one strategic aim: save lives." So stated a UK Government health adviser in an email sent to me last weekend. It was an email filled with frustration. "Part of the considerable difficulty in managing this epidemic", he wrote, "where we know a number of things but have some major gaps in knowledge (especially around asymptomatic transmission by age, which has major implications), is to do this in a way where we minimise the negative health impact of interventions on other aspects of health, both physical and mental…And try to think through the endgame from the start, where the endgame is qui…
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)30669-3/fulltext?rss=yes

[Editorial] Challenges of coronavirus disease 2019
The Lancet Infectious Diseases | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
Yet again, the world is experiencing a global viral epidemic of zoonotic origin. As of Feb 12, 45‚Äà204 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 1116 deaths had been reported in 25 countries. The majority of cases and, at the time of writing, all but one death have been in China, despite efforts in the country to halt transmission through shutting down transport, quarantining entire cities, and enforcing the use of face masks. International flights have been cancelled and affected cruise ships quarantined.
thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PI…(20)30072-4/fulltext?rss=yes

[Correspondence] Therapeutic and triage strategies for 2019 novel coronavirus disease in fever clinics
Jinnong Zhang, Luqian Zhou, Yuqiong Yang, Wei Peng, Wenjing Wang, Xuelin Chen | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
In December, 2019, numerous unexplained pneumonia cases occurred in Wuhan, China. This outbreak was confirmed to be caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), belonging to the same family of viruses responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).1 The SARS epidemic in 2003 was controlled through numerous measures in China. One effective strategy was the establishment of fever clinics for triaging patients. Based on our first-hand experience in dealing with the present outbreak in Wuhan, we have established the following clinical s…
thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PI…(20)30071-0/fulltext?rss=yes

[Correspondence] Mass masking in the COVID-19 epidemic: people need guidance
Chi Chiu Leung, Tai Hing Lam, Kar Keung Cheng | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
As the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outside China is accelerating, we urge policy makers to reconsider the role of masking.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)30520-1/fulltext?rss=yes

[Correspondence] Potential association between COVID-19 mortality and health-care resource availability
Yunpeng Ji, Zhongren Ma, Maikel P Peppelenbosch, Qiuwei Pan | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
The ongoing epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is devastating, despite extensive implementation of control measures. The outbreak was sparked in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province in China, and quickly spread to different regions of Hubei and across all other Chinese provinces.
thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PI…(20)30068-1/fulltext?rss=yes

[Comment] UN General Assembly tuberculosis targets: are we on track?
Suvanand Sahu, Lucica Ditiu, Lovett Lawson, Francine Ntoumi, Denise Arakaki, Alimuddin Zumla | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
The 2018 UN General Assembly (UNGA) Political Declaration on Tuberculosis was a turning point in global efforts to end the tuberculosis epidemic.1,2 Ambitious targets were set for scale-up and roll-out of diagnostic, treatment, and prevention services, political commitments, principles of equity and human rights, and financing, implementation, and research. Targets included diagnosing and treating an additional 40 million people with tuberculosis by 2022 and generating US$13 billion per year for tuberculosis care and prevention and $2 billion per year for research and development.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)30565-1/fulltext?rss=yes

The Virus and Capitalism
Rob Urie | counterpunch.org | 2020-03-20
The U.S. is in the midst of a full-blown public health crisis made worse by systemic political dysfunction. The benchmark Imperial College study suggesting that up to two million people in the U.S. could die from the coronavirus epidemic assumes that the U.S. has an adequate healthcare system— that no one dies from not getting treatment. It doesn't. Without one, expected deaths are much higher. Should the U.S. experience be similar to Italy or Wuhan to date, add another eleven million* dead to the worst case scenario.
counterpunch.org/2020/03/20/the-virus-an…

[Comment] How will country-based mitigation measures influence the course of the COVID-19 epidemic?
Roy M Anderson, Hans Heesterbeek, Don Klinkenberg, T Déirdre Hollingsworth | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
Governments will not be able to minimise both deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the economic impact of viral spread. Keeping mortality as low as possible will be the highest priority for individuals; hence governments must put in place measures to ameliorate the inevitable economic downturn. In our view, COVID-19 has developed into a pandemic, with small chains of transmission in many countries and large chains resulting in extensive spread in a few countries, such as Italy, Iran, South Korea, and Japan.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)30567-5/fulltext?rss=yes

[World Report] Canada and COVID-19: learning from SARS
Paul Webster | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
The 2003 SARS epidemic killed 44 people in Canada, and led to many proposals for reforms. Paul Webster looks at how the SARS outbreak has affected Canada's COVID-19 response.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)30670-X/fulltext?rss=yes

Fighting COVID-19 in Cuba, China, and the United States
W. T. Whitney Jr. | peoplesworld.org | 2020-03-20
Governments, according to Thomas Jefferson, are supposed to guarantee people's rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." COVID-19 has put people's lives and health in the spotlight now. What kinds of tools do governments have at their disposal to protect lives and health? Cuba has the advantages of forward-looking leadership, well-orchestrated state planning, …
peoplesworld.org/article/fighting-covid-…

