Days after the WHO declared the end of the May 8 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a fresh outbreak was reported on August 1 in North Kivu. If Congo displayed its considerable experience and also promptness in its response to the May 8 outbreak, the WHO matched it with double-quick response. The investigational … Continue reading Can Congo again swiftly control Ebola spread, death?
WHO
Polio outbreaks in Congo raise global concern
The polio endgame is proving to be much more challenging with 28 children becoming paralysed by the circulating type 2 vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPVs) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has spread to five more provinces since June 2017. And there are three different polio outbreaks in the country. Efforts to immunise all children have failed, and … Continue reading Polio outbreaks in Congo raise global concern
Trump team weakened global efforts to control marketing of baby formula
By Susie Neilson Changes made to an international breastfeeding resolution under pressure from the Trump administration are more extensive than previously reported and were aimed at diluting efforts to limit the marketing of baby formula. Most provisions related to stopping “inappropriate promotion” by baby formula companies were eliminated from the United Nations’ World Health Assembly … Continue reading Trump team weakened global efforts to control marketing of baby formula
In a first, WHO recommends quadrivalent influenza vaccine
Sanofi has launched in India its quadrivalent influenza vaccine (FluQuadri) containing two A virus strains — H1N1 and H3N2 — and two B virus strians — Victoria and Yamagata — for active immunization of adults over 18 years. In February this year, the WHO for the first time recommended the use of quadrivalent influenza vaccine containing two A … Continue reading In a first, WHO recommends quadrivalent influenza vaccine
India to use scarier yet banal pictorial warnings on tobacco products
Starting September 2018, all tobacco products will have scarier pictorial warnings and new grimmer written messages. And for the first time, toll-free telephone numbers will be displayed on packets to help people who want to quit. The graphic warnings will have less effects as they will highlight the same theme of oral cancer. Contrary to … Continue reading India to use scarier yet banal pictorial warnings on tobacco products
Why BMJ’s advice to ‘stop taking antibiotics when you feel better’ should be ignored
Stopping antibiotics half way through the course, when a patient feels better, may not guarantee cure of the infection. A single analysis piece published on July 26, 2017 in the journal BMJ (British Medical Journal) has done more harm than good to the field of antimicrobial stewardship. Though the article makes a strong case for carrying out … Continue reading Why BMJ’s advice to ‘stop taking antibiotics when you feel better’ should be ignored
Ridiculous excuse for India’s shocking cover-up of Zika virus cases
It may well be said that the surveillance system put in place by the Health Ministry achieved a measure of success in identifying three adults who were infected with the Zika virus between November 2016 and February 2017 in Gujarat. Yet, the Ministry acted extremely irresponsibly by withholding the information from the local administration, doctors and the media. … Continue reading Ridiculous excuse for India’s shocking cover-up of Zika virus cases
Three Zika cases reported in Ahmedabad, India in Januray 2017
The dreaded Zika virus has finally reached the Indian shores. On May 15, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported to the World Health Organisation three laboratory-confirmed cases of Zika virus disease in Bapunagar area, Ahmedabad District, Gujarat. “This report is important as it describes the first cases of Zika virus infections and provides … Continue reading Three Zika cases reported in Ahmedabad, India in Januray 2017
India to treat all HIV positive people irrespective of CD4 count
Two years after the World Health Organisation recommended that antiretroviral therapy (ART) be initiated in people living with HIV irrespective of the CD4 cell (a type of white blood cell) count, India has aligned its policy with the guideline. In a major shift in the HIV treatment guidelines, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda had recently … Continue reading India to treat all HIV positive people irrespective of CD4 count
The big test for malaria vaccine RTS,S
Beginning next year, the World Health Organisation will begin pilot tests of the injectable malaria vaccine RTS,S (or Mosquirix) on 750,000 children aged 5-17 months in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. The vaccine has been successfully put through a Phase III trial, in which the drug is tested for safety and efficacy. Any decision on wider … Continue reading The big test for malaria vaccine RTS,S
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