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Providing nutritional support to half the households with individuals undergoing tuberculosis (TB) treatment could prevent roughly 4.5 per cent TB-related deaths and 2.2 per cent of disease episodes by 2035, a modelling study has found. The study, published in The Lancet Global Health journal, estimated that more than 3.6 lakh deaths and over 8.8 lakh TB cases could be averted through such intervention. Typically, about 24 households would need to be treated of tuberculosis to prevent one death, while 10 would need to be treated to prevent one case, researchers, including those from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT), Chennai, estimated. The nutritional intervention could have an additional cost of about USD 1,349 million on the health system, with potential benefits of USD 167 for every disability-adjusted life-year averted, they projected. 'Disability-adjusted life-year' is a metric that helps measure overall burde
From addressing gaps in women's safety mechanisms to strengthening grassroots initiatives and nutritional security, the Women and Child Development ministry is set to focus on tackling systemic issues in the coming year. The year 2024 saw Annapurna Devi taking charge as the new Women and Child Development Minister and Savitri Thakur as her deputy. The operationalization of fast track special courts for handling cases of rape and crimes under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act will remain a critical focus in 2025. The ministry is expected to tighten its monitoring of state-level compliance and increase the utilization of central funds allocated for justice delivery, senior officials of the ministry said. With the Centre's scheme requiring fast track special courts to exclusively handle sensitive cases, 2025 is likely to see renewed efforts to operationalize additional courts and integrate them with support systems like one-stop centres, one of the officials