Presentation to Science Communication Leadership Workshop during the First General Assembly of Association of Academies and Societies of Sciences in Asia (AASSA), held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 17 October 2012.
Public Perceptions of Pesticides & How They Influence Policy - By Nalaka Gun...Nalaka Gunawardene
Public perceptions of pesticides & how they influence policy: Case of CKDu in Sri Lanka
Presentation by Nalaka Gunawardene
To International workshop on
"Pesticides and Global Health: Research, Collaboration, and Impact"
Department of Anthropology
University of Durham, UK
10-11 February 2015
Presentation by science writer Nalaka Gunawardene to a Media Workshop on Reporting on Chemical Safety issues, organised by Centre for Environmental Justice, Sri Lanka, in Colombo on 25 September 2012
Mass Kidney Failure and Mass Media Failure in Sri Lanka - by Nalaka Gunawarde...Nalaka Gunawardene
Scientists are researching widely on what causes the Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) in Sri Lanka that affects thousands of people (mostly farm workers) and burdens the public healthcare system. As health officials and policy makers struggle with the prolonged humanitarian emergency, unprofessional and fear-mongering media coverage often adds to public confusion and fear.
As a science writer, I have long been concerned about public communication of risk in times of distress. In late 2012, speaking at an Asian science communication workshop held in Colombo, I first coined the phrase: Mass Media Failure is complicating Mass Kidney Failure.
On 16 December 2015, I was invited by Sri Lanka’s Presidential Task Force for the Prevention of Chronic Kidney Disease to speak on this topic at the NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON PREVENTION OF CHORNIC KIDNEY DISEASE held in Colombo.
Speaking to an audience of scientists, health and agriculture sector public officials and policy makers, I briefly explored the kind of misinformation, myths and pseudo-science uncritically peddled by Lankan media.
There are many reasons for systemic media failure in Sri Lanka that has allowed ultranationalists and certain environmental activists to pollute the public mind with half-truths and conspiracy theories. These need an industry level reform. Meanwhile, for improving the CKDu information flow in society, I proposed some short, medium and long term recommendations.
Crying Wolf in the Global Village: Managing Disaster Early Warnings in the Ag...Nalaka Gunawardene
The challenge in disaster early warnings is to make the best possible decisions quickly using imperfect information. With lives and livelihoods at stake, there is much pressure to get it right. But one can’t be timely and perfectly accurate at the same time.
We have come a long way since the devastating Boxing Day tsunami of December 2004 caught Indian Ocean countries by surprise. Many of the over 230,000 people killed that day could have been saved by timely coastal evacuations.
The good news is that advances in science and communications technology, greater international cooperation, and revamped national systems have vastly improved tsunami early warnings during the past decade. However, some critical gaps and challenges remain.
The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWS) was set up in 2005 under UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. Over USD 400 million has been invested in state of the art equipment for rapid detection and assessment. However, the system’s overall effectiveness is limited by poor local infrastructure and lack of preparedness. Some countries also lack efficient decision-making for issuing national level warnings based on regionally provided rapid assessments.
Warnings must reach communities at risk early enough for action. False warnings can cause major economic losses and reduce compliance with future evacuation orders. Only governments can balance these factors. It is important that there be clearer protocols within governments to consider the best available information and make the necessary decisions quickly.
Now, the proliferation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is making this delicate balance even more difficult. To remain effective in the always-connected and chattering Global Village, disaster managers have to rethink their engagement strategies.
Controlled release of information is no longer an option for governments. In the age of 24/7 news channels and social media, many people will learn of breaking disasters independently of official sources. Some social media users will also express their views instantly – and not always accurately.
How can this multiplicity of information sources and peddlers be harnessed in the best public interest? What are the policy options for governments, and responsibilities for technical experts? How to nurture public trust, the ‘lubricant’ that helps move the wheels of law and order - as well as public safety - in the right direction?
Climate Communications: Go Beyond Fear, CO2 and COPs! by Nalaka GunawardeneNalaka Gunawardene
Presentation prepared on 19 October 2016 for a group of Asian journalists and other communicators at a workshop organized by Sri Lanka Youth Climate Action Network (SLYCAN). It was held at BMICH, Colombo’s leading conventions venue.
The workshop was part of a platform of events branded as Sri Lanka NEXT, which included the 5th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum and several other expert consultations.
Changing Climate & Changing Minds - Challenges of Climate Communication - Nal...Nalaka Gunawardene
Sri Lanka’s Centre for Environmental Justice in collaboration with the government’s Climate Change Secretariat, UNDP and Janathakshan held a national conference on “SRI LANKA’S READINESS FOR IMPLEMENTING PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT” on 7 and 8 September 2016 in Colombo. It was attended by over 200 representatives from government, civil society and corporate sectors.
This presentation was made by science writer and development communicator Nalaka Gunawardene in Session 5: Climate Solutions, under the topic “Climate communication and Behaviour changes”.
As climate change impacts are felt more widely, the imperative for action is greater than ever. Telling the climate story in accurate and accessible ways should be an essential part of our climate response.
That response is currently organised around two ‘planks’: mitigation and adaptation. Climate communication can be the ‘third plank’ that strengthens the first two.
Encouragingly, more journalists, broadcasters, researchers and advocacy groups are taking up this challenge. They urgently need more media and public spaces -- as well as greater resources -- to sustain public engagement.
Sri Lanka’s Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation, prepared in 2010-11, has recognized how “IEC action can lead to better informed decisions and enlightened choices in both climate change mitigation and adaptation”.
When strategically carried out, IEC can be a powerful force for change on both the ‘supply’ and ‘demand’ sides of climate adaptation and climate related public information.
In this analogy:
• ‘supply’ involves providing authentic, relevant and timely information to all those who need it, in languages and formats they can readily use; and
• ‘demand’ means inspiring more individuals and entities to look for specific knowledge and skills that can help make themselves more climate resilient.
These two sides of the equation can positively reinforce each other, contributing significantly to Sri Lanka’s fight against climate change.
Going Beyond Poor Journalism that Ignores the Poor - Nalaka GunawardeneNalaka Gunawardene
My presentation to the orientation workshop for Media Fellows on Poverty and Development, held in Colombo on 24 September 2016, and organised by Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) and UNESCO.
Sri Lanka has recently been declared a Middle Income Country. Public expenditure on the social sector has declined as a percentage of the GDP and this has created widening inequalities. Poverty, therefore, is still a crucial issue, but it needs be understood from a more holistic perspective which considers aspects such as people’s capabilities, private and social assets, leisure (or lack of it), and attainment of social participation and security.
However, most media look at poverty from a purely economic perspective as a lack of money. A wider understanding on poverty would include democracy, good governance, rule of law, freedom of expression and media freedom as prerequisites for people to realise their full capabilities. In addition to the limited understanding of poverty, most media houses allocate little or no budget for field-based and investigative journalistic assignments on poverty related topics.
With the Media Fellowships on Poverty and Development, the Center for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) hopes to tackle this gap. Some 20 competitively selected journalists – drawn from print, broadcast and web media outlets in Sinhala, Tamil and English languages – are to be given a better understanding of the many dimensions of poverty.
These Media Fellows will have the opportunity to research and produce a story of their choice in depth and detail, but on the understanding that their media outlet will carry their story. Along the way, they will benefit from face-to-face interactions with senior journalists and development researchers, and also receive a grant to cover their field visit costs.
Science writer, columnist and blogger Nalaka Gunawardene is a member of Expert Panel that mentors Media Fellows on Poverty and Development.
