South Africa’s war against superbugs

Ronel Sewpaul, CNS Correspondent, South Africa

What if the medicines that are used to treat our illnesses became ineffective over time? What if the hitherto curable diseases become untreatable? The peril of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that is looming large, has already started taking its toll and is likely to escalate if not addressed urgently.

Traversing TB’s undulating journey of ambitious targets and facile strategies in achieving SDGs

Roger Paul Kamugasha, CNS Correspondent, Uganda

TB is one of the oldest human infectious diseases, but it was only in 1882 that the German Nobel Laureate Dr Robert Koch discovered the cause of it—Mycobacterium tuberculosis. 135 years down the line of this discovery the disease still remains a silent killer. TB cases are still far from declining at the intended rate to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of ending TB by 2030.

Stronger action needed to stem the rising tide of diabetes

Dr Nachiket Sule, CNS Correspondent, India

Hemant (name changed) was diagnosed with diabetes in his early forties. Although, he had very few symptoms, the denial that it was diabetes was quite strong. Coming from an urban set-up he was able to diagnose the condition early on and triage it from other doctors as well. However, he admits that he was reluctant to take medicines for the rest of his life and neither did he want to live with restrictions that diabetes brings with it.

Time to scale up management of NCDs in Zimbabwe

Locadia Mavhudzi, CNS Correspondent, Zimbabwe
Like many other developing countries, Zimbabwe too is faced by the triple burden of communicable, re-emerging and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).  World Health Organization statistics show that an estimated 31% of deaths in Zimbabwe in 2014 were a result of NCDs. However the response and management of these emerging killers remain relatively low and it is time to take urgent action. The rapid rise of NCDs represents one of the major health challenges to sustainable development.

NCDs: The dormant killers lurking within

Nothando Fruhwirth, CNS Correspondent, Swaziland

Luis (name changed) was suddenly beset with a constant pain in his chest and weakness, that made it impossible for him to work or function in the day. This onset of illness was a shock to him as he had been duly undergoing his regular medical check ups and had been given the clean bill of health. The routine stipulated HIV test, amongst other tests, was conducted to ensure that like so many others he was not infected with the virus. HIV is identified as the root cause of deaths amongst individuals— young and old. Due to public and media outcry within communities, there is global awareness about HIV, encouraging nations to come together to battle the deadly virus.

Time is running out in the battle against NCDs

Dr Amitava Acharyya, CNS Correspondent, India
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for 68% of global deaths and are projected to cause 75% of global deaths by 2030. Nearly 80% of these NCD related deaths occur in low and middle income countries (LMICs). Also, two thirds of NCD deaths are related to cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. According to a WHO report, premature NCD mortality rates decreased globally by 15% between 2000 and 2012, mainly due to the decline in CVD deaths.

Overcoming premature deaths from non communicable diseases

Francis Okoye, CNS Correspondent, Nigeria
Health experts from the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) and NCD Alliance, and a cancer survivor who is also Founder President of Race to Rein in Cancer took part in a lively webinar, organised by Citizens News Service (CNS) on the topic ‘How can we generate stronger action against Non-Communicable Diseases?’

Reversal of the tide of NCDs requires a strategy shift

Roger Paul Kamugasha, CNS Correspondent

Of the 56.4 million global deaths in 2015, 39.5 million, or 70%, were due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The four main NCDs are cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic lung diseases. The burden of these diseases is rising disproportionately among lower income countries and populations.

Cervical Cancer: A manageable threat

Josephine Chinele, CNS Correspondent, Malawi

The vaginal discharges became too much to bear and Maria (name changed) went to a nearby health facility to seek medical assistance. She has had these discharges for a long time but thought they were normal as they were not painful, and she was simply irritated by them. The medical assistant said that she had a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Maria was given treatment, and advised to ask her husband to also receive treatment.

#BeTheChange: It is about growing in years, not about getting old!

Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service - CNS

[Podcast] [Video] As fertility rates decline and life expectancy increases, the number of senior citizens is growing globally. Among the 7.3 billion people worldwide in 2015, an estimated 617.1 million, were aged 65 years or more. The Asia Pacific region is ageing rapidly and South-East Asia’s elderly numbers are growing fast at around 5% a year - between now and 2030 there will be nearly 20 million more people aged 60 and above in the region.

Are TB programmes responsible for poverty alleviation?

