Sarah Newey

Thailand

Correspondent, Global Health Security at The Telegraph

Global health security correspondent @TelGlobalHealth, based in Bangkok, formerly London. Contact me: [email protected] - find me elsewhere @sneweyy

Articles

Universal antivenom within reach thanks to man bitten by snakes over 200 times - on purpose

1 week ago | nzherald.co.nz | Sarah Newey

Scientists are closer than ever to developing a universal antivenom for snake bites after analysing the blood of a man who was bitten more than 200 times – on purpose. For almost two decades, Tim Friede, a self-taught herpetologist, has been exposing himself to venom from more than a dozen of the world’s most dangerous snakes, in a highly unconventional attempt to build up some protection against the reptiles.
UN considers major shake-up to cut costs as budget crisis looms

1 week ago | telegraph.co.uk | Ben Farmer |Sarah Newey

Individual agencies have already admitted they are expecting to make heavy short term cuts in order to stay afloat. The World Food Program (WFP), which receives half its money from America, is expected to cut up to 30 per cent of its staff. The head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said it would downsize its headquarters and regional offices to reduce costs by 30 per cent and cut senior-level positions by half.
Universal antivenom within reach thanks to man bitten over 200 times

1 week ago | telegraph.co.uk | Sarah Newey

Researchers identified two broadly neutralising antibodies - a special class of antibodies able to neutralise a wide variety of snake toxins - in Mr Friede's blood. They then combined these with a small molecule known to disarm some venom, to create a single snakebite treatment. According to preclinical trial results published in the journal Cell on Friday, the antivenom cocktail protected mice from 13 venomous snakes, and partially protected against a further six.
Thailand reports first anthrax death in decades

1 week ago | ca.news.yahoo.com | Sarah Newey

The dead man became exposed during a religious ceremony where livestock were slaughtered - NARONG SANGNAK/EPAThailand has reported its first anthrax death in decades, prompting authorities to track hundreds of people who have potentially been exposed to deadly bacteria. A 53-year-old man in Mukdahan province died from the highly dangerous livestock disease, with authorities confirming a second case and investigating three more suspected infections.
Top secret US research lab studying SARS-CoV-2 shut amid safety concerns

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Sarah Newey

A top-secret US research facility that studies Sars-CoV-2, Ebola and other deadly pathogens has been shut down by the Trump administration amid safety concerns. The Integrated Research Facility (IRL) – which is located at a US Army base in Fort Detrick, Maryland – was told by email to stop all experimental work by 5pm on April 29 and its director was placed on administrative leave.
Top secret US research lab studying SARS-CoV-2 shut amid safety concerns

2 weeks ago | telegraph.co.uk | Sarah Newey

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and its labs have been under scrutiny since Robert F Kennedy, President Donald Trump's controversial pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, assumed office. The department has since announced that 10,000 people would lose their jobs - including those at the NIH, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention - as Mr Trump and Elon Musk's attempt to reduce government spending.
Agent Orange recovery in jeopardy 50 years after the fall of Saigon

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Sarah Newey

It was an aggressive mission that turned the lush green landscape a desolate brown. For almost a decade, as America tried to stamp out enemy fighters lurking in the jungle, US aircraft doused Vietnam with 20 million gallons of herbicides in a campaign codenamed Operation Ranch Hand. Forests were stripped bare; rice paddies left barren.
Agent Orange recovery in jeopardy 50 years after the fall of Saigon

2 weeks ago | telegraph.co.uk | Sarah Newey

Herbicidal warfare left a toxic legacy of environmental damage and severe health issues. Now, efforts to clean up contamination are at riskIt was an aggressive mission that turned the lush green landscape a desolate brown. For almost a decade, as America tried to stamp out enemy fighters lurking in the jungle, US aircraft doused Vietnam with 20 million gallons of herbicides in a campaign codenamed Operation Ranch Hand. Forests were stripped bare; rice paddies left barren.
World’s only research centre for flesh-eating infection ransacked in Sudan

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Sarah Newey

The footage sent Dr Ahmed Fahal into shock. On the outskirts of Khartoum, his research centre had been completely ransacked – the reception burned, the laboratory stripped, and four decades of biobank samples destroyed. “I’m not sure when it took place… but we discovered the damage two weeks ago,” he told the Telegraph from Cairo, where he fled when a brutal civil war broke out in Sudan in April 2023. “[When I saw the video], I was not able to start or to talk or to communicate with anybody.
World's only research centre for flesh-eating infection ransacked in Sudan

2 weeks ago | telegraph.co.uk | Sarah Newey

With around 50 Sudanese and international researchers, it has also become a critical research hub - only five months ago, it published the first randomised, double blind trial looking at new mycetoma drugs. But the civil war has wrought havoc on operations. When conflict broke out in April 2023, staff had to flee Khartoum, which was then at the epicentre of the war.