The BJP’s agenda, as outlined in its manifesto for this year’s Lok Sabha polls, was vindicated with a sweeping electoral victory – and the Prime Minister did not exclude the subject of health or his flagship Ayushman Bharat from his victory speech after the results were declared. “The victory, he said, was not his, but […]
Odisha
When voters boycotted polls because of water scarcity in Gujarat
In Gujarat last month, voters turned to the polls to protest water scarcity in the state – by sitting them out entirely. The 17th Lok Sabha polls in Ahmedabad was the scene of fanfare on April 23rd, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast his vote in this year’s elections. However, elsewhere in the state, many […]
Odisha braces itself for Cyclone Fani
Cyclone Fani made landfall in Puri, Odisha, with wind speeds recorded at around 180 kilometres per hour, state special relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi said on May 3rd. The cyclone approached across the Bay of Bengal into India’s densely populated east coast, putting millions of lives at risk. Evacuation efforts of immense proportions are underway and […]
India’s water woes are bigger than you think
It is not even summer season and great swathes of India’s land are suffering from drought, recently published data reveals. This is according to an IndiaSpend analysis of figures from the Drought Early Warning System (DEWS), which contains dire implications for an enormous number of Indians and a sizeable proportion of the country’s land. At […]
A genetic change in the dengue virus?
City doctors in Jaipur have noted a trend of dengue fever cases being reported during the summer months. Does could point towards a genetic change in the dengue virus? Dengue fever cases typically reach peak levels during and after the monsoon season, as the cooler and wetter conditions present Ideal conditions for the virus’s mosquito […]
Diarrhoea is the most common infectious outbreak in India
Diarrhoeal disease is commonplace and often lethal in the developing world low and middle countries (LMICs). Diarrhoea is identified as the second most common cause of death in children under five by the World Health Organization, with 1.7 billion cases and 520,000 deaths every year. In India, acute diarrhoeal disease (ADD) is the most […]
Odisha sees outbreak of cholera
Cholera cases have been detected among a number of villages in rural Odisha. More than fifty people were affected with diarrhoea in the Polasara area of Odisha’s Ganjam district. Such a high prevalence of diarrhoea cases in a small amount of time alerted local authorities to the potential for cholera within the area. Two […]
Odisha trial finds weapon against sepsis
A clinical trial in Odisha has revealed evidence that a cheap and simple treatment could drastically reduce child deaths due to sepsis. It is now well documented that babies born via caesarean section have an altered gut biome from an early age. This means the initial presence of symbiotic bacteria shows a difference between those […]
Virus kills scores of children in Odisha
A new outbreak of Japanese encephalitis killed several scores of children in the eastern state of Odisha in 2016. The Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus which has a particularly impactful presence in Asia, where it is the leading cause of viral encephalitis. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 68,000 […]