Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India, home to six primitive tribes, constituting about 10 per cent of the total population of these Islands have been detected with high endemicity of hepatitis B infection. During 2000, a total of 936 individuals ≤ 45 yr, negative for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody anti-HBs were vaccinated with three doses of a recombinant DNA hepatitis B vaccine in two villages of Car Nicobar Islands.

Earlier studies have documented high prevalence of undernutrition, morbidity and mortality among Chenchus, a tribal population in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, India. The present study was carried out to assess diet and nutritional status of Chenchus and cause of death.

the level of infant and child mortality is high among Scheduled Tribes particularly those living in rural areas. This study examines levels, trends and socio-demographic factors associated with infant and child mortality among scheduled tribes in rural areas.

The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) provides free diagnostic and treatment services to all tuberculosis (TB) patients registered under it. Equitable access, implying a preference for the most hard-to-reach groups particularly for tribal areas, is a major concern for RNTCP. This study was conducted to assess the performance of RNTCP in terms of case detection and cure rates in areas dominated by tribal groups in India.

In spite of significant progress made in tuberculosis (TB) control, nine million people developed TB disease in 2013, and 1.5 million died of TB. While implementation of the Stop TB (DOTS) Strategy has cured millions of patients with TB, and undoubtedly saved lives, the impact of this strategy on reducing TB incidence has been disappointing. The TB epidemic is declining at the rate of 1.5 per cent per year, much slower than what mathematical models had predicted. At the current rate of decline, TB elimination by 2050 is considered impossible. (Editorial)

India's success in eliminating wild polioviruses (WPVs) has been acclaimed globally. Since the last case on January 13, 2011 success has been sustained for two years. By early 2014 India could be certified free of WPV transmission, if no indigenous transmission occurs, the chances of which is considered zero. Until early 1990s India was hyperendemic for polio, with an average of 500 to 1000 children getting paralysed daily.

Income inequality is associated with poor health. Inequities exist in service utilization and financing for health care. Health care costs push high number of households into poverty in India. We undertook this study to ascertain inequities in health status, service utilization and out-ofpocket (OOP) health expenditures in two States in north India namely, Haryana and Punjab, and Union Territory of Chandigarh.

Original Source

Dengue virus belongs to family Flaviviridae, having four serotypes that spread by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes. It causes a wide spectrum of illness from mild asymptomatic illness to severe fatal dengue haemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS). Approximately 2.5 billion people live in dengue-risk regions with about 100 million new cases each year worldwide. The cumulative dengue diseases burden has attained an unprecedented proportion in recent times with sharp increase in the size of human population at risk.

Equity in health is an important and long-standing goal for society. The poor, by virtue of lower incomes, unsanitary living conditions, poor access to health care not only tend to have higher levels of morbidity and mortality but despite needing it more, have lower levels of health care use compared to those who are better off. They also spend higher proportions of incomes on the little health care that they access. Uncertainty related to health and catastrophic nature of health expenditures often render even non-poor households into cycles of poverty.

The World Heart Federation (WHF) has introduced the notion of ‘one world, one home, one heart’ to spur the promotion of cardiovascular health and prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) worldwide on the occasion of the World Heart Day 2012 (September 29). Estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) suggest that about 17.3 million people die from CVD every year, with CVD representing 30 per cent of all global deaths. (Editorial)

Pages