Programme Launch-Meeting on Churches' Concerted Response to HIV/AIDS on March 19, 2004, at Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Responding to the predictions of the “second wave” of HIV/AIDS in countries like India, the Church is planning a concerted action against the pandemic. The Launching of the Programme will be held on March 19, 2004 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. Archbishop Vincent Concessavo of Archdiocese of Delhi, Bishop Bernard Moras, Chairman of the CBCI Commission for Health, Dr P.L. Joshi, Additional Director of National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), Jack Galbraith, President and CEO of Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB), New York, Robert Clay from USAID, Dr. Dora Warren from Centre Disease Control and Prevention – Global AIDS Program, Fr. Ouseparambil, Director, CHAI, Dr. Gracious Thomas from IGNOU, Dr. G.D Ravindran, the Technical Advisor for HIV/AIDS to the CBCI Commission for Health, Dr. Melba, Frank Furtadao and so on are some of the main speakers for the programme.

Representatives from Organizations like UNAID, Population Service International (PSI), Family Health International, The Futures Group International, Delhi AIDS Control Society etc. will take part in this one-day programme. Together with the Bishops in-charge of Health in the national and regional levels, the representatives of various National and International health and developmental organizations will participate this programme launch meeting. It is coordinated by the CBCI Commission for Health, in association with CMMB. The other partners are Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Caritas India, St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences, Sister Doctors Forum of India (SDFI) Catholic Nurses Guild of India (CNGI). (For more details: www.cbcihealth.com)

FIAMC hosted International Conference on “Life-Sustaining Treatment and Vegetative State” in Rome

World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC) and Pontifical Academy for Life (PAV) jointly organized the International Conference on “Life-Sustaining Treatment and Vegetative State: Scientific Advances and Ethical Dilemmas”, on March 17-20, 2004 in Rome. The focus was on the proposed withdrawal of nutrition and hydration from patients diagnosed as being in a “Vegetative State”, which has many ethical implications in today's world.( www.fiamc.org )

"Every Breath Counts - Stop TB Now !" : World TB Day on March 24, 2004

One third of the world is infected with TB and each year, 8 million new people develop TB. It causes about 1.6 million deaths worldwide each year, including more than a million in Asia. India has more TB deaths than any other country. According to a study by the Epidemiological Research Center in Madras, India, smoking is to blame for half the tuberculosis deaths among Indian men, highlighting a neglected link between tobacco and the killer lung disease. The study compared the smoking habits of 43,000 men who had died of various diseases in the late 1990s with the habits of 35,000 living men. Last year the campaign against TB was on the theme " DOTS Cured Me, It Will Cure You Too ", which primarily directed at the TB community itself. The theme of this year, “Every breath counts – Stop TB now!” is particularly compelling for the public at large.

World Health Day 2004: Road Safety

World Health Day is celebrated annually on the 7th of April. The theme for World Health Day 2004 is Road Safety. On this day around the globe, hundreds of organizations will host events to help raise awareness about road traffic injuries, their grave consequences and enormous costs to society. They will also contribute to spreading the word that such injuries can be prevented. Road traffic injuries are a deadly scourge, taking the lives of 1.2 million men, women and children around the world each year. In India, in the year 2001, the reported cases of death due to road accidents were 80,000. Hundreds of thousands more are injured on our roads, some of whom become permanently disabled. The vast majority of these occur among pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and users of public transport, many of whom would never be able to afford a private motor vehicle. Many programmes and policies exist to prevent road traffic crashes. They include strategies to address rates of speed and alcohol consumption; promotion of helmets and seat belts and other restraints; and greater visibility of people walking and cycling. A concerted effort on the part of governments and their partners to improve road safety can make a world of difference. (More details: www.who.org )