Health Matters newsletter: Hark! Good news on the HIV vaccine front
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Health Matters newsletter: Hark! Good news on the HIV vaccine front

The Hindu  

We could start with the NEET mess again, and there is indeed much to report since our last health newsletter. A collaborative survey 1,482 TB patients across four States conducted by the George Institute for Global Health, New Delhi, along with the Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U.K., highlighted the severe financial strain faced by TB patients in India. The survey has recommended intensifying private sector engagement, improving rapid diagnosis, implementing community awareness campaigns, expanding health insurance coverage for pre-treatment expenses, and safeguarding TB patients from loss of income. This week’s explainers bring the context you needed for the major health stories and developing news: Maitri Porecha writes on the students affected by NEET: The NEET sheeters G Sampath in the In Focus podcast, looks at What’s behind the calls for an independent probe into conduct of NEET 2024? If you have a few extra moments, here’s our recommended catch up for you:V. Geetanath writes: CSIR-IICT scientists identify microalgae as a potential protein supplement Medical lasers market has grown rapidly in India as access increases Nepal seeks help from India to set up Jan Aushadhi Kendra HC directs State to provide appropriate accommodation, lifelong medical care to youth with mental health issues WHO confirms human case of bird flu in India; four-year-old infected in West Bengal For many more health stories, head to our health page, and subscribe to the health newsletter, here.

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History of this topic

100-day campaign to make Maharashtra TB-free launched
1 month ago

100-day campaign to make Maharashtra TB-free launched

Hindustan Times  

Pune: The public health department on Saturday launched a 100-day campaign aimed at reducing the spread and prevention of tuberculosis, which will cover over 34 million people in the state. 100-day campaign to make Maharashtra TB-free launched Part of the national tuberculosis eradication programme, the special drive will be implemented in 347 districts of the country, including 17 districts and …

Chennai Mayor flags off tuberculosis awareness campaign vehicle
1 month ago

Chennai Mayor flags off tuberculosis awareness campaign vehicle

The Hindu  

Chennai Mayor R. Priya launched the ‘Tuberculosis-Free Tamil Nadu’ awareness campaign vehicle on Saturday at Ripon Buildings. Among the 8,735 household contacts of diagnosed TB patients, 5,767 were given preventive treatment.” The release added that the Public Health Department of the GCC has been intensifying TB control measures. The awareness campaign aims to diagnose TB early, reduce deaths due to …

Health Minister launches 100-day campaign to reduce TB incidence and mortality
Trending News
1 month ago

Health Minister launches 100-day campaign to reduce TB incidence and mortality

The Hindu  

“The rate of TB decline in India has doubled from 8.3% in 2015 to 17.7% today, much ahead of the global average. Deaths due to TB have also reduced in India by 21.4% in the last 10 years,” Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said at the launch of the intensified national ‘100 day TB elimination campaign’ on Saturday, in Haryana. …

44.23% dip in new HIV infections since ’10: Minister
Trending News
1 month, 1 week ago

44.23% dip in new HIV infections since ’10: Minister

Hindustan Times  

New HIV infections in India declined by 44.23% between 2010 and 2022, surpassing the global reduction rate of 39% during the same period, according to central government data released on World AIDS Day on Sunday. The National AIDS Control Programme phase V focuses on peer-led targeted intervention projects to accelerate reduction in new annual HIV infections across high-risk, at-risk and …

Odisha to roll out adult BCG vaccination to eliminate TB
4 months ago

Odisha to roll out adult BCG vaccination to eliminate TB

New Indian Express  

BHUBANESWAR : In a major push to eliminate tuberculosis in the country by 2025, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is all set to roll out a new BCG vaccination programme for adults in Odisha this month. Odisha is among the high burden TB states where the new vaccine is being launched in collaboration with ICMR to assess its …

India-made TB diagnostics tech wins acclaim at World Health Assembly
6 months, 4 weeks ago

