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UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/16/16

Reports on Collaborative Work on Biodiversity and Agriculture, Forests, and Biodiversity and Health

UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/16/INF/34

Biodiversity and Health: Further Information on the Work in Response to Decision X/20, Paragraph 17

"Voluntary Commitments for Mainstreaming Biodiversity in the sectors of Energy and Mining, Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Processing, and Health" - Preparing for potential pledges of action by countries and partners to be announced at the UN Biodiversity Conference 2018, Sharm el-Sheikh

Reference: SCBD/MCO/AF/CE/87292 (2018-035)
To: CBD National Focal Points

'A world of sound opens up': how 10 minutes in nature reaps rewards

Sir David Attenborough’s latest advice for restoring our damaged relationship with nature is reassuringly straightforward. “One of the simplest things that you should do if you get the chance, when you get the chance, is just naturally to stop,” he told the Call of the Wild podcast.

'Like bees, wasps 'valuable' for ecosystems, human health

Wasps deserve to be just as highly valued as other insects, like bees, due to their roles as predators, pollinators, and more, according to a new review paper led by UCL and University of East Anglia researchers.

'Sushi parasites' have increased 283-fold in past 40 years

The next time you eat sashimi, nigiri or other forms of raw fish, consider doing a quick check for worms. A new study led by the University of Washington finds dramatic increases in the abundance of a worm that can be transmitted to humans who eat raw or undercooked seafood

'We might have a Covid-21 or Covid-22 coming our way'

We need a broader approach to health, says conservationist Cristián Samper. Our treatment of nature increases the risk of further pandemics

10th World Wilderness Congress (WILD10)

4 - 10 October 2013, Salamanca, Spain

15th Annual BIOECON Conference Conservation and Development: Exploring Conflicts and Challenges

18 - 20 September 2013, Cambridge, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

3 ways nature in the city can do you good, even in self-isolation

Spending time at the beach or taking a walk in the park can help us recover from the mental and physical impacts of life’s stresses. But physical distancing measures to contain COVID-19 have included closing beaches, playgrounds and parks, adding to the challenges to our mental health. When we s ...

32nd Session Asia and Pacific Plant Protection Commission (APPPC) - FAO

6 - 10 September 2021, TBD

50 million Euros to seed new Nature for Health Trust Fund for Pandemic Prevention

Nairobi, 3 March 2022 – The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and onsumer Protection (BMUV), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) today jointly announced the establishment of a Mul ...

50 million Euros to seed new Nature for Health Trust Fund for Pandemic Prevention

5th Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Health & Enivonrment and Community of Practice (CoP) Workshop

23 - 25 July 2013, Washington, United States of America

A Better Understanding of "Wet Markets" is Key to Safeguarding Human Health, Biodiversity (IMAGE)

Great uncertainty surrounds the origins of SARS-CoV-2. Early on, some suggested a link between COVID-19 and a seafood market in Wuhan, China. Other theories are now circulating, though the origins of the virus are still unknown.

A GDP for nature: How measuring the health of the natural world might prevent the next pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us how vulnerable we are to deadly infectious diseases. How we got here has been decades in the making, with plenty of warning signs along the way, from SARS to MERS to Ebola to Zika.

A diet of high-iron beans improves health of anemic women in Rwanda

Anemia is a global health problem common in low-income countries. Severe cases can lead to fatigue, heart problems, and complications in pregnancy. When widespread, anemia can also weigh on national economies.

A diversity of wildlife is good for our health

A growing body of evidence suggests that biodiversity loss increases our exposure to both new and established zoonotic pathogens. Restoring and protecting nature is essential to preventing future pandemics.

A less meaty Year of the Pig?

A few days before the Chinese New Year, staff at a popular Sichuanese restaurant in Beijing’s Dongcheng district were busy serving customers and taking reservations for New Year’s Eve. Meat accounted for at least 65 per cent of the dishes on the New Year menu, typical of the several restaurants ...

