In loss and survival Premium

Health Matters newsletter: In loss and survival

On surveillance and survival in public health, the promises and pitfalls of AI in medicine, rising infectious, brain health research and more

This week did not bring any sweeping policy announcements, but it opened with two quiet reminders of what public health work often looks like. A Nipah death in West Bengal reported by Shrabana Chatterjee reinforced the importance of continued surveillance, rapid response and careful contact tracing to contain zoonotic outbreaks. And In Kerala, 10-month-old Aalin Sherin Abraham became the State’s youngest organ donor, saving four lives, while Serena Josephine M. covered Tamil Nadu’s record month in deceased organ donations, together highlighting how coordinated systems, in crisis and in care, sustain survival.

Much of the week’s deeper analysis also turned to another force in healthcare: technology and its expanding presence in everyday medical decisions. An excerpt from one of the reports captured this: “I started coughing recently, and ChatGPT told me it could possibly be metastasis to my lungs,” a patient told his doctor, meaning the cancer had spread. He said he needed to write a will. It turned out his lungs were fine, he had recently started smoking. The piece examined how AI-powered apps and bots are entering medicine, raising difficult questions about safety, responsibility and accountability when algorithms begin to influence clinical judgement.

Another analysis warned that AI chatbots can give unreliable health advice, opening with a pointed line: the next time you consider consulting “Dr ChatGPT”, perhaps think again. The concern is not merely occasional factual slips, but how confidently delivered misinformation can heighten fear, distort risk perception and complicate doctor-patient interactions.

At the same time, the week’s coverage resisted easy binaries. Fabian Rodrigues reported on how AI tools could help Indians better understand their health information, potentially strengthening awareness and engagement, while Dr. Dinesh Arab argued that electronic medical records may prove to be this century’s most significant medical advancement, improving continuity of care and data-driven decisions.

If technology formed one strand, infectious diseases formed another. Divya Gandhi reported on Ukraine’s battle against rabies. Closer home, a health department team was deployed in a Haryana village after four deaths due to hepatitis B. In Tamil Nadu, the Health Minister warned against consuming half-boiled eggs and undercooked chicken amid avian flu concerns. Bindu Shajan Perappadan wrote that shorter, all-oral TB regimens have been found cost-effective in India, according to an ICMR study, while Biological E. received WHO phase II nod for a novel oral polio vaccine. Anu Raghunathan examined antimicrobial resistance and India’s drug policy. Another study found that people living with obesity are 70% more likely to be hospitalised or die from infectious diseases.