Category: COVID-19 Vaccine

MIL-Evening Report: Japanese encephalitis has claimed a second life in NSW and been detected in Brisbane. What is it?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cameron Webb, Clinical Associate Professor and Principal Hospital Scientist, University of Sydney

encierro/Shutterstock

A second man has died from Japanese encephalitis virus in New South Wales on March 6, the state’s health authorities confirmed on Friday. Aged in his 70s, the man was infected while holidaying in the Murrumbidgee region.

This follows the death of another man in his 70s in Sydney last month, after holidaying in the same region in January.

Japanese encephalitis virus has also been detected for the first time in mosquitoes collected in Brisbane’s eastern suburbs, Queensland health authorities confirmed on Saturday.

With mosquito activity expected to increase thanks to flooding rains brought by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, it’s important to protect yourself from mosquito bites.

What is Japanese encephalitis virus?

Japanese encephalitis is one of the most serious diseases that spreads via mosquitoes, with around 68,000 cases annually across Southeast Asia and Western Pacific regions.

The virus is thought to be maintained in a cycle between mosquitoes and waterbirds. Mosquitoes are infected when they feed from an infected waterbird. They then pass the virus to other waterbirds. Sometimes other animals, and people, can be infected.

Pigs are also a host, and the virus has spread through commercial piggeries in Victoria, NSW and Queensland. (But it poses no food safety risk.)

Feral pigs and other animals can also play a role in transmission cycles.

What are the symptoms?

Most people infected show no symptoms.

People with mild cases may have a fever, headache and vomiting.

In more serious cases – about one in 250 people infected – people may have neck stiffness, disorientation, drowsiness and seizures. Serious illness can have life-long neurological complications and, in some cases, the infection can be life-threatening.

There’s no specific treatment for the disease.

When did Japanese encephalitis get to Australia and why is it in Brisbane?

Outbreaks of Japanese encephalitis had occurred in the Torres Strait during the 1990s. The virus was also detected in the Cape York Peninsula in 1998.

There had been no evidence of activity on the mainland since 2004 but everything changed in the summer of 2021–22. Japanese encephalitis virus was detected in commercial piggeries in southeastern Australia during that summer.

This prompted the declaration of a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance. At the time, flooding accompanying the La Niña-dominated weather patterns and a resulting boom in mosquito numbers, and waterbird populations, was thought responsible.

The virus has spread in subsequent years and has been detected in the mosquito and arbovirus surveillance programs as well as detection in feral pigs and commercial piggeries in most states and territories. Only Tasmania has remained free of Japanese encephalitis virus.

Human cases of infection have also been reported. There were more than 50 cases of disease and seven deaths in 2022.

Cases of Japanese encephalitis have already been reported from Queensland in 2025.

Due to concern about Japanese encephalitis virus and other mosquito-borne pathogens, health authorities around Australia have expanded and enhanced their surveillance programs.

In Queensland, this includes mosquito monitoring at a number of locations, including urban areas of southeast Queensland. Mosquitoes collected in this monitoring program tested positive for Japanese encephalitis virus, promoting the current health warnings.

Why is its detection in Brisbane important?

Up to now, scientists have thought the risk of Japanese encephalitis was likely greatest following seasons of above-average rainfall or flooding. This provides ideal conditions for waterbirds and mosquitoes.

But the activity of Japanese encephalitis virus over the summer of 2024–25 has taken many scientists by surprise. Before Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred arrived, there had been somewhat dry conditions with less waterbird activity and low mosquito numbers in many regions of eastern Australia.

However there has still been widespread Japanese encephalitis virus activity in Victoria, NSW and Queensland.

To date, Japanese encephalitis virus activity hasn’t extended to the coastal regions of southeast Queensland. The detection of the virus in suburban Brisbane may require authorities to rethink exactly where the virus may turn up next. Authorities are ramping up their surveillance to see just how widespread the virus is in the region.

Health authorities and scientists are also trying to understand how the virus moved from western areas of the state to the coast and what drives virus transmission in different regions.

There is currently no evidence the virus is active in coastal regions of northern NSW.

Mosquitoes collected in Brisbane have tested positive for Japanese encephalitis virus.
A/Prof Cameron Webb (NSW Health Pathology)

What can people do to protect themselves?

Avoiding mosquito bites is the best way to reduce the risk of Japanese encephalitis virus.

Cover up with long-sleeved shirts and long pants for a physical barrier against mosquito bites.

Use topical insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Be sure to apply an even coat on all exposed areas of skin for the longest-lasting protection.

Ensure any insect screens on houses, tents and caravans are in good repair and reduce the amount of standing water in the backyard. The more water there is around your home, the more opportunities for mosquitoes there are.

A safe and effective vaccine is available against Japanese encephalitis. Each state and territory health authority (for example Queensland, NSW, Victoria) have specific recommendations about access to vaccinations.

It may take many weeks following vaccination to achieve sufficient protection, so prioritise reducing your exposure to bites in the meantime.

Cameron Webb and the Department of Medical Entomology, NSW Health Pathology and University of Sydney, have been engaged by a wide range of insect repellent and insecticide manufacturers to provide testing of products and provide expert advice on medically important arthropods, including mosquitoes. Cameron has also received funding from local, state and federal agencies to undertake research into various aspects of management of various medically important arthropods.

Andrew van den Hurk has received funding from local, state and federal agencies to study the ecology of mosquito-borne pathogens, and their surveillance and control. He is an employee of the Department of Health, Queensland government.

– ref. Japanese encephalitis has claimed a second life in NSW and been detected in Brisbane. What is it? – https://theconversation.com/japanese-encephalitis-has-claimed-a-second-life-in-nsw-and-been-detected-in-brisbane-what-is-it-252373

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

March 17, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Trump is surveying Australian academics about gender diversity and China – what does this mean for unis and their research?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Walker-Munro, Senior Lecturer (Law), Southern Cross University

Shortly after taking office, US President Donald Trump issued executive orders banning federal funding on so-called “woke” research.

This is part of his broader ban on all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, grants and programs in the US government.

These orders are massive in scope, impacting studies as varied as stroke recovery, computing and ancient languages.

The impact in the United States so far has been dramatic. Some universities are already cutting student admissions and looking at ways to shed academic staff and researchers.

Now the ban has impacted Australian researchers who have links to US government-funded projects. The Trump Administration is asking for information on how their research fits in with US foreign and domestic policy.

What has happened?

The US government has sent a 36-point questionnaire to some Australian researchers who are working on joint projects with US colleagues.

ABC Radio National reports at least eight Australian universities are involved. Their research areas include foreign aid, medicine, vaccines and defence. The New York Times reports a similar document has also been sent to other overseas organisations with US funding links.

The questions are wide-ranging and cover academics’ links to China as well as their projects’ focus on topics such as diversity, inclusion and gender identity, as well as climate change.

Some of the specific questions include:

Can you confirm that your organisation has not received ANY funding from PRC People’s Republic of China, Russia, Cuba or Iran?

Can you confirm that this is no DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] project or DEI elements of the project? [sic]

Does this project take appropriate measures to protect women and to defend against gender ideology as defined in the below Executive Order?

Can you confirm this is not a climate or “environmental justice” project or include such elements?

The survey also covers issues such as secure borders with Mexico, ending government waste, terrorism, the war on opioids, and “eradicating anti-Christian bias”.

Concern and anger

In response, the Group of Eight (which represents Australia’s top research universities) and Australian Academy of Science have separately raised concerns with the Australian government about the survey and its impact on Australian research.

The Group of Eight says the US has already suspended or terminated research grants with six of its eight member universities.

The National Tertiary Education Union also labelled the survey “blatant foreign interference”.

A spokesperson for Education Minister Jason Clare says Australia is
“engaging with the US government to understand what these measures mean for future funding and collaboration”.

Are Trump’s orders legal?

Trump’s executive orders are currently the subject of numerous lawsuits in the US. Plaintiffs say Trump’s orders violate the First and Fifth Amendments – those dealing with protection of free speech, equal protection and “due process of law” when depriving a citizen of property.

Whether Trump’s orders are legal or not is a tricky question, and will likely come down the judges hearing each case.

In the meantime, US government agencies are withholding funding anyway. Reports also suggests Trump has instructed his administration to ignore court orders – hardly surprising, given Trump’s history of contempt of US courts.

What does this mean for Australia?

US involvement in Australian research is significant. According to the Academy of Science, US government research funding involving Australian research organisations was $A386 million in 2024.

It is arguable Trump’s orders infringe Australian sovereignty. But the US has always had the capacity to interfere in Australian university research – it just hasn’t actually done it until now.

Research contracts signed between universities and funding bodies can contain all kinds of requirements, so US law can end up applying to Australian researchers. When the AUKUS deal was announced in 2021, a huge question was how universities would comply with notoriously harsh US export control laws.

The survey indicates it was issued by the US Office of Management and Budget and appears to be supported by the US CHIPS and Science Act (which authorises certain research investments) and National Science Foundation policies. So, while Australian researchers could potentially ignore these questionnaires, that would legally give a US funding body grounds to cancel the funding contract.

Our foreign interference laws also weren’t designed for situations like this. Even if they did, Trump is the current head of the US government, and is likely to be immune from prosecution

Statutory tests for foreign interference – including criteria that such acts are covert, and/or involve threats of harm – simply don’t apply to a US president like Trump.

So legally, it doesn’t look like there is much Australia can do about Trump’s orders.

What can Australia do?

Some newly unemployed researchers are now poised to leave the US, taking their research with them. This poses a potential security risk, with countries such as China and Russia both keen to capitalise on Trump’s decisions.

But other nations are also aware of the possibilities. The European Union has already offered displaced US scientists a more “sympathetic place to work”. South Korea and Canada are also marketing themselves as attractive options. Australia could follow suit.

The federal government is currently doing a strategic review of Australia’s research and development system. This could make diversifying our research partners a national priority.

This could include revisiting a 2023 decision, not to join Horizon Europe – the European Union’s key research fund.

Either way, given such radical changes in the US, Australia needs to seriously reconsider how it is funding and structuring research.

Brendan Walker-Munro has consulted for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, and is also an Adjunct Expert Associate of the National Security College. He has received funding from the Social Cyber Institute and Active Cyber Defence Alliance.

– ref. Trump is surveying Australian academics about gender diversity and China – what does this mean for unis and their research? – https://theconversation.com/trump-is-surveying-australian-academics-about-gender-diversity-and-china-what-does-this-mean-for-unis-and-their-research-252282

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

March 17, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: FDA Educational Efforts Prevented Nearly 450,000 Youth from Starting E-Cigarette Use in One Year

Source: US Food and Drug Administration

For Immediate Release:
March 14, 2025

Today, a study co-authored by U.S. Food and Drug Administration scientists was released showing the agency’s youth e-cigarette prevention campaign, “The Real Cost,” successfully reduced e-cigarette use among youth. The campaign, which launched in 2018 under the leadership of President Trump, was found to have prevented an estimated 444,252 American youth (age 11 to 17 at study recruitment) from starting to use e-cigarettes between 2023 and 2024.
The new study, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found evidence that the campaign contributed to the nearly 70% decline in e-cigarette use among American youth that has occurred since 2019. According to the National Youth Tobacco Survey, the number of U.S. middle and high school students who currently use e-cigarettes has declined from 5.38 million in 2019 to 1.63 million in 2024, the lowest level in a decade.
“As part of our work to Make America Healthy Again, we must ensure that children have a healthy start in life,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner, M.D., M.P.H. “This includes taking evidence-based actions to prevent youth tobacco product use.”
Data from the evaluation, which followed a nationally representative sample of U.S. youth over time, showed that viewing ads from “The Real Cost” lowered chances that youth who had never used an e-cigarette would later initiate use. The survey collected information on how frequently youth were exposed to “The Real Cost” campaign and which youth went on to try e-cigarettes, among other variables.
“Adolescence is a critical period for prevention efforts because most adults who use tobacco products begin using them in their teenage years,” said Brian King, Ph.D., M.P.H., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “Youth tobacco prevention campaigns not only work, but they are also a cost-effective approach to protecting young people from a lifetime of nicotine addiction.”
These data build on prior scientific studies showing that exposure to “The Real Cost” campaign is a cost-saving strategy by reducing the lifetime risks of tobacco-related disease and death, including from chronic disease. A previous study that evaluated “The Real Cost” Youth Cigarette Prevention Campaign found that the effort prevented up to 587,000 American youth from initiating smoking over a three-year period, half of whom might have gone on to become established adult cigarette users. The cigarette prevention campaign also was found to save $180 for every dollar spent on the effort in its first two years, totaling more than $53 billion in reduced smoking-related costs like early loss of life, costly medical care, lost wages, lower productivity and increased disability.
There is no safe tobacco product. Those who do not currently use tobacco products, especially youth, should not start. Additionally, there are medications that have been approved by the FDA to be safe and effective for adults who want to quit smoking. Adults who smoke should also know that different types of tobacco products exist on a spectrum of health risk, with smoked products such as cigarettes being the most harmful. Adults who fully switch from cigarettes to a lower-risk alternative tobacco product can generally reduce their health risks and exposure to toxic and cancer-causing chemicals.
“The Real Cost” Youth E-cigarette Prevention Campaign uses a variety of marketing tactics and creative advertising to reach youth. Advertising and prevention materials are delivered across communication channels relevant to teens, including digital and streaming platforms, social media and gaming platforms. These education efforts are one component of the agency’s strategy to reduce and prevent youth use of tobacco products. The agency’s activities also include compliance and enforcement actions across the supply chain – in coordination with federal partners using their unique authorities – to ensure that those that make, distribute or sell illegal tobacco products are held accountable to the law. All of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products’ efforts are 100 percent funded by tobacco user fees, which are fees paid by manufacturers and importers of certain classes of tobacco products.
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The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, radiation-emitting electronic products, and for regulating tobacco products.

Inquiries

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Content current as of:
03/14/2025

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MIL OSI USA News –

March 16, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: South Africa-European Union Summit concludes

Source: South Africa News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the European Union’s €4.7 billion Global Gateway Investment Package aimed at supporting strategic investment projects.

The President was speaking during a press briefing following the 8th South Africa-European Union Summit held in Cape Town on Thursday.

The package is aimed at supporting:
•    A clean and just energy transition in South Africa
•    Digital and physical connectivity infrastructure
•    The local pharmaceutical industry.

“The investment package covers areas such as critical raw mineral processing, green hydrogen, renewable energy, transport and digital infrastructure, local vaccine and pharmaceutical production, and resources for skills development.

“To boost the competitiveness of our economies, we agreed to launch negotiations towards a Clean Trade and Investment Partnership. This will support the development of cleaner value chains for raw materials and local beneficiation, renewable and low carbon energy, and clean technology,” President Ramaphosa said.

Furthermore, the partnership will also serve as a platform for “regulatory cooperation between the European Union and South Africa in areas of mutual interest related to clean supply chains”.

“This partnership is expected, for example, to deliver short and long term solutions to enable Sasol to export sustainable fuel, especially aviation fuel, to the European Union,” the President added.

Strengthening ties

President Ramaphosa noted that the summit – the first such held in seven years – reflects mutual commitment to “enhancing our Strategic Partnership for the mutual benefit of our people”.

As a regional bloc, the European Union (EU) is South Africa’s biggest trading partner recording some €49.5 billion in total trade in 2023 with EU foreign direct investment into South Africa reaching around €71 billion in 2022.

“Today’s Summit focused on strengthening our trade and investment relations, which are vital for the growth of our economies and the achievement of our development goals,” the President noted.

Discussions also focussed on other areas including green energy, science and health.

“We have prioritised the transition to green energy, ensuring that this process is just and inclusive and safeguards the livelihoods of those most affected by the transition. We also had discussions on our robust cooperation in education; science, technology and innovation; and health.

“We have recognised the vital importance of developing the skills and capabilities of young people, starting from early childhood development through to the training of young people in the skills of the future,” President Ramaphosa explained.

Global developments

On the global stage, President Ramaphosa said, “we reaffirmed our commitment to multilateralism, the rule of law and the central role of the United Nations in maintaining global peace and security”.

“We also expressed our resolve to resist actions that undermine multilateral cooperation. We reinforced our belief that the institutions of global governance must be reformed to make them representative and fit for purpose.

“We agreed that addressing the root causes of conflict is essential for achieving durable peace, security and stability in Africa.”

Turning to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), President Ramaphosa said South Africa calls on parties to assist in addressing the “dire situation of the people” caught in the blaze of the war.

“As South Africa, we have made a call for a humanitarian intervention for displaced people in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“As we work to achieve a ceasefire and achieve a peaceful resolution of the conflict in the DRC, we are calling on the United Nations, African Union and EU to help to address the dire situation of the people affected by the fighting,” he said.
Reflecting on the outcomes of the Summit, President Ramaphosa described it as having further strengthened the strategic partnership.

“Today’s Summit has further strengthened our Strategic Partnership, which will support our efforts to drive inclusive economic growth, create jobs, eradicate poverty and address global challenges in a spirit of solidarity, collaboration and partnership.

“On behalf of the Government and people of South Africa, it has been a pleasure to host you today, reaffirming our commitment to building strong, mutually beneficial relations with the European Union,” President Ramaphosa concluded.

In his opening remarks at the summit, the President said that as one of South Africa’s most important trade and investment partners, the European Union can play a catalytic role in unleashing the productive capacity of our economy and equip our people, especially the youth, to participate in the economy of the future.

READ | President Ramaphosa engages EU on new investment package

“We hope we can continue to rely on the support of the European Union and its member states in our efforts to alleviate poverty, transition to a low-carbon economy, invest in climate-resilient infrastructure and grow our industrial capacity,” the President explained. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

March 15, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: FDA Roundup: March 14, 2025

Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

For Immediate Release:
March 14, 2025

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing an at-a-glance summary of news from around the agency:

On Thursday, the FDA posted information on the flu vaccine composition for the 2025-2026 U.S. flu season. The agency, in consultation with our federal partners, reviewed the available data and made its recommendations to manufacturers of the U.S.-licensed influenza vaccines for the production of updated vaccines for the 2025-2026 flu season. Based on this timing, the agency does not anticipate any impact on vaccine supply or timing of availability.
On Thursday, the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) published two case studies and a case study user guide, developed as part of the Accelerating Rare disease Cures (ARC) Program’s Learning and Education to Advance and Empower Rare Disease Drug Developers (LEADER 3D) initiative. These case studies provide examples of approaches successfully used by sponsors when designing and conducting rare disease drug development programs. The ARC Program launched LEADER 3D to better understand and address the unique challenges in bringing rare disease products to market. As part of the initiative, CDER’s Rare Diseases Team worked with an independent contractor to conduct interviews with the rare disease drug development community and performed a review of public docket comments to identify educational opportunities across regulatory topics of interest in rare disease drug development. These case studies and the other materials on the LEADER 3D website are reflective of the needs and priorities heard from our valuable partners in the rare disease drug development community. Read the case studies at the LEADER 3D website.
On Wednesday, the FDA announced that the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) has issued the final guideline, “The Joint Clinical Practice Guideline on Benzodiazepine Tapering: Considerations When Benzodiazepine Risks Outweigh Benefits”. This guideline focuses on evidence-informed and consensus-based strategies to help clinicians determine whether tapering benzodiazepine medications may be appropriate for a given patient, and if so, how to taper them. The FDA awarded a grant to ASAM in 2022 to develop this guideline, which will serve as a standard of care for safe tapering of benzodiazepines. The draft guideline issued in June 2024.
On Tuesday, the FDA issued a Safety Alert advising restaurants and retailers not to serve or sell and consumers not to eat certain frozen half-shell oysters from Republic of Korea designated area II, potentially contaminated with norovirus.

Related Information

Related Information

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The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, radiation-emitting electronic products, and for regulating tobacco products.

Inquiries

Consumer:
888-INFO-FDA

Content current as of:
03/14/2025

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MIL OSI USA News –

March 15, 2025
MIL-OSI USA News: WEEK EIGHT WINS: A Testament to American Greatness Under President Trump
Source: The White House
The past week was marked by another series of triumphs that underscore the commitment of President Donald J. Trump and his administration to making America stronger, safer, and more prosperous than ever before.

Here is a non-comprehensive list of wins in week eight:
- President Trump’s economic agenda came into focus as Americans saw needed economic relief following years of Bidenflation.
  
  Consumer inflation “eased more than expected” in February, with core inflation at its lowest level in nearly four years — driven by a decline in airfare prices as Americans prepare for Spring Break.
  
  Wholesale inflation came in much lower than expected in February.
  
  Mortgage rates dropped to their lowest levels since December, while home purchase applications are at their highest level since January.
  
  The price of a dozen eggs is down 36.6% since President Trump’s inauguration.
  
  The average price for regular gas has fallen below $3/gallon in 31 states — the third straight week of decline — with the price of oil down nearly 15% since President Trump took office.
- President Trump and his administration continued their remarkable progress in securing the border following the news that illegal crossings have plummeted to the lowest levels ever recorded.
  
  In President Trump’s first 50 days, ICE arrested 32,809 illegal immigrants — nearly 75% of whom were accused or convicted criminals — virtually the same number of arrests over the entirety of Biden’s final year in office.
  
  Just 77 “gotaways” were recorded in the past three weeks — a 95% decrease from the average daily number of “gotaways” under Biden in 2023.
  
  Migration to the U.S. through Panama’s Darien Gap has dropped by 99% as would-be illegal border crossers turn around.
- President Trump’s Section 232 tariffs on imported steel and aluminum took effect as the Trump Administration levels the playing field for American workers.
  
  Steel Manufacturers Association: “As the revised steel tariff goes into effect today, President Trump is boldly declaring that America will no longer be a dumping ground for cheap, subsidized foreign steel … By closing loopholes in the tariff that have been exploited for years, President Trump will again supercharge a steel industry that stands ready to rebuild America.”
  
  Five major organizations representing the steel industry issued a statement lauding the tariffs.
- President Trump’s tariffs continued driving manufacturing back to the U.S.
  
  Cra-Z-Art — the biggest toymaker in the country — is expanding its domestic manufacturing by 50%.
  
  “We are moving a large percentage of what we have in China to here, duplicating some machinery and investing in high speed automation equipment,” said Chairman Lawrence Rosen. “When Trump announced the higher tariffs on China, it’s been full steam ahead.”
  
  GE Aerospace announced a $1 billion investment in its U.S.-based manufacturing operation, which will create 5,000 new jobs.
  
  Asahi Group Holdings, one of the largest Japanese beverage makers, announced a $35 million investment to boost production at its Wisconsin plant.
  
  Angel Aligner, a global orthodontic manufacturer, announced it will build its first U.S.-based production facility in Wisconsin.
  
  Pegatron Corp., a Taiwan-based artificial intelligence server maker, announced it will build its first U.S.-based facility and increase its U.S. investment.
  
  Merck opened its $1 billion North Carolina manufacturing facility as it plans to invest $8 billion in the U.S. over the next several years.
  
  Saica Group, a Spain-based corrugated packaging maker, announced plans to build a $110 million new manufacturing facility in Anderson, Indiana.
  
  Saint Gobain Ceramics announced a new $40 million NorPro manufacturing facility in Wheatfield, New York.
  
