Sunday, November 30, 2014

modern methods in Unani medicine at AMU

Seminar on the relevance of modern methods in Unani medicine at AMU

Submitted by TwoCircles.net on 28 November 2014 - 7:10pm  By TCN News,

Aligarh: Ancient Greek Medicine, which has evolved into Unani System, has always been a preferred medicine method in the country and continues to be so even in modern times for many diseases, Lt General Zameeruddin Shah (retd) said.

“In the new era, Unani Medicine cannot be put in isolation but need to be effectively moved with modern times,” Shah, the vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) said at a seminar on ‘Relevance of Modern Method of Studies in Unani Medicine’ under the UGC DRS programme.

AMU Vice Chancellor Lt. Gen. Zameer Uddin Shah addressing the National Seminar at Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College

The seminar held at the Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College, AMU, was organised by the Department of Illmul Adviya, AK Tibbiya College, AMU. Lifetime achievement awards were given to Prof Wazahat Hussain and Prof Anis Ahmad Ansari, former faculty members of Department of Botany and Department of Kulliyat, AMU respectively, a release from the AMU said.

Professor Singhal, Vice Chancellor, NIIMS, Jaipur and the chief guest on the occasion said that in recent years, various clinical as well as experimental studies have been conducted globally to evaluate the efficacy of Unani Medicine in various ailments using standardized outcome measures and that these measures have proved to be beneficial in microsurgeries and curing other ailments. He also said, however, it is necessary that Unani Medicine should adopt Reverse Pharmacology in practice.

Dr Firdaus A Wani, registrar, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi and the guest of honour said that like any other form of medical science, Unani Medicine also strives to find the best possible ways by which a person could lead a healthy life with the least possible sickness. Dr Wani suggested Unani Medicine to catch up with the practices of modern times.

Padmashree Professor Hakim Zillur Rehman expressed his views on the practice of Unani Medicine in modern times and highlighted the history and the relate importance of the same.

AMU Vice Chancellor Lt. Gen. Zameer Uddin Shah felicitating to Prof. Wajahat Hussain at the National Seminar at Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College

Professor Naeem Ahmad Khan, Dean, Faculty of Unani Medicine urged to give more importance to Unani Medicine so that this traditional medicine practice reaches out to masses in the country as well as abroad. He also said that even today, Unani Medicine is the only remedy for various ailments and diseases.

Dr Saud Ali Khan, Principal, Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College proposed the vote of thanks. Prof F S Sheerani conducted the Program. Professor Kunwar Mohd Yusuf Amin also graced the occasion, the release said.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Allopathy bridge course for AYUSH

Allopathy bridge course in the offing
Raghava M.

The Hindu 23.NOV.2014
B. Ramanath Rai, Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment, and U.T. Khader, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, at Ayush Utsav-2014 in Mangaluru. Photo: H.S. Manjunath
Nine-month course for practitioners of Indian systems of medicine

A nine-month bridge course in allopathy for practitioners of Indian systems of medicine may be in the offing.

The Union government has called a meeting of the Central Council of Indian Medicine to decide on the latter’s recommendation for launching such a course. This course is proposed for practitioners who will be working in rural health centres and national health programme, said President of Central Council of Indian Medicine Vanitha Murali Kumar.

Taking to The Hindu on the sidelines of a State-level Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddi and Homeopathy doctors conclave, Dr. Kumar said the Centre was keen on using Indian systems of medicine practitioners at primary health centres. Through this course, they will be trained for National Health programmes and also for providing emergency care and treatment. \

The government was keen to use nearly 4 lakh practitioners to fill the vacant posts of doctors in rural areas. Dr. Kumar said a committee of Central Council of Indian Medicine has already submitted the course module and recommended Indira Gandhi Open University to run the course and give the certificates. Dr. Kumar said the Medical Council of India has also been called for the meeting .

“But they have replied saying this as futile exercise.” Dr. Kumar said the recommendations of Central Council of Indian Medicine would be cleared and this course would be in force shortly.

