Argentina issues chikungunya virus alert
Buenos Aires: Argentina has issued a
virus alert on the emergence of chikungunya fever.
The health ministry for Buenos Aires
province, the country's most populous area, issued the alert Tuesday, reported
Xinhua.
The disease, which is transmitted
similarly to dengue fever by mosquitoes and causes joint pains and a high
fever, has been detected in neighbouring Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru,
after outbreaks in Central America and the Caribbean.
Buenos
Aires Health Minister Alejandro Collia called on the province's residents to
"not be panicked" and asked for their "collaboration" in
avoiding the spread of mosquitoes, especially following heavy rainfall in
recent weeks.
"It is important to be alert,
because the symptoms can be similar to dengue," Luis Crovetto, the
provincial health official, said.
According to the Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO), as of Aug 2, there have been 26 deaths in the continent
from the virus, 5,724 confirmed cases and 406,586 suspected cases.
Out of
these, 251,880 suspected cases were registered in the Dominican Republic, which
reported the first case of chikungunya in February.
Source: www.zeenews.india.com
06.08.2014
Poor
diabetics at greater risk of limb amputation
New York: Diabetics in low-income neighbourhoods are up to
10 times more likely to lose a limb than patients residing in affluent areas,
says a study.
"When you have diabetes, where
you live directly relates to whether you will lose a limb to the disease,"
said lead author Carl Stevens, a clinical professor of medicine from David
Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
To reach this conclusion, researchers used data from the
UCLA Center for Health Policy Research's California Health Interview Survey.
It estimated the prevalence of diabetes among low-income
populations by ZIP code.
The result was a detailed set of maps showing diabetic
amputation rates by neighbourhood for patients 45 and older - the age range at
greatest risk for amputation from disease complications.
"Neighbourhoods with high amputation rates clustered
geographically into hot spots with a greater concentration of households
falling below the federal poverty level," said co-author Dylan Roby,
director of health economics at UCLA.
Amputation patients were most likely to be black or
non-English speaking, male, and older than 65.
People with poorly managed diabetes often suffer from a
compromised immune system.
As a result, a blister or other foot injury may rapidly
progress to a serious, even life-threatening infection.
Earlier diagnosis and proper treatment could prevent many of
these amputations, researchers noted.
The findings, published in the
journal Health Affairs, will motivate health providers to reach out to patients
at risk of late intervention and inspire policymakers to adopt legislation to
reduce barriers to care, researchers concluded.
Source: www.zeenews.india.com
06.08.2014
The distance between your dreams and reality is
called action
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