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The COVID‐19 Pandemic Not Only Poses Challenges, but Also Opens Opportunities for Sustainable Transformation
2021, Pradhan, Prajal, Subedi, Daya Raj, Khatiwada, Dilip, Joshi, Kirti Kusum, Kafle, Sagar, Chhetri, Raju Pandit, Dhakal, Shobhakar, Gautam, Ambika Prasad, Khatiwada, Padma Prasad, Mainaly, Jony, Onta, Sharad, Pandey, Vishnu Prasad, Parajuly, Keshav, Pokharel, Sijal, Satyal, Poshendra, Singh, Devendra Raj, Talchabhadel, Rocky, Tha, Rupesh, Thapa, Bhesh Raj, Adhikari, Kamal, Adhikari, Shankar, Chandra Bastakoti, Ram, Bhandari, Pitambar, Bharati, Saraswoti, Bhusal, Yub Raj, Bahadur BK, Man, Bogati, Ramji, Kafle, Simrin, Khadka, Manohara, Khatiwada, Nawa Raj, Lal, Ajay Chandra, Neupane, Dinesh, Neupane, Kaustuv Raj, Ojha, Rajit, Regmi, Narayan Prasad, Rupakheti, Maheswar, Sapkota, Alka, Sapkota, Rupak, Sharma, Mahashram, Shrestha, Gitta, Shrestha, Indira, Shrestha, Khadga Bahadur, Tandukar, Sarmila, Upadhyaya, Shyam, Kropp, Jürgen P., Bhuju, Dinesh Raj
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted social, economic, and environmental systems worldwide, slowing down and reversing the progress made in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDGs belong to the 2030 Agenda to transform our world by tackling humankind's challenges to ensure well-being, economic prosperity, and environmental protection. We explore the potential impacts of the pandemic on SDGs for Nepal. We followed a knowledge co-creation process with experts from various professional backgrounds, involving five steps: online survey, online workshop, assessment of expert's opinions, review and validation, and revision and synthesis. The pandemic has negatively impacted most SDGs in the short term. Particularly, the targets of SDG 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 13 have and will continue to have weakly to moderately restricting impacts. However, a few targets of SDG 2, 3, 6, and 11 could also have weakly promoting impacts. The negative impacts have resulted from impeding factors linked to the pandemic. Many of the negative impacts may subside in the medium and long terms. The key five impeding factors are lockdowns, underemployment and unemployment, closure of institutions and facilities, diluted focus and funds for non-COVID-19-related issues, and anticipated reduction in support from development partners. The pandemic has also opened a window of opportunity for sustainable transformation, which is short-lived and narrow. These opportunities are lessons learned for planning and action, socio-economic recovery plan, use of information and communication technologies and the digital economy, reverse migration and “brain gain,” and local governments' exercising authorities.
Shared MRSA Strains among Nepalese Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), their Environment and Hospitalized Patients
2019, Roberts, Marilyn C., Joshi, Prabhu Raj, Monecke, Stefan, Ehricht, Ralf, Müller, Elke, Gawlik, Darius, Paudel, Saroj, Acharya, Mahesh, Bhattarai, Sankalpa, Pokharel, Sujana, Tuladhar, Reshma, Chalise, Mukesh K., Kyes, Randall C.
This study looked at 227 saliva samples from Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and 218 samples from the surrounding environments. From these samples, MRSA isolates were collected from Rhesus saliva samples (n = 13) and environmental samples (n = 19) near temple areas in Kathmandu, Nepal. For comparison, selected MRSA isolates (n = 5) were obtained from patients with wound infections from a Kathmandu hospital. All isolates were characterized using Abbott StaphyType® DNA microarrays. Eighteen isolates (62%) from monkeys (n = 4; 31%) and environmental samples (n = 14; 74%), were CC22-MRSA-IV. Most (n = 16) of them carried both, the PVL locus and toxic shock toxin gene (tst1), an unusual combination which is the same as in previously characterized strain from Nepalese macaques and pigs. The five human isolates also belonged to that strain type. Eight monkey MRSA isolates were CC361-MRSA-IV. One MRSA from a monkey and one from an environmental sample, were CC88-MRSA-V. Other environmental MRSA included one each, CC121-MRSA-VT, and CC772 -MRSA-V. Two were CC779-MRSA-VT, potentially a novel clone. All MRSA carried the blaZ gene. The aacA–aphD, dfrA, and erm (C) genes were very common in isolates from all sources. One macaque MRSA carried the resistance genes aphA3 and sat, neither previously identified in primate MRSA isolates. This current study suggests that humans could be a potential source of the MRSA in the macaques/environment and transmission may be linked to humans feeding the primates and/or living in close proximity to each other.This study looked at 227 saliva samples from Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and 218 samples from the surrounding environments. From these samples, MRSA isolates were collected from Rhesus saliva samples (n = 13) and environmental samples (n = 19) near temple areas in Kathmandu, Nepal. For comparison, selected MRSA isolates (n = 5) were obtained from patients with wound infections from a Kathmandu hospital. All isolates were characterized using Abbott StaphyType® DNA microarrays. Eighteen isolates (62%) from monkeys (n = 4; 31%) and environmental samples (n = 14; 74%), were CC22-MRSA-IV. Most (n = 16) of them carried both, the PVL locus and toxic shock toxin gene (tst1), an unusual combination which is the same as in previously characterized strain from Nepalese macaques and pigs. The five human isolates also belonged to that strain type. Eight monkey MRSA isolates were CC361-MRSA-IV. One MRSA from a monkey and one from an environmental sample, were CC88-MRSA-V. Other environmental MRSA included one each, CC121-MRSA-VT, and CC772 -MRSA-V. Two were CC779-MRSA-VT, potentially a novel clone. All MRSA carried the blaZ gene. The aacA–aphD, dfrA, and erm (C) genes were very common in isolates from all sources. One macaque MRSA carried the resistance genes aphA3 and sat, neither previously identified in primate MRSA isolates. This current study suggests that humans could be a potential source of the MRSA in the macaques/environment and transmission may be linked to humans feeding the primates and/or living in close proximity to each other.