Arunkumar Govindakarnavar

Science is a powerful tool, if we choose it, and use it. This World Health Day, WHO has a simple message: Together for Health. #StandWithScience. #WHD2026

Infection risk clusters around homes, challenging the long-held view that scrub typhus is mainly an occupational hazard for farmers nature.com/articles/d4415…

The 7-1-7 target is being used around the world to find and stop disease outbreaks quickly. Read about the impact the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil saw when they adopted 7-1-7 and implemented real time dashboards to track spread. resolvetosavelives.org/strategies-in-…

🆕 handy summary of @WHO guidelines for the clinical management of seasonal and zoonotic influenza. 🔗 bmj.com/content/392/bm…

#WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu: On India set to launch its free nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign, Former WHO Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan says, "Cervical cancer is among the top three cancers in women and still accounts for 40,000 to 50,000 annual deaths among Indian women... it can be prevented by vaccination... The impact of the vaccination today will be seen after 15 or 20 years. This is why it is so good that India is launching this as a public health program. We are joining many other countries in our goal to eliminate cervical cancer. It’s a pro-woman initiative. It’s a very safe vaccine, and it is a very cost-effective public health intervention. I am delighted that the Government of India is launching this..."

The @WHO Influenza Vaccine Composition Meeting report is now available ⬇️ who.int/teams/global-i…

India has an incredible automatic reporting system from more than 200K rural health facilities (HMIS). During Covid, reports were unpublished. We managed to obtain the data from 2018 to end of 2023. HMIS excess alone > Total nationally reported Covid bmjopen.bmj.com/content/16/2/e…

Nepal expands laboratory diagnostics for detection and reporting of drug-resistant pathogens at subnational level who.int/nepal/news/det…

To boost #Nepal's 🇳🇵 laboratory capacities to track & fight drug-resistant infections, the MoHP, with @WHONepal & @Pandemic_Fund, has installed microbiology labs in 21 hospitals across all provinces of #Nepal 🔬 tinyurl.com/2tpwhknj #AntimicrobialResistance #Antibiotics #AMR

🚨 Chikungunya cases are on the rise again in the Americas, including in places that have not seen the virus and this painful disease for several years. Warmer temperatures help mosquitoes breed faster, and communities with little or no immunity are more vulnerable. WHO advises countries to: 🔎 Strengthen disease surveillance 🦟 Control mosquito populations 🩺 Ensure that health workers can diagnose the disease 🧹 Empower communities to reduce mosquito breeding areas and avoid mosquito bites @pahowho Epidemiological Alert bit.ly/3Orvwc8

Positive news in the fight against #Cholera ⬇️ First preventive campaign in over three years launches in Mozambique, with others planned in Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of the Congo @WHO @gavi @UNICEF @DrTedros @Chikwe_I who.int/news/item/04-0…

Congratulations 🎉 team NPHL. Keep up the readiness and contribute to early detection for global health security. ⁦@WHO⁩ ⁦@WHONepal ⁦@WHOSEARO⁩ ⁦@Pandemic_Fund⁩ ⁦@mohpnep⁩ facebook.com/share/p/14Uktg…

.@WHO gives an update on two confirmed cases of #Nipahvirus reported in West Bengal #India. Nipah is a serious but rare disease, usually transmitted from infected fruit bats. The WHO are continuing to monitor the situation closely.

My remarks @BBCWorld on the exit of USA from @WHO & its implications. Clearly, all countries need a common platform to raise & discuss issues & agree on solutions that will benefit all people. Climate change & viruses don’t respect national boundaries! we.tl/t-rKbgq9sgH2

Need of the hour: Relevant, rapid, affordable multiplex point-of-care tests (molecular & serological) with acceptable clinical positive/ negative predictive value (PPV/NPV) are essential to expand diagnostics access, complementing antimicrobial stewardship. #Diagnostics #AMR

Got a breakthrough diagnostic idea? ICMR invites EoIs for developing real-time multiplex molecular diagnostic assays for priority infectious pathogens. ⏰ Apply by 25 Jan 2026. Details: icmr.gov.in/icmrobject/upl…

Molecular diagnostics have been a game changer for #TB - & they’re getting simpler by the day. Many Indian companies are innovating, @MolbioDx just won the #KochonPrize. We can now step up our TB elimination drive by expanding access. @JPNadda @MoHFW_INDIA @ICMRDELHI @StopTB

This World AMR Awareness Week, remember the don’ts: ❌ Don’t use antibiotics for colds, flu, or sore throats. They don’t treat viruses. ❌ Don’t share antibiotics with others. ❌ Don’t save them for later. #AMR #AntibioticsAwareness #HandleWithCare

When medicines 💊 stop working & #AntibioticResistance increases, lives are at risk. Learn how #Nepal is raising #AMR awareness by empowering communities & driving national action through education, youth leadership & media 👉 tinyurl.com/5fe5wu6b #WorldAMRAwarenessWeek