SARS detected in Singapore-returned man : (17/04/03)

New Delhi, Apr 17 (PTI) The first SARS case in India has been reported from Goa with a 32-year-old man, who just returned from Singapore, testing positive, Health Ministry said here today. The patient, a marine engineer, was admitted to the Goa Medical College on April 10 with fever and cough. He was discharged two days later after his chest x-ray was found to be normal and fever subsided. His blood and sputum samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, and the presence of new coronavirus, causing SARS, was confirmed last evening, Director-General of Health Services, S P Aggarwal, said here today.

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 17/04/03)

SARS toll up : (17/04/03)

BEIJING - Even as the health authorities are struggling to contain the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), five more persons died of the killer virus in Hong Kong today, raising the toll to 61 there. Meanwhile, the WHO today virtually accused China of attempting to cover up the epidemic in Beijing by failing to report all known cases.

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 17/04/03)

SARS: more needs to be done : (17/04/03)

WASHINGTON - More needs to done to defend against the deadly virus, said Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on April 7. "The emergence of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) has reminded us yet again that we must not become complacent.'' In her prepared statement given before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labour and Pensions, Dr. Gerberding called SARS "an emerging global microbial threat.'' Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 17/04/03)

Indigenous AIDS vaccine trials by year-end : (17/04/03)

CHENNAI APRIL - The first clinical trials of a preventive AIDS vaccine developed in India will begin by the end of the year at the National AIDS Research Institute (NARI), Pune. Announcing this at a press conference today, representatives of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IVAI) said the first phase of the trial will involve 40 volunteers, healthy adults with low risk for HIV infections. The vaccine, which will counter the strain of HIV subtype C prevalent in India, has been developed by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) in collaboration with the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and IVAI. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 17/04/03)

Graft in filaria control project? : (16/04/03)

ALAPPUZHA - Failure of the authorities of the National Filaria Control Project to properly utilise the services of skilled workers in the various units under the project seems to have affected the project. Going by reports from different parts of the district, anti-filarial medicines were not distributed to a large number of public during the sixth phase which concluded recently. A large number of unskilled workers from various women and non-governmental organisations had been employed at a considerable cost to distribute anti-filarial medicines in this phase. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 16/04/03)

Scientists open the book of life : (16/04/03)

WASHINGTON - The book of genetic instructions for the human body is complete to an accuracy of 99.99 percent, a scientific achievement once deemed impossible, but now considered the foundation for a new era of medical advances, an international research team said. With the entire sequence in hand and available to scientists worldwide, experts predicted it would lead to new drugs, better forecasts of people's health and new ways to treat or prevent many of the most devastating human illnesses. A joint statement on Monday from the leaders of the six nations, including the U.S. President, George W. Bush, said the genetic map ``provides us with the fundamental platform for understanding ourselves from which revolutionary progress will be made in biomedical sciences and in the health and welfare of humankind.'' Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 16/04/03)

Mental Health Centre bid for centre of excellence status : (15/04/03)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - The State-run Mental Health Centre in Peroorkada aims to start a three-year course in psychiatry as part of a phased bid to achieve the status of a centre of excellence. A delegate designated by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, is expected to visit the institution on April 29 to inspect the infrastructure capabilities as well as other stipulated criteria, prior to granting permission to launch the teaching programme. The Mental Health Centre has already been accorded administrative sanction from the State Government for the proposal and will be seeking allotment of at least four seats for the psychiatry course under the Diplomate of National Board (Dip. N.B.), sources said. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 15/04/03)

Mutated virus strikes? : (15/04/03)

HONG KONG - Doctors in Hong Kong on Monday started prescribing heavier doses of medicine during the early stages of SARS after the surprise deaths of six relatively young patients with no other illnesses.However, one expert voiced fears that the virus believed to be causing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has mutated. Hong Kong on Monday reported seven new SARS deaths, for a total of 47. Many of the fatalities have been elderly people or patients suffering from other chronic health problems, such as heart or kidney diseases. But six people, whose deaths were reported over the weekend, ranged in age from 35 to 52 and had no prior health problems. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 15/04/03)

Situation grave : Chinese PM : (15/04/03)

SINGAPORE April 14. China has, for the first time, characterised the situation arising out of the onset and spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) within the country as "grave''. A recognition of this magnitude by the Chinese Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao, goes beyond the World Health Organisation's SARS-related concerns about specific places including the Chinese capital, Beijing, and the country's southern province of Guangdong. Some of the major cities that have been affected by the spread of SARS on a world-wide scale include Hong Kong, Singapore and Toronto. Singapore has remained in a state of high alert for several weeks now. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 15/04/03)

