Science and Society Health

Dr. Senthil K Venugopal

Associate Professor
South Asian University

Healthcare Spends in the World

Health in South Asia

Communicable Diseases

Zaidi et al., BMJ 2004; 328:811-815.

Communicable Diseases

Zaidi et al., BMJ 2004; 328:811-815.

Non-Communicable Diseases
Cardiovascular Disease
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Diabetes
Cancers

Non-Communicable Diseases

Siegel et al., BMJ 2014; 111:32-44.

Disease Surveillance
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC):
Epidemiologic surveillance is ongoing systematic
collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data
essential to the planning, implementation, and
evaluation of public health practice, closely integrated
with the timely dissemination of these data to those
who need to know.

Disease Surveillance Importance

Collecting data is merely one step
Critical goal is to control and/or prevent diseases
Any data collected must be organized and
carefully examined
Any results need to be communicated to public
health and medical communities

Disease Surveillance Uses

Evaluating impact of national vaccination
campaigns
Identifying the disease burden
Identifying outbreaks of infectious diseases
Monitoring obesity, physical activity, other
indicators for chronic diseases
Monitoring endemic disease trends

Prophylaxis Alternate System of Medicine

Rani et al., IJRAP 2011; 3:1622-1624

Prophylaxis Alternate System of Medicine

Rani et al., IJRAP 2011; 3:1622-1624

Alternate System of Medicine

Rani et al., IJRAP 2011; 3:1622-1624

Currently Available Vaccines

WHO report, 2013

Vaccines Developed in India

Leprosy vaccine is developed by Dr. G.P. Talwar

Vaccines Developed in India

doi:10.1038/nindia.2010.102 Published online 29 July 2010
Contraceptive vaccine bounces back
At 83, biomedical scientist Gursaran Prasad Talwar has
reason to be happy. The birth control vaccine he
developed at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS) in New Delhi more than three decades ago is
finally about to see light of the day. He talks about the
vaccine's fascinating but difficult journey and hopes to
see it in use during his lifetime.
Written by K. S. Jayaraman in Nature India

Birth Control vaccine is developed by Dr. G.P. Talwar

Vaccines Developed in India

JENVAC vaccine is produced by ICMR-Bharat Biotech

Vaccines Developed in India

Rotavirus vaccine is developed by Dr. M.K. Bhan

Low Cost Diagnostics

Low Cost Diagnostics

Young India designs low-cost healthcare
diagnostics at ReDx-Redesigning Diagnostics
By EH News Bureau on February 11, 2015

Therapeutic Interventions Drug Discovery

Process patenting changed to Product patenting
Use of generic medicines (Bangladesh
successfully uses; and primary healthcare is
strong)
Use of animals for drug discovery with proper
animal ethics rules
Clinical trials
Approval for human use

Malnutrition & Life Cycle

UNICEF report, 2002

Nutritional Disorders
Iron deficiency 50% maternal death, fetal growth
retardation, increased infant mortality
Vitamin deficiency Blindness (vit A def.) & others
Iodine deficiency Goiter, mental retardation
Zinc deficiency Dwarfism and hypogonadism
Folic acid deficiency DNA synthesis

Treatment
Supplements in the diet or take more nutritious food

Summary
Governments should be proactive in
Getting the immunizations done
Promoting alternate system of medicine
Promoting drug discovery and make environment
conducive for this
Distribute the nutritional supplements to pregnant
women and neonatal care
Political will to co-operate in improving the health of
people by providing better primary health care.

Science and Society Agriculture

Food Security
20% of the worlds population lives in the
SAARC region
Two thirds of this population live on the
equivalent of less than US$1 a day
The gap keeps widening
Governments should proactively work to
eliminate the food insecurity

Food Security for All

Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical
and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to
meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and
healthy life
World Food Summit, 1996
3 implications of the definition
Adequate supply for all people
Adequate distribution channels for physical access
Adequate entitlement for economic access
Problem is multi-level international / national / household /
intra-household

Malnutrition & Children

One-third of preschool children are
malnourished
Malnutrition among preschool children
impairs their mental and physical
development
compromises their future health, productivity,
and food security
undermines economic growth and social
justice
Accounts 20-25% childhood diseases
Causes significant deaths of children under 5
years