  LGM Pharma announced a $6 million investment to expand its manufacturing facility in Rosenberg, Texas.
- President Trump forced Ontario, Canada, Premier Doug Ford to back down from his threat to implement 25% electricity tariffs on American consumers.
- The Department of Homeland Security unveiled the CBP Home App, which repurposes the Biden-era CBP One App to give illegal immigrants the option of self-deporting.
- The Trump Administration stripped the first visa of a foreign student linked to Hamas-supporting “disruptions” on a college campus.
- The Environmental Protection Agency launched the “biggest day of deregulation in American history,” which included ending the Biden-Harris electric vehicle mandate, stopping the Biden Administration’s assault on power plants, and eliminating costly emissions standards.
- The EPA canceled more than 400 “diversity, equity, and inclusion” and “environmental justice” grants, totaling $1.7 billion.
- The Department of Education opened investigations into 45 universities under Title VI for alleged impermissible use of race-exclusionary preferences, race-based scholarships, and/or race-based segregation.
- The Trump Administration announced Ukraine accepted an offer to enter into immediate negotiations for a ceasefire and ultimate end to the brutal war.
- The Trump Administration secured an agreement by Israel and Lebanon to engage in land border negotiations.
- Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum officially fulfilled President Trump’s promise to rename the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in Texas as the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge — honoring the memory of Jocelyn Nungaray, a young woman whose life was tragically cut short by an illegal immigrant.
- The Department of the Interior announced the approval of a federal mining plan modification to extend the operational life of Montana’s Spring Creek Mine by 16 years — enabling the production of nearly 40 million tons of coal and supporting hundreds of full-time jobs.
- The Department of Energy signed the third major liquefied natural gas export permit approval since President Trump reversed the Biden-era ban, allowing the Delfin LNG project — which was delayed by the Biden Administration — to move forward.
- The Department of Justice’s new interagency task force arrested 214 criminals in its first two weeks, including violent MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gang members.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs opened another new clinic — in addition to the three new clinics opened over the past several weeks — to serve thousands of additional veterans.
- Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered a department-wide review of the U.S. military’s physical and grooming guidelines to ensure the force is meeting the highest possible standard.
- The Department of Defense terminated woke climate change programs and initiatives that were not in line with the department’s core warfighting mission.
- Army Chief of Staff General George ordered a review of all general officer memorandums of reprimand that were issued to soldiers who refused to comply with the Biden Administration’s COVID vaccine mandate.
- The Department of Transportation rescinded memos issued by the Biden administration that injected social justice, radical environmental agendas into infrastructure funding decisions.
- The Department of the Treasury sanctioned Iran’s oil minister and shadow fleet operators and targeted Houthi terrorists involved in smuggling and procuring weapons.
- The Department of Agriculture continued its push to root out fraud, waste, and abuse — including terminating a grant that supports “queer and trans farmers and urban consumers.”
- The Department of Health and Human Services ended a loophole that allowed ingredient manufacturers to utilize chemicals with unknown safety data in food.
- The Federal Communications Commission launched its sweeping “In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete” deregulation initiative to alleviate the unnecessary, burdensome regulatory assault on Americans.
MIL OSI USA News –
March 15, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Minister visits MHRA to see cutting-edge science protecting patients and supporting the NHS
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

Press release

Minister visits MHRA to see cutting-edge science protecting patients and supporting the NHS

The MHRA welcomed Health Minister Smyth to its science campus as part of British Science Week to demonstrate how innovations become safe, effective treatments for NHS patients.
Health Minister Karin Smyth MP using microscope. Credit: MHRA

Health Minister Karin Smyth MP this week visited the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to see first-hand how its scientists ensure NHS patients receive the latest medical innovations safely and in the shortest time possible.

As part of British Science Week and NHS Healthcare Science Week, the visit highlighted the MHRA’s role in driving life sciences innovation – helping UK patients benefit from cutting-edge technologies, from mRNA vaccines to advanced cancer diagnostics.

During the visit, Minister Smyth met with MHRA scientists and regulatory experts to hear how their work is helping the NHS move towards earlier diagnosis and prevention. This includes making sure the annual flu vaccine is as effective as possible, setting safety standards for genomic cancer testing, and enabling rapid access to new treatments.

The Minister toured MHRA biologics laboratories, where scientists rigorously test biological medicines, including vaccines, to ensure they are effective and acceptably safe for patients. She also heard how the MHRA works with industry and healthcare partners to keep vital medicines available, so patients can access the treatments they need without delay.

The MHRA’s expertise has global impact, with its scientific and regulatory leadership helping to shape international standards and ensure that innovations benefit patients worldwide.

Health Minister Karin Smyth MP said:

“The MHRA’s scientists are making a real difference by ensuring NHS patients can benefit from the latest medical advances safely and quickly. From speeding up access to life-saving vaccines to setting high safety standards for new cancer tests, their work is helping the NHS focus on earlier diagnosis and prevention. It was fantastic to see first-hand how their expertise is driving innovation, protecting patients, and strengthening our healthcare system.

“British Science Week is a great time to celebrate their achievements and the UK’s world-leading expertise in medical innovation.”

June Raine, MHRA Chief Executive, said:

“The MHRA plays a vital role in making the UK a science superpower, working closely with the NHS and life sciences sector to bring innovations to patients faster while maintaining public trust in their safety.

“We were delighted to welcome Minister Smyth and showcase how our expertise makes sure that scientific breakthroughs translate into real benefits for patients. Our work ensures the NHS can access cutting-edge medicines while upholding the highest safety standards.”

Professor Anthony Harnden, MHRA Chair, said:

“Science and regulation go hand in hand in improving patient care and patient safety. Today’s visit was a great opportunity to highlight how the MHRA’s work supports the NHS and the people it serves.

“It’s important to recognise the scientists working behind the scenes to protect patients and support NHS staff. Their expertise gives healthcare professionals confidence that the treatments they use work and are acceptably safe.”

Notes to editors

British Science Week and NHS Healthcare Science Week celebrate the role of science in protecting health. For more information, visit British Science Week and NHS Healthcare Science Week.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe. All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks.

The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.

For media enquiries, please contact the newscentre@mhra.gov.uk, or call on 020 3080 7651.

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Published 14 March 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
March 15, 2025

MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Completes the Fifth Review under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement for Nepal

Source: IMF – News in Russian

March 14, 2025

The IMF Executive Board completed the fifth review under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) Arrangement for Nepal, providing the country with access to SDR 31.4 million (about US$ 41.8 million).
Nepal has made tangible progress in implementing economic reforms under the program, despite a challenging political environment and disruptions caused by the September 2024 floods.
The growth recovery is expected to continue in FY2024/25, supported by increased capital spending including on reconstruction, an accommodative monetary policy stance, and additional hydropower generation.

Washington, DC: On March 12, 2025, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the fifth review under the four‑year Extended Credit Facility (ECF) for Nepal, allowing the authorities to withdraw the equivalent of SDR 31.4 million (about US$ 41.8 million) under the ECF. This brings total disbursements under the ECF for budget support thus far to SDR 219.7 million (about US$ 289.1 million).

The ECF arrangement for Nepal was approved by the Executive Board on January 12, 2022 (see Press Release No. 22/6) for SDR 282.4 million (180 percent of quota). Nepal has made tangible progress in implementing reforms under the program, which has supported early signs of economic recovery while preserving macroeconomic and financial stability and protecting the vulnerable.

The economy continues to face challenges with subdued domestic demand. Economic activity is expected to pick up moderately in FY2024/25 on account of disruptions caused by the September 2024 floods. Growth is expected to reach 4.2 percent in FY2024/25, supported by a planned increase in capital spending including on reconstruction, an accommodative monetary policy stance, and additional hydropower generation. Post-flood supply-side pressures are expected to be short-lived, and average inflation is projected to remain close to the Nepal Rastra Bank’s target of about 5 percent. Efforts to mobilize revenues will support development spending and fiscal sustainability. The outlook is subject to important downside risks including those related to possible under-execution of capital spending, financial-sector vulnerabilities, and political fragility.

Following the Executive Board discussion, Mr. Bo Li, Deputy Managing Director, made the following statement:

“Executive Directors welcomed the continued recovery and the broadly adequate performance under the program, acknowledging the challenges posed by political uncertainty and recent flood-related disruptions. They noted that while the outlook remains broadly favorable, it is subject to downside risks. Accordingly, Directors encouraged continued prudent policies to safeguard macroeconomic stability and steadfast implementation of structural reforms to foster sustainable and inclusive growth. Fund capacity development will also be important to achieve program objectives.

“Directors recommended continued gradual, growth-friendly fiscal consolidation to stabilize debt. Noting the need to mobilize revenue to support higher capital spending and protect the vulnerable, Directors welcomed the newly adopted Domestic Revenue Mobilization Strategy. They also underscored the need to strengthen public investment management to enhance capital spending execution. Further advancing fiscal transparency would help to contain fiscal risks and strengthen fiscal sustainability. Directors emphasized the importance of supporting the most vulnerable including through expanding child grants.

“Directors agreed that monetary policy should remain cautious and data-driven to preserve price and external stability. They highlighted the importance of amending the Nepal Rastra Bank Act to strengthen its governance, independence and accountability.

“Directors underscored that increasing financial sector vulnerabilities warrant a proactive approach. They encouraged steps to further align financial sector regulations with international standards, conduct the planned Loan Portfolio Review, and develop a comprehensive strategy to address problematic savings and credit cooperatives. Noting Nepal’s recent FATF grey listing, Directors stressed the urgency of strengthening the AML/CFT framework through reforms to enhance legal, regulatory, and supervisory frameworks.

“Directors called for ambitious structural reforms to support more sustainable and inclusive growth. They recommended efforts to reduce the high cost of doing business, enhance the investment climate, improve governance, and strengthen anticorruption institutions. Nepal’s high vulnerability to natural disasters underscores the importance of enhancing resilience to climate shocks.”

Nepal: Selected Economic Indicators 2021/22-2029/30 1/

	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24	2024/25	2025/26		2026/27	2027/28	2028/29	2029/30
			Est.			Projections

Output and Prices (annual percent change)
Real GDP	5.6	2.0	3.1	4.2	5.4		5.0	5.0	5.0	5.0
Headline CPI (period average)	6.4	7.7	5.4	5.2	5.4		5.4	5.4	5.4	5.4
Headline CPI (end of period)	8.1	7.4	3.6	5.5	5.4		5.4	5.4	5.4	5.4
Fiscal Indicators: Central Government (in percent of GDP)
Total revenue and grants	22.9	19.3	19.2	19.8	20.9		21.5	22.1	22.6	22.6
of which: Tax revenue	19.8	16.2	16.4	17.0	17.8		18.4	19.1	19.6	19.6
Expenditure	26.1	25.2	21.9	24.3	25.0		25.4	25.8	26.2	26.2
Expenses	21.7	20.8	18.6	19.3	19.4		19.5	19.6	19.8	19.8
Net acquisition of nonfinancial assets	4.3	4.4	3.3	5.0	5.6		5.9	6.2	6.4	6.4
Operating balance	1.2	-1.4	0.6	0.5	1.5		2.1	2.5	2.8	2.8
Net lending/borrowing	-3.1	-5.8	-2.7	-4.5	-4.1		-3.8	-3.7	-3.6	-3.6
Statistical discrepancy	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0		0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Net financial transactions	3.1	5.8	2.7	4.5	4.1		3.8	3.7	3.6	3.6
Net acquisition of financial assets	2.6	-0.9	0.5	1.3	1.3		1.3	1.3	1.3	1.3
Net incurrence of liabilities	5.8	4.9	3.2	5.8	5.4		5.1	5.0	4.9	4.9
Foreign	2.0	1.7	1.6	1.7	1.5		1.4	1.3	1.3	1.4
Domestic	3.7	3.3	1.6	4.1	3.9		3.7	3.7	3.5	3.5

Money and Credit (annual percent change)
Broad money	6.8	11.4	13.6	10.1	10.1		10.3	10.5	10.7	10.7
Domestic credit	17.9	8.8	6.2	8.2	9.6		10.3	10.5	10.7	10.7
Private sector credit	13.3	4.6	6.1	7.2	8.1		9.1	10.0	10.7	10.7

Saving and Investment (in percent of nominal GDP)
Gross investment	37.6	31.7	32.9	37.5	39.4		38.3	37.0	35.8	34.7
Gross fixed investment	29.0	25.1	26.1	29.7	31.2		30.4	29.3	28.3	27.5
Private	23.6	21.7	22.7	24.7	25.6		24.5	23.1	21.9	21.1
Central government	5.3	3.4	3.3	5.0	5.6		5.9	6.2	6.4	6.4
Change in Stock	8.7	6.6	6.8	7.8	8.2		8.0	7.7	7.4	7.2
Gross national saving	25.1	30.8	36.7	36.2	35.5		34.5	33.2	32.2	31.0
Private	24.4	32.7	36.5	36.3	34.9		33.3	31.6	30.1	29.1
Central government	0.7	-1.9	0.2	-0.1	0.6		1.2	1.7	2.0	2.0

Balance of Payments
Current account (in millions of U.S. dollars)	-5,174	-361	1,663	-630	-1,969		-2,166	-2,321	-2,479	-2,760
In percent of GDP	-12.6	-0.9	3.8	-1.3	-3.8		-3.8	-3.7	-3.6	-3.7
Trade balance (in millions of U.S. dollars)	-13,759	-10,699	-10,431	-12,481	-15,053		-15,957	-16,797	-17,678	-18,664
In percent of GDP	-33.4	-26.2	-24.0	-26.7	-29.2		-28.2	-27.0	-25.8	-24.8
Exports of goods (y/y percent change)	43.9	-19.9	-2.5	8.9	9.6		9.1	9.7	9.4	9.4
Imports of goods (y/y percent change)	21.9	-22.0	-2.5	18.4	19.4		6.3	5.7	5.7	6.0
Workers’ remittances (in millions of U.S. dollars)	8,326	9,485	10,864	11,151	11,680		12,258	12,766	13,283	13,767
In percent of GDP	20.2	23.2	25.0	23.8	22.7		21.6	20.5	19.4	18.3
Gross official reserves (in millions of U.S. dollars)	8,956	10,954	14,547	15,301	15,004		14,821	14,876	14,897	15,289
In months of prospective imports	7.6	9.3	10.5	9.4	8.7		8.1	7.7	7.2	7.0
Memorandum Items
Public debt (in percent of GDP)	42.7	47.1	48.2	50.0	50.4		50.6	50.6	50.5	50.5
Nominal GDP (in billions of U.S. dollars)	41.2	40.9	43.4	46.8	51.5		56.6	62.3	68.5	75.3
Nominal GDP (in billions of Nepalese Rupees)	4,977	5,349	5,776	6,333	7,040		7,792	8,623	9,543	10,562
Net International Reserves (in millions of U.S. dollars)	8,821	10,507	14,064	14,744	14,451		14,321	14,440	14,541	15,027
Primary Deficit (in billions of Nepali Rupees)	110	239	76	183	179		175	180	182	204
Primary Deficit (in percent of GDP)	2.2	4.5	1.3	2.9	2.5		2.2	2.1	1.9	1.9
Tax Revenue (in billions of Nepalese Rupees)	984	866	945	1,074	1,250		1,436	1,648	1,868	2,065
Tax Revenue (In percent of GDP)	19.8	16.2	16.4	17.0	17.8		18.4	19.1	19.6	19.6
Private sector credit (in percent of GDP)	94.2	91.7	90.1	88.0	85.6		84.3	83.8	83.8	83.9
Exchange rate (NPR/US$; period average)	120.8	130.8	133.0	…	…		…	…	…	…
Real effective exchange rate (average, y/y percent change)	1.6	1.2	1.4	…	…		…	…	…	…

1/ Fiscal year ends in mid-July.

Note: The NSO adopts a 3 year cycle in its national accounts producing preliminary, revised and final estimates for real GDP growth. In May 2023 growth was revised up in FY2020/21 from 4.2 percent to 4.8 percent and from 5.3 percent to 5.6 percent in FY2021/22 in light of new data.

Note: Current baseline forecast is as of January 29, 2025.

IMF Communications Department

MEDIA RELATIONS

PRESS OFFICER: Pemba Sherpa

Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/03/14/pr25063-nepal-imf-completes-the-fifth-review-under-the-extended-credit-facility-arrangement

MIL OSI

MIL OSI Russia News –

March 15, 2025

MIL-OSI Global: Treatment for Parkinson’s disease and restless leg syndrome is linked with risky behaviour – here’s what you need to know

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dipa Kamdar, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University

Orawan Pattarawimonchai/Shutterstock

Getting a headache and feeling sick are common side-effects for many medicines. Indulging in risky sexual behaviour or pathological gambling – not so common.

But a BBC investigation has highlighted that some drug treatments for restless leg syndrome and Parkinson’s disease can lead to such risky behaviour.

Over 150,000 people in the UK live with Parkinson’s – a degenerative condition that affects the brain. The main part of their brain that is damaged is the area that produces dopamine, a chemical messenger that regulates movement. Less dopamine in the brain can lead to symptoms such as tremors, muscle stiffness, slow movements and problems with balance.

Another movement disorder is restless legs syndrome (RLS), which affects between 5% and 10% of people in the UK, US and Europe. Twice as many women as men have RLS among those aged over 35.

Read more:
Restless legs syndrome is incurable – here’s how to manage the symptoms

People with RLS feel they need to uncontrollably move their legs, and may experience a crawling, creeping or tingling sensation in them. Usually, the symptoms are worse at night when dopamine levels tend to be lower. Although the exact cause of RLS is unknown, it has been linked to genes, underlying health conditions, and an imbalance of dopamine.

One of the main treatments for movement disorders is a group of drugs called dopamine-receptor agonists, which include cabergoline, ropinirole, bromocriptine and pramipexole. Dopamine-receptor agonists increase the levels of dopamine in the brain and help regulate movement.

Dopamine is known as the “happy” hormone because it is part of the brain’s reward system. When people do something fun or pleasurable, dopamine is released in their brain. But using dopamine-receptor agonist drugs can elevate these feelings, leading to impulsive behaviour.

While common side-effects include headaches, feeling sick and sleepiness, these drugs are also linked with the more unusual side-effect of impulse-control disorders. These include risky sexual behaviour (hypersexuality), pathological gambling, compulsive shopping, and binge eating. Hypersexuality encompasses behaviour such as a stronger-than-usual urge to have sexual activity, or being unable to resist performing a sexual act that may be harmful.

Previous reported cases include a 53-year-old woman taking ropinirole and exhibiting impulsive behaviour such as accessing internet pornography, using sex chat rooms, meeting strangers for sexual intercourse, and compulsive shopping. Another case highlighted a 32-year-old man who, after taking ropinirole, started binge eating and gambling compulsively, such that he lost his life savings.

When the drug was first being prescribed in the early 2000s, it was thought that impulse-control disorders were a rare side-effect associated with these drugs. But in 2007, a UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) public assessment report advised that “healthcare professionals should warn patients that compulsive behaviour with dopamine agonists may be dose-related”.

Between 6% and 17% of people with RLS who take dopamine agonists develop some form of impulse-control disorder, while up to 20% of people living with Parkinson’s may experience impulse control disorders.

But the true figures may be even higher, as many some patients may not associate changes in behaviour with their medication, or may be too embarrassed to report it. Case reports show that in most instances, impulsive behaviour stops when the drug is stopped.

Lawsuits

There have been several individual and class-action lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies including GlaxoSmithKline, which produces ReQuip® (ropinirole), and Pfizer, which makes Cabaser® (cabergoline). Patients taking action against these companies claimed they were unaware of these impulsive behaviour side-effects.

For example, in 2012, a French court ordered GlaxoSmithKline to pay £160,000 in damages to Didier Jambart, after he experienced “devastating-side effects” when taking the firm’s Parkinson’s drug Requip. And in 2014, an Australian federal court approved a settlement against Pfizer for a class-action lawsuit regarding its Parkinson’s drug, Cabaser. 150 patients claimed they did not have warning of potential side-effects – including increased gambling, sex addiction and other high-risk activities – of taking Cabaser.

It is now clearer in the patient information leaflets given with all prescribed medication for movement disorders that impulsive behaviour can occur in some patients.

In 2023, the MHRA advised there had been increased reports of pathological gambling with a drug called aripiprazole. This antipsychotic drug, used in the treatment of schizophrenia and mania, partly acts as a dopamine-receptor agonist.

Any drug that increases dopamine levels could theoretically be linked to impulse control disorders, and it is important to keep monitoring patients and their behaviour in such cases.

Not everyone will experience side-effects. Before you begin any course of treatment, your doctor or pharmacist should explain the potential side-effects – but it is also important to read the information leaflet with any medicine. And if you experience any impulsive behaviours with these medicines, speak to your doctor or pharmacist immediately.

Dipa Kamdar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Treatment for Parkinson’s disease and restless leg syndrome is linked with risky behaviour – here’s what you need to know – https://theconversation.com/treatment-for-parkinsons-disease-and-restless-leg-syndrome-is-linked-with-risky-behaviour-heres-what-you-need-to-know-252079

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 15, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Simple strategies can boost vaccination rates for adults over 65 − new study

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Laurie Archbald-Pannone, Associate Professor of Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Virginia

Many older adults are not up to date on their vaccines. Morsa Images via Getty Images

Knowing which vaccines older adults should get and hearing a clear recommendation from their health care provider about why a particular vaccine is important strongly motivated them to get vaccinated. That’s a key finding in a recent study I co-authored in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

Adults over 65 have a higher risk of severe infections, but they receive routine vaccinations at lower rates than do other groups. My colleagues and I collaborated with six primary care clinics across the U.S. to test two approaches for increasing vaccination rates for older adults.

In all, 249 patients who were visiting their primary care providers participated in the study. Of these, 116 patients received a two-page vaccine discussion guide to read in the waiting room before their visit. Another 133 patients received invitations to attend a one-hour education session after their visit.

The guide, which we created for the study, was designed to help people start a conversation about vaccines with their providers. It included checkboxes for marking what made it hard for them to get vaccinated and which vaccines they want to know more about, as well as space to write down any questions they have. The guide also featured a chart listing recommended vaccines for older adults, with boxes where people could check off ones they had already received.

In the sessions, providers shared in-depth information about vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases and facilitated a discussion to address vaccine hesitancy.

In a follow-up survey two months later, patients reported that the most significant barriers they faced were knowing when they should receive a particular vaccine, having concerns about side effects and securing transportation to a vaccination appointment.

The percentage of patients who said they wanted to get a vaccine increased from 68% to 79% after using the vaccine guide. Following each intervention, 80% of patients reported they discussed vaccines more in that visit than they had in prior visits.

Of the 14 health care providers who completed the follow-up survey, 57% reported increased vaccination rates following each approach. Half of the providers felt that the use of the vaccine guide was an effective strategy in guiding conversations with their patients.

A pamphlet at the doctor’s office can empower older patients to ask about vaccines.

Why it matters

Only about 15% of adults ages 60-64 and 26% of adults 65 and older are up to date on all the vaccines recommended for their age, according to CDC data from 2022. These include vaccines for COVID 19, influenza, tetanus, pneumococcal disease and shingles.

Yet studies consistently show that getting vaccinated reduces the risk of complications from these conditions in this age group.

My research shows that strategies that equip older adults with personalized information about vaccines empower them to start the conversation about vaccines with their clinicians and enable them to be active participants in their health care.

What’s next

In the future, we will explore whether engaging patients on this topic earlier is even more helpful than doing so in the waiting room before their visit.

This might involve having clinical team members or care coordinators connect with patients ahead of their visit, either by phone or through telemedicine that is designed specifically for older adults.

My research team plans to conduct a pilot study that tests this approach. We hope to learn whether reaching out to these patients before their clinic visits and helping them think through their vaccination status, which vaccines their provider recommends and what barriers they face in getting vaccinated will improve vaccination rates for this population.

The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

Laurie Archbald-Pannone has received funding from Virginia Department of Health and PRIME education. This activity is supported by an independent educational grant from GSK.

– ref. Simple strategies can boost vaccination rates for adults over 65 − new study – https://theconversation.com/simple-strategies-can-boost-vaccination-rates-for-adults-over-65-new-study-250246

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 15, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Abolishing NHS England could shift power from the centre – but health service overhauls rarely go well

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Judith Smith, Professor of Health Policy and Management, University of Birmingham

The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, has announced plans to abolish NHS England, the organisation that oversees and manages the NHS in England, employing 19,000 people.

