Health

Islamabad, Oct 20 (IANS) Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has reported around 100 new dengue cases in the past 24 hours, the highest number reported in a single day in 2026, local media reported on Tuesday.The total number of dengue cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2026 rose to 4,091 after 99 new cases were reported, according to a report by the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response System (IDSRS), leading Pakistani daily Dawn reported. According to the report by IDSRS, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 144 dengue cases while 3,946 people have recovered from the disease.October has proved challenging for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the province has been reporting a rise in dengue cases, especially in Kohat, which is in the grip of a dengue outbreak. Kohat has reported 80 cases since October 1,...

New Delhi, Oct 20 (IANS) The Delhi government on Tuesday announced a comprehensive Winter Action Plan to combat rising pollution during the winter season, with precautionary measures scheduled to be implemented from November 1 to February 28 under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.The plan includes a ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ policy, restrictions on the entry of vehicles from outside Delhi that do not meet BS-VI emission standards, strict measures against construction dust, AI-based monitoring of construction sites, and a 50 per cent work-from-home approach.The government will also promote public transport, including electric buses, the Metro, and last-mile connectivity, along with carpooling.Chief Minister Gupta appealed to residents to contribute to the fight against pollution throu...

Jammu, Oct 18 (IANS) J&K Crime Branch has filed the charge sheet against 15 accused in the Kishtwar minor girl’s rape and murder case, officials said.The charge sheet, filed in the court of the Principal District and Sessions Judge in Kishtwar, alleges a criminal conspiracy to cover up the sexual assault, intimidate the girl’s family, and terminate her advanced pregnancy through unauthorised and unsafe methods.Those named included the main accused Khalid Hussain, several health workers who allegedly assisted in the attempted abortion, and others accused of pressuring the victim’s family to reach a compromise to protect Hussain. Among the accused, two doctors and another person have been charged under Section 21 read with Section 19 of the POCSO Act for failing to report the matter to t...

Islamabad, Oct 18 (IANS) Tharparkar district of Pakistan's Sindh province has reported a rise in suicide deaths, with media reports indicating that 122 people died due to suicide in the district from January to September.Despite having a population of 1,778,407 people and being spread across seven talukas, Tharparkar has limited access to specialised mental health services. People living in remote villages of the district face difficulty in getting medical and psychological support due to the shortage of staff, the lack of adequate healthcare facilities and poor road infrastructure.Reports have indicated that two trained professionals have been appointed in Tharparkar by Pakistan's Health Department to address mental health concerns of the people in the district, according to a report in...

New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS) The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Sunday issued an advisory directing food business operators (FBOs) to ensure proper handling, storage and transportation of perishable food items such as khoa, paneer, meat and fish under controlled temperature conditions throughout the supply chain to safeguard food safety and public health.In the advisory, FSSAI said it has come to its notice that such perishable food items are at times not handled, stored or transported under appropriate temperature conditions. Given their highly perishable nature, these products are vulnerable to microbial growth and spoilage if prescribed temperature requirements are not maintained."FSSAI issues an advisory on handling, storage, and transportation of perishable foods ...

New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS) The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has published a draft amendment that would prohibit the addition of sucrose and fructose in food products intended for infants up to six months of age, an official statement said on Saturday.The statement from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said the draft Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Amendment Regulations, 2026, aims to strengthen nutritional safeguards for infants.The amendment published in the Gazette of India on October 16, 2026, would strengthen the existing regulatory framework by ensuring infant nutrition products are formulated to meet age‑appropriate requirements and minimise early exposure to added sugars.The draft notification has been published for public consultation, ...

Dhaka, Oct 16 (IANS) As Bangladesh grapples with an unprecedented measles outbreak, five more children died from symptoms of the disease on Friday, pushing the death toll in 2026 to 1,186 this year, local media reported.According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the deaths were reported in the 24 hours leading up to Friday morning.The latest five fatalities from the disease were identified as suspected, Bangladeshi media outlet UNB reported.Reports suggest that while the number of confirmed deaths remained at 104, the total number of suspected deaths climbed to 1,082.The DGHS recorded a total of 1,1164 new suspected measles cases during the 24-hour period, bringing the overall tally of suspected cases to 211,040.Additionally, 46 new confirmed cases were reported, inc...

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) Ayush‑related innovation and intellectual property activity in India has surged over eightfold over the past decade with 4,077 patent applications filed and 711 patents granted between FY15 and FY26, an official statement said on Friday.Annual filings rose from 63 applications in FY15 to 590 in FY26, marking a growth of about 836.5 per cent, according to data from the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trademarks, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.Filings peaked at 606 in FY 2022–23 before dipping to 299 in FY 2023–24 before recovering to 590 by FY26, the statement from the Ministry of Ayush said. Annual patent grants also increased substantially, from three in FY16 to 204 in FY24.Natural persons accounted for 2,113 applications, or 5...

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) Food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Friday said that it has issued notices to the operator of Radisson Blu Hotel here and e-commerce majors Flipkart and BigBasket over misleading claims for an edible oil, among other enforcement actions.In a notice to AB Hotels Ltd -- which operates Radisson Blu Hotel, New Delhi -- the FSSAI said poor maintenance of premises and equipment was observed, including rusted machinery, freezer leakage, and deficiencies in refrigeration, temperature monitoring, ventilation, flooring and lighting.It flagged inadequate cleaning and sanitisation, stagnant water, drainage and food-waste issues, and deficiencies in pest control, including cockroach and fly activity.Food procurement and receiving checks were f...

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) India will need an additional 2.6 billion sq. ft. of healthcare real estate by 2035, as the country needs nearly 2.9 million incremental hospital beds to align with global healthcare infrastructure benchmarks, a report said on Friday.The report from CBRE South Asia said the country currently has nearly 1.6 hospital beds per 1,000 people, well below the global average of 3.3 per 1,000, and that India’s total healthcare real estate footprint would need to expand substantially from an estimated 2.1 billion sq. ft. in 2025 to close the gap."The requirement presents a significant opportunity for developers, investors and healthcare operators to create purpose-built and scalable healthcare assets across markets," the report said.Healthcare investment is increasingly shif...