Tag: WHO

Malnutrition a growing problem

Malnutrition is one of the most dangerous growing problem in this modern world. Now when we are talking about malnutrition many people have misconception about what malnutrition actually means.

According to WHO Malnutrition, in all its forms, includes undernutrition (wasting, stunting, underweight), inadequate vitamins or minerals, overweight, obesity, and resulting diet-related noncommunicable diseases.

So in simple sense there are two types of malnutrition when is under-nourished and the other is over-nourished. Today actually there are more obese adults than undernourished one.ie., about 1.9 billion are obese and 462 million are under-nourished. And there are 45% of the death caused children under 5 years of age is due to malnutrition.

So we can actually see that how this situation has been worse for the children and for the adults and even for the senior citizens too. We need to focus on how to atleast give them two times meal a day which, actually will help them to survive at least.

Government should come up with policies and programs which could help them. And from our side we can give whatever surplus is with us or we can work with NGOs to provide these people at least one time of meal if we can.

This article is mainly written to to highlight this problem which is actually now been overshadowed due to the covid-19 situation. But we have to consider the fact that covid has make their condition more worse. From belonging to at least a middle class family we should do something from a site to help the needy. And the people those who are suffering from obesity should try

ICMR says, Covishield, Covaxin blend can give better outcomes

The examination was led on 18 individuals who have gotten two portions of two distinct vaccines and it has not yet been peer-assessed, reports said.

The Research:

The Indian Council of Medical Research has uncovered that a blend of Covishield and Covaxin, the two fundamental antibodies of India’s Covid inoculation program, can really yield better outcomes, news organization ANI detailed. The investigation was just led on 18 individuals of Uttar Pradesh’s Siddharth Nagar, who accidentally got two dosages of two separate immunizations / Vaccines. As indicated by the finding of the examination which is yet to be peer-checked on vaccination with a blend of an adenovirus vector stage-based antibody, trailed by inactivated entire infection immunization was protected as well as inspired better immunogenicity. Covishield, fabricated by Pune’s Serum Institute of India, is the adenovirus vector stage-based antibody and Covaxin, created and made by Bharat Biotech and the ICMR, is the entire infection immunization. Covishield and Covaxin have a place with two distinct sorts.

The investigation named ‘Fortunate Covid-19 Vaccine-Mix in Uttar Pradesh, India: Safety and Immunogenicity Assessment of a Heterologous Regime’ has been transferred on medRxiv. Under this investigation, 18 individuals got two dosages of two unique immunizations, the response of which was contrasted with 40 recipients of two portions of Covishield and 40 beneficiaries of two portions of Covaxin, news organization PTI announced. The examination length was from May to June 2021, it said.

Blending of immunizations is being talked about universally, all investigations are supportive of blending two antibodies to build the insurance against future contamination. The subject master panel of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization has in July suggested a preliminary of blending Covishield and Covaxin, which will be led by the Christian Medical College in Vellore on 300 sound volunteers.

While that will be an appropriate clinical preliminary to examine the adequacy of the mixed drink of Covishield and Covaxin, the ICMR’s investigation depended on the goof-up that occurred in May. There was no prompt antagonistic effect of the misunderstanding of the recipients. Presently, further investigation has uncovered that the misunderstanding has really worked for insurance as these individuals have more security than the individuals who have gotten two shots of a similar antibody.

What WHO has to say:

The issue of blending antibodies is touchy as World Health Organization has cautioned that people ought not settle on blending immunizations. Niti Aayog part (wellbeing) Dr VK Paul had before said that hypothetically there is no issue in blending two antibodies as the second portion in such a case will function as a promoter shot. Yet, as the public authority began its immunization drive on January 16, it requested that wellbeing laborers practice outrageous alert to ensure that the recipients get the second shot of the very antibody that they got as their first shots.

What to Understand?

  • We don’t have to take two different doses of vaccine; second shot should be of the same vaccine which we got as first dose.
  • We should adhere to advice of WHO, it will benefit our health only.

World Hepatitis Day

On World Hepatitis Day, let us put an end to all forms of discrimination that is meted out to people suffereing from hepatitis.

 

World Hepatitis Day, observed on July 28 every year, aims to raise global awareness of hepatitis — a group of infectious diseases known as Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E — and encourage prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Hepatitis affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, causing acute and chronic disease and killing close to 1.34 million people every year. Hepatitis causes liver diseases and can also kill a person. World Hepatitis Day is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO).

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WHO keeps this year’s theme is “Hepatitis-free future,” with a strong focus on preventing hepatitis B among mothers and newborns. On 28 July, WHO will publish new recommendations on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the virus. HBV can be prevented among newborns through the use of a safe and effective vaccine. WHO is calling on all countries to work together to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.

Significance of the theme

WHO says, “A hepatitis-free future is achievable with a united effort.”

With 2020’s theme for World Hepatitis Day being “Hepatitis-free future”, it becomes all the more crucial to know about the nature, prevention, and treatment of these viral illnesses. Hepatitis A and E are usually self-limited infections and comparatively not as severe as the other types. Hepatitis B and C are the leading causes of hepatitis-related deaths and can lead to serious conditions and cause long-term liver damage like liver cirrhosis, acute on chronic liver failure, liver cancer, or even death. Hepatitis D usually occurs in conjunction with Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B and C especially pose a serious threat to India as suggested by the numbers.

