Latest news with #NIOH
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
Formation of a National Joint Outbreak Response Team to address "Disease X"
Nagpur : The National Institute of One Health (NIOH), currently being established in Nagpur, will feature a specialised National Outbreak Response Team aimed at swiftly identifying and analysing the root causes of disease outbreaks. Dr. Pragya Yadav, Director-in-Charge of the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) and senior scientist at the ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, said that the initiative will involve collaboration among experts from multiple sectors. Speaking to ANI, Dr Yadav said, "Under the National Institute of One Health, several initiatives are already underway, including national-level mock exercises to assess outbreak response, the formation of a National Joint Outbreak Response Team to investigate the root causes of outbreaks or ongoing diseases, and research focused on vaccines, antiviral treatments, and cost-effective diagnostic methods." The Director-in-Charge of NIOH stated that the National Institute of One Health will serve as a platform for all ministries and sectors to collaborate on research. "The National Institute of One Health will unite all ministries and sectors to collaborate on research. This institute will work towards enhancing surveillance, research, and development to make India a stronger nation," She added. Dr Yadav added, "The goal is to prepare the country for future health challenges and make it more resilient." The National Institute of One Health is being established to strengthen the country's ability to manage future pandemics and outbreaks of zoonotic diseases . The Indian Council of Medical Research ( ICMR ) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) decided to establish a National Institute of One Health at Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. In this context, two collaborative research projects, funded by the ICAR and ICMR, were initiated to conduct the epidemiological surveillance of selected zoonotic diseases in Central India. The scientific collaboration between veterinary and medical faculties has set an example for the effective implementation of the One Health (OH) programme for the establishment of the National Institute of OH.
India Gazette
a day ago
- Health
- India Gazette
Formation of a National Joint Outbreak Response Team to address
By Shalini Bhardwaj Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], June 19(ANI): The National Institute of One Health (NIOH), currently being established in Nagpur, will feature a specialised National Outbreak Response Team aimed at swiftly identifying and analysing the root causes of disease outbreaks. Dr. Pragya Yadav, Director-in-Charge of the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) and senior scientist at the ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, said that the initiative will involve collaboration among experts from multiple sectors. Speaking to ANI, Dr Yadav said, 'Under the National Institute of One Health, several initiatives are already underway, including national-level mock exercises to assess outbreak response, the formation of a National Joint Outbreak Response Team to investigate the root causes of outbreaks or ongoing diseases, and research focused on vaccines, antiviral treatments, and cost-effective diagnostic methods.' The Director-in-Charge of NIOH stated that the National Institute of One Health will serve as a platform for all ministries and sectors to collaborate on research. 'The National Institute of One Health will unite all ministries and sectors to collaborate on research. This institute will work towards enhancing surveillance, research, and development to make India a stronger nation,' She added. Dr Yadav added, 'The goal is to prepare the country for future health challenges and make it more resilient.' The National Institute of One Health is being established to strengthen the country's ability to manage future pandemics and outbreaks of zoonotic diseases. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) decided to establish a National Institute of One Health at Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. In this context, two collaborative research projects, funded by the ICAR and ICMR, were initiated to conduct the epidemiological surveillance of selected zoonotic diseases in Central India. The scientific collaboration between veterinary and medical faculties has set an example for the effective implementation of the One Health (OH) programme for the establishment of the National Institute of OH. (ANI)
News18
2 days ago
- Health
- News18
India's First One Health Institute In Nagpur To Track Human, Animal & Environmental Diseases Together
