When the sun is out after a long winter, every one loves it. But not the people of Canary Islands. Tourists there are being warned about the "unusually high risk" of UV rays this week. The Ministry of Health for this holiday destination has urged both, residents and visitors to take extra precautions and preventative measures to limit the impact of sun exposure over their body and skin.

The Ministry observed Aemet, Spain's national weather agency for the forecast which showed higher than normal UV or ultraviolet radiation levels in the region. It is in this backdrop that everyone in the region are requested to be extra careful when they are out in the sun. UV levels are set to reach 7, which is a 'high risk' in La Palma, El Hierro, La Gomera and Gran Canaria. Other regions like Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote are expected to reach a level 6, which is also classed as 'high risk'.

UV Index Explained

As per the World Health Organization (WHO), a UV index is a measure of the level of UV radiation, which ranges from zero upward. The higher the UVI, the greater potential for damage to skin and eye and the less time it takes for harm to occur, notes WHO.

The range 1 to 2 represents a low risk, 2 to 5 is moderate, 6 to 7 is at high risk, 8 to 10 is at very high and anything over 11 is extremely risky for anyone to stay out.

UV radiation levels fluctuate throughout the day, with the highest values occurring during the four-hour period around solar noon. The reported UV Index (UVI) typically reflects this daily peak. Depending on geographic location and the use of daylight saving time, solar noon falls between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. In some countries, sun protection advisories are issued when UV levels are expected to reach 3 or higher, as exposure at these levels increases the risk of skin damage, making protective measures essential.

What happens to you when you are out in sun for too long?

While sun bathing is good, being out in the sun when the UVI indicates a high or very high risk, may cause you health concerns. It can lead to sunburn, premature skin aging, incresed risk of skin cancer, eye damage and in severe cases, heat related disease.

Sunburn

It is one of the most common skin injury which happens when there is excess exposure to UV radiation from the sun. This happens when the UV radiation directly damages the DNA skin cells. These damaged cells die and shed, this is why people experience peeling after getting a sunburn.

Dehydration

This is also a common occurrence when your body loses too many fluids or electrolytes. It can also interfere with your normal body functions. You may feel dehydrated, especially when you are out in the sun, but not well hydrated. The most common symptoms are dizziness, fatigue and headache on hot days.

Hyponatremia

This is an electrolyte disorder in which your body experiences low sodium in blood. The symptoms could lead to nausea, confusion and even weakness. There are extreme cases when one may have seizures, slip into coma or die.

Heat Exhaustion

This is one of the most common consequence of being out under the hot sun. Dehydration with prolonged heat exposure can lead to heat exhaustion.

Heatstroke

When you are out under the sun and your body's core temperature cross 104°, heatstroke may occur. This is also known as sunstroke. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it causes more than 600 deaths each year in the United States.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a global medical product alert after identifying falsified batches of the cancer medicine DARZALEX (daratumumab). It also issued a warning that the counterfeit products could cause serious health risks to patients and disrupt the treatment process.

WHO Warns Against Fake Cancer Drugs

The WHO issued an alert against the circulation of falsified DARZALEX (daratumumab). The incident came to light in May and June 2026. According to the WHO, the falsified injections were found in the Maldives and Mexico after being supplied by unauthorised distributors.

In at least one reported case, hospitals received fake medication, prompting international concern over gaps in the pharmaceutical supply chain.

About The Cancer Medicine

DARZALEX (daratumumab) is an antibody that is used to treat multiple myeloma, cancer of plasma cells in the bone marrow, as well as amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis, a rare blood disorder.

The drug plays a crucial role in the treatment of various types of cancer. That is why the WHO said that the circulation of its compromised version could cause delayed therapy, treatment failure, and potentially life-threatening consequences.

