Gasping For Breath

In 2020 March, when the sudden lockdown was imposed, one thing that was on every TV channel was the Tablighi Jamaat. No one knew about Tablighi Jamaat and that they were holding a meeting in Nizamuddin till then. But overnight the vilification, the name-calling, and the targeting of Muslims across the country as super spreaders was taken over by TV debates. Instead of spreading awareness, the media chose to stigmatise a section of the population. It hampered community outreach and communicating effectively. For this episode, Suno India's editor-in-chief DVL Padma Priya spoke to Ashima Mandla, an advocate with the Delhi high court to understand the issue better and the role of language in health communication. This series has been made possible by a grant from the Thakur Family Foundation.See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In this episode of Talking Right, Suno India's editor-in-chief DVL Padma reported over the course of the pandemic, we bring to you a conversation with Dr Yogesh Kalkonde, a renowned public health researcher. Dr Kalkonde works for SEARCH, Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health. He primarily works in the rural part of India.See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

his episode sets the context about why it is important to communicate well during a pandemic like COVID-19 and features discussions between Suno India editor-in-chief DVL Padma Priya and Prof Anant Bhan, a researcher in Global health, bioethics, and health policy who works for a not-for-profit health policy organisation Sangath and also Dr. Usha Raman, professor at the Department of Communications at the University of Hyderabad.This series has been made possible by a grant from the Thakur Family Foundation.Resources:India readies itself to address the threat of pandemic influenzaIndia’s Pandemic Preparedness and Response See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In this episode of the Gasping for Breath. In this episode, we discuss how long covid affects your work life. Students suffering from long covid have had to delay giving competitive exams for instance. We spoke to people who missed out on opportunities, took much less work or had to take time off work. ReferencesGuidance on “Long COVID” as a Disability Under the ADA, Section | HHS.govSickness and absence because of long COVID: Long COVID – advice for employers and employees - AcasNew data shows long Covid is keeping as many as 4 million people out of workSee sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

This episode of Gasping for Breath is an attempt to understand Long Covid from the scientific community. We try to understand what is known about Long covid, what are its different manifestations, what are its possible causes and what are the possible ways to manage the disease.This episode features Dr Ashwin Rajenesh and Dr Sarath Menon from Kerala and Dr Asad Khan from the UK. References A clinical case definition of post COVID-19 condition by a Delphi consensus, 6 October 2021Characterizing long COVID in an international cohort: 7 months of symptoms and their impacthttp://www.euro-me.org/Documents/Library/magical-medicine.pdfWhat causes Long Covid? Here are the three leading theories | SciencePersistent clotting protein pathology in Long COVID/Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) is accompanied by increased levels of antiplasmin | Cardiovascular Diabetology | Full TextCould microclots help explain the mystery of long Covid? | Resia Pretorius | The GuardianRecommendations for the recognition, diagnosis, and management of long COVID: a Delphi study | BritishJournal of General PracticePrevalence of ongoing symptoms following coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in the UK : 6 May 2022See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

The second season of Gasping for Breath is about the people who live with Long Covid. About 22 months after the pandemic began, in October 2021, the World Health Organisation defined what they called Post Covid condition or what people living with the condition call Long Covid. A recent study by the Institute of Health Metrics and evaluation which is still in the preprint stage has estimated that there are 144.7 million people suffering from Long Covid globally in 2020 and 2021. The same study estimated that about four crore people suffer from long covid in India. These people have symptoms of fatigue, respiratory symptoms and cognitive problems such as brain fog. Suno India’s founder, Padma Priya DVL is a long covid advocate and the founder of India’s Long Covid Support group In this episode, Suno India’s Menaka Rao spoke to four survivors, Chinmay Pednekar, Sourya Dash, Girish Pasupathy and Alaknanda Daspute. The four survivors talk about how their initial experience of feeling completely alien in their own bodies.See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

The private sector treats about 70% of TB patients. In this episode, we go to Patna which is successfully running a programme in engaging the private sector to battle TB. The programme links the private sector with the facilities provided in the public sector which helps in standardising the diagnosis and treatment of TB.See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In this episode, we travel to Manipur and understand the risks of TB infection with the drug user community. The drug user community has, by and large, been ignored by the TB programme of the country. However because of the risks of contracting other infections such as HIV and hepatitis C, and the use of opioids itself makes a person more vulnerable to TB. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

All it takes is a big box which cannot go unnoticed to stir a conversation about what's in/on it. In Jharkhand, that's what clicked in Hazaribagh district. Faiz Anwar made a box with "What do you know about TB?" written on it and asked for it to be passed on from one shop to another. In a place where TB is considered a curse and isn't something people want to talk about, he says, people now want to know about it and those with TB come to seek for guidance. In this episode, we spoke with Faiz to understand his efforts towards community outreach in the state of Jharkhand. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In this special episode, Suno India editor, Padma Priya, brings an interview with Nandita Venkatesan, one of the founders of Bolo Didi.Bolo Didi led by TB survivors and patient activists Nandita Venkatesan and Rhea Lobo is a sisterhood of women TB survivors who use social media, WhatsApp and telephone calls to connect with and mentor people affected by TB in India. The first-hand TB experiences of its didis (sisters) inform the support they offer and help people to receive an accurate diagnosis. From advising patients on right diagnosis test to informally counselling them to cope with side effects, this sisterhood of "didis" has so far helped numerous patients across the country. More information on Bolo Didi is available at www.facebook.com/bolodidiTB.See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In this episode, we historically trace the importance of nutrition for the treatment of tuberculosis which disappeared as soon as the medicines were found for the disease. We talk about the present-day crisis, particularly in Chhattisgarh, where TB patients who are highly malnourished are coming for treatment, and many not recovering well. After repeated advocacy of activists and doctors, the government acknowledged the importance of nutrition in tuberculosis treatment. The government introduced Nikshay Poshan Yojana, where every patient is supposed to get Rs 500 per month. Is that enough though?For more stories like this, you can listen on www.sunoindia.in. Also follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

"A new drug to treat tuberculosis -petromanid- was approved by the USFDA last week. In this special episode of the podcast, we speak to Leena Menghaney, South Asia head of Médecins Sans Frontières' Access Campaign to understand the implications of this new drug for India's TB patients.See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In this first episode of 'Gasping for Breath', India's first podcast on state of tuberculosis and it's treatment in India, we go back in time to understand the emergence of this deadly disease. Menaka Rao, senior health journalist and host will also tell you about the wild myths surrounding the disease. In the early 19th century, the only recourse was staying in a sanatorium for years or more. Then the cause of the disease was found - a tiny bacteria and the focus of doctors turned towards killing the bacteria. But do medicines and technology alone help control the disease.See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.