"An epidemic of non-communication"
David Miller is an expert in psychosocial management of hiv/aids. He has worked in developing countries since 1986 and is currently the Country …
Scotland schools ban fast food ads
Fast food advertising in vending machines in schools have been banned in Scotland. The move has been hailed as a breakthrough in the fight …
Breathing uneasy
Threat from occupational exposure to pollutants, especially to young children and pregnant women, is growing rapidly. There is no time for …
Prevention better than cure: Why World Bank bats for One Health to combat pandemics
Report finds cost of prevention a third of fighting off pandemic as pace of emerging infectious outbreaks increase
Kenya: Ruto proposes insurance reforms for universal health coverage; evokes mixed responses
The proposal will replace the current contribution system with a flat rate of 2.75 per cent of contributors’ gross salary
Measles outbreaks show legal challenges of balancing personal rights and public good
Health officials must protect citizens from communicable diseases, but within the legal framework
International Day of Happiness: Are our children really happy
As we gear up to celebrate the ‘International Day of Happiness’, do we have time, and empathy, to look at our own children to find if …
South Africa mulls tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, WHO welcomes move
This is one of the interventions proposed in the country’s strategy for 2015-2020 for prevention and control of obesity
Americans want low-cost, quality health care
Hillary Rodham Clinton, head of the US President's task force on health, has a tough task ahead in providing Americans with low-cost, quality …
Incinerator in Ohio ignites controversy
While US vice-president Al Gore cast his lot with the anti-incinerator, industry greens, residents of East Liverpool, Ohio, got together to …
Poisons we live with
Book>> What’s gotten into us? Staying healthy in a toxic world • by Mckay Jenkins, Random House • US $26
Silenced to death
The media and the government keep mum on pollution-cancer linkages and the abysmal medical help available in India against the menace
Don't ignore the deadly sign
Government buckles under pressure from tobacco industry and halts order on large pictorial warnings on tobacco products. Will profit prevail over …
Real threats of virtual world
Spending too much time on the Internet is causing mental health disorders. Is India prepared to tackle the addiction?
National action plan on antimicrobial resistance urges multi-sectoral initiative
Antimicrobial resistance, including antibiotic resistance, is a global public health threat, as antibiotics and antimicrobials are becoming …
Medical tests: How necessary?
Doctors are increasingly prescribing tests to arrive at a diagnosis. Has this benefited medical practice or patients? Four experts debate
Mothballing nitrogen
Some now ways of using fortilisers which will prevent nitrogen seepage into the water table
Sooty water for parched throats
Pollution by public sector units has created a dearth water in Orissa's Anugul-Talcher industrial belt. However, little has been done to rectify …
Umbilical discord
As a result of air pollution in Delhi, strains of toxic metals like lead and cadmium are increasingly finding their way into the womb
Film review Birth In The Squatting Position
Films>> Birth in the Squatting Position by Polymorph Films 1979 (10 mins, Brazil) The business of being born by Abby Epstein (83 mins, USA) …
Pandemic treaty: Draft urges cooperation, equity, transparency but misses independent monitoring
Draft has evolved from a working document circulated earlier this year in July and builds on the comments made by member states, domain experts …
Anganwadi centres rush to verify children beneficiaries’ Aadhaar
Only 1/3rd of children have cards; Expert worries it may lead to millions losing access to food and nutrition
Iraq eliminates trachoma as a public health problem
Becomes 50th country globally to eliminate at least one neglected tropical disease
South Africa’s per capita health spending flatlining since 2012: Report
While the health budget has risen at an average rate of 2.5 per cent per year, it has not translated into equitable access
Health inequities to be blamed for premature deaths among people with disabilities: WHO
They are at a two-fold risk of contracting chronic illnesses like asthma, depression, diabetes, obesity, dental disorders and stroke