In the function , cardiac surgeon and Chairman of Narayana Hrudayalaya Group of Hospitals Devi Prasad Shetty asked Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddi and Homeopathy practitioners to form a body at the State and the National level to lobby for the bridge course in allopathy.

He lamented the need for a structured training programme as prescribed by the Supreme Court for these practitioners to enable them prescribe allopathic drugs has not been met so far. A body like IGNOU can run this course, he added. Inaugurating the two-day conclave, Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader proposed setting up a Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddi and Homeopathy University in every State that will enable further research and growth of Indian systems of medicine. The State government will take the lead by setting up an Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddi and Homeopathy University next year.

Mr. Khader said the Government has taken steps to increase salary of Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddi and Homeopathy practitioners working in National Rural Health Mission programmes to Rs. 28,000.

It has also initiated action to recruit 583 Ayurvedic doctors through the Karnataka Public Service Commission.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Ministry for traditional medicine a good idea

Ministry for traditional medicine a good idea Traditional medicine systems either needs to be completely abolished, which in the current political context is unlikely, or strictly regulated  
The Narendra Modi govt has created ministry for traditional medicine called Ayush that stands for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy. Photo: Mint New Delhi: Last week Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a separate ministry to promote traditional Indian medicine—Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy, collectively known as Ayush. The decision has been ridiculed on social media, especially because Modi promised a small government, and also because at least one of the medicinal systems involved, homeopathy, has been scientifically proven to be based almost exclusively on the placebo effect. Almost all homeopathic medicines are nothing but sugar and water. Still, the creation of a ministry is a good idea. Traditional medicine systems either needs to be completely abolished, which in the current political context is unlikely, or strictly regulated. The decision to have an Ayush ministry is fairly straightforward. If it is going to be practised, it needs to be regulated. At last count, India had 261 medical colleges teaching Ayurveda and producing over 10,000 graduates every year. In all, Ayush has 516 dedicated teaching institutions and with a total admission capacity of 25,507 seats. For the record, the new minister, Shripad Naik, has been tasked with setting up a regulator and reviving these branches of medicine. The government’s vision is the make the Indian systems of medicine and homoeopathy (ISM&H) available in every primary health care centre. The government will also be posting ISM&H specialist in government hospitals. The aim to revive and regulate traditional medicine is welcome but the obvious concern is about the government’s definition of integration. These 25,000 Ayush graduates cannot be seen as an answer to the doctor shortage in India. They cannot be expected to practice modern medicine after a crash course in specific treatments as the latest draft of Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) bill expects them to. The bill, appallingly, allows abortions to be performed ayurveds, homoeopaths and midwives, in addition to allopathic doctors when the truth is that traditional medicine does not have the knowledge base required for abortions. The problem with the current policy is not that it wants to revive Ayush. It is that it wants to revive Ayush and make it practice modern medicine. There is no doubting the benefits of Ayurveda, yet it makes sense to ensure Ayurvedic medicines go through the same rigorous testing process allopathic ones do. Further, it will be interesting to see the regulator negotiate ethical issues. If patients opt for Ayurveda over allopathy to treat a condition that can easily be cured using modern medicine, is it ethically right for the medical practitioner to deny the simpler course of treatment? One of the best examples of reviving and integrating traditional and modern medicine is in Thailand, where government hospitals have integrated the traditional Thai medicine system even while strictly complying with its national health policy and the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The country has a list of diseases for which it allows use of traditional medicine in combination with modern medicine. On paper, the move to have an exclusive ministry is welcome but it is unlikely to replicate the Thai model because, unfortunately for Ayush, it has got mixed up with religion. And that’s the biggest flaw with India’s traditional medicine systems.

Read more at: live Mint.

bio-resources and benefit sharing

  National guidelines for Ayush units on use of bio-resources and benefit sharing to be notified shortly
Shardul Nautiyal, Mumbai
Wednesday, November 19, 2014, 08:00 Hrs [IST]

A national guideline on benefit sharing for Ayush units is likely to be notified by the Central Government shortly to boost sustainable use of bio-resources across the country.

