Animal rights activists allege nearly 100 stray dogs were killed in a Telangana village, taking the state’s toll since December 2025 to around 1,200. Police said an FIR has been registered against three persons, including the son of a panchayat president.
West Bengal has reported a cluster of Nipah virus cases around Barasat in North 24 Parganas, prompting intensified containment measures. Health teams have expanded contact tracing, quarantine and hospital precautions as patients receive treatment and officials monitor possible transmission links.
The Union health ministry has clarified that only two confirmed Nipah virus disease cases have been reported in West Bengal since December. Officials said 196 contacts were identified, monitored and tested, with all traced contacts asymptomatic and testing negative, urging the public to avoid misinformation.
Healthcare leaders have urged the government to raise public health spending in the Union Budget 2026-27, arguing India remains below the National Health Policy target and faces a growing dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. The sector wants sharper focus on underserved regions and system capacity.
An academic study released ahead of the Union Budget 2026-27 calls for a sharper increase in India’s public healthcare expenditure, warning that shifting economic and social conditions are pushing medical costs up and deepening inequality in access. The research analyses long-term national data and argues that stronger public investment is essential to make care more affordable and equitable.
India’s Union Health Ministry said the Nipah situation in West Bengal is under control, with only two confirmed cases and all traced contacts testing negative, while warning against speculative numbers circulating in sections of media.
Health officials in West Bengal reported five confirmed Nipah infections and quarantined close contacts as containment measures intensified. In response, some countries in the region reinstated airport and border screening for travellers linked to affected areas.
Health officials have reported multiple Nipah virus infections in West Bengal, with close contacts quarantined and some cases linked to hospital transmission, as regional authorities ramp up airport and border screenings.
With five Nipah infections confirmed in West Bengal and close contacts quarantined, health surveillance and travel screening measures are being tightened in several Asian transit points.
A new study and healthcare industry leaders have called for a larger allocation to public health in the Union Budget 2026–27, warning that medical costs and unequal access are rising. Groups including AHPI have reiterated the National Health Policy target of 2.5% of GDP and highlighted gaps in rural and semi-urban healthcare delivery.
Ahead of the Union Budget 2026-27, a new academic study has renewed calls for a stronger rise in public healthcare expenditure, arguing that economic and social changes are pushing medical costs higher and widening inequality in access. The research highlights determinants of healthcare spending and supports policy moves to strengthen public funding to ease household out-of-pocket pressure.
A new study cited ahead of Union Budget 2026-27 calls for higher public healthcare allocation, warning that socio-economic drivers are pushing medical costs up and widening inequality in access. The research analyses long-term Indian data and links healthcare expenditure to income, urbanisation, education, inflation and life expectancy.