Does COVID really damage your immune system and make you more vulnerable to infections? The evidence is lacking: The northern hemisphere has seen a surge in winter viruses. Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Over the past month or two, many northern hemisphere countries including the US and the UK have seen a large wave of respiratory viral infections. …
COVID drugs: the UK’s treatment and prevention options and how vulnerable people are being forgotten: In February 2022, the UK government abandoned its remaining pandemic restrictions in favour of “living with COVID”. This approach relies largely on vaccines protecting people from severe disease. However, not everyone benefits equally from vaccines. Former “shielders” – clinically vulnerable …
Climate crisis in Africa exposes real cause of hunger – colonial food systems that leave people more vulnerable: Zawadi Msafiri is seen in a withered maize crop field in Kilifi County, Kenya. The drought situation started in 2021. Photo by Dong Jianghui/Xinhua via Getty Images In the waning hours of the year’s biggest climate change …
Climate change: why a new insurance scheme for vulnerable countries is a bad idea: Climate breakdown is well under way. So it is no wonder that a defining conflict of the COP27 climate talks in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt is over who pays for the damages that are already taking place, and how. Earlier this year the …
COVID and the cost of living crisis are set to collide this winter – the fallout will be greatest for the most vulnerable: The financial strain many have faced during the pandemic will be compounded by the cost of living crisis. Lena Evans/Shutterstock The cost of living crisis is affecting people around the world. Although …
How energy-saving advice can hurt the most vulnerable households: Households are facing an unprecedented energy crisis, and the most vulnerable will suffer the most. Solarisys/Shutterstock With UK households facing a dire energy crisis, there has been no shortage of advice from politicians, experts and journalists about how to save energy. Not all of this advice …
The world’s biggest ice sheet is more vulnerable to global warming than scientists previously thought: titoOnz / shutterstock The eastern two thirds of Antarctica is covered by an ice sheet so large that if it melted the sea would rise by 52 metres. Most scientists had once thought this ice sheet was largely invulnerable to …
COVID: how careful do I still need to be around older and vulnerable family members?: JP WALLET/Shutterstock We are all pretty fed up with COVID, and perhaps keen for a summer of holidays, social outings and family get togethers. But while the threat posed by COVID has certainly decreased the virus can still be dangerous, …
Heatwaves: why ethnic minorities in the UK are more vulnerable, and what to do about it: Temperatures in the UK recently breached 40°C for the first time in recorded history. The country is set to experience more frequent and more extreme heatwaves as carbon emissions continue to accumulate in the atmosphere. Heatwaves have worrying implications …
How vulnerable is the University of Cape Town to destructive wildfires?: A water chopper hovers over University of Cape Town on April 18, 2021 as a wildfire spread across the mountain. Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images Just over a year ago, a wildfire caused considerable damage to the University of Cape Town and surroundings. …
How COVID added to the stresses of the most vulnerable young women in South Africa: The burden of mental illness in South Africa is high. Shutterstock By 2021, South Africa’s unemployment rate was at 44%. Around 55.5% of South Africans were living in poverty. Figures show that in 2021, 10 million people, including 3 million …
COVID vaccines: why second boosters are being offered to vulnerable people in the UK – but not young and healthy people yet: nednapa/Shutterstock Until recently, the UK government limited a fourth dose of the COVID vaccine to people with severely weakened immune systems over the age of 16. But, following a resurgence of COVID cases …
A food crisis was brewing even before the Ukraine war – but taking these three steps could help the most vulnerable: Queues for milk in Colombo, Sri Lanka, showing supply shortages that have been evident for months before the Ukraine crisis. Author provided Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to the disruption, by sanctions or …
Ukraine: Poland reminds the EU how vulnerable its border nations really are: When a Russian airstrike hit a large military base in Ukraine just 15 miles from the Polish border, it drew instant international attention. The attack stood at strategically given its proximity to the territory of a Nato member. Any attack on Polish soil …
Ukraine war: how Ghana is vulnerable, and what can be done: Ghana will be hit by rising fuel as well as food prices as a result of the war in Ukraine. Photo by Nipah Dennis / AFP via Getty Images The seismic aftershocks of Russia’s invasion of its neighbour, Ukraine, on 24 February 2022 continues …
Why lowering everyone’s energy bills is a better solution than targeting only the most vulnerable: Vitolda Klein/Unsplash, CC BY-SA Energy bills will rise by as much as 50% from April 2022 unless the government intervenes, as Britain’s energy regulator Ofgem is expected to raise its price cap. Many households face a cost of living crisis …
Need to know who is most vulnerable to COVID? Here’s an index that can do that: Knowing where people are most vulnerable can help authorities make better decisions about allocating resources. Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images COVID-19 has spread at great speed since it was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation. In …
South Africa in the news: COP26 climate deal ‘too late’ for vulnerable countries but too much for others: Climate talks finished Saturday with a familiar outcome — the collective march toward action to tackle global warming is gaining momentum, but still falls short of what’s needed to avert a crisis.: “South Africa” – BingNews Stuart …