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AMR: The silent, parallel pandemic

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a “silent pandemic”, commentators argue, as experts argue for a harmonised approach to mitigate the damage. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed substantially to the AMR crisis, with the prescription of antibiotics for the treatment of those affected by COVID-19 contributing to an increase in AMR cases. This is a …

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Medical waste output at 56,000 tonnes

India’s medical waste output stood at more than 56,000 tonnes between June 2020 and 2021, according to government figures. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change recently reported that the total country’s total output of biomedical waste tallied at 56,898 tonnes. Maharashtra registered the largest amount of medical waste generated, at 8,317 tonnes. …

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Parkinson’s disease to increase sharply by 2030

India’s burden of Parkinson’s disease may see a sharp increase by 2030, according to Karnataka health and medical education minister Dr K. Sudhakar.  Parkinson’s disease is a progressive, incurable though treatable neurodegenerative disorder which affects approximately ten million people globally. In India, an estimated 0.58 million people are living with Parkinson’s disease as of 2016.  …

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Did stubble burning fuel Delhi’s third wave?

New research claims that the practice of stubble burning may have been a key driver of Delhi’s third wave of COVID-19 infections.  The study, published in Urban Climate, identified a tenfold increase in the national capital during the biomass burning season which sees agricultural workers in the neighbouring states of Haryana and Punjab burn the …

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Tribal areas see increase in health infrastructure: Is it enough?

Tribal areas witnessed a 73 percent increase in the availability of healthcare facilities between 2005 and 2020, according to government data. In 2005, the number of sub-health centres in tribal areas stood at 16,748. By 2020, this increased to 29,745 – a 78 percent increase. Primary health centres, meanwhile, increased by fifty percent from 2,809 …

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Water-borne disease: States on guard

Multiple states are taking a vigilant footing against water-borne disease. Maharashtra – embattled by torrential rainfall – is on guard against water-borne disease in the state. The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), governing body of the Kalyan-Dombivli in the state’s Thane district, is looking into sanitising and disinfected areas of the twin city affected by waterlogging.  …

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NCD rate in India continues to grow

India’s noncommunicable disease (NCD) rate continues to grow, according to a recent study. The survey by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), and prepared by the Thought Arbitrage Research Institute, covered 233,672 people and 673 public health offices across 21 states. It marks the latest reminder of the growing NCD crisis …

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Black fungus deaths at 4,200 and counting

Mucormycosis, or ‘black fungus’, deaths tally at more than 4,200 – underscoring the scourge of a condition which has only exacerbated India’s COVID-19 woes. Black fungus, as my colleague Nicholas Parry reported in May, “is the result of exposure to mucor mould typically found in soil, plants, manure, and decaying fruits and vegetables…the condition affects …

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Routine vaccinations took a hit in the pandemic: Jonathan Mosser explains why

The COVID-19 pandemic cost at least seventeen million children routine vaccinations, recent research from The Lancet shows. According to the research, “routine immunisation services faced stark challenges in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing the most widespread and largest global disruption in recent history.”  Senior author and Assistant Professor from the Institute for Health Metrics …

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COVID orphans hit hard by pandemic

One child loses their caregiver to the pandemic every twelve seconds. This is according to a recent Lancet study which has spotlighted one of the most harrowing effects of the pandemic: ‘COVID orphans’.  “Globally, from March 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021,” the study states, “we estimate 1,134,000 children (95 percent credible interval 884,000–1,185,000) experienced …

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