India-made TB diagnostics tech wins acclaim at World Health Assembly

The Hindu  

The Truenat platform, a rapid molecular test for the diagnosis of pulmonary, extrapulmonary, and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis, that was developed in India, has been hailed for its role in combating TB and as a possible component of global healthcare solutions at the recently-held 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva. At the World Health Assembly, The Global Fund, which collaborates with the …

Health Ministry reworks protocol as India’s TB elimination drive plateaus
7 months ago

Health Ministry reworks protocol as India’s TB elimination drive plateaus

The Hindu  

India’s goal to achieve rapid decline in the burden of tuberculosis morbidity and mortality, while working towards the elimination of TB in the country by 2025, has plateaued, a senior Health Ministry official said. According to the Health Ministry, India has been engaged in TB control activities for more than 50 years, yet the disease continues to be the country’s …

India highlights commitment to implement proactive actions for women and adolescents’ health at World Health Assembly
7 months, 1 week ago

India highlights commitment to implement proactive actions for women and adolescents’ health at World Health Assembly

The Hindu  

India highlighted its commitment to implement proactive actions for women, children and adolescent health and well-being at the on-going 77th World Health Assembly, at Geneva, while hosting a side event on the topic. Held in collaboration with Norway, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, the event was …

2.55 million cases of TB notified in India last year, most in decades
9 months, 2 weeks ago

2.55 million cases of TB notified in India last year, most in decades

Hindustan Times  

India notified nearly 2.55 million cases of tuberculosis last year according to government data, the highest achieved since the start of the TB control programme in the 60s, indicating the efficacy of a drive to identify individuals afflicted with the disease, and ensure they get treated. {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} Last year, 2.42 million cases were notified from across the …

India's triumphs in the battle against TB
9 months, 2 weeks ago

India's triumphs in the battle against TB

Hindustan Times  

Tuberculosis, one of the oldest and deadliest infectious diseases, has relentlessly challenged humanity throughout history. Every day, TB claims over 3,500 lives and nearly 30,000 people contract this preventable and curable disease, hitting countries like India particularly hard. Before 1997, the battle against TB in India faced significant challenges, with high costs making diagnosis and treatment inaccessible to many, especially …

Making TB among women visible
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Making TB among women visible

Hindustan Times  

Did you know that India has the highest burden of tuberculosis, or TB in the world? As a result, finding and treating extra-pulmonary TB remains a challenge in India and I’m sure this is compounded with the challenges that women generally face in accessing healthcare2. It is the need of the hour to raise awareness about TB in women –symptoms …

Let’s just talk health, shall we?
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Let’s just talk health, shall we?

The Hindu  

Often times, in the post-COVID world, with science/health reporting picking up since the pandemic, health writing becomes all about telling a story in detail, it’s about laying it all bare, explaining the nuances, capturing the latest research and interpreting it for a burgeoning group of readers of science and health articles. “A crippling cost-of-living crisis, burnout and well below inflation …

Missing TB cases in the private sector
1 year ago

Missing TB cases in the private sector

The Hindu  

India made notification of TB patients mandatory in 2012 to address the problem of delayed diagnosis, suboptimal quality of care, incorrect diagnostic and treatment protocols being used, and a high drop-out rate in the private sector. Despite the significant increase in the private sector TB notifications over the years, they fall far short of the targets set by the National …

WHO hailed India’s success in managing TB: Union Health Ministry
1 year, 2 months ago

WHO hailed India’s success in managing TB: Union Health Ministry

The Hindu  

India has made tremendous progress in improving case detection and reversed the impact of COVID-19 on the tuberculosis programme, noted the World Health Organization’s ‘Global TB Report 2023’ released earlier this week, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday. “The WHO has made a downward revision of TB mortality rates from 4.94 lakh in 2021 to 3.31 lakh in 2022, …

Quality of active TB case finding suboptimal nationally: study
1 year, 3 months ago

