India’s NAP-AMR 2.0 (2025–2029) adopts a One Health approach and, for the first time, assigns budgeted responsibilities to over 20 ministries. It strengthens governance, surveillance, infection control, and stewardship, but its success depends on funding, regulation of the unorganised sector, and behavioural change.
Click to View MoreIndia has reduced TB cases and deaths but will miss its 2025 elimination target. It still carries 25% of the global burden, worsened by drug resistance, malnutrition, funding gaps and private-sector under-reporting. COVID-19 setbacks make a stronger, multi-sectoral strategy with nutrition and private engagement essential.
Click to View MoreHepatitis A is a viral liver infection that spreads through contaminated food and water. While usually mild in children, it can be severe in older children and adults, sometimes leading to liver failure. Improved sanitation has reduced early childhood exposure, leaving many young people vulnerable. Safe and effective vaccines are available, including a single-dose option with long-lasting protection. Despite this, Hepatitis A is not yet part of India’s national immunisation program. Strengthening surveillance, promoting hygiene, improving water quality, and introducing phased vaccination can help prevent outbreaks and protect public health.
Click to View MoreWHO has opened a Pandemic Preparedness and Emergency Response site at AIIMS New Delhi to act as a regional hub. It will strengthen health security through training, simulations, capacity building, and better surveillance. The initiative supports faster responses to outbreaks and aligns India with WHO’s global preparedness strategy.
Click to View MoreScientists have discovered a special type of brain immune cell called microglia that can protect against Alzheimer’s disease by reducing inflammation and slowing the buildup of harmful proteins like amyloid plaques and tau. These cells work through molecules PU.1 and CD28, offering a potential new direction for treatment. Alzheimer’s, a progressive brain disorder causing memory and cognitive decline, is a growing public health challenge globally and in India. Governments are responding with awareness campaigns, healthcare policies, and research initiatives, but challenges like high costs, limited access, and early diagnosis remain. The discovery highlights the promise of combining scientific research, healthcare, and policy to combat Alzheimer’s disease.
Click to View MoreIndia’s mental health crisis stems from a treatment gap, too few professionals, and strong stigma. Policies like the 2017 Act and Tele-MANAS help, but funding and implementation remain weak. India must strengthen primary care, expand its workforce, and normalize help-seeking to protect public health and equity.
Click to View MoreStubble burning in India has multidimensional consequences. Environmentally, it releases particulate matter and greenhouse gases, reduces soil fertility, and harms biodiversity. Health-wise, it causes respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, eye irritation, and skin problems. Economically, while it saves farmers time and labor in the short term, it degrades soil, reduces crop yields, raises healthcare costs, and affects transport and tourism. Socially, it can trigger public health crises, farmer migration, and conflicts over legal penalties. Effective policy measures—including satellite monitoring, incentives for eco-friendly machinery, and balancing farmer livelihoods with environmental protection—are crucial to mitigate these impacts.
Click to View MoreThe Maldives has become the first country to implement a generational tobacco ban, prohibiting the sale and use of tobacco for anyone born after January 1, 2007, aiming to create a tobacco-free generation and advance WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) objectives.
Click to View MoreIndia struggles to manage growing sludge from rapid urbanization. With most areas depending on on-site sanitation, a strong Fecal Sludge and Septage Management framework is vital. Despite supportive policies, gaps in infrastructure, technology, and regulation remain. Adopting a circular economy can turn sludge into a valuable resource.
Click to View MoreThe article highlights how climate change intensifies health risks for India’s sanitation workers, particularly those from marginalized Dalit communities. Rising heat, toxic sewer environments, and lack of protective measures lead to preventable deaths, while systemic caste-based discrimination and inadequate government support exacerbate their vulnerability. Despite laws banning manual scavenging and initiatives like the NAMASTE scheme, gaps in enforcement, safety gear distribution, and social security leave workers exposed. The crisis underscores the need for formal employment, mechanization of sanitation work, and inclusive climate adaptation policies.
Click to View MoreShort-term exposure to PM2.5, especially from landscape fires and urban pollution, significantly increases hospital admissions among children and adolescents for respiratory, infectious, cardiovascular, neurological, digestive, and other illnesses. Children aged 5–9 years and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are particularly vulnerable.
India has implemented measures like the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), air quality monitoring, and crop residue management to reduce PM2.5 exposure. However, challenges persist due to high ambient pollution, indoor smoke, socioeconomic disparities, and gaps in awareness.
A multi-pronged approach involving regulation, clean energy adoption, indoor air quality improvement, public awareness, and child-specific protective measures is essential to safeguard children’s health and reduce the long-term impacts of air pollution.
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The Jal Jeevan Mission has raised rural tap water access from 17% in 2019 to over 81% by October 2025, saving 5.5 crore hours daily and averting 4 lakh deaths. Through community participation and digital monitoring, it strengthens sustainability, water quality, and rural empowerment nationwide.
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