By 2050, the world is expected to register 13.7 million new cases of childhood cancer – and without scaling up investments, cancer will kill 11.1 million children. These are the findings of a landmark report released earlier this week by the Lancet Oncology Commission, a report bringing together the insights of 44 leading experts from […]
Featured Stories
Autism in India: Why we need awareness
As April 2nd marks World Autism Awareness Day, there is a prime opportunity to talk about autism in India – a health issue that is too often overlooked. An estimated three million people live with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) on the Indian subcontinent according to a 2018 paper. That report notes that “there has been […]
COVID-19 testing: Is India falling behind?
“Test, test, test,” is among the most resounding messages issued by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), during the coronavirus pandemic. However, when it comes to COVID-19 testing, is India falling behind? “We have not seen an urgent enough escalation in testing, isolation and contact tracing – which is the […]
PandemiCast 3: The path to a coronavirus vaccine
When World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, he said “we have never before seen a pandemic sparked by a coronavirus…and we have never before seen a pandemic that can be controlled, at the same time.” While the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted countries the world over – India […]
“Hunger will kill us before any disease does”
“Hunger will kill us before any disease does.” These were the harrowing words of Rampal, a rickshaw driver from Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh who queues daily at a government-run food shelter. Rampal’s words have already rung true for some. An eight-year-old boy named Rakesh Musahar, a resident of Arrah’s Jawahar Tola’s slum area in Bhojpur […]
Disease Profile: COVID-19 (coronavirus)
The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan but has since breached that epicentre, spreading to scores of other territories worldwide and resulting in large-scale lockdowns effectively shutting off major cities and even whole countries from the rest of the world. India is far from immune to this trend. To slow […]
World TB Day 2020: India’s progress on the disease
“COVID-19 is highlighting just how vulnerable people with lung diseases and weakened immune systems can be,“ said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General. “The world committed to end tuberculosis (TB) by 2030: improving prevention is key to making this happen. Millions of people need to be able to take TB preventive treatment […]
Interview: Anjali Gopalan
Interview with health activist Anjali Gopalan May 2016 The lessons learnt in the 1990s from securing access to antiretroviral medicines to treat HIV and AIDS highlight the role of patients in demanding better access to life-saving medicines. As India, like many other growing economies, faces new, deadly diseases like diabetes, cancer and heart disease, Anjali […]
Water availability on the decline: World Water Day 2020
India is home to around eighteen percent of the global population — with numbers set to increase in the coming years. Despite such a vast population, India only has access to around four percent of global freshwater resources. Meanwhile, India’s per capita water availability is on the decline, presenting the very real possibility of a […]
Down syndrome in India: A reflection
More than 30,000 people are born with Down syndrome in India every year – many of whom must grapple with social stigma and discrimination. Today marks World Down syndrome Day, an opportunity to address this prejudice head-on. As previously reported by Health Issues India, “individuals with Down syndrome often face discrimination in India, with common […]