$5 million grant for tobacco control programme

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has granted $5 million to the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) to strengthen the National Tobacco Control Programme in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, over a three-year period (2009-2012).

The grant provided for the project on Strengthening of Tobacco Control Efforts Through Innovative Partnerships and Strategies (STEPS) will provide the much-needed district-specific strategic response to the rapidly escalating global tobacco epidemic. Project STEPS will work in the following districts: Prakasam, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, Mahboodnagar, Karim Nagar and Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh) and Kheda, Rajkot, Banaskantha, Anand and Surat (Gujarat).

Source http://beta.thehindu.com/news/article442254.ece

Rise of female smoking in India

Gone are the days where you see smoking women in a high profile clubs or pubs. And for the older generation of the country, they even didn’t see women smoking in real, may be they only would have saw them smoking in films! Situations in India drastically changed over the last few decades and with it, the smoking habit in women gradually increased.

Smoking facts and smoking stories differ from different sections of females, and most of the times you never know how big the percentage of smoking women is. The women smoking is high in the areas of BPO and media sectors. The percentage of smoking women averages from 8% to 35% in media sector.

According to a recent study, 150 out every 1000 women in India are smokers. Considering the culture, society and living conditions of India, this smoking percentage is big.

‘How to quit smoking’ this is the killing questions for many people from western countries. On the other hand, quitting smoking is as difficult as it can be for Indians. There are many factors that are leading to female smoking in India. ‘Stress’ is so far the major factor that’s drawing ladies to smoke. Corporate culture comes next, as many woman in BPOs or other MNC sectors feel smoking is part of their newly adopted culture. Not to forget college ladies growing ‘fashion trends’ which is making them to smoke.

As per the reports, the women smoking is very high in media sector which is the print, electronic and other forms of the media. It’s followed the BPO sector.

India is a democratic and secular country. Government of India has given every right for the women of India in competing with men in all fields, including smoking!

Source http://www.healthnews18.com/rise-of-female-smoking-in-india.html

Mediterranean diet could raise risk of heart attacks

Eating a Mediterranean diet to boost levels of good cholesterol could in fact be bad for some people, research indicates.

It has long been thought that a diet rich in olive oil, nuts and oily fish is good for health because it can reduce bad cholesterol levels.

However, a study suggests that some heart attack patients may have genetic mutations that mean the diet increases their risk of suffering further cardiac problems.

It found that those at most risk of suffering subsequent heart attacks had large amounts of the high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or 'good' cholesterol', in their blood that destroys unhealthy trans fats in foods such as biscuits and cakes.

They also had more of a protein known as CRP which causes inflammation – suggesting this influences whether good cholesterol protects or endangers individuals.

The findings, published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, could also explain disappointing results from a trial of an experimental drug called torcetrapib designed to increase HDL cholesterol.

Manufacturers Pfizer had to halt it in 2006 due to a surprisingly excessive number of unexplained heart attacks and deaths that were linked with higher levels of good cholesterol.

Pathologist Professor James Corsetti, of the University of Rochester, New York, said: "It seems counter-intuitive that increasing good cholesterol – which we've always thought of as protective – leads to negative consequences in some people.

"We've confirmed high HDL cholesterol is in fact associated with risk in a certain group of patients."

Out of 767 patients followed for two years, about 20 per cent at high risk of another heart attack also had high levels of HDL and CRP – the first study to find supposedly good cholesterol can harm a subgroup of people.

Co-researcher Prof Charles Sparks said: "The ability to identify patients who will not benefit from efforts to increase HDL cholesterol is important because they can be excluded from trials testing medications that aim to raise HDL cholesterol.

"With these patients excluded researchers may find raising HDL cholesterol in the remaining population is effective in reducing cardiovascular disease risk."

The researchers believe genetics and environmental factors – particularly inflammation – decide what effect good cholesterol has on patients.

Given an inflammatory environment a person's unique set of genes determines whether HDL transforms from good to bad in the heart disease process.

In the high-risk subgroup of patients they also identified two genes associated with recurrent heart attacks – CETP which moves cholesterol away from the vascular system and is associated with HDL and p22phox which influences inflammation-related processes and is associated with CRP.

Prof Corsetti said: "Our research is oriented around the ability to better identify patients at high risk.

"Identifying these patients and determining what puts them at high risk may be useful in choosing treatments tailored to the specific needs of particular patient subgroups. This gets us another step closer to achieving the goal of personalised medicine."

