The World Trade Organization (WTO) approved a politically important deal Friday to water down intellectual property restrictions for the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines after an almost two-year effort involving scores of high-level meetings and much political arm twisting. During the early morning hours in Geneva, WTO ministers approved a package of agreements that included the […]
News
India may have the second highest SCD burden in the world
Sickle cell disease (SCD) remains a cause for concern in India, with figures placing the country as having the second highest burden in the world after Nigeria. Following World Sickle Cell Disease Day 2022, observed on the 19th June, awareness campaigns took place on an international level. “There is an urgent need to notify sickle […]
Indian research institutions to get additional US funding
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 […]
China reiterates commitment to “zero-COVID”; The latest health stories from around the world
Xi Jinping reiterated China’s commitment to zero-COVID, declaring “persistence is victory”, as Shanghai and Beijing were hit with new lockdowns, shutdowns, and mass testing drives just a week after the cities celebrated the easing of restrictions. (www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/10/xi-jinping-says-persistence-is-victory-as-covid-restrictions-return-to-shanghai-and-beijing) In response to China’s worst outbreak of the pandemic, Shanghai spent months under an arduous and strict citywide […]
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 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 […]
All nations must benefit from monkeypox research urge scientists; The latest health stories from around the world
As cases of monkeypox in wealthier Western nations spark a flurry of scientific research to combat the outbreak, scientists are urging the world to make sure lower-income nations benefit from the fruits of that labour as well. More than 550 confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported by at least 30 countries outside of Africa, […]
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 […]
Monkeypox cases continue to increase; The latest health stories from around the world
The global tally of monkeypox cases has surpassed 200 and continues to increase daily, reaching across 21 countries, according to the latest report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. On Wednesday, the agency reported 219 confirmed cases worldwide, including 9 in the United States (US) and 71 in the United Kingdom(UK). Later […]
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 […]