Public Perceptions of Pesticides & How They Influence Policy - By Nalaka Gun...Nalaka Gunawardene
Public perceptions of pesticides & how they influence policy: Case of CKDu in Sri Lanka
Presentation by Nalaka Gunawardene
To International workshop on
"Pesticides and Global Health: Research, Collaboration, and Impact"
Department of Anthropology
University of Durham, UK
10-11 February 2015
Presentation by science writer Nalaka Gunawardene to a Media Workshop on Reporting on Chemical Safety issues, organised by Centre for Environmental Justice, Sri Lanka, in Colombo on 25 September 2012
Mass Kidney Failure and Mass Media Failure in Sri Lanka - by Nalaka Gunawarde...Nalaka Gunawardene
Scientists are researching widely on what causes the Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) in Sri Lanka that affects thousands of people (mostly farm workers) and burdens the public healthcare system. As health officials and policy makers struggle with the prolonged humanitarian emergency, unprofessional and fear-mongering media coverage often adds to public confusion and fear.
As a science writer, I have long been concerned about public communication of risk in times of distress. In late 2012, speaking at an Asian science communication workshop held in Colombo, I first coined the phrase: Mass Media Failure is complicating Mass Kidney Failure.
On 16 December 2015, I was invited by Sri Lanka’s Presidential Task Force for the Prevention of Chronic Kidney Disease to speak on this topic at the NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON PREVENTION OF CHORNIC KIDNEY DISEASE held in Colombo.
Speaking to an audience of scientists, health and agriculture sector public officials and policy makers, I briefly explored the kind of misinformation, myths and pseudo-science uncritically peddled by Lankan media.
There are many reasons for systemic media failure in Sri Lanka that has allowed ultranationalists and certain environmental activists to pollute the public mind with half-truths and conspiracy theories. These need an industry level reform. Meanwhile, for improving the CKDu information flow in society, I proposed some short, medium and long term recommendations.
Crying Wolf in the Global Village: Managing Disaster Early Warnings in the Ag...Nalaka Gunawardene
The challenge in disaster early warnings is to make the best possible decisions quickly using imperfect information. With lives and livelihoods at stake, there is much pressure to get it right. But one can’t be timely and perfectly accurate at the same time.
We have come a long way since the devastating Boxing Day tsunami of December 2004 caught Indian Ocean countries by surprise. Many of the over 230,000 people killed that day could have been saved by timely coastal evacuations.
The good news is that advances in science and communications technology, greater international cooperation, and revamped national systems have vastly improved tsunami early warnings during the past decade. However, some critical gaps and challenges remain.
The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWS) was set up in 2005 under UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. Over USD 400 million has been invested in state of the art equipment for rapid detection and assessment. However, the system’s overall effectiveness is limited by poor local infrastructure and lack of preparedness. Some countries also lack efficient decision-making for issuing national level warnings based on regionally provided rapid assessments.
Warnings must reach communities at risk early enough for action. False warnings can cause major economic losses and reduce compliance with future evacuation orders. Only governments can balance these factors. It is important that there be clearer protocols within governments to consider the best available information and make the necessary decisions quickly.
Now, the proliferation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is making this delicate balance even more difficult. To remain effective in the always-connected and chattering Global Village, disaster managers have to rethink their engagement strategies.
Controlled release of information is no longer an option for governments. In the age of 24/7 news channels and social media, many people will learn of breaking disasters independently of official sources. Some social media users will also express their views instantly – and not always accurately.
How can this multiplicity of information sources and peddlers be harnessed in the best public interest? What are the policy options for governments, and responsibilities for technical experts? How to nurture public trust, the ‘lubricant’ that helps move the wheels of law and order - as well as public safety - in the right direction?
Climate Communications: Go Beyond Fear, CO2 and COPs! by Nalaka GunawardeneNalaka Gunawardene
Presentation prepared on 19 October 2016 for a group of Asian journalists and other communicators at a workshop organized by Sri Lanka Youth Climate Action Network (SLYCAN). It was held at BMICH, Colombo’s leading conventions venue.
The workshop was part of a platform of events branded as Sri Lanka NEXT, which included the 5th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum and several other expert consultations.
Changing Climate & Changing Minds - Challenges of Climate Communication - Nal...Nalaka Gunawardene
Sri Lanka’s Centre for Environmental Justice in collaboration with the government’s Climate Change Secretariat, UNDP and Janathakshan held a national conference on “SRI LANKA’S READINESS FOR IMPLEMENTING PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT” on 7 and 8 September 2016 in Colombo. It was attended by over 200 representatives from government, civil society and corporate sectors.
This presentation was made by science writer and development communicator Nalaka Gunawardene in Session 5: Climate Solutions, under the topic “Climate communication and Behaviour changes”.
As climate change impacts are felt more widely, the imperative for action is greater than ever. Telling the climate story in accurate and accessible ways should be an essential part of our climate response.
That response is currently organised around two ‘planks’: mitigation and adaptation. Climate communication can be the ‘third plank’ that strengthens the first two.
Encouragingly, more journalists, broadcasters, researchers and advocacy groups are taking up this challenge. They urgently need more media and public spaces -- as well as greater resources -- to sustain public engagement.
Sri Lanka’s Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation, prepared in 2010-11, has recognized how “IEC action can lead to better informed decisions and enlightened choices in both climate change mitigation and adaptation”.
When strategically carried out, IEC can be a powerful force for change on both the ‘supply’ and ‘demand’ sides of climate adaptation and climate related public information.
In this analogy:
• ‘supply’ involves providing authentic, relevant and timely information to all those who need it, in languages and formats they can readily use; and
• ‘demand’ means inspiring more individuals and entities to look for specific knowledge and skills that can help make themselves more climate resilient.
These two sides of the equation can positively reinforce each other, contributing significantly to Sri Lanka’s fight against climate change.
Going Beyond Poor Journalism that Ignores the Poor - Nalaka GunawardeneNalaka Gunawardene
My presentation to the orientation workshop for Media Fellows on Poverty and Development, held in Colombo on 24 September 2016, and organised by Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) and UNESCO.
Sri Lanka has recently been declared a Middle Income Country. Public expenditure on the social sector has declined as a percentage of the GDP and this has created widening inequalities. Poverty, therefore, is still a crucial issue, but it needs be understood from a more holistic perspective which considers aspects such as people’s capabilities, private and social assets, leisure (or lack of it), and attainment of social participation and security.
However, most media look at poverty from a purely economic perspective as a lack of money. A wider understanding on poverty would include democracy, good governance, rule of law, freedom of expression and media freedom as prerequisites for people to realise their full capabilities. In addition to the limited understanding of poverty, most media houses allocate little or no budget for field-based and investigative journalistic assignments on poverty related topics.
With the Media Fellowships on Poverty and Development, the Center for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) hopes to tackle this gap. Some 20 competitively selected journalists – drawn from print, broadcast and web media outlets in Sinhala, Tamil and English languages – are to be given a better understanding of the many dimensions of poverty.
These Media Fellows will have the opportunity to research and produce a story of their choice in depth and detail, but on the understanding that their media outlet will carry their story. Along the way, they will benefit from face-to-face interactions with senior journalists and development researchers, and also receive a grant to cover their field visit costs.
Science writer, columnist and blogger Nalaka Gunawardene is a member of Expert Panel that mentors Media Fellows on Poverty and Development.
I hope you have found this issue to be informative and helpful in your work. Please send me any information you'd like posted in upcoming issues.
Any recommendations to improve this communique would be most appreciated!
