Health Issues

The Delhi High Court has dismissed a plea challenging the decision of the Foods Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to ban Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) labelling on any fruit-based, non-carbonated or ready-to-drink beverages. The high court said the measures taken by the FSSAI are impelled by "serious public health considerations" and are regulatory measures applicable across the food industry. Justice Sachin Datta, in an order passed on October 31, refused to interfere with the FSSAI's October 14 and 15 orders by which it has withdrawn permissions for food-and-beverage companies to use the word "ORS" in their labelling unless they met the standard medical formulation. "In the circumstances, this court is not inclined to interdict with the impugned orders, in light of the aforesaid order dated October 30, 2025 passed by the FSSAI. This is particularly in light of the deleterious effect and adverse health outcomes in the event of consumption of the offending products by .

Nepal's President Ramchandra Paudel was hospitalised on Saturday after experiencing sudden health problems, according to authorities, who said his condition is normal so far. Paudel, 80, was admitted to the Manmohan Cardiothoracic and Vascular Transplant Centre here after his health condition deteriorated, according to the sources at the President's Office. He complained of a severe headache and vomiting and was immediately taken to the hospital, according to hospital sources. Doctors are monitoring his health condition, and so far it is normal, said a press release issued by the hospital. President Paudel was supposed to hold discussions on Saturday morning with representatives of the Gen Z group, around 20 of whom had already reached the President's Office for dialogue. However, after Paudel's health deteriorated, the dialogue was postponed till Monday, the sources said. In 2023, Paudel was airlifted to India for treatment for a chest-related ailment at the All India Institute

The children died over the past month after consuming cough medicine containing toxic diethylene glycol in quantities nearly 500 times the permissible limit

Excessive salt consumption is fuelling a silent epidemic in India with people at increased risk of hypertension, stroke, heart disease, and kidney disorders, according to scientists from ICMR's National Institute of Epidemiology. The scientists have initiated a community-led salt reduction study to address the issue and are focusing on low sodium salt substitutes. While the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends less than 5 grams of salt per person per day, studies show that urban Indians consume around 9.2 grams/day, and even in rural areas it is around 5.6 grams/day - both higher than recommended. One promising tool in this effort is low-sodium salt substitutes -- ?blends where part of the sodium chloride is replaced with potassium or magnesium salts, Dr Sharan Murali, a senior scientist at National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE) and principal investigator of the study, said. "Lesser sodium consumption helps reduce blood pressure and improves overall heart health, making ...

Having a planned caesarean section during delivery could be related to an increased risk of leukaemia -- a blood cancer -- later in the child's life, compared with an emergency C-section, a study has found. A C-section delivery of a child involves making a surgical cut in the mother's abdomen and uterus. The need for delivering via a C-section can be planned or arise as an emergency during labour. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet said that exposure of a baby to vaginal bacteria in an emergency C-section -- which usually begins as a vaginal delivery -- could be why planned C-sections carry an increased risk of certain diseases, compared to emergency ones. "We don't want mothers to feel anxious about medically indicated C-sections. But when this result is combined with other study results showing that the risk of later asthma, allergies, or type 1 diabetes increases in children born by planned C-section, there is reason to discuss C-sections that are not medically indicated," lead

A US judge earlier barred compounders from making copies of Eli Lilly's Zepbound and Mounjaro

The team will assist the state health department in implementing critical public health measures and managing the situation effectively

Paracetamol, a common over-the-counter medication, may increase the risk of gastrointestinal, heart- and kidney-related complications among adults aged 65 and above, a new study has found. Taken commonly for treating mild-to-moderate fever, paracetamol is also the first drug recommended for treating osteoarthritis -- a chronic condition causing pain, stiffness and swelling in the joints due to wear-and-tear -- as it is considered effective, relatively safe and accessible. However, some studies have provided evidence to contest the effectiveness of paracetamol in relieving pain while others have shown increased risks of gastrointestinal side effects, such as ulcers and bleeding, from prolonged use. The latest study, conducted by researchers from the University of Nottingham, UK, found that paracetamol use was linked to a 24 per cent and 36 per cent increase in risk of peptic ulcer bleeding (bleeding due to ulcer in the digestive tract) and lower gastrointestinal bleeding, ...

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