Aligning the achievement of SDGs with long-term sustainability and resilience: An OOBN modelling approach

This research utilizes an Object-Oriented Bayesian Network (OOBN) to model the relationships between the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) and resilience and sustainability at national, regional, and global levels. The ability of the OOBN to learn the parameters, i.e., the conditional probability distributions between the variables included in the network, was exploited to explore the impacts of progress of SDGs on the sustainability and resilience of nations. The resulting OOBN is used to examine different situations pertinent to policy analysis and design at the times of disasters, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Three case studies are used to illustrate the step by step process of using the proposed OOBN as well as the expected results of its application in policy analysis and evaluation contexts. The proposed is able to provide insight regarding which SDGs will have more significant impacts on both resilience and sustainability as well as their constituent components. The results of this research indicate how data induced OOBNs can be utilised by policy makers to prioritize new policies and evaluate the impacts of existing policies on both the resilience and sustainability of societies.

Preparing for "Disease X".

The past 30 years have exposed the global public health and economic threats posed by the emergence of infectious pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS), influenza, Ebola, Marburg, Lassa, Nipah, Zika, and now SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) each have been the "Disease X" of their time. The risk of future emergence is driven by multiple forces, including climate change, ecosystem changes, and increasing urbanization. The next Disease X could appear at any time, and the world needs to be better prepared.

Medicine shortages: there are solutions! Actions to take to reduce medicine shortages.

The aim of this paper is to propose solutions to reduce the number and frequency of medicine shortages in Australia. Some of the many factors that contribute to medicine shortages, such as manufacturers' production processes and business decisions, are outside the control of Australian stakeholders. But there are many factors that are within the control of stakeholders, including poor communication between stakeholders, incomplete and inaccurate information, unhelpful practices and attitudes of hospital tender authorities, and lack of certainty and incentives for manufacturers in relation to pharmaceutical tenders. The following strategies are designed to address these issues and achieve a significant reduction in the number and frequency of medicine shortages in Australian hospitals. They include improving communication and understanding between stakeholders, providing higher quality information on likely usage, changing practices of hospital tender authorities to better meet stakeholder requirements, and increasing incentives for manufacturers to participate in hospital tenders. The six key actions to implement the medicine shortage-reducing strategies are: (1) initiate a biannual forum for hospitals and industry; (2) establish a medicines substitutes information service operating nationally; (3) share information on likely changes to hospital usage; (4) reform stock allocation strategies; (5) introduce incentives for manufacturers; and (6) change hospital tender authority practices and policies. The first step to reduce medicine shortages is for stakeholders to think differently about the problem, and to act more collaboratively using the proposed strategies and actions, as a framework for change.

SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Vaccines.

Viral variants of concern may emerge with dangerous resistance to the immunity generated by the current vaccines to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Moreover, if some variants of concern have increased transmissibility or virulence, the importance of efficient public health measures and vaccination programs will increase. The global response must be both timely and science based.