Lucknow: At least two children died and several others fell ill, allegedly due to food poisoning at a government rehabilitation centre for children in the Para area here, officials said.

On Tuesday evening, approximately 20 special needs children residing at the centre experienced sudden illness and were taken to Lokbandhu hospital.

“Around 20 children were brought to the hospital Tuesday evening from the rehabilitation centre. All these children are mentally challenged. They were severely dehydrated when they arrived. Despite our best efforts, two children died,” Dr Rajeev Kumar Dixit, Medical Superintendent of Lok Bandhu Raj Narayan Combined Hospital Videos on Thursday.

Two critically ill children were referred to another government hospital, and the condition of the remaining 16 has improved, he added.

The incident triggered an investigation by local authorities.

Lucknow District Magistrate has formed a committee to determine the cause of the alleged food poisoning. Officials from the Health Department and Food Safety Department visited the hospital to interview the affected children.

“Officials of the Health Department and Food Safety Department reached the hospital. These officials have also questioned the children admitted,” a government official said.

Food samples have been collected from the rehabilitation centre for analysis.

“A team of the Health Department and Food Safety Department reached the rehab centre and took food samples. Action will be taken based on the investigation report,” an official source said.

According to District Probation Officer Vikas Singh, the centre houses 147 children, primarily orphans and those with mental challenges.

Jaipur: The administration of Khairthal-Tijara district in Rajasthan has announced that all schools will hold online classes for students of classes 1 to 5 for four days starting Wednesday in view of alarmingly high pollution levels in Delhi-NCR.

The order was issued by District Collector Kishore Kumar on Tuesday following the Supreme Court’s directions to all states in the Delhi-NCR area to decide on conducting physical classes for students up to class 12 amid the dire situation.

Khairthal-Tijara, which was carved out of Alwar in August 2023, falls under the National Capital Region (NCR).

In his order, Kumar said all government and private schools in the district will suspend physical classes for students of classes 1 to 5 from November 20 to 23, or until further notice (whichever is earlier).

Teachers will hold online classes for students during this period, the order stated.

The order is only applicable to students, teachers are required to come to school to conduct online classes.

New Delhi : India has recorded a 17.7 per cent decline in tuberculosis incidence from 237 per lakh population in 2015 to 195 in 2023, which is more than double the global decline of 8.3 per cent, Health Ministry sources have said citing a WHO report.

In its Global TB Report 2024 released on October 29, WHO has acknowledged the tremendous progress India has made in closing the gap of missed tuberculosis cases since 2015, the sources said.

“In 2023, India is estimated to have had 27 lakh TB cases, of which 25.1 lakh were diagnosed and put on treatment. This has buoyed India’s treatment coverage to 89 per cent in 2023 from 72 per cent in 2015, thereby bridging the gap of missing cases,” an official source said.

The source said WHO has “acknowledged a drop in India’s tuberculosis incidence from 237 per lakh population in 2015, to 195 per lakh population in 2023 accounting for a 17.7 per cent decline.

“This is more than double the pace of decline as compared to the global decline of 8.3 per cent,” the source said.

The Health Ministry sources asserted that the leap in coverage has been due to the momentum India has created around tuberculosis case finding and reflects the efforts of decentralisation of healthcare services through over 1.7 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in the country.

While WHO had downsized its estimation of tuberculosis mortality in India last year, the current report documents the sustained reduction in deaths due to the disease achieved by India from 28 per lakh population to 22 per lakh population, a 21.4 per cent decline, they said.

The government has been able to strengthen and expand the National TB Elimination Programme with sustained domestic financing, official sources said.

The tuberculosis budget saw a historic 5.3 times leap in allocation from R 640 crores in 2015 to Rs 3400 crores in 2022-23. The WHO report noted that a majority of the funding for the TB programme comes from government resources.

Over the years, India has been able to scale up state-of-the-art molecular diagnostic tools, introduce newer and more efficacious treatment regimens and provide free screening, diagnosis and treatment to all tuberculosis patients.

The government is procuring over 800 artificial intelligence-enabled portable chest x-ray machines to complement India’s extensive TB laboratory network, the largest in the world with 7,767 rapid molecular testing facilities and 87 culture and drug susceptibility testing laboratories, the sources said.