He declared he was bringing the NHS back under “democratic control” and cutting unnecessary bureaucracy by moving oversight of the NHS back into the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). This will reverse plans put in place by the Conservative-led coalition government in 2013 when it tried to “take the politics out of the NHS” by having NHS England as an independent body.

The NHS is the largest public sector organisation in England, seeing 1.7 million people each day including in patients’ own homes, local GP surgeries, pharmacies and hospitals. It employs 1.7 million people, is funded largely out of general taxation, and has an annual budget of about £190 billion.

The NHS is, however, one of the most centrally organised health systems in the world. This contrasts with many European and other countries where there is typically a national ministry of health to set strategy, with the detail of how this is implemented being left to regional and local councils, health authorities and hospitals.

Some analysts have suggested that the NHS has become even more centrally managed in recent years, but the truth is it has always been held very close by its political masters.

On the face of it, there are advantages to abolishing NHS England, allowing DHSC to focus on clarifying politicians’ priorities for how and on what NHS funding will be spent. These will include reducing waiting lists for operations, making it easier to get an appointment with a GP, and ensuring that emergency departments can deal quickly with patients without resorting to “corridor care”.

In turn, local NHS organisations such as integrated care boards (who among other things organise GP, dental, pharmacy and optometry services) and NHS trusts (who run hospitals, community, mental health and ambulance services) can concentrate on making sure these policy priorities are put into practice in ways that work best for local communities.

NHS England has a range of other important roles that will need to be reallocated, whether to an expanded DHSC or elsewhere. These include planning the training of healthcare staff, organising vaccination and screening programmes, purchasing medicines, and collating huge amounts of data about NHS activity and performance.

The government has also announced plans to halve staffing in the 42 local integrated care boards, so any move of former NHS England roles to this level will probably only happen if these local boards merge, which now seems likely.

The government appears therefore to have signalled another NHS management “redisorganisation” – something the NHS has suffered on a periodic basis, a consequence of its highly centralised and political nature. Research evidence is clear that management reorganisations struggle to achieve their objectives, causing instead significant distraction away from work to improve services for patients.

In his major review of the NHS for the new Labour government in September 2024, Lord Ara Darzi – a former Labour health minister – highlighted the urgent need for more skilled and effective managers to support NHS staff in restoring and improving the service after years of economic austerity and the challenges of the pandemic. This seems to run counter to recent announcements about “cutting bureaucracy”.

With careful planning, there is, however, potential for the abolition of NHS England to lead to a slimmer DHSC (more akin to some of its European counterparts) with a smaller number of well-resourced and managed integrated care boards who could effectively steer, support and monitor local NHS trusts and primary care services.

In 2002, Alan Milburn, then secretary of state for health in Tony Blair’s government, issued a white paper called Shifting the Balance of Power Within the NHS. Milburn is now a leading figure in the Starmer government’s health team, so it is perhaps not surprising that we have these new plans to slim the policy centre, shift power and decision-making more locally, and enable stronger accountability to politicians and the public.

What is likely to happen?

What will matter as much as what is done is how these changes are made. The government has Lord Darzi’s clear and comprehensive diagnosis of the NHS’s problems. It now needs to prioritise what should be done first and what can wait, and has made a good start on this with its recent planning guidance to the NHS.

What will be much more difficult will be to decide exactly how to reduce and then abolish NHS England – doing this in a way that ensures important roles are moved smoothly to DHSC, integrated care boards and NHS trusts.

History is not encouraging. There is a big risk that NHS managers will find themselves focusing too much attention on handling a major reorganisation when they (and patients) would rather they concentrate on improving services.

The government clearly wants to hold on to setting policy direction for the NHS while letting go of the detail of implementation to local level. But ultimately, it will be held to account by a population impatient for improvements to NHS services.

Judith Smith receives funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research for research and evaluation of health services. She has been funded by the Health Foundation to provide expert primary care policy advice. Judith is Trustee and Chair of Health Services Research UK and Director of Health Services Research with Birmingham Health Partners. She is a Senior Associate of the Nuffield Trust.

– ref. Abolishing NHS England could shift power from the centre – but health service overhauls rarely go well – https://theconversation.com/abolishing-nhs-england-could-shift-power-from-the-centre-but-health-service-overhauls-rarely-go-well-252240

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 15, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Stay informed about measles in Alberta
Measles cases are increasing globally, with numerous countries and travel destinations reporting outbreaks. Cases have been identified in several Canadian provinces, including an outbreak recently identified in northern Alberta.

As of March 13, health officials have confirmed six cases of measles in the province, and although these cases are all part of a single household, this does raise concerns about the potential for further spread of this highly contagious disease.

Measles is an extremely contagious disease and spreads easily through the air. People born in or since 1970 who have received fewer than two doses of measles-containing vaccine are susceptible to infection. Those who have received fewer than two doses of measles-containing vaccine and are pregnant, under one year of age, are adults and/or have a weakened immune system are at most risk of complications from measles.

“Measles is not just a mild childhood illness – it is a serious, highly infectious disease that can have devastating consequences. Thankfully, we have a highly effective vaccine with a long-proven track record of safety. Everyone should take the time to check their immunization record to ensure they are fully immunized. No one should have to endure the consequences of a disease we can prevent.”

Dr. Mark Joffe, chief medical officer of health

The measles vaccine is highly effective at preventing infection and complications. In Alberta, measles vaccine is offered free of charge to eligible Albertans through Alberta’s publicly funded immunization program.

If symptoms of measles do develop, individuals are advised to stay home and call Health Link at 811 before visiting any health care facility or provider, including a family physician clinic or pharmacy.

Symptoms of measles include:
- fever of 38.3° C or higher
- cough, runny nose and/or red eyes
- a red, blotchy rash that appears three to seven days after fever starts, typically beginning behind the ears and on the face and spreading down the body and then to the arms and legs
Albertans uncertain of their immunization history, or their child’s immunization history, can text “vaccine record” to 88111, call Health Link at 811 or their local public health office. Albertans can also text “measles” to 88111 to get measles health information texted to their mobile device. Please contact your primary care provider for advice on what immunizations are best for you.

For further information on routine childhood immunization, visit ahs.ca/immunize.

For additional information on measles disease, please visit www.ahs.ca/measles.

Quick facts
- Measles can be dangerous because:
  - One in 10 people with measles will get middle ear or lung infections.
  - One in 1,000 people with measles will get encephalitis (swelling of the brain), which can lead to seizures, deafness or brain damage.
  - One to three of every 1,000 people with measles will die.
- More than 90 per cent of people who are not immune to measles and who come into contact with the virus will become infected.
- Children in Alberta typically receive their first dose of measles-containing vaccine at 12 months of age, and their second dose at 18 months of age. Children who received two doses of vaccine are considered protected.
- Adults born in 1970 or later should have a documented history of two lifetime doses of measles-containing vaccine spaced at least four weeks apart if they do not have a history of lab-confirmed disease or serological evidence of measles immunity.
- Adults born before 1970 are generally considered immune to measles, as measles circulated widely before 1970. One or two doses of the vaccine may be recommended if you are a health care worker, student at a post-secondary educational institution or are travelling outside of Canada.
Related links
- Immunization and vaccines
- Learn about measles
MIL OSI Canada News –
March 15, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CHP reminds public to take precautions against measles during travel

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

CHP reminds public to take precautions against measles during travel
According to the latest information released by the World Health Organization, over 127 000 measles cases (including at least 38 deaths) were reported in Europe and Central Asia last year, double the number of cases reported for 2023 and the highest number since 1997. Children under 5 accounted for more than 40 per cent of the cases, as childhood measles vaccination coverage remained suboptimal in some countries. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control also reported that the majority of paediatric cases have never been vaccinated against measles. In the ongoing measles outbreaks in North America, the United States and Canada have each recorded more than 200 cases so far this year, with cases mainly affecting children who were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. In neighboring areas, measles outbreaks continued to occur from time to time in the past year in Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines.

Hong Kong has recorded one imported measles case
The Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the DH, Dr Edwin Tsui, reiterated that vaccination is the most safe and effective preventive measure against measles. Healthy people in general can enjoy long-term, even lifelong protection after receiving measles vaccination as recommended. Two doses of measles-containing vaccine can confer protection of up to 97 per cent.

“The measles situation outside Hong Kong reflects the risk of outbreak due to inadequate vaccination coverage. Under the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme, the overall immunisation coverage in Hong Kong has been maintained at a very high level through the immunisation services provided by the DH’s Maternal and Child Health Centres and the School Immunisation Teams. As evidenced by the findings on vaccination coverage of primary school students and the territory-wide immunisation surveys conducted regularly by the DH, the two-dose measles vaccination coverage has remained consistently high, well above 95 per cent, and the local seroprevalence rates of measles virus antibodies reflect that most of the people in Hong Kong are immune to measles. On the whole, the risk of a large-scale outbreak in Hong Kong is low. However, as a city with a high volume of international travel, Hong Kong still faces the potential risk of measles importation. Locally, a small number of people who have not completed a measles vaccination (such as non-local born people including new immigrants, foreign domestic helpers, overseas employees and people coming to Hong Kong for further studies) are still at risk of being infected and spreading measles to other people who do not have immunity against measles, such as children under 1 year old who have not yet received the first dose of measles vaccine,” he said.

Dr Tsui added that people born before 1967 could be considered to have acquired immunity to measles through natural infection, as measles was endemic in many parts of the world and in Hong Kong at that time. He urged people born in or after 1967 who have not yet completed the two doses of measles vaccination or whose measles vaccination history is unknown, to consult their family doctors as soon as possible to complete the vaccination and ensure adequate protection against measles. For those who plan to travel to measles-endemic areas, they should check their vaccination records and medical history as early as possible. If they have not been diagnosed with measles through laboratory tests and have never received two doses of measles vaccine or are not sure if they have received measles vaccine, they should consult a doctor at least two weeks prior to their trip for vaccination.

The incubation period of measles (i.e. the time from infection to the onset of illness) is seven to 21 days. Symptoms include fever, skin rash, cough, runny nose and red eyes. When such symptoms appear, people should wear surgical masks, stay home from work or school, avoid crowded places and contact with unvaccinated people, especially those with weak immune systems, pregnant women and children under 1 year old. Those who suspect they are infected should consult their doctors as soon as possible and inform healthcare workers of their history of exposure to measles.

For more information on measles, members of the public may visit the CHP’s thematic webpageIssued at HKT 18:33

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Categories24-7, Asia Pacific, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Government special administrative region, MIL OSI

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

March 15, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Ask UConn Extension: What to Know about Raising Backyard Poultry
Source: US State of Connecticut

Raising backyard poultry is a rewarding way to enjoy fresh eggs, meat, and even companionship while contributing to a sustainable food system. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced poultry keeper, understanding the essentials of poultry selection, housing, health management, and biosecurity is key to maintaining a healthy and productive flock.

Getting Started

Before bringing home birds, check local regulations. Some areas restrict poultry ownership or limit certain species. Decide who will care for the birds and clarify your goals—whether it’s for egg production, meat, exhibition, or personal enjoyment. You’ll also need to consider housing: do you have an existing structure, or will you need to build one?

Choosing the Right Birds

Selecting birds that match your needs and climate is crucial. Popular egg-laying breeds include Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, and Sussex, while broiler breeds like Cornish Cross are best for meat. Dual-purpose breeds, such as Plymouth Rocks and Orpingtons, provide both meat and eggs.

Temperament also matters, especially if children will be involved. Some breeds are docile and easy to handle, while others are more flighty. Climate adaptability is another key factor—cold-hardy breeds like Rhode Island Reds and Buff Orpingtons thrive in colder regions. Waterfowl options include Pekin and Rouen ducks, as well as Toulouse and Embden geese. Heritage turkey breeds, such as Broad Breasted Bronze and Narragansett, can also do well with proper care.

To ensure healthy birds, purchase from a reputable hatchery certified by the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP). NPIP certification helps prevent the spread of diseases like Salmonella and avian influenza. Some hatcheries also offer vaccinations for common poultry diseases such as Marek’s disease, which is especially important for outdoor-raised chickens.

Acquiring Your Poultry

Birds can be purchased from hatcheries, farm stores, local breeders, or poultry swaps. Hatcheries offer a wide selection and ship day-old chicks directly to your home, often with vaccination options. Farm stores provide convenience but may have a limited selection and mix birds from different sources, increasing disease risks. Local breeders can offer high-quality or rare breeds but require careful vetting to ensure the flock’s health.

Regardless of where you buy, prepare a proper setup before the birds arrive. Chicks need a brooder with heat, food, and water, while older birds require secure housing. Always quarantine new birds for at least two weeks before introducing them to an existing flock to monitor for illness and prevent disease spread.

Proper Housing

A well-designed poultry house protects birds from weather, predators, and disease. Key features include:
- Shelter: A dry, ventilated space free from drafts.
- Space: At least two to four square feet per bird inside the coop, plus an outdoor run.
- Bedding: Straw, wood shavings, or sand to absorb moisture and provide comfort.
- Predator Protection: Secure coops with hardware cloth (not chicken wire), locking doors, and enclosed runs to deter raccoons, foxes, and hawks.
- Ease of Maintenance: Nesting boxes should be easy to access for egg collection, and perches should be placed at varying heights for roosting. Regular cleaning prevents disease buildup.
Biosecurity: Protecting Your Flock

Biosecurity is essential to prevent the introduction and spread of disease. Key practices include:
- Quarantine: Keep new birds separate for two weeks before adding them to your flock.
- Limit Exposure: Prevent contact with wild birds, which can carry diseases like avian influenza.
- Control Visitors: Restrict visitors to your poultry area and ensure they follow hygiene practices.
- Sanitation: Clean coops, feeders, and waterers regularly. Provide dry bedding and uncontaminated water.
Understanding Avian Influenza

Avian influenza (bird flu) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic and wild birds. It spreads through direct contact with infected birds, secretions, and contaminated surfaces. Signs include respiratory distress, swelling, decreased egg production, and sudden death.

To prevent bird flu infection:
- Keep domestic poultry separate from wild birds and limit their exposure to free-range areas.
- Secure feed and water sources.
- Implement proper biosecurity measures.
- Regularly clean and sanitize all equipment and facilities.
If avian influenza is suspected, report it immediately to the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. Cooking poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) kills the virus, making them safe to consume.

Raising backyard poultry requires planning and commitment, but it can be a fulfilling endeavor. Choosing the right birds, providing proper housing, implementing biosecurity measures, and staying informed about poultry health are key to maintaining a thriving flock. With responsible management, backyard poultry can provide fresh food and enjoyment for years to come.

Read the fact sheet, Backyard Poultry: A Quick Look at Raising Healthy Birds, for more information.

MIL OSI USA News –
March 15, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Murphy: Six Weeks In, This White House Is On Its Way To Being The Most Corrupt In U.S. History
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

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WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday spoke on the U.S. Senate floor to expose the unprecedented corruption of the Trump administration’s first six weeks in office. Murphy condemned Trump’s normalization of pay-to-play politics, where billionaire donors dictate policy and taxpayer money is funneled into the pockets of the president, Elon Musk, and the corporate elite.

“In the first six weeks of the Trump presidency, Trump and Elon Musk and their billionaire friends have engaged in a stunning rampage of open public corruption,” Murphy said. “It’s not fundamentally different than what happened in Russia. These are efforts to steal from the American people to enrich themselves. And their strategy is to do it all out in the open, to do it at such a dizzying pace that the country just gets overwhelmed or anesthetized or dulled into a sense that we just all have to accept the corruption – or, maybe more charitably, that this is just how government works, that government is just corrupt, and so the fact that it’s happening out in the open instead of happening secretly, well, it’s really nothing new.”

Murphy laid out more than 20 examples of blatant corruption from just the first six weeks of the Trump presidency, including:
1. The launch of Trump’s meme coin, enabling anyone seeking to influence the administration to privately funnel money directly to the president.
2. The gutting and manipulation of watchdog agencies like the NLRB, CFPB, and OSHA to benefit Elon Musk, the billionaires in Trump’s cabinet, and other elites.
3. The Eric Adams quid pro quo and the weaponization of the DOJ to reinforce a system of political retribution and favoritism.
4. The use of government contracts and stock deals to reward Trump’s allies, enriching them through taxpayer-funded opportunities and further consolidating political power.
“This is how democracies die,” Murphy continued. “Democracies die when the very powerful people steal from us so regularly, so openly, so unapologetically, that we come to believe that it’s normal. And listen, I understand that many Americans may think that all of this stuff just used to happen quietly, and the only difference is that Trump and Musk are just putting it all out in the open. And I’m not saying that there haven’t been instances of corruption. Democrats and Republicans in this body have been accused of, and convicted of, acts of corruption. It has been a fact of life in American politics for a long time. But never before has the corruption happened this openly or this frequently. And so I lay it all out for you this afternoon in the hopes that it is not too late for us to decide to stand up, as a body and as a nation, to say that this isn’t okay.”

He concluded: “The Trump meme coin is not okay. It’s not okay for people who have interest before the federal government to be able to anonymously funnel money to the president of the United States. It’s not okay for Elon Musk to have access to Department of Labor enforcement data, against him or his competitors, that nobody else gets access to. It’s not okay to just cancel contracts that were going to Musk’s competitors and substitute in his own business, just because he has the ability to do it as a friend of Donald Trump. The rule of law matters. Doing things by the rules matter. This level of corruption was not occurring behind the scenes prior. It is not just that the cover got pulled off of it all. And it’s our decision, as a body and as a country, to decide not to normalize this scale of corruption.”

A full transcript of his remarks can be found below:

MURPHY: “Mr. President, I’m a big Boston Red Sox fan. One of the most famous players in Red Sox recent history is Manny Ramirez. Manny Ramirez was a good baseball player, but he had a habit of doing some pretty ridiculous things on the field and off the field that were really detrimental to the team, some really bizarre on-field behavior – cutting off throws from other outfielders before they got to the infield – bizarre off-the-field behavior that disrupted the team. It became so regular that a phrase was adopted among the Red Sox fans: ‘That’s just Manny being Manny.’ Over the years it just was accepted that every year Manny Ramirez was going to do a whole bunch of stuff that was really detrimental to the team. And over time, it just kind of became accepted, that that was a fact of life, a way of life with Manny Ramirez. And as time went on, people reacted less hostilely. It barely got noticed in some cases when he was engaged in these detrimental forms of conduct.

“And I tell that story because it stands for kind of a universal concept: when bad behavior gets normalized, it no longer feels like bad behavior. Even if that behavior is hurting people. Today, the world is littered with corrupt governments, governments where the leaders and the really rich men who surround the leaders – the oligarchs – steal from people. That’s what they do, the leaders and the leaders’ friends just keep a hand constantly in the government treasury and they steal taxpayer dollars. They rig the rules of the economy in order to make themselves fabulously rich. They hurt the citizens of those countries.

“Vladimir Putin, for instance, has never had a job outside of government, but he’s reportedly worth $200 billion. One of his many houses cost $1.4 billion to build, supposedly the landscaping costs on an annual basis for that house are $2 million alone. That $1.4 billion house was paid for by money he stole from the Russian treasury. In other words, he stole it from the Russian people. Putin and his friends have been doing it for so long and doing it so openly and brazenly – Putin, for instance, wears a watch that retails for half a million dollars, even though his official salary is only $140,000. They’ve been doing this so openly and brazenly, they’re so public in their corruption in Russia, that it’s just accepted. It’s just mainstream, the fact that Putin and his cronies steal from the Russian people.

“That’s what’s happening in America today. And it’s heartbreaking for me to say this, but in the first six weeks of the Trump presidency, Trump and Elon Musk and their billionaire friends have engaged in a stunning rampage of open public corruption. It’s not fundamentally different than what happened in Russia. These are efforts to steal from the American people to enrich themselves. And their strategy is to do it all out in the open, to do it at such a dizzying pace that the country just gets overwhelmed or anesthetized or dulled into a sense that we just all have to accept the corruption – or, maybe more charitably, that this is just how government works, that government is just corrupt, and so the fact that it’s happening out in the open instead of happening secretly, well, it’s really nothing new.

“But this is not how government works. The things that have happened over the last six weeks are unprecedented. The president and his billionaire friends are not supposed to steal from us. They are not supposed to use their power and their access to power – their access to government levers – to rig the rules to enrich themselves. That has always been wrong. It is still wrong. And we do not have to accept this.

“And so in the next few minutes, I want to try out an exercise. I want to try to lay out for you as quickly as I can just some of the most significant instances of blatantly corrupt activity that’s happened in just the first six weeks of Trump’s presidency. When you see it all together, there is no way to avoid a simple conclusion. This White House is on its way to being the most corrupt in the history of the country. And just because they are doing it out in the open for everybody to see doesn’t mean that it’s not corrupt.

“My hope is that if you see it all in one place, the gravity of this moment may hit you. My hope is that my colleagues and the public choose not to normalize a president or his advisors using the Oval Office as a blunt mechanism to make themselves even wealthier. It is our decision – our decision – to have zero tolerance for corruption. It’s also our decision to just decide to become a place like Russia where our leaders are allowed to routinely steal from us.

“This is a heartbreakingly long list. This is just 20 or so examples of corrupt behavior in the first six weeks of the Trump presidency. So here it goes. We’re going to start on January 17.

“On January 17, Trump launches the meme coin. This is maybe the most corrupt of all of the acts, because what is the meme coin? The meme coin is essentially a mechanism by which Russian oligarchs or corporate CEO’s can literally send money privately directly to Donald Trump. Nobody knows who buys the meme coin, but Trump makes money when people buy it. And so it is just an open sewer valve that allows for anybody who is trying to influence the Trump administration to be able to secretly funnel money to Donald Trump. He reserves 80% of the coin. He waits to release that coin until the price jumps back up again, which essentially means he’s waiting for people who want favors from him to buy a bunch of the coin to inflate the value so that he releases more and makes more money. It’s a disgusting kind of corruption because this is essentially Trump just posting his Venmo for anybody secretly to wire him as much money as they want. We’ve never seen something like this before where anybody who has anything to gain from the Trump administration, through a manipulation of the value of Trump’s meme coin, can funnel money directly to the president, whisper in his ear, ‘That was me. That was me that purchased all that coin, that jumped up the value that allowed you to release new coin. Hey, take care of me on the back end.’

“On January 20, when he’s sworn in, he institutes his new energy agenda. Now, open reporting suggested that during the campaign he met with the oil and gas industry and they cut a deal in which the oil and gas industry would give him a billion dollars of campaign contributions in order to receive favorable treatment when Trump was sworn in. And guess what happens on January 20? Trump unveils his energy strategy, and what does it do? It preferences oil and gas and it punishes oil and gas’ competitors. It, for instance, freezes all permits on wind projects, both for the land and the sea. It undercuts permitting processes, not for oil and gas but for oil and gas’ competitors. Oil and gas got exactly what they asked for. They gave a campaign contribution and they got the favorable treatment. Five days later, Trump fires 17 inspectors general. What do inspectors general do? They look for corruption inside of these agencies. What do you do if you are trying to engage in corruption, if you are trying to steal from the American people? You fire the inspectors general.

“Two days later, on January 27, Trump fires Gwynne Wilcox from the NLRB, the National Labor Relations Board. When she’s fired, the National Labor Relations Board cannot function any longer? Why does this matter? Because the person that’s been put in charge of reviewing the hirings and firings of these agencies is Elon Musk, who, by the way, has lots of cases before the NLRB. So do the people that are standing behind Trump during the inauguration. Almost all of them have active cases before the NLRB. The billionaires supporting Donald Trump now don’t have to worry about the NLRB because on January 27, the NLRB is rendered powerless.

