(In the weekly Health Matters newsletter, Ramya Kannan writes about getting to good health, and staying there. You can subscribe here to get the newsletter in your inbox.)
Sometimes good news is only a veneer. The air quality in Delhi is one example. Late last week, it yo-yoed between the ‘severe’ and ‘very poor’ categories, as if very poor was something to heave a sigh of relief over. But it did happen.
Sample this, for instance. Delhi air quality improves from ‘severe’ to ‘very poor’. This was the case last Thursday, but even so, various places in Delhi remained in the cap of ‘severe’ category air pollution, as the AQI in Anand Vihar is 405, Ashok Vihar is 414, Bawana is 418, Dwarka Sector-8 is 401, Mundka is 413 and Wazirpur is 436. This situation has affected the rail movements in the region with several trains either getting late or rescheduled. We did mention respiratory discomfort and distress last week; these negative impacts on health continue in this continuing scenario. To think we would celebrate a day when the AQI would slip to very poor! Only the very next day, we went back to rueing ‘severe AQI’. Sometimes even marks on the barometer, rain gauge, and AQI become jokes.
In an OpEd piece, Soumya Swaminathan,Kalpana Balakrishnan and Vijay Shankar Balakrishnan stress the urgency of setting up an environmental health regulatory agency in India. The authors explain: Pollutants in our air, water and land continue to pose grave health risks. According to the Emissions Gap Report 2024 from the United Nations Environment Programme, India has seen over 6% more greenhouse gas emissions than the previous year. These two examples show that India is at a critical juncture in its environmental and public health journey.
Further, they added: The interdependencies between climate, environment, health, and the economy are undeniable but capacities to address these issues holistically are limited. It is time for India to establish an environmental health regulatory agency (EHRA), which could lead to more comprehensive and cohesive environmental governance that focuses simultaneously on pollution control and health risk mitigation.
Do see this piece too, to understand the very manifestations air pollution is predicted to exhibit: After a health emergency, air pollution foretells an economic one. It argues that pollution is ‘inside us’, and thus is no longer only an environmental issue, it is a healthcare issue. The author goes on to describe the various solutions being put forth, including creating interdependencies between climate, environment, health, and the economy, and introducing systemic changes in the transportation, energy, and health sectors.
In this context, Tamil Nadu plans to set up a One Health hub to tackle health risks linked to climate change is welcome. While more details are awaited about the roll out, do hit the above link for the information that the health department has released thus far.
Other relevant stories this past week included:
Bindu Shajan Perappadan brings you a primer on how to survive living with poor AQI
Supreme Court on Delhi air pollution: No slackening with GRAP-IV even if air quality improves
The Hindu’s edit: A consistent response: On air pollution responses in Delhi
Mukul Sanwal looks at the what the courts have said in Clearing the air on Delhi’s pollution crisis
Another important story looking at the health impact of setting up waste-to-energy plants in our cities: Afroz Khan, Chythenyen Devika Kulasekaran, Geo Damin, Vishvaja Sambath Taking health into consideration, is garbage incineration the way forward to tackle waste?
While we remember that women and children are disproportionately affected by air pollution, it would also be a good segue into the next segment. A UNICEF report earlier, spoke of the particular challenges of the children of today: It said they are confronting a more unpredictable, hazardous environment than any previous generation. The report examines the impact of three long-term global forces — demographic shifts, climate and environmental crises, and frontier technologies — which it says will have a profound effect on children’s lives between now and 2050. That is indeed a heavy burden to load on young shoulders.
Researchers, meanwhile, have found links between oral contraceptives and blood pressure in women. A researcher said: when at around 50 years of age women enter menopause and ovaries stop producing hormones, cardiovascular risk increases. Hence, there is a need to determine whether the use of contraceptive pills is a contributing factor to cardiovascular risk in menopausal females.
In Scotland, the results of a study show promise for women across the world. Researchers found zero cervical cancer cases among women vaccinated early .
