The Union Health Ministry implemented a ban on 156 "irrational" FDC medicines, effective immediately. These medicines, including widely used antibiotics, painkillers, and multivitamins, were commonly used to treat fever, cough, and infections. The ban was imposed due to the associated health risks and lack of therapeutic justification for the ingredients in these FDCs.

What are FDC medicines?

FDCs or fixed-dosed combinations, also known as "cocktail drugs," are medications that combine multiple drugs in a single pill. They are designed to treat multiple symptoms or conditions simultaneously. While they offer convenience, they can pose significant risks. These risks include the possibility of overdose, adverse interactions between the drugs, and the development of antibiotic resistance. Additionally, many FDC medicines lack sufficient scientific evidence to support their safety and efficacy.

Expert opinions on FDC medicines

Experts have raised concerns about the use of FDC medicines. They believe that many of these combinations lack sufficient scientific evidence to support their safety and effectiveness. Additionally, the combination of multiple drugs in a single pill can increase the risk of adverse side effects and interactions with other medications.

Experts have also found that FDC medicines may not be as effective as individual drugs in treating certain conditions. It is important to note that safer and more effective alternatives are available for most of the medical conditions that FDC medicines were used to treat. One particular concern is the inclusion of antibiotics in some FDCs. Overuse of antibiotics can contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance, a major public health threat.

The risks of FDC medicines

The use of FDC medicines can lead to adverse effects, including serious ones. Additionally, safer alternatives, tested in clinical trials, are available to treat the same medical conditions. Experts recommend prescribing drugs individually based on a patient's clinical symptoms rather than combining them in FDCs.

The ban on irrational FDC medicines by the Union Health Ministry can be seen as a positive step towards promoting rational drug use and protecting public health. The goal is to eliminate unnecessary and potentially harmful drug combinations. This is a step forward in reducing the risks associated with medication and ensure safer and more effective treatment options for patients.

One in seven stroke patients in India are young adults aged below 45 years, with hypertension leading as the major risk factor, according to a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The study, published in the International Journal of Stroke, showed that two in five patients arrived in the hospital after 24 hours of onset of symptoms, highlighting the need for improving awareness about the first hour (golden hour) in stroke care.

“The findings highlight the gaps in acute stroke care, including delayed hospital arrival, limited access to advanced treatments, and inadequate follow-up services,” said Prashant Mathur, Director, ICMR—National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research, Bengaluru, in the paper.

“Stroke continues to pose a major public health burden, with poor outcomes. The study shall contribute to the development of evidence-based comprehensive strategies for stroke prevention, effective management, and improved treatment outcomes,” he added.

What Stroke Patterns Did The Study Find?

The team included 34,792 stroke cases from 30 Hospital-Based Stroke Registries (HBSRs) across India, recorded between 2020 and 2022.

About 64 percent of the stroke patients were males, and 36.6 percent were females.

Stroke in the younger age group (aged below 45 years) constituted 13.8 percent of the total cases. More than 70 per cent of the participants were residents from rural areas.

Hypertension (74.5 percent) was the most common risk factor, followed by smokeless tobacco use (28.5 percent) and diabetes mellitus (27.3 percent).

Ischemic stroke accounted for 60 percent of cases. Only 20.1 percent were presented within 4.5 hours of symptom onset, while 37.8 percent of cases presented after 24 hours.

The commonest symptoms at onset included motor impairment (74.8 percent), followed by speech disturbance (51.2 percent), dysphagia (30.4 percent), and impaired consciousness (25.6 percent).

The study also highlighted substantial disparities in stroke care services. Time-sensitive therapies like thrombolysis were given in 4.6 percent of cases, while thrombectomy was administered in 0.7 percent of ischemic strokes.

At three months, 27.8 percent of patients had died, while nearly 30 percent suffered significant disability, and 1.1 percent had a recurrent stroke. This highlighted the need for improving comprehensive stroke care across India.

Burden Of Stroke In India

Stroke remains one of the leading global health burdens, causing significant deaths and disability worldwide, including in India. Compared to Western countries, stroke also tends to occur at a younger age and is associated with a higher case fatality rate in the country.

The Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 identified hypertension, air pollution, tobacco smoking, high cholesterol, increased salt intake, and diabetes as the leading risk factors of stroke.

Incidence of stroke is increasing significantly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), especially in India, due to population growth, aging, and greater exposure to risk factors.

The estimated stroke incidence in India ranged from 108 to 172 per 100,000 population, and 1-month case fatality varied from 18 percent to 42 percent.

As per data from the ICMR-NCDIR, India has a crude stroke incidence rate of 138.1 per 100,000 population and an age-standardized case fatality rate of 30 per 100,000 population.

Amid changing climatic conditions that are soaring temperatures and leading to over 200,000 deaths annually in South Asia, the World Health Organization (WHO) today announced two health initiatives that will prevent the impacts of extreme heat and save lives in the region.

Extreme heat in South Asia, including in India, is rapidly threatening human health and can potentially also cause economic instability in the subcontinent.

