27, August 2014

Ebola in India: 88 Indians screened, one quarantined with fever and sore throat

Eighty eight Indian nationals, who have been brought back from Ebola-hit Liberia, were Tuesday screened for the deadly virus after their arrival at the airports here and one was put in isolation, officials said. Of the 88 Indians brought back, 71 landed in Mumbai and 17 in New Delhi. A statement from the health ministry said all were screened and found healthy except for one passenger who had fever and a sore throat.  

He has been isolated in a quarantine-cum-isolation facility at the Delhi airport. The ministry statement said state governments have been requested to ensure monitoring of these passengers.
‘State governments have been requested to do rigorous tracking and monitoring of these passengers. The concerned states have been alerted for follow-up of these passengers on daily basis,’ the ministry said. ‘These passengers would be attached to the local health facility and the local authority would ensure that they would follow up these passengers on a day-to-day basis for one month,’ it said.

‘The passengers were also screened at the time of exit from Liberia and none of the evacuees had any symptoms prior to travel,’ said the medical director of International SOS which brought back the Indians. International SOS is a group that provides medical assistance, healthcare and security services to organisations with international operations.

‘Senior officers of the ministry have been pre-positioned at the Mumbai and Delhi airports to monitor the screening of these passengers from Liberia,’ the health ministry statement said. In addition, from the routine flights from affected countries, five passengers with symptoms of fever were quarantined at the quarantine-cum-isolation facility at the Delhi airport. Their samples were being tested at the National Centre for Disease Control.

The ministry said that as per guidelines, the high risk category (those with symptoms) are isolated at the airport, medium risk category (those giving history of contact with an Ebola case) are prioritised for active surveillance, and low risk category (those without symptoms and without any contact history) are informed about helpline numbers to be contacted in case they develop symptoms subsequently.

Meanwhile, five passengers (four doctors and a physiotherapist) who returned from Nigeria and who were admitted to the quarantine facility in Delhi for observation last Friday have tested negative for Ebola in tests done at the National Centre for Disease Control, the ministry statement said.

Three of them have been discharged from the quarantine facility. The other two (a doctor and the physiotherapist) had developed fever and were transferred to the RML Hospital for further treatment. Both of them have now been cured of the fever.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

27.08.2014

Why make-up is bad for youngsters

Parents are being urged to ensure that their children aren’t using too much make-up particularly if they’re young as it can lead to major skin problems, says an expert. Girls as young as 12 years old are afraid to leave their home without wearing a full face of make-up, new research has revealed. An independent survey conducted by survey-led marketing research company OnePoll says that one in five girls aged between 12 and 17 are covering up their imperfections daily before leaving their home.

A worryingly high number of young girls are also topping up their make-up at least once a day as results reveal 46 percent of young girls will reapply make-up, reports femalefirst.co.uk. Skincare experts warn that applying too much make-up at a young age not only worsens existing and immediate skin problems but can also have an effect on long term skin health and condition that includes confidence and self esteem. 

This comes as the study found that 40 percent of young girls ‘forget’ to remove their make-up and a further 36 percent leave it on because they are ‘too tired’ to remove it.  ‘Applying too much make-up from as young as 12 years old without first using skincare products can cause sensitive skin to become dry and irritated.  ‘Skincare products such as face wash and cleanser help ensure that skin is clean and prevent build-up of spot-causing bacteria, while moisturisers are key for ensuring skin is hydrated and often contain SPF to protect against damaging UV rays,’ said skincare expert Caroline Frazer.

Mothers also admit to their daughters having insecurities about skin issues with 70 percent regularly hearing complaints from their daughter about it. ‘The results of this research suggest that while good skin is clearly very important to young girls, they are caking on make-up to cover their imperfections which unfortunately, enters them into a vicious circle as this excessive use is actually creating more problems for themselves,’ said Frazer. ‘Applying layers of make-up will only serve to block pores, create and harbour more bacteria and inevitably, lead to greater skincare problems as well as confidence and self esteem issues,’ added the expert.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

27.08.2014

It’s better to walk alone, than with a crowd going in the wrong direction