Sharing the knowledge and expertise of BSH members throughout the global Haematology community

'BSH Global Speakers' was established in 2015 as a core project of the BSH Global Haematology Special Interest Group (SIG). As the project enters its eighth year, we present an update and reflection on the successes and challenges encountered. Initially known as the 'Plenary Speaker Scheme', the project was developed following a stakeholder meeting in 2015 at the inception of the SIG. Haematology colleagues from the UK and low-and middle-income countries (LMIC) came together to discuss how the BSH may be best placed to support haematologists practicing in LMICs. Sharing of expertise and building collaborative networks were identified as key priorities. The 'Plenary Speaker Project' was conceived;BSH haematologists would be supported in delivering plenaries at the meetings of colleagues in LMICs, with the aim that each visit could act as a catalyst for creating networks and developing collaborative projects in education, research, and capacity building. We established a yearly cycle of inviting applications from LMIC societies for a funded speaker at their scientific meetings, selecting the most impactful meetings, then recruiting appropriate UK-based speakers. We place emphasis on the likelihood of ongoing collaborative working or other impacts, for example engagement with local haematology trainees. To date, ten speakers have represented BSH at the meetings of LMIC societies, presenting on diverse topics, from molecularly guided interventions to prevent relapse in AML, to adapting lymphoma treatment strategies for low resource settings. Recently we have opened applications to nurse specialists and scientists, with our first scientific speaker presenting in Thailand May 2023. The COVID-19 pandemic created significant challenges for the project due to the disruption in international travel and the cancellation of many haematology meetings around the globe. We were, however, able to adapt the project to support virtual speakers at meetings in South Africa, Vietnam, and Ghana. Although virtual meetings do not naturally lend themselves to collaborative working, we were pleased that a longer term joint educational program in haemoglobinopathy care has been established with the Vietnamese Society of Haematology as a result of BSH support. The impact of BSH Global Speakers is significant. Even at smaller meetings, speakers will have the ear of the majority of practicing haematologists in a country. From the relationships built between societies and speakers we have seen the development of fellowship programmes, online education programmes, laboratory support, and numerous networks for informal advice in clinical care, research, and more.

Impact of Influenza in South-East Asia

Influenza infection is asymptomatic in up to 75% of cases, but outbreaks result in significant morbidity. Reports found that severe influenza complications tend to occur among the very young (<5 years) and very old (>65 years), especially those with underlying co-morbidities like diabetes mellitus and heart disease. Even with no co-morbidity, some older persons with severe influenza may require hospitalisation or intensive care, with increased risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. In South-East Asia, influenza was often seen as a mild problem and was not deemed notifiable until the appearance of the Influenza A(H1N1) pandemic in 2009. For decades the data made available were based on extrapolated estimates collected mainly from paediatric populations, resulting in inconsistent findings. Following expanded surveillance across the region using national surveillance systems for influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI), and better diagnostic methods, improved estimates of disease burden was achieved in South-East Asia. However, two studies conducted in 2008-2010 reported findings ranging from 2-3% to 11%. With regards to increased risk of complications, the estimated global annual attack rates for influenza were 5-10% in adults and 20-30% in children, resulting in 3-5 million cases of severe illness and 290,000-650,000 deaths. A study In Singapore reported that influenza is associated with annual excess mortality rates (EMR) of 11-14.8 per 100 000 person-years, especially affecting the elderly;these rates are comparable to that of the USA. As for hospitalisation rates of children under 5 years with seasonal influenza, the USA estimated a rate of 1.4 per 100,000. Comparable rates were reported in Singapore (0.7-0.9), Thailand (2.4), Viet Nam (3.9-4.7), and the Philippines (4.7). In 2018, an updated study reported a mean annual influenza-associated respiratory EMR of 4.0-8.8 per 100 000 individuals, with South-East Asia showing a high mortality rate of 3.5-9.2 per 100,000 individuals. It was already estimated in Thailand in 2004 that influenza resulted in USD23-63 million in economic costs, with the main contribution from lost productivity due to missed workdays. Thus, comparable to countries in temperate climate, the clinical and socioeconomic impact of influenza in South-East Asia appear to be just as substantial. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, global influenza incidence dropped dramatically. In South-East Asia, the trend in influenza detections was similar to the rest of the world, with numbers slightly higher than average in early 2020, followed by a quick drop-off by the end of April 2020. After April 2020, the detection rate remained low until late July 2020, when Influenza A(H3N2) predominated in Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste;influenza B in Lao People's Democratic Republic but with an upsurge in A(H3N2) activity. Following a two-year hiatus, influenza outbreaks began to re-emerge significantly since early 2022. From February through August 2022, influenza activity in the southern hemisphere remained lower than in pre-COVID-19 pandemic years, but was at the highest level compared to similar periods since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reasons for the reduction during the COVID-19 pandemic include non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), reduced population mixing and reduced travel, and possibly viral interference between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus in the same host. In general, the reduction in influenza detections however does not appear to be associated with lack of testing. The World Health Organisation (WHO) continues to recommend that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent infection and severe outcomes caused by influenza viruses. Although influenza vaccine is not commonly used in most countries in South-East Asia, its burden is similar in other parts of the world where influenza vaccine is now routinely used. Currently, the countries in South-East Asia that are providing free influenza vacc na ion for those at high risk include Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and Lao People's Democratic Republic.Copyright © 2023

