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  Spread of dengue in Delhi, cases cross 600
  New Delhi, August 26, 2010 (PTI): According to the MCD, there were 59 new cases since yesterday. Among the total 609 cases so far, 498 have been reported from MCD areas, 79 from NDMC areas and the rest were from other parts of the city and outstation cases. The MCD said it has deployed additional staff to tackle the situation in worst-hit Central and South Delhi from where 235 cases have been reported so far. It is also maintaining round-the-clock surveillance near all the Commonwealth Games venues, municipal commissioner KS Mehra has said.
  According to statistics released by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the number of cases till this time in 2009 was only three. The figure was 63 and 15 in the same periods in 2008 and 2007 respectively. Authorities are more worried about the spread of dengue as the city will host the Games in October, a month which generally sees high prevalence of the disease.

  Azad says CWG sites spreading dengue

  New Delhi, August 23, 2010: Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday said mosquitoes breeding at unfinished Commonwealth Games venues was one of the reasons behind the spread of dengue in Delhi. "Dengue and water is strongly related. Delhi is already dug up because of the Games and it is also raining heavily. Since water remains accumulated in many places, it becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes," he said.

  Jamia Nagar battles dengue outbreak
  New Delhi, August 16, 2010: Jamia Nagar, home to five lakh people in South-East Delhi reports more than 40 cases of dengue every day, which is twice the number that Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) records from across the Capital. Local hospitals receive more than 100 suspected cases of dengue daily
from six areas that form Jamia Nagar- Batla house, Abul Fazal Enclave, Shaheen Baagh, Zakir Nagar, Jauhri Farm and Noor Nagar - and the adjacent areas such as Nai Basti and Joga Bai extension.
  The residents allege gross neglect by the civic agency as a cause for the outbreak of the disease in the area. Trashing MCD’s claim that six vehicle-mounted fogging machines have been assigned for Jamia Nagar since the time more cases started coming from the area, the residents allege they never saw an MCD worker. The civic agency blames rampant illegal construction in the area for large scale breeding found of dengue and other disease-causing mosquitoes.

  Oxytocin injections by farmers were causing health hazards.

  Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Trivedi has sought action against sale of oxytocin, used by farmers to enhance the growth of fruits and vegetables. Oxytocin is a Schedule H drug banned in India for use on animals. In local parlance, it has got many names, starting from ‘cocin' and ‘paani' to ‘dawai,' and is available at almost all the general stores in the countryside. Oxytocin is a mammalian hormone that also acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain.
  In a letter written to Union Health and Family Welfare Secretary Sujatha Rao, Mr Trivedi pointed out that farmers were blatantly using hormone shots to expedite the growth of vegetables. “These hormones may cause irreparable damage to our health, if taken through these vegetables, over a period of time. The even more shocking element is that the public/authorities may also be aware of this malpractice.”  The hormone is used clinically to help begin or to sustain labour, to control bleeding after delivery, and stimulate the secretion of breast milk.
  According to Mr. Trivedi, researchers had proved that indiscriminate use of oxytocin injections by farmers were causing health hazards.Injections were being administered to pumpkin, watermelon, brinjal,
gourd and cucumber, which were sold openly in the open market. The drug was cheap and readily available. The implementation of the ban on its use on animals too was very lax, he said.
  Another glaring issue was the use of chemicals such as copper sulphate for artificially colouring fruits and vegetables. Adverse effects of these toxins were also under scrutiny and the use of these hazardous
chemicals needed to be urgently monitored and looked into immediately, he said. Source: The Hindu

  Delhi grappling with dengue

  Delhi, August 02, 2010: The vector borne disease is beginning to haunt the capital, which is seeing a surge in new cases daily. Six fresh cases of dengue fever were reported from the capital Thursday in an outbreak that has killed one and infected 41 people.  
  The health officials blame sporadic rainfall and heavy construction work at the Commonwealth Games projects for the spread of dengue.The muddy and stagnant water pits near the Games Village and at the
Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium provide the best breeding places for mosquitoes.
  Disturbed by the sharp rise in the infections, the MCD is gearing up to curb the dengue menace.Task forces created by the civic agency are carrying out fogging operations and door-to-door drive to check breeding of mosquitoes.

