World Asthma Day- 5 May

World Asthma Day (WAD)is organized by Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) towards increasing awareness about asthma and its management across the world. It is observed every year on first Tuesday of May. On this day activities are carried out throughout the world to motivate asthma patients to keep their asthma under control. The inaugural World Asthma Day was held in 1998.

Facts–

Asthma affects an estimated 300 million individuals worldwide. Annually, the World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that 15 million disability-adjusted life-years are lost and 250,000 asthma deaths are reported worldwide..
Asthma is one of the major non-communicable diseases. It is also the most common chronic disease in children.
Asthma cannot be cured but appropriate management can control the disorder and enable people to enjoy good quality of life.
Some children with milder forms of asthma don’t have their symptoms with age but symptoms can return without warning.

The theme for WAD 2019 was STOP for Asthma: where STOP stands for Symptom Evaluation, Test Response, Observe and Assess, and Proceed to Adjust Treatment.

Asthma is a disease characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness, wheezing, chest tightness, and cough that vary over time in their occurrence, severity and frequency.

During an asthma attack, the lining of the airways swell, causing the air passages to narrow and thus reducing the flow of air into and out of the lungs.

The exact cause of asthma is not completely known, though genetic factors with environmental exposure to certain inhaled substances are found to be risk factors for developing asthma. The common risk factors are house dust ,mites in bedding, carpets and stuffed furniture; pollution and pet dander; pollen and moulds; tobacco smoke; chemical irritants in workplace.

Viral infections, cold air, extreme emotional arousal such as anger or fear, and physical exercise, certain medications (such as aspirin and other non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, and beta-blockers which are used to treat high blood pressure, heart conditions and migraine) can also act as triggers for asthma. Urbanization has also been associated with an increase in asthma.

Asthma can be diagnosed with the help of clinical history and breathing tests (pulmonary function test-Spirometry). There is no cure for asthma, but symptoms can be controlled with effective asthma treatment and management. Asthma can be managed by taking medicines as directed by medical professional and learning to avoid triggers that cause asthma symptoms.

Regular exercise can help reduce asthma symptoms. Physical activities are just as important for someone with asthma as they are for someone without asthma though it is important to control asthma before being active. Asthma affects people of all levels of society such as athletes, leaders, celebrities and ordinary people and they live successful and active lives with proper management of asthma.

Know more about asthma Visit at www.nhp.gov.in/

Coronavirus: The impact of lockdowns on Economy

Everything has changed. Just a few weeks ago, all of us were living our usual busy lives. Now, things normally taken for granted – an evening with friends, the daily commute, a plane flight home – are no longer possible. Daily reports of increasing infections and deaths across the world raise our anxiety and, in cases of personal loss, plunge us into grief. There is uncertainty about tomorrow; about the health and safety of our families , friends, and loved ones; and about our ability to live the lives we love.

In addition to the immediate concern about the very real impact on human lives, there is fear about the severe economic downturn that may result from a prolonged battle with the novel coronavirus. Businesses are being shuttered and people are losing their jobs.

The impact of lockdowns on consumption and economic activity

We are learning what happens during a lockdown of the kind implemented in India, China, Italy, and increasingly across Europe and the United States: economic activity drops more sharply than any of us have experienced. People do not shop, other than for essentials; people do not travel; people do not buy cars.

We estimate that 40 to 50 percent of discretionary consumer spending might not occur.¹ In every recession, people will cut back on purchases that can easily be postponed (such as cars and appliances), and increase precautionary saving in anticipation of a worsening crisis. What makes the coronavirus pandemic different is that people will also eliminate spending for restaurants, travel, and other services that usually fall but do not drop to zero.

A 40 to 50 percent drop in discretionary spending translates to a roughly 10 percent reduction in GDP—without considering the second- and third-order effects. That’s not only unprecedented in modern history, it has been historically almost unimaginable—until now.

Already, we have some factual evidence for an economic shock on this scale, such as the COVID-19-related economic downturn in China, and early indications in US “high-frequency data” such as credit-card spending.

