Cluster headaches are a type of severe headache that typically occurs on one side of the head, often around the eye. The pain can be so intense that it may feel like a hot poker in the eye or a sharp nail behind the eye.

The primary symptom is excruciating pain on one side of the head. You may also experience a runny nose, watery eyes, stuffy nose, sweating, and restlessness. The exact cause of cluster headaches is unknown, but genetics may play a role.

Doctors may prescribe medications to help prevent or treat cluster headaches. Simple lifestyle modifications can also help reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. These include stress management techniques like meditation or yoga, identifying and avoiding triggers, getting regular sleep, and maintaining a healthy diet.

Symptoms Of Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches are characterized by severe, stabbing pain that typically occurs on one side of the head, often around the eye. The pain can be so intense that it may cause people to pace or rock back and forth. In addition to the intense pain, other symptoms may include watering eye, nasal congestion, swollen eyelid, dilated pupil, restlessness, sweating, and sensitivity to light.

Causes of Cluster Headache

Cluster headaches are believed to be caused by changes in brain chemistry, specifically the overactivity of certain nerves that control pain and blood flow to the head. While the exact cause remains unknown, several factors may contribute to their development:

Genetic Predisposition: Individuals with a family history of cluster headaches are more likely to develop the condition themselves, suggesting a genetic component.

Environmental Triggers: Certain environmental factors can trigger or worsen cluster headaches, such as alcohol consumption, exposure to strong odors, bright light, mental stress, and altitude changes.

Hormonal Influences: Hormonal fluctuations, particularly in women, may contribute to the development or worsening of cluster headaches. Estrogen, a female sex hormone, has been linked to the condition, and some women may notice a reduction in headache frequency or severity during pregnancy or while on estrogen medication.

Home Remedies for Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches can be extremely painful, but there are some home remedies that may provide temporary relief. Applying an ice pack or a warm compress to the affected side of your head can help soothe pain and inflammation. Gently massaging your temples or the back of your neck can relax muscles and alleviate pain. Acupressure, which involves applying pressure to specific points on your body, may also provide relief for some people. Additionally, relaxation techniques like meditation, deep breathing, or yoga can help reduce stress, which is a known trigger for cluster headaches.

Preventing Cluster Headaches

To help prevent cluster headaches, you can take several steps. First, identify and avoid any personal triggers, such as alcohol, strong odors, or bright light. Managing stress is also crucial, as stress can exacerbate cluster headaches. Incorporate relaxation techniques like meditation, deep breathing, or yoga into your daily routine. Regular exercise can help improve overall health and reduce stress, which may also contribute to preventing cluster headaches.

Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night to ensure adequate rest and hormonal regulation. Finally, maintaining a healthy diet can support your overall well-being and potentially reduce the risk of headaches. Avoid foods that trigger migraines, such as aged cheeses, cured meats, and chocolate. Additionally, limiting your intake of caffeine and alcohol can help prevent headaches.

Kerala has recently reported an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF), prompting authorities to take immediate action to contain the disease. A one-kilometre radius around the infected farm has been declared a disease-affected zone, while a broader 10-kilometre area has been designated as a disease surveillance zone to monitor and prevent further spread. According to reports from PTI, the district collector is actively enforcing disease control protocols within these zones. Movement of pigs and pork-related products in and out of these areas is being strictly regulated or completely prohibited.

As cases rise, many people are asking a key question: Can African swine fever affect humans? Let’s break it down.

What Is African Swine Fever?

African Swine Fever is a highly contagious and often fatal disease that affects pigs, whether they are farm-raised or wild. Importantly, ASF does not infect humans. The virus spreads easily from pig to pig through direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected animal. Another common route of transmission is feeding pigs uncooked food waste that contains contaminated pork products. If the food waste isn’t properly heat-treated, it can carry the virus and infect pigs.

Where Is African Swine Fever Found?