As per the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, Ayush manufacturer has the responsibility to share details of the source from where the raw material has been procured and also a certain per cent of the revenue generated out of the production for its sustainable use.

According to Section 7 and 24(2) of the Act, organisations extracting plant based material for commercial purpose without intimation to state biodiversity board are liable under Section 55(2) of the Act and shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend up to three years with fine or five years with fine or both.

Uniform guidelines on benefit sharing will also give boost to bio-diversity conservation which was a hitherto a neglected subject despite a Biological Diversity Act of 2002 in place. The guidelines will allow and empower respective state biodiversity boards to determine the amount of benefit sharing to be given by Ayush manufacturers to the state exchequer.

Informs a source associated with the development, "Till date, there is no clarity on the amount of benefit sharing to be accrued from the Ayush manufacturer annually. A high powered committee set up by the National Bio-Diversity Authority (NBA) had approved and sent the guidelines to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) for approval and notification in the official gazette. MOEF has now sent it to the Law Ministry and this would soon take shape in the form of notification."

Meanwhile, National Green Tribunal (NGT) is also awaiting a clear-cut and well-defined guideline on benefit sharing for its effective implementation. This move from the tribunal comes in the wake of over dozen such cases of litigations pending in NGT Bhopal bench of Madhya Pradesh (MP) and in various benches of High Court of MP. Around 22 such cases are in the process of being handed over to NGT from the respective benches of High Court at Jabalpur, Indore and Gwalior. In 2010, companies had moved to courts when Madhya Pradesh State Biodiversity Board (MPSBB) asked them to deposit the stipulated amount on benefit sharing as per the act.

Explains Dr R G Soni, former member secretary, Madhya Pradesh State Biodiversity Board (MPSBB), "Cases are pending at NGT for final order which is awaiting notified guidelines of benefit sharing. Due to lack of proper benefit sharing guidelines boards of all the states were losing Rs. 25,000 crore every year since 2004. Similarly, NBA is losing Rs. 10,000 crore every year since 2004. "

Dr Soni is credited to have initiated the action during his tenure at MPSBB following which companies moved to NGT. However, NGT approved the actions taken by MPSBB finally.

The notice served by different state boards as per the act states that the manufacturer is required to furnish information like name and address of the company, name of panchayat or nagar palika from where raw materials are procured, name and quantity of biological resources used annually, area and annual production (year wise) and annual gross turnover (gross revenue). State biodiversity boards set up in different states started issuing notices to the manufacturers not registered with them, a few months ago, directing them to do so at the earlie.
(Phamabiz)

Sunday, November 16, 2014

World Diabetes Day

World Diabetes Day: Here’s how you can treat Diabetes as per Unani Medicine -
See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/world-diabetes-day-heres-how-you-can-treat-diabetes-as-per-unani-medicine/#sthash.pzF6OIxz.dpuf

New Delhi | Posted: November 14, 2014 1:56 pm By Dr Aysha Raza In Arabic,
Diabetes is called Ziabetes or Dolab or Zalaqul Kulya and Zalaqul Majari. According to Unani Medicine, Ziabetes Shakri is a disease in which the consumed water is passed out through the kidney immediately after intake by the patient. In this disease the mizaj (temperament) of kidneys becomes haar (hot) because of which they absorb water from blood circulation and send it to the urinary bladder immediately. According to Unani, there are two kind of diabetes. One is Ziabetes Haar in which acute symptoms of diabetes (with abrupt onset) occur, such as excessive thirst, increase in urination. Another is Ziabetes Barid in which the thirst and frequency of urination is comparatively less. There is also a classification, according to presence and absence of sugar in urine. Ziabetes Sada is characterised by excessive thirst and increased urination but there is no sugar in the urine. Ziabetes Shakri is characterised by excessive thirst and urination and presence of sugar in urine. As per Unani, Diabetes occur due to stress, anxiety, strain and tension (Infaalat-e-Nafsania), over-eating, Excessive use of Alcohol or Sedentary Lifestyle Unani Drugs (Single drugs recommended for diabetes): Magze tukhme jamun, Karela Bark, Magze tukhme neem, Fenugreek seeds, Bail Leaves, Kalonji, Gurmar booti, Tabasheer, Sarphooka or Gilo) These above mentioned drugs (single drug) can be taken in a powder form (7-10 gms twice in a day after meal with luke warm water) UNANI DRUG FORMULATION 1.Qurs gulnar 2 BD with meal with water. 2.Tab. dulabi 2 BD(hamdard) with water. 3.Cap diabetic 2 BD(hamdard) with water. 4.Safoof aijaz 5 gm BD with water (new shama) Here’s how you should modify your diet to tackle Diabetes

