'Blood clots surge like never before…': McCullough drops COVID vaccine bombshell at Senate hearing - The Economic Times Video
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News18
43 minutes ago
- News18
Maharashtra reports six fresh COVID-19 cases
Last Updated: Mumbai, July 29 (PTI) Maharashtra recorded six COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the tally to 2,726 since January, the state public health department said. It stated that 43 patients, including 42 with comorbidities and one with another disease, have succumbed to the infection so far this year. Of the six infections, two are reported in Mumbai and one each in municipal areas of Thane, Kalyan, Navi Mumbai, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Mumbai's tally of cases stands at 1,091, including 551 infections reported in June and 99 in July. The health department conducted 41,872 COVID-19 tests across Maharashtra so far this year. The number of recoveries is 2,650. PTI SM NSK First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
How to put an end to Hepatitis B
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated August 4, 2025)Every 30 seconds, globally, someone dies from hepatitis-related liver infections—amounting to 1.3 million deaths annually as per WHO 2024 estimates. The Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) alone contributes to nearly 900,000 of these deaths, mostly due to cirrhosis and liver cancer. That's more than malaria, and approaching tuberculosis levels. The virus is carried by an estimated 29 million Indians—the second-highest number globally. And yet, despite having a protective vaccine and effective antivirals for over three decades, we have failed to eliminate it. Why?advertisementThe painful truth: doctors have failed to engage society. We treated HBV as a medical issue, not a societal one like COVID-19, HIV or tuberculosis. For most people, the infection lasts less than six months. For others, it can get chronic and seriously damage the liver. Shockingly, less than 10 per cent of infected individuals are diagnosed; stigma around sexual transmission of the virus has led to under 5 per cent receiving treatment. This ignorance is far from bliss. The HBV can spread through blood, semen, saliva and other bodily fluids, as well as maternally. But the infected are not at the real case of 67-year-old Dr D. Basu (name changed) from Hubli. A CT scan for mild abdominal discomfort revealed a 5 cm liver cancer. He had tested HBV-positive 35 years ago, but never followed up or took treatment. He even hid the diagnosis from his family. When we treated his cancer, his brother and 37-year-old daughter Kalyani also tested positive, likely due to maternal transmission and later sexual or vertical transmission. This tragic case underlines some key precautions to follow. Periodic monitoring in the HBV-infected is a must—one in 10 of those infected develop cirrhosis or cancer. Patients undergo repeated testing but get no treatment as current guidelines are restrictive, excluding nearly 60 per cent from treatment. Patients live with anxiety, fear and stigma. We must move from treating a select few to treating all HBV-positives. One pill, like tenofovir, taken daily can suppress the virus lifelong, halt transmission and prevent Dr Basu's daughter, could have been protected with a birth dose. She was not given HBV vaccination at birth. India's birth-dose coverage is just 63 per cent. Despite being one of the cheapest vaccines and India being a major vaccine producer, the HBV vaccine is scarcely available in private markets here and public awareness is dismal. Only 4.4 per cent of Delhi's adults are fully vaccinated. Are you? Sadly, nearly one-third of health professionals aren't either. Every Indian child and adult should know: the HBV vaccine is safe, effective and for taught us the power of self-testing. All close contacts of the HBV-infected must be screened. Enact anti-discrimination laws in education, workplaces and healthcare. We need HBV kits to enable one-stop testing and treatment. At least 80 per cent of diagnosed patients must be linked to free, accessible treatment. Integrating HBV services with programmes for prenatal care, non-communicable diseases, HIV and tuberculosis is essential. We must integrate hepatitis testing into routine healthcare check-ups and general population-based screening. Pregnant women should be screened for both HBV and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)—the latter spreads only through blood contact and affects 5.5 million launched the National Viral Hepatitis Control Program (NVHCP) on July 28, 2018—one of the world's largest campaigns aiming to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030. It offers free diagnosis and treatment for HBV and HCV. While impressive work on screening has been done, the treatment uptake remains low. We need a massive awareness drive and a movement for public around 3,500 global hepatitis deaths daily—11 per cent from India—the crisis demands urgency. Every avoidable death is a call to act. Each preventable infection highlights our collective failure, and an opportunity to act. We need a society-wide approach, powered by political will, scientific leadership and strong community engagement. Let us break it down. No shame. No blame. Just a cure.—The author is Professor of Eminence, Chancellor, ILBS UniversitySubscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsTrending Reel
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Indian diplomat visits Syria for meetings with regime led by al-Sharaa
New Delhi: India has made a formal outreach to Syria's provisional government led by former Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, with a middle-ranking diplomat visiting Damascus for meetings with Syrian ministers. Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. (REUTERS) This was the first official visit to Damascus from the Indian side since al-Sharaa, whose group was once affiliated to al-Qaeda, assumed power after ousting the regime of Bashar al-Assad following a lightning offensive last December. There was no official word from the Indian side on the visit by Suresh Kumar, director of the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) division of the external affairs ministry. Kumar's meetings with Syria's foreign and education ministers in Damascus on Monday were reported by State-run SANA news agency. 'A beginning had to be made and India had to register its presence. You have to open the door at some point,' a person familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. Syria's foreign minister Asaad Al-Shaibani and the Indian delegation led by Kumar discussed 'issues of mutual concern and ways of enhancing relations between the two countries in the interests of both peoples', SANA reported. The meeting between Kumar and Syrian health minister Musab Al-Ali focused on enhancing health cooperation, particularly in the fields of pharmaceutical industries and medical training, according to another report by SANA. The two sides also discussed a mechanism for implementing a scholarship for Syrian students, and allocating a specialised engineering cooperation programme for government employees. Al-Ali stressed Syria's aspiration to establish a strong partnership with India in pharmaceutical industries and health technologies in order to support the national health sector and provide medicines. Kumar said India will continue funding specialised training courses for Syrian personnel, coordinate the training of Syrian doctors in Indian centres, and enhance cooperation in nursing, pharmaceutical industries and pharmaceutical exports, the report said. India has had strong political ties with Syria and both countries were key members of the Non-Aligned Movement. India's traditional support for Arab causes such as the issue of Palestine was appreciated by Syria. India also backed Syria's right to the Golan Heights, currently occupied by Israel, and its full return to the country. Under the Assad family, the Syrian government usually backed India at multilateral forums, including on the issue of Kashmir. In response to a request from Damascus for emergency humanitarian aid in 2021, the Indian government gifted 2,000 tonnes of rice to Syria. During the Covid-19 pandemic, India sent 10 tonnes of medicines to Syria. This was the largest medical assistance from any country to Syria during the pandemic. India has been monitoring the situation in Syria since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. At the time, India evacuated 77 Indian nationals from Syria. 'We hope that the new constitution, due to be drafted, takes into account the interests of all the sections of the Syrian society,' the external affairs ministry said in a statement around the time of the change of government. In January, al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander who went by the name Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, became president of the provisional government. People familiar with the matter said the outreach to Damascus was influenced by Syria's strategic location in West Asia – the country shares borders with five key regional actors, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon – and the long-standing ties between the two sides. The outreach also follows the US decision to end sanctions on Syria after a meeting between al-Sharaa and President Donald Trump in May.
