Introduction: Burn injury is a highly devastating injury accounting for the major cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost mostly in developing countries. Physical trauma, body disfigurement, the social stigma associated with injury completely shatter an individual’s life. Aim: To study the quality of life among burn injury patients. Methodology: A cross-sectional hospital-based descriptive study was done on 150 burn injury patients. During the initial recruitment from Burns and Plastic Surgery Ward, socio-demographic profile and burn incident-related data were collected, whereas the WHO QoL-BREF tool was applied after 3 months of discharge during a follow-up visit in the outpatient department of Burns and Plastic Surgery to assess the quality of life among subjects. Data were compiled in MS Excel and statistical analysis was done using SPSS 20 version. Results: The study revealed poor quality of life among four domains of QoL; it was most inferior in the psychological domain followed by the physical health domain, environment domain, and social relationship domain. Conclusion: Advancement in the medical field has improved the survival rate in victims although the patients recover from the acute painful phase of physical trauma. However, the psychological and social impacts of injury remain unaddressed leading to a poor QoL. There is a need for an integrated approach for prevention and enhancement of the quality of care for the victims in all four domains of life. More emphasis is needed on rehabilitative care for long-term improvement in the QoL of the affected person.

Background: Autism is a neurodevelopment disorder requiring continuous preventive, curative and rehabilitative management of child. Taking care of these children leads to parents face various challenges. Lack of awareness, associated stigma, misdiagnosis, inappropriate management impacts parents' lives in various aspects. Objectives: To assess quality of life of the parents of ASD children, find out various treatment-seeking pathways adopted by them, and estimate out-of-pocket expenditure for childcare. Methodology: Cross-sectional mixed method study was conducted for assessment of quality of life of parents (WHO-QOL BREF), out-of-pocket expenditure, treatment-seeking pathways opted by parents for ASD management. Results: Quality of life of parents were found to be affected in various domains, however psychological domain was most influenced. Age of parents had an impact on social domain. Delays in the identification of symptoms, confirmation of diagnosis, Lack of availability of treatment services, and non-integration of rehabilitative services were major loopholes in the treatment seeking. The median out-of-pocket expenditure was 16% of monthly family income. Conclusion & recommendation: Community awareness, medical fraternity sensitization, integration of all services for management and rehabilitation are keys towards better quality of life for parents. Financial support through health programs, NGOs, or insurance is a much-needed reform to reduce catastrophic health expenditure.

Introduction: Lack of physical inactivity amongst adolescents is a growing global concern, adding to the burden of non-communicable diseases and poor overall health. The study aimed to assess the prevalence and patterns of physical activity amongst adolescents. Subjects and Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 300 adolescents in South-East Delhi, India selected using simple random sampling. The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess activity levels. Results: The mean age of participants was 14.1 years. Half of the participants (50.3%) were adequately active, with higher levels in younger age groups and school-going individuals. Most were engaged in moderate-intensity school-based activities (60.3%), and 59.0% used active transportation. Conclusions: Adequate physical activity was more common amongst adolescents involved in school-based activities and active commuting. Integrating structured physical activity sessions into the daily school curriculum can significantly enhance activity levels.

The rapid onset and progression of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical necessity for standardized, timely epidemiological investigations to generate actionable evidence for public health policy. The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) and Unity Studies and Investigations initiative (Unity Studies) provides the standardized framework to address these critical knowledge gaps. This manuscript reflects upon the Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (HIMSR)’s experience as an active site implementing three WHO Unity protocols between 2020 and 2021. We synthesize key findings from the Household Transmission Investigation (HHTI) and the Health Facility Transmission (HCW cohort) studies, detail the operational and analytical complexities addressed through intensive collaboration with WHO HQ, South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO), and WHO India, and outline the subsequent institutional capacity transmission. Building directly on this established expertise, HIMSR has been designated as the dedicated Nodal network site for the WHO SEAR Unity Studies Network in India, coordinating administration activities of a vast network of national institutes for ongoing pandemic preparedness. This trajectory demonstrates the potential for low- and middle-income country (LMIC) institutions not only to contribute critical evidence during crises but also to transition into resilient national and regional research and surveillance platforms for future pan-respiratory pathogen threats. We detail the essential findings and operational lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic response and elaborate extensively on the strategic implementation plan for the proposed WHO Unity Nodal Network site in India, emphasizing capacity building, standardization, and the integration of research into public health policy.