-BBC At least 60 people died in a recent outbreak of viral encephalitis in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, a top health official has said. Doctors say patients come from seven affected districts in northern Bengal. The disease usually occurs during the monsoon season across northern India and West Bengal is normally not among the worst-affected states. Encephalitis causes brain inflammation and can result in brain damage. Symptoms include headaches and fever. West...
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India intensifies war against Japanese encephalitis -Aarti Dhar
-The Hindu The Centre has launched a major war against Japanese encephalitis which claims hundreds of young lives and causes high morbidity among children in several States across the country during monsoon. Within weeks of taking over, Union Health and Family welfare Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan said that his priority would be to ensure 100 per cent immunisation against the killer disease. Expressing extreme distress over the "runaway conquest of encephalitis," Dr Harsh...
More »Better Days Ahead: for Insurance Companies and Corporate Hospitals -Amit Sengupta
-Newsclick.in Since being installed in government the BJP's ministers have announced a slew of measures to usher in "better days". True to this pattern, the new government's health minister - Dr.Harsh Vardhan - has articulated a number of priorities in the health sector. None of them come as a surprise as they are true to the BJP's core ideology of further promoting the neoliberal agenda of the previous UPA government. What Dr.Harsh...
More »92% AES-hit kids not vaccinated: Harsh Vardhan -Priti Nath Jha
-The Times of India MUZAFFARPUR: Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday claimed at Kanti primary health centre (PHC) near here that 92% of the children affected by acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) had not been administered vaccination for Japanese Encephalitis (JE). Launching a two-day JE vaccination drive in Muzaffarpur district from Kanti, the minister said it is a subject of research whether the AES is a form of JE or not. The...
More »Will tax hike reduce tobacco consumption in India?-R Prasad
-The Hindu The Union Health Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, recently said he "supports" higher taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products. But even if he were to substantially increase the tax rates, will it make cigarettes and other tobacco products very expensive and hence reduce consumption? In the case of India, as per the current taxation practices, increasing the tax component is quite unlikely to reduce consumption drastically. This is unlike the...
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