PAHO strengthens genomic surveillance in the Caribbean
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says it is strengthening genomic surveillance in the Americas, including the Caribbean, as representatives from 17 public health laboratories in the region came together this week for the 26th edition of the Viral Evolution and Molecular Epidemiology (VEME) course in Panama.
On Friday, the health organisation said the training – which it organized in collaboration with the Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud (ICGES) in Panama and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) in Brazil – “aims to strengthen genomic surveillance in the Americas.”
Studying the evolution of viruses is key to detecting mutations or variants that can modify the transmission rate or severity of a pathogen and affect the efficacy of diagnostic tests, vaccines and treatments,” said Jairo Méndez, emerging viral disease advisor at PAHO. “This is something we experienced with SARS-CoV-2, so we must deepen genomic surveillance for any emerging or re-emerging viruses,” he added.
More than 120 people from around the world participated in the 26th edition of VEME, a course that originated at the University of Leuven, Belgium, more than 25 years ago.
Around 50 experts in bioinformatics from renowned scientific institutions from 15 countries delivered the training that took place from August 21 to 26 in Panama, PAHO said.
Participants from the region were supported through PAHO with funds from the United States Government.
The course consisted of theoretical and practical sessions divided into four modules, ranging from the generation of data from genomic sequencing to more complex analysis of these sequences.
For the first time, VEME also included a module aimed at managers and decision-makers.
Dr. Carlos Sáenz, Secretary General of the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health, considered the training to be “extremely important” both for the technicians who carry out genomic sequencing and for decision-makers like himself.
“The course has provided tools to link the epigenetic situation, genomic sequencing and molecular epidemiology information to political and strategic decision-making at the level of each country,” he said, highlighting the relevance of “integrating technical approaches with transdisciplinary participation for the resolution of complex problems.”
According to PAHO, genetic sequencing and analysis provide insights into the evolution of a virus and its variants, as well as its geographic- and temporal- dispersion.
“The timely analysis of the data serves to identify signs or changes that can have an impact on the behavior of the virus and on health tools and measures.”
In addition, it said the information obtained can be complementary to guide the response to an epidemic or pandemic.
“This type of bioinformatic analysis is not something that is commonly done in public health laboratories in the region because it requires training and education,” said Alexander Martinez Caballero, director of the Department of Genomics and Proteomics Research at the Gorgas Institute in Panama.
“From now on, many laboratories will be able to perform these analyses in their facilities in a timely manner and for various viruses of interest, such as monkeypox and others that may appear,” he added.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sequencing capacity to monitor SARS-CoV-2 and its variants has been expanded in the region with the support of PAHO and the Regional COVID-19 Genomic Surveillance Network (COVIGEN), which includes laboratories from more than 20 countries in the Americas.
PAHO said it has provided training to strengthen genomic sequencing and to integrate it into epidemiological surveillance in the countries.
Since 2020, COVIGEN has performed more than 426,000 sequences of SARS-CoV-2 in Latin America and the Caribbean, PAHO said.
It said the VEME course is one more action to strengthen surveillance and is aligned with the Regional Genomic Surveillance Strategy for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Response, which will be discussed in September by health leaders of the Americas during PAHO’s 30th Pan American Sanitary Conference in Washington.
Source-CMC
TCI Delegation attends 65th Annual Conference for Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
A TCI Delegation is attending the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association 65th Annual Conference in Halifax, Canada led by Hon Speaker Gordon J Burton, including the Leader of Government Business in the House Of Assembly, the Honorable Akierra Missick, the Minister of Health Honorable Jamell Robinson, the Opposition Appointed Member Honorable Alvin Garland, Governor’s Member Willin Beliard and our House Of Assembly Clerk, Ms. Tracey Parker.
RTC understands that the week was filled with workshops and a CWP Conference, as well as a Small Branch Conference.
RTC further understands that Hon. Missick presented on the Financial Oversight -learning, decision making at the CAA Regional Meeting while networking with member colleagues.
RTC will have more on that on the return of the delegation.
Karl J Shand joins the Eagles
TCI Striker donning number 43, Karl J Shand will on August 26 be a part of the starting line for his team in the US.
On the offensive side of the field, Karl J as he is called will be looking to provide an offensive punch along with his teammates. Shand, a sophomore, transfered from Kentucky Wesleyan, but is from the Turks and Caicos Islands, he will also be expected to provide strong offensive fireworks this season for his Eagle team.
