Early baldness indicates heart disease risk more than obesity, study finds

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Early baldness indicates heart disease risk more than obesity, study finds

If you are less than 40 years obese and your friend is balding, your friend may have a higher risk of heart disease.

bald men at bar
bald men at bar

Male-pattern baldness and premature greying are associated with a more than fivefold risk of heart disease before the age of 40 years, according to research presented at the 69th Annual Conference of the Cardiological Society of India (CSI). Obesity was associated with a fourfold risk of early heart disease.

The congress is being held in Kolkata, India, from 30 November to 3 December. Experts from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) will present a special programme. “The incidence of coronary artery disease in young men is increasing but cannot be explained by traditional risk factors. Premature greying and androgenic alopecia (male-pattern baldness) correlate well with vascular age irrespective of chronological age and are plausible risk factors for coronary artery disease,” said Dr Sachin Patil, a third year resident at the U.N. Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. ”

This study investigated the association of premature hair greying and balding patterns in young Indian men with coronary artery disease. The study included 790 men aged less than 40 years with coronary artery disease and 1 270 age-matched healthy men who acted as a control group.

The researchers found that young men with coronary artery disease had a higher prevalence of premature greying (50% versus 30%) and male-pattern baldness (49% versus 27%) compared to healthy controls. After adjusting for age and other cardiovascular risk factors, male-pattern baldness was associated with a 5.6 times greater risk of coronary artery disease.

Surprisingly, the study found that while diabetes mellitus, hypertension, family history of premature coronary artery disease, central obesity, higher body mass index and smoking were predictors of coronary artery disease but to a lesser extent than male-pattern baldness, premature greying, and obesity. Principal investigator, Dr Kamal Sharma, associate professor, Department of Cardiology, U.N. Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre, said: “Baldness and premature greying should be considered risk factors for coronary artery disease. These factors may indicate biological, rather than chronological, age which may be important in determining total cardiovascular risk. Currently physicians use common sense to estimate biological age but a validated scale is needed.”

Professor Marco Roffi, course director of the ESC programme at CSI and head of the Interventional Cardiology Unit, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland, said: “Assessment of risk factors is critical in the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease. Classical risk factors such as diabetes, family history of coronary disease, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure are responsible for the vast majority of cardiovascular disease. It remains to be determined whether potential new risk factors, like the ones described, may improve cardiovascular risk assessment.”

USFDA warns against bone “treats” for dogs

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USFDA warns against bone “treats” for dogs

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned against giving bone treats to pets after receiving multiple reports of illnesses related to bone “treats”. According to Carmela Stamper, a veterinarian in the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) at the FDA, “Giving your dog a bone treat might lead to an unexpected trip to your veterinarian, a possible emergency surgery, or even death for your pet.”

Many pet treats selling in the market both in the US and India are made in China so some of these adverse reports may just as well apply to India which unfortunately, does not have a similar robust mechanism for reporting of adverse food or drug reactions in pets.

FDA regulates the quality of cat food, dog food, or box of dog treats. Regulation of pet food is similar to that for other animal foods. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) requires that all animal foods, like human foods, be safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances, and be truthfully labeled. FDA has received about 68 reports of pet illnesses related to “bone treats,” which differ from uncooked butcher-type bones because they are processed and packaged for sale as dog treats.

“A variety of commercially-available bone treats for dogs…were listed in the reports. The products may be dried through a smoking process or by baking, and may contain other ingredients such as preservatives, seasonings, and smoke flavorings,” reads a FDA consumer update. Among the illnesses reported were gastrointestinal obstruction (blockage in the digestive tract), choking, cuts and wounds in the mouth or on the tonsils, vomiting, diarrhoea, bleeding from the rectum and even death. According to reports received by the FDA, approximately 15 dogs died after eating a bone treat. There were about 90 reports in all, some of them involving more than one dog.

Bones are not the only treats that seem to be a problem area. Since 2007, FDA has also received multiple reports of adverse reactions to jerky pet treats. There have been more than 5000 complaints of illnesses associated with consumption of chicken, duck, or sweet potato jerky treats, many of which involve products imported from China, which produces much of the jerky pet treats on the market, not just in the USA but also in India.

Do’s and dont’s

• Chicken bones and other bones from your table can cause injury when chewed by pets, too. So be careful to keep platters out of reach

• Be careful what you put in the trash can. Dogs are notorious for helping themselves to the contents of the trash basket

• Talk with your veterinarian about other toys or treats that are most appropriate for your dog. There are many available products made with different materials

ICMR ties up with Cadila for JE diagnostic kit

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ICMR ties up with Cadila for JE diagnostic kit

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Zydus have tied up to launch new diagnostic kits, for detection of Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) in mosquito vectors; and the Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in sheep, goat and cattle. The kits have been developed by ICMR’s National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune.

According to the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, India witnessed 1916 cases of  Japanese Encephalitis (JE) leading to 226 deaths in 2017. The virus is transmitted through more than 15 species of Culex mosquitoes, predominantly found in rural and semi-urban settings, where humans live in close proximity to animals.

