Massive measles outbreak threatens India’s goal to eliminate disease by 2023

NATURE, December 22, 2022 “We are far away” from the 2023 goal, says Anita Shet, GKII steering committee member and director of the Johns Hopkins Maternal and Child Health India program. “Now, it is a Herculean job to be able to catch up everyone who missed.” Check out the article in Nature to see what else she said about massive #measels outbreak in India.

Research in Action Awards 2022

TREATMENT ACTION GROUP, November 14, 2022 TAG’s 2022 Research in Action Awards (RIAA) honored some of the best and brightest activists, scientists, and leaders in the fight to end HIV, tuberculosis, and hepatitis C across the U.S. and around the world. They also honored three decades of accomplishments for TAG since their founding. GKII Co-Chair Amita Gupta was among those honored.

India Institute seeks seed grant proposals

The Hub, September 22, 2022 The Johns Hopkins Gupta-Klinsky India Institute will award $50,000 to up to three proposed collaborations with India-based partners to address non-communicable diseases and disorders.

By strengthening health systems, India can better prepare for the next health emergency

Times of India, August 23, 2022 By Indu Bhushan and Dr David Peters: The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed weaknesses in every society and health system around the world and continues to disrupt economies globally. Covid-19 seems to be evolving into an endemic disease, much like influenza, that returns regularly and occasionally with large epidemics and pandemics. Additionally, there are always other emerging infectious diseases that remind us to continue strengthening our health systems to prepare against the next health emergency.

Johns Hopkins Medicine-Led Consortium to Receive Up to $200 Million to Fight TB Globally

Johns Hopkins Medicine, August 04, 2022 To address the global burden of tuberculosis (TB), one of humankind’s oldest scourges, an international collaboration led by Johns Hopkins Medicine has today been awarded up to $200 million in research funding over five years by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Supporting, Mobilizing and Accelerating Research for Tuberculosis Elimination (SMART4TB) project. “This extraordinary investment from USAID will enable us to have a transformational impact on global efforts to end TB and will provide unparalleled research, strategic development and policy support opportunities for Johns Hopkins Medicine and our collaborators around the world over the next five years,” says SMART4TB consortium chief of party Richard Chaisson, M.D., director of the Center for Tuberculosis Research and professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Additionally, we’ll be able to strengthen and empower the people, organizations and communities directly fighting TB in the areas most affected by the disease.”

Vaccine development in focus as monkeypox tally reaches 8

The Hindustan Times, August 03, 2022 “Persons with immunocompromising conditions such as cancer (such as lymphoma) or uncontrolled and advanced HIV with low T-cell counts appear to have a higher risk of death. Young children, children with eczema and other skin conditions, and children with immunocompromising conditions may also be at increased risk of severe disease,” said Dr Amita Gupta, chief, Division of Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the US. “We do not yet know how much protection people have who have been previously vaccinated with smallpox, but we do know that there are people younger than 40-50 years (depending on the country) who may be more susceptible due to cessation of smallpox vaccination campaigns globally after eradication of the disease,” she added.

The Virus Hunters Trying to Prevent the Next Pandemic

TIME, August 01, 2022 The lack of a coordinated global response to the coronavirus pandemic revealed the necessity of microbial surveillance to help predict coming disease outbreaks, or at least speed the rate of detection once the virus begins to spread. In 2021, Abbott, the healthcare company known primarily for its diagnostic test, formed the Abbott pandemic defense coalition (APCD) to detect new pathogens, shares discoveries, and contain virus outbreaks before they have a chance to reach pandemic proportions. In a recent Time article, ID's own Dr. Sunil Solomon, associate professor of medicine and director of YRG care in Chennai, India, one of APDC’s partners, talked about the benefits of the coalition’s collaborative approach to preventing the next pandemic.