If you are wondering why this story is here: Centre directs all States, UTs to hold ground-level surveys, identify gaps and expedite construction of Individual Household Latrines, well, read on… Children living in fragile contexts are particularly vulnerable, being three times more likely to practice open defecation and eight times more likely to lack basic drinking water services. In conflict-affected areas, children under 15 are nearly three times more likely to die from diseases linked to poor sanitation than from direct violence, underscoring the catastrophic impact of inadequate sanitation.
Also, we would advise you spend some time reading this long-form story by Mehul Malplani on The fire that engulfed newborn babies in the Jhansi hospital.
A new study has found that entrenched inter-personal and structural stigma, including amongst law enforcement and healthcare professionals, deeply impacts the mental health of transwomen. While the rigours of taking bold gender decisions are quite apparent, this study highlights the role of a structured support system in helping transgender persons.
An important milestone that we recorded this past week: First randomised study on the drug treatment optimisation for hypertension in India completed. The research initiative tested the effectiveness of three double anti-hypertensive pill combinations in South Asian populations with uncontrolled hypertension. Conducted over two years in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Imperial College, London, the study demonstrated that all the three combinations were equally effective and safe in regulating blood pressure.
November also accommodates the World Antimicrobial Resistance awareness week, and here are some stories to mark this very significant problem in India today.
Afshan Yasmeen devotes an entire page to look at the AMR conundrum in modern medicine: When more antibiotics cure fewer diseases. Karnataka is framing an Action Plan to Mitigate Antimicrobial Resistance (AMAR), expected to be launched early next year. The incremental risk to life with infection, multidrug resistance and the side effects of powerful antibiotics is the ‘terrible triad’ of modern antimicrobial resistance. COVID-19 brought us together like never before, and AMR is a more powerful threat that needs global cooperation beyond boundaries, a doctor says.
Manica Balasegaram argues that India can lead the way in tackling antimicrobial resistance. Despite its own burden of disease and being portrayed by the international community as the ground zero of the global AMR crisis, India may be the heart of the solution. Because, given its scientific expertise, clinical resources and pharmaceutical sector, India has everything it needs to not only reverse the crisis within its own borders but also to lead the way in the global AMR response, she argues.
Can use genomic labs set up during pandemic to measure antimicrobial resistance Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said, during a recent event in Chennai to commemorate AMR Day.
Following up on last week, do read this interview with the Indian Medical Association by Siddharth Kumar Singh. Dr. Asokan criticises National Task Force recommendations, says they are out of touch with reality. He re-emphasises the need for a national law to prevent violence against healthcare workers.
This week’s tailpiece is a bit of a blowing of the trumpet, do indulge us, it’s not often we do this. The Hindu team, including health reporter Serena Josephine M., won an award at a hackathon on eradicating tuberculosis stigma conducted in Chennai. While congratulations are in order, it might be noted that sometimes we do a little more than writing to solve the world’s crises!
In our explainers section, it could be said this week, that we have quite outdone ourselves:
Zubeda Hamid asks Should packaged food content be labelled?
Vaishali R. Venkat explains the differences here: What are the AB PM-JAY and ABHA health cards?
Vasudevan Mukunth interprets that the Tamil Nadu heatwave policy is only a start
I look at what the recent The Lancet estimates of the number of diabetics in India mean for the country.
Rajeev Jayadevan expands on the recent study: Using the body’s own defences to fight cancer: a clue from COVID-19
Arun Panchapakesan Examines the ethics of self-experimentation, after a virologist injects herself to treat cancer
C. Aravinda writes on Understanding why chemotherapy is a lifeline in cancer care
V. Rajesh Prabu provides tips: If your child is getting contact lenses, here’s what you need to know
If you have a few moments extra to spare, do also read the following stories:
R. Prasad Study shows fatal spread of H5N1 virus from ferrets to suckling kits
WHO lists mpox vaccine by Japan’s KM Biologics for emergency use
Ayush campaign to help citizens adopt personalised preventive health practices: Ayush Minister
Rahul Karmakar writes: Major WHO-partnered eye care project in Assam soon
For many more health stories, head to our health page and subscribe to the health newsletter here.
Published – November 26, 2024 03:46 pm IST