Alice Sagwidza-Tembe, CNS Correspondent, Swaziland
Coming back from the 47th Union World Conference on Lung Health held in Liverpool in October 2016, it is time to reflect upon the myriad advancements and debates to better the quality of care for people with TB—shortening the treatment schedule for multi drug resistant TB (MDR-TB), addressing the otherwise forgotten groups like adolescents, celebrities opening up about having lived with TB, and plenty more on fresh approaches to end the epidemic.

Countries to set stage for widespread legal action against tobacco industry

Aarti Dhar, CNS Correspondent, India
[First published in India Saga on 20th October 2016]
Representatives of close to 179 countries will meet next month for the seventh session of the Conference of the Parties of the global tobacco treaty to take some of the most powerful steps in tobacco control since the World Health Organization treaty’s adoption. At the Conference, to be held at Greater Noida near India’s National Capital New Delhi from November 7 to 12, countries will advance a provision to hold the tobacco industry civilly and criminally liable for its abuses.

The productive and positive sides of ageing discussed in Vietnam

Prakash Tyagi, CNS Correspondent, India

Help Age International Asia Pacific Regional Office, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Government of Vietnam, Asian Forum of Parliamentarians for Population and Development (AFPPD) and World Health Organization (WHO) along with a number of other organizations and network partners organized a regional conference on ageing and associated aspects.

One-third of India’s population found to be hypertensive: Survey

Aarti Dhar, CNS Correspondent, India

[First published in The India Saga, New Delhi, India]
One-third of India’s population has been found to be hypertensive with 60% of these people unaware of their status, either due to lack of awareness or poor access to good screening tests, a latest survey has found. The initial findings of the Great Indian BP (Blood Pressure) Survey, conducted by the Cardiological Society of India in 24 states on September 21, 2015, found 33% of respondents to be hypertensive. This alarmingly high figure reinforces the need for aggressive cardio-preventive measures.

Are we on the path of eradicating TB by 2030?

Josephine Chinele, CNS Correspondent, Malawi

Each year, leaders from around the world descend on New York City for the United Nations General Assembly. Last year marked the historic adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, which replaced the Millennium Development Goals. The SDGs marked a turning point in the way broad, global issues are addressed. However, it remains to be seen what impact they will have. The SDGs cover a number of important social and developmental areas, including climate change and resilience, global health, and economic empowerment.

Malaria in Nepal: Challenges towards elimination

Chhatra Karki, CNS Correspondent, Nepal
Malaria is still a major health problem in Nepal where more than 80% people are at risk, with 4% of them being at high risk. According to the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) of Health Ministry of Nepal, 1 million people (out of Nepal’s current population of 29,000,000) live in malaria high-risk areas with a reported incidence of more than 1 case per 1000 population per year.

World beating back malaria

Tuyeimo Haidula, CNS Correspondent, Namibia

“Reducing and eliminating malaria is unequivocally one of the best buys in the global health”, said Dr Tim France, Team Leader for External Communications, Asia Pacific Leaders' Malaria Alliance (APLMA) and Managing Director, Inis Communication, while speaking during a webinar last month. The webinar was held on progress made (or lack of) towards ending TB, malaria and Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) by 2030 (or earlier).

India’s huge burden of TB is treated in the private sector

Aarti Dhar, CNS Correspondent, India
[First published in theindiasaga.com]
India’s private sector is treating an enormous number of patients for TB, almost double the number than has been previously recognized and requires re-doubled efforts to address this burden and strengthen surveillance, a latest Lancet report has said. TB burden estimates in India and worldwide require revision, the report added. There were 17·793 million patient-months of anti TB treatment in the private sector in 2014, which was twice as many as in the public sector. If 40–60% of private-sector TB diagnoses are correct, and if private-sector TB treatment lasts on an average 2–6 months, this implies that 1.19—5.34 million TB cases were treated in the private sector  alone in 2014.

Colombo declaration demands increased focus on maternal health to deal with diabetes in South Asia

Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service - CNS
Delegates at the ‘1st Asia Pacific Congress on Diabetes, Hypertension & Metabolic Syndrome in Pregnancy’, which was jointly hosted in Colombo by the Ministry of Health Sri Lanka, the World Health Organization (Sri Lanka Country Office) and the World Diabetes Foundation, endorsed the Colombo Declaration demanding urgent action to address the link between maternal health and diabetes as a public health priority.

NCDs: A major public health challenge in India

Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service - CNS

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have emerged as a major public health threat worldwide. They accounted for 38 million deaths in 2012, and this number is expected to rise to 52 million by 2030. NCDs are a major threat to economic growth too. NCDs and mental health conditions could cost the world $47 trillion in lost economic output from 2010 to 2030 if urgent action is not taken to prevent and treat them.