DIET IN DIABETES -
1) Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. 2) Exercise atleast 1 hour a day like brisk morning walk. Breathing exercise may be helpful. 3) Avoid alcohol consumption and smoking. 4) Control intake of sugar in any form for eg. Potato, Banana, Rice, Cereal and Fruits. 5) Avoid oily food. 6) Stress, strain, tension, anxiety should be avoided. 7) Eat fresh vegetables like Cabbage, Carrot, Radish, Onion, Spinach, Bitter Gourd, Cucumber. 8) Whole grain wheat (Chana, Wheat, Soyabean) should be included in diet. 9) Avoid eating containing sugar like sweets, chocolates etc. 10) Take dairy products like milk and yoghurt. 11) Take diet rich in fibre. Soyabean, oatmeal etc help to control diabetes. 12) Paneer, Egg Whites, Chicken, Pulses, Curd and Fish are great sources of protein. 13) Take sprouted seeds like Chana, <oong etc on regular basis. DIET CHART Breakfast Sprouted seeds like Moong, Chana. Egg white Salad: Cucumber, Curd, Radish, Carrot Lunch (Veg) Soyabean, Methi, Bitter Gourd, Arvi (Arbi) Lunch (Non Veg) Fish, Paneer, Prawn Dinner (Non veg) Chicken, Mutton Dinner (Veg) Peas, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Ladyfinger, Bittor Gourd, Bottle Gourd, Turai, Parval, Baby Corn. Drinks Barley water, Coconut water, Mineral water. Dr Aysha Raza (M.D) Associate Professor A&U Tibbia College I\C Maternity & O.P.D President:- All India Teachers Association Delhi P.G Faculty Association of Indian Medicine (An Association of Tibbia College Govt. of NCT Delhi) -

lost glory of Ayurveda

Research will reclaim lost glory of Ayurveda, say experts
Shahla Siddiqui, TNN | Nov 15, 2014, 10.12PM IST
Times of India

DEHRADUN: Research and standardization in Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) will help reclaim the lost glory of Ayurveda, experts said on Saturday. The focus of central and state AYUSH departments should be on research.

Identifying and preserving medicinal plants in the state can give Uttarakhand the edge in medicine, they added. Experts say Uttarakhand is home to 30% of India's bio-diversity, the benefits of which have not tapped into by the state. No proper identification or classification has been done.

"We are losing many of our ancient herbs every year. This is only because we haven't taken proper steps towards their restoration. Identifying all these herbs will help us in their preservation and research work," said Maya Ram Uniyal, a prominent writer and researcher in the field of Ayurveda.


Uniyal also stressed on the need for uniform treatment across the country. "The medication should be same, irrespective of the place. An ayurvedic practitioner in Kerala should prescribe the same medicine as one in Uttarakhand for a particular disease," he said.

"Instead on focusing on opening more health centers and posting doctors in the hills, the department should encourage research work. Inferential studies need to have scientific rigor. If the Centre cannot fund the research programs, the state should take it up as a responsibility," said Om Prakash, principal secretary AYUSH, Uttarakhand. Experts also demanded flexibility in research and clinical work at the one day awareness camp organized by the state AYUSH department in Dehradun.