Despite the outcome of the torcetrapib trial drug companies are continuing to develop drugs to increase HDL cholesterol.

Merck recently announced plans to launch a major clinical trial in 2011 to test whether anacetrapib – a chemical cousin of torcetrapib designed to raise good cholesterol – reduces the risk of heart attack and death.

Source http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7769483/Mediterranean-diet-could-raise-risk-of-heart-attacks.html

Breastfeed your babies to improve their immunity

Breast milk is a complete health food a mother can ever to give to her child. Breast milk plays a key role in overall health and growth of the baby, and it’s nothing new as every mother would know it. Perhaps many mothers doesn’t know that their breast milk improve their baby’s DNA and immunity.

At a research in University of Illinois, the researchers have found out that babies of breastfeeding mothers would actually have a better DNA to that of babies who are fed with alternate ways.

The research team led by Sharon Donovan has conducted their study on 22 infants out which 10 were given breast milk by their moms and the remaining 12 babies were given instant baby food. After a series of tests and analysis, the research team came to a conclusion that mother’s breast milk influence on child is DNA and immunity is substantial.

They found out that breast milk possess certain elements in them which are extremely helpful in improving child’s DNA. Breast milk not only protects the infants during their childhood, but plays a vital role in overall health of babies in their future.

Breast milk helps boost the child’s DNA study

Mother’s milk has the ability to boost the immune system and the intestinal development of the baby, improving his DNA, suggests a novel study by a leading researcher at the University of Illinois.

Almost all the genes which are enhanced by breast milk contribute towards the development of the child’s immunity and his DNA structure.

Breast milk triggers gene expression
The mother’s milk affects the child’s gene expression, the process through which gene instructions help in synthesizing a functional gene product like proteins.

Instructions are already present in the genes in order to synthesize a functional gene product. However, they simply need to be turned on.

This gene expression results in “turning on” the genes, claim researchers.

Lead researcher Sharon Donovan of the University of Illinois said that it has already been known that breast milk contains immune-protective components that lower a breast-fed infant’s risk for all kinds of illnesses.

“But what we haven’t known is how breast milk protects the infant and particularly how it regulates the development of the intestine,” Donovan said, adding that understanding those differences could help formula makers develop a product that is more like the real thing.

“Genes are really sensitive to nutrition. And we now have genes that may explain many of the clinical observations of how breast—fed and formula—fed infants differ,” she told LiveScience.

Details of the study
For the study, the researchers compared 10 three-month-old babies who were fed with the old formula to 12 breast-fed babies.

They then analyzed the signs of gene expression, found as the messenger RNA in the children.

Formula and breast milk had unique effects on almost 146 genes in the infants, the study reveals.

Out of the 146 genes, many helped against “leaky gut”, a disorder leading foreign particles to enter the blood vessels through the intestinal wall.

Leaky gut triggers allergies and various other inflammatory diseases like asthma, colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Leaky gut is commonly found in formula-fed babies, previous research has suggested.

According to Sharon Donovan, “immune protective compounds are present in breast milk they help the baby fight against illnesses. It is still unknown how the development of intestine is linked with breast milk.”

Once that is known though, the formula-makers may be able to develop a product which can replicate the same thing.

2.5 Million People die annually because of Alcohol

Excessive consumption of alcohol kills millions of people globally, reports the World Health Organization doing a survey recently.

The WHO said that harmful use of alcohol is the eighth leading factor to cause death world wide killing 2.5 million people. Mostly people aged between 15 and 29 years are the worst victim consuming alcohol.

The WHO consists of 193 member states discussed the present issue at the World Health Assembly on May 17-21 and try to sort it out the problem.

The Organization urged the countries to have support to eradicate the death due to alcohol consumption implementing the recommended strategies and policies like health services responses, community action, and pricing policies and monitor the progress.

Doctors to keep a hawk's eye on new MCI panel

Indian medicos across the world have welcomed the Indian government’s move to set up a six-member panel for taking charge of the Medical Council of India (MCI).

However, many groups of doctors wish to keep a watchful eye on the panel, to prevent it from going the same way as the Ketan Desai-led MCI. Besides, medicos are quite keen that doctors who formerly had connections with Desai not be appointed to this panel.

The new panel has six members on board, including Dr. Shivkumar Sirin, Prof Ranjeet Ray Chaudhari and Prof RN Sullen from New Delhi, Dr. Sita Naik from Gurgaon, Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty from Bangalore and Prof Gautam Sen from Mumbai.

