Egoitz Etxebeste Aduriz Ana Galarraga Aiestaran

Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

Good news

Egoitz Etxebeste Aduriz Ana Galarraga Aiestaran

Both in the scientific world and outside it, it is not difficult to find reasons to be pessimistic. However, there are also rays of light that should be taken into account and that can serve as an example for the future.

One of them is the declaration signed by some European scientific bodies to promote gender equality. The title of the statement is the “Joint Declaration on the Promotion of Gender Equity in Higher Education, Research and Innovation” and the signatories are eleven European organizations that have been awarded for their gender equality policies in the European Union. These include, for example, the Spanish Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), the French Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Rovira i Virgili University of Catalonia.

In the text, the signatories recognize that it is essential to continue addressing gender discrimination so that science can respond to future social and economic challenges.

In the international context, the declaration has acquired a special value, since in the United States, at the beginning of the year, a decision was made just the opposite: By order of the Trump administration, all programs related to diversity, equity and inclusiveness have been suspended.

Another good news, very different, comes from vaccines. The U.S. government has also tried to raise concerns about vaccines, but two European studies have presented conclusive data to strengthen confidence, one long-term for the papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and another, more recent, for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine. The most malignant variants of the HPV virus are the main cause of cervical cancer, and in Denmark, vaccines against these variants began to be administered to young girls in 2008. Subsequently, the vaccination has been continued and extended, resulting in the almost elimination of these variants of the virus.

The other virus, RSV, causes acute bronchiolitis in young children. In the Basque Country, 90% of premature babies, newborns and children under two years of age with chronic diseases were vaccinated last year. The result was clear: the number of admissions has decreased by 50 per cent.