Conference on thyroid cancer ends : (14/04/03)

KOCHI - The two-day national consensus conference on the management of differentiated thyroid cancer, which concluded at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre on Sunday, has come out with a final consensus statement regarding the treatment of thyroid cancer. It clearly defines the treatment modalities for different types of thyroid cancer, stressing the need for a combined care of nuclear medicine, general surgery and endocrinology facilities. Read more >>

(Courtesy The New Indian Express dated 14/04/03)

Spurious liquor: more patients admitted to MCH : (13/04/03)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - The admission of patients from Kollam district who fell ill after taking spurious liquor almost doubled at the Medical College Hospital (MCH) here on Saturday, even as preliminary pharmacological investigations indicate the involvement of lethal methanol. At least seven persons have died in the hooch tragedy which occurred in the Koppana area near Anchalamoodu in Kollam district. According to Medical College authorities, as many as 67 patients are currently under treatment, with six patients having developed varying degrees of visual impairment. Among the nearly 30 new cases today, one patient is said to be in a critical state of acedosis, while around 20 are said to have got themselves admitted out of panic. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 13/04/03)

AIDS cases going up in Kerala: Chief Minister : (13/04/03)

Kochi - Though Kerala had made big strides in providing healthcare facilities, the incidences of dreaded diseases like AIDS, heart attack and yellow fever were going up in the state, but these were not being much publicity, Chief Minister A K Antony said on Saturday. Laying the foundation stone for a Rs 50 crore super speciality wing of the existing private P V S hospital here, he said the increasing incidences of various dangerous diseases were due to the state's growing international links. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Malayala Manorama dated 13/04/03)

Plans to modernise Govt hospitals with World Bank aid : (13/04/03)

Kochi - Kerala Chief Minister A K Antony on Saturday said the Government had plans to modernise the Government Hospitals in the State with World Bank assistance. Speaking at a function here after laying the foundation stone of a new hospital block and Trade Centre of the private PVS hospital here, Antony said the Government Hospitals were in a sorry state. It was the poor who were affected due to the lack of adequate facilities at these hospitals. Antony said the private hospital managements should ensure that even the poor were benefitted by the modern facilities at their hospitals. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) should take some steps in this regard, he added. With increasing number of patients suffering from AIDS, Malaria and heart ailments being reported from Kerala, there was a need both for the Government and the private sector to be vigilant, he said. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Malayala Manorama dated 13/04/03)

RTA victim gets delayed treatment, chaos at Casualty : (12/04/03)

The relatives of Mr. Anil Kumar (30 years) made a scene at the Medical College Hospital Casualty after the patient was not seen by the doctors posted by the Dental College for over one and a half hours. The patient was finally seen by the doctors at the Surgical Casualty. The problem arose as the doctors from Dental College refused to stay at the Casualty during duty hours. Instead they are available on call at the Dental College. This decision was taken after the half of the space allotted to them at the new casualty wing was given to the E. C. G. Unit under the H. D. C. This has resulted in inadequate space for the doctors to rest. The Casualty workers would call the doctors from the casualty in the case of emergency. The delay created by this creates problems.

(Courtesy The Malayala Manorama dated 12/04/03)

Probe into drug overdose issue to start soon : (12/04/03)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - The High Court-appointed panel of psychiatric experts is expected to visit the Peroorkada Mental Health Centre here shortly to conduct a fresh probe into the administration of overdose of psychiatric drugs to 18 women patients in January. Though the mental health centre authorities were yet to receive any formal intimation regarding the arrival of the four-member panel, a visit by the experts is imminent, as the High Court had sought a report in two months. The fresh probe on the directives of the High Court is to be conducted by the panel chaired by Arun Kishore, assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry, Thrissur Medical College. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 12/04/03)

Safe Motherhood Day programmes begin : (12/04/03)

KOCHI - Laying emphasis on safe pregnancy and labour and providing comprehensive health care packages for women, the programmes in connection with the National Safe Motherhood Day began in the district on Friday. Early detection and treatment of anaemia in adolescent girls, registration of pregnancies, a minimum of three check-ups before and after delivery, necessary vaccinations during pregnancy and hospitalisation for labour are some of the key factors recommended to ensure mother's good health. The programme gives thrust on effective family planning and healthy contraceptive methods. This move comes in the wake of increasing reports of death of women during delivery from all parts of the country. April 11 was selected as National Safe Motherhood Day as it is the birthday of Kasthurba Gandhi. Read more >>

