Cases of COVID-19 are increasing in some parts of India after months of a steady nationwide decline, prompting authorities to impose lockdowns and other virus restrictions. Infections have been plummeting in India since September, and life has already returned to normal in large parts of the country. In many cities, markets are bustling, roads are
India’s health ministry announced Tuesday that some COVID-19 vaccines are likely to receive licenses in the next few weeks and outlined an initial plan to immunize 300 million people. Health officials said three vaccine companies have applied for early approval for emergency use in India: Serum Institute of India, which has been licensed to manufacture
A new review published in Frontiers in Public Health suggests that COVID-19, the illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, will likely become seasonal in countries with temperate climates, but only when herd immunity is attained. Until that time, COVID-19 will continue to circulate across the seasons. These conclusions highlight the absolute importance of public health
A century-old tuberculosis vaccine may play a role in reducing death due to Covid-19 infection, a preliminary study has suggested. Researchers from the US-based the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health made the link to Bacille Calmette-Guerin, or BCG, after comparing data on Covid-19 mortality rates across the
People need not panic over new research findings that coronavirus is airborne as studies cited by a group of over 200 scientists only convey it can be ‘atleast temporarily’ in air and does not mean the pathogen is flying all over and will infect everyone, an expert has said. This meant, people should wear mask
The World Health Organization on Sunday reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases by its count, at more than 183,000 new cases in the latest 24 hours. The UN health agency said Brazil led the way with 54,771 cases tallied and the U.S. next at 36,617. Over 15,400 came in, in India. Experts said
Monsoon rainfall has become more unpredictable in India. Floods and droughts have become more common and pose multiple risks to human health and wellbeing, with children under five being particularly vulnerable. New research finds that more assistance needs to be provided to communities in flood-prone areas to protect children under five from undernutrition. Little is
Long-term exposure to air pollution has been previously associated with a higher risk of hypertension in high-income countries, where air pollution levels are generally lower than in low- and middle-income countries. A team led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by “la Caixa,” set out to study this association in
The average 10-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease varies widely among India’s states, ranging from 13.2% to 19.5%, with substantial variation across socio-demographic groups according to a study published this week in PLOS Medicine by Pascal Geldsetzer and Rifat Atun of Harvard University, and colleagues. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in
At least three people in India have died from a rare virus known as Nipah virus, according to news reports. The deaths occurred in Kerala, a state in southern India, according to the BBC. While three deaths have been confirmed so far, an additional six deaths are suspected, and 25 other people have been hospitalized
Almost a quarter-of-a-million girls younger than five die in India every year due to neglect resulting from society’s preference for sons, a gender discrimination study found on Tuesday. This was over and above those aborted simply for being female, researchers wrote in The Lancet medical journal. “Gender-based discrimination towards girls doesn’t simply prevent them from
