CNS

Unsung heroes in the fight against TB

Catherine Mwauyakufa, CNS Correspondent, Zimbabwe

“Time is of essence in my job and I am conscious of it,” said Jason, who strives to see TB infection rates go down. Jaison Tarovedzera is a dedicated member of the Riders for Health team in Harare under the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) Zimbabwe. In an exclusive interview, Jaison told me that he rides to save lives and will ride until he is satisfied that the rate of new TB infections is minimal. I told Jaison that the initiative is to End TB by 2030, to which he replied, “Ending TB once for all would be ideal. However, for now I am focusing on lowering the rates of TB infection in the communities. No one must die of TB and that is why I ride with dedication”.

TB cases in India under-reported, says WHO

Aarti Dhar, CNS Correspondent, India

[First published in The India Saga]
A latest global report on TB has said that TB cases in India are under-reported with 6.1 million new TB cases notified to the national authorities and reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2015. Notified TB cases increased from 2013 to 2015, mostly due to a 34% increase in notifications. India made TB a notified disease in 2012. TB remains one of the top 10 causes of deaths worldwide in 2015. The WHO Global TB Report 2016 has revised the number of incident (new) cases of TB in India to 2.8 million cases in 2015 and 2.9 million cases in 2014 as against the earlier estimated figures of 2.2 million cases in 2014.

Organized interference by tobacco industry in health issues brings death

Francis Okoye, CNS Correspondent, Nigeria

Tobacco industry all over the world, is bringing death through its interference in health policies. Panelists at a webinar, recently organised by Citizen News Service on tobacco industry interference in WHO framework convention on tobacco control (FCTC), said that tobacco industries have hijacked political and legislative processes, exaggerated the economic importance of tobacco industry, and manipulated public opinion to gain an appearance of respectability.

Dr KS Sachdeva is the Deputy Director General at National AIDS Control Programme of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Prior to that he made seminal contribution to shaping the national tuberculosis programme of India and also had two decades of clinical work at a prestigious tertiary level hospital in India's capital Delhi. This audio podcast features his interview as part of CNS Inspire series. [Click here to download or listen to this podcast]

[Focus] Challenging nevertheless but possible to make a difference in public health

Burden of heart diseases: Risk factors and prevention

Catherine Mwauyakufa, CNS Correspondent, Zimbabwe

To say that more poor people succumb to non communicable diseases (NCDs), as compared to the rich, is not an understatement. One would wonder, why the co-relation—the diseases are non communicable and so how do they end up killing more poor people. Poverty stricken communities have little or limited health facilities hence access to quality healthcare to these people living is always a constraint and at times not available.

This is an audio recording of an exclusive webinar for media where WHO Global TB Programme and International Union Against TB and Lung Disease (The Union) experts shared the scientific highlights of the 47th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Liverpool, UK. [Click here to listen or download this audio podcast]

[Webinar] Scientific highlights of 47th Union World Conference on Lung Health

Safeguard your heartbeats

Alice Tembe, CNS Correspondent, Swaziland

Cardio vascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the major chronic ailments that have strongly impacted today’s generation, along with other non communicable diseases (NCDs) like cancer, hypertension and diabetes. Notably, in over 80% of the cases, the diseases are lifestyle related. Small changes in lifestyle practices and choices could effectively minimize risk factors.

Protecting people from tobacco is a public health imperative

Pritha Roy Choudhury, CNS Correspondent, India

A chance meeting with Rosalina Diengdoh (name changed), a 50 year old woman from the north eastern state of Meghalaya in India, who is in Delhi for the treatment of her son, reaffirmed my doubts regarding the impact of pictorial warnings on packed tobacco products to dissuade people from using the same. It was in April 2016, after a two year battle, that the Indian government finally acceded to quadruple in size the graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging.

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.

AIDS is a political disease and a medical scourge, says US Congressman

Shobha Shukla - CNS (Citizen News Service)

[Watch video interview] [Audio podcast]
So said US Congressman Dr Jim McDermott while receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 9th National Conference of AIDS Society of India (ASICON 2016) in Mumbai.

TB deaths climbing up, not declining: "Governments need to get their heads out of the sand..." says MSF

Ashok Ramsarup, CNS, South Africa

WHO's latest Global Tuberculosis Report reveals some shocking statistics: Tuberculosis (TB) deaths jumped to 1.8 million in 2015 from 1.5 million in 2014, with 41% of people estimated to have fallen sick with the disease being left undiagnosed and untreated. The treatment gap for people with drug-resistant TB remains morbidly high – in 2015, just 20% of people sick with drug-resistant forms of TB received the treatment they needed. The WHO Global TB Report is a wake-up call to break the status quo in how TB, and its drug-resistant forms, are being diagnosed and treated.

[Call to register] Webinar for media: Scientific highlights of 47th Union World Conference on Lung Health

[Watch webinar recording] [Listen or download the audio podcast] We welcome you to register for an exclusive media webinar where experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) Global TB Programme and International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) will share scientific highlights of the forthcoming 47th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Liverpool, UK.

Point-of-care HIV testing: Important 'cog in the wheel' towards ending AIDS by 2030

Shobha Shukla - CNS (Citizen News Service)

HIV-related point-of-care testing can potentially play a major role in accelerating the pace of progress towards achieving the '90-90-90' targets of the UNAIDS (joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS). Increasing access to quality and accurate diagnostics which function in low-resource settings is undoubtedly a critically important step in HIV care.

