An independent investigation has exposed a disturbing chapter in Greenlandic history, revealing that more than 350 Indigenous women and girls were forcibly given contraception by Danish authorities between the 1960s and mid-1970s. Some victims were as young as 12 years old. These findings highlight a legacy of systemic discrimination, control, and violations of human rights with far-reaching physical and psychological consequences.

The investigation revealed that the victims were either fitted with intrauterine devices (IUDs) or administered hormonal birth control shots without sufficient information or consent. The survivors reported agonizing side effects such as infections, bleeding, and long-term trauma.

Although the investigation concentrated on 354 women, Danish authorities estimate that over 4,000 women—approximately half of Greenlandic women of reproductive age at the time—were involved. The operations were performed under cover of public health policy, designed to restrict population growth as better healthcare and living standards produced a corresponding surge in births.

Nearly 150 Inuit women filed lawsuits against Denmark last year, claiming violations of human rights, with compensation claims still ongoing.

Centuries of Colonial Control and Dehumanizing Policies

The forced contraception program was part of broader Danish policies that dehumanized Greenlandic Indigenous populations. These policies included removing Inuit children from their parents for re-education in Danish foster homes and the controversial parenting competency test, known as the FKU.

Greenland was a Danish province in 1953, became home-ruled in 1979, and gained self-government in 2009. Though political development was made, the effects of such interventions persist among families and communities. Contraception and biased measurements such as the FKU were instruments of authority that disregarded Greenlandic culture and contravened international human rights conventions.

What Was the Danish Parenting Competency Test?

The FKU, or the forældrekompetenceundersøgelse, was a psychometric test aimed at determining if parents were fit to raise their children. Even though the test was meant to safeguard the children, it disproportionately affected the Greenlandic families.

Global human rights agencies, such as the Danish Institute for Human Rights and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, condemned the test on grounds of cultural insensitivity. They stated that the FKU contravened Denmark's obligations under conventions such as ILO Convention No. 169, which binds states to uphold Indigenous cultural identity.

The test was formally dropped in January 2025 following decades of lobbying by human rights organizations, Greenlandic governments, and Indigenous lobby groups.

What Were The Findings of the Independent Investigation on Greenlandic Women?

The research gathered testimonies from 48 to 89-year-old women during the time of interviews. The majority of victims ranged between 12 and 37 years old when they were forcedly contracepted. A single girl was below 12 years, although her identity was not disclosed to ensure her privacy.

The victims also experienced physical and psychological trauma, such as chronic pain and infections, to helplessness and shame. The practices, conducted without informed consent, are deemed a blatant disregard for human rights.

Danish Government Responses and Apologies

In a bid to clear the scandal before the report was published, Denmark and Greenland governments jointly apologized last month. Children's Minister of Greenland Dr. Aqqaluaq B. Egede termed the apology as a "late but necessary measure," highlighting the need to stop further damage.

There is an official apology ceremony planned for September 24 in Nuuk, Greenland, and the purpose of which is to recognize wrongs of the past and to start a road towards reparation.

How These Issues Impacted Greenlandic Women's Mental Health?

The trauma of forced contraception and discriminatory parenting tests has left a lasting impact on Greenlandic women's mental health across generations. Survivors indicate high levels of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress, frequently associated with shame, loss of autonomy, and betrayal by state institutions. Body image disturbance and reproductive anxieties were widespread, with many women fearing future pregnancy or medical procedures.

The psychological weight is felt beyond the direct victims. Families and communities have cited intergenerational trauma, with the younger generations learning mistrust of healthcare professionals and government institutions. Mental health practitioners in Greenland have pointed out that decades of systematic abuses have led to chronic stress, loneliness, and inability to develop secure family attachments.

Dr. Aqqaluaq recognized the deep psychological effects, saying, "The damage inflicted was not just physical—it has left deep emotional wounds that last for decades. It requires long-term mental health care, culturally appropriate counseling, and recognition of historical injustices.

It is argued by experts that mental health programs need to integrate trauma-informed care specific to the cultural and social environment of Greenlandic Indigenous women. It is only through ongoing support and acknowledgment of these past injustices that communities can start healing from the lasting effects of forced contraception and discriminatory parental evaluations.