Dr Pankaj Singhal, one of five members behind the Remedy MCI campaign, which is reportedly one of the main groups demanding the dissolution of MCI’s previous board and sternly demanding a new panel, said, “The Remedy MCI campaign strongly welcomes the Centre’s move to appoint this panel, and most importantly, we hail the appointment of five members in whose integrity we all have confidence. However, the appointment ofRN Salhen in the new board is questionable, due to his previous connections with Dr Desai. We plan to keep monitoring the new panel’s work.”

The president of an eminent medical body in the US, People for Better Treatment (PBT), Dr Kunal Saha, had filed a complaint with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on May 15, demanding that Prof PN Tondon, who was formerly associated with Ketan Desai, not be appointed to the panel. Dr Saha has also voiced his opinion on the formation of this new committee. “We appreciate the Centre’s decision to not include Prof Tondon in the new panel.

However, PBT is to keep a tight vigil over the new six-doctor panel and their work. We also mull legal steps against the Centre for not having an adequate number of “non-doctor” members on board for Indian medical regulatory bodies, the way it is done in the US and UK,” he said.PBT has also filed a formal complaint with the Gujarat Medical Council (GMC) to cancel Dr. Ketan Desai’s medical licence and to remove Dr Nitin Vora, the present GMC vice-president. “Vora is known as a crony of Dr. Desai’s”, said Dr Saha.

With this, the demand for the removal of Dr Desai’s name from the Indian Medical Register has also gained global support, and a complaint in this regard was again submitted to the PMO on May 15.

HIV risk for men doubles during pregnancy

iated with increased risk of both female-to-male and male-to-female HIV transmission.

But for women with an HIV- infected partner, the study found that factors other than pregnancy also likely contributed to this increased risk, such as sexual behavior. In men, however, the link between pregnancy and HIV risk was much clearer, even after considering whether or not they had engaged in unprotected sex or were circumcised.

Microbicides -- substances designed to be applied topically on the inside of the rectum or vagina – are under active investigation as a method for women to use to protect against HIV.

The study, which involved applying a single dose of tenofovir gel hours before women gave birth by caesarean delivery, was conducted as a first step toward determining if use of a vaginal microbicide during pregnancy is safe for women and their babies.

The active ingredient in tenofovir gel is an antiretroviral that is approved as an oral drug and used as part of the standard HIV treatment regimen.

In the current trial, which involved healthy, uninfected pregnant women, the amount of drug found in umbilical cord blood was 40-times lower than cord blood levels noted in these other studies after oral dosing, and the amount that got absorbed into the maternal blood was at levels 50- to 100-times lower.

In addition to finding very low levels of drug, the researchers also reported there were no serious side effects attributed to the gel in either the mothers or their newborns. Based on these results, researchers now plan to conduct a larger study of tenofovir gel in both pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Because no information has been available to know whether using a candidate microbicide during pregnancy is safe, women who participate in clinical trials must use contraception, and if women become pregnant, they must stop using study product– at a time when protection may be needed the most.

The results were presented today at the International Microbicides Conference (M2010) in Pittsburgh.

Scientists create 'artificial life'

Scientists in the United States have succeeded in developing the first living cell to be controlled entirely by synthetic DNA.

The researchers constructed a bacterium's "genetic software" and transplanted it into a host cell.

The advance, published in Science, has been hailed as a scientific landmark, but critics say there are dangers posed by synthetic organisms.

The BBC's Matt McGrath explains.

Craig Venter has been leading the team in Maryland USA.

Dr Venter is known for trying to be the first to sequence the human genome

He and his colleagues are already collaborating with pharmaceutical and fuel companies to design and develop chromosomes for bacteria that could produce useful fuels and new vaccines.

Critics say that the potential benefits of synthetic organisms have been overstated.

Jon Stewart of the BBC Science in Action programme asked Dr Venter how important he thought this breakthrough was.

The creation of synthetic or artificial life raises ethical questions as well as questions about its safety.

Professor Julian Savulescu is the director of the Centre for Practical Ethics at Oxford University.

Expired drugs in government hospitals seized

The CBI has seized time-barred medicines from Central government hospitals in Chennai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.

During a surprise check between May 15 and 18 in seven hospitals/dispensaries, it found expired drugs being supplied to patients. Disclosing this at a press conference here on Thursday, CBI Joint Director Ashok Kumar said: “Some were found expired and being issued to patients posing health hazards to them.” On a tip-off, special teams conducted checks at four pharmaceutical companies in Puducherry and a distributing firm in Chennai and took samples for investigation. It was found that the companies were manufacturing/distributing sub-standard drugs not permitted by the Drug Controller General of India. Some of these drugs were antibiotics and anaesthetics, Mr. Kumar said.

