Page 4 - Health News

Threat of pandemics far from over: Minister Bharati Pawar at G20 meet

Bharati Pravin Pawar has said that the threat of pandemics is far from over and called for integrating and strengthening One Health-based surveillance system

Doctors in Uttar Pradesh told to prescribe only generic medicines

The government doctors in Uttar Pradesh have been told to prescribe only generic drugs to patients as per the new guidelines issued by the medical health department

UP govt withdraws injections from hospitals, orders probe after reaction

The Uttar Pradesh government has directed the withdrawal of injections of a particular batch number from all hospitals where they had been supplied

Active Covid cases reported in country decrease to 8,115 in last 24 hours

India has recorded 756 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases have dipped to 8,115 from 8,675, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday. The death toll has increased to 5,31,832 with eight deaths which includes two deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.49 crore (4,49,86,461). The active cases now comprise 0.02 per cent of the total infections and the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.80 per cent, the ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,44,46,514 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.66 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.

Zydus Lifesciences gets nod from USFDA for metronidazole topical cream

The drug will be manufactured at the group's topical manufacturing facility at Changodar, Ahmedabad

Covid-19: Delhi HC asks lawyers, litigants to wear masks, follow protocol

Considering the surge in COVID-19 cases, Delhi High Court on Thursday made it mandatory for lawyers, litigants and its staff members to wear face masks on the premises and follow appropriate protocol. The high court, in a circular issued on its administrative side, noted the spread of the infection in the national capital and advised against large gatherings in the common and waiting areas to avoid any further spread of the virus. "Hon'ble the Chief Justice has been pleased to order that due to surge in the COVID-19 cases in the NCT (National Capital Territory) of Delhi, in order to contain and combat the spread of COVID-19 cases, all the concerned ie staff working in this court and members of the bar, including their staff and the litigants, are hereby directed to make use of face masks at all times in the premises of this court as a matter of caution, not to gather in large number at common areas, waiting areas of court blocks as far as possible and follow appropriate Covid ...

Bed occupancy under 3% in major cities even as Covid cases top 37,000

Masks make a comeback in several states and cities, over 33,000 govt and private health facilities join mock drills

General Insurance Council to punish fraudulent hospitals overcharging

The General Insurance Council has decided to take on the hospitals that are overcharging the health insurance policy holders and indulging in frauds through a series of actions

Covid-19 is still deadlier for patients than influenza, finds study

Covid has frequently drawn comparisons with influenza, another viral respiratory disease, including by former US president Donald Trump

521 Covid cases in Delhi, highest since Aug, 2022, positivity rate 15.64%

Delhi recorded 521 fresh COVID-19 cases on Monday, the highest single-day rise since August 27 last year, and a fatality, according to data shared by the city health department. The positivity rate stood at 15.64 per cent. The health bulletin also mentioned that the primary cause of the death was not coronavirus and its finding was incidental. The city's COVID-19 death toll now stood at 26,533. With the fresh cases, the city's Covid tally has increased to 20,11,555. The data showed that 3,331 Covid tests were conducted on Monday. Delhi has witnessed an increase in the number of fresh Covid cases over the last few days amid a sharp rise in the figure of H3N2 influenza cases in the country. The Delhi government is keeping an eye on the spurt in Covid cases in the national capital and is "prepared to face any eventuality", Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said on Friday. Addressing reporters after chairing a review meeting on the Covid situation, Kejriwal had said there was no ne

OPD services to remain closed in Rajasthan on Wednesday due ongoing protest

OPD services will remain closed in Rajasthan on Wednesday due to the doctors' ongoing protest against the Right to Health Bill that was passed in the Assembly last week.

WHO's group of experts on immunisation updates Covid vaccination guidance

The guidance newly considers the cost-effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccination for those at lower risk like healthy children and adolescents compared to other health interventions

50% of respiratory problem cases hospitalised in 2 months are of H3N2: Govt

An ICMR survey has shown that 50 per cent of the respiratory infection cases admitted to hospitals in over two month are of H3N2 influenza, the government told the Lok Sabha on Friday. A total of 1,161 cases of H3N2, which is a subtype of seasonal influenza virus, have been reported between January 1 and March 20, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said in a written reply. She said most of these cases showed symptoms of cough and fever. The minister said H3N2 is a viral respiratory infection and antibiotics have no role in its treatment. However, she added, sometimes in a respiratory infection a bacterial infection may also occur and therefore physicians may prescribe an antibiotic to take care of the secondary bacterial infection. According to the data shared by her, Delhi (370) reported the highest number of H3N2 cases followed by Maharashtra (184), Rajasthan (180) and Karnataka (134). Pawar said the Health Ministry is monitoring the situation and taking steps to

