Health News

Covid-19 is still deadlier for patients than influenza, finds study

Covid has frequently drawn comparisons with influenza, another viral respiratory disease, including by former US president Donald Trump

521 Covid cases in Delhi, highest since Aug, 2022, positivity rate 15.64%

Delhi recorded 521 fresh COVID-19 cases on Monday, the highest single-day rise since August 27 last year, and a fatality, according to data shared by the city health department. The positivity rate stood at 15.64 per cent. The health bulletin also mentioned that the primary cause of the death was not coronavirus and its finding was incidental. The city's COVID-19 death toll now stood at 26,533. With the fresh cases, the city's Covid tally has increased to 20,11,555. The data showed that 3,331 Covid tests were conducted on Monday. Delhi has witnessed an increase in the number of fresh Covid cases over the last few days amid a sharp rise in the figure of H3N2 influenza cases in the country. The Delhi government is keeping an eye on the spurt in Covid cases in the national capital and is "prepared to face any eventuality", Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said on Friday. Addressing reporters after chairing a review meeting on the Covid situation, Kejriwal had said there was no ne

OPD services to remain closed in Rajasthan on Wednesday due ongoing protest

OPD services will remain closed in Rajasthan on Wednesday due to the doctors' ongoing protest against the Right to Health Bill that was passed in the Assembly last week.

WHO's group of experts on immunisation updates Covid vaccination guidance

The guidance newly considers the cost-effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccination for those at lower risk like healthy children and adolescents compared to other health interventions

50% of respiratory problem cases hospitalised in 2 months are of H3N2: Govt

An ICMR survey has shown that 50 per cent of the respiratory infection cases admitted to hospitals in over two month are of H3N2 influenza, the government told the Lok Sabha on Friday. A total of 1,161 cases of H3N2, which is a subtype of seasonal influenza virus, have been reported between January 1 and March 20, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said in a written reply. She said most of these cases showed symptoms of cough and fever. The minister said H3N2 is a viral respiratory infection and antibiotics have no role in its treatment. However, she added, sometimes in a respiratory infection a bacterial infection may also occur and therefore physicians may prescribe an antibiotic to take care of the secondary bacterial infection. According to the data shared by her, Delhi (370) reported the highest number of H3N2 cases followed by Maharashtra (184), Rajasthan (180) and Karnataka (134). Pawar said the Health Ministry is monitoring the situation and taking steps to

Delhi allocates Rs 9,742 cr for health sector, free diagnostics rise

Terming the health sector the "second-most crucial pillar" of the Delhi Model, the Arvind Kejriwal government on Wednesday allocated Rs 9,742 crore to the sector for the financial year 2023-24 and decided to increase the number of free diagnostic tests available in mohalla clinics' to 450. The latest allocation saw a marginal decline as compared to the previous year (Rs 9,769 crore). Presenting the budget in the Delhi Assembly, Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot said that as many as 15 hospitals are being extended and remodelled at present. "Along with education, the health sector is the second-most crucial pillar of the Delhi Model. In the last eight years, keeping the people of Delhi healthy and attending to their minor to major ailments has been at the centre of the AAP government's approach to public health, Gahlot said. Delhi has 515 Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics, four Mahila Mohalla' clinics, 174 Allopathic dispensaries, 60 Primary Urban Health Centres (PUHCs), 30 polyclinics and 39

Services hit as doctors go on strike against Right to Health Bill in Raj

Around 6,000 resident docs went on strike on Wednesday against the Right to Health Bill passed in Rajasthan Assembly recently, crippling healthcare services at hospitals, including the SMS Hospital

Covid could settle down this year, may pose similar threat to flu: WHO

"I think we're coming to that point where we can look at Covid-19 in the same way we look at seasonal influenza," WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told a press conference

US House votes to declassify information about origins of Covid-19

The House voted unanimously Friday to declassify U.S. intelligence information about the origins of COVID-19, a sweeping show of bipartisan support near the third anniversary of the start of the deadly pandemic. The vote was final approval of the bill, sending it to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law. Debate was brief and to the point: Americans have questions about how the deadly virus started and what can be do to prevent future outbreaks. The order to declassify focused on intelligence related to China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, citing potential links between the research that was done there and the outbreak of COVID-19. U.S. intelligence agencies are divided over whether a lab leak or a spillover from animals is the likely source of the virus. Experts say the true origin of the coronavirus pandemic may not be known for many years if ever.

World Hearing Day: Awareness as important as treatments to fix impairment

4 in 1,000 children in India suffer from hearing loss, according to WHO

Irrational and prolonged use of medicines may damage kidneys: Experts

Inadequate knowledge and prolonged and irrational use of medicines can be fatal for the health of kidneys, experts said on Friday. As the number of people with kidney ailments rise steadily, experts said if timely attention is not given to the matter, it might assume an epidemic proportion. Experts from various states participated virtually at the 'Kidney Manthan 2.0' organised by AIMIL Pharmaceuticals. Dr Prabhu S, an internal medicine specialist from Bengaluru, spoke about drug induced renal disorders and their management. At the webinar, he said people usually keep on consuming medicines over an extended period of time without consulting doctors and without realising the threat it poses to them. Dr Sathya N Dornala, senior doctor from Swami Vivekananda Ayurvedic Hospital, New Delhi, dwelled in detail about several medicines that should not be taken over-the-counter (OTC) and added that patients should be careful while taking drugs as these can damage the kidneys. At the same

