CNS

Unfortunately, UN agencies have never put TB as their top priority, said Dr. Mario Raviglione

Dr Mario Raviglione

[First published in Asian Tribune, Sri Lanka/Thailand on March 30, 2019]
“There is no single country in the world which has ever eliminated tuberculosis (TB)- the number one infectious disease killer in the world. Asia and Africa respectively account for 60% and 25% of the global TB cases. Every year 10 million patients with TB are reported in the world and 1.6 million die of it, which amounts to nearly 4000 deaths per day. So we need to move fast to achieve elimination targets set by the World Health Assembly as part of the End TB Strategy”, stated Dr. Mario Raviglione, Director, Global Health Centre, University of Milan, and former Director, Global TB Program of the WHO, while speaking at a webinar organized by Citizen News Service (CNS) in the lead up to World TB Day 2019.

India Health Fund provides platform for domestic financing and innovation to combat TB and malaria

Shobha Shukla and Bobby Ramakant
(First published in Aidspan on March 19, 2019)

The collaborative initiative, seeded by Tata Trusts, comes to the co-financing table

With an acute need to increase health budgets, innovative financing, especially mobilized within nations, is increasingly in the spotlight. At the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’s 39th Board Meeting in May last year, the Fund stated that given the changing financing landscape and existing financial and programmatic gaps, the Fund should leverage opportunities to use innovative finance to increase funding flows for itself and other actors, as well as to increase the efficiency of its investments and national programs.

This special Podcast on World TB Day 2019 features conversation with following experts: Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director, WHO Global TB Programme; Dr Mario Raviglione, Director, Global Health Centre, University of Milan; and former Director, Global TB Programme of the WHO; Dr Virendra Singh Salhotra, Additional Deputy Director General, Central TB Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India; Dr Kuldeep Singh Sachdeva, head of India's national TB programme (Deputy Director General, Central TB Division, Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare, Government of India); and Prabha Mahesh, TB advocate and Operations Manager, Alert India.

It's Time to bend the curve sharply to #endTB

First published in The Bangkok Post (editorial page), Thailand

[हिंदी] Although governments of 193 countries had promised way back in 2015 to end tuberculosis (TB) by 2030, the global annual rate of TB decline since then has been much less than what is required.

Watch webinar recording | Listen to podcast

It's time to end latent TB too!

This Podcast features conversation on ending latent tuberculosis (TB) infection, with experts like, Dr Shibu Balakrishnan, TB expert from RNTCP Kerala, India; Dr Nguyen Viet Nhung, head of Vietnam's national TB programme; Dr Shibu Vijayan, acting Global TB Technical Director at PATH; Dr Rajesh Kumar Sood, District TB Officer, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India; Dr Erlina Burhan, Head of TB DOTS and MDR-TB Persahabatan Hospital, Indonesia and member, Board of Directors, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union); and (Moderator) Shobha Shukla, Executive Director and Managing Editor, CNS.

Thanks

CNS eLearning Programme Team
Email: webinar@citizen-news.org
Website: www.citizen-news.org

[CNS Live eConversation] It's TIME to end latent TB too!

[Watch video recording] [Listen or download podcast] Between a quarter and a third of the world’s population are estimated to be infected with latent tuberculosis (TB). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), on average, 5-10% of those who are infected with latent TB, will develop active TB disease over their lifetime. Because “reactivated” TB is contagious, eradicating latent infection is a cornerstone of global TB control and achieving a better understanding of latent infection is deemed a research priority (read more).

With more mobile connections (8.4 billion) than human population, it is indeed wise to optimally tap the potential of information and communication technologies to bolster public health campaigns. However, electronic health (eHealth) and mobile health (mHealth) technologies are yet to be fully utilized in global health.

Women speak: To be a woman & to be in India

Shobha Shukla, CNS (Citizen News Service)

Is the situation dismal? In a survey of experts done in 2018, India ranks as the world’s most dangerous country for women. It had ranked 4th in the same survey done 7 years ago. The Global Gender Gap Index 2017 by the World Economic Forum placed India at 108 position out of 144 countries benchmarked on the basis of gender parity in the fields of economic participation, education, health and political empowerment. India ranked 131 out of 153 countries in the global Women, Peace, and Security Index 2017-18, that is based upon 11 indicators incorporating inclusion, justice, and security. Despite women accounting for 49% of India’s population, only 12% of the seats in the national legislature are held by them. The female labour force participation rate in India fell from 37% in 2006 to 27% in 2017, as per World Bank report, ranking India at 163 out of 181 countries.

This Podcast features coversation with Charles Gore, Executive Director of the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) with Shobha Shukla, CNS Managing Editor. Key highlight is where Charles Gore shares key learning of his engagement around hepatitis (both hepatitis C and hepatitis B related) spanning so many years. He also shares insights on range of issues such as access to medicines, voluntary licensing, and on his role at Medicines Patent Pool now, and way forward.

Thanks

CNS eLearning Programme Team
Email: webinar@citizen-news.org
Website: www.citizen-news.org

CNS Live eConversation with Charles Gore of Medicines Patent Pool

International Women's Day 2019 unites different medical specialities and gender advocates

[हिंदी] Over 100 years ago, Socialist Party began mass mobilization around the first-ever International Women's Day to demand women's equality and voting rights in the United States of America (USA). This year's campaign theme around International Women's Day is #BalanceForBetter.

