Asthma - can we live with it?

Akanksha Sethi
[World Asthma Day is Tuesday, 3rd May 2016]
Not all ailments are of the type that can be cured completely over time, even though they are not life threatening. Asthma, which afflicts an estimated 300 million people worldwide, is one such disease that cannot be cured though it can consciously be controlled. Those who keep it under check, through a proper lifestyle, diet and regular medication, are able to lead a normal life, said Professor (Dr) Surya Kant, Head of the Respiratory Medicine Department at King George's Medical University, in an interview given to CNS (Citizen News Service).

[Focus] Managing asthma well is the gateway to live a normal life

[Webinar] World Asthma Day 2016

India’s TB challenge: Unmasking the social stigma

Urvashi Prasad, CNS Correspondent, India

TB has surpassed HIV/AIDS worldwide as the greatest killer disease due to a single infectious agent. With an estimated 2 million new cases every year, India has the highest TB burden of any country in the world. It also claims an unacceptably high number of lives (around 300,000) in India every year, despite being a fully curable disease, if diagnosed early.

Should Asia Pacific lead the world with robust roadmap for sustainable development?

Although the governments of UN member countries had adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2015, a lot more work needs to be done to deliver on these promises by 2030. Thirty-six Asia Pacific nations had met in Thailand for Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) but largely failed to agree with consensus on a regional roadmap to achieve these promises by 2030. The window of opportunity is not closed yet - Asia Pacific nations still can demonstrate leadership on implementing SDGs by agreeing on an ambitious plan to move forward.

Ranking Dem with World Bank oversight demands end to WB's unethical water dealings

US Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI) took the rare step of issuing a public letter to the president of the World Bank Group (WBG) raising concerns about its role in the water sector. In the letter, Rep. Moore calls on the Bank’s leaders to stop funding and promoting water privatization pending an independent review and congressional hearings on the glaring conflicts of interest created by its investments in water privatizers through its private investment arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Justice Rajindar Sachar releases first list of Socialist Party candidates for UP elections

Former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Justice Rajindar Sachar released the first list of probable candidates of Socialist Party (India) for UP Vidhan Sabha elections 2017. The candidates are as follows (constituency-wise): Sewta: Dr Shuchita Kumar; Lucknow West: Zeenat; Mahmoodabad: Munnalal; Sidhauli: Manoj Kumar; Rohaniya: Dharma Devi; Sewapuri: Urmila Patel; Bangarmau: Sushma; Chunar: Urmila Vishwakarma; Fazilnagar: Gowardhan Prasad Gond; Kannauj: Dhaniram; Bilgram-Mallawa: Abhishek Patel; Amethi: Kiran Gupta; Gonda: Janki Prasad Gaur; Arya Nagar, Kanpur: Saraswati; and Sandila: Ramdai.

[Focus] Beat diabetes: Change what you eat & how you live!

[Call to register] Webinar for media in lead up to World Asthma Day 2016

[WEBINAR RECORDING] We welcome you to register for an exclusive media webinar in lead up to this year's World Asthma Day. Our governments have committed to achieve Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs - by 2030, one of which is to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by one-third by 2030. We need to ensure that asthma rates are declining, and declining fast enough so as to reduce the burden of all NCDs including asthma by 1/3rd by 2030, or earlier!

When living becomes a pain: MDR-TB

Dr Richa Sharma, CNS Correspondent, India
TB is an intimidating word in the world of public health. Even though the disease is centuries old, it was only in 1882 that Dr Robert Koch discovered the TB bacillus—the agent that causes TB. Antibiotics were used against TB for the first time in 1944 after the discovery of streptomycin. But use of this drug alone led to antibiotic resistance that is still a major problem.

Ending the TB epidemic

Dr Amitava Acharyya, CNS Correspondent, India
TB which finds mention in Indian ancient texts, seems to be as old Indian civilization. In Ayurveda, it is included in “Sosha” group of diseases. These are diseases with a prominent feature of wasting, and there are other symptoms such as cough and blood-spitting. According to Indian mythology the Moon-god, was the first to become a victim of TB, and so the disease is also known as Rajayakshma—the king’s disease.

[Focus] Is HIV de-prioritised in SDGs?

Malawi needs to expand TB control interventions

Martin Chiwanda, CNS Correspondent, Malawi
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that Malawi must expand interventions to control TB as it is one of the developing countries with very high incidence of the epidemic. The Director of WHO Global TB Programme Dr Mario Raviglione, in an interview via a webinar hosted by Citizen News Service (CNS) and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease said that Malawi government needs to fully adhere to the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of which Goal 3 targets to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

[Focus] Transgenders in Myanmar: Long wait for development justice!

[Focus] Urban poor must be central to urbanization and development justice

Business outside the box to combat MDR-TB

Catherine Mwauyakufa, CNS Correspondent, Zimbabwe
The approach of business as usual has to end, as tackling MDR-TB is an emergency that calls for unusual approaches if we are to meet the target of  ending TB by 2030, as envisaged in one of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The world has to combat multi drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) on a war footing to make the dream of ending TB by 2030 a reality.

85% pictorial warnings and curbing selling of tobacco in smaller packs both positive for public health

Dr Raghav Gattani, CNS Medical Correspondent
It is an important public health development that government of India has not bowed down to conflict-of-interest riddled Parliamentary Committee recommendations to reduce pictorial warning size and from 1st April 2016 implemented the 85% pictorial warnings on all tobacco products. Not only the size of pictorial warnings remains as directed earlier 85% but also minimum size of warnings has also been prescribed, which will help in stopping sale of tobacco in smaller packs.