And if you’d like to support the Center’s work with a tax deductible donation, that would be fantastic and do a great deal: http://centerforglobalinitiatives.org/donateNow.cfm
Cheers, and thank you for your work,
Chris
Child and Family Impacts of the Coronavirus Syndemic: Developmental, Family, ...Université de Montréal
My presentation is part of the WASP-WPA Interorganizational Symposium for the WPA 21st Virtual World Congress of Psychiatry, Catragena, Colombia, October 16-21, 2021
Session Description
At this time, the death toll from COVID-19 is approaching 3 million people worldwide. The full toll of COVID-19 far exceeds
even this sobering number. Beyond the direct biological impacts of an infectious disease, the global impact of COVID-19 is
revealing and magnifying pre-existing fractures in our social structures. COVID-19 has led to significant differential impacts
among groups across age, health and socio-cultural variables, whether through increased direct illness morbidity and
mortality in the elderly or those with mental illness, or through indirect impacts associated with widespread societal and
health system changes, including youth impacted by confinement and social isolation impinging on development of prosocial
skills, increased caregiver and family stresses ranging from financial distress to violence, and further disenfranchisement of
already marginalized and vulnerable groups. At the same time, heightened public awareness and outcry about such
disparities has the potential to fuel new alliances, challenging and perhaps dismantling some historical stereotypes of race,
ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability and illness. Rather than a pandemic, the global impacts reveal a
syndemic – multiple pandemics along different lines, both the viral/biological pandemic, plus a social pandemic superimposed
on pre-existing fault lines of inequity, poverty, mental illness, racism, sexism, ableism, ageism and other forms of stigma and
discrimination. This session will include discussion of the varied impacts of COVID-19 and exploration of their root causes
from a social psychiatry perspective.
Effective Public Health Communication in an Interconnected World: Enhancing R...The Rockefeller Foundation
The public health communication community has more tools and mechanisms at its disposal than ever before, but we are also facing increasingly complex public health challenges ushered in by globalization, urbanization, conflict, and connective technologies. We are connected in unprecedented ways, but despite this fact there remains a lack of consistent and coherent communication among responders, within health systems and across the public domain.
In light of this persistent problem, KYNE and News Deeply, supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, convened a meeting on Effective Public Health Communication in an Interconnected World: Enhancing Resilience to Health Crises, held at the Bellagio Center in Bellagio, Italy, in October 2015. At the convening, 18 experts in communication, public health, and emergency response came together to detail areas of alignment and gaps.
This report seeks to distill those lessons learned and contribute to the research base on public health communication in times of crisis, by detailing key takeaways from the convening. News Deeply also conducted interviews with participants, as well as external reviews with community organizations and leaders, to inform the body of the report. In addition, we have synthesized case studies from three participants across different regional contexts: the 2013–15 Ebola crisis in West Africa, the SARS epidemic of 2003 in Singapore, and the 2015 Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City.
Breaking News on a Restless Planet: Covering Disasters by Mainstream & New M...Nalaka Gunawardene
"Breaking News on a Restless Planet:
Covering Disasters in a Networked Society":
Keynote presentation given by Nalaka Gunawardene to the Closing Conference of the ZiF-Research Group on Communicating Disasters, University of Bielefeld, Germany
26-28 January 2012
The Experimental Child - Child and Family Impacts of the Coronavirus SyndemicUniversité de Montréal
The Experimental Child - Child and Family Impacts of the Coronavirus Syndemic
Abstract
Not only is the coronavirus crisis a natural laboratory of stress offering health and social care services a unique historical opportunity to observe its impact on entire populations around the world, but the responses to the crisis by international health authorities, such as the WHO, along with national and local educational institutions and health care and social services, are creating an unprecedented and unpredictable environment for children and youth. This hostile new environment for growth and development is marked by the sudden and unpredictable imposition of confinement and social isolation, cutting off or limiting opportunities for the development of cognitive abilities, peer relationships, and social skills, while exposing vulnerable children and youth to depriving, negligent, or even abusive home environments.
For this reason, this crisis has been renamed a syndemic, encompassing two different categories of disease—an infectious disease (SARS-CoV-2) and an array of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Together, these conditions cluster within specific populations following deeply-embedded patterns of inequality and vulnerability (Horton, 2020). These pre-existing fault lines of inequity, poverty, mental illness, racism, ableism, ageism create stigma and discrimination and amplify the impacts of this syndemic. And children are the most vulnerable population around the world. The impact on children is part of a cascade of consequences affecting societies at large, smaller communities, and the multigenerational family, all of which impinge on children and youth as the lowest common denominator (Di Nicola & Daly, 2020).
This exceptional set of circumstances—in response not only to the biomedical and populational health aspects but also in constructing policies for entire societies—is creating an “experimental childhood” for billions of children and youth around the world. With its commitment to the social determinants of health and mental health, notably in light of the monumental Adverse Childhood Events (ACE) studies (Felitti & Anda, 2010), social psychiatry and global mental health in partner with child and family psychiatry and allied professions must now consider their roles for the future of these “experimental children” around the world. The parameters for observing the conditions of this coronavirus-induced syndemic in the family and in society, along with recommendations for social psychiatric interventions, and prospective paediatric, psychological, and social studies will be outlined.
Keywords: Children & families, COVID-19, syndemic, ACE Study, confinement, social isolation
21st Century Demons & Public Health in Sri Lanka by Nalaka Gunawardene, 24 se...Nalaka Gunawardene
21st Century Demons & Public Health in Sri Lanka. Plenary presentation made at the Annual Sessions of the College of Community Physicians Sri Lanka, in Colombo, 24 Sep 2013.
Policy briefing launch: Ready to rollout – Improving uptake of routine immuni...ILC- UK
We launched our policy briefing, commissioned by MSD, on improving uptake for routine immunisation across the life course in a post-pandemic UK.
This event was chaired by Shirley Cramer, former CEO of Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH)
Speakers included:
Rt Hon Dr Lisa Cameron MP, Chair of the APPG on Health
Joanne Yarwood, National Immunisation Programme Manager, Public Health England
Dr George Kassianos, National Immunisation Lead, Royal Society of General Practitioners
Rehana Ahmed, Immunisation Commissioning Manager, NHS England
Liam Hanson, Communications and Engagement Officer at ILC and author of the briefing
In many respects, the UK is an international example of best practice when it comes to immunisation, with good vaccine uptake rates and relatively low vaccine hesitancy. In particular, the UK’s COVID-19 vaccination programme has received a very high uptake rate of over 86.6% for the first dose among over-18s as of July 2021.
But we cannot afford to get complacent. The pandemic has further exposed inequalities in immunisation uptake in the UK. For example, uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine is 26% and 15% lower among those who identify as Black Caribbean and Pakistani respectively compared to those identifying as White British. There is also growing concern that routine immunisations will be missed or given less attention post-COVID.
Over the course of this year, ILC have been speaking to experts in immunisation from government and local authorities as well as healthcare professionals to discuss how the delivery of immunisation in the UK could be optimised, in particular through taking a life course approach; utilising data effectively; and getting commissioning right.
At this webinar, we launced a policy briefing with recommendations based on these discussions for the UK healthcare system to improve the uptake of routine immunisation post-pandemic.
I hope you have found this issue to be informative and helpful in your work. Please send me any information you'd like posted in upcoming issues.
Any recommendations to improve this communique would be most appreciated!
And if you’d like to support the Center’s work with a tax deductible donation, that would be fantastic and do a great deal: http://centerforglobalinitiatives.org/donateNow.cfm
Cheers, and thank you for your work,
Chris
Child and Family Impacts of the Coronavirus Syndemic: Developmental, Family, ...Université de Montréal
My presentation is part of the WASP-WPA Interorganizational Symposium for the WPA 21st Virtual World Congress of Psychiatry, Catragena, Colombia, October 16-21, 2021
Session Description
At this time, the death toll from COVID-19 is approaching 3 million people worldwide. The full toll of COVID-19 far exceeds
even this sobering number. Beyond the direct biological impacts of an infectious disease, the global impact of COVID-19 is
revealing and magnifying pre-existing fractures in our social structures. COVID-19 has led to significant differential impacts
among groups across age, health and socio-cultural variables, whether through increased direct illness morbidity and
mortality in the elderly or those with mental illness, or through indirect impacts associated with widespread societal and
health system changes, including youth impacted by confinement and social isolation impinging on development of prosocial
skills, increased caregiver and family stresses ranging from financial distress to violence, and further disenfranchisement of
already marginalized and vulnerable groups. At the same time, heightened public awareness and outcry about such
disparities has the potential to fuel new alliances, challenging and perhaps dismantling some historical stereotypes of race,
ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability and illness. Rather than a pandemic, the global impacts reveal a
syndemic – multiple pandemics along different lines, both the viral/biological pandemic, plus a social pandemic superimposed
on pre-existing fault lines of inequity, poverty, mental illness, racism, sexism, ableism, ageism and other forms of stigma and
discrimination. This session will include discussion of the varied impacts of COVID-19 and exploration of their root causes
from a social psychiatry perspective.