(Courtesy The New Indian Express dated 12/04/03)

SARS: a biological weapon? : (12/04/03)

Moscow -A top Russian medical expert today did not rule out that the deadly virus, which causes the atypical pneumonia or the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) could be a biological weapon developed by China. According to Sergei Kolesnikov, a member of Russian Medical Sciences Academy, the SARS virus is a hybrid of two viruses, which can only be produced in laboratory conditions, TVS network reported. Speaking at a conference in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, Prof. Kolesnikov, also a member of Russian Duma noted that the SARS outbreak took place in two southern districts of China and for a long time the Chinese authorities kept mum about it. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 12/04/03)

Tests developed to identify virus : (12/04/03)

WASHINGTON April 11. Scientists said on Friday they had identified the virus behind the deadly respiratory illness spreading worldwide and proposed naming it after a doctor who first identified the disease and later became a victim. The new coronavirus, a relative of one of the many viruses that cause the common cold, is, as suspected, new to humans, two research teams reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. They said the virus should be named after Carlo Urbani, the World Health Organisation doctor who died of SARS last month after treating one of the first patients infected with the virus in Vietnam. ``Because of the death of Dr. Carlo Urbani during the investigation of the initial SARS epidemic, we propose that the virus be named Urbani SARS-associated coronavirus,'' they wrote. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 12/04/03)

HLL to set export-oriented plant for female condoms : (12/04/03)

Thiruvananthapuram - The Kerala-based Hindustan Latex Ltd leading manufacturer of contraceptives and health care aids in the country will soon set up an export oriented plant for the production of female condoms. The plant, which would be set up here with foreign collaboration, would have an annual installed capacity of eight million pieces, HLL Chairman and Managing Director G Raja Mohan said. HLL has already begun a nation-wide field test to ascertain users' response and acceptance of the product, he said adding that one lakh exported female condoms were being distributed among commercial sex workers in Andhra Pradesh in the first phase of field test. After analysing the response, Raja Mohan said, the company would go ahead with the project. Read more >>

(Courtesy Malayala Manorama dated 12/04/03)

Kerala-bound passenger might not be affected by SARS : (10/04/03)

Hyderabad - The Kerala-bound passenger, who was off-loaded from a Singapore flight and quarantined at Chest Diseases Hospital here on Tuesday evening, might not be suffering from the dreaded Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), medical experts attending on him feel. Hospital superintendent Dr K. Venu, an expert on the respiratory ailment, said the general condition of the patient was good and he was not suffering from any respiratory distress at present. The 48-year-old David Antony's temperature also subsided and tests conducted here showed that he had no pneumonia. Read more >>

(Courtesy Malayala Manorama dated 10/04/03)

'SARS being monitored' : (10/04/03)

NEW DELHI - The Centre today outlined the series of steps taken by it to prevent the entry of the killer disease severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) into the country and isolate and treat a case, if reported. In an identical statement in both Houses of Parliament, the Union Health Minister, Sushma Swaraj, said of the two cases reported in the media, that of 18-year-old Purushotam was not found to be a case of SARS, while the other of the U.S. national, Rebecca Raleigh, was being investigated. She said SARS had emerged in some countries in epidemic proportions and as on April 7, a cumulative total of 2,601 cases and 98 deaths had been reported by the WHO from 17 countries. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 10/04/03)

American tourist SARS-negative: Minister : (10/04/03)

MUMBAI - The National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune has found the American national, Rebecca Ralegh SARS-negative, according to the Maharashtra Health Minister, Digvijay Khanvilkar. Mr. Khanvilkar told the Assembly, that the NIV tests revealed absence of metapneumovirus and caronaviras the cause of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in her blood. Ms. Ralegh, a 23-year-old tourist had come to India via China, Vietnam and Thailand. On arrival in Mumbai from Delhi, she was found to be suffering from fever and cough and removed to the Kasturba Gandhi Hospital, and kept in an isolated ward. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 10/04/03)

SARS suspect arrives at Port Blair : (10/04/03)

