New Delhi, May 28: Late diagnoses and high costs are driving cases of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) — an aggressive form of blood and bone marrow cancer, said health experts.

After the US and China, India reportedly had the highest number of cases of AML in 2021.

According to health experts, early screening, accurate diagnosis and timely initiation of treatment are extremely important to improve survival rates.

“We lose critical time because AML is detected late in our country and often masquerades as fatigue or infection. By the time the right tests are done, the disease has often progressed to a stage where treatment options are limited or less effective,” Dr. Ranjit Sahoo, D.M. (Medical Oncology) Professor (Additional) at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), told Media.

While acute leukaemia can be detected by a simple blood test, “the treatment of AML is carried out at tertiary centres and the cost of supportive treatment is high,” the expert said.

For many patients, the onset is silent, the symptoms of AML are vague, and the window for intervention is tragically narrow.

Many patients also delay treatment due to financial constraints or seek care in late stages when treatment is less effective.

“AML, while rare among all haematological malignancies, is the most feared one. It has an excellent chemotherapy combination for control of disease, including deep remission (control, not cure), but is fraught with complications, including life-threatening ones due to severe infections and bone marrow suppression,” said Dr. Abhay A. Bhave, a haematologist, from a Mumbai-based hospital.

Bhave noted that “AML can be a relapsing, relentless disease based on the genes that cause this disease”.

Traditional chemotherapy, the mainstay of AML treatment, has often been poorly tolerated, especially in older patients. However, the emergence of targeted therapies — which act on specific genetic mutations driving the disease — has dramatically improved remission rates, reduced toxicity, and enhanced quality of life for patients globally.

However, these are often expensive; and bone marrow transplantation is also not easy to obtain, the doctors said.

Dr. Punit L Jain, a leukaemia specialist at a Mumbai-based hospital stated that 60 per cent of AML patients arrive in advanced stages with infection and bleeding, impairing treatment methods.

The experts suggested integrating AML into the national cancer control strategy and expanding access to diagnostics may be necessary to boost awareness as well as treatment outcomes. They also called for including AML-targeted therapies in Ayushman Bharat and private insurance schemes to ease out-of-pocket expenditure for patients; and to support clinical research and trials.

Mumbai, May 21: Maharashtra has reported two Covid-related deaths since January this year, the state health department has said, adding that the two were patients with comorbidities.

The department, late Tuesday night, stated that both deaths were reported from Mumbai and involved patients with comorbidities (simultaneous presence of two or more medical conditions in a person). One of the deceased had nephrotic syndrome with hypocalcemia seizure, while the other was a cancer patient.

According to the health department, a total of 6,066 swab samples have been examined for coronavirus since January, of which 106 tested positive for the infectious disease. Of these, 101 were from Mumbai and the remaining from Pune, Thane, and Kolhapur. Currently, 52 patients are undergoing treatment for mild symptoms, while 16 are being treated at hospitals.

“A spike in Covid-19 cases is not only being seen in Maharashtra, but also in other states and even other countries,” said the health department release.

“Covid is a disease caused by a virus. Currently, the ILI (Influenza-like Illness) and SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Infection) survey is going on in Maharashtra for Covid. In that survey, such patients are tested for Covid. These Covid patients are being treated regularly after testing positive, Covid cases are currently rare in the state. Mild symptoms are being found in Covid patients. Covid testing and treatment facilities are available through the health department. Therefore, the public is urged not to panic,” said the release.

Earlier, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday said, “Covid-19 is now considered an endemic and an ongoing health problem. As the virus has become established at the community level, cases are now sporadic and very rare.

In recent days, the number of Covid cases has been increasing in Singapore, Hong Kong, East Asia and other countries. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s health department is constantly monitoring the spread of Covid to keep it under control. “The number of patients has been very low from January to April. Some patients have been seen since May; however, the BMC administration is appealing to the citizens not to panic in this regard,” said the release.

According to BMC, treatment and guidance facilities are available in the civic hospitals, including Seven Hills Hospital with 20 beds (MICU), 20 beds for children and pregnant women and 60 general beds. Also, Kasturba Hospital has 2 intensive care (ICU) beds and a special ward of 10 beds with a provision to increase the capacity immediately.

“Common symptoms of Covid-19 include fever, cough (dry or with phlegm), sore or achy throat, fatigue, body aches, and headache. Symptoms may also include a runny nose and a loss of taste or smell. These symptoms can often be similar to those of a common cold and can vary from person to person. In severe cases, difficulty in breathing is a major warning sign,” said the BMC advisory.

The BMC further said that Covid-19 can be prevented by taking proper precautions. Especially patients with serious illnesses and low immunity, e.g., cancer, the elderly, diabetes, high blood pressure, and liver disease, should take proper precautions. BMC has urged the citizens to consult a municipal clinic, hospital, or family doctor if they find symptoms like fever, cough (dry or with phlegm), sore or achy throat, fatigue, body aches, and headache.

The Corporation has also appealed to the citizens to wear a mask in public if found with symptoms, keep a distance from others, wash hands frequently with soap and water and follow a proper diet and take rest.

New Delhi, May 20: With media reports citing cases of Covid-19 infections surging in Southeast Asia, bringing fresh fears about the disease that affected millions of people and the global economy, health experts on Tuesday dismissed them as seasonal trends of flu.

As per media reports, the weekly Covid-19 infections in Singapore surged by 28 per cent from 11,100 in late April to 14,200 in the first week of May, with hospitalisations also rising 30 per cent.

Hong Kong recorded 31 virus-related deaths in the week ending May 3, the city’s highest weekly toll in a year. New infections in Hong Kong rose to 1,042 in the week ending May 10, up from 972 the previous week.

“Rising Covid cases in Southeast Asia are attributed to seasonal trends of flu cases. Most of the cases are mild and do not need any hospitalisation,” Dr. Harshal R Salve, Additional professor at, the Centre for Community Medicine at AIIMS, New Delhi, told to Media.

India also is seeing a slight uptick in cases. A review held on Monday by the Ministry of Health concluded that the current situation in India is “under control,” with just 257 active cases reported nationwide as of May 19.

“Covid-19 is a cyclical disease, which means that cases will rise every few months. The intervals can range from six to nine months. As with other Asian countries, we are seeing Covid cases in India too. But they are not overwhelming hospitals and are not any more severe than they used to be. In fact, most cases are so mild, they are being treated as outpatient,” said Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, Convener, Research Cell, Kerala State IMA.

“Due to widespread immunity due to prior vaccination and from surviving past infections, Covid-19 is no longer the destructive force it used to be. There is no indication of any major genetic shift having occurred in the virus that could alter the character of the disease it causes,” he added.

China and Thailand have also reported a notable increase in new infections. The surge is being largely attributed to the spread of new Omicron subvariants, including JN.1 and its related descendants — LF.7 and NB.1.8, which make up over two-thirds of sequenced cases.

The increase in cases may also be attributed to waning immunity, with periodic waves being anticipated.

While the cases reported so far are generally mild in severity, “the outcome also depends on the host. For instance, infection in a frail elderly individual could lead to more severe outcomes,” Jayadevan said.

The experts urged cough hygiene and cleanliness to fight the virus.

“When cases rise, it’s important to take more precautions than usual. Wearing masks in crowded closed spaces will be helpful. Those who have a fever should stay home and avoid mingling with others,” Jayadevan said.

Meanwhile, the health ministry assured that the country has a robust system for surveillance of respiratory viral illnesses, including Covid also exists in the country through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and ICMR.