On the occasion of World Thalassemia Day, doctors and health experts at Paras Health, Panchkula, are calling attention to the urgent need for increased awareness, early screening, and improved access to treatment for thalassemia in India.
Thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder caused by abnormal hemoglobin production, continues to pose a major public health challenge. India carries nearly 25% of the global β-thalassemia burden, with approximately 100,000 patients and an estimated 42 million carriers.

Eating a diet rich in vegetables, legumes, and whole grains in childhood can delay the onset of menstruation in girls, according to a new study.

The findings, published in the journal Human Reproduction remained unaltered by the girls’ body mass index (BMI) or height, both of which have been associated with the earlier onset of periods.

The study has implications for health in later life as it is well known that women who started their periods at an early age may be at higher risk for diabetes, obesity, breast cancer, and diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

“I think our findings highlight the need for all children and adolescents to have access to healthy meal options and the importance of school-based breakfasts and lunches being based on evidence-based guidelines,” said Holly Harris, Associate Professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, US.

Nearly one out of five women and one out of seven men aged 20, and older globally experienced sexual violence by age 15 or even younger, according to a study published in the journal The Lancet on Thursday.

The research from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, US, showed that 67 per cent of females and 72 per cent of males reported being first sexually abused during childhood, before the age of 18.

Almost 42 per cent of females and approximately 48 per cent of males said their first sexual violence incident occurred before the age of 16. Alarmingly, 8 per cent of female survivors and 14 per cent of male survivors reported being first exposed to sexual violence before 12.

“Sexual violence against children is a widespread human rights and public health issue, and the world is clearly failing to end it,” said senior author Dr. Emmanuela Gakidou, Professor at IHME.

Israeli researchers have identified a genetic "fingerprint" that helps predict the effectiveness of immunotherapy treatments, according to a study.

The study, by the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion), stated that the discovery would help improve the personalisation of immunotherapy treatments, news agency reported.

Immunotherapy is considered to be one of the greatest revolutions in cancer treatment. It enhances the immune system’s ability to target and destroy cancer cells efficiently.

However, a major challenge in immunotherapy is the unpredictability of patient responses. Some patients do not benefit and may experience side effects without significant improvement.

Therefore, there is a need to identify biomarkers that can forecast the effectiveness of treatment based on the specific data of each patient.

In their study, published in the journal Cell Genomics, the team examined the genetic characteristics of T-cell clones -- groups of multiplied immune T cells that specialise in targeting a specific threat once recognised -- and their influence on treatment success.

The independent Oversight Board on Wednesday has sought opinion of general public to restore or remove child abuse videos on Meta.

The Board, an independent body of 22 global human rights and freedom of expression experts from across the political spectrum and the world, is reviewing two videos which show teachers hitting children in school settings.

“The review will explore the key tension between sharing content depicting non-sexual child abuse to shed light on wrongdoing and demand accountability, and the need to protect children's safety, dignity, and privacy,” the Board said in a statement.

Older adults are increasingly acquiring HIV, but are underrepresented in prevention and treatment campaigns, which is more focused on youth, according to a study.

The study, published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, showed that the prevalence of HIV in older adults is exceeding that of younger adults. However, prevention and treatment campaigns are not adequately targeting the particular needs of the 50+ year age group, said researchers from Wits University in South Africa who investigated HIV in older people in Kenya and South Africa.

"We often think of HIV as a disease of younger people. It doesn't help that intervention campaigns are mainly targeted at the youth," said Dr. Luicer Olubayo, a researcher at the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB) at Wits.

Moreover, the study showed that older adults are less likely to believe that they can get HIV.

The increasing number of rabies-related deaths in Kerala has emerged as a serious public health challenge, underscoring the urgent need for proactive and preventive measures.

In response, the association calls for the initiation and institutionalisation of a universal pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) rabies vaccination programme, with a particular focus on children and other high-risk groups.

Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) chief Sunil PK on Tuesday said that though Kerala has made commendable progress in rabies control through dog vaccination, public awareness campaigns, and the widespread availability of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), to achieve the goal of zero rabies deaths, it is essential to adopt a preventive strategy that includes pre-exposure immunisation.

Elderly dementia patients in South Korea hold assets worth a combined 153.5 trillion won ($110.9 billion), which is equivalent to about 6.4 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), a report showed on Tuesday.

The assets had been owned by 1.24 million dementia patients aged 65 and above as of 2023, according to the report compiled by the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy, news agency reported.

In detail, the elderly dementia patients owned 33.4 trillion won worth of financial assets and 113.8 trillion won worth of real estate properties.

The committee forecast the "dementia money" would surpass 488 trillion won by 2050, amounting to 15.6 per cent of the GDP.

"Senior dementia patients make up only 2.4 per cent of the total population, but the value of their assets accounts for 6.4 per cent of the nation's GDP, indicating a disproportionately high concentration of wealth," the committee said.

Early diagnosis and proper treatment are crucial to managing asthma, said Union Health Minister JP Nadda on World Asthma Day on Tuesday.

World Asthma Day is held on the first Tuesday in May to spread awareness about the common and chronic lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. The theme this year is “asthma education empowers”.

“World Asthma Day serves as a crucial platform to raise awareness about asthma and enhance care for those living with this chronic condition,” said Nadda, in a post on social media platform X.

“By emphasising early diagnosis, effective treatment, and proper management, we aim to improve the quality of life for millions of people worldwide,” he added.

Low social determinants of health are shortening the lives of people in poor countries by more than 30 years worldwide, according to a global report by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday.

The WHO defines social determinants of health as conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age.

The report noted that beyond the health sector, factors such as lack of quality housing, education, and job opportunities can dramatically reduce healthy life expectancy.

It said that people in the country with the lowest life expectancy will, on average, live 33 years shorter than those born in the country with the highest life expectancy.

“Children born in poorer countries are 13 times more likely to die before the age of 5 than in wealthier countries,” the report said.