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. …
The mystery fever hit Uttar Pradesh 20 years ago. It was linked to viruses like Nipah, Chandipura, West Nile and JE. The JE virus was the most accepted causal agent even though the authorities failed to find the virus in the samples collected. In Saharanpur, out of 99 cases of …
Parents should have some afterthought before using hard transparent plastic bottles for feeding their babies. A panel of scientists has warned that such polycarbonated plastic bottles contain the chemical bisephanol A, which could be causing neural and behavioural disorders in children. The panel, consisting of government, university and industry scientists, …
in a repeat of last year's grim toll, over 20 children, including infants, died of malnutrition and other diseases in two gram panchayats in Orissa's Similipal Wildlife Sanctuary since January 2007. A report by an independent fact-finding team links poverty, unhygienic drinking water and absence of healthcare facilities to the …
problem drug: Pediatric ritalin use may affect developing brain in children, says a new study. Use of the attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder drug may cause long-term changes in the brain, suggests a study on very young rats by researchers from the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. Ritalin
the polio vaccine administered at present may be unsafe. There is a controversy brewing over its potency. Experts in India say that the monovalent oral vaccine (mopv1) is being used without assessing its safety. It was introduced in the country in 2005 after it was given a fast track licence …
An international consortium of scientists recently emphasised on the irreversible harm that toxic chemicals can cause to foetuses and infants. The consensus was reached at the International Conference on Foetal Programming and Developmental Toxicity held in May at the north Atlantic Faroe Islands. Over 200 experts came out with the
the largest ever cluster of childhood leukaemia cases in the vicinity of a nuclear facility has been reported by a German-American team of epidemiologists. The cluster of 15 children was found within 5 km of the Krmmel nuclear power plant in Geesthacht and a neighbouring nuclear research operation along the …
a signal booster mobile tower over a maternity hospital in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, has become the point of an imprecise issue. Sultania Zanana Hospital, a 250-bed government maternity hospital, recently allowed cellular network company Airtel to install a mobile tower over its ante-natal and delivery ward for better connectivity. This …
There is something not-so-comical about our comic channels. A recent study says Nickelodeon, the popular entertainment channel, is spreading junk food among kids through its advertisements. Center for Science in the Public Interest (cspi), a us-based ngo, has examined 168 Nickelodeon television food advertisements, another 21 food ads in Nickelodeon …
Jacob Puliyel and colleagues highlight the importance of ensuring appropriate ethical standards are adhered to in the course of scientific studies. In our study of the fi eld effi cacy of monovalent oral type 1 poliovirus vaccine (mOPV1), we analysed existing surveillance data from acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases collected …
It's quite well-known that indigenous communities share an intricate relationship with their environments. Their understanding of plants, also called ethnobotanical knowledge, is crucial to the health of these communities. Researchers from four different universities
Judgement of the Delhi High Court on the decision of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) awarding contracts for providing cooked mid-day meals to students of Primary schools in Delhi dated 08/06/2007.
Blood lead level BLL and growth parameters including weight and height, in children, living in lead mining area was surveyed. Two groups of 7-11 yr old children, including 45 from a lead mining area (Angooran-Zanjan Province-Iran) and 36 from control area (similar area to the study area, but not lead …
All public expenditure meant for development of a community can be expected to have some benefits for children as well. However, in a country where children are clearly a disadvantaged section, there exists a strong case for identifying that part of the public expenditure specifically earmarked for addressing their needs. …
AT the time of independence, India faced the twin problems of acute and chronic undernutrition of its children. This was essentially a result of low dietary intake because of poverty and low purchasing power, high prevalence of infection because of poor access to safe drinking water, sanitation and health care …
India's children continue to face a huge backlog of deprivations. For instance, India in 2005 reported an IMR of 58 deaths per 1000 live births. In contrast, China reported in 2005 an IMR of 23 and Bangladesh of 54. Neonatal deaths that account for 65% of infant mortality remain exceptionally …
In November last year, Brazil's National Health Monitoring Agency launched a public debate on regulations that would ban radio and tv advertising for soft drinks and foods with sugar, saturated fat or salt. The government is expected to issue a decree on such measures in June. Brazil is not alone. …
Anaemia is a widespread condition in India. The biggest cause is malnourishment and iron-poor diets. Though the best remedy is a good diet, anaemia has spawned a huge market for iron supplements, usually of the expensive variety (see box: Market slice). A 2006 market survey by the Drug Action Forum-Karnataka …
traffic fumes decrease lung function among children and make the organs vulnerable to irreversible long-term damage, a new study has found. The study published in The Lancet (Vol 369) links local traffic fumes to lung development deficits. Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California …
