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[ Listen or download this audio podcast ] This is the recording of a special webinar in lead up to World TB Day 2017 where experts shared experiences on the role of faith in the fight against TB, and explored opportunities of how faith can help to expedite efforts to #endTB by 2030. [ Listen or download this audio podcast ]

[ Listen or download this podcast ] Catherine Mwauyakufa is an award-winning journalist and CNS Correspondent from Zimbabwe as well. She is among CNS Fellow awardees too. She shared her personal experience of role of faith in caring for the HIV affected communities and cautions against blind faith while acknowledging the pivotal role faith can play in "road to recovery" as well. Listen to her experience here (or download the podcast ). This audio podcast was broadcasted on a webinar on 28th February 2017 on "Does faith help in fighting TB? " [ Listen or download this podcast ]

[ Listen or download this podcast ] Dr BB Rewari is widely acknowledged for his decade-long stewardship of Indian government's roll-out of antiretroviral therapy (ART) programme beginning from ART provision to the first person living with HIV to over a million now. Now he is the focal person for HIV/AIDS at the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Regional Office and helping accelerate ART and other efforts to #endAIDS by 2030 (#SDGs). This interview is part of CNS Inspire Series . [ Listen or download this podcast ]

Francis Okoye, CNS Correspondent, Nigeria Medical and historical evidence now abound, showing that the world cannot fight AIDS by ignoring TB. In 2015, the world recorded 10.4 million new TB cases of which people living with HIV (PLHIV) accounted for 1.2 million (11%) cases. There were an estimated 1.4 million TB deaths, with 400,000 deaths resulting from TB disease among PLHIV. The risk of developing TB is 26-31 times greater in PLHIV. Nearly 75% of PLHIV who contract TB live in sub-Saharan Africa. In some countries in this region, up to 80% of individuals with active TB disease are also HIV-positive. TB-HIV co-infection increasingly poses a risk to people living in other regions as well. Around 30% of all people who become sick with TB live in Asia, where TB accounts for 40% of AIDS related deaths. Eastern Europe too has the fastest-growing HIV epidemic globally, making this region vulnerable to increasing TB-HIV co-infection as well. In a webinar organized for the media by Citize...

Shobha Shukla, CNS (Citizen News Service) Dr Suwat Chariyalertsak, Director, RIHES, CMU Pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, is a relatively new concept of "treatment as prevention" against HIV for those HIV uninfected persons who might be at risk of contracting the virus. Currently, only Truvada, a two-drug (Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate/ Emtricitabine - TDF/FTC) combination pill, is available to be taken for PrEP.  Approved by US FDA in July 2012, Truvada is 100% effective in preventing HIV in those who take this once a day pill at least 4 or more days a week. But studies have revealed that many find it difficult to comply with a daily pill regimen.The development of alternatives for daily PrEP, and more adherence-friendly schedules, could increase prevention choices and increase acceptability. Because of the potential issue of adherence to a daily regimen, as well as the stigma issues around a daily pill regimen, an injection shot given once every two months, that would reduc...

[ Click here to listen or download the podcast ] This webinar for media was held on 30th November 2016 featuring experts from the AIDS Society of India; People's Health Organisation; and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union); who shared why TB and HIV collaborative activities are so critically important to help the world end TB and AIDS both by 2030. [ Click here to listen or download the podcast ]

Shobha Shukla, CNS ( Citizen News Service) [ Watch this video interview ] [ Listen or download the audio podcast ] Mahatma Gandhi had once said, "If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning". Gandhi's thought resurfaced after listening to Dr Ishwar Gilada , President of AIDS Society of India (ASI). He could not have been more sincere in demanding action to the fullest to #end AIDS by 2030 as promised by our governments. Fragmented actions in silos and scattered across sectors are just not enough to build up the pace on the ground to help governments keep this promise to #endAIDS. At the 2015 UN General Assembly, our governments had committed to end AIDS, TB and malaria by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Dr Ishwar Gilada spoke with CNS (Citizen News Service) at the sidelines of the 9th National Conference of AIDS Society of India (ASICON 2016). This interview is p...

