M A I N   N E W S

Sperm shock for young, macho Punjabi
Anshu Seth
Tribune News Service

Alarm Bells n The average sperm count of males world over was 60 million three decades ago n This has now decreased to 15 million and Punjab is amongst the most adversely affected states in India n Increasing cases of infertility in young males

The culprits n Drugs, including opium, cocaine, marijuana n Consumption of alcohol n Overuse of pesticides n Mobile phones

Ludhiana, February 16
The big, macho Punjabi male is losing his vigour and that, too, fast. The sperm count of men from Punjab has drastically gone down, thanks to drug abuse, alcoholism and overuse of pesticides.

Data compiled by a World Health Organisation committee has brought these findings to the fore. “The sperm count is going down and this is evident from increasing cases of infertility in young males,” says Dr BS Shah, who is a member of the WHO committee on semen analysis.

“The average sperm count of males world over was 60 million three decades ago. This has now decreased to 15 million and Punjab is amongst the most adversely affected states in India,” says Dr Shah, who is medical superintendent and head of department of pathology at the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana.

He said addiction to drugs, intoxicants, excessive use of pesticides, smoking and use of mobile phones have resulted in a steep increase in infertility cases in the state.

Studies have further revealed that opium mixed with arsenic is lethal for spermatozoa and in Punjab there’s an easy accessibility to opium and its derivatives. As a result, its youth are paying a heavy price.

Young boys from affluent families in the state have the means to afford cocaine and marijuana, which are known to reduce sperm count by 50 per cent, revealed Dr Shah.

“We are recording an all-time low sperm count. It’s a matter of grave concern, it results in infertility and destabilises families,” he said.

“Many ‘infertility centres’ have mushroomed in every nook and cranny of the state. Many of them don’t have qualified doctors. They are minting money by making false promises to gullible couples,” he added.

Liquor consumption is another cause of infertility as alcohol is toxic to sperms and reduces its count and quality. “There is also an immediate need to check overuse of pesticides, solvents, toxic chemicals, aflatoxin (a fungus found on peanuts and grains) and synthetic estrogens in poultry and dairy feed that are interfering with sperm formation,” observed Dr Shah.