Effective Public Health Communication in an Interconnected World: Enhancing R...The Rockefeller Foundation
The public health communication community has more tools and mechanisms at its disposal than ever before, but we are also facing increasingly complex public health challenges ushered in by globalization, urbanization, conflict, and connective technologies. We are connected in unprecedented ways, but despite this fact there remains a lack of consistent and coherent communication among responders, within health systems and across the public domain.
In light of this persistent problem, KYNE and News Deeply, supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, convened a meeting on Effective Public Health Communication in an Interconnected World: Enhancing Resilience to Health Crises, held at the Bellagio Center in Bellagio, Italy, in October 2015. At the convening, 18 experts in communication, public health, and emergency response came together to detail areas of alignment and gaps.
This report seeks to distill those lessons learned and contribute to the research base on public health communication in times of crisis, by detailing key takeaways from the convening. News Deeply also conducted interviews with participants, as well as external reviews with community organizations and leaders, to inform the body of the report. In addition, we have synthesized case studies from three participants across different regional contexts: the 2013–15 Ebola crisis in West Africa, the SARS epidemic of 2003 in Singapore, and the 2015 Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City.
Breaking News on a Restless Planet: Covering Disasters by Mainstream & New M...Nalaka Gunawardene
"Breaking News on a Restless Planet:
Covering Disasters in a Networked Society":
Keynote presentation given by Nalaka Gunawardene to the Closing Conference of the ZiF-Research Group on Communicating Disasters, University of Bielefeld, Germany
26-28 January 2012
The Experimental Child - Child and Family Impacts of the Coronavirus SyndemicUniversité de Montréal
The Experimental Child - Child and Family Impacts of the Coronavirus Syndemic
Abstract
Not only is the coronavirus crisis a natural laboratory of stress offering health and social care services a unique historical opportunity to observe its impact on entire populations around the world, but the responses to the crisis by international health authorities, such as the WHO, along with national and local educational institutions and health care and social services, are creating an unprecedented and unpredictable environment for children and youth. This hostile new environment for growth and development is marked by the sudden and unpredictable imposition of confinement and social isolation, cutting off or limiting opportunities for the development of cognitive abilities, peer relationships, and social skills, while exposing vulnerable children and youth to depriving, negligent, or even abusive home environments.
For this reason, this crisis has been renamed a syndemic, encompassing two different categories of disease—an infectious disease (SARS-CoV-2) and an array of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Together, these conditions cluster within specific populations following deeply-embedded patterns of inequality and vulnerability (Horton, 2020). These pre-existing fault lines of inequity, poverty, mental illness, racism, ableism, ageism create stigma and discrimination and amplify the impacts of this syndemic. And children are the most vulnerable population around the world. The impact on children is part of a cascade of consequences affecting societies at large, smaller communities, and the multigenerational family, all of which impinge on children and youth as the lowest common denominator (Di Nicola & Daly, 2020).
This exceptional set of circumstances—in response not only to the biomedical and populational health aspects but also in constructing policies for entire societies—is creating an “experimental childhood” for billions of children and youth around the world. With its commitment to the social determinants of health and mental health, notably in light of the monumental Adverse Childhood Events (ACE) studies (Felitti & Anda, 2010), social psychiatry and global mental health in partner with child and family psychiatry and allied professions must now consider their roles for the future of these “experimental children” around the world. The parameters for observing the conditions of this coronavirus-induced syndemic in the family and in society, along with recommendations for social psychiatric interventions, and prospective paediatric, psychological, and social studies will be outlined.
Keywords: Children & families, COVID-19, syndemic, ACE Study, confinement, social isolation
21st Century Demons & Public Health in Sri Lanka by Nalaka Gunawardene, 24 se...Nalaka Gunawardene
21st Century Demons & Public Health in Sri Lanka. Plenary presentation made at the Annual Sessions of the College of Community Physicians Sri Lanka, in Colombo, 24 Sep 2013.
Policy briefing launch: Ready to rollout – Improving uptake of routine immuni...ILC- UK
We launched our policy briefing, commissioned by MSD, on improving uptake for routine immunisation across the life course in a post-pandemic UK.
This event was chaired by Shirley Cramer, former CEO of Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH)
Speakers included:
Rt Hon Dr Lisa Cameron MP, Chair of the APPG on Health
Joanne Yarwood, National Immunisation Programme Manager, Public Health England
Dr George Kassianos, National Immunisation Lead, Royal Society of General Practitioners
Rehana Ahmed, Immunisation Commissioning Manager, NHS England
Liam Hanson, Communications and Engagement Officer at ILC and author of the briefing
In many respects, the UK is an international example of best practice when it comes to immunisation, with good vaccine uptake rates and relatively low vaccine hesitancy. In particular, the UK’s COVID-19 vaccination programme has received a very high uptake rate of over 86.6% for the first dose among over-18s as of July 2021.
But we cannot afford to get complacent. The pandemic has further exposed inequalities in immunisation uptake in the UK. For example, uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine is 26% and 15% lower among those who identify as Black Caribbean and Pakistani respectively compared to those identifying as White British. There is also growing concern that routine immunisations will be missed or given less attention post-COVID.
Over the course of this year, ILC have been speaking to experts in immunisation from government and local authorities as well as healthcare professionals to discuss how the delivery of immunisation in the UK could be optimised, in particular through taking a life course approach; utilising data effectively; and getting commissioning right.
At this webinar, we launced a policy briefing with recommendations based on these discussions for the UK healthcare system to improve the uptake of routine immunisation post-pandemic.
Participatory Community Health DevelopmentSteven Reames
Dr. Julius Kavuludi, in country director of MAP interiational, delivers this message at the Faith Hope and Charity Dinner of Genesis World Mission in Garden City Idaho, March 6, 2011.
A Canadian Perspective on the Biomedical and Psychosocial Impacts of the COVI...Université de Montréal
Global Mental Health & Psychiatry Review Special issue on the COVID-19 pandemic
GLOBAL MENTAL HEALTH & PSYCHIATRY REVIEW, Vol. 1 No. 2, Spring/Summer 2020, pp. 6-7.
"A Canadian Perspective on the Biomedical and Psychosocial Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Families"
Vincenzo Di Nicola, MPhil, MD, PhD, FRCPC, DFAPA
This brief article reviews what we know about COVID-19 in children and its psychosocial impacts on their health and mental health.
An overview of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, with an emphasis of its impact on children and families. The article examines the impacts of three public health practices: - Social distancing - Confinement - Adverse Childhood Events (ACE) - "The longest shadow"
COVID-19: What went right, what went wrong and how do we learn from this? John Middleton
Look at UK English and European experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Successes and failures. Presentation for a meeting of the Centre for Health and Development (CHAD) University of Staffordshire. Centre via recorded lecture, Thursday, 28 October 2021 12:00 211027 4 definitive middleton chad conference final
Video presentation also to be available online
"Enhancing Global Collaborations in Crop Science" GPC Symposium on 4th Nov. 2018 , CSSA/ASA Annual meeting In Baltimore USA.
Ros Gleadow, Monash University, Australia. Knowledge Exchange programmes in Science
Director Lee Rainie gave a keynote address in Newport, R.I. to a conference of the North Atlantic Health Science Libraries. More: http://pewinternet.org/Presentations/2010/Oct/North-Atlantic-Health-Science-Libraries.aspx
Key Issues to Tackle to Build a Brighter Future for PCD Patients and CaregiversPCD Foundation
Identifies key challenges to overcome that will help people with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) and other ciliopathies get the resources needed to improve the understanding of the disease, raise awareness about it, provide adequate and accessible treatments for it, improve diagnosis worldwide and ultimately greatly enhance the quality of life (and life span) of those affected by PCD.
