Health Matters newsletter: Climate change, heat and human health
(In the weekly Health Matters newsletter, Ramya Kannan writes about getting to good health, and staying there. You can subscribe here to get the newsletter in your inbox.)
Once again heat is a hot topic in the health desk. It never ceases to be, in truth, but there are occasions that push climate change up the health news list hierarchies. This past week, it was the startling findings of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation’s cross-sectional study on The impact of heat on women in India, conducted with seven States in the country.
The study indicated that Women experience amplified health risks due to rising heat: MSSRF study in seven States. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, chairperson of MSSRF, who also conducted the study told The Hindu that while it is generally agreed that extreme climate events do affect women, there is limited data country-wide to establish the kind of impact that climate change and extreme climate events have on people, in order to drive policy that will benefit the people. The study used secondary data analysis of NFHS-5 (2019–21) across seven heat-prone States (Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu) and examined physical health complaints and care-seeking patterns. Primary surveys were held with 3,300 women in vulnerable districts, who provided new evidence on heat-related symptoms, reproductive health issues, and access to public infrastructure. There were also focus group discussions with women to capture lived experiences and complement the quantitative findings, and interviews with health providers, nurses, and doctors to understand health system constraints and gaps in institutional preparedness.
This study threw up some real surprises on some fronts, she told me - for instance, hysterectomy rates were more than double. The prevalence of intimate partner violence also showed a spike during the summer months. The trend is all health indicators tend to get worse. Women complained of physical and mental distress too, heightened during the summer months, and hardly ever addressed.
It is time that people, societies and governments learn to live with extreme events and the ramifications of climate change and adapt to the new reality. Labour codes need to change, to allow access to toilets and clean drinking water for women in factories, better building codes and a proper strategy to handle these changes.
That is an angle that Priyanka Kochhar, Mansi Sachdev, and Anil Dhall deal with in the article: The need for ‘heart-resilient’ urban planning. India, supported by digital tools such as Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled air-quality and heat mapping, can make cities healthier and more resilient. Heart-healthy planning rests on interconnected pillars that address multiple crises at once and complement national missions such as the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM), Smart Cities Mission, and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).
In a major development this past week, WHO backed the use of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, along with diet, exercise. In a much-anticipated move, the WHO acknowledged the benefit from the GLP-1 class of drugs, providing the rider that it was conditional approval, since data on long-term effects was not yet available. It also brought up the equity principle, recording that the drugs were expensive and out of the reach of many who require them. Turns out the International Diabetes Federation president Peter Schwarz also holds the same belief, as he told The Hindu here, in an interview. Read the story here, Weight loss drugs have great action, but can’t replace diet and exercise and watch the interview, here.
In a related development, a Chennai-based diabetologist R.M. Anjana was appointed as chair of the International Diabetes Foundation working group on physical activity.
Dr. Abdul Ghafur writes that the The new action plan on AMR needs a shot in the arm, in terms of better coordination between the Centre and the States. India’s broader public health experience shows that real progress happens only when the Centre and States work within a structured, mutually accountable system, he adds. The NAP-AMR 2.0 represents a more mature and implementation-oriented framework when compared with the first plan. It moves beyond broad intent and outlines clearer timelines, responsibilities and resource planning. An important advancement is the recognition that India cannot address AMR without meaningful participation from the private sector, which delivers a major proportion of health care and veterinary services.
With close to one in five adults living with HIV, South Africa has one of the highest rates in the world, and reported last year the highest number of new infections for any single country — 170,000. Until now, the best available prevention drug for HIV-negative people was through a daily pill. But things have changed dramatically with the twice-yearly Lenacapavir injection being introduced in Africa. A broader national rollout is expected next year, starting with 400,000 doses that would be received through a deal between lenacapavir’s manufacturer Gilead Sciences and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS. Read here: HIV-free generations: prevention drug rollout brings hope to South Africa
Some terrible news came in from America again. A panel of experts handpicked by the U.S. health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has voted to change the recommendation for immunising all newborns against hepatitis B within 24 hours of birth. However, it was clear that Data supports current U.S. policy of hepatitis B vaccine for newborns.
Reporting from the ongoing Parliament session, Bindu Shajan Perappadan says according to the health ministry, the Doctor-population ratio in the country is 1:811. From the same venue, we learn that the Centre has moved Bills for cess on pan masala and higher duties on tobacco products. Also, the government told the Rajya Sabha that More than 700 cough syrup manufacturers subjected to intense audit, on the heels of the cough syrup deaths controversy. The government also told the House that the national Disease surveillance programme has been using AI tools to detect early warning signals.
In our tailpiece for the week, we provide an answer to a question that might have puzzled you all your life: Why do we feel the need to go to the bathroom when we’re nervous or scared? Vasudevan Mukunth has some answers. Read on, to figure out this butterflies-in-the-stomach situation.
In our very elaborate explainers section, this week, guess what was the most popular topic?
Constipation! Dr. Jacob Raja A.S. explains how to Counteract constipation: here’s what you should and shouldn’t do
Athira Elssa Johnson explains what we might already suspect: Desk-bound employees increasingly prone to frozen shoulder
Siddharth Kumar Singh examines if unregulated use of alternative medicines could be causing kidney disease in Telangana
Dr. Arvind Krishnamurthy and Dr. Priya Iyer explain the growth of precision healing in oncology.
These many not strictly be in the core area of medicine, but these articles provide a broad view of the subjects in question: Prof. Hemant Verma on Unlocking the potential of India’s research in medicine; Bharath Balasubramaniam on the next decade of eye care in India.
Dr. J. Amalorpavanathan explains the legalities involved in organ transplantation.
Dr. C. Aravinda tells you All you need to know about: emporiatrics or travel medicine
If you have a few moments extra, do also read:
Quizzes on health care areas this week included: Healthcare heroes and Vector-borne diseases
The Hindu’s webinar for subscribers looked at Identifying stressors and acting on them early can prevent binge eating. Read the report at the link above.
The Hindu’s edit on removing laws that discriminate against persons with leprosy
Apple Watch introduces hypertension notifications in India
Lupin gets USFDA nod for multiple sclerosis drug
WHO, B-school study shows how digitally unified insurance systems can transform India’s healthcare
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Published - December 09, 2025 04:53 pm IST