Silicosis is a common condition among India’s poorer working population. As such, the overwhelming majority of the burden of the disease is carried by those least financially able to avail the treatment needed to manage the condition. Though schemes such as Ayushman Bharat are allowing some of those affected to access treatment, the availability of […]
disease profiles
Disease profile: Rabies
In 2017, rabies killed every single person who was infected in India. No other disease can claim such a high mortality rate. Though becoming less frequent, rabies is still a considerable concern in India due to this considerable mortality rate. Prevalence of rabies in India Rabies is a complex disease in terms of its prevalence. […]
Disease profile: Diabetic retinopathy
Diabetes — partially owing to the genetic risk unique to those in India and partially due to lifestyle factors — is one of the fastest growing health conditions in the country. However, as many as 60.5 percent of Indian diabetics do not properly control their blood sugar. The consequences of this practice, among others, can include diabetic retinopathy […]
Disease profile: Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is one of the most common animal-derived infections on the planet. While relatively rare, and predominantly confined to specific regions of India, recent outbreaks after incidences of flooding in Kerala have underlined the disease as particularly dangerous, especially in these extreme circumstances which are increasing in number against the advent of climate change. Prevalence […]
Disease profile: Sickle cell disease
India has the second highest burden of sickle cell disease in the world. Speaking at an Apollo Hospitals event in June, Dr Gaurav Kharya, clinical lead at the Centre for Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy, identified a “‘sickle cell belt’, that is, a significant population of the Deccan plateau of Central India, northern Kerala […]
Disease profile: Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) presents a significant challenge to India’s healthcare system. Though political will to eliminate the condition is high, there are a number of hurdles that must be overcome to attain that goal. Prevalence of tuberculosis Estimating the true prevalence of the condition is difficult within India. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported last year […]
Disease profile: Thalassemia
India is considered to be the world capital for thalassemia. Thalassemia is a genetically inherited disease caused by four defective genes responsible for the formation of the globin molecule. This molecule is a part of haemoglobin, the aspect of the blood that is responsible for the transport of oxygen. Due to the mechanism by which […]
Disease profile: Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus — also known as the endometrium — grows outside the uterus. The condition causes endometrial tissue to grow in areas such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes or the tissue lining the pelvis. On rare occasions, endometrial tissue has been known […]
Disease profile: Encephalitis
Encephalitis is a disease present across much of India, responsible for thousands of deaths within the country every year, though rarely attracts the same manner of media exposure as other conditions such as malaria or HIV. That is, until recently. The recent spate of child deaths resulting from the condition in Bihar has cast a […]
Disease profile: Nipah virus
The Nipah virus — though occurring sporadically and relatively rarely — remains a deadly prospect whenever there is an outbreak due to its mortality rate of seventy percent. This places the disease alongside many of the world’s most lethal infectious conditions. Consequently, any outbreak of the disease must be handled with the utmost attention and […]