AIIMS Delhi to join hands with other govt hospitals for cross referrals

The AIIMS in Delhi will soon pair up with other city government hospitals to ensure cross referral of patients, a move aimed at managing the burgeoning patient load at Centre-run premier health facility, officials said on Friday. As a pilot, the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka and NDMC's Charak Palika Hospital will be taken on-board and paired with AIIMS starting next month, they added. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Friday chaired a meeting to evolve a formal system for referral of patients between the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and other government hospitals in Delhi. "The objective behind the move is to optimally utilize the vacant beds in other government hospitals where critical but stable patients from AIIMS, which is reeling under acute shortage of beds, could be referred for treatment. "The initiative would go a long way in managing the burgeoning patient load at the AIIMS, while also significantly enhancing the healthcare system and medical expertis

250 mn records of individuals linked to Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts

Over 25 crore health records of individuals have been linked digitally to Ayushman Bharat Health Account under the National Health Authority's flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. These records can be easily accessed and managed by people using any of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) enabled health applications. The digitally available health records will enable the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) holders in availing paper-less health services across the ABDM network, a statement by the National Health Authority (NHA) said on Tuesday. Individuals can use their Personal Health Records (PHR) apps to access their records across different health facilities like hospitals, clinics, diagnostic labs, among others, and store them in the app. They can also digitally share the relevant records with verified healthcare providers over the ABDM network. This enables completely paper-less exchange of records in a secure manner while doing away with the hassles of ...

China says it has been 'open and transparent' on Covid-19 origins

China on Tuesday said it has been open and transparent in the search for the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and dismissed U.S. criticism as politicising the issue. China had shared the most data and research results on virus tracing and made important contributions to global virus tracing research," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning Mao told reporters at a daily briefing. Politicising the issue of virus tracing will not smear China but will only damage the U.S.'s own credibility, Mao said, in response to complaints from U.S. officials and members of Congress that China has not been entirely cooperative. Her comments came amid continuing questions about how the virus that has killed more than 6.8 million people worldwide first emerged. Most recently, the U.S. Department of Energy assessed with low confidence that the pandemic that was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 began with the leak of a virus from a lab. The report hasn't been made ...

India records 66 new Covid-19 infection, active cases decline to 1,755

India saw a single-day rise of 66 new coronavirus cases -- the lowest since March 26, 2020 -- while the active caseload declined to 1,755, according to Union Health Ministry data on Tuesday. The total tally of COVID-19 cases was recorded at 4.46 crore (4,46,82,785). The death toll stands at 5,30,740, the data updated at 8 am stated. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.05 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was pegged at 0.07 per cent. Active cases now comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has risen to 98.81 per cent, the ministry website showed. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,50,289 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. According to the website, 220.48 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered so far under the nationwide drive.

Nearly 100 students fall sick in Wayanad school; inspection being done

Close to 100 students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Lakkidi area of Wayanad district of Kerala developed vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain over the last few days, prompting the State Health Department to visit the place and intensify preventive measures. With a large number of students from the boarding school hospitalised over the weekend at the Vythiri Taluk hospital, there were reports of a suspected case of food-poisoning. Subsequently, an expert team of the Health Department carried out an inspection, a release issued by the district administration said. The team collected drinking water samples from the institution and sent them for a test at the Kozhikode Regional Public Health Lab. Stool and blood samples of the children were sent to the Alappuzha Institute of Virology, and the Bathery Public Health Lab respectively, the release said. It further said one child had symptoms of being ill on January 24, 11 on January 27, 20 on January 29 and 66 on Monday of the total

WHO issues fresh Covid-19 guidelines; here's all you need to know

WHO has updated its guidelines on wearing masks in community settings, Covid-19 treatments, and clinical management

BF.7 found in several Covid-positive samples of int'l passengers: Mandaviya

Union Health on Wednesday said the Omicron sub-variant, BF.7, has been found in several of the 200 Covid-positive samples of international air passengers that have so far been genome-sequenced

Bird flu in Kerala: Preventive measures to be taken, says Health Minister

In the wake of bird flu cases being reported in the State, Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Sunday said there was no cause for concern, but precautions need to be taken for preventing transmission of the infection to humans. The Minister, according to a government release, said that all districts have been alerted and everyone should follow directions issued by the Health department. The release said that the Health department was monitoring for fever and other symptoms among people in the affected areas. Symptoms of the infection in humans include severe upper back pain, fever, cough, shortness of breath, cold and blood in the sputum, it said. Those at risk of the infection should get in touch with the nearest health center or a doctor on noticing any of these symptoms or if they have respiratory problems, the release said. It also said that bird flu or avian influenza is an infectious viral disease found in birds which is not usually transmitted to humans. But it can infec

Air pollutants linked with asthma attacks in children, adolescents: Study

Moderate levels of two outdoor air pollutants, ozone and fine particulate matter, are associated with non-viral asthma attacks in children and adolescents who live in low-income urban areas, a study conducted in the US has found. The study also identifies associations between exposure to the two pollutants and molecular changes in the children's airways during non-viral asthma attacks, suggesting potential mechanisms for those attacks. The observational study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), US, is one of the first to link elevated levels of specific outdoor air pollutants in particular urban locations to distinct changes in the airways during asthma attacks not triggered by respiratory viruses, according to the investigators. The findings are published in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health. "The strong association this study demonstrates between specific air pollutants among children in impoverished urban communities and non-viral asthma attacks further ...