The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance.

Investment in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing in Africa over the past year has led to a major increase in the number of sequences that have been generated and used to track the pandemic on the continent, a number that now exceeds 100,000 genomes. Our results show an increase in the number of African countries that are able to sequence domestically and highlight that local sequencing enables faster turnaround times and more-regular routine surveillance. Despite limitations of low testing proportions, findings from this genomic surveillance study underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic and illuminate the distinct dispersal dynamics of variants of concern-particularly Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron-on the continent. Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve while the continent faces many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Violence of adolescents with school difficulties : Between affect and cognition

Cette recherche interroge le lien affect-cognition chez des adolescents violents, en souffrance scolaire, à travers une dynamique de dépendance vs différenciation cognitive, émotionnelle et psychique. Elle a été réalisée dans deux établissements secondaires dans la région lyonnaise. Trois phases de travail de terrain ont été articulées. La première, exploratoire, s’est intéressée à l’observation du milieu scolaire à travers des entretiens avec des professionnels (N=8). La deuxième, quantitative, a consisté, à l’aide d’un questionnaire, en un recueil de données auprès d’adolescents (N= 112) quant à leurs violences, leurs rapports aux savoirs, leur quotidien scolaire. Des échelles (Questionnaires de Styles cognitifs, SITA et TAS-20) ont également été administrées pour évaluer la dépendance cognitive, l’alexithymie et le second processus de séparation-individuation. La troisième, clinique, a permis de faire un travail approfondi autour de la singularité d’adolescents en difficulté et dits violents (N=6). Elle s’est basée sur des entretiens cliniques et le Rorschach. Les résultats des phases exploratoire et quantitative ont montré un lien entre dépendance cognitive et difficultés scolaires. La violence à l’école associée aux difficultés scolaires est en lien avec une vulnérabilité cognitive, émotionnelle et relationnelle. Quant à la violence seule, sans difficultés scolaires, elle semble au contraire porter un mouvement de différenciation. Les résultats cliniques corroborent l’idée d’une violence scolaire qui vient interpeller le lien. Elle prend valeur d’une recherche de place singulière, de différenciation et de subjectivation. Les dynamiques de dépendance et d’indifférenciation s’intriquent à un fonctionnement cognitif similaire. Une défaillance dans les contenants de pensée vient s’exprimer dans une violence non contenue, comme une recherche de support à la pensée dans le milieu scolaire, à travers un support à la relation. Le rapport cognitif au scolaire s’inscrit dans cette dynamique globale d’un rapport aux contenants, recherchés et mis à l’épreuve dans les interactions avec l’environnement. Cet environnement peine parfois à décoder, à accueillir cette quête, ou à y apporter la compréhension et la réponse adéquate. Ceci fait de l’espace scolaire un espace de lutte pour la différenciation du sujet et par là même un espace potentiel pour créer, en marge parfois des contingences strictement scolaires, un chemin pour l’identité.This research exmines the link between cognition and affectivity on adolescents with school suffuring, trough studying dependency vs differenciation dynamic on cognitive, emotionnal and affective issues. It was conducted in two secondary establishments in Lyon, France. Three steps have been articulated. The first, exploratory, was interested in the observation of the school through interviews with professionals (N = 8). The second, quantitative, was done with a questionnaire to collect data about adolescents’ violence, relationship to knowledge and school. Scales (Cognitive Styles Questionnaires, SITA and TAS-20) were also administered to assess cognitive dependency, alexithymia and separation-individuation second process. The third, clinical, focused the singularity of troubled and violents teens (N = 6). It was based on clinical interviews and Rorschach test. The results of exploratory and quantitative phases have shown a link between cognitive dependence and scholar difficulties. When associated with scholar difficulties, violence at school is linked with a cognitive, emotionnal and relationnal vulnerability. However, violence alone, without scholar difficulties, seems to be rather a sign of differentiation. The clinical results support the idea that school violence have relationship signification. It takes value of research a space force singular differentiation and subjectivity. The dynamics of dependency and lack of differentiation is also explaining similar cognitive functioning. A failure in containers of thought is expressed in a non-contained violence, as a research of support for thinking in schools, through the relationship. Cognitive relation to the school is part of this overall report to the containers witch are researched and tested in dynamic interactions with the environment. Sometimes, environment has difficulies to receive and understand this quest, and to bring appropriate response. So school may be a space of differenciation and subjectivation struggle. It may be a potential space to create, in marge of school contingency, a way for identity

CLINIQUE DU HARCÈLEMENT SCOLAIRE : RÉSONANCES FAMILIALES ETSOCIÉTALES

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Le sens de l'école. Clinique des souffrances scolaires et des trajectoires créatives.

International audience4e de couverture : Quel sens à l’école aujourd’hui dans des sociétés marquées par la violence, la stigmatisation, le harcèlement et le décrochage ? Quelles issues possibles pour les enfants, adolescents, familles et professionnels qui s’y rencontrent ?À travers une approche clinique du symptôme scolaire, ce livre analyse les résonances familiales, sociétales, institutionnelles, politiques, historiques, dans l’expérience scolaire d’un enfant/adolescent. Respectivement miroir de la société et témoin des souffrances contemporaines, l’école et l’enfant reflètent la diversité des difficultés scolaires. Comment les transformer pour en faire un levier pour des trajectoires scolaires créatives ?Étayé sur les recherches en psychologie et en sciences humaines, des observations du milieu scolaire et des rencontres cliniques, cet ouvrage propose d’emprunter les chemins de l’école dans leurs singularités, leurs complexités et leurs spontanéités, pour en saisir les défaillances, le(s) sens et les innombrables potentialités.Il est une invitation à tenter la rencontre avec l’enfant/adolescent derrière l’élève. Une invitation à réinventer, au-delà du symptôme, le lien et la construction du sens

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