There is no evidence to indicate a rise in tuberculosis (TB) cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. However, they do suggest that COVID-19 patients may be more susceptible to contracting TB and, as such, surveillance efforts ought to be scaled up. “Due to the impact […]
Tuberculosis
Infectious disease
India faces the challenge of a range of infectious diseases. While deaths from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are becoming increasingly prevalent, huge numbers of Indians continue to die annually due to infectious disease. This dual burden of disease has the potential to put a substantial amount of stress on an already underfunded and under resourced health […]
COVID-19 figures higher than any other infectious disease
COVID-19 affected more people in a single year than any other infectious disease over a comparative timeframe in recent years. COVID-19 figures are often compared to other diseases. However, until recently, the figures were simply not available to make these comparison points. According to IndiaSpend, by the end of 2020 India officially had ten million […]
How does India fare on the roadmap to elimination?
India has a prolonged history of setting ambitious elimination deadlines for a host of diseases, only to miss the deadline and simply re-announce another year. Many diseases, such as leprosy, are simply neglected with most individuals affected belonging to lower castes and viewed as outcasts from society — a view proliferative through thousands of years. […]
Mining and lung health: An expected connection
It is a known issue that heavy industry work such as in the mining industry can wreak havoc on one’s health. However, the scale of the issue, particularly among India’s poorest, often goes overlooked. Populations associated with the mining industry in India — mostly from impoverished and tribal backgrounds – were found to have a […]
TB elimination by 2025: Vardhan restates commitment
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan has reiterated the Government’s commitment for tuberculosis (TB) elimination by 2025. “In India, under the guidance of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, India has accorded high priority for ending tuberculosis by 2025, five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG),” Vardhan told his counterparts from […]
Tuberculosis and the impact of COVID-19
While India continues to pour resources into fighting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, other health issues are too often sidelined. Many, such as tuberculosis (TB) have plagued India since long before the pandemic. TB, due to rapidly developing drug resistance, threatens to become all but untreatable in the coming decades. This situation can only worsen as […]
Press Release – Awardees Announced for the DR-TB Lifeline QuickFire Challenge
Media contacts Joshina Kapoor (India) [email protected] +919820711080 Jessica Freifeld (Global) [email protected] +1 917-520-1198 Awardees Announced for the DR-TB Lifeline QuickFire Challenge Two of the five awardees – who will receive both $50,000 in grant funding and mentorship from J&J experts – are Indian NGOs renowned for their work in TB Care and Management – Doctors […]
Interview: Urban Weber of the Global Fund on COVID and the Big Three
The response to the ‘Big Three’ – HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis – has been hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts have warned that a surge in deaths due to the ‘Big Three’ could ensue, as the pandemic hits access to vital medicines and other treatments and disrupts much-needed prevention campaigns. To discuss the effect of […]
Why we need to fix the healthcare system: An interview with Dr Mikashmi Kohli
“There is a need for proper planning and strengthening the healthcare system where both the pandemic and these other treatable diseases can be managed simultaneously,” Dr Mikashmi Kohli told me recently. “We now have diagnostic tools which are multi-disease platforms so focusing just on COVID-19 , while forgetting about patients suffering from these manageable diseases, […]