Page 6 - Public Health

Biden administration extends Covid public health emergency till Jan 11

The Biden administration said on Thursday that the COVID-19 public health emergency will continue through January 11 as officials brace for a spike in cases this winter. The decision comes as the pandemic has faded from the forefront of many people's minds. Daily deaths and infections are dropping and people many of them maskless are returning to schools, work and grocery stores as normal. The public health emergency, first declared in January 2020 and renewed every 90 days since, has dramatically changed how health services are delivered. The declaration enabled the emergency authorisation of COVID vaccines, testing and treatments for free. It expanded Medicaid coverage to millions of people, many of whom who will risk losing that coverage once the emergency ends. It temporarily opened up telehealth access for Medicare recipients, enabling doctors to collect the same rates for those visits and encouraging health networks to adopt telehealth technology. Since the beginning of thi

Temporary Covid-19 centres getting dismantled amid signs pandemic is ending

About 92% of cases in India are said to be having mild disease. In only 5.8% of cases oxygen therapy is required, intensive care in only 1.7% cases

NHM rollout created 271,000 jobs in FY21, Centre spent Rs 28K cr on mission

Across-the-board improvement in mortality rates over the years, shows govt data

WHO researcher Rajiv Bahl is new ICMR head and secy, health research

Bahl joined WHO in 2003 where he coordinates research and guidelines development in areas of maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health; was earlier with AIIMS

Is the end of the Covid-19 pandemic in sight for India?

WHO chief has finally said that the world has never been better placed to end the Covid-19. But, are we really seeing the end of the pandemic? Should we lower our guard and shelve the masks?

Polio immunisation booths to be set up at multiple metro stations in Delhi

Pulse polio immunisation booths will be set up at several Delhi Metro stations on the Violet Line which can be availed by people during September 18-20, the DMRC said on Saturday. The booths will set up at Sarai, NHPC Chowk, Bata Chowk, Old Faridabad, Escorts Mujesar, and Raja Nahar Singh (Ballabhgarh), among other stations, the DMRC said in a poster shared on Twitter. "Pulse Polio Booths will be set up at select metro stations of Violet Line for SNID round of Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme 2022-23 from 18-20 September 2022 from 09.00 AM to 04.00 PM," it said. National Immunisation Day (NID) commonly known as Pulse Polio Immunisation programme was launched in India in 1995, and is conducted twice in early part of each year. Additionally, multiple rounds (at least two) of sub national immunisation day (SNID) have been conducted over the years in high-risk states or areas. In these campaigns, children in the age group of 0-5 years are administered polio drops.

US CDC launches monkeypox vaccine equity programme to tackle disparities

"We have a responsibility to address inequities that have been highlighted by this outbreak, and this programme will help make a difference," said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky

Another new Covid variant is spreading: What we know about Omicron BA.4.6

Another new COVID variant is spreading here's what we know about omicron BA.4.6

Monkeypox vaccine expected to induce robust immune response, says study

The recommended vaccinia virus (VACV)-based vaccines will mount a robust immune response against the monkeypox virus observed in the current outbreak, according to a study. Vaccinia virus is a large, complex, enveloped virus belonging to the poxvirus family. Since the new virus was first observed in early May, over 52,000 cases have been confirmed in more than 90 countries and regions, the researchers said. The team undertook genomic research to find out if the genetic mutations observed in monkeypox virus observed in the current outbreak (MPXV-2022) may affect vaccine-induced immune responses against the disease. "Specific VACV-based vaccines have demonstrated high efficacy against monkeypox viruses in the past and are considered an important outbreak control measure," said Matthew McKay, from the University of Melbourne, Australia. "However, given this is a novel monkeypox virus, we still lack scientific data on how well human immune responses triggered by VACV-based vaccines wi

Transport services to civic bodies not exempt from GST in each & every case

Companies supplying vehicles to local bodies must prove that the underlying activities are exempt services, such as public health, in order to avoid paying tax, ruled Gujarat-based AAR

India will not witness a fourth wave of Covid-19, say health experts

Dr Pragya Yadav, senior scientist at the government's ICMR-NIV institute in Pune, said there is no cause for worry until new variants of concern (VoCs) spread in India

Monkeypox infection linked to acute heart problem, shows new research

More than 50,000 monkeypox cases have been recorded in the global outbreak

Monkeypox vaccine study raises questions about protection, shows research

The recommended series of shots with Bavarian Nordic A/S's Jynneos vaccine yielded relatively low levels of monkeypox antibodies with poor neutralizing capacity, researchers said

Covid booster jabs see 10% dip from last week despite govt push

Just five of 36 states/UTs have covered at least a third of the adult population with a booster dose

What is Tomato Flu? Causes, symptoms, prevention, and treatment

Tomato Flu cases have surged in India, more than three months after its inception. Read this detailed article to understand Tomato Flu, its causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

Clear spike in heart attack cases after Covid-19 outbreak, say doctors

In recent times, several young celebrities, from politics to music to films, have succumbed to sudden heart attacks

Centre planning sero-survey among contacts of monkeypox patients

India so far has reported ten cases of monkeypox

Serum Institute, other firms eye tie-ups to develop monkeypox vaccine

Indian Immunologicals, and Haffkine Research Institute also in the fray

Centre holds meeting with health experts on monkeypox amid rising cases

India has so far reported nine cases of monkeypox including one death

Monkeypox endemic in US can be worst public health failure: Ex-FDA director

Monkeypox becoming endemic in the US would be the "worst public health failure in modern times" because it could have been prevented, says former FDA director Scott Gottlieb