“Three days later, on January 30, Trump awards more than $800,000 worth of stock to several of the board members of the Trump Media and Technology Group. This is the publicly traded company behind his social media platform. So now his Cabinet members – people like Kash Patel and Linda Mcmahon – are owning equity in Trump’s media platform; equity that can be cashed out, sold to people who want to buy them out of their interest at any time. Those people who might want to buy them out, Cabinet members, could be individuals with issues before the Department of Education, before the FBI. Yet another avenue in which people who have influence, who want to gain influence inside the Trump administration, have a conduit to be able to move cash from their pocketbooks, from their treasury, from their bank accounts, into the bank accounts of Trump cabinet members.

“Shortly thereafter, we start to see the weaponization of the DOJ. On February 23, a civil complaint from DOJ that had been pending against SpaceX– Elon Musk’s signature company – is dropped. Eight days later, the DOJ drops a case against a Republican Congressman. On February 19, two or three weeks later, the DOJ opens up something called Operation Whirlwind, which threatens anyone who dares to criticize the work of Elon Musk and DOGE. Over the course of the next three weeks, the DOJ is turned into an entity that drops cases against those who are loyal to Donald Trump and pursues aggressively investigations against those who are trying to criticize Donald Trump.

“On February 1, Trump fires the director of the CFPB and announces plans to shut down – to shutter – the Consumer Financial Protection Board. Again, very much like the NLRB, this is an agency that was, at the moment that it was rendered powerless, investigating Elon Musk and many of the biggest financial backers of Donald Trump. So once again, those that have access to Donald Trump, the billionaires that are close to him, now don’t have to worry about labor violations being investigated by the NLRB, now they don’t have to worry about consumer protection actions being taken against them by the CFPB.

“On February 4, there is the first of two extraordinary meetings in the White House in which Donald Trump convenes his business partners – his business patterns – the Saudi Golf League and the PGA to try to negotiate a solution to the dispute between those two golf leagues. Why? Because Trump has a business interest in that dispute being resolved. The Saudi Golf League plays tournaments at Trump’s courses in the United States, so if the White House, using its official power, can try to negotiate a settlement between those two groups, Trump stands to make money.

“On February 6, something absolutely stunning happens. Pam Bondi, the AG, issues a memorandum in which she proposes to dull the criminal enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

If you are representing a foreign government before the United States, you have to register so that we know if you are acting on behalf of American interests or you are acting on behalf of foreign interests. In the prior Trump administration, Trump officials got in big trouble for secretly working for, and getting paid by, foreign governments without registering. Well, what does Trump announce? That they are going to limit the applicability of the enforcement of that statute, making it much easier for Trump’s friends – for his MAGA crowd, for the people who show up to Mar-a-Lago – to get paid quietly by foreign governments in order to influence Donald Trump.

“On February 10, maybe aside from the meme coin, the most stunning act of corruption: the Eric Adams quid pro quo, in which Eric Adams, indicted for corruption, is let off the hook. His charges are dismissed in exchange for the mayor’s pledge of political loyalty to Donald Trump. They literally went on TV and announced the deal that we’re getting rid of the charges against Eric Adams, as long as the mayor pledges political loyalty to the President. That was so corrupt that six or seven DOJ officials resigned, because they refused to withdraw those charges, but the deal went through because the seventh, or the eighth, or the ninth official finally filed the withdrawal.

“And now in America, it is 100% clear that if you want to get away with corruption, if you want to steal from your constituents and you’re an elected official in this country, all you have to do is just sign up for political loyalty with Donald Trump, and he will instruct the Department of Justice to let you get away with it.

“On February 10, Donald Trump directs the DOJ to pause enforcement of U.S. laws that prohibit companies from paying bribes overseas. Come on! Like, come on! He instructs the DOJ to pause enforcement of U.S. laws that prohibit companies to pay bribes overseas. Here’s an example: Goldman Sachs was engaged in outright bribery–they were paying bribes to Malaysian officials, so that they could get a contract to manage the resources of the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund.

“American companies should not be overseas bribing foreign governments. That compromises America’s reputation and America’s national security. But now, we are going to pause enforcement of the laws that stop American companies from bribing foreign governments, because corruption is now being normalized. This is what you do if you want to normalize corruption, is that you make it legal for American companies to engage in corruption overseas. That makes it easier for Trump to get away with corruption here.

“Two days later, on February 12, the announcement comes out that the State Department is going to buy $400 million of armored Teslas. Okay, so now it’s getting even more blatant. It’s getting even more brazen. The State Department is just going to buy a whole bunch of product from Elon Musk, product they were not previously scheduled to buy. It is true that the Biden administration had a blueprint that was going to buy some electric vehicles, but it was around $483,000-worth of vehicles. Trump revises that blueprint of spending so that now the federal government is going to spend $400 million on armored Teslas from Elon Musk.

“Let’s see: that’s February 12. That same day, Elon Musk’s people infiltrate the Department of Labor. And reporting suggests that during that infiltration, Elon Musk’s personal representatives get access to enforcement information at OSHA, not only against Elon Musk’s companies–and by the way, SpaceX has an employee injury rate that is nine times higher than the industry average–but also workplace safety violations against Elon Musk’s competitors. Here’s the message: if you are close to Donald Trump personally, if you support him politically, you can get secret access to enforcement data against your companies and your companies’ competitors. That’s what happens on February 12.

“Three days later, there’s some suspicious firings at the FDA. Again, related to Elon Musk’s personal financial interests. Elon Musk owns a medical device company called Neuralink. It is currently being reviewed by the FDA. And guess what? On February 15 and 16, all over a weekend, there are 20 people fired from the FDA’s Office of Neurological and Physical Medicine Devices. Fired by DOGE, run by Elon Musk. Clear message: you’re going to get fired if you aren’t on the right side of Elon Musk’s application. Now, whether that was explicit or not, if the guy who is firing you has a pending application before your department, aren’t you going to think twice? Aren’t you going to think twice about ruling against his interests? This is why this is all unprecedented. Again, this feels normal because it’s been happening every day. But never before in American history have we allowed someone who has a pending application for approval of a medicine or a medical device to be able to personally decide who gets hired and who gets fired at the regulatory agency making the decision over that medical device.

“But now, this stuff is happening every day. Because on February 15 as well, that same weekend, there’s an announcement that the FDA cuts are going to be even deeper, perhaps as big as 50%. That means that hundreds of drugs and devices won’t get approved at the FDA. And you know who benefits from that? The folks that are selling the snake oil products. And guess who’s selling the snake oil products? The people who work for Donald Trump, selling vita-gummy scams. The Director of the FBI is selling vaccine reversal pills. When the FDA gets gutted, it’s the people who sell those unregulated products who stand to gain.

“On February 19, four days later, we find out that the IRS is going to be cut by 7,000 people. And the biggest chunk of the folks who are going to be laid off are the people who do the audits of the billionaires, and the millionaires, and the corporations. And so once again, Elon Musk and the people standing behind Donald Trump on Inauguration Day are going to get off, because the IRS just had its enforcement powers–its audit powers–absolutely gutted.”

“That same day, on February 19, you start to receive word that advertising on Elon Musk’s platform is starting to grow again. And the reporting on February 19 indicates that American companies have come to the collective decision that they need to keep advertising on Elon Musk’s platform, because Elon Musk has so much regulatory power inside the federal government. That they need to make sure they’re paying Musk through Twitter and through X, so that if they ultimately need something from the federal government, they can get it. This, again, is why we have never, ever in the history of this country, allowed for the richest man in the world, somebody who controls major companies, to also have an official position inside the government. Because, of course, of course, it opens up these clear avenues where people are going to do business with him privately to try to curry favor with him publicly.

“I’m not done. It just keeps going. The next day, on February 20, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’s monthly meeting is canceled and not rescheduled. And so we were very worried that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who makes money off of his attacks on vaccines, would continue those attacks when he took over HHS. Because if faith in vaccines continues to plummet, it is very likely that RFK Jr. will make money. Why? Because the not-for-profit that he will likely return to, the company that he will return to after he leaves, makes money as vaccine misinformation spreads, and he also continues to collect fees for referring cases to a company that handles claims of personal injury due to vaccines. And so when the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is canceled, it is a clear indication that yes, this campaign of assault on vaccines is going to continue, which, not surprisingly, is likely to make RFK Jr. even more money.

“On February 26, we see Trump’s MAGA hats, that are for sale on his website, displayed in the Oval Office. And it’s just a reminder that so many people inside Trump’s universe continue to sell merchandise on the side in order to make money. Donald Trump has always done this, and we’ve just accepted it, even though it is a kind of corruption in and of itself. But Kash Patel, the Director of the FBI, is still selling Kash-branded merchandise even while he’s going to run the FBI. Elon Musk and others are selling DOGE merchandise. So as they trumpet their brand inside the government, they’re making money off their brand outside of the government.

“On February 26, maybe the third-most significant [instance] of brazen corruption happens. News breaks that Elon Musk is just going to have the FAA cancel a contract with Verizon that has been in the works for years, and instead just substitute in Starlink for Verizon. Just extraordinary that this is happening in plain view of everybody. Elon Musk takes his private company, uses his access to government to just shove out of the way his competitors, and instead insert himself and his company. Again, we’ve never seen this ever before in American history, and now it’s happening on a daily basis.

“And now we get to this week. This week, Wired reports that guests are paying millions of dollars to dine with Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago, and business leaders are being targeted with advertisements that sell access to a one-on-one meeting with the President of the United States for $5 million. Come on! Like, seriously! There’s advertisements that say if you’re a business CEO and you pay $5 million to Donald Trump, you can get a meeting with him. This isn’t okay! And yet, because it happens every single day, every single day they’re asking for us to pretend that this is normal. This is just six weeks. It’s just six weeks. And the last thing on the list is an offer to meet with the president for $1 million or $5 million. If any previous president had sent out an advertisement suggesting that you can meet with them for a payment to them of $1 million to $5 million, in and of itself we would deem that to be unacceptable. But Donald Trump and Elon Musk believe that because they have arranged this dizzying pace of corruption, in which not a day goes by in which something doesn’t happen inside our government in which Elon Musk or Donald Trump use their power in order to rig the rules to enrich themselves, that we are all going to feel that it’s normal.

“This is how democracies die. Democracies die when the very powerful people steal from us so regularly, so openly, so unapologetically, that we come to believe that it’s normal. And listen, I understand that many Americans may think that all of this stuff just used to happen quietly, and the only difference is that Trump and Musk are just putting it all out in the open. And I’m not saying that there haven’t been instances of corruption. Democrats and Republicans in this body have been accused of, and convicted of, acts of corruption. It has been a fact of life in American politics for a long time. But never before has the corruption happened this openly or this frequently. And so I lay it all out for you this afternoon in the hopes that it is not too late for us to decide to stand up, as a body and as a nation, to say that this isn’t okay.

“The Trump meme coin is not okay. It’s not okay for people who have interest before the federal government to be able to anonymously funnel money to the president of the United States. It’s not okay for Elon Musk to have access to Department of Labor enforcement data, against him or his competitors, that nobody else gets access to. It’s not okay to just cancel contracts that were going to Musk’s competitors and substitute in his own business, just because he has the ability to do it as a friend of Donald Trump. The rule of law matters. Doing things by the rules matter. This level of corruption was not occurring behind the scenes prior. It is not just that the cover got pulled off of it all. And it’s our decision, as a body and as a country, to decide not to normalize this scale of corruption. I yield the floor.”
MIL OSI USA News –
March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: FDA Roundup: March 7, 2025

Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

For Immediate Release:
March 07, 2025

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing an at-a-glance summary of news from around the agency:

On Wednesday, the FDA approved Encelto (revakinagene taroretcel-lwey), an allogeneic encapsulated cell-based gene therapy for the treatment of adults with idiopathic macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel). MacTel is a rare progressive disease of the macula (portion of the eye that process sharp central vision), leading to degeneration of the photoreceptors which are specialized light-detecting cells in the back of the eye.Encelto is administered into the patient’s eye during a single surgical procedure performed by a qualified ophthalmologist. Encelto works by expressing recombinant human ciliary neurotrophic factor, which is a factor that may promote the survival and maintenance of the macular photoreceptors.
On Wednesday, the FDA expanded the indication for neffy (epinephrine nasal spray) to include children four years of age and older who weigh 15 to less than 30 kg. Neffy was approved in 2024 for the emergency treatment of type 1 allergic reactions, including those that are life-threatening (anaphylaxis), in adults and pediatric patients who weigh at least 30 kg (66 pounds). Neffy is the first FDA-approved nasal spray to treat anaphylaxis and the first epinephrine product for the treatment of anaphylaxis that is not administered by injection. Treatment for children four years of age and older who weigh 15 to less than 30 kg consists of a 1 mg dose of epinephrine per spray in a single-dose nasal spray. The most common adverse effects for this pediatric population include nasal discomfort, upper respiratory tract congestion, dry throat, nasal dryness and tingling. Read the updated prescribing information to learn more.

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MIL OSI USA News –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Debunking pre-bunking – E-000875/2025
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000875/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Christine Anderson (ESN), Marieke Ehlers (PfE)

In ‘Europe’s Choice: Political Guidelines for the next European Commission (2024-2029)’, Ms Von der Leyen proposes creating ‘societal resilience and preparedness, through increased digital and media literacy and boosting prevention through pre-bunking’[1].

1.Can the Commission clarify the definition of ‘pre-bunking’ and what it would entail in practice?

2.What is the legal basis for ‘debunking’ disinformation, and what is the legal basis for undertaking actions that are aimed at ‘pre-bunking’ so-called disinformation?

3.Is the Commission seriously comparing alleged disinformation to a ‘mind virus’ that is ‘infectious’ and requires ‘vaccination’[2]?

Submitted: 27.2.2025

[1] https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/e6cd4328-673c-4e7a-8683-f63ffb2cf648_en?filename=Political%20Guidelines%202024-2029_EN.pdf, p.23.

[2] Speech delivered at the 2024 Copenhagen Democracy Summit, https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/05/14/von-der-leyen-pitches-plan-to-shield-eu-from-foreign-interference-if-re-elected and https://x.com/Glenn_Diesen/status/1796036374337843526/video/1.
Last updated: 7 March 2025
MIL OSI Europe News –
March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Why increasing rates of tuberculosis in the UK and US should concern everyone

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tom Wingfield, Deputy Director of the Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Reader in Tuberculosis and Social Medicine, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK; and Honorary Research Associate at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and, University of Liverpool

pardi hutabarat/Shutterstock

With one of the largest tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks in US history, Kansas has more to worry about than its recent Super Bowl defeat. During the past year, 67 people with TB have been detected. This comes on the back of increasing rates of TB in the US year on year since the start of the COVID pandemic.

Rather than a relic of the Victorian era, TB is the world’s most enduring pandemic, killing more people each year than any other single infection. While more common in low-income countries, TB continues to be found in more deprived communities, cities, prisons, homeless populations, and in black, Asian and Indigenous people, including in wealthy countries such as the US and UK.

TB outbreaks in wealthy countries act as a canary in a coalmine, reflecting cracks in national public health systems. More broadly, TB outbreaks in any setting have deeper implications for the struggle to end TB globally.

TB is an airborne infection that doesn’t respect borders. With increasing mass movement, including due to climate change and war, the maxim “TB anywhere is TB everywhere” is more resonant today than ever.

In the UK, TB rates consistently declined between 2011 and 2020. But, like the US, this decline reversed since COVID emerged in early 2020.

In 2023, there was a 13% increase in the number of people who became unwell with TB in England, compared with 2022.

At 9.5 people with TB per 100,000 people per year, England is in jeopardy of losing its “low TB incidence” status (less than ten people with TB per 100,000 people per year).

Rates of TB in England have a stark social gradient, with the poorest 10% of people having five times higher rates of TB than the richest 10%.

In the UK, there is a cost of living crisis. Many people, especially the poorest, are struggling to put food on the table. TB is a social disease of poverty that thrives where there is overcrowding, undernutrition and poor working and living conditions.

But the increase in TB in the UK cannot be put down to greater risk of disease alone. The response of the health and social care system to prevent and cure TB is crucial.

The BCG vaccine, currently the only TB vaccine, is not nearly as effective as we would like at preventing disease. There is hope on the horizon with several vaccines under development, but their effect may be impeded by vaccine hesitancy driven by misinformation.

BCG is still the only TB vaccine, but it’s not highly effective.
TuktaBaby/Shutterstock

Other barriers to address include lack of TB awareness, continuing TB-related stigma, understaffing of vital TB community nursing teams, and a breach between health and social care sectors to support those vulnerable to TB.

For countries with lower incidence of TB across Europe and North America, many TB policies are targeted at identifying and treating TB in groups who are most at risk of being exposed to the disease, including people moving from regions of the world where TB is more common.

Patterns of migration to the UK changed significantly following Brexit. A need to expand the workforce, particularly in health and social care, has led to active recruitment and movement of people from higher TB burden countries. This is relevant because, in England, four in five people with TB were born outside the UK, and rates among this group increased by 15% between 2022 and 2023.

Screening migrant populations as part of their visa application process pre-entry is effective at identifying people with infectious TB. But prevention is better than cure, and there remains a gap in screening for TB infection or TB disease without symptoms.

Providing well-tolerated, preventive TB treatment can reduce the risk of developing active TB disease by 85% in the future. Yet the screening programme in the UK is under-resourced, with just 11.5% of eligible migrants screened for TB infection in 2023.

We should not overlook the fact that rates of TB also increased, although to a lesser extent (3.9%), among people born in the UK – the first time this has happened for many years.

Among both UK-born and non-UK-born populations, often overlapping social risk factors such as homelessness, asylum seeker status, drug or alcohol misuse, incarceration and mental health disorders continue to drive TB. These factors, which jumped by 27% between 2022 and 2023, not only increase the likelihood of TB disease but are associated with much lower rates of cure.

Early diagnosis and treatment of TB are crucial to prevent long-term health issues or even death. The sooner someone starts effective treatment, the sooner they stop being infectious, helping to reduce the spread of TB. Improving access to diagnosis and care will lower TB transmission.

Unacceptable delays in treatment

Nearly a third of people with TB in the UK experience a delay of four months between the onset of their symptoms (commonly cough, fever, night sweats and weight loss) and taking their first anti-TB medicine. This unacceptable delay is similar to (or even longer than) the treatment delays we have documented in low- and middle-income countries with much higher TB burdens, including Peru, Nepal and Mozambique.

In the UK, most people are entitled to free NHS care, and TB care and prevention is free to all. However, the NHS is overwhelmed and policies relating to healthcare recovery costs of visitors and migrants can prevent people with TB, wherever they are from, from getting timely care. This situation poses a public health threat to us all.

Effective TB prevention and care is possible. While current tools are imperfect, albeit with recent progress in diagnostics and treatment, researchers around the world are further advancing science and innovation in the fight against TB. This includes the promise of nutritional supplementation, financial and social support, and a new TB vaccine. Providing timely support to everyone with TB remains fundamental to our response to this illness of poverty.

To end TB, whether in the US, UK, or globally, we would do well to remember and apply the old medical adage: treat the person, not the disease.

Tom Wingfield is supported by grants from: the Wellcome Trust, UK (209075/Z/17/Z); the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Wellcome, UK (Joint Global Health Trials, MR/V004832/1); the Medical Research Council (Public Health Intervention Development Award “PHIND”, APP2293); the Medical Research Foundation (Dorothy Temple Cross International Collaboration Research Grant, MRF-131–0006-RG-KHOS-C0942); and UNITAID (2022-50-START-4-ALL). Tom is an honorary research associate at the Department of Global Public Health, Karolinksa Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and is also an ad hoc consultant for the World Health Organization and the Stop TB Partnership.

Jessica Potter has previously received research funding from Medical Research Council UK. She chairs a grassroots network called UK Academics and Professionals to end TB and is an advisory member of the Innovations Constituency of the Stop TB Partnership.

Kerry Millington receives funding from UK aid from the UK government for the research programme that she works on. Views expressed are those of her own and do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies.

– ref. Why increasing rates of tuberculosis in the UK and US should concern everyone – https://theconversation.com/why-increasing-rates-of-tuberculosis-in-the-uk-and-us-should-concern-everyone-249202

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: For narcissistic people, the gap between perception and reality may go far deeper than we thought

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ava Green, Lecturer in Forensic Psychology, City St George’s, University of London

Cristina Conti/Shutterstock

Despite exuding confidence, narcissistic people relentlessly crave admiration. In other words, they are unable to convince themselves of their own brilliance.

Growing research shows the gap between perception and reality for narcissistic people goes far deeper than their inflated views about their appearance, accomplishments and abilities.

Narcissism is a personality trait that exists along a spectrum, where the lower end reflects a healthy balance of self-esteem and confidence. At the extreme end of the spectrum, however, narcissism is considered a personality disorder which affects 1-2% of the population. Most of us manifest narcissistic traits to varying degrees, but the more elevated the features are, the wider the gap between perception and reality.

Narcissistic people with elevated features frequently belittle anyone who fails to provide them with the special treatment they feel entitled to. Ironically, they continuously undermine the false self they are trying to build and maintain.

They can also be quick to respond with anger and aggression to criticism, in an attempt to protect their grandiose yet fragile sense of self. A 2021 UK study found they experience more paranoia, even when there is no evidence of people meaning to harm them, compared with people with lower levels of narcissism.

Similarly, recent research by US psychologists found that narcissistic people experienced heightened fear of being left out, and accused others of deliberately ostracising them when there was no evidence to support their belief.

The study found that participants high in narcissistic traits were more likely to interpret ambiguous social cues as rejection (for instance, a delayed text message). This suggests their perceptions of social behaviour may be distorted.

Narcissism and ostracism fuel one another

Narcissism can be expressed in “vulnerable” features (socially-inhibited and neurotic) as well as “grandiose” features (dominant and extroverted). People with more grandiose features are overtly assertive and self-promoting. People with more vulnerable features tend to be outwardly distressed, hypersensitive and inhibited.

Although these are separate forms of narcissism, they share a core of entitlement and an antagonistic character style. And just like we all exhibit varying degrees of narcissistic traits, we also fluctuate between these two expressions of narcissism.

The US researchers chose to focus on grandiose narcissism only. The study differentiated between two facets of grandiose narcissism: narcissistic admiration (the ability to charm and manipulate people) and narcissistic rivalry, which includes devaluing and acting aggressively towards others.

Narcissism can be grandiose or covert.
Nicoleta Ionescu/Shutterstock

The research team analysed data for more than 77,000 participants from a series of seven studies by other scientists spanning 2009-2022. The first two studies investigated the relationship between narcissism and ostracism using surveys and experience sampling (a method used to investigate participants’ cognition and behaviour outside the lab – for example, using participants’ smartphones to track their behaviour).

The first study found people who reported higher narcissism levels said they experienced significantly more ostracism, compared with other participants. This was backed up by the second study, in which participants completed the narcissism assessments then reported feelings of ostracism within a 14-day period, using a mobile app.

The remaining experiments examined how people with higher levels of narcissism perceive ambiguous social interactions, and how others respond to narcissistic traits. After a group task, people with higher traits in narcissistic rivalry were more likely ostracised, even when other participants weren’t told the target had elevated levels of narcissism.

This supports the findings of a 2017 meta-study showing that people high in narcissistic rivalry may provoke direct conflict through their behaviour, and perceive others more negatively.

The US researchers concluded that, while narcissistic features can fuel social exclusion, ostracism itself can, over time, contribute to pronounced narcissistic traits. It appears that ostracism can make people already high in narcissism even higher in these traits.

Other research has similarly shown disparity between the narcissistic self and reality, and the role paranoia plays in this relationship. For instance, a 2015 study found that elevated levels of narcissism are associated with belief in conspiracy theories. This association was driven by paranoid thought.