For Greenland, this inquiry is a step in the direction of recognizing past injustices, maintaining Indigenous rights, and guaranteeing no future generations of Greenlanders will experience similar abuses. It also draws attention to the urgent need for worldwide consciousness of reproductive justice, cultural awareness, and long-term implications of human rights violations.

Diabetes patients rely upon metformin for controlling their blood sugar and insulin levels. Now, a new study claims that this common diabetes drug has many other health benefits to offer, and these can mimic the benefits of 'intense workouts.' The diabetes drug metformin is used by millions around the world who are struggling with this lifestyle disorder—it releases weight-regulating compounds in the body, the same ones that are released during workouts in inactive people. American scientists found that the drug can have a positive impact on a sedentary lifestyle—find out how.

What is metformin?

Metformin is the most common drug for the management of type 2 diabetes. It helps insulin work better, thereby regulating blood sugar spikes. This drug is usually prescribed when diet and workouts alone are not sufficient for weight management. According to a study by experts at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, metformin may replicate the benefits of workouts in people who follow a sedentary, inactive lifestyle. In the case of prostate cancer patients, men who do not work out because of their treatment benefited from metformin use, as the drug raises levels of a molecule that supports weight loss. In the case of patients who cannot work out properly, the effect can be game-changing.

Are workouts necessary during cancer treatment?

Exercising is one of the best ways to avoid obesity and other metabolic disorders. It is also one of the best ways to stay strong during cancer treatment, as it regulates weight, heart health, and blood sugar. This helps cancer patients feel stronger even during treatment and recovery. However, many cancer patients cannot work out regularly because of hormone therapy-related fatigue. Metformin use, in this case, can prove helpful for patients.

How does metformin mimic the benefits of workouts?

Exercising benefits the body by releasing hormones such as oxytocin and dopamine. Researchers from the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center explored whether these could be triggered without exercise and whether metformin could do that. They noted that while the drug cannot fully replace workouts as part of a healthy routine, there is a need to understand how a widely used drug can be beneficial for metabolic health during prostate cancer treatment.

N-lactoyl-phenylalanine, or Lac-Phe, is a molecule that spikes after an intense workout session, and it also regulates appetite and calorie burning. Scientists found that Lac-Phe levels were higher in metformin users even when they were not working out. The Sylvester team noted that prostate cancer patients often struggle with poor blood sugar control, heart disease risk, and weight gain due to hormone therapy. They then took blood samples from 29 people and found that the patients who took metformin had similar Lac-Phe levels to people who were engaged in strenuous workouts. This was noted even when the patients were not exercising. However, metformin did not have an impact on prostate tumours.

The study was published in the EMBO Molecular Medicine journal.

In an alarming incident, more than 330 children in Pakistan have contracted HIV due to reuse of syringes in a hospital in Pakistan’s Punjab, according to a report.

The report, based on an undercover investigation by BBC News, highlighted blatant infection control failures and unsafe medical practices at THQ Hospital Taunsa in Pakistan.

The failures captured on camera, filmed over 32 hours inside THQ Taunsa Hospital in late 2025, showcase persistent unsafe practices, including the reuse of syringes on multi-dose vials, that have infected more than 330 children with HIV since late 2024.

The footage captured multiple violations of basic hygiene protocols, including the staff reusing syringes on multi-dose medicine vials, which increases the risk of contaminating entire batches of medication. In several instances, the same vial was then used to treat different children, the report said.

Other scenes captured included poor sanitation conditions, such as open vials, used needles left on countertops, and improper disposal of medical waste; staff administering injections without sterile gloves, further increasing the risk of cross-contamination.

Pakistan HIV Cases: Previous Outbreak In Southern Sindh

The incident in Taunsa is not the first. In 2019, media reports cited nearly 1,000 children testing positive for HIV due to the reuse of needles in southern Sindh province.

“Pakistan has experienced a series of HIV outbreaks over the past two decades, but we’ve never before seen this many young children infected or so many health facilities involved," Dr Fatima Mir from the Aga Khan University in Pakistan, told The Guardian. She was the lead author of the paper published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, which also reported the cases.

“Use of syringes and needles is widespread, and Pakistan has one of the highest rates of unsafe injections in the world. Health practitioners need to use intravenous treatment only when necessary, use needles only once, and screen blood for infections before using it for transfusions,” she added.

