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3,000 TB patients under treatment in Sangrur
Mandi Ahmedgarh, October 4 According to Dr K. C. Goel, District Health Officer, Sangrur, around 3,000 patients of tuberculosis are being treated in the district under four TB units at Sangrur, Barnala, Sunam and Malerkotla. A total of 400 DOTS centres and 20 microscopy centres are being supervised by 21 SMOs in the district. The district TB Control Society, headed by Mr Husan Lal, Deputy Commissioner and Chairman, and Dr Inderjit Kaur Walia, Vice-Chairperson, aimed to interrupt the transmission of TB by the end of this year, claimed the DHO during his visit to the local Civil Hospital. Dr Goel warned that the decease killed more adults in India than any other decease. More than 1,000 persons died daily of TB in this country. Despite the existence of a National Tuberculosis Control Programme since 1962, the desired results had not been achieved. There was an over-dependence on X-ray for its diagnosis and the treatment patterns used were often non-standard and ineffective and incomplete treatment was the norm, he pointed out. Emphasising on the result-oriented DOTS treatment, Dr Goel said the key to the success of the therapy was that it placed the responsibility for curing TB patients on the health workers and not the patient. The strategy had already been implemented in countries like China, Vietnam, Combodia and Bangladesh. The various aspects of the programme were free service, including the supply of drugs, sputum microscopy, evaluation and treatment, uninterrupted availability of drugs, direct observation of treatment, usually by the general health services or community volunteers, and technical assistance in the care of patients and control of TB. DOTS is undertaken in a phased manner. During the intensive phase of the treatment, the health worker watches as the patient swallows the drugs in his presence. During the continuation phase, the patient is issued medicines for one week in a “multiblister combipack”. The consumption is confirmed by the return of empty combipacks when the patients come to collect medicine for the next week. The health authorities have called upon NGOs to join hands with the administration and create awareness among the masses. The NGOs will be provided public awareness materials.
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Guard yourself against pollution
Rapid industrialisation and urbanisation in metropolises are straining the capacity of municipal services and causing serious air pollution. This is increasing public health risks.
Air pollution is caused by several kinds of gases, droplets and particles that affect the quality of air. In cities, air pollution may be caused by vehicles as well as industrial and construction activity. It can irritate eyes, throat and lungs. Burning eyes, cough and chest heaviness are common when people are exposed to high levels of air pollution. Those with heart disease, such as angina, or lung disease, such as asthma, may be very sensitive to air pollution. Children feel the effects of pollution at lower levels than adults. They also experience more illness, such as bronchitis and earaches, in areas of high pollution than in cleaner air. Water is a major source of chemical hazards. It can leach lead from pipes, especially if the water is soft (has a low pH value). Chlorination of water has probably saved millions of lives. Some concern has been expressed over the possible increased cancer risk associated with chlorinated water, but there is as yet no proof of this. Fluoride added to water reduces the risk of caries, but can also have unwanted effects such as mottling of the teeth. Recreational water, which may be heavily contaminated with pathogens, notably coliform bacteria, has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal and other infectious illness, usually self-limiting. Due to the contamination of drinking water, people can contract cholera, typhoid, jaundice, giardia and others. Noise is another form of pollution. It can have a significant impact on the quality of life. This pollution may come from road traffic, jet planes, construction equipment, loud music or manufacturing processes. Problems related to noise include hearing loss, stress, high blood pressure, sleep loss, low productivity and a general reduction in the quality of life. Noise may also be related to birth defects and low-weight babies. A few points that may help you avoid the ill effects of pollution: * Stay indoors as much as you can when pollution levels are high. * If you must go outside, limit outdoor activity to mornings and evenings. This is important in high-ozone conditions because sunshine drives up ozone levels. * Don't exercise or exert yourself outdoors when air quality is poor. * Drink boiled or filtered water. * Wear ear plugs in noisy places. Turn down the volume of music. * Clean your surroundings. * Throw waste only in dustbins. * Cover your mouth and nose with a clean cloth when you are on the road. * To avoid eye problems, wear good quality goggles. * For immunity, eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. — Dr Anil Dheer
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Double crown for
shuttler
Ludhiana, October 4 Raj Kumar, younger brother of Harish Chander, in whose memory this tournament was organised, won the boys' singles (u-16 ) and doubles (u-13) titles. In the singles (u-16) final, Raj Kumar kept his cool at crucial junctures to wrap up the issue in three sets against Aslam of Sangrur. In the first game, Raj Kumar, after establishing a lead, had to fight tooth and nail to win 15-9. In the second game, Aslam bounced back as he romped home winner with a narrow margin of two points (15-13) to equal the score one-all. However, in the third game, Raj Kumar gave no room to his opponent and breezed past 15-2 and emerged victorious to bag the title. Later, in the doubles final (u-13 years) Raj Kumar paired with Pranav Chopra of Ludhiana to trounce the duo of Bob Sharma of Patiala and Anand Tiwari of Ludhiana in straight sets, 15-7 and 15-6, to win the second title. In the singles (u-13 years) final, Bob Sharma of Patiala had consolation when he rallied to down Raj Kumar in three sets. The final score sheet read 17-16, 11-15 and 15-11 in favour of the Patiala shuttler. Similarly, in the doubles final (u-16 years) Raj Kumar and Pranav Chopra went down fighting against the city pair of Gurbax Singh and Aushotosh Prabhakar 17-15, 13-15 and 8-15. In the boys singles (u-10 years), Rupinder Singh of Ropar, who had scored an upset victory over top-seed Guneet Singh in the quarter final, went on to win the title. In the final, Rupinder beat local lad Antarpreet Singh 15-10, 15-7. In the girls section, Komalpreet Kaur of Jalandhar beat Steffi Kalia of Ludhiana easily 11-2, 11-1 to win the title and in the (u-16 years) category, Komalpreet Kaur of Jalandhar overwhelmed Shruti Bansal 11-7, 11-0 to emerge champion. In the doubles (u-13 years), Komalpreet of Jalandhar and Steffi of Ludhiana recored an easy win over Zania and Simran of Sangrur 15-1, 15-1 to bag the title while Komalpreet, in association with Shruti Bansal of Patiala, beat Komal of Jalandhar and Shweta of Amritsar 15-4, 15-6 to add another title to her kitty.
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KVM karatekas excel
Ludhiana, October 4
They helped the Ludhiana team to lift the overall trophy in the girls’ section in this meet.
On the basis of their performance during this tournament, Anubha and Komal were selected to represent the state in the forthcoming All-India Schools Games.
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