Pakistan the only South Asian
country still struggling with polio!
India and
10 other Asian countries were formally declared polio-free by the World Health
Organization (WHO) Thursday. Apart from India, the other countries which were
given polio-free certificates were Bangladesh, Bhutan, North Korea, Indonesia,
the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste. The
certificates were handed over to the health ministers of these countries by WHO
Regional Director (Southeast Asia) Poonam Khetrapal Singh at a ceremony.
A country
is declared polio-free by the WHO, if no case is reported for three consecutive
years. India reported the last polio case in January 2011.
Union
Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said: ‘This (southeast Asia) is the fourth
region to be certified polio-free. The distant dream of polio eradication in
the region is now a reality.’ Azad said that resources were never allowed to be
a problem for the campaign against polio. ‘
There are
some fears that polio could return to India through Pakistani travellers.
Previously, the polio virus is reported to have travelled to Afghanistan and
Syria from Pakistan. In order to ensure that it doesn’t come to India too, the
Indian High Commission has issued directives stating that all Pakistani
travellers must get themselves vaccinated before entering India. ‘Travellers
from Pakistan to India will be required to carry their vaccination record as
evidence of being vaccinate against polio. After January 30, 2014 it will
be requested for entry into India ‘, a statement issued to the Pakistani media
said.
‘Tremendous
efforts have been put by India to set herself free from polio but its
neighbour, Pakistan, is a hotbed for polio. This year too, we have 63 cases of
polio in Pakistan. Nigeria and Afghanistan have reported 51 and 9 cases
respectively,’ Dr Carol Pandak, director of Rotary International’s polio eradication
program had earlier told DNA.
What makes
Pakistan’s battle against polio really difficult is that Islamic extremists
believe that polio vaccinations are against the Islamic way of life and may
even be a ploy by western countries to sterilise Islamic men. Also, there is a
belief that these UN backed polio workers might be undercover CIA agents and
they have been regularly killed on this suspicion.
Source: http://health.india.com
28.03.2014
Beware! Your cellphone can be bad
for your heart!
The hunching posture adopted by smart phone users or other
mobile devices is as bad as being obese and could lead to breathing problems in
old age, new research has found. The effect of the posture is not immediately
evident as it results in breathing problems leading to cardiovascular problems
later in life, the British United Chiropractic Association (UCA) study has
claimed. The study could also suggest link of the posture with hyperkyphosis
which is associated with pulmonary disease and cardiovascular problems, the
Daily Mail reported. (Read: Soon, drug that stops heart attacks without side effects)
Hyperkyphosis is a spinal deformity that looks like a
forward-curved posture of the head and the upper back. To go online or play a
game on a phone, users drop their head and round their shoulders which leads to
restrictions of their muscles, making its harder for them to take a full
breadth, said the study. Elderly people with a slight amount of hyperkyphosis
have higher risk of mortality when compared with those without it. (Read: Expert tips to prevent heart disease)
This is similar to the increase in risk of death from having
a body mass index greater than 30, the study added. ‘The forward-leaning
posture has a greater negative effect than medical professionals previously
thought,’ UCA executive member Estelle Zauner-Maughan was quoted as saying.
(Read: Stave off heart disease, eat fibre rich foods)
Source: http://health.india.com
28.03.2014
Keep your fears to yourself,
but share your courage with others
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