Offer An Article

Pandemic Latest News

infectious diseases

Kerala takes stand against hospital acquired infections

Kerala has learnt its lessons after the Nipah tragedy. It is to introduce a policy to control and prevent hospital acquired infections.  The move comes after the Nipah virus outbreak in the state earlier this year, in which all but four of those who succumbed to the virus contracted it in hospital. “We are working …

Kerala takes stand against hospital acquired infections Read More »

Methylene blue: India’s next weapon against malaria?

A study published earlier this year in The Lancet Infectious Diseases showed promising results for methylene blue as a malaria treatment, potentially indicating its future use as a first line treatment. Commonly used in the treatment of the blood disorder methemoglobinemia, the study indicates the dye could be a means of tackling even drug resistant …

Methylene blue: India’s next weapon against malaria? Read More »

How Kerala said “bye bye” to the Nipah virus

When Kerala experienced an outbreak of the Nipah virus in May, many panicked. The outbreak arrested global headlines. Some feared an epidemic on the scale of the Ebola virus. However, public health officials responded swiftly. The affected Kozhikode and Malappuram districts in Kerala have since been declared Nipah-free. “The recent Nipah virus outbreak in India …

How Kerala said “bye bye” to the Nipah virus Read More »

India’s health check: It’s bad news

In August 2016, a tribal man in Odisha walked ten kilometres from the hospital where his wife died. He carried her body with him – in the presence, no less, of his twelve-year-old daughter. He was forced to do so because the state hospital could not provide an ambulance.  The incident served as a graphic …

India’s health check: It’s bad news Read More »

Dengue outbreak plagues Kerala

 .  This article was first published on The News Minute and has been republished with permission.   By Nishitha Aysha Ashraf With the monsoon season entering its third week in Kerala, the number of dengue cases is on the rise across the state. In spite of various preventive measures which the state health department has undertaken since …

Dengue outbreak plagues Kerala Read More »

A genetic change in the dengue virus?

City doctors in Jaipur have noted a trend of dengue fever cases being reported during the summer months. Does could point towards a genetic change in the dengue virus? Dengue fever cases typically reach peak levels during and after the monsoon season, as the cooler and wetter conditions present Ideal conditions for the virus’s mosquito …

A genetic change in the dengue virus? Read More »

The health crisis in India’s shipyards

India’s vast shipyards rake in nearly a billion dollars a year for the country. Here, decommissioned ships are sent from across the globe to be broken down for parts or scrapped. However, is this industry built at the expense of the health and lives of its workers? Alang-Sosiya in Gujarat is the largest of these …

The health crisis in India’s shipyards Read More »

The transport of infectious diseases in urban metros

Trains within Mumbai and its surrounding area cater to around seven million travellers a day. The transport systems of India allow for a faster route to work. They may also be considerably increasing the spread of disease. Many trains — particularly in the densely populated urban areas — hold far more passengers than their intended capacity. …

The transport of infectious diseases in urban metros Read More »

India not taking advantage of its own vaccines?

India is a leading producer of vaccines. It has enjoyed numerous vaccination campaign successes in the past. Despite this, around 60,000 Indian children under five die of vaccine-preventable diseases every year. India has demonstrated its capacity for successful vaccination campaigns in the past. On March 27, 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared India polio-free. …

India not taking advantage of its own vaccines? Read More »