Health

Climate change is significantly impacting mental health and psychosocial well-being, the World Health Organization said, while calling on countries to strengthen mental health systems and services to address this growing challenge. A recent report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) revealed that rapidly increasing climate change leads to emotional distress, anxiety, depression, grief, and suicidal behaviour. Yet large gaps exist in mental health needs and the availability and accessibility and services to address them. “Climate change exacerbates many social, environmental, and economic risk factors for mental health and psychosocial well-being,” said Saima Wazed, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia. Among WHO regions, South-East Asia is most vulnerable to ...

Amidst the heart-wrenching turmoil in his country, an Iraqi man came to Mumbai to restore his 6-year-old daughter’s smile after she was born with a rare congenital vascular malformation.The father-daughter came to get treated at Gleneagles Hospitals in Parel as a dedicated team led by Dr Nilesh Satbhai, head of Plastic, Hand, Reconstructive Microsurgery, and Transplant, performed a groundbreaking surgery on young Raimas Ali Karim, aiming to bring back her facial symmetry and her joy.Raimas`s was born with the condition on the left side of her face. This condition led to severe bleeding and infections, casting a shadow over her early years.Amidst the chaos and dangers of war in Iraq, Raimas and her father faced immense challenges, risking everything to seek treatment in India.Their journey ...

Your peers can actually change your lives, for the worse, as a new study shows that peers` genetic traits can significantly influence substance use and impact mental health. The study highlights the long-term consequences of peers` genetic makeup on individual risk for drug and alcohol use disorders, depression, and anxiety. "Peers` genetic predispositions for psychiatric and substance-use disorders are associated with an individual`s own risk of developing the same disorders in young adulthood," said Jessica E. Salvatore, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and lead author of the study. "What our data exemplifies is the long reach of social genetic effects," she added. Socio-genomics, the influence of one person`s genotype on another`...

If you come across brightly coloured, cloth-bound books from the Victorian era, handle them carefully, or avoid them altogether. These books could be hiding toxic dyes that pose health risks to readers, collectors, or librarians, according to research on Sunday.  Researchers at Lipscomb University in the US assessed the dangerous dyes in a university collection and found some volumes may be unsafe to handle. Users risk exposure if pigments from these cloth covers rub off onto their hands or become airborne, they said. “These old books with toxic dyes may be in universities, public libraries, and private collections,” said Abigail Hoermann, an undergraduate chemistry student at Lipscomb University. The research began when Lipscomb librarians approached the chemistry department to test 19...

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Sunday launched an innovative project to tackle the growing concern of microplastic contamination in food.  Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastics that range in size -- from five millimetres to one micrometre. From human blood to testicles, to flora and fauna, these have long been known as a significant environmental and health concern worldwide. FSSAI initiated the new project in March this year to develop and validate analytical methods for detecting micro and nano-plastics in various food products. It is also aimed at assessing the prevalence and exposure levels of microplastics in India. The project will develop standard protocols for micro/nano-plastic analysis, conduct intra- and inter-laboratory comparisons, and gener...

A 72-year-old man’s 15-year struggle with non-healing ulcers on his right leg, caused by neglected varicose veins, was brought to an end by a successful medical intervention by doctors.   The patient Abdul Mabood, a mill worker, faced the risk of leg amputation due to the severity of his condition. He had suffered from non-healing ulcers with dilated veins and skin discoloration, which worsened over the years. Despite seeking treatment at multiple hospitals, he was advised to undergo an above-knee leg amputation. However, doctors at Apollo Spectra Hospitals, Kanpur, saved his leg and restored his quality of life using a minimally-invasive procedure. The team performed an endovenous laser ablation with a foam sclerotherapy procedure, which involved puncturing the vein, using a laser fi...

A new study on Friday showed that engaging in arts and crafts may be crucial in the fight against mental health problems suffered by millions of people globally. The research found that participating in creative activities significantly enhances people`s sense of life satisfaction, happiness, and the belief that life is worthwhile, suggesting that arts and crafts could play a key role in promoting public mental health. Dr. Helen Keyes of Anglia Ruskin University in the UK, the lead author, highlighted the meaningful impact of crafting, noting that its positive effects on well-being were more significant than those of employment. "Crafting provides a sense of achievement and a meaningful route to self-expression, which is not always the case with employment," she explained. The study ev...

Mpox vaccine procurement for at-risk populations across Africa is crucial to contain the deadly outbreak and save lives, according to a report on Friday.  The report by GlobalData, a data and analytics company, noted that while Mpox vaccines played an important role in containing the 2022 mpox outbreak in high-income nations, “none are currently widely available in Africa”. Bavarian Nordic’s MVA-BN vaccine (Jynneos/Imvanex) -- approved in the US, Europe, and Canada -- is the leading mpox vaccine worldwide. In addition, KM Biologics’ LC16 vaccine is available in Japan and Emergent BioSolutions’ ACAM2000 is also under regulatory review for mpox in the US. Fiona Chisholm, Associate Director of Infectious Diseases at GlobalData, called for a coordinated international response to put “press...

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus.   The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday declared a global health emergency with Mpox spreading rapidly across 13 African countries, including Congo, where 14,000 cases and 524 deaths have been reported.  There are two distinct genetic clades of this virus, Clade I and Clade II. The disease, often characterised by painful rashes, fever, and swollen lymph nodes, primarily spreads through direct contact with infected individuals, animals, or contaminated materials. Historically, the virus was first identified in 1958 in monkeys used for research in Denmark, with the first human case reported from Congo in 1970. After the eradication of smallpox...

Excessive time spent on technology and social media can hinder children from forming meaningful connections, according to a US-based study on Friday.  The findings, based on a survey of 1,146 parents, showed that parents are concerned for their children over too much time spent with technology (50 per cent), bullying (30 per cent), and the social impact of the pandemic (22 per cent). Nearly one in five parents (19 per cent) report that differences in race, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic status, or gender identity prevent their children from fitting in at school. “Connections foster a sense of belonging, which is essential for academic success and overall well-being,” said Dr. Ariana Hoet, executive clinical director of The Kids Mental Health Foundation and a paediatric psychologist a...