Page 6 - World Health Organisation

In a first, Corbevax vaccine gets WHO emergency use listing authorisation

India's first indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine, Corbevax, has been granted an Emergency Use Listing by the World Health Organisation, the company which manufactures it in India said here on Tuesday. Corbevax is based on a protein sub-unit platform and manufactured by the pharmaceutical firm Biological E Limited in India. Mahima Datla, Managing Director of Biological E Ltd said: We are pleased with the WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) because it would help us use the platform to continue developing COVID-19 vaccines as and when it starts impacting public health. We are confident that this endorsement from WHO will bolster our global fight against COVID-19.'' The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had already approved Corbevax for restricted use in emergency among adults, adolescents and young children in a sequential manner from December 2021 to April 2022. It was also given approval for use as India's first heterologous COVID-19 booster shot for adults aged 18 and above

World yet not fully prepared for future pandemics: Gates Foundation prez

Praising India and other countries for contributing to a global pandemic fund, a top official of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on Tuesday said the world is yet not fully prepared to deal with any future pandemic and a lot more work needs to be done. Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, where 'Disease X' is one of the key areas of discussions, Dr Christopher J Elias said we have learnt our lessons after Covid-19 but further efforts and discussions are needed, including on financing requirements. "A really important discussion had started nearly eight years ago after the Ebola outbreak and that discussion cake into very clear focus after Covid-19 that the world needs to be better prepared," he said. "The world needs to be ready for infections and diseases that we know such as influenza but also diseases that we don't know and may be new such as Disease X. But I don't think we are fully prepared yet," he added. Elias noted that there hav

Global deaths from fungal disease twice previous estimate: Lancet study

The annual number of deaths from fungal disease worldwide has risen to 3.75 million, double the previous estimate, according to a study using data from over 80 countries, including India. The research, published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, calculated an annual total at about 6.55 million acute cases. The updated mortality figures of fungal disease dwarf deaths from other single pathogens, killing six times more people than malaria, and almost 3 times as many than tuberculosis, the researchers said. The work is the result of a collaboration of over 300 professionals across the world who contributed to published estimates for their country and individual fungal diseases. Previous estimates were imprecise as many fungal disease exacerbate an existing disorder, itself often severe, such as leukaemia or AIDS, said David Denning, a professor of infectious disease at The University of Manchester, UK. However according to the study, of the deaths linked to fungal disease, .

Covid-19 JN.1: UP joins list of 16 states, UTs; total cases cross 1,000

The number of cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 has crossed 1,000 mark with Uttar Pradesh becoming the latest state to join the list of 16 states and UTs which have detected its presence, according to INSACOG. The data compiled by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) showed Karnataka has reported the highest number of cases at 214, followed by Maharashtra (170), Kerala (154), Andhra Pradesh (189), Gujarat (76) and Goa (66). Telangana and Rajasthan have recorded 32 JN.1 cases each, Chhattisgarh has recorded 25, Tamil Nadu 22, Delhi 16, Uttar Pradesh 6, Haryana five, Odisha three, West Bengal two and Uttarakhand one, according to the data. A total of 1,013 cases of JN.1 have been detected till now across the 16 states and UTs. The Centre has asked the states and Union territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an uptick in the number of Covid cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant in the country. The states have been urged to ensure effective compliance o

819 cases of Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1 reported from 12 states: Govt

A total of 819 cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 were reported from 12 states till Monday, official sources said. They said 250 cases were reported from Maharashtra, 199 from Karnataka, 148 from Kerala, 49 from Goa, 36 from Gujarat, 30 each from Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, 26 each from Tamil Nadu and Telangana, 21 from Delhi, three from Odisha and one from Haryana. Even though the number of JN.1 cases is rising, there is no cause of immediate concern as the majority of those infected are opting for home-based treatment, indicating a mild illness, officials said. The Centre has asked the states and Union territories to maintain a constant vigil amid an uptick in the number of Covid cases and the detection of the JN.1 sub-variant of the virus in the country. The states have been urged to ensure effective compliance of the detailed operational guidelines for the revised Covid surveillance strategy shared with them by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The states have

760 new Covid-19 infections in India; JN.1 variant cases cross 500 mark

Covid-19 cases: Two deaths were reported in the past 24 hours. While active cases stood at 4,423, Karnataka reported the highest JN.1 variant cases at 199

Amid rising Covid-19 cases, govt not planning mask mandate or vaccine shots

On Thursday, India reported 358 new cases of Covid-19, of which 300 cases were from Kerala; Insacog said no traces of widespread infection were found yet

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

China says no novel pathogens detected in surge of pneumonia cases: WHO

Some of these increases are occurring earlier in the season than usual, although this is not surprising given the easing of COVID-19 limitations, as seen in other nations

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

Pakistan recalls widely-consumed syrup over potential health risks: Report

The alert comes as a result of potential health risks associated with the incorrect usage of the syrup, commonly employed in the treatment and prevention of iron deficiency anemia.

India becomes model for nations engaged in health sector reforms: Mandaviya

The minister added that 26 million wellness sessions have also been conducted in these HWCs, engaging more than 306 million people

Food should not become instrument in war, says FM Nirmala Sitharaman

The finance minister urged countries across the world to consider regional balance in sourcing their food supplies, especially staple, and essential products

R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine: What it is, and when will it roll out?

The R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine is an easily deployable vaccine that can be manufactured at a mass scale with a modest cost

WHO recommends Oxford-Serum Institute malaria vaccine for global rollout

India roll-out timelines not known immediately

Schedule M likely to be revised to bring it closer to WHO standards

The draft rules, still under consideration, include provisions to strengthen quality control and the safety of drugs manufactured in India

'Left behind to grieve', survivors of Libya floods call for accountability

Abdel-Hamid al-Hassadi survived the devastating flooding in eastern Libya, but he lost some 90 people from his extended family. The 23-year-old law graduate rushed upstairs along with his mother and his elder brother, as heavy rains lashed the city of Derna on the evening of September 10. Soon, torrents of water were washing away buildings next to them. We witnessed the magnitude of the catastrophe, al-Hassadi said in a phone interview, referring to the massive flooding that engulfed his city. We have seen our neighbours' dead bodies washing away in the floods." Heavy rains from Mediterranean storm Daniel caused the collapse of the two dams that spanned the narrow valley that divides the city. That sent a wall of water several metres high through its heart. Ten days after the disaster, al-Hassadi and thousands of others remain in Derna, most of them waiting for a word about relatives and loved ones. For Hassadi, it's the 290 relatives still missing. The floods inundated as much as

Health ministry plans drug licensing changes to ensure drug safety

Proposals aim to standardise drug manufacturing practices after a few Indian medicines were flagged as 'substandard' by the WHO

G20 Summit 2023: India may take the lead to achieve G20 health goals

G20 nations have also prioritised tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through research and development, infection prevention and control

DCGI asks states to keep vigil on sale of falsified versions of 2 drugs

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has directed the drugs controllers of all states and Union territories to keep a strict vigil on the sale and distribution of falsified versions of two drugs, liver medication Defitelio and Takeda's cancer drug Adcetris (injection), following alerts issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO). In an advisory on September 5, the DCGI said the WHO has issued a safety alert identified with multiple falsified versions of Adcetris injection 50 mg manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, identified in four different countries including India. "These products are most often available at the patient level and distributed in the unregulated supply chains (mainly online). The products have been identified in both regulated and illicit supply chains, sometimes at patient levels as well. WHO has reported that there are at least eight different batch numbers of falsified versions in circulation," the DCGI said in a communication to the