Civil Service Bytes

The first evidence that Zika virus might be causing Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a severe neurological disorder, has emerged from a retrospective study of 42 patients diagnosed with GBS during the Zika virus outbreak in French Polynesia (between October 2013 and April 2014). According to results published on March 1 in the journal  The Lancet , based on the analysis of data from French Polynesia, the incidence of GBS was estimated to be 24 in 100,000 people infected with the virus. Till now, the link between Zika virus and GBS was less clear. But that has changed with this study showing for the first time an epidemiological link between Zika virus and GBS. However, the researchers have not been able to establish a clear pathophysiological mechanism for GBS. According to the World Health Organization, during 2015 and 2016, eight countries (including Colombia) and territories have reported an increased incidence of GBS and/or laboratory confirmation of a Zika virus infection a...

Developing a vaccine First, the good news: the Zika virus is a flavivirus, the family of viruses to which the eponymous yellow fever virus belongs (‘flavus’ is Latin for ‘yellow’). Vaccines have been developed against several viruses of this family, such as chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis and the tick-borne fever. This means these viruses are vulnerable to vaccines unlike, say, the fast-changing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). But one flavivirus that has flummoxed vaccine-makers in the past is dengue.   That’s because of   dengue’s four serotypes, or the four variations of the virus that cause illness. Each serotype typically has a different antigen: the molecule on the viral surface, which the human body recognises and responds to by producing antibodies. So, the ideal dengue vaccine had to work against   all four serotypes . Any less, and there’s a chance that the vaccine itself could be deadly. When a person vaccinated against one serotype of dengue be...

With  10%  of  3.63 trillion  medicines popped worldwide in 2015, India is the  world’s third-largest medicine market. It stands to scientific reason that these drugs will have side effects. Yet, in 2013, India reported no more than 2% of globally occurring adverse drug reactions, jargon for side effects of medicines, logged in  Vigibase , a database maintained by the Uppsala Monitoring Centre, a World Health Organisation collaborating centre for international drug monitoring. It isn’t as if drugs have fewer side effects in India. Serious effects were seen in 6.7% of patients, a 2014  study  reported. Other studies have cited drug side effects as the reason for  3.4%  of hospital admissions in India,  3.7%  hospital readmissions, and  1.8%  mortality. In the developed world, adverse reactions are believed to be the  fourth-leading cause  of death. Within India, the adverse drug reaction reporting rate ...

Why India has the world’s most stillborn babies-Public Health A stillbirth is a “baby born with no signs of life at or after 28 weeks’ gestation”,  according  to the World Health Organisation. Source: The Lancet Worldwide, the rate of stillbirths decreased to 18.4 per 1,000 births in 2015 from 24.7 in 2000. In India, the stillbirth  rate  fell from 33.3 to 23 over the same period, the same as Uganda, Ghana and Mozambique, all poorer countries. The global average annual rate of reduction of stillbirths at 2% is slower than either maternal (3%) or post-neonatal mortality of children younger than five years (4.5%). In India too, the  annual rate of reduction  for maternal (5.7%) and neo-natal mortality (4.6%) was better than that of stillbirths (2.4%). Among the risk factors: Lack of timely and quality antenatal monitoring and care; non-communicable diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes; nutritional factors, such as maternal anemia; biomedical...

The World Health Organization has announced that the outbreak of the Zika virus in the Americas is an “extraordinary event” that merits being declared an international public health emergency. WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan convened meeting of the WHO’s emergency committee to determine if Zika should be considered a “public health emergency of international concern”. The meeting was convened in Geneva, Switzerland Global Emergency indicates immediate response across the world for the seriou outbreak. WHO is declaring an international public health emergency for the fouth time. Before global emergency was called for H1N1 swine flu, Polio in syria and Ebola in West Africa. About Zika * Its a mosquito-borne virus transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. * It was first found in Zika forest of Uganda in 1947, hence it got its name as Zika. * Symptoms: Headache,  Fever, Rashes, Muscle and Joint pain. * It causes neurological disorders and foetal deformati...

The year began with the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the government of Canada issuing a level-two warning for those traveling to Caribbean countries, after a resident of Puerto Rico tested positive for Zika virus on December 31. While warning travellers to protect themselves from the vector, mosquitoes, the advisory specifically advised pregnant women and those trying to conceive to avoid travelling to these regions till the transmission of the virus is contained. On Monday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the virus is expected to spread to all countries in the Americas, except for Canada and Chile.  Given this rapid spread of the virus, does India have reason to worry? Zika virus has never been isolated in India. The only time any trace of the virus was recorded in India was in 1952-53. A study titled ‘Neutralising antibodies against certain viruses in the sera of the residents of India’, published in a journal called The Journal of Immunology, recorded...

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released today the results from the first phase of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015-16. Findings for the 13 States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and two Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry show promising improvements in maternal and child health and nutrition. Highlights of the report : Fewer children are dying in infancy and early childhood. Infant mortality has declined, rates below 51 deaths per 1,000 live births,lowest 10 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to a high of 51 deaths per 1000 live births in Madhya Pradesh.  Better care for women during pregnancy and childbirth contributes to reduction of maternal deaths and improved child survival. More and more women now give birth in health care facilities and rates have more than doubled in some States in the last d...

A new Ebola case emerged in  Sierra Leone   just a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared West Africa free of the disease. The latest case reflects the cautious note of WHO which expected more flare-ups before the region can be definitely termed clear of the virus. A country is declared free of human-to-human transmission after two 21-day incubation periods have passed since the last known case tested negative. A three-month period of close monitoring is then undertaken to ensure the complete elimination of the virus and prevent chances of further flare-ups. Sierra Leone was declared free of the deadly virus on November 7 and the presence of the virus has been detected within the 90-day period of enhanced surveillance in the country. The Sierra Leone government has promptly responded to the news of the new case. Coordinating through a new emergency operations centre, a joint team of local authorities, WHO and health partners are investigating...

Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare launched  4-Mobile Health Services  . This launch  is a part of the Government’s Digital India programme, is in line with its commitment to prioritise public health and strengthen citizen-centric health services by leveraging India’s expanding mobile phone penetration. 1.‘Kilkari’  Kilkari is an audio-based mobile service that delivers weekly audio messages to families about pregnancy, child birth and child care. Each pregnant woman and infant’s mother, registered in Mother and Child Tracking System (MCTS), a web- enabled name-based system to monitor and ensure delivery of full spectrum of services to all pregnant women and children, would receive weekly voice messages relevant to the stage of pregnancy or age of the infant. Such messages will empower and educate women and parents to help create a better environment in maternal and child health. This service will be provided free to...