Deluged Pakistan faces significant health threats, WHO warns
Threats include malaria, dengue fever, polio, diarrhoea, COVID-19 and cholera; Maternal health to be affected and domestic violence will rise, UN says
African health ministers adopt PEN-PLUS strategy against non-communicable diseases
Stretegy will help bridge access gap in treatment, care of patients with chronic & severe NCD
How African countries coordinated the response to COVID-19: lessons for public health
Decentralisation strategies and innovation played key roles in coordination. Financing was a challenge to coordination
It’s taken roots: COVID-19 may soon turn endemic in many countries
India may be among endemic places; risk of the number of immune inidividuals dropping below a threshhold will remain
Africa reported 30% of global acute public health events in last 2 decades: WHO
Infections were main cause for public health emergencies in last 2 decades; Climate-led natural disasters fuelling acute public health events
Fine particulate air pollution shortens average Indian’s life by 5.3 years: University of Chicago
Nearly 40% of India’s population concentrated in Indo-Gangetic Plain to be affected most due to air pollution
WHO, US CDC are now tracking new COVID variant BA.2.86
Also called BA.X, lineage now under WHO’s variant under monitoring list
Nigeria becomes second country to approve Oxford’s malaria vaccine
After Ghana, Nigeria’s approval of malaria vaccine will help world achieve WHO goal of reducing malaria cases, deaths by 90% by 2030
9.6 million people will die of cancer this year
Two reports released on the same day say that cancer is the second biggest killer in India, which will see 8.17 per cent of cancer deaths in the …
South-East Asian nations commit to making medicines accessible to all
A ‘Delhi Declaration’ was signed by 11 countries of the region with an aim to make healthcare affordable and accessible to its 2 …
Ebola re-emerges in the Democratic Republic of Congo
36 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo less than two weeks after the WHO declared an end to the outbreak
India sees 1.75 million dog bites every year, yet we face up to 80% shortage of anti-rabies vaccines
The government is dragging its feet over controlling dog population, vaccinating them or even making enough shots available for victims
Dementia going to increase three-fold by 2050
The estimated annual global cost of dementia is US$ 818 billion, equivalent to more than 1 per cent of global GDP
Indian government is not doing enough to tackle the sale of unapproved antibiotics
India's laissez-faire attitude to drug regulation is a serious threat to global efforts
Resistance in gonorrhoea-causing bacteria is increasing and there are no new drugs
The World Health Organization has cautioned against the building resistance and emphasised on the need for new drugs
World Malaria Day: sub-Saharan Africa in the spotlight
WHO recommends a package of prevention approaches, including insecticide-treated nets, spraying indoor walls with insecticides and preventive …
Depression, an invisible burden for TB patients; and we must urgently address this
The risk of people with mental disorders being prone to developing TB has often been overlooked
New treatment against drug-resistant TB successful
Multidrug-resistant TB is a serious public health challenge. It affects vulnerable communities such as migrant workers, refugees, prisoners and …
Dutch invention dubbed the world’s largest vacuum cleaner for outside air
It is capable of filtering out 100 per cent of fine particles and 95 per cent of ultra-fine particles
At least 20,000 hidden cases of leprosy identified in less than a month
The leprosy drives aim at covering all districts in high-burden states with a prevalence rate of over one leprosy case in a population of 10,000
Phasing out environment-friendly transport in Kolkata
The state government is also trying to phase out tram lines laid in the city in 1903. Earlier, it banned cycles on more than 174 roads
European Medicines Agency asks EU to decrease use of antibiotic colistin
The update comes after a new mechanism of resistance to the bacteria was found in pigs and humans samples
WHO’s new programme to eliminate neglected tropical diseases in Africa
These diseases affect economically poorer sections having severe impact on their lives and progress
WHO issues guidelines to prevent child and maternal deaths
Every year, 2.6 million children are stillborn and 303,000 births result in mother’s death
Impact of environment on health: Africa adopts strategy for better synergy between sectors
New strategy also integrates recommendations for healthy recovery from COVID-19 pandemic