Category: LIFESTYLE

New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) The quadrivalent HPV vaccine, developed in India, is affordable and more effective for cervical cancer, said Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on Tuesday.

Cervical cancer ranks as the second most prevalent cancer in India and accounts for nearly one-fourth of the world’s cervical cancer deaths despite being largely preventable.

“Quadrivalent HPV vaccine is a boon for the Indian population where mortality among women due cervical cancer is reported to be around one lakh annually, and over 90 per cent of these women have a history of HPV infection,” Singh said, at the Health Conclave organised by NDTV at Hotel Hyatt.

Singh announced India’s first indigenously developed vaccine, “CERVAVAC” for the prevention of cervical cancer in September 2022.

CERVAVAC, developed by the Department of Biotechnology in the Ministry of Science and Technology “is unique because of being quadrivalent and thus being highly effective HPV 6,11 and 16,18 which are closely associated with cervical cancer in women,” Singh noted.

Further, Singh “strongly” advocated the use of the HPV vaccine, and noted that “its administration is easy with recommended two-dose regimen for girls below the age of 15 years and a three-dose regimen for girls above 15 years of age”.

The Minister also highlighted India’s advancements in preventive healthcare, women’s health, and indigenous vaccine development during his address at the “Together Against HPV” conclave.

The event focused on the national fight against cervical cancer, which remains a significant health challenge. The Minister also stated that India is now recognised globally for its preventive healthcare initiatives.

The Minister reiterated that prioritising women’s health is central to realising India’s vision for 2047, underscoring women-led development as a national priority. He also addressed the need to tackle taboos and stigma associated with diseases like cervical cancer, particularly in rural areas.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) About 36.16 crore Ayushman Cards have been created for beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), said the Union government on Tuesday.

“As per the PMJAY dashboard, as of December 12, 36.16 crore Ayushman Cards have been created for such beneficiaries. Of these, 29.87 Crore cards have been created for the beneficiaries residing in rural areas,” the MoS said. said Union Minister of State (MoS) for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

Launched in 2018, PMJAY provides financial protection to deprived rural families. It also identifies occupational categories of urban workers’ families.

The flagship scheme “offers a benefit cover of Rs 5,00,000 per family per year (on a family floater basis). Services include a range of procedures covering all the costs related to treatment, including drugs, supplies, diagnostic services, physician’s fees, room charges, surgeon charges, OT and ICU charges, etc,” Jadhav said.

Further, he also listed the achievements made under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) — aimed to develop the backbone necessary to support the integrated digital health infrastructure of the country.

“ABDM intends to make healthcare more transparent, secure, inclusive, accessible, timely delivery, and most importantly citizen-centric,” Jadhav said.

ABDM comprises key registries intended through building registries such as Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA), healthcare professional registry (HPR), health facility registry (HFR), and drug registry.

Under the scheme, “a total of more than 71.16 Crore Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) have been created, till December 10,” the MoS said, adding that “around 45.99 Crore health records have been linked with ABHA”.

“Around 3.54 lakh health facilities have been registered on the health facility registry (HFR), and about 5.37 lakh healthcare professionals have been registered on the healthcare professional registry (HPR),” he noted.

Jadhav also informed on significant targets achieved under the National Health Policy.

“Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) reduced from 103 per 100,000 live births in 2017-2019 to 97 per 100,000 live births in 2018-20 (against a target of 100 by year 2020),” the MoS said.

“Infant Mortality Rate reduced from 32 per 1,000 live births in 2018 to 28 per 1000 live births in 2020 (against a target of 28 by the year 2019) and Total Fertility Rate is reduced from 2.2 in 2015-16 as per NFHS-4 to 2.0 in 2019-21 as per NFHS-5 (against a target of 2.1 by year 2025)”, he added.

Separately, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel informed that more than 5.46 crore children and 1.32 crore pregnant women have been vaccinated in all phases of Mission Indradhanush conducted so far.

“Mission Indradhanush is a special catch-up vaccination campaign under the Universal Immunisation Programme, conducted in areas of low immunisation coverage to vaccinate left out and dropped out children and pregnant women,” Patel said, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today. She informed that 11 types of vaccines are provided under the programme.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) Fitness startup Curefit’s consolidated loss has increased by 42 per cent to Rs 888.5 crore in FY24 from Rs 625.5 crore in FY23.

The company’s EBITDA loss surged by 123.4 per cent to Rs 587.97 crore in FY24 from Rs 263.2 crore in FY23.