The India Case: Thalassemic Children Infected With HIV

In 2025, a dozen children undergoing blood transfusions for thalassemia contracted HIV in two different incidents in India's Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand, highlighting “systemic lapses in blood bank regulations”.

At least six children were found HIV positive at Satna district hospital in Madhya Pradesh, allegedly due to contaminated blood transfusions at the district hospital during treatment for thalassemia.

The children affected include five boys aged under 11 and a nine-year-old girl who have been undergoing blood transfusions at the hospital.

Another six children with thalassemia reportedly contracted HIV from contaminated blood transfusions at a government hospital in the West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand.

Safe Injection Practices: What Is Recommended

The World Health Organization (WHO) mandates the use of single-use, safety-engineered syringes—specifically auto-disable (AD) or reuse-prevention (RUP) devices—to prevent disease transmission and needle-stick injuries.

These devices automatically lock or break after one use and are essential for immunization and medication administration.

The US CDC recommends using single-dose vials whenever possible, over multiple-dose vials, especially when medications will be administered to multiple patients.

Do not administer medications from a syringe to multiple patients, even if the needle or cannula on the syringe is changed.

The US Food and Drug Administration has recalled China-made over-the-counter cough drops and throat lozenges sold across the country over potential safety concerns.

The FDA in a notice stated that Xiamen Kang Zhongyuan Biotechnology from Xiamen in China, has issued a voluntary recall of numerous products based on March 20, 2026.

The regulator noted that the recall was started following the FDA’s recommendation based on observations noted during an August 15, 2025, inspection of the manufacturing facility that “may bear on product quality.”

The FDA classified the recall as Class II on April 10, 2026. Class II recalls apply to products that can cause “temporary or medically reversible” health problems.

While the FDA did not specify how many cough drops were under the recall, the recalled products include:

• Exchange Select (manufactured for Your Military Exchanges): 30-count bag of honey lemon and menthol flavored cough drops
• Caring Mill (distributed by FSA Store, Inc): 90-count bags of cherry cough drops
• Discount Drug Mart Food Market: 30-count bags of honey lemon cough drops
• MGC Health (distributed by Medical Group Care): 25-count and 30-count bags of sugar-free honey lemon cough drops and 80-count bags of honey lemon cough drops
• QC Quality Choice (distributed by CDMA, Inc): 25-count bags of black cherry sugar-free and regular cough drops; 25-count bags of sugar-free and regular honey lemon cough drops; 30-count bags of creamy strawberry throat soothing drops; 30-count bags of menthol cough drops; and 30-count bags of vanilla honey cough drops.

Safe Alternatives For Cough Drops

Coughs are often caused by viral infections, allergies, or environmental irritants such as dust or smoke.

Also read: Eye Drops: US FDA Recalls Over 3 Million Products Over Safety Concerns

Dr. Umashankar Sharma, Medical In-charge (B.N.Y.S), Kailash Institute of Naturopathy, Ayurveda & Yoga, recommends several safe home remedies that can ease both adults' and children’s discomfort naturally.

“Warm liquids like soups, clear broths, or mild herbal teas, such as chamomile, help keep the throat moist and reduce irritation. Honey is a great natural option for children over one year; half to one teaspoon before bedtime can help calm night-time coughing,” he said.

He also suggests using a cool-mist humidifier in the room to add moisture to the air, which can loosen mucus and ease breathing. Saline nasal drops or a short steam session in a warm shower can also help relieve congestion.

Ensuring plenty of rest and hydration with water or warm drinks is essential. Slightly elevating the head with an extra pillow at night can reduce coughing while sleeping.

These remedies are generally safe and effective. However, if the cough persists for more than two weeks, or if the individual experiences high fever, wheezing, or difficulty breathing, it’s important to consult a doctor to rule out more serious conditions.

Home Remedies For Sore Throat

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, throat pain linked to an upper respiratory infection usually improves within about a week. Over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen or naproxen can help ease discomfort and may be more effective than acetaminophen because they reduce both pain and inflammation.

Alongside medication, certain home remedies may also provide relief. Options worth trying include saltwater gargle, honey and herbal tea, or other hot beverages such as soups.