Page 3 - World Health Organization

New XBB Covid variant is immune evasive, says WHO's Soumya Swaminathan

With India reporting a highly infectious new COVID-19 variant, WHO scientist Soumya Swaminathan said that there were over 300 sub-variants and XBB being a recombinant virus is a matter of concern

Covid-19 still public health emergency of international level: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that Covid-19 is still a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the WHO's highest alert level.

What is DENV-2? All you need to know about new dangerous dengue strain

The DENV-2 variant has caused a rapid surge in dengue fever and death cases in Panchkula, Haryana

Drug regulator halts production at Maiden Pharma's Sonipat unit

Centre forms panel to analyse causal relation between deaths and cough syrups

WHO calls member states for making mental health priority for all

World Health Organisation has called on the member states in the South-East Asia Region to intensify action to achieve access for all to quality mental health care

WHO alert on cough syrups alarming, missing links need to be probed: Expert

The WHO's recent alert linking cough syrups manufactured by an Indian pharmaceutical firm to the deaths of children in Gambia is "alarming" and there are some missing links that need to be "investigated", an expert said on Saturday. The World Health Organisation on Wednesday issued an alert, saying four "contaminated" and "substandard" cough syrups produced by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited could be the reason for the deaths in the West African nation. The four products are Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup. "The information from WHO that cough syrups manufactured by an Indian pharma company caused the death of 66 children due to the presence of ethylene glycol is alarming. "There are, however, some missing links that need to be carefully ascertained and investigated," said Professor Y K Gupta, senior pharmacologist and vice chairman of the Standing National Committee on Medicines (SNCM). Dr Gupta said the firs

Gambia urgently recalls cough syrups blamed for deaths of 66 children

Gambia has launched an urgent door-to-door campaign to remove cough and cold syrups blamed for the deaths of more than 60 children from kidney injury in the tiny West African country. Speaking to The Associated Press, the Director of Health Dr. Mustapha Bittaye confirmed the wave of child deaths from acute kidney injury, sending shockwaves across the country of 2.4 million people and around the world. The World Health Organisation has issued an alarm in response to the deaths. WHO has issued a medical product alert for four contaminated medicines identified in The Gambia that have been potentially linked to acute kidney injuries and 66 deaths among children, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement issued on Wednesday. The loss of young lives is beyond heartbreaking for their families, he said. The four medicines are cough and cold syrups produced in India, said the WHO statement. While the contaminated products have so far only been detected in Gambia,

Haryana sends syrup samples to Kolkata lab after WHO flags Sonipat firm

Samples of four cough syrups manufactured by a Sonipat-based firm have been sent to the Central Drugs Laboratory in Kolkata for examination, Haryana's Health Minister Anil Vij said Thursday, a day after the WHO potentially linked them to the deaths of 66 children in The Gambia. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday warned that four "contaminated" and "substandard" cough syrups allegedly produced by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited based in Haryana's Sonepat could be the reason for the deaths of children in the West African nation. A probe has already been initiated by India's drug regulator, the Drugs Controller General of India. "The samples have been collected by a team of the DCGA and Haryana's Food and Drugs Administration Department and sent to the CDL, Kolkata for examination," Vij told PTI over phone on Thursday. He said a senior official of Centre's Department of Pharmaceuticals spoke with Haryana's Additional Chief Secretary (Health). Vij said the cough syrups ..

CDSCO takes up investigation on WHO's complaint for India-made cough syrups

After the World Health Organization issued an alert on four India-made cough and cold syrups used for paediatric groups, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation has taken up an urgent probe

WHO issues alert for 4 India-made cough syrups; check symptoms here

WHO has asked not to use these four products until analysed by the relevant national regulatory authorities

Haryana drug firm under WHO scanner for supplying contaminated drugs

Maiden Pharma has manufactured and exported the products only to Gambia so far

WHO researcher Rajiv Bahl is new ICMR head and secy, health research

Bahl joined WHO in 2003 where he coordinates research and guidelines development in areas of maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health; was earlier with AIIMS