Oil racket unearthed

Mr. Kumar said on information that petroleum products were being pilfered, adulterated and sold to public, a CBI team went to Konerikuppam in Villuppuram and seized 45 keys of oil tankers from suspects. Four persons have been arrested.

Referring to cases against a Regional Passport Officer and the Protector of Emigrants in Chennai, Mr. Kumar said the investigation was nearing completion.

Newborn Babies Learn Even When They're Sleeping

A study involving 26 one and two-day old newborns proved that babies take in the stimuli around them not only while they’re awake, but also while they’re asleep, the Telegraph reported.

In the experiment by the University of Florida

, scientists tested the babies’ abilities to respond to their surroundings by playing a song and then blowing air softly on their eyelids while they were sleeping. Almost all of the babies started to squeeze their eyes tighter after 20 minutes of the experiment whenever they thought the blow of air was coming.

Psychologist Dana Byrd said this form of active sleep doesn’t take place when older kids or adults are sleeping and is unique to newborn babies.

“Newborn infants' sleep patterns are quite different to those of older children or adults in that they show more active sleep where heart and breathing rates are very changeable,” Byrd said.

This is the first experiment performed that has shown this type of learning occurs while newborns are sleeping. Byrd also said the findings of this study may also be used to identify babies who have developmental disorders like dyslexia and autism.

Group weight-loss helps cut diabetes risk

A new study has claimed that attending periodical sessions of weight loss programs in groups can benefit overweight or obese people and reduce risk of diabetes.

Researchers found that after a 6-month Weight Watchers group program, overweight or obese adults who attended at least 66 per cent of the weekly sessions, not only lost weight, but also significantly reduced glucose and insulin levels - important indicators of diabetes risk.

The program included education on a low calorie diet, exercise and weekly group support sessions.

The fact that participants who attended regularly improved the most only reinforces the importance of group therapy.

"We know that previous research programs have successfully reduced diabetes risk using intensive lifestyle treatment," said Kathleen Melanson, study co-author.

"But what we didn’t know is that a program that costs appreciably much less than specially-designed diabetes prevention programs would have a profound impact on the same risk factors for type 2 diabetes. These findings could have important public health potential," Melanson added.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the total cost of treatment of diabetes in the United States exceeds 200 billion dollars, making treatment and prevention a priority for healthcare experts.

Experts say that individual lifestyle interventions could reduce the risk of developing diabetes by more than fifty percent.

Karen Miller-Kovach, chief scientific officer for Weight Watchers International, said: "Individual lifestyle intervention is obviously successful in reducing the risk for diabetes, but it comes at a high cost, and may not be realistic for all Americans.”

"We're encouraged that the Weight Watchers program, already successful for helping millions of Americans lose weight, could also have the potential to reduce disease risk and even help reduce healthcare burden, for as little as about forty dollars per month, per person."

The study will be published in this month's American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine .

CBI files fresh graft case against former MCI chief

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Thursday registered a fresh corruption case against former Medical Council of India president Ketan Desai, arrested last month for taking bribes, for owning assets far exceeding his legal income.

‘The CBI today (Thursday) registered a disproportionate assets case against Desai. He has been found to be owning assets worth Rs.24 crore,’ CBI Director Ashwani Kumar told reporters.

‘The agency is yet to ascertain how much of this wealth is legitimate and how much illegitimate,’ he said, adding some of these assets were in the name of Desai’s mother and some in the name of his wife.

Desai was arrested April 22 on charges of colluding with touts and others to obtain bribe from a private medical college in Patiala to grant it permission to admit a fresh batch of students. He is presently in judicial custody.

The CBI team has already seized the bribe money of Rs.2 crore and has arrested four people, including Desai, in the case.

‘The investigation has revealed that Desai had shown favour to the medical college by wielding his influence over the inspection teams sent to examine its infrastructural and academic facilities and to ascertain if its recognition by the MCI needs to be continued,’ the CBI chief said.

An official statement by CBI said Desai and his accomplices had devised a novel method to obtain bribe from medical colleges. Desai would send the inspection team to a medical college and hospital and would secure a damning report on lack of infrastructural and academic facilities in the college, it said.

Desai and his accomplices would then threaten the college with derecognition on the basis of adverse report and enter into negotiation with the college management for getting illegal gratification, the statement said.

