Liver disease takes many forms. Types range from alcoholic liver disease to cirrhosis to fatty liver disease, among many others. In India, many are at risk. As reported by Health Issues India in 2017, liver disease – then identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the tenth most common cause of death in India […]
alcohol
A Mumbai beer plant brewing a public health issue?
United Breweries is India’s biggest producer of beer – but an inspection has found stunning sanitation lapses. The brewing giant, which claims to account for more than fifty percent of beer production in India and saw its revenue grow by 21 percent in the 2018 financial year, was flagged on several concerning grounds by the […]
Illicit alcohol deaths: The crisis continues
Another round of deaths has once more brought one of the major issues blighting public health in Uttar Pradesh to the forefront: illicit alcohol. Reports have surfaced this week of deaths in the Barabanki district of India’s most populous state, with consumption of hooch said to be responsible. Eighteen people have died at the time […]
World Hypertension Day: Avoid high blood pressure, know your numbers
Hypertension is a silent disease. It affects millions of Indians and responsible for 10.8 percent of deaths in the nation. This year, World Hypertension Day is being observed with the theme “Know Your Numbers”, highlighting the importance of screening for high blood pressure and ensuring it is kept under control. The occasion is observed annually […]
“Widow’s village”, where bootleg alcohol deaths are the norm
Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh have been blighted with news of the recent cases of bootleg alcohol deaths. However, for many in the state this is a daily reality. An investigation by the Times of India has revealed that for some villages and towns, this is a perfectly normal situation. Pusaina in Mainpuri district, Uttar Pradesh […]
Methanol poisoning: India’s alcohol woes
The recent spate of alcohol related deaths in India have drawn international media attention. Though not the first time the illegal alcohol trade has claimed a large death toll, this instance — in which potentially around a hundred lives have been lost — has occurred in such a short time frame it has been a […]
Bootleg alcohol: India’s death toll
Toxic alcohol has potentially killed more than a hundred people in India. The suspected cause? The illegally produced alcohol was ‘laced with methanol’. This incident, like the many others involving bootleg alcohol before it, has been likened by some to a massacre. Personal accounts paint a horrific scene Pintu Kumar, a farmhand in northern […]
NCDs: how does India compare to the rest of the world?
More than half the world’s nations are not on track to reach the UN target to reduce premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes by 2030, according to a new analysis published in The Lancet. India is one of them. NCDs have long since reached epidemic […]
No amount of alcohol consumption is healthy
Drinking alcohol is usually considered to be relatively safe if it is done in moderation. Providing a person does not drink to excess, there was thought to be little risk to their health. This, however, may not be the case. In fact, alcohol may be almost as bad for you as smoking cigarettes. This is […]
Prohibition: An ineffective policy?
Gujarat’s long-standing policy of alcohol prohibition has taken a knock from the state’s high court. Yet even as justices call prohibition’s effectiveness into question, chief ministers of other states are not being deterred from pursuing similar policies. Dry states India’s constitution says “the State shall endeavour to bring about prohibition of the consumption…of intoxicating drinks […]