Port Blair - Panic gripped the Health Department personnel today when a tourist from Britain arrived here with high fever and a few symptoms similar to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Martin Richard Cook, 26, arrived by sea having contacted high fever during this journey from Kolkata. When the captain of the mainland-bound ship `MV Nicobar', signalled to the port authority of a suspected SARS case, health workers and doctors rushed to the jetty and admitted him to the G.B. Pant Government Hospital at Port Blair. Namita Ali, Director, Health Department of A&N Administration told UNI that preliminary findings suggested that the case was not a SARS case. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 10/04/03)

SARS scare: Ports on high alert : (10/04/03)

KOCHI - With more cruise liners scheduled to touch Kochi this month, the Cochin Port Trust (CPT) has formed a new set of guidelines to intensify its screening methods to prevent SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), which has rung alarm bells around the world. All the passengers and crew of these vessels will have to undergo individual medical check-up to get clearance of leaving the port. The Health Department officials have prepared detailed questionnaires to be given to the passengers and crew members to get the information regarding their health conditions and history of travel. The clearing agents will be entrusted with the responsibility of distributing the questionnaires and getting them duly filled. Read more >>

(Courtesy The New Indian Express dated 10/04/03)

Research points to new risk factor for heart attacks : (09/04/03)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Even as cardiologists are keeping an eye fixed on cholesterol levels as a conventional risk factor for heart disease, new research undertaken in the city has indicated that elevated serum levels of homocysteine, a sulphur-based amino-acid, may precipitate heart attacks. According to select case studies at the Metabolic Disorders Research Centre (MDRC) here, patients in the 30 to 35 age group who suffered fatal heart attacks had normal serum cholesterol values. However, tests conducted on the family members of the victims revealed a tendency towards elevated serum levels of homocysteine. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 09/04/03)

Air passenger quarantined : (09/04/03)

HYDERABAD - A passenger from Singapore on his way to Mumbai was quarantined at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here today afternoon after he was suspected to be suffering from symptoms of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Anthony (45), a native of Kozhikode, complained of fever and cough and reported at the SARS screening centre at the airport premises. The medical team immediately shifted him to a block at the Government General and Chest Hospital that has been earmarked for treating suspected SARS cases.

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 09/04/03)

SARS suspect may be deported : (09/04/03)

MUMBAI - The Maharashtra Government is likely to deport the American woman, Rebecca Ralagh, 23, having suspected Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), now admitted to Kasturba Hospital of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. In the Assembly today, the Opposition leader, Narayan Rane, demanded her deportation. The Health Minister, Digvijay Khanvilkar, said that the test report from the National Institute of Virology, Pune, was expected tomorrow and he would take up the matter with the Home Department. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 09/04/03)

Drug overdose: HC orders new probe : (08/04/03)

Kochi April 7. Rejecting the finding of an inquiry conducted by the Additional Director of Health Services (Vigilance) into the overdose of drug administered to 22 patients in the Mental Health Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, the Kerala High Court ordered a further inquiry into the incident by a four-member team of leading psychiatrists in the State. Justice K. Padmanabhan Nair ordered the inquiry in the suo motu proceedings initiated in the matter of mental health centres in the State. The court ordered that the inquiry report be filed within two months. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 08/04/03)

SAT, W&C hospitals to be brought into network : (08/04/03)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - The City Corporation is drawing up plans to extend the first phase of its e-governance project by setting up computerised facilities for birth registration at two government hospitals. Preliminary discussions were held with the superintendents of the SAT hospital at the Medical College and the Women and Children's Hospital at Thycaud. Corporation sources said the hospitals had shown a positive response to the plan. Under the proposal, the Corporation will foot the expense to install computers for day-to-day registration of births at the two hospitals. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 08/04/03)

Heart disease turns major killer : (08/04/03)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Coronary artery disease is emerging as a major cause of mortality with about 12 to 14 per cent of the population affected in urban areas and about 7 per cent in the rural area. Coronary artery disease and modern interventional therapies were the highlights of the deliberations at the Trans Catheter Intervention 2003, a continuing medical education (CME) programme and workshop organised by the Department of Cardiology, Medical College Hospital here. This is the third international workshop being organised by the department on the subject. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 08/04/03)

SARS case in Mumbai? : (08/04/03)

MUMBAI - An American photographer, Rebecca Ralagh (23) from chicago, suspected to be a case of SARS Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is now being treated in an isolation ward of a civic hospital here after she presented herself at a private hospital with symptoms typical of the new scourge stalking Asia. The Maharashtra Health Minister, Digvijay Khanvilkar, told The Hindu tonight that Ms. Ralagh's travel record and symptoms pointed to the possibility of her being a SARS victim. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 08/04/03)

