Health Issues

Over 62 million cases of tuberculosis and eight million deaths are estimated in India in the two decades up to 2040, along with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) loss of more than USD 146 billion, according to a study. The researchers, including those from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, said that low-income households would bear the larger share of health-related burden, while the high-income ones the larger share of the economic burden due to the disease. Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease that can spread in the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks. Primarily affecting the lung, the condition can be potentially fatal, as it can spread to other organs. The common symptoms include a persistent cough, chest pain, fever and fatigue. Improving case detection rates -- currently estimated to be 63 per cent -- and meeting the World Health Organization's End-TB target of 90 per cent could reduce clinical and demographic disease burdens by 75-90 per ..

Ozempic makes people eat less, but its impact on physical and psychological well-being is not well understood. Johann Hari's book explains the science behind it in an accessible way

British health officials say they have identified four cases of the new, more infectious version of mpox that first emerged in Congo, marking the first time the variant has caused a cluster of illness outside of Africa. Scientists said the risk to the public remains low. Authorities announced the first case of the new form of mpox in the UK last week, saying the case was being treated at a London hospital after recently travelling to countries in Africa with ongoing outbreaks. This week, the UK Health Security Agency said it had now identified three further cases who lived in the same household as the first patient. They too are now being treated at a hospital in London. Mpox is very infectious in households with close contact and so it is not unexpected to see further cases within the same household, said Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor of the UK Health Security Agency. The new variant of mpox was first detected earlier this year in eastern Congo. Scientists believe it causes

E. coli is a bacterium found in animal intestines and the environment, including water and food. While many strains are harmless, some can lead to serious illness

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday highlighted the critical role of food regulators in combating unsafe food, which causes 600 million cases of foodborne diseases and 4,20,000 deaths annually. In a video message to the second Global Food Regulators Summit in Delhi, Ghebreyesus said, "Our food systems are facing increasing challenges due to climate change, population growth, new technologies, globalisation and industrialisation." He revealed that 70 per cent of fatalities from unsafe food occur among children under five. "The food regulator community has a critical role to play in addressing these global challenges," the WHO Chief said, emphasising the need for coordinated efforts as over 3 million people cannot afford a nutritious diet. Ghebreyesus stressed that collaboration is essential to ensure safe and accessible food for all, as food systems cross borders and continents. Union Health Minister J P Nadda, Food Minister Prahlad Joshi, Health Secretary and

The Taliban have suspended polio vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan, the U.N. said Monday. Afghanistan is one of two countries in which the spread of the potentially fatal, paralyzing disease has never been stopped. The other is Pakistan. News of the suspension was relayed to U.N. agencies right before the September immunization campaign was due to start. No reason was given for the suspension, and no one from the Taliban-controlled government was immediately available for comment. A top official from the World Health Organization said it was aware of discussions to move away from house-to-house vaccinations and instead have immunizations in places like mosques. The WHO has confirmed 18 polio cases in Afghanistan this year, all but two in the south of the country. That's up from six cases in 2023. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is aware of the recent policy discussions on shifting from house-to-house polio vaccination campaigns to site-to-site vaccination in parts of ..

Expert panel will also recommend suitable land uses for area, Kerala Health Minister Veena George has directed appointment of more psychiatry experts from medical colleges to serve in disaster areas

A new study says an African woman is roughly 130 times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth complications than a woman in Europe or North America, the UN population fund reported Wednesday as it decried widening inequality in sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide. UNFPA's latest State of World Population report also estimates that nearly 500 maternal deaths occur in countries with humanitarian crises or conflicts, and shows that women of African descent in the Americas are more likely to die giving birth than white women. Sweeping global gains in sexual and reproductive health and rights over the last thirty years are marred by an ugly truth millions of women and girls have not benefited because of who they are or where they were born, the fund said in a statement. UNFPA executive director Dr Natalia Kanem said the unintended pregnancy rate has declined by nearly one-fifth since 1990 and the maternal death rate has dropped by more than one-third since ..