The reason for the increase in the company’s loss in the last financial year is the high cash burn. Curefit’s advertising and promotion expenditure has increased by 40.67 per cent year-on-year (YoY) basis to Rs 188.5 crore in FY24 from Rs 134 crore in FY23.

At the same time, the company’s expenditure on legal and professional services in the last financial year has increased by 56.62 per cent from Rs 79.3 crore in FY23 to Rs 124.2 crore in FY24.

Curefit’s expenditure on employees has come down by 5.62 per cent to Rs 324 crore in the last financial year. This is due to workforce restructuring and layoffs in FY24. Curefit slashed around 120 jobs in January 2024 in a restructuring exercise. These job cuts impacted workers across the company’s brands like Sugar.fit, Carefit, Cultfit, among others.

Curefit’s operating income has increased by 33.6 per cent to Rs 926.6 crore in FY24 from Rs 693.7 crore in FY23. Out of this, an income of Rs 663.1 crore has come from services, which is 46.58 per cent more than Rs 452.4 crore in FY 23.

Apart from this, income from the sale of products has increased by 8.13 per cent to Rs 256.7 crore from Rs 237.4 crore in FY23.

Founded in 2016 by Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori, Curefit runs the physical fitness platform Cultfit, mental health platform Mindfit, primary care vertical Care.fit, etc. According to reports, Curefit has raised more than $750 million in funding so far. Its investors include Accel, Temasek, Kalaari Capital, and others.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) While the rapid spread of Covid-19 can be attributed mainly to the high transmissibility of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a new study has linked the high incidence and mortality rates with environmental factors, particularly with PM2.5.

Researchers from the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan proposed the theory that PM2.5 influenced the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the subsequent severity of the disease.

Many previous studies have demonstrated a correlation between the morbidity of Covid-19 and air pollution levels. The studies hinted that PM2.5 may act as an environmental carrier facilitating the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

The novel research, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, in mice, found that PM2.5 instillation induced the protein abundance of ACE2 — the receptor for SARS-CoV-2 — and then increased SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus infection in vitro and in vivo.

“Our current results provide the first in vitro and in vivo evidence that PM2.5 exposure increased ACE2 expression and deteriorated SARS-CoV-2 infection. PM2.5 instillation dysregulated the expression of RAS proteins, increased the protein abundance of ACE and ACE2 in the lungs of mice, and upregulated the morbidity of SARS-CoV-2,” the team said in the paper.

Another recent study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, linked air pollution with longer duration of long Covid symptoms like fatigue, breathlessness, and cognitive issues.

Researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in Spain showed that air pollution can impact the severity of acute infection. As a result, exposure to PM2a.5 and PM10 can raise the risk of persistent long-Covid symptoms.

While air pollution was not directly responsible for long-Covid, it could increase the severity of the initial infection, which, in turn, raises the risk of long Covid, the researchers noted.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) People with allergy-induced sniffles and asthma may have different fungal colonies or mycobiomes in their noses, finds a study on Tuesday.

The common respiratory disease, formally called allergic rhinitis, has frequently been associated with asthma. Typical symptoms of allergic rhinitis include sneezing, itching, inflamed nasal mucous membranes, and a blocked and runny nose. It’s often comorbid with asthma, which also involves inflammation and obstructed airways.

Researchers from the University of Porto, Portugal, showed that this association may be because of different fungal colonies or mycobiomes in their noses.

“We showed that allergic rhinitis samples displayed a significantly higher fungal diversity and a different fungal community structure compared to those of healthy controls,” said Dr. Luís Delgado of the University of Porto.

“This may suggest that allergic rhinitis increases the diversity and changes the composition of the upper airway’s microbiome.”

To study the nasal mycobiome, the researchers recruited 214 participants from among children and young adults attending an immunology and asthma clinic in Porto. About 155 patients had both allergic rhinitis and asthma, while 47 were only diagnosed with allergic rhinitis and 12 with asthma. The team also enrolled 125 healthy controls.

The team analysed 306 samples, taken via nasal swabs. DNA sequencing revealed Ascomycota and Basidiomycota as the most common fungi families across all samples. In these two families, 14 genera dominated the mycobiomes.

“Among these dominant genera we detected common fungi that have been recognised in humans as allergenic or opportunistic pathogenic fungi,” said Delgado. “This suggests that the nasal cavity is a major reservoir for fungi that could be involved in allergic rhinitis and asthma.”

The findings, published in an article in the Frontiers in Microbiology journal, showed a very clear and statistically significant difference between the patients with respiratory diseases as well as the healthy controls.

