World leaders have been urged to support immunisation programmes in poor countries for moral reasons and to safeguard their own nations.
As a two-day summit, convened by vaccines alliance Gavi, opened in Abu Dhabi, the UAE reaffirmed its commitment to playing its part in funding international vaccine schemes in future. South Korea also backed the cause of Gavi, which has helped inoculate around 700 million children since it was set up in 2000, with a new $15 million pledge.
However, senior figures at the charity have been alarmed at a rise in nationalism in other parts of the developed world, which has seen foreign aid budgets come under increased scrutiny. Donald Trump is among the world leaders to pledge to cut levels of foreign aid, as part of his ‘America First’ drive.
Gavi relies on government funding, as well charitable foundations, with planning to raise cash for its next four-year cycle, which starts in 2020, in its early stages.
“In a world that is fractured, where we have more displaced people than we’ve had in history, infectious diseases know no bounds,” Seth Berkley, the chief executive of Gavi, said at his organisation’s mid-term review on Saadiyat Island on Monday.
“Yes, you can try to keep people who are infected out, yes, you can require vaccines from people coming. But it’s only by getting rid of those diseases and that we can really have a safe world. It’s not only the right thing to do, it’s also something that’s good for all countries.”
Speaking to The National, he added: "Putting up a wall may stop people but it sure doesn't stop insects or infectious diseases. I can have dinner here in Abu Dhabi, breakfast in London or Geneva and lunch in New York, all in the incubation time of an infectious disease.
“Unless you were completely to close a country, infectious diseases will still move so the important point is you need to be thinking about this in a global way. Borders do not matter.”
Reem Al Hashimy, the UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, pledged that the country would “continue giving a hand of help to those who need it”.
The UAE gave $33 million to Gavi between 2011 and 2015 followed by another $5 million in the current cycle for campaigns in Afghanistan. It has also invested heavily in efforts to wipe out polio, pledging $120m in 2013. On Monday, South Korea’s pledge, to be delivered over the three years to 2021, offered another boost.
Gavi has said its work has saved 10 million lives since it was set up in 2000. It has helped to ensure the immunisation of more than 288 million children in Organisation of Islamic Cooperation states, and is “well on its way” to vaccinating another 300 million children across the world by 2020.
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Read more:
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National Editorial: The eradication of polio is finally within our grasp
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Among around 300 delegates attending the event are president of Niger, the prime minister of Mozambique and the former president of Tanzania.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister who is board chair at Gavi, said the scale of delivery of vaccines was a “success that the world should look at, at a time of uncertainty”.
Reflecting of efforts to vaccinate children in Yemen, which has been hit by a major cholera crisis, she said: “Immunisation for the population is not just a humanitarian thing, it is also probably one of the most cost-effective things that the international community can do for Yemen.
“For every dollar spent on immunising a child, you get $16 back in return in avoided health costs. Over a lifetime, it’s $44 in terms of benefits. So we’re not just talking humanitarian, we’re also talking about where the international community can get the most impact for their money.”
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
BIOSAFETY LABS SECURITY LEVELS
Biosafety Level 1
The lowest safety level. These labs work with viruses that are minimal risk to humans.
Hand washing is required on entry and exit and potentially infectious material decontaminated with bleach before thrown away.
Must have a lock. Access limited. Lab does not need to be isolated from other buildings.
Used as teaching spaces.
Study microorganisms such as Staphylococcus which causes food poisoning.
Biosafety Level 2
These labs deal with pathogens that can be harmful to people and the environment such as Hepatitis, HIV and salmonella.
Working in Level 2 requires special training in handling pathogenic agents.
Extra safety and security precautions are taken in addition to those at Level 1
Biosafety Level 3
These labs contain material that can be lethal if inhaled. This includes SARS coronavirus, MERS, and yellow fever.
Significant extra precautions are taken with staff given specific immunisations when dealing with certain diseases.
Infectious material is examined in a biological safety cabinet.
Personnel must wear protective gowns that must be discarded or decontaminated after use.
Strict safety and handling procedures are in place. There must be double entrances to the building and they must contain self-closing doors to reduce risk of pathogen aerosols escaping.
Windows must be sealed. Air from must be filtered before it can be recirculated.
Biosafety Level 4
The highest level for biosafety precautions. Scientist work with highly dangerous diseases that have no vaccine or cure.
All material must be decontaminated.
Personnel must wear a positive pressure suit for protection. On leaving the lab this must pass through decontamination shower before they have a personal shower.
Entry is severely restricted to trained and authorised personnel. All entries are recorded.
Entrance must be via airlocks.
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
