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New Delhi, Updated At : 08:25 PM Sep 10, 2025 IST

Climate change amplifying dengue crisis

A new analysis of dengue cases across 21 countries in Asia and the Americas reveals that 18 per cent of disease incidence during 1995-2014 can be traced to higher temperatures resulting from climate change.

The 18 per cent translates into more than 4.6 million extra infections per year on average, researchers from Stanford and Harvard universities in the US said. Under continued global warming, the cases of the mosquito-borne infectious disease could climb another 50-76 per cent by 2050, depending on how trends in greenhouse gas emissions play out, findings published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggest. Over 1.4 million cases of dengue across countries in Central and South America and Southeast and South Asia were analysed. Evidence emerging from studies shows that conditions driven by climate change — rising temperatures and rainfall — are increasing the spread of dengue fever, including in regions with a history of low incidence.

However, “what is unique about this work is that we are able to separate warming from all the other factors that influence dengue — mobility, land use change, population dynamics — to estimate its effect on the real-world dengue burden,” senior author Erin Mordecai, a professor of biology at Stanford University’s school of humanities and sciences, said. “This is not just hypothetical future change but a large amount of human suffering that has already happened because of warming-driven dengue transmission,” Mordecai said.

The strongest effects in disease spread due to warming would occur in cooler regions, with incidence peaking near 28° Celsius, the researchers projected.

Rates of dengue cases could be more than double in many cooler locations, including areas that are already home to over 260 million people, according to the study. The findings could help guide public health measures and strengthen efforts in holding governments and fossil fuel companies to account for damage caused by climate change, the researchers said.

Kerala to get international institute of disabilities

The construction of an international institute, aimed at empowering persons with disabilities, commenced in this northernmost district of Kerala on Wednesday. The multi-crore-project, titled International Institute for People with Disabilities (IIPD), will be developed on a 20-acre campus in Madikai here on the model of the Different Art Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, well-known magician and DAC Founder and Executive Director Gopinath Muthukad said. The IIPD will feature international-standard training facilities in arts and sports, advanced therapy systems, personalised assistive device units, vocational training centres, medical care, and expanded rehabilitation infrastructure. Envisioned as an expanded version of DAC, the IIPD is designed to serve 1,000 beneficiaries annually and is expected to be fully operational by 2029. The IIPD at Kasaragod is envisioned as a vital support system, serving not only Kerala but also neighbouring regions, including Karnataka.

UK reopens trade talks to boost cooperation with
China after 7-year gap

The UK on Wednesday reopened its trade dialogue with China after a gap of seven years as the Business and Trade Secretary reached Beijing for the UK-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETCO). Peter Kyle, who took charge at the UK's Department for Business and Trade (DBT) in last week's Cabinet reshuffle, said direct engagement with China was a strategic imperative to strengthen trade and address concerns in a constructive manner. The trade talks are aimed at boosting bilateral cooperation in sectors such as professional services, automotive, and healthcare. The UK-China JETCO has remained stalled since 2018, when the then Boris Johnson-led Conservative Party government suspended dialogue over Beijing's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong and its stance in favour of Russia over the conflict with Ukraine.

Obesity tightens grip on school kids, teens

Globally, obesity is likely now more prevalent among school-aged children and adolescents than being underweight, according to a new report from UNICEF which blamed increasingly unhealthy food environments worldwide for the shift. The UN children’s agency based its estimates on data from 2000-2022 compiled by academics in countries around the world, who first predicted in 2017 that this "tipping point" would be reached in the coming years. UNICEF used the data to project what has happened since 2022, based on trends since 2010. It found that 1 in 10, or roughly 188 million, school-aged children and adolescents have obesity based on the World Health Organization’s criteria, putting them at risk of lifelong health problems including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Obesity now exceeds underweight in all regions of the world other than sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, UNICEF added. In some Pacific Island countries like Niue and the Cook Islands, the worst-affected globally, nearly 40% of 5-19-year-olds have obesity, the report said. Rates are at 21% in the UAE and the USA, it added.

Obesity rates in that age group have more than tripled, from 3% in 2000 to 9.4%, UNICEF said. That compares with a decline in the prevalence of underweight children among those aged 5-19, from nearly 13% in 2000 to 9.2% — meaning this is also still a significant problem, the report acknowledged.