A group of boys play soccer in the smog on a maidan in Kolkata. Environmental concerns such as pollution have a ruinous effect on public health. Image credit: edan / 123rf By Nicholas Witts Indian cities’ levels of air pollution are continuing to rise. Critical contributions to this trend are coming from hidden air pollutants, […]
Science and Technology
World Health Day in a time of global crisis – again
On April 5th, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. Two days later marked World Health Day. In 2021, World Health Day occurs once more against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time Health Issues India covered World Health Day last year, I wrote “India [had] reported thousands […]
“Long COVID” symptoms underlined by study
Research has shone a light on “long COVID” symptoms, identifying stroke, chest pain, and blood clot-related complications as among the most serious adverse effects patients experience after recovery. Review authors of the study, published in Nature Medicine, highlighted the plight of so-called ‘COVID long-haulers’. “We felt that a review of all these possible issues would […]
COVID-19 vaccines for all above 45 from April 1st, Govt. says
Every Indian aged 45 and above will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as of April 1st, the Government has said. Government minister Prakash Javadekar briefed reporters on the development following a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Javadekar urged vaccine uptake, stating “I urge all above the age […]
AstraZeneca vaccine blood clots concerns addressed by Indian Government and WHO
Both the Indian government and the World Health Organization (WHO) have addressed recent concerns surrounding the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and blood clots. Recent days saw multiple nations in Europe suspend use of the vaccine in their inoculation programmes as a precautionary measure. France, Germany, Italy, and Spain are among the countries to have taken […]
Pharmacy of the world: Jaishankar touts India’s role in global medical supply
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the Union Minister of External Affairs, has touted India’s role as ‘pharmacy of the world’. Jaishankar highlighted the country’s role in exporting vital medicines and equipment, amidst the country’s growing role as an exporter of vaccines against COVID-19. “India could meet the spiking requirements of hydroxychloroquine, paracetamol and other relevant drugs across the […]
Global vaccine drive scaling up, but inequities remain
The global vaccination campaign against COVID-19 is scaling up. However, the vaccine drive continues to miss out many countries. Since the vaccine drive commenced in December, more than 345 million vaccine doses have been administered. India began its own vaccine drive in January and, as of Sunday, has administered 29.74 million doses. 24.31 million people […]
COVID-19 variants a concern following new research
Research indicates that emerging COVID-19 variants may be able to escape the protection offered by antibodies and vaccines. The research, conducted by the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in the U.S., studied COVID-19 variants first identified in Brazil, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. As explained in a release, the “research…indicates that […]
Covaxin shows promising results in trials
Covaxin, India’s homegrown COVID-19 vaccine candidate, has shown promising results in interim phase-III trials. The vaccine, manufactured by Hyderabad, Telangana-headquartered firm Bharat Biotech, demonstrated an almost 81 percent interim clinical efficacy according to the company following the release of results from the interim phase-III trials on Wednesday. “Covaxin demonstrates high clinical efficacy trend against COVID-19 […]
HPV awareness the need of the hour to fight cervical cancer
Today marks the culmination of the fourth International HPV Awareness Campaign, coinciding with International HPV Awareness Day. Raising awareness of HPV [the human papillomavirus] is essential in the fight against cancer – most prominently cervical cancer. As the World Health Organization (WHO) explains, “there are more than 100 types of HPV, of which at least […]