The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

HEALTH

Save yourself from SARS

SEVERE acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has become a worldwide threat and the World Health Organisation and the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention has issued alerts against this contagious, virulent pneumonia. The illness begins with a fever, in which, the body temperature rises to more than 100.4°F.

It is sometimes associated with chills or other symptoms like headache, general discomfort and body ache. Some persons also experience mid-respiratory symptoms at the outset. After two to seven days, SARS carriers may develop a dry, non-productive cough that might be accompanied by or progress to the point where insufficient oxygen is getting to the blood.

In 10 to 20 per cent of the cases, patients will require mechanical ventilation. Diarrhoea, dizziness, painful breathing, productive cough, sneezing and sore throat can be present, but nausea and vomiting are not usually present.

Cause of SARS: Scientists at the CDC and other laboratories have detected a previously unrecognised coronavirus in the carriers of SARS. While the new coronavirus is still the leading hypothesis for the cause of SARS, other viruses are still under investigation as potential causes.

Corona viruses are a group of viruses that have a half circle or crown-like (Corona) appearance when viewed under microscope. These viruses are a common cause of mild to moderate upper-respiratory illness in humans and are associated with respiratory, gastrointestinal, liver and neurological diseases in animals. Coronaviruses can survive in the environment for as long as three hours.

The primary way in which SARS appears to spread is by close person-to-person contact. Most cases of SARS have involved persons who have attended to or lived with SARS patients or had a direct contact with infectious material like respiratory secretions coming from a person who has SARS.

Potential ways in which SARS spreads include touching the skin of the infected person or objects contaminated with infectious droplets before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. This can happen when someone who is down with SARS coughs up or sneezes out droplets. It also is possible that SARS spreads more broadly through air or other ways currently unknown.

SARS continues to be caught by persons in direct contact with an infected person, like those sharing a household with a SARS patient or health workers who do not follow infection-control procedures.

SARS prevention: Parents want to know how they can save their kids from getting SARS. However, we do not yet know how long before (or after) appearing of the symptoms does SARS become contagious. New evidence from a SARS-stricken apartment block in Hong Kong suggests that the virus might also spread from “stool to hand to mouth” or “stool to water to mouth”.

Proper hand hygiene (with alcohol-based hand sanitisers or frequent hand washing) is one of the most effective ways of reducing the transmission. Wash hands after eating or urinating. Sharing of utensils is not advised. Floors should be cleaned with disinfectants. SARS may also spread through air.

The CDC suggests that people with symptoms like fever, cough and breathing problem and persons around them wear surgical masks.

Dr Anil Dheer

Auto-disable syringe launched
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 30
There are as many as 21 million people across the globe who get infected with deadly viruses like HIV, hepatitis B and C resulting from the reuse of disposable syringes. Due to this, 13 lakh people die annually. In India alone, more than 7.8 million people suffer (6.26 million from hepatitis B, 0.8 million from hepatitis C and 8,600 from HIV) from infections. Out of these, 4.75 lakh people die annually as a result of infections caused by reuse of syringes. This was stated by Mr Pardeep Sareen, GM Marketing, Hindustan Syringes and Medical Devices (HMD), while launching India’s first auto-disable (AD) syringe “Kojak Selinge” here today.

Dr P.S.Jassi, former Director Health Services, Punjab and Dr S.N.Tiwari, Civil Surgeon, were the guests of honour. Dr Jassi while speaking on the occasion said it was a major technological breakthrough as the particular syringe could not be reused after the first use and any attempt to reuse it could lead to the breaking of plunger. “As the syringe can not be reused, so the risk of person-to-person transmission of blood borne pathogens was completely eliminated”, Dr Jassi said.

According to WHO study, the cost of injection from an AD syringe is eight times cheaper than the sterisable glass syringe and six times cheaper than the ordinary disposable syringe. Mr Sareen said, “in India, cost of tests, medication per patient for treating hepatitis B and C and other side-effects was approximately Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh to Rs 50 lakh for AIDS patients. Millions more are being spent on non-fatal infections like antibiotics for curing an abscess, considering all these factors, the AD syringes are the only answer to the problem”.

Smile Train brings hope for infants with cleft
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 30
One child in every 700 is born with a cleft — fourth most common birth defect and the first most common facial defect. Parents of such children go through hell, but ‘Smile Train’ tells cleft-affected children that they are not alone. With the help of this USA-based NGO, many such children get free treatment at Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) every year.

Dr Vijay Obed, Head of the Micro and Plastic Surgery Unit of the CMCH, said nearly 35,000 children were born with cleft lip and palate every year in India. Unfortunately, 25,000 of these children were not able to receive treatment due to a lack of financial assistance. “The CMCH has signed an agreement with ‘Smile Train’ to arrange financial help for such children,” said Dr Obed.

“The disease is congenital (caused at the time of birth) and the child has to go in for three to four operations for total recovery. This cost of each operation is from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000. The infant should not be less than three months of age for lip surgery and palate surgery, so, doctors wait for the child to be at least 9-month-old before the surgery,” said Dr Obed.

Mr Shiv Ram Saroye, president of the Vishwa Guru Ravi Dass Mission, and Mr Jaswant Kataria, chairman of the body, said: “We have sent so many children with this problem for treatment and doctors here have treated them well without charging anything for it.”

Nearly 80 cleft surgeries are performed every year at the CMCH. ‘Smile Train’ is active also in Mangalore, Chennai, Thrissur, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

DMCH doctor takes over as NNF chief
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 30
Dr B. K. Jain, Reader and Head, Unit I, Department of Paediatrics, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital , has taken over as the President of National Neonatology Forum (NNF) , Punjab state Branch. The office has been handed over to him keeping in view his contribution towards the NNF.

Dr Jain was also elected as the Vice- President of Indian Academy of Paediatrics, Punjab state Branch , on March 2 at Jalandhar. He has delivered 11 guest lectures and participated in many panel discussions and chaired sessions in various scientific meetings. To update the knowledge of pediatricians, he has also organised 13 conferences at the zonal level. He has held 10 major executive posts in various academic bodies of pediatricians.

It must be noticed that, the NNF is consistently working towards spreading awareness among the medical fraternity, para medicals and general public regarding the latest advances in the care of newborns by conducting lectures, meetings, conferences and by distributing published awareness materials.