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Infectious diseases

Diphtheria vaccine: Karnataka’s kids miss out

The diphtheria vaccine is an essential component of ensuring child health – making it concerning news that so many children in Karnataka are missing out on it.  Vaccination coverage among children aged between five and six is just 48 percent in the state, with regards to the DPT booster-2 vaccine – targeting diphtheria, pertussis (or …

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India joins global antimicrobial resistance group

India is the latest country to join a global coalition aiming to combat antimicrobial resistance.  Among current members are sixteen countries, the European Commission, two philanthropic foundations and four international organisations (as observers). With India as a member, the research hub now represents more than half the world’s population. India is among the countries most …

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Sarcoidosis: All but a mystery in India

Sarcoidosis — a disease which involves inflammation within the lungs — is a relatively obscure health concern in India. It is rarely diagnosed and so prevalence rates are all but unknown. Concerningly, the disease may be adding to the development of drug resistance in strains of tuberculosis (TB). Sarcoidosis has a number of symptoms that …

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Sepsis in India: A major threat to public health

September 13th marks World Sepsis Day – a day of particular importance for the public health community to be reminded of the significant burden of sepsis in India.  Sepsis is “a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated immune response to infection”, caused by no single bacteria or virus: “rather, any type of pathogenic infection …

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Deadly malaria strain running rampant in Bareilly

Malaria is running rampant in the Uttar Pradesh city of Bareilly, with both plasmodium vivax (PV) and the deadly plasmodium falciparum (PF) being reported in high numbers. The cumulative figure of PF malaria cases in Bareilly over the course of the year stands at 4,207 at the time of writing. Across the same period, 21,887 …

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Leprosy and TB added to child screening programme

Leprosy and tuberculosis (TB) are the latest diseases to be added to a screening programme aimed at detecting disease and underlying risks of disease within children. The Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), or “Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Services”, already screens for thirty health conditions prevalent in children under eighteen. Among these are defects …

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‘Our legacy to future generations’: India and a malaria-free world

India will prioritise the eradication of malaria on its public health agenda, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has announced on the heels of a landmark report by experts which proclaims that a malaria-free world by 2050 is attainable – if a bold approach is undertaken.  “We are working towards ending malaria as soon as …

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Diphtheria strikes medical students

An estimated 25 medical students at the Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Kalaburagi district in Karnataka have contracted diphtheria.  The outbreak of the disease has been traced to the GIMS Girl Hostel. Of the 25 cases, five have been treated at the outpatient department and were permitted to leave as their condition was …

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WHO-SEARO pledge on measles and rubella

The recent meeting of World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Region nations saw a commitment issued to eliminate measles and rubella by 2023.  The 72nd Session of the WHO Regional Office for Southeast Asia (WHO-SEARO), which took place in Delhi, saw member countries pledge to increase immunisation rates in order to boost herd immunity against the …

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A major step towards food safety in India

The country’s apex food regulator is taking a major step towards improving food safety and hygiene standards in India.  As the Centre launches a large-scale campaign to promote healthy eating in India, it has been announced that 1.7 lakh inspectors have been trained by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) over a …

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