ASF has traditionally been seen in Africa, but in recent years it has appeared in Central and Eastern Europe as well as parts of Asia. The virus continues to spread in Europe, keeping authorities vigilant. The disease affects both domestic pigs and wild boars, and it can appear on farms of all sizes, smallholdings, and even in pet pigs. Countries where ASF has been reported are taking strict measures to prevent further outbreaks, highlighting the need for constant vigilance.

Is African Swine Fever Dangerous For Humans?

Despite being a severe disease for pigs, ASF does not pose a threat to humans. According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, the virus spreads exclusively among pigs, primarily through direct contact with infected animals or their bodily fluids. Humans cannot catch the virus, though people handling infected pigs or contaminated materials can inadvertently help the disease spread between animals.

How Is African Swine Fever Transmitted?

ASF spreads through several routes:

• Direct contact with infected pigs, their faeces, or other body fluids.
• Indirect contact via contaminated equipment, vehicles, or farm workers who move between farms without proper biosecurity.
• Pigs consuming infected pork or pork products.
• Through certain ticks, specifically the Ornithodoros species, which can carry the virus.

Preventing African Swine Fever: The Role of Biosecurity

The most effective way to prevent ASF is through strict biosecurity measures on pig farms. Some essential practices include:

• Allow only essential visitors on the farm, and ensure they wear clean or disposable clothing and footwear. Handwashing or showering upon entry is recommended.
• Clean and disinfect vehicles and equipment before they enter the farm.
• Prevent anyone who has been in contact with other pigs from entering your farm.
• Do not bring pork products or scraps onto the farm. Dispose of catering waste safely.
• Source pigs and semen only from animals of known health status.

Farmers and pig owners play a critical role in stopping the spread of ASF. Maintaining effective biosecurity year-round is essential to protecting animals and preventing future outbreaks.

Dengue is a viral disease transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly half of the global population is at risk, with an estimated 100 to 400 million infections occurring each year. With dengue being so common, we recently held a panel discussion to talk about prevention, precautions, treatment, and medication. A major focus of the discussion was the role of medicines, what to take, what to avoid, and how to manage symptoms safely. But what medicine should you consume and which one is more safe to take?

What Medicines Are Safe During Dengue?

During the panel, Padma Shri awardee Dr Sanjeev Bagai, Chairman of Nephron Clinic and Senior Consultant Paediatrician, highlighted that paracetamol is the only safe option for dengue patients. He said, “Paracetamol is the only recommended treatment. Avoid medicines like aspirin, ibuprofen, or niacinamide, as these can worsen the condition and increase the risk of bleeding. Taking them is a sure ticket to the hospital.”

This advice is backed by government regulations as well. In July 2025, the Delhi government’s Department of Drugs Control instructed pharmacists not to sell nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen without a doctor’s prescription. NSAIDs interfere with platelet function, which can be particularly dangerous for dengue and other vector-borne illnesses like chikungunya.

Why Aspirin and Ibuprofen Can Be Dangerous?

NSAIDs are commonly used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and bring down high fever. They are often taken for headaches, muscle aches, sprains, or menstrual cramps, symptoms that may appear during dengue.Therefore, people often prefer to take them during dengue fever as well.

Aspirin, for example, reduces fever and pain at high doses and prevents platelet aggregation at lower doses. But in dengue patients, this antiplatelet effect can trigger uncontrolled bleeding, especially in the gastrointestinal tract, making the illness far more severe.

Ibuprofen, while slightly less potent in affecting platelets, still carries a similar risk. Any medicine that interferes with clotting can turn a mild dengue infection into a serious medical emergency. This is why avoiding NSAIDs during dengue is strongly advised.

How Is Dengue Treated?

There is currently no specific antiviral treatment for dengue. Recovery mostly depends on complete bed rest and symptom management. Drinking plenty of fluids is important, as it helps the body cope with fever and prevents dehydration. As Dr Bagai said, taking paracetamol is also suggested.