Hiv Self-Testing in Vietnam: From Pilot to Scale Up

While the World Health Organization strongly recommends HIV self-testing (HIVST) as an approach to HIV testing services, scale up has been minimal in low- and middle-income countries. Vietnam has successfully delivered HIVST at scale for key populations (KP), including men who have sex with men, transgender women, people who inject drugs, female sex workers and their partners. We reviewed data from the USAID/PATH Healthy Markets (2014-2021), including consumer surveys, HIVST usability and performance assessments, and service data to summarize the five stages of HIVST scale-up in Vietnam: 1) Assessing HIVST acceptability, preferences, and willingness to pay (WTP);2) Piloting HIVST;3) Developing HIVST policies and assessing products;4) Facilitating HIVST market authorization;and 5) Implementing differentiated service models. A '5A' approach was employed to shape HIVST markets, i.e., improving affordability, enhancing availability, assuring quality, ensuring appropriate design, and boosting awareness and demand. We assessed key factors related to HIVST supply and demand. In terms of supply, the median price people were willing to pay was US$4.3 per test. HIVST products with stringent regulatory approval successfully obtained free sale certificate registration, and blood-based HIVST products were highly accurate (99%-99.8%). Differentiated HIVST distribution models played a significant role in scaling-up HIVST and ensuring uninterrupted access to essential HIV services, e.g., pre-exposure prophylaxis monitoring during COVID-19 lock-downs. Related to demand and testing uptake, the majority of KPs accessing HIVST were first time HIV testers. Creative online-to-offline behavior change communication increased client awareness, trust, and use of HIVST. HIVST was successful in reaching first-time testers who may not otherwise test or seek facility-based care. HIVST is an effective strategy for reaching undiagnosed individuals and is accepted and preferred by KPs. HIVST scale-up requires enabling policy, intensive demand generation efforts, and differentiated service models.Copyright © 2023

Outside The Box But All Squeezed In: A 23- year-old Man With Progressive Dyspnea After Overseas Travel

Case Presentation: A 23-year-old previously healthy man presented with progressive dyspnea. Physical examination revealed jugular venous distension and lower extremity edema. Laboratory testing demonstrated elevated B-type natriuretic peptide (193 pg/mL) and normal high sensitivity troponin. Echocardiogram revealed small pericardial effusion, respiratory variation in diastolic flow across the mitral valve, diastolic septal bounce, and annulus reversus (Figure). The differential diagnosis for constrictive pericarditis was broadly considered in the context of a recent febrile illness and frequent travel to Hawaii and Vietnam;we included infectious, autoimmune, and malignant etiologies. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging revealed thickening and diffuse enhancement in the pericardium as well as ventricular interdependence. Chest CT identified hilar and anterior mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Laboratory testing was positive for QuantiFERON gold and negative for COVID-19, HIV, and ANA. Transbronchial biopsy demonstrated non-necrotizing granulomas with negative acid-fast bacilli smear, culture, and polymerase chain reaction for mycobacterial DNA. Reexamination identified a red-brown plaque on the patient's thigh;biopsy showed granulomatous inflammation and rod-shaped organism with positive FITE staining. A presumed unifying diagnosis was made of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB) complicated by constrictive pericarditis. Discussion(s): Despite being a primarily pulmonary disease, systemic involvement can occur with TB with the heart being one of the most common extrapulmonary sites. This case highlights 1) the utility of extra-cardiac diagnostic testing (e.g., dermatologic biopsy) in the diagnosis of constrictive pericarditis, and 2) the diagnostic challenge associated with extrapulmonary TB, particularly paucibacillary disease that requires a detailed social history with "out-of-the-box" thinking.

