
David Nabarro, British physician who led UN response to Ebola and COVID-19, dies
King Charles knighted Nabarro in 2023 for his contributions to global health after he served as one of six special envoys to the WHO on COVID-19. He won the 2018 World Food Prize for his work on health and hunger issues. He also was a candidate for the top job at the WHO in 2017 but lost out to Tedros in the final round of voting. Nabarro left the UN later that year.
The 4SD Foundation, a social enterprise in Switzerland focused on mentoring the next generation of leaders in global sustainable development, said its strategic director died at his home Friday in a sudden passing. Other details were not immediately available. 'David's generosity and unwavering commitment to improve the lives of others will be sorely missed,' the foundation wrote on its website Saturday. Survivors include his wife, Flo, as well as his five children and seven grandchildren.
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Arab News
14 hours ago
- Arab News
‘Silent killer': the science of tracing climate deaths in heatwaves
PARIS: A heatwave scorching Europe had barely subsided in early July when scientists published estimates that 2,300 people may have died across a dozen major cities during the extreme, climate-fueled episode. The figure was supposed to 'grab some attention' and sound a timely warning in the hope of avoiding more needless deaths, said Friederike Otto, one of the scientists involved in the research. 'We are still relatively early in the summer, so this will not have been the last heatwave. There is a lot that people and communities can do to save lives,' Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London, told AFP. Heat can claim tens of thousands of lives during European summers but it usually takes months, even years, to count the cost of this 'silent killer.' Otto and colleagues published their partial estimate just a week after temperatures peaked in western Europe. While the underlying methods were not new, the scientists said it was the first study to link heatwave deaths to climate change so soon after the event in question. Early mortality estimates could be misunderstood as official statistics but 'from a public health perspective the benefits of providing timely evidence outweigh these risks,' Raquel Nunes from the University of Warwick told AFP. 'This approach could have transformative potential for both public understanding and policy prioritization' of heatwaves, said Nunes, an expert on global warming and health who was not involved in the study. Science can show, with increasing speed and confidence, that human-caused climate change is making heatwaves hotter and more frequent. Unlike floods and fires, heat kills quietly, with prolonged exposure causing heat stroke, organ failure, and death. The sick and elderly are particularly vulnerable, but so are younger people exercising or toiling outdoors. But every summer, heat kills and Otto — a pioneer in the field of attribution science — started wondering if the message was getting through. 'We have done attribution studies of extreme weather events and attribution studies of heatwaves for a decade... but as a society we are not prepared for these heatwaves,' she said. 'People think it's 30 (degrees Celsius) instead of 27, what's the big deal? And we know it's a big deal.' When the mercury started climbing in Europe earlier this summer, scientists tweaked their approach. Joining forces, Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine chose to spotlight the lethality — not just the intensity — of the heat between June 23 and July 2. Combining historic weather and published mortality data, they assessed that climate change made the heatwave between 1C and 4C hotter across 12 cities, depending on location, and that 2,300 people had likely perished. But in a notable first, they estimated that 65 percent of these deaths — around 1,500 people across cities including London, Paris, and Athens — would not have occurred in a world without global warming. 'That's a much stronger message,' said Otto. 'It brings it much closer to home what climate change actually means and makes it much more real and human than when you say this heatwave would have been two degrees colder.' The study was just a snapshot of the wider heatwave that hit during western Europe's hottest June on record and sent temperatures soaring to 46C in Spain and Portugal. The true toll was likely much higher, the authors said, noting that heat deaths are widely undercounted. Since then Turkiye, Greece and Bulgaria have suffered fresh heatwaves and deadly wildfires. Though breaking new ground, the study has not been subject to peer review, a rigorous assessment process that can take more than a year. Otto said waiting until after summer to publish — when 'no one's talking about heatwaves, no one is thinking about keeping people safe' — would defeat the purpose. 'I think it's especially important, in this context, to get the message out there very quickly.' The study had limitations but relied on robust and well-established scientific methodology, several independent experts told AFP. Tailoring this approach to local conditions could help cities better prepare when heatwaves loom, Abhiyant Tiwari, a health and climate expert who worked on India's first-ever heat action plan, told AFP. 'I definitely see more such studies coming out in the future,' said Tiwari from NRDC India. Otto said India, which experiences tremendously hot summers, was a 'prime candidate' and with a template in place it was likely more studies would soon follow.


Asharq Al-Awsat
20 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
WHO Chief Says Continuous Medical Aid into Gaza ‘Critical'
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Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Pakistan to send two aid cargo planes for Palestine as Gaza hunger crisis deepens
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will dispatch two cargo planes full of aid and humanitarian relief to Jordan and Egypt and ensure their delivery to the people of Palestine, an official statement said on Tuesday, as the United Nations and international aid groups warn of growing starvation in the Gaza Strip. The aid comes as Israel's months-long blockade has crippled the flow of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, where the closure of UN-run distribution centers and restrictions on aid convoys have created severe access challenges. Under Israel's new distribution system, many Palestinians are forced to travel long distances, often under humiliating and dangerous conditions, to collect food, with some reportedly coming under fire while waiting in queues. The collapse of organized aid delivery has deepened fears of famine and widespread malnutrition, particularly among children. 'Under the directive of the Prime Minister, the Government of Pakistan has approved the urgent dispatch of critical humanitarian assistance to support the people of Palestine in distress,' the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in a statement, adding that 'the NDMA has been tasked to arrange two chartered cargo aircraft, each with a capacity of 100 tons, to deliver essential aid.' The NDMA said the special flights, carrying urgently needed rations and sustenance items, will be prepared within the next two days. It added the aircraft will be routed through Jordan and Egypt to ensure swift delivery to affected areas. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and the NDMA team will see off the flights from Islamabad, while Pakistan's ambassadors in Jordan and Egypt will coordinate receipt and onward delivery to the Palestinian areas. The NDMA also reaffirmed Pakistan's 'unwavering commitment' to supporting the Palestinian people during this challenging time. The UN World Food Programme has warned that nearly 100,000 women and children in Gaza are suffering from malnutrition, with about a third of the enclave's population reportedly 'not eating for days.' Doctors Without Borders has accused Israel of using 'starvation as a weapon' in its military campaign. Gaza's health ministry estimates that more than 60,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since the war began in October 2023.