CNS

New insights into treatment and prevention of HIV

Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service - CNS

The 8th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention, that was recently held in Vancouver, brought together a broad cross section of more than 6,000 HIV professionals from around the world, with a focus on moving science into practice.

Early TB testing is vital to saving lives

Pretty Chavango, CNS Correspondent, Zimbabwe

Photo credit: CNS: citizen-news.org

According to the WHO Global Tuberculosis report 2014, TB remains one of the world’s deadliest communicable diseases, with an estimated 9.0 million people developing TB and 1.5 million dying from it in 2013. Also, an estimated 480 000 people developed multi drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug resistant TB (XDR-TB) in 2013. If all notified TB patients (6.1 million) had been tested for drug resistance in 2013, an estimated 300,000 cases of MDR-TB would have been detected.

Detecting anti-TB drug resistance upfront is a public health imperative

Lwin Lwin Thant, CNS Correspondent, Myanmar

Photo credit: CNS: citizen-news.org

TB is a curable disease, but only when treated with complete course of drugs effective for a particular individual. If a person is resistant to one or more of anti-TB drugs given in a therapy then it can spell a public health disaster. So it is a public health imperative to detect drug resistance if any at the time of TB diagnosis and treat the person with drugs-that-work for her/him.

[Webinar recording] We welcome you to register for an exclusive media webinar, on: Lung health beyond 2015, in the wake of intergovernmental negotiations on post-2015 development agenda currently taking place. Get connected with noted lung health experts from lead agencies such as the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), TB Alliance (Global Alliance for TB Drug Development) who will present and respond to questions live!

Xpert MTB/RIF: Will it help end TB ?

Dr Richa Sharma, CNS Correspondent, India

Photo credit: CNS: citizen-news.org

TB continues to scar the face of public health even today with India harboring the highest burden of TB cases in the world. The WHO Global Tuberculosis Report (2014) quotes 21 lakh as the estimated incidence of all forms of TB in India and 60,000 MDR-TB among notified cases. Recently there have been renewed efforts to address the scary upsurge of MDR-TB that is thwarting attempts of TB control in the global and Indian context.

Nigeria adopts new strategy to end spread of TB

Humphery Chikezie, CNS Correspondent, Nigeria

Photo credit: CNS: citizen-news.org

Nigeria is ranked third among the 22 high TB burden countries in the world. A survey conducted in 2014 by the National TB and Leprosy Control Programme revealed over 600,000 new cases of TB in Nigeria with just about 92,000 cases placed on treatment. This figure is worrisome, because according to health experts, one person with TB can transmit the disease to around 12 persons in a single year.

The elusive goal of education for all

Dr Sandeep Pandey, Magsaysay Awardee and CNS Columnist

Image credit:CNS:citizen-news.org

Jean Dreze and Amartya Sen in their book 'An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradictions' have very clearly shown that while India has been leading the world in terms of GDP growth rate, its performance in social indices can only be compared with some sub Saharan African countries. At the time of Independence we were second behind Sri Lanka in South Asia with respect to social indices, today we are barely above Pakistan. Rest of the South Asian coutries, like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, etc. have moved ahead of us.

Early detection of MDR-TB is important

Catherine Mwauyakufa, CNS Correspondent, Zimbabwe

Photo credit: CNS

In Zimbabwe, cases of multi drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) have reportedly been on the increase—from 5 cases in 2011 to more than 120 in 2014. It can be argued that this phenomenal increase in the number of MDR-TB cases detected is not a true reflection of the incidence of MDR-TB in the country. It could rather be blamed on the limited diagnosis of the disease in the past, due to poor availability of quality diagnostic tools.

Early diagnosis of drug resistance is crucial to ending TB

Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service - CNS

Image credit: CNS: citizen-news.org

Despite being treatable, TB remains a major global public health problem. As Dr Mario Raviglione, Director Global Tuberculosis Programme of WHO, informed, in 2013, 9 million people fell ill with TB in; 1.5 million men, women and children died from it; 480,000 people developed multi drug resistant TB (MDR-TB), with 210,000 associated deaths. Also, 60% of all MDR-TB cases can be attributed to India, China, Russia, Pakistan and Ukraine.

Photo credit: CNS

Alice Tembe, CNS Correspondent, Swaziland
“You could easily share a room with sixteen other mine workers, if one develops TB he will take his medication and complete treatment while staying in the same room”, these were the words of Mr. Musa Ndlangamandla, a Swazi ex-miner who developed Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) after working in the mines for seven years in South Africa.

Drug Resistant TB: Healthcare delayed is healthcare denied

Alice Tembe, CNS Correspondent, Swaziland

Photo credit: CNS

Tuberculosis (TB), has been around for centuries, but drug resistant TB (DR-TB) seems to be a more recent development. As defined by Dr Sarabjit S Chadha from the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) in India, DR-TB occurs when a patient with TB is resistant to at least one main drug used to treat TB.

Warmongering?

