13 months left to deliver on 90:90:90 promises of 2020

[हिंदी] Despite promise of governments to end AIDS by 2030 and considerable progress on putting people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART) along with reduction in AIDS deaths, the decline in new HIV infections has stalled over the past 8 years in Asia Pacific.

The crown that won the HIV battle

Swapna Majumdar, CNS Special Correspondent, India
Barbara Kemigisa
Photo credit: Swapna Majumdar
She is not traumatised by it, nor does she want to hide it. On the contrary, Barbara Kemigisa wants the whole world to know that she has the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. In fact, the 33-year-old flaunts it by wearing a victory crown made with empty bottles of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs used to treat the infection and leftover pills. “I’m not afraid of the stigma of living with HIV. I want people to know my status so that they can see that people living with HIV don’t need to wither away and die. By wearing this crown, I can attract attention without saying a word,” says Kemigisa.

Not just 'treat symptoms' but also address root causes impeding progress towards ending AIDS


[Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts] This Podcast features Dr Bilali Camara, a medical epidemiologist and Country Director of UNAIDS (Joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS) in India. Bilali is former UNAIDS country director for Nigeria and has over 30 years of experience in health policy, epidemiology, clinical sciences, medical virology laboratories, advocacy and rights to health.

Not just treat symptoms but also address root causes impeding progress towards ending AIDS


HIV decline has stalled in Asia Pacific: Focus more on key populations


[Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts] This Podcast features Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman who is the President-elect of International AIDS Society (IAS), and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She is in conversation with CNS Managing Editor Shobha Shukla at ASICON 2019 (12th National Conference of AIDS Society of India) in Chennai, India.

HIV decline has stalled in Asia Pacific: Focus more on key populations to #endAIDS



New shorter one-month treatment regimen for TB prevention gives hope


[Listen on Apple Podcast] This Podcast features Dr Susan Swindells, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, and Medical Director, Speciality Care Clinic, University of Nebraska Medical Center - UNMC, USA who was in conversation with CNS Managing Editor Shobha Shukla at ASICON 2019 (12th National Conference of AIDS Society of India) in Chennai, India (22-24 November 2019).

New shorter 1-month TB preventive treatment for latent TB gives a ray of hope | Dr Susan Swindells


133 months left to make U=U a reality for every person living with HIV

133 months left to make U=U a reality for every person living with HIV


[Listen on Apple Podcasts] This Podcast features a conversation with leaders of the ASICON 2019 (12th National Conference of AIDS Society of India). Dr Ishwar Gilada, President of AIDS Society of India (ASI), President of ASICON 2019, & Governing Council member, International AIDS Society (IAS); Dr N Kumarasamy, Co-Chair of ASICON 2019 and Chief & Director of Infectious Diseases Medical Centre, Voluntary Health Services (VHS) Hospital, Chennai; and Dr Susan Swindells, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA.

133 months left to make U=U a reality for every person living with HIV & #endAIDS by 2030



Stronger the health system & social security, greater is the chance to end TB | Dr Mario Raviglione | #endTB Dialogues


[Listen on Apple Podcasts] This Podcast features a conversation with Dr Mario Raviglione, former Director of WHO Global TB Programme, who is currently the Director of Global Health Centre of University of Milan, Italy. He is among the LEADERS featured in #EndTB Dialogues - a special CNS series, presenting insightful and thought-provoking interviews with leaders to accelerate progress towards ending TB.

Stronger the health system & social security, greater is the chance to end TB | Dr Mario Raviglione | #endTB Dialogues


Call for stronger action to end TB & tobacco, and prevent NCDs in Telangana

Several eminent doctors and public health experts delivered a memorandum to Governor of Telangana earlier this month, calling for stronger action to accelerate progress towards eliminating tuberculosis (TB) and tobaccco use, as well as in preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Telangana Governor, who herself is a medical doctor, Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan received the delegation on the last day of the 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Hyderabad, India.

