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India's dengue vaccine Phase-3 trial enrolment to be completed by Oct: ICMR

Enrolment of about 10,500 participants in the phase III clinical trial of the indigenous one-shot Panacea Biotec developed dengue vaccine, DengiAll, is likely to be completed by October across 20 centres in India, according to ICMR scientists. So far, 8,000 participants in various centres at Pune, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi and Bhubaneswar among others have received either the vaccine or a placebo as part of the trial sponsored by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Panacea Biotec. The trial is co-led by ICMR-National Institute of Translational Virology and AIDS research in Pune, National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), Chennai and National Institute of Virology, Pune. Currently, there is no antiviral treatment or licensed vaccine against dengue in India. The results of the Phase-1/2 trial has shown no safety concerns for the one-shot vaccine, NIE Director Dr Manoj Murhekar said. "The participants enrolled in the Phase- III trial will be followed up for two-years. This

ICMR says Indians taking too much salt, launches study to address issue

Excessive salt consumption is fuelling a silent epidemic in India with people at increased risk of hypertension, stroke, heart disease, and kidney disorders, according to scientists from ICMR's National Institute of Epidemiology. The scientists have initiated a community-led salt reduction study to address the issue and are focusing on low sodium salt substitutes. While the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends less than 5 grams of salt per person per day, studies show that urban Indians consume around 9.2 grams/day, and even in rural areas it is around 5.6 grams/day - both higher than recommended. One promising tool in this effort is low-sodium salt substitutes -- ?blends where part of the sodium chloride is replaced with potassium or magnesium salts, Dr Sharan Murali, a senior scientist at National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE) and principal investigator of the study, said. "Lesser sodium consumption helps reduce blood pressure and improves overall heart health, making ...

'Our vaccines are safe': Covishield makers support ICMR-Aiims findings

ICMR-Aiims studies found no link between Covid-19 vaccines and sudden deaths in adults; heart issues, genetics, and lifestyle factors were identified as primary causes, not vaccination

No link between Covid-19 vaccines and sudden deaths, says health ministry

ICMR and Aiims studies find that genetics, lifestyle and post-Covid factors-not vaccines-are responsible for sudden deaths in young adults

Drones can safely deliver blood in tough terrains, finds ICMR study

The integrity of blood components and parameters do not get compromised, and blood can be transported safely by drones, particularly in far-flung areas and difficult terrains, an ICMR study has found. The feasibility study to evaluate the efficiency and sustainability of drone-based delivery of blood saw the drone travel around 36 km in eight minutes, while a van took around 55 minutes to cover the same distance. The study titled "Adopting drone technology for blood delivery: a feasibility study to evaluate its efficiency and sustainability" tried to determine how drone delivery impacts the quality and stability of blood components after transport, compared to traditional delivery methods. The study published in the Springer Nature journal said that in the future, drones could be an option to deliver other important and time-sensitive medical supplies, such as emergency drugs or pharmaceutical products as well. Blood and blood component transfusions may be lifesaving for patients i

ICMR to procure 2 more mobile BSL-3 labs to boost India's outbreak response

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has initiated the process of procuring two more Mobile BSL-3 (MBSL-3) laboratories to step up outbreak response capabilities and bolster public health delivery, especially in remote and inaccessible areas. Called RAMBAAN, there are currently two such laboratories each stationed at ICMR's two institutes, the National Institute of Virology in Pune and the RMRC in Gorakhpur, UP. RAMBAAN is the first of its kind Rapid Action Mobile BSL-3 laboratory and is fully indigenous. It is field-deployable and designed to meet enhanced diagnostic demands during outbreaks of known and unknown high-risk pathogens. An initiative of ICMR, it was developed in partnership with Klenzaids Contamination Controls Private Limited, Mumbai, under the patronage of Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the apex research institute said. The MBSL-3 was successfully deployed and operationalised for the fir

ICMR develops portable Nipah rapid detection kit with 100% accuracy

The cost of the test is 250 rupees, and the name of this kit is Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for rapid detection of Nipah virus

Newborn screening, early treatment can cut sickle cell deaths: ICMR study

Post-birth diagnosis resulting in early treatment can substantially improve the quality of life and reduce mortality in patients with sickle cell disease to less than five per cent from the reported 20-30 per cent, according to an ICMR study. As many as 63,536 newborns were tested over a five year period from 2019- 2024 as part of the study on Newborn Screening for Sickle cell Disease conducted by the National Institute of Immunohaematology in Mumbai under the India Council of Medical Research (ICMR) across seven centres in high prevalence areas of India. The study is yet to be published. The newborn screening program helps find out if a baby is born with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), a serious inherited blood disorder, soon after birth, explained Dr Manisha Madkaikar, Director of ICMR- Centre for Research Management and Control of Haemoglobinopathies (CRHCM) in Nagpur. "If not detected early, this disease can cause life-threatening problems like severe infections, anaemia (low blood

