Some trace the origin of COVID-19 virus to bats but these creatures of the night are more than virus carriers.

The forest, capable of meeting our basic needs of food, shelter and fuel, can act as a model of sustainable living for all of us.

Can a sanitiser kill 99.99 per cent of germs? Read to find out.

Thanks to the trade and imperial ventures of humans, these disease-causing organisms could cross regional boundaries and spread infection. Humans are really strange. They love giving awkward names to other living beings. For example, I am called a 'virus'. In Latin, it means poison or poisonous liquid. Well, humans do seem to enjoy giving names carrying negative connotations. My other name, 'pathogen', is not encouraging either. So, what is a pathogen? If you Google it, you will get the following explanation: 'Pathos' is the Greek word for disease and genes means 'born of'.

This year (2016), there has been a renewed focus on children’s health. The WHO has launched a global strategy on health for women, children and adolescents. New challenges keep cropping up as increase in travel and people-to-people contact creates a globalization of microbes. Degrading environment has its own set of problems.