(In the weekly Health Matters newsletter, Athira Elssa Johnson writes about getting to good health, and staying there. You can subscribe here to get the newsletter in your inbox.)
Vaccination remains one of modern public health’s greatest achievements, preventing millions of deaths and substantially reducing the burden of infectious diseases. But scientific breakthroughs alone are not enough, their impact depends on strong regulation, affordability and equitable access.
India’s approval of dengue vaccine for individuals aged 4 to 60 years is therefore one of the week’s most significant health developments. The Drug Controller General of India has authorised Takeda’s two-dose QDENGA vaccine, which protects against all four dengue virus serotypes and can be given without prior dengue screening. As dengue continues to place a heavy burden on India, the approval adds an important preventive tool. Read this explainer to know all about the vaccine.
Relationship between science, public policy and access runs through much of this week’s coverage. Health rarely exists in isolation. As activist Sonam Wangchuk’s prolonged hunger strike, hospitalisation and the subsequent court intervention dominated headlines, they also drew attention to what sustained fasting does to the body. In an explainer, Ramya Kannan explains the physiological changes during prolonged fasting, from the body’s use of stored glucose to fat and muscle reserves, and the point at which these adaptations begin to threaten life. Meanwhile, as Wangchuk’s health deteriorates, Aroon Deep reports on the Delhi High Court’s order for regular medical monitoring.
Questions of health justice resurfaced elsewhere too. The Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of access to life-saving medicines, even as patients affected by the Kota C-section tragedy continued to seek urgent kidney transplants. Krishnadas Rajagopal reported that the Court will examine a plea seeking recognition of intersex persons as a distinct class, while the Centre informed it that persons internally injured by acid ingestion would be brought under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.
In another explainer this week, I examine the U.S. military’s proposal to introduce testosterone screening for recruits. While presented as a measure to improve military readiness, doctors have questioned the evidence behind routine hormonal screening for healthy recruits. The contrast is striking, even as access to gender-affirming healthcare for transgender people remains deeply contested in the U.S., hormonal testing is being embraced in another context.
As with most weeks, climate, conflict and infectious diseases remained central to global health news. An early heatwave across Europe is estimated to have contributed to more than 10,000 deaths, while the Paris region reported a sharp rise in mortality. France moved closer to approving assisted-dying legislation after years of debate, New Zealand detected H5 bird flu for the first time, Congo’s Ebola outbreak continued to claim lives, and a cyclosporiasis outbreak in the U.S. drew attention to the food-borne parasitic disease explained by Zubeda Hamid this week. In Nigeria, conflict is worsening malnutrition and poverty among children, underscoring how health remains inseparable from humanitarian and political crises.
Back home, Serish Nanisetti reported on the Centre’s decision to ban paraquat dichloride, a herbicide linked to thousands of deaths through self-harm, homicide and accidental poisoning. Bindu Shajan Perappadan wrote that the National Medical Commission has proposed withholding approvals for medical colleges lacking adequate infrastructure, while A.S. Jayanth reported on Kerala’s shortage of specialist doctors in government hospitals and a surge in influenza and H1N1 cases. Andhra Pradesh also reported a small number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, although health officials urged people not to panic.
For a roundup of the week’s biggest health stories, watch the latest episode of Health Wrap, where we discuss the World Health Organization’s report on widening inequalities in cancer care, alongside other key developments.
Our weekend reading also continues the series Justice Delayed: Acknowledging Women Pioneers in Science, with the story of Alice Augusta Ball, whose work transformed leprosy treatment but whose contribution was recognised only long after her death.
In our explainers and features this week:
Why menstrual pain should neither be dismissed as “normal” nor left untreated.
Dr. Parth Sharma reflected on pain and suffering beyond prescriptions, while Afshan Yasmeen reported on Bengaluru’s “Donate a Memory” initiative, which is collecting vintage household objects for India’s first integrated dementia care village.
Santosh V. Perumal examines why semaglutide represents an inflection point for India’s generics sector after Sun Pharma secured approval for a generic version in South Africa. In the United States, regulators approved the first cholesterol-lowering pill of its kind for high-risk patients, marking another important advance in cardiovascular care.
Manjeera Gowravaram explains how protein biosensors could dramatically shorten the time needed to identify medical emergencies, while Rama Krishna Kumar Lingamgunta explores the technologies streamlining India’s health systems.
Check out our ‘All You Need to Know’ section, which this week looks at Hepatitis C. Rashikkha Ra Iyer writes on why understanding psychometabolic links may be crucial to combating India’s diabetes and mental health epidemic.
Dr. C. Aravinda reflects on A quiet obituary for medical diplomas,
Dr. N.K. Ganguly discusses India’s opportunity to lead the shift to non-animal drug testing, and Sudipta Sengupta argues why improving health literacy requires more than producing more doctors.
John Xavier asks whether AI can truly moderate social media content, Dr. Monisha Madhumita explores how GLP-1 drugs can affect the skin, hair and nails beyond weight loss, and Divya Gandhi looks at when the brain first begins responding to music.
Dr. Harshitha Gattu explains what parents should know about monsoon and newborn care, while Lakshmy Harikrishnan writes about creating blood donors at home and the resources available for those seeking to donate blood in Chennai.
Also read our review of Management of Healthcare in India
Finally, have a look at this Conversation piece by Gabriel E. Hales writes about how screen-time guidelines for children and adolescents have evolved as research paints a more nuanced picture.
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Published – July 21, 2026 04:23 pm IST