Using sugar substitutes to lose weight could cause harm long-term, warns WHO

Continued consumption doesn’t reduce weight; could increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and mortality in adults

Why focusing on COVID-19 deaths undercounts health harms of pandemic: Study on India & other countries

Broader effects like mental health deterioration due to the anxiety of getting infected or the isolation of lockdowns have received less research …

Global health spending at record high post COVID-19, but can this be sustained?

India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan received barely 15% of the development assistance for health for COVID-19

Lancet’s new commission aims to tackle potential public health threats for this century

Lancet Commission will look at factors that will impact population health the most through 2050 and beyond

TB battle took a backseat during COVID-19 pandemic; Cases, drug resistance go up, finds WHO

Global spending on essential tuberculosis services decreased from $6 billion in 2019 to $5.4 billion in 2021.

What is immunity debt and why is it causing a spike in swine flu cases

Delhi had 15 patients in August; 1,500 cases & 43 deaths reported from Maharashtra this year

SC order on abortion strengthens body autonomy, but still a long way to go, say experts

Unmarried woman allowed to end pregnancy at 24 weeks; Might be a precedent for future cases

Data democracy: WHO bats for passing on genomics tech to developing world

Inaccessible tech not justifiable; Focus required on inadequate finances, lab infra, highly trained personnel

One Health: What it is & how it can be implemented in India

Nexus of science, social science, indigenous knowledge and policy necessary

COVID-19 has suppressed influenza for now, but it will return with greater severity: Study

COVID-19 appropriate behaviour will delay competition among existing influenza lineages which will eventually expand, compete and once again …

COVID-19 has made the invisible visible

Migrants make economies tick and now with their return there are many questions about the future of work, of …

What does quarantine mean and when did it begin

In the 14th century, ships arriving at Venice were made to sit at anchor for 40 days before landing. This practice, called quarantine, was …

Coronavirus mutated, new strain more aggressive: Research

Though older, less aggressive ‘S type’ strain seems to be more frequent now than ‘L type’

Weight gain during pregnancy may help shorter women have healthy babies

UNICEF estimates that 8 million babies are born with low weight every year in India

Ebola and Zika epidemics are driven by pathologies of society, not just a virus

To tackle Zika and other viral outbreaks, we need to focus not only on the pathology of the disease, but also on the global political …

Rajasthan moves to ‘privatise' basic health facilities

Attempts to implement the PPP model have failed in many states. Activists plan to oppose the decision  

Why antibiotic resistance is getting worse in India

Powerful, newer generation drugs are being sold far more frequently for no apparent reason

Aspartame ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’, labels WHO expert panel

Limited evidence on whether the artificial sweetener causes cancer in humans, more studies on carcinogenicity needed

Over 50% of world population to face water shortages by 2050: FAO urges countries to prepare for it

With agriculture contributing to 70% of freshwater consumption, agrifood systems thus become central to the water scarcity faced by the world, …

Cholera: Vaccines can stop spread, but biggest deterrent is clean water

Vaccinologists Edina Amponsah-Dacosta and Julie Copelyn speak about cholera vaccine and other ways to curb outbreaks in countries like South Africa

Boost to pharma production: Africa inches closer to setting up own drug regulator as member states ratify treaty

Agency will ensure drug manufacturers get approval from all African Union member states without a lengthy bureaucratic process

Microplastics time-bomb: Why we should not reuse plastic water bottles

Whether microplastic particles cause long-term damage is uncertain but reducing our exposure to them will be wise.  

Cough syrup can harm children: Experts warn of contamination risks

Toxicologists Winston Morgan and Shazma Bashir unpack the dangers of glycol poisoning 

WHO announces council to speed up TB vaccine development

Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus announces plan to save millions of lives at World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland

How people-centric public health surveillance can help control COVID-19

There is an urgent need to engage with the community to capture human lives, their social and economic demography