The fungi sampled from patients with both allergic rhinitis and asthma also showed more evidence of connections between them than the fungi in the healthy participants’ noses and those who only had allergic rhinitis. This could indicate that the fungi are affecting the nose’s immune environment, the researchers said.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) The deep brain stimulators (DBS) market in India is projected to witness an anticipated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 10 per cent by 2033, according to a report on Tuesday.

The report by GlobalData, a data, and analytics company, attributed the growth to the increasing prevalence of movement disorders in India. Besides, the inability of many patients to access appropriate surgical intervention has resulted in a substantial treatment gap.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a treatment widely used for illnesses including Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and other neurological diseases. The system uses an implanted device to send an electrical current directly to specific parts of the brain. The electrodes generate electrical impulses that improve brain function.

As per the report, the rechargeable deep brain stimulators market in India accounts for around 8 per cent of the Asia-Pacific market in 2024.

This has been strengthened by a rising patient base, cost advantages, skilled neurosurgeons, and an expanding healthcare infrastructure.

“As global life expectancy rises, age-related neurodegenerative disorders are becoming more prevalent,” said Divya Soni, Medical Devices Analyst at GlobalData.

“DBS systems have emerged as a treatment for these conditions but are limited by a battery life of 3-5 years, requiring periodic surgical replacement for non-rechargeable models, thus increasing patient burden and surgical risks,” Soni added.

Soni noted that although DBS devices serve as an effective treatment option for patients with movement disorders, they present notable shortcomings.

She pointed out the need to introduce “advanced DBS technologies that offer a transformative solution in providing personalised, data-driven therapy,” Soni said. This will set new standards in precision care, and improve quality of life across the country.

–IANS

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Narmadapuram, Dec 16 (IANS) The residents of Narmadapuram district in Madhya Pradesh are drawing the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya JanAushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) and cutting their medical expenses significantly.

The Jan Aushadhi Kendras, opened under the PM-BJP scheme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, are providing medicines at much cheaper rates to people, as compared to the branded stores.

The Jan Aushadhi Kendra has been opened in the district hospital with the help of the Red Cross and hundreds of patients are taking advantage by buying cheaper medicines from here, every day.

The cheaper medicines mark a significant departure from the previous practice and hence, it has generated an atmosphere of happiness among the general public.

The Jan Aushadhi Kendra, being operated by the Civil Surgeon Dr. Sunita Kalme is providing a lot of relief to the city residents as they are buying affordable and cheaper medicines from here.

A couple of beneficiaries also spoke to IANS about the benefits of the path-breaking scheme.

Beneficiary Alok Sharma said that earlier many people like him were buying expensive medicines from outside but now getting medicines at cheaper rates. It is very beneficial for the general public. PM Modi has initiated a very good scheme, the public at large is going to get a lot of benefits from the scheme.

Beneficiary Ashish Soni said, “there are very expensive medicines available in the market, but one can buy medicines at very cheap rates from Jan Aushadhi Kendras”.

Keshav Sahu said that he is getting his father treated at this district hospital.

“The sugar tablet which used to cost Rs 260 for father is now available for only Rs 27 through Jan Aushadhi Kendra. The blood pressure pill which used to cost Rs 180 is available here for Rs 18,” he said.

“When my father became very ill, I took him to Bhopal AIIMS. Here the bill for medicines stood at Rs 5,200. But I got this medicine from Jan Aushadhi Centre for only Rs 1,250. Every month, the expenditure on my father’s medicines was Rs 6,000, but now that has reduced to Rs 700 to 800,” he added.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 16 (IANS) Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has approved the set up for 97 new ESI hospitals across the country in the last ten years, said Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje on Monday.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha today, Karandlaje also informed that ESIC also set up new ESI hospitals and dispensaries across the country.

ESIC provides comprehensive medical care in the form of medical attendance, treatment, drugs and dressings, specialist consultation, and hospitalisation to Insured Persons and their families through a network of 165 ESI hospitals and 1,590 dispensaries across the country.

In addition, “tie-up arrangements have been made with public/private hospitals for providing cashless in-patient medical services to ESI beneficiaries”. This can be availed in case, ESI hospital or in-house medical services in a particular hospital are unavailable, the MoS said.

Karandlaje also informed of major steps taken by the ESIC to upgrade and improve the facilities provided to its beneficiaries, such as the collaboration with Ayushmaan Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PMJAY).

“This will provide secondary and tertiary care medical services to ESI beneficiaries through PMJAY empanelled hospitals in the country at places where ESI medical services are not adequately available,” the MoS said.

