India gets WHO praise on polio front, no case in 30
months
New
Delhi: WHO today lauded India`s efforts in eradicating polio and said the
country has not reported a single case of polio in the last 30 months.
"You
did it. For 30 months you have not got a single case of polio," WHO
Director General Margaret Chan said while addressing the meeting of Health
Ministers of South-East Asia Region in the presence of President Pranab
Mukherjee.
She said India achieved the feat even as 194 countries in the world were speculating whether it can interrupt the transmission of polio.
She also urged nations of the region to adopt universal healthcare access for all.
"I want to urge countries in this region. Please continue to champion universal access to healthcare. That is the platform to deliver healthy human capital that are important for sustainable development in the future," she said.
The
WHO DG complimented India`s health-care initiatives in improving the health of
its mothers and children and said, "This country is moving in a big way to
promote better health to their women and to their children."
She
also lauded the role of Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad saying, "This
country is very fortunate to have a minister totally dedicated to health."
She
also expressed concern over the growing incidence of heart disease which saw
9.4 million deaths every year and said high blood pressure has contributed to
it.
"The
scale of the problem is a challenge," she said, adding that more than one
in three adults across the world are suffering from high blood pressure.
Chan
was here to attend the 31st Health Ministers` meeting of South-East Asia region
which comprises of almost 1.8 billion people.
11.09.2013
Health ministers pledge to contain hypertension
New
Delhi: Health ministers from 11 Southeast Asian countries Tuesday pledged to
accord high priority to prevention and control of high blood pressure in the
region by 2025.
The
ministers adopted the "New Delhi Declaration on High Blood Pressure"
at the 31st meeting of WHO Southeast Asian region here.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is the leading risk factor for mortality worldwide, causing nine million deaths each year. In Southeast Asia, every third adult is affected by hypertension which leads to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney failure.
The
health ministers also reviewed progress on decisions and recommendations from
the previous meetings. While non-communicable diseases account for 55 percent
of the 14.5 million total deaths in the region, cardiovascular diseases account
for 25 percent of all deaths (3.6 million).
The
ministers voiced their concern that delays in diagnosis and limited access to treatment
could have catastrophic consequences for the poor.
"High
blood pressure is a warning signal that health is at risk. But by the time
symptoms appear, cardiovascular disease is advanced and the risk of heart
attack or a stroke is increased," WHO Director General Margaret Chan said.
"The public health challenge is to get more people routinely tested early
to enable proper management of high blood pressure through lifestyle change or
medication," she added.
Health
Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said: "India is called the pharmacy of the world
for producing high quality and affordable generic drugs which have substantially
brought down the prices." "We have developed indigenous vaccines and
testing reagents for H1N1 and other influenzas, indigenous vaccine for Japanese
Encephalitis and a magnifying device for cervical cancer screening in the
field," he added.
Through
the declaration, the ministers committed to collaborate with key stakeholders
to empower people to make healthy choices, develop policies to promote physical
activity and healthy diet and reduce exposure to tobacco and alcohol. They also
committed to implement national salt reduction strategies, and regulate the
food industry, including food-labelling and reduction of salt in processed
foods.
WHO`s
southeast Asia region comprises 11 member countries - Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Democratic People`s Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar,
Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
11.09.2013
The secret of happiness is to admire without
desiring
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