Fighting the deafening din
Military researchers from the Army Medical Corps, San Diego say they are making progress against noise-induced hearing loss and have begun testing treatments that may be able to restore health to delicate cells within the ear that are often irreparably damaged or killed by excessive noise. It may also be …
City hospitals may soon be evaluated
Hospitals and nursing homes in Mumbai may soon be evaluated with a voluntary accredition system planned. Accreditation is a process wherein standards are set and compliance with them is measured through an external review. A few years back an attempt at accreditation was made, but only four nursing homes applied …
Developing countries to take centre stage in the battle to save the ozone layer
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the international environmental agreement that "Ozone Day" on 16 September commemorates, is working-a cause for some celebration. According to Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP), the Protocol is a shining example of how a legal convention …
"Face Off' surgery for nose cancer
Pioneering "Face Off" surgery is being used at Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong for a cancer operation. The radical surgery aims to rid patients of recurring nasopharyngeal cancer, a deadly disease found mostly in southern Chinese. To cut out the tumour, which forms in the centre of the head …
Legal protection sought for indigenous medicine
The 16th annual meeting of Health Ministers of the World Health Organisation being held in Delhi, India concluded on Saturday, appealed to the WHO to take steps to ensure that the valauable information available on the indigenous systems of medicines was legally protected and widely disseminated.
Meetings to review population programmes
The India office of the UNFPA has proposed to hold a series of consultations to review the progress of the various elements of the national population and reproductive health and other social programmes discussed at the Cairo International Conference on Population Development in 1994. The consultations are to be held …
Cholera outbreak worst in 5 years
The Health Department in Hong Kong yesterday announced plans for a food hygiene drive as the number of cholera cases reached its highest level in five years. Another case was confirmed yesterday, bringing the number this year to 66. Last year's total was 14.
Siddha 'cure' joins anti-HIV drugs list
The Siddha combination drug that has been tried on persons with HIV and AIDS at the Government Hospital of Thoracic Medicine, Tambaram, Tamil Nadu shows promising trends. Tambaram TB Sanatorium superintendent Dr C.N. Deivangayagam said a combination of Siddha and Allopathy medicines taken by a patient along with a prescribed …
EU okays Rocje weight-loss drug
Roche, the Swiss pharmaceuticals company, has won European Union approval to sell Xenical, the first of a new type of weight-loss drugs. The clearance could help it restore its reputation after recent setbacks.
'So many sick people' in Zimbabwe, now the deadly center of AIDS
Zimbabwe has suddenly turned into the deadly center of the AIDS epidemic. Recent studies suggest that it may have the highest infection rate on earth. The optimism of the West is a cruel fantasy in Zimbabwe. There are no treatments, no cure, little hope and-in almost every country in Africa-far …
Health ministry says 'no' to randhan introduction
The health ministry has rejected a new cooking medium 'randhan' sought to be introduced by vanaspati manufacturere, on grounds that the product could be passed off as ghee by unscrupulous traders.
HC stays controversial purchase of 2,000 lakh polio vaccine
The Mumbai high court has ordered a stay against the purchase of 2,000 lakh doses of oral polio vaccine (OPV) by the department of health and family welfare (DoFW) from Delhi-based Radicura and central government undertaking, Bibcol. The injunction, granted till August 19, follows a request to the effect by …
More buzz about wine
Wine can prevent brain disorders as well as most cancers. Drinking a few few glasses of wine daily can dramatically reduce the number of visits to the doctor. Those were some of the findings reported at a recent conference on wine, alcohol and health in Hong Kong.
Research team testing cancer vaccine
A joint research team from Kanazawa University and the Kyoritsu College of Pharmacy said it has developed an effective type of cancer vaccine that boosts the body's capacity to mount an anti-cancer immune response while inhibiting the proliferation of cancerous cells. When mice are inoculated with this vaccine, transplanted cancer …
Wider WHO role to curb malaria sought
As the no. of malaria deaths continues to rise the government is pressing for a malaria control programme on the lines adopted by certain African countries. In this connection, director of the National Malaria Eradication programme (NMEP) Shiv Lal will make a presentation before director-general of World Health Organisation (WH) …
ADB assistance for drinking water
The Asian Development Bank approved a technical assistance grant to assist the Nepal government to design a small towns water supply and sanitation project for possible ADB financing. The technical assistance, valued at $600,000 aims at establishing a water supply and sanitation sector plan and five-year investment programmes for small …
Rani Tal
A threatened wetland : The drying up of Rani Tal in Nepal including the three man-made ponds elsewhere in the Shuklaphanta area has forced the wild animals such as swamp deer, spotted deer and tiger to cross the southern border and plunge into the Mahakali River. Threat to the wetland …
WHO move to cut down on South East Asia budget worries India
India and South East Asian countris are opposing a move by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to cut the region's budget while enhancing funds for Africa and Central Europe. The 10-member South East Asian Region (SEAR) countries which house nearly one-fourth of the world's population, are arguing that they also …
900,000 babies born of teenagers
Teenagers in Brazil gave birth to 900,000 babies last year, thus accounting for 26.5 per cent of all live births in the country. Girls between the ages of 10 and 14 years gave birth to 1.23 per cent of last year's babies, while teenagers aged 15 to 19 accounted for …