These findings are concerning given the harmful consequences of conspiracy theories for society. They can fuel violence, climate denial and vaccine hesitancy.

Narcissistic personality features also tend to be higher among political leaders than the general population. Conspiracy theories may be appealing to politicians – particularly during times that challenge their entitled need for superiority and power.

The ideal self and the actual self

The US study’s findings carry practical implications for interventions aimed at people with high levels of narcissism. The researchers said interventions should not only try to improve relationships by identifying personality risk factors (in this instance, the rivalry component of narcissism), but also consider the perceptions of the person involved.

Narcissistic personality disorder comes with a higher risk of suicide and mental health difficulties, and treatment rarely makes much difference. This is partly because of patients’ resistance to abandoning the “ideal self”, leading to frustration, anger and conflict with their therapist.

But some interventions could target the cognitive distortions of narcissistic people that hamper their ability to function in society. For example, psychological therapies could aim to help them process the defensive mechanisms (overvaluing themselves) that mask underlying feelings of vulnerability.

Helping narcissistic people develop greater insights into their habitual reactions – such as responding aggressively to self-esteem threats and feelings of social exclusion – could help them foster skills that reshape their cognitive distortions. This could ameliorate distress, anger and hostility for narcissistic people – and the people around them.

Ava Green does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. For narcissistic people, the gap between perception and reality may go far deeper than we thought – https://theconversation.com/for-narcissistic-people-the-gap-between-perception-and-reality-may-go-far-deeper-than-we-thought-250434

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI NGOs: The women leaders in Cameroon fighting for maternal health story Mar 07, 2025

Source: Doctors Without Borders –

Since 2023, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been working with influential local women in Cameroon’s Far North region, where insecurity and local practices can severely affect access to critical health care. As key intermediaries, women known as matrons and mother leaders are fighting against malnutrition and infant mortality, saving lives amid an alarming humanitarian crisis.

“Many women give birth at home because of fear—fear of insecurity,” said Yeza Aoudi, a matron in the region. “Displaced people are terrified when they encounter armed men. If a woman goes into labor at night, she would rather deliver at home than risk going to the hospital.”

As one of nine matrons trained and supported by MSF, Yeza helps raise awareness about maternal health, vaccination follow-up, and guiding women toward the medical care they need.

In 2023, just 49 percent of deliveries occurred in hospitals across Cameroon, while the Far North region saw 18,720 home births. Maternal and neonatal deaths remain shockingly high in both settings, with 595 deaths in communities, nearly equal to the 631 deaths that occurred in hospitals.

Postnatal consultation in the sexual and reproductive health department of Kourgui Integrated Health Center. | Cameroon 2025 © Vanessa Fodjo/MSF

A community approach to improving access to health care

In the Mora health district, where MSF is present, maternal and child mortality persists due to limited access to health care, economic instability, and the consequences of a long-lasting regional conflict.

In response, MSF has launched an innovative community outreach strategy in which matrons and mother leaders living in the community are key intermediaries in breaking down barriers between community members and medical services, ensuring people can access health care.

“In the past, matrons were elderly women who delivered babies at home,” said Danielle Zouyane, a midwife supervisor. “Today, their role has evolved. They no longer run home births but identify pregnant women who need care and refer them to the health centers.”

Cameroon 2025 © Vanessa Fodjo/MSF

“We matrons know how to detect the first signs of pregnancy. We go to [the pregnant women] to ask what’s wrong and encourage them to go to hospital. We tell them about the benefits of prenatal care for the baby.”

Yeza, matron

Mother leaders, meanwhile, play a key role in raising awareness about eating habits and encouraging pregnant and breastfeeding women to visit health centers. They also organize cooking demonstrations using local, affordable foods to fight malnutrition, a dangerous health issue in the region.

“Every week, we visit different neighborhoods to raise awareness,” said Neche Maïzena, a mother leader. “The main challenge for families with ill children is the distance between them and health centers. But thanks to our efforts, more women are seeking consultations.”

In 2024, mother leaders and matrons reached close to 36,500 people and referred more than 1,100 patients for various conditions, including prenatal and postnatal care, assisted deliveries, vaccinations, malnutrition, and sexual violence. Of those, 1,025 (91 percent) arrived at the Kourgui Integrated Health Center, a 40 percent increase from 2023.

A cooking demonstration organized by mother leaders at Kourgui Integrated Health Center on how to make enriched porridge to tackle malnutrition. | Cameroon 2025 © Vanessa Fodjo/MSF

The measurable impact on communities

The capacity-building efforts for matrons and mother leaders have led to tangible improvements. Since the matron referral strategy was introduced in 2023, the rate of women attending prenatal consultations in the first trimester increased to almost 10 percent, up from just over 6.5 percent the previous year. Although the figures are still low, this marks a significant leap in improving access to care.

“Women often hide their pregnancies in the first few months, but with the help of the matrons, we can detect early signs and encourage them to go to the hospital,” said Yeza Aoudi, a matron. “We explain the benefits of prenatal care for their baby.”

In 2024, MSF provided about 14,500 sexual and reproductive health consultations at the Kourgui Integrated Health Center, and 1,380 deliveries.

Attendees at a cooking demonstration for mothers. | Cameroon 2025 © Vanessa Fodjo/MSF

A humanitarian crisis with growing needs

The ongoing crisis in the Lake Chad basin has worsened humanitarian conditions in the Far North, making access to health care even more critical for both people who are displaced and host communities. Since 2015, MSF has been delivering essential medical and humanitarian aid, including emergency surgery, treatment for malaria and diarrhea, and nutrition and reproductive health services.

Despite significant progress, the challenges remain immense. However, the dedication of local women proves that lasting solutions are possible—even in the most challenging environments.

We speak out. Get updates.

MIL OSI NGO –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: NIH funding cuts will hit red states, rural areas and underserved communities the hardest

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Prakash Nagarkatti, Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Carolina

Protesters on the University of Illinois Chicago campus raise concerns over funding cuts for medical research on Feb. 19, 2025. Scott Olson via Getty Images

The National Institutes of Health is the largest federal funder of medical research in the U.S. NIH funds drive research and innovation, leading to better understanding and treatment of diseases and improved health outcomes.

The NIH provided more than US$35 billion in grants to over 2,500 universities and other institutions in 2023 to support biomedical research. Thus, it came as a shock to these institutions when the NIH, based on a new Trump administration policy, announced on Feb. 7, 2025, that it intends to cut the funding used to support the grantee institutions by $5.5 billion annually.

On March 5, a U.S. district judge in Boston issued a nationwide injunction blocking the administration from implementing the proposed cuts to NIH funding, arguing that the planned cuts were unlawful. However, the White House will almost certainly appeal.

We are a husband-and-wife team of immunologists who have been funded by the NIH for several decades. We believe our research has led to a better understanding of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. In addition, one of us (Prakash Nagarkatti) served as vice president for research at the University of South Carolina for over a decade, managing all NIH grants awarded to the university.

While we believe such cuts will be detrimental to the entire country, they will disproportionately hurt states that traditionally have received very low levels of NIH funding, the majority of which are red states that supported Trump’s election to a second term. This is because such states lack resources to develop advanced research infrastructure necessary to compete nationally for NIH funding.

Several Republican senators have vocally opposed the funding cuts, including Susan Collins of Maine, who said they “would be devastating, stopping vital biomedical research and leading to the loss of jobs.”

Support for cancer, Alzheimer’s research

NIH funding is crucial for advancing biomedical research, improving public health and fostering innovation. It has a broad impact on different facets of society.

The agency funds biomedical research leading to the development of vaccines or new drugs to prevent and treat infectious diseases and clinical disorders. The NIH played a crucial role in funding research on pandemics and global health crises caused by HIV/AIDS and COVID-19.

In addition, the NIH supports advanced research in focused areas such as cancer, through the establishment of designated centers that offer cancer prevention, diagnosis, clinical trials and advanced treatment. Each year, approximately 400,000 patients receive cancer diagnoses and treatment at such centers.

Similarly, the NIH supports research in other focused areas, such as Alzheimer’s disease, through the establishment of specialized research centers.

The NIH also supports Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer opportunities. These programs stimulate technological innovation by funding small businesses to commercialize new research ideas.

Moreover, the agency provides funding to train the next generation of biomedical scientists, clinicians and public health professionals. Thus, the NIH awards create jobs at universities, biotechnology companies and related industries. Together, such NIH programs promote local and national economies.

In 2024, NIH funding generated an estimated US$92 billion in economic activity. Every $100 million in NIH funding generates 76 patents, which creates $598 million in further research and development, as reported by NIH.

Therefore, any cuts to the agency’s budget will have far-reaching and significant consequences on health outcomes and the economy.

How the NIH funding process works – and how the cuts will affect research.

Caps on indirect costs

When the NIH awards grants, it is divided into two separate categories: the direct costs, which include expenses that are necessary to pursue the proposed work and that are provided to the scientists, and the indirect costs. These cover expenses such as maintenance of lab space, utilities, grant management, federal regulatory compliance, security and other miscellaneous needs. These funds are provided directly to the institution.

Indirect costs are negotiated between the institution and the federal agency and expressed as a percentage of the direct costs. Because each institution has unique operational expenses, the indirect cost rates vary from 30% to 70%.

The new policy rolled out by the NIH capped the indirect costs for all institutions at a fixed rate of 15%. In 2023, NIH spent $35 billion to support research at various institutions, of which $9 billion was used to cover indirect costs. Thus, NIH estimates it could save $4 billion by capping indirect costs at 15%.

Inside an NIH lab in Bethesda, Md., where researchers work on treatments and cures for disease, including cancer.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

How red states get hurt the most

There is a significant geographic disparity in NIH funding that most people are unaware of. There are 27 states in the U.S. that receive 94% of NIH funding, while the other 23 states receive only 6%. Moreover, the NIH funding received by the 23 states has remained relatively unchanged for the past 20 years.

There are many reasons why the latter states are less competitive. These include: lack of large medical centers, hospitals and research-intensive universities; thin and more rural populations; less robust economies; and lack of cutting-edge research infrastructure driven by less investment by the states in research and development.

It is for these reasons that Congress in 1993 authorized the NIH to start a new program called the Institutional Development Award, or IDeA, to support the 23 states plus Puerto Rico that have traditionally received low levels of NIH funding. Such states are commonly called IDeA states and contain predominantly rural and medically underserved communities.

These awards, which constitute less than 1% of the total NIH budget, are expected to help these states grow their research infrastructure and make them more competitive nationally.

The IDeA states are: Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming, plus Puerto Rico. All the states but Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont voted for Trump in the 2024 election.

Indirect costs pay for cutting-edge technologies

Indirect costs, in addition to supporting the management of specific grants, are also helpful in promoting the institutions’ research infrastructure.

The indirect costs help purchase and upgrade state-of-the-art research equipment and technologies. They help institutions develop high-performance computing facilities that are critical for research missions and provide access to journals and books through the library facilities. These costs also renovate old labs and help create new cutting-edge facilities such as germ-free facilities for microbiome research.

Thus, the indirect costs are critical for IDeA states that have limited resources such as state support for pursuing research.

According to the Higher Education Research and Development Survey, in 2023, non-IDeA states like California invested $548 million and New York over $303 million in R&D. In contrast, IDeA states Kentucky and West Virginia invested $49 million and $15 million, respectively, in R&D.

Such data clearly demonstrates how challenging it would be for IDeA states to face cuts in NIH funding and advance research infrastructure.

In our view, it is critical that all states have access to NIH research funding to enable the states to solve the unique challenges they face, such as environmental issues and population health disparities.

For example, biomedical scientists and clinicians trained by NIH grants are addressing locally relevant issues such as coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, commonly known as black lung disease, which occurs when coal dust is inhaled. This is an occupational hazard linked to the coal industry in West Virginia and Kentucky.

Similarly, Hawaii, with its tropical climate, has mosquitoes that can carry dengue virus, so dengue infection can pose a unique health and economic problem for this state when compared with the others in the U.S.

Training the biomedical workforce and physicians in IDeA states also helps with retaining health providers in the state to further address these local challenges and prevents brain-drain to other non-IDeA states.

IDeA states heavily rely on NIH funds to pursue and advance their research capabilities and address local and general health challenges. For such states, already struggling to receive NIH funding, reducing indirect costs would further exacerbate their disadvantages, increasing the risk of falling behind in medical research, patient care and regional economic growth.

Prakash Nagarkatti receives funding from NIH.

Mitzi Nagarkatti receives funding from NIH.

– ref. NIH funding cuts will hit red states, rural areas and underserved communities the hardest – https://theconversation.com/nih-funding-cuts-will-hit-red-states-rural-areas-and-underserved-communities-the-hardest-250592

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Exhausted by the news? Here are 6 strategies to stay informed without getting overwhelmed − or misled by misinformation
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Seth Ashley, Professor of Communication and Media, Boise State University

Not all news sources are created equal. Noah Berger/AP Images

Political spin is nothing new, and identifying reliable news and information can be hard to do during any presidency. But the return of Donald Trump to the White House has reignited debates over truth, accountability and the role of media in a deeply divided America.

Misinformation is an umbrella term that covers all kinds of false and misleading content, and there is lots of it out there.

During Trump’s chaotic first presidency, the president himself promoted false claims about COVID-19, climate change and the 2020 election.

Now, in his second term, Trump is again using the bully pulpit of the presidency to spread false claims – for example, on Ukraine and Canada as well as immigration, inflation and, still, the 2020 election.

Meanwhile, social media platforms such as Meta have ended fact-checking programs created after Trump’s first election win, and presidential adviser Elon Musk continues to use social media platform X to amplify Trump’s false claims and his own conspiracy theories.

To stay informed while also arming yourself against misinformation, it’s crucial to practice what I call good “news hygiene” by developing strong news literacy skills.

News literacy, as I argue in my open-access 2020 book “News Literacy and Democracy” and in recent research with colleagues, is about more than fact-checking and detecting AI-generated fakes. It’s about understanding how modern media works and how content is influenced, from TikTok “newsfluencers” to FOX News to The New York Times.

Here are six ways to become a smarter, saner news consumer.

1. Recognize the influence of algorithms

Algorithms are the hidden computer formulas that mediate everything news consumers read, watch, click on and react to online. Despite the illusion of neutrality, algorithms shape people’s perceptions of reality and are designed to maximize engagement.

Algorithmic recommendation engines that power everything from X to YouTube can even contribute to a slow-burn destabilization of American society by shoving consumers into partisan echo chambers that increase polarization and erode social trust.

Sometimes, algorithms can feed falsehoods that warp people’s perceptions or tell them to engage in dangerous behavior. Facebook groups spreading “Stop the Steal” messages contributed to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. TikTok algorithms had people drinking laundry detergent in the “borax challenge.” Dylann Roof killed nine Black people based on falsehoods from hate groups he found in search results.

Rather than passively consuming whatever appears in your feeds – allowing brain rot to set in – actively seek out a variety of sources to inform you about current events. The news shouldn’t just tell you what you want to hear.

And spread the word. People who simply understand that algorithms filter information are more likely to take steps to combat misinformation.

2. Understand the economics of corporate news

Media outlets operate within economic systems that shape their priorities.

For-profit newsrooms, which produce the bulk of news consumed in the U.S., rely heavily on advertising revenue, which can reduce the quality of news and create a commercial bias. Places such as ABC, CNN and FOX, as well as local network TV affiliates, can still do good work, but their business model helps to explain sensational horse-race election coverage and false-balance reporting that leaves room for doubt on established facts about climate change and vaccines.

At the same time, the economic outlook for news is not good. Declining revenues and staff cuts also reduce the quality of news.

Nonprofit newsrooms and public media provide alternatives that generally prioritize public interest over profit. And if you have the budget, paying for quality journalism with a subscription can help credible outlets survive.

Traditional journalism has never been perfect, but the collapse of the news business is unquestionably bad for democracy. Countries with better funding for public media tend to have stronger democracies, and compared with other rich nations, the U.S. spends almost nothing on public service broadcasting.

3. Focus on source evaluation and verification

Particularly with AI-generated content on the rise, source evaluation and verification are essential skills. Here are some ways to identify trustworthy journalism:
- Quality of evidence: Are claims verified with support from a variety of informed individuals and perspectives?
- Transparency about sources: Is the reporter clear about where their information came from and who shared it?
- Adherence to ethical guidelines: Does the outlet follow the basic journalistic principles of accuracy and independence?
- Corrections: Does the outlet correct its errors and follow up on incomplete reporting?
Be cautious with content that lacks the author’s name, relies heavily on anonymous sources – or uses no sources at all – or is published by outlets with a clear ideological agenda. These aren’t immediate disqualifiers – some credible news magazines such as The Economist have no bylines, for example, and some sources legitimately need anonymity for protection – but watch out for news operations that routinely engage in these practices and obscure their motive for doing so.

A good online verification practice is called “lateral reading.” That’s when you open new browser tabs to verify claims you see on news sites and social media. Ask: Is anyone else covering this, and have they reached similar conclusions?

4. Examine your emotional reactions

One of the hallmarks of misinformation is its ability to provoke strong emotional responses, whether outrage, fear or validation.

These reactions, research shows, can cloud judgment and make people more susceptible to false or misleading information. The primitive brains of humans are wired to reject information that challenges our beliefs and to accept information we like, a phenomenon known as confirmation bias.

When encountering content that sparks an emotional reaction, ask yourself: Who benefits from this narrative? What evidence supports it? Is this information informative or manipulative?

If the answers make you suspicious, investigate further before acting or sharing.

5. Guard against propaganda

Everyone in politics works to shape narratives in order to gain support for their agenda. It’s called spin.

But Trump goes further, spreading documented lies to pump up his followers and undermine the legitimacy of basic democratic institutions.

He also targets media he doesn’t like. From discrediting critical outlets as “fake news” or calling journalists the “enemy of the people,” these tactics silence dissent, undermine public trust in journalism and alter perceptions around acceptable public discourse and behavior.

Meanwhile, he amplifies information and people who support his political causes. This is called propaganda.

Understanding the mechanics of propaganda – its use of repetition, emotional appeal, scapegoating, scare tactics and unrealistic promises – can help inoculate people against its influence.

6. Stay engaged

Democracy relies on an informed and active citizenry to hold accountable their government and the officials who work in it as well as other powerful players in society. Yet the sheer volume of misinformation and bad news these days can feel overwhelming.

Rather than tuning out – what scholars call “news avoidance” – you can practice critical consumption of news.

Read deeply, look beyond headlines and short video clips, question the framing of stories, and encourage discussions about the role of media in society. Share reliable information with your friends and colleagues, and model good news hygiene for others.

Correcting misinformation is notoriously hard, so if someone you know shares it, start a dialogue by asking – privately and gently – where they heard it and whether they think it’s really true.

Finally, set goals for your consumption. What are your information needs at any given moment, and where can you meet that need? Some experts say 30 minutes a day is enough. Don’t waste your time on garbage.

Touch grass

While it’s important to stay engaged, so is getting outside and connecting with nature to calm and soothe your busy brain. Logging off and connecting with people in real life will keep your support system strong for when things are tough. Protect your mental health by turning off notifications and taking breaks from your phone.

Practicing good news hygiene isn’t just about protecting ourselves – it’s about fostering a media environment that supports democracy and informed participation.

Seth Ashley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Exhausted by the news? Here are 6 strategies to stay informed without getting overwhelmed − or misled by misinformation – https://theconversation.com/exhausted-by-the-news-here-are-6-strategies-to-stay-informed-without-getting-overwhelmed-or-misled-by-misinformation-248807
MIL OSI – Global Reports –
March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah inaugurates the Sri Vishweshathirtha Memorial Hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka

Source: Government of India

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah inaugurates the Sri Vishweshathirtha Memorial Hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka

Sri Vishweshathirtha Memorial Hospital will serve as a modern center for free treatment for the poor and marginalized, providing services to people for many years to come

The Pejawar Mutt has earned a respected place across the country by promoting national unity, preventing forced conversions, supporting the Ram Mandir movement, and serving Sanatan Dharma

Sri Vishweshathirtha Swamiji, who took sanyas at the age of 8, dedicated his life to society, religion, and community

Swamiji combined religious teachings with modern education and dedicated his entire life to education, service, healthcare, and the promotion of the Vedas

Sri Vishweshathirtha Swamiji made a significant contribution in preventing the division of Hindu society into castes in South India

Sri Krishna Seva Ashram Trust, established by the revered Sri Vishweshathirtha Swamiji, has always worked for the service of the poor and marginalized people in society

Posted On: 07 MAR 2025 4:38PM by PIB Delhi

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah inaugurated the Sri Vishweshathirtha Memorial Hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka today.

In his address, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that today, the 150-bed Multi-Speciality Sri Vishweshathirtha Memorial Hospital has been inaugurated in Bengaluru, Karnataka, on a 2-acre land at a cost of ₹60 crore. He mentioned that this modern center for free treatment for the poor and underprivileged sections of society will serve people for many years to come. He said that 60 per cent of the beds in this hospital have been reserved for the poor, and the center is equipped with several state-of-the-art services. Shri Shah mentioned that the Sri Krishna Seva Ashram Trust has always worked for the service of the poor and marginalized sections of society. He noted that this trust was founded by the revered Sri Vishweshathirtha Swamiji, and today his successor, Sri Vishwprasannteerth Swamiji, is carrying forward this tradition. He added that the Sri Krishna Medical Center, Sri Krishna Netralaya, Dental Center, and Sri Vishwprasannteerth Memorial Clinic have been established. He emphasized that there cannot be a better treatment center for the poor in Bengaluru than this one.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Minister said that the Pejawar Mutt is not only a prominent mutt in Karnataka and South India but also in all of India, serving as a beacon of light. He mentioned that under the leadership of Sri Sri Vishweshathirtha, the Pejawar Mutt has earned a respected place across the country for its long-standing efforts in promoting national unity, preventing forced conversions, supporting the Ram Mandir movement, and serving Hindutva and Sanatan Dharma throughout South India and the nation. Shri Shah added that the Pejawar Mutt, located in Udupi, is one of the eight Mutts and has played a significant role in guiding many people on the path of devotion to Lord Krishna, following the teachings of Sri Madhvacharya.

Shri Amit Shah said that finding a saint like Sri Vishweshathirtha Swami is extremely rare in today’s times. He mentioned that Swamiji lived his life for society, religion, and community, taking sanyas at the age of 8 and dedicating his eight decades of life to spirituality. He added that Swamiji was always at the forefront not only in serving Hinduism but also in serving society and the nation. Shri Shah further stated that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi conferred the Padma Vibhushan on Swamiji in 2020.

Union Home Minister said that Swamiji has always worked for national unity. He mentioned that Swamiji played a significant role in preventing the division of Hindu society into castes in South India. He added that Swamiji dedicated his entire life to education, service, healthcare, and the propagation of the Vedas. Shri Shah also said that Swamiji worked to combine religious teachings with modern education. He mentioned that today, Swamiji’s tradition is continuing, and the Udupi Mutt holds great expectations for the country. He highlighted that the Pejawar Mutt played a crucial role in the religious ceremonies of Lord Ram’s consecration at the Ram Mandir. Shri Shah further stated that when Shri Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India in 2014, Swamiji was one of the prominent saints who went to Delhi to bless him.

Shri Amit Shah said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has focused a great deal on the health and wellness of the people over the past 10 years. He mentioned that campaigns like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Fit India Movement, Nutrition Mission, Mission Indradhanush, Ayushman Bharat Yojana, and Jal Jeevan Mission are different components of the Healthy India campaign. He emphasized that cleanliness can manage health, fitness can make health eternal, and only nutritious and balanced food can keep the human body healthy. Shri Shah further stated that Mission Indradhanush covers all types of vaccinations, the Jal Jeevan Mission has ensured fluoride-free water reaches every home, and under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, Prime Minister Modi has provided free treatment up to ₹5 lakh for 60 crore people. He also mentioned that these health initiatives will not succeed unless religious and service-oriented organizations actively promote them. He concluded by stating that the hospital built in memory of Swamiji will play a significant role in keeping society healthy.

