Lancet Report

Interim results of malaria vaccine Phase 2b trial show 'promising efficacy'

A new malaria vaccine appears to be "safe and highly immunogenic", with "promising efficacy", according to interim results of the phase 2b clinical trial conducted in African children. The vaccine candidate, named 'RH5.1/Matrix-M', is a blood-stage type, targeting the malaria-causing parasite when it is present in the blood -- the stage of the parasite's life cycle when symptoms begin to show in the affected person. The trial results were published in "The Lancet Infectious Diseases" journal. Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites, spread to humans through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. Symptoms usually appear in the 10-15 days following the bite, with mild symptoms being fever, chills and headache, while the severe ones can include fatigue, confusion, seizures, and difficulty in breathing. Researchers, including those at Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Sant, Burkina Faso, and the University of Oxford, UK, enrolled 361 children in the African country,

182 mn kids in low-, middle-income nations lack access to nurture: Study

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), three-fourths of those aged three or four years lack -- nearly 182 million children -- access to adequate nurture, thereby risking healthy development, according to a new series paper, published in The Lancet journal. The series builds on the foundation of the first 1,000 days of life -- referring to the time period starting conception until two years old -- and highlights how the 'next 1,000 days' (from age two to age five) is a crucial window of opportunity for providing nurturing care to children, researchers said. During this stage of 'next 1,000 days', children are often not in direct regular contact with health or education services, with fewer than one in three children aged three or four attending early childhood care and education programmes in LMICs, said the researchers. The authors called for an increased investment for this stage of child development, with a particular focus on improving access to high quality childhood care

Infants, adults in India exposed to more heatwave days in last decade: Rpt

In India, over the last decade, infants and adults aged 65 or above were exposed to about eight heatwave days each year on average, increases of 47 per cent for infants and 58 per cent for older adults, compared to 1990-1999, according to a new report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change. In 2023 alone, people in India were found to be exposed to a moderate or higher risk of heat stress for about 2,400 hours or 100 days, while performing light outdoor activities such as walking, the eighth annual report, reflecting the work of 122 experts from 57 academic institutions and UN agencies globally, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), found. Published ahead of the 29th UN Conference of the Parties, or 'COP29', the report revealed a country-wise assessment of how climate change is affecting people's health. It showed that 10 of the 15 indicators that help track health threats to people around the world due to global

New Lancet report sets goal to cut chances of early death globally in half

Ahead of the 2024 World Health Summit, in which the World Health Organization (WHO) is a partner, a new report by the Lancet Commission on 'Investing in Health' has set a goal of cutting the probability of premature deaths around the world in half by 2050. Seven of the 30 most populous countries, including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Iran, and Turkiye, are on track to meeting the "ambitious," yet "feasible" goal, which the report's authors have called '50-by-50'. The international team includes authors from institutions such as Harvard University's School of Public Health, the WHO, and Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi. They explained that on average, a 2019-born person had a 31 per cent chance of dying before turning 70 years of age. If the 50-by-50 goal was achieved globally, a 2050-born individual can expect to have only a 15 per cent chance of dying before turning 70, they said. The authors said that the gains made by the seven countries in slashing chances of early death

India has highest oral cancer cases due to betel nut in South Asia: Study

The Lancet Oncology study highlighted that South-Central Asia recorded the highest number of oral cancer cases linked to smokeless tobacco and areca nut use

Antibiotic resistance to claim over 39 mn lives in next 25 years: Lancet

Over a million people around the world died annually due to antibiotic resistance between 1990 and 2021, and more than 39 million could die from antibiotic-resistant infections over the next 25 years, according to a global analysis, published in The Lancet journal. Future deaths from antibiotic resistance are estimated to be highest in South Asia -- including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh -- where a total of 11.8 million deaths directly due to it are forecast between 2025 and 2050, a collaboration of researchers forming the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project said. Antibiotic, or antimicrobial, resistance is when drugs designed to kill infectious bacteria and fungi are rendered ineffective because the bugs have evolved and developed an ability to defeat these drugs. The researchers said deaths due to antibiotic resistance will also be high in other parts of southern and eastern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Further, trends between 1990 and 2021 suggested that

