Epidemiology, Surveillance and Laboratory Diagnosis of Leptospirosis in the WHO South-East Asia Region

<p>This study analyzes the existence and political history of Kumpulan Militan Malaysia (Malaysia Militant Group-KMM); the most spectacular Muslim militant group to recently emerge from Malaysia. Using an interpretive framework derived from typology of radicalism, this study exposes the roots of the group and its transformation into a militant movement. Based on extensive fieldwork, numerous interviews and in-depth research of related documents, this study demonstrates that the existence of KMM cannot be dissociated from Afghanistan’s global Jihadist campaign. This study analyzes the activities of KMM in the context of radical Islam in the South East Asia region and its wider connection, particularly with the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). Findings from fieldwork research conducted with active and ex-members of KMM and JI are presented to find the answer to the question pertaining the involvement of these two groups in terrorism activities in Southeast Asia. Southeast Asian contemporary social and political scenarios have been build-up from a long history of rebellious freedom fighters against colonial super-powers. In addition to nationalism, Islamization has also played a significant role in establishing freedom movements in the 1940s and 1950s. Systematic pressure under colonial powers and harsh policies implemented by ultra nationalists to these groups resulted in a series of rebellions and defiance such as what happened in Indonesia, Southern Thailand and the Southern Philippines. Historical facts led to radicalism in these countries, which are important for gaining a better knowledge about Muslim radicalism in Southeast Asia also presented in this thesis. The ‘typology of radicalism’ - the transformation from ‘nominal believers’ to activists, extremists, radicals and terrorists is explained in this research. Understanding Islam and their willingness to perform Jihad as was carried out in Afghanistan has had a significant impact on today’s militants. Finally, this research suggests the best methods for overcoming radicalism and diffusing KMM and JI’s threat in Southeast Asia.</p>

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Urgent need to address the slow scale-up of TB preventive treatment in the WHO South-East Asia Region

The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease ◽

10.5588/ijtld.20.0941 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 (5) ◽

pp. 382-387

Author(s):

S. Satyanarayana ◽

V. Bhatia ◽

P. P. Mandal ◽

A. Kanchar ◽

D. Falzon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

East Asia ◽

Scale Up ◽

Preventive Treatment ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

South East Asia ◽

High Level ◽

Almost All ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

East Asia Region

In September 2018, all countries made a commitment at the first ever United Nations High‐Level Meeting (UNHLM) on TB, to provide TB preventive treatment (TPT) to at least 30 million people at high‐risk of TB disease between 2018 and 2022. In the WHO South‐East Asia Region (SEA Region), which accounts for 44% of the global TB burden, only 1.2 million high‐risk individuals (household contacts and people living with HIV) were provided TPT (11% of the 10.8 million regional UNHLM TPT target) in 2018 and 2019. By 2020, almost all 11 countries of the SEA Region had revised their policies on TPT target groups and criteria to assess TPT eligibility, and had adopted at least one shorter TPT regimen recommended in the latest WHO TPT guidelines. The major challenges for TPT scale‐up in the SEA Region are resource shortages, knowledge and service delivery/uptake gaps among providers and service recipients, and the lack of adequate quantities of rifapentine for use in shorter TPT regimens. There are several regional opportunities to address these gaps and countries of the SEA Region must make use of these opportunities to scale up TPT services rapidly to reduce the TB burden in the SEA Region.

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