Latest news with #subtropical
Zawya
a day ago
- Health
- Zawya
Africa Unites to Take Stock of Disease Burden and Financial Needs towards Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD)s Elimination by 2030
Fifty African Union Member States have endorsed a ground-breaking digital micro-planning portal co-created by Africa CDC to accelerate the elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases — a diverse group of infectious diseases that primarily affect impoverished communities in tropical and subtropical areas. This innovative platform developed with inputs from Member States, World Health Organization (WHO), END Fund, and other technical partners will track resource utilisation, advocate for sustainable financing and domestic resource mobilisation, and drive Africa-owned solutions to end these diseases of poverty by 2030. Each Member State shared a country-specific micro-plan for the top six high-burden NTDs guided by existing national Masterplans. This continental NTD microplanning workshop, held from 17 to 20 June occurred in the context of the recent reduction in funding from key global partners, which has disrupted essential NTD programmes and exposed the vulnerabilities in current financing models. 'Public health efforts across Africa are under threat, funding is among the challenges, noting that this makes the continued engagement and energy around NTD elimination even more commendable,' said Dr Raji Tajudeen, Africa CDC Acting Deputy Director General and Head, Division of Public Health Institutes and Research. Dr Dereje Duguma Gemeda, Ethiopian State Minister for Health said the workshop will help countries have a practical and data driven NTDs plan that will improve efforts to accelerate elimination efforts. Currently, 'The African Region is endemic for 20 of the 21-priority neglected tropical diseases; affecting over 565 million people and comprising 35 per cent of the global disease burden,' said Dr Ibrahima Soce Fall – Global NTD Director at the WHO. These diseases lead to significant morbidity, including physical and visual impairments, severe malnutrition, chronic pain, disfigurement, stigma and mental health issues, and death,' he said. Common NTDs include Intestinal worms, lymphatic filariasis, river blindness, Schistosomiasis, trachoma, and Visceral leishmaniasis. This new approach of micro-planning is designed to drive integrated country and regional planning, streamline resource mobilisation, and enhance budget efficiency—minimising duplication and maximising impact—to accelerate the elimination of NTDs. 'This situation underscores the urgent need for sustainable, country-owned solutions that leverage existing national capacities, optimize domestic resources, and identify key areas requiring targeted external investment,' said Dr states and partners over the 4 days immersed opportunity for cross country experience sharing and planning are keen to find a financial solution for integrated multi-sectoral NTD elimination. 'We stand at a critical juncture, not just for NTD elimination, but for rethinking health financing in Africa. Traditional reliance on foreign aid has demonstrated its limits. It's time for collaborative, country-led financing strategies that harness catalytic opportunities from residual foreign assistance while boosting efficiency in programming and domestic resource mobilization,' said Dr Solomon Zewdu, CEO, The END fund. 'This approach will drive the needed long-term sustainability and resilience. The END Fund is committed to being a trusted partner in this transformation, supporting governments and partners in developing co-financing models that deliver results and leave no community behind,' said Dr Zewdu. The meeting ensured countries have a comprehensive and costed country, and regional specific microplan for NTDs, identified country-specific technical assistance needs and detailed existing resources and partners within each member state to enhance collaboration and resource sharing. 'The elimination of NTDs is more than a public health objective: it is a lever for development and a decisive step towards achieving the African Union's Agenda 2063,' said Professor Julio Rakotonirina, Director for Health and Humanitarian Affairs, African Union Commission. 'The development of the micro-plan is only the first step. Success will lie in national ownership, resource mobilization, and, above all, operationalization on the ground.'Africa CDC, The END Fund and partners solidified their partnership with the micro-planning platform to accelerate ending NTD's by 2030. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
New area to watch for tropical development flagged in central Atlantic Ocean
The first three weeks of the Atlantic hurricane season have remained void of any tropical threats, but the National Hurricane Center is now watching an area of disturbed weather in the central subtropical Atlantic.
