The United States has announced a total of USD$122,475,000 has been committed to provide additional funding for Indian medical research institutions to prevent avoidable epidemics. The funding, provided by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been allocated to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Institute of Virology (NIV) and […]
Is India heading towards a fourth wave of COVID-19?
COVID-19 cases in India have risen to surpass 8,000 new cases per day for the third day in a row, sparking fears that a fourth wave could occur in the coming weeks. Experts have been quick to dismiss these fears. They have said that the “new wave” is likely not a potential fourth wave […]
Doctors estimate forty percent suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Marking International NASH (Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) Day 2022 doctors in India have claimed that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) may be present at some stage of the disease in around forty percent of the population. While the claim seems bold, NAFLD is thought to be present in around 25 to thirty percent of the global […]
Monkeypox unlikely to have reached India, despite speculative reports
Monkeypox may have arrived in India, according to reports that a five-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad may have contracted the condition. However, the presence of monkeypox in India is currently just speculation. Samples from the child were sent for testing after she was reported with symptoms consistent with the disease. “Samples of a five-year-old […]
Are Long-COVID and NCDs another Pandora’s box?
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have been increasing at an alarming rate in India in the last few decades, overtaking infectious diseases as India’s most common causes of death. Now, some speculate that NCDs coupled with long-COVID could open up a Pandora’s box in the country. Government data shows that the proportion of deaths due to NCDs […]
Is monkeypox a concern for India?
Monkeypox cases continue to be announced across the globe, sparking panic of a new pandemic in the making. Just how realistic is this prospect, and should India be worried? Monkeypox, much like COVID-19, is another zoonotic condition – spread to humans from animals. Typically the disease is endemic only to a few regions of Africa. […]
Should air pollution be noted on death certificates?
![Burning of crops in southeast Punjab - a major driver of northern India's pollution crisis. (Image credit, Neil Palmer (CIAT) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]). Stubble burning concept.](https://healthissuesindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/NP_India_burning_70_6314806011-150x150.jpg)
Disease certificates note the direct cause of death, for example, heart disease or lung cancer, but rarely do they ever mention the underlying causes behind the death. Air pollution needs to be noted as a cause of death, writes Dr Sanjay Kulshrestha for News9Live. However, some dispute this claim. The article notes a study in […]
Heatwaves may be lethal for those with hypertension
With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reporting highs of almost fifty degrees Celsius over the weekend tensions are looming regarding heat related deaths. One key concern is the increased risk of complications in those living with hypertension. Heatwaves have seen highs of 49 degrees in Delhi, with neighbouring Gurugram in Haryana recorded 48.1 degrees Celsius, […]
Bipolar disease remains unaddressed in India
Roughly one in every 150 Indians suffer from bipolar disorder, according to senior consultant psychiatrist Dr Bhaskar Mukherjee from Kolkata. However, of these individuals, less than thirty percent are currently receiving any degree of treatment. Mayoclinic characterises bipolar disorder as a “mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or […]
No mixing vaccines for COVID-19 boosters
A new study by Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore has suggested that mixing vaccines for COVID-19 shows a mixed result depending on the initial vaccination schedule, presenting programmatic challenges moving forward. The government, in light of this newfound data, has suggested that they may not allow booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines other than the one […]