Greene County Democrat

Tag: Pfizer

  • The Heart Condition Hiding in Plain Sight

     

     

     

    By Michele Wilson, Chairwoman
    Mobile Area Black Chamber of Commerce

    The health of a community is often about connecting. Connecting with our neighbors, friends, and family to recharge our souls. Connecting with information that empowers us to make positive change.
    Now we need to get connected and work together to address a serious cause of heart failure called transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy, or ATTR-CM.
    Many of us may already be aware that when it comes to heart disease in the U.S., Black, African American, and Afro-Caribbean communities are disproportionately affected compared to other racial and ethnic groups.* But did you know about three to four percent of African Americans carry a mutation in the TTR gene (V122I) that makes it more likely that they may develop ATTR-CM, however not all carriers develop the disease. ATTR-CM gets worse over time, which is why early diagnosis and management are so important.
    ATTR-CM hides in plain sight. That’s where community and connecting come in.
    Getting diagnosed with ATTR-CM can often take years. Some signs of ATTR-CM, like carpal tunnel syndrome, extreme tiredness, and swelling in the lower legs and feet, can mimic other conditions. The signs of ATTR-CM may be difficult to connect with a heart condition. ATTR-CM, as a cause of heart failure can be missed. Family or friends can play an important role in helping you or your doctor determine health issues that you may not notice or talk about. Share all your health information with your doctor so that they can “connect the dots” and make sure health concerns aren’t overlooked.
    We are connected by our health histories – sharing health information among relatives is important too. The hereditary type of ATTR-CM is passed down through relatives. If you have relatives with heart-related issues – tell your doctor. If a relative is diagnosed with hereditary ATTR-CM, a doctor may suggest genetic counseling and testing for relatives. Genetic testing can help relatives understand what potential steps to take.
    Getting connected with information about ATTR-CM and learning from experts is also key. That’s why Mobile Area Black Chamber of Commerce is excited to partner with Pfizer, former NBA basketball player and coach Don Chaney, and Dr. Don Rowe on a Voices for the Heart event to increase awareness of ATTR-CM in our community. Don will share his personal diagnosis story and his experiences living with hereditary ATTR-CM. To register for this important event, click here or scan the QR code below.
    Working together, we can raise awareness of hereditary ATTR-CM and help make sure that our community, friends, and family have the information they need to take charge of their health.
    *A 7-year study in London, UK found a gene mutation (ATTR V122I) was the cause of heart failure in 211 out of 1392 Afro-Caribbean patients.

    For additional resources on hereditary ATTR-CM, including a discussion guide to help conversations with your doctor or share with a loved one, you can visit http://www.voicesfortheheart.com.

  • Newswire: COVID-19 vaccines finally arrive in Africa, but at what price

    Health Ministry at Dakar, Senegal with vaccine

    Mar. 1, 2021 (GIN) – Long-awaited deliveries of the Covid-19 vaccine are finally reaching the shores of Africa, bringing relief to a continent that appeared abandoned by the giant pharma companies and the rich nations that snapped up early supplies.  Ghana, with a population of over 30 million, just received 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the World Health Organization’s vaccine-sharing initiative known as Covax. The Covax project purchases vaccines with the help of wealthier countries and distributes them equitably to all countries. President Joe Biden pledged $4 billion to the Covax program last week. But what an African country will end up paying for the vaccine outside of Covax is “meant for confidential discussion,” Afreximbank told Reuters. The AU also declined to comment.  Now, a document provided to Reuters by two sources provides the first glimpse at the prices that manufacturers are offering African nations outside of the COVAX global vaccine sharing scheme.  Pfizer will provide 50 million doses of its two-shot vaccine at $6.75 each (or $650 million), the document showed. J&J will provide 120 million doses of its single-shot vaccine at $10 each ($1.2 billion). Population size will determine how much of each vaccine various African countries will be offered.  Nigeria, the continent’s most populous nation, stands to pay roughly $283 million if it takes its full allocation of 42 million doses. Cash-strapped copper producer Zambia would have to find $25 million for its allocation of less than 4 million doses, according to the document.  While little controversy has been raised over western prices, a bellow of outrage appeared on the front page of the British Financial Times, attacking the “African price for the Russia vaccine” as being triple the cost of rivals – and accusing Moscow with offering unaffordable jabs to countries priced out of deals with western drug sellers. Western drug prices for Africa may be heavily discounted compared to what wealthier nations are paying, but some experts worry about countries already struggling to manage the economic fallout of the pandemic having to borrow more money to protect their people. “No country should have to take on debt to pay for the vaccine,” said Tim Jones, head of policy at the Jubilee Debt Campaign, a British charity working to end poverty.   Professor Joseph Benie, head of the National Institute of Public Hygiene in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, defended their choice of the Russian Sputnik – also the pick of Zimbabwe, the Central African Republic and Guinea. “We’re not in a position where we can say no to any vaccine. We’ve opted for the Pfizer vaccine, but we’re looking at other vaccines as well,” Benie said. “There’s an urgency now to start inoculating.”