Dr Sandeep Pandey and Bobby Ramakant, CNS

Photo credit: CNS: citizen-news.org

On June 4, 2015, twenty Indian soldiers of 6 Dogra Regiment got killed by NSCN (Khaplang) insurgent group in Chandel district of Manipur. The Information and Broadcasting Minister of State Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, a retired Colonel from Army whose claim to fame is a shooting silver medal in Olympics, informed citizens through media that this was a message to other countries which might be inimical to India.

Wrong development priority in spite of Socio-Economic Census and National Sample Survey findings

Dr Rahul Pandey, CNS Columnist

Graph credit: Dr Rahul Pandey

Partial results of two important official surveys were released recently. They point to dismal living standards of India’s rural population and rising cost of health and education beyond the means of ordinary citizens. In spite of this reality the Modi government is undermining the public health and public education sectors among other social infrastructures, as reflected in its funding priorities. This does not bode well for future living standards of India’s ordinary citizens who are already struggling with meeting basic needs.

Long walk to justice: Transgender voices from across India

Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service (CNS)

Photo credit: Shobha/ CNS

[CNS images] I had been there at the 1st National Hijra Habba in 2012. Witnessing the Third National Transgender Hijra Habba in 2015 was indeed a humbling experience as lot of water has flown during these 3 years. From 30 community participants in 2012, the number this year had swelled to a whopping 350+. The landmark Supreme Court (SC) judgement of 2014, recognizing transgenders as the third gender and granting them constitutional rights, seemed to have filled them with a new found confidence that was writ all over their beautiful and smiling faces. And they were just too eager to talk about their experiences and expectations.

Join the crusade: Big push for transgender and hijra welfare

Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service (CNS)

Photo credit: Shobha/ CNS

[CNS images] It was indeed a humbling experience for me to be part of the Third National Hijra Habba (festival of transgenders) held recently in the capital city of India. Organised by India HIV/AIDS Alliance’s Pehchan programme, it was the first event of its kind at the national level since the Supreme Court’s landmark judgement in 2014 recognizing transgenders as the ‘third gender’.

'Pehchan' has given transgender people a new 'Pehchan' (Identity)...

Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service (CNS)

Priya, Transgender leader
Photo credit: Shobha/CNS

So said Priya when I met her at the community dinner on the eve of the recent 3rd Hijra Habba (Habba is a Kannada word meaning festival) event organized by Pehchān project in association with India HIV/AIDS Alliance in Delhi, that brought together over 350 hijras and transgenders from across the country to focus attention and demand implemenation of their constitutional rights. Her serene poise and calm demeanour immediately attracted my attention. Priya, a transgender from Hyderabad, and now a Training Officer with India HIV/AIDS Alliance’s Pehchan Project, had to tread a thorny path before reaching this respectable position.

Diana Wangari, CNS Correspondent, Kenya
(First published in The Star, Kenya)
I must confess, there are health concerns that amaze me – not because they are complex or a rare find, but because I simply cannot understand how they are still an issue. These often fall under lifestyle choices, and a good example is cigarette smoking. When in primary school, we used to have a drug awareness week and the last day would be dedicated to tobacco. The reason behind it was that the session utilized what many would refer to as graphic images of the effects of smoking – from yellowing of teeth to a darkened lung in the late stages of lung cancer.

[Webinar recording] We welcome you to register for an exclusive media webinar in wake of largest-study published recently to guide us on: Is detecting drug resistance at the time of TB diagnosis important? Get connected with study author(s) and lead TB experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), who will present and respond to questions live!

"A woman of substance": Kalawati

Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service - CNS

Photo credit: Rahul/ CNS

[CNS Images] Kalawati comes from a family of small farmers. Hers is a ‘joint and happy family’ where she lives with her husband, 1 daughter, 2 sons, 1 daughter-in-law and 1 granddaughter. Her postgraduate sons working outside the village are doing fairly well and have helped her construct their own house in the village. Kalawati has been into farming for the last 30-35 years since her early childhood.

Parliamentarians on 'world we want beyond 2015': Sexual and reproductive health and rights in focus

Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service - CNS

The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs are a new, universal set of 17 proposed goals, with 169 targets that 193 countries (who are members of the UN) will be expected to use to frame their post-2015 development agendas and policies over the next 15 years, once the MDGs expire at the end of this year.

Periyar is no Ambedkar

Dr Sandeep Pandey, Magsaysay Awardee and CNS Columnist

The Human Resources Development Minister Smriti Irani coerced the IIT Madras Dean into banning the Ambedkar Pariyar Students Circle, which has now been lifted after a nationwide outcry from progressive organizations and individuals. The group was charged with spreading hatred against Narendra Modi and Hindus as it had criticised the decisions by some state governments to ban beef, make use of Hindi compulsory and the 'ghar wapsi' programme of RSS affiliated organisations.

Citizen News Service (CNS) is pleased to announce that it is currently accepting applications for CNS Young Correspondents Programme. CNS Young, is a network of under-30 correspondents sharing their viewpoints, perspectives and opinions on issues related to health, gender and development justice. This programme offers mentorship, peer support, networking opportunities, and capacity-building to under-30 writers. Last date to apply is Sunday, 28th June 2015.

