Health

Setting a new milestone, the Indian government on November 20 launched an indigenous CRISPR-based gene therapy for Sickle Cell Disease, which particularly affects India`s tribal population.  The low-cost gene editing solution named "BIRSA 101", in honour of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, remembered as a great tribal freedom fighter, was launched by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh. The technology works like a “precise genetic surgery”, capable not only of curing Sickle Cell Disease but also transforming treatment pathways for several hereditary disorders, the minister explained. Sickle Cell Disease is a chronic, single-gene disorder that causes a debilitating systemic syndrome characterised by chronic anaemia, acute painful episodes, organ ...

India has made significant progress in reducing poverty, and the country’s flagship programmes have supported investments in children, according to the UNICEF on Thursday.  The UN agency’s flagship report, The State of the World`s Children 2025, showed that more than 1 in 5 children in low- and middle-income countries, about 400 million globally, are deprived of at least two areas critical for their health, development, and wellbeing.  Globally, millions of children still lack access to basic services such as education, clean water, safe sanitation, housing, health, and nutrition, which deepens inequality, slows growth, and weakens the social fabric that leaves a lifelong impact even across generations.  “India has made significant progress in poverty reduction, and the flagship program...

Doctors are witnessing a worrying rise in complaints from pregnant women suffering breathlessness, fatigue, and elevated blood pressure, as the city air pollution continues to remain alarmingly high. Health experts have flagged that the toxic air poses heightened risks to expectant mothers and their babies. They, however, stop short of advising panic-driven moves, like sudden relocation or travel, which, they say, may not be the safest response. Delhi air continues to threaten vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and pregnant women. Gynaecologists warn that the fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) prevalent in the city`s air can pass through the bloodstream and affect the placenta, reducing oxygen supply to the baby, and increasing the risk of pre-term deliveries. Dr Sw...

More than 80 per cent of Indian patients carry multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) -- the highest globally, according to an alarming study on Tuesday reflecting the deep antibiotic resistance crisis in the country.  The large-scale international study published in the Lancet eClinical Medicine journal warned that India is at the epicentre of a superbug explosion as several patients in the country were found to carry multiple highly resistant organisms simultaneously. The study released on the first day of the WHO’s World AMR Awareness Week (November 18-24) called for immediate policy changes and a national movement on antibiotic stewardship. The multicentre study analysed over 1,200 patients across India, Italy, the Netherlands, and the US, undergoing a common endoscopic procedure. I...

India is undergoing the fastest ultra-processed food (UPF) sales growth, and the resulting dietary transition is surging obesity and diabetes cases, leading to poor health, according to a new three-paper Series published in The Lancet on Wednesday.  UPFs can be defined as food products mostly high in fat, sugar, and/or salt (HFSS), full of unwanted and harmful ingredients such as cosmetic additives like stablisers, emulsifiers, colorants, flavouring substances, etc. These are strongly linked to an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, depression, and premature death, among others. The papers, by 43 global authors, showed that retail sales of UPFs in India surged from 0.9 billion in 2006 to nearly USD 38 billion in 2019 -- a forty-fold rise. Retail shop she...

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday lauded India for making ‘encouraging gains’ to end tuberculosis (TB), with narrowing detection gaps and reducing mortality.  According to the recently released WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2025, India’s TB incidence fell by 21 per cent -- from 237 TB cases per lakh population in 2015 to 187 per lakh population in 2024 -- almost double the pace of decline observed globally, at 12 per cent. The country’s TB mortality rate decreased from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 21 per lakh population in 2024, reflecting significant progress in reducing deaths due to TB. The flagship TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, launched in December 2024, has achieved extensive reach, screening over 19 crore vulnerable individuals for TB across the country, leading to th...

Movember, widely recognised for its moustache-led movement to raise awareness of prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s mental health, has become a global symbol of male wellness. Yet in India, the message continues to be under-recognised, with awareness of these two major cancers still worryingly low. On International Men`s Day, observed annually on November 21, mid-day spoke to Dr Anil Heroor, Director – Oncological Sciences, and Dr Aakil Khan, Consultant Urologist, KIMS Hospitals, Thane. They highlight the early signs men tend to overlook, the myths that delay diagnosis, and what society must do to normalise year-round conversations about men’s health. Is awareness of prostate and testicular cancer still low in India? Dr Heroor: “Awareness has improved compared to a decade ago...

A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and Panjab University has developed a portable, automated optical device capable of detecting extremely low concentrations of pesticide residues in water, food, and the environment that can pose serious risks to human and environmental health.  Conventional laboratory methods for detecting such residues, particularly the commonly used organophosphate Malathion, are expensive, time-consuming, and require skilled personnel. The new research, supported by the Department of Science and Technology, under its ‘Technology Development and Transfer’ Programme, addressed the challenge by designing a field-deployable, user-friendly device that offers real-time, ultra-sensitive pesticide detection. The new ‘Smart MDD (Malath...

Hypertension can start impairing major brain cells responsible for cognition well before blood pressure increases by a measurable amount, according to a study conducted on mice, which can help explain how the condition is a major risk factor for cognitive impairment. Findings published in the journal Neuron suggest that hypertension may induce early changes in how genes in a brain cell express themselves and could interfere with one`s thinking and memory, researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College said. The study can provide clues for finding ways through which neurodegeneration -- seen in disorders such as Alzheimer`s -- could be blocked, they said. Having high blood pressure has been shown to heighten one`s risk of cognitive impairment, usually seen to precede Alzheimer`s disease ...

India`s battle against diabetes is entering a new phase as diagnostic data and clinical experts warn of a marked rise in the disease among younger adults. Once confined to middle age, Type 2 diabetes is now increasingly being detected in people in their twenties and early thirties, a shift doctors describe as both alarming and preventable. Recent Indian studies estimate that approximately 101 million adults in India are living with diabetes, with an additional 136 million exhibiting signs of pre-diabetes. Corresponding with this escalating health challenge, Mahajan Imaging and Labs, one of Delhi NCR`s leading integrated diagnostic chains, reports a significant surge in metabolic and glucose screenings among adults under 40 in 2025. Of those tested, nearly 38 per cent of fasting glucose r...