CNS: February 2013

2by4: Theme 1: Women and Tuberculosis

As part of the ongoing 2by4 communications and advocacy campaign the first mini-series of e-consultation and key informant interviews is on the theme: Women and TB. 2by4 campaign focusses on two key populations (women and children) and four key issues (multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB); laboratory and diagnostics; private-public partnerships (PPP); TB-HIV collaborative activities).

Have your say in the online consultation and key informant interviews in lead up to the World TB Day, 24th March 2013. 'Two by Four: 2by4' is a time-limited communications' campaign hosted by Citizen News Service - CNS, a partner of Stop TB Partnership, on the Global Stop-TB eForum and other platforms CNS is part of. The 2by4 campaign runs for two months from 24th February to 24th April 2013.

[Images] [हिंदी] About thousand villagers in Reusa Block, Sitapur, staged a Jal Satyagrah by getting down into the waters of river Sharda and standing there all day long on 25-26 February 2013. They were demanding immediate action by the government to start work to stop erosion lest their villages and fields may again get submerged and destroyed by the fury of the swelling river. A population of 50,000 people residing in 20-25 villages are threatened to be displaced by the rising and shifting waters of river Sharda.

So said Freddy Svane, Ambassador of Denmark in an interview given exclusively to Citizen News Service - CNS, during his recent visit to Lucknow. He rightly believes that, “Diabetes is a non- communicable disease that is self-inflicted. It is generally not something that we inherit, but something that we inflict on ourselves mostly by adopting an unhealthy life style. Dealing with it is all about applying our own common sense to change our mindset. Of course some will have to be assisted to do this, and so it calls for education. It should definitely be part of school programmes, because that is the time the kids start aping all the bad habits that we have in the western culture—more junk food and less exercise, lots of cars and less of walking. The most important thing is to raise awareness and I have the firm belief that one needs to start from a very early stage.”

Narmada Bachao Andolan has been using Jal Satyagrah since 1993 as a means of protest wherein people facing submergence stay put in waist, or sometimes neck, deep rising waters of the river and endanger their lives. The administration or the government, on the other hand, is busy trying to save people by either forcibly pulling them out of water or agreeing to talk to them on their demands. Last year in Ghoglagaon of Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh people were left standing in water for 17 days and the government was not willing to talk to them until the body parts of some of the people in water started dissolving.

The recently released fourth annual edition of the financing series of the Institute of Health and Metric Evaluation (IHME), ‘Financing Global Health 2012: The End of the Golden Age?’ tracks Development Assistance for Health (DAH) from government aid agencies, multilateral donors, and private foundations. It also analyses health spending from governments in developing countries between 1990 and 2010. By combining health funding estimates with the results of the newly published Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2010, the report provides metrics that can help inform donor priority setting. Comparisons between the amount of DAH that a country receives and its disease burden provide useful tools for assessing need versus funding.

Rising Of A Billion Voices For Justice

It was a Valentine’s Day celebration with a difference. On 14th February, 2013, a vibrant crowd of Lucknowites marched from Begum Hazrat Mahal Park to Hazratganj-- the heart of the city—as a part of ‘Odhani ka Parcham’, a campaign to condemn violence against women. The three hours long event was in support of the global campaign ‘One Billion Rising’ to stop violence of all forms against women. Women (and men too) from different strata of society, transcended boundaries of caste, creed, colour, and community, to come together under the aegis of one common agenda—rise, dance and strike to end violence against women.

This is an appeal from a person in her own words who urgently needs support for her healthcare needs. She is a brave woman who is a living example of the oft-quoted adage - 'When the going gets tough, the tough gets going...' Read her story in her own words -a real-life experience, full of grit, courage and determination, to continue living and spreading light despite seemingly insurmountable challenges.
(CNS has met and interviewed Payel and strongly supports her efforts to exercise her right to health. Please consider supporting her personal fight against Von Hippel Lindau (VHL) Syndrome and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Kindly find her contact details or ways to support below)

According to an estimate, one in three women on the planet is likely to be raped or beaten in her lifetime. So on 14 February 2013, the 15th anniversary of Valentine’s Day, one billion women in unison across the globe, along with their well-wishers, hope to walk, dance, rise and demand an end to this violence. This historic day will see the collective strength and solidarity of women transcending all borders of caste, creed, religion and social status. It would be the clarion call to all women and men to refuse to accept and participate in any act of violence against women and girls and to end the rape culture.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most under-reported and under-rated chronic disease for children across the world. Although childhood TB has been receiving attention from global health experts, it still remains a major cause for illness and death of children. Yet TB is preventable, treatable and curable. Children generally contract this disease because they are in proximity to elders who are already affected by the TB bacterium, such as a nanny, the mother, the care-giver or other infected family members.

Civil society organizations came together in Hyderabad today to enlist gaps in tuberculosis (TB) control programme in Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and appeal to authorities to strengthen the TB response. Partnership for TB Care and Control in India, along with LEPRA Society, Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI), Catholic Bishops Conference of India – Coalition for AIDS and Related Diseases (CBCI-CARD), Damien Foundation India Trust, David and Lois Rees Hospital, Shivananada Rehabilitation Home, TB Alert India, Vasavya Mahila Mandali, World Vision India, Christian Association for Medical mission and People's development (CAMP) and Rayalaseema Gramena Vikas Society, submitted a memorandum to Commissioner, Principal Secretary (Health) of AP Government, among others.

For a disease as old of tuberculosis (TB) how come despite all the scientific research and development (R and D) we still have about a century old BCG vaccine which is the only licensed vaccine to prevent TB - it is used extensively with approximately 100 million newborns being vaccinated globally each year. While BCG can prevent severe forms of TB in some children, its widespread use in infants has failed to control the global epidemic. Sustained efforts have been made to develop new, safe and more effective TB vaccines over the past years. Results of one such effort were announced in The Lancet on 4th February 2013.

Photo credit: CNS - Seoul 2012

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least one-third of all cancer cases are preventable. Prevention offers the most cost-effective long-term strategy for the control of cancer. Despite strong evidence and clear mandate to protect public health, lifestyle related cancers are on an alarming rise. Direct, indirect and surrogate corporate advertising of tobacco, alcohol, food, and other lifestyle related products must be censored to ensure consistent public health messaging.

[हिंदी] "We, as representatives of women’s organizations, civil society groups, and activists committed to women’s rights, convey our strong opposition to the Government's decision to move an ordinance on the criminal law amendments related to sexual violence. We call upon the President of India to not sign such an Ordinance" said firebrand social activist Arundhati Dhuru in a press conference in Lucknow. Arundhati is also the UP State Advisor to Right To Food Commissioners appointed by Supreme Court, and has been a long-time social activist with Narmada Bachao Andolan and National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM).