In our eighth edition of PandemiCast, we explore sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR). This is our second episode on SRHR. This time, however, we have a slightly different focus. This time, we look at How has research into issues linked to SRHR been affected by the pandemic? How have agencies that provide pre-existing support […]
COVID-19
HCQ, Donald Trump and India
U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked shock and alarm with his announcement that he is personally taking hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) – a drug that has been much-discussed in the fight against COVID-19 and one of particular significance with regard to India. HCQ is a drug used in the treatment of a number of diseases, among them […]
COVID-19 ratio: India’s lowest in the world
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has said that India’s COVID-19 ratio is the lowest in the world as the pandemic continues. On Monday, the Ministry said that the country’s COVID-19 ratio numbers at 7.1 cases per lakh population. This compares to approximately “sixty cases per lakh population for the world as […]
Mapping zoonotic diseases
Zoonotic diseases are rife in India, from Kyasanur Forest disease (KFD) to malaria. Amongst their number is now the coronavirus. In a positive development, recent research in mapping the spread of zoonotic conditions could offer hope towards better prevention and treatment management. KFD – colloquially known as ‘monkey fever’ – is a disease known to […]
The lasting impacts of COVID-19
In another warning against the prospect of allowing COVID-19 to spread unchecked in the hopes of establishing herd immunity, a Lancet commentary has warned of potential permanent health issues developing in those who recover from the condition. As of the time of writing, close to five million individuals worldwide have been infected by COVID-19, the […]
Maharashtra struggles under coronavirus
The coronavirus pandemic continues to take hold in India, with numbers now exceeding 100,000. Maharashtra has become a focal point of the epidemic, harbouring around a third of India’s overall coronavirus burden. According to Al Jazeera on May 14th, “about a third of India’s 71,865 confirmed virus cases, and nearly forty percent of its 2,415 […]
India’s coronavirus cases currently concentrated
As India’s cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) surge, it is presented with a potential ticking time bomb. As of yet India’s coronavirus cases are relatively contained within a number of areas. However, should the disease spread to become endemic across the country, it could become all but impossible to control. The Centre has noted that 79 […]
Sustaining Public Health Systems through Communication: Lessons from the pandemic
How are health systems coping amid the COVID-19 outbreak and how important a role does communication play in sustaining them? While we battle the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to emphasise on what lies ahead as well. The webinar will a focus on the current state of public health, specifically highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic where presenters […]
Experts warn against pursuing herd immunity
The idea promoted by some of lifting the quarantine measures and allowing COVID-19 to spread all but unchecked — thereby in theory causing a rapid spread and a rapid development of population immunity — in hopes of leading to herd immunity has been condemned by notable health experts. Prominent public health expert and advisor to […]
Clean air, saving 650,000 lives?
Air pollution is a well-known and well-documented factor in a number of diseases. It can not only be linked to respiratory diseases, but a host of other conditions. The coronavirus pandemic has shown India that clean air is a very real possibility. A previous article on Health Issues India discussed the silver lining of the […]