The institute will test samples nationwide to trace disease spread and issue timely alerts if a new virus is found in animals, helping prevent transmission to humans The country's first One Health Institute is under construction in Nagpur, aiming to simultaneously monitor diseases affecting humans, animals and the environment. Dr. Pragya Yadav, Director of the National Institute for One Health, highlighted that this significant initiative by the government is geared towards addressing future epidemic challenges more effectively. The National Institute for One Health (NIOH) in Nagpur, Maharashtra, will track diseases across humans, animals, and the environment, enabling early detection. What Makes The Institute Stand Out? The institute will identify zoonotic diseases such as COVID, bird flu, and the Nipah virus. A collaborative effort involving doctors, veterinarians, scientists, and environmental experts will work towards understanding the origins of these diseases. When Will It Be Ready? According to Dr. Yadav, the institute is expected to be fully operational within the next two years, with rapid progress being made on its building and modern laboratories. How Will It Prevent Epidemics? The institute's role in epidemic prevention involves testing samples from across the country to trace and analyse how diseases spread. Should a new virus be detected in any animal, timely alerts will be issued to prevent the disease from spreading to humans. Additionally, the institute will maintain connections with global agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), positioning India to participate in global epidemic warnings and solutions. Equipped with high-safety labs such as BSL-2, BSL-3, and BSL-4, the institute will collaborate with various ministries, including health, animal husbandry, and environment, to determine whether diseases originate from animals, the environment, or other factors. What Is One Health? The concept of One Health revolves around understanding the interconnected health of humans, animals and the environment to prevent diseases. The National Institute for One Health will serve as a collaborative platform, fostering data monitoring across departments to ensure timely responses to future epidemics. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published: June 18, 2025, 19:17 IST
Indian Express
6 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
Residents of congested housing society, scientists at premier public health institute: People who had a close shave on June 12
Residents of Meghaninagar, a densely populated area close to the Ahmedabad airport, are used to seeing airplanes from close proximity. Many of them would often joke that if only they could jump a little higher, they might touch the wheels of a plane as it flew overhead. All this changed on Thursday afternoon. Moments after an Air India plane with 242 people onboard crashed in the locality, its parts slamming into a cluster of hostel buildings housing medical college students, a sentiment was common among most of the residents: Had the plane swerved a little to the left, or the right, the damage on the ground would have been colossal. 'I think the pilots saved us all. If it wasn't for them putting the aircraft on the ground next to the hostels, the plane could have crashed into our building,' says a scientist at the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) located in the area. A number of scientists here escaped being hit by burning debris by mere seconds. The campus of the NIOH, which comes under the aegis of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is located right across the road from the buildings, which the AI 171 hit. Many other government buildings, like the former campus of Raksha Shakti University, a 1,200-bed hospital, and the State Reserve Police (SRP) camp, are in the vicinity. 'A little to the left and our society would have been crushed, a little to the right and it would have hit the SRP's Ghoda Camp… a bit of an early descent would have taken the plane into the campus of the Military Hospital and NIOH, while a little delay would have sent the aircraft straight into the 1,200-bed hospital in the Medicity campus beyond it,' says a shopkeeper, requesting anonymity. The 'society' he is referring to is a closely packed complex of four-storey, run-down buildings that come under the Government Housing Board in Meghaninagar, which was built for mill workers in 1961 when the city was referred to as the 'Manchester of the East' for being a textile hub. The residents say they have not had a moment's rest since the afternoon of June 12 with people crowding the premises to catch a 'better glimpse' of the plane lodged in the hostel building in front of them. On Friday, 22-year-old Dharmish Patni, a resident, was seen guarding the door leading to the terrace as a group of young men, soft drink bottles in hand, stood outside. 'Since yesterday, around 1,500 to 2,000 people have come, prompting us to take such measures. While everyone wants to see the plane, what nobody understands is that this 64-year-old building cannot take such a high load. We escaped the crash, now we don't want to be crushed under the building,' says Dharmish. The tail of the plane has since been removed from the hostel building. At the NIOH, another scientist describes the seconds after the disaster on Thursday. 'After a massive explosion, a wall of fire and smoke rushed towards us… We had been standing just 2-3 feet from the section of the wall that was breached by the flying debris of what, we learnt later, was a passenger aircraft. As we ran back, within two or three seconds, metal parts came flying into the compound.' All the scientists that The Indian Express spoke to requested anonymity. In a mobile phone video of the first moments after the crash, capturing the raging fire and accompanying thick, black fumes, someone could be heard asking a watchman, 'Kis wajah se lagi hai aag, pata chala kuchh? (any idea what could be the reason behind this fire?)'