Zika has unborn victims in Madhya Pradesh

As India fights its first Zika outbreak, Down To Earth finds a grievously unprepared response system in virus-hit districts of Vidisha and Bhopal …

Indians could have lived for 1.7 years more with cleaner air

Every 8th death in country is due to air pollution, finds first state-wide research on its impact  

South Africa faces highest risk of deaths from non-communicable diseases

South Africans are more likely to die from NCDs even though the country is threatened by a prolific HIV epidemic 

Will this be the fourth consecutive warm winter?

Longer monsoon spell, warm winter lengthen mosquito-borne disease outbreaks across India

Why pregnancy brings distress for women in Sierra Leone

A crumbling health system deters women from going to hospitals, making the West African country home to the world's highest maternal death rate

Africa constitutes 40% of those affected by Neglected Tropical Diseases in world

Sub-Saharan Africa can save almost US $52 billion in the next decade by eliminating Neglected Tropical diseases by 2020  

Tiny pollutants your body has no defence against unchecked

While there are no regulations or safe standards of PM1 or PM0.1, they can easily penetrate to lungs and block oxygen-blood exchange

Why Africa's healthcare is struggling with basics

Without political will and robust investments in healthcare, Africa cannot break out of the underdevelopment trap

Lack of global funds likely to kill millions from malaria: WHO

The world fell short of US 1.3 billion in 2017 to check malaria and at least 400,000 are likely to die in 2018 if enough funds are not arranged

WHO launches high impact plan to check malaria

The newly launched response, high burden to high impact, builds on the principle that no one should die from a disease that can be easily prevented

Method to prescribe tamarind for chikungunya yet to be found

A new study shows that tamarind seed can help cure chikungunya but the method to prescribe it is yet to be found, says an author of the study

Mobile health system can help regulate hypertension, diabetes: study

Basic parameters such as blood sugar and cholesterol need to be fed into the mHealth system, called mWellcare

Cancer now kills more than double the Indians it did in 1990

An ICMR study finds that while 3.82 lakh cancer patients died in 1990, the number jumped to 8.13 lakh in 2016

After Rajasthan, Zika affects 89 in Madhya Pradesh

Out of the 89 people who tested positive for Zika, 17 are pregnant women

Indian scientists identify cells linked to obsessive-compulsive behaviour

Targeting the development of cells that triggers obsessive-compulsive behaviour can help treat the root cause of autoimmune diseases rather …

New algorithm may help heart patients in remote areas

The new algorithm promises to help transmit heart parameters even on a low-bandwidth network and make it easier for cardiologists to interpret …

Upward development trend responsible for rising emission levels

Energy-efficient and sustainable urbanisation can address public health and climate change challenges simultaneously

Did you know dogs can detect malaria in our breath?

Using dogs to detect malaria in humans can help speed up global eradication of the disease as the method is non-invasive and allows many samples …

Teen makes device that predicts heart attack six hours in advance

It keeps a tab on biomarker level and if it crosses the critical point, the device alerts the patient

All you need to know about Zika and how it spreads

Nitesh Pandey, a researcher in Evolutionary Medicine with Indian Astrobiology Research Foundation, talks about Zika and how the mobility of …

Deal with Russia air defence system

Zika needs to be controlled but how?

With 131 cases of Zika infections being reported in Rajasthan, the country is up in arms against the disease but has no reliable way of dealing …

New centre to help farmers become climate resilient

The centre would focus on real-time structured surveillance for insect-pests and diseases using GPS-tagging techniques

Emerging cross-species infections are killing lions and humans

Infectious agents causing life-threatening diseases are spreading to new hosts, and human actions, ranging from dairy farming to tourism, are …

World will not achieve universal sanitation coverage by 2030: WHO

On the launch of its first global guidelines on sanitation and health, the WHO called for increased investment to reach the goal of toilet for all