CNS: November 2024

Failure to find all TB cases defeats us in #endTB efforts

If we fail to find all cases of an infectious disease (and put them on care), then it will keep spreading. "We are not able to find all TB cases as of now. We had an estimated 1.1 million new TB cases in 2023 in Indonesia as per the latest WHO Global TB Report 2024. But the highest we could reach with TB services was around 804,800. So, we still missed a few hundred thousands. If we do not find these missing cases, and put them on treatment, they will remain there as a source of infection to the rest of the community," rightly said Dr Erlina Burhan, a widely acclaimed TB and lung disease medical expert.

[video] Disability inclusion must be centred in efforts to end gender-based violence

Medicines save lives but not when they stop working

Watch the AMR Dialogues session featuring Gabriella Balasa at UNHLM on AMR 2024

Despite dealing with drug-resistant infections herself since birth and being fully aware of the looming danger of running out of options to treat the infections, it is indeed inspiring to see Gabriella Balasa (also known as Ella) devotedly raising awareness and doing all she can to stop misuse and overuse of medicines and help save lives.

[register] Third session of SHE & Rights (Sexual Health with Equity and Rights) will be held on the theme: "Gender equality, disability rights, and ending gender-based violence" to mark the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence and International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3rd December).

Antimicrobial resistance is not a silent pandemic

Antimicrobial Resistance directly kills more than 1 million people and is associated with almost 5 million deaths every year, that are expected to increase by 50% in the next 25 years. It also threatens our economies, with an estimated global annual cost of up to US$ 3.4 trillion by 2030 and 28 million people pushed to poverty by 2050. Every death and suffering due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is unacceptable and is essentially preventable.

[watch the WCLH session recording] "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has,” had said the famous anthropologist, Margaret Mead. Imbibing these values, a small group of people in India and Philippines have changed the lives of many people affected by tuberculosis (TB) – especially those who were being missed or left behind by public services. TB, despite being preventable and curable, continues to be the deadliest of infectious diseases in high TB burden countries. In 2023 TB infected 10.8 million people and killed 1.25 million people worldwide.

Despite strong scientific and community-based evidence to support tobacco and TB control, 1.1 million people died of TB in 2023 and over 8 million died of tobacco use in the same year. “Tobacco is an entirely preventable epidemic,” rightly said Dr Tara Singh Bam who is a force for change when it comes to stronger actions to prevent avoidable diseases and save lives in low- and middle-income countries.

"It is time to stop decades of failure. We have a lot to do to #EndTB by 2030," said Professor (Dr) Guy Marks, President of the International Union Against TB and Lung Disease (The Union), at the opening of the largest TB and lung health conference this year in Bali, Indonesia (Union World Lung Health Conference 2024).

(Nepalese) Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA) was among those who were awarded "AMR One Health Emerging Leaders and Outstanding Talents Award" at the Fourth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (14-16 November 2024). GAMA Scientific Committee member Dr Ranga Reddy Burri accepted the award. The World Health Organization (WHO) Task Force of AMR Survivors, and Quadripartite Working Group on Youth Engagement for AMR were also awarded for their stellar contribution to AMR, among others.

[video] Community must drive #FindAllTB → #TreatAllTB → #PreventAllTB → #EndTB

Inconvenient question: Science is gifting us new HIV prevention tools but is it expanding choices for the people?

[watch the video interview] Any new HIV prevention method is not meant to sit on the shelf but to be used by the people who need it to protect themselves from HIV. We have to ensure that new HIV prevention technologies that are coming out of the scientific research pipelines, are accessible to people everywhere - especially those who are more at risk of HIV acquisition. Jim Pickett has passionately called for translating scientific gains into public health outcomes - not with delay, but with equity and justice.

Read session details on conference website

2024 World Conference on Lung Health in Bali, Indonesia, has a special Community Connect session on 15th November (9am, Singaraja) on the theme: "Community leadership is building power and driving #FindAllTB → #TreatAllTB → #PreventAllTB → #EndTB initiative in high TB burden countries." This is hosted together by TB People (India), TB People (Zimbabwe), Global Call to Find all TB, Asia Pacific Cities Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT), Asia Pacific Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media), Vital Strategies and CNS.

[watch the recording] Trump's earlier tenure as President of the United States was marred by the infamous jolt to abortion rights and broader sexual and reproductive health and rights. Within days after the 2024 election results point towards his imminent return as the President, anti-abortion and anti-rights agenda is menacingly on the rise once again, as per the recent news.