One-third of people living with HIV in rural Tanzania report clinically relevant drug-drug interactions

Study finds sub-optimal management of drug-drug interactions

9th Diabetes Atlas highlights & link between tobacco-TB-diabetes


[Listen on Apple Podcasts] This Podcast features the audio recording of the World Diabetes Day Webinar, which presented highlights of 9th Diabetes Atlas, and link between TB-tobacco and diabetes among other issues. 9th Diabetes Atlas was released by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) on World Diabetes Day 2019. This Webinar also had a message from Barrister Shameem Haider Patwary, Member of Parliament, Bangladesh, who is part of APCAT (Asia Pacific Cities Alliance for Tobacco Control & NCDs Prevention) & Asia Pacific Parliamentarians' Caucus for tobacco control and NCDs prevention.

World Diabetes Day Webinar: 9th Diabetes Atlas & link between TB-tobacco-diabetes


TB prevention is no longer a choice, but an essential part of end TB strategy

"TB prevention is no longer a choice but an essential intervention to end TB... TB is one of the few infections that we ignore and do not treat till it manifests as late stage disease that has already [been] transmitted to several others. The strategy needs to expand to include preventing full blown TB disease" tweeted Dr Suvanand Sahu, Deputy Executive Director of Stop TB Partnership. "If you are not doing TB prevention, you are in the old era of controlling TB - not ending it."

Along with TB medication, ↑ prevention, immunity & ↓ risk factors to #endTB | Dr Randeep Guleria | #endTB Dialogues


This Podcast features a conversation with Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, and Chairman of Indian government's Technical Working Group on Latent #Tuberculosis Infection (LTBI). He is among the LEADERS featured in #EndTB Dialogues - a special CNS series, presenting insightful and thought-provoking interviews with leaders to accelerate progress towards ending TB.

Along with TB medication, ↑ prevention, immunity & ↓ risk factors to #endTB | Dr Randeep Guleria | #endTB Dialogues


Prevention is key cog-in-the-wheel for #TB-free India | Dr Ashwani Khanna | #endTB Dialogues


This Podcast features a conversation with Dr Ashwani Khanna, Delhi State TB Control Officer (RNTCP), and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Chest Clinic at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, Delhi. He is among the LEADERS featured in #EndTB Dialogues - a special CNS series, presenting insightful and thought-provoking interviews with leaders to accelerate progress towards ending TB.

Prevention is key cog-in-the-wheel for #TB-free India | Dr Ashwani Khanna | #endTB Dialogues



Air pollution and asthma: Sankar shares his personal testimony calling for greater action


This Podcast features a conversation with A Sankar from Empower India in Tuticorin (Thoothukudi) in Tamil Nadu state of India who shares his personal experience with #asthma triggered due to #airPollution. He gave a plenary talk at the 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Hyderabad, India.

Air pollution and asthma: Sankar shares his personal testimony calling for greater action



Are we on track to end TB in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon? | #EndTB Dialogues


This Podcast features a conversation with Dr Ghazi Sharkas, leads national TB programme in Jordan; Dr Hasan Gawerdi, leads national TB programme in Syria; Dr Ms Malak Quardash, leads national TB programme in Yemen south; Dr Esam Mahyoub, leads national TB programme in Yemen north; Dr Ahmed Asmer, leads national TB programme in Iraq; and Dr Ms Hiam Yaacoub, leads national TB programme in Lebanon.

Kerala's multi-layered approach to #endTB

As part of the #EndTB Dialogues series launched in lead up to the 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health last month, we got an opportunity for exclusive interview with Dr M Sunil Kumar, State Tuberculosis Officer, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Kerala, and Dr Shibu Balakrishnan, World Health Organization (WHO) consultant with the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) in Kerala.

Cost of inaction to prevent and treat TB is (very) high

Prevention of TB was the focus of many a sessions at the 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Hyderabad, India, on the theme of 'Ending the Emergency: Science, Leadership, Action.' This conference comes one year after the first ever United Nations High-Level Meeting (UNHLM) on TB.

Civil society demands transparency, accountability in research and development of new TB medicines