CNS

"Kothis" reducing risk to HIV and sexual violence among their community

Clinic manned by MSM doctors
providing medical aid to Kothis in Lucknow

Having faced ages of neglect, denial and invisibility, "Kothis" (feminised males) are now being mobilized by groups like 'Bharosa' in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (India) to be empowered and demonstrate leadership in reaching out within their community for increasing access to essential services including HIV prevention, care, treatment and support services. They are routinely encouraged to practice safer sexual practices and protect themselves from any kind of abuse or exploitation. Read more

Photo credit:
Deepak Srinivasan, Maraa

In August 2008, one of the worst communal genocide attempts on the Christian community occurred in Orissa's Kandhamal district, among India's poorest places. Over 100 people including women, differently-abled, children, Adivasis and Dalits were killed. 3 women were gang raped and many were injured. 295 churches were destroyed. Educational and medical institutions were not spared. 15,000 fearful and threatened survivors who cannot return to their villages unless they convert to Hinduism are still living in tents. Read more

The theme for the World Diabetes Day 2009-2013 campaigns is: "Diabetes Education and Prevention"; with a view to "Understand Diabetes and Take Control". Diabetes, mainly type-2 diabetes is very common in India and there are 50.8 million people living with diabetes currently in the country. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimates this number to rise to 70 million by the year 2025. So there is an urgent need for a national diabetes control programme. Read more

We Indians have a tendency to delve in the past and then either gloat over it or cry over it. We love to waste time and energy, reminiscing about the yesteryears, with scant thoughts of improving our present and future. We do not let 'Bygones be Bygones', but rather cling to them in a sadistic sort of way. It rarely occurs to us to learn lessons from the past mistakes in order to improve upon our present. What’s the point in revelling about India being the land of ‘milk and honey’ in the eras gone by, when the present chaos (compounded by hunger and violence) promises to get worse with every passing day? Read more

Tallinn, Estonia: Tuberculosis (TB) is considered a major public health issue by decision makers, yet commonly doesn't get the place of importance it needs as a health care priority. These are the preliminary results of a study presented at the Second Global Forum on TB Vaccines in Tallinn, Estonia, on Wednesday, 22 September 2010. Read more

New effective TB vaccine would be 'game changer'

Tallinn, Estonia: Despite progress made in recent years, tuberculosis (TB) remains a challenge for the world, participants heard at the special opening session of the Second Global Forum on TB Vaccines in Tallinn, Estonia. New vaccines could make a significant difference. Read more

Justice Jha Commission Case: Jabalpur HC seeks full assistance of Chief Secretary

A Special Bench of Justice Shri K K Lahoti and Justice Shri Ajit Singh issued directions to the Chief Secretary of the Government of Madhya Pradesh (GoMP) to personally ensure full assistance to the Court on all issues pertaining to the Justice Jha Commission of Inquiry which has been investigating into the massive corruption of a few hundred crore rupees in the rehabilitation of the Sardar Sarovar Project affected oustees. Read more

"Child protection is a way of ensuring that children, under-privileged children in particular, are brought under a safety net umbrella. It is a system under which the most unwanted child is ensured the warmth of security, and full enjoyment of the basic rights," said Ratna Saxena, Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) consultant, UNICEF. Read more

UN High Level Summit On Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)

With just a year to go, the countdown to the UN Summit on Non Communicable Diseases (to be held in September, 2011 in Brussels) has already begun. The Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Alliance, (consisting of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), World Heart Federation, Union for International Cancer Control, and the International Union for Tuberculosis and Lung Disease - The Union) is gearing up to play a prominent role in this movement to drive home strong outcomes. It is a unique alliance representing the four priority NCDs (cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases) identified by WHO, and has more than 880 member organizations in over 170 countries and territories. Read more

ASEAN health advocates push for sustainable funding mechanisms for health promotion and tobacco control

Tobacco control and other health advocates from 15 countries around the Southeast Asian and Western

Pacific regions, North America and Europe recently held a regional workshop in Hanoi, Vietnam, to strengthen capacity for health promotion and tobacco control through sustainable funding mechanisms such as dedicated tobacco taxes. The Vietnam Steering Committee on Smoking and Health (VINACOSH) co-hosted the meeting with the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific Regional Office (WHO-WPRO) and the Bangkok-based Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA). Read more

Medha Patkar

The criminal revision petition filed challenging the medical certificate of Medha Patkar and seeking revision of dismissal order of the Metropolitan Magistrate was rejected admission by the single judge bench of Justice Ajay Bharhoke of the High Court of Delhi. The petition challenged the order of dismissal by Metropolitan Magistrate of Patiala High Court, Delhi. Before the learned Metropolitan Magistrate, an application was filed under section 197 and 198 of Indian Penal Code on grounds of perjury alleging Ms Patkar's medical certificate as fake. Read more