  A diabetes breakthrough from India

  New Delhi, July 13, 2010 : A team of Indian scientists has discovered a novel form of insulin that could drastically reduce the suffering diabetics face in controlling their blood sugar. For the diabetics, daily painful pinpricks to inject doses of insulin is a routine affair, now in a new discovery scientists claim a single shot of insulin could help keep sugar levels under control for more than a month.
 Today the effect of each insulin injection lasts at best for a day. India is considered the diabetes capital of the world, with as many as 50 million people suffering from this chronic disease, so any new discovery is welcomed with open arms.
  The team spent two million rupees and took two years to come with this novel solution. These scientists have already patented the technology, commercialized it and the new insulin could well become a big money spinner in times to come, feels the man who discovered this new form of insulin. Source: NDTV

   Dengue struck ahead of time in Delhi

  Delhi, July 5, 2010: Dengue that generally makes an appearance after the monsoon, when stagnant water and pollution are commonplace, has struck Delhi ahead of time. With two cases of the vector borne infections confirmed in the last week of June and reports of fresh cases surfacing from private hospitals, the disease is fast emerging as a major threat this season. Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Chief Medical Officer N.K. Yadav stated, “Two patients admitted to Apollo Hospital and AIIMS have been tested positive for dengue.  “Both reside in Delhi. But one of them had gone to his native place in southern India while the other also went out on a vacation. They were hospitalised after coming back. The infection has been contracted from outside.”

  Beetroot juice can lower blood pressure levels
 
  London, June 30, 2010 (IANS) : The nitrate content of beetroot juice can lower blood pressure levels, says a study. The researchers of Queen Mary University of London found that blood pressure (BP) was lowered within 24 hours in people who took nitrate tablets and people who drank beetroot juice.
  The research is a welcome news for people with high BP as they can now use a 'natural' approach to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (including stroke and heart attacks) - the world's biggest killer. Study author Amrita Ahluwalia, professor of Vascular Biology at Queen  
  Mary's said: "The investigation was able to demonstrate that the nitrate found in beetroot juice had beneficial effects upon cardiovascular health by increasing the levels of the nitric-oxide in blood." "We gave inorganic nitrate capsules or beetroot juice to healthy volunteers and compared their blood pressure responses and the biochemical changes occurring in the circulation," she added, according to a university release. These findings were published online in the American Heart Association journal /Hypertension/.

  Upsurge in A(H1N1) cases in Chennai

  CHENNAI, June 30, 2010: The Public Health authorities in the State are concerned at the upsurge in the number of A(H1N1) cases after a clear downswing in the initial months of 2010. Twenty-one fresh cases of A(H1N1) infections were recorded in the last couple of months alone, Health Minister MRK Panneerselvam said. In May and June, 21 cases of A(H1N1) were confirmed, 2 in the first month and 19 in the next, according to health officials. This was after the lull of the first four months from January this year. Of these, 14 cases are in Kanyakumari, three are from Chennai, two from Tiruvallur, and one from Nagapattinam, Director of Public Health R.T. Porkaipandian informed. “The main reason for the spurt in infections is the high incidence in the neighbouring districts of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala,” Dr. Pandian
said. Source: the Hindu

  Camel milk is safe to use than buffalo and cow milk
  June 17, 2010: The study published in Indian Journal of Physics in August 2009, in which researchers found some amount of uranium in the samples of cattle milk from Bathinda, mustard seeds and wheat grains. Further, the food grains and stuffs from Punjab carry more amount of uranium due to heavy use of insecticides and pesticides in the farm. The researchers also found that the numbers of children were more affected in these areas consuming cattle milk and food grains and their condition were improved after given camel milk sourced from Bikaner.
  The study concluded showing the result that camel milk is safe to use rather than buffalo and cow milk but it may not suit some people because it lacks lactose.   

 

  Cancer Threat from Cell Phones 
  May 27 2010: The U.S. President’s Cancer Panel has reported that “the true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated.” The panel pointed to cell phones and other wireless technologies as potential causes of cancer. In its recommendations, the panel stated: “Methods for long-term monitoring and quantification of electromagnetic energy exposures related to cell phones and wireless technologies are urgently needed given the escalating use of these devices by larger and younger segments of the population and the higher radiofrequencies newer devices produce.” 
  Dr. Ted Schettler, director of the Science and Environmental Health Network, said  “... Even if cell phones raise the risk of cancer slightly, so many people are exposed that it could be a large public health burden.”  Sources: Electromagnetic Health 

  Alcohol kills 2.5 million people worldwide: WHO
 
  May 25, 2010: Harmful use of alcohol kills 2.5 million people annually and is the eighth leading factor for deaths globally, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.  Of the 2.5 million people, 320,000 people are between 15 and 29 years of age, it said.  For the first time, representatives from 193 member states of the WHO have reached a consensus at the World Health Assembly May 17-21 on a resolution to confront the harmful use of alcohol. The resolution urges countries to support initiatives to tackle the problem. 
  Ten recommended target areas for policy intervention include health services' responses, community action, pricing policies and reducing public health impact of illicit alcohol. The WHO was urged to support
countries to implement the strategy and monitor progress. 

