Interim report on COVID-19 exposes significant financial irregularities. Content Editor: Dr. Anamika September 6, 2024 at 3:30:00 PM COVID 19, Outbreak, Economics The inquiry commission, led by retired High Court Judge John Cunha, submitted its interim report on COVID-19 management irregularities to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The report covers purchases and procurements amounting to ₹6651 crore by various health departments and agencies in Karnataka. The report examines purchases related to medicines, rapid antigen test kits, COVID-19 management equipment, ventilators, and oxygen cylinders. It also investigates deaths due to oxygen shortages. The commission has a six-month extension to report on four BBMP zones and 31 districts. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah plans to table the report in the legislature during the upcoming winter session and promises action against those found guilty. Click here to read more. Previous Next

Urgent Call : Haiti Needs Immediate Humanitarian Assistance Urgent Call : Haiti Needs Immediate Humanitarian Assistance Content Editor: Nikhil Kumar Khatri July 5, 2023 UNICEF News Section Nutrition and child healthcare, global health, malnourished children, wasting The ECOSOC Special Session refers to a special meeting convened by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to address specific global challenges or emerging issues related to sustainable development. Half of the population of the country of HAITI needs humanitarian assistance , including nearly 3 million children. Nearly a quarter of Haiti’s children are chronically malnourished , which can have devastating consequences for their physical and cognitive development. UNICEF has been supporting children in Haiti for decades. In the past year alone, they screened over 243,000 children under five for Wasting , facilitated healthcare for nearly 70,000 women and children, provided safe water to over 417,000 people , and supplied learning materials to 30,000 children. The Haitian people need an immediate scale-up in both regional and international support. The upcoming summit hosted by the EU and the Community of Latin American & Caribbean States is one of several upcoming opportunities for the international community to rally around Haiti with investments and action.

Polio resurgence in Pakistan, Nigeria, and Chad amid persistent challenges Content Editor Dr. Anubhav January 4, 2025 at 5:50:56 PM Polio, International health, infectious diseases, disease eradication Pakistan reported three new wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases, all from Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bringing its 2024 total to 48. These cases, with onset in October, reflect a sharp rise this year. In Nigeria, seven more circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases were reported, raising the country’s total for 2024 to 80. The new cases span five states, including Katsina, Jigawa, and Yobe. Chad confirmed two new cVDPV2 cases, bringing its total to 15 for the year. Contributing to the rise in cases are forced repatriations, particularly of around 730,000 Afghan refugees, as well as vaccine hesitancy, militant opposition, and attacks on vaccination teams in conflict zones. These challenges, including unpredictable population movements and barriers in reaching high-risk areas, continue to hinder polio eradication efforts in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and neighboring regions. Previous Next

TB Alliance Breaks New Ground in Pursuit of Effective Treatment for Nontuberculosis Mycobacteria Infections Content Editor: Dr. Deepika Bishnoi June 4, 2023 at 7:36:59 PM Public Health, Global Health, Non-Tuberculosis Mycobacteria infections, Drug trial, Cystic Fibrosis The TB Alliance has secured funding from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to investigate potential drugs for treating nontuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) infections . The funding will facilitate preclinical testing of a novel oxazolidinone inhibitor , previously identified by researchers from TB Alliance and Johns Hopkins University in 2020, as a potential treatment for two types of NTM—Mycobacterium abscess and Mycobacterium avium complex— known to cause the majority of NTM lung infections in individuals with cystic fibrosis. The research aims to compare the efficacy of the synthetic antibiotic against NTM infections with that of linezolid, the current treatment for NTM abscess infections. Nader Fotouhi, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at TB Alliance, emphasized the organization's dedication to discovering innovative treatments for tuberculosis and the discovery of multiple potential compounds for NTM treatment. The identification of this new compound opens up possibilities for developing improved treatments for NTM infections, offering potential benefits to individuals with cystic fibrosis. Previous Next

Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat: A national mission to end child marriage Content Editor: Dr Sumana December 9, 2024 at 3:00:00 PM Gender equality, Child marriage Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt. Annapurna Devi launched the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign to eradicate child marriage and empower girls. The Child Marriage Free Bharat Portal , a digital platform, was introduced to report incidents and access information on Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs ). This aims to enforce and implement the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act of 2006. Various achievements of the past decade were highlighted, such as the improvement in the sex ratio at birth (from 918 in 2014-15 to 930 in 2023-24) and the prevention of over 1 lakh child marriages last year. The Vision and Mission of this campaign emphasize education, health, and safety for girls , aligning with the N ational E ducation P olicy 2020 and V iksit B harat's vision for 2047. Inspirational Success stories of individuals and activists combating child marriage were shared to motivate collective action. The event garnered broad participation from CMPOs, officials, NGOs, and schools, and it was attended online by over 50 lakh participants. The key objectives of this campaign are as follows: Advocacy for 18 as the universal minimum marriage age with robust legal protections. Strengthen monitoring and evaluation of CMPOs while ensuring public access to their comprehensive details for transparency and effective support in preventing child marriages. Simplify child marriage reporting through user-friendly mechanisms. Raise awareness of child marriage's harms and promote children's rights via extensive campaigns. Click here to read more. Previous Next

