Breaking free: How several initiatives are helping Africa get better healthcare

Four projects of differing nature in different countries

Every year 2,000 people are transfused with HIV-infected blood

While there are stringent laws to regulate blood banks, such incidents are still happening

10 good news we got in 2018

As this year nears its end, here’s a look at stories by Down To Earth that brought some relief to an otherwise climate change-ravaged period

In a first, immunotherapy that pulls HIV virus out of hiding to kill it

Latest findings offer relief to HIV-positive patients taking medicines daily

Developed, urbanised districts have high HIV prevalence: Study

The research finds that there’s high prevalence of HIV in 63 districts in south and north-east regions of the country

Scientists figure out molecular mechanism behind latent TB

Kolkata researchers think protein molecule MPT63 secreted by TB bacteria might have a role in its release into body from granuloma 

HIV-associated tuberculosis on the rise: India TB Report

Pediatric and drug-resistant TB major concerns for India

Communities can make – or break – strategies to curb HIV

They need greater recognition as equal partners in the fight against HIV as well as resources to continue doing the critically important work …

Look back at the decade: Generic drugs

Fifteen years after it rose and went limp, the biotech sector saw a bull run of sorts

Cipla shows the way, again

The pioneer of inexpensive AIDS drugs made a paediatric medicine that will save thousands of children

New estimates show 14.8 million children globally are HIV-exposed but uninfected

While many children who are HIV-exposed and also HIV-uninfected are growing and developing well, some face greater risks

Why a one-size-fits-all approach to COVID-19 could have lethal consequences

We are putting in place measures that will lead to malnutrition and starvation for millions of people, and for these horrors, children and …

COVID-19: Sharp rise projected in HIV, TB, Malaria deaths due to overwhelmed systems

Deaths could be minimised if people not forced to stay away from hospitals  

International Day for Biological Diversity 2020: Why viruses are necessary

Possible solution to antimicrobial resistance, organ protection are some beneficial roles viruses play

Over 283 mln Africans with comorbidities at higher COVID-19 risk: Lancet

Population in African countries with high HIV / AIDS prevalence are at increased risk of COVID-19, says report

Tobacco consumption rising among Indian TB patients: India TB 2020 report

Though notification of tuberculosis goes up, more than 0.5 million patients still missing  

75% emerging infectious diseases zoonotic: UN Report

Document emphasises on importance of a ‘One-Health’ approach to manage and prevent zoonotic disease outbreaks and pandemics

Sustainable peatland management can prevent future pandemics: Study

Peatlands harbour a variety of disease-spreading hosts; flora and fauna in them are also being harvested, increasing contact with humans

World AIDS Day: Battles won and lost hold valuable lessons for managing COVID-19

Resources have helped reduce morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income regions. AIDS-related deaths have declined worldwide by 39% since …

Dignity at the end of life: a Malawian nursing study shows the impact of food

Food security emerged as a critical concern in the study, that has significant consequences for dying women’s dignity. There are …

Here’s where efforts to end HIV in eastern and southern Africa must focus

HIV remains a major global public health challenge and the COVID-19 pandemic has added to it

50 years of international aid: World’s richest countries owe $5.7 trillion debt to poor, says OXFAM

Substantial debt owed to world’s poorest people 9 times more than sub-Saharan Africa’s stock of external debt at 2019-end

Fewer men aware of HIV/AIDS in most states: NFHS-5

Significant decline in proportion of women aware of HIV / AIDS in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala and Tripura

African countries differ widely in prenatal HIV testing: why it matters

Closing the gaps in coverage of HIV testing in sub-Saharan Africa will require, among other things, a massive investment in health systems in …

How COVID-19 restrictions prevent Nairobi’s sex workers from accessing vital healthcare

Unfortunately, COVID-19 has made it harder than usual for sex workers all over Africa to access healthcare