According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the number of people in Thailand living with diabetes, in the age group 20-79 years, has risen from 3,162,400 in 2007 to 3,538,000 in 2010. Thus, during the past three years 375,600 more Thais have joined the band wagon of this non communicable disease, increasing the national incidence of diabetes from 7.2% in 2007 to 7.7% in 2010. This is more than the current prevalence in India (7.1%) and China (4.5%) in the age group of 20-79 years. Thailand urgently needs to increase efforts to raise awareness of diabetes among its population in order to stem the potential of a burden epidemic. Read more

Three CNS writers (Shobha Shukla, Chief Masimba K Biriwasha and Bobby Ramakant) wrote on issues around the TB drug development, in lead up to the Open Forum-4 meeting held recently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (18-19 August 2010). One CNS writer (Shobha Shukla) was writing on-site from this meet (Open Forum-4 on key issues in TB Drug Development) with support from the organizers: Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Treatment Action Group (TAG) and Stop TB Partnership Working Group on New Drugs; and Citizen News Service (CNS). Read more

[To listen to the audio podcast of CNS Exclusive interview with Dr ID Rusen, click here]
One of the main objectives of the "TREAT TB" research grant is to conduct a clinical trial to look at relatively shorter and more effective multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment than the current regimen for MDR-TB. "One of the colleagues had done a study in Bangladesh which was just published few months back – that a shortened standardised regimen of just nine months was effective in treating MDR-TB patients. One of the challenges of treating MDR-TB is that it is a long and difficult treatment regimen – so this was a big breakthrough. What we are trying to do in our MDR-TB trial, which is called "STREAM" is to see whether the same results of Bangladesh trial can be replicated in four other countries. India is one of the countries being considered but final countries will be selected at the end of November 2010" said Dr ID Rusen, Director, Department of Tuberculosis, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union). Read more

[To listen to audio podcast of CNS Exclusive interview with Dr Anil Kapur on TB-diabetes, click here]

People with diabetes are at a high risk of tuberculosis (TB). "There are several studies that have been done, there are systematic reviews that have been done which indicates that people with diabetes might have 2 to 3 times higher risk of getting TB" said Dr Anil Kapur, President of the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF). "Not only that, patients with TB and associated diabetes, have increased mortality. The risk of mortality is much higher in TB patients who have co-existing diabetes. There are also evidences to suggest that when there is co-existing diabetes it takes longer for the sputum to become negative (for TB) with anti-tubercular treatment" said Dr Anil Kapur. Read more

ANPUD Board Meet, Bangkok

The Asian Network of People who Use Drugs (ANPUD) is the first registered regional network of people who use drugs, and was established by people who use drugs to unify the voices of their communities to advocate for changes in drug laws and policies that negatively affect their lives and for better access to prevention, treatment and care services across Asia. ANPUD currently has over 190 members throughout the Asian region. ANPUD's first meeting of the Executive Board was held in Bangkok on 25th-27th August 2010. Read more

Broadcast Launch of Community Radio in Lalitpur

Alapur, Birdha Block, Lalitpur: Community Radio (CR) achieved another milestone on 3rd September 2010. Its first Community Radio (CR) station 'Lalit Lokwani' went on air in Uttar Pradesh (UP) state, India, and officially began its broadcast to over 80 villages in Lalitpur district of Budelkhand region. A combined effort of UNICEF, Ideosync Media Combine and Sai Jyoti, a Laitpur based NGO, the region's first radio station was jointly put on air by Ranvir Yadav, District Magistrate (DM Lalitpur, Jugal Kishore, Joint Director Bharatendu Natak Academi UP and well known theatre personality who also recently made an appearance in Amir Khan's Peepli Live and Rajeshwari Chandrashekar, Programme Manager, UNICEF Lucknow at a gala function organized at the Lalit Lokwani station in Alapur. Read more

[Listen to audio podcast of CNS exclusive interview with WDF President Dr Anil Kapur, click here]
Recognizing the compelling need to improve prevention, treatment, care and support services for children with diabetes, the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) has scaled up initiatives to address both types of diabetes among children: type-I and type-II, said Dr Anil Kapur, President of WDF, who spoke to CNS after receiving the IDRF Lifetime Achievement Award. Read more

[Listen to audio podcast of CNS exclusive interview with WDF President Dr Anil Kapur, click here]
Predominantly type-I diabetes affects children. "In case of these children with type-I diabetes, when they don't get insulin it is deciding whether they will survive or they will die" said Dr Anil Kapur, President of the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) who was conferred upon the IDRF Lifetime Achievement Award last week. "So it is a basic human rights to live issue here. It needs to be stressed that governments in every country in the world should make sure that these children get access to proper care - in terms of supply of insulin, diagnostics and for monitoring and also they should receive information on how they should remain healthy day-to-day" said Dr Anil Kapur. Read more

Dr Christian Lienhardt

[To listen to two part-audio podcast/ recording of an exclusive CNS interview with Dr Christian Lienhardt who heads the Research Movement at the Stop TB Partnership, click here1, here2]
The present diagnosis and treatment regimen for tuberculosis is almost 40 years old. According to the WHO, with the currently available diagnostic tools, we are able to diagnose just 61% of TB cases globally. This means that 40% of the cases go undetected and inadvertently help in further transmission of the disease in healthy people. Read More

