New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) India on Saturday got the first animal stem cell biobank and animal stem cell laboratory that will focus on regenerative medicine and therapies for livestock.Inaugurated by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, the biobank and lab is situated at the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad.The cutting-edge facility of Animal BioBank is spread over 9,300 sq ft and has been constructed at a cost of RS …

New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) In a bid to boost the safe food practices in the country, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has trained more than 3 lakh street street food vendors, the government informed the Parliament.In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, stated the steps undertaken by the government to boost food safety standards in the country.This includes the Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTa…

Addis Ababa, Aug 9 (IANS) The death toll from Africa’s ongoing mpox outbreak has surpassed 1,900 since the start of 2024, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said. During an online media briefing, Ngashi Ngongo, chief of staff and head of the Africa CDC’s Executive Office, said that 27 mpox-affected African countries have reported 174,597 cases and 1,922 related deaths since the start of last year.”When we compare the data of last year and this year, we see that in…

Kolkata, Aug 9 (IANS) In August last year, West Bengal was rocked by widespread protests over the ghastly rape and murder of a lady junior doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata within the hospital premises.Doctors, common men, and women had taken to the streets to protest, demand justice, and hold the state government accountable for its failure to provide security to women in workplaces.On the anniversary of the tragic incident, another round of protests and ral…

Nairobi, Aug 9 (IANS) The World Health Organisation (WHO) certified Kenya as having eliminated human African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, as a public health challenge, making it the 10th country to reach this critical milestone.”I congratulate the government and people of Kenya on this landmark achievement,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement issued in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.”Kenya joins the growing ranks of countries freeing their popul…

New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) India is committed to enhancing global regulatory cooperation in the herbal medicines sector, said Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush.He was speaking at the three-day workshop at the WHO-International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines (IRCH) organised by Ministry of Ayush.In his inaugural address, Kotecha highlighted India’s leadership as the lead country for WHO-IRCH Working Group 1 on Safety and Regulation and Working Group 3 on Efficacy and…

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 9 (IANS) With support pouring in from all quarters for Thiruvananthapuram Medical College whistleblower Dr Harris Chirackal — who alleged he was being “harassed” for exposing corruption and systemic failures in Kerala’s healthcare sector — the state government appears poised to quietly end its investigation against him.The widely respected doctor, who admitted he had to seek psychiatric help due to stress, said State Health Minister Veena George personally visited…

New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) UK scientists have discovered how some children develop natural immunity to Strep A, a common bacterial infection — a vital breakthrough which could help develop vaccines to save up to half a million lives globally each year.While Strep A often causes a mild sore throat or skin infections, it sometimes be life-threatening.In low and middle-income countries hundreds of thousands of people die each year after contracting the infection. This increased risk is often linked t…

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav on Friday called for collective action to put rural women at the centre of climate and health agendas.His statement came as he launched a white paper by Transform Rural India (TRI) and the Development Intelligence Unit (DiU) at the fifth edition of the India Rural Colloquy in the national capital.The white paper explores the impact of climate change on rural women’s health and well-being.”We must foster the growth of n…

Aizawl, Aug 8 (IANS) Mizoram’s Lunglei district administration earned national recognition as its flagship maternal and child health initiative — Project BLOOM — was presented at the ‘Best Practices Seminar’ organised by the NITI Aayog at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, officials said on Friday. The NITI Aayog event celebrated successful interventions from 329 aspirational districts and 500 aspirational blocks across the country. An official statement said that under the theme “Transforming Health…