Proponents of Ayurveda claim that it has none of the side effects of allopathic medicine. Other states have pumped in resources into Ayurveda research. In Hyderabad, the state unani department has funded research to find a cure for cancer.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Ibn Sina Academy

This centre of medicine has unique ‘Urdu tehzeeb’ museum
Eram Agha, TNN | Nov 12, 2014, 04.53PM IST  Times of India

ALIGARH: The Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences was founded by Padma Shri Hakim Syed Zillur Rehman in the year 2000. It is well known for its vast library and the museum of medieval science and medicine. Few people know, however, that it also houses a museum that showcases "Muslim culture, steeped in Urdu tehzeeb".

Rehman says this museum "chronicles Muslim culture through objects". He says the attempt is to preserve, before these cultural artefacts are lost entirely.

Why would a centre dedicated to medicine and science preserve a "chogha" (an earlier form of the sherwani)? Where else, in a centre like this one, would you expect to see a three-metre dupatta studded with diamonds and laced with gold and silver? Step into this museum to see crockery that sat on the dining tables of Muslim households in times gone by.

"Times are changing. Sixty-seven years after independence, many families now have a second generation that is acquiring a modern education. They will then go out in search of work and money, and a time will come when they will feel nostalgia and return in search of their roots and their traditions. People want to know of their virasat," he said, adding, "That is when some of my efforts to conserve our heritage through these things will matter".

Some of the objects on display were part of his own inheritance. Some were gifted by people who saw that he had the wherewithal to preserve priceless items for posterity.

An NGO "Heritage Restore" has now started work on documenting the objects in Rehman's collection. So far, over 4,500 objects are recorded as stored in this repository.

Heritage Restore president Azfar Ahmad said, "People think Muslim culture is about maqbara and madarsa. But look here - you find gramophones, harmoniums, costumes for weddings and trays for biryanis, all uniquely designed."

Some of these objects, in some years, will be so alien that few will understand without explanation what a paandaan (a box for preserving items used to make paan), ugaldaan (spittoon for the pan user), haath ka pankha (a hand fan), batua (wallet), chogha (a form of the sherwani), gharara (a dress item) look like."

Rehman's collection also has a fruit tray from the dining table of Begum Sultan Jahan of Bhopal, her brooch made of precious stones, with her name inscribed in gold, a chogha that belonged to the Qazi Shamsuddin of Rewari, dating back to 1830, a paandaan weighing over 5 kg and a betel stand.

There are original royal orders of Mughal emperors that have come to Rehman from his father, and a paper weight made of shells that was used by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.

There are also silver-lined razais (quilts), dinner sets with plates having a vacuum so that hot water poured in them keeps the curry warm till the last bite.

Rahman has earlier served as professor and chairman, department of Ilmul Advia at the Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College, Aligarh Muslim University. After a 40-year stint, he retired as dean, faculty of Unani medicine.

He is the author of 45 books and several papers on different aspects of Unani. He boasts of being the possessor of the largest collection of books on Unani medicine. He was conferred the Padma Shri in 2006 for his contribution to the field of Unani medicine.

The museum grew out of his penchant for all things unique, some of which were also priceless -- coins from ancient times, stamps, pens and other artefacts.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Way of Life: PM Modi

Ayurveda Should be Recognized as a Way of Life: PM Modi
ndtv...
Modified: November 10, 2014 13:56 IST

The 6th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) and Arogya Expo was held recently in New Delhi with the aim of integrating Ayurveda with the mainstream public health system and also propagating it globally as a safe and cost-efficient health care alternative.

The event was organized by the AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) department under the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, in collaboration with the World Ayurveda Foundation (WAF) and the Delhi government. It was graced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who stressed on the fact that Ayurveda can acquire global recognition, like yoga, if it is presented in the right spirit and recognized as a way of life.

He further added, "The biggest challenge for promoting Ayurveda is finding physicians who are completely committed to Ayurveda. Unless practitioners believe in it fully they will not be able to convince the patients." There are times when doctors may prescribe allopathic medicines initially and then switch to Ayurvedic cures. Such 'cross-pathy' is legally not allowed to be practiced.

