Rotavirus
Rotavirus is a leading cause of severe diarrhoea and death among children less than five years of age. It is responsible for around 10% of total child mortality every year. Rotavirus-Signs and Symptoms: Kids with a rotavirus infection have fever, nausea, and vomiting, often followed by abdominal cramps and frequent, watery diarrhea. Kids may also have a […]
DIPHTHERIA
Diphtheria is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheria. It primarily infects the throat and upper airways, and produces a toxin affecting other organs. The main characteristics are sore throat, low fever and swollen glands in the neck. In severe cases, the toxin may, cause myocarditis or peripheral neuropathy. The diphtheria toxin causes a membrane […]
COVID-19
What is a Coronavirus? Coronaviruses are a class of viruses so named because their electron microscope image resembles the corona of the sun. They are usually found in animals, but sometimes get transmitted to human beings possibly through the food chain. The symptoms can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. This happened during the […]
Nipah Virus
The virus can be transmitted to humans from animals (such as bats or pigs). The disease spreads through fruit bats or ‘flying foxes,’ of the genus Pteropus, who are natural reservoir hosts of the Nipah and Hendra viruses. Nipah virus infection is an emerging zoonotic disease of public health importance in the WHO South East […]
Japanese Encephalitis
Japanese encephalitis (JE) is one of the most common encephalitides worldwide. The disease is caused by a mosquito-borne flavivirus and is found across south and east areas of Asia. It is a zoonosis – an animal disease that can spread to humans. JE virus is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Culex mosquitoes, which lay their eggs in […]
Acute Encephalitis Syndrome
Acute encephalitis syndrome is a severe case of encephalitis transmitted by mosquitoes and is characterized by high fever and inflammation of the brain. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2006, coined the term AES to signify a group of diseases which seem similar to one another but are difficult to differentiate in the chaotic environment of an outbreak. The […]
Mamallapuram Stone Sculptures
The hand-crafted stone sculptures of Mamallapuram have been recently granted the Geographical Indications (GI) tag. The exquisite rock-sculpting techniques exhibited in Mamallapuram date back to early 7th century CE. The Pallava dynasty, which ruled the area between 6 and 9th centuries A.D., is responsible for the development of port town as a centre of art […]
Kandhamal Haldi
Odisha’s Kandhamal Haldi (turmeric), famous for its healing properties, has received GI tag. Key facts: The golden yellow spice, named after the district where it is produced, has been cultivated since time immemorial and is known for its medicinal value. Turmeric is the main cash crop of tribal people in Kandhamal. Apart from domestic use, […]
Erode Turmeric
Recently Erode’s unique slender turmeric received a GI tag for its distinctive fragrance and colour. Erode’s turmeric is smaller and more slender when compared with other varieties, and it has a high curcumin content of around 3.9%. The loamy red and black soil of the Erode region is believed to be the reason behind the […]
Odisha’s Rasagola – GI Tag
Odisha gets GI tag for its version of Rasagola The name of the geographical indication will be read as “Odisha Rasagola“. West Bengal got GI tag for its ‘Banglara Rasagola’ which has been existing since 1863. Now both Odisha and West Bengal has GI Tag for their own version of Rasagola. The mention of the […]