“This acknowledgement by WHO signifies the paradigm shift India has brought to tuberculosis care over the past eight years. In October, the government announced the enhancement of support under Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY) from Rs 500 per month to each patient for the entire duration of the treatment to Rs 1,000,” another source said.

To date, Rs 3,202 crore has been disbursed to 1.13 crore beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer under the scheme. While enhancement of NPY support will benefit all 25 lakh tuberculosis patients in a year, the introduction of Energy Dense Nutritional Supplementation (EDNS) would cover approximately 12 lakh under-nourished TB patients.

EDNS would be provided to all eligible patients for the first two months of their treatment.

New Delhi: India was on Tuesday felicitated by the World Health Organisation for the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem, making it the third country in the region after Nepal and Myanmar to achieve this feat.

The WHO also felicitated Bhutan for achieving interim targets for cervical cancer elimination, Maldives and Sri Lanka for Hepatitis B control in children, Timor-Leste for eliminating lymphatic filariasis and six countries for achieving SDG and global targets for reducing under-five mortality and stillbirth rates.

“India’s success is due to the strong leadership of its government and the commitment of ophthalmologists and other cadres of health-care workers.

“They worked together with partners to ensure effective surveillance, diagnosis and management of active trachoma, provision of surgical services for trichiasis, and promotion of water, sanitation and hygiene, particularly facial cleanliness, among communities,” said Saima Wazed, Regional Director WHO South-East Asia, at ‘Public Health Awards’ event at the Seventy Seventh Regional Committee Session being held here.

Trachoma, a leading cause of infectious blindness, is a chlamydial infection that happens due to lack of hygiene and unclean water supply and can spread by contact with the eye, nose or throat secretions of a person suffering from the disease or indirectly via flies.

Bhutan was recognised for reaching the 2030 interim targets towards elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem, the first country in the region to achieve this significant public health milestone, the WHO said in a statement.

The interim 90-70-90 targets are 90 per cent girls fully vaccinated against Human papillomavirus (HPV vaccine) by 15 years of age; 70 per cent of women screened with a high-performance test by 35 years of age and again by 45 years of age and 90 per cent of women identified with cervical disease provided treatment, the statement said.

“The success of the Royal Government of Bhutan is driven by strong leadership, favourable health policies, organised health systems, well-defined country priorities, motivated health workforce, and efficient coordination by the Ministry of Health.

“The achievement is especially commendable considering that the major part of the capacity building was carried out when COVID-19 was at its peak,” the Regional Director said.

Lauding Maldives and Sri Lanka for achieving hepatitis B control, the Regional Director said that preventing hepatitis B infection in children substantially reduces chronic infections and cases of liver cancer and cirrhosis in adulthood.

Bhutan was also recognised for achieving the SDG and global 2030 targets of reducing under-5 mortality and stillbirth rates.

Timor-Leste was awarded for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem. It is the fifth country in the Region to eliminate lymphatic filariasis.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand were awarded for achieving the SDG and global targets for the reduction of under-5 mortality, neonatal mortality and stillbirth rates, the statement said.

The SDG target 3.2 for under-5 mortality rate is to reduce to 25 or less per 1000 live births and for neonatal mortality rate is to reduce to 12 or less per 1000 live births by 2030. The 2030 still birth rate reduction target is 12 or fewer still births per 1000 births.

The Kerala health department on Friday said another Mpox case was reported in the state and urged those who have symptoms to seek treatment.

The southern state had reported the country’s first confirmed case of the new strain earlier this week.

A high-level evaluation meeting was held on Friday to evaluate the situation, the state health department said.

State Health Minister Veena George said the contact list of the patient has been prepared and the preventive measures have been taken.

The minister urged everyone who reached the state from abroad to approach the health department in case of any symptoms and seek treatment.

“Isolation facilities have been arranged in all the districts,” the minister said in a statement.

On September 23, the health department had announced plans to release revised guidelines for the prevention and treatment of Mpox.

George had said that instructions were issued to take necessary action if the number of cases increases.

Official sources in New Delhi had earlier said that India had reported the first case of the Mpox strain in a patient from Kerala who tested positive.

They had said that the Clade 1b strain was detected in a 38-year-old man from Malappuram district who had recently returned from the United Arab Emirates.

Since the WHO’s 2022 declaration of Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, 30 cases have been reported in India.