Quality of active TB case finding suboptimal nationally: study

The Hindu  

Since 2017, India’s Tuberculosis programme has been undertaking active case finding outside the healthcare settings among high-risk populations. Of the three ACF cycles recommended among the high-risk populations each year, 642 districts undertook just one cycle. Based on the available data, the quality of ACF was measured using three indicators — screening at least 10% of the district population for …

Health Matters | Treating diseases — going back to go forward
1 year, 5 months ago

Health Matters | Treating diseases — going back to go forward

The Hindu  

It’s rare that we have, in these parts, a real medical whodunit, an unravelling of a medical mystery, nearly 200 years post facto too. In this context, they wonder if India’s research spending is adequate at all, and whether these funds effectively address the country’s health needs and prioritise the right disease areas. The IIPS works under the Union Ministry …

A new edge to the fight against tuberculosis
1 year, 8 months ago

A new edge to the fight against tuberculosis

The Hindu  

At the One World TB Summit in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on March 24, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi instilled fresh energy to the global tuberculosis elimination response and reiterated India’s commitment to spearhead this effort. The Prime Minister’s remarks are critical as we look to redefine India’s and the world’s TB elimination response — with innovation and research being central …

India can lead efforts to find new TB vaccine, says WHO’s former chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan
1 year, 11 months ago

India can lead efforts to find new TB vaccine, says WHO’s former chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan

The Hindu  

Raising the need to develop a new vaccine for tuberculosis, Soumya Swaminathan, former chief scientist at the World Health Organisation, said India, considering its accelerated timeline for TB elimination than the rest of the world, should be in the lead, and scientists and researchers around the country as well as globally should come together to develop a better vaccine. I …

WEB EXCLUSIVE | How COVID-19 has hit India’s fight against TB
2 years, 1 month ago

WEB EXCLUSIVE | How COVID-19 has hit India’s fight against TB

The Hindu  

Published : Dec 06, 2022 16:26 IST It is slowly becoming apparent that the COVID-19 pandemic, which first hit India in early 2020, has had devastating and long-lasting effects on the nation’s ability to achieve its tuberculosis goals. The pandemic, followed by lockdowns and large-scale migrations of various populations, has continued to impact access to diagnosis as well as treatment …

“We are working towards a TB vaccine in India”
2 years, 1 month ago

“We are working towards a TB vaccine in India”

The Hindu  

Published : Dec 06, 2022 15:24 IST While the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020 did impact tuberculosis elimination efforts and services across the country, several campaigns were put in place to offset the impact, according to Dr. Raghuram Rao, Assistant Director General, Central TB Division, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. The National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme responded with timely …

India accounts for 28% of 10.6 million TB cases in 2021: WHO report
2 years, 2 months ago

India accounts for 28% of 10.6 million TB cases in 2021: WHO report

Hindustan Times  

New Delhi: Around 10.6 million people across the world were diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2021, an increase of 4.5% from 2020, while 1.6 million patients died of the bacterial disease, according to the World Health Organization’s 2022 Global TB report. Nearly 82% of global TB deaths among HIV-negative people occurred in the African and South-East Asia regions, with India alone …

India must fine-tune its strategy to eliminate Tuberculosis
2 years, 3 months ago

India must fine-tune its strategy to eliminate Tuberculosis

The Hindu  

Termed as the severest crisis in a century, the COVID-19 pandemic dislodged the entire health system in India, sidelining other public health issues, and tuberculosis was no exception. Despite an extensive national programme and a vast private sector, India is the global epicentre for TB, with an estimated 2.8 million TB cases, and with TB killing more than 4,00,000 Indians …

Health Matters: Govt Wants to Eliminate TB But Data Not In Sync With Promise. Blame it on Covid
2 years, 6 months ago

Health Matters: Govt Wants to Eliminate TB But Data Not In Sync With Promise. Blame it on Covid

