NEW DELHI: Pune-based Serum India's swine flu vaccine 'Fluvac' will be ready for commercial use by April-May, subject to all regulatory clearances. The Pune-based company received the drug regulators go-ahead on March 5 to carry out advanced safety tests on the vaccine —Phase II/III clinical trials crucial for its introduction in the market.

Pune, Feb 11 (PTI) Five more persons succumbed to swine flu here taking the toll due to the deadly disease to 185 in the city, health officials said today.

All the patients had tested positive for the virus at National Institute of Virology (NIV) and were undergoing treatment at various hospitals. The deaths were reported yesterday, they said.

The city has been recording a steady number of casualties due to rampant infection since August 3 last year when a 14-year-old school girl succumbed to the deadly virus.

age lifespan of the general population.

The IMA’s Pune chapter arrived at this conclusion after an analysis of the association’s social security scheme (SSS) for 5,500 doctors from Maharashtra and over 11,000 across the country registered with it.

IMA Pune chapter’s president, Dr Dilip Sarda, said their data of the last five years indicates that the average lifespan of a doctor points to an alarming trend. “An average Indian lives up to around 70 years of age.

PUNE: The reinfusion of genetically modified natural killer cells body's first line of defence has been found to be scientifically effective in treating melanoma and kidney cancer when reintroduced in the body with other drugs.

The revelation was made by pathologist Vinay Kumar, the chairman of department of pathology in University of Chicago, during a conference on "Continued Medical Education on Molecular Diagnostics 2010", held at Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (Yashada) on Sunday.

PUNE: Even as the H1N1 pandemic casualty toll has crossed 1,200, once the virus settles down, it is likely to become part of seasonal influenza.

This has been reported in a scientific paper titled 2009 Pandemic Influenza in India, written by two scientists from the Department of Clinical Virology, Christian Medical College Vellore. The study has been published in journal Indian Paediatrics, volume 47 - January 17, 2010.

PUNE: Of the estimated 45,000 children dying each year due to malnutrition in Maharashtra, only around 12,000 are severe malnutrition cases. The remaining 33,000 children succumb due to mild or moderate malnutrition. Also, malnutrition is the underlying cause in about 480 of the 2,850 maternal deaths each year in the state.

Despite this high prevalence of malnutrition, the state government spends just 0.08% of its gross domestic product on the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and the mid-day meal programme.

Pune : With the National Institute of Virology (NIV) admitting that the H1N1 viral transmission has not yet stopped, imported H1N1 vaccine will soon be administered to the high-risk groups of doctors and paramedics dealing with swine flu patients.

In Pune district, where over 10 lakh people have been screened for H1N1 symptoms, information is being collected from 24 hospitals about the requirement of the imported vaccine. NIV director Dr A C Mishra said transmission of H1N1 virus was still on.

Pune, Jan 23 (PTI) About 500 doctors in the city have decided to do 'Surya-Namaskar', the ancient exercise cum 'Sadhana' in worship of the Sun god, to generate scientific data about the health benefits from it.

As many as 500 doctors would do 12 'Namaskaras' every day at a school ground here under the aegis of Indian Medical Association (IMA) to generate scientific data relating to the health benefits of the posture involving all body parts.

NEW DELHI: Clinical trials of the first H1N1 vaccine to be used on Indians from mid-February will start on Wednesday.

Three medical institutes in Delhi, Chandigarh and Pune will test the H1N1 vaccine made by French vaccine manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur in a three-week bridging study on 100 Indians.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) wants to be sure that the vaccine, tried and tested in foreign countries, is safe for use on the Indian population.

India is importing 1.5 million doses of this single-shot vaccine by February 15 for use on frontline healthcare workers.

PUNE: More children succumbed to viral infections other than the swine flu virus at the Sassoon hospital here in the last five months. Of the 571 children admitted to the hospital with influenza-like illnesses, 13 died of swine flu whereas 32 died due of other infections or associated ailments.

Surprisingly, nine of the 13 children who died of swine flu had no underlying conditions. Hearteningly, all the HIV-positive children who were admitted with swine flu symptoms were cured.