Mpox infections are generally self-limiting, lasting between two and four weeks, and patients usually recover with supportive medical care and management.

It is transmitted through prolonged and close contact with an infected patient.

Mpox typically manifests itself with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications.

New Delhi: A man who recently travelled from a country experiencing mpox transmission has been identified as a suspected case of the disease, the Union health ministry said on Sunday.

The patient has been isolated at a designated hospital and is currently stable, it said, adding that there is no cause for concern.

Samples have been collected from the man and are being tested to confirm the presence of mpox.

“The case is being managed in line with established protocols, and contact tracing is ongoing to identify potential sources and assess the impact within the country,” the ministry said.

The development of this case is consistent with the earlier risk assessment conducted by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and there is no cause of any undue concern, it said.

The country is fully prepared to deal with such isolated travel-related cases and has robust measures in place to manage and mitigate any potential risk, the ministry added.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) for the second time last month in view of its prevalence and spread across many parts of Africa.

Since the 2022 declaration of PHEIC by WHO, 30 mpox cases have been reported in India. The last case of mpox was detected in March this year.

According to WHO’s earlier statement, 99,176 mpox cases and 208 deaths have been reported from 116 countries since 2022. Last year, the reported cases increased significantly.

The number of mpox cases reported so far this year has exceeded last year’s total, with more than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths.

Mpox is a viral zoonosis with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although clinically less severe.

According to officials, mpox infections are generally self-limiting lasting between two and four weeks. Mpox patients usually recover with supportive medical care and management.

Transmission of the disease happens through prolonged and close contact with an infected person. It happens largely through the sexual route, direct contact with the body/lesion fluid of the patient, or through the contaminated clothing/linen of an infected person.

New Delhi: Food safety regulator FSSAI on Thursday directed food businesses, including e-commerce players, to remove claims of ‘A1’ and ‘A2’ types of milk and milk products from packaging, calling such labelling misleading.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said these claims do not conform with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

In its latest order, FSSAI said it had examined the issue and found that A1 and A2 differentiation is linked to the structure of beta-casein protein in milk.

However, current FSSAI regulations do not recognize this differentiation.

“FBOs are instructed to remove such claims from their products,” the regulator said, referring to food business operators.

E-commerce platforms were also told to remove these claims from products and websites immediately.

Companies have been given six months to exhaust pre-printed labels, with no further extensions to be granted.

A1 and A2 milk differ in their beta-casein protein composition, which varies based on cow breed.

The regulator emphasized strict compliance with this directive.

Welcoming the order, Parag Milk Foods Chairman Devendra Shah said the FSSAI order is a step in the right direction.

“A1 and A2 is the category developed by marketing gimmick. …It’s essential that we eliminate misleading claims that can misinform consumers,” he said in a separate statement.

A1 or A2 milk product category never existed and globally also this trend is fading away, he said, and added that the FSSAI’s clarification supports this broader understanding.

New Delhi: UK-based pharmaceutical major AstraZeneca has started global withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine, which was provided in India as ‘Covishield’ in partnership with Serum Institute of India, days after it admitted to rare side effects of blood clotting and low platelet counts.

The withdrawal has been initiated due to a surplus of available updated vaccines since the pandemic, the company said in a statement.

AstraZeneca had partnered with Oxford University to develop the COVID-19 vaccine, which was sold in India as Covishield and as Vaxzevria in Europe.

“As multiple, variant COVID-19 vaccines have since been developed there is a surplus of available updated vaccines. This has led to a decline in demand for Vaxzervria, which is no longer being manufactured or supplied,” it said.

The company further said, “We will now work with regulators and our partners to align on a clear path forward to conclude this chapter and significant contribution to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Earlier, according to global media reports, AstraZeneca had admitted that its COVID-19 vaccine could in very rare cases has the potential to cause a rare side effect called — Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS).

Without referring to the side effects, the company said, “we are incredibly proud of the role Vaxzevria played in ending the global pandemic. According to independent estimates, over 6.5 million lives were saved in the first year of use alone and over three billion doses were supplied globally.”

It further said, “our efforts have been recognised by governments around the world and are widely regarded as being a critical component of ending the global pandemic.”

In India, over 220 crore dosages of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered and a majority of those were Covishield.