Page 4 - Disease

TMS Ep581: Pandemic-preparedness, internet growth, markets, 10,000-yr clock

Is India prepared for the next pandemic? What is holding back India's internet growth? What should you do with rate-sensitive stocks? What is Jeff Bezos' 10,000-year clock? All answers here

Maintaining ecological balance can get rid of many diseases: Experts

Nature and health go hand-in-hand and maintaining the ecological balance can help get rid of many diseases and also prevent recurrence of pandemics, experts in Ayurveda said at the Global Ayurveda Festival (GAF) here on Sunday. Environmental activist Dr Vandana Shiva was of the view that life on the planet was "a democracy working in harmony" and destroying diversity leads to creation of chronic diseases, a government release said. She was speaking at a plenary session on 'Paryavaran Ayurveda' ( Ecology in Ayurveda) held as part of the fifth Global Ayurveda Festival (GAF 2023) at Greenfield International Stadium at nearby Karyavattom. The central theme of the five-day conclave, which began on December 1, is "Emerging Challenges in Healthcare and a Resurgent Ayurveda." Addressing the gathering of delegates from 70 nations, Shiva, known for spearheading campaigns for preserving traditional agricultural practices, said that preserving biodiversity was crucial to sustaining food ...

Jharkhand puts hospitals on alert amid pneumonia outbreak in China

The Jharkhand government has put its hospitals on alert, asking them for surveillance, preventive measures and testing of respiratory illness cases in the backdrop of a mysterious pneumonia outbreak in China, officials said on Saturday. In a letter to the district administrations, Additional Chief Secretary for Health Arun Kumar Singh directed them to remain prepared and keep a constant vigil on the situation. "In view of the recently reported surge in respiratory illness, especially in children in Northern China, in the recent weeks, this is to bring to your kind notice that there is an urgent need to keep a constant vigil, monitor trends of cases and quickly respond to any emerging public health," Singh said in the letter. In view of the ongoing influenza, there might be an increase in respiratory illness cases, he said. "This is predominantly attributed to usual causes like Influenza strain (H1N1/H3N2/H5N1/H9N2 etc.), mycoplasma pneumonia, SARS-CoV-2, etc," Singh said. "In orde

Health ministry monitors H9N2 outbreak in China, assures low risk to India

Chinese authorities have attributed the rise of respiratory illnesses and reported pneumonia clusters in children, to the lifting of Covid-19 restriction and circulation of known pathogens

Risk of global Mpox outbreak rises as virulent strain spreads in Congo

A Belgian resident with connections to the DRC and his sexual contacts tested positive for a strain of Mpox, known as Clade 1, which has a fatality rate of about 10%

Give detailed information on child pneumonia outbreak: WHO to China

Local media has reported a steady rise in infections from a pathogen called mycoplasma among kindergarten and primary school children

Global measles deaths increase by 43% during 2021-2022: WHO report

The number of measles deaths globally increased by 43 per cent from 2021-2022, following years of declining vaccination rates, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report noted that in 2022, 37 countries experienced large or disruptive measles outbreaks compared with 22 countries in 2021. Of the countries experiencing outbreaks, 28 were in the WHO Region for Africa, six in the Eastern Mediterranean, two in the South-East Asia, and one in the European Region, WHO said. "The increase in measles outbreaks and deaths is staggering, but unfortunately, not unexpected given the declining vaccination rates we have seen in the past few years," said John Vertefeuille, director of CDC's Global Immunization Division. "Measles cases anywhere pose a risk to all countries and communities where people are under-vaccinated. Urgent, targeted efforts are critical to prevent measles disease and deaths," ...

Buy minimum Rs 20 lakh indemnity cover for protection against cancer

Supplement this with a fixed-benefit plan to manage ancillary expenses

Centre planning enhanced zoonotic disease surveillance: Health secretary

75 per cent of new infectious diseases are zoonotic in nature, said Health Secy

Russia's loss can be India's gain in clinical trial shift, say experts

India's contribution to global clinical trials has been around 4 percent in the last decade while it's the second most populous country in the world, and has one-fifth of the global disease burden