A one-health approach to prevent COVID-21, COVID-22 and other future pandemics

While still in the grips of a global pandemic, it has become painfully apparent that addressing the complex interactions of human, animal, and environmental health needs multilateral and national adoption of a fully integrated One Health approach, write Cristián Samper and Niels Annen.

A possible COVID-19 silver lining for great ape conservation

Respiratory illness outbreaks among wild mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park have declined since the start of COVID-19, according to a Correspondence report in the journal Nature from Gorilla Doctors and the Rwanda Development Board.

A study reveals the presence of murine coronavirus in Canary Islands mice population

A study published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science reveals the presence of murine coronavirus—the murine hepatitis virus or M-CoV—in mice of the Canary archipelago (Spain) that could have reached the islands by maritime transport from the European continent. This is the first ecoepidemiologica ...

ASEAN highlights long-term health measures amid COVID-19 pandemic

As parts of the world come to a standstill to stop the spread of the new Coronavirus disease or COVID-19, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) underscores the importance of taking a long-term view of the situation and integrating biodiversity into the design and implementation of health progr ...

Act responsibly on climate emergency to protect public health, editors urge leaders

The editors of over 200 medical journals have published a joint statement where they have called upon global leaders to take action on the climate emergency and protect public health.

Adoption of a robust approach to minimize disease transmission between humans and wild animals

The threat of disease transmission from conservationists moving wild animals between habitats or back into the wild needs to be urgently assessed to minimize risk. Experts at the University of Birmingham are calling on local and national health authorities and wildlife managers to adopt a robust ...

Advancing One Health: Protecting People, Gorillas, and the Land on which They Live

In 2003, a scabies skin disease outbreak affecting mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was traced to people living around the national park—people with limited access to basic health and social services. To protect the people and wildlife of this special park, we launched Cons ...

Africa: Six Nature Facts Related to Coronaviruses

Did you know that around 60 per cent of all infectious diseases in humans are zoonotic, as are 75 per cent of all emerging infectious diseases, in other words they come to us via animals?

African swine fever decimates Philippine pig stocks

African swine fever (ASF) sweeping through the Philippines has wiped out over a third of the country's pig stocks, threatening food security in a country already reeling from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Age of traditional medicine will start with establishment of WHO centre in Jamnagar, says PM Modi

That is the reason why the world is searching for new avenues of healthcare delivery, said Modi.Referring to ancient scriptures, he said Ayurveda and other Indian traditional medicine systems were not limited to only treatment, as they are considered as holistic sciences.

Air pollution linked to far higher Covid-19 death rates, study finds

Air pollution is linked to significantly higher rates of death in people with Covid-19, according to analysis.The work shows that even a tiny, single-unit increase in particle pollution levels in the years before the pandemic is associated with a 15% increase in the death rate.

Allergy Season Is Getting Worse, Thanks To Climate Change

Allergy sufferers are having a rough time of it this spring. If you're among them, and if you think it's getting worse, you're right–and climate change is at least partly to blame.

An Ecopsychologist On How To Connect To Nature From Anywhere (Even Indoors)

I was born and raised in Suriname, the most forest-covered nation in the world, with 98% tree cover. "Nature Deficit Disorder"—a term that author Richard Louv coined to describe how being disconnected from nature can harm health—was not something I needed to worry about growing up.

Ancient Greek Wisdom for a Healthy Gut and Immune System

The ancient Greek Father of Medicine, Hippocrates penned that “all diseases begin in the gut” and that for true healing and optimum health that we need to exercise, “let medicine be thy food and food thy medicine” and the “natural forces within us are the true healers of disease”.

And Breathe… The Value Of The Natural World

If you consult your doctor, you would probably not expect them to advise you to take a walk in the park. But the value of immersing yourself in the natural world has been recognised by a recent report from Griffith University. It is possible that park visits will become a routine part of prescri ...