Read more: Why Sustainable Weight Loss Requires More Than Cutting Calories

WHO Identified The Counterfeit Batch Numbers

WHO said the fake products deliberately misrepresent their identity, composition, or source. The manufacturer, Janssen, confirmed that the batch numbers MYS7381 and STV1K01 are not valid, and any DARZALEX product bearing these batch numbers should be considered falsified and must not be used.

The Maldives Food and Drug Authority also reported visible particulate matter inside vials from one of the counterfeit batches.

The UN health agency has urged national regulatory health bodies, healthcare providers, wholesalers, and distributors to strengthen security across the pharmaceutical supply chains to prevent the infiltration of counterfeits.

It also advised countries to closely monitor unregulated pharmaceutical markets, where counterfeit medicines are more likely to circulate.

Read more: ICMR & IIT Bombay Create Placenta-On-Chip To Study Pregnancy Disorders & Drug Safety

WHO issued precautionary measures to avoid purchasing falsified medications:

• Healthcare professionals should report suspected falsified products, unexpected side effects, or lack of therapeutic effects to their national regulatory authorities and health and disease bodies.

• WHO has advised patients and caregivers to obtain medicines only from licensed pharmacies and authorised healthcare providers.

• Patients must also inspect packaging carefully and seek medical advice if they notice any unusual appearance or suspect their medication may not be genuine.

• The global health organisation stressed that people should not use any product suspected to be falsified and should report it to health authorities immediately.

Falsified Drugs Are A Growing Global Threat

The latest warning adds to a growing list of WHO medical product alerts involving counterfeit cancer medicines.

In recent years, the WHO has issued alerts for various falsified cancer drugs including IMFINZI (durvalumab), IBRANCE (palbociclib) and DEFITELIO (defibrotide), highlighting the growing threat of counterfeit medicines that could disrupt life-saving treatment courses.

The WHO estimates that more than one in ten medical products in underdeveloped and developed countries are either substandard or falsified, making poor-quality medicines one of the world's major public health challenges.

Indian scientists from ICMR-NIRWoH and IIT Bombay have developed "placenta-on-chip" platform that mimics key functions of the human placenta. The indigenous innovation could transform maternal and fetal health studies while reducing dependence on animal testing.

Indian Scientists Develop Placenta-On-Chip

In a major breakthrough for pregnancy and fetal health research, Indian scientists have developed an indigenous “placenta-on-chip" platform that successfully mirrors several important functions of the human placenta.

According to the journal Biofabrication, the platform, developed by researchers from the ICMR-National Institute for Research on Women's Health (ICMR-NIRWoH) in collaboration with IIT Bombay, will equip scientists with a new tool to study pregnancy in depth, understand complications, and evaluate the safety of medicines during pregnancy.

Also read: WHO Unveils Global Action Plan To Combat Rising Fungal Infections And Drug Resistance

Significance Of Placenta

The placenta is a temporary organ that develops during pregnancy and acts as the lifeline between the mother and the unborn baby.

It provides unborn babies with oxygen and nutrients, eliminates waste products, produces hormones essential for pregnancy, and serves as a protective barrier for the baby.

Despite its vital role in the development of a healthy baby, the placenta remains one of the least understood human organs because its research during pregnancy is both ethically and technically challenging.

How Will Placenta-On-Chip Help Researchers?

The placenta-on-chip operates like a laboratory platform, recreating the interface between the mother and the fetus using living human cells. It reproduces several essential functions of the placenta, including:

• Production of pregnancy hormones

• Transfer of nutrients

• Removal of waste products including urea

• A selective barrier function that regulates what reaches the fetus

Researchers also demonstrated that the platform could simulate hyperglycaemic conditions similar to gestational diabetes, allowing scientists to study how pregnancy-related diseases affect placental function.

The placenta-on-chip platform could significantly improve research into pregnancy complications like:

• Gestational diabetes

• Preeclampsia

• Fetal growth restriction

• Placental disorders

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Scientists also believe it could become an important tool for evaluating whether medicines can cross the placental barrier, helping researchers identify drugs that are safer during pregnancy.