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Read this release in: Hindi

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Text of the Vice-President’s address at the inaugural ‘Murli Deora Memorial Dialogues’ (Excerpts)

Source: Government of India (2)

Posted On: 06 MAR 2025 10:30PM by PIB Delhi

We had such a feast, both of governance and leadership. Shinde Ji, you have stolen the thunder. I am wonderstruck whether I can add anything. I may only repackage it. I recall every moment I spent with Shinde Ji, but more when me and my wife, went to his residence and had the good fortune to perform puja.

His address is remarkably relevant, full of depth, assessment of contemporary scenario and challenges. He speaks of spinal experience he has gained from worker to leader and a leader is always a leader. It doesn’t matter in a cricket team you play at which number.

I am absolutely elated that a leader has such a sacrificial attitude. My congratulations to you.

We have amongst us, Shrimati Hema Deora Ji. I was greatly touched because she is privy to the hand holding which I received as a young parliamentarian from Shri Murli Deora Ji. I was elected to Parliament in 1989 and that was a big change. Congress had lost power and I was a Union Minister. He was a congressman. He took me to then Bombay, now Mumbai, and he helped me and introduced me to people who matter in industry and in the Marwadi community. When she revealed this briefly I had vivid recollection of those days. A man of sterling qualities, Murli Deora Ji. Ma’am your presence matters to us. I’m sure you will have the good occasion to see your son perform in Rajya Sabha. Eknath Shinde Ji has sent a jewel to Rajya Sabha. He marks his addresses with due diligence, thorough study, calm and composed. I’m sure you’ll be in Chairman’s Gallery to applaud him someday.

We have amongst us distinguished Members of Parliament. Though the audience is absolutely very imminent and each one of you matters to me hugely but I don’t believe in taking risks. Therefore I must recognise presence of Members of Parliament. One on the dais, Shri Milind Deora Ji. A stalwart of politics in the State and the Nation, Shri Ashok Chauhan Ji. Shri G.K. Vasan Ji, whose father had handheld me in a similar manner as Murli Deora Ji. Young, energetic, youthful, but in third term, Shrikant Shinde Ji. I hope I don’t miss any parliamentarian otherwise, I may suffer at their hands

Shri Raghavendra Singh, President Kotak Mahindra Bank is energy capsule has great administrative capacities, but what I gather from him, having known him, for the third generation, is full of positivity. I must recognize presence of some who are present here, Shri Ashok Hinduja Ji is here, We have Shri Uday Kotak Ji.

I’ll come to Amrita Ji a little later because she is much beyond the spouse of the Chief Minister for me. His Holiness Syedna Sahab Ji.

Shri Gauranga Das, Shri Gaur Gopal Das, they both are from ISCON. People in Industry, Shri Pranav Adani, Shri Neeraj Bajaj, Mr. Jalas Dhani, and let me tell you, everyone who is present here, I am greatly indebted, but never miss a journalist if he is your friend. You may suffer at his hands forever. I am referring to none other than Sanjay Pugalia, whom I have known for more than four decades. We had such a wonderful cricket match and India is in the finals so why not remember Surya Kumar Yadav? He’s known as Mr. 360 degrees

Now, Amrita ji. Amrita ji, you have created a problem for me because of a condition I set for Devendra Fadnavis, that I will receive him at Upa-Rashtrapati Niwas as only if he is accompanied by Amrita ji. Every time he makes excuse, please ensure. I would love to receive both of you at Upa-Rashtrapati Niwas, where I have had the great occasion to receive Shinde Ji.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, I come to the inaugural lecture.

It is an absolute honour and privilege to deliver the Murli Deora Memorial Lecture Dialogue, dedicated to one of the finest public figures in politics, who nurtured friendships all his life. He bridged the differences and was loved by all. In his life, he missed one thing. He had no adversaries that was his stature. Murali bhai, as fondly reminisced by his peers, exemplified public spirit and dedication.

He was a statesman in the mould of a politician, a rare blend of foresight and pragmatism. From being the youngest mayor of Bombay, now Mumbai, to serving seven terms in Parliament, he showed deep commitment to democratic values and public service. His belief in dialogue, debate, discussion, deliberation, consensual approach, cooperative approach, coordination, are being missed now.

Murli Deora will always be remembered for his proactive efforts to save the country from the hazards of smoking. He approached the highest Court of the land, sought affirmative intervention to secure a ban on smoking at public places. Life of Murli Deora Ji was a testament to the idea of leadership, that this idea is not a pedestal but a pilgrimage, a journey of service to the last, the least and the lonely.

I commend, ladies and gentlemen, Milind Deora, a senior parliamentarian, former Union Minister, and his friends for organising this annual feature as a befitting tribute to Murli Ji. The theme “Leadership and Governance” is indeed thought provoking as also of great contemporaneous relevance.

Bharat, home to one sixth of humanity, is the oldest, largest and most vibrant and functional democracy. Bharat is the only Nation in the world that has constitutionally structured democratic institutions from village to National level.

First, I focus on the source of Governance in Democracy. Our Constitution’s Preamble indicates ‘We The People’ as the foundational source and premise of Governance. Preamble of the Constitution also reveals purpose of governance being Justice, Equality, Fraternity for all.  We must appreciate the contours of ‘We The People’  the ultimate repository of sovereignty. A sovereignty that we cannot afford to dilute or to be taken away.

We the people through electoral platforms constitute Parliament, Legislatures, panchayats, municipalities and elect the President and the Vice- President. The sanctity of this repository of sovereignty is essential for democratic governance. Imagine what will befall us if we are deprived of our sovereignty. The integrity of ‘We the People’ in the present times is being stressed and challenged and the challenge is surfacing in multiple ways. Leadership faces a daunting task to preserve and sustain this.

Let me advert to some worrying trends. There are many, I am referring only to some. The Nation houses millions of illegal migrants causing a demographic upheaval. Millions of illegal migrants are in this country making a huge demand on our health services, education services. They are depriving our people of employment opportunities. Such elements have alarmingly secured electoral relevance in some areas and their securing electoral relevance is shaping the essence of our democracy. Emerging dangers can be evaluated through historical reference where Nations were swept off their ethnic identity by similar demographic invasions.

As a matter of fact there are countries where demographic invasion resulted in complete eclipse of ethnicity where ethnicity was in complete majority.

Ladies and gentlemen, this malaise, far more severe than COVID, is aggravatingly intersected with conversions through allurements, with vulnerable sections trying to be trapped, the marginalised, the tribal, the weaker become easy prey to these temptations and allurements.

Faith is your own, faith is dictated by conscience. The Indian constitution gives freedom of faith but if this faith is held hostage by temptations, it is according to me, defacing freedom of faith. The concerning objective behind these pernicious designs is to detrimentally vary and ultimately eclipse ‘We the people’s’ identity and secure for themselves a majoritarianism position. I’m sure no one will disagree. This danger has to be thwarted.

This is too serious an onslaught to be either countenanced or overlooked. Just reflect for a moment the change that has taken place in our demography in the last two decades. Look at some of the areas where impregnable fortresses emerged.

The theme “Leadership and Governance” is indeed thought provoking as also of great contemporaneous relevance.

Bharat, home to one sixth of humanity, is the oldest, largest and most vibrant and functional democracy. Bharat is the only nation in the world that has constitutionally structured democratic institutions from village to national level.

First, I focus on the source of Governance in Democracy. Our Constitution’s Preamble indicates ‘We The People’ as the foundational source and premise of Governance. The Preamble of the Constitution also reveals purpose of governance being Justice, Equality, Fraternity for all.  We must appreciate the contours of ‘We The People’ – the ultimate repository of sovereignty.

A sovereignty that we cannot afford to dilute or to be taken away.

The power of ‘We the people’ cannot suffer any sacrilege or dilution. Leadership must engage in overdrive, generating National consensus to preserve the sanctity of ‘We the people’ and work in togetherness, in tandem, to neutralise all misadventures against it.

‘We The People’ faces onslaughts from within and without. Forces inimical to Bharat have converged to systemically weaken nationalistic spirit. Constitutional institutions face orchestrated public ridicule as part of political strategy. Even the Presidency isn’t spared. Tarnishing institutions, especially on foreign land, is against our culture, is against our national interest.

Every citizen has the power of social media. I beseech everyone in the interest of this country to be alive to these trends and make contributions. Anti-national narratives gain evil-inspired momentum. Misinformation aimed at destabilising the nation is rising.

We had the painful occasion to see it during COVID. The pandemic that shook the world, then a nation of over 1.3 billion faced it by innovative mechanisms initiated by the Prime Minister and it was successfully handled. The entire global fraternity, as I call it, in Bharat, while tackling pandemic at home, lent assistance to hundreds of other countries. But some amongst us did not spare any effort to run us down. Such category of people who are recipe for chaos need to be exposed. Leadership must navigate this challenge through citizens’ mindset response.

Friends, Bharat is a global beacon of inclusivity and thrives with unity in diversity. This calls for all to prioritise nation first. Commitment to nationalism marks freedom and democracy.

No interest, partisan, economic, or personal, can justifiably be the ground to compromise national interest.

Ladies and gentlemen, Issues of constitutional clarity, whether Constitution is categorical, our founding fathers have given us the path. On issues like language, common civil code, seats of divisions are being sown. The response of the government emanates from constitutional

prescriptions.

We have to work in overdrive to see that these issues that are premised on our Constitution are not politicised to the detriment of the Nation.

Leadership must seek national consensus and public awareness to sensitize people of the dangers that are inherent in such approaches. India’s civilizational ethos offer a rich repository of leadership principles that predate modern governance theories by millennia.

Our Vedic knowledge offers insight for leadership. Leadership in public life requires vision, character, and commitment to nationalism. We have seen what wonders visionary leadership can do in the last 10 years. The nation has navigated from a disturbed scenario of gloom to one of hope and possibility.

We must always remember, ladies and gentlemen, we are the land of Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Srimad Bhagavad Gita and the wisdom therein guides us all throughout.

The Bhagvad Gita provides timeless leadership lessons through Lord Krishna’s counsel to Arjuna.

“यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः।

स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते॥”

“Whatever a great man does, others follow. Whatever standard he sets by his exemplary acts, the world pursues.”

This verse underscores the profound responsibility of leaders, because they are naturally taken as torchbearers, role models whose actions shape the course of the society.

But a challenge that is coming to society from these people is very dangerous. An informed mind, having held credible positions, trades on the ignorance of people to monetise politically. And that happened on many occasions in the last ten years. People in authority, who presided over our financial institutions for long, had no qualms in indicating to the world that India can never register economic rise beyond 5%. And we had one and a half times of that, that very year. On such matters, ladies and gentlemen, our memory should not be short.

Kautilya’s Arthashastra, perhaps the world’s earliest comprehensive treatise on statecraft and governance, offers sophisticated insights on leadership.

I quote “The king shall consider as good not what pleases himself but what pleases his subject.”

This ancient wisdom resonates with modern governance principles, where true leadership transcends self-interest to embrace collective welfare. We all have seen this development. We need to continue it.

Let us reflect on what is there in our civilisational essence and ethos. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Sarvajan Hitaaya, Sarvajan Sukhaaya.

These are the twin pillars of governance from our scriptures, and look at how it translated for the entire world to know. During India’s presidency of G20, one earth, one family, one future, this was universally accoladed and accepted.

Friends, democracy flourishes with expression and dialogue. Abhivyakti or samvad are its jewels. One is incomplete without the other. Expression complements dialogue and the other way round. If you believe in the right of expression without taking note of the dialogue, then you miss the point. In the process you indicate, I alone am right, to the exclusion of every other thought. And that is why we have emanated from our scriptures, Anantavada. This is essential. Inalienable facet of good governance, judgemental response to different viewpoints, differing viewpoints, a point that is different than yours, reflects absolutism. And absolutism has no place in democracy. Democracy requires consensual approach.  The other point of view must be considered. And there should be an effort for convergence to an agreed viewpoint.

Constituent Assembly debates exemplify this approach. For little less than three years, in 18 sessions, Constituent Assembly deliberated very contentious issues, very divisive issues that took recourse to dialogue, debate, discussion, and deliberation.

There never was an occasion for disruption or disturbance but when we find such a big change taking place. Disruption is being weaponized as a political strategy to make Parliament or legislatures dysfunctional. This does not augur well for the health of democracy and in some situations, it will pronounce death knell of democracy. If these temples of democracy do not perform constitutional ordainment, then people in the country are bound to be concerned and worried.

I, as Chairman of the Council of States, express my deep anguish. And I appeal to people at large, academia, intellectuals, those in business, trade, commerce and industry, those in media, public servants, to create a mindset to put pressure on Parliamentarians and representatives. You perform because there can be no vacuum in democracy. If the legitimate platform of debate is dysfunctional. People will take to the streets. They have to voice their concerns in one way or the other.

Ladies and gentlemen, coming to another challenge. Last 10 years, the nation has witnessed exponential economic upsurge, phenomenal infrastructural growth, deep digitization, technological penetration, unknown before. Global institutions are accommodating Bharat as a favorite destination of investment and opportunity. The rural landscape has been revolutionized with every house having toilet, electric connection, pipe water is on the way, gas connection, road connectivity, health and education centers. And people therefore have gravitated to politics of development as indicated by Eknath Shinde Ji. In that scenario, this phenomenal success story during the last 10 years brings with it a great challenge. On one hand, no nation in the world has this kind of growth as Bharat has had in the last 10 years.

India at the moment on account of this growth is the most aspirational nation in the world. Imagine a country of 1.4 billion with that kind of demographic dividend getting into aspirational mode. The leadership has to perform at rocket speed. Because there can be restiveness, restlessness. And therefore I call upon every person, do not look at the government alone. Your opportunity basket is flattening every day, blossoming. When you look at surface of the sea, or deep sea, or ground surface, or deep ground, or sky, or space.

India’s performance has increased your participation. Blue economy or space economy, you can take to that area.

Good governance requires that we prevent problems, we preempt problems. It is not merely solving a problem. We must have a full diagnosis. Why should a problem be there at all? Real-time delivery is quintessential.

There was a time not long ago when power corridors were infested with lies and agents, corrupt elements, who extra-legally leveraged decision-making. Patronage was the password for a contract or a job. But on account of introduction of technology, expedition service delivery, transparent and accountable mechanism. These power corridors now are fully sanitised. The world is looking to India for generating transparency, accountability, quick service delivery, people-centric policies in their countries

Ladies and gentlemen, I see one concern, and that concern is across the political spectrum. There is emergence of a new strategy, and the strategy is of appeasement or being placatory.

Now, election is important in Democracy but not the end of it. Our scriptures have indicated means are as important as the end.

And the governments, we are in a state where financial position is very strong. The financial capital of the country, a global center for business and trade, but some governments that took recourse to this appeasement and placatory mechanisms are finding it very difficult to sustain in power, but one consequence is very categorical and those in economics know it.

We have stalwarts of economics sitting here and that is if there is excessive spending on electoral promises, then the state’s ability to invest in infrastructure is correspondingly reduced. This is detrimental to the growth scenario.

And therefore, I would call upon leadership of all political parties in the interest of democratic values to generate a consensus that engages into such kind of electoral promises that can be performed only at the cost of CAPEX expenditure of the state.

I should not be misunderstood, ladies and gentlemen, because while the Indian Constitution has given us right of equality, it does provide in Article 14, 15 and 16 an acceptable category of affirmative governance, affirmative action, the reservation for SC, ST, for those who are in the economically weaker section. That is sanctified.

There are exceptional situations for rural India, for the farmer, where affirmative steps are required to be taken. But this is very distinct from the other aspects I was talking about. This is not placatory or appeasing. It is justifiable economic policy. And therefore, it is good leadership that can take a call, where to draw the line in the fiscal sense in the matter of political foresight and leadership spine.

There is another aspect on which we need to focus. National debate is required so that we take note of the shift from Democracy to Emocracy. Emotion-driven policies, emotion-driven debates, discourses threaten good governance. Historically, populism is bad economics. And once a leader gets attached to populism it is difficult to get out of the crisis. And therefore, the central factor has to be the good of the people, the largest good of the people, and the lasting good of the people. Empower people to empower themselves rather than empower them momentarily, because that affects their productivity.

Our institutions are very critical. Our institutions must continue to be relevant. Political leadership must address declining relevance of institutions due to disruption and divisive politics. We have an example before us, as I said earlier. We have the legacy of our Constitution being negotiated through dialogue without acrimony. Today’s leaders should consult this spirit.

Parliament is much beyond ideological discourse. Its democracy is a temple where discussions should focus on progress and people’s welfare. Sliding parliamentary institutions into irrelevance is a challenge to democracy and our existence. It is worrisome when disruption and disturbance are weaponised, as I said. A dysfunctional Parliament, particularly in Bharat, that is the world’s oldest, largest, and most vibrant democracy, is injustice to the people. Our people deserve much better from our parliamentarians.

From this sacred place, I urge parliamentarians and legislators to soul-search. Democracy cannot function when expression and dialogue are compromised, while citizens must hold representatives accountable. For eternal vigilance remains freedom’s price. Institutional perimeters must be maintained. Judicial overreach into executive governance disrupts democratic values. I do not mean to reflect more on it, but I affirm governance is the sole prerogative of the executive and this is premised because executive is accountable to the people, to the legislature, every five years or before, the executive has to go to the people to get their approval. And every action taken by the executive is amenable to legislature intervention but if this executive function is performed by any other institution, including judicial, it will be difficult to look for accountability and, furthermore the wherewithal, the information, the database, that help arrive at a decision cannot be available at other institutions other than the executive.

Leadership is purpose driven and not position of power. It has been said in Upanishad. The Ishavasya Upanishad ईशवस्य उपनिषद counsels: “तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथाः” (Ten Tyakten bhunjitha)– “Enjoy through renunciation.”

Our leaders will have to embrace this philosophy. Selfless service in governance by blending India’s timeless wisdom with today’s needs create Tagore’s vision. Rabindranath Tagore has said, I tread where mind is without fear and head is held high.

“सत्यमेव जयते नानृतम्”, which emanates from Mundaka Upanishad, it says, truth alone must survive and nothing else. The Rig Veda, moving together in harmony principle, must be our North Star.

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JK/RC/SM

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MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Text of the Vice-President’s address at ‘Murli Deora Memorial Dialogue’ (Excerpts)

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 06 MAR 2025 10:30PM by PIB Delhi

We had such a feast, both of governance and leadership. Shinde Ji, you have stolen the thunder. I am wonderstruck whether I can add anything. I may only repackage it. I recall every moment I spent with Shinde Ji, but more when me and my wife, went to his residence and had the good fortune to perform puja.

His address is remarkably relevant, full of depth, assessment of contemporary scenario and challenges. He speaks of spinal experience he has gained from worker to leader and a leader is always a leader. It doesn’t matter in a cricket team you play at which number.

I am absolutely elated that a leader has such a sacrificial attitude. My congratulations to you.

We have amongst us, Shrimati Hema Deora Ji. I was greatly touched because she is privy to the hand holding which I received as a young parliamentarian from Shri Murli Deora Ji. I was elected to Parliament in 1989 and that was a big change. Congress had lost power and I was a Union Minister. He was a congressman. He took me to then Bombay, now Mumbai, and he helped me and introduced me to people who matter in industry and in the Marwadi community. When she revealed this briefly I had vivid recollection of those days. A man of sterling qualities, Murli Deora Ji. Ma’am your presence matters to us. I’m sure you will have the good occasion to see your son perform in Rajya Sabha. Eknath Shinde Ji has sent a jewel to Rajya Sabha. He marks his addresses with due diligence, thorough study, calm and composed. I’m sure you’ll be in Chairman’s Gallery to applaud him someday.

We have amongst us distinguished Members of Parliament. Though the audience is absolutely very imminent and each one of you matters to me hugely but I don’t believe in taking risks. Therefore I must recognise presence of Members of Parliament. One on the dais, Shri Milind Deora Ji. A stalwart of politics in the State and the Nation, Shri Ashok Chauhan Ji. Shri G.K. Vasan Ji, whose father had handheld me in a similar manner as Murli Deora Ji. Young, energetic, youthful, but in third term, Shrikant Shinde Ji. I hope I don’t miss any parliamentarian otherwise, I may suffer at their hands

Shri Raghavendra Singh, President Kotak Mahindra Bank is energy capsule has great administrative capacities, but what I gather from him, having known him, for the third generation, is full of positivity. I must recognize presence of some who are present here, Shri Ashok Hinduja Ji is here, We have Shri Uday Kotak Ji.

I’ll come to Amrita Ji a little later because she is much beyond the spouse of the Chief Minister for me. His Holiness Syedna Sahab Ji.

Shri Gauranga Das, Shri Gaur Gopal Das, they both are from ISCON. People in Industry, Shri Pranav Adani, Shri Neeraj Bajaj, Mr. Jalas Dhani, and let me tell you, everyone who is present here, I am greatly indebted, but never miss a journalist if he is your friend. You may suffer at his hands forever. I am referring to none other than Sanjay Pugalia, whom I have known for more than four decades. We had such a wonderful cricket match and India is in the finals so why not remember Surya Kumar Yadav? He’s known as Mr. 360 degrees

Now, Amrita ji. Amrita ji, you have created a problem for me because of a condition I set for Devendra Fadnavis, that I will receive him at Upa-Rashtrapati Niwas as only if he is accompanied by Amrita ji. Every time he makes excuse, please ensure. I would love to receive both of you at Upa-Rashtrapati Niwas, where I have had the great occasion to receive Shinde Ji.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, I come to the inaugural lecture.

It is an absolute honour and privilege to deliver the Murli Deora Memorial Lecture Dialogue, dedicated to one of the finest public figures in politics, who nurtured friendships all his life. He bridged the differences and was loved by all. In his life, he missed one thing. He had no adversaries that was his stature. Murali bhai, as fondly reminisced by his peers, exemplified public spirit and dedication.

He was a statesman in the mould of a politician, a rare blend of foresight and pragmatism. From being the youngest mayor of Bombay, now Mumbai, to serving seven terms in Parliament, he showed deep commitment to democratic values and public service. His belief in dialogue, debate, discussion, deliberation, consensual approach, cooperative approach, coordination, are being missed now.

Murli Deora will always be remembered for his proactive efforts to save the country from the hazards of smoking. He approached the highest Court of the land, sought affirmative intervention to secure a ban on smoking at public places. Life of Murli Deora Ji was a testament to the idea of leadership, that this idea is not a pedestal but a pilgrimage, a journey of service to the last, the least and the lonely.

I commend, ladies and gentlemen, Milind Deora, a senior parliamentarian, former Union Minister, and his friends for organising this annual feature as a befitting tribute to Murli Ji. The theme “Leadership and Governance” is indeed thought provoking as also of great contemporaneous relevance.

Bharat, home to one sixth of humanity, is the oldest, largest and most vibrant and functional democracy. Bharat is the only Nation in the world that has constitutionally structured democratic institutions from village to National level.

First, I focus on the source of Governance in Democracy. Our Constitution’s Preamble indicates ‘We The People’ as the foundational source and premise of Governance. Preamble of the Constitution also reveals purpose of governance being Justice, Equality, Fraternity for all.  We must appreciate the contours of ‘We The People’  the ultimate repository of sovereignty. A sovereignty that we cannot afford to dilute or to be taken away.