The Midway men's soccer team has a lot of new faces in addition to Shand, who is looking to impress head coach Tim Wolz. Out of the 44 players on the roster, 18 of them will be playing their first season with the Eagles.
The Eagles will open their season tonight Friday when they will kick off the NCAA Division II for Kentucky Wesleyan. Additionally, the home opener is at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 6 against Union (Ky.) will be the first of 10 home matches for Midway this campaign.
The Eagles are coming off a 2021 season where they recorded a 7-8 record overall and went 3-6 in River States Conference play.
With wish Karl J #43 all the best as an Eagle, the game will be streamed live on the campus website.
Premier Misick updates the country on trips to Jamaica & U.S.
The Premier Honourable Charles W. Misick gave a report on travels to Jamaica and Washington DC on Thursday. This report was heard at a press conference held by the Premier and attended by Government Ministers including those that formed part of the delegation that traveled with Premier Misick.
Hon Arlington Musgrove Minister for Immigration and Border Services and Hon Rachel Taylor Minister for Education, Labour, Employment, and Customer Service highlighted benefits coming from various meetings with Jamaican Border Services, the University of the West Indies, and the University of Technology in Jamaica.
Premier Misick during the press conference when questioned on the choice of visiting countries, said Jamaica was the obvious choice due to the neighboring country’s long history with the TCI and existing partnership in education and otherwise. The Premier boasted of the TCI's amicable relationship with UWI as one of the best education institutions in the world.
In a press statement prior to the delegation’s return to the TCI, it was said that early discussions were had with JA PM Andrew Holness on partnerships in trade and possibly agriculture.
At the conference, however, very little was said on this matter with presentations from the Education and Immigration Ministers forming the larger part of the conference.
Hon. Musgrove outlined the calendar of events for his Ministry which included meetings with the CEO of the Immigration Department in the JA Ministry of National Security and CEO of the Port Authority and team.
Among the matters discussed were the regulation of agencies, security of documents and combatting the creation of fraudulent documents, inland security, understanding of the movement of guns, drugs, and other undesirable goods in the region, asylum management, staff safety, and intelligence capacity building. These were highlighted by the Minister during the conference.
From the Minister for Education, was a report on TCI’s partnership with UWI. Hon Taylor boasted of a ‘healthy’ relationship with the UWI and announced an expansion to the existing TCI nursing program with further partnership from the university including plans for an upgrade from associate's degree to bachelor's degree for those students registered to the program.
The Minister flagged internship opportunities, accommodations for students studying in JA, issues with delays in work permits for students completing residency, and student safety as topics also discussed with the UWI senior officials.
Hon Taylor noted that TCIG expressed strong interest in adding degree courses in social work, business studies, and teacher training to the current terriatiary level offerings at the TCI Community College and additional technical support and curriculum review for the college.
John Legend releases "All She Wanna Do" music video featuring Saweetie
All John Legend wanted to do was surprise the dancers auditioning to be in his music video, so that's just what he did. The visual for his single "All She Wanna Do" featuring Saweetie captures women showing their best dance moves in a green room adjacent to the orange one, where Legend is seen singing.
The women were under the assumption they were dancing as part of a casting call for an R&B video, but as shown in the visual, they were later surprised by Saweetie and John, who revealed they'd already made the final cut.
“The 'All She Wanna Do' video is a big dance party, the perfect way to visually portray the spirit of the song," John told Complex.
"We just wanted to feature a lot of dancing women just having a good time," he added in a BTS clip from the video shoot.
John described the moment he and Saweetie surprised the dancers as "magic" and praised Christian Breslauer for his "brilliant job" of "capturing their energy and excitement on camera."
"This video feels so good and I’m so excited to share it with fans," the singer told Complex.
"All She Wanna Do" is one of many songs that will appear on John's upcoming double album, LEGEND. Aside from Saweetie, the 24-track project, due out September 9, includes appearances from Rick Ross, JID, Muni Long, Jazmine Sullivan and Jhene Aiko.
Source-ABC
National Archive Letter reveals more than 700 pages of classified materials
Former US President Donald Trump spotlighting in news again as the National Archive Letter reveals more than 700 pages of classified materials were allegedly retrieved from his home in January.
