An empty shop in London’s most deprived borough has been transformed into a ‘bicycle library’ – where locals can borrow bikes for free. Initially opened for a month-long pilot in September, Chrisp Street Community Cycles in Poplar also offers bike repairs, cycling advice and guided rides. ‘For me, being able to book free cycling lessons, and learn about safety and maintenance has been game-changing,’ Tower Hamlets resident Sangeeta told Positive News. ‘If you’re rusty like me, you can learn to ride.’
A phase three clinical trial for the world’s first malaria vaccine has come back with impressive results. RTS,S has been administered to 2.1 million people as part of a pilot programme in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. Scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Burkina Faso’s Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé and Mali’s University of Bamako reported a dramatic reduction in malaria illness and deaths among young children in Burkina Faso and Mali. This breakthrough could not come soon enough, with the long-neglected tropical disease continuing to claim 274,000 under-fives every year.
