One golden wish in TB care and control is surely around early diagnosis of all forms of TB. New rapid diagnostic tools have come on board over the past years such as Liquid Culture, Line Probe Assay (LPA), and Xpert MTB/RIF among others in addition to conventional gold standard solid culture and dru

Millions of women (and men) are still unable to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and prevent unintended pregnancies. Despite major thrust on research and development of new options to prevent STIs and unintended pregnancies, and efforts to expand access to existing prev

Could you ever imagine that a string of beads can act as a contraceptive device to avoid unintended pregnancies? Well CycleBeads just does that by helping women to follow the Standard Days Method (SDM)—a natural fertility awareness method of family planning. It consists of a string of 32 colour cod

We need to forgive the trespasses of others for our forgiveness. This is the result of repentance. Thus, one becomes holy and is part of all religions without any exception. Even though Buddhism does not speak of confession in general but the Pali Canon demands that a monk must confesses their indiv

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) created history in February 2007 when India became the first and only low-income country in the world with a national subscription to The Cochrane Library. This initiative of the ICMR to purchase a national license was widely hailed as an exemplar of re

(Note: From the case of Liaquat Shah it is amply clear how police, for taking credit, implicate surrendered militants as terrorists. Had it not been for the vocal protest of J&K police and CM Omar Abdullah the country would have believed that Liaquat came to carry out blasts in Delhi during Holi. No

The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) marked World TB Day 2013 by formulating and publishing the much needed ‘Guidelines for Clinical and Operational Management of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis’. This new guide offers practical advice on how to manage the estimated

“I will not take all these medicines for two years... they are very strong medicines. I won’t be able to go to school” said 12 year old Abu (name changed) as the doctor explained to him that his sputum was still positive after six months of treatment. Abu was now affected with Multi-Drug Resistant T

Child Sexual Abuse is a topic few are ready to discuss much less address. Thus it came as a welcome surprise when in May 2012 the Indian Parliament enacted its first law specifically outlawing child sexual abuse. Prior to that the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act being notified, diffe

Its general perception among Pakistani Muslims that UN, USAID, British High Commission, American Embassy, Christian diplomats and other foreigners are helping Pakistani Christians, but the reality is different. Let me give you the actual situation.
On February 6, 1997, a religiously charged mob att

We have suffered terror and pitfalls, ruin and destruction.” they rejoice at our helplessness. You have seen the wrong done. You have seen the depth of their vengeance, all their plots against us. The law is no more. The roads to Pakistan mourn, Look, and see our disgrace.
Those who pursue us are

Tuberculosis, commonly called TB, is caused by microscopic bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It can be pulmonary in nature, when it affects the lungs and is highly infectious or extra pulmonary when it affects some part of the body other than the lungs and is less communicable. TB can be l

SLMP initial Report on Joseph Colony Massacre, Badami Bagh, Lahore
The Information
On March 08, 2013 near about 06:00PM I was informed about an unpleasant alleged incident of blasphemy in Christian vicinity of Joseph Colony, main bus stand Lari Adha, North of Lahore-Punjab, Pakistan. I was also in

Catholic Dalits (untouchables) in India are divided over how to improve their lot. Franklin Caesar Thomas and R. L. Francis both attend Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi. Though the two lay activists with similar backgrounds may be polite on Sundays, they don’t like each other.
Like 70 pe

Breath is life, and yet the importance of lung health is under-recognised, especially in women. No wonder then that lung disease (including respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), tuberculosis, lung cancer and asthma) accounts for more than 16% deaths among women worldw