CNS: Lung Health

Showing posts with label Lung Health. Show all posts

Connecting the dots: TB, tobacco, air pollution, modernization, urbanization, industrialization, and bad diet and lifestyle

[podcast] Lessons to be learnt for pandemic preparedness and global health security

This podcast features Prof Surya Kant who has been the Government of India's National Health Mission's COVID-19 Vaccination Ambassador and noted respiratory medicine expert. He is in conversation with CNS founder and Managing Editor Shobha Shukla. Prof Surya Kant is among the distinguished leaders who have been elected as national President of all 3 respiratory and chest medicine national associations: Indian Chest Society, National College of Chest Physicians and Indian College of Allergy, Asthma and Applied Immunology. He is also the Head of Respiratory Medicine Department at King George's Medical University (KGMU) in India.

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, aCast, Podtail, BluBrry, Himalaya, ListenNotes, American Podcasts, CastBox FM, Ivy FM, Player FM, and other podcast streaming platforms.

Will new scientific breakthroughs spur the #endTB efforts?

Shobha Shukla - CNS

Is it not a paradox if a preventable, diagnosable, treatable, and curable disease becomes a top killer? Till Covid-19 struck our world, Tuberculosis (TB) - a disease that can be prevented, diagnosed and treated - was the most deadly infectious disease worldwide. Covid-19 pandemic has also adversely impacted the fight against TB, as well as other diseases. Not surprisingly, the latest Global TB Report 2021 paints a grim picture of the TB disease burden, with the Covid-19 pandemic acting spoilsport and further jeopardising the progress on all fronts of TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and control.

The global lung health conference opened with not one but at least three major scientific announcements. The 52nd Union World Conference on Lung Health was marked with the announcement of three major scientific developments that can potentially impact the global response to tuberculosis (TB), the world's second deadliest infectious disease after Covid-19.

Do not miss the writing on the wall: Managing asthma well is key to living life normally

If essential and lifesaving medicines and proper care are available, accessible and affordable for all people with asthma, they can manage their asthma properly and lead a normal life. On this year’s World Asthma Day, Dr Guy Marks, Professor of Respiratory Medicine, University of New South Wales (UNSW) Australia and President of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) reminded us that even as asthma continues to be the most common chronic illness in children globally, it affects adults as well.

World Asthma Day | 4th May, Tuesday

Join us on World Asthma Day (4th May, Tuesday) at 2pm Singapore/ Manila/ KL time (1pm Bangkok/ Hanoi/ Phnom Penh/ Jakarta, 12:30pm Myanmar, 12 noon Bangladesh, 11:30am India/ Sri Lanka, 11:45am Nepal).

Economic loss caused by tobacco to global economy is over US$ 1.4 trillion every year

M A N J A R I P E I R I S

[published in Asian Tribune]

Professor (Dr) Surya Kant, Head of the Respiratory Medicine Department, King George's Medical University delivering his keynote address at the ongoing Sustainable Development e-Talks (#SDGtalks) co-hosted by Indian Institute of Management Indore and CNS, said that scientific evidence from countries hard-hit by corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic shows that those with previously existing conditions like heart diseases, high blood pressure, cancers, kidney diseases, diabetes, tuberculosis among others, are at an alarming risk of serious COVID-19 outcomes, including death. "Tobacco is the entirely-preventable common risk factor of these conditions that increase the deadly risk of serious outcomes of COVID-19." Professor Kant said.

This Podcast features Prof Surya Kant who share his insights on "Lung health, tobacco use and COVID-19." He was a keynote speaker for the Sustainable Development e-Talks (#SDGtalks) - a special series, co-hosted by CNS and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore from World Health Day (7 April 2020) to World Environment Day (5 June 2020).

Be welcome to listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, aCast, Podtail, BluBrry, and other podcast streaming platforms.

