Page 5 - Disease

Understanding Dermatomyositis, the disease that claimed Dangal star's life

Often misunderstood due to its rarity and complex symptoms, this condition requires comprehensive understanding and awareness to ensure timely diagnosis and effective management

Dermatomyositis: Disease that caused the demise of Suhani Bhatnagar

Suhani Bhatnagar who was featured in the Dangal movie passed away at the age of 19 due to dermatomyositis. Get to know more about the disease and its symptoms

What is Disease X? Future pandemic could be deadlier, warns WHO director

WHO director-general warns that the future pandemic could be deadlier. Here's what Tedros Ghebreyesus said at the World Economic Forum

Zambia reels from cholera outbreak with over 400 dead, 10,000 cases

Zambia is reeling from a major cholera outbreak that has killed more than 400 people and infected more than 10,000, leading authorities to order schools across the country to remain shut after the end-of-year holidays. A large soccer stadium in the capital city has been converted into a treatment facility. The Zambian government is embarking on a mass vaccination programme and says it's providing clean water 2.4 million litres a day to communities that are affected across the southern African nation. The national disaster management agency has been mobilised. Cholera is an acute diarrhea infection caused by a bacteria that is typically spread via contaminated food or water. The disease is strongly linked to poverty and inadequate access to clean water. The outbreak in Zambia began in October and 412 people have died and 10,413 cases have been recorded, according to the latest count on Wednesday from the Zambia Public Health Institute, the government body that deals with health .

Oxford scientists launch first human vaccine trials for deadly Nipah virus

Scientists at the University of Oxford in the UK have launched first-in-human vaccine trials for the deadly Nipah virus which impacts many Asian countries, including India. The trials of the ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine, will consist of 51 people aged 18 to 55, which will be led by the Oxford Vaccine Group. Nipah virus is a devastating disease that can be fatal in around 75 per cent of cases, the researchers said. Outbreaks have occurred in countries in Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh and India, with a recent one in Kerala in September last year, they said. Nipah virus is carried by fruit bats and may also be transmitted by contact with infected animals (such as pigs) or from person-to-person via close contact, the according to the researchers. The virus, which is recognised by the World Health Organization as a priority disease requiring urgent research, belongs to the same family of paramyxoviruses as more well-known pathogens like measles, they said. Despite the firs

India reports 12 Covid-19 deaths, active cases remain above 4,000

The country has recorded 72 deaths across twelve states and union territories due to the Covid-19 infection since December 17, with Kerala reporting the most deaths at 33

What is 'zombie deer disease' and are humans at risk? What you need to know

Experts have termed the zombie deer disease a "slow-moving disaster" and have urged governments to prepare for the possibility of it spreading to humans

Haemophilia care body HHCN proposes India-specific guidelines for treatment

Claiming to be the first set of local directives for haemophilia treatment, the guidelines have been released in collaboration with National Health Mission representatives from 16 states

China's children battling pneumonia shows dangers of drug resistance

An outbreak of walking pneumonia, normally a mild infection, struck millions of children in the second half of 2023, creating Covid flashbacks and raising fears about another novel pathogen

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