Monkeypox: ‘No plans yet to get vaccine,’ says health ministry

THE HINDUSTAN TIMES, July 26, 2022 Dr. Amita Gupta spoke to the Hindustan Times about the monkeypox outbreak. “Currently mass vaccination is not required. Instead, priority is recommended for contacts of cases — should be offered post-exposure prophylaxis ideally with vaccination occurring within four days of first exposure to prevent onset of disease, and pre-exposure prophylaxis for health care workers, who are at risk, laboratory personnel working with orthopoxviruses such as monkeypox, clinical lab staff performing testing of monkeypox, and high-risk populations,” Dr Gupta said.

India’s growth is not in dispute. But women not advancing in STEM holds us back

THE PRINT, June 28, 2022 Lack of advancement opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics — STEM — careers among Indian women is holding India back from realizing its full potential. There are many reasons Indian women don’t reach greater heights in STEM, which doesn’t only affect them but also has far-reaching implications for India’s economy and global impact.

Nationwide lockdown delayed first wave peak by 8 weeks: IISER study

THE TIMES OF INDIA, June 28, 2022 A study by Pune-based Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) has revealed that the national lockdown, starting March 25, 2020, helped delay the Covid-19 pandemic peak during the first wave by over eight weeks in the city.

The paradox of antimicrobial resistance in India

FOGARTY INTERNATIONAL CENTER, June 15, 2022 There’s a perception that Indian doctors over-prescribe antibiotics, yet that is not entirely true, said Robinson. In resource limited settings, where patients might not be seen by a nurse for 24 hours, options are limited. "So sometimes you provide treatment for the worst possible scenario,” like prescribing antibiotics before identifying the cause of illness.

India is a Critical Partner in Addressing Global Public Health Challenges

Healthworld, June 08, 2022 Dr. Amita Gupta spoke to ETHealthWorld's Prathiba Raju on various aspects of healthcare, from emerging COVID variants and monkeypox, to new digital forces that are driving healthcare transformation, and how India is a critical partner for John Hopkins University in addressing global public health challenges.

As Heat Kills in India, Action Plans Save Lives

GLOBAL HEALTH NOW, June 03, 2022 “Heat waves are still not getting the desired attention and importance as other disasters like floods, cyclones or earthquakes,” says Abhiyant Tiwari. “Given the success of heat action plans by health and disaster management authorities in reducing mortality and morbidity, other sectors of the economy like agriculture, transport, and power should create their own heat action plans.”

If We Can Find Solutions to India's Problems, We Can Solve Global Issues: Dr. Amita Gupta

The Financial Express, May 30, 2022 Dr. Amita Gupta, Co-Chair, GKII and Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, discusses how Hopkins faculty staff, students, and alumni through their research and partnership with government, academia, the private sector, and NGOs across India can advance human knowledge and develop bold, world-changing ideas.

How COVID-19 Set Back India’s Battle with Leprosy

GLOBAL HEALTH NOW, May 26, 2022 “India’s 2 deadly waves of COVID-19 are estimated to have killed 4 million people by June 2021, but intermittent lockdowns took a separate toll on Indians with leprosy. Detection, treatment, and rehabilitative services were severely disrupted. One indication of COVID-19’s impact on leprosy screening in India is the sharp reduction in the number of new leprosy cases detected. In 2019-2020 during the year before the pandemic, 114,451 new cases were recorded, according to the government’s official count. But in 2020-2021, only 65,147 new cases were detected, according to WHO.”

Cyrus Poonawalla gets top Johns Hopkins honour for developing Covid vaccine

BUSINESS STANDARD, May 23, 2022 Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has awarded the Dean's Medal to Serum Institute of India (SII) Chairman Dr Cyrus S. Poonawalla for his outstanding work in developing and delivering affordable vaccines and contributions to the Indian biosciences industry for several decades.

