Study: Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on food insecurity and inability to pay rent hit immigrant families hardest

Although families with immigrant mothers experienced higher rates of food insecurity and inability to pay rent during the pandemic than other groups, they reported less participation in economic impact payments (EIP) in the form of stimulus checks and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—two programs designed to provide stopgap financial support, according to a new study in JAMA Health Forum from researchers at the Dornsife School of Public Health and Children’s HealthWatch.

What previous bird flu outbreaks teach us

There are many different bird flu viruses. Besides the subtype H5N1, which has been spreading in the European wild bird population for several years and poses a threat to local poultry farms, there is also, for instance, subtype H7N9. This one caused poultry outbreaks in China from 2013 to 2017 and also infected humans who had close contact with live poultry. A total of 616 people in China were reported to have died from an infection with this subtype.

ZAMMSA breaking law – Jerome Kanyika

PHARMACEUTICAL Expert Jerome Kanyika has charged that the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency-ZAMMSA- is going against the Public Procurement Act in seeking to single source Unified Procurement Authority -UPA- of Egypt for the supply and delivery of essential medicines.
The Ministry of Health and ZAMMSA are seeking to irregularly pay an Egyptian agency about 70 million to 120 million dollars for the supply and delivery of essential medicines as well as other medical supplies, without local suppliers.
But Mr. Kanyika has condemned this move saying it has an effect on the local pharmaceutical industry as many pharmacies are likely to shut down.
He has since challenged ZAMMSA to state clearly whether this will be a once off purchase or supply from Egypt will become Zambia’s norm.
And when contacted for a comment, ZAMMSA Director General Billy Mweetwa explains that this is a government to government procurement aimed at responding to emergency situations in the health sector and will be a once off procurement. – PHOENIX NEWS