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Post-Pandemic TB Surge in Asia-Pacific

Tuberculosis(pixabay.com)

In Indonesia, TB is the fourth-highest cause of death overall, and among those aged 15 to 49 years, it is the number one cause of death by a contagious disease…reports Asian Lite News

Many developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Philippines, still have a high tuberculosis (TB) incidence rate, according to an article published in the Asian Development Blog of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Citing World Health Organization (WHO) data, the recently published article said the highly infectious disease “remains rife” in the region, with Southeast Asia responsible for 46 per cent of global infections in 2022, “the highest in any region”, Xinhua news agency reported.

The article also said the pandemic devastated national TB prevention and treatment programmes, causing an estimated half a million excess deaths between 2020 and 2022.

However, the good news is that there has been a post-pandemic recovery in the number of people diagnosed with and treated for TB, helping to reduce the damage done by the pandemic, it added.

According to the WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2023, the Philippines, along with Indonesia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, and Vietnam, have some of the highest levels of TB in the region — around 700,000 people out of a population of 115 million have active TB.

Nearly 10 million people in the Philippines reside in impoverished urban areas. Poverty and overcrowding, along with poorly-resourced public health services, are major factors in the widespread incidence of TB in the country, according to The Lancet.

In Indonesia, TB is the fourth-highest cause of death overall, and among those aged 15 to 49 years, it is the number one cause of death by a contagious disease.

TB, an airborne disease spawned by urban poverty, is currently the world’s second-biggest infectious killer after Covid-19. Many countries are working to eliminate TB by 2030, which aligns with the WHO’s End Tuberculosis Strategy.

The article said adapting practices such as mask-wearing and improved hygiene at home and work that proved effective against Covid-19 could play an important role in helping Asia and the Pacific rid themselves of TB permanently.

However, socioeconomic factors, including poverty, overcrowding, poor sanitation, lack of infrastructure, and inadequate public health systems, allow the disease to remain endemic, it added.

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-Top News India News

After sea trials, two aircraft carriers set to prowl Indo-Pacific

New Delhi, July 08 (ANI): INAS 300, the premier Fighter squadron of the Indian Navy celebrating their diamond jubilee, in New Delhi on Tuesday. The White Tigers, as the squadron is called, has the rare distinction of operating all three fighter aircraft of the Indian Navy from all three Aircraft Carriers - INS Vikrant, INS Viraat and INS Vikramaditya. (ANI Photo)

According to HT, the Department of Military Affairs has been handed over a report, based on last year’s trial, pending a final decision by the government…reports Asian Lite News

The Indian Navy is set to maximise its capacity to dominate large swathes of the Indo-Pacific, especially the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, as both its aircraft carriers are set to become battle-ready shortly.

While the 45,000 tonne INS Vikramaditya will become fully deployable after the major refit before monsoons roar into India, the bigger made-in-India INS Vikrant will be ready to prowl the waters of the Indo-Pacific after monsoons retreat from the subcontinent.

Given the importance of the two carriers to exercise “sea control”—dominate the waters as well as skies within a large arc of their deployment area—the recently concluded naval commanders conference, headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh took stock of the navy’s preparedness.

Significantly, the meeting this week took place aboard the Vikrant, the navy’s pride, and key to its deterrence, when combined with the deployment of nuclear submarines, boarding strategic Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs). Hindustan Times is reporting that during the course of the conference, a MiG-29 K fighter and Tejas-M were made to land on the freshly minted warship’s deck.

In any conference of this nature, China is the elephant in the room. Given Beijing transparent intent to break through the US imposed island chains, and power and contest its way in India’s backyard, Indian planners are taking no chances.