SARS - a global threat : (08/04/03)

BEIJING - Before: Man catches cold in hometown. Spreads it to a few neighbours. Goes home, perhaps infects his wife and children. Climbs into bed until he's well. Now: Man catches cold in hometown. Boards 747 from Hong Kong to Singapore, Bangkok, maybe even Frankfurt. Spends hours sharing air and spreading droplets inside metal machine with hundreds of others. Emerges, hacking up phlegm, into an entirely new community of people ripe for infection. Globalisation the 21st-century reality of humans reaching other continents and disparate communities of millions within hours is also a global opportunity for disease, a reality dramatically underscored by the swift spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 08/04/03)

WHO chief blames China for SARS spread : (08/04/03)

NEW DELHI - The Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Gro Harlem Brundtland, today criticised China for not being prompt in informing the international community when the first cases of SARS, the killer pneumonia-like infection, surfaced in Guangdong province in South China in November. "China is now cooperating well with the WHO. But, it would have been more helpful if international experts and the WHO had been informed to contain the epidemic at an early stage." Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 08/04/03)

Claim on HIV negative status for child contested : (07/04/03)

KOTTAYAM - The Kerala State AIDS Control Society has taken serious exception to the claim being made by the Bishop Mar Joseph Kundukulam (BMJK) AIDS Research and Rehabilitation Centre at Peringadur in Thrissur district that one of their wards, who was found HIV positive at birth was found HIV negative after he had turned one-and-a-half years old as a `rare case of medical history'. Speaking to The Hindu here today, R. Sajith Kumar, State PRAM (Physician Responsible for AIDS Management) said this has been accepted as a natural phenomenon and 70 per cent of the children born to HIV positive mothers pass through this phase. ``The child probably was never HIV infected nor has anything that happened in between his birth and now anything to do with the change in the results of the tests conducted'', he said. Ninety-nine per cent of the children born to HIV positive mothers would be found HIV positive at birth, in Elisa and Western Blot Tests, he said. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 07/04/03)

Coronary artery disease on the rise: experts : (07/04/03)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Coronary artery disease is emerging as a major cause of mortality with about 12 to 14 per cent of the population affected in urban areas and about 7 per cent in the rural area. Coronary artery disease and modern interventional therapies were the highlights of the deliberations at the Trans Catheter Intervention 2003, a continuing medical education (CME) programme and workshop organised by the Department of Cardiology, Medical College Hospital here. This is the third international workshop being organised by the department on the subject. The incidence of coronary artery disease is higher in the State than in any other part of India, the professor and head of the Department of Cardiology, MCH, C. G. Bahuleyan, said. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 07/04/03)

Anti-malaria programmes to continue : (07/04/03)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - The hospital development committee (HDC) of the Valiathura Government hospital, which met here on Saturday, assessed the progress of malaria prevention programmes and the development activities to be taken up in the hospital. The in-patient wing, which was opened here following the outbreak of fresh malaria cases, will continue to function here on a permanent basis. Though so far only nine indigenous cases of malaria have been reported in the district, the squad work is being intensified as some more cases could be expected in the coming days. Medicines for malaria patients have been supplied by the district administration. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 07/04/03)

Govt. machinery geared up to tackle SARS : (07/04/03)

NEW DELHI - As the killer pneumonia infection severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) continued to increase its global spread, the Centre today made it mandatory for all air passengers to furnish their health and travel details in the prescribed proforma upon arrival at any international airport in the country. Addressing a press conference here after chairing a review meeting of officials of her Ministry and the Airports Authority of India, the Union Health Minister, Sushma Swaraj, said there was no need to press the panic button as the Government health machinery was fully geared up to tackle the deadly viral infection. The apprehensions of a SARS infection in Bhopal had turned out to be "false" and it was a case of plain pneumonia, she added. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 07/04/03)

Five more die of SARS in China : (07/04/03)

BEIJING - A Finnish man died Sunday in Beijing of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), becoming the first foreign fatality in China from the disease, the Health Ministry said. It said five more Chinese people also had died, raising mainland China's death toll to 52. Pekka Aro (53), showed symptoms of the flu-like disease after flying to Beijing from Thailand on March 23, said Liu Peilong, head of the Health Ministry's Department for International Cooperation. Mr. Liu said he was sent to Beijing's Ditan Hospital on April 2, where he died early on Sunday. Mr. Aro worked for the International Labour Organisation as director of its Skills Development Department, Mr. Liu said at a hastily called news conference. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 07/04/03)

