CNS: 2025

Nepal leads the world with largest pictorial health warnings on all tobacco products

Pictorial health warnings on all tobacco products are a proven and cost-effective way to prevent tobacco use among children and young people, encourage tobacco users to quit and increase awareness of deadly diseases caused by tobacco. That is why size and pictorial graphics matter because pictures say a thousand words. Nepal government decided this week to go for the largest pictorial health warnings globally on all tobacco products (100% on the front and 100% on the back packaging).

Leprosy (also known as Hansen’s disease), once feared as an incurable disease, is now treatable with modern medicine. When diagnosed early and accurately, and treated early with right medicines, it is not disabling too. But leprosy-related stigma and discrimination continues to cause havoc in lives of people affected with leprosy and blocks access to care even today.

Frontline healthcare workers dispelling darkness below the lamp

If we assume that a person who lives a few hundred metres away from one of the best TB clinics would have no problems in accessing services, then we could be in for a rude shock.

The fourth session of SHE & Rights (Sexual Health with Equity and Rights) will be led by the young people on the theme: "Sexual and reproductive health with equity and rights for the young people."

[End TB Dialogues | Podcast | हिंदी] Despite being the most populous district of Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh in India, Kangra has also led from the front in caring for largest number of people with TB in the state. Compared to the national average in India, Kangra offers TB tests to 3-4 times more people per 100,000 population.

First podcast of 2025 features Dr Rajesh Kumar Sood, District Programme Officer, National Health Mission and District TB Officer (National TB Elimination Programme) Kangra Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India. He is in conversation with CNS founder Managing Editor and Executive Director Shobha Shukla on the ongoing #100Days focussed campaign to #ReachTheUnreached people with best of TB diagnostics, treatment and prevention services in India.

Opening and closing instrumental piano music is played by a young feminist Ms Tara Shukla Iyer from UK.

Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, YouTube Podcasts, TuneIn, Podtail, BluBrry, Himalaya, ListenNotes, American Podcasts, CastBox FM, Ivy FM, Player FM, iVoox, and other podcast streaming platforms.

India shifting gears to get on the right track to #endTB

[हिंदी] India with the highest TB burden globally has made a drastic shift recently to reach the unreached people with free TB services. Indian government has launched a 100 days focussed campaign (7 December 2024 to 24 March 2025) to intensify progress to #endTB through improved case detection, reduction in diagnostic delays, and enhanced treatment outcomes across 347 most affected districts in 33 states of the country.