Environmental Health
India has undergone an industrial revolution in the last few decades. This has made the country one of the world’s largest economies. It has also had disastrous effects on both public and environmental health. Highlighting this issue, recent World Health Organization (WHO) data showed that of the fifteen most highly polluted cities in the world, fourteen are in India. In fact,...
Poor Sanitation
Though figures are disputed, anywhere between 300 million and 522 million individuals still practice open defecation in India. This figure is higher than anywhere else in the world. Poor sanitation is a recurring issue linked to many of India’s health issues. Globally, out of the 2.5 billion of people who do not have access to sanitation facilities, about 1 billion people...
Inadequate Safe Drinking Water
A global index of 180 countries has placed India 145th in regards to water quality and sanitation. India’s most famous river, the Ganges, is currently in a state of pollution. Low water quality and a supply of groundwater that is rapidly depleting is threatening to plunge India into a situation where famine and water-borne disease are commonplace. India’s Population Is...
Eli Lilly announces direct-to-patient portal for new weight loss drug; The latest health stories from around the world
Eli Lilly, maker of the anti-obesity drug Zepbound, announced last week the launch of LillyDirect, a direct-to-patient portal, allowing some patients to obtain its drug for as little as $25 a month. The move is seen as a major shift in the way these popular medications can reach patients. https://www.medscape.com/s/viewarticle/eli-lilly-offers-obesity-drug-directly-consumers-2024a10000fl? For many of the 42 million Americans with obesity, weight loss medications such as Wegovy, Saxenda, and...
New data reveals Ebola vaccine reduces mortality by half; The latest health stories from around the world
There’s welcome news in the battle against the Ebola virus, an infectious disease that for years had almost no treatments or remedies. Outbreaks of the deadly Ebola virus flare up in parts of Africa almost every year, and they’re vicious. The virus kills about half the people it infects. But a new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases shows that a promising...
Cholera vaccine shortage coincides with major outbreak; The latest health stories from around the world
The world has run out of cholera vaccines—just when the deadly disease is on a rampage not seen in many years. Fifteen countries are currently reporting active outbreaks, with more than 40,900 cases and 775 deaths reported in January alone. But all available doses of oral cholera vaccines in the global stockpile have been allocated until mid-March, Philippe Barboza,...
Developing nations seek reassurance on the WHO Pandemic Agreement; The latest health stories from around the world
“Me first”—that’s how Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization (WHO), described the wealthy world’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic when he kicked off negotiations for a global “pandemic treaty” in December 2021. Even before vaccines had proved safe and effective, rich countries had purchased enough doses to cover their entire population several times, whereas lower and...
Genetically modified kidney marks major milestone in organ transplantation; The latest health stories from around the world
A 62-year-old man with end-stage renal disease has become the first human to receive a new kidney from a genetically modified pig, doctors from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston announced on Thursday. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/first-pig-to-human-kidney-transplant-performed-boston-2024-03-21/ The four-hour surgery, performed on March 16, “marks a major milestone in the quest to provide more readily available organs to patients,” the hospital said in a statement. The...
Experimental malaria prevention proves effective; The latest health stories from around the world
A single dose of an experimental antibody drug protects children from malaria for up to 6 months, according to a clinical study published today in The New England Journal of Medicine. www.science.org/content/article/injectable-antibody-drug-protects-children-malaria-mali-trial? The therapy, an injectable monoclonal antibody called L9LS that has already shown success in adults, reduced infections and clinical disease in 6- to 10-year-olds in Mali. Although the drug is still...
WHO to vote on formalising a legally binding pandemic agreement; The latest health stories from around the world
At the end of May, 194 member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) will meet for the World Health Assembly. Negotiations underway now will determine whether they vote then to adopt a pandemic agreement. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq1055?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_content=alert&utm_campaign=SCIeToc&et_rid=785235729&et_cid=5199970 For the past 2 years, discussions have focused on spelling out essential components of a robust and equitable architecture for pandemic preparedness and response. Despite...