The Position and Role of The Vietnam Political System in Response to The Covid19 Pandemic

The Covid19 pandemic has been causing an unprecedented global crisis. The severity depends on how long the pandemic will last, as well as the national and international responses of governments. To prevent the spread of epidemics, it is not possible to use only economic and military might, but also "soft power" to be used to deal with it. The "soft power" in this research is Vietnam's political system. Vietnam's anti-epidemic achievements in recent years have clearly demonstrated the role of the Vietnamese political system. This study focuses on analyzing how the Vietnamese political system participates in the prevention of the Covid19 pandemic, the effects brought about by "soft power", thereby drawing lessons for the next period.Copyright © 2020 Ubiquity Press. All rights reserved.

How do the causal structures of noise annoyance and sleep effects change under the significant decrease in aircraft noise

Many models have been proposed to clarify the interactive effects of acoustic and non-acoustic variables on human perception of noise. Due to the corona pandemic, all flights were closed at the end of March 2020, causing an unprecedented change in the acoustic environment around Tan Son Nhat Airport (TSN). Before the outbreak, TSN was the busiest airport in Vietnam and had severe noise problems. This study focused on determining how acoustic and non-acoustic factors affect community health before and after this change. Approximately 1200 responses were obtained from surveys conducted in 12 residential areas around TSN in 2019 and 2020. Structural equation models (SEM) for noise annoyance and insomnia were developed by linking the questionnaire items of the social surveys. The first effort aims to achieve a common model of noise annoyance and insomnia corresponding to community response to noise before and after the change. It has been found that the degrees of annoyance and insomnia were not reduced, as expected, but increased in 2020. The final constructed SEM indicates that acoustic and non-acoustic factors affected the community health in different structures before and after the noise reduction. © 2022 Internoise 2022 - 51st International Congress and Exposition on Noise Control Engineering. All rights reserved.

Overview: the value chain of tra catfish in Mekong Delta region, Vietnam

Aquaculture of Tra catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) of Mekong Delta has a record production of 1,525 million tons in 2022. It is one of the largest single-species based farming systems that is restricted to a small geographical area, in the world. The product (frozen fillets) that has been exported to over 138 countries with a value of about 1.6 billion USD is an acceptable alternative to white fish. Tra catfish is farmed in earthen ponds, up to 4 m in deep, in nine provinces in the Mekong Delta in South Vietnam. Over the years, the Tra catfish farming and processing industry in Vietnam has been constantly developed and become a spearhead economic sector of Vietnam which has become a leading part of international economic integration. However, due to the global impact of the Covid-19 epidemic with increasing competition pressure and product quality requirements, the Tra catfish industry is facing both challenges and opportunities. Therefore, in this paper, the Tra catfish such as species, anatomical composition, and chemical composition is briefly reviewed. After that, the value chain of Tra catfish in the Mekong Delta as well as demand forecasting and development orientation in the future is further analyzed.

CUMULATIVE INCIDENCE OF COVID-19 AND VACCINE PROFILES AMONG ASEAN PERITONEAL DIALYSIS POPULATIONS: A PRELIMINARY RESULT OF THE "InCoV-PD" STUDY GROUP