She informed me that the rates of benefits have also been enhanced for beneficiaries of permanent disablement benefits (PDB) and dependents’ benefits (DB) schemes.

Further, a new scheme has been approved to cater medical care [including Super Specialty Treatment (SST)] for superannuated beneficiaries who have contributed to ESIC but went out of coverage before superannuation.

The ESIC has also launched an online module to help update or edit the particulars of insured persons (IPs) and their family details.

“Aadhar-based authentication of insured persons and their family members on a voluntary basis has been adopted for providing social security benefits, including medical and cash benefits to beneficiaries,” Karandlaje said.

In addition, an online portal/facility has also been started for the submission of cash benefit claims under the ESI scheme. This will provide hassle-free services to insured persons, and women, Karandlaje said.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 16 (IANS) Lung cancer, long known to affect smokers, is seeing a significant rise in people who do not smoke, said doctors on Monday, raising concern over the shift.

According to health experts, increased exposure to air pollution as the major reason.

A recent research, published in the Lancet’s eClinical Medicine Journal showed that a majority of lung cancer patients in India are non-smokers. The study noted that lung cancer cases are also manifesting in India about 10 years earlier as compared to Western countries.

“India’s lung cancer demographic presents a unique and concerning picture, with a rising incidence among younger individuals and an increasing number of cases occurring in non-smokers. Traditionally, lung cancer has been strongly associated with smoking, but we are witnessing a shift, especially in urban populations,” Dr. Prasad Adusumilli, Thoracic Surgeon and Cellular Therapist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), US, told IANS.

Adusumilli added that non-smokers, particularly women, are increasingly diagnosed with lung cancer around 10 years earlier than their Western counterparts, often with no history of smoking.

“This may be linked to various risk factors, including exposure to environmental pollutants, genetic predisposition, and lifestyle factors,” he explained.

Lung cancer is also the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally, with increasing cases among non-smokers, especially women and Asian populations.

India reports about 75,000 new cases every year. Worryingly, a considerable number of lung cancer patients are diagnosed at advanced stages in the country.

“Non-smoker lung cancer (LCINS) mainly presents as adenocarcinoma, affecting peripheral lung tissues. Key risk factors include air pollution, radon exposure, indoor cooking fumes, and second-hand smoke,” Dr. Jagadishwar Goud Gajagowni, an oncologist at a Hyderabad-based hospital.

“Environmental pollutants like fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in urban areas and radon in homes significantly contribute to risk. Poor indoor air quality from cooking with solid fuels in poorly ventilated spaces also poses a danger, especially in developing regions. Passive smoking further elevates risks, particularly in areas with high smoking rates among men, the doctor noted.

In terms of treatment, there have been significant advancements in lung cancer therapies. Minimally invasive surgical approaches and radiation therapies are offering patients a less invasive, more targeted approach, resulting in reduced recovery times and fewer side effects.

Further, “the development of targeted therapies has revolutionised the treatment landscape, offering more personalised and effective options for patients based on the molecular profile of their tumours,” Adusumilli said.

–IANS

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Seoul, Dec 16 (IANS) Maeil Dairies, a major dairy product manufacturer, on Monday issued an apology over an accident involving the mixing of cleaning solution in one of its sterilized milk products during production.

Maeil Dairies CEO Kim Seon-hee said in a statement posted on the company website that a valve operation error momentarily caused cleaning solution to mix with the 200 milliliter sterilized milk product at the company’s manufacturing plant in Gwangju, about 270 kilometers south of Seoul, on September 19.

“We sincerely apologize to our customers who have been shocked by this issue,” Kim said.

The company said about 50 units delivered to a single specific client were affected by the incident, reports Yonhap news agency.

The issue came to light after some employees at a major corporate research center reported symptoms, such as stomach pain and discoloration, after consuming the product provided through the company cafeteria last Thursday.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it was conducting an on-site investigation into the case with local authorities to find the cause of the incident.

“We will appropriately respond under related laws when the investigation results come out,” the food safety agency said.

Meanwhile, agricultural ministry here recently said that dairy farmers and businesses have reached an agreement to freeze the price of raw milk to alleviate the public burden amid ongoing inflation.

The agreement was reached after negotiations that began in June to address the rising production costs, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

As major milk producers, including Seoul Dairy Cooperative, Maeil Dairies Co. and Namyang Dairy Products, pledged to freeze the retail prices of their plain milk, the ministry added that the move will also help limit price hikes for other related goods that use milk as an ingredient.

Separate data compiled by Statistics Korea indicated that the production cost of milk increased by 4.6 won per litre from a year earlier.

–IANS

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