Annual Meeting of the Consultative Group for the North American Pollutant Release and Transfer Register

20 - 21 October 2004, Montreal, Canada

Anthropogenesis and COVID-19

The emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS–COV-2) virus in Wuhan, China, in 2019 and the subsequent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been linked to the anthropogenic biodiversity crisis and climate change.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria is spreading from people to chimpanzees

Nearly half of fecal samples from wild chimpanzees contain bacteria that is resistant to a major class of antibiotics people commonly use in the vicinity of Gombe National Park in Tanzania, according to new research

Asean could be hot spot for next pandemic–ACB head

WITH 346 bat species, three species of pangolins, and over 2,000 migratory avian species, Southeast Asia could be a hot spot for the next pandemic, the Director of the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) warned.

Bee sting twice as likely to land Australians in hospital than encounter with venomous wildlife

Australia is home to the 11 most venomous snakes in the world, the deadliest spider in the world, and some of the most venomous marine life. And yet according to a study released on Wednesday, Australians are twice as likely end up in hospital because of a bee or wasp sting than an encounter wit ...

Being surrounded by green space in childhood may improve mental health of adults

Children who grow up with greener surroundings have up to 55% less risk of developing various mental disorders later in life. This is shown by a new study from Aarhus University, Denmark, emphasizing the need for designing green and healthy cities for the future.

Better sewage treatment critical for human health and ecosystems

World Health Day on 7 April is a reminder that effective wastewater management and sanitation systems are vital for human health. The volume of sewage in the world is set to rise in line with population growth. Furthermore, the growth in global wealth means our wastewater, including sewage, cont ...

Biodiversity Conservation can Improve Human Health in World’s Growing Cities, says UN assessment

Hyderabad (India), 15 October 2012 – Global urbanization will have significant implications for biodiversity and ecosystems if current trends continue, with knock-on effects for human health and development, according to a new assessment by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity ( ...

Biodiversity and Health: Linkages and Benefits

Biodiversity and health have inextricable links, with biodiversity offering critical health-supporting ecosystem services, and public health arguments increasingly acknowledged as an opportunity for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Emerging infectious diseases presents an ex ...

Biodiversity called into focus

With ASEAN’s critical history and experience with pandemics, biodiversity and health have become among the key focus areas at the national and regional levels, according to Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) Dr Theresa Mundita S Lim.

Biodiversity is more than just the forests

TOO often when we talk about biodiversity, it evokes a notion of forest destruction or species extinction. To many, it is just about the environment. Little do we realise, however, that in fact biodiversity is the foundation for human health.

Biodiversity is our Life Insurance

Since its early days, Slow Food has put the defense of biodiversity at the heart of its strategies. This precious natural resource is under threat worldwide, including in Europe. But what is biodiversity? What does it have to do with our food and health? And what is the European Union doing to r ...

Biodiversity is positively related to mental health

The higher the number of plant and bird species in a region, the healthier the people who live there. This was found by a new study published in Landscape and Urban Planning and led by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Resear ...

Biodiversity may benefit mental health by affecting gut bacteria

New research in mice suggests that exposure to a biodiverse soil may improve mental health by raising levels of a bacterium with anxiety-relieving effects.

Biodiversity or Bust

Diseases transmitted from animals have decimated human populations at least since the bubonic plague appeared in Biblical times. Centuries later, preserving healthy ecosystems is the most effective – and the most cost-effective – way to prevent future outbreaks that endanger our lives and threat ...

Biodiversity protects bee communities from disease

A new analysis of thousands of native and nonnative Michigan bees shows that the most diverse bee communities have the lowest levels of three common viral pathogens.

Biodiversity sustains human health

The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) joins the international community in observing World Health Day on 7 April. The theme for this year’s celebration is universal health coverage. The World Health Organization reported that millions of people still have no access to health care. About 100 mi ...

Biodiversity underpins dietary diversity and access to sufficient food is a cornerstone of food security and a fundamental determinant of health.

Biodiversity, Health, Food, Nutrition and the Sustainable Development Goals: Ways Forward

Dialogue Session jointly launched with Bioversity International and FAO to strategically focus on relevance of agrobiodiversity and nutrition to work carried out under the CBD-WHO Joint work programme. Strategically linked to this core thematic area of State of Knowldege Review on Biodiversity a ...

