A plague on this country
The plague today holds the same threshold of dread that it did in the 14th century. So when the Black Death struck India late last month, the …
Deceptive bug behind Andhra disease
A seemingly harmless germ has been on a killing spree. This is what has been detected by the National Institute of Virology in respect of the …
The muck stops here
Indian lakes are no longer serene waterbodies. Instead, they have become stinking cesspools, a result of continuous inflow of sewage and massive …
Nigeria faces shortage of meningitis vaccine as epidemic spreads
A new strand of the disease has emerged, for which vaccine is not available commercially
SARS Wars
SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) is making the world sneeze. Even as the global health community struggles to unmask a new, deadly, …
What could have turned yellow fever outbreak into a global disaster?
Fast spread of yellow fever and lack of steady supply of vaccine had put WHO and global aid agencies in a spot
Yellow fever grips DRC, Angola
More than 11 million doses of the yellow fever vaccine have been sent to Angola since February this year and more than 2 million to DRC
Draft Public Health Bill restrictive, unclear: experts
They raise concern over the sudden introduction of the bill and its covert focus on bioterrorism
'Ebola is the result of environmental degradation'
Peter Hotez is the co-founder of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases that provides access to essential medicines for millions of …
New diseases are the result of environmental degradation
After being instrumental in the eradication of smallpox, D A Henderson , director, Centre for Civilian Biodefence, Johns Hopkins University, USA,…
High-flying disease
From now onwards we have to battle with another mysterious enemy. Since February 2003, a disease similar to influenza has 'officially' killed 48 …
Why's malaria taking its toll?
Assam faces a spate of malaria deaths. As the disease assumes near epidemic proportions, it is becoming increasingly clear that the government …
Malarial vector back with a vengeance in Rajasthan
Incessant rains and the resultant stagnant water in canals and fields have spawned a malaria epidemic in the western part of the state
Ebola unleashed
The deadly virus had long confined itself to the backwoods of Africa. Increasing deforestation has led to its frequent emergence as epidemics
When flu turns fatal
In the past two months, as many as 1,198 people in India have died of swine flu, a disease which is only as threatening as seasonal flu. Jyotsna …
"India's health infrastructure was never something to be pround of"
The panic created when the plague rippled out from Surat and threatened other parts of the country exposed India's complete lack of resources for …
Stagnation as a culture
WATER is for flowing. When made to stagnate, it buzzes deafeningly of a culture of deliberate ignorance. Look at the misfortune of the people of …
The plague took us by surprise
ASHISH KUMAR MUKHERJEE is the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), and as the country's topmost health bureaucrat, was the man …
Why diseases are "mysterious"
The government's public health system is completely defunct. Of late, there has been an alarming rise in disease outbreaks in the country. …