Health

While millions of soccer fans cheer or groan over World Cup matches spanning North America, health officials will be on high alert for germs. A heatwave may be the most obvious health threat. But infectious diseases can spread in a crowd, and experts are set to scrutinise wastewater, hospital visits, even social media for any signs that an outbreak might be brewing. Measles, one of the most contagious diseases, is among the top concerns, sparking a warning this week from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO. With a nearly six-week stretch of packed stadiums, bars and tourist sites in 16 cities, officials are on the lookout for a long list of infections, from the stomach bug norovirus to mosquito-borne dengue fever."This is truly a marathon," said Palak Raval-Nelson, Philadelphia`s ...

For many parents, a child’s first steps are a moment of joy. For one family, however, their baby girl’s early steps were accompanied by worry.  Doctors in Mumbai successfully treated a three-year-old girl diagnosed with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy through a minimally invasive, single-session intervention and helped her move closer to a more natural way of walking. The procedure was led by Dr Taral Nagda, senior consultant – Paediatric Orthopaedics, at Narayana Health SRCC Children’s Hospital. Her journey had been delicate from the very beginning. Born prematurely at seven months, weighing just 1250 grams, she had spent her earliest days in the NICU for three months as her tiny body learned to stabilise and grow. As she got older, there were small signs that things were not following ...

Cervical cancer remains an important public health problem in India, with approximately 127,000 new cases and 80,000 cervical cancer-related deaths reported annually. According to the release, the regular screening of women over the age of 30 years at 3-5 yearly intervals can detect precancerous and cancerous cervical lesions, but coverage has remained poor despite the inclusion of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) in the National Programme for Screening of the three common cancers, namely, breast, oral and cervical cancer. Persistent infection with carcinogenic types of human papillomavirus (cHPV) is the necessary cause of cervical cancer. WHO has recommended transition to HPV testing as the best strategy to achieve cervical cancer elimination, as stated in the release. Using va...

When temperatures soar, most of us chalk up our frayed nerves and sleepless nights to simple discomfort. But something far more complex is happening beneath the surface. Extreme heat is a systemic physiological stressor that throws the body`s most essential hormonal systems into disarray.  From cortisol to melatonin, the hormones that govern our energy, sleep, and emotional balance become collateral damage in the body`s battle against the heat.  Medical experts explore how extreme heat acts as a systemic disruptor, throwing the body’s delicate hormonal ‘internal clock’ out of sync. They provide clinical strategies to regulate cortisol and melatonin when extreme heat disrupts sleep, mood, and energy. Your body reads heat as a crisis The moment temperatures climb to an uncomfortable extr...

His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, underwent a successful left knee replacement surgery at Apollo Hospital in New Delhi on Monday, said a medical bulletin. It recalled that in June 2024, His Holiness underwent a successful right knee replacement at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City and made an excellent recovery. “Following today’s procedure, His Holiness returned to his hospital room in stable condition. His recovery is progressing well, and he remains in good spirits,” his personal physicians Tsetan D. Sadutshang, Tamdin Tsewang, Tsering Lhadon, and Tenzin Tsundue said in a statement. They added that the medical, nursing, and administrative teams at Apollo Hospital had been providing exceptional care, support, and attention, and expressed gratitude for their professionalism...

In today’s fast-paced world, symptoms such as hair fall, fatigue, anxiety, weight gain, poor concentration, disturbed sleep, and mood swings are commonly blamed on stress, unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise, or hectic lifestyles.  While lifestyle factors certainly play a role, these symptoms may sometimes point toward an underlying thyroid disorder that often goes unnoticed for months or even years. The thyroid gland, a small butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck, plays a critical role in regulating metabolism, energy production, hormonal balance, heart rate, body temperature, and overall bodily functions. Even a slight imbalance in thyroid hormone levels can affect multiple organs and systems, leading to symptoms that are vague, gradual, and easily mistaken for everyday stre...

A newly identified "blood signature" may predict lung cancer risk more than five years before diagnosis, offering a potential pathway to earlier prevention, a study has revealed.  The findings, published in Cell, could help identify people who would benefit from preventative drugs, even before they receive a lung cancer diagnosis, said a statement from Australia`s Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) released Friday. The study analysed over 48,000 blood samples, identifying a 14-protein signature that predicted lung cancer risk within five years and was validated across eight international datasets, including in non-smokers. Researchers suggested that the signature does not come from the tumour itself, but reflects an altered inflammatory lung environment that prec...

A type of cell death linked to iron and oxidative stress could be playing a role in keeping the brain healthy by helping maintain a balance while producing new neurons in the hippocampus, which is critical for memory and learning. "Ferroptosis (type of cell death) has been identified in almost every neurological disorder where cells are dying, including Alzheimer`s disease, Parkinson`s disease and stroke," Tara Walker, associate professor at the Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland in Australia and author of the study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, said. "But we wanted to know whether it also had a role in normal brain function," Walker said. Researchers focused on neurogenesis in adult mice, or the process by which neural stem cells in the hippocampus divi...

As global temperatures continue to climb, heatwaves are becoming more than just a discomfort—they are emerging as a significant food safety challenge. Long before fruits and vegetables show visible signs of spoilage, microscopic changes begin transforming fresh produce into an ideal breeding ground for harmful bacteria. The result can be a silent assault on the gut microbiome, leading to foodborne illness, inflammation, and disruption of the intestinal barrier. On World Food Safety Day, observed every year on June 7, experts warn that summer heat creates a perfect storm for bacterial growth, making food handling, storage, and gut protection more important than ever. The invisible breakdown happening on your produce Most people rely on obvious warning signs such as mould, unpleasant odou...

A visit to the hospital that began with treatment for a serious heart infection suddenly turned into a race against time for 32-year-old woman who lost her ability to speak and move the right side of her body within moments after suffering a severe stroke inside the hospital.  In a remarkable example of timely intervention, medical expertise, and coordinated critical care, doctors at Manipal Hospital EM Bypass, led by Dr Amlan Mandal, HOD and Senior Consultant – Neurology - Adult and Paediatric Neurology, and Dr. Nirmalya Ray, Consultant - Neuroradiology successfully treated the young woman and helped her make a complete neurological recovery without any residual deficit.  Their swift action and advanced stroke intervention not only saved her life but also prevented what could have been ...