WHO Bulletin Calls for Papers on Health Communication

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WHO Bulletin Calls for Papers on Health CommunicationThe July issue of the WHO Bulletin Health (Volume 86, Number 7, July 2008, 497-576) contains a call for papers on health communication topics. It's online at http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/7/08-055566/en/index.html.The health communication theme issue, scheduled for August 2009, is seeking diverse contributions, including research on work related to developing countries that increases knowledge on the subject and catalyses more such research in the future. It also invites studies of new and effective ways of evaluating the impact of public health communications - one of its most illusive but compelling aspects.

Key areas:--How to reach the "unreached" i.e. communities that cannot be reached physically, due to geographical isolation, insecurity or other obstacles.--The financial and human cost of poor communication, examining public health failures and seeking lessons from successful "anti-public health" campaigns, such as those run by the tobacco industry.--Communication in extreme situations - major health crises, humanitarian disasters or epidemics.--The contrasting roles of new and traditional technology in reaching public health communication goals, such as mobile-phone text messages and radio broadcasting.--Monitoring and evaluation of the impact of public health communication.Manuscripts on any of the above topics should be submitted to:http://submit.bwho.org by 1 November 2008.

Best Regards

Mohammad Bashaar

From: Vijay <drvijaythawani@...>Subject: Why vaccine manufacturing PSUs are being closednetrum Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 7:13 AM

Copied from The Hitavada, Nagpur, 14 July 2008 as fair use.Vijay------------ --------- --------- --------- ----Centre showing undue haste in closing down pharma PSUs' Jul. 14th, 2008 by Rajendra Diwe NAGPUR: All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN) has expressed its serious concern over the recent issue of suspending the production in three vaccine Public Sector Units (PSUs). In a statement issued by members of AIDAN in its recently held mid-yearly meeting at Sewagram, AIDAN reacted that when many states in India are facing acute shortages of vaccines like DPT and Tetanus Toxoid vaccines, this malafide closure of PSU by Government will cause untold harm to public health in India. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India has recently suspended the production of primary vaccines of the 103-year-old Central Research Institute (CRI), Kasauli; the 100-year-old Pasteur

Institute of India (PII), Coonoor; and the 60-year-old BCG Vaccine Laboratory (BCGVL) in Chennai. Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss while justifying the move has said that the enterprises were ordered to suspend production for non-compliance with good manufacturing practice (GMP). Dr. Anurag Bhargava, member of AIDAN said "Since the public enterprises were under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and had been requesting for assistance to upgrade their facilities since past many years, what did the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, do over the past 4 years to ensure their compliance with newer norms? While the Government is planning to spend Rs. 300 – Rs 500 crore to develop the upcoming vaccine and medical park in Chengalpattu which will become operational in 2012, why were these three enterprises which were engaged in vaccine production since decades not

provided with the Rs. 50-60 crores they required? Who will supply vaccines in the interim, and at what cost?," Dr Bhargava asked. The closure of vaccine production in these units comes at a time, when the demand-supply in vaccines for India's Expanded Program for Immunization (EPI) is widening, private companies are pushing expensive cocktails of the EPI vaccines with other vaccines in the market, and coverage of immunization against these crucial vaccine preventable diseases is declining. The closure of production of these vaccines, will have enormous implications for the cost and access to these vaccines in the future, he added. While the Ministry has acted with alacrity and closed down production in public sector units, it has dragged its feet in matters where private pharmaceutical companies are involved, even if the issues are of crucial concern to people and public health, Dr. Bhargava said.

AIDAN in its statement said that in this context, the entire sequence of events over the past few years, with allegations of purchase of raw material for measles vaccines at inflated cost from private companies, providing them raw material from these 3 units at either free or at ridiculously low prices, and further agreeing to give 70 per cent of the profit from vaccine manufacturing to the private company needs an enquiry at the highest level. AIDAN while slamming the decision apprehended that it would worsen the vaccine availability scenario. AIDAN has called upon the Government to stop playing games with the health and lives of innocent children, and with the pharmaceutical security of the nation in its attempts to make the way for private enterprise. The falling rates of immunization are a blot on the functioning of the Government, especially the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the

state health departments. Efforts must be made to ensure safe and steady supply of cost-effective vaccines and universal immunization of children, AIDAN stated. To ensure this, the robust functioning of public enterprises like CRI, Kasauli, PII, Coonoor, and BCGVL, Chennai are essential, the organisation stated while asking the Government to reverse with immediate effect its directives on the functioning of these enterprises and to ensure all assistance to make them compliant with newer norms.