What We’re Reading 2/18/10

Feb 18th, 2010 10:52 AM UTC
By Robyn Mitchell

Reuters: Sugar technology keeps vaccines stable in the heat
Reuters reports that British scientists have found a cheap and simple way of keeping vaccines stable, even at tropical temperatures, which they say could transform immunization campaigns in the developing world. The technology developed in part by Oxford University scientists would remove the need for costly infrastructure, like fridges and freezers that require power and can break down. According to Reuters, the research team managed to store two different virus-based vaccines on sugar-stabilized membranes for up to six months without the medicines being damaged. Said one researcher, “If you could ship vaccines at normal temperatures, you would greatly reduce cost and hugely improve access to vaccines. You could even picture someone with a backpack taking vaccine doses on a bike into remote villages.”

The Times: Aid doesn’t just save lives: it’s good for us too (Op-Ed)
British Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell, argues that in addition to foreign aid saving millions of lives, it is also a smart strategic move in terms of ramping up national security. According to Mitchell, “If we want to find a more resilient solution to terrorism and failed states, stem the flow of economic migrants to our shores and tackle the scourge of the drugs trade and cross-border crime, we must promote development and security around the world. This is a practical as much as a moral imperative.” Mitchell maintained that this argument appeals to both left and right-wing politicians, emphasizing that in a globalised world, effective aid is not a zero-sum game.

The Guardian: Gordon Brown calls on developed world to honor Gleneagles aid pledges
The Guardian reports that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged rich governments to honor their obligations to the developing world today, as it emerged that overseas aid has fallen $21 billion short of the promises made at the Gleneagles summit five years ago. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which collates the definitive figures, revealed that aid has increased by an impressive 35% since 2004, suggesting that the G8 meeting in 2005 did deliver a substantial boost to the world’s poor; but there is still a large gap between promises made then and today’s reality. Said Brown, “Some of the shortfall is due to reduced growth during the global recession. But I do not believe there can be any excuse for denying money promised to the poorest people on our planet.”

The Guardian: Big firms drop support for US climate bill
The Guardian reports that President Barack Obama suffered a setback to his green energy agenda today when three major corporations – including BP America – dropped out of a coalition of business groups and environmental organizations that had been pressing Congress to pass climate change legislation. According to the paper, the defections by ConocoPhillips, Caterpillar, and BP undercut Obama’s efforts to cast his climate and energy agenda as a pro-business, job-creation plan. Said the ConocoPhillips chairman, “House climate legislation and Senate proposals to date have disadvantaged the transportation sector and its consumers…and ignored the critical role that natural gas can play in reducing GHG emissions. We believe greater attention and resources need to be dedicated to reversing these missed opportunities, and our actions today are part of that effort.”

Reuters: HIV drugs reduce transmission by 92 percent
A new study, presented at a meeting of AIDS experts, found that people across Africa who took AIDS drugs are far less likely to infect their partners with the virus. According to Reuters, the study results present some of the first concrete evidence that drugs can prevent infection as well as keep patients healthy and could boost efforts to provide AIDS drugs to people, especially in the hardest-hit countries in Africa. The study researchers are optimistic that treating patients may also reduce the likelihood that they will infect others, an important point as governments and non-profit groups spend billions on treatment and prevention program. Said one researcher, “We think it is very likely that antiretroviral treatment is going to reduce the risk of HIV transmission. Our data will be informative for policymakers.”

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