Learners With Disabilities Can Contribute to Waste Management

Encouraging the community to shift into a more environmentally friendly practice would entail a consideration of several factors, more so if it includes the participation of individuals with disabilities. The result of the study highlights several actions needed to maximize the potential of the program: 1) the continuous training of learners with disabilities to build capacity and capability; and continuous funding for such; 2) the continuous improvement of product quality to meet specific market needs; and 3) the development of programs to increase the community’s awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the benefits of recycling

IMPACTOS AMBIENTAIS E GEST?O AMBIENTAL NOS PARQUES ESTADUAIS PARAIBANOS: ARATU, JACARAP? E TRILHA DOS CINCO RIOS

A gest?o em Unidades de Conserva??o carece de medidas protetivas oriundas do Estado, para que haja a promo??o do desenvolvimento econ?mico e social, viabilizando deste modo a efetividade em sua administra??o. Nessa perspectiva, a presente pesquisa teve como objetivo geral avaliar os impactos ambientais e a gest?o ambiental como processo para melhor planejamento e utiliza??o das Unidades de Conserva??o da categoria Parques Estaduais, sendo aqui estudados: Aratu, Jacarap? e Trilhas dos Cinco Rios, no munic?pio de Jo?o Pessoa/PB. Buscou-se entender as atribui??es das Pol?ticas P?blicas, voltadas a esse segmento, assim como a aplica??o dos recursos humanos e financeiros, que sejam capazes de propiciar gest?o com excel?ncia. No desencadear desse estudo, fez-se necess?rio um aprofundamento em hist?ricos bibliogr?ficos, pr?ticas governamentais que contemplaram e que contemplam o campo mundial, nacional e estadual sobre mudan?as relacionadas ao ?mbito de restaura??o ecol?gica, raz?o e frui??o da humanidade. Cabe ressaltar que a sociedade tem o dever de desenvolver pr?ticas conscientes de preserva??o dos recursos prestados pelo ambiente, haja vista a sua primordial utilidade para a manuten??o da qualidade de vida. Promoveu-se o diagn?stico das ?reas em estudo, atrav?s de visita??o in loco, das quais foram catalogadas as coordenadas geogr?ficas e registradas com fotografias, os impactos ambientais decorrentes de degrada??o, proveniente de fen?menos antr?picos. Entretanto, mesmo apontando falhas na gest?o e fiscaliza??o que competem aos entes governamentais, procuramos relacionar as vantagens que os Parques propiciam ao serem criados, tanto no desenvolvimento social e econ?mico, quanto como portadores de servi?os ambientais. Interpreta-se que este estudo contribui expressivamente como mat?ria-prima para estudos e aprofundamentos futuros, na ?rea em quest?o, bem como para melhoria e otimiza??o de ?rg?os que com tais atribui??es servem ? coletividade, com seus conhecimentos no setor Ambiental

Energy Sustainability in Morocco

Morocco imports 96% of its energy, threatening its energy security. To combat this, 2,000 MW each of solar, wind, and hydroelectric power are planned. Energy conservation efforts have been initiated with mixed success. This report outlines Morocco’s energy strategy, evaluating its successes and failures. Recommendations were made to reduce energy use, implement local-scale projects, pursue global collaboration, and promote research and development in renewable technology. This report will guide Ribat Al Fath in influencing Moroccan energy policy

Successful Implementation of Newborn Screening for Hemoglobin Disorders in the Philippines

The Philippine newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) program began in 1996 with 24 hospitals and was formalized by legislation in 2004. The NBS panel was recently expanded to include a number of additional hereditary congenital conditions. Expertise and experiences from other NBS programs already screening for hemoglobinopathies were essential to its successful integration into the ongoing dried bloodspot NBS program in the Philippines. Building on clinical experiences and population data from Filipinos born in California, USA, hemoglobinopathies (including thalassemias) were selected for inclusion in the expanded screening panel. Hemoglobinopathy NBS, using high performance liquid chromatography, was implemented in a stepwise manner into the seven regional NBS screening laboratories. A central university laboratory provides confirmatory testing using both capillary electrophoresis and molecular methodologies. NBS results indicating carriers are followed up with educational fact sheets, while results of presumptive disease are referred for confirmatory testing and follow-up with a hematologist. Long-term care is provided through newborn screening continuity clinics across the country. Hemoglobinopathy NBS is now included in the national insurance package and screening uptake continues to increase nationally, exceeding 90% of all newborns in 7400+ hospitals and birthing centers nationwide prior to the COVID-19 pandemic