Presentation to first Phillipine health care social media (#hcsmph) conference on future of social media - Feb. 21, 2014
(Please note date on cover slide is wrong - I'm not that much of a futurist!!)
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Cheers, and thank you for your work,
Chris
Darryl D’Monte (1944-2019): Good Journalism, Epitomised!Nalaka Gunawardene
Slides accompanying the brief talk given by Nalaka Gunawardene at the online seminar on "Darryl's India: journalism, environment and a look to the future"
in Memory of late Darryl D'Monte, veteran journalist. The event was organised by Greenaccord International and held on 5 August 2020.
Avoiding ‘Cyber Nanny State’: Challenges of Social Media Regulation in Sri LankaNalaka Gunawardene
Keynote speech delivered by science writer and digital media analyst Nalaka Gunawardene at the Sri Lanka National IT Conference held in Colombo from 2 to 4 October 2018 (https://www.nitc.lk/2018/).
Summary:
With around a third of Sri Lanka’s 21 million people using at least one type of social media, the phenomenon is no longer limited to cities or English speakers. But as social media users increase and diversify, so do various excesses and abuses on these platforms: hate speech, fake news, identity theft, cyber bullying/harassment, and privacy violations among them.
Public discourse in Sri Lanka has been focused heavily on social media abuses by a relatively small number of users. In a balanced stock taking of the overall phenomenon, the multitude of substantial benefits should also be counted. Social media has allowed ordinary Lankans to share information, collaborate around common goals, pursue entrepreneurship and mobilise communities in times of elections or disasters. In a country where the mainstream media has been captured by political and business interests, social media remains the ‘last frontier’ for citizens to discuss issues of public interest. The economic, educational, cultural benefits of social media for the Lankan society have not been scientifically quantified as yet but they are significant – and keep growing by the year.
In this talk, I caution that social media regulation in the name of curbing excesses could easily be extended to crack down on political criticism and minority views that do not conform to majority orthodoxy. An increasingly insular and unpopular government – now in its last 18 months of its 5-year term – probably fears citizen expressions on social media.
Yet the current Lankan government’s democratic claims and credentials will be tested in how they respond to social media challenges: will that be done in ways that are entirely consistent with the country’s obligations under international human rights laws that have safeguards for the right to Freedom of Expression (FOE)? This is the crucial question.
Communicating Research: How to Engage Policy-makers - By Nalaka GunawardeneNalaka Gunawardene
Presentation made to a group of young (early to mid-career) researchers from across South Asia who want to study many facets of global change. They were brought together at a regional workshop held in in Paro, Bhutan, by the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) and the National Environment Commission of the Royal Government of Bhutan.
Titled ‘Proposal Development Training Workshop (PDTW)’ and held from 14 to 16 December 2016, PDTW aimed “to raise awareness of APN among early career scientists and practitioners, and to increase the capacity to develop competitive proposals for submission to APN”.
The workshop involved two dozen researchers and half a dozen mentors. I was the sole mentor covering the important aspect of communicating research.
Social Media in Sri Lanka: Do Science and Reason Stand a Chance? - Nalaka Gun...Nalaka Gunawardene
Sri Lanka’s first Science and Technology for Society (STS) Forum took place from 7 to 10 September in Colombo. Organized by the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Research, it was one of the largest gatherings of its kind to be hosted by Sri Lanka. http://costi.gov.lk/sts/
Science writer Nalaka Gunawardene was keynote speaker during the session on ‘Using Social Media for Discussing Science Topics’. He used it to highlight how social media have become both a boon and bane for scientific information and thinking in Sri Lanka.
For now, it appears that pseudo-science and anti-science sentiments – some of it rooted in ultra-nationalism or conspiracy theories -- dominate many Lankan social media exchanges. It is as if Lankan society has permanently suspended disbelief.
How and where can the counter-narratives be promoted on behalf of evidenced based, rational discussions? Is this a hopeless task in the face of irrationality engulfing wider Lankan society? Or can progressive and creative use of social media help turn the tide in favour of reason?
Answers to these questions are explored in this presentation, which also cites examples of promising counter-narratives emerging in social media itself. Social media being a contested space, the race between darkness and light continues...
Right to Information (RTI) - South Asian Regional Experiences - by Nalaka Gun...Nalaka Gunawardene
Right to Information (RTI): South Asian Experiences
Presentation by Nalaka Gunawardene, science writer and new media researcher, at the RTI awareness seminar for senior staff of the Parliament of Sri Lanka on 16 August 2016.
Sri Lanka’s Parliament passed the Right to Information (RTI) law on 24 June 2016. Over 15 years in the making, the RTI law represents a potential transformation across the whole government by opening up hitherto closed public information (with certain clearly specified exceptions related to national security, trade secrets, privacy and intellectual property, etc.).
This presentation introduces the concept of citizens’ right to demand and access public information held by the government, and traces the evolution of the concept from historical time. In fact, Indian Emperor Ashoka (who reigned from c. 268 to 232 Before Christ) was the first to grant his subjects the Right to Information (RTI), according to Indian RTI activist Venkatesh Nayak, Coordinator, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI). Ashoka had inscribed on rocks all over the Indian subcontinent his government’s policies, development programmes and his ideas on various social, economic and political issues -- including how religious co-existence.
Therefore, adopting an RTI law signifies upholding a great Ashokan tradition in Sri Lanka. The presentation looks at RTI good practices and implementation experiences in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Maldives – all these South Asian countries passed an RTI law before Sri Lanka, and there is much that Sri Lanka can learn from them.
The presentation ends acknowledging the big challenges in implementing RTI in Sri Lanka – reorienting the entire public sector to change its mindset and practices to promote a culture of information sharing and transparent government.
Right to Information Matters Most to Citizens - by Nalaka GunawardeneNalaka Gunawardene
On 11 May 2016, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Parliamentary Reforms & Mass Media convened a meeting with the senior managers of print and broadcasting media house to discuss how media can support the new Right to Information (RTI) law that has recently been tabled in Parliament.
Nearly 15 years in the making, the RTI law is to be debated in June and expected to be adopted with multi-party consensus. The law represents a transformation across government by opening up hitherto closed public information (with certain cleared specified exceptions).
While media can also benefit from RTI, it is primarily a law for ordinary citizens to demand and receive information related to everyday governance (most of it at local levels). For this, citizens need to understand the RTI process and potential benefits. Media can play a major role in explaining RTI law, and promoting its use in many different ways to promote the public interest and to nurture a culture of evidence-based advocacy for good governance and public accountability.
This presentation was made by media researcher and columnist Nalaka Gunawardene in his capacity as a member of the voluntary Right to Information Task Force convened by the Ministry of Parliamentary Reforms & Mass Media. He illustrates how RTI can benefit citizens, and shares examples from other South Asian countries where newspapers and broadcast houses have been promoting RTI in innovative ways.
Info Society Rising in Sri Lanka: Are You Ready? by Nalaka Gunawardene, 27 Ja...Nalaka Gunawardene
Remarks made by Nalaka Gunawardene, science writer and
New Media researcher, at the Colombo launch of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA)'s new top-line report of a survey on the consumption and perceptions of mainstream and social media in the Western Province of Sri Lanka.
The event was held on 27 January 2016. More about it at: http://nalakagunawardene.com/2016/01/28/information-society-is-rising-in-sri-lanka-are-you-ready/
We the People in the Social Media Age – by Nalaka Gunawardene, Yangon - 10 De...Nalaka Gunawardene
“We the People in the Social Media Age” is a plenary level presentation given at the 4th Media Development Conference in Myanmar, held in Yangon on 10 – 11 December 2015.