Introduction: Although there are several reports of COVID-19 in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD), all of them were retrospective and mono-national-state designs, and none reported vaccination profiles. Method(s): The incidence of COVID-19 infection among PD patients and vaccination profiles of COVID-19 from 1 January 2020 to 30 September 2021 were retrieved from the survey of PD leaders in the ASEAN countries. Countries were excluded if their infection rates (IR) in PD populations were smaller than the lower limit value of 95% confidence interval (CI) of the overall pooled prevalence of 1.25 reported in kidney failure patients with COVID-19 infection globally, considering the possibility of under-reporting and if the number of PD population is less than 50 cases. Thus, Burma (45 cases, unknown IR), Cambodia (1 case, IR 0%), Indonesia (2,692 cases, unknown IR), Laos PDR (3 cases, IR 33%), and Vietnam (PD 1,500 cases, IR <1%) were excluded. Result(s): Figure 1 demonstrates the incidence of COVID-19 infection in PD populations in selected ASEAN members. The cumulative incidence of COVID-19 has gradually increased in all reported countries. The cumulative incidence rate of Singapore reached a plateau in the second quarter of 2020 but has since seen a surge in the third quarter of 2021 with an average incidence of 0.5-1.5 cases per 100 population. Overall IR ranged from 0.1% in Singapore to 23.8% in the Philippines with an average ASEAN IR of 2.6%. The majority of ASEAN had less than half of their populations fully vaccinated, ranging from only 13% in Vietnam to 46% in Brunei. Despite Laos being a low-income country, it was the first ASEAN to vaccinate its population. Singapore had the highest vaccination rates, with 83% and 81% of its population partially and completely vaccinated, respectively. Brunei, albeit being a high-income country, is the last country to roll out vaccination with a tardy vaccination rate, possibly due to the under-preparedness of the government and a false sense of security as Brunei had 15 months of zero cases before the latest wave. The incidence of ASEAN PD patients with COVID-19 infection surged during the second and third quartiles of 2021 despite the vaccine roll-out (Table 1). [Formula presented] Abbreviations: Ad26, Ad26.COV2.S;BBIBP, BBIBP-CorV;BNT, BNT162b2;Covishield, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (Covishield);Gam, Gam-COVID-Vac;mRNA, mRNA-1273;Vaxzeria, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (Vaxzeria) Remarks: Yellow, Conventional inactivated vaccines (BBIBP-CorV [Sinopharm], CoronaVac [Sinovac]);Green, RNA vaccines (BNT162b2 [Pfizer-BioNTech], mRNA-1273 [Moderna]);Pink, Viral vector vaccines (Gam-COVID-Vac [Sputnik], ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 [Covishield], ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 [Vaxzeria] and Ad26.COV2.S [Johnson & Johnson]) [Formula presented] Figure 1. Cumulative incidence of COVID-19 infected PD patients in selected ASEAN Conclusion(s): Overall IR of the ASEAN PD population varied widely among countries. However, the rollout rate of vaccination lagged behind that of western countries. This should increase efforts to educate their population on the benefits of timely vaccination. There remain a lot of uncertainties regarding COVID-19, and hence there is an urgent need for large prospective studies with international collaboration, to address these questions. No conflict of interestCopyright © 2023

Factors Related to Psychological Distress Among Nursing Students Volunteering in Covid-19 Frontline Prevention In Vietnam

The aim of the study to examine the level of psychological distress among nursing students volunteering in Covid-19 frontline prevention in Vietnam and related factors. Nursing students volunteering in frontline prevention presented emotional effects, including positive and negative effects on their psychological well-being. A cross-sectional study design was used and four hundred seventy-one students who volunteered for frontline prevention were randomly selected in the study using inclusion criteria. Data were collected from October to December 2021. A demographic questionnaire, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory Questionnaire, and the Quality of life EQ-5D-5L were used to measure the variables. The data analysis was conducted by using descriptive statistics and linear regression. The research found that students presented a high risk of psychological distress. There was a significant correlation between problem-and emotional-coping strategies, quality of life, and psychological distress. Moreover, family support and psychological distress among nursing students had a strong relationship. Lecturers and high education institutions responsible for nursing students should pay more attention to developing psychological interventions in enhancing coping strategies and quality of life and various supports to reduce distress among nursing students fighting the epidemic.Copyright © 2022 Mohan R, et al.

Fumbling out the effective pathways to apply the wildlife and forest analytic toolkit in the Mekong region: looking at data and analysis perspectives

The Wildlife and Forest Analytic Toolkit, introduced by the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), is designed to increase the effectiveness of measures combating wildlife and forest crimes (WAFCs). Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries have applied this toolkit as one of their priority actions after recognizing concerns about the biodiversity system and conservational zone through several illegal wildlife trade (IWT) activities. Although the toolkit has realized its fundamental objectives to readjust legal frameworks, enhance enforcement involvement, and improve their judicial and prosecutorial operations, the last components of data and analysis have not yet been implemented. This leads to slow updates of both trends and patterns concerning WAFCs that raise questions about the real levels of exploitation in the region. Using gray literature with published materials, combined with the IWT's database in the CITES system, this study examines why the data and analysis component of the Toolkit created obstacles in the GMS countries. Findings point to there being at least four main challenges to implementing data and analysis as the toolkit has recommended in the region: (1) availability and reliability of data;(2) data collection;(3) data resources (internal vs. external level);and (4) analytic research and its related monitors. Some practical recommendations call for further discussions. Meanwhile, updated information and specific data relating to zoonotic disease transmission are timely, considering the coronavirus pandemic.

