India in advanced stage of developing vaccine for dengue: Harsh Vardhan

The minister said that dengue is a very typical and fatal condition and it is caused by the bite of Aedes mosquito.

New Delhi: India is in an advanced stage of development of a vaccine for dengue, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Friday and noted that once it is developed the incidence of people getting affected by it will come down.

The minister told the Lok Sabha that control of dengue actually requires a lot of public awareness. He said dengue is a very typical and fatal condition and it is caused by the bite of Aedes mosquito. ....read more

Senseless killing of Japanese doctor condemned by WMA and CMAAO

The World Medical Association and Confederation of Medical Association of Asia and Oceania have condemned as “abhorrent” the killing of a Japanese doctor in Afghanistan.

Dr. Tetsu Nadkamura 73, who had devoted his career to improving the lives of Afghans, was shot by gunmen in an attack in the city of Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan, later he succumbed to his injuries. His three security guards, his driver and a colleague were also killed in the attack.

Dr. Nakamura, headed a Japanese charity working to improve irrigation in the country. He had spent almost 30 years in Afghanistan and in October this year he was awarded honorary citizenship from the Afghan government for his humanitarian work. ....read more

Immune markers

A Cleveland Clinic study published in JAMA Network Open showed that lymphopenia is associated with death due to heart disease, cancer and respiratory infections, including influenza and pneumonia. The strength of the association increased when it presented in combination with elevated red blood cell distribution width and CRP.

1.Absolute lymphocyte count is used to quantitate lymphocytes in peripheral blood (rather than the percentage of lymphocytes in the WBC differential count). ALC (cells/microL) = WBC (cells/microL) x percent lymphocytes ÷ 100. Normal values for ALC generally correspond to 1000 to 4000 lymphocytes/microL. ....read more

Healthcare News Monitor

Zydus Cadila files NDA for Saroglitazar Magnesium

ET Healthworld – PTI

Drug firm Zydus Cadila on Thursday said it has filed New Drug Application (NDA) with the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for Saroglitazar Mg, used in treatment of liver disease. "Zydus Cadila...has filed the NDA of Saroglitazar Mg in non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) with the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI)," the drug firm said in a regulatory filing. NASH is a progressive disease of the liver and a significant unmet medical need. There are currently no treatments available for the treatment of NASH. Saroglitazar Magnesium was launched in India during September 2013, for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia and diabetic dyslipidemia in patients with type-2 diabetes not controlled by statins. "There is a significant need for new therapies for patients with NASH, who have no treatment options as their liver disease progresses, other than opting for eventual liver transplants to survive," Zydus Group Chairman said Pankaj R Patel said. Saroglitazar Mg has demonstrated beneficial effects in NASH animal models, the filing said adding that Saroglitazar Mg favourably affects all components of NASH including steatosis, ballooning, inflammation and fibrosis in NASH models. "We are very pleased that our NDA filing has been accepted for review which we believe represents an important step towards providing an innovative treatment

Breast cancer affects men too: Look out for any lump in armpit, neck; people with diabetes, obesity at higher risk

The Economic Times- Glynda Alves

While many of us saw facial fuzz in prominence in November, men growing out their beards and moustaches wasn’t just for aesthetic appeal. Movember is a month-long campaign to raise awareness for men’s health issues, especially the ones that men are hesitant to talk about. And one such concern is breast cancer in men. Mathew Knowles, father of pop diva Beyoncé, recently revealed his battle with male breast cancer and urged other men to get tested for the disease. Knowles said that more men need to speak out and there needs to be aware ness that men are also at risk of breast cancer. We ask the experts to tell us what are the signs to look out for and how breast cancer can affect men physically and emotionally. It’s rare but be aware “Men have to be made aware that breast cancer is not exclusively for women. It affects men too, although the incidence is rare,” says Dr Mallika Tewari, Senior Consultant and Program Lead Surgical Oncology, Wockhardt Hospitals. According to Dr Ramakant Deshpande, Surgical Oncologist, Asian Cancer Institute, the total incidences of breast cancer in India are 1, 65,000 out of which one per cent is found in men.

Antibiotic abuse is the norm in India

Health Issue India- Nicholas Parry

Third and fourth line-antibiotics — used as a last resort in cases where resistance is present to more commonly used medications — are being used indiscriminately within India, claims a paper authored by three researchers of Gurugram-based Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). “Our estimates suggest [A] high proportion of antibiotic prescription for upper respiratory tract infections (URIs) namely acute upper respiratory infections (20.4 percent), cough (4.7 percent), acute nasopharyngitis (4.6 percent), and acute pharyngitis (3.9 percent),” claimed the paper. Worth noting, however, is that standard treatment guidelines for most URIs is to not issue antibiotics as the infections are typically self-limiting or caused by viral infection. For antibiotics to be issued with such frequency, particularly in a situation in which they are not warranted, is a concerning revelation. Frequent use of antibiotics where they are unnecessary is one of the major drivers of antibiotic resistance. “The third line of antibiotics is to be prescribed only at hospital-level, usually in ICUs [INTENSIVE CARE UNITS]; only if the severity of the infection has reached that stage. However, to our utter surprise, we found that they are being prescribed at primary care level. This is totally unscientific and unacceptable,” said Sakthivel Selvaraj, one of the authors of the paper, in an interview with Down To Earth. While India has shown a lower prescription rate per population than many European nations, it does issue far more medications considered to be third and fourth line treatments. This could in part be accounted for by a high prevalence of strains of diseases that are already resistant to a number of treatments. However, this new evidence suggests many of the prescriptions are issued without due cause.

Over 10 per cent adults in India detected with mental disorders

Financial Express- PTI

A little over 10 per cent adults above the age of 18 years have been detected with mental disorders in the country, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said in Lok Sabha on Friday. The minister said the government had conducted the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) of India through the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences(NIMHANS), Bangalore in 2016.”As per the survey, the prevalence of mental disorders in adults over the age of 18 years is about 10.6 per cent,” he said during Question Hour. Vardhan said the survey said there was at least one mental health hospital in all the 12 surveyed states, except in Manipur; all states had medical colleges with a psychiatry department, general hospitals with a psychiatry unit and a few had de-addiction centres. Apart from major mental health facilities, there were 450 mobile mental units and 249 de-addiction centres providing mental health services in surveyed states. However, as per the survey, existing facilities had inter-state variations, he said. Even though public health and hospitals is a state subject and setting up of hospitals is primarily within the domain of state governments, the central government supplements efforts of state governments. As per available information, there are 41 mental health hospitals run by state governments and union territories that provide mental healthcare services in the country, he said.