According to a letter dated 10 May from the US National Archives and Records Administration's lawyer representing the former US president, 100 documents were retrieved from his Florida estates Mar – a – Lago. NARA had identified items retrieved from the Trump mansion, marked as highly classified and including information about special access programs, the letter said.
An excerpt from the letter stated, “NARA had ongoing communications with the former President’s representatives throughout 2021 about what appeared to be missing Presidential records, which resulted in the transfer of 15 boxes of records to NARA in January 2022,”
This comes to light after allegations that Trump mishandled classified documents following the end of his term in US Office.
In the published letter, NARA Acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall told a lawyer for Trump, Evan Corcoran, that the administration of US President Joe Biden would not consider the former president’s claims of executive privilege over the documents.
The letter was made public on Tuesday on the NARA website after it was posted on a website connected to conservative writer and Trump ally John Solomon on Monday night.
Source-ABC
Bahamian Prime Minister denies involvement in Haiti’s Crisis
Prime Minister Philip Davis says Haiti’s current political and economic situation must be a ‘Haitian solution’.
Caribbean leaders held a special meeting on Saturday. Prime Minister Philip Davis was not in attendance at this meeting but made representation through Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper.
Speaking at that meeting Prime Minister for St Vincent and the Grenadines Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said the meeting allowed leaders to discuss and update the Haitian Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry on the decisions made during the CARICOM summit in Suriname in July.
PM Gonsalves also shared plans for another meeting, this one hosted by the Bahamas, following a CARICOM-led technical mission to Haiti for talks with stakeholders there.
Bahamian PM Philip Davis says the next step is to determine a date to meet with Caribbean leaders including Haiti’s Prime Minister, to ‘find a pathway to peace and prosperity.
Source-CMC
Dr. Fauci stepping down
Dr. Anthony Fauci announced that he’ll step down from his roles as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden this December.
“While I am moving on from my current positions, I am not retiring,” Fauci said in a statement. “After more than 50 years of government service, I plan to pursue the next phase of my career while I still have so much energy and passion for my field.”
President Biden thanked Fauci for his work, saying his “commitment to the work is unwavering.” Fauci has been director of the NIAID for 38 years, beginning his tenure under President Ronald Reagan.
Source-ABC
Trump requests special master for FBI raid materials
Former President Donald Trump filed a motion in federal court in Florida asking for the appointment of a special master to review materials seized by the Justice Department during a raid on his Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this month.
A special master would determine which seized items are subject to executive or attorney-client privilege.
The filing seeks an injunction to prevent federal prosecutors from any further review of the seized materials until a special master is appointed. Trump and his attorneys are also requesting a “more detailed” receipt of the items that were seized.
It comes as a federal judge gave more clarity on what will not be included when the affidavit underpinning the Mar-a-Lago raid is ultimately unsealed.
Source-ABC
IDB to help modernize postal services in Latin America and the Caribbean
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Tuesday said it has signed an agreement with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) to modernize and transform postal services in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
It said the aim is to promote regional integration and trade, strengthen value chains and foster the digital economy.
Postal services have unique advantages to facilitate trade, including a network that can reach remote areas, transaction logistics, and linkages with other postal services and key actors in the trade process, such as customs and airlines.
The IDB said improving these services across the region can lead to increased commerce and help develop the digital economy, especially for small and medium-sized firms (SMEs), which account for about 99 percent of businesses in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Posts have the mandate and infrastructure to serve people in all corners of a country, making them a powerful engine for socioeconomic development and inclusion. We are pleased to work with IDB to help posts across Latin America and the Caribbean in their transformation journey so that they can deliver modern services and maximize benefits to communities and businesses across the region,” said UPU Director General Masahiko Metoki.
IDB President, Mauricio Claver-Carone, said ‘we are thrilled to announce our partnership with UPU, which puts into practice our shared vision of the potential of modern postal services to boost the region’s connectivity, trade, and value chains – all priorities of Vision 2025, the IDB’s agenda for driving inclusive growth”.
The IDB said that the partnership will allow it to support countries as they incorporate the international guidelines and standards issued and promoted by the UPU.
The institutions will also collaborate in researching data on trends and identifying existing gaps in postal services. The agreement includes sharing best practices and expertise from the modernization of postal services at the global level, which can be adapted and replicated in the region.
Source- CMC