The longer a lockdown is in place, the worse the impact on our lives will get. To visualize what this means for people in lockdown areas, imagine cab drivers whose customers are not allowed to go onto the streets; professional chefs whose restaurants have been forced to close; and grounded flight attendants, their planes parked at the airports—for months. With 25 percent of US households living from paycheck to paycheck, and 40 percent of Americans unable to cover an unexpected expense of $400 without borrowing, the impact of extended lockdowns for many, many people will be nothing short of catastrophic.

The answer cannot be that we accept that the pandemic will overwhelm our healthcare system, and thousands, if not millions, will die. But can the answer be that we cause potentially even greater human suffering by permanently damaging our economy?

Source : McKinsey Insights

Lockdown Extended Upto 17 May

National lockdown due to CORONA VIRUS pandemic has been extended again upto May 17, 2020. But this time all districts of our country are divided in three categories Red, Orange and Green. Some relaxations are given in each zone.

Adopting New Life Style After Conora

The life style of world has changed due to covid-19. Wearing masks in no longer symbol of medical professionals. Now common man will have to wear mask and gloves for a long time to come. Social distancing will be the essential part of our day-to-day living style. …….. ..No Partying in large groups, no large marriage functions. No political gathering in huge crowds . Work from home will be new concept for many businesses. Schools and shopping malls will remain closed for long duration. Online teaching will be new way of class rooms now.

Fight with Corona Virus Pandemic

We all must follow all the precautions recommended by medical experts to prevent spread of corona virus. #StayHome and #StaySafe is new slogan to fight this epidemic. Keep Social Distancing. Washing hands very frequently with soap for 20 seconds minimum is must to keep corona virus away. We all must follow the lockdown rules to control spread of this deadly virus.

Hima Das Wins Gold

Hima Das is new world champion in Under 20 world 400m race in athletics championship held at the IAAF World U-20 meet in Finland. She is just 18 years old , athlete hail from Assam’s Nagaon district .

Her father is an ordinary Farmer. People in her village called her “Dhing Express” in love .

Her coach Coach Nipon and her Father praised her dedication in 100, 200, and 400 Meter athletics.

Hima With National Flag — Hima : Making whole India Proud of Her

Congatulations Hima Das !!!!!!! You will be new inspiration for the youth in Indian Sport world.

Protect yourself from Nipah Virus attack

Nipah virus infection

Nipah virus (NiV) infection is a newly emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both animals and humans. The natural host of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus.

NiV was first identified during an outbreak of disease that took place in Kampung Sungai Nipah, Malaysia in 1998. On this occasion, pigs were the intermediate hosts. However, in subsequent NiV outbreaks, there were no intermediate hosts. In Bangladesh in 2004, humans became infected with NiV as a result of consuming date palm sap that had been contaminated by infected fruit bats. Human-to-human transmission has also been documented, including in a hospital setting in India.

Kozhikode: Sixteen people have lost their lives to the Nipah virus in Kerala, with one more person succumbing to it on May 31.

Twenty-five-year-old Resin, who was under treatment at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, died today, official sources said.

Health department sources said 18 people have tested positive for the Nipah virus so far, of whom 16 have died. Two are undergoing treatment. According to the sources, the number of samples tested for Nipah virus is 196, of which 178 have tested negative.

The virus had claimed two lives on May 30.

In Kolkata, a 28-year-old soldier from Kerala, who was posted at Fort William, Kolkata, died of suspected Nipah virus last week. He was admitted to the command hospital on May 20, where he died five days later, a Defence spokesperson had said on May 31. His samples have been sent for testing at the National Institute of Virology at Pune and the results are awaited.

Over 1,300 people, who had come in contact with the affected persons before the confirmation of the virus, are under observation.

Three fruit-eating bats, their faecal and urine samples have been sent for testing at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal today, official sources said.

Earlier, samples of three insectivorous bats caught from an unused well of the Moosa family here, which lost three members to the Nipah virus, were sent to the Bhopal laboratory along with samples of pigs, goats and cattle in a 5 km radius of the affected area and all of them tested negative, the sources said.

The natural host of the virus is believed to be fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family, Pteropus genus.

(PTI)