. 'Plane gira (an airplane fell),' the guard replies. One of the scientists The Indian Express spoke to said he initially thought it was a chartered plane. 'In today's time, you simply cannot think that a passenger plane would crash.' Residents of the housing society, too, say that, at first, they had no idea that the fire was caused by a plane crash. 'We heard a huge blast. I didn't understand what was happening but when we saw the massive fire and smoke, we evacuated everyone from the building since we didn't know if more blasts were in the offing,' says Darshan Patni (32), a second-floor resident. A 'massive blast' is also how another NIOH scientist describes what he heard that afternoon. 'I was standing in the corner of the compound with two of my colleagues when we heard it. We saw one of the wings of the aircraft fall near the SRP camp. There were fumes, heat, and a wave of all of this was coming right towards us. We managed to escape just in time.' Like the students of the BJ Medical College, NIOH scientists were also having lunch at the time of the crash. 'Five of us were having our food on the third floor. We heard a big explosion that shook our entire building. We thought it was a major earthquake that had led to a transformer blowing out. I went to the window and saw the plane,' says a scientist. Another scientist claims he saw a 'decapitated head' in front of the main gate. 'We put a cloth on top of it… Several charred bodies were littered inside the shaded garden portion of the NIOH compound. The bamboo trees there also caught fire…' An NIOH staffer, one of the first responders, says, 'The airport's fire team was the first to arrive. Soon, city fire department vehicles, police, ambulance, everyone arrived. By 2 pm, there were so many rescuers that the site was in a state of utter chaos.' The NIOH being a laboratory came in handy after the crash. 'Most of the bodies were so badly burnt that there was no skin left, only muscle and tissue. Many of the first responders didn't even have the time to put on safety gear. Our staff went to our labs, got gloves, and distributed them. It was the least we could do,' says a staff member. Many residents in the Meghaninagar area say they did not catch any sleep that night. On Friday evening, as Darshan and his son Yogesh sat on a worn-out sofa on their terrace, chatting with their neighbours, an aircraft flew over the building. Everyone instinctively looked up. For these residents, living beside an airport would never be the same again.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
GOP Senator Forced to Step in After RFK Jr. Loses His Cool in Hearing
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. exploded during a hearing Tuesday, prompting a Republican senator to urge him to 'hold back.' Kennedy's outburst came after Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) slammed drastic staffing and funding cuts at his department, and asked whose decision it was to withhold certain childcare and development funds. Kennedy began by criticizing former President Joe Biden's administration, and when Murray tried to get him back on track, he snapped back: 'You know what, you've made an accusation and I'm going to answer it.' Kennedy then launched into into a heated personal tirade against Murray, who tried to rein him in to no avail. 'I want to point out something Senator, you've presided here, I think, for 32 years. You've presided over the destruction of the health of the American people,' he said as he raised his voice. 'Seriously?' Murray interjected repeatedly as Kennedy barged on. 'Our people are now the sickest people in the world because you have not done your job!' he exclaimed. 'Mr. Secretary, seriously,' Murray said. But Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist and frequent peddler of conspiracy theories, wasn't done. 'What have you done about it? What have you done about the epidemic of chronic disease?' he shouted, repeating, 'What have you done about the epidemic of chronic disease?' That's when Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), the chair of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that Kennedy was testifying before, decided to step in. 'Mr. Secretary I would ask you to hold back and let the senator ask the questions,' Capito told Kennedy. The answer to Murray's initial question about who had ordered the funding cuts turned out to be simple. 'That was made by my department,' Kennedy conceded. It wasn't just Democratic Senators who voiced concern about rollbacks that the HHS has made as part of President Donald Trump's crusade to slash the size of the federal government. Capito herself addressed recent cuts at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOH), which oversees workplace safety, saying: 'I support the President's vision to right-size our government, but as you and I have discussed, I don't think eliminating NIOSH programs will accomplish that goal.' Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) said cuts to mining research programs hosted by NIOH, 'undermines our ability to meet national security goals tied to mineral independence and supply chain resilience.'