We the people through electoral platforms constitute Parliament, Legislatures, panchayats, municipalities and elect the President and the Vice- President. The sanctity of this repository of sovereignty is essential for democratic governance. Imagine what will befall us if we are deprived of our sovereignty. The integrity of ‘We the People’ in the present times is being stressed and challenged and the challenge is surfacing in multiple ways. Leadership faces a daunting task to preserve and sustain this.

Let me advert to some worrying trends. There are many, I am referring only to some. The Nation houses millions of illegal migrants causing a demographic upheaval. Millions of illegal migrants are in this country making a huge demand on our health services, education services. They are depriving our people of employment opportunities. Such elements have alarmingly secured electoral relevance in some areas and their securing electoral relevance is shaping the essence of our democracy. Emerging dangers can be evaluated through historical reference where Nations were swept off their ethnic identity by similar demographic invasions.

As a matter of fact there are countries where demographic invasion resulted in complete eclipse of ethnicity where ethnicity was in complete majority.

Ladies and gentlemen, this malaise, far more severe than COVID, is aggravatingly intersected with conversions through allurements, with vulnerable sections trying to be trapped, the marginalised, the tribal, the weaker become easy prey to these temptations and allurements.

Faith is your own, faith is dictated by conscience. The Indian constitution gives freedom of faith but if this faith is held hostage by temptations, it is according to me, defacing freedom of faith. The concerning objective behind these pernicious designs is to detrimentally vary and ultimately eclipse ‘We the people’s’ identity and secure for themselves a majoritarianism position. I’m sure no one will disagree. This danger has to be thwarted.

This is too serious an onslaught to be either countenanced or overlooked. Just reflect for a moment the change that has taken place in our demography in the last two decades. Look at some of the areas where impregnable fortresses emerged.

The theme “Leadership and Governance” is indeed thought provoking as also of great contemporaneous relevance.

Bharat, home to one sixth of humanity, is the oldest, largest and most vibrant and functional democracy. Bharat is the only nation in the world that has constitutionally structured democratic institutions from village to national level.

First, I focus on the source of Governance in Democracy. Our Constitution’s Preamble indicates ‘We The People’ as the foundational source and premise of Governance. The Preamble of the Constitution also reveals purpose of governance being Justice, Equality, Fraternity for all.  We must appreciate the contours of ‘We The People’ – the ultimate repository of sovereignty.

A sovereignty that we cannot afford to dilute or to be taken away.

The power of ‘We the people’ cannot suffer any sacrilege or dilution. Leadership must engage in overdrive, generating National consensus to preserve the sanctity of ‘We the people’ and work in togetherness, in tandem, to neutralise all misadventures against it.

‘We The People’ faces onslaughts from within and without. Forces inimical to Bharat have converged to systemically weaken nationalistic spirit. Constitutional institutions face orchestrated public ridicule as part of political strategy. Even the Presidency isn’t spared. Tarnishing institutions, especially on foreign land, is against our culture, is against our national interest.

Every citizen has the power of social media. I beseech everyone in the interest of this country to be alive to these trends and make contributions. Anti-national narratives gain evil-inspired momentum. Misinformation aimed at destabilising the nation is rising.

We had the painful occasion to see it during COVID. The pandemic that shook the world, then a nation of over 1.3 billion faced it by innovative mechanisms initiated by the Prime Minister and it was successfully handled. The entire global fraternity, as I call it, in Bharat, while tackling pandemic at home, lent assistance to hundreds of other countries. But some amongst us did not spare any effort to run us down. Such category of people who are recipe for chaos need to be exposed. Leadership must navigate this challenge through citizens’ mindset response.

Friends, Bharat is a global beacon of inclusivity and thrives with unity in diversity. This calls for all to prioritise nation first. Commitment to nationalism marks freedom and democracy.

No interest, partisan, economic, or personal, can justifiably be the ground to compromise national interest.

Ladies and gentlemen, Issues of constitutional clarity, whether Constitution is categorical, our founding fathers have given us the path. On issues like language, common civil code, seats of divisions are being sown. The response of the government emanates from constitutional

prescriptions.

We have to work in overdrive to see that these issues that are premised on our Constitution are not politicised to the detriment of the Nation.

Leadership must seek national consensus and public awareness to sensitize people of the dangers that are inherent in such approaches. India’s civilizational ethos offer a rich repository of leadership principles that predate modern governance theories by millennia.

Our Vedic knowledge offers insight for leadership. Leadership in public life requires vision, character, and commitment to nationalism. We have seen what wonders visionary leadership can do in the last 10 years. The nation has navigated from a disturbed scenario of gloom to one of hope and possibility.

We must always remember, ladies and gentlemen, we are the land of Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Srimad Bhagavad Gita and the wisdom therein guides us all throughout.

The Bhagvad Gita provides timeless leadership lessons through Lord Krishna’s counsel to Arjuna.

“यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः।

स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते॥”

“Whatever a great man does, others follow. Whatever standard he sets by his exemplary acts, the world pursues.”

This verse underscores the profound responsibility of leaders, because they are naturally taken as torchbearers, role models whose actions shape the course of the society.

But a challenge that is coming to society from these people is very dangerous. An informed mind, having held credible positions, trades on the ignorance of people to monetise politically. And that happened on many occasions in the last ten years. People in authority, who presided over our financial institutions for long, had no qualms in indicating to the world that India can never register economic rise beyond 5%. And we had one and a half times of that, that very year. On such matters, ladies and gentlemen, our memory should not be short.

Kautilya’s Arthashastra, perhaps the world’s earliest comprehensive treatise on statecraft and governance, offers sophisticated insights on leadership.

I quote “The king shall consider as good not what pleases himself but what pleases his subject.”

This ancient wisdom resonates with modern governance principles, where true leadership transcends self-interest to embrace collective welfare. We all have seen this development. We need to continue it.

Let us reflect on what is there in our civilisational essence and ethos. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Sarvajan Hitaaya, Sarvajan Sukhaaya.

These are the twin pillars of governance from our scriptures, and look at how it translated for the entire world to know. During India’s presidency of G20, one earth, one family, one future, this was universally accoladed and accepted.

Friends, democracy flourishes with expression and dialogue. Abhivyakti or samvad are its jewels. One is incomplete without the other. Expression complements dialogue and the other way round. If you believe in the right of expression without taking note of the dialogue, then you miss the point. In the process you indicate, I alone am right, to the exclusion of every other thought. And that is why we have emanated from our scriptures, Anantavada. This is essential. Inalienable facet of good governance, judgemental response to different viewpoints, differing viewpoints, a point that is different than yours, reflects absolutism. And absolutism has no place in democracy. Democracy requires consensual approach.  The other point of view must be considered. And there should be an effort for convergence to an agreed viewpoint.

Constituent Assembly debates exemplify this approach. For little less than three years, in 18 sessions, Constituent Assembly deliberated very contentious issues, very divisive issues that took recourse to dialogue, debate, discussion, and deliberation.

There never was an occasion for disruption or disturbance but when we find such a big change taking place. Disruption is being weaponized as a political strategy to make Parliament or legislatures dysfunctional. This does not augur well for the health of democracy and in some situations, it will pronounce death knell of democracy. If these temples of democracy do not perform constitutional ordainment, then people in the country are bound to be concerned and worried.

I, as Chairman of the Council of States, express my deep anguish. And I appeal to people at large, academia, intellectuals, those in business, trade, commerce and industry, those in media, public servants, to create a mindset to put pressure on Parliamentarians and representatives. You perform because there can be no vacuum in democracy. If the legitimate platform of debate is dysfunctional. People will take to the streets. They have to voice their concerns in one way or the other.

Ladies and gentlemen, coming to another challenge. Last 10 years, the nation has witnessed exponential economic upsurge, phenomenal infrastructural growth, deep digitization, technological penetration, unknown before. Global institutions are accommodating Bharat as a favorite destination of investment and opportunity. The rural landscape has been revolutionized with every house having toilet, electric connection, pipe water is on the way, gas connection, road connectivity, health and education centers. And people therefore have gravitated to politics of development as indicated by Eknath Shinde Ji. In that scenario, this phenomenal success story during the last 10 years brings with it a great challenge. On one hand, no nation in the world has this kind of growth as Bharat has had in the last 10 years.

India at the moment on account of this growth is the most aspirational nation in the world. Imagine a country of 1.4 billion with that kind of demographic dividend getting into aspirational mode. The leadership has to perform at rocket speed. Because there can be restiveness, restlessness. And therefore I call upon every person, do not look at the government alone. Your opportunity basket is flattening every day, blossoming. When you look at surface of the sea, or deep sea, or ground surface, or deep ground, or sky, or space.

India’s performance has increased your participation. Blue economy or space economy, you can take to that area.

Good governance requires that we prevent problems, we preempt problems. It is not merely solving a problem. We must have a full diagnosis. Why should a problem be there at all? Real-time delivery is quintessential.

There was a time not long ago when power corridors were infested with lies and agents, corrupt elements, who extra-legally leveraged decision-making. Patronage was the password for a contract or a job. But on account of introduction of technology, expedition service delivery, transparent and accountable mechanism. These power corridors now are fully sanitised. The world is looking to India for generating transparency, accountability, quick service delivery, people-centric policies in their countries

Ladies and gentlemen, I see one concern, and that concern is across the political spectrum. There is emergence of a new strategy, and the strategy is of appeasement or being placatory.

Now, election is important in Democracy but not the end of it. Our scriptures have indicated means are as important as the end.

And the governments, we are in a state where financial position is very strong. The financial capital of the country, a global center for business and trade, but some governments that took recourse to this appeasement and placatory mechanisms are finding it very difficult to sustain in power, but one consequence is very categorical and those in economics know it.

We have stalwarts of economics sitting here and that is if there is excessive spending on electoral promises, then the state’s ability to invest in infrastructure is correspondingly reduced. This is detrimental to the growth scenario.

And therefore, I would call upon leadership of all political parties in the interest of democratic values to generate a consensus that engages into such kind of electoral promises that can be performed only at the cost of CAPEX expenditure of the state.

I should not be misunderstood, ladies and gentlemen, because while the Indian Constitution has given us right of equality, it does provide in Article 14, 15 and 16 an acceptable category of affirmative governance, affirmative action, the reservation for SC, ST, for those who are in the economically weaker section. That is sanctified.

There are exceptional situations for rural India, for the farmer, where affirmative steps are required to be taken. But this is very distinct from the other aspects I was talking about. This is not placatory or appeasing. It is justifiable economic policy. And therefore, it is good leadership that can take a call, where to draw the line in the fiscal sense in the matter of political foresight and leadership spine.

There is another aspect on which we need to focus. National debate is required so that we take note of the shift from Democracy to Emocracy. Emotion-driven policies, emotion-driven debates, discourses threaten good governance. Historically, populism is bad economics. And once a leader gets attached to populism it is difficult to get out of the crisis. And therefore, the central factor has to be the good of the people, the largest good of the people, and the lasting good of the people. Empower people to empower themselves rather than empower them momentarily, because that affects their productivity.

Our institutions are very critical. Our institutions must continue to be relevant. Political leadership must address declining relevance of institutions due to disruption and divisive politics. We have an example before us, as I said earlier. We have the legacy of our Constitution being negotiated through dialogue without acrimony. Today’s leaders should consult this spirit.

Parliament is much beyond ideological discourse. Its democracy is a temple where discussions should focus on progress and people’s welfare. Sliding parliamentary institutions into irrelevance is a challenge to democracy and our existence. It is worrisome when disruption and disturbance are weaponised, as I said. A dysfunctional Parliament, particularly in Bharat, that is the world’s oldest, largest, and most vibrant democracy, is injustice to the people. Our people deserve much better from our parliamentarians.

From this sacred place, I urge parliamentarians and legislators to soul-search. Democracy cannot function when expression and dialogue are compromised, while citizens must hold representatives accountable. For eternal vigilance remains freedom’s price. Institutional perimeters must be maintained. Judicial overreach into executive governance disrupts democratic values. I do not mean to reflect more on it, but I affirm governance is the sole prerogative of the executive and this is premised because executive is accountable to the people, to the legislature, every five years or before, the executive has to go to the people to get their approval. And every action taken by the executive is amenable to legislature intervention but if this executive function is performed by any other institution, including judicial, it will be difficult to look for accountability and, furthermore the wherewithal, the information, the database, that help arrive at a decision cannot be available at other institutions other than the executive.

Leadership is purpose driven and not position of power. It has been said in Upanishad. The Ishavasya Upanishad ईशवस्य उपनिषद counsels: “तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथाः” (Ten Tyakten bhunjitha)– “Enjoy through renunciation.”

Our leaders will have to embrace this philosophy. Selfless service in governance by blending India’s timeless wisdom with today’s needs create Tagore’s vision. Rabindranath Tagore has said, I tread where mind is without fear and head is held high.

“सत्यमेव जयते नानृतम्”, which emanates from Mundaka Upanishad, it says, truth alone must survive and nothing else. The Rig Veda, moving together in harmony principle, must be our North Star.

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MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

March 8, 2025
MIL-OSI NGOs: Three vaccinations that are critical to women’s health

Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

Hepatitis E, tetanus and hepatitis B all pose significant but under-reported threats to the health and lives of women and girls, especially in low-income countries with limited access to healthcare. This can also mean life or death for their babies.

Nyakuola Nguot Gang lives with her extended family in Fangak county, South Sudan, where a deadly hepatitis E outbreak started in 2023 and continued through 2024.

“I almost lost my life while I was pregnant, in September,” says Nyakuola. “I thought it was only symptoms of my pregnancy, because my body was aching and I had a fever. I went for a blood test, and that’s when hepatitis E was discovered.”

Some diseases have far greater negative consequences in women and girls, especially during pregnancy and childbirth. Hepatitis E, a water-borne infection that affects the liver, is one of them.

“A lot of people call it the Ebola for pregnant women, because you have a really high mortality rate in pregnant women, although we don’t really understand why it affects pregnant women so much,” says John Johnson, vaccination advisor for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). “The mortality rate is around 20 to 30 per cent in pregnancy.”

For pregnant women with hepatitis E, the risk of death is highest in the third trimester.

Pregnancy is also a critical time for vaccinating women and girls against tetanus if they haven’t been vaccinated before. A serious infection for people of any age, tetanus is deadly for newborns, but protecting the mother is lifesaving for her baby.

A third, lesser-known disease of concern is hepatitis B. If not prevented, it has lifelong, and life-limiting, consequences.

Both hepatitis B and tetanus pose significant health threats for victims and survivors of sexual violence, who are many times more likely than men to be women and girls.

The good news is that there are vaccines available, but the reality is that they’re not reaching everyone who needs them, especially the women and girls who are most at risk.

A groundbreaking vaccination campaign in South Sudan

Hepatitis E is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis, linked to approximately 20 million infections and 70,000 deaths per year. This under-recognised disease predominantly affects people experiencing poverty or disadvantage – and is especially dangerous for pregnant women. It is transmitted through faecal contamination of food and water. Large-scale outbreaks typically occur when water and sanitation conditions are inadequate.

There is only one vaccine available, HEV 239, developed in China. MSF first piloted its use in an epidemic in Bentiu, South Sudan, in 2022, and through subsequent research has generated strong evidence of its safety and effectiveness.

Fangak county is one of the most remote and difficult to access areas of South Sudan. With the area inundated by recurrent floods in recent years, its people have had to learn to survive in a changing environment.

An MSF vaccinator administers the hepatitis E vaccine to a woman in Hai Matar, Fangak County, in the first round of the campaign. South Sudan, December 2023.
Gale Julius Dada/MSF

“We are surrounded by water in all aspects,” says Fangak resident Bhan Gutjiath Wal. “You go to the market, you go through water. You stay at home, there is water too.”

But in September 2023, these conditions led to an outbreak of hepatitis E. Within two months, MSF launched only the second vaccination campaign in the world reacting to an active hepatitis E outbreak, and the first-ever during the acute stage of an outbreak in such remote and hard-to-reach communities. This joint undertaking with the Ministry of Health eventually spanned almost a year.

“It was a personal decision to get vaccinated,” says Nyakuola. “Those who have witnessed people who have been vaccinated and live have made the decision to also get the vaccine.”

Sharing lifesaving protection against tetanus between mother and baby

“Babies, especially in what we call the neonatal period, in their first 28 days – that is when they’re most susceptible to death from certain diseases and infections,” says Isabella Mayes, midwifery activity manager in MSF’s Old Fangak project. “So providing mothers with vaccinations gives their babies a little bit of protection until they can receive their vaccine later in life.”

If a woman is vaccinated against tetanus before she gives birth, lifesaving antibodies will transfer through the placenta into the baby’s blood.

The bacteria that causes tetanus is widespread in the environment. The risk to newborns occurs when the cut umbilical cord is infected, usually due to unsterile tools or conditions.

Isabella Mayes, midwifery activity manager, performs an ultrasound on a pregnant woman in Fangak county. South Sudan, January 2025.
Paula Casado Aguirregabiria/MSF

Known also as lockjaw, tetanus limits a baby’s ability to feed. The rigidity spreads through the whole body, and the baby’s muscles spasm uncontrollably. A baby will need intensive nursing care and isolation in a dark and quiet room to prevent reactive spasms, hospitalised for up to a month. Untreated, some 90 per cent of affected newborns will die.

An estimated 24,000 newborns died of tetanus in 2021, according to the most recent global data available. While this figure represents a gradual decline over time, it tells us that women and girls continue to miss out on vital vaccinations, antenatal care and safe delivery care, especially in low-income countries.

Access to healthcare in South Sudan is extremely limited. MSF’s hospital in Old Fangak is the only facility of its kind providing care to the 20,000 people in the immediate vicinity, as well as in villages only reachable hours away by boat. This includes maternal immunisation as part of antenatal care.

Timely protection for victims and survivors of sexual violence

The value of post-exposure vaccination is highlighted in care for sexual violence. A victim/survivor can be protected against both tetanus and hepatitis B after an assault or rape, but the window of opportunity to kickstart immunity is only 72 hours.

“We [vaccinate] every patient that had any wounds,” says Renda Kella Dhol, a clinical officer in MSF’s team in Old Fangak. “We just do it immediately to prevent the disease, because [tetanus] is really very serious.”

Hepatitis B is often transmitted through sexual contact. It is up to 100 times more infectious than HIV.

A woman walks in front of the entrance of the MSF hospital in Old Fangak, Jonglei State. South Sudan, December 2023.
Gale Julius Dada/MSF

“We don’t know the status of the perpetrator,” says Dhol. “That’s why we provide hepatitis B [vaccine] to prevent the patient from being infected by hepatitis B.”

Hepatitis B virus often causes a long-term infection. It is a major public health problem, with an estimated 254 million people chronically infected and 1.1 million deaths worldwide in 2022 from hepatitis B-related liver disease, including liver cancer.

A woman can also unknowingly pass it on during childbirth to her baby, who will also need vaccination to avoid a 90 per cent likelihood of death.

To raise awareness about sexual violence and the medical and psychological care available, MSF conducts health promotion in schools and other places where people gather, among community leaders and with the police.

Dhol acknowledges people are afraid of discussing the topic of sexual violence, something our teams try to dispel.

“We told them in song: Don’t be afraid. We are here for you. We are going to support [you]. It will never be [revealed] to everybody,” says Dhol. “But we need the right for you to have the medication and the treatment to prevent anything that might have happened during this, because it’s not your fault, and it’s happening everywhere in the world.”

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MIL OSI NGO –

March 7, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Murkowski Questions FDA Nominee

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski
03.06.25
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today questioned the President’s nominee to be Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Martin Makary, during his appearance before the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Murkowski raised the FDA’s handling of the Vaccine Advisory Committee, the handling of clinical trials for rare diseases, and funding for state and local governments to conduct food safety inspections.
Full Transcript:
Senator Murkowski: Doctor, welcome, it was a good conversation that we had, and I appreciated that. I thank you for the encourage to read that provision in your book, it was great airplane reading for me.
Dr. Makary: Thank you, Senator.
Senator Murkowski: I also want to thank you for the assurance you gave to Senator Collins regarding the Vaccine Advisory Committee, and ensuring there would be meetings going forward. I think for several of us who had I thought good substantive conversations with Secretary Kennedy, we had received assurances about things like the vaccination committee. So, we’re making sure again that important input goes forward is important to many of us, so I appreciate that.
I wanted to talk to you this morning about an issue we discussed in my office, and that is with regards to ALS. The FDA’s accelerated approval pathway has really been important, and I think very promising for treatments for ALS and some other rare diseases. You have advocated for using common sense alongside science in regulatory decisions. So, very briefly, how do we define common sense here as it applies to the regulatory decisions of the FDA. How do we make sure that ALS patients who are looking at a very, very limited time frame, they can’t wait for the traditional approval process, there are some emerging measures using digital technologies, is this in your realm of common sense? Give me a little bit of insight here on how you would like to proceed on these approval pathways.
Dr. Makary. Thank you, Senator. I very much enjoyed our time together, and talking through a bunch of these issues. We have to customize the regulatory process to the condition that we’re trying to be able to offer hope, so, if a condition affects 19 people in the world as a partial triplication chromosome 15 disorder does, or a disease that affects 52 kids in the world, we cannot require two randomized control trials. We have to customize the regulatory process to what we’re trying to do if our goal is to try to provide safe and effective therapies. So, I do believe firmly in that approach, and I do think we can use some commons sense to ask some big questions we’ve never asked before at the FDA. Why does it take 10 years for a drug to get approved? Why does a college student who suffers from chronic abdominal pain for years, and we have no idea what’s going on, and they go to Italy for a summer and they are suddenly cured of their abdominal pain? Why does a peanut allergy medication that’s been safe with data for decades get approved in Europe before the United States when nearly 10% of our population has a food allergy? So, I do think there’s a lot of areas where we can ask, does a drug need to be prescription, when it could be over-the-counter, why are requiring continuous glucose monitors to have a Doctor’s prescription when it’s good for people to use these monitors and learn about what they’re eating. We don’t just want to limit continuous glucose monitoring to people with diabetes, we want to prevent diabetes when 30% of our nation’s children has diabetes or pre-diabetes or some form of early insulin resistance. Why are we holding these tools to help people, empower them about their health, until after they’re sick, same with continuous blood pressure monitoring.
Senator Murkowski: Well, as you point out, why do we wait. We want to make sure that there is a level of safety, that’s the job there through the FDA. But, again, being able to accelerate these in ways that are meaningful, and to your point, that actually fit with the population that you’re speaking to. So know that I’m going to be pushing you on this, as well as many other advocates out there.
Dr. Makary: Thank you.
Senator Murkowski: I want to quickly ask you about food safety inspections. State and local governments conduct about 60% of food processing facility inspections, 90% of produce safety inspections, 100% of retail food inspections. What has happened is we have seen in the Biden Administration, FDA planning to cut funding for state and local food safety programs. This impacts us in the state of Alaska when it comes to our seafood industry, and in other areas. So, I’m looking for a commitment from you that under the Trump Administration, the FDA is going to maintain funding for these contracts with state and local governments. They’ve proven that it’s more cost effective, more efficient, and it also is what Congress has asked for. So I’d like to know that you’re going to be supportive in that regard to state and local governments.
Dr. Makary: I’m happy to look at that with you, Senator.
Senator Murkowski: Very good. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

MIL OSI USA News –

March 7, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Speech to the BusinessNZ Health Forum

Source: New Zealand Government

Check against delivery.

Kia ora koutou. Thank you, Phil, for the opportunity to speak to you today to the Business NZ Health Forum. Since my appointment as Health Minister, I’ve spent time where it matters most – on the frontline, listening to the people our health system is here to serve. Let me tell you about just a few stories I have heard.There are many positive stories of people receiving exceptional healthcare:

A Tauranga woman who recently shared her gratitude with me that her chemotherapy drug is now funded because of the Government’s record investment in new cancer drugs.
A young person in distress, whose family isn’t sure what to do, being helped by compassionate youth mental health services to work through how to cope.
A security guard I met who said he went to an Emergency Department and was seen and discharged in 2.5 hours.

