She stood up to defeat TB

Shobha Shukla, CNS (Citizen News Service)
The youngest of 3 sisters, Ingrid Schoeman grew up in Pretoria and later started working as a dietician in a government hospital in Port Elizabeth in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. She especially enjoys working in children’s wards in hospitals as part of her dietician’s job. But the year 2012 nearly shattered her happy and peaceful existence.

Zoonotic TB survivor resolves to make her community TB-free

Shobha Shukla, CNS (Citizen News Service)

Timpiyian Leseni (left), Shobha Shukla, CNS (right)

Dressed in a colourful attire, Timpiyian Leseni from the Maasai tribe of Africa, turned many heads at the first-ever "WHO Global Ministerial Conference on Ending TB in the Sustainable Development Era: A Multisectoral Response" which was held in Moscow in November 2017. Looking at her, it was impossible to guess that here was a zoonotic extra-pulmonary TB (EPTB) survivor. Here is her inspiring story based upon an exclusive interview Timpiyian gave to Shobha Shukla, Managing Editor of CNS (Citizen News Service):

Accelerate momentum to #endTB as well as for progress on all #SDGs

Shobha Shukla, CNS (Citizen News Service)

Dr Mario Raviglione in Moscow, Russia at the WHO Global
Ministerial Conference to end TB in SDGs era

As the year 2017 comes to a close, let us reflect back on the progress made in the fight against TB. One cannot ignore the epic meeting this year- the Global Ministerial Conference: Ending TB in sustainable development era - which brought together Russian President Vladimir Putin, WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom, over 75 ministers of health as well as of other non-health disciplines (especially from high-burden TB countries), and other stakeholders and affected communities.

Growing call to translate commitment to action for a TB-free world

Shobha Shukla, CNS (Citizen News Service)
"... Nobody is immune to tuberculosis (TB), including those in the first world countries. More than 20% TB cases are linked to smoking globally. We are aware of our responsibilities and reducing deaths from TB, as well as from CVDs, is one of our country’s priorities. Only with coordinated and concerted action will we be able to defeat TB. I hope this meeting will boost the quality of life and healthcare globally..." so said Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation at the World Health Organization (WHO)'s "Global Ministerial Conference: Ending TB in the sustainable development era: A multi-sectoral response" held in Moscow recently.

Research is not a luxury but a necessity to end TB

Shobha Shukla, CNS (Citizen News Service)

More than 1000 participants, including the President of Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, ministers from over 75 countries, donors, researchers, civil society representatives, and other stakeholders, had met at the first-ever "WHO Global Ministerial Conference on Ending TB in the Sustainable Development Era: A Multisectoral Response" which was held in Moscow on 16-17 November 2017, to forge stronger inter-sectoral partnerships for accelerating action to end TB.

Applied health research for making systems work for all is vital to #endTB

Shobha Shukla, CNS (Citizen News Service)
[Watch video interview] [Listen/ download podcast] "Excellence in health means devoting your life to ending poverty" said physician and comedian Patch Adams many years ago, but these words have gained even more relevance in the current context and development paradigm.

Urban #TB hotspots cannot be on blindspot, if we are to #endTB!

Our governments have committed to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 but without concerted action, the promises will barely remain a mirage. For instance, unless social influencers of tuberculosis (TB) get due attention from all different sectors that have a role to play, we cannot end TB. Also with rapid urbanization, we need to address TB in the context of urban planning and development, that is rapidly and aggressively taking place globally. Although burden of TB varies across countries, but one trend is undeniably too common to miss: the alarming manner in which TB is concentrated in vulnerable populations not just in least developed and developing nations but also in the developed world.