Based upon the result of negotiations, Desai would order second inspection of the college and extend its recognition.

Following the registration of the first case, the CBI had invited complaints from public and the medical fraternity who might be in the know of things about Desai’s demands for money from various medical colleges.

The public notice has yielded 154 cases till date, said Ashwani Kumar, adding that the agency is verifying all those complaints.

Ajay Devgn caught smoking in public

A tobacco watchdog organisation Wednesday asked the health authorities to fine Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn for smoking in public while on the sets of his film " Golmaal 3 " in Goa.

In a complaint to the state tobacco control cell and the union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) general secretary Shekhar Salkar has said that Devgn, who was fined once for smoking in public in Chandigarh, deserved more stringent action as he was becoming a habitual offender of the 'no smoking in public' rule.

"This being the second violation by Ajay Devgn, we feel that the punishment given to such type of habitual law breakers is too meagre. In view of this, we strongly feel that the penalty under section 4 of the COPTA (Control of Tobacco Products Act) law for both one who violates the law and one who allows violating the law should be increased," Salkar said.

Local newspaper flashed photographs of Devgn smoking on the sets of " Golmaal 3 " Tuesday with the film's director Rohit Shetty standing an arm's length away.

The general secretary of NOTE, which has in the past dragged Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to court for directly or indirectly promoting smoking, has also said that habitual violators of the COPTA law should be jailed.

"Fine for the first offence should be Rs.500, for the second it should be raised to Rs.5,000 and for the third offence an imprisonment for a period of 6 months, in addition to a fine of Rs.5,000 should be imposed," Salkar said.

Devgn is the third Bollywood actor to be caught smoking in Goa this month.

Earlier this month, actors Tusshar Kapoor and Arshad Warsi were hauled up by NOTE for smoking during a film shoot in Margao, 35 km from here.

Sunlight brings relief from Joint Pain

Get exposed to Sunlight, and get rid of Arthritis. A research shows that people having exposure to Sun in the morning, feels no arthritic pain in the joints.

These days, people tend to suffer from arthritis in all the age groups due to heavy work load, stress, imbalanced diet and modern life style. Now arthritis is occurring in early 20s rather than 50s.

Dr. Kaushal Malhan, knee and hip surgeon, says that our improper life style and stress cause swelling of joints and joint pains in the form of two painful diseases Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis respectively in an early age.

According to the researchers, Sunlight is the best remedy above all the medication. Sunlight in the morning is an ultimate source of generating Vitamin D in our body that our bones and joints need indeed. Lack of Vitamin D brings joint pains and weakness in bones.

However, rural people suffer less as compared to City people. Bad addiction, comfortable life style, imbalanced diet intake and pollution make our body incapable to lead a healthy and disease free life.

Drive against Ketan Desai goes global

Ketan Desai being produced in court at the Patiala House Complex in New Delhi on April 23.

The complaint demanding the removal of Dr Ketan Desai as MCI president on charges of corruption and removing his name from the Indian Medical Register has picked up momentum.

Dr Desai's problems continue as the World Medical Association, of which he is the president-elect, is also reportedly holding its emergency executive council meeting on the issue.

Earlier this month, a nationwide signature campaign titled 'Remedy MCI' had started in the medical fraternity, which has formed a union to oppose the MCI's amendments drafted by Desai which favoured MNC pharmaceutical giants.

About 20,000 doctors from all over the country have joined the union, led by Dr Pankaj Singhal and Dr Paras Gangwal from New Delhi and Dr Vineet Garg from Ajmer.

The MCI is said to have started a campaign urging doctors to reject cash, gifts, or hospitality from drug companies, before it was discovered that Desai allegedly was the biggest bribe-taker.

The campaign is aimed at erasing Desai's name from the Indian Medical Register till the CBI inquiry is completed or permanently if the charges are proved. Dr. Singhal said: "The 'Remedy MCI' campaign strongly welcomes the dissolution of MCI and the decision to replace it with a seven-member panel. Because medical associations remained inert, we had to depend on the government to take steps against MCI - which we expected from independent bodies like IMA which are formed for the doctors, by the doctors and are of the doctors."

According to Dr. Singhal, the campaign has also got support of the global medical fraternity which feels cheated by Desai's activities and demands a reversal of all decisions taken by him at MCI.

Dr. Garg said: "We are roping in medicos from abroad who are equally affected by this MCI scam and many of them have voiced their support to the 'Remedy MCI' campaign."