[Commentary] Women and girls' health agency: Operationalizing the "Can-Act-Resist" of the women's empowerment process
Anita Raj | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Bejing Declaration and Platform for Action

[Correspondence] Launching HIV self-testing in a multicultural setting in Cameroon
Franàßois-Xavier Mbopi-Kéou, Ginette Claude Mireille Kalla, Paulin Anankeu, Jean-Emmanuel Pondi | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
People living with HIV in western and central Africa are often unaware of their HIV status.1 To address this issue, HIV self-testing, an approach developed in 2014, should be incorporated into implementation strategies for a more efficient fight against HIV. On May 15, 2019, HIV self-testing was launched in Ngog Mapubi, a remote, rural health district of the Centre Region of Cameroon (figure). We aimed to evaluate the sociodemographic and behavioural factors associated with acceptability of supervised HIV self-testing among the local population, including students, using a specifically designed questionnaire.
thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PI…(20)30050-5/fulltext?rss=yes

[Comment] Measuring mortality from non-communicable diseases: broadening the band
K Srinath Reddy | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
Despite inexplicable exclusion from the Millennium Development Goals of 2000, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were recognised as a major global public health threat by the UN in 2011 and found a place in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of 2015. Periodically updated estimates of NCD-related death and disability, from the Global Burden of Disease Study, and associated economic losses, make a compelling case for a determined response.1–3…
thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PI…(20)30064-4/fulltext?rss=yes

Drivers shut down Detroit bus system with sick-out over health and safety concerns during coronavirus outbreak
wsws.org | 2020-03-20
Bus drivers took matters into their own hands in Detroit on Tuesday morning and shut down the city's public transportation system to demand sanitary conditions.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/20/buss…

WorkWeek On SF Housing With Dean Preston, ILWU Port Safety & UCSF AFSCME Cancer Cluster
WorkWeek | indybay.org | 2020-03-20
WorkWeek interviews SF Supervisor Dean Preston about the housing crisis and the fight against evictions. Next WorkWeek hears about UAW auto worker wildcats over the failure to protect the health and safety of auto workers. We interview UAW 551 Chicago Ford worker Scott Houldierson. | Next WorkWeek hears about the conditions of Bay Area Longshore workers who are members of ILWU Local 10 with Trent Willis, president of the Local. | Last, WorkWeek interviews Stella Miranda, the wife of a UCSF AFSCME 3299 worker whose worksite was on radioactive contaminated land at the Hunters Point shipyard. | She talks about what…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/19/1883167…

San Francisco Food Not Bombs Is Sharing Food on Wednesday, March 18
San Francisco Food Not Bombs | indybay.org | 2020-03-20
San Francisco Food Not Bombs will keep its regular schedule during the San Francisco Department of Public Health's Shelter In Place Order.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/18/1883165…

[Correspondence] Exactly what do we know about tree pollen allergenicity?
Rita Sousa-Silva, Audrey Smargiassi, Alain Paquette, David Kaiser, Dan Kneeshaw | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
Ecosystem services (benefits to humans) of urban trees are thought to include positive health outcomes resulting from their reduction of air temperature, pollution, and noise, and their promotion of physical activity and wellbeing. Trees, however, are also associated with disservices such as pollen-related allergies and asthma, which has led to questioning of the benefits of urban greening on respiratory health.1 Surprisingly, the allergenic potency and cross-reactivity of most tree species are still largely unknown or based on undocumented methods.
thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PI…(19)30472-2/fulltext?rss=yes

[Comment] Air pollution and stunting: a missing link?
Sheela S Sinharoy, Thomas Clasen, Reynaldo Martorell | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
Child linear growth impairment, particularly stunting, remains a global health challenge. Stunting is defined as a height-for-age Z-score more than two SDs below the WHO child growth standards reference median for age and sex. The number of children younger than 5 years who are stunted was 59 million (34%) in south Asia and 58 million (33%) in sub-Saharan Africa in 2018.1 Stunting is associated with poor child development, lower productivity and earnings in adulthood, and increased risk of chronic diseases later in life.
thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PI…(20)30063-2/fulltext?rss=yes

Cuba Sends 53 Doctors and Nurses to Fight Covid-19 in Italy
telesurenglish.net | 2020-03-20
Cuban health authorities announced on Thursday that the country will send 53 health professionals to Lombardy, Italy, to help contain the new coronavirus pandemic. | RELATED: | Cuba UK Cruise Ship with 5 COVID-19 Cases Starts Evacuating in Cuba | The 53 doctors and nurses have experience in caring for these types of diseases. In 2014, they traveled to Sierra Leone in West Africa to fight the Ebola virus. | According to Cuban authorities, the arrival in Lombardy will take place…
telesurenglish.net/news/cuba-to-send-53-…

What We Must Learn From Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong
Julian Vigo | dissidentvoice.org | 2020-03-20
One of the major concerns about COVID-19 in northern Italy after concern for the physically infirm and elderly is the impact treating patients will have on the healthcare system. The healthcare system in many northern Italian regions is already at a breaking point as within the first twenty days of the outbreak over 10,000 infections …
dissidentvoice.org/2020/03/what-we-must-…

