Pak's population growth up 50 pc since 1981
Pakistan's population has increased more than 50 per cent in the past 17 years. The latest census results show that the population has soared from 84 million to 130 million. In March, Pakistan conducted its first census since 1981.
Vijay Goel calls for ban on gutka, paan masala
Bharatiya Janata party MP from Chandni Chowk Vijay Goel appealed to the Centre to bring about a suitable legislation that will ban the sale of gutka and paan masala, responsible for serious health problems.
A third of births are not registered
Perhaps one -third of all babies do not have their birth registered, leaving them in an official limbo that can mean missed educational opportunities and health care, Unicef said in a new report.
Epidemic outbreak exposes lack of coordination
The recent outbreak of diahorrea in the colony for widows of the Bhopal gas disaster, at Karond (Nishatpura, M P) has exposed the functioning of the respective Government departments and the lack of coordination among them. While the Government departments associated with the housing project had highlighted their role in …
J&J to add alcohol warning on painkiller labelling
Johnson & Johnson's McNeil Consumer Products subsidiary the world's leading maker of over-the-counter pain relievers, agreed to revise the labelling of its Tylenol brand to warn about possible liver damage if the recommended dose is exceeded by "chronic heavy alcohol users". Previous labelling did not specifically warn about organ damage.
Cannabis assists stroke treatment
One of the chemicals in cannabis may show promise as a treatment for strokes, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's, according to US researchers. The National Institutes of Mental Health in Bethesda have found that cannabincids, components of cannabis, are powerful antioxidants which were found to prevent the death of brain cells …
Antibiotic use in food animals contributes to microbe resistance
Bacteria that resist antibiotics can be passed from food animals to humans, but not enough is known to determine the public health risks posed by such transmission, says a new report by a committee of the National Research Council. The federal government should from an oversight panel to ensure the …
Reconstituted ecosystem conservation group meets in Rome
The first meeting since 1990 of the inter-agency Ecosystem Conservation Group (ECG) is being held in Rome. Convened by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and hosted by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), delegates are discussing the future mandate and composition of the ECG, which was orginally set-up to …
Patel against hasty decision on Cauvery issue
The emotional river water sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has been lobbed into the Centre's court with Karnataka Chief Minister J.H. Patel warning against any "hasty decision" on implementing the interim award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal.
World Bank plans study on Delhi
The World Bank has decided to take up a comprehensive study of the impact of air pollution on the human health in Indian cities. The first such study is proposed to be done in Delhi in cooperation with the state-owned Central Pollution Control Board, Kseniya Lvovsky of the World Bank …
Noise impairs reading skills
Recent studies by scientists in the US show that children living in noisy environments, replete with the hubbub of traffic and the market place or the ear splitting noise of aeroplanes, have poorer reading skills than those living in quieter areas.
House pnel blames MCI for poor quality of medical studies
The Parliamentary standing committee on human resource development has criticised the deteriorating standard of medical education in the country and held the Medical Council of India (MCI) partially responsible for the decline. The committee found that in some private and medical colleges, the pass percentage of students was not even …
Cloned embryos in 29 cows
Two days after successful birth of two cloned calves, the Japanese Government has reported pregnancy of 29 cows with embryos cloned from somatic cells.
Oral cholera vaccine
An indigeneous genetically engineered cholera vaccine for human trials has been cleared recently by the D Rug Controller of India. The vaccine is based on a recombinant strain of Vibrio cholerae, VAI.3.
'Delhi children have high level of lead in blood'
Sixty-four per cent of Delhi schoolchildren have high level of lead in their blood stream, above the safe permissible limits. This was stated by pediatrician, Dr Veena Kalra of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), on the second day of the National Conference of Health and Environment, organised …
Dinosaur species found
A cat-like, flesh-eating dinosaur discovered in fossils on an island off the South Coast of England is from a previously unknown species, a British paleontologist has said. The remains, found early last year by an amateur fossil collector in a crumbling coastal cliff, show that the 12-foot-long creature was equipped …
Lecture on climate change implications
The impact of health in developing countries due to climatic changes was projected to be of alarming proportions, and it was important to bear in mind that environmental consequences, particularly in Asia, would be felt locally regionally as well as globally, Dr. A. Karim Ahmed, Deputy Director, Health Environment and …
10% Indians prone to heart attacks
Coronary artery disease that reduces blood supply to the heart muscle and can lead to heart attacks is more widespread in the Indian subcontinent than other regions, says a report. South Asians in general are most prone to coronary artery disease than other ethnic groups.
Pollution reduces man's reproductive health
Indian males seem to be growing less virile. According to a recent study by the Institute of Research in Reproduction (IRR), Mumbai, less than 30 per cent of men of the representive sample for Indian males, had semen with normal characteristics. The sperm count revealed that over the period of …
