health matters newsletter: Health across systems and risks

On the burden of NCDs, transplant care and costs, mental health, GLP-1 drugs, social media use, infectious diseases, vaccines, climate change and health, and more

It’s not often that the health newsletter falls felicitously on a day specifically marked for health, but today is one of those days. The globe observes April 7 as World Health Day, and commemorating this, we have a host of stories for you to dive into, ranging across subjects, catering to, dare we say it, all possible interests in health!

The theme this year, is ‘Together for health Stand with science’: an aphorism that’s both timely and apt, given that one of the biggest threats facing public health of late, is misinformation.

Diving in, here’s what we have for you this week. We all know that the burden of non-communicable diseases is staggeringly high in India, contributing to a huge demand for organs. But how do a bulk of patients fund very expensive organ transplant procedures? And what help, if any, do they receive after a transplant, for the costly lifelong drugs needed? We’ve gone across the country for this story, exploring just how limited various insurance schemes in the country are the many hardships patients and their families are put to.

Staying on the subject of NCDs, do read this piece by Afshan Yasmeen where doctors advise caution (again) when it comes to using GLP-1 weight loss drugs, as inappropriate use may be linked to an initial worsening of diabetic retinopathy. And speaking of diabetes, Dr. Sowjanya Gunukula reminds us of the link between oral health and blood sugar: a crucial but often overlooked connection.

Mental health is another area that stayed in the news this week, both domestically and internationally. Here at home, a new analysis of data collected as part of India’s longitudinal survey of older adults, has revealed a 12% higher risk of depression among senior citizens when their adult children are unemployed, highlighting an important link between financial security and mental well-being. A review from NIMHANS has flagged the enduring impact of child suicides not just on parents but on mental health professionals as well, with gaps in support systems being pointed to. Athira Elssa Johnson writes on bipolar disorder: its complexities, difficulties with diagnosis, and the need for individualised care. She also touches upon how sensory sensitivity can affect everyday functioning and why it needs to be talked about.

Internationally, mental health this week has been bound up with social media and screen time. Rohini Subrahmanyam sets the context to this, explaining how early screen use could stunt vital sensory and social growth of children. Australia is continuing to play hardball on its social media ban, while Greece may soon announce a social media ban for children under 15, even as a growing number of government contemplate similar legislation.

An update on cancer before we move on: 94% of childhood cancer deaths and 85% of new cases occur in low and middle-income countries, a global analysis has revealed. And research into the TP53 gene, mutations of which are believed to be responsible for several cancers, may be pointing to new treatment pathways.

Reproductive health also made it to the news this week: Dr. V. Deepa Parvathi and Dr. Usha Rani G. explain how research into microRNAs can help unlock better diagnosis and treatment of PCOS and endometriosis. Chinmay Gaikwad unravels the Maharashtra police uncovering of a network of illegal medical businesses exploiting women in an illegal egg harvesting racket. And Dana Johnson,Laura D. Lindberg, writing in The Conversation, note that teens and young adults are driving the demand for online abortion pills via telehealth.

Here’s quick round up of what else has hit the headlines: a measles outbreak has swept across Bangladesh with 17 confirmed deaths so far and more than 7,500 suspected cases so far, prompting the government to launch an emergency vaccination campaign. Some heartening news on the infectious diseases front is the clearance received by Takeda’s tetravalent dengue vaccine, TAK-003, known as ‘Qdenga’. Dr. Vipin M. Vashishtha decodes this development and explains its limitations. Its impossible to talk about infectious diseases without also hammering home the fact that climate change is wreaking havoc with disease patterns: this report has more details.

Our tailpiece for the week explores how a breath test is now able to detect what many of us struggle with: ulcers. Do watch Ramya Kannan in conversation with Dr. T.S. Chandrasekar to understand how it works, in this week’s edition of The Health Wrap by The Hindu.

Here are the highlights from our explainers section:

Dr. Rajat Keshari writes on gastrointestinal cancers and the dangers of delayed diagnosis

Ramya Kannan underscores the essentiality of adopting a One Health approach to protect animals, the environment, and humans across the world

Rahul Karmakar explains what a new study, revisiting the parliamentary debates in the 1960s over linking maternity benefits to population control in India, found

Nikkhil K. Masurkar highlights the challenges facing MSME pharma researchers in India

Aruna Bhattacharya writes that tuberculosis shows how gaps in India’s urban health systems continue to exclude the vulnerable from timely care

M. Srinivas speaks of the need to democratise world-class healthcare by expanding medical education, and correcting regional imbalances

Naresh Trehan explains why climate change is a public health emergency

Kavita Arora tells us why the recent, controversial Transgender Persons Amendment Bill, 2026 is a disturbing step for rights, dignity and mental health while Ashna Butani notes that gender-affirmative care may become more inaccessible thanks to this Bill.

This study states that physical and social exposures, including air pollution, extreme temperatures, lack of green spaces and socioeconomic inequality, could together account for up to a nine times higher risk of accelerated brain ageing.

And finally, since summer is here and stomach flu abounds, do take this quiz on food poisoning to find out how much you know about food safety!

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Published – April 07, 2026 04:46 pm IST