Successful Implementation of Expanded Newborn Screening in the Philippines Using Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) began as a research project in the Philippines in 1996 and was mandated by law in 2004. The program initially included screening for five conditions, with a sixth added in 2012. As screening technology and medical knowledge have advanced, NBS programs in countries with developed economies have also expanded, not only in the number of newborns screened but also in the number of conditions included in the screening. Various approaches have been taken regarding selection of conditions to be screened. With limited resources, low- and middle-income countries face significant challenges in selecting conditions for screening and in implementing sustainable screening programs. Building on expansion experiences in the U.S. and data from California on Filipinos born and screened there, the Philippine NBS program has recently completed its expansion to include 29 screening conditions. This report focuses on those conditions detectable through tandem mass spectrometry. Expanded screening was implemented in a stepwise fashion across the seven newborn screening laboratories in the Philippines. A university-based biochemical genetics laboratory provides confirmatory testing. Follow-up care for confirmed cases is monitored and provided through the NBS continuity clinics across the archipelago. Pre-COVID-19 pandemic, the coverage was 91.6% but dropped to 80.4% by the end of 2020 due to closure of borders between cities, provinces, and islands

Factors associated with having COVID-19 among unvaccinated pregnant and non-pregnant women in Metro Manila, Philippines: a multicentre longitudinal cohort study

Objective To determine the potential risk factors associated with having COVID-19 among unvaccinated pregnant and non-pregnant women.Design A multicentre prospective cohort study among eligible women in Metro Manila, Philippines, from 2020 to 2022.Setting Five national and local hospital research sites altogether recruited and screened 500 consenting eligible individuals.Participants Pregnant and non-pregnant participants meeting the eligibility criteria were admitted for a reverse-transcription PCR determination of SARS-CoV-2, pregnancy testing and ultrasound, and an interview with an administered questionnaire.Exposures Primary exposure was pregnancy; secondary exposures involve sociodemographic, lifestyle and obstetric-gynaecologic factors.Outcome measure Outcome being measured was COVID-19 status.Results The significant COVID-19 risk factors were: pregnancy (PR=1.184, 95% CI 1.096, 1.279), having a white-collar job (PR=1.123, 95% CI 1.02, 1.235), travelling abroad (PR=1.369, 95% CI 1.083, 1.173) and being infected by at least one vaccine-preventable disease (VPD) (PR=1.208, 95% CI 1.113, 1.310). Protective factors included having graduate-level education (PR=0.787, 95% CI 0.649, 0.954), immunisation against a VPD (PR=0.795, 95% CI 0.733, 0.862) and practising contraception (PR=0.889, 95% CI 0.824, 0.960).Conclusion This study is the first in the country to determine the risks influencing COVID-19 infection among unvaccinated pregnant and non-pregnant women. Pregnancy is a significant risk for COVID-19 among women in Metro Manila. Educational attainment and positive health behaviours seem to confer protection. Occupations and activities that increase the frequency of interactions, as well as history of communicable diseases may predispose women to COVID-19. Further studies are needed to elucidate the development of the disease in pregnant women, including the maternal and neonatal effects of COVID-19 via potential vertical mechanisms of transmission

Frequency and management of maternal infection in health facilities in 52 countries (GLOSS): a 1-week inception cohort study

Background Maternal infections are an important cause of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity. We report the main findings of the WHO Global Maternal Sepsis Study, which aimed to assess the frequency of maternal infections in health facilities, according to maternal characteristics and outcomes, and coverage of core practices for early identification and management. Methods We did a facility-based, prospective, 1-week inception cohort study in 713 health facilities providing obstetric, midwifery, or abortion care, or where women could be admitted because of complications of pregnancy, childbirth, post-partum, or post-abortion, in 52 low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs). We obtained data from hospital records for all pregnant or recently pregnant women hospitalised with suspected or confirmed infection. We calculated ratios of infection and infection-related severe maternal outcomes (ie, death or near-miss) per 1000 livebirths and the proportion of intrahospital fatalities across country income groups, as well as the distribution of demographic, obstetric, clinical characteristics and outcomes, and coverage of a set of core practices for identification and management across infection severity groups. Findings Between Nov 28, 2017, and Dec 4, 2017, of 2965 women assessed for eligibility, 2850 pregnant or recently pregnant women with suspected or confirmed infection were included. 70·4 (95% CI 67·7–73·1) hospitalised women per 1000 livebirths had a maternal infection, and 10·9 (9·8–12·0) women per 1000 livebirths presented with infection-related (underlying or contributing cause) severe maternal outcomes. Highest ratios were observed in LMICs and the lowest in HICs. The proportion of intrahospital fatalities was 6·8% among women with severe maternal outcomes, with the highest proportion in low-income countries. Infection-related maternal deaths represented more than half of the intrahospital deaths. Around two-thirds (63·9%, n=1821) of the women had a complete set of vital signs recorded, or received antimicrobials the day of suspicion or diagnosis of the infection (70·2%, n=1875), without marked differences across severity groups. Interpretation The frequency of maternal infections requiring management in health facilities is high. Our results suggest that contribution of direct (obstetric) and indirect (non-obstetric) infections to overall maternal deaths is greater than previously thought. Improvement of early identification is urgently needed, as well as prompt management of women with infections in health facilities by implementing effective evidence-based practices