Human activity imperiling planet's critical life-support systems: Study

Looking at necessities of a livable Earth - including the climate, freshwater systems, biodiversity and soil nutrients - the researchers find almost all have crossed crucial thresholds

Indians across all age groups deficient in iron, calcium, folate: Lancet

People across all age groups in India, both men and women, are consuming inadequate amounts of micronutrients critical for health, including iron, calcium and folate, as estimated in a study published in The Lancet Global Health journal. The study is the first to provide estimates of insufficient consumption of 15 micronutrients across 185 countries, taken through diets without the use of supplements, according to an international team, including researchers from Harvard University, US. The findings suggested that around the world, almost 70 per cent, or over five billion, people do not consume enough iodine, vitamin E, and calcium. The researchers also found that within a country and an age group, more women were consuming inadequate amounts of iodine, vitamin B12 and iron, compared to men, whereas more men were consuming inadequate amounts of magnesium, vitamin B6, zinc and vitamin C, compared to women. In India, while more women consumed insufficient amounts of iodine, compared

Red meat linked with increased diabetes risk; Lancet study gives evidence

Consuming red meat is related to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, according to an analysis of more than 19 lakh adults from 20 countries across world regions, including southeast Asia, providing the "most comprehensive evidence to date." Published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal, the analysis found that a habitual consumption of three types of meat and their daily amounts - 50 grams of processed meat, 100 grams of unprocessed red meat and 100 grams of poultry - was related to 15 per cent, 10 per cent and eight per cent increases in risk of developing type 2 diabetes, respectively. The international team of researchers from the US, UK, Brazil, Mexico, among others, said that intake of meat exceeds recommended levels in many regions of the world and has been correlated with non-communicable diseases, including type 2 diabetes. However, all the existing evidences are largely based on studies from high-income countries, mainly in North America and Europe, they said. F

Lung diseases' burden much higher than Lancet's projection: Doctors

Indian doctors have expressed concerns that the burden of lung-related disorders in the country may be higher than projected by a recent Lancet study, due to high levels of air pollution and tobacco consumption. According to the study published in May, ischaemic heart disease will continue to be the leading cause of death around the world, followed by stroke, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In ischaemic heart disease, narrowing of vessels in the organ reduces blood flow. The study projected that men and women around the world could live longer by up to five and four years, respectively. "It is going to remain the number one killer and disabling disease with continued bad lifestyle and increasing stress. Yet, there is a lack of understanding of the exact mechanism of formation of these blockages (in the heart's blood vessels). Till we understand the mechanism, the solutions cannot be found," said Dr Atul Mathur, Executive Director, Interventional Cardiology

Air pollution kills 33,000 every year even in 'clean' Indian cities: Lancet

The researchers looked at 3.6 million deaths between 2008 and 2019 across the sample areas, and overlapped them with a detailed map of the distribution of PM 2.5

Govt planning regulatory crackdown on look-alike, sound-alike drug names

In order to safeguard patients, the Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) proposed banning the production and marketing of distinct drugs under identical brand names

Breast cancer to cause million deaths a year by 2040: Lancet commission

Breast cancer is now the world's most common carcinogenic disease, with the ailment likely to cause a million deaths a year by 2040, , a new Lancet commission has found. Around 7.8 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer in five years till the end of 2020 and about 685,000 women died from the disease the same year, it said. Globally, breast cancer cases will increase from 2.3 million in 2020 to more than 3 million by 2040, with low- and middle-income countries being "disproportionately affected", the commission estimated. By 2040, deaths due to the disease will be a million a year, it added. The Lancet report pointed to "glaring inequities" and suffering from symptoms, despair and financial burden due to breast cancer, which are often "hidden and inadequately addressed". Laying out recommendations for tackling these challenges in breast cancer, the commission suggested better communication between patients and health professionals as a crucial intervention that could impro

Global life expectancy up 6.2 years between 1990-2021, shows Lancet report

In India, the life expectancy has increased by eight years in the past three decades