The two initiatives -- the South Asia Climate–Health Desk and the South Asia Scientific Research Consortium -- were announced at the ongoing Mumbai Climate Week in collaboration with several global and regional partners.

The initiatives, with an investment of $11.5 million by the Rockefeller Foundation and Wellcome, aim to connect climate science to health action to prevent heat-related deaths and illnesses.

“Few regions feel the impacts of extreme heat as sharply as South Asia, and I welcome the clear determination to respond. We all know that every death primarily due to excess heat can be prevented, and heat health action plans are saving lives,” said Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Climate and Health Joint Programme.

“By uniting science, government leadership and support, and community action, countries here are proving that this challenge can be met,” Saulo added.

What Are The 2 Health Initiatives?

The South Asia Climate–Health Desk, implemented with the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), India Meteorological Department (IMD), aims to improve how climate and weather information is translated into action to protect health.

It is one of the first units under the joint program to embrace research and development and operational domains in climate and health, and will also help develop more robust decision support tools, such as early warning and risk assessments.

The South Asia Scientific Research Consortium, under the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, is expected to deepen the region’s scientific understanding of how heat affects different populations.

By developing tailored heat‑risk thresholds, this consortium aims to ultimately strengthen heat action planning, early warning systems, and preparedness efforts, helping communities and institutions better adapt to rising temperatures.

The Risks Of A Warming South Asia

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for urgent global action to address the growing risk of extreme heat worldwide, which takes a heavy toll on health in South Asia – the world’s most populous region.

According to WMO, Asia is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, intensifying extreme weather and placing growing pressure on lives and livelihoods, health systems, economies, and ecosystems across the region, putting the most vulnerable and exposed communities at critical risk.

In India, pre-monsoon temperatures regularly rise above 50 degrees Celsius, with heat-related mortality exceeding 200,000 deaths per year.

Extreme heat also undermines economic stability and productivity.

In 2024 alone, heat exposure in India led to 247 billion potential labor hours lost. The Lancet Countdown reported that the reduced labor capacity led to an estimated $194 billion loss in income.

Haryana has significantly stepped up its HIV prevention and treatment efforts this year, screening more than 12.4 lakh people and expanding services across the state. Officials say the focus is not only on detection but also on reducing stigma and ensuring patients receive timely care.

Large scale testing across the state

Between April 2025 and January 2026, authorities tested 12,40,205 samples for HIV. Out of these, 5,877 people were found positive.

According to Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sumita Misra, the state has been strengthening its response by making testing widely available and free. Haryana currently runs 104 integrated counselling and testing centres, including a mobile testing unit in Faridabad. These centres offer confidential screening so people can get tested without fear or hesitation.

A major focus has also been on preventing transmission from mother to child. During the same period, 5,65,830 pregnant women were screened. Among them, 613 tested positive and were immediately linked to treatment to reduce the risk of passing the infection to newborns.

Expanding treatment access

Alongside testing, treatment facilities have also grown. Haryana now operates 24 anti retroviral therapy centres in cities such as Rohtak, Gurugram, Faridabad, Karnal, Hisar, Ambala and Mewat. Thirteen of these centres were recently set up inside medical colleges to improve accessibility.

The state also runs five facility integrated ART centres and four link ART centres. At present, 40,851 patients are receiving HIV treatment across Haryana.

To support patients financially, the government introduced a monthly assistance scheme in December 2021. People living with HIV receive Rs 2,250 every month. So far, Rs 54.3 crore has been distributed under the programme.

Reaching vulnerable communities

The state is also tackling sexually transmitted infections through 31 dedicated clinics that provide free counselling, testing for syphilis, and treatment.

Beyond hospitals, outreach teams are working directly with high risk groups. Forty two targeted intervention projects run by Red Cross societies and NGOs engage with female sex workers, men who have sex with men, intravenous drug users, truck drivers, and migrant laborers.

For people dependent on opioids, Haryana operates 12 opioid substitution therapy centres and three satellite units. A total of 9,014 patients are registered and around 4,570 receive regular treatment.

Officials say several government departments are also involved in awareness programmes to educate communities and reduce stigma, which remains one of the biggest barriers to early testing and consistent treatment.

What IS HIV?

HIV- also referred as the human immunodeficiency disease, is a virus that attack cells of an individual’s immune system, and overtime makes the immune system weak, hence it loses its capability to fight against ordinary diseases, which in return increases the risk of catching up with infections and tumours. An individual is likely to develop AIDS in nearly 8 to 10 years, if HIV is left untreated. AIDS is considered as the final stage of HIV. This chronic disease can cause complications. Read to know more.

Symptoms for HIV

HIV symptoms can vary among individuals. The initial symptoms are Fever, sickness which is same as viral infections. Symptoms include:

• Fever
• Sore throat
• fatigue
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Headache
• Skin rash
• Pneumonia
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Weight loss
• Weakness
• Skin rashes or bumps
• Night sweats
• Diarrhoea

Every person might experience the same symptoms, many individuals might go through some completely different set of symptoms. Since, the symptoms vary from person- to- person, many people can start noticing these symptoms at earliest stages and most of them aren’t even aware about any of this.