News 18  

It was all about Covid-19 for the past two years. #TBMuktBharat pic.twitter.com/z1vYXpncH4— Central TB Division | #TBMuktBharat July 8, 2022 Now, with less than three years to that deadline – 2025, which is five years ahead of the target set by Sustainable Development Goals 2030 – there are important lines of inquiries that need to be pursued to track how …

TB activists start monthly meetings to resolve issues faced by TB patients
2 years, 7 months ago

TB activists start monthly meetings to resolve issues faced by TB patients

Hindustan Times  

Mumbai: With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic causing a setback for the country’s programme to eliminate tuberculosis, non-government organisations, TB activists, survivors, and officers will hold a meeting every month to discuss the needs and challenges of its treatment in the country. We can create an informal TB group to address day-to-day issues faced by TB patients like delays in getting …

India may come up with vaccine against tuberculosis by 2024, says Indian scientist
2 years, 9 months ago

India may come up with vaccine against tuberculosis by 2024, says Indian scientist

India TV News  

Highlights India may come up with a vaccine against tuberculosis two years down the line The enrolment of 12,000 participants aged six years and above for the trial has been completed ICMR-NARI is the main site and it has completed the enrolment of 1,593 healthy household contacts India may come up with a vaccine against tuberculosis two years down the …

India to be TB-free by 2025, says Minister
2 years, 9 months ago

India to be TB-free by 2025, says Minister

The Hindu  

A 19% increase was witnessed in 2021 from the previous year in TB patients’ notification. On the World Tuberculosis Day on Thursday, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reaffirmed the government’s commitment to making India tuberculosis–free by 2025 and said this will be achieved by ensuring access to quality healthcare and advanced treatment. The report said despite the brief decline in TB …

Fight Against TB, HIV on Par with Joining Defence Forces: Union Health Minister
3 years, 4 months ago

Fight Against TB, HIV on Par with Joining Defence Forces: Union Health Minister

News 18  

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday told the youths that working towards elimination of tuberculosis and prevention of HIV transmission is on par with joining the defence forces as one works for the nation. Mandaviya, who launched the first phase of the awareness campaign for HIV, TB and blood donation on the occasion of ‘International Youth Day’ in the …

Govt Will Achieve Goal of Tuberculosis-free India by 2025, Says Harsh Vardhan
4 years, 4 months ago

Govt Will Achieve Goal of Tuberculosis-free India by 2025, Says Harsh Vardhan

News 18  

The COVID-19 pandemic has given a chance to revisit and structurally re-imagine a robust public health infrastructure for the country, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Monday. Speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day Confederation of Indian Industry Public Health Conference virtually, Vardhan expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goal of a tuberculosis-free India by 2025 would …

India’s disease surveillance system needs a reboot
4 years, 8 months ago

India’s disease surveillance system needs a reboot

The Hindu  

In a recent press briefing, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported noticeable trends with respect to COVID-19 cases in India. Interactive map of confirmed coronavirus cases in India | State-wise tracker for coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates There are many among the poor who are battling various diseases but now have little access to major public hospitals …

Doctor’s Note: Coronavirus and patients with TB and HIV
4 years, 9 months ago

Doctor’s Note: Coronavirus and patients with TB and HIV

Al Jazeera  

HIV and tuberculosis are common in developing countries, which adds to the challenges in this health emergency. TB – considered a chronic respiratory condition – reduces the lungs’ capacity for normal breathing and therefore increases the risk that a patient may develop a severe strain of COVID-19. Human immunodeficiency virus – another disease more prevalent among patients in the developing …

TB and Coronavirus: A curable and incurable crisis
4 years, 9 months ago

TB and Coronavirus: A curable and incurable crisis

The Hindu  

As India reels under the growing crisis of COVID-19, an unrelenting virus that threatens to destroy lives, it may be time to remember a long-standing and devastating foe — Tuberculosis or TB. A key reason is that lakhs of Indians even today lack awareness and access to accurate diagnosis, and the drugs required for fighting TB, much like the coronavirus. …