India fights back for climate resilient agriculture India fights back for climate resilient agriculture Content Editor: Shayari Nag August 2, 2024 Press Information Bureau Sustainability, Agriculture, Climate Change, Climate change is a major threat to India's agriculture. ICAR assessed the impact of climate change on 573 agricultural districts. 109 districts are categorized as 'very highly' vulnerable , and 201 as 'highly' vulnerable , with significant yield reductions in staple crops like rice, wheat, and maize by 2050 and 2080 without adaptation. The following adaptation and mitigation measures have been taken: National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) implemented climate-resilient technologies in 448 villages across 151 vulnerable districts. Technologies include improved crop varieties, efficient irrigation, soil health management, and renewable energy. District Agricultural Contingency Plans (DACP) were prepared for all 651 agricultural districts. The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) was launched with components like Rainfed Area Development, Farm Water Management, and Soil Health Management. Additional programs like Soil Health Card, Organic Farming, and Per Drop More Crop were also initiated. Click here to read more.

Vaccine derived Polio continue to haunt African Nations Vaccine derived Polio continue to haunt African Nations Content Editor: Dr. Rajat Sharma April 19, 2023 GPEI Polio Eradication, GPEI In its most recent weekly report, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) noted that three nations, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Mozambique reported additional polio cases, all of which were vaccine-derived strains. Chad reported a case of the circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) , increasing its 2023 total to five. The various cases reported were: WPV1 positive environment sample: Afghanistan cVDPV1 positive environment sample: Madagascar cVDPV1 case: Mozambique & Democratic Republic of Congo cVDPV2 positive environment sample: Algeria, Burundi, Nigeria & Benin cVDPv2 case: Chad & Democratic Republic of Congo.

The CDC's isolation precautions guidelines revisited Content Editor: Dr. Sangya Chaudhary October 21, 2023 at 12:30:00 PM Hospital Infection Prevention, International Health A group of healthcare professionals, including industrial hygienists, epidemiologists, and healthcare worker representatives, plan to send a second letter to the CDC. This letter will re-emphasize the need to hold public meetings regarding the proposed update to the CDC’s isolation precautions guidance by the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). The last update for this was done in 2017. This guidance sets infection control protocols for various pathogens in healthcare settings. Critics argue that the proposed changes fail to address lessons learned from COVID-19 and may weaken existing isolation procedures. They emphasize the importance of input from experts in aerosol transmission and respiratory protection. According to the CDC, the intention is to simplify safeguards for healthcare personnel. However, some contend that the suggested modifications represent a regression in the comprehension of the virus's mode of transmission. In response to the first letter sent in July 2023, the CDC said that it would consider input from key stakeholders and the public, but the group of collectives has reservations regarding the CDC's response. Previous Next

Population-based Study Links HPV Vaccination to Long-term Cervical Cancer Prevention Content Editor: Dr. Urmimala June 19, 2025 at 5:20:00 PM Cervical Cancer, HPV, Vaccination, Research study Researchers from Public Health Scotland and University of Edinburgh conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study to assess the impact of HPV vaccination on invasive cervical cancer incidence. The evaluation was done on women born in the following years: 1988–1990 – not eligible for vaccination 1991–1994 – eligible for the catch-up vaccination program in 2008 and 2009 (immunized at 14 to 22 years) 1995–1996 – routine cervical cancer vaccination (immunized at 12–13 years) Data on screening, immunization, and cancer incidence were retrieved from the Scottish Cancer Registry till August 2022. Findings: Those vaccinated at 12–13 years had zero incidence of invasive cervical cancer. Among those vaccinated at 14–22 years , women who received 3 doses had a significantly lower incidence of invasive cervical cancer (3.2 / 1 lakh person-years, 95% CI [2.1–4.2]) compared to those who received none (8.4 / 1 lakh person-years, 95% CI [7.2–9.6]). Women belonging to the most deprived category based on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation had a significantly lower incidence of invasive cervical cancer when they had received 3 doses of the vaccine (2.29 / 1 lakh person-years, 95% CI [0.62–5.86]) compared to those with no vaccination (13.1 / 1 lakh person-years, 95% CI [9.95–16.9]). The authors recommend continued screening and assessment of outcomes, as information on different vaccine dosages and schedules, along with longitudinal outcome assessment, will help develop HPV vaccination schedule guidelines. Click here to read more. Previous Next

What is New in Updated ICD-11 2023? February 16, 2023 at 5:59:11 PM Global Health, Health Informatics, ICD-11 Update ICD-11 came into in effect in January 2022 for the national and international recording and reporting of causes of illness, death and more. Currently 64 Member States are in different stages of ICD-11 implementation. The 2023 release is the result of extensive input from early adopters, translators, scientists, and partners with over 500 proposals processed since 2022. What is new in ICD-11 2023 release? ICD-11 is multilingual. ICD-11 also has new and improved coding support and the maintenance platform has been upgraded. ICD-11 mapping tables have been updated for more accuracy. ICD-11 2023 release version includes content updates such as the list of current COVID-19 vaccines and SARS-COV-2 subtypes. ICD-11 has also been updated with a name change "mpox". ICD-11's reference guide has been updated with feedback from translators and users. Previous Next