WHO team makes five-day visit to UAE
International experts and local authorities agree to continued exchange of information in attempt to reduce risk of further infections
ABU DHABI // International infection experts yesterday praised the work of UAE health authorities in attempting to better understand the deadly Mers coronavirus after completing a mission to assess the risk the virus poses to the country.
A team from the World Health Organisation and technical partners from the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network spent five days in the UAE on the invitation of local health chiefs and concluded that there was no evidence of sustained person-to-person transmission.
The visit followed several cases in Abu Dhabi, with 37 lab-confirmed Mers infections between late March and early May.
Peter Ben Embarek, the WHO team leader, said experts met the Minister of Health, Abdul Rahman Al Owais, to discuss the mission and had extensive meetings with experts from Health Authority Abu Dhabi (Haad), Dubai Health Authority and Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority. He said that the team was impressed with the work done by the local authorities.
“The UAE health authorities have been following up diligently on the Mers cases, including repeated laboratory testing to check when cases have been cleared of the virus. This data will make an important contribution to the risk assessment and to guide the health response internationally,” Mr Embarek said.
The team of six experts in epidemiological research, lab investigations, infection prevention and control and risk communication also visited the hospital to which two thirds of the country’s cases can be traced, to review the epidemiological investigation and assess the infection prevention and control measures.
The WHO team also evaluated the work done on investigating possible exposure routes, transmission patterns and the clinical situation.
“We are impressed by the amount of data and information generated during the investigation of Mers cases by the UAE to help better understand Mers,” Mr Embarek said.
“This knowledge is of utmost importance to the rest of the world to better discover the source of the virus and the routes of transmission from animals to humans.”
“The recent upsurge of cases in Abu Dhabi appears to have been caused by a combination of factors, including a breach in infection prevention and control measures in healthcare settings, active surveillance and increase in community acquired cases,” he said.
Dr Farida Al Hosani, manager of Haad’s communicable diseases department, thanked the team for the visit.
“Fortunately, it was a very positive visit,” she said. “We did a five-day mission with them and I think the overall situation is very positive at this time.”
She said that while there were no longer any cases of Mers in Abu Dhabi hospitals, UAE health bodies wanted to seek guidance from international experts and share the knowledge they have on the virus.
“We thought it was important again to have the input of the WHO by inviting global experts and taking their views about the local situation,” Dr Al Hosani said.
She said Haad and the other health bodies in the UAE would continue to work with the global health organisation should any further cases emerge.
“There will be a continuation of the collaboration between the WHO and other international experts as well,” she said. “In addition, we are providing a wealth of information for other countries from the UAE.”
Dr Al Hosani said the importance now was to minimise the risk of any further cases of Mers emerging in the UAE.
“I think we are still very much emphasising the infection control in hospitals and, yes, fortunately, we do not have any cases. But we need to ensure that the hospitals and practices are really preventing any risk of infection or transmission of Mers. So education of infection-control practices is continuing.”
Symptoms of Mers include fever, coughing and shortness of breath. The disease is caused by a new strain of coronavirus first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
To date, 681 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with Mers have officially been reported to the WHO, which have resulted in 204 deaths.
jbell@thenational.ae
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
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Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
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End of free parking
- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket
- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200.
- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200
- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
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Investors: Co-founders
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