Japanese man who returned from Wuhan with the novel virus infection did not visit the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market or any other live animal markets in Wuhan. This raises the possibility that the virus have already acquired the ability to spread among humans. A week after the World Health Organization (WHO) said that preliminary investigation … Continue reading There is limited human-to-human transmission of novel coronavirus, says WHO
Pneumonia
WHO prequalifies Serum’s low-cost pneumococcal vaccine
WHO has prequalified Pune-based Serum Institute’s pneumococcal conjugate vaccine made of 10 serotypes that are widely prevalent and cause pneumonia in Latin America, Africa and Asia. The vaccine will cost only $2 per dose, which is 30% cheaper than the Gavi price. The phase-3 trial data has been submitted to DCGI for licensing. Pneumococcal vaccine … Continue reading WHO prequalifies Serum’s low-cost pneumococcal vaccine
Women in Kerala live 10 years longer than women in Uttar Pradesh
The first comprehensive analysis of the health of India’s 1.34 billion citizens has been published on November 14 in The Lancet. The study estimates the key drivers of ill health, disability, and premature death in all 29 States. It has analysed 333 diseases and injuries and 84 risk factor trends for each State between 1990 … Continue reading Women in Kerala live 10 years longer than women in Uttar Pradesh
Flat lying posture doesn’t do much for stroke treatment
There is no significant difference in the disability outcomes for patients who have suffered acute stroke, whether they received treatment lying flat on the back with the face upwards or in a sitting-up position with the head elevated to at least 30 degrees. This is the conclusion of a major trial that involved over 11,000 … Continue reading Flat lying posture doesn’t do much for stroke treatment
Preterm babies don’t gain growth by early initiation of complementary food
Babies born preterm (before 37 completed weeks of gestation) have a higher energy requirement than babies born full term and therefore fail to gain weight adequately. Parents of preterm babies and doctors alike are not sure whether breast milk or formula milk alone will meet the energy requirements after the first four months and whether … Continue reading Preterm babies don’t gain growth by early initiation of complementary food
Editorial: Under-5 mortality – The cost of negligence
The failure of successive governments in India, especially those in States that have the highest mortality rates among children younger than five years, to address the critical issue of training health-care providers in rural areas to correctly diagnose and treat children suffering from diarrhoea and pneumonia, has had tragic consequences. These ailments account for the … Continue reading Editorial: Under-5 mortality – The cost of negligence
Why rural children in India die of diarrhoea and pneumonia
The reason why a large number of children under the age of five years die of diarrhoea and pneumonia, generally in rural India and especially in Bihar, has become abundantly clear. The results of a study were published a couple of days ago in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. Diarrhoea and pneumonia are the biggest killer diseases … Continue reading Why rural children in India die of diarrhoea and pneumonia
Preterm births and pneumonia kill most children under five years in India
Of the 6.3 million deaths in children under the age of five years, nearly 44 per cent of deaths during 2000-2013 occurred during the neonatal period (0-27 days after birth). Preterm birth complications, pneumonia and intrapartum-related complications have been found to be the three main causes of death in children globally. The results are … Continue reading Preterm births and pneumonia kill most children under five years in India
Editorial: Clean hands, stay healthy
Published in The Hindu on May 21, 2012 India is once again in the news for all the wrong reasons. Along with four other countries India in 2010 accounted for half the estimated number of global deaths from eight main causes in children younger than five years. A recent study in The Lancet has revealed … Continue reading Editorial: Clean hands, stay healthy
‘There is an absence of political will to give primacy to health’
India has to not only increase resources for healthcare but also radically transform the architecture of the country's healthcare delivery system, if the nation is to achieve the government’s vision of assuring health for all, says a paper published in The Lancet on Friday. There are several deficiencies and structural problems with the health-care system … Continue reading ‘There is an absence of political will to give primacy to health’
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