Should Physical Education be Taught Online Post Covid-19?

The purpose of this study is to collect students' opinions at a vocational college in Vietnam and find out students' preferences about online learning which was an alternative method as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift in education from traditional classroom learning to online learning at nearly all levels of education in Vietnam can be considered as the biggest teaching method change to date. As online learning has become more popular in Vietnam due to the COVID-19 pandemic, research is needed to understand student experiences and most importantly reveal views on students' online learning preferences. This study is designed to understand the views, challenges and attitudes about online learning being carried out in a vocational college with simple descriptive statistics research method. Data were collected from 140 students via an online survey system. The survey results show that students face many challenges in terms of networking, interaction between lecturers and students as well as limited direct contact with friends and the percentage of students who do not like online learning is rather high. However, according to the students in this survey, online learning provides many advantages in terms of increasing students' autonomy as well as increasing the number of tech-savvy students. © 2022 IEEE.

Students' Perceptions towards Hybrid Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The process of digital transformation is recognized as a significant shift that requires time and frequently encounters resistance and avoidance from employees. The spread of COVID-19 compelled instructors and students to immediately transition all educational activities to take place online rather than undergoing the more gradual shift that was originally planned. To deal with the bad situation caused by the Covid-19, hybrid learning was employed. This paper explores students' perceptions towards hybrid learning implementation in a practical college in Vietnam. The research used a qualitative method. The samples were 250 students who were taking hybrid courses at the institution during the pandemic. Content analysis was used to process the qualitative data. The results reveal they were well-prepared with technology and stationery for the hybrid class. Flexibility, effectiveness, student engagement, convenience, and personalization are perceived benefits. Technical issues and distant student interaction must be addressed. Also, for onsite students, the fear of being infected by Corona virus and the distraction caused by the online group should also be considered. © 2022 Association for Computing Machinery.

An Assessment of Students' Satisfaction with E-learning Courses at Vietnamese universities

Although the Covid-19 pandemic is globally controlled after 3 years of outbreak, it has caused a remarkable change in education in the whole world. E-learning has become the key element for education in a society where lockdown and social distancing is used. In Vietnam, the implementation of e-learning pre- Covid-19 was not popular, therefore, to adapt to the pandemic, Vietnam's public universities are required to implement comprehensive e-learning without prior preparation. The shortcomings when organizing elearning at this time were inevitable and the assessment of learners' satisfaction with e-learning becomes necessary. © 2022 Association for Computing Machinery.

Depression, anxiety, and psychological distress in Vietnamese pharmacy and non-pharmacy students during COVID-19 pandemic

Background: Globally, the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a devastating psychological impact on people, especially the healthcare workers/students, in many different community settings. Limited research has been reported on the mental health issue of healthcare students in Vietnam. Objective(s): This study investigated and quantified depression, anxiety, and psychological distress levels among healthcare students, with an emphasis on comparing those studying pharmacy to students in other healthcare-related disciplines, in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method(s): A cross-sectional study recruited 2246 respondents between September 7 and October 7, 2021, in which 230 were pharmacy students with a mean age of 20.0 +/- 1.6 years and most of them had a low COVID-19 fear level. The standardized Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) scale, consisting of two subscales of PHQ-2 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2), was utilized for the screening of depression and anxiety levels. Result(s): Pharmacy students scored significantly higher on the PHQ-4 psychological distress measure than non-pharmacy students (mean 2.23 vs. 1.90, p = 0.039). Compared to non-pharmacy students, pharmacy students had higher rates of anxiety (10.4% vs. 6.5%, p = 0.028). Conclusion(s): The prevalence of anxiety was higher among pharmacy students in comparison to non-pharmacy students. These findings present a need to recognize and conduct early intervention measures for mental health problems in healthcare students, especially pharmacy students, during recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.Copyright © 2022 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

Cheating in Online Exams at Vietnamese Mid-Ranked Universities

The explosion of science and technology globally has changed the perspective of world education. Even in developing countries like Vietnam, education has begun to change to keep up with the trend in which information technology is being widely applied. Higher education is assigned to take the lead in transforming from traditional to modern teaching form. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnamese universities have been organizing online courses and exams. The universities have stated that organizing online exams or using information technology software in university exams is suitable for modern education, in accordance with the world trends. However, they have admitted that the implementation of online exam will face students' cheating which is challenging to deal with. © 2022 Association for Computing Machinery.