For severe cases, hospital care is necessary. This could include intravenous fluids to maintain hydration, monitoring blood pressure, and blood transfusions if there is significant blood loss or a dangerously low platelet count.

However, Dr Bagai emphasized that hydration is as important as medicine. Fluids such as water, oral rehydration solutions, or electrolyte drinks support recovery and help prevent complications.

Dengue is a serious but manageable illness when handled correctly. The key takeaways are clear: stick to paracetamol for pain and fever, avoid NSAIDs like aspirin and ibuprofen, and maintain proper hydration. Following these guidelines can help patients recover safely.

Too often, cancer diagnoses come out of the blue, or due to symptoms worsening with late diagnoses. However, researchers may have developed a new way to detect cancer early, about 10 years before the actual diagnosis. All of this can be achieved through a simple blood test.

The cancer the test will predict is neck and head cancer. Accounting for nearly 4% of all cancers in US, an estimated 68,000 men and women were diagnosed with it. However, this is not just a singular cancer, neck and head cancer is a group of diseases that start in the soft, moist lining of the nose, mouth, and throat.

To tackle this, researchers at Mass Eye and Ear, a member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system have developed a blood-based test that can diagnose this cancer with great accuracy.

Can Blood-Tests Predict Cancer?

Researchers have created a new and extremely precise blood test called HPV-DeepSeek. This test is specifically designed to find the smallest bits of cancer DNA from the HPV virus that have broken away from a tumor and entered the bloodstream.

It's much better than older tests because it checks for many more pieces of the viral DNA, the entire HPV code, which makes it highly sensitive and accurate. In fact, it correctly identified the cancer 99% of the time, even in its very first stages, easily beating current testing methods.

How Can We Detect Cancer Early?

Head and neck cancers caused by HPV are increasing, and right now, there’s no way to find them early. Doctors typically only discover them after a patient feels sick and the cancer is already advanced, often leading to severe treatments. The breakthrough here is that HPV-DeepSeek could be used to screen for cancer before a person ever has symptoms.

In one study, the test successfully spotted cancer in people who wouldn't be diagnosed until years later—up to nearly eight years early. Finding the cancer this soon could completely change how it's treated, allowing doctors to use gentler methods and save patients from harsh side effects. This potential for early detection is truly a game-changer.

Where Does Head and Neck Cancers Start

The vast majority of head and neck cancers are called squamous cell carcinomas. These start in the squamous cells, which are the flat cells that make up the mucosal lining (the wet, protective layer) of these areas:

• Mouth (Oral Cavity), this includes the lips, tongue, gums, the roof and floor of the mouth, and the lining of the cheeks.
• Throat (Pharynx), the throat is a tube with three parts:
• Upper part (Nasopharynx), which is behind the nose.
• Middle part (Oropharynx), which includes the back of the mouth, the tonsils, and the base of the tongue.
• Lower part (Hypopharynx), the lowest part of the throat, just above the voice box.
• Voice Box (Larynx). Which is a structure in the neck that holds the vocal cords. It also has a flap of tissue called the epiglottis, which keeps food out of the windpipe.
• Other less common one's head and neck cancers can also start in salivary glands and nasal cavity and sinuses.

Is HPV responsible For All Head & Neck Cancer Diagnosis?

In a separate, but related, development, the research team also tested a different, very sensitive blood test called MAESTRO for head and neck cancers not caused by HPV. The study published in Clinical Cancer Research, found that MAESTRO's job is to accurately find any tiny specks of cancer that might have been left behind after a patient has surgery.

Finding this remaining cancer is an important tool for doctors because it helps them predict which patients might have the cancer return, letting them decide if extra treatment, like radiation, is necessary. Ultimately, both HPV-DeepSeek and MAESTRO show that these new, advanced blood tests are a powerful way to make diagnoses more accurate and move toward truly personalized care for cancer patients.