Delhi allocates Rs 9,742 cr for health sector, free diagnostics rise

Terming the health sector the "second-most crucial pillar" of the Delhi Model, the Arvind Kejriwal government on Wednesday allocated Rs 9,742 crore to the sector for the financial year 2023-24 and decided to increase the number of free diagnostic tests available in mohalla clinics' to 450. The latest allocation saw a marginal decline as compared to the previous year (Rs 9,769 crore). Presenting the budget in the Delhi Assembly, Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot said that as many as 15 hospitals are being extended and remodelled at present. "Along with education, the health sector is the second-most crucial pillar of the Delhi Model. In the last eight years, keeping the people of Delhi healthy and attending to their minor to major ailments has been at the centre of the AAP government's approach to public health, Gahlot said. Delhi has 515 Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics, four Mahila Mohalla' clinics, 174 Allopathic dispensaries, 60 Primary Urban Health Centres (PUHCs), 30 polyclinics and 39

Services hit as doctors go on strike against Right to Health Bill in Raj

Around 6,000 resident docs went on strike on Wednesday against the Right to Health Bill passed in Rajasthan Assembly recently, crippling healthcare services at hospitals, including the SMS Hospital

Covid could settle down this year, may pose similar threat to flu: WHO

"I think we're coming to that point where we can look at Covid-19 in the same way we look at seasonal influenza," WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told a press conference

US House votes to declassify information about origins of Covid-19

The House voted unanimously Friday to declassify U.S. intelligence information about the origins of COVID-19, a sweeping show of bipartisan support near the third anniversary of the start of the deadly pandemic. The vote was final approval of the bill, sending it to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law. Debate was brief and to the point: Americans have questions about how the deadly virus started and what can be do to prevent future outbreaks. The order to declassify focused on intelligence related to China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, citing potential links between the research that was done there and the outbreak of COVID-19. U.S. intelligence agencies are divided over whether a lab leak or a spillover from animals is the likely source of the virus. Experts say the true origin of the coronavirus pandemic may not be known for many years if ever.

World Hearing Day: Awareness as important as treatments to fix impairment

4 in 1,000 children in India suffer from hearing loss, according to WHO

Irrational and prolonged use of medicines may damage kidneys: Experts

Inadequate knowledge and prolonged and irrational use of medicines can be fatal for the health of kidneys, experts said on Friday. As the number of people with kidney ailments rise steadily, experts said if timely attention is not given to the matter, it might assume an epidemic proportion. Experts from various states participated virtually at the 'Kidney Manthan 2.0' organised by AIMIL Pharmaceuticals. Dr Prabhu S, an internal medicine specialist from Bengaluru, spoke about drug induced renal disorders and their management. At the webinar, he said people usually keep on consuming medicines over an extended period of time without consulting doctors and without realising the threat it poses to them. Dr Sathya N Dornala, senior doctor from Swami Vivekananda Ayurvedic Hospital, New Delhi, dwelled in detail about several medicines that should not be taken over-the-counter (OTC) and added that patients should be careful while taking drugs as these can damage the kidneys. At the same

AIIMS Delhi to join hands with other govt hospitals for cross referrals

The AIIMS in Delhi will soon pair up with other city government hospitals to ensure cross referral of patients, a move aimed at managing the burgeoning patient load at Centre-run premier health facility, officials said on Friday. As a pilot, the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka and NDMC's Charak Palika Hospital will be taken on-board and paired with AIIMS starting next month, they added. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Friday chaired a meeting to evolve a formal system for referral of patients between the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and other government hospitals in Delhi. "The objective behind the move is to optimally utilize the vacant beds in other government hospitals where critical but stable patients from AIIMS, which is reeling under acute shortage of beds, could be referred for treatment. "The initiative would go a long way in managing the burgeoning patient load at the AIIMS, while also significantly enhancing the healthcare system and medical expertis