Design health services around people, not the disease

"We need to design services around people, not the disease," rightly said Dr Nittaya Phanuphak. Unless point-of-care health technologies are deployed for those who are most-in-need in a person-centred and rights-based manner, we would fail to deliver on the promises enshrined in #HealthForAll and SDGs goals and targets.

Legalising key population led health services in Thailand is a gamechanger

Legalising key population or community-led health services has been a gamechanger in Thailand to protect most-at-risk people from getting infected with HIV, as well as to take evidence-based standard care to the people living with HIV in a person-centred manner so that they can lead normal healthy lives, said Dr Praphan Phanuphak, a legend who helped shape Thailand's HIV response since the first few AIDS cases got diagnosed in the land of smiles in 1985.

Will we rise to #endAIDS challenge or stumble withering away the gains in HIV response?

We have all the scientifically proven tools to end AIDS. It is about ensuring that these tools reach people who need them the most, through a sustainable HIV response, so said Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, the well known infectious diseases expert form Malaysia and a former President of International AIDS Society (IAS). She was speaking at the plenary of the 10th Asia Pacific AIDS and Co-infections Conference (APACC 2025) in Tokyo, Japan.

Unite Health systems with Community-led health services to deliver on UHC

We cannot deliver on universal health coverage (UHC) unless we reach the unreached people with standard health services – with equity and human dignity. Uniting Health systems with Community-led health services should be the new lens to look at UHC.

Will all children be born free of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis-B by 2030?

[हिंदी] Despite knowing how to prevent vertical transmission (from mother to the baby) of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis-B infections, we are failing with every child who is born with either of these preventable infections. We have the science-backed tools to ensure that all children are born free of these three infections. Failing to deploy them with utmost effectiveness is highly unacceptable.

[podcast] Asia Pacific not on track to end AIDS, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections

This special Podcast features Dr Po-Lin Chan, Regional Advisor (HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections - STIs) at World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Regional Office, and Dr Ishwar Gilada, who is a part of Organising Committee of 25th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024) and Governing Council of International AIDS Society (IAS). They were in conversation with CNS Founder Executive Director and Managing Editor Shobha Shukla in Munich Germany. CNS is among the official media partners of AIDS 2024.

• Opening and closing instrumental piano music is played by Ms Reya Shukla Iyer from UK.

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

[video] Asia Pacific is not on track to end viral hepatitis, HIV, TB, sexually transmitted infections

A-for-Accountability is missing in responses to HIV, hepatitis, STIs and TB

We have the science-based tools to prevent, diagnose, treat and manage all four infections: HIV, hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and TB. Despite this, TB has been the biggest infectious disease killer in the world till COVID-19 had hit us (but more people died of TB in high-burden countries than those who died of COVID). Now, another preventable infection, hepatitis, has emerged to kill as many people as those who died from TB in 2022 (around 1.3 million). 630,000 people died due to AIDS in 2022.

Are we on track to end AIDS, end viral hepatitis and end STIs by 2030?

[watch the video or listen to podcast] Well, it seems to be a mixed bag of gains and losses. While there are reasons to celebrate, significant gaps remain to be plugged. The latest Global Health Sector Strategies Report of the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that while there has been a substantial increase in expanding service access for HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), 2.5 million people are still dying every year due to these three infections. Thus, these illnesses continue to pose a major global health challenge.

[podcast] WHO Director for HIV, Hepatitis and STIs Dr Meg Doherty in conversation with CNS

In lead up to the International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024) in Munich, Germany, listen to this podcast featuring Dr Meg Doherty, World Health Organization (WHO) Director of Global HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Programmes. She is in conversation with Shobha Shukla, CNS founder, Managing Editor and Executive Director.

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

[video] Are we on track to end AIDS, end viral hepatitis and end STIs by 2030?

[video] Timely and correct diagnosis helps to avert untimely deaths and reduce suffering

[podcast] Multi-disease, point-of-care and decentralised molecular testing should be the norm, says Sriram Natarajan

This podcast features Sriram Natarajan, cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of Molbio Diagnostics - who leads the team behind Truenat - the only World Health Organization (WHO) approved and recommended point-of-care and decentralised molecular test for TB globally. Timely and correct diagnosis helps to avert untimely deaths, and reduce human suffering, says Sriram Natarajan. For infectious diseases, timely and correct diagnosis helps break the chain of infection transmission. Diagnosis remains the key entry point to treatment and care pathway, and towards disease elimination.

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

[podcast] Connecting the dots: Sexually transmitted diseases and antimicrobial resistance

Listen to this podcast featuring Dr Ishwar Gilada, who spoke to CNS in lead up to the 2022 International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP 2022). Dr Gilada is a globally acclaimed infectious diseases expert, and longest serving HIV medical expert in India. He was the first doctor in India who began HIV medical management when first case got diagnosed in the country. He is part of Governing Council of International AIDS Society (IAS), President of AIDS Society of India (ASI) and Secretary General of Organized Medicine Academic Guild of 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.

[video] Connecting the dots: Sexually transmitted diseases and antimicrobial resistance

Hepatitis: Will new evidence for "same-day test and treat" be a game-changer?

[watch the video interview | listen to the podcast] [हिंदी] A new study published last month in the Journal of Hepatology can prove to be a game-changer as it provides strong evidence that “same-day test and treat model” for hepatitis is feasible and possible. In the light of this strong evidence, if governments have to keep their promise to end viral hepatitis by 2030, there must be no delay in fully making this model a reality for every person who needs hepatitis-care.

Staff shortage remains a bottleneck in viral hepatitis services

[watch the video interview | listen to podcast] Indian state of Manipur, hard-hit by HIV and hepatitis both, should be providing free screening, diagnosis, and treatment services for hepatitis B and hepatitis C. But despite commendable progress in recent years, acute staff shortage is crippling the programme implementation.

Local coordinated actions firewall the HIV response from threats posed by TB, hepatitis, NCDs

[watch recording here | slides of Dr Paula Fujiwara] Over 28.7 million people living with HIV were receiving lifesaving antiretroviral therapy by end of 2021. While we push for efforts to ensure every person living with HIV is receiving full spectrum of HIV care and remains virally suppressed (so that undetectable equals untransmittable becomes a reality), we also have to safeguard against threats that can wither away gains made in fighting AIDS.

[video] Communities are central for progressing towards elimination of viral hepatitis

Community monitoring uncovers gaps in HIV and hepatitis services in Indian state hard-hit by HIV, sparks reforms

Data gathered by the communities in Manipur is powering advocacy agenda to improve HIV and hepatitis services

Bobby Ramakant, Shobha Shukla

published in aidsmap

A review by people living with HIV and those who inject drugs of HIV and hepatitis services in the Indian state of Manipur highlights gaps in these services, and has also shaped an evidence-based advocacy agenda.