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Indian scientists search for the perfect apple
"My neighbours thought I'd lost my mind," says farmer Kakasaheb 2022 he had decided to plant some apple trees, not crazy for a farmer unless, like Mr Sawant, you live in subtropical southern India, where temperatures can hit bought 100 saplings, of which 80 survived. Last year each tree produced between 30 and 40 kilogrammes of fruit."My farm has become something of a local miracle. People travel from far-off places just to see the apple trees growing under the hot Maharashtra sun."It's not been an unqualified success though. One problem is that the apples are not sweet enough to Sawant remains enthusiastic. He's had some success selling apple tree saplings and is optimistic about future harvests."This is the beginning. The trees are getting acclimatised so according to me in next four to five years these trees will start bearing good, sweet apples." In his own small way, Mr Sawant is hoping to meet India's rising demand for apples. Production has risen 15% over the last five years to 2.5 million that is not keeping up with demand and India's imports have roughly doubled to 600,000 tonnes over the same period, according to S Chandrashekhar, who analyses India's apple trade. "We do have a shortage of apple production," he says. "There are not many new players... at the same time, and there is no new investment."Essential for a good apple crop is a lengthy period of winter temperature between 0C and like the UK, with around 1,000 hours of this chill-time, can produce almost any apple in India areas with those conditions are more limited. Most of India's apples come from two regions in the north of the country -Jammu and Kashmir and neighbouring Himachal Chandrashekhar says that many farms in those regions are becoming less productive. "There are lot of old orchards producing fewer apples - that means the yield is coming down," he says that climate change is making conditions less favourable. In the hope of expanding apple production into new areas, some scientists and farmers are experimenting with so-called low-chill are apple trees that can produce crops with around 400 hours of temperatures between 0C and eastern India is also not an apple growing region - its subtropical climate is too hot. But researchers at the Birsa Agricultural University (BAU) are testing 18 saplings of three low-chill has been limited so far - only one of the varieties has produced any fruit. "The plants have not reached optimal sizes. The tree has given us only around one to two kilogrammes of apples in 2024. I would not say that they are of best quality, but they were edible," says Dr Majid Ali. He says that as well as an unfavourable climate, the local soil is not ideal for apple trees and the trees get attacked by termites."This is an experimental stage. To reach a conclusion it would take three to four years to say if it is successful."He says that some local farmers have also been experimenting with low-chill apple varieties, also with little success. Some are sceptical that apples cultivated in hot areas will ever be a commercial proposition. "The fruit that grows in non-traditional regions has a very short shelf life. The taste is not so sweet," says Dr Dinesh Thakur, associate director of a regional horticulture research and training centre at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry."These low-chill apples can be grown as novelty fruit in a kitchen garden, but their viability as a commercial crop is not proven... most of them are a failure," he says. Dr Thakur is based in the traditional northern apple growing region of Himachal Pradesh and his research focuses on the improvement of apples through breeding."Climatic change is creating havoc in apple cultivation," he says. He says the number of those crucial chilling hours are falling and due to erratic weather conditions farmers are facing colossal financial losses every year. In search of better conditions, some orchards are being planted in higher locations, which were once considered too cold, he a government sponsored project his team are experimenting with 300 varieties of apples, to assess the impact of climate change."We are also working on climate-resilient apple genotypes that can withstand the existing climate," he far, they have developed an apple that matures with a ripe colour two months earlier than existing apple trees. "This helps offset erratic weather patterns brought by climate change and has a quality advantage over those areas where colour formation is problem due to lack of sunlight," Dr Thakur says. "This is just the beginning of research to create climate resilient fruit and create a fruit that is acceptable to the Indian taste bud." For Mr Chandrashekhar, boosting India's apple output will take more than just scientific work. "Apple orchards in the traditional apple cultivation areas are 15 to 20 years old. What is needed is replanting of new saplings," he says."The industry needs investment, huge investment. Who will do that?" he would like to see the juice and jam business developed, to provide the industry with another source of income. "That has to be a booster which can improve the apple economy and provide a better position for apple growers."
