TB activists warn govt against using injection Kanamycin; could camel milk help?

By Rosamma Thomas*
The Central Tuberculosis Division called on states to use up unused stock of the injection Kanamycin, used to treat acute bacterial infections including TB. Over 54 lakh vials of this drug lie unused, and the Centre instructed States in a letter on January 24, 2022 to use up stocks.
TB activists have appealed to the government to honour its commitment to use only oral drugs for drug resistant TB. The injectible Kanamycin is associated with side effects like hearing loss and kidney function impairment. Among the signatories to the letter are people who have suffered hearing loss after the use of this drug.
The letter writers point out that the drug was earlier difficult to replace since there were no antibiotics to deal with drug resistant TB. There are however, two new oral drugs that can be used instead – bedaquiline and delamanid.
The letter calls on the Central government to drop Kanamycin and stop pushing it in government centres. Already existing stocks could be redirected for non-TB use, they suggest.
TB is both caused by malnutrition and leaves those suffering from it prone to poor nutrition. The use of a regular diet of camel milk in Rajasthan has been shown to have beneficial effect on patients of TB.

Rupa Ram

Rupa Ram, 45, had been ailing for years and under treatment for TB in Udaipur and Pali government hospitals in Rajasthan. He was bed-ridden, and when his health deteriorated, he could barely even muster the strength to spit out the drool that flowed from his mouth. His mother tended to him, and heard that camel milk could have a good impact on patients. A regular diet of camel milk was started, after doctors told the family that hope of recovery was dim.
“He would need to be fed camel milk which was dipped in cotton and squeezed into his mouth, in the early days. Over time, he began to drink more milk. We supplied him a litre each day for about eight months,” says Daili Bai, who hails from a Raika camel herding family and assists in the work of Camel Charisma, a dairy in Sadri of Pali district in Rajasthan.
“I am deeply grateful,” says Rupa Ram, who now works on his farm. Although he is still quite thin, he is in good health and credits his recovery to the steady supply of camel milk.
---
*Freelance journalist based in Pune

Comments

Manmade disaster? Infrastructure projects in, around Vadodara caused 'devastating' floods

Counterview Desk In a letter to local, Gujarat, and Indian authorities, several concerned citizens* have said that there has been devastating flood and waterlogging situation in Vadodara region since Monday 26th August 2024 which was "avoidable", stating, this has happened because of "multiple follies, flaws and fallacies across all levels of governance."

'300 Nazis fell by your gun': Most successful female sniper in history

By Harsh Thakor* "Miss Pavlichenko’s well known to fame, Russia’s your country, fighting is your game. The whole world will always love you for all time to come, Three hundred Nazis fell by your gun." — from Woody Guthrie's “Miss Pavlichenko"

Labeled as social lending, peer-to-peer system is fundamentally profit-driven

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak The Sumerian civilisation, one of the earliest known societies, had sophisticated systems of lending, borrowing, credit, and debt. These systems were based on mutual trust and social currency, allowing individuals to engage in economic transactions without the need for physical money or barter. Instead, social bonds and communal trust underpinned these interactions, facilitating trade and the distribution of resources.

Researchers note 'severe impact' of climate change on potability of groundwater

By Vikas Meshram* Climate change is having a profound impact on various natural resources, and groundwater is a significant one that is currently under threat. Rising temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, and increasing pressure from human activities are deteriorating groundwater quality. This article delves into the effects of climate change on the potability of groundwater, the causes, and potential solutions.

TU activist Anirudh Rajan, lawyer Ajay Kumar in custody: Wounded reputation of world's largest democracy?

By Vedika S* Over the last few days, India's National Investigation Agency (NIA), known to be tasked with suppressing revolutionary, democratic, and progressive forces, conducted a series of raids across Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi. Targets included human rights attorney Pankaj Tripathi, student leader Devendra Azad, and peasant union leader Sukhwinder Kaur. Lawyer and anti-displacement activist Ajay Kumar was arrested and taken to his home in Mohali, which was subsequently raided. He is now imprisoned in Lucknow as a suspect in the NIA's "Northern Regional Bureau (NRB) Revival case."

'No to risky 11,000 MW hydroelectric project': Call to protect Siang river

Beverly Longid, Jiten Yumnam* The civil rights network, International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), has voicesd its support for the residents of Siang District, Northeast India, as they resist the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation's (NHPC) efforts to monopolize the Siang River for its Upper Siang Hydroelectric Project, a massive undertaking proposed at 11,000 MW.

RG Kar saga: Towards liberation from the constraints of rigid political parties?

By Atanu Roy* There's a saying: "There is no such thing as a half-pregnancy." This adage seems particularly relevant when discussing the current regime of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The party appears to be entrenched in widespread corruption that affects nearly every aspect of our lives. One must wonder, why would they exclude the health sector—a lucrative area where illicit money can flow freely, thanks to a network of corrupt leaders colluding with ambitious bureaucrats?

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah* The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Search This Blog