Every year, World Toilet Day is observed to raise awareness about the global sanitation crisis and encourage action to solve it. The goal set by the United Nation is to achieve safe toilets for all by 2023, as a part of their Sustainable Development Goals.

The UN also states that 3.5 billion people live without proper sanitation and many children also lose their lives due to poor sanitation and unsafe water. This is why World Toilet Day is observed to raise awareness on this issue.

Theme

This year, the theme for World Toilet Day 2024 is "Toilets - A Place for Peace'. This focuses on the growing threat to sanitation that is caused by conflict, climate change, disaster and neglect. When there is a threat to using toilets, it can lead to many health risks.

Not using toilets for too long may lead to Urinary Tract Infection or UTI. For many who do not have access to clean toilets do not drink enough liquid or hold pee for too long. Doctors suggest that holding in pee for too long can cause bacteria to multiply and lead to UTI. By not drinking enough water, your bladder fails to tell the body to pee often, and can cause the bacteria to spread through the urinary tract, which can lead to infection.

Symptoms of UTI:

• Burning or stinging feeling while urinating
• Pain in pelvis or lower abdomen
• Constant urge to empty the bladder
• Strong or foul smelling urine
• Consistently dark urine
• Blood in urine

Holding in pee for too long can also cause your bladder to stretch, making it difficult or even impossible for the bladder to contract and release pee normally. It can also damage your pelvic floor muscles or could lead to kidney stones.

World Toilet Day History And Significance

To prevent such conditions, it is important that everyone has access to clean and safe toilets. In terms of history, the day was established in 2001, by the World Toilet Organization (WTO), which was founded by Jack Sim. However, it was officially recognised by the UN in 2013. The Government of Singapore worked with WTO to create the first UN resolution called Sanitation for All.

India too promotes safe and hygiene toilet through its Swachh Bharat Yojna.

Veteran actor Sharmila Tagore recently revisited her lung cancer diagnosis after she appeared on Soha Ali Khan's podcast All About Her with Saba Ali Khan. While Saba opened up about her brain tumour, they also discussed Sharmila's lung cancer which was diagnosed at stage zero.

The 81-year-old veteran actor insisted on undergoing surgery despite being diagnosed at stage zero lung cancer. She said that many believed that the procedure might not be necessary. Soha revealed that doctors confirmed that the tissue was malignant during surgery and were able to remove it completely.

Sharmila Tagore did not need chemotherapy after the surgery, according to Soha. In a chat with Nayandeep Rakshit, Soha shared that her mother did not need chemotherapy. "With my mother, she was one of the very few people to be diagnosed with lung cancer at stage zero. No chemotherapy, nothing. It was cut out of her, and she is, touchwood, fine," she said.

The actor's case brings up the question of whether surgery at the earliest stage of lung cancer can prevent the disease from progressing.

What Is Stage Zero Lung Cancer?

Stage zero is the earliest stage of non-small cell lung cancer, also called carcinoma in situ. At this stage, abnormal or cancerous cells are confined to the innermost lining of the airways and have not invaded deeper lung tissue or spread to lymph nodes or distant organs.

Unlike more advanced lung cancers, stage zero disease is often treatable with local treatment alone. However, it can be difficult to detect because it may not cause noticeable symptoms.

Also read: PET-CT in Colon Cancer: When Can It Help?

Can Surgery Stop Lung Cancer From Progressing?

In terms of progression, surgery can often help stage zero lung cancer, provided the abnormal tissue is completely removed and the diagnosis confirms that it has not become invasive.

The objective is to remove the affected tissue before the cancerous cells penetrate deeper into the lung. Depending on the lesion's size and location, surgeons may perform a wedge resection or segmentectomy, removing a small portion of the lung.

For patients whose cancer is confined to the airway lining, chemotherapy or radiation is generally not required after successful surgery, just like in Tagore's case.

Treatment decisions, however, depend on the final pathology report and individual clinical findings.

Also read: Left Delhi To Escape Air Pollution? Why Health Effects May Linger For A Long Time

Stage Zero Lung Cancer Is Difficult To Detect

Lung cancer is frequently diagnosed after it has progressed because early disease may produce fewer or no symptoms. Persistent cough, chest pain and breathlessness are not reliable early warning signs of stage zero disease.

Low-dose CT screening can help detect lung abnormalities before symptoms develop, especially among people at high risk, like certain long-term smokers.

However, screening recommendations depend on age and smoking history, and not every lung abnormality detected on a scan is cancer.

Even though complete removal of stage zero lung cancer can offer an excellent chance of cure, it does not eliminate every future risk.

Patients may need follow-up imaging and clinical assessments to monitor for recurrence or a new primary lung cancer. The risk varies depending on the original tumour, the type of treatment and individual factors.

Flu activity is rising unusually early in parts of the US, UK and Japan, while COVID-19 cases are also increasing in the UK. Health experts are urging eligible people to get vaccinated ahead of winter, when respiratory infections can add to pressure on hospitals.

According to Nature, flu tests are returning positive at unusually high rates for early fall on the US West Coast and in the UK. In Japan, outbreaks in August and early September forced some schools to close as students returned from summer break.

“It would be an incredibly early season” for the US if cases on the West Coast continue rising at their current pace, Scott Hensley, a virologist at the University of Pennsylvania, told Nature. US flu activity typically peaks in December and January.

H1N1 Dominates Flu Cases In The US

Also read: ‘American Covid’ Strain Drives 50% Surge in UK Hospital Admissions: XFG Symptoms to Know

H1N1 accounted for 96% of US flu cases tested for type in the week ending September 26. H3N2 accounted for nearly all the remaining cases, while no influenza B was detected, Nature reported, citing federal data.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classified the 2025–2026 US flu season as moderately severe, with more than 32 million cases, 390,000 hospitalizations and up to 81,000 deaths. Cases rose in November and peaked in December.