In the final days of the Bonn Climate Change Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Corporate Accountability International delivered a resounding call to the governments who have ratified the UNFCCC: protect the treaty and climate policymaking from the undue influence of the globe’s biggest polluters. The call endorsed by over 224,000 sends a strong message to kick big polluters out of climate policy.

People are living longer but sicker and unhealthier lives

Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service - CNS

Photo credit: CNS: citizen-news.org

So says a report published recently in the Lancet by an international consortium of researchers and led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. "Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries, 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013" is the first of its kind study to examine the extent, pattern, and trends of nonfatal health losses across countries and provides a comprehensive description of morbidity levels and patterns worldwide.

"Be the change you want to see in the world": Pushpa Devi

Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service - CNS

Photo credit: Rahul/CNS

[CNS images] Pushpa lives with her skilled-worker husband and four children—2 girls and 2 boys. Apart from being a woman farmer, she also doubles up as an ASHA bahu (Accredited Social Health Activist worker). Pushpa was born in a family of farmers in a village of Jalaun district. They were 6 siblings. Her father passed away when she was very young, and her mother and brothers took up to farming so that family sustenance could be maintained. She studied till class 8 and then marriage brought an end to her education.

Zehru Nissa, Jammu and Kashmir
(First published in The Greater Kashmir)
Cannabis abuse is reaching alarming levels across Kashmir. According to data maintained by De-addiction Centre at SMHS Hospital, 71% of people being treated for substance abuse are using multiple drugs, of which cannabis is the most commonly abused.

Road Safety Bill: Dying due to slow drive

Alka Pande, CNS Correspondent

Photo credit: CNS: citizen-news.org

On June 3, 2014, the Indian Minister for Rural Development, Gopinath Munde died in a car accident. Reacting swiftly, the Indian government assured the nation to bring a stringent Road Safety Law to curtail road accidents. Since then, in the last one year, road accidents have reportedly killed nearly 500 people, including women and children, and have left almost double the number with serious injuries. The alarming part is that this number represents only those accidents which were major and which were reported in the media.

Stop illicit trade of tobacco products

Carolyn Kavita Tauro, CNS Special Correspondent

Tobacco kills 6 million people annually of whom more than 600,000 are non-smokers dying from passive smoking. More than 80% of these preventable deaths in the future will be among people living in low-and middle-income countries. According to 5th edition of The Tobacco Atlas 2015, compared to other higher tobacco consumers, India has 106 million (>20%) adult males smoking daily (2013). India and China have 12.2 million daily females smokers, second only to US, which has 17.7 million.

Hitting roadblocks to tobacco endgame

Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service - CNS

With one person dying every six seconds from a tobacco-related disease -- almost 5.4 million deaths per year of which more than 600,000 are of non-smokers due to secondhand smoke-- the tobacco epidemic is a global public health threat. If current trends continue, by 2030 nearly 8 million people are expected to die annually from tobacco-related illnesses. More than 80% of these preventable deaths will be among people living in low-and middle-income countries.

Despite unprecedented pressure from tobacco industry to delay, dilute or thwart progress on a range of tobacco control measures globally, considerable achievements have been made by governments over the past years to protect public health. The global tobacco treaty, which was the first corporate-accountability and public health internationally binding treaty of the World Health Organization (WHO), is one major leap forward to move the world towards ending game of tobacco.

Efforts to silence dissent dangerous for democracy

Dr Sandeep Pandey, Magsaysay Awardee and CNS Columnist

The decision by IIT Madras to de-recognise Ambedkar Periyar Student Circle is condemnable as it is clear violation of freedom of speech and expression, to form association or unions and to assemble peaceably and without arms as part of Article 19 of the Constitution of India. Criticising government policies like use of Hindi and ban on beef and ‘ghar wapsi’ programmes of RSS affiliated organisations cannot be construed as creating ‘hatred’ agasint the PM Narendra Modi or Hindus.

No relation between learning and examination

Dr Sandeep Pandey, Magsaysay Awardee and CNS Columnist

Photo credit: CNS: citizen-news.org

Some of my teacher friends are quite concerned with the fact that I don’t conduct any examination in the courses that I teach and almost all students in my class get ‘A’ grade. I believe there is no relationship between learning and examination. If the purpose of teaching is to make students understand a subject the job of a teacher is not complete until the students have learned the subject. Any failure of student to learn should be considered a failure of the teacher to make his/her students understand the subject.

CNS image Library/2014

Diana Wangari, CNS Correspondent, Kenya
(First published in The Star, Kenya)
Do you remember when you were young and had discovered one day to your delight that feigning illness could be used as a get out of jail free card or so to speak? Or is it a phenomenon more prevalent with the Millennials? Nevertheless, it is amazing the number of illnesses our imagination can conjure up just to get out of a tight situation or simply to serve as an excuse. And it starts right from childhood-- it does not matter how much fun school was, or how many friends you had, there must have been at least a few Mondays that you woke up and thought ‘today is a perfect day not to go to school’.