Page 4 - Health Crisis

WHO looking to rename monkeypox to 'MPOX', reports US newspaper

The World Health Organization (WHO) is looking to rename monkeypox to "MPOX" to destigmatize the virus, according to a US newspaper report

Data story: India records 294 new Covid cases; active tally at 6,209

India has so far administered 2,198,712,952 vaccine doses

Do you still need to wear a mask? Here's what doctors have to say

Doctors say that most people have some form of immunity against the virus already

Seasonal flu mostly affects the urban and peri-urban areas, says NCDC

Although seasonal influenza is at its peak in January-March and August-October, the NCDC has asked people to be wary of getting the flu which can be life-threatening in certain circumstances

Data story: India adds 1,604 new Covid cases; active tally at 18,317

India has added 9,524 cases in the past 7 days

Data story: India logs 1,574 new Covid cases; death toll at 529,008

India has added 9,914 cases in the past 7 days

Data story: India logs 2,208 new Covid cases; death toll at 528,999

India has added 10,452 cases in the past 7 days

Data story: India records 830 new Covid cases; zero deaths in last 24 hrs

India has added 11,392 cases in the past 7 days

Japan rolls out Covid vaccination for children aged 6 months to 4 years

Japan began Covid-19 vaccination for children aged between six months and four years at a hospital in Tokyo

Data story: India records 862 new Covid-19 cases, lowest in 196 days

India has so far administered 2,195,665,598 vaccine doses

Data story: India adds 2,112 new Covid cases; active tally at 24,043

India has added 14,321 cases in the past 7 days

US CDC warns of respiratory syncytial virus outbreak in children

Latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show cases of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), a common respiratory virus, are spiking in the US

Data story: India logs 2,119 new Covid cases; death toll at 528,953

India has so far administered 2,195,097,574 vaccine doses

Some countries may see another wave of Covid due to XBB subvariant: WHO

Chief scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Soumya Swaminathan, on Thursday said some countries may see "another wave of infections" with the XBB subvariant of Omicron, a variant of COVID-19 virus. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN) here, she clarified that as of now, there was no data from any country to suggest that these new variants are clinically more severe. "There are over 300 subvariants of Omicron. I think the one that is concerning right now is XBB, which is a recombinant virus. We had seen some recombinant viruses earlier. It is very immune-evasive, which means it can overcome the antibodies. So slightly that we may see another wave of infections in some countries because of XBB," she said. Swaminathan said they are also tracking derivatives of BA.5 and BA.1, which are also more transmissible and immune-evasive. As the virus evolves, it is going to evolve mor

Omicron Covid variant may have originated in animals, finds study

The Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus may have been transmitted from an animal species to humans, according to a study. The research, published recently in the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, provides new insights into the evolutionary origins of Omicron. An essential step in coronavirus infection occurs when spike protein, which helps the virus to infect the cells, binds to the host's receptor. After establishing consistent infections in the host, the spike protein becomes adapted to the host's receptor. The resaerchers carried out a detailed structural biology analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. They identified several mutations in the Omicron spike protein that were uniquely adapted to the mouse receptor and incompatible with the human receptor. This suggests the Omicron variant might not have originated from humans directly, and instead may have been transmitted from other animal species to humans, according to the researchers. "These Omicr

Data story: India adds 2,141 new Covid cases; active tally at 25,510

India has added 15,198 cases in the past 7 days

Covid-19 linked to increase in US pregnancy-related deaths, says report

COVID-19 drove a dramatic increase in the number of women who died from pregnancy or childbirth complications in the US last year, a crisis that has disproportionately claimed Black and Hispanic women as victims, according to a report. The report released on Wednesday lays out grim trends across the country for expectant mothers and their newborn babies. It finds that pregnancy-related deaths have spiked nearly 80 per cent since 2018, with COVID-19 being a factor in a quarter of the 1,178 deaths reported last year. The percentage of preterm and low birthweight babies also went up last year, after holding steady for years. And more pregnant or postpartum women are reporting symptoms of depression. We were already in the middle of a crisis with maternal mortality in our country, said Karen Tabb Dina, a maternal health researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This really shows that COVID-19 has exacerbated that crisis to rates that we, as a country, are not able t

Covid-19 still public health emergency of international level: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that Covid-19 is still a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the WHO's highest alert level.

Winter is coming: New Covid-19 variants prompt alert for illness season

Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya holds review meeting as experts call for continued vigil

New Omicron subvariant BQ.1 detected in Pune; Covid cases surge in state

The Maharashtra health department has cautioned that the COVID-19 cases could rise especially during winters and the festive season, citing new variants like BA.2.3.20 and BQ.1 reported from the state. These variants have been detected for the first time in the country, it said. It also said that the new XBB variant of coronavirus has a growth advantage over BA.2.75 and has immune evasive property. A health bulletin on Monday said the COVID-19 cases rose by 17.7 per cent in the state between October 10 and 16 as compared to between October 3 and 9. This rise has been noticed particularly in the densely populated districts of Thane, Raigad and Mumbai, it said. "Some experts are predicting a rise in the coming winter season especially in the festive environment. In WGS (whole genome sequencing), the proportion of BA.2.75 has decreased to 76 per cent from 95 per cent," the bulletin said. "The state has reported XBB which is a new variant having growth advantage over BA.2.75 and immu