A report in yesterday’s New York Times shows a dramatic drop in the prevalence of human papilloma viruses amongst teenage American girls over the past decade. HPV causes cervical cancer and genital warts. Experts ascribe the drop to the use of the HPV vaccine. In fact, the drop is steeper than predicted because the minority […]
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The Mental Health Care Bill, 2013
An article appeared in The Hindu on June 16, which talks about the Mental Health Care Bill, 2013. This bill approved by the Union Cabinet, is a rights-based approach to mental health care with citizens getting the right to access mental health care. It seeks to provide access to mental health care and services for […]
Test every adult in India every year and treat all HIV+ says study
A new statistical study says that India should test every sexually-active adult frequently for HIV and treat all those who are positive according to the New York Times. The story is not well written but it appears that the study shows that it would be cost effective to test and treat this widely despite India’s low number […]
Bill Gates and Aamir Khan interview on NDTV
In an interview aired on NDTV last night, Bill Gates and Aamir Khan spoke about the issues surrounding health in India. They covered a variety of topics including maternal and child health, drug prices and initiatives that the community should take to improve health for its residents. To read the interview transcript please click here.
Literacy has larger impact on public health in India than increasing average income
According to a new study by UK’s Cambridge University, literacy has a greater impact on public health among India’s poor than increasing average income. Pro-market policies for developing countries have long been based on the belief that increasing average income is key to improving public health and societal well-being. But new research on India published […]
India has the highest oral cancer rates in the world – is sex to blame?
This article from Mail Today skirts some of the more delicate issues but raises an important threat. India has very high rates of oral cancer tied to HPV, in men and in women. This is the kind of oral cancer that the actor Michael Douglas developed. As Mail Today delicately puts it, “oral infections like […]
Low-cost devices developed to reduce maternal mortality in India
Specialist doctors prefer low-cost devices to reduce maternal mortality and ensure better healthcare for women in India. They feel that by using low-cost devices, quality healthcare can be provided to reduce the maternal mortality ratio in India where people live in remote and inaccessible areas. On a pilot basis, the Federation of Obstetrics & Gynecologists […]
National NCD Summit on Strengthening Policies for Diabetes Care
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as termed as ‘silent killers’ and are rising gradually and affecting the country’s productivity. According to experts from the field, an effective public-private partnership can tackle the problem. ‘NCDs are silent killers and have become a global health emergency. Eight out of 10 Indians are suffering from NCDs in urban areas and […]
FOGSI’s launches its new programme ‘Vision 2022’ with a focus on women health issues
According to FOGSI, 56 per cent of the adolescent girls in today’s India are anaemic and 24.4 per cent of the women are obese .It recently announced its long term programme -Vision 2022, focusing on women’s health issues. According to Dr Hema Divakar, president, FOGSI, “Bringing women from pale to pink is the aim of […]
Pentavalent vaccines to go nationwide, finally
According to Dainik Bhaskar, the Government of India has decided to introduce pentavalent vaccines nationwide. This just might mark the beginning of the end of one of the oddest sagas in Indian public health. The five-in-one vaccine (which adds protection against hepatitis B and Hib pneumonia to the standard DTP vaccines) is used around the […]