India

Dengue cases on rise, tally reaches 55 in Delhi, NCR

The number of dengue cases in the national capital and its adjoining areas has climbed to 55, civic officials said on Thursday.

Dengue cases on rise, tally reaches 55 in Delhi, NCR

According to figures from the municipal corporations, 48 cases of dengue have been reported from the capital. The remaining seven cases are from the adjoining areas in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana as of  13 Sep tember. Similarly, 41 cases of malaria have been recorded in the national capital
this year.

The civic bodies have taken various measures to control dengue in the city. ‘People are being challaned for mosquito breeding. They are penalised by charging a maximum fine of Rs. 500’, said a civic officer.

Source: millenum post

India ranks among top 3 medical tourism destinations in Asia

India is placed among the top three medical tourism destinations in Asia, mainly due to the low cost of treatment, quality healthcare infrastructure and availability of highly-skilled doctors, says a study.

India ranks among top 3 medical tourism destinations in Asia

“Within Asia, India, Thailand and Singapore are the three countries that receive maximum medical tourists owing to low cost of treatment, quality healthcare infrastructure, and availability of highly-skilled doctors.

“These three countries together accounted for about 60 per cent of the total Asian revenue in 2012,” the report Medical Value Travel in India by KPMG and Ficci said.

The research was conducted in India and other Asian countries and interviewed public sector stakeholders and domestic company heads or CEOs of renowned hospitals between July and August 2014. Estimated at $78.6 billion as of 2012, the sector has emerged as one of the largest sectors in India and is poised to grow at an annual rate of 15 per cent to reach about USD 158.2 billion by 2017, it said. It pointed out that Asian countries have introduced various marketing strategies to attract medical tourists.

In the past few years, Asia has taken the lead as one of the most preferred destination for medical value travel. Primary growth levers in this regard include low priced treatment options, availability of variety of treatments, improved infrastructure in terms of healthcare facilities and attractive locations for spending time after treatment. While Thailand positions itself as a dual purpose destination for both medical and economic holiday with an attractive location, Singapore promotes itself as a destination for fine quality in medical treatment.

India is known mostly for its cost-effective medical treatments along with high standards in cardiology, orthopaedics, nephrology, oncology and neuro surgery, it said.

The country is also known for its alternative treatment options such as yoga and ayurveda, it said.

Source: The Times of India

Ebola scare at Delhi airport, 3 Indians taken for test

Three Indians who arrived at the Delhi airport on Tuesday morning from Ebola-hit Liberia have been isolated and taken for medical examination. A total of 112 people will be arriving on Tuesday at Delhi and Mumbai airports from the African nation.

Ebola scare at Delhi airport, 3 Indians taken for test

Government has taken elaborate precautionary arrangements. “As part of the tentative plan, the aircraft will be first taken to a remote bay and all passengers will be screened at the step-ladder exit after the arrival of flights at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA),” Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) said.

While the passengers without any symptoms will be cleared and shifted to the terminal for immigration and customs clearance, those coming from Liberia with symptoms suggestive of EVD will be shifted to designated hospital in ambulance from the bay, it said.

According to MIAL, Ethiopian Airline, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Jet and South African Airways are flying these passengers to Mumbai. Some of these passengers will first arrive in Delhi and then leave for Mumbai by domestic airlines flight, MIAL said.

Mial also said the baggage of the passengers needs to be kept separate by the concerned airline in their custody, adding disinfection of the flight will be carried out once all passengers would be deboarded.

Flights will be allowed to board the next batch of passengers only after thirty minutes of disinfection, it added.
Source: India Today

No confirmed or suspected case of Ebola in India

The union health ministry on Tuesday said that as on date, there is no confirmed or even suspected case of the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in India.

No confirmed or suspected case of Ebola in India

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported 1848 cases including 1013 death due to Ebola Virus Disease, as on August 9. The affected countries are Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria in western Africa.

A 28-year-old male traveller from Nigeria manifesting symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on Saturday was taken to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for observation in the morning of Sunday. He has been tested negative for EVD in tests done at National institute of Virology, Pune and National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi, according to an official statement issued on Tuesday.

The cabinet secretary took a meeting on Tuesday with secretaries and senior officers of ministries of health, civil aviation, home affairs, external affairs and information & broadcasting to review preparedness of the government on EVD, the statement said.

