Health report 2016: a glance at major developments

Down To Earth takes a probing look into key health issues that raised concerns and dominated medical discourse in 2016

Zika-the new global pandemic

After dengue and chikungunya, the Aedes mosquito is delivering a new emergency— Zika. Down To Earth looks into the reasons behind the …

‘Adaptation’ and ‘mitigation’ can reduce impacts of global pandemics

Mitigation programmes can save nearly US $360 billion over the next 100 years, says new study

Long COVID: Here’s what we can learn from chronic sequelae of other infectious diseases

Long COVID-like conditions were recorded in patients of ebola, polio and chikungunya as well

Monkey business

Coping with the nuisanceof urban monkeys may be beyond human patience. But shooting or declaring them pests will not serve the problem. Only a …

Antimicrobial resistance a ticking time bomb, warn world health experts

They were speaking at a live broadcast organised at the 69th World Health Assembly

Alarming increase in global use of antibiotics, India is the largest consumer

A research published in a medical journal has sounded an alarm on overuse and misuse of antibiotic drugs

COVID-19: Sharp dip in TB cases during lockdown, timely diagnosis major worry

A 25% reduction in TB detection due to the COVID-19 pandemic in three months could lead to a 13% increase in TB deaths, according to WHO

New diseases are the result of environmental degradation

After being instrumental in the eradication of smallpox, D A Henderson , director, Centre for Civilian Biodefence, Johns Hopkins University, USA,…

Autonomous Africa CDC a game-changer on disease outbreak response: Experts

Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention will now be in a position to assess disease outbreaks on the continent and declare it an …

Africa not on track to eliminate malaria by 2030 as envisioned: Report

Disruptions in access to health facilities, supply chain during COVID-19 pandemic impacted management of malaria cases

Drugs on EMI

People in an extremely backward Haryana town, where almost every fifth person has hepatitis C, are forced to seek treatment on EMIs

Droopy dead

New findings suggest the vulture might be falling prey to an infectious disease. The scientific community is not yet certain if the vulture's …

COVID-19: Infection in Dutch mink farms point to ‘reverse zoonosis’

The COVID-19 outbreak has reached 12 out of 130 Dutch mink farms, according to Science 

How do blood tests work? Medical laboratory scientists explain the process

There are a lot of steps in the pathway from blood draw to diagnosis and treatment 

Who are you?

Microorganisms have a complex equation with humans. From the structure of our bodies to cultural differences, the invisible beings influence our …

Dengue shadow over FIFA 2014

Three of the 12 games venues in Brazil—Natal, Fortaleza, and Recife—carry high-alert warning

Curative resolve

A dose of political will, backed by communication skills, can help combat infectious diseases

Unprepared for Ebola

The rapid spread of Ebola to three continents shows that the world needs effective surveillance and response system to check infectious diseases

Suffering SARS

Is the crisis spawned by this new viral infection a failure of global health governance?

Kicking up a stink

Waste pickers in Pune force corporates and the municipality to address safe disposal of sanitary napkins

MERS virus may spread to India post Haj

Researchers predict spread of acute respiratory syndrome that originated in the Middle East by studying population movements; Mumbai, Kozhikode …

Totally drug resistant TB: government in denial mode

Health ministry deputes team to Mumbai; says neither WHO nor tuberculosis control programme recognise TDR-TB

Most disease maps unreliable

Disease maps help capture distribution of pathogens and their transmission intensity. An international team of researchers has reviewed 355 of …