[Research Paper] Sport as a vehicle of change for livelihoods, social participation and marital health for the youth: Findings from a prospective cohort in Bihar, India
Nandita Bhan, Kaushik Bhadra, Namratha Rao, Jennifer Yore, Anita Raj | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
Evidence from India shows that sport can be an instrument supporting pro-social engagement for boys and girls. Further understanding of the gendered nature of sport and the mechanisms linking sport to agency among youth is needed.
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PI…(20)30046-8/fulltext?rss=yes

UK: Johnson government uses coronavirus crisis to seize dictatorial powers
wsws.org | 2020-03-20
Britain's ruling elite is using the enormous danger to public health posed by the COVID-19 pandemic to implement a raft of anti-democratic measures they have long planned to impose.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/20/emer…

'F***ing petrifying': London hospital declares 'critical incident' as Covid-19 crisis cranks up pressure on UK healthcare system
rt.com | 2020-03-20
A hospital in north west London has declared a "critical incident" as it counts those requiring a high level of care, revealing that it doesn't have enough space to treat such people, due to an escalation in coronavirus patients. | In a message sent to its workers on Thursday, Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow said that it has no critical care capacity left, reports the Health Service Journal (HSJ). The UK has seen 177 deaths linked to Covid-19 as of Friday &#150…
rt.com/uk/483654-london-hospital-critica…

[Articles] Effects of updated demography, disability weights, and cervical cancer burden on estimates of human papillomavirus vaccination impact at the global, regional, and national levels: a PRIME modelling study
Kaja M Abbas, Kevin van Zandvoort, Marc Brisson, Mark Jit | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
HPV vaccination provides greater health benefits and is more cost-effective than was previously estimated. The demography update, which incorporates population aging, has the largest effect on the health impact estimates. The WHO African region is expected to gain the greatest health benefits and should be prioritised for HPV vaccination.
thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PI…(20)30022-X/fulltext?rss=yes

Coronavirus clean-up: Sanitation workers face increased risk, job loss
C.J. Atkins | peoplesworld.org | 2020-03-20
Wherever there is poor sanitation, disease and illness spread. That's why those who work in the waste management industry are just as much an "essential service" right now as are health care, pharmacy, grocery, and restaurant workers. Dealing with all the trash society produces is a dirty and dangerous job even in normal times; during …
peoplesworld.org/article/coronavirus-cle…

[Editorial] Ebola in DR Congo: getting the job done
The Lancet | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
With the world's focus on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, a good news story receiving far less attention is that of Semida Masika, the last person in DR Congo confirmed to have Ebola virus infection and discharged from care after her recovery on March 4. This important milestone is a remarkable achievement given the insecurity in DR Congo, which led to serious attacks on health-care facilities, workers, and patients, and a continual disabling of the outbreak response.
thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PI…(20)30645-0/fulltext?rss=yes

Silent streets: The homeless, the financially desperate, and essential services carry on
Al Neal | peoplesworld.org | 2020-03-20
This is the second installment of a two-part series featuring interviews with the workers in the service, health, and other sectors who are still going to their jobs each day during the coronavirus crisis–the ones keeping our society functioning. Part 1 can be read here. ST. LOUIS–They speak with their eyes. Who are they? The …
peoplesworld.org/article/silent-streets-…

Italian army drafted to transport corpses as coronavirus deaths surge in Europe
wsws.org | 2020-03-20
Health systems in Italy, the European epicenter of the disease, are so overwhelmed that they cannot process the corpses of the dead, let alone tend to the sick.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/20/ital…

Italy's Misleading Figures on the C-Virus
repost | indybay.org | 2020-03-20
In addition to false positives from the C-virus testing kits, we have these figures from Italy's Italian Institute of Health (ISS):…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/20/1883169…

[Comment] Recognising the substantial burden of neglected pandemics cystic and alveolar echinococcosis
Adriano Casulli | thelancet.com | 2020-03-20
Cystic echinococcosis and alveolar echinococcosis belong to the diverse group of mainly parasitic, but also bacterial, viral, and fungal diseases currently listed among the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) for which WHO advocates control.1 As with most NTDs, cystic and alveolar echinococcosis affect rural and marginalised communities without voice, often distant from health-care settings. However, and in contrast to most NTDs, the prevalence of cystic and alveolar echinococcosis extends beyond tropical and subtropical regions to include worldwide pastoral and rural communities of medium-high income countries, i…
thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PI…(20)30066-8/fulltext?rss=yes

What happens if you treat healthy school meals as a public service?
Barnabé Binctin | zcomm.org | 2020-03-20
Despite what the dominant neoliberal dogmas might lead you to think, the municipal level and "good, old fashioned" public service provision can respond to the needs and challenges of today…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/what-happens-if-yo…

Facing mask shortage, US doctors told to use bandanas
wsws.org | 2020-03-20
The CDC recommends that when facemasks are no longer available, health care workers may have to improvise, using scarves or bandanas to protect themselves when treating patients suspected of or confirmed with COVID-19.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/20/viru…