Health Matters

• Global health news this week was dominated by climate-linked crises, conflict, and infectious disease outbreaks. • An early European heatwave caused over 10,000 estimated deaths, with a significant spike in mortality reported in the Paris region. • Multiple health threats emerged globally, including New Zealand's first detection of H5 bird flu, an ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo, and cyclosporiasis cases in the U.S.

• Bindu Shajan Perappadan reports on several Indian healthcare reforms, including the expansion of QR code-based traceability to vaccines, antimicrobials, and cancer medicines to improve drug security. • The government is introducing measures to simplify drug import procedures for testing, enhancing CGHS financial powers for faster cashless treatment, and launching the PM Family Care Tracker for maternal and child health. • Additional initiatives focus on expanding the fight against anaemia and providing affordable digital health management systems tailored for small clinics.

• National data reveals that Assam has accounted for nearly 62% of all Japanese encephalitis (JE) deaths in India since 2018, with outbreaks typically peaking between July and August. • Expert Athira Elssa Johnson emphasizes the urgent need for India to improve controls on food-borne infections, which are being exacerbated by climate change, chemical contaminants, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). • The report further highlights the growing threat of drug-resistant malaria, which is complicating current medical treatment and disease elimination efforts.