India's fertility rate down from 6.2 to under 2 since 1950: Lancet study

India's fertility rate dropped from nearly 6.2 in 1950 to just under 2 in 2021, and is projected to fall further to 1.29 and 1.04 in 2050 and 2100, respectively, according to a new global research published in The Lancet journal. These numbers were found to be in line with global trends, where the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) was over 4.8 children per woman in 1950 and fell to 2.2 children per woman in 2021. These figures have been projected to fall to 1.8 and 1.6 in 2050 and 2100, respectively. The study found that there were 12.9 crore livebirths the world over in 2021 -- an increase from roughly 9.3 crore in 1950, but a decline from the peak of 14.2 crore in 2016. In India, there were more than 1.6 crore and over 2.2 crore livebirths in 1950 and 2021. The number is projected to fall to 1.3 crore in 2050. However, even as much of the planet contends with the challenges of low fertility, many low-income countries will still be facing high fertility issues during the 21st century, sa

Neurological issues leading cause of ill health, disability: Lancet study

Neurological conditions such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and dementia are now the leading cause of ill health and disability globally, affecting 3.4 billion people in 2021, according to a major new analysis published in The Lancet Neurology journal. Globally, the number of people living with, or dying from, neurological conditions such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and meningitis has risen substantially over the past 30 years. This is due to the growth and ageing of the global population as well as increased exposure to environmental, metabolic, and lifestyle risk factors, the researchers said. The study suggests that worldwide, the overall amount of disability, illness, and premature death -- a measurement known as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) -- caused by neurological conditions increased by 18 per cent over the past 31 years, rising from around 375 million years of healthy life lost in 1990 to 443 million years in 2021. The analysis from the .

Covid has cut life expectancy globally, reversing past progress: Lancet

Global life expectancy dropped by 1.6 years between 2019 and 2021, a sharp reversal from past improvements, according to a research published in The Lancet journal. One of the first to fully evaluate demographic trends in the context of the first two years of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the study has published findings, which researchers said, could have implications for health systems, economies and societies around the world. The findings also included those of an ageing worldwide population. The study found that life expectancy declined in 84 per cent of countries and territories during this time. This demonstrated the "devastating potential impacts of novel pathogens", the researchers said. Places such as Mexico City, Peru and Bolivia experienced some of the largest drops, the study found. The researchers also found a marked increase in adult mortality rates globally during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, reversing past decreasing trends. However, child mortality cont

12.5 mn children, teens in India obese in 2022, shows Lancet study

About 12.5 million children aged between five and 19 in India were overweight in 2022, according to a global analysis published in The Lancet journal Of the 12.5, 7.3 million were boys and 5.2 million girls. The total number of children, adolescents and adults worldwide living with obesity has surpassed one billion. These trends, together with the declining prevalence of people who are underweight since 1990, make obesity the most common form of malnutrition in most countries, the researchers said. Obesity and underweight are both forms of malnutrition and are detrimental to people's health in many ways. The latest study provides a highly detailed picture of global trends in both forms of malnutrition over the last 33 years. The analysis by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) -- a global network of scientists -- and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that among the world's children and adolescents, the rate of obesity in 2022 was four times the rate in 1990. It

Death risk from chikungunya continues for up to 3 months: Lancet study

People infected with the chikungunya virus continue to have an increased risk of death for up to three months post-infection, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes to humans. Most commonly, the virus is transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, more commonly known as yellow fever and tiger mosquitoes, respectively. While most patients recover fully, chikungunya disease can prove fatal. Despite infections going largely unreported, approximately five lakh cases and over 400 deaths were recorded worldwide in 2023, the researchers said. "With chikungunya infections expected to increase, it's important that health services consider the risks that persist even after the acute phase of infection has ended," said Enny Da Paixao Cruz, Associate Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), UK, and senior author of the study. The researchers analysed ...

JN.1 Covid variant has increased transmissibility, immune escape: Study

The JN.1 variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus not only spreads easily but also seems to resist immunity, according to a study that emphasizes the urgent need for strategies to address its threat to public health. The emergence JN.1 has sparked global concern due to its distinct genetic features and heightened infectivity. Carrying more than 30 spike protein mutations, including the hallmark Leu455Ser, JN.1 exhibits substantial potential for immune evasion. Researchers from The University of Tokyo, Japan, used genomic surveillance data from across France, the UK, and Spain, uncovering novel findings regarding the virological properties of JN.1. The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, sheds light on the variant's potential to become the dominant lineage and alerts the global health community. The researchers found that the reproductive number of JN.1 was found to surpass that of its counterparts in the three countries studied, suggesting a potential global dominanc