A number of agencies are investigating mosquito-sterilisation as a technique to curb the spread of vector-borne diseases. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations’s Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), and the World Health Organization (WHO) are partnering to explore the sterile insect […]
World Health Organization
Suicide rate data: WHO-Government disparity?
Mental health is one of the major issues facing public health in India at present. Approximately 150 million Indians are affected by mental health issues, with suicide being a leading cause of death in the country – especially among young people. However, suicide rate figures reported by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) appear to […]
Traditional Chinese medicine: Regulation a must
Earlier this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) included a chapter on traditional medicine in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD) for the first time – in what many perceived to be a boon to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The ICD is an influential document. In the WHO’s own words, “ICD is increasingly used in […]
Lymphatic filariasis: Can India eliminate it?
At the beginning of October, the island nation of Kiribati announced that it had eliminated lymphatic filariasis. By 2021, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has pledged that India will do the same. What is lymphatic filariasis? Lymphatic filariasis, or elephantiasis, is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that attacks the lymphatic system. It is caused […]
A district, a diphtheria scare and the WHO
Amidst a diphtheria scare which has reportedly claimed ten lives, a World Health Organization (WHO) team has encamped in the Banaskantha district of Gujarat. “A team of [the] WHO has been camping in the district and over 200 teams [of the] state health department are conducting door-to-door survey in affected talukas,” commented chief district health […]
What World Polio Day taught India
Today marked World Polio Day, an annual observance acknowledging what once was a dominant threat to global health – and could well become a thing of the past entirely so long as momentum is sustained as we approach polio’s endgame. With the observance came a landmark report from the World Health Organization (WHO): wild poliovirus […]
TB in India: Fewer cases but still the most in the world
Tuberculosis (TB) in India continues to be a major public health burden, even as cases have decreased. This is according to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) report on TB, launched earlier this week, which provides an overview of how the world is tackling one of its dominant infectious disease challenges. The news is not […]
Visual impairment: How does India fare?
On visual impairment, India has performed well against World Health Organization (WHO) benchmarks in reducing its number of cases. In India, more than sixty million people experience some form of visual impairment and the country is home to twenty percent of the world’s blind population. However, significant progress has been made in recent years. Since […]
World Health Organization boost for Ayushman Bharat?
The World Health Organization (WHO) will provide support to implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), or Ayushman Bharat, the Centre’s flagship scheme on health. The initiative has been lauded by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who heralded its first 100 days earlier this year and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and […]
World Mental Health Day: India continues to suffer in silence
Millions of Indians continue to suffer in silence as the treatment gap due to mental health disorders remains in the face of staggering demand. World Mental Health Day – observed today – serves as a reminder of this grim reality. Approximately 150 million Indians are affected by mental health disorders, including 56 million who suffer […]