Monkeypox cases continue to be announced across the globe, sparking panic of a new pandemic in the making. Just how realistic is this prospect, and should India be worried? Monkeypox, much like COVID-19, is another zoonotic condition – spread to humans from animals. Typically the disease is endemic only to a few regions of Africa. […]
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Unusual global spread of monkeypox continues; The latest health stories from around the world
Public health officials announced more monkeypox cases in the United Kingdom (UK) on Monday, as efforts ramp up to contain the first multinational outbreak of the virus that has led to cases in at least 14 countries according to a report in www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/22/monkeypox-uk-health-security-agency-to-announce-more-cases? The unusual outbreak of the rare disease has sparked a wave of contact […]
Should air pollution be noted on death certificates?
![Burning of crops in southeast Punjab - a major driver of northern India's pollution crisis. (Image credit, Neil Palmer (CIAT) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]). Stubble burning concept.](https://www.healthissuesindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/NP_India_burning_70_6314806011-150x150.jpg "The cost of crop burning")
Disease certificates note the direct cause of death, for example, heart disease or lung cancer, but rarely do they ever mention the underlying causes behind the death. Air pollution needs to be noted as a cause of death, writes Dr Sanjay Kulshrestha for News9Live. However, some dispute this claim. The article notes a study in […]
North Korea officially announces COVID-19 outbreak; The latest health stories from around the world
Even as most of the world rises to a slowly receding COVID wave, North Korea on Sunday reported 15 additional deaths from “fever” after the country recently announced its first-ever cases of COVID-19 and ordered nationwide lockdowns, television channel NDTV citing AFP reports said. www.ndtv.com/world-news/north-korea-coronavirus-north-korea-covid-north-korea-coronavirus-cases-north-koreas-explosive-covid-outbreak-820-620-cases-in-3-days-2977028 State media KCNA said a total of 42 people had […]
Heatwaves may be lethal for those with hypertension
With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reporting highs of almost fifty degrees Celsius over the weekend tensions are looming regarding heat related deaths. One key concern is the increased risk of complications in those living with hypertension. Heatwaves have seen highs of 49 degrees in Delhi, with neighbouring Gurugram in Haryana recorded 48.1 degrees Celsius, […]
Bipolar disease remains unaddressed in India
Roughly one in every 150 Indians suffer from bipolar disorder, according to senior consultant psychiatrist Dr Bhaskar Mukherjee from Kolkata. However, of these individuals, less than thirty percent are currently receiving any degree of treatment. Mayoclinic characterises bipolar disorder as a “mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or […]
Global Elite are Bored with Health, Just When It’s Getting Really Exciting
For the first time since 2019, the glitterati of geopolitics gathered recently at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi. Why, I asked a senior Indian diplomat, did most of them fail to even mention health. Had they learned nothing from the pandemic? The pandemic, he thought, was the problem. “They’ve had over two years of being forced […]
No mixing vaccines for COVID-19 boosters
A new study by Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore has suggested that mixing vaccines for COVID-19 shows a mixed result depending on the initial vaccination schedule, presenting programmatic challenges moving forward. The government, in light of this newfound data, has suggested that they may not allow booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines other than the one […]
“Tomato flu” reported in Kerala
An unidentified fever caused by an as of yet unknown virus has been circulating in the Indian state of Kerala. Locals and doctors alike have been referring to the condition as “tomato flu” or “tomato fever” due to the tomato shaped blisters caused by the condition. The condition has been reported in around eighty children […]
WHO estimates 15 million death toll due to COVID-19; The latest health stories from around the world
The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that nearly 15 million people—about one in every 500 globally—died from causes related to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021 (the first two years of the pandemic), putting the toll from COVID-19 at nearly three times the number that had been officially recorded by countries. India suffered […]