Review hospital systems from admission to discharge, ensuring patients flow smoothly.

But some are more grim:

An elderly man who requires hip and knee surgery and has been living in pain while they wait for their operations.
A cancer survivor who is overdue for their colonoscopy.
A person who is worried about a friend that has been waiting for surgery for over for 15 months, only to find out it has been cancelled.

The failure of our health system doesn’t stop at waiting lists.

I’ve heard of a grandmother sent home after waiting for hours in ED, only to return shortly after having had a stroke.

A grandfather lying in a hospital ward for days, sick and in pain, not knowing when—or if—a doctor would come to see him and tell him what is wrong.

And I’ve heard far too many stories over the past five weeks of people who are alive today, not because the system looked after them, but because their wives, husbands, daughters, and sons had to make lots of noise until someone paid attention.

That’s not a health system that works. And if you ask the doctors, nurses, midwives, and other health professionals who keep the system running, they’ll tell you the same thing. They are just as frustrated—because they got into this job to care for people and provide world-class healthcare to New Zealanders. But the system is failing their patients and them too. Somewhere along the way, our health system became desensitised to patients.  There’s often too much focus on what the unions, the colleges, or professional lobby groups say, and not enough focus on what the patient says. Because in healthcare, the customer is the patient—the mum with the newborn, the tradie, the farmer, the kaumātua, the grandmother. They should be at the heart of every decision we make. People working in health have been conditioned to substandard management and conditioned to giving into groups which exert pressure on them.This is not the standard we should accept in New Zealand.  That’s why we must fix the system—so that every patient gets the care they deserve, and every healthcare professional is empowered to do the job they trained so long and hard for. New Zealanders expect better. And under this Government, we will deliver it.

A long-term problem made worse by Labour

Let’s be clear—this is not a new problem. Our health system has been overloaded and under pressure for years. But the decisions of the previous government made it significantly worse. We inherited a health system in a state of turmoil.In the middle of a pandemic—when New Zealand needed stability—they ripped the entire structure apart.  They forced through one of the biggest bureaucratic restructures in our history, abolishing 20 District Health Boards overnight and replacing them with a single, centralised bureaucracy.  The reforms stripped decision-making away from regions and districts.They had no plan for how it would actually help patients. Key health targets – used to ensure the system was delivering for patients – were dumped.Instead of supporting frontline workers, they created another layer of bureaucratic management and confusion at the top.  Instead of focusing on patient care and ensuring people didn’t get sicker languishing on ballooning waiting lists, they produced internal reports and shuffled job titles in the head office.  Instead of keeping control of spending, they lost complete oversight of the system’s finances. To put it frankly, the previous government’s 2022 health reforms were rushed and poorly implemented, with disastrous results. Most importantly, those reforms eroded the trust and confidence of New Zealanders in getting access to the health services they need.It’s not just our view. It’s not just what frontline workers and patients say. It’s now documented fact.

The Deloitte Report – Labour’s health system failure in black and white

Today, a report by Deloitte titled the ‘Financial Review of Health New Zealand’—an independent report, not written by politicians, but by financial and operational experts – is being released on Health New Zealand’s website.It delivers a damning verdict on the state of our health system when we took office 16 months ago. The report shows, in black and white, that under the previous government, Health New Zealand lost control of the critical levers that drive financial and delivery outcomes.In simple terms:

The agency that was supposed to run our health system had no idea how it was spending its money or the results it was achieving.

Costs spiralled out of control, with deficits mounting each month.

Basic financial oversight collapsed, meaning no accountability, no performance tracking, and no ability to measure success or failure.

No systems in place to manage funds appropriately.

Meanwhile, Labour’s plan was to support unions over patients.  As I mentioned earlier, they scrapped health targets, so they didn’t even know what success looked like.

The result?

Elective surgeries plummeted. In 2017, 1,037 people were waiting over four months for elective treatment. By the time Labour left office, that number had grown to 27,497. That’s an increase of over 2,551 percent.

Emergency department wait times blew out. When National left office, almost 90 percent of patients were seen within six hours. By 2023, that dropped below 70 percent.

Childhood immunisation rates collapsed. In 2017, 92.4 percent of children were fully immunised at 24 months. By 2023, that number hit 83 percent.

Primary healthcare was ignored. More people than ever couldn’t see a healthcare professional when they needed one.

This is a system under significant pressure and a system which was recklessly mismanaged under the past government, thrown into turmoil at the worst possible time, and left to drift without accountability. But that changes today.

Funding for Health

There is always a need for more investment in health, but more money isn’t the only solution.This Government has invested a record funding boost of $16.68 billion (over three years) in health to help the sector plan for the future, and that includes funding expected growth. The funding boost provided by this Government is enabling Health New Zealand to retain capacity at the frontline and deliver more services to New Zealanders.There are more frontline staff, including more nurses than ever before and more medical staff, allied and scientific staff, and care and support staff.Since it was set up, Health New Zealand’s frontline staff grew by almost 6,500 people, alongside achieving back-office efficiencies. Remuneration for health workforces has also increased.Since 2014, average salaries for nurses and midwives have increased by almost 70 percent, while average salaries for teachers and police have only risen by approximately 35-40 percent over the same period. The average salary of a registered nurse (including senior nurses) is currently around $125,660, including overtime and allowances. This aligns with nurses in New South Wales.Yet we are not seeing the results we have invested in.Productivity is declining and has not kept pace with historic levels of funding and workforce growth.For example, in the decade between 2014 and 2024, core Health operating funding almost doubled, but the number of first specialist assessments undertaken only increased by 17 percent. The waiting list more than doubled during this period to almost 195,000 people.  And as at August last year, over 40 percent of adults needing to see a GP couldn’t get a consultation within a week of when they needed to see one. Every single dollar must deliver better outcomes for patients.  More money going in must mean more results coming out.  But under Labour, we saw more money with worse outcomes, longer waitlists, and declining service levels. That is simply unacceptable.

What we have done – A back-to-basics approach

Since being in office, this Government has been taking action and we are getting results:

We reinstated health targets—because what gets measured, gets done.
We’re doing more operations. Last year, the health system carried out over 144,000 elective procedures – 10,000 more than the previous 12 months.
We are moving resources back to the frontline, cutting wasteful bureaucracy.
The health workforce is being paid more.
We’re investing in health infrastructure—building new hospitals, upgrading existing ones, and modernising equipment. There are currently 66 Ministerially approved health infrastructure projects, worth a cumulative $6.3 billion in the pipeline.
We have begun stabilising the system, although there’s still a long way to go.

But let me be clear—this is just the beginning.

My five key priorities as Minister
Healthcare is a top priority for everyone in New Zealand. I see it every day as an electorate MP, a father of three young children, and as Health Minister travelling the country. Yes, there will always be a need for more money in healthcare, and as Minister, I will fight every single day to invest more and deliver more for you.I am proud of the investment this Government is putting into health. However, I will also be holding the system to account to deliver more for the funding that is being invested.Investing in primary care and funding additional operations are at the heart of my five clear priorities as Health Minister. They are:

Stabilising Health New Zealand’s governance and accountability allowing it to focus on delivering the basics
Reducing emergency department wait times
Delivering a boost in elective surgery volumes to get on top of the backlog and reduce waiting lists
Fixing primary care to ensure easier access
Providing clarity on the health infrastructure investment pipeline.

1. Focusing Health New Zealand on delivering the basics
My first priority is getting the basics right. It follows years of worsening results being the only thing being delivered.We are going to turn this around by focusing on delivery and achieving targets. Our health targets matter because they demonstrate performance. But it’s not enough to have them on paper—we must deliver real results. Over the last few years, the previous Government’s decision to restructure in the middle of a pandemic—and to remove those targets—led us to where we are now. Too many people are waiting too long for critical assessments and treatments.Health New Zealand should run a health system, not a bureaucracy. Instead of focusing on patients, it got lost in process. That changes now.No more excuses. We measure success in one way: better outcomes for patients.Health New Zealand has struggled to come together as a cohesive team that supports the organisation to deliver for patients. Senior Leadership Team members have only just begun weekly in-person meetings, and have continued to operate from different offices, despite the majority living in Auckland and the organisation being two and a half years old.This has meant the organisation has failed to create a cohesive team to lead the organisation forward.Today, I’m outlining my expectations for Health NZ to deliver a nationally planned and consistent, but locally delivered, health system. I expect core services (infrastructure, data, digital, HR, comms) will sit at head office, with national executive leadership focused on national programmes, shared services, overall governance and planning and empowering districts. I have directed the Commissioner to accelerate the shift to local decision-making and service delivery, and set a requirement for local delivery plans to be developed. I expect this to be done by July.This will enable local leaders to plan effectively, be clear about their budgets, allocate resource to where it’s most needed, and deliver better outcomes for their communities.Because all healthcare is local.I expect there to be strong regional coordination to support local delivery, with singular lines of accountability flowing from the national executive level through to the frontline.Under Labour, financial controls vanished, clinical input was lost, and local districts were disempowered. We are restoring that.Today, I have issued a new letter of expectation and Health New Zealand has released its delivery plan to reflect this.I will also bring back a board for Health New Zealand. Now that the plan is set, it is time to begin the process of transitioning to traditional governance.In the coming weeks, nominations open for the new board. If you have passion for healthcare and a demonstrated track record of delivery, we need you.I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Commissioners for their work to date and I look forward to working with them as they deliver on their plan and as we transition to a board.

2. Fixing Primary Healthcare – easier access for everyone
My second priority is ensuring timely GP access. New Zealand has a shortage of family doctors, who play an important role in helping Kiwis to stay well and out of emergency departments.But last year a third of GP practices had their books closed, forcing people to emergency departments. And if you can’t book in to see your GP or nurse when you need one, you end up in ED when you shouldn’t have to. No one should wait weeks to see a GP and we are set on fixing that.Historically, more funding has been invested in more costly hospital and specialist services at the expense of primary and community care. Over the past five years, hospital funding has increased at a higher rate than primary and community funding. Hospital funding went up by almost 53 percent, while primary and community funding increased by 41 percent.This means we’re missing opportunities for earlier and less costly interventions.We must shift the dial towards primary care, both to improve access for New Zealanders and because it is the fiscally responsible thing to do.We have already made a number of important announcements this week about how we will improve access to primary care including:

Making it easier for New Zealanders to see a doctor. We’re providing up to 100 clinical placements for overseas-trained doctors to work in primary care. This will support their transition into GP practices that need them most.

We are also ramping up the number of trainee GPs to give Kiwis better access to healthcare in their communities. We’re introducing a funded primary care pathway to registration for up to 50 New Zealand-trained graduate doctors each year from 2026.

We’re training more new doctors. During the term of this Government, medical school placement have increased by 100 places each year.

We’re investing to increase the number of nurses in primary care. This includes supporting GP practices and other providers outside hospitals to hire up to 400 graduate registered nurses a year from this year.

Improving access to 24/7 digital care. This will provide all New Zealanders with better and faster access to video consultations with New Zealand-registered clinicians, such as GPs and nurse practitioners, for urgent problems, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. People will be able to be diagnosed, get prescriptions, be referred for lab tests or radiology, and have urgent referrals organised.

These measures focus on giving our primary care workforce the numbers and support they need, so that when you or your whānau need to see a GP, you can—without facing weeks-long wait times or closed books.Strengthening urgent and after-hours care will also be a focus of mine as part of our plan to enable faster access to primary care, and work on this is underway.This week I also announced that Health New Zealand has agreed to deliver a $285 million uplift to funding over three years for general practice from 1 July, in addition to the capitation uplift general practice receives annually.This will be incentivise GPs to improve access and patient outcomes – especially around improved vaccination rates and supporting family doctors to undertake minor planned services. This is just the start – there is more to do. Health New Zealand has work underway to rethink how we fund primary care to make it faster, more accessible, and more sustainable.

3. Reducing ED wait times
My third priority is emergency departments, which have seen lengthy wait times continue to increase since targets were scrapped. The ED target is not just about making sure patients are seen quickly but it pushes every part of the hospital to work smoothly.Emergency departments are the beating hearts of hospitals – if they are operating efficiently and effectively, that reflects the effectiveness and efficiency of every part of the hospital. If wait times are too slow in the ED department it indicates problems throughout the hospital. I expect Health New Zealand to:

Empower clinicians at local levels to fix bottlenecks in real time.
Integrate the primary care reforms, so fewer preventable cases end up in ED. This will be done by hiring and training more doctors and nurses and ensuring New Zealanders have access to round-the-clock care.

The relationship between our hospitals and primary care is critically important, but has broken down in recent years and needs to be fixed. Empowering the primary care sector can help keep people out of hospital and manage patients much more cost effectively in our communities.We need our hospitals working with our primary health care providers to achieve this, and we need many more hospital services delivered locally in communities rather than centrally in our hospitals. We are restoring a focus on ED shorter stay targets, forcing real improvements across the entire hospital. We want to see 95 percent of people admitted, discharged, or transferred from an emergency department within six hours.

4. Clearing the elective surgery backlog
My fourth priority is elective surgeries, where 27,497 people were waiting more than four months for surgeries they desperately needed in September 2023—a number that was 1,037 under National in 2017. This backlog is unacceptable and has unfortunately grown since we came to Government.But we have arrested the decline in the number of operations. As I mentioned earlier, last financial year, the health system carried out 10,000 more elective procedures than in the previous 12 months. However, we must still urgently increase the volume of surgeries.The elective surgery wait list target isn’t just about measuring performance of the system, it is about people. Behind every number is an individual, a family, many waiting in pain and families anxious for their loved ones to have the surgery they need. We can’t keep doing things the way we currently do it. At the moment Health NZ undertakes both elective surgery, and also responds to acute need, with planned elective surgery often being disrupted by acute need, leaving patients waiting for treatment and waitlists continuing to grow. At the same time, the small amount of planned care that is outsourced to the private sector is often done on an ad hoc basis, meaning Health New Zealand is paying premium prices.This practice must stop. Kiwis waiting in pain for an operation aren’t worried about who is delivering the operation, they just want it done as quickly as possible. I want to see Health NZ both lifting its own performance on elective surgeries, but also partnering closely with the private sector to ensure we can get on top of the waitlists and get kiwis the operations they need as quickly as possible. By partnering with the private sector, we can ensure people get the care they need, and Health New Zealand can achieve value for money through long-term contracts with the private sector. I expect Health New Zealand to work closely with ACC – which already has many of these arrangements in place – to ensure value for money for taxpayers and faster treatment for patients.Today I am pleased to announce the first part of this plan with Health New Zealand investing $50 million between now and the end of June this year to reduce the backlog of people waiting for elective surgeries. That will see an extra 10,579 procedures carried out between now and the middle of this year, with work also underway now to negotiate longer term agreements. This will improve the quality of life of thousands of New Zealanders. It will mean people can return to work, take up hobbies again, and continue to build precious memories with loved ones. I can also announce that I have asked Health New Zealand to work with the private sector to agree a set of principles that will underpin future outsourcing contracts. This will include:

Ending the use of expensive ad hoc, shorter-term contracts for elective surgeries.
Negotiating longer-term, multi-year agreements to deliver better value for money and better outcomes for patients.
Agreeing on plans to recruit, share, and train staff which already bridge both the public and private hospitals.

Long term, I want as much planned care as possible to be delivered in partnership with the private sector, freeing public hospitals for acute needs. However, this needs to be done in a way which is mutually beneficial for our public health system and our workforce. To be clear, the system remains publicly funded, so everyone has access, but this will allow Health New Zealand to leverage private capacity to reduce wait times for patients.

5. Investing in health infrastructure – building for the future
My fifth priority is infrastructure—physical and digital. Our hospitals and data systems are in dire need of upgrade. Health New Zealand is grappling with an outdated infrastructure that is inhibiting changes to models of care that improve patient outcomes and drive efficiencies.Currently:

Health New Zealand has about 1,200 buildings – some have significant seismic risks, other older buildings are not clinically fit for purpose.
Digital infrastructure is also fragmented. There are an estimated 6,000 applications and 100 digital networks. That equates to roughly one application for every 16 Health New Zealand staff members, which is unsustainable.

We need solutions. That includes:

Investigating creating a separate Health Infrastructure Entity under Health New Zealand, to manage and deliver physical and digital assets.
Publishing a long-term plan for health infrastructure so Kiwis know what’s being upgraded across New Zealand and can see a 10-year pipeline of capital projects
Putting all funding and financing options on the table—this will require bold, sustainable investment.

Health infrastructure has been neglected for decades.We’re turning that around. There are currently health infrastructure projects, worth a cumulative $6.3 billion in the pipeline.That includes:

A new hospital in Dunedin.
Modern cancer treatment facilities in Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki
The extensive facilities infrastructure remediation programme at Auckland City Hospital and Greenlane Clinical Centre, and
Manukau Health Park and Hillmorton specialist mental health services in Christchurch.

Hospitals don’t run on press releases; they run on real investment. We are delivering that.

Stripping out bureaucracy, demanding delivery
At the end of the day, you can’t manage what you don’t measure. It comes down to results, accountabilities, and every single person in the health system playing their part. My message to Health New Zealand is simple: I expect delivery. I expect a back-to-basics approach, with less talk and more action.I expect a relentless focus on improving health outcomes for New Zealanders and for Health New Zealand to reallocate baseline funding to implement immediate action.We’ve had enough talk. It’s time to fix this system.

A health system that delivers for every New Zealander
New Zealanders don’t want more reports or more excuses—they want action:

Health targets are back.
We’re taking action to stabilise surgery waitlists.
More doctors and nurses are being trained and recruited.
Hospitals are being upgraded.
Primary care is being strengthened.

This isn’t just talk; it’s real change. And I promise every New Zealander: we will not stop until our health system delivers timely, quality care to all.We are embarking on this shift with urgency.Patients come first. And this Government will not rest until that’s a reality.Thank you very much.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

March 7, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: As Avian Flu Rages, Gillibrand Calls On Trump Administration To Take Action To Fight Spread, Bring Down Skyrocketing Cost Of Eggs

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand
As avian flu rages across the country and drives up the cost of eggs, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a virtual press conference calling on the Trump administration to take action to develop and approve a vaccine for poultry and contain the outbreak.
Bird flu has been found in 44 of New York’s 62 counties and has forced farmers to cull more than 150 million birds around the country, including 100,000 at one farm on Long Island alone. A new strain of the disease has been found in cattle; its spread would be devastating to New York’s dairy farmers and could pose a serious threat to human health if the strain continues to evolve.
Nevertheless, the Trump administration has stopped releasing crucial data on the spread of bird flu and has fired federal workers responsible for tracking cases and managing the federal response. Gillibrand is calling on the administration to take action to address the outbreak and support the development and approval of a vaccine to bring down egg prices, reduce the need to depopulate flocks, and safeguard public health.
“Avian flu is decimating bird populations, and the subsequent shortage of egg-laying hens is making eggs unaffordable for working New Yorkers,” said Senator Gillibrand. “President Trump must act now to contain this outbreak. I am urging him to do everything in his power to prioritize the development of a vaccine to inoculate chickens against avian flu and fulfill his campaign promise to bring down grocery prices. I am alarmed that the administration limited the data shared with the scientific community and am urging full transparency. This deadly disease requires a whole of government response to be enacted immediately.”
The full text of Senator Gillibrand’s letter to leadership at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of the United States Trade Representative is available here or below:
Dear Secretary Rollins, Secretary Kennedy, Secretary Noem, and Ambassador Greer,
As the United States enters its third year of containing the H5N1 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), it is imperative that the federal government continue to aggressively combat the spread of this deadly disease. With more than 150 million birds already culled, including 100,000 birds at one farm on Long Island alone, this outbreak does not appear to be slowing down.1 Human infections, including a fatal case in Louisiana, and a new strain of the disease discovered in a dairy herd in Nevada, demonstrate the ongoing and increasing risk this influenza is posing to animal and human health.2 Agencies must work together on comprehensive response efforts including vaccine development, publishing current scientific data, and proactive engagement with our international trading partners.
On January 31, 2025, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed a new genotype of HPAI, Genotype D1.1, identified in a dairy farm in Nevada.3 This is the first time in which there is clear, genetic confirmation that dairy cattle derived the virus from birds. As the virus evolves, it will make it more difficult to control the spread amongst wild birds, commercial poultry flocks, and dairy farms. In addition, an evolving virus could potentially lead to increased infections among humans, particularly farmworkers who interact with the animals daily. While the poultry industry has robust biosecurity measures to reduce the spread of HPAI in their operations, it seems that these measures are not adequate in combatting this highly virulent strain. The strategies used to combat the 2015 avian flu epidemic (i.e. increased biosecurity precautions) do not seem to be enough to counteract this strain.4
Engagement with the scientific community is the cornerstone of disease prevention and mitigation. It is extremely alarming that the weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released on February 5, 2025, did not have any mention of H5N1 and did not contain any publicly available information on the risks associated with this virus. While data seemed to have been briefly included in the Morbidity and Mortality Report, it is no longer included in versions available online.5 Reports indicate that mistakenly reported data included indications there has been transmission of H5N1 between cats and humans, specifically those that share the same household.6 The midst of a potential public health crisis is not the time to hide information from the broader scientific community. The refusal to share this data will stifle critical vaccine development.
Unfortunately, inoculating poultry against HPAI, especially operations that are free-range, is extremely difficult. This outbreak of HPAI will require novel solutions in terms of vaccine delivery, such as additions to water or feed, as direct vaccine injection is not feasible on larger commercial operations. The income lost for poultry farmers can be immense if they must cull their flock. For example, egg-laying operations must wait at least 17 weeks before the animal is providing product, meaning farmers could be out of income for up to 5 months. Additionally, broiler chickens have a much shorter lifespan, meaning they must be vaccinated at a younger age. It is critical that the federal government use all resources available to rapidly develop and deploy these new vaccine strategies. The United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of Homeland Security must work closely together to use all possible resources at shared facilities, such as Plum Island or the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, to develop these new treatments for chickens, turkeys, and dairy cows.
While vaccines are being developed, the United States Trade Representative must proactively engage with our international trading partners regarding the usage of newly developed vaccines. Public-private engagement will be critical to inform vaccination guidance to ensure our agricultural communities have access to these critical foreign markets.
In summation, I request monthly written updates on the following items:
What coordination actions have been undertaken by the Departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Homeland Security, and the U.S. Trade Representative.
The status of vaccine development for HPAI.
The interactions with international trading partners in terms of vaccine development.
Actions taken by executive agencies to engage with the scientific community.
I look forward to working on this issue together. If you have additional questions, please reach out to my staff.

MIL OSI USA News –

March 7, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Strategic Approach to Immunisation in New Zealand 2025–2030

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health

Immunisation is a highly successful public health intervention. It safeguards individuals, whānau and communities against a range of potentially devastating diseases, and is a critical way of preventing and controlling infectious disease outbreaks. An accessible and effective immunisation system maximises immunisation uptake and coverage, improving the health of the population and enabling pae ora – healthy futures.

The Strategic Approach to Immunisation in New Zealand 2025–2030 (the strategic approach) provides a renewed vision and strategic direction for the immunisation system for the next five years. It incorporates key lessons learned from our experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, and sets out high-level objectives and goals for the immunisation system to better protect individuals, whānau and communities against vaccine-preventable diseases.

The strategic approach acknowledges that people have different needs and so individuals require different approaches to improve immunisation outcomes. It recognises the impact of social, economic, environmental and other factors on immunisation coverage, and focuses on working in partnership with stakeholders to address inequities in vaccination coverage and to achieve a highly effective immunisation system.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

March 7, 2025