70 mn Indians under 40 to be screened for sickle cell by 2025-26: ICMR

Dr Manisha Madkaikar stressed the need for newborn screening, saying early testing for sickle cell at birth allows timely diagnosis and effective treatment

ICMR-NIIH launches India's first national rare blood donor registry

India's ICMR-NIIH has launched the country's first national rare blood donor registry to help patients with uncommon blood types, including those with thalassemia and sickle cell disease

Study finds key drug shortages for diabetes, BP at rural health centres

A joint survey conducted by the ICMR and the WHO, along with other institutes, has revealed critical medicine shortages for managing diabetes and hypertension at rural health facilities, from sub-centres to sub-district hospitals, across 19 districts in seven states. The study has also found a shortage of specialists at the community health centre (CHC) level and these findings are similar to the rural health statistics report of 2020-21, indicating a shortfall of physicians (82.2 per cent) and surgeons (83.2.9 per cent) at the CHC-level. The study findings, published in the "Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR)" suggest that among public health facilities, PHCs, district hospitals and government medical colleges in India are better prepared to manage services for diabetes and hypertension. Across all the facilities, the domain score for equipment was the highest and for medicines, it was the lowest. However, the availability of all medicines was better at tertiary-care ...

Delhi schoolkids face surge in obesity and hypertension, warns Aiims study

A new Aiims study reveals a worrying rise in obesity, hypertension and hidden metabolic risks among Delhi schoolchildren, especially those in private schools

No cause of worry, infection severity mild: ICMR DG amid Covid cases uptick

Amid an uptick in Covid cases in some parts of the country, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr Rajiv Behl Monday said the severity of infections as of now is generally mild and there was no cause for worry. Speaking about new Covid variants being traced, he said genome sequencing of samples in the west and south have shown that the new variants are not severe and are Omicron sub-variants. These are LF.7, XFG, JN.1 and NB. 1.8.1. The first three are more prevalent, Dr Bhel said. "Samples from other places are being sequenced and we will know in a day or two if there are more variants." The ICMR DG said there has been an uptick in cases --first from the south, then west and now from northern India. All these cases are being monitored through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP). Besides that, ICMR's nationwide respiratory virus sentinel surveillance network is keeping a watch on emerging infections and pathogens, he said. "Whenever c

Govt holds review meetings to monitor Covid-19 situation in India

Govt says Covid-19 situation remains under control despite a minor uptick in cases, amid rising infections in Singapore and Hong Kong attributed to Omicron subvariants

Ban on popular heartburn drug Ranitidine deferred amid cancer concerns

Despite NDMA-related cancer concerns and global withdrawals, Indian drug regulators have opted not to suspend Ranitidine, pending further safety review and investigation by a larger expert committee

ICMR deploys drones for cornea transport in breakthrough eye-care move

ICMR, in collaboration with Aiims Delhi and Ministry of Civil Aviation, has conducted drone-based transport of a human cornea followed by successful transplantation surgery

India takes lead in global fight against tuberculosis, says ICMR

ICMR highlighted the need for affordable and scalable innovations in active case finding among asymptomatic individuals

ICMR should study air pollution, suggest ways to handle effects: Parl panel

In the report, the panel stated that the efforts initiated by ICMR to study the health implications of air pollution are taken note of

India most likely undercounting heat-related deaths: Ex-WHO chief scientist

India is "most likely" undercounting heat-related deaths due to a lack of robust data, but the government is now improving surveillance to minimise the impact of extreme conditions on health, former WHO chief scientist and health ministry advisor Soumya Swaminathan has said. In an interview with PTI on the sidelines of TERI's World Sustainable Development Summit, she also stressed the urgent need for better tracking, preparedness and policy interventions as the country braces for another extreme summer. Asked if India was undercounting heat-related deaths, the former director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said, "Most likely. We do not really have a good record of every death in the country and so we have to make some estimations. We have to do some sort of calculations or modelling based on what is happening." But recently, there have been several scientific papers that have actually tracked what are called excess deaths, Swaminathan said. "When you look

Ayush-approved medicines exempt from extra safety trials in research: ICMR

With growing global interest in holistic and personalised medicine, it is observed that ethical and regulatory clarity is essential to ensure the credibility and efficacy of integrative approaches