“There is no reason for getting worried over the odd case of a visitor to the country arriving in an indisposed condition. We have all the mechanisms in place for prompt treatment and subsequent monitoring,” Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said on Monday.

The two passengers who reached Chennai on Saturday — a 27-year-old-male who travelled from Guinea and a 40-year-old-male who travelled from Liberia — are in good health and they are under observation, according to an official statement issued on Monday.

Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday (August 10) denied reports in some media of a “suspect case” of EVD in Chennai. “The department of health, Government of Tamil Nadu, has informed the central government that a person had indeed landed at Chennai airport from Guinea on August 9. He was checked for symptoms and was found healthy. However, the health authorities of the state are monitoring his health,” he said.

WHO had informed that one Indian passenger had travelled on the same flight in which Ebola virus patient (foreign national) was travelling from Monrovia to Lagos. This Indian passenger is back in India. He has been tracked and his health is being regularly monitored. “We are happy to share that the said person is healthy, fit and fine,” Dr Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday.

On August 8 (Friday), WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern after an abnormal rise in the incidence of the dreaded infection this year. Within hours the union health ministry unravelled its advanced surveillance and tracking system. A 24-hour helpline (011 – 23063205, 23061469 and 23061302) was also opened, which has been functional since Saturday.

In New Delhi, the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital has been identified for treatment and management of any case of EVD.

The health ministry was alerted by WHO about a traveller who landed in New Delhi on July 20 as a confirmed case of EVD. He was later traced to Dwarka in South-West Delhi and was found to be healthy.

Source: India Medical Times

Arthritis cases among Indian youngsters rising: Expert

Arthritis cases among Indian youngsters rising

There has been a rise in the number of young Indians diagnosed with knee arthritis and other problems of joints and ligaments, a health expert said.

“Arthritis or the damage that sets up in our body joints is considered a problem associated with ageing. Loss of cartilage, depleting calcium, wear and tear of the ligaments, or excessive weight have contributed to the onset of arthritis.

“However, we are now seeing a rise in the number of younger patients with osteoarthritis, Rajeev.K. Sharma, senior consultant and orthopaedic and joint replacement surgeon at Apollo Hospital, said here in a press conference on the occasion of the “National Bone and Joint Day” Monday.

Sharma highlighted on the need to create awareness among young people and having a healthy lifestyle.

“Obesity, lack of exercise, injury in bones or muscles, hereditary defects in alignment of legs, faulty lifestyle and absence of physical activity lead to early degeneration of muscles and cartilage around the joints,” he added.

According to experts, though the number of young patients with arthritis might be barely 10 percent, it is important to encourage youngsters to walk, cycle and perform regular exercise.

Source: yahoo news

One more dies of Encephalitis in WB, toll mounts to 117

Encephalitis-ou39646One more dies of Encephalitis in WB, toll mounts to 117

One person died today from Encephalitis while five new cases were reported from north Bengal, a senior health department official said.

“The toll in West Bengal rose to 117 since January this year after a patient, who was admitted few days back, died today at the North Bengal Medical College (NBMC),” state Health Services director Biswaranjan Satpathy said.

Five new cases were reported from different hospitals in north Bengal, he said. Another person, hailing from Assam, was today admitted at the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine here with signs of suspected Japanese Encephalitis, he said.

“We are suspecting it as a case of Japanese Encephalitis. Tests have been conducted and we are waiting for the results,” Satpathy added.

Source: business standard

India to hold biggest Yoga fest in China next week

India to hold biggest Yoga fest in China next week

India will hold the biggest Yoga festival in China next week where the iconic Indian spiritual and physical art form has become a rage with millions of health-conscious Chinese making it part of their routine.

More than 1500 people are expected to take part in the Yoga Summit — the second such festival to be held in China in recent years — that will be held from July 7 to 12 at the picturesque city of Dali in Yunnan Province.

Indian Embassy and Indian Consulate in Guangzhou is organising the event as part of the ongoing year-long Glimpses of India festival being organised across China to expose the Chinese public to popular Indian ancient dance and art forms.

The Sangeet Natak Akadami dance troupe which is currently touring China is scheduled to perform at the festival. Geeta S Iyengar, daughter of the famous Yoga guru B K S Iyengar, along with 17 top Yoga exponents would take part in the event.

B K S Iyengar, who visited China in 2012, has become a popular ambassador of the art form among millions of Chinese practitioners and his works were widely translated into Mandarin.

