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Tamil Nadu has banned the manufacture, storage and sale of mayonnaise prepared from raw eggs for a period of one year with effect from April 8. The ban, issued in the interest of public health, is on the basis that mayonnaise made of raw eggs is a “high risk food”, carrying a risk of food poisoning.

According to a notification issued in the Government Gazette by Principal Secretary and Commissioner of Food Safety R. Lalvena, any activities related to any stage of manufacture, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, distribution, food services, catering services and sale of mayonnaise prepared from raw egg is prohibited in the State under section 30 (2) (a) of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and order of the Commissioner of Food Safety of Tamil Nadu.

Mayonnaise is a semi-solid emulsion generally composed of egg yolk, vegetable oil, vinegar and other seasonings served along with food items such as shawarma. Mayonnaise made of raw eggs is a high-risk food as it carries a risk of food poisoning especially from Salmonella bacteria, Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella enteritidis, Escherichia coli and Listeria Monocytogenes, the notification said.

It has come to notice that a number of food business operators use raw egg for preparation of mayonnaise, improper storage facilitates contamination by microorganisms that creates a public health risk particularly by Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella enteritidis, Escherichia coli and Listeria Monocytogenes, it said.

In any specific circumstances, on the basis of assessment of available information and if the possibility of harmful effects on health is identified but scientific uncertainty persists, provisional risk management measures to ensure that health is protected can be adopted as per the Act, pending further scientific information for a more comprehensive risk assessment.

The notification said that no food business operator should manufacture, store, sell or distribute any food which for the time being is prohibited by the Food Authority or the Central Government or State government in the interest of public health.

The test kits have been developed under the Department of Biotechnology’s (DBT) partnership programme Grand Challenges India (GCI) at the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).
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Indigenously developed (Human papillomavirus) HPV test kits for cervical cancer screening were launched on Wednesday (April 23, 2025).

The test kits have been developed under the Department of Biotechnology’s (DBT) partnership programme Grand Challenges India (GCI) at the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).

The DBT supported research coordinated by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, with testing done at laboratories at AIIMS, National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR), Noida; and the National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (NIRRCH), Mumbai, in collaboration with World Health Organisation (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

“The key feature of these kits is the inclusion of only the seven-eight most common cancer-causing types that will allow a very efficient and cost-effective screening programme which will be most suitable for India,” Dr Neerja Bhatla, former head of the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at AIIMS, Delhi and chief coordinator of the programme said.

The study titled ‘Validation of Indigenous Human Papillomavirus Tests for Cervical Cancer Screening in India (i-HPV)’ validated indigenously developed, rapid, point-of-care, RTPCR-based HPV diagnostic test kits for screening cervical cancer in premier research and development laboratories of India.

“Given the enhancement of RTPCR-based diagnostic facilities across the nation in the post-COVID era, the introduction of sensitive RTPCR-based HPV testing kits might prove to be cost effective screening method over classical HPV DNA and Pap smear for deployment in the national cancer screening programme,” Dr Bhatla said.

Cancer of the uterine cervix is the second most common cancer among Indian women. According to WHO data, one out of every five women in the world suffering from the disease is an Indian, Dr Bhatla stated.

Besides the high incidence of cervical cancer owing to its late diagnosis and with consequent poor survival, 25% of global mortality due to cervical cancer occurs in India, she said.

Thus, there has been a pressing need for the development of control strategies for the prevention and screening of cervical cancer. The currently available methods of screening of cervical cancer include Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA), Papanicolaou test (Pap test or Pap smear) and HPV DNA testing, she stated.

Regular population screening by Pap smears has been successfully implemented in the developed world. Nevertheless, it is costly, resource-intensive and only moderately sensitive. VIA screening requires considerable training and re-training for quality assurance and has high false positivity rates with programmatic challenges, she said.

HPV testing has the best diagnostic accuracy if it conforms to international standards of validation. As part of the Global Declaration for Cervical Cancer Elimination, WHO recommends a transition to HPV testing in all countries, whereby only two tests in a lifetime, at age 35 and again by age 45 years, will be sufficient. The target is to set up processes to screen 70% of eligible women by 2030, Dr. Bhatla stated.

The study introduced, a school-based, culturally adapted dance program aimed at reducing risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in adolescent girls in India.
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To tackle rising physical inactivity and associated health concerns among adolescents in India, a research team from Chennai conducted a study introducing a dance-based intervention to reduce non-communicable disease (NCD) risks among urban adolescent girls.

Published in Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology on April 21, the study titled A Novel High-Intensity Short Interval Dance Intervention (THANDAV) for Non-Communicable Disease Prevention Tailored to Asian Indian Adolescent Girls assesses the feasibility and efficacy of the THANDAV programme – short for Taking High-Intensity Interval Training And Dance to Adolescents for Victory over NCDs. It was led by R.M. Anjana, managing director of Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialties Centre and president of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, in Chennai.

Design and delivery of the THANDAV model  

Dr. Anjana explained how this new dance-based program can help young girls in India become more active. She also addressed the cultural barriers often associated with traditional forms of exercise. “This is the first-of-its-kind and culturally appropriate dance intervention designed to boost physical activity among girls. In our country, the term ‘exercise’ often has negative connotations and isn’t always culturally accepted, especially for girls. So we introduced dance to make it more enjoyable and relevant,” she said.

The study was carried out in two government-aided schools in Chennai, involving 108 adolescent girls aged 13 to 15. The participants were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. Those in the intervention group engaged in a 12-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) dance programme, consisting of ten-minute sessions conducted five times a week during school hours. The routine incorporated traditional Indian dance forms and music for cultural familiarity and appeal. The control group continued with routine physical education, which served as a comparative benchmark for physical activity and health-related outcomes. 

“We started with a small pilot study to prove that it was a high-intensity activity. Now, we’ve taken it to schools through a randomised controlled trial, and the results have been very encouraging. The girls loved it, their mothers joined in, and we saw real health improvements — like reduced body fat, better metabolic profiles, increased step counts, and overall lifestyle changes,” Dr. Anjana said.

Key outcomes and statistical insights  

The study reports several statistically significant differences between the intervention and control groups across multiple physical and metabolic indicators after 12 weeks. Girls in the THANDAV group showed a substantial increase in physical activity, averaging 1,159 additional steps per day. Reductions in body mass index (BMI), total body fat percentage, and waist-to-hip ratio were also observed, suggesting improved metabolic health. 

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