Biodiversity, Well-being and the Post-2015 Agenda

As negotiations for a post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda are on full-swing, advocating an approach to human well-being based on biodiversity conservation and social equity is crucial. This should emerge from the CBD Parties and Observers as a crucial outcome of COP12. Well-being approaches ...

Biodiversity, people’s livelihoods at risk in Chindwin River Basin

The Chindwin River, the largest tributary of the Ayeyarwady River, is vital to the lives of thousands of communities in Myanmar. Its basin ecosystem offers ecological services and biological diversity that provide the essential needs for six million people, from drinking and irrigation water, fo ...

Biodiversity, traditional knowledge and community health

The event will bring together perspectives of people working to promote biological resource use to improve nutritional and health security at the level of rural communities, using resources and capabilities at the local context in order to achieve broader development and conservation goals.

Biological diversity increases life satisfaction

Under the current pandemic conditions, activities out in nature are a popular pastime. The beneficial effects of a diverse nature on people's mental health have already been documented by studies on a smaller scale. Scientists of the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, the iDiv, and the ...

Biosafety Course: Hazard ID and Risk Assessment of (Trans)gene Flow

17 - 21 August 2009, Tromso, Norway

Briefing webinar 4 (part 2) on agenda items 7, 8, 9 and 10 : 7. (Biodiversity and agriculture), 8. (Programme of work of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services), 9. (Biodiversity and health), and 10. (Invasive alien species) of the Twenty-fourth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice

2 February 2021, Online

Bringing Traditional Healing Under the Microscope in South Africa

IN JUNE, Artemisia afra was in high demand on the streets of Johannesburg in South Africa. To treat Covid-19 symptoms, the Indigenous herb’s silvery leaves were for sale at roadside vendors and in the city’s popular traditional markets. Some people even pulled the plant from private gardens. And ...

Bringing public health to forefront

The importance of forging robust linkages to ensure the health of people and the planet was highlighted in a recent statement by Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) Dr Theresa Mundita S Lim.

Britain’s largest butterfly at risk as fungal pathogens kill food source

Britain’s largest butterfly may be at risk from fungal pathogens that have caused a drastic die-back of the rare plant on which its caterpillars feed.

CAN GORILLAS SAVE THE EARTH? GREAT APES AS INDICATORS OF BIODIVERSITY HEALTH AND HUMAN WELL-BEING IN CENTRAL AFRICA’S RAINFORESTS

The Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP) is the unique alliance of member nations, UN agencies, research institutions, conservation organizations and private supporters that works to conserve great apes in Africa and Asia. By focusing on gorilla conservation in Cameroon, Cong and DR Congo, G ...

CBD Executive Secretary Welcomes the Launch of Healthy Environment, Healthy People

Montreal, 27 May 2016 – Braulio Dias, the Executive Secretary to the Convention on Biological Diversity, welcomes a new UNEP report on environment and health which links a healthy environment and healthy ecosystems as the basis for the implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.

COHAB 2005 - The First International Conference on the Importance of Biodiversity to Human Health

23 - 25 August 2005, Galway, Ireland

COVID fallout hit farmers hard, and they need better mental health support

A farmer's lot is not an easy one. A difficult and demanding way of life, farming involves a huge range of challenges and stresses—among them isolation, climate change, and disease outbreaks in crops and livestock.

COVID-19 and Biodiversity Loss: How Destruction of the Environment Leads to Pandemics

The devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have left us all wondering: What have we done wrong to create a global catastrophe that has killed more than a million people? The general public has been focusing on explanations related to the immediate present — that we have not taken the right ...

COVID-19 shows need to understand health interconnectedness

The transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus from a bat to a human and the human-to-human spread of COVID-19 demonstrates how animal, human, plant, and environmental health are interconnected, according to a team of One Health researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the UT Institute o ...

