Page 10 - Health

Tenfold increase in reported cases of dengue over last generation: UN

The UN health agency said on Friday that reported cases of dengue globally increased tenfold over the last generation, with climate change and the growing spread of virus-carrying mosquitoes partly to blame for transmission that remains mostly prevalent in the Americas. The World Health Organisation said reported cases soared to a record 5.2 million in 2019, up from 500,000 in 2000, across 129 countries worldwide, figures that likely understate the actual toll. In January, WHO warned that dengue posed a pandemic threat and was the world's fastest spreading mosquito-borne disease. While there are vaccines and specially bred mosquitoes containing a bacteria called Wolbachia to fight dengue, there are no specific treatments for the virus once someone becomes infected. This year, more than 5 million cases and over 5,000 dengue-related deaths were reported, WHO said. Changing distribution patterns of the mosquitoes that spread dengue, together with higher rainfall, humidity and heat link

Mock drills in hospitals every three months even as the pandemic is over

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya asks hospitals to be prepared for Covid, as India reports 341 fresh cases

JN.1 Covid variant: States issue advisories, Mandaviya holds review meet

On December 19, WHO classified the JN.1 variant as a 'variant of interest' but maintained that it does not pose much threat to the public

No M pneumoniae cases in samples tested since Jan in India: Health ministry

Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a bacteria, is linked to the surge in children's hospitalisation in China

India backsliding on health indicators, needs sanitation audit: Congress

Jairam Ramesh alleged that after the initial fanfare, "the Prime Minister has moved onto other schemes, headlines and events"

China warns of surge in respiratory illness after mystery disease hits kids

The steady rise in pneumonia among children in kindergartens and primary schools flooded hospitals this month and prompted the World Health Organization to make an inquiry with Beijing

Mysterious pneumonia outbreak in China: Here is what we know so far

The World Health Organisation asked China for detailed information on the increase in the cases of respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children

Dr Reddy's launches wearable device for drug-free management of migraine

In January this year, Dr Reddy's entered an exclusive agreement with Theranica for the marketing and distribution of Nerivio in India

Practo aims to turn profitable in FY24, targets 50% revenue growth

Practo's co-founder and chief executive officer Shashank ND said that they have been focusing on profitability and so far in FY24, they have been cash flow positive

Without whole-genome sequencing, a treatable TB epidemic is a challenge

HaystackAnalytics, an IIT Bombay-incubated company working in the area of genomics using big data has created a comprehensive drug resistance test for tuberculosis (TB)

Health identity card for state citizens by November 30: Himachal Pradesh CM

The process of making health identity cards for everybody in the state containing their complete health history would be completed by November 30, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has said. The card will provide the complete health information of the patient on a single click, he said, presiding over the closing ceremony of 'Stimulus' -- the annual programme of Indira Gandhi Medical College -- on Friday. According to a statement issued here on Saturday, he said the state government was bringing major reforms in the health sector. The Department of Emergency Medicine is being established to provide better health facilities and robotic surgery will soon be started in Super Specialty Hospital Chamyana and at IGMC Shimla, he said. He also released the poster for the Annual National Conference of India Public Health Association to be organised at Manali from March 15-17, 2024. Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil exhorted the students to serve the people of the state with full dedica

Experts criticise proposal to tag nicotine therapy as prescription drugs

It may hinder accessibility for smokers attempting to quit, they say

Parkinson's may be detectable 20-30 years before diagnosis: Researchers

It may be possible to detect signs of Parkinson's disease 20-30 years before symptoms appear, according to researchers in Australia. A biomarker called F-AV-133, used in combination with PET, or positron emission tomography, scans can help diagnose Parkinson's disease and accurately track neurodegeneration, the researchers from the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, said. F-AV-133 is an imaging agent and has shown promise as a PET tracer for detecting and monitoring neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological disorder characterised by tremor and impaired muscular coordination. According to the researchers, the disease, often thought of as an illness of old age, in fact, starts in midlife and can go undetected for decades. "Parkinson's disease is very hard to diagnose until symptoms are obvious, by which time up to 85 per cent of the brain's neurons that control motor coordination have been destroyed. At that point, many treatment

Annual deaths due to strokes could be as high as 10 million by 2050: Report

Strokes, a highly preventable and treatable condition, could lead to nearly 10 million deaths annually by 2050, primarily affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), a report said. The projection comes from the collaborative effort of the World Stroke Organization and the Lancet Neurology Commission (LNC) under which four studies have been published. The report published in Lancet Neurology journal said that stroke deaths are expected to surge from 6.6 million in 2020 to 9.7 million by 2050. The report has emphasised on the critical role of evidence-based, pragmatic solutions in combating the crisis and made 12 recommendations to counter the deaths related to strokes. Among them are stroke surveillance, prevention, acute care, and rehabilitation. The report recommended establishing cost-effective surveillance systems for precise epidemiological stroke data to guide prevention and treatment. It also suggested elevating public awareness and fostering healthier lifestyles thr

Battling with sleeplessness? Follow these 7 tips for restful night

Great sleep is known to be vital to great health, and a survey of late studies displays on the way that vital legitimate rest is for keeping up with heart health

Viatris to sell India women health care, API businesses for $1.2 billion

IQuest Enterprises has a slew of investments in the pharmaceuticals and healthcare space - including investments in CARE Hospitals, Celon Laboratories, etc

Do blue-light glasses work? Can they reduce eye strain or help with sleep?

Blue-light glasses, blue light-filtering lenses or blue-blocking lenses are different terms used to describe lenses that reduce the amount of short-wavelength visible (blue) light reaching the eyes

India's efforts to eradicate TB by 2025 role model for world: Minister

A public-private partnership (PPP) with integrated strategy is essential to achieve a "TB-mukt Bharat" (tuberculosis-free India), Union minister Jitendra Singh has said. At an event on Sunday, Singh said India's efforts to eradicate tuberculosis by 2025 are a role model for the world. The minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office was speaking after flagging off the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (SMVD) Narayana healthcare "TB-Mukt Express", a mobile medical van that will visit different villages in his parliamentary constituency Udhampur, with the slogan "Chalo Chale TB ko Harane" (let's defeat TB). The event coincided with the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "India's efforts to eradicate TB by 2025 are a role model for the world. The citizens need to work collectively towards TB elimination in the true spirit of 'Jan Bhagidari'," Singh said. He said considering the deep societal and economic impact caused by tuberculosis, the BJP-led Centre has placed high priority for a

Commercialisation of education, health never in interest of society: V-P

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has said commercialisation of education and health can never be in the interest of society. He expressed hope that the current situation will change with the implementation of the new National Education Policy. Dhankhar was addressing the 11th foundation day ceremony of Sri Karan Narendra Agriculture University in Jobner here on Thursday. He said that earlier in India, education and health were not considered business but now the situation has changed. He stressed that commercialisation of education and health can never be in the interest of society. In this context, the vice president said the National Education Policy, prepared after extensive brainstorming, will bring about a change in the situation. The vice president said that today India's voice is being heard all over the world. There was a time when the country barely had foreign currency reserves for 15 days of imports, but today the reserves are above USD 600 billion. According to an offi

Nipah virus: All you need to know about symptoms, diagnosis and prevention

Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) is a potentially fatal complication of Nipah virus. Patients with breathing complications are more likely to transmit the virus than those without