Iodine deficiency diseases on the rise againIDDS, or Iodine Deficiency Disorders, have never been on the government list of priority health issues. Till now, that is. A recent cross-country study by the Directorate General of Health Services, Indian Council of Medical Research and state health directorates have thrown up alarming figures.
A report has deemed 335medicinal plants threatened
The cause: their use in ayurvedic medicines, for which there is a growing global demand
Guggal, from which gum-resin is used in ayurvedic medicines, is virtually extinct in India
One corrective initiative from the government is the setting up of 29 medicinal plant conservation areas (MPCAs)
A Rs 630-crore Nati
Last week, the central government celebrated five successful years of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and its outreach programmes. But an international report from the voluntary group Save the Children, to be released on May 3, comes as a dampener. The figures show India topping the global list for child mortality under five years.
Delhi may well be bringing its citizens world-class infrastructure, thanks to the Commonwealth Games (CWG). But the human cost of development and the long-term impact on the poorer sections are either being underplayed or overlooked. As work races to meet the October deadline, stories abound of violation of labour laws, use of child labour, shabby living conditions, even deaths.
A cutting-edge therapy for cancer that uses an artificial virus to zero in on cancerous cells and cause them to disintegrate will be tested in India for the first time. Human trials for oncolytic virus therapy (OVT) are scheduled to begin in May.
DOTS, or directly observed treatment, in which the patient is made to take medication right in front of a doctor or health worker, is recommended by the WHO as the most effective strategy against TB. India boasts of the largest coverage under this free programme, adding one lakh patients to it every month.
A new technique of blood testing that substantially reduces the time taken to detect the hepatitis-B, hepatitis-C and HIV viruses is gaining favour in the country
Despite efforts by the government to arrest the alarming maternal mortality rate (MMR) in India, progress has been very slow in the past few years. Outlook has now learnt the government is considering taking a leaf out of Bangladesh