OBTAINING AND USING ERYTHROCYTE ANTIGENIC MELIIDOSIS DIAGNOSTIC AGENT IN THE ANALYSIS OF SERUM SAMPLES FROM MELIIDOSIS-ENDEMIC PROVINCES HA GIANG, LANG SON AND QUANG NINH OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM.

Melioidosis is a particularly dangerous infection with endemic distribution caused by the Gram-negative microorganism from the pathogenicity group II Burkholderia pseudomallei. In endemic countries, melioidosis holds one of the leading places in mortality rate after HIV, tuberculosis and, in recent years, COVID-19. The natural ecological pathogen niches are located in tropical and subtropical climate zones, primarily in Southeast Asia and Australia, where its existence as a species is maintained in moist soil and water in a certain temperature environmental range. However, at present, more and more often cases of melioidosis are registered outside endemic territories, which emphasizes the relevance of improving the means and methods of laboratory diagnostics of this disease both for countries located in the zone of natural foci as well as for local healthcare of the countries after importation of this poorly known infection into their territory. In such countries, including the Russian Federation, the population has no natural immunity to the pathogen, and therefore this infection acquires even greater clinical and epidemiological significance. In the Volgograd Plague Control Research Institute, an erythrocyte antigenic melioidosis diagnostic agent for IHA was designed allowing to detect the presence of serum melioidosis antibodies. The diagnostic agent was obtained on the basis of a biological carrier - ram erythrocytes sensitized with isolated protein antigenic complexes of B. pseudomallei. The high analytical characteristics of the diagnostic agent were confirmed on sera models of immunized and recovering experimental animals. Using the obtained set of reagents, the level of serum antibodies against the causative agent of melioidosis was studied in residents from the 3 provinces of Vietnam (Ha Giang, Lang Son and Quang Ninh), as well as in control group composed of residents of the Volgograd region. In samples obtained from a non-endemic region, not more than 25% of cases contained IHA titers at lower than 1:10 dilution, which is apparently due to cross-reactivity of serum immunoglobulins. Positive serum samples from clinically healthy residents of Ha Giang, Lang Son and Quang Ninh provinces were at a titer of 1:10 detected in 71.5%, in dilutions of 1:20-1:80 - in 28.5% of cases. Thus, we believe that serum antibody titer of 1:80 established in the IHA results, has a diagnostic significance, reflecting the intensity of the anti-melioidosis populational immunity.Copyright © 2022 Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute. All rights reserved.

Green Fiscal Stimulus in Indonesia and Vietnam: A Reality Check of Two Emerging Economies

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused economic and social upheaval across countries. The global economy suffered its biggest slump in four decades while the decades of progress in poverty reduction are now in reverse. However, the pandemic presents a window of opportunity for a greener world. In contrast to fossil fuel, renewable energy showed resilience throughout the pandemic, where the demand and investment in this sector continued to increase. The opportunity for a post-COVID-19 green recovery also comes from billions of government fiscal measures in response to COVID-19. Using the case of two emerging economies, Indonesia and Vietnam, this paper investigates whether the stimulus plans align with a country's sustainable energy and climate targets. This study finds that despite ambitious country targets for green energy transition, these countries may miss opportunities for a green future due to limited fiscal measures directed to green recovery. The pandemic has exacerbated public fiscal budgets that may further limit the capacity to fund green projects. Amidst the uncertainty and challenges brought by the pandemic, it is critical to balance between promoting economic recovery and achieving sustainable energy and climate targets. To this end, the authors suggest several policy recommendations to achieve these targets amid uncertainty brought by the COVID-19 pandemic for emerging economies. © 2023 by the authors.

