Through the thick air
This Diwali, PM 10 and PM 2.5 reached eight times the safe limit. Its not the first time and it won't be the last. Burning of crop stubble, road …
WHO changes approach to treating severely malnourished children
New guidelines say children suffering from severe acute malnutrition need not be hospitalised, and can be treated more effectively at home
The thalidomide story explained
How a drug prescribed for nausea in pregnant women led to severe limb defects in their babies
‘Vermin, serious threat to children’s lives’: Kerala state child rights body moves SC for culling stray dogs
Also asks for strict action against those abandoning animals; 6,276 attacks reported in state this year
What is in the Union Budget 2021-22 for children? Not much
The budget continues to deprive pregnant women, lactating mothers and children from vital benefits of schemes and interventions
Sure cure: how to tackle India's undernutrition crisis in 10 steps
The finance ministry and the planning department can play an overarching role by ensuring health programmes get sufficient resources
Cradles of hope
A recent health survey throws up figures that defy logic. Some districts in India’s nine most backward states have curbed infant mortality …
Dust pollution in Sub-Saharan Africa raised infant mortality: Study
A 25% spike in local annual mean particulate concentrations in West Africa caused an 18% increase in infant mortality
Union Budget 2021-22: Time to step up public investment in nutrition
Nutrition interventions, with an already faltering coverage, hit a blockade due to COVID-19 disruptions; the Union Budget is a critical …
Will PepsiCo food replace hot, cooked mid day meals in schools?
Secretary for food processing denies any knowledge of Harsimrat Kaur Badal speaking to PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi to provide processed food …
Nicotine anywhere
Tobacco manufacturer ITC exploits legal loopholes to openly advertise and sell nicotine gums
Steps to check infant deaths in West Bengal prove too little
42 infants have died at Kolkata super speciality hospital; most were referred and came in critical condition
Surrogate mothers get little money, have no say: study
Rapidly growing business of 'rent a womb' valued at USD 500 million, but there is no law to protect the interest of surrogate mothers, says …
Two billion children exposed to high levels of air pollution: UNICEF
Every year, about 600,000 children under the age of five die from diseases linked to indoor and outdoor air pollution
World Health Statistics 2015: some achievements, many concerns
Down To Earth highlights the world’s performance on health-related development goals, where our successes lie and where efforts are still a …
Sexual violence is a pervasive threat for female farm workers — here’s how the US could reduce their risk
Studies show 80% of Mexican and Mexican American women farmworkers in US have experienced some form of sexual harassment at work
Sugar-stricken
Reducing the intake of sugar as per the World Health Organization's recommendation is a must to lower the risk of non-communicable diseases
Get your own vaccine
Down To Earth filed an RTI application to find out the reason of vaccine shortage in India. The response revealed how a plan to promote private …
Acute malnutrition risking 30 million children’s lives: WHO
8 million children severely malnourished; UN agencies call for urgent action to protect the most vulnerable in 15 countries
Union budget 2020-21 - explained in 15 charts
Nirmala Sitharaman's budget has little to offer rural India. Allocation to several schemes were slashed below 2019-20 revised estimates&…
Your early morning walk could be a risk to your health
Pollution monitoring shows green areas in Delhi have much higher PM2.5 levels than road intersections during the early hours
Children under threat !
Rising cases of respiratory ailments in children, due to air pollution, fail to stir the Indian government
Supreme Court bans sale of firecrackers in Delhi, NCR
The licences of existing firecrackers sellers will be suspended and the government will not issue new licences
Non-monetary indicator of poverty
Our policy makers should move away from the income criterion for estimating poverty and take cognisance of other indicators
Day after mid-day meal deaths, vitamin A dose kills child in Bihar
Another incident of poisoning caused by mid-day meal reported from Bihar's Madhubani district