Forty years ago today, in an unprecedented feat of global public health collaboration, the world eradicated a virus that had plagued humankind for three millennia.
In the eight decades leading up to that point, it killed around 4 million people a year.
But on May 8, 1980, the World Health Organisation officially declared that the world was finally free of smallpox.
Today, the virus exists only in a limited number high-security laboratories.
Our victory over smallpox marked the first and only time that humanity has ever successfully eradicated a disease through coordinated efforts.
Today, in the era of Covid-19, it is a precious reminder that such feats are possible.
The UAE has been malaria-free since 2007. In the last decade, it has punched far above its weight in helping to combat the disease worldwide
Viral pandemics, of course, are only one among a myriad of threats to public health that emerge from nature.
Another, which has devastated tropical regions of our planet for much of human history, is the malaria parasite, spread primarily through infected mosquitoes.
Malaria claims over 400,000 lives a year, most of which belong to children and infants.
The annual economic costs of the disease to Africa alone amount to $12 billion. The UAE has been malaria-free since 2007.
In the last decade, it has punched far above its weight in helping to combat the disease worldwide.
In addition to supporting the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and donating malaria nets and other supplies to Yemen and various African nations, the UAE has also been a major supporter of Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, which has launched its own malaria vaccine pilots.
Through its leadership in the Reach the Last Mile initiative, a global public-private coalition is working to combat malaria, polio, river blindness and other diseases. Abu Dhabi's biannual RLM Forum has become the meeting point for public health leaders committed to eliminating disease.
Significant progress has been made. The current death toll from malaria is less than half of what it was a decade ago.
But without a vaccine, the fight had begun to stall – until now.
This week, the scientific community announced a significant breakthrough on the road to eradicating malaria.
A multinational team of researchers in Kenya have discovered that Microsporidia MB, a fungus-like microbe that also parasitises mosquitoes, protects its insect hosts from malaria infection, in turn preventing them from transmitting it to humans.
The researchers found that not a single mosquito carrying Microsporidia MB (5 per cent of the mosquitoes surveyed) also hosted the malaria parasite.
There is still some ways to go before the benefits of Microsporidia MB can be fully realised. But a major benefit is that it is already a natural part of the ecosystem and does no apparent damage to mosquitoes or the wider biosphere.
To effectively halt malaria in its tracks, it needs to infect 40 per cent of a region’s mosquitoes, and more studies must be done on how to spread it effectively.
If further work on a solution to malaria involving Microsporidia MB proves successful, we will show – perhaps for the second time in the last half-century – that we are not a species so easily defeated by disease outbreaks.
With co-operation, ingenuity and hard work, we can always make the world of tomorrow a safer and healthier place.
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Afro%20salons
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About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,470,000 (est)
Engine 6.9-litre twin-turbo W12
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 626bhp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,350rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.0L / 100km
Match info
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Liverpool v Porto, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
MIDWAY
Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tom Fletcher on 'soft power'
Bahrain%20GP
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Spec%20sheet
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The years Ramadan fell in May
