Dear Friends,
As say the saying goes " A journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step ". Similarly, to reach to the goal which we have set we need to climb many small steps. Our aim is to find an affordable cure for Tuberculosis, and we are daily working hard to reach our goal.
However, even if in future, numerous drugs comes into the market for TB , still the problem may not be solved completely. The reason is because the drugs alone wont help to eradicate Tuberculosis, unless awareness regarding hygiene and prevention is widespread among the common man. It is the common poor who is most dangerous afflicted with this fatal disease who needs to understand the root cause of the problem and learn to fight back.
It is a well established fact that some of the root causes that results in the spread of TB is the lack of sanitation, lack of cleanliness, lack of education and so on. Hence when we talk in figures about the number of people affected, we can see that the number amounts to huge in the developing countries.
Therefore, it becomes necessary to create awareness among the mass , to the poor, to the affected ones about the issues of proper cleanliness and sanitation. This approach can help us drastically bring down the number of potential TB risk populations, as well as we can help the country and the world in preventing the disease.
In this reference, We share an article from the World Bank blog with you, which discusses the above problems and solutions. Spread the awareness and help cure Tuberculosis as well as other communicable diseases.
- Pushpdeep Mishra & Geetha Sugumaran
Open Source Drug Discovery
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Cleaning Up with Small-Scale Sanitation
SUBMITTED BY JULIA BUCKNALL ON THU, 2011-06-30 10:48
One of the most repulsive moments in cinematic history is the outhouse scene in the Oscar-winning films SlumdogMillionaire. The hero, Jamal, is trapped in an outhouse when his favorite celebrity lands nearby in a helicopter. The only way to see his hero is to jump into the excrement. Happily, he gets to see the star and get an autographed photo: nothing parts a crowd like a filth-covered child.
Perhaps the director included the scene for shock value. But it also highlights a health issue that is reality for 2.6 billion people: a lack of safe sanitation. Of this group, 1.4 billion defecate in the open. The implications reach far beyond offended noses and human dignity. Over 5,000 children die every day from diseases related to human waste, particularly diarrhea, which kills more children than malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis combined.
So what’s being done to address this? Traditionally, the development community has tackled sanitation issues through infrastructure projects, working directly with governments. But this often isn’t enough. Often, the problems exist in slums, some of which are technically illegal settlements. Building infrastructure is such places become a political issue.
But a new trend is emerging. Managing human waste provides opportunities for businesses, all the way down to the micro level. Even the outhouse in Slumdog Millionaire is a fee-based service (Jamal and his brother charge for it). But there are also opportunities in the manufacture of latrines, waste collection, and pit cleaning. This doesn’t just reduce the waste problem, it also provide income opportunities, and treats the poor as paying customers for a much-needed (and appreciated) service.
One example is the service of emptying latrine pits. When these pits fill up, people often have to defecate in the open. But with the right equipment, such as theNibbler or theGulper, latrine pits can quickly be emptied. The small businesses that provide the service then take the waste to a sewage treatment plant, or at least dispose of it in a safe place.
The Bank’s WaterandSanitationProgram (WSP) has taken this idea further by testingsanitationmarketingapproaches tocreatedemand and support thesupplyofaffordableproducts that are valuable to poor households as a way to rapidly reach this lower tier of the market.
Perhaps not every sanitation entrepreneur will end up as a millionaire, like Jamal in the film. But hopefully, more and more people will earn an income providing small-scale sanitation services, and reducing health risks at the same time.
===================================================
---Pushpdeep.Mishra
Tuberculosis Daily http://bit.ly/iCACcq
--
Thanks and Regards
Geetha
As say the saying goes " A journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step ". Similarly, to reach to the goal which we have set we need to climb many small steps. Our aim is to find an affordable cure for Tuberculosis, and we are daily working hard to reach our goal.
However, even if in future, numerous drugs comes into the market for TB , still the problem may not be solved completely. The reason is because the drugs alone wont help to eradicate Tuberculosis, unless awareness regarding hygiene and prevention is widespread among the common man. It is the common poor who is most dangerous afflicted with this fatal disease who needs to understand the root cause of the problem and learn to fight back.
It is a well established fact that some of the root causes that results in the spread of TB is the lack of sanitation, lack of cleanliness, lack of education and so on. Hence when we talk in figures about the number of people affected, we can see that the number amounts to huge in the developing countries.
Therefore, it becomes necessary to create awareness among the mass , to the poor, to the affected ones about the issues of proper cleanliness and sanitation. This approach can help us drastically bring down the number of potential TB risk populations, as well as we can help the country and the world in preventing the disease.
In this reference, We share an article from the World Bank blog with you, which discusses the above problems and solutions. Spread the awareness and help cure Tuberculosis as well as other communicable diseases.
- Pushpdeep Mishra & Geetha Sugumaran
Open Source Drug Discovery
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cleaning Up with Small-Scale Sanitation
SUBMITTED BY JULIA BUCKNALL ON THU, 2011-06-30 10:48
One of the most repulsive moments in cinematic history is the outhouse scene in the Oscar-winning films SlumdogMillionaire. The hero, Jamal, is trapped in an outhouse when his favorite celebrity lands nearby in a helicopter. The only way to see his hero is to jump into the excrement. Happily, he gets to see the star and get an autographed photo: nothing parts a crowd like a filth-covered child.
Perhaps the director included the scene for shock value. But it also highlights a health issue that is reality for 2.6 billion people: a lack of safe sanitation. Of this group, 1.4 billion defecate in the open. The implications reach far beyond offended noses and human dignity. Over 5,000 children die every day from diseases related to human waste, particularly diarrhea, which kills more children than malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis combined.
So what’s being done to address this? Traditionally, the development community has tackled sanitation issues through infrastructure projects, working directly with governments. But this often isn’t enough. Often, the problems exist in slums, some of which are technically illegal settlements. Building infrastructure is such places become a political issue.
But a new trend is emerging. Managing human waste provides opportunities for businesses, all the way down to the micro level. Even the outhouse in Slumdog Millionaire is a fee-based service (Jamal and his brother charge for it). But there are also opportunities in the manufacture of latrines, waste collection, and pit cleaning. This doesn’t just reduce the waste problem, it also provide income opportunities, and treats the poor as paying customers for a much-needed (and appreciated) service.
One example is the service of emptying latrine pits. When these pits fill up, people often have to defecate in the open. But with the right equipment, such as theNibbler or theGulper, latrine pits can quickly be emptied. The small businesses that provide the service then take the waste to a sewage treatment plant, or at least dispose of it in a safe place.
The Bank’s WaterandSanitationProgram (WSP) has taken this idea further by testingsanitationmarketingapproaches tocreatedemand and support thesupplyofaffordableproducts that are valuable to poor households as a way to rapidly reach this lower tier of the market.
Perhaps not every sanitation entrepreneur will end up as a millionaire, like Jamal in the film. But hopefully, more and more people will earn an income providing small-scale sanitation services, and reducing health risks at the same time.
===================================================
---Pushpdeep.Mishra
Tuberculosis Daily http://bit.ly/iCACcq
--
Thanks and Regards
Geetha