The conference, themed as “New Dynamics in Myanmar Media”, took place at a historic moment in Myanmar’s history: Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) has won a landslide victory in Myanmar after general elections on 8 November. It was the country's first national vote since a nominally civilian government was introduced in 2011, ending nearly 50 years of military rule.
Addressing nearly 200 participants drawn from Myanmar’s mainstream media, new media and ICT spheres – including policymakers, managers and practitioners – I briefly explored the impact of social media in the present social landscape: Asian Regional perspectives.
The organizers had asked me to touch on these points:
• The role of social media at elections
• Bloggers and other social media activists and their space and role in the whole social media theatre
• Usage and future challenges/perspectives of the social media sector
• The relationship between the conventional and social media in the media landscape in Asia
• Importance of media literacy in a society and ways and means of educating public on media literacy
I could only raise a few ‘big picture’ level points in the short time available. As always, I asked more questions than I could answer – but it is very important that we seek such answers.
My concluding remark on the panel was: whether we like it or not, social media is here. Let us use them to serve the public interest. In other words, as Sir Arthur Clarke used to say, Exploit the Inevitable!
Diplomacy and Foreign Relations in the Social Media Age: By Nalaka Gunawarden...Nalaka Gunawardene
I made this presentation on 14 November 2015 to students of the Certificate Course in Creative Diplomacy, conducted by the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS) in Colombo, Sri Lanka – a think tank on international relations.
In this, I introduce and briefly explore the new kind of real-time, public diplomacy that is being ushered in with the spreading of social media. I show how diplomats and other government officials can no longer ignore this mass medium, but at the same time their traditional ways of communications need to be reoriented to suit the realities of this new information ecosystem that is informal, irreverent and fleeting.
As I spoke on the day after the ISIS terrorist attacks in France, I used (among others) the latest examples of how Gérard Araud, France’s Ambassador to the US, tweeted live as multiple terror attacks unfolded in Paris on Nov 13 night.
To see the bigger picture, I’ve distilled some wisdom of key researchers in this area including: Anne-Marie Slaughter, former Princeton Academic and ex-Director of Policy Planning, US State Department; Philip Seib, Professor of Journalism and Public Diplomacy, University of Southern California; and Ramesh Thakur, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University (ANU).
I dedicated this presentation to a diplomat and scholar whose mentoring I was privileged to receive 20 years ago: Dr Harlan Cleveland (1918 - 2008) who served as US Ambassador to NATO, 1965–1969 (Johnson Administration), and earlier as US Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, 1961–1965 (Kennedy Administration).
Open Data, Open Government & Open Minds - by Nalaka Gunawardene - 15 Oct 2015Nalaka Gunawardene
Opening remarks by science writer and journalist Nalaka Gunawardene at an introductory seminar on ‘open data’ held at the Sri Lanka Press Institute, Colombo, on 15 Oct 2015.
The seminar explored the concepts of ‘open data’ and 'big data' and discussed that role civil society, media and technologists can play in advocating to government to open up its data, enabling a culture of transparency and open government.
Grassroots Journalism in the Digital Age - by Nalaka GunawardeneNalaka Gunawardene
Talk given by Nalaka Gunawardene to a group of 75 provincial level provincial journalists in Sri Lanka from around the island who have just completed a training course in investigative journalism conducted by Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL), with support from InterNews. The certificate award ceremony was held at Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), Colombo, on 2 October 2015.
In this talk, I look at the larger news media industry in Sri Lanka to which provincial journalists supply ground level news, images and video materials. These are used on a discretionary basis by media companies mostly based in the capital Colombo (and some based in the northern provincial capital of Jaffna). Suppliers have no control over whether or how their material is processed. They work without employment benefits, are poorly paid, and also exposed to various pressures and coercion.
I question why, after 180+ years, the Lankan media industry broadly follows the same production model: material sourced is centrally processed and distributed, without much adaptation to new digital media realities. Who can disrupt these old models and innovate? Can disruptive innovators emerge from among provincial journalists?
Managing Religious and Communal Tensions in the Digital Age - by Nalaka Gunaw...Nalaka Gunawardene
Managing Religious and Communal Tensions in Digital Age: Choices & Dilemmas
Remarks at Consultation on Reporting on Religious & Communal Tensions in Sri Lanka, organised by the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka.
Media Reforms in Sri Lanka - Highlights of a Rapid Assessment by Nalaka Gunaw...Nalaka Gunawardene
Media Development in Sri Lanka: Highlights of a Rapid Assessment is the plenary presentation by Nalaka Gunawardene, media development consultant, to the Sri Lanka National Media Summit on Media Reforms held in Colombo on 13 May 2015.
This was a national level event jointly convened by the Ministry of Mass Media, Sri Lanka Press Institute, University of Colombo and International Media Support, to discuss broad-ranging policy, legal and institutional reforms needed in Lankan media.
Media Reforms in Sri Lanka - Some Big Picture Ideas by Nalaka GunawardeneNalaka Gunawardene
Talk given by science writer and media researcher Nalaka Gunawardene to the Sri Lanka Media Reform Working Goup, at its first meeting held at Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), Colombo, on 20 March 2015. The group will prepare for National Summit on Media Reforms to be held in mid May 2015.
In this talk, Nalaka looks at four facets of Lankan media -- owners, advertisers, practitioners and consumers -- and identifies some reform needs in each.
Ride Your Imagination to Space – by Nalaka GunawardeneNalaka Gunawardene
Presentation given by Nalaka Gunawardene
Science Writer
at
ORBIT ’15, Annual Astronomical Event of Astronomy & Space Science Association of D S Senanayake College, Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 13 March 2015.
Event details at: https://www.facebook.com/events/270492739827440/322372387972808/
Emerging Digital Democracy? Social Media & Sri Lanka's Presidential Election ...Nalaka Gunawardene
Emerging Digital Democracy?
Social Media and Sri Lanka's Recent Presidential Election
Talk by Nalaka Gunawardene
Science writer, columnist and new media watcher
At the University of London, 12 Feb 2015
Organised and hosted by:
The Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London & Commonwealth Journalists’ Association (CJA)
Synopsis:
A record 81.5% of registered voters took part in Sri Lanka’s presidential election on 8 January 2015 in which incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa was defeated by his former health minister Maithripala Sirisena. The peaceful regime change has been widely acclaimed as a triumph of democracy and a mandate for political reform, improved governance and national reconciliation.
The election saw unprecedented use of social media by both candidates as well as by politically charged yet unaffiliated youth. How much of this citizen awakening can be attributed to the fast spread of smartphones and broadband? Did it really influence how people voted? What does this mean for future politics and governance in Sri Lanka?
Trained as a science writer and working for over 25 years as a science journalist, Nalaka Gunawardene is a multimedia journalist with many outlets for his work – national and regional newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and the web (where he is active as a blogger and on Twitter: @NalakaG). He is also published in trade, academic and technical publications.
Mind the Gap between Perceptions & Reality - Nalaka Gunawardene keynote to He...Nalaka Gunawardene
Plenary talk by Nalaka Gunawardene at the HelpAge Asia Pacific Regional Conference 2014 on "Older People in Ageing Societies: Burden or Resource?" held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, 1 to 4 Sep 2014.
Long shadow of Pulp Science Fiction: Popular culture for promoting science an...Nalaka Gunawardene
Presentation jointly by Nalaka Gunawardene, science writer, and S M Banduseela, science fiction translator, to Amazing Science Exhibition & Event in Colombo as part of the French Spring Festival.
‘Pulp magazines’ is a generic term for inexpensive magazines published in the United States from 1896 to the 1950s. They provided popular entertainment, especially before broadcast television became well established, and carried illustrated short stories and serialized stories in categories like adventure, travel, detective and science fiction.