Omicron subvariant BA.5 more virulent, study in mice finds

Scientists have used engineered mice to compare SARS-COV-2 Omicron subvariants and found that the BA.5 strain was more virulent likely due to its ability to rapidly replicate early during infection. The research, published in the journal Science Advances, addresses a challenge to studying and understanding rapidly evolving variants of concern due to a lack of animal models for running tests that could help explain why variants and subvariants each behave differently in people. The genetically modified mice, called K18-hACE2, used in the research express a human receptor that allowed SARS-COV-2 to enter otherwise inaccessible mouse cells. "One of the things we found is that the strain that causes more pathology, BA.5, replicates much faster early on during infection," said Avery August, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) at Cornell University in the US. "By doing that, the virus generates a really strong immune response, which then leads to increased pathology a

Scrub Typhus: Causes, remedies and how to be safe from this fatal illness

Scrub typhus is caused by a bacteria, Orientia Tsutsugamushi, and is an infectious illness. People with severe illness may develop organ failure and bleeding, according to doctors

Nipah virus: All you need to know about symptoms, diagnosis and prevention

Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) is a potentially fatal complication of Nipah virus. Patients with breathing complications are more likely to transmit the virus than those without

Eye-flu to stomach ailments: Major cities grappling with monsoon illnesses

Mumbai doctors say that in the last one or two weeks there has been a 20-25 per cent surge in such cases, and most of the patients are children

Delhi comes up with 'mega action plan' to curb vector-borne diseases

The Delhi government has come up with a "mega action plan" to combat the spread of vector-borne diseases, under which steps will be taken to determine the serotype of the prevailing dengue virus in the city. Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday chaired a high-level meeting on preparedness for keeping vector-borne diseases under check in the national capital. One of the significant decisions taken in the meeting was to "determine the serotype of the prevailing dengue virus" in identified laboratories, the Delhi health department said in a statement. "This step will provide crucial information for developing targeted interventions and enhancing the effectiveness of disease management efforts," it said. According to data shared by civic authorities, 136 cases of dengue and 43 of malaria have been recorded in Delhi this year till July 8. The existing helpline -- 1031 -- used during the COVID-19 pandemic will now be utilised to facilitate dengue treatment. This expansion o

Guillain-Barre Syndrome emergency in Peru: All you must know about disease

Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is a rare disorder that affects the immune system causing it to attack the nerves of the body

Cost to cut sickle cell disease's risk beyond reach of most Indians: Lancet

The costs required to reduce the risk of sickle cell disease is beyond the reach of most individuals in India and sub-Saharan Africa, where the disease is most prevalent, says a new Commission published in The Lancet Haematology journal. The Commission publishes shortly after a recent study in the same journal found that the highest burden of sickle cell disease (SCD) disability was concentrated in western and central sub-Saharan Africa and India. The authors of the Commission also noted that there is a shortage of healthcare and scientific professionals with expertise in SCD, as well as a lack of trials aimed at developing novel treatments in these countries. SCD is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders that affect hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen through the body. The condition affects more than 20 million people worldwide. The recent study suggested there were 376,000 (3.76 lakh) global SCD-related deaths in 2021, compared to 34,400 cause-specific ...

60 sheep die, 200 fall sick due to animal disease in Himachal's tribal belt

As many as 60 sheep and goats were killed and around 200 affected following the outbreak of a highly contagious animal disease in the highland pastures of the tribal Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Monday. The Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) disease, also known as 'sheep and goat plague', has affected the cattle of three identified flocks in the Hadsar area near Chamba border. The common symptoms of the disease are diarrhoea and pneumonia affecting the lungs, Dr Anurag, a veterinarian treating the animals along with his four-member team, told PTI. The animals also experience nasal discharge leading to breathing problems, especially for affected animals in high altitude areas, Anurag said. Besides treating the sick sheep and goats and providing their owners with medical kits, the veterinary team is also raising awareness among shepherds about the disease, its symptoms and necessary precautions, the doctor added. Dr Amitabh Thakur, Deputy Director o

WHO prepares for increased spread of viral disease linked to El Nino

The WHO chief also warned that climate change is fueling the breeding of mosquitoes, and incidence of dengue has already risen sharply in recent decades, particularly in the Americas

Climate change could cause disease to 76.8% of corals by 2100: Report

When predicting future estimates of coral disease, the model suggested that the disease prevalence could reach 76.8 per cent in 2100 if temperatures continue to rise