Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disorder that cannot be cured but only be treated. Proper interventions, modern treatments and therapy of tribal communities in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, have been found to lessen the disease burden over a period of time.

Despite the significance of blood, access to adequate, timely, and safe blood equitably across the country remains a health challenge in India. A hub-and-spoke model will enable smaller blood banks in rural areas to connect to a regional hub with advanced technologies.

Braving all odds, Kalap Trust worked with the district administration to set up a five-bed oxygen-support COVID-care facility in Mori in the upper Tons Valley and organised langars in the villages, in all of 96 hours.

Childhood wasting is a silent nutritional emergency in India as it led to an average loss of Rs 60 million every day from the years 2006 to 2018. Community-based care for management of wasting is highly recommended.

Misinformation, disinformation and taboos surrounding menstruation, especially in rural India became more of a challenge in the times of the COVID19 pandemic. But, a menstrual and reproductive health platform is supporting women cope with menstrual issues, one phone call at a time.

A study across 100 village panchayats in Tamil Nadu shows that districts with elected village representatives performed reasonably better in tackling COVID-19 pandemic than village panchayats without their elected representatives.

A recent rural survey of 300 respondents in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, found 38% respondents preferred quacks for treatment, commonly known as nadi babas. Against 14% registering for COVID vaccination, only 4% went ahead for inoculation. These challenges need to be addressed urgently as the virus has spread in rural India.

In the second wave of the pandemic, as the lockdown makes a comeback, migrant workers and the rural poor are facing great distress. The crisis for food and work is going to intensify further. Both the PDS and MGNREGA need to be strengthened.

To prevent catastrophe in rural India, there is an urgent need to prioritise preventive public health measures by decentralised planning. The approach should be to reach out to the community, engage field-level workers after proper training and involve Panchayati Raj leadership to lead the efforts.

Tamil Nadu seems to be well prepared with a robust health system that has tackled epidemics and natural disasters before. If it adheres to the COVID protocols, further restrictions and a lockdown, it could be in a position to control the trajectory of the wave.