He also explained that Ayurveda and Allopathy should not be considered as competing streams of medical science as the former is to do with prevention while the latter only deals with cures. A disease can be cured by Allopathy, but if a person adopts Ayurveda, he can protect himself against various infections and lifestyle diseases for life.

He recommends, "Space has to be created in international medical and science publications, for articles on Ayurveda. But some effort needs to be made by practitioners and researchers of Ayurveda."

Despite having a rich heritage of alternate systems of medicine, India lags behind China in this field. But the government has now decided to pump in around Rs. 5,000 crore in the Ayush mission which may boost the current scenario.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Chhattisgarh sterilisation camp

8 women dead, 25 critical after Chhattisgarh sterilisation camp
Agencies New Delhi, November 11, 2014
First Published: 11:00 IST(11/11/2014) | Last Updated: 11:49 IST(11/11/2014)

Eight women have died and more than 25 others are in critical condition after undergoing sterilisation surgeries in a camp held at Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh.

Eight women have died and more than 25 others are in critical condition after undergoing sterilisation surgeries in a camp held at Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh. (Shutterstock)

Organised by the Chhattisgarh government in the home district of state health minister Amar Agarwal, the camp saw 83 women being operated upon on Saturday as part of the annual family planning camp. After the women started complaining of severe pain, they were referred to the Bilaspur district hospital, where eight of the women died.

"Reports of a drop in pulse, vomiting and other ailments started pouring in on Monday from the women who underwent surgery," said Sonmani Borah, the commissioner for Bilaspur district where the camp was held.

"Since Monday eight women have died and 64 are in various hospitals." Television footage showed women on stretchers being rushed into hospital with anxious relatives by their side.

The women -- all residents of neighbouring villages and most from BPL families -- had undergone the laparoscopic tubectomy in just five hours at the camp in Takhatpur area of Bilaspur.

Though health officials denied any negligence, some admit that too many surgeries were perfomed in one day to meet targets.

The government has set up a three-member panel to investigate the incident, and announced a compensation of Rs. 2 lakh each for the families of the women who died, and Rs. 50,000 for those who are undergoing treatment.

These camps are held between October and February, and women who go through the surgery are paid Rs. 1,400 each.
Hindustan Times First Published: 11:00 IST(11/11/2014) | Last Updated: 11:49 IST(11/11/2014)

Monday, November 3, 2014

dengue vaccine CYD-TDV

Dengue vaccine tested on Indian adults, found safe
Kounteya Sinha,TNN | Nov 2, 2014, 09.30 PM IST
 READ MORE Sanofi Pasteur|Dr Nicholas Jackson|DENGUE|Dangue Vaccine|CYD-TDV
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes spread the virus that cause dengue fever. (Getty Images photo)
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LYON (FRANCE): The world's first dengue vaccine CYD-TDV has passed the crucial India test and could be available in the country as early as by the end of next year.

In an exclusive interview to TOI, the vaccine makers Sanofi Pasteur revealed that their first study of the vaccine on Indian adults (aged 18-45 years) across five sites in India — Delhi, Ludhiana, Bangalore, Pune and Kolkata found the vaccine "safe and immunogenic in Indian adults" with results comparable to other clinical studies in Asia.

The study showed that 87% of Indian adults in the trial were positive to dengue at enrolment, confirming the significant endemic nature of the vector borne disease in the country.

Sanofi also announced the results last week at the joint annual conference of Indian Society of Malaria and Other Communicable Diseases & Indian Association of Epidemiologists.

Dr Nicholas Jackson, Sanofi Pasteur's chief of research and development for the dengue vaccine program told TOI in an exclusive interview: "We are in contact with the Indian authorities to assess the best registration pathway for our vaccine. Based on the positive results we now have from two phase III studies conducted in 10 countries across Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, we will prepare to submit the vaccine for licensure in endemic countries in the first quarter of 2015."


