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As we all settle into 2021, the DrumBeat team wishes you, your families and communities continued good health and wellbeing. We are still living in very uncertain times. By and large, most of us have had to come to terms with the fact that our day-to-day will never be the same again. One thing remains true – this pandemic requires scientific and global efforts to manage. However, it appears that vaccine access inequality is threatening these efforts. Wealthy nations that have invested heavily on science, technology and innovation (ST&I) have acquired huge quantities of the vaccines. This should send a strong signal to developing nations on the importance of prioritising investments in ST&I and manufacturing.
To shed more light on the COVID-19 situation in Africa, we reached out to Dr. Hazel Mufhandu, a Medical Virologist currently working as a Senior Lecturer and Deputy Subject Group Leader of Microbiology Department at North-West University, South Africa. Dr. Mufhandu shares her thoughts on Africa's response to COVID-19 in the Story of the Month segment. She touches on challenges of new variants, COVID-19 vaccines as well as their safety, and calls for decisive leadership in the region.
Our Video of the Month takes us to Uganda, the "Pearl of Africa." This segment highlights the country's biotech and biosafety status, while focusing on a key food security crop - cassava. Despite cassava's importance, and tireless efforts by scientists to protect the crop from devastating viral diseases, farmers are yet to access these brown streak disease resistant varieties. This video outlines why.
Our Topical News Roundup section continues to feature recent innovations in and around Africa, as the continent grapples to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. As promised, DrumBeat will continue bringing you stories, updates and opportunities that biosciences present in addressing intractable societal challenges in the region
We wish you a safe month full of love and happiness.
Happy reading!
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