Indo-US trade war is a new challenge to India’s TB elimination program
5 years, 1 month ago

Indo-US trade war is a new challenge to India’s TB elimination program

Firstpost  

In the recent past, the elimination of TB has been given the highest priority by the government. The withdrawal of the Generalized System of Preferences, designed to promote economic growth in the developing world by providing preferential duty-free entry for up to 4,800 products, signified the start of the trade war between the countries, to which India retaliated by increasing …

Lack of awareness leading to latent tuberculosis
5 years, 2 months ago

Lack of awareness leading to latent tuberculosis

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: An estimated 40 per cent of the population in India has ‘latent tuberculosis’ and 5 to 10 per cent of them develop active tuberculosis in their lifetime. While it is very difficult to diagnose latent TB, it is important that those in contact with active TB patients are counselled so that they can act fast when their immunity is …

Drug-resistant TB high in India, 5 lakh deaths a year
5 years, 2 months ago

Drug-resistant TB high in India, 5 lakh deaths a year

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: The incidences of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, already a high in India by global standards, is increasing, as over five lakh new cases are identified each year. Telangana has 50,000 new cases of MDRT TB every year.” The ground reality is that 80 per cent of patients do not understand the concept of having to complete the TB treatment course. …

TB cases see decrease in India
5 years, 2 months ago

TB cases see decrease in India

The Hindu  

The tuberculosis incidence rate in India has decreased by almost 50,000 patients over the past one year, according to the World Health Organization -2019 edition of the Global Tuberculosis Report released on Thursday. “This includes trends in TB incidence and mortality, data on case detection and treatment results for TB, multidrug-resistant TB, TB/HIV, TB prevention, universal health coverage as well …

Uttar Pradesh responsible for 20% of total notified TB cases in country, says India Tuberculosis Report 2019
5 years, 3 months ago

Uttar Pradesh responsible for 20% of total notified TB cases in country, says India Tuberculosis Report 2019

Firstpost  

Union Minister also flagged off National TB Prevalence Survey Vans, which will move around several districts of India to help identify people suffering from TB New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh has the largest number of TB patients and it is responsible for over 20 percent of the total number of notified cases of this disease in the country, revealed the India …

Health Minister Launches Largest TB Prevalence Survey, Vows to Vanquish Disease by 2025
5 years, 3 months ago

Health Minister Launches Largest TB Prevalence Survey, Vows to Vanquish Disease by 2025

News 18  

New Delhi: In an effort to reach out to every tuberculosis patient in the country, the government on Wednesday launched the largest-ever conducted TB prevalence survey. While launching the 'TB Harega, Desh Jeetega' campaign in Delhi, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan noted there were "still 5.5 lakh patients" who were lost in the country. As per the TB India report …

ICMR tests vaccine to check spread of TB in households
5 years, 5 months ago

ICMR tests vaccine to check spread of TB in households

Live Mint  

The Indian Council of Medical Research has started a vaccine trial to prevent tuberculosis among those living close to patients suffering from the disease. The study will enrol more than 12,000 healthy members of households who are in contact with sputum smear-positive pulmonary TB patients, and are at high risk of contracting the disease, from seven locations across six states—Delhi, …

TB-free India a distant reality for rural UP population struggling with recurrent TB and expensive private healthcare
5 years, 9 months ago

TB-free India a distant reality for rural UP population struggling with recurrent TB and expensive private healthcare

Firstpost  

Under the Revised National TB Control Program, a patient is given an identification card that tracks their site of infection, severity and treatment course, ‘notifying’, or adding them onto a national database. “[TB> spreads because of dust, that’s what the doctor says,” said Daharra resident Ram Kishore. “We had to borrow money for the treatment,” she said, her voice a …

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