Lancet study: Pollution killed 2.3 million Indians in 2019

BBC, May 18, 2022 Pollution led to more than 2.3 million premature deaths in India in 2019, according to a new Lancet study. Nearly 1.6 million deaths were due to air pollution alone, and more than 500,000 were caused by water pollution. The latest Lancet Commission on pollution and health report blamed pollution for nine million - or about one in six - deaths globally. It said India - where bad air kills more than a million people every year - remained among the worst affected.

COVID virus can evolve in animals, spawn variants that can jump back to humans: Scientists

Business Today, April 28, 2022 Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that at least four people in Michigan, US, were infected with a version of the coronavirus observed mostly in minks during the first year of the pandemic.

Gauri Dhumal featured in Scholar Spotlight

Weill Cornell Medicine Center for Global Health, April 28, 2022 PDF: Dr. Gauri Dhumal was interviewed for the Weill Cornell Medicine Center for Global Health's Female Global Scholars newsletter. It is part of the Women In Global Health Research Initiative.

No one safe until all vaccinated for Covid-19: Johns Hopkins scientist

BUSINESS STANDARD, April 21, 2022 Vaccine inequity remains an issue both within India, where less than 2 per cent of the population has received a Covid booster, and the globe with 56 countries unable to inoculate even 10 percent of their people, says Johns Hopkins scientist Amita Gupta.

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Scientists allay fears of new Covid wave, say cases rising but focus on hospital admissions

THE PRINT, April 19, 2022 Though Covid cases are rising in Delhi and its satellite towns, the focus should be on hospital admissions that have remained the same or changed just marginally, say several scientists, underscoring that the uptick is not an indication of a fourth wave in the country at this point.

Is Delhi Heading Towards COVID 4th Wave?

India.com, April 19, 2022 Amid Rising Cases, Health Experts Issue Word of Caution. Experts are of the opinion the rise in COVID cases in Delhi and some other states may be a result of relaxed restrictions, pandemic fatigue, and higher transmissibility of the virus.

On the Front Lines with India's COVID-19 Warriors

Think Global Health, April 12, 2022 Poverty: Protecting community health workers will help the vast nation ride out future waves

Indian students must embrace global connections

Financial Express, April 11, 2022 Interview with Raj Gupta. "The aim is to promote multidisciplinary solutions to the world’s most vexing problems by expanding university partnerships in India and creating greater opportunities for India-related work."

Covid exposed a need for efficient healthcare delivery system: Amitabh Kant

THE BUSINESS STANDARD, April 08, 2022 Covid has exposed a need for efficient healthcare delivery system, said NITI Aayog CEO, adding that technology and research solution that provide data-based information quickly is the need of the hour.

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Johns Hopkins Provost Address at Johns Hopkins Gupta Klinsky India Institute Launch

ALLIED24X7NEWS, April 08, 2022 Youtube: Welcoming Address by Johns Hopkins University Provost Sunil Kumar.

Johns Hopkins, Gupta-Klinsky India Institute to strengthen India Inc’s research, innovation

THE ECONOMIC TIMES HEALTHWORLD, April 05, 2022 One of the roles of the Gupta-Klinsky India Institute is to bring together Johns Hopkins’ faculty, staff, students, and alumni to engage with the private sector in India to learn and work on high quality, solution-based initiatives that can be employed globally for sustainable social impact.

XE variant of coronavirus not more severe than Omicron: Gagandeep Kang

The Print, April 07, 2022 “We were worried about BA.2 but it did not cause more serious disease than BA.1. XE does not cause more serious disease than BA.1 or BA.2 (sub-variants of Omicron),” she said on the sidelines of a panel discussion organised by Gupta-Klinsky India Institute of the Johns Hopkins University here. She added that in a vaccinated population, XE variant is not something to be bothered about. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued warning against XE, a new variant of Omicron first detected in the UK.

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World Health Day 2022 should help us introspect, strengthen the fort with help from all stakeholders

THE TIMES OF INDIA, April 06, 2022 Safe Zindagi, part of Program Accelerate and funded by USAID and Johns Hopkins University, has been working with the National AIDS Control Organization (Naco) since 2019 to advance progress towards the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goals to achieve epidemic control in India.

