The new compound, a quinolone derivative, is effective in reducing the load of Leishmania donovani, both in the liver and spleen of experimental mice and is being developed by Kolkata based Indian Association for the Cultivation of Sciences (IACS). 

The quinolone derivative is a potent inhibitor of an enzyme called Topoisomerase 1, which is essential for the maintenance of DNA architecture in the parasite. 

Inhibiting this enzyme imparts a significant level of cytotoxicity to both the parasites which is found in the gut of sandflies (promastigote) as well as in infected humans (amastigote). 

This becomes an important development as its prevalence in LMIC is high. WHO estimates about 1,00,000 annual cases with 95% of cases reported from India (Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh) and other tropical countries. 

The currently used regimen is toxic as well as induces a high level of drug resistance. The novel molecule was synthesized by Prof Anil Kumar and his group from BITS Pilani, is yet to be subjected to clinical trials.

Marburg Virus outbreak in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania, the first ever outbreak of the disease in the countries. WHO estimated "very high" risk of spread of disease. 

The countries are responding to the outbreak through contact tracing and restricting movements. 

Marburg Virus, first identified in 1967 in Germany during outbreaks in Germany and Serbia. It causes severe and fatal viral hemorrhagic fevers. It is closely related to Ebola and is rated as "High Risk" pathogen by the WHO. 

It spreads to humans through contact with fruits bats and further human to human transmission through direct contact with bodily fluids of patients or contaminated surface, similar to Ebola. There has been previous outbreaks of the Virus. 

Notably, 1975, 2021, 2022, and 2023 within African countries being most affected and often with high fatalities. There is no approved vaccines, antiviral or monoclonal antibodies for the Virus. 

Case detection through contact tracing, molecular diagnosis, and quarantine is central to managing the spread of disease. With recent outbreaks in different parts of the world, the concept of "One Health" is increasingly taking center stage.

All-India Consumer Price Index- Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) (2016=100) calculated as the weighted average of 88 industrial center indices is released monthly. 

CPI-IW of February 2023 dropped by 0.1 points (132.7) from January 2023 (132.8). 

Relative changes in retail prices of goods and services, for example, a decrease in Cabbage, Soyabean Oil, Poultry, etc., and an increase in Rice, Cow Milk, Banana, Allopathic medicine, etc. prices lead to the resultant value this month. 

Year-on-year inflation stayed at 6.16 % in February. The CPI-IW for March will be released by the end of April 2023 by the Labour Bureau.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will help coordinate and strengthen private sector support for increasing physical activity and community sport participation in order to improve global health.  

The MOU is focused on the WHO Global Action Plan on Physical Activity (GAPPA) 2018-2030.   

According to WHO estimates, non-communicable diseases that may have been avoided by increasing physical activity cost public health systems approximately US$ 27 billion annually to treat. 

Between 2020 and 2030, according to the WHO, an extra 500 million individuals are expected to suffer noncommunicable diseases linked to physical inactivity. 

Regular physical activity and sports help prevent heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancers, and other non-communicable diseases. It also improves well-being, beneficial in treating depression.

The World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) is a global, not-for-profit, business association of manufacturers and retailers of sports products whose collective membership represents 70% of the global industry turnover.

Government of India on 1st of March advised against the use of antibiotics unless required, amid a spike in COVID-19 cases across the country. 

The health ministry has shared an updated guideline on Covid management which says that antibiotics should not be used unless there is 'clinical suspicion' of bacterial infection. 

The guideline advises physicians to explore the possibility of co-infection of Covid with other endemic infections and to avoid using steroids in mild diseases. 

Though hospitalizations due to Covid are lower compared to the previous waves of the pandemic, the number of infections has surged significantly across the country.