[ Listen or download the podcast ] Dr Ishwar Gilada is among the first medical doctors who came forward to care for people living with HIV in India. Success breeds complacency and complacency may breed failure. Dr Gilada calls on NOT letting off our feet from gas pedal and instead keep striving hard to keep the promise to end AIDS by 2030 (Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs).This interview is part of CNS Inspire Series . [ Listen or download the podcast ]

Shobha Shukla, CNS (Citizen News Service) Alarming rates of pulmonary diseases in India are warranting urgent action as well as well-coordinated and inter-sectoral comprehensive health responses across the country to ensure every citizen enjoys lung health. "Recent smog in parts of north-central India had worsened the air quality in a dangerous manner sending lives of people in jitters and leaving behind disproportionately high economic impact. Emergency public health measures must be in place because healthy lungs are an indispensable need if we want a healthy country" said Director Professor (Dr) KC Mohanty , Organizing Chairman of 18th Joint National Conference on Pulmonary Diseases (NAPCON 2016) in Mumbai, India. NAPCON 2016 is organized by India’s two eminent professional associations: National College of Chest Physicians (India) and Indian Chest Society, and has scientific or educational collaboration with the Tuberculosis Association of India, Environmental Medic...

Shobha Shukla, CNS (Citizen News Service) [ Watch this video interview ] [ Listen or download the audio podcast ] Success breeds complacency and complacency breeds failure. When the number of people affected by a disease decreases, there is a tendency to disregard it as a public health problem. Even as the HIV/AIDS epidemic is on the decline in India, we have to intensify, and not dilute, our efforts to have virtual elimination of the disease, emphasised Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar , Director-in-charge at National AIDS Research Institute (NARI), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). He spoke with CNS (Citizen News Service) at the sidelines of the 9th National Conference of AIDS Society of India (ASICON 2016). This interview is part of CNS Inspire series – featuring people who have decades of experience in health and development, and learning from them what went well and not-so-well and how can these learnings shape the responses for sustainable development over the next decade. ...

[ Watch webinar recording ] [ Listen or download the audio podcast ] In lead up to World AIDS Day 2016 let us recollect governments' promise to end AIDS and TB by 2030. But TB continues to be a lead killer for people living with HIV. What more needs to happen to meet SDGs by 2030? [ Watch webinar recording ] | [ Listen or download the audio podcast ] Date: Wednesday, 30th November 2016 Time: 1pm - 2pm Geneva time (To convert to different time zones, click here or go to www.timeanddate.com/worldclock ) The WHO Global TB Report 2016 shows increase (not decrease) in TB cases and TB deaths. Rate of TB decline is majorly falling short to end TB by 2030. TB continues to be a lead cause of death for people living with HIV. TB being curable and preventable, this is unacceptable ! 47th Union World Conference on Lung Health had key messages around TB HIV. Learn more from experts in this webinar. Unless TB and HIV affected communities are central to health responses, we will fail to meet ...

[ Click here to listen or download this podcast ] Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar , Director in-charge of National AIDS Research Institute of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has worked on HIV since 1989, few years after first case got diagnosed in India. He has played a key role in shaping India's health policy on a range of aspects related to HIV care and management. [ Click here to listen or download this podcast ]

Shobha Shukla - CNS (Citizen News Service) [ Watch this video interview ] [ Listen or download this audio podcast ] "Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies" are the immortal words of Saint Mother Teresa, which sum up what Dr Kuldeep Singh Sachdeva asserts to hasten the pace of progress for a disease-free India. Dr KS Sachdeva has healed thousands of patients in a tertiary level hospital in India’s capital Delhi, has served an illustrious inning at India's national tuberculosis programme and is  now serving as Deputy Director General at the national AIDS programme in India. [ Watch this video interview ] | [ Listen or download this audio podcast ] He spoke with CNS (Citizen News Service) at the sidelines of the 9th National Conference of AIDS Society of India (ASICON 2016). This interview is part of CNS Inspire series – featuring people who have decades of experience in health and development, and learning from them what went well and ...

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 ]

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. In an exclusive interview given to CNS (Citizen News Service), he shared some of his deep insights on fighting this disease with view to ending it by 2030 as envisaged in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Dr McDermott is a medical doctor who has been a US Congressman since 1989. Before being elected to the Congress, he was a practising psychiatrist. He worked as a Regional Medical officer in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) during 1987-88. There he saw the HIV epidemic, when it was in its infancy, from close range. This experience fuelled his desire to fight the disease as a lawmaker. Fighting AIDS has been one of his top priorities since he was elected to the US Congress. Unmask the stigma of HIV-speak about it ope...