Trends in world textile and clothing trade

World textile and clothing trade increased by a sharp 14.2% to a record high of US$889 bn in 2021, following declines of 2.8% in 2020 and 0.7% in 2019. Within the overall total for 2021, clothing trade increased by 19.3% and textile trade increased by 7.1%. The increases can be attributed to a recovery—particularly in clothing trade—after trade was negatively impacted in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic. The USA continued to have a deficit in its textile and clothing trade in 2021. Furthermore, the deficit was up by 13.7% compared with the previous year to a record high of US$127 bn. The rise reflected a jump in US clothing imports—which itself represented a rebound following a decline in 2020 as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU also continued to have a deficit in its textile and clothing trade, although this deficit was down by 23.2% to US$50 bn—primarily as a result of a decline in textile imports. These fell following a jump in the previous year, which itself reflected a surge in imports of face masks in order to stem the spread of COVID-19. Similarly, Japan's textile and clothing trade deficit was down by 9.5% to US$29 bn and the UK's textile and clothing trade deficit was down by 14.5% to US$22 bn—again reflecting declines in textile imports. Offsetting these deficits, China had the world's largest textile and clothing trade surplus in 2021, followed by India, Turkey, Vietnam and Bangladesh. China was also the world's largest textile exporter in 2021 with a 41% share of world textile exports, followed by the EU, India, Turkey, the USA, Vietnam, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan. The world's largest textile importer was the EU with a 21% share of world textile imports, followed by the USA in second place with a 10% share. Next in importance was Vietnam, followed by China, Bangladesh, Japan, the UK, Indonesia, Turkey and South Korea. The world's largest clothing exporter in 2021 was China with a 33% share of world clothing exports, followed by the EU, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Turkey, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Pakistan. The world's largest clothing importer, however, was the EU with a 34% share of world clothing imports while the USA took 19%, Japan took 5% and the UK took 4%. Next in importance was China, followed by Canada, South Korea, Russia, Switzerland and Australia. But these six countries had only small shares of world clothing imports. © Textiles Intelligence Limited 2022.

Systems thinking to facilitate "double loop" learning in tourism industry: a COVID-19 response strategy. (Special Issue: Sustainability knowledge management and organisational learning.)

It is evident there is an urgent need for tourism companies to build highly responsive learning systems to adapt to COVID-19 threats and beyond. As such, only learning tourism companies that promote inquiry, challenging current actions, and departing away from adopted assumptions will be able to survive. However, there is paucity of studies exploring effective learning methods in tourism companies to adapt to unpredictable crisis consequences. This study argues that systems thinking approach for service delivery design can operationalize double loop learning in tourism companies of finding alternative service offerings. An exploratory case study was conducted in a leading cruise group company in Vietnam. Results show that systems thinking activated double-loop learning by promoting three different drivers: systematic judges and acts, problem-based task force teams, and service innovation. This paper theorizes systems thinking with double-loop learning as an organizational means to help tourism companies survive during COVID-19 global tragedy, and to transform their service offerings. It also extends current understanding of tourism companies' organisational learning by incorporating double loop learning with structural design issues based on the lens of organic structures and introduces managers of tourism companies to the significance of organic structures for competitive advantage creation during crisis.

Medical Waste Treatment Process Based on Blockchain Technology - A Case Study of Covid-19 Waste Handling in Vietnam

Medical waste management is a challenging problem that not only directly affects the environment but also people's health. This urgent issue is getting more and more attention in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. New infections are increasing exponentially in all countries globally, especially developing countries with large populations (e.g., India, Brazil, Bangladesh). Studies on the spread of the disease have listed one of the causes of this crisis as the Covid-19 waste treatment process not being followed correctly and the difficulty of data retrieval. Vietnam was also severely damaged by the Covid-19 epidemic, although the government initially controlled the disease very well. The Covid-19 waste treatment process in Vietnam is still being processed manually and with a combination of many departments. Data sharing and tracking are also tricky because they are centrally stored in different facilities/departments. In addition, there is a lack of synchronization and transparency of shared data. This paper is one of the first attempts to fill that gaps by applying Blockchain technology and decentralized storage. Relevant parties will retrieve all data, and the source of waste can be easily traced. We also implemented a proof-of-concept based on the Hyperledger Fabric platform to demonstrate the idea's feasibility. In the evaluation, we observe the process of initializing and querying data. These initial efforts will lay the groundwork for more in-depth studies to create an initiative for Vietnam's medical waste treatment process when faced with a new wave of infections or another epidemic. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.