Health

New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) Airborne pathogens, bacteria capable of causing infections in the lungs, gut, mouth, and skin, are twice as abundant in densely populated parts compared to less crowded regions, according to a study led by the Bose Institute, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), on Tuesday.The team studied the health risks posed by airborne pathogens in an urban metropolitan city like Delhi.Their findings, published in an international journal named ‘Atmospheric Environment: X’, showed that airborne pathogenic bacteria, mainly responsible for respiratory, gastrointestinal tract (GIT), oral, and skin infections, are two times higher over densely populated urban regions due to higher concentrations of tiny particles PM2.5."PM2.5 -- the microscopic...

New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) The Department of Pharmaceuticals is set to host the second edition of the India MedTech Expo 2025 to showcase the country’s strength and innovation in medical technologies, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said on Tuesday.The three-day expo will be held at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, here, from September 4-6, as part of the larger Bharat Health 2025 initiative.“India MedTech Expo has emerged as a premier platform to highlight India’s capabilities and growth in the medical technology and devices sector. The 2025 edition will once again bring together policymakers, global business leaders, innovators, investors, and healthcare stakeholders, reinforcing India’s position as a hub for precision-driven, yet affordable, MedTech solutions,” the Ministry said....

New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) More than 1 crore people globally live with a mental health disorder, and women account for over 53 per cent, according to new data released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday.The WHO reports World Mental Health Today and Mental Health Atlas 2024 stated that conditions such as anxiety and depression inflict immense human and economic tolls and called for greater investment and action to scale up services to protect and promote people’s mental health.“Transforming mental health services is one of the most pressing public health challenges,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General."Investing in mental health means investing in people, communities, and economies -- an investment no country can afford to neglect. Every government and ever...

New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) Zydus Lifesciences on Tuesday launched India’s first trivalent influenza vaccine, aligning with the global recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO).Seasonal influenza viruses evolve rapidly, necessitating annual updates to vaccine compositions. The WHO, thus, recommended trivalent vaccines for use in the 2025-2026 Northern Hemisphere (NH) influenza season.The new Vaxiflu-Trivalent Influenza Vaccine (TIV) is recommended for individuals aged 6 months and above. It will effectively protect strains such as an A/Victoria/4897/2022 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus; an A/Croatia/10136RV/2023 (H3N2)-like virus; and a B/Austria/1359417/2021 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus, stated the company.Globally, the influenza vaccine is available as quadrivalent and trivalent form...

New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS) Niva Bupa Health Insurance on Tuesday clarified that the viral social media post regarding the cashless denial of a Mumbai-based policyholder is ‘baseless’.The viral post on professional networking site LinkedIn detailed the case of Chandra Kumar Jain, battling Myeloid Leukaemia and urgently needing a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai.The LinkedIn post, from health insurance and investments advisor Avigyan Mitra, stated that the patient with a Rs 2.40 crore policy was allegedly denied a Rs 61 lakh cashless claim for the life-saving procedure.Stating the allegation being made against Niva Bupa "baseless”, the company, in a statement, called out against the “fear-mongering narratives around the case”.The company said that Ja...

New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) As thousands of health policyholders in India are suffering due to loss of access to cashless hospitalisation, the Association of Healthcare Providers - India (AHPI) on Monday asked health insurance firms to revoke suspension and create an affordable as well as sustainable model.Speaking to IANS, AHPI Director General Dr. Girdhar Gyani said that AHPI has asked insurance companies to restore the cashless service wherever they have removed hospitals from their panel.He noted that the association will facilitate conversations between hospitals and insurance firms to address the root cause and provide respite to patients."We have sent notice to seven of the insurance companies asking them to revoke suspension on hospitals that were removed from the panel. After bringing...

New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) With 23 of the world’s top 50 life sciences companies establishing centres in the country, India has emerged as the global hub of Global Capability Centers (GCCs) for life sciences, according to a report on Monday.The report by advisory firm EY India showed that a majority of the companies established their presence in the country in the last five years. This is indicative of India’s growing role in driving pharmaceutical research, innovation, and end-to-end value creation.Notably, the life sciences GCCs have rapidly evolved from traditional back-office roles into strategic innovation engines.Far from being limited to support functions, these centers now play a critical role in global mandates such as drug discovery, digital therapeutics, and real-world evidence (RW...

New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati have developed a novel sensor from milk protein and thymine that can detect mercury and antibiotic contamination in water, which can lead to cancer.With rapid urbanisation, industrial activities, and overuse of pharmaceuticals, water contamination is becoming a pressing issue, putting ecosystems and human health at risk worldwide.The team built the nanosensor from extremely small materials that are a few billionths of a metre in size.The sensor uses carbon dots that glow under ultraviolet light. In the presence of harmful substances such as mercury or tetracyclines, the glow of these carbon dots dims, providing a quick and visible signal of contamination, even at low concentrations.“Detection of pollutants s...

Kozhikode (Kerala), Sep 1 (IANS) The fatal amoebic meningoencephalitis or ‘brain eating amoeba’ has claimed two more lives including a three-month-old infant in the past 24 hours in Kerala, officials confirmed on Monday.Both the patients succumbed to the disease at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. With these deaths, the toll from the amoebic brain fever in the state has risen to three within August, the officials said.In the first case, an infant who had been undergoing treatment for fever at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, for the past one month, died of amoebic meningoencephalitis late on Sunday night.Health officials suspect that the water from the well of the infant’s house may have caused the infection, reported a local media.In the second incident, Ramla (53), wife of Moha...

New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) A new medication has been shown to significantly lower blood pressure in people whose levels stay dangerously high, despite taking several existing medicines, according to the results of a Phase III clinical trial.Globally, around 1.3 billion people have high blood pressure (hypertension), and in around half of cases, the condition is uncontrolled or treatment-resistant. These individuals face a much greater risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, and early death.The international trial showed that after 12 weeks, patients taking the new drug baxdrostat (1 mg or 2 mg once daily in pill form) experienced a blood pressure reduction of around 9-10 mmHg more than those taking the placebo -- a reduction large enough to cut cardiovascular risk potentially.About 4 in...