[Watch the recording] [Listen to podcast] CNS Managing Editor and Executive Director Shobha Shukla, will be in conversation in CNS LIVE with Charles Gore, Executive Director of the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP). Be welcome to join us on Tuesday, 5th March 2019, at 1pm Geneva time (5:30pm India/ 7pm Thailand).

[Watch play's recording] When we first heard of a dramatic comedy theatre play on breast cancer, it was difficult to comprehend as to how the three - comedy, theatre and the poignant theme of breast cancer - will go together. Glad we went for the preview show of this play because it did justice to comedy, theatre and breast cancer issue in a very compelling way. One of the most throbbing messages, that resonates within me, is: healing is different from cure. It is important to mention that this play was staged by outstanding artists, few of whom are breast cancer survivors (including one male actor) themselves.

Live streaming of dramatic comedy theatre play: Pirates Of Chemotherapy

[Watch recording of Live streaming] Pirates of Chemotherapy (dramatic comedy theatre play) by Paul Schutte and directed by Toni Cacioppo, of The Gate Theater, will be staged during February 14-17 at Kad Studio Theatre, 7th floor, Kad Suan Kaew, #ChiangMai, #Thailand. For those who are NOT in Thailand, we bring it LIVE streamed to you TODAY on Friday, 15th February 2019 at 12:45pm Geneva time
(5:30pm India, 7pm Thailand/ Indonesia/ Vietnam time).

Pirates of chemotherapy: A powerful comedy theatre play on breast cancer (Chiang Mai, Thailand, 14-17 February 2019)

We are together in the fight against cancer

Beryl Osindo, CNS Correspondent, Kenya

Non communicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer, continue to claim lives in a way that is frightening, to say the least. We are dealing with a tragedy whose signs and symptoms are well known, precautions are shared, and possible causes are subjects of continued research. World Cancer Day 2019 came and passed. But it is important to carry on the discourse around this still dreaded disease.

Poverty is a big damper for timely treatment of cancer

Catherine Mwauyakufa, CNS Correspondent, Zimbabwe

Wadzanayi Michele Mayiseni - A cancer survivor

Cancer treatment and care remains a challenge in Zimbabwe with most cases getting diagnosed in the late stages. Currently, over 5000 new cancer cases are diagnosed in the country annually. This is just the tip of the iceberg as many cases are not captured and registered. The majority seek medical help when in an advanced stage of the disease. The large number of people living with HIV (1.3 million) results in an even higher number of people who develop cancer.

"India spending three times more money to treat tobacco-related diseases than revenue from tobacco": Prof Surya Kant

Manjari Peiris, Sri Lanka

[First published in Asian Tribune, on February 7, 2019]
Worldwide tobacco industry's so-called claim that they are revenue earners for governments and are good for the country's' economy is a totally baseless one.

[हिंदी] [Watch #WorldCancerDay Webinar recording] [Listen to Podcast] 193 governments including those of India, committed to reducing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancers by 25% by 2025 and one-third by 2030 (UN Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs), but many cancer rates are rising, not declining, especially in several high burden countries.

Is cancer control on track to deliver on SDGs?

This 2019 World Cancer Day Podcast features conversation with experts such as, Thuy Khuc-Bilon and Dr Yannick Romero from World Cancer Day campaign and UICC; Dr Nguyen Viet Nhung, Director, National Lung Hospital, Vietnam and head of Vietnam's National TB programme; Prof Surya Kant, Head of Respiratory Medicine Department, King George's Medical University (KGMU); Dr Pooja Ramakant, noted breast cancer expert and Professor, Department of Endocrine Surgery, King George's Medical University (KGMU); Ashok Ramsarup (Moderator), International award winning journalist and former Senior Producer, South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Durban, South Africa; and Shobha Shukla (Moderator), Managing Editor, CNS (Citizen News Service).

[Click here to watch Webinar recording] [Listen or download Podcast] In the lead up to the World Cancer Day 2019, let us review if we are on track to reduce cancer disease burden and prevent premature deaths? 193 countries had committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among which is to reduce disease and death burden due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer by one-third by 2030 (and 25% by 2025).

[CNS Rewind 2018] Top 10+ CNS Webinars and other eLearning sessions in 2018

[Click here to watch all CNS Webinars] Looking back at over 40 Webinars and other eLearning sessions hosted by CNS in 2018, we are compelled to say that each eLearning session, and issue it focussed on, is so very important, even today - thanks to all the panelists and participants.

Looking back at over 150 video-articles produced by CNS Correspondents Team in 2018 (including streaming on YouTube of eLearning sessions), we are compelled to say that each video, and the issue it focussed on, is so very important, even today! We cannot overemphasize the importance of each of these spotlight video-articles and critical issues they highlighted.

Looking back at over 50 audio podcasts of 2018 on a range of issues related to global health and sustainable development, we are compelled to say that each one of them, and the issue it focussed on, is so very important, even today! We cannot overemphasize the importance of each of these spotlight podcasts and critical issues they highlighted.

Looking back at over 500 articles written by CNS Correspondents Team in Asian and African countries in 2018, we are compelled to say that each article, and the issue it focussed on, is so very important, even today - thanks to each one of the Correspondents and Fellows. We cannot overemphasize the importance of each of these spotlight articles and critical issues they highlighted.

Looking back at over 500 (English and Hindi) in-depth and issue-focussed articles written by CNS Correspondents in Asian and African countries in 2018, we are compelled to say that each article, and the issue it focussed on, is so very important, even today! We cannot overemphasize the importance of each of these spotlight articles and critical issues they highlighted.