However, Indian Medical Association (IMA) president Dr. Gopal Raju Samaram has opposed theMCI’s dissolution. Dr Samaram said: "The Centre's decision to dissolve the MCI is highly objectionable."

International Candlelight Memorial Day held in Bangalore

Religious leaders today addressed a small gathering of people in the city living with HIV and lighted a candle of love in the hearts of those present at a rally, held to commemorate International Candlleight Memorial Day .

Now in its 27th year, IAMD has become more than just a memorial to commemorate the lives lost to AIDS.

Addressing the gathering of about 200 people, which included about 80 HIV positive children, women and adults, Moulana Abdul Mohammad Ibrahim said, ''As we remember and uphold all those who lost their lives to HIV, I pray for a healthy life for those who are living with HIV. It is denial and discrimination that kills them. If they get love, they can live longer and they can live a healthy life.'' Sister Sahaya Mary, the other religious leader present, spoke on similar lines quoting from Bible that it was everyone's duty to respect the dignity of life of every human being.

''We have to love People living with HIV. Stigma will kill people, love provides life to the dying,'' she said.

Bangalore HIV and AIDS Forum (BAHF), a coalition of over 40 civil society organisations, NGOs and community based organisations like positive networks and sex workers' collectives, organised the programme.

International Candlelight Memorial was observed in 103 countries on the third Sunday of May, and People Living with HIV, gathered in Bangalore for the seventh successive year. Candlelight Memorial is observed to remember those who lost their lives to HIV, to support those living with HIV and to create awareness among general population about HIV.

In Karnataka about 2.5 lakh people were estimated to be living with HIV but more than half of them are not aware that they are HIV positive.

''Today, we demand that HIV and AIDS Bill be introduced in Parliament, so that those who practice stigma and discrimanation towards HIV positive people can be punished,'' William Christapher of BHAF said.

States back WHO chief against flu pandemic 'smear'

The World Health Organisation received backing from member states Monday over its handling of the flu pandemic as WHO chief Margaret Chan said the world had been "lucky" with swine flu.

As the WHO's annual assembly opened here, French Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot bluntly dismissed criticism of the UN health agency as "unjust", calling some of it a "smear campaign".

Chan told representatives of the WHO's 193 member states that "good news" in public health terms was normally driven by political commitment, resources and the ability to deliver care.

"Sometimes, though, we are just plain lucky. This has been the case with the H1N1 influenza pandemic," she said.

"The virus did not mutate to a more lethal form," while the vaccine worked and it showed little resistance to anti-viral drugs, Chan added.

The WHO chief acknowledged that "a few health systems were overwhelmed and the effects were usually short-lived.

"Had things gone wrong in any of these areas, we would have a very different agenda before us today," she added.

Her comments came as France, the United States and India led public statements of support for the WHO's management of the pandemic.

Some health experts and politicians have criticised the WHO-led global effort against the 2009 H1N1 flu after the new virus was uncovered in Mexico and the United States in April last year, claiming there was an over-reaction.

Swine flu was declared a pandemic as it rapidly spread around the world, prompting massive spending on specially developed but largely unused swine flu vaccine and emergency precautions.

"While some have questioned some of the actions taken by the international community, the outcomes speak for themselves. I believe we made the right decisions at the right times," said US Secretary for Health Kathleen Sebelius.

India complimented Chan for her "untiring efforts" but the most trenchant support came from Bachelot, who made a point by point rebuttal of criticism levelled against the WHO and public authorities.

"I want to express, in France's name, our solidarity with the WHO, which has been taken to task in an unjust manner," she told the assembly.

Bachelot said knowledge about the severity of the virus was "imperfect" in the beginning yet decisive action had to be taken.

She also expressed concern about the perception of swine flu threat, especially for younger people, arguing that public thinking had been muddled and underestimated the risks.

"The vaccine, which was the answer to a real danger, turned into a source of risk in the collective mind," Bachelot said.

The French health minister also warned that doubts about expert advice and the role of the pharmaceutical industry could undermine future alerts.

"The effects of this smear campaign are potentially devastating," she said.

Pandemic flu has left 18,030 people dead since the virus was uncovered, according to the latest WHO data.

An independent committee of experts set up by the WHO is investigating the international response to the swine flu pandemic. It is due to deliver its findings by the beginning of next year.

Chan reiterated on Monday that she welcomed the review.

"We want to know what went wrong and, ideally, why. We want to know what can be done better and, ideally, how," she added.

The WHO assembly runs until Friday, and is due to examine an array of global health issues.