The art form has become a rage with almost every gym across China having Yoga instructors. Specialised teaching centres like YogiYoga, run by Yoga exponent Mohan Singh Bhandari and Yinyan, a Chinese journalist who previously worked for Elle Magazine, trains over 8,000 would-be teachers.

Yoga is also considered as a million-dollar business in China where it is seen as a more of potent physical exercise. There is, however, criticism about the certification of teachers being churned out by many institutes.

The Yoga Summit which is being advertised all over China is expected to draw large audience, Indian officials said. Indian Ambassador Ashok K Kantha and top local Chinese officials were expected to take attend the festival.

Source: samachar

With hormonal changes in body, 17-year-old girl transforms into a boy

With hormonal changes in body, 17-year-old girl transforms into a boy

In a bizarre incident that occurred in Bokaro district of Jharkhand, a 17-year-old girl was ‘transformed’ into a boy due to chromosomal changes in her body.

The girl-turned-boy has named himself as Server Haider. Doctors of the medical board have confirmed the news of the transformation.

Acording to a Bhaskar report, Server’s father, Haider Ali, sent him to the medical board to get him examined for his medical fitness. After conducting Server’s medical check-up, a team of three doctors were surprised to realise that the boy’s name was registered in the ‘female’ category.

Witnessing this, they sent him to the women’s medical department in Sadar hospital, where the doctors transferred his reports to higher authorities for proper examination of his choromosomal activities.

Doctors have said that such situation arises, when the body starts taking shape into a different form, due to chromosomal changes, which results in conversion of a girl into a boy.

Source: News 18

India introduces four new vaccines in immunisation programme

India introduces four new vaccines in immunisation programme

India introduced 4 new vaccines as part of the Universal Immunization Programme on Thursday. Three new vaccines were introduced for children to fight the menace of rotavirus and rubella.

For adults, a vaccine to combat Japanese Encephalitis was introduced, especially in high-priority districts.

Speaking on the new development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured that the government will ensure that the benefit of vaccination reach all sections of the society. The PM also said that the vaccines have been introduced with the purpose of reducing child mortality by two-thirds.

The move was welcomed by health authorities across the country. Vice-president of the Public Health Foundation of India, Ramanan Laxminarayan said that the new vaccines will enable the government to save the lives of thousands of children. Laxminarayan also said that significant efforts are also being made on the part of the government to increase maximum vaccination coverage. Laxminarayan also termed the development as a huge success in child health.

Convener of the encephalitis eradication movement, Dr RN Singh has also expressed gratitude to the government for taking his appeal into account. Singh, a private practitioner based in Gorakhpur had written a blood-letter to the Centre on July 25 last year informing the Centre about the three major steps that the Centre must take to prevent and control the disease which claimed hundreds of lives in eastern UP, and to ensure rehabilitation of the already affected children

Source: IBN

Delhi hospital to train Kenya doctors

Delhi hospital to train Kenya doctors

BLK Super Speciality Hospital (BLK SSH), New Delhi and Kenya’s Kisii Teaching & Referral Hospital (KTRH) and Kisii University have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) under which BLK SSH will provide quality healthcare and training for Kisii University through an observership programme in areas of urosurgery, orthopaedics surgery, plastic surgery and neurology. The hospital will hold class at the university and referral hospital to help in the capacity building of the medical staff.

LK SSH will organize OPDs at Kisii University for providing diagnosis and treatment of renal conditions, laparoscopic surgery, general surgery, gynaecology surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, cardiac surgery, endocrinology, pulmonary, IVF, organ transplant, joint replacement, oncology, critical care medicine and telemedicine.

Naresh Kapoor, Director – Finance and Strategy, BLK Super Speciality Hospital, said, “This initiative will not only help in providing quality health training under the observership programme, but will also enhance relations between the two countries. It will also give a boost to healthcare tourism between the two nations.”

According to Kapoor, specialist doctors from various departments of BLK SSH will visit Kisii University to provide campus training to medical staff at the university. BLK SSH will also help KTRH and Kisii University to start the facilities of telemedicine centres for offering medical services through tele-connectivity in the field of high-end territory and quaternary cases.

James E O Ongwae, Governor of Kisii Country, said, “I am very happy to extend all support from our government which BLK Super Speciality Hospital will require at the time of imparting training to the medical staff at the Kisii University and running the observership programme. This is a great initiative between both the countries to help in the exchange of knowledge know-how and cultural diversity.”

Source: India Medical Times