The recall comes after a consumer complained about possible contamination

Bajaj Auto Ltd on Wednesday said its Vice Chairman Madhur Bajaj has resigned due to health reasons. In a regulatory filing, Bajaj Auto said Madhur Bajaj has tendered his resignation from his position in the company with effect from the close of business hours on January 24, 2024. In his resignation letter, Bajaj said considering his age and current health and after being associated with the company for 44 years he wished to step down as the Vice Chairman and non-executive Director of Bajaj Auto. "I believe now is the time for me to pursue my other interests and commitments," he added. Further, Bajaj Auto said its independent director Lila Poonawalla has expressed her desire not to seek a second term when her first term ends on March 31, 2024. The board has approved re-appointment of Pradip Shah as an independent director for the second five-year term effective from April 1, 2024 and also recommended to the shareholders, the appointment of Vinita Bali as an independent director for

On September 12, the Nipah outbreak in Kerala was officially confirmed. But for the last four days, no new cases were reported after the initial six

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday stressed on the need for using diverse Indian data to develop indigenous solutions to the country's medical and health issues. Addressing 'Thyrocon-2023' here, he also said in just a span of two years, India could produce two DNA vaccines and one nasal vaccine and provide them to 130 countries to fight the coronavirus "We thank Prime Minister Modi who for the first time brought preventive health care into focus in the country which was not taken care of for the last 70 years," Singh said at the event organised by the Jammu Doctor's Foundation in association with the Department of Endocrinology, Government Super Speciality Hospital, Jammu. Flagging two issues, the minister of state in the prime minister's office said the first is the shift from clinical medicine teaching due to increasing diagnostic capabilities. "Now, the clinical details are inferred after obtaining the test reports," Singh said. The second issue is of Indian research, Ind

Amid rising cases of coronavirus, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday held a review meeting and advised states to stay alert and be prepared for COVID-19 management. In the meeting with state health ministers and principal and additional chief secretaries held virtually, Mandaviya stressed on identifying emergency hotspots by monitoring trends of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) cases, ramping up testing and vaccination and ensuring readiness of hospital infrastructure. Along with enhancing genome sequencing and ramping up whole genome sequencing of positive samples, he also emphasised on creating awareness about following Covid-appropriate behaviour. The Centre and the states need to continue working in collaborative spirit as was done during the previous surges for COVID-19 prevention and management, Mandaviya said. He also urged the state health ministers to conduct mock drills of all hospital infrastructure on April 10 and

The United States Embassy in Cuba is reopening visa and consular services Wednesday, the first time it has done so since a spate of unexplained health incidents among diplomatic staff in 2017 slashed the American presence in Havana. The Embassy confirmed this week it will begin processing immigrant visas, with a priority placed on permits to reunite Cubans with family in the U.S., and others like the diversity visa lottery. The resumption comes amid the greatest migratory flight from Cuba in decades, which has placed pressure on the Biden administration to open more legal pathways to Cubans and start a dialogue with the Cuban government, despite a historically tense relationship. They are anticipated to give out at least 20,000 visas a year, though it's just a drop in the bucket of the migratory tide, which is fueled by intensifying economic and political crises on the island. In late December, U.S. authorities reported stopping Cubans 34,675 times along the Mexico border in Novemb

Rashes that do not itch, swollen eyes, burning sensation in lips and sore throat could be symptoms of severe adverse drug reaction (ADR)

Video shows Putin walking stiffly across the room and he appears to hesitate before stepping down to reach a set of chairs

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah did not appear before the court in a money laundering case related to the alleged financial irregularities in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) here on Saturday due to health issues. As the case, before the court of Principal District and Sessions Judge, Srinagar, was called, Abdullah's lawyer Ishtiyaq Ahmad Khan said the NC chief is not able to attend the court due to health issues. The judge told Khan that Abdullah should be present in the court on the next date of hearing, which is listed on September 26. The lawyer assured it that the former J-K chief minister will attend that hearing. The court had on July 23 issued summons to Abdullah on a complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against him and others in the JKCA money laundering case. Abdullah, the Member of Parliament from Srinagar, has been questioned multiple times by the agency in this case. He was the JKCA president from 2001 to 2012 and the scam

In a Q&A, the Nobel Peace Laureate and founder, Bachpan Bachao Andolan buttresses his view by pointing out that 1.6 bn children in the world couldn't attend school for more than a year

US researchers have found that people hospitalised with Covid-19 infection have significantly raised levels of oxidative stress, oxidant damage and markedly reduced levels of glutathione

India has one of the largest populations of children and adolescents living with Type 1 diabetes in the world with an estimated 1 million patients in this age group