Once diagnosed, the course of treatment is based on whether the infection is acute or chronic. In the current scenario, it is vital to get a test and have the medications started, as those with pre-existing health conditions are at a higher risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus. Increased awareness through campaigns, initiatives, and discussions will help spread information as well as reduce the stigma about the disease. Awareness will also enable access to testing, ultimately resulting in early diagnosis.

WHO mentions the following points in dealing with the situation:

  1. PREVENT infection among newborns.  All newborns should be vaccinated against hepatitis B at birth, followed by at least 2 additional doses.
  2. STOP TRANSMISSION from MOTHER to CHILD. All pregnant women should be routinely tested for hepatitis B, HIV, and syphilis and receive treatment if needed.
  3. LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND. Everyone should have access to hepatitis prevention, testing, and treatment services, including people who inject drugs, people in prisons, migrants, and other highly-affected populations.
  4. EXPAND access to testing and treatment. Timely testing and treatment of viral hepatitis can prevent liver cancer and other severe liver diseases.
  5. MAINTAIN essential hepatitis services during COVID-19. Prevention and care services for hepatitis – such as infant immunization, harm reduction services, and continuous treatment of chronic hepatitis B – are essential even during the pandemic.

Education of the masses is the way forward to find these missing millions and ensuring that they receive proper treatment and care. Only then, it is possible to drastically reduce the number of patients who would suffer from these diseases and eliminate the risk of the virus and achieve the dream of “Hepatitis-free” India.

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Let us learn to protect ourselves from Hepatitis diseases on World Hepatitis Day.

 

U.S. Cutting Ties With WHO Is A Misstep That May Cause Severe Repercussions

 

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on May 19 that U.S. would be halting it’s funding of the World Health Organization and pull out of the agency, accusing it of protecting China as the coronavirus pandemic took off. The move has alarmed health experts, who say the decision will undermine efforts to improve the health of people around the world.

It was a knee-jerk response and an overreaction to a legitimate concern. Yes, the WHO has problems and has been too lenient on China recently. Does that mean every other country should pull the plug and ignore its other achievements, without attempting diplomatic reform? It’s hypocritical for the US to pull out of an international organisation because another country has too much sway within it. How would they react if, say, the UK pulled out of the IMF and World Bank because it has too much American influence? Terrible for the international reputation of the U.S.A. It will further harm the world’s ability to detect and react to this and future pandemics. And there will be future pandemics. If the U.S.A. was/is depending on the WHO for it’s intelligence gathering, the U.S.A. has bigger problems than COVID-19. It will provide Trump’s base with a bone to chew on and provide them the simple answer to a very complex question that they so crave.

Critics have condemned this move and called out the President for playing the ‘blame game’. Trump has shown his incompetence with dealing with the Covid-19. What’s worse he even screwed the ability of a country that has been well known to be the leading force of healthcare. Meanwhile, China, a country who is still stereotyped as filthy people and Sickman, is recovering from the Covid-19. Long gone are those Americans who jeered at China and boasted that their CDC can handle the Covid-19 easily. Who’s to blame? If we look at the facts, Trump is definitely blamed for all this mess. His unwillingness to listen to CDC or even his white house health advisors to take the matter seriously because he doesn’t want a lockdown like China has resulted in the death of more than 142,000 Americans as of the time of my writing.

The growing reports of deaths began make the President realize that his administration was seriously failing in its response to the corona virus. He responded in two ways. He suddenly made it clear to the States that they were responsible for providing all the necessary protective wares and ventilators as well as all testing for the virus and that the failures were there’s not his. Next, he forcefully (and quite unfairly) condemned the work that China and the WHO had undertaken to react to the virus thus showing that he knew better than anybody what was best for everyone and that he was still a brilliant genius. So, fundamentally this is why President Trump decided to halt funding to the WHO. An activity that, it is certain, a majority of its 193 other member countries of the WHO will condemn as many of the larger countries have done already. No-one cuts funding in the middle of this kind of disastrous international epidemic. If one feels disturbed about any other country or organization involved in it one waits until the epidemic is over and then everyone gets together and analyses what worked well and what did not, then sit together to make sure the next time this happens the world is better prepared. Regrettably the USA seems to think that it can handle world matters unilaterally. As this is absolutely impossible for any country the result can only end up with some real disappointments for everyone including the USA, now the country with the largest mortality than any other as a result of poor corona virus policies and management.

Not anyone in the world, not even Trump himself, will benefit from Trump’s suspension of the US’s financing of WHO. Especially at times like these when WHO’s role in coordinating the worldwide response to pandemic is critical. We can be sure that WHO will not be distracted and will carry on its important job albeit maybe in a little less effective way as compared to when they did have the rightly anticipated financing from the US. The only thing this Trump’s move will achieve is that the rest of the world will finally and eventually give up on America to do the right thing and will try to distance themselves away from the US.