Barefoot women doctors help fight myths : (07/04/03)

VADGAON KURD, WARDHA - Pregnant women in this remote village reduce their food intake after the seventh month of pregnancy to keep the size of the foetus small, for easy delivery. They believe that if they fill up their stomach with food, the infant might get suffocated, not knowing that the foetus grows in a separate organ in the womb. "We were shocked at the superstitions and myths that women nursed in these cluster of under-served villages which lack basic health services, the nearest PHC being about 20 km away. Obsessed with the notion of having a fair-complexioned baby, they would shun iron tablets and dark-coloured vegetables and fruits during pregnancy, not only depriving themselves but the foetus too of nutrition and overall growth,'' social scientist and chairperson of the Magan Sangrahlaya Samiti, Vibha Gupta, told The Hindu here. The service-oriented Gandhian Samiti has since launched an intense awareness generation programme against these myths. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 07/04/03)

Government medical colleges facing shortage of teachers : (07/04/03)

KOZHIKODE : Government medical colleges in the State would face a dearth of middle-rung doctors in the coming years due to the government’s reluctance to make permanent appointments at the lecturer-level. In the next two months, 70-odd senior faculty members would retire from the medical colleges. Though many of their posts would be filled by promotions, there would be shortage in the middle-cadre, assistant and associate professors, for want of eligible candidates in the lecturer-cadre. In Kozhikode Medical College, 35 middle-cadre posts are already lying vacant. In Kottayam, only four are qualified for being promoted as associate professors against eight vacant posts. This scarcity would be more severe in the coming years, sources said. Read more >>

(Courtesy The New Indian Express dated 07/04/03)

Tomorrow is World Health Day 2003 : (06/04/03)

Shape the Future of Life: Healthy Environments for Children

Each year on April 7th, the world celebrates World Health Day. On this day around the globe, thousands of events mark the importance of health for productive and happy lives. This year, the theme for World Health Day is "Healthy Environments for Children". The millions of children that die annually from environmentally related illnesses could be saved through the creation of healthy settings, whether it be the home, the school, or the community at large. Join us in promoting healthy environments for children on World Health Day, and make a difference for the future! Read more >>

(Courtesy WHO)

Not a SARS case: experts : (06/04/03)

NEW DELHI - Apprehensions that an epidemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the killer pneumonia-like infection, could have broken out in India too has turned out to be a case of false alarm. A two-member team of experts from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, which rushed to Bhopal on Friday — to investigate a suspected case of SARS there — has concluded that it had nothing to do with the deadly infection. According to their report to the Union Health Ministry, though the suspected case (an 18-year-old boy) did meet two of the conditions under the case definition for SARS, he did not meet the third, equally important, condition. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 06/04/03)

Reports on bottled water exaggerated? : (06/04/03)

Bangalore - Grahak Shakti, one of the most active consumer rights organisations in the City, says the alarming reports about pesticide residue being found in bottled water in the media were distorted. At a discussion on pesticides in bottled water organised here on Saturday, it was pointed out the sampling referred to in the reports were done only in two cities, Delhi and Mumbai, and only 30 bottles were tested altogether. The reports were specific to these two cities and could not be generalised as representing the whole country. This aspect was not mentioned in the media. Pesticide levels found in food was comparatively higher than in water and this showed there was a need to study and bring about a change in the pesticides policy itself rather than dealing with packaged water alone. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 06/04/03)

`India can't afford to ignore SARS' : (06/04/03)

MANGALORE - Even as the mysterious Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) spreads like wildfire in some parts of the world, experts feel that if the disease continues to spread as fast as it has done so far, India might not be left unaffected for long. H.S. Mohan of Sagar, who has been following the spread of SARS, expresses concern over the speed with which the disease is spreading, and points out that within 15 days SARS has crossed inter-continental borders. In an e-mail interview with The Hindu, Dr. Mohan says that health officials around the globe are now dealing not with one outbreak of the mysterious illness but a group of different outbreaks spread across 19 countries. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) says that SARS has now been contained or is well under control in Vietnam, Singapore, and Toronto, the spread of the disease in Hong Kong is growing at a disturbing pace. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 06/04/03)

