Health Matters newsletter: On science and accountability

On the legacy of Henrietta Lacks, India’s nationwide HPV vaccination drive against cervical cancer, new cancer genetics findings, vaccine access gaps, safety lapses, and the evolving responsibilities of public health

There is no doubt as to the big news in the health sector this week: India has begun a nationwide HPV vaccination programme, immunising young girls, in order to protect them against cervical cancer. Prime Minister Modi formally launched the campaign on February 28, in Ajmer, Rajasthan. The vaccine being given is the single-dose Gardasil 4 vaccine, a quadrivalent HPV vaccine that provides protection against HPV types 16 and 18, which are responsible for cervical cancer, as well as types 6 and 11. Cervical cancer remains the second most common cancer among women in India, with nearly 80,000 new cases and over 42,000 deaths reported annually. Do read Bindu Shajan Perappadan’s reports on the campaign, as well as our edit on the subject.

Staying on the cancer track, there have been a number of developments that we have reported on this week. IIT-Madras, along with other institutions published a study that found one in four Indian breast cancer patients carries an inherited genetic variant linked to cancer risk, with the majority of these variants occurring outside the well-known BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. This has broad implications on re-examining current genetic testing strategies in India.

Serena Josephine M. reports on the rising oral cancer burden in Tamil Nadu and the urgent need for policy changes including early screening and effective bans on smokeless tobacco to tackle this. What can India do about its increasing number of cancer cases? Vikas Pawar suggests that research opportunities for India lie in data-driven oncology. In heartening news from abroad, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ‌approved Boehringer Ingelheim’s zongertinib as a first-line treatment for ​a rare form of non-small cell lung cancer.

And now let’s stay on the vaccine track, unpacking some developments here. An Indian vaccine candidate for dengue, developed by Panacea Biotec, has entered the final stage of testing, raising hopes for one of the world’s first single-dose shots against the deadly mosquito-borne disease. And if you’re fascinated by mosquitoes and the havoc they have wreaked across the world, do read Divya Gandhi’s piece on a study finding that mosquitoes began biting hominins 1.8 million years ago. Another vaccine issue that hit the limelight this week was the shingles vaccine: despite the high burden of shingles in India, awareness about and uptake of the vaccine remains low, complicated by the high cost and inconsistent physician recommendations, reports Athira Elssa Johnson. If you haven’t had your tetanus shot in a while, you need to read this piece!

Developments in India continue to highlight the need for better safety mechanisms with regard to everything around us: our air, water and food supply chains. Five people died in Andhra Pradesh of acute renal failure, while 15 are in critical condition after consuming what is believed to be adulterated milk. While the Food Safety Department there has now launched a State-wide milk inspection campaign and the State has announced ex gratia amounts, for many, as is the case with other contamination/adulteration issues, it is too little, too late. While on this subject, do also read Rohan Singh and Venkatesh Dutt piece on unpackaging the myth of safe bottled water in India. Blood safety, however, is being looked into, as the Supreme Court has now decided to look into whether blood banks should compulsorily conduct the highly-sensitive Nucleic Acid Test (NAT) for identification of diseases.

Here’s a quick note on mental health this week: a study by the U.S. Sapien Labs, Global Mind Health in 2025, has found that Indian young adults have performed poorly in Mind Health Quotient (MHQ) scores, ranking 60 out of 84 nations. It also revealed that not only did Indian youths in the 18-34 age group score poorly globally, but they also did worse on mental well-being parameters compared to older Indians aged above 55, who were ranked 49. This reflects a growing number of reports that have pointed to the youth mental health crisis in the country, an issue that needs tackling.

Wrapping up with one piece of somewhat alarming news and one that offers hope: Spain has alerted the World Health ​Organization of what it believes to be ‌a person-to-person transmission of the swine flu ​virus in its A(H1N1)v variant. While this may sound concerning, Spain has further clarified that risk assessment for the population was considered “very ‌low”; the person infected did not ‌exhibit ⁠flu-like respiratory symptoms, and tests ⁠on direct contacts showed the virus had not retransmitted.

The other news is that pharma giant Novartis has settled a lawsuit by the estate of Henrietta Lacks that alleged the company unjustly profited off her cells, which were taken from her tumor without her knowledge in 1951 and reproduced in labs to enable major medical advancements, including the polio vaccine. The Lacks family and Swiss-based Novartis said in a joint statement that they are “pleased they were able to find a way to resolve this matter filed by Henrietta Lacks’ Estate outside of court” but aren’t commenting further. Ahead of International Women’s Day, this is a piece of good news!

Our tailpiece for the week is Ramya Kannan’s report on the strange sort of crisis unfolding in the rare diseases space in India: a notified policy for rare diseases is in place, there are Centres of Excellence (CoEs) established across the country, and a robust budget to assist with treatment. However, about ₹271 crore allocated for rare disease patients remains unused, and many of the children are quietly but steadily losing their quality of life and hope.

Do dip into our explainers section when you find the time:

Arun Panchapakesan decodes a new study on how HIV reacts to the drug lenacapavir, reaffirming the longstanding belief that the viral capsid is a very good drug target.

Jerry Gurwitz writing in The Conversation, notes that there aren’t enough geriatricians but older adults can still get the right kind of care

Nabeela Khan explains why gallstones affect women more

Dr. Pavan Chebbi writes on the rise of bone injuries among healthy adults

Dr. Sudheer Kumar Shukla and Dr. Harveen Kaur explain that AI offers India an opportunity to transform environmental health governance

Dr. Ishaan Capoor details the hurdles and opportunities in lung transplantation programmes in India

Dr. Lakshmi Venkatraman explains ARFID: when picky eating is more than being fussy about food

Niraj Kumar Gupta and Dr. Vivek Tiwari, through their research, ask if white matter changes in the brain determine our ageing trajectory

Dr. Sunil Tomar writes on the challenge of newborn lungs in India and where simulation can step in

Dr. Abbha Dhuriyaunpacks the rise of self-managed abortions in India

Dr. Arunkumar Ullegaddi notes that late night shift work is rewriting our genetic future and tells us what we can do about it

And finally, Geetha Srimathi writes on the impact of rising heat levels on the health of folk artists

Do not forget to watch this week’s health wrap, on AI in healthcare, OCD and the issue of opaque private healthcare pricing.

(For many more health stories, head to our health page and subscribe to the health newsletter here)

Published – March 03, 2026 04:15 pm IST