This illustrated presentation will look at the role pulp magazines played in promoting science fiction writing and reading as part of 20th century popular culture. Many who later became mainstream writers, such as Robert A Heinlein, Arthur C Clarke, Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury first established themselves by writing to such publications.
In this talk, we look at how pulp science fiction inspired scientific discovery and innovation in areas as diverse as space exploration, computer science, robotics, evolution and materials science. We will also show part of a 2010 documentary titled ‘PULP FICTION: The Golden Age of Sci Fi, Fantasy and Advent’.
Nalaka Gunawardene - Belling the Policy Cats - Talk to PEER Science Asia Conf...Nalaka Gunawardene
Presentation by science writer Nalaka Gunawardene to PEER Science Participants’ Conference 2013, held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 1 to 4 Oct 2013. It brought together over 40 principal investigators and other senior researchers from over a dozen Asian countries who are participating in Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) Science program. PEER Science is a grant program implemented by the (US) National Academies of Science on behalf of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and in cooperation with the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Details at: http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/dsc/peerscience/PGA_071746
Opening remarks to Asian broadcasters workshop on Pandemics & Broadcasting during Asia Media Summit 2013 held in Manado, Indonesia, where I was facilitator and a speaker.
Muktapishti is a traditional Ayurvedic preparation made from Shoditha Mukta (Purified Pearl), is believed to help regulate thyroid function and reduce symptoms of hyperthyroidism due to its cooling and balancing properties. Clinical evidence on its efficacy remains limited, necessitating further research to validate its therapeutic benefits.
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Recomendações da OMS sobre cuidados maternos e neonatais para uma experiência pós-natal positiva.
Em consonância com os ODS – Objetivos do Desenvolvimento Sustentável e a Estratégia Global para a Saúde das Mulheres, Crianças e Adolescentes, e aplicando uma abordagem baseada nos direitos humanos, os esforços de cuidados pós-natais devem expandir-se para além da cobertura e da simples sobrevivência, de modo a incluir cuidados de qualidade.
Estas diretrizes visam melhorar a qualidade dos cuidados pós-natais essenciais e de rotina prestados às mulheres e aos recém-nascidos, com o objetivo final de melhorar a saúde e o bem-estar materno e neonatal.
Uma “experiência pós-natal positiva” é um resultado importante para todas as mulheres que dão à luz e para os seus recém-nascidos, estabelecendo as bases para a melhoria da saúde e do bem-estar a curto e longo prazo. Uma experiência pós-natal positiva é definida como aquela em que as mulheres, pessoas que gestam, os recém-nascidos, os casais, os pais, os cuidadores e as famílias recebem informação consistente, garantia e apoio de profissionais de saúde motivados; e onde um sistema de saúde flexível e com recursos reconheça as necessidades das mulheres e dos bebês e respeite o seu contexto cultural.
Estas diretrizes consolidadas apresentam algumas recomendações novas e já bem fundamentadas sobre cuidados pós-natais de rotina para mulheres e neonatos que recebem cuidados no pós-parto em unidades de saúde ou na comunidade, independentemente dos recursos disponíveis.
É fornecido um conjunto abrangente de recomendações para cuidados durante o período puerperal, com ênfase nos cuidados essenciais que todas as mulheres e recém-nascidos devem receber, e com a devida atenção à qualidade dos cuidados; isto é, a entrega e a experiência do cuidado recebido. Estas diretrizes atualizam e ampliam as recomendações da OMS de 2014 sobre cuidados pós-natais da mãe e do recém-nascido e complementam as atuais diretrizes da OMS sobre a gestão de complicações pós-natais.
O estabelecimento da amamentação e o manejo das principais intercorrências é contemplada.
Recomendamos muito.
Vamos discutir essas recomendações no nosso curso de pós-graduação em Aleitamento no Instituto Ciclos.
Esta publicação só está disponível em inglês até o momento.
Prof. Marcus Renato de Carvalho
www.agostodourado.com
Basavarajeeyam is a Sreshta Sangraha grantha (Compiled book ), written by Neelkanta kotturu Basavaraja Virachita. It contains 25 Prakaranas, First 24 Chapters related to Rogas& 25th to Rasadravyas.
Antimicrobial stewardship to prevent antimicrobial resistanceGovindRankawat1
India is among the nations with the highest burden of bacterial infections.
India is one of the largest consumers of antibiotics worldwide.
India carries one of the largest burdens of drug‑resistant pathogens worldwide.
Highest burden of multidrug‑resistant tuberculosis,
Alarmingly high resistance among Gram‑negative and Gram‑positive bacteria even to newer antimicrobials such as carbapenems.
NDM‑1 ( New Delhi Metallo Beta lactamase 1, an enzyme which inactivates majority of Beta lactam antibiotics including carbapenems) was reported in 2008
share - Lions, tigers, AI and health misinformation, oh my!.pptxTina Purnat
• Pitfalls and pivots needed to use AI effectively in public health
• Evidence-based strategies to address health misinformation effectively
• Building trust with communities online and offline
• Equipping health professionals to address questions, concerns and health misinformation
• Assessing risk and mitigating harm from adverse health narratives in communities, health workforce and health system
Integrating Ayurveda into Parkinson’s Management: A Holistic ApproachAyurveda ForAll
Explore the benefits of combining Ayurveda with conventional Parkinson's treatments. Learn how a holistic approach can manage symptoms, enhance well-being, and balance body energies. Discover the steps to safely integrate Ayurvedic practices into your Parkinson’s care plan, including expert guidance on diet, herbal remedies, and lifestyle modifications.
Integrating Ayurveda into Parkinson’s Management: A Holistic Approach
Nalaka Gunawardene - Mass Kidney Failure & Mass Media Failure in Sri Lanka - 17 Oct 2012
1. Mass Kidney Failure
& Mass Media Failure:
Insights from Sri Lanka
By Nalaka Gunawardene
Independent Science Writer & Columnist, Sri Lanka
www.nalakagunawardene.com
Presentation to
Science Communication Leadership Workshop
At First General Assembly of
Association of Academies and Societies of Sciences in Asia (AASSA)
Colombo, Sri Lanka: 17 October 2012
2. Contents: Chronic Kidney Disease of
Unknown aetiology (CKDu)
CKDu: A Mysterious Disease in Sri Lanka
Challenge to scientists & healthcare system
Policy makers’ dilemma: best response?
Mass media coverage critiqued:
Structural & professional problems
Advocacy journalism’s limits
Hazards of moderate journalism
CKDu as prism of Lankan society: reveals
issues, gaps & distortions
All are my personal views!
3. CKDu: Reported in Sri Lanka’s
Dry Zone since early 1990s…
CKDu: A Mysterious Disease
Infographic courtesy: Centre for Public Integrity, USA
4. CKDu: A Brief History…
Dry Zone: Heart of
rice farming
Mostly affected male
farmers, 30-60
Started North-
Central Prov but
since spread
Affected area: 17,000
sq km, home to 2.5m
(1/8 of Sri Lanka pop)
Map courtesy: BBC Online
6. CKDu: A National Emergency
Over 15,000+ kidney patients
needing regular dialysis (2/week)
Each dialysis session: ~USD 100
Care costs LKR 350m (~USD 2.6m)
= 4.6% of annual public health
budget
How many deaths? No reliable
figure; could be 100s/more
Vast socio-psychological impacts
7. Part of a global trend?
CKDu: Reported from Central America, India,
Sri Lanka
Is there a shared causative factor?
9. Long search for causative factors…
Genetic predisposition?
Lifestyle-related exposure?
Locally brewed liquor
Ayurveda medicinal concoctions
Environmental exposure?
Excessive Cadmium or Arsenic
High Fluoride in groundwater
Aluminium utensils + Fluoride water
Naturally occurring hard water
Cyanobacterial toxins in water
Bioaccumulation of pesticide residues
Or something else?