Major Challenges
We must address
food insecurity
malnutrition
unsustainable resource management
There are nine driving forces that should be
considered

Driving Forces
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Accelerating globalization, including further trade

liberalization
Sweeping technological changes
Degradation of natural resources and increasing
water scarcity
Emerging, reemerging, and continuing health and
nutrition crises
Rapid urbanization
Changing structure of farming
Continued conflict
Climate change
Changing roles and responsibilities of key factors

Role of Governments
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Invest in human resources

Improve access to productive resources and
remunerative employment
Improve markets, infrastructure, and institutions
Expand appropriate research, knowledge, and
technology
Improve natural resource management
Promote good governance
Support sound national and international trade
and macroeconomic policies

SAARC Food Bank

Established in 2007
For food shortages and emergencies
aimed to provide regional support to national food
security efforts,
foster inter-country partnerships and regional
integration, and
solve regional food shortages through collective
actions.

Contributions to SAARC Food Bank

Need for Political Will

Political will means
Placing food security higher on the agenda
New partnerships, new programs, new institutions,
and new ways of thinking e.g. Biotechnology
Economic and political empowerment of poor people
governments must be held accountable to their own citizens
and to international public opinion
institutions are needed that represent the interests of foodinsecure people
national governments, the private sector, and civil society
must put the well-being of poor and hungry people at the top
of their priority lists
global advocacy effort is needed to push for food security
for all

Role of Biotechnology
CRPOS CAN BE MODIFIED TO OBTAIN
Increased productivity and quality of products
Simplified and improved agricultural practices
More efficient use of resources
Resistance against insects, pathogens, abiotic stress
Increases in land available to agriculture

Questions on GM-Crops
Development of review procedures and methods for
food safety assessment
Impacts on nutritional value
New uses (molecular farming, plastics)
Quality improvement
Improved processing technologies
Therapeutic uses (vaccines, drugs)

GM-Crops Impact on Environment

Biodiversity protection
Social acceptance
Sustainability
Requirement of an appropriate regulatory framework
Compliance with international agreements
Biosafety

GM-Crops Biosafety
Protection of human, animal, plant and
environmental health
Against known or perceived risks
According to the best of our current scientific
knowledge
Governments transparent, complex and dynamic
regulatory framework

Decision Making Process

The results of the risk analysis review and actions:
Assessment
Management
Communication

Regulatory framework
National priorities
Countrys development strategies
Public policies

Implementation of Regulatory Framework

Mechanisms for the assessment, management,
communication and mitigation of risks
Appropriate budget and infrastructure
Compliance verification mechanisms
Transparency in decision making
International cooperation
Harmonization
Mechanisms for public participation
Post-commercialization monitoring

SAARC Agriculture Vision 2020

Increase producers and production base
Acceleration of output
Use of modern technologies
Increase the seed and other input qualities
Sustainable use / Management of natural resources
Improve farm structure
Biotechnology
Adaptation to the climate change
Prices (Energy and Food)
Biosafety and Biosecurity

Summary
Biotechnology can help in improving the food
security
Precautions:
Biosafety
Social Acceptance
Regulatory Framework
Risk Assessment
Risk Management
Risk Communication
Implementation of regulatory framework

SAARC & Space

India is planning to send a SAARC satellite in

Dec. 2016

SAARC & Space

SPARRSO (Bangladesh Space Research and
Remote Sensing Organization) is a multi-sectoral
research and development agency, developing
peaceful uses of space science and remote sensing
technology
The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere
Research Commission (SUPARCO) works towards
developing indigenous capabilities in space
technology and its application for socio-economic
uplift of the country.
Sri Lanka, 2012, started
collaboration with China

this

program

in

SAARC & Telecommunications

To promote cooperation and utilization of
information technologies within the SAARC region
To minimize disparities within and among Member
States in the telecommunications field
To harness telecommunication technology for the
social and economic up-liftment of the region

To evolve a coordinated approach on issues of

common concern in international telecommunications fora.