Facility for screening international passengers at airport : (06/04/03)

KOCHI - A round-the-clock facility for medically examining international passengers has been set up at the nearby Nedumbassery international airport from today following the scare over the severe acute respiratory syndrome, airport sources said. A meeting of various heads of the departments held this evening at the airport has decided to introduce the facility. The Ernakulam district medical officer will be arranging the medical team which would be checking each international passenger arriving at the airport, the sources said. Read more >>

(Courtesy The New Indian Express dated 06/04/03)

Sree Uthradom Thirunal hospital to open cancer, diabetes centres : (05/04/03)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The Sree Uthradom Thirunal Hospital, a leading private hospital here, will open a cancer centre and a diabetes centre this year. Hospital Managing Director Dr.C Bharath Chandran told mediapersons here today that the cancer centre, being set up at Vattappara on the outskirts of the city, would be equipped with a team of internationally reputed doctors and modern treatment facilities. The initial investment on the project would be Rs 18 crore and was expected to be functional by the end of this year. Bharath Chandran said that the diabetic centre would be set up within the city utilising the facilities of the existing hospital. Read more >>

(Courtesy the New Indian Express dated 05/04/03)

Indian Medical Association state meet from May 9 : (05/04/03)

KOZHIKODE : ‘IMAFEST 2003’, the 46th annual conference of the State unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) will be held at IMA Hall premises here from May 9 to 11, organisers told mediapersons here on Thursday. About 3,000 doctors, including delegates from other southern States, will take part in the conference. Public Works Minister Dr M K Muneer will inaugurate the 10th Continuing Medical Education (CME) programme to be held as part of the conference. Read more >>

(Courtesy the New Indian Express dated 05/04/03)

HIV positive baby becomes virus-free : (05/04/03)

THRISSUR : In one of the rare cases of medical history, a one and a half year old orphan baby boy who was diagnosed as HIV positive when he was six months old, has become HIV negative. According to the officials of the Bishop Mar Joseph Kundukulam (BMJK) AIDS Research and Rehabilitation Centre at Peringandur, near here, where the baby, Cristey, was being brought up, the baby was found HIV positive in two tests and in the Western Blot tests conducted during and after he was six months old. But the latest Western Blot Test conducted on him on Thursday has found that the child had become HIV negative. The baby was being given both allopathic and ayurvedic medicines after it was brought to the BMJK AIDS Centre and it was not clear which medicine had helped the child to reduce its viral load to the negative level, Verghese Palathingal, who is the director of the Centre told The Hindu here. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 05/04/03)

Killer pneumonia: screening begins in State airports : (05/04/03)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM April 4. The screening of international air passengers for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has commenced in the three airports of the State following a Union Government directive to this effect to prevent the entry of the killer pneumonia into the country. The screening of air passengers, being taken up in the wake of the reports that the virus of the killer pneumonia, which erupted in China first and reported in 18 countries so far, was spreading to new geographical areas, has begun at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport and at the Nedumbassery airport in Kochi. In Thiruvananthapuram, international air passengers arriving on various flights from Singapore, Gulf countries and from New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai are being monitored by the medical team of the Airports Authority of India. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 05/04/03)

SARS scare: two scientists sent to Bhopal : (05/04/03)

NEW DELHI April 4. Has `SARS', the killer pneumonia infection, which has been causing havoc in as many as 18 countries across the world, finally entered India? The Centre today despatched two top scientists from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) here to Bhopal to investigate such a possibility, following reports of a suspected case of the disease there.Senior officials of the Union Health Ministry said the probe has been ordered as even though on the face of it, the case, an 18-year old boy, did not seem to be due to SARS, there were some doubts.The case as such did not appear to be SARS, as the boy had no history of travel to any of the SARS-affected country. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 05/04/03)

Cardiology meet to be held on April 5 and 6 : (04/04/03)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The Department of Cardiology, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, is organising ‘‘Trans Catheter Intervention 2003’’, a live angioplasty workshop, at the Achutha Menon Centre auditorium here on April 5 and 6. Cardiology department head and programme director Dr C G Bahuleyan told reporters here on Wednesday that the cases and discussions would focus on diagnosis and treatment of complex coronary artery diseases like chronic total occlusions, bifurcation lesions, and saphenous vein graft diseases. Patients who have undergone bypass graft surgery once can come with symptoms later. Such patients could be effectively treated without an additional surgery by coronary interventions, he said. Read more >>