10. WHO & Govt of Sri Lanka:
Studying CKDu from many angles
Multidisciplinary study: started 2008
Health Ministry’s Epidemiological
Unit with WHO
10 teams: looking for curative &
preventive responses
Study report Health Min mid 2012
NOT RELEASED TO PUBLIC: WHY???
In its absence confusion,
speculation, conspiracy theories
Not good for PUBLIC TRUST in
science or govt healthcare system
11. CKDu & Agrochemicals nexus:
Suspected; on trial; or proven guilty?
Mid 2011: Hypothesis: CKDu caused
by excessive Arsenic in imported
pesticides & chemical fertilizers, when
combined with calcium in hard water.
BEFORE peer-reviewed papers or
scientific debate, info & opinions are
released to mainstream & new media
One scientist claims: Divine
Intervention helped arrive at this
hypothesis Controversy!
14. Dig Deeper & Probe Further…
But proceed with CAUTION!
Ceylon Medical Journal review article, Dec 2011:
“It is timely that the available, credible, scientific
evidence on CKDu (published in peer-reviewed
journals) is collated and analysed, and the
difficulties faced in establishing causality are
discussed.”
Cause of CKDu might be “multifactorial”.
Caution: Mere associations “should not be
considered to be of causal importance without
documented evidence of proof”
Full paper: http://tiny.cc/CKDuCMJ
15. Policy makers’ Dilemma:
What to do while scientists disagree?
“Different groups have studied some aspects and
described it without giving a holistic picture. The
matter became complicated by some so-called
scientists referring to God’s assistance to
diagnose the problem.
“Commercial interests, lack of coordination
among researchers, policy makers not willing to
disclose findings and take appropriate action –
all these have made the CKDu situation worse…”
- Dr Janaka Ratnasiri, senior physicist & public
intellectual (not involved in CKDu research)
16. CKDu: Media’s Challenges
CKDu: A powerful story for media
Mystery disease, suffering, fear, death
No scientific consensus: debate, intrigue
Activist allegations, speculation, conspiracy
theories!
CKDu: Also a difficult story to cover
Slow evolving tragedy: temporal
Impacts only humans but not landscape
No drama of a ‘contagion’
Needs effort & skill to ‘connect dots’
17. CKDu is NOT a Fleeting Story…
Unsuitable for Breaking News!
CKDu: A Mysterious Disease
18. CKDu media coverage in general:
Highlights LK media limitations…
Many journalists lack science
background to critically examine
issues or ask the right questions
Uncritically peddling info fragments
& opinions without clarity, context
or coherence
Many media outlets don’t assign
sufficient resources for indepth or
investigative coverage (lack of
priority, not funds)
19. Mass Kidney Failure +
Mass Media Failure?
Healthy kidney: filters
waste & excess water
Healthy, vibrant media:
separates fact from
fiction; provides clarity
and context
What causes mass
MEDIA failure in LKA?
Is there a cure? Where?
20. Advocacy Journalism on Health &
Environment OK – but within reason!
“Journalists -- environmental or not
-- must be rigorous in their fact-
checking and field investigations.
They must provide balanced
analysis of issues, impacts, choices
and alternatives. They must also be
committed to sticking with
unfolding and evolving stories...”
- Nalaka Gunawardene, in
SciDev.Net Editorial, 20 April 2007
Full text: http://tiny.cc/SDNCOB
22. CKDu coverage in LK Media:
Advocacy or Activist Journalism?
Advocacy Journalism Activist Journalism:
Supportive of a public Supportive of a public
interest cause
Sustained coverage (story
interest cause
is kept alive) Sporadic media coverage
Journalists ask critical Journalists become
questions, verify info ‘embedded’ & uncritical
Accommodates diverse &
Selective amplification of
dissenting views; no one
is blocked out by media info & opinions
Creates an inclusive Dissenting/divergent views
platform for debate, ignored/attacked
seeking solutions Solutions???
23. 2012 Aug controversy: “WHO says” it
found “the cause” of kidney failure
Aug 15: Activist group releases 3-page
document allegedly by WHO official (named)
BUT document is an unsigned, unverified pdf:
No logo, reference or contact details
Many mainstream newspapers rush to print:
“WHO says farm chemicals found guilty!”
WHO in Colombo & Geneva: No reaction at all
LK Ministry of Health: No comment of any kind
Silence fuels suspicions; activist media claim
case is closed (“so banish the guilty party…”)
24. Too much finger pointing,
Too little reflection!
TOO MUCH time & energy spent
looking for a ‘Villain’
TOO LITTLE media attention on:
Healthcare needs of those already
living with CKDu
Economic, social & emotional needs
of affected families
How to prevent more people falling
sick: need for safe drinking water
NOT ENOUGH questions on
overall agro policies that heavily
favour high external inputs
25. LK Chemical Fertilizer Subsidy:
How did we became so addicted?
State subsidy for chemical
fertilizer: started 1962 (Green Rev)
Continued for much of past 50 yrs
Since 2005: 90% subsidy for N,P, K My column 26 Aug 2012:
Costs ~ LKR 50b (USD 380m)/year Watch out:
Everybody Lives
2009 subsidy cost = 3% of total
Downstream!
govt budget = 0.6% of LK GDP
How Lanka became
Too political to rationalise! addicted to cheap
V. cheap fertilizer = farmers not chemical fertilizer & why
it’s hard to kick the habit
thrifty massive runoffs
Organics just can’t compete! http://tiny.cc/ELDS
26. So are agrochemicals causing CKDu?
We’re still waiting for firm evidence…
Photo courtesy: Amantha Perera, IPS
27. Public Communication of Risk:
CAUTION: Handle with care!
CKDu: Emotions run high: anxiety,
suspicion, fear, anger, distrust…
Affected & others looking for
empathy + support + solutions
Need authoritative & trustworthy
persons to give clarity, assurance
Media doesn’t have all the answers
What media can do: ask right
questions; admit to gaps in
knowledge; seek short term relief;
advocate more study
28. Lankan public’s info sources on current
topics: Heavy reliance on media
Outdoor billboards, banners, etc 27%
Educational institutions 7%
Friends, neighbors, colleagues 52%
Public exhibitions, seminars,etc 13%
Mobile phone/SMS alerts 13%
Internet 9%
TV 94%
Radio 74%
Newspapers and magazines 70%
2010 survey covering 1,000 persons from all over Sri Lanka
29. Media as a Mirror: But what KIND of
mirror do our eco-activists want?
Media as mirror of society:
show things as they are:
black, white & grey…
Media cannot be a ‘Funny
Mirror’ distorting images to
impress a few
Some SL activists seem to
expect public media to
reflect/amplify exactly &
ONLY what they want.
Or else…!!!
30. Summing up 1:
CKDu as a ‘prism’ of Lankan society
Applicability of indigenous knowledge
Need for full disclosure in public science
Lack of public TRUST in govt/official
sources
Loss of public respect for scientists &
medical profession due to public spats
Policy paralysis from single-issue activism
Too few public intellectuals
Even fewer NEUTRAL platforms for
debate
31. Summing up 2:
Headline Thoughts…
CKDu: unfolding human tragedy
Need for restraint, focus, compassion:
More than just a ‘good story’ for media
or ‘agitation point’ for activists
Journalists: reassess their role: limits of
advocacy; need for balance
Eco Activists: go beyond conspiracies,
villains & finger pointing
Both: link ‘micro’ with ‘macro’; connect
the dots; keep an open-mind
32. Advice to scientist-activists…
“Scientists should first
establish themselves as
scientists, with a solid record
of peer-reviewed
achievement, THEN speak out
in their area of expertise
--loudly, if necessary.”
- Edward O Wilson
Harvard biologist, author
33. Thank You!
Blog: www.nalakagunawardene.com
Twitter: twitter.com/NalakaG
NOTE: Opinions expressed are entirely mine. These do not
represent those of any entities I am associated with. I welcome
open & dispassionate debate in the public interest.