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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. |
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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 |
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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. |
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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. |
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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 |
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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. |
 bitter melon fruit
(Momordica charantia) |
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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. |
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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 |
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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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