Listen to another special podcast featuring US Congressman Dr Jim McDermott who was conferred upon the coveted award of AIDS Society of India (ASI) in Mumbai at 9th National Conference of ASI. He spoke with CNS Managing Editor Shobha Shukla on key learnings from his experience of fighting AIDS in not only Asian nations but also African and in US. This interview is part of CNS Inspire Series. [Click here to listen to this podcast]

[Focus] AIDS is a political disease and medical scourge: says US Congressman Dr Jim McDermott at ASICON 2016

[Podcast] Interview with first doctor who began caring for people with HIV in Kerala

This podcast interview features the first doctor in Kerala who came forward to care for people living with HIV, more than 25 years ago. Dr R Sajith Kumar is presently a senior Professor and Head of Department of Infectious Diseases, Government Medical College and Hospital, Kottayam, Kerala (India). He spoke with CNS (Citizen News Service) on sidelines of 9th National Conference of AIDS Society of India (ASICON 2016) in Mumbai, India. This interview is part of CNS Inspire Series. [Click here to listen to this podcast]

[Focus] Quality training in HIV care is key now to end AIDS

Saving the next generation from HIV

Shobha Shukla, CNS (Citizen News Service)

The joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is mobilizing governments and other partners to achieve new set of targets, referred to as, '90-90-90 by 2020', but with current set of tools, approaches, funding commitments, and challenge that HIV poses to the world, the goal seems certainly a bold and ambitious one. '90-90-90 by 2020' targets include increasing to 90% the proportion of people living with HIV who know their diagnosis, increasing to 90% the proportion of people living with HIV (PLHIV) receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) and increasing to 90% the proportion of people on HIV treatment who have an undetectable viral load.

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.

ASICON 2016 calls for making HIV a chronic, manageable condition in reality

Shobha Shukla, CNS (Citizen News Service)

The AIDS Society of India (ASI) and all delegates of 9th National Conference of ASI (ASICON 2016) commended the government of India for finally approving the HIV/AIDS Bill – which will help in reducing discrimination faced by people living with HIV (PLHIV). ASICON 2016 is being organized in Mumbai, India during 7-9 October 2016 with the theme of "Eliminating HIV: Progress and reality".

This is the audio recording of an exclusive webinar on 4th October 2016 on a critically important issue of: tobacco industry interference in the global tobacco treaty (formally called WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control or FCTC). Click here to listen to this audio podcast. Thanks.

[Webinar] Tobacco industry interference in the WHO FCTC

Take care of your heart

Tuyeimo Haidula, CNS Correspondent, Namibia

Take care of your heart instead of burning it out… This was the message delivered by a panel of experts during a webinar organised by CNS and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), in lead up to World Heart Day. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death globally. In 2012, 31% of all global deaths were attributed to CVDs – this equates to roughly 17.5 million deaths.

Kenya has done it, when will the rest of us?

Shobha Shukla - CNS (Citizen News Service)

Dr Immaculate Kathure, Child TB Services
Coordinator, Kenya National TB Programme

Yes, this question merits serious thought, even as Kenya Ministry of Health recently announced the launch of fixed dose combination (FDC) of first-ever child-friendly TB medicines, making Kenya the first country in the world to roll out these products nationally. Starting 1st of October 2016, all children in Kenya, who will be initiated on TB treatment, will be given the improved formulation that is easier for caregivers to give and for children to take, and is expected to help improve treatment outcomes of childhood TB.

This CNS Inspire episode presents eminent intervention cardiologist Professor Narendra Nath Khanna who is well recognized for his passion for doing all what it takes to ensure that cardiac care is within the reach of common person in India. With decades of experience behind him today he is a noted advisor to Apollo Group of Hospitals and a Senior Consultant in Cardiology and Coordinator of Vascular Services at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, India. CNS Managing Editor Shobha Shukla spoke with Prof NN Khanna on the sidelines of 11th National Conference of Indian Society of Cardiology. [Click here to listen or download this podcast]

Cardiovascular diseases: The world’s leading killer

Francis Okoye, CNS Correspondent, Nigeria

In a webinar organised for the media by Citizen News Service, in the lead up to World Heart Day 2016, health experts spoke on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). They discussed ways and means to protect oneself from them, as they are the world’s leading cause of death, killing 17.5 million people every year.

Cardiovascular diseases: world’s deadliest disease group

Josephine Chinele, CNS Correspondent, Malawi

About 57% of persons who smoked smoking 30 cigarettes per day for 25 years died of some cardiovascular disease (CVD) as compared to only 36% of non-smokers, says the World Health Organisation (WHO). It further says that a long-term study of men aged 40–59 years found a significant connection between tobacco consumption and death by CVD. The WHO information also points out that tobacco use is a universal but avoidable risk factor for many diseases, including CVDs.

[Watch webinar recording] [Listen to audio podcast] We welcome you to register for an exclusive media webinar on the critically important issue of: tobacco industry interference in the global tobacco treaty (formally called WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control or FCTC).

Fuel your heart and power your life...

Shobha Shukla, CNS (Citizen News Service)

This is the message of the World Heart Federation for this year’s World Heart Day, which is observed on September 29 every year to raise awareness about cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), which include heart disease and stroke. The CVDs, along with cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease, form the 4 major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and together account for 82% of the 38 million deaths caused by NCDs every year.

Are TB and HIV rates declining fast enough to meet SDGs by 2030?

Catherine Mwauyakufa, CNS Correspondent, Zimbabwe

Like a yoyo statistics, new HIV infections show a decline while sexually transmitted infections show an upward trend. This is true of Zimbabwe where new HIV infections are on decline among the general populace, but not in the young females aged 15-24 years, in whom the rate of new infections is worryingly going up. Statistics show that new HIV infections for males of the same age-group stands at 3%. The age group below 14 years also has a rate of infection of 3%. So there is a tap that is leaking there.