Pregnant women are often excluded from clinical drug trials because of ethical concerns, leaving doctors with limited research. Placenta-on-chip may help bridge this gap.

Another major advantage is its potential to reduce dependency on animals for testing. Animal studies do not always accurately reflect how the human placenta functions because placenta structures differ significantly across species. Human cell-based platforms can therefore provide more clinically relevant insights and findings.

The researchers believe the placenta-on-chip could become an important platform for studying maternal-fetal health, testing new therapies, and understanding how various complications develop during pregnancy. The innovation is a step towards establishing clinically safe procedures to tackle pregnancy-related complications.

The technology has the potential to contribute not only to safer pregnancies but also to more reliable, human-based research that could benefit global healthcare. India could progress significantly in biomedical research, influencing and advancing reproductive healthcare systems worldwide.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new global plan, urging countries to improve their response to the growing risk of fungal diseases and antifungal resistance. The health and disease regulatory body warned that the issue has been left unaddressed since a long time despite its serious impact on public health.

WHO Shares Plan To Tackle Fungal Infections & Drug Resistance

According to the WHO, fungal diseases affect more than 300 million people worldwide every year. It also said that they are responsible for serious complications, prolonged hospitalisation, and high mortality, particularly among those with weakened immune systems.

Despite the risks, fungal infections continue to receive far less attention than bacterial or viral diseases. They are also missing from national health strategy planning, particularly in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) plans.

Why Antifungal Resistance Is A Global Concern?

Antifungal resistance happens when fungi grow, resisting medicines used to treat the infections. This makes it harder and sometimes impossible to cure infections.

The WHO said resistance to antifungal drugs is being fueled by:

• Uncontrolled use of antifungal medicines not only in human healthcare but also in agriculture and animal health.

• Excessive environmental exposure to antifungal chemicals continues to accelerate resistance.

• Health experts have repeatedly warned that resistant fungal infections could become a major public health challenge, as the number of people living with conditions that weaken the immune system, including cancer, HIV, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, continues to rise.

• Climate change is also believed to be altering the distribution of certain disease-causing fungi, increasing the risk of outbreaks in new regions.

Also read: The High Cost of Ignoring Fungi: The Hidden Burden of Invasive Fungal Infections

Dr Jean Pierre Nyemazi, Acting Director of WHO's Department of Antimicrobial Resistance said, “The Updated Global Action Plan on AMR approved by the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly recognized that antifungal resistance is an integral part of the AMR challenge and one we can no longer afford to overlook. This Blueprint gives countries a concrete path forward.”

What Does The WHO Blueprint Outline?

The blueprint to fight fungal infections has been developed with input from more than 150 experts across WHO regions, including specialists in infectious diseases, diagnostics, surveillance, public health and patient advocacy. It builds on the WHO's fungal priority pathogens list released in 2022, which identified the most dangerous fungal pathogens threatening human health.

The guidance outlines four priority areas for countries to strengthen their response. These include:

• Improving public awareness, infection prevention, and antifungal stewardship programmes.

• Expanding access to quality diagnostics and effective antifungal medicines while encouraging research and innovation.

• Strengthening laboratory networks, disease surveillance and outbreak preparedness

• Addressing environmental and agricultural factors contributing to antifungal resistance. Through a One Health approach that recognises the interconnected health of humans, animals and the environment.

The WHO has also identified 12 key areas to help governments prioritise investments and integrate fungal disease surveillance into existing healthcare systems.

WHO officials said fungal diseases continue to be neglected across national health policies despite their growing burden.

Hatim Sati, Technical Officer in WHO's Department of Antimicrobial Resistance, who led the blueprint's development, said, “Fungal disease and antifungal resistance remain an under-addressed priority across national health plans, AMR strategies, and surveillance systems. This Blueprint provides countries with a practical framework to strengthen their response.”