No polio cases reported in last nine
years: Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu government today said the state has not reported a
single polio case in the last nine years, as it prepares for the second round
of Pulse Polio Campaign in which two lakh personnel would be employed.
In the first round of the polio campaign held on January 20 last
year, 70.30 lakh children under the age of five years were administered with
polio drops, state Public Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said, adding, the
second round of the immunisation programme was scheduled to begin from
tomorrow.
"Tamil Nadu has not reported any polio case for the past nine
years. However, it is very much important to administer polio drops to all
children during Pulse Polio Campaign in order to protect children from possible
importation of Polio virus from other parts of the country/world," he said
in a statement.
Elaborate arrangements have been made for the second round, which
involves administering drops to children covered in the first round also, he
said, adding, 40,000 booths have been established across the state for this
purpose.
Over 1,000 transit booths will be functioning in major bus stands,
railway stations and airports during the campaign days to cover children on
travel. These booths would function for three days, he said.
Further, 771 mobile teams will serve "remote and inaccessible
areas", and about two lakh personnel from various government departments
besides NGOs would be involved in the "mega campaign", he said.
Source: www.indianexpress.com
25.02.2013
Exercise can improve
brain health
Dozens of studies now show that aerobicexercise can increase the size of critical brain structures and improve cognition in children and older adults, according to University of Illinois psychology professor Art Kramer, a nationally recognized expert on the role of physical fitness on cognition.
"Populations throughout the industrialized world are becoming increasing sedentary as a result of the changing nature of work and leisure activities. As a result of these societal changes, increases in diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers are increasing. Physical activity serves to reduce susceptibility to these diseases," Kramer said.
"Increased physical activity also has direct, and relatively rapid effects on cognition and brain health," he added.
He noted that such results have been reported, over the course of several decades, in animal studies of physical activity.
Studies in humans, many conducted in Kramer's lab, also showed that regular exercise, such as walking three times per week, also increases brain power.
Kramer will present research from his own lab and others that demonstrates that older adults who participate in fitness training and physical activity benefit from significant improvements in their brain structure and function.
Kramer will discuss these brain-changing outcomes at a session of the 2013 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston on Feb. 16.
Source: www.timesofindia.com
25.02.2013
Forgiveness
does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future
Paul
Boese
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