The private sector can transform India’s science, innovation and R&D landscape

The Hindustan Times, April 04, 2022 The private sector in India has to lead SIRD with massive investment and shoulder the onus of funding and driving the segment, either through corporate investments or philanthropic grants. Op-ed by Raj Gupta

United States' Oldest Research Varsity Johns Hopkins' Gupta-Klinsky India Institute (GKII) to Work with India Inc. Fostering Innovation

IndianWeb2, April 04, 2022 Keynote speaker, Dr. Saurabh Garg, CEO, UIDAI, and panelists including Suchitra Ella, Co-Founder & Joint MD, Bharat Biotech, Neera Nundy, Managing Partner & Founder, Dasra, Dr. Subhasis Chaudhuri, Director, IIT Bombay, Shekar Sivasubramanian, CEO, Wadhwani AI, and Viresh Prashar, Founder & CEO, Fruitfal, highlighted the role of the private sector in creating opportunities and lowering barriers to interdisciplinary knowledge sharing and shaping emerging technologies of the future.

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Alcohol reduction study in TB and HIV persons to commence in April in Pune

The Indian Express, March 28, 2022 The study will generate evidence to inform about the feasibility and scalability of designing a comprehensive care program for TB /HIV patients with unhealthy alcohol use. The NIH has funded a hybrid trial for alcohol reduction among people with TB and HIV in India (HATHI) that is set to begin in April in Pune. Johns Hopkins University in collaboration with Pune’s B J Government Medical College and Dr. D.Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital, and Research Center have developed a behavioral intervention to reduce alcohol use among TB/HIV patients. The study aims at delivering the sessions to the patients with TB and/or HIV at BJGMC and Dr. DY Patil Medical College sites and assess the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing unhealthy alcohol use as well as improving the TB and HIV treatment outcomes,” Dr Nishi Suryavanshi, Deputy Director and Coordinator BJGMC-JHU Clinical Research Site and lead investigator said.

WHO recommends shortening TB treatment period to 4 months in kids

The Times of India, March 25, 2022 The anti-tuberculosis (TB) treatment in children is set to become shorter, more cost-effective and compliance-friendly, with the World Health Organization (WHO) strongly recommending change in the pediatric TB treatment duration from six months to four months in its latest guidelines. The new recommendation is based on the key findings of the Indian and African researchers who studied a total of 1,204 children for three years as a part of the multi-centric clinical research and established that a four-month treatment regimen was good enough to treat drug-susceptible and non-severe TB in children.

Protecting community health workers will help the vast nation ride out future waves

Mint, March 21, 2022 All countries must go beyond leveraging covid vaccination drives to counter its catastrophic effects.

The Latest On Russia-Ukraine War and COVID Boosters

The Leslie Marshall Show, March 08, 2022 During the second half of the show, Leslie is joined by Dr. Bob Bollinger. He is the Raj and Kamla Gupta Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and he holds joint appointments in International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and in Community Public Health at the JH School of Nursing. The two analyze new information on COVID-19 booster shots, and the latest news on the pandemic.

Bringing Precision Medicine into COVID-19 ICUs

inHealth Precision Medicine Society at Johns Hopkins, February 03, 2022 At the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health, a team of researchers led by Professors Scott Zeger and Matthew Robinson have put precision medicine to work against COVID-19 through their development of the Severe COVID-19 Adaptive Risk Predictor (SCARP).

Amita Gupta Named Director of Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases

Johns Hopkins Medicine, February 03, 2022 Amita Gupta, M.D., M.H.S., an expert in the global treatment, prevention and control of diseases such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and tuberculosis (TB), has been named as the seventh director of Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases. She takes over leadership of one of institution’s largest divisions — with more than 150 faculty members, clinical fellows and postdoctoral trainees — from David Thomas, M.D., M.P.H., who retired after 15 years as director.