‘Polio still
a threat in India,vigilance is the key’
Though
India has not reported a single case of polio in the past two years, there is
no room for complacency as the virus still exists in some neighbouring
countries, officials said .
‘Polio
still exists in Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. The virus can travel to
India as people move from one country to another. We have to be very cautious
and pro-active to ensure that the virus does not re-enter our country,’ said
Rajashree Birla, chairperson of Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives
and Rural Development. She said the World Health Organisation (WHO) has advised
India to maintain sensitive surveillance and ensure high childhood immunity
against the wild polio virus.
‘This
is vital to ensure that no strain of polio is imported to our country until
eradication is attained worldwide. In India, we have to continue the momentum,’
Birla said. She was speaking at ‘Championing the Polio Eradication Drive’ with
Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan here. The drive is being carried out
all over India in collaboration with the Government of India’s Health
Department, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, Aditya Birla Group and
Rotary International.
The
WHO declared India ‘polio-free’ at a time when the world looked at India as the
epicentre of the polio virus. Birla said that around 15 years ago before the
nationwide polio eradication drive was launched, nearly 200,000 children were
crippled by polio every year. The government, along with social groups and
corporates, ensures that every child in the country is immunized and over 170
million children are administered pulse polio drops to tame the virus.
Source:
http://health.india.com
10.04.2013
Lazy? Blame it on your genes!
Genes may be responsible for laziness, says an American
study. New research from the University of Missouri suggests certain genetic
traits may predispose people to being more or less motivated to exercise and
remain active. Frank Booth, a professor in the MU College of Veterinary
Medicine, along with his post-doctoral fellow Michael Roberts, were able to
selectively breed rats that exhibited traits of either extreme activity or
extreme laziness.
Studies show 97 percent of American adults get less than 30
minutes of exercise a day, which is the minimum recommended amount based on
federal guidelines, reports Science Daily. They say, in a study published in
the American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative
Physiology, these rats indicate that genetics could play a role in exercise
motivation, even in humans.
‘We have shown that it is possible to be genetically
predisposed to being lazy,’ Booth said. ‘This could be an important step in
identifying additional causes for obesity in humans, especially considering
dramatic increases in childhood obesity in the United States. It would be very
useful to know if a person is genetically predisposed to having a lack of
motivation to exercise, because that could potentially make them more likely to
grow obese.’
Source:
http://health.india.com
10.04.2013
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