The World Health Organization, in its press release from 11 December 2024, cited a key study published on 10 December 2024, which estimated that 'Over 1 in 5 adults worldwide, i.e., approximately 846 million people aged 15-49, have genital herpes.' Further, more than 200 million people aged 15 to 49 had at least one symptomatic episode in 2020. Each year, around 42 million people acquire a new infection, underscoring the critical need for improved prevention and treatment strategies.

As is known, most infections cause few or no symptoms, but some people experience painful genital sores and blisters. There is no definitive cure for genital herpes, but treatment can relieve symptoms. Condoms reduce the risk of transmission. As is known, HSV-2 is more serious and is linked with a higher risk of HIV. HSV-I primarily causes oral herpes but can also cause genital infections.

The WHO emphasized the need for better prevention treatment options and, notably, increased research for new vaccines and therapies.

Sanitation and Safety: Emphasizing the importance of sanitation for women's dignity and safety, addressing open defecation and the high cost of sanitary napkins.

Swachh Bharat Mission: Through a saturation approach, access to safe sanitation through the construction of 11.64 crore household toilets, access to tap water connections for 15.13 crore rural households, and provision of clean cooking gas connections to over 10.3 crore women

Community and Public Toilets: Construction of these facilities aids marginalized groups, including women, by reducing health risks and exposure to unsafe public spaces.

Swachh Vidyalaya Mission: Ensuring functional toilets for girls in schools, with 97.48% of government schools having separate girls' toilets.

Menstrual Hygiene Management: Making sanitary napkins tax-exempt and affordable, promoting menstrual hygiene, and increasing girls' enrollment in educational institutions.

Working Women Hostels: Commitment to providing safe and affordable hostel facilities with clean toilets for working women through the "Sakhi Niwas" component of Mission Shakti.

Under NP-NCD, 770 District NCD Clinics, 372 District Day Care Centres, 233 Cardiac Care Units, and 6410 Community Health Centre-based NCD Clinics have been set up as of  20 December 2024, as informed by the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

As directed in the NPNCD guidelines, these centres focus on curative services, while the community level outreach focuses on the prevention of and screening for common NCDs like diabetes, hypertension, and various cancers.

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) play a crucial role in raising awareness and promoting healthy lifestyles.

• Objective: The scoping review aimed to define and conceptualize kindness, compassion, and empathy in healthcare.

• Methods: The study reviewed published research from five databases and one search engine and segregated literature that explicitly addressed the definitions or conceptualizations of kindness, compassion, and empathy within the healthcare environment.

• Results: Out of 1,348 initial results reviewed, 107 articles were screened in full text, leading to the final inclusion of 42 papers. Key similarities and differences among kindness, compassion, and empathy were identified, and a model illustrating their relationship on a stimulus-response-action continuum was proposed. The review even highlighted definitional challenges in treating these terms as separate concepts.

• Definitions established by the study:

  • “Empathy is an internal, emotional response of wanting to share another's feelings or situation, whether suffering or joy, and informs action rather than being an action itself.”

  • “Compassion is responding to others' suffering with a desire to alleviate that suffering, but that may or may not result in outward action.”

  • “Kindness is a set of actions in response to a desire to help others flourish, informed by either an empathetic response or proactively chosen.”

• Conclusions: The findings indicated that kindness, compassion, and empathy have distinct themes and roles along the continuum. Kindness should be recognized as a primary concept rather than a secondary to compassion or empathy.

The study investigated disparities in oral health among the population aged 12-65 years of age by assessing the economic impact of dental caries based on deprivation levels across six countries. The findings were:

• Exploratory analysis utilized national data on decayed, missing, and filled teeth and the likelihood of receiving interventions such as restorative procedures and extractions for various socioeconomic groups.

• The economic burden of dental caries is significantly higher among the most deprived rung of the population, with the UK experiencing the highest average costs at around £18,000 per person.

• Potential healthcare cost savings from implementing preventive measures, including community water fluoridation, sugar-sweetened beverage taxes, school education programs, and oral health campaigns, as well as individual practices like using fluoridated toothpaste, could reduce caries progression rates by 30%, particularly benefiting the most deprived groups.

• A targeted approach to prevention could yield even greater savings, with reductions estimated at about £14,000 ($17,728) per person in the UK's most disadvantaged population.

• With a levelling-up approach, cost reductions in the most deprived group ranged from US$3,948 in Indonesia to US$17,728 in the UK.

• The World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2024 Global Health Expenditure Report reveals a decline in per capita government health spending across all income groups in 2022, following pandemic-era surges.

• This trend jeopardizes progress toward universal health coverage (UHC), leaving 4.5 billion people without access to essential services and 2 billion facing financial hardships due to healthcare costs.

• WHO’s findings indicate that out-of-pocket expenditure remains the primary source of health financing in many low- and middle-income countries, perpetuating cycles of poverty.

• Even in high-income nations, significant out-of-pocket payments are leading to unmet healthcare needs.

• The report underscores the need for robust public funding mechanisms to deliver affordable health services.

• Lessons from the pandemic highlight the effectiveness of government spending in responding to emergencies and saving lives.

• WHO calls on leaders to eliminate impoverishment caused by health expenses by 2030, emphasizing that sustainable health investments are crucial for future resilience.

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• The World Health Organization (WHO) released its first-ever global report on drowning prevention, revealing that 3 lakh lives were lost to drowning worldwide in 2021, averaging 30 deaths every hour.

• A disproportionate 92% of fatalities occurred in low- and middle-income countries, with South-East Asia accounting for 28% of the global burden.

• The report highlights that children under five are most vulnerable, constituting 24% of drowning deaths.

