MONKEYPOX VACCINES TO BE DISTRIBUTED.
In a move that is doomed to draw criticism, monkeypox vaccines are set to be distributed to countries experiencing outbreaks. Per the Associated Press, “The World Health Organization said it’s creating a new vaccine-sharing mechanism to stop the outbreak of monkeypox in more than 30 countries beyond Africa. The move could result in the U.N. health agency distributing scarce vaccine doses to rich countries that can otherwise afford them. To some health experts, the initiative potentially misses the opportunity to control monkeypox virus in the African countries where it’s infected people for decades, serving as another example of the inequity in vaccine distribution that was seen during the coronavirus pandemic.” Case of damned if you do, damned if you don’t? https://bit.ly/3zEtv2M
MONKEYPOX VIRUS FOUND IN SEMEN.
The majority of monkeypox cases outside of Africa have been reported in the MSM community. This has prompted studies that indicate it may be transmitted sexually. According to I, “The World Health Organisation is looking into reports that the monkeypox virus is present in the semen of patients, exploring the possibility that the disease could be sexually transmitted, a WHO official said on Wednesday. Many cases in the current monkeypox outbreak, largely centred on Europe, are among sexual partners who have had close contact, and the agency reiterated that virus is mainly transmitted via close interpersonal contact. In recent days, scientists say they have detected viral DNA in the semen of a handful of monkeypox patients in Italy and Germany, including a lab-tested sample that suggested the virus found in the semen of a single patient was capable of infecting another person and replicating.” Whatever the case may be, it’s of the utmost importance that all forms of stigmatization be avoided. https://reut.rs/3Od1iUU
KILLING DENGUE AT ITS SOURCE.
One way of dealing with the dengue scourge plaguing tropical regions relies on vaccines. So far, that has proven less than ideal. A novel approach is to target the vectors themselves, i.e. mosquitoes. Singapore has been at the forefront of the non-pharmaceutical approach. Per Channel News Asia, “A project to fight dengue by releasing specially bred mosquitoes will be expanded to eight more public housing locations, covering an additional 1,400 HDB blocks. The releases of male Wolbachia-Aedes mosquitoes in these new areas will start in July, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu announced on Wednesday (Jun 15).” Project Wolbachia-Singapore involves the release of male mosquitoes infected with the Wolbachia bacteria. When these specially bred mosquitoes mate with urban female Aedes aegypti that do not carry Wolbachia, their resulting eggs do not hatch. https://bit.ly/3b3XDum
SWEET SUSTAINABILITY.
One Australian town has turned to using sugar as a source of sustainable energy. According to ABC Australia, “Sugar could be part of the answer to the current energy crisis, but fluctuating prices and an uncertain market means it could pose too big a risk in an expansion. Just one single mill operated by Australia’s second largest sugar milling company, Mackay Sugar, has the capacity to power about 30 per cent of the regional city of Mackay.” Unfortunately, decreasing sugar prices have made profitability difficult. Energy is generated by the sugar mills during the process of turning sugarcane into the sweet white stuff, thanks to a by-product called bagasse. Heating the bagasse to 800 degrees celsius produces steam which in turn is converted into electricity. https://ab.co/3MTVjTX
TIME TO SAY GOODBYE.
It’s the end of an era. Microsoft has pulled the plug on Internet Explorer, its first web browser. Per the AP, “As of Wednesday, Microsoft will no longer support the once-dominant browser that legions of web surfers loved to hate — and a few still claim to adore. The 27-year-old application now joins BlackBerry phones, dial-up modems and Palm Pilots in the dustbin of tech history. IE’s demise was not a surprise. A year ago, Microsoft said that it was putting an end to Internet Explorer on June 15, 2022, pushing users to its Edge browser, which was launched in 2015. The company made clear then it was time to move on.” Microsoft released the first version of Internet Explorer in 1995, directly challenging the first widely popular browser, Netscape Navigator. https://bit.ly/3MTBUCs
Thanks for reading. Let’s be careful out there.
IMAGE CREDIT: (ENTER NAMES)