Awareness about snakebite prevention, treatment need to be raised: ICMR

Snakebite envenoming (SBE) was added to the list of Neglected Tropical Diseases in 2017 by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which also estimates that there are 4.5-5.4 million snakebites worldwide

WHO concerned over soaring water-borne diseases due to floods in Pakistan

The World Health Organisation has expressed fears about an impending second disaster of water-borne diseases in Pakistan in the wake of devastating floods that has wreaked havoc in several parts of the country. In a statement issued by the WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the global health watchdog said that water supply was disrupted in flood-hit areas of Pakistan, forcing people to drink unsafe water which could cause cholera and other diseases. The WHO has cautioned people across flood-hit areas of Pakistan, precisely the worst affected Sindh province to be extra careful. Tedros on Saturday highlighted that stagnant water serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes and spreads vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue and urged donors to continue to respond generously to save lives and prevent more suffering. Separately, the WHO Director general tweeted that he was deeply concerned about the potential for a 2nd disaster in Pakistan, spreading disease and threatening .

WHO saying end of pandemic within reach falls flat in Covid zero China

Chinese are reacting with pessimism and humor to the World Health Organization chief saying the end of the pandemic is within reach, with millions of people still locked down

17 million in EU may have suffered long Covid-19, says WHO report

New research suggests at least 17 million people in the European Union may have experienced long COVID-19 symptoms during the first two years of the coronavirus pandemic, with women more likely than men to suffer from the condition, the World Health Organisation said Tuesday. The research, conducted for the WHO/Europe, was unclear on whether the symptoms that linger, recur or first appear at least one month after a coronavirus infection were more common in vaccinated or unvaccinated people. At least 17 million people met the WHO's criteria of long COVID-19 with symptoms lasting at least three months in 2020 and 2021, the report said. Millions of people in our region, straddling Europe and Central Asia, are suffering debilitating symptoms many months after their initial COVID-19 infection, said Hans Henri P Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, during a conference in Tel Aviv. The modeling also suggests that women are twice as likely as men to experience long COVID-19, and the ri

WHO Regional Committee member countries vow to strengthen health systems

The 75th session of the Regional Committee for WHO South-East Asia concluded in Bhutan on Friday with member countries vowing to strengthen health systems, accelerating multisectoral actions and re-energising comprehensive primary health services to build societies that are more inclusive, equitable and resilient against present and future emergencies. Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, said focus must be on identify vulnerable populations and how best their health needs can be addressed. We are at a history-defining juncture. Over the past two and a half years, the region and the world have witnessed immense transformative change, she said. "It is important for us not just to spend more on health, but to spend efficiently and spend equitably. Our focus must be on vulnerable populations, we must identify them and see how best we can address their needs. We cannot leave anyone behind as we seek to drive rapid and sustained progress towards universal ..

Mistry death: Experts call for better enforcement of seat belt regulations

To begin with, seat belts for rear passengers should be enforced at least on national highways when one is travelling at 70 kmph and above, say safety experts

Is wearing a seat belt mandatory while travelling in the rear seat?

Under Rule 138 (3) of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, a person "seated in the front seat or the persons occupying front facing rear seats" is required to wear seat belts

Over 99% population breathes air exceeding WHO's PM2.5 guidelines: Report

Over 99 per cent of India's population is breathing air that exceeds the World Health Organisation's health-based guidelines with respect to PM2.5, a report by Greenpeace India said. According to the key findings in the report titled "Different Air Under One Sky", the greatest proportion of people living in India are exposed to PM2.5 concentrations more than five times the WHO annual average guideline. It further said 62 per cent of pregnant women in the country live in the most polluted areas, compared to 56 per cent people in the whole population. As per the report's annual average PM2.5 exposure analysis, the region with the highest exposure to pollution in the country is Delhi-NCR. It listed older adults, infants and pregnant women as the most vulnerable groups who are "exposed to worse air". PM2.5 refers to fine particles which penetrate deep into the body and fuel inflammation in the lungs and respiratory tract, leading to the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory problems,