• Despite a 38% global decline in drowning rates since 2000, the progress has been uneven, with the WHO’s South-East Asia Region witnessing only a 48% reduction.

• WHO emphasized that nearly all drowning deaths are preventable.

• Key measures include integrating swimming lessons into school curriculums, improving flood risk management, and training bystanders in rescue techniques.

• WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus urged countries to prioritize drowning prevention, emphasizing its potential to save millions of lives and avert an estimated $4 trillion in economic losses by 2050.

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• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released its latest National Indicator Framework (NIF) Progress Report along with two handbooks showcasing time-series data on India's progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Over 95% of the national SDG indicators now have available data, marking a significant leap in monitoring capabilities.

• Key highlights from the SDG India Index 2023-24 by NITI Aayog reveal an improved national score of 71, up from 66 in 2020-21, with advancements in 11 key goals, including SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 13 (Climate Action)

• MoSPI partnered with NITI Aayog and the United Nations via a Tripartite MoU for data-driven SDG monitoring. The Data for Development Coordination Forum (DDCF) was formed to enhance indicator frameworks and foster collaboration.

• SDG frameworks are being expanded to district level, supported by SDG coordination centers. Workshops, exhibitions, and aligned surveys promote awareness and action on SDGs.

• Through these initiatives, India strengthens its commitment to the 2030 Agenda, backed by MoSPI's robust data systems and NITI Aayog's emphasis on competitive federalism.

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• The Government of India unveiled the One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme, a groundbreaking initiative to expand access to global research publications.

• ONOS will provide centralized access to over 13,000 journals for more than 6,300 government academic and R&D institutions starting January 2025.

• With a three-year budget of ₹6,000 crore, ONOS aims to empower 1.8 crore students, faculty, and researchers with seamless access to top-quality research across disciplines, fostering interdisciplinary innovation.

• Supported by a web portal from INFLIBNET, authenticated users will enjoy both institutional and remote access to subscribed content.

• ONOS is part of a broader vision for open access transformation in India, complementing efforts like the Anusandhan National Research Foundation and NEP 2020. Beyond journal access, it includes ₹150 crore annually for Article Processing Charges (APC) in Open Access journals and emphasizes enhancing Indian journals and holistic research evaluation.

• By democratizing knowledge and aligning with India’s innovation goals, ONOS represents a monumental stride in making research accessible to all.

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• Air pollution in India, particularly from particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5), poses a significant health threat as these particles can enter the lungs and bloodstream.

• A recent study has explored the correlation between PM2.5 levels and mortality over a decade, utilizing data from 655 districts across India from 2009 to 2019. The study findings include:

  • An increase of 10 micrograms per cubic meter in PM2.5 concentration is associated with an 8.6% rise in mortality rates.

  • Approximately 3.8 million deaths during this period can be attributed to PM2.5 levels exceeding India's air quality standards of 40 micrograms per cubic meter.

  • The estimated deaths jumped to 16.6 million, accounting for nearly 25% of total mortality in the study timeframe when compared to the stricter World Health Organization (WHO) guideline of 5 micrograms per cubic meter.

• The research underscores that nearly all India's population lives in areas where PM2.5 concentrations surpass WHO recommendations, exposing about 1.4 billion individuals annually to harmful air pollution. Some regions recorded levels as high as 119 micrograms per cubic meter, far exceeding both Indian and WHO safety thresholds. Hence, implementing stricter regulations and measures to curb emissions is crucial.

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The Ministry of Tourism formulated the National Strategy & Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism, an initiative toward Aatmanirbhar Bharat. One of those initiatives was the ‘Heal in India’ initiative. The Ministry of AYUSH suggested Medical Value Travel (MVT). Over a year ago, a separate category of Visas—the AYUSH Visas—was introduced.

These were for foreigners solely visiting India to avail themselves of treatment under the AYUSH system of medicine.

Four sub-categories of AYUSH visas are:

i)AYUSH Visa (AY-1) - For the foreigner seeking treatment.

ii)eAYUSH Visa - Also for the foreigner seeking treatment.

iii)AYUSH Attendant Visa(AY-2) - For their attendants

iv)e-AYUSH Attendant Visa - Also for their attendants

Individuals seeking an AY Visa shall submit the Accredited AYUSH institution-issued medical invitation letter. This shall enable them to seek therapeutic care and wellness in AYUSH hospitals accredited by the National Commission for Homeopathy(NCH)/ National Accreditation Boards for Hospitals(NABH) /National Commission for Indian System of Medicine(NCISM).

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the first official ‘one-stop’ portal to provide foreigners with information about MVT.

The Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) Corporation had entered into a partnership with the National Health Authority (NHA), leading to a convergence between AB-PMJAY and the ESI Scheme, thereby allowing ESI beneficiaries (who are more than 13 crore in number) to access services at AB-PMJAY empanelled hospitals and vice versa.

This convergence was first piloted in Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) and Bidar (Karnataka). Upon successfully completing this pilot project, the convergence of the ESI Scheme with PM-JAY was extended to 157 districts in 12 states/UTs. ESI beneficiaries of these districts will be able to access medical care services in AB-PMJAY empanelled hospitals.

The AB-PMJAY and ESIC convergence is aimed at leveraging the presence of an established network of 30,000+ empanelled hospitals under AB-PMJAY. It will also create a higher demand for health services at ESIC-empanelled hospitals that may be underutilized.

Benefits

1.  ESI beneficiaries will get free access to healthcare providers and packages at AB-PMJAY empanelled hospitals by using their ESI cards, especially in the absence of an ESIC healthcare delivery institution in their vicinity.

2.  Similarly, beneficiaries of AB PM-JAY can use their PM-JAY card to access free treatment at ESIC empanelled hospitals.