Ending tobacco use will reduce risk of deadly diseases including COVID-19

Tobacco and lung diseases increase the risk of serious outcomes of COVID-19 including death
watch the recording (YouTube, Instagram TV, Facebook), listen to podcast

Scientific evidence from COVID-19 hard-hit countries globally has shown that elderly people and also those with conditions such as non-communicable diseases are at a much higher risk of severe outcomes of COVID-19, including death. “Tobacco use is the biggest common risk factor of major NCDs such as heart diseases and stroke, cancers, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases among others. Tobacco adversely affect the respiratory system and damages the lungs as well as weakens the immune system. Tobacco has a deadly connection with the world’s biggest killer infectious disease tuberculosis (TB), which heightens the risk of serious outcomes of COVID-19” said Prof (Dr) Surya Kant, Head of Respiratory Medicine Department of King George’s Medical University (KGMU). He said that people who have TB are usually more vulnerable to other infections, including the novel coronavirus, due to pre-existing lung damage. They are at a higher risk of developing complications from COVID-19.

On Saturday, 23rd May (3pm India time), the Sustainable Development e-Talks (#SDGtalks) series, co-hosted by CNS and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore, featured keynote speaker, Professor (Dr) Surya Kant, who shared his insights on "Lung health, tobacco and COVID-19".

watch the recording (YouTube, Instagram TV, Facebook)

listen to podcast

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.

Tobacco use: Sucking the youth from the youngsters

Dr Sophia Thomas, CNS Correspondent, India

I met Somu (name changed) during one of my dental outreach camps in the outskirts of Bengaluru city. He was a bright 14-year-old boy, who wanted to grow up to be a police officer. Upon examination, Somu was found to have stains on his teeth, suggestive of smoking tobacco.

Implementing tobacco control laws in Nigeria is a necessity

Ekwi Ajide, CNS Correspondent, Nigeria

Despite being a major risk factor for many non-communicable and other diseases tobacco use has been on the rise in Nigeria. Also, as tobacco consumption is socially accepted in the country, it makes matters worse.

End tobacco is imperative for health justice

Manjari Peiris, Sri Lanka
(First Published in Asian Tribune, Sri Lanka/Thailand on June 5, 2019)

The Citizen News Service (CNS) hosted a webinar on ‘End Tobacco is an imperative for health justice’ with a panel of experts to celebrate the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2019. The panel of experts included, Dr. Kerstin Schotte of the WHO, Professor Rama Kant, President Lucknow College of Surgeons, Professor Surya Kant, Head of Respiratory Medicine Department, King George's Medical University, and noted cardiologist Professor Rishi Sethi.

India Health Fund provides platform for domestic financing and innovation to combat TB and malaria

Shobha Shukla and Bobby Ramakant
(First published in Aidspan on March 19, 2019)

The collaborative initiative, seeded by Tata Trusts, comes to the co-financing table

With an acute need to increase health budgets, innovative financing, especially mobilized within nations, is increasingly in the spotlight. At the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’s 39th Board Meeting in May last year, the Fund stated that given the changing financing landscape and existing financial and programmatic gaps, the Fund should leverage opportunities to use innovative finance to increase funding flows for itself and other actors, as well as to increase the efficiency of its investments and national programs.

[हिंदी] The 24th National Conference on Environmental Sciences and Pulmonary Diseases (NESCON 2018) will be held in Mumbai, India during 24-26 August 2018. “Environment and lung health are inalienable, if we are to deliver on promises made in National Health Policy 2017 (NHP 2017) as well as UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”, said Dr Ishwar Gilada, Co-Chair of NESCON 2018 and President of AIDS Society of India (ASI), which is a national network of doctors and researchers in HIV care.

Addressing gender inequity to eradicate TB in India

Pritha Roy Choudhury, CNS Correspondent, India

Rajni, the 19 year old girl who helps us with the domestic chores, suffers from some physical disability. She cannot walk properly. Hailing from a financially challenged family, her father drives a rickshaw while her mother contributes to the household income by ironing clothes. She and her two sisters work as domestic helps.