(Courtesy The New Indian Express dated 04/04/03)

WHO recommends to avoid travelling to Hong Kong in wake of SARS : (04/04/03)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The World Health Organisation communicable diseases executive director, David Heyman, has recommended that people planning to travel to Hong Kong or Guangdong, China, should consider postponing their travel because of the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). According to the WHO, SARS has killed at least 84 people and sickened about 1,800, the majority in China and Hong Kong. There have also been eight deaths in Canada, which was struck by SARS after travellers returned from Asia carrying the disease. The outbreak of SARS has been reported in Toronto, Canada, Guangdong Province, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, Shanxi Province, Taiwan Province in China, Singapore, and Hanoi, Vietnam. The agent causing SARS is under intensive international study. WHO had issued a global alert on March 12 for surveillance of SARS cases and prompt isolation of affected persons to prevent the spread of the disease. Read more >>

(Courtesy The New Indian Express dated 04/04/03)

Identity of killer pneumonia bug confirmed : (04/04/03)

Scientists have satisfied key tests that confirm that the virus causing the global outbreak of severe pneumonia is a new type of coronavirus. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has so far struck down more than 2300 people, and killed 78. The identification will speed up the testing of victims and their contacts to see how the disease spreads, and how it might be contained. That is badly needed, with new cases being announced each day in Hong Kong and China, and in previously unaffected countries, such as South Africa, the Philippines and Malaysia. In another sign of the seriousness of the growing outbreak, the World Health Organization issued an unprecedented advisory on Wednesday, warning people not to travel to Hong Kong or the adjacent Guangdong province of China. Read more >>

(Courtesy New Scientist)

Malaria resurfaces in Valiathura ward : (02/04/03)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - After a nearly four-year lull, six indigenous cases of malaria have been reported from the coastal ward of Valiathura, once notoriously endemic to the dreaded disease. According to health officials, while one case was reported in November last year, there have been five fresh cases of indigenous malaria reported from Valiathura in the months leading up to March this year. While the comforting sign is that all the cases have been diagnosed as Plasmodium vivax, a relatively harmless form of malaria compared to the lethal Plasmodium Falciparum type, there is concern over the resurfacing of indigenous cases in the coastal ward which has not reported a single indigenous case in the past four years. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 02/04/03)

Steps to check entry of SARS virus : (02/04/03)

NEW DELHI - Concerned over the outbreak of the mysterious Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the Union Health Ministry today issued guidelines to all regulatory authorities to monitor and prevent the spread of the virus in India. Though the Ministry still insists that there is no need to panic, it wants to take all precautions and create awareness. To stop the entry of the virus, the Ministry has developed a pro forma, which is mandatory for all passengers arriving from the 13 SARS-affected countries to fill out when they disembark at the airports of Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata. The Ministry has formed a core group comprising physicians and health workers who would be monitoring the condition everyday. Read more >>

(Courtesy The Hindu dated 02/04/03)

Meet to discuss problems of AIDS patients : (02/04/03)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Health Minister P.Sankaran has said that the State Government will convene a meeting of the leaders of various political parties and religious and social organisations to discuss the problems of AIDS patients. Sankaran told newsmen here on Monday that President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam had pointed out during a discussion the need for a national-level law against discrimination of AIDS patients. National AIDS Control Society chief coordinator Meenakshi Dutta Ghosh had said that a piece of legislation in this regard would be brought in the next Parliament session.

FAIR PRICE COUNTER: Sankaran said that the fair price paying counter at the Medical College was facing a crisis as the Sales Tax Department had issued a notice asking to pay the sales tax arrears of Rs 43 lakh. Read more >>

(Courtesy The New Indian Express dated 02/04/03)

Gold medal presented to MD student : (02/04/03)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Ajith A was presented the Dr Sivaraman Nair memorial gold medal for the best outgoing MD student of the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College in general medicine for 2002. Medical College principal P C Kesavankutty Nair presented the medal to Ajith at a function held at the Department of Medicine. The function was attended by over 100 doctors. Medicine Department chief Dr Joy Philip recalled Dr Sivaraman Nair's contributions in the socio-political and health sectors in the State. MCH superintendent Dr Mathew Thomas welcomed the gathering. Poet V Madhusoodhanan Nair and MCH Cardiology Department head Dr C G Bahuleyan offered felicitations.

(Courtesy The New Indian Express dated 02/04/03)

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