Has COVID-19 taken the wind out of the sails of India’s school feeding programme

Though the government issued guidelines to states to provide food to all eligible children in March 2020, implementation has been lax

Stillborn in Africa: UN pegs number at a million every year

Situation has worsened in 2 decades, may slip further due to COVID-19 pandemic, warns Unicef report

Topping the wrong chart: India has highest number of stillbirths

India recorded 0.34 million stillbirths in 2019; COVID-19 has disrupted health systems and added to the existing burden

A disease that breeds disease: why is type 2 diabetes linked to increased risk of cancer and dementia?

Risk factors for developing type two diabetes include being overweight, being physically inactive, having a poor diet, high blood pressure and …

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 

Childhood immunisation begins to pick up post-pandemic, finds UN data

Recovery slow and unequal; coverage was 84% in 2022, down from 86% pre-pandemic

Nearly 80 mln displaced globally by 2019-end, half of them children: UNHCR

Fewer displaced people have been able to return to their homes in 2019

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 …

COVID-19: Serosurvey estimated every fifth person in Chennai infected

Highest infection estimated to be in children, lowest in people more than 60 years

Autistic Pride Day 2020 dedicated to neurodiversity, celebrating differences

Autistic Pride Day, celebrated every year on June 18, spreads the message that people with autism do not have a disease

COVID-19, war and hunger: Yemen’s humanitarian crisis is becoming worse

Over 10 million are on the brink of famine; as many as 400,000 children are at the risk of dying, according to UN  

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

Teenage pregnancies in every 3 of 5 child brides, finds CRY

Non-profit study significant proportion of adolescent mothers had low-birth-weight babies

Run-up to CoP27: Parents revive demand to cut fossil fuel financing, urge leaders to prioritise child health

Last year a delegation of mothers presented a letter signed by over a million parents to the CoP president

Poor understanding of maternal, infant mortality rates & misuse of law behind Assam child marriage crackdown

State’s poor health performance lies in larger developmental issues; Prohibition of Child Marriage and POCSO Acts being misinterpretated

Lost childhood: COVID-19, floods trigger child trafficking in Bihar

State’s battered economy provides fertile ground to human traffickers

Remembering Kirk R Smith (1947-2020)

Kirk leaves us with the power of imagining change and hope 

Sudan conflict fallout: Over 1,200 children have died in country amid healthcare crisis, says UN

Children died from suspected measles and malnutrition; those under five account for over three-quarters of all deaths

COVID-19, poverty may have spurred child marriages in India: Activists

Numbers show one in every four in India is a child marriage, but ground situation may be even worse

A third of world’s children are poisoned by lead, says UNICEF report

India accounts for 275,561,163 of these children; lead levels in blood of Indian children show they can lose four intelligence quotient points …

Locally transmitted malaria in the US could be a harbinger of rising disease risk in a warming climate — 5 questions answered

These are first locally transmitted malaria cases in the US since 2003

There’s biodiversity in our backyard and it can help us fight malnourishment

Green leafy veggies are rich in vitamins and minerals

Malnutrition: India needs to urgently break inter-generational cycle

Under-nourished women, in all likelihood, became under-nourished mothers with a greater chance of giving birth to low birth-weight babies, …

5 tips to help parents navigate the unique needs of children with autism learning from home

Research shows adapting teaching to incorporate students’ special interests can help students on the autism spectrum learn academic and …

Malnourished, under-weight children in India can increase by more than 4 mln: Study

The COVID-19 pandemic can contribute to food shocks that make children more prone to malnourishment