Landslide alert

the early detection of presumptive TB cases.

It clearly says there should be “prompt diagnosis” using highly sensitive diagnostic tests for detecting presumptive TB cases “at the first point of contact” both in the private and public sectors.

Universal drugsusceptibility testing in all drugsensitive TB cases is crucial for early identification of drugresistant TB. The revised NSP 20202025 clearly states that NTEP should provide “universal access” to drug resistance testing.

However, in 2023, the proportion of notified TB patients offered drugsusceptibility testing was just 58% as against the target of 98%. In the absence of drugsusceptibility testing, it is not possible to ascertain drugresistant cases and offer them suitable MDRTB medicines.

Can large landslides be remotely detected in real-time?

Now it is possible to remotely detect large landslides within minutes of occurrence and to quickly determine whether they are close to open water and present a tsunami hazard. Researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks have devised a way to determine a landslide’s location, volume and potential impact. This might support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s goal of issuing a tsunami warning within five minutes of a landslide. A prototype system capable of realtime detection has been in place since August in the area of the Barry Arm of Prince William Sound, Alaska. It uses data from seismic stations already in the Alaska network. The method involves quickly identifying a landslide’s longperiod waves amid a seismic record busy with shortperiod waves created not only by a landslide but also by nearby earthquakes and glaciers and by humancaused activity.