COVID-19 updates from the United Nations Environment Programme

The transmission of diseases, like the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19, between animals and humans (zoonoses) threatens economic development, animal and human well-being, and ecosystem integrity. The United Nations Environment Programme supports global efforts to protect biodiversity, to put an end t ...

Call for the nomination of participants in the regional capacity-building workshop on biodiversity and health for the ASEAN Region, 5-7 November 2018 – Manila, Philippines

Reference: SCBD/SPS/AS/SBG/CRm/87681 (2018-077)
To: CBD National Focal Points and SBSTTA Focal Points of the following countries: Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Laos, Brunei

Call for the nomination of participants in the regional capacity-building workshop on biodiversity and human health for the Europe Region, 23-25 October 2017 – Helsinki, Finland

Reference: SCBD/SPS/DC/SBG/CRm/86662 (2017-069)
To: CBD National Focal Points in the WHO Europe region

Can Biodiversity In Urban Neighborhoods Be Related To Mental Health?

Acquiring properties within a concrete jungle may be the goal of every person trying to make a mark in this world, however, there are downsides to this aspiration. Particularly, in terms of the barriers that it places between man and nature, causing mental health problems such as depression, anx ...

Can low meat consumption be the key to a thriving — and circular — food system?

As we surpass the first anniversary of COVID-19 and the impacts of extended lockdowns, the need for systemic change has become more apparent than ever. This necessary shift must not be overlooked in the agrifood sector; our global food systems require a radical reworking more than ever before, f ...

Can we feed 11 billion people while preventing the spread of infectious disease?

A new article describes how the increase in population and the need to feed everyone will give rise to human infectious disease, a situation the authors of the paper consider 'two of the most formidable ecological and public health challenges of the 21st century.'

Canada’s New Food Guide Is A Win For Health, Animals And The Planet

After years of research analysis, stakeholder and public consultation, and message testing, Health Canada has published an updated version of Canada's Food Guide.

Canadian Doctors Can Now Prescribe ‘Spending Time in Nature’ for Patients’ Mental Health

Not all doctors recommend just bed-rest, or time-off from work, or pills. Some can even write you prescriptions to go visit parks and spend time in nature. Well, at least, doctors in Canada are doing that.

Caring for the environment helps to care for your mental health

On this World Mental Health Day, we draw attention to the relationship between mental health and the environment.

Celebrating Global Unity for a COVID-19 Recovery on World Health Day with Art Shows

Celebrated each year on April 7, the theme of the World Health Day this year is building a fairer, healthier world for everyone while recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

China's new animal health rules alone won't stop zoonotic outbreaks, experts warn

China’s attempts to prevent another zoonotic disease outbreak will fail without deep changes in enforcement, oversight, and extensive investment to ramp up veterinary capacity, say experts.

Climate Change Futures: Health, Ecological, and Economic Dimensions

3 - 4 June 2004, Ruschlikon, Switzerland

Climate change adaptation brings health co-benefits

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased attention on links between public health and the planet's health—areas traditionally addressed in separate science and policy circles. Now, an international research collaboration conducted the first comprehensive review of urban climate change responses and p ...

Combating Antimicrobial Resistance and Promoting the Prudent Use of Antimicrobial Agents across Relevant Sectors

Reference: SCBD/CSU/CG/RH/CRom/85726 (2016-069)
To: CBD National Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points and relevant organizations

Communicating the health of the planet and its links to human health

The Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on planetary health1 in 2015 argued that although human health has improved dramatically between 1950 and 2010, this gain was accompanied by unprecedented environmental degradation that now threatens both human health and life-support systems.

Conservation Of Traditional Medicinal Plants In Asia Facing A Dark Future – Analysis

Anhar Rabiyah of the tribal Pannei, an indigenous group in Pangkep, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Sikrip Piyaporn, an ethnic minority who lives in Pu Luong, Thailand and Tuyoc Ballanga of the Maeng Itneg tribe in Tubo, Abra, Philippines don’t know each other from Adam.