  Turmeric may delay liver damage and cirrhosis
  WASHINGTON: Adding a pinch of turmeric in your meal can delay the liver damage that eventually causes cirrhosis, says a new research.The researchers found that curcumin, one of the principal components of the Indian spice turmeric, seems to delay the liver damage that eventually causes cirrhosis. The study has been published in the journal Gut. Curcumin, which gives turmeric its bright yellow pigment, has long been used in  Indian Ayurvedic medicine to treat a wide range of gastrointestinal disorders. It was earlier shown that it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which may be helpful in combating disease. 
  The research team wanted to find out if curcumin could delay the damage caused by progressive inflammatory conditions of the liver, including primary sclerosing cholangitis and primary biliary cirrhosis. Both the conditions, which can be sparked by genetic faults or autoimmune disease, cause the liver's plumbing system of bile ducts to become inflamed, scarred, and blocked. This leads to extensive tissue damage and irreversible and ultimately fatal liver cirrhosis. 
The findings showed that the curcumin diet significantly reduced bile duct blockage and curbed liver cell (hepatocyte) damage and scarring (fibrosis) by interfering with several chemical signalling pathways involved in the inflammatory process.


Turmeric may delay liver damage and cirrhosis

 Extracts of bitter melon can block breast cancer 
 February 28, 2010: Extracts of a fruit grown on tropical vines appears to have breast cancer blocking powers, say researchers. Scientists found key ingredients of the green and knobbly bitter melon fruit (Momordica charantia) interfered with chemical pathways involved in cancer growth. It turned off signals telling the breast cancer cells to divide and switched on signals encouraging them to commit suicide. Experts told Cancer Research journal more trials were needed. Although promising as an anti-cancer agent, trials in animals and then humans are still needed, study Dr Rajesh Agarwal from the University of Colorado, US, said. 

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            <font face= bitter melon fruit (Momordica charantia)

  India announces ten health fellowships
  New Delhi, February 22, 2010 (PTI) In a bid to strengthen cooperation in health sector, India today announced ten fellowships at a premier institute here for member countries of 'Partners in Population and Development (PPD). The announcement was made by Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad at a meeting of the executive committee of PPD held in Dhaka yesterday. He was chairing the meeting. The ten fellowships at the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare will be available for members of PPD, which is an inter-governmental alliance of 25 developing countries working to promote South-South co- operation in the field of health. The fellowships are aimed at building their capacity.The issue of further strengthening the organisation and fostering better South-South cooperation in the area of health was deliberated at length in the meeting.

  Saffron may halt or reverse sight loss
  February, 6, 2010 (ANI) : Indian yellow spice saffron may help people from incurable blindness, according to a new study. Saffron may help halt or reverse sight loss The new research indicates that saffron, traditionally used to colour and flavour curries and Mediterranean dishes, can prove to be an effective weapon in the fight against one of the causes of sight loss, age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
  The first trials of saffron on human vision shows it significantly enhanced eyesight, reports The Daily Express. Lead researcher Professor Silvia Bisti said, “When patients were tested with traditional eye charts, a number could read one or two lines smaller than before. Others said they could read newspapers and books again.”  Bisti hailed the results as ‘remarkable’ and claimed saffron “may hold the key to preventing sight loss in the elderly”. 

 
 Indian yellow spice saffron

  Copper causes Alzheimer's in people over 50 
  London, January 23, 2010: Copper pipes should not be used as water supply lines as a new study has found that it leads to build up of metal in body, increasing the risk of  Alzheimer's, heart diseases and diabetes in people over 50. Researchers at University of Michigan in US found that traces of copper from pipes mix with tap water, which is then consumed by people. 
  As our body cannot process the metal, it gets accumulated and over a period of time leads to major health problems like Alzheimer's in later age, according to the study that appeared in the American Chemical Society's Toxicology journal. Pointing out that Alzheimer's and heart diseases are made worse by excess copper and iron, lead researcher George J Brewer said, "the toxicities are so general  that they are a looming public health problem in diseases of ageing and in the ageing process itself."  Brewer also warned that those people, whose copper intake is high, lose their brain function at over three times the normal rate if they also eat a relatively high fat diet. 
  The researchers suggested that people over 50 should avoid vitamin and mineral pills that contain cooper and iron, reduce meat intake and avoid drinking water from copper pipes. They should also donate blood regularly to reduce iron levels and take zinc supplements to lower copper levels, the Daily Mail reported. - PTI    

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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