Health

New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) Planned parenthood is essential for achieving healthy outcomes in maternal and child health, said Union Health Minister JP Nadda on World Population Day on Friday.World Population Day is observed every year on July 11. This year’s theme is "Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancy for the Health and Well-being of Mother and Child."World Population Day serves as a platform to raise awareness about family planning and renew our commitment to addressing population-related challenges," Nadda said in a post on social media platform X."This year’s theme highlights the importance of planned parenthood for healthy outcomes for maternal and child health," he added.Nadda also stressed this year’s slogan: “माँ बनने की उम्र वही, जब तन और मन की तैयारी सही”, loosely translated a...

New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) In a first, the World Health Organization (WHO) has published guidelines for the clinical management of patients with suspected or confirmed arboviral diseases, such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever.Arboviruses have become a growing public health threat, putting over 5.6 billion people at risk. Once limited to tropical and subtropical climates, the Aedes mosquitoes that transmit these diseases are spreading to new regions due to climate change, population growth, increased travel, and urbanisation, increasing the risk of outbreaks.While early detection and treatment are key for better outcomes, diagnosing these diseases "can be challenging as their symptoms often overlap and resemble other febrile illnesses," said the WHO."In addition, in some region...

New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) While there are rights for people with disabilities, parents or caregivers are often faced with stress that can significantly affect their physical, mental, and financial conditions, finds a study by researchers from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela, on Thursday.The study suggests providing parents or caregivers raising a child with developmental disabilities like autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with proper support systems for their well-being.Published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development, the team investigated how the continuous demands of caregiving impact parent’s physical health, ultimately affecting their overall quality of life.The research showed that raising children with developmental d...

New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) Diabetes may not only lead to joint pain that can severely damage your knee but also increase the risk of infections and blood clots after knee replacement surgery, according to a new study led by Indian researchers.More than half of people with diabetes have coexisting arthropathy -- disease or condition affecting a joint -- and may need a hip or knee arthroplasty (joint replacement surgery) in the future.The study led by researchers from the Vardhman Medical College & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, showed that diabetes is a significant risk factor for joint infection following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) -- a popular and effective surgery for patients with advanced knee arthritis.Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or blood clots is another crucial postoperative c...

New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) Air pollution may not only affect your heart and lungs but can also raise the possibility of developing meningioma -- a typically noncancerous brain tumour -- according to a study.This common type of brain tumour forms in the lining of the brain and spinal cord. The findings, published in the journal Neurology, do not prove that air pollution causes meningioma -- they only show a link between the two.The study analysed several air pollutants, including those commonly linked to traffic -- such as nitrogen dioxide and ultrafine particles -- which are especially concentrated in urban environments.The researchers found that people with higher exposure to air pollutants had a greater risk of developing meningioma."Various types of air pollution have been shown to have ...

New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) Exposure to lead during pregnancy and early childhood may speed up the rate at which children forget information, potentially impairing learning and cognitive development, according to a new study.The study employed a well-established cognitive test known as the delayed matching-to-sample task to assess memory performance in children aged 6 to 8, Xinhua news agency reported.Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, US, applied a novel statistical model -- the nonlinear modified power function -- which had previously been used in animal and human studies but is now being adapted for environmental health research.The study found that higher blood lead levels between the ages of 4 and 6 were significantly associated with faster rates of forgetting...

New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) A team of US researchers has developed a novel implantable device that can save people with Type 1 diabetes from developing hypoglycaemia, or low blood sugar, which can be life-threatening.When glucose levels become extremely low, it creates a life-threatening situation for which the standard treatment of care is injecting a hormone called glucagon.The new implant, developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, carries a reservoir of glucagon that can be stored under the skin and deployed during an emergency -- with no need for injections.The device, which is about the size of a quarter, contains a small drug reservoir made of a 3D-printed polymer. It can be triggered either by the person using it or automatically by a sensor.The approach could also help i...

Malappuram, July 9 (IANS) A woman undergoing treatment at a state-run hospital near here, identified as a high-risk contact of a Nipah-positive patient who died last month, passed away on Wednesday.The deceased was admitted to the same hospital ward as the earlier Nipah victim.Following her death, the health department has directed her family to delay the funeral until the final test results from the National Institute of Virology, Pune, are received.This comes even as another Nipah-positive patient, currently undergoing treatment at Kozhikode Medical College and Hospital, remains in critical condition.First identified in Malaysia in 1999, the Nipah virus has triggered several deadly outbreaks across South and Southeast Asia. Kerala remains the most affected state in India, having reported...

New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) Verbal autopsy is a scientific tool that can significantly aid India in the fight against tuberculosis, as it helps identify the deep reasons for mortality caused by the world’s deadliest infection, said Dr Kavita Vasudevan from Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (IGMC&RI) in Puducherry.Speaking to IANS, Vasudevan, from the Community Medicine Department at the Medical College explained how a verbal autopsy model can help identify TB treatment delay patterns, and reasons for TB deaths and improve the referral process.“A comprehensive approach is essential to effectively tackle TB, which includes the provision of quality TB care through access to quality diagnostics, effective drugs for therapy, prevention strategies, and identifying the underly...

New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) Even in moderation, consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked with measurable increases in risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancers, according to research.The study showed that low but regular intake of processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), and trans fatty acids (TFAs) can increase the risk of diseases like Type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease (IHD), and colorectal cancer.While the risks have long been known, systematic characterisation of the dose-response relationships between these foods and health outcomes is limited, said the researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.In the paper published in the journal Nature Medicine, the team showed that consumption of processed meat b...