The unregulated fertility industry in India is allowed to get away with murder. (Editorial)

Promotion of physical activity is a priority for health agencies. We searched for reviews of physical activity interventions, published between 2000 and 2011, and identified effective, promising, or emerging interventions from around the world. The informational approaches of community-wide and mass media campaigns, and short physical activity messages targeting key community sites are recommended.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) undertook screening of asymptomatic persons from high risk group with the ELISA test for HIV infection in 1986 and found that HIV infection has reached India. ICMR in collaboration with the central and State health services initiated the national sero-surveillance programme for HIV infection in 43 surveillance and five reference centres to determine the major modes of transmission and magnitude of infection.

A cross-sectional study based on women benefi ciaries under the Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefi t Scheme in fi ve districts of Tamil Nadu shows that scheduled caste and landless women in the sample were disadvantaged in receiving benefi ts. Overall, only one-fourth of the women who delivered fi rst or second order births in the sample received monetary assistance under the scheme.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation is expected to protect the citizen from the marketing of harmful pharmaceuticals. The fi ndings of the 59th report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare are an expose of the shockingly lax standards followed by this so-called standards organisation, the casual approach taken in certifying drugs for sale, and the unethical and illegal steps taken by some pharmaceutical companies and medical practitioners in pushing for the introduction of certain drugs in the market. Can and will the government act?

We are writing this letter in the context of the apology recently deman­ded by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) from actor Aamir Khan, regarding the episode on 27 May 2012 of his show Satyamev Jayate (SJ) dealing with certain practices of the medical profession. We very much appreciate that the IMA wants to uphold the dignity of the medical profession. However, we feel that minimising the importance of the issues raised by this show and demanding an apology from Aamir Khan is definitely not the most appropriate way of upholding the dignity of doctors.

Climate change is a public health problem. Evidence from many sectors shows substantial health impacts of climate change, particularly for the most vulnerable: the poorest, the youngest, and the oldest.

For reducing morbidity, mortality and disabilities from the six serious but preventable diseases—that is, tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, poliomyelitis and measles—the government of India initiated Expanded Programme on Immunisation by making free vaccination services easily available to all eligible children. Despite considerable gains in immunisation coverage, a large chunk of children die from vaccine preventable diseases.

Epigenetics and lifestyle are conspiring to inflict a massive epidemic of type 2 diabetes in the subcontinent.