A novel study was conducted in Zambia, the WHO African region, to test the behavior of Anopheles gambiae against various human scents in natural settings.  

The novelty of this study included-        

Kairomones are an interspecific mixture of semiochemicals, produced by one species which induces responses advantageous to an individual of a different species perceiving the signal.

The study concluded that the mosquitoes exhibit olfactory preferences, especially towards carboxylic acids.  

This data can be used in the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases.

"Health of Youth, Wealth of Nation”, a co-branded event by MoHFW and Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, Child Health (PMNCH), Geneva, is happening on 20 June in New Delhi. 

The purpose is       

Various ministries will attend the event to discuss barriers to attaining youth’s well-being, and further blueprints to navigate them. 

Young individuals from all the G20 countries will constitute one-third of the delegates.  

The sessions will enable youths to engage and learn advanced health policies for their well-being.

In 2021, World Meteorological Organisation reported that more than 2.3 billion people are under water stress due to a 29% increase in frequency and length of droughts since 2000.         

Moreover, women must overcome substantial obstacles and discriminatory laws and practices to inherit the land.         

Even though, half of the world's agricultural workforce is women, less than one in five landowners are female. In more than 100 countries, women are denied from inheriting their husband's land due to traditional, religious, or customary practices.         

Additionally, women spend 200 million hours daily gathering water, with certain countries requiring more than one hour per trip.         

Therefore, the theme for International Day Against Desertification and Drought 2023, "Her land. Her rights," underlines the importance of giving women equal access to land and resources to secure both their futures and the future of humanity.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has included a fourth test for human papillomavirus (HPV) in its list of prequalified tests. It highlights the importance of HPV testing as a crucial component of cervical cancer screening. 

The WHO's prequalification program evaluates the performance of various tests used for HPV detection. 

The inclusion of Roche Molecular Systems Inc.'s cobas HPV assay expands the range of high-performance tests available to countries, supporting their efforts to improve screening coverage and quality. 

This step aligns with WHO's commitment to eliminate cervical cancer through strategic targets, including vaccination, screening, and treatment of pre-cancer and invasive cancer cases. 

HPV tests offer better performance than alternative methods – such as pap smear and visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and provide opportunities for self-sampling, reducing barriers to testing. 

Incorporating HPV testing into existing laboratory systems further facilitates public health programs and helps achieve screening targets.

At the third Health Working Group of G20 India, at Hyderabad, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan cautioned that the next pandemic would not “wait for us to make global treaties” and called on countries to work together as billions of lives and livelihoods will be at stake.        

Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergency Programme, stated that its time countries came together to ensure drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics reached people in need in an equitable manner.        

During the event, Alain Labrique, Director of the Department of Digital Health and Innovation, WHO, said that digital health is about : 

He stressed that no one should be left behind and that digital health is a proven route to achieving universal health goals.          

Member (Health) of NITI Aayog, V.K. Paul expressed that digital health enabled universal health coverage through the continuous exchange of health information amongst providers, systems, patients, policymakers, and so on. “Let us envision a world where a comprehensive package of digital health tools and services are accessible to all, where digital health is for all by 2035,” Dr. Paul said.

UN General Antonia Gutteres, after his meeting with civil society climate leaders across the globe highlighted the importance of phasing out fossil fuels and boosting investment in renewable energy as this would help in sorting out the current climate crisis.        

He also cited the ‘special responsibility’ of the fossil fuel industries to prevent the sky from greying by making a strong statement, “Trading the future for 30 pieces of silver is immoral.”  

He called for fossil fuel companies to present credible, comprehensive and detailed new transition plans that include reducing emissions “up and down the value chain” – from production to refining, distribution and use. He also added that it’s obnoxious if the companies shouldn’t use their influences to ‘knee cap’ the progress of this process.          

The UN chief also called for detailed plans from financial institutions, saying they must encourage the global energy transformation.        

Plans should include an explicit strategy to progressively strip out fossil fuel assets from their portfolios to ensure alignment with the net-zero goal. All lobbying and policy engagement also should be disclosed.

A report, titled “Left behind in pain” was recently published by WHO, which deals with unequal access to morphine for medical use.  

This is often referred as “one of the most heinous, hidden inequalities in global health”. This difference in median consumption of morphine ranges from 5-63 fold between high and low-income countries.

Steps to reduce this inequality consist of : 

WHO and UN’s Health provides an option of self-management of Medical abortion for those : 

A new clinical handbook was released in Bali, Indonesia addressing Healthcare providers who deliver abortion care services. 

Guidance provided are:        

48 United Nation members countries at the 3rd global consultation on health of migrants and refugees, hosted by various stakeholders on 15-June-2023, adopted the novel “Rabat Declaration”. 

The major intent of the meeting was plan for inclusion of refugees and immigrants into the national health care system as part of UHC. 

This vulnerable group faces enough challenges for survival and healthcare access. 

This declaration is dedicated to- 

Stakeholders are committed to including them in the health policy discussions and have assured improvement in the quality of comprehensive services.

The Union Health Secretary recently chaired a Committee to emphasize the importance of inter-sectoral coordination in the "National Action Plan for Containment of AMR (NAP-AMR)." This committee involved representatives from various departments ranging from the Department of Animal Husbandry to the involvement of AYUSH and discussed on-      

Establishment of an Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) unit at the NCDC, which will coordinate with other programs.        

Developing a digital platform to collate data on antimicrobial consumption.         

Developing individual state action plan.        

Devising an integrated research agenda on AMR. 

The ministry will develop the NAP-AMR 2.0, based on the lessons of the ongoing plan with thorough inter-sectoral coordination.

The union minister of MOHFW assessed the disaster preparedness for the predicted cyclone names “Biparjoy” that is to hit areas of Gujrat. 

Constant communications and feedbacks with regional offices are ongoing. Supportive measures to any aid are on standby by various response teams nationally.  

The Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) is tasked with:         

Post disaster surveillance and monitoring      

Epidemic prone outbreak preparedness  

The Centre is ready with a Quick Response Medical Team to tackle the impact.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the problems in vaccine access and research, with some nations receiving the vaccine 18 months after others.    

GoI is working with two leading non-profits in the world to bring G-20 member states together and agree upon a proposed Global Vaccine Research Collaborative.         

Mansukh Mandaviya, the health minister, remarked during the 3rd G-20 Health Working Group Meeting that G-20 may act as a forum for international collaboration between governments, research organisations, pharmaceuticals, and other stakeholders.          

The Global Vaccine Research Collaborative is being proposed to address gaps, enable equitable vaccine access, optimise resources, improve preparedness and foster an environment for vaccine research.         

The GoI has shortened regulatory processes and provided financial incentives to encourage vaccine companies to increase supply and has taken steps to ensure that vaccines are available in remote places by utilising PHCs and other healthcare facilities.