Conserving Biodiversity, Preserving Mental Health

Activist Tori Tsui dismantles the euro-centricity and ableism of ‘eco-anxiety’ and outlines why mental health is planetary health.

Conserving These Endangered Prawns Is A Tasty Way To Protect Human Health

Restocking rivers in tropical and subtropical Africa with a large endangered freshwater prawn not only provides locals with a protein-rich food source, but it also breaks the deadly life cycle of schistosomiasis

Coronavirus and Climate Change: Observing World Water Day

The theme of this year’s World Water Day, observed on 22 March, is water and climate change. The issue has taken on greater urgency, given the global spread of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, responsible for over 13,000 deaths worldwide to date.

Coronavirus: 'Nature is sending us a message’, says UN environment chief

Nature is sending us a message with the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing climate crisis, according to the UN’s environment chief, Inger Andersen.

Could A Lack Of Respect For Mother Nature Cause The Next Pandemic?

The destruction of other species’ natural habitats could see the next COVID-like infectious disease span the globe. his is one of the reasons why we signed the Terra Carta – HRH The Prince of Wales’s biodiversity plan to harness “the irreplaceable power of nature”.

Could the Himalayas harbour the next pandemic?

The world is in an “era of pandemics”. Unless the destruction of the natural world is halted, diseases will emerge more often, spread more rapidly, kill more people and affect the global economy with more devastating impacts than ever before. This was the stark warning from the world’s leading s ...

Covid pandemic has helped people to ‘re-engage’ with nature, says agency

Covid-19 challenged people’s abilities to cope with societal disruption but prompted stronger appreciation of “connectedness to the environment on a local scale” even within a few kilometres of home.

Covid: Viral photo highlights challenges of vaccinating Amazon

A photo of an indigenous man carrying his father on his back to take a Covid-19 vaccine in the Brazilian Amazon has gone viral, and became a symbol of the complicated vaccination logistics in one of the world's most remote areas.

Creature comfort: why TV nature shows are good for mental health

From Planet Earth to Springwatch and beyond, programmes about animals in the natural world can soothe the nervous system and raise the spirits

Deadlier outbreaks could follow coronavirus pandemic if people don't stop destroying nature, say experts

Rampant deforestation, uncontrolled expansion of agriculture, infrastructure development and exploitation of wild species have created a ‘perfect storm’ for the spillover of diseases from wildlife to people.

Decline of biodiversity, health of Indigenous peoples interconnected

When Danika Littlechild was growing up in Maskwacis, Alta., her uncle would pick her up after school and walk her home through the bush to her kôhkom’s (grandmother’s) house. He would show her different plants and fungi along the way, teaching her their names and telling stories about when to ha ...

Declining biodiversity in wild Amazon fisheries threatens human diet: Study

According to a study, the people in the Peruvian Amazon could suffer major nutritional shortages if ongoing losses in fish biodiversity continue

Deforestation isn't just an environmental problem. It's a public health crisis.

Deforestation, habitat loss and wildlife poaching aren't just environmental issues. They're among the driving forces behind the rise in global infectious disease outbreaks -- and likely contributed the current pandemic.

Demonstrating the role of biodiversity and ecosystems in delivering good health at low cost

Of the several services that biodiversity provides, a cross-cutting one is the contribution to secure the health of people and life forms in all manifestations – physical, mental and spiritual. While the relevance of biodiversity and related traditional knowledge to mainstream health may be more ...

Destruction Of Habitat And Loss Of Biodiversity Are Creating The Perfect Conditions For Diseases Like Covid-19 To Emerge

Mayibout 2 is not a healthy place. The 150 or so people who live in the village, which sits on the south bank of the Ivindo River, deep in the great Minkebe forest in northern Gabon, are used to occasional bouts of diseases such as malaria, dengue, yellow fever and sleeping sickness. Mostly they ...

Diet for healthy people, healthy planet too costly for some

At US$2.84 per head per day, the ‘ideal diet’ would be beyond reach for nearly 1.6 billion people, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, researchers say.