Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating give us pleasure. …
For the estimated five million severely malnourished children in the country, providing sufficient food might seem to be the obvious solution. Despite the existing programmes on child nutrition, the status of malnourishment has not changed much over the last 15 years. Top nutritionists in the country recently suggested an approach …
OUT of the 230 people who succumbed to Japanese encephalitis (JE) in Gorakhpur this year, only five have received the promised compensation, which was distributed under instructions from Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav. Initially, eligibility criteria for the compensation weren't clarified; later people below the poverty line were …
Why should epidemiological studies include social aspects of diseases? Public health requires an interdisciplinary approach. So, at the hsrc we study all factors that cause disease and what prevents people from accessing health care. For example, in my area of interest, hiv and poverty, we found that not only do …
bacco off the shelf: Thailand has taken a strong step against tobacco sales in the country. They ordered vendors in September to remove all cigarettes from display or risk a US $50,000 fine. Activists say cigarette packets are also effectively an advertisement and so should be hidden from view. sa …
viral cancer: The fusion of human cells is a normal process that leads, for instance, to the formation of muscle and bone. Viral infections can also cause cell fusion, but such cells are generally believed to die without consequences for the host. According to a recent study, however, cell fusion …
scientists and even practitioners of traditional medicine have long believed that understanding the genetic makeup of a person could help tailor a healthier diet. The same principle can now be extended to a database of small variations in a person's genetic makeup called HapMap, to devise more effective cures and …
A Russian study has found papaya (Carica papaya) can heal wounds and burns, lending credence to what people in Asia and Africa, where the fruit is commonly grown, have long known. A team of scientists led by molecular biologist E V Mikhalchik of Russian State Medical University found a gel …
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In the rural heartland of eastern Uttar Pradesh (up), it is difficult to find that criminal called Japanese encephalitis (je). je is transmitted from infected pigs to humans by mosquitoes. So I decided to track down villages with piggeries (pig-keeping is a survival profession here). Travelling from Gorakhpur city to …
as human trials of the first Indian rotavirus (rv) vaccine move to an advanced stage, some scientists have expressed concern about its effectiveness in view of the constantly emerging strains of the virus. But developers of the candidate vaccine hope this vaccine will work against most, if not all, strains. …
function table() { var popurl="image/20051015/43-table.jpg" winpops=window.open(popurl,"","width=520,height=220,scrollbars=yes") } A booming economy with dismal human development indices (hdi): that's the summary of India's score-sheet in the recently released un Human Development Report (hdr), 2005. India stood 127
on September 21, 2005 came a press release. "A Task Force on Health Tourism constituted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare would assess the opportunities for promoting India as a health destination, recommend action to be taken by the Central and State Governments and specially recommend about super …
The central committee for food standards (CCFS), a statutory advisory body under the Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW), recently recommend to the ministry that labelling of nutritional value on all food products be made necessary under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA). Industry representatives opposed the …
mosquito repellent: A bird found in Alaska is believed to emit a natural mosquito repellent, according to Hector Douglas, a researcher at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. The crested auklet gives off a citrus smell that repels mosquitoes and pests such as ticks and lice. An analysis of the chemicals …
us scientists have found that 4-nonylphenol (4- np), a chemical released into the environment from cleaning materials, textiles and plastics, mimics the female sex hormone oestrogen and hence it may act as a trigger for breast cancer. Once 4- np enters the body, it stimulates an enzyme system in the …
a bug that thrives in bogs, ponds and lakes could help reduce the incidence of filariasis, claims a group of researchers from the Entomology and Wildlife Research Unit of the Calcutta University and the Darjeeling Government College. The insect, Sphaerodema annulatum, preys on the immature stages (larva and pupa) of …
resh doubts have been raised about the safety of aspartame, an artificial sweetener used extensively in processed foods and also as a tabletop sweetener. The European Food Safety Authority (efsa) has decided to evaluate its safety in view of the findings of a study carried out by the European Foundation …
The report seeks to boldly address many critical issues confronting the health sector such as inequitable access to basic services resulting in welfare loss for the poor, the inefficiencies in the system resulting in waste and suboptimal utilization of existing resources, the poor quality and declining values, ethical norms etc. …
Flaring concern: Nigeria's rural communities affected by gas-flaring recently filed a lawsuit in the federal High Court in Benin city to make oil giants Shell, Exxon, Chevron and Total desist from the illegal practice. The Nigerian government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation have also been named in the case, …