'Lifetime Achievement' and 'IDRF Gold Medal Oration' Awards

In an effort to increase awareness regarding diabetes among the common public and as an advocacy incentive, the India Diabetes Research Foundation (IDRF), established by Prof A Ramachandran in 2007 in Chennai, has instituted two awards, to honour eminent people who have made significant contributions in the field of diabetes. Read more

As per reports from civil society groups, Supreme Court of Pakistan has agreed to release 100 Indian fisher-people whose sentence is over. It is indeed a landmark judgment from Pakistan and Indian judiciary is encouraged to reciprocate this gesture of at least, releasing those Pakistani fisher-people and other citizens whose sentence is over. Earlier there were reports that the Pakistan's Supreme Court had informed 454 Indian fishermen (out of total 582 currently detained) have completed their sentences in Pakistani jails, should be repatriated. Read more

Supreme Court of Pakistan informed 454 Indian fishermen (out of total 582 currently detained) have completed their sentences in Pakistani jails, should be repatriated. Pakistani ministry of Foreign Affairs told Supreme Court that four hundred and fifty four (454) Indian fishermen (out of total 582 currently detained) have completed their sentences and that they have been verified to be Indian nationals by the Indian high commission in Pakistan. Foreign Affairs has recommended to the Interior ministry to expedite their repatriation to India. Read more

Poverty is major driver of TB

[To listen to audio recording/podcast of CNS Exclusive interview with Dr Ann Ginsberg, click here]
In developing countries TB remains the third leading cause of death among women of reproductive age (15-44 years), disproportionately affecting pregnant women and the poor. This calls for immediate action to address the suffering caused by TB and to eliminate the disease as a leading killer of women. Read more

Photo credit: Kulsum Mustafa

Wednesday and Saturdays are Routine Immunization days in Uttar Pradesh. From morning one witness rural women with infants in arms making a beeline for primary health centres. But June and December are more special months for little children in India's most populous state with very poor development indicators. It is in these two months when health call beacons all the under five in remotest corners of the state. Read more

To download or read the Patients' Charter for TB Care click here
The necessity of involving common citizens in the ongoing battle against TB was discussed at the recently concluded Open Forum 4: Critical Path to TB Regimen: New Hope of Life for TB Patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Read more

There is a direct link between TB and poverty. It is indeed a vicious cycle, as one begets the other. The stark reality is that tuberculosis saps the economy of the community, which in turn increases the likelihood of contracting TB. This point emerged several times during the recently concluded Open Forum 4: Critical Path to TB Regimen: New Hope of Life for TB Patients, which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The meet was organized by TB Alliance with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Stop TB Partnership Working Group on New Drugs, Treatment Action Group among others. Read more

The 4th Open Forum Conference was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 18th and 19th August to address key issues in developing new drugs for tuberculosis, which kills nearly 2 million people every year and is becoming increasingly resistant to the current drugs. The conference, with a special focus on Africa, brought together regulators, scientists and other interested stakeholders, from all around the world, to share knowledge and build a proper infrastructure needed to adopt new and improved TB treatments. They deliberated over an innovative drug development model which will reduce the usual time taken to develop safer and more effective TB drug regimens by almost 75%. Read more

"If theatre and media join hands I am sure that they will be able to shatter many myths that abound in society about AIDS," this is what Ms Tripurari Sharma, associate director, National School of Drama (NSD) said while addressing media persons at 'Media for Children' –a capacity building session organized by Media Nest with support of UNICEF at UP Press Club on Saturday, 14 August 2010. Read more

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and CNS Diabetes Media Initiative (CNS-DMI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to acknowledge the commitment of both agencies to scale up documentation, reporting and online information exchange, dialogue and news monitoring services on issues related to diabetes-care. Read more

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The Open Forum 4 on key issues in tuberculosis (TB) drug development is all set to begin in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (18-19 August 2010). This Open Forum 4, will raise and address key issues in TB drug development, with a special focus on regulatory affairs. The Forum will include sessions on the current global TB drug development portfolio, key issues in the critical path to TB drug registration, designing pivotal trials, conducting registration trials in high TB burden countries , challenges in TB drug development for resistant disease and developing regimens containing multiple novel agents. Read more

TUBERCULOSIS (TB) has a major impact on women's sexual reproductive health and that of their children. For pregnant women living in areas with high TB infection rates, there are increased chances of transmission of TB to a child before, during delivery or after birth. The disease, especially if associated with HIV, also accounts for a high incidence of maternal and infant mortality. Unfortunately, there is little to no attention to women's vulnerability in the current discussion and media blitz of a resurgent TB internationally, and in particular, sub-Saharan Africa. Read more

This special day is once again upon us, swelling our hearts with pride as we try to manoeuvre our way through traffic diversions (to make way for the iconic appearances of our political and bureaucratic bigwigs) amid the loudspeakers blaring out patriotic songs—some of them almost as old as our freedom. There is always a lump in my throat as I bow my head, saluting the national tricolour on this momentous day when India awoke to freedom as the rest of the world slept. Read more