At least 610 people were killed due to monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), said Health Minister Roger Kamba.

The minister urged the population to adhere to protective measures, especially with the upcoming school year in early September, and to get vaccinated as soon as vaccines become available, news agency reported.

The country has reported 17,801 suspected cases so far.

Suspected cases are being reported in conflict-affected provinces that host the majority of the country's 7.3 million internally displaced people, which risks "worsening an already untenable situation for a population devastated by decades of conflict," said a statement released Tuesday by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Scientists at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, on Tuesday revealed a low-cost and portable smartphone-based sensor system that can assist in managing symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

People with Parkinson’s face a continuous decrease in neuron cells that reduces the levels of dopamine (neurotransmitter) in their body. L-dopa is a chemical that is converted to dopamine in our body and so acts as an anti-Parkinson’s drug.

A correct dosage of L-dopa ensures the disease remains manageable. When L-dopa decreases, Parkinson's symptoms return. On the other hand, too much of the chemical can cause serious side effects like dyskinesia, gastritis, psychosis, paranoia, and orthostatic hypotension.

Pharma giant Bharat Biotech on Tuesday announced the launch of an oral cholera vaccine (OCV) to help combat cholera which continues to pose a significant global public health challenge, especially in regions with inadequate sanitation.

HILLCHOL (BBV131), a novel single-strain vaccine is to be administered orally on day 0 and day 14. It is suitable for babies older than one year.

In a statement, Bharat Biotech said the vaccine was developed under licence from Singapore-based Hilleman Laboratories, and added that large-scale manufacturing facilities have been established in Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar with a capacity to produce up to 200 million doses.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced its second public health emergency of International concern due to Monkey Pox. The new strain of this virus (Clad-1) is considered to be more transmissible and has higher mortality rates.

Now, India has developed its own home-grown indigenous RT-PCR testing kit to fight against Mpox, which has been approved by Central Protection Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

IMDX Monkeypox Detection RT-PCR Assay by Siemens Healthineers has received manufacturing approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). This is a significant achievement for our "Make in India" initiative and a critical advancement in the fight against the Monkeypox public health emergency.

"IMDX Monkeypox Detection RT-PCR Assay will be manufactured at our molecular diagnostics manufacturing unit in Vadodara, which has a manufacturing capacity of 1 million reactions per year. The factory is all set to make the kits available," said Siemens Healthcare Private Ltd.

While consuming sugar-sweetened beverages like sodas, fruit punch, and lemonade, at home or outside is quite a norm, these may lead to significant harm to health -- from infections in teeth, and kidneys to heart disease, said experts on Monday.

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are drinks that contain added sugar or other sweeteners, such as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), sucrose, or fruit juice concentrates. These include: non-diet sodas, flavoured juice, sports or energy drinks, sweetened tea, and coffee, among others.

“These sweeteners are a major concern that can cause multiple health complications like weight gain, obesity, and diabetes. Along with this, it also leads to a long-lasting impact on the heart, and kidney and also results in dental complications,” Dr. Manish Mittal, Consultant Physician, Bhailal Amin General Hospital, Vadodara, told.

Additives like fructose, high fructose corn, and brown sugar “increase the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease”, said Dr Narendra Singhla, Lead Consultant – Internal Medicine at the CK Birla Hospital, Delhi.

Time of day when medications are administered can have a significant impact on cancer treatment outcomes, claimed a study.

Researchers at Charite-Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany explained that it is because human bodies follow the cycle set by their internal clock, also known as circadian rhythm.

To tailor medication schedules to an individual patient’s body clock, the team developed a method for determining the optimum time of cancer treatment. The method, based on certain breast cancer cell lines, is described in the journal Nature Communications.

The internal clock in the human body sets the rhythm for different bodily functions and metabolic processes, such as sleep and digestion.

Aiming to boost medical tourism in Rajasthan, the state government will launch a 'Heal in Rajasthan' policy soon, officials confirmed on Saturday.

Detailed discussions were held with all stakeholders on Saturday on the draft of the policy prepared by the Medical and Health Department. The policy will be finalised soon based on the suggestions received.

In a meeting chaired by Additional Chief Secretary of the Health Department Shubhra Singh, various aspects were discussed in detail to increase medical tourism in the state

Speaking on the occasion, she said that the state government is ushering in a new era in medicine in Rajasthan. With this thinking, giving top priority to the health sector in this year's budget, 8.26 percent of the total budget has been provided for health. This is the highest budget provision so far.

Button batteries, used to power several common products at home, can lead to serious injuries and even death among toddlers who ingest them, finds a study.

The team from the University of Sydney analysed over 400 cases of button battery damage worldwide and stressed that a child's age, the size of the button battery, and a delayed diagnosis combine to create a "perfect storm", which can lead to severe harm.

Lead author Christopher Tran. a professor at the University of Sydney, urged clinicians to be mindful of “a potential button battery ingestion when dealing with acute onset respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms in young children".

Tran added that when a child swallows a button battery, it can cause a chemical reaction in the oesophagus that creates a solution that burns and dissolves the tissue inside the child’s throat.

People who sleep poorly are likely to experience greater levels of fatty triglycerides -- a type of blood cholesterol -- and abdominal fat that can increase the risk of stroke, heart disease, and other health issues, according to research.

The study, led by Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in the US, finds that maintaining sleep hygiene, such as putting your screen away at night or going to bed when you're exhausted, can make a person healthier.

The study builds support for the importance of good sleep habits. Good sleep habits, such as putting your screen away at night or going to bed when you're tired, can help to promote good overall health, said Brooke Shafer, a postdoctoral researcher at the Sleep, Chronobiology and Health Laboratory at the OHSU School of Nursing.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy -- used to shrink tumours before cancer surgery -- can significantly improve treatment outcomes and boost survival rate, said experts here on Saturday.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment where chemotherapy drugs are administered before surgical extraction of the tumour just before primary cancer treatment. It can shrink a cancerous tumour before moving on to other treatments such as surgery. It can also allow doctors to test a chemotherapy drug to gauge how the body responds to it.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), the treatment shrinks cancerous tumours which then helps surgeons to remove them easily.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy may also kill cancerous tissue that is not yet visible on imaging tests. The effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemotherapy depends on many factors, including the type and stage of cancer a person has, as well as their response to different drugs.