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Aarti Dhar, CNS Correspondent, India [First published in theindiasaga.com] India’s private sector is treating an enormous number of patients for TB, almost double the number than has been previously recognized and requires re-doubled efforts to address this burden and strengthen surveillance, a latest Lancet report has said. TB burden estimates in India and worldwide require revision, the report added. There were 17·793 million patient-months of anti TB treatment in the private sector in 2014, which was twice as many as in the public sector. If 40–60% of private-sector TB diagnoses are correct, and if private-sector TB treatment lasts on an average 2–6 months, this implies that 1.19—5.34 million TB cases were treated in the private sector  alone in 2014. The midpoint of these ranges yields an estimate of 2·2 million cases— two to three times higher than currently assumed, according to the study "The number of privately treated tuberculosis cases in India: An estimation from dru...

Francis  Okoye, CNS Correspondent, Nigeria [First published in Nigeria politics magazine ] The current plans to fight and put an end to TB, Malaria and AMR By 2030, thereby meeting the SDG goals, seem to be in doubt, and may not become a reality. Health experts gathered together in a webinar organized by Citizen News Service recently to discuss the issue of ‘Are TB, malaria and anti microbial resistance (AMR) declining fast enough to meet SDGS by 2030?’ Experts who contributed to the discussion included Dr. Lucica Ditiu Executive Director, Stop TB Partnership, Dr Tim France, Team Leader for External Communication, Asia Pacific Leaders’ Malaria Alliance (APLMA) and Managing Director Inis Communications, Dr. Anna Nakanwagi Mukwaya, Country Director-Uganda  for International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) . The moderatos included Ashok Ramsarup-former Senior Programme Producer at South African Broadcasting corporation (SABC )and Shobka Shukla, Managing E...

Aarti Dhar, CNS Correspondent, India [First published in theindiasaga.com ] With two malaria deaths and several patients being treated for the disease in its capital city New Delhi, India needs to do much more if it is to eliminate Malaria by the year 2030. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set a goal of eliminating the disease from 35 countries across the world including from India and Indonesia. Just a couple of days ago, Sri Lanka became the third country in Asia to eliminate malaria.  If the WHO target is to be achieved, funding for malaria will have to be increased from the existing $ 2.5 billion to $ 8.7 billion. Though malaria cases have come down in India from 2 million to 1.12 million between 2000 and 2005, but the issue continues to be serious. 287 malaria deaths were reported from India last year. As much as 80% of these deaths were in the north and north-eastern part of the country. Target 3.3 of Goal 3, within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commits ...

Alice Tembe, CNS Correspondent, Swaziland In September 2015 at the United Nations General Assembly, the global leadership marked the historic adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, which replaced the Millennium Development Goals. The 3rd Goal within these 17 SDGs specifically targets the global epidemics of HIV-AIDS, TB, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and commits to end these epidemics by the year 2030. It has been a year since this commitment and there have been notable successes. However, it is still a few years to 2030 and there is still work to be done. HIV & AIDS Indications On the 4th of April 2016, the Executive Director of the Swaziland Emergency Response Council (NERCHA), Mr. Khanya Mabuza noted in an interview with the Times of Swaziland that the HIV infections are down by 50% in Swaziland. This news came with very encouraging statistics, including that while the country once recorded 14,000 AIDS related deaths per year, this figure has now d...

Shobha Shukla, CNS (Citizen News Service) " …As the evening twilight fades away, the sky is filled with stars invisible by day " are the immortal words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Alas! this does not hold ground for many people in countries of Asia Pacific (and maybe elsewhere too). The elderly are getting pushed more into a dark night devoid of stars. The erosion of traditional livelihoods and family support, along with weak health systems, is simply increasing their vulnerability. Old age means different things to different people. The quality of the sunset years is influenced by factors like economic security, social support, literacy, gender and one's own mindset and thinking. While, as the modern saying goes, life might be beginning at 60-65 for some, for many it starts fading painfully at this juncture. Mrs Mac Thi Mua , is one such elderly people who lives in Luu Ha village in Kinh Mon district of Hai Duong Province, Vietnam. I met her in her modest two-ro...