Right now, a decision on the aircraft to board the INS Vikrant is awaiting finalisation. Two planes have been shortlisted—the naval variant of the French Rafale-M and the F-18 of the United States. Both planes have been tested from the navy’s shore-based facility in Goa. The two will adhere to India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat doctrine, involving transfer of technology and manufacture in India. But maintenance of the Rafales may be cheaper as these fighter jets have been already inducted in the Indian Air Force (IAF). According to HT, the Department of Military Affairs has been handed over a report, based on last year’s trial, pending a final decision by the government.

The modernisation of the Navy is vital as China is racing ahead with weapons and platforms that make PLA-Navy a formidable fighting force. China’s third aircraft carrier Fujian is undergoing sea-trials. The Chinese plan to acquire six aircraft carriers by 2035, to match US naval firepower. The decision is timed with China’s decision to become the world’s biggest economy, knocking out the US from the top of the tree by that year. Besides, the Chinese, who already have anchorage in Djibouti are eyeing a naval presence in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port as well Gwadar or its thereabouts on the Pakistani coast.

The Chinese are expected to further accelerate their naval ship construction in their bid to militarily takeover Taiwan, though the costs of such an undertaking are risky and can prove prohibitively high, with major political implications on the longevity of the Communist Party of China.

In view of Chinese ambitions, it is critical that the India navy consolidated in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, especially the 10 degree and 6 degree channels through which global, including Chinese commercial shipping passes en route the strait of Malacca, the channel connecting the Indian Ocean with the South China Sea. Such a leverage is necessary to ease Chinese military pressure on the land borders.

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-Top News UK News

UK govt supports efforts to protect ocean with £2M investment

During his visits to Ecuador and Costa Rica this week, Lord Goldsmith had the opportunity to see some of the work that is already under way in the Eastern Pacific…reports Asian Lite News

Lord Goldsmith on Thursday announced that the UK will help to protect some of the world’s most important and biodiverse marine environments in the Eastern Pacific, including key migratory routes for sea turtles, whales, sharks, and rays.

At COP26 in Glasgow, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama made headlines with their announcement that the four countries are now working together to expand and connect marine protection covering over 500,000 km2 of ocean.

The Eastern Tropical Marine Corridor stretches from the rich breeding and feeding grounds around Malpelo Island, the Cocos Ridge, and the Cordillera de Coiba seamounts, to the Galapagos Islands that inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

The UK will invest an initial £2m of UK Aid through the World Bank’s PRO BLUE fund and deploy marine experts to provide technical assistance through our Ocean Country Partnership Programme.

This initiative is supported by the UK’s newly established Blue Planet Fund, which will help us do even more to develop sustainable marine economies around the world, protect species found nowhere else on earth, and help coastal communities counter a range of threats – including illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and plastic pollution.

The UK has a wealth of experience to share – from restoring fragile habitats like corals and key carbon-rich ecosystems like mangroves to deploying satellite, drone, and acoustic monitoring technologies that can bolster marine protection and support nature’s amazing ability to recover.

During his visits to Ecuador and Costa Rica this week, Lord Goldsmith had the opportunity to see some of the work that is already underway in the Eastern Pacific.

In Ecuador, he joined a Galapagos community beach clean and helped launch a refilling station that will help islanders and tourists alike drink more water, for free – and reuse the plastic bottles that are so often used once, before ending up in our rivers and ocean. And in Costa Rica, he saw how coastal communities are using sustainable tourism to support conservation at scale.

Speaking at a meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean in Costa Rica today, he said, “I commend and thank Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama for their leadership. This is exactly the sort of ambition and cooperation we need now. I am delighted that the UK will be supporting this inspiring initiative through our newly established Blue Planet Fund, drawing on decades of experience protecting an area of ocean larger than India around the UK Overseas Territories. The Eastern Tropical Marine Corridor is set to become the largest transboundary marine protected area in the world, taking us closer to protecting at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030 – a UK-led campaign backed by over 100 countries.”

Lord Goldsmith urged leaders from across government, sectors, and society to work together to accelerate the critical transition towards a decarbonised, net-zero, nature-positive global economy – and make sure that everyone benefits from turning things around.

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