In India, a country with a vast population and a diverse socio-economic fabric, healthcare remains fraught with challenges including disparities in access. These socio-economic disparities are deep, and they influence health outcomes. It is imperative to bridge these gaps amid the ongoing epidemiological, nutritional and demographic transitions that are bringing …
In many cities air pollution is reaching levels that threaten people's health according to an unprecedented compilation of air quality data released today by WHO (World Health Organization). The information includes data from nearly 1100 cities across 91 countries, including capital cities and cities with more than 100,000 residents. WHO …
A landmark UK study using a new cancer drug that targets tumours directly has raised hopes in the medical fraternity. The high alpha radiation drugs help patients suffering from prostate cancer live longer, with lesser pain and side-effects. So effective was the treatment in Dr Chris Parker’s study that it …
Updates from UN Down To Earth reports on UN General Assembly in New York. Keep visiting to know the latest on non-communicable diseases. 'Lifestyle' diseases spur UN to act Health is rarely the topic of discussion at the UN general assembly. But starting September 19, the UN began a high-level …
Jyotsna GovilHonorary additional secretary of the Indian Cancer Society It is the first time the government has agreed that the numbers (of people) killed by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have long overtaken the communicable diseases numbers. Government was till now concentrating only on the communicable diseases like polio and AIDS. According …
Health is rarely the topic of discussion at the UN general assembly. But starting September 19, the UN began a high-level meeting to debate a strategy to tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This is the second time that the world body is calling a meeting on health. More than a decade …
Editorial When business rules our kitchensRead full story >> Sounds of self-interested silenceRead full story >> Too much at stakeRead full story >> Killing the high-end killerRead full story >> Control your food. It is your businessRead full story >> The Satyam in our oilRead full story >> Covers Fat …
Latest Update Date: Sept 21 / 2:40 pm At the BRICS Health Ministers’ Round Table conference was held on 20 September 2011, union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, the BRICS countries should have a roadmap to work in close cooperation to implement the political declaration. He stressed that it is …
The United Nations will begin debating Monday how to stem a proliferation of chronic diseases that a new report says could cost the global economy trillions of dollars over the next two decades if left unchecked. The two-day meeting on noncommunicable diseases, as illnesses from heart disease to cancer, diabetes …
As the UN begins its meeting to devise strategies to tackle NCDs, Indian public health activists say it was a wake-up call for the health authorities in India. Some of them expressed concern that the meeting may be used to push industry agenda.
There is growing awareness and concern about the large and escalating burden of chronic, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) not just from the public health perspective but also from the economic one. The social burdens associated with the four diseases – cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases – include prolonged …
At his weekly gentleman’s club in a village not far from the Kenyan capital, Francis Marimbe Mwathi gathers his friends to dine on “the meat of men”. Washed down with a few beers, it is hardly the health-conscious diet his doctors advise. Mr Mwathi has diabetes. Already his eyesight is …
Reacting to the sessions conducted by experts at the Punjab Pollution Control Board’s (PPCB) workshop held recently, where it was stated that it was wrong to label Punjab as the cancer capital of the country, NGO Kheti Virasat Mission claimed the experts had come with a preconceived notion that the …
Just 14 percent of New York City adults said they were smokers in 2010, the lowest level since the city began tracking the smoking rate nearly two decades ago, according to a survey released on Thursday. The drop was particularly steep among young adults, which suggested, experts said, that a …
Diagnosed cases of breast cancer rose by 260 percent and those of cervical cancer by 20 percent from 1980 to 2010, with the biggest hikes occurring in developing countries, according to global estimates reported on Thursday in The Lancet. Identified cases of breast cancer around the world rose from around …
For sheer persistence you have to hand it to Novartis. Ever since its blood cancer drug Glivec was refused a patent in 2006, the Swiss multinational has been fighting India’s patent law, or at least a crucial section of it, with the patent authorities and in the courts. With case …
Next time you brush your teeth, be careful. Some popular toothpastes and toothpowders in India have high levels of nicotine, a known carcinogen, a study has found. Researchers at the Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research (DIPSAR) tested 10 toothpowders and 24 toothpastes brands. They found large amounts of …
Gene Therapy Helps Man Fight Leukemia Philadelphia: A year ago, when chemotherapy stopped working against his leukemia, William Ludwig signed up to be the first patient treated in a bold experiment at the University of Pennsylvania. Ludwig, then 65, a retired corrections officer from Bridgeton, NJ, felt his life draining …
When heads of state and health ministers gather in New York next week for the first United Nations (UN) high-level summit on non-communicable disease (NCD), they will be presented with some jaw-dropping statistics. According to UN reports released before the meeting, NCDs such as cardiovascular disease and cancer killed 36 …