The Sanofi Pasteur vaccine research and development laboratory in Lyon, France. (Getty Images photo)

Dr Jackson added, "The Indian authorities requested us to perform a study in adults, which we did. This is highly significant as it is the first study of our vaccine in India on adults. The results will be an important part of our database as we consider additional clinical trials in India with our vaccine and the results will also play a part to support our licensure application in India."

Dengue is a threat to nearly half of the world's population. It is endemic in over 100 countries. One person is hospitalized every single minute with dengue.

"WHO has the target to reduce morbidity by 25% and mortality by 50% by 2020," he said adding, "We just completed a large epidemiology study in India. Around 2,591 persons were enrolled in a community-based, cross-sectional sero-prevalence study across eight geographically distinct urban, peri-urban and rural sites in India. In children aged 5 to 10 years, our study showed that 60% of children had evidence of prior exposure to dengue."
"At seven sites, this ranged from 58.2% to 80.1%. The highest seroprevalence was observed in Mumbai (80.1%), and lowest in Kalyani in eastern India (23.2%)," he said.


A dengue patient having treatment in ICU at a Delhi hospital. (Getty Images file photo)

In addition, Sanofi is also planning to conduct new cohort studies to further estimate the incidence of dengue disease in India.

Dr Jackson said, "This new study will be conducted in four sites from next year. We believe it is critical to understand well the burden of dengue disease in India. The results observed suggest dengue transmission intensity in these sites is comparable to other highly endemic countries of Southeast Asia and speaks to the significant burden of disease in children in India."

Earlier CYD-TDV — the first dengue vaccine candidate to reach phase 3 clinical testing has shown 88.5% efficacy after three doses against severe disease dengue haemorrhagic fever which leads to hospitalization for over half a million people (mostly children) every year.

Once administered, the vaccine also provided 67% protection against dengue-associated hospitalization.


Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that spread dengue virus. (AFP photo)

Researchers found that the vaccine gave low protection (35%) against DENV 2 strain, but more than 75% protection against DENV 3 and 4, and 50% against DENV 1.

The vaccine was generally well tolerated.

A total of 647 serious adverse events were reported, 402 (62%) in the vaccine group and 245 (38%) in the placebo group.

Overall, the vaccine has shown moderate protection (56%) against the disease in Asian children, according to new research published in Lancet last month.

There is no licensed vaccine available to treat or prevent dengue fever and efforts to develop one have been complicated by the fact that dengue is caused by four distinct dengue viruses, and a vaccine must target all four serotypes (DENV 1-4).

Lead author Dr Maria Rosario Capeding, from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in the Philippines said, "Our results suggest that vaccination with CYD-TDV can reduce the incidence of symptomatic dengue infection by more than half and importantly reduced severe disease and hospitalizations. This candidate vaccine has the potential to have a significant impact on public health in view of the high disease burden in endemic countries."


A woman covers her face as a municipal corporation worker in New Delhi fumigates the area to prevent mosquitos from breeding. (Getty Images file photo)

India alone accounted for around one-third of all infections. Of the 96 million apparent infections, Asia records 70% of the burden.

The vaccine will be a boon for India.

Scientists recently said that the number of people getting affected with dengue in India could actually be almost 300 times higher than what is officially reported by the country's ministry of health. The conclusion was made by none other than the Indian Council of Medical Research — the government's primary body for all medical and scientific research.

The new study published in American Journal of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene says that there are nearly 6 million more dengue cases in India than the official annual tally.

The government however says there is an annual average of 20,000 laboratory confirmed cases.

The study, led by researchers at Brandeis University's Schneider Institute for Health Policy in Waltham, Massachusetts, the INCLEN Trust International in New Delhi and the ICMR's Centre for Research in Medical Entomology (CRME) in Madurai calculated that dengue's economic burden on India totals $1.11 billion annually; roughly the same amount India spends each year on its national space program.

To calculate dengue's economic burden, the researchers found that the total direct medical cost to India was $548 million per year, or about $94.85 per patient. Given that the average dengue case lasts about two weeks that figure breaks down to $6.77 per patient per day. Dengue is therefore more expensive to treat in India than tuberculosis.