This season, flu activity began rising in August and September in western states, including California, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii.

“We’re looking at an early flu season this year,” James Watt, deputy director of infectious diseases at the California Department of Public Health, said at an October 6 briefing, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Danielle Zerr, an infectious diseases specialist at Seattle Children’s, told The Washington Post that the early spread was concerning because many people had yet to be vaccinated.

“The way flu is circulating now, you wanted that vaccine in you two weeks ago, if not even a little before that,” she said.

UK Reports Flu And COVID-19

Read More: XFG COVID Variant: What India Should Watch As Cases Rise In UK And France

In the UK, around 6.5% of flu tests were positive in the week reported by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), up from 5% the previous week. This compares with 3.3% at the same point last year.The early rise has raised concerns that flu could add to pressure on the National Health Service (NHS), which has already experienced a busy summer. University students returning to campuses may also be contributing to the spread.

COVID-19 activity has increased as well. Reported infections rose from 1,374 in August to 4,589 in September, the highest monthly total since October last year, according to figures cited in reports. However, officials said levels of both infections remained within the expected range.

Frankie Swords, national medical director at NHS England, warned of early signs of winter pressure on hospitals. Around two in every 100,000 people in England were being hospitalized with flu, while overall hospital capacity was approximately 95% occupied in September.

Swords urged eligible people to get vaccinated early, warning that pressure could increase as temperatures fall.

Since the start of September, around 3.9 million people in the UK had received a flu vaccine, while approximately 730,000 had received an autumn COVID-19 vaccine.

France is also reporting a rise in COVID-19 cases as the government prepares to launch its autumn COVID and flu vaccination campaign on October 13.

Flu Symptoms You Should Know

Flu often begins suddenly, causing fever, chills, body aches and extreme fatigue.

Common symptoms include:

• Fever and chills
• Body aches
• Extreme fatigue
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Cough

Children may also experience vomiting and diarrhea. Flu symptoms can overlap with those of other respiratory infections, so testing may be needed to confirm the cause.

Do Flu Vaccines Protect Against All Circulating Strains?

Seasonal flu vaccines are designed to protect against selected influenza strains, including H1N1, H3N2 and influenza B viruses.

However, influenza viruses can undergo genetic changes known as antigenic drift, which may reduce vaccine effectiveness against circulating strains.

Flu and COVID-19 vaccines target different viruses. A flu shot does not protect against COVID-19, so eligible people may need separate vaccinations to reduce their risk of severe illness from both infections.

Cancer is a dreaded diagnosis. Along with the physical and emotional toll, patients and their families face the financial burden of treatment, as cancer medicines can be extremely expensive. In a major relief for patients, India has approved a cap on the trade margins charged in the supply and sale of non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines.

According to the Department of Pharmaceuticals under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, these margins will be capped at 30% of the Maximum Retail Price (MRP).

“The measure is expected to reduce medicine prices by up to 70% and help cancer patients save Rs 2,500 crore annually, significantly reducing the amount they pay from their own pockets,” the Ministry said in a statement.

Essential cancer medicines included in the scheduled list are already subject to government-mandated ceiling prices. The new decision extends price protection to non-scheduled cancer medicines, which fall outside that list, by limiting the trade margins added as medicines move through the supply chain.

Rising Cancer Burden And Drug Costs

Also read: Indian Medical Industry Backs Maharashtra FDA Crackdown On Device Markups

Cancer treatment places a substantial financial burden on patients and their families, who often have to pay significant amounts out of pocket. In India, approximately 60 people per lakh population are affected by cancer.

According to a National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) analysis of market data, non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines carry an average price markup of approximately 170%, reaching 700% or more in some cases.

Prices can rise sharply as a medicine moves through the supply chain before reaching the patient. They also vary significantly depending on whether medicines are purchased from retail pharmacies, hospital pharmacies or online pharmacies.

The new cap aims to curb excessive trade margins, address unfair pricing practices and help ensure fairer prices for patients, particularly those who require expensive cancer medicines.

Supreme Court Flags Steep Markups On Cancer Drugs

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State authorities, including those in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Karnataka, along with patients and civil society groups, have raised concerns about excessive medicine prices.

Recently, the Supreme Court also questioned the Centre over the steep prices of life-saving medicines, particularly cancer drugs.

The Court pointed to the absence of adequate price-control mechanisms and sought to know why certain medicines remain outside the scope of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO).

During the hearing, Justice Sandeep Mehta highlighted the significant markups on cancer medicines, citing an example in which a drug supplied to retailers for approximately Rs 3,000 was being sold at an MRP of Rs 27,000.

“27,000 MRP of a cancer drug, price to retailer is around 3000. Just see the drastic difference,” Justice Mehta stated.

The Bench also questioned the government over the absence of a uniform criterion of 16%.

The Court had previously flagged a similar instance involving a cancer medicine priced at Rs 2,700 but sold for Rs 27,000, raising concerns about the financial burden on patients who require life-saving treatment.

In February 2019, at the government's direction, the NPPA capped trade margins on 42 selected non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines under Paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013.

The decision reduced MRPs by up to 91%, with reported annual savings of ₹984 crore across 526 brands. It significantly eased the financial burden on cancer patients.

Which Cancer Drugs Will Be Covered?

The intervention will cover non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines across categories, including branded and generic, domestically produced and imported, and patented and non-patented drugs.

An expert committee under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) will finalise the list of medicines to be covered. The NPPA will then take a decision and issue the notification.

The Ministry said manufacturers of non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines will be required to maintain their current production levels to ensure that these life-saving drugs remain available.