Animals are often hosts or reservoirs, spreading the infection to humans so detecting infection in them is of importance for control of those diseases in humans. Among products in the pipeline is also, a diagnostic kit for measles. Another product in the pipeline is a Multiplex real time PCR kit for the detection dengue  and chikungunya, which is useful in detection during early stages of the infection. Secretary, department of health research and DG-ICMR Dr Soumya Swaminathan said, “ICMR is taking a lead in commercializing the innovations as a result of ICMR’s intramural and extramural research, so that the benefits of the research reach the common man. While tackling neglected infectious diseases, timely diagnosis and treatment are critical. To reach the ultimate goal of elimination of these neglected diseases, it will also be important to improve access, focusing on the fundamentals of preventive interventions. It is important to maintain constant vigilance through appropriate diagnosis, robust surveillance, monitoring and reporting mechanisms.”

The kits will be manufactured and marketed by Zydus Diagnostics, a division of Cadila Healthcare. They have passed all sensitivity and specificity tests and provide results within 2.5 to 3 hours. They will be available for use in public health laboratories and hospitals across India and  other countries. These diagnostic tests will help public health services in effective detection and  surveillance.

Drug resistance led to malaria resurgence in the 90s, eradication bill $18 bn

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Drug resistance led to malaria resurgence in the 90s, eradication bill $18 bn

By Dr O P Choudhury

A new global malaria report has sounded warning bells about possible massive under-reporting of malaria in India – to the tune of more than 90%. This after years of malaria having been given the status of a global public health success story, has highlighted the need for developing better surveillance systems on way to its eradication. Drug resistance is one of the main reasons why malaria came back with a vengeance in the 1990s; this has ushered in the era of combination drug therapies to treat Malaria.

Here’s all that you need to know on the mosquito borne malady.

What is malaria?

Malaria is a life threatening disease caused by the Plasmodium group of parasites that are transmitted by the bite of infected female anopheles mosquitoes. Anopheles culicifacies is the main vector of malaria and it bites from dusk to dawn – a reversal of the behaviour of the dengue vector Culex that is known to bite only during the day.

There are five types of plasmodium parasites which cause malaria in humans but Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum cause most infections in India. Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for 99% of deaths in the world due to malaria.

India accounts for about 75% of all malaria cases in South East Asia and has the highest disease burden outside Africa. About 95% of Indian population resides in malaria endemic areas.

Although the disease can be found all over the country but the states of Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh , Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Northeastern states (except Sikkim) are high risk states for malaria. Orissa in fact finds mention in the WHO report too as a standout state where the number of malaria cases actually went up in 2016 as compared to 2015.

The disease is found throughout the year in our country but it is more prevalent during and after rainy seasons.

What are the symptoms of malaria?

Typically malaria is associated with fever, chills, headache, vomiting, bodyache and other flu like symptoms. In more severe cases high fever may be associated with altered levels of consciousness/ lethargy, breathing difficulty, repeated vomiting, convulsions/ fits (also called cerebral malaria) and decreased production of urine requiring urgent hospitalisation.

Infants, children under 5 years of age, pregnant women, senior citizens, migratory labours and visitors travelling to endemic areas are at increased risk of severe infections.

According to official data, malaria cases have consistently declined in India from about 2.08 million to 1.08 million during 2001 to 2016. Plasmodium falciparum cases which are responsible for most deaths have declined from 1.07 to 0.71 million cases. Most cases of malaria have been reported from the states of Orissa (323800), Chhattisgarh (96263), Jharkhand (72085),Gujarat (30609), Madhya Pradesh (29018) and Uttar Pradesh (24014) as per data available with National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme till September 2017. The disease has also claimed 84 lives. While neighbouring country like Srilanka has achieved complete eradication of malaria in 2016 our goal of achieving complete eradication is by 2030.

How is malaria diagnosed?

Malaria diagnosis is carried out by microscopic examination of blood films or Rapid Diagnostic Kit tests. Plasmodium vivax malaria is treated with chloroquine and Primaquine. Plasmodium falciparum malaria requires treatment with artemisinin based combination therapy (ACT).

The global and Indian casualty figures notwithstanding, Malaria is a completely curable and preventable disease. Prevention of malaria involves protecting oneself against mosquito bites and treatment with antimalarial drugs before travelling to endemic areas. World over the commonest preventive tool though is insecticide treated mosquito nets – in India just 15.5 million have been distributed between 2014 and 2016.

Vector control measures are key, which includes Indoor residual spraying (IRS), bacterial and chemical larvicides, adulticides, larvivorous fish.

What are the official malaria figures in India?

According to official data, malaria cases have consistently declined in India from about 2.08 million to 1.08 million during 2001 to 2016. Plasmodium falciparum cases which are responsible for most deaths have declined from 1.07 to 0.71 million cases. Most cases of malaria have been reported from the states of Orissa (323800), Chhattisgarh (96263), Jharkhand (72085),Gujarat (30609), Madhya Pradesh (29018) and Uttar Pradesh (24014) as per data available with National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme till September 2017. The disease has also claimed 84 lives. While neighbouring country like Srilanka has achieved complete eradication of malaria in 2016 our goal of achieving complete eradication is by 2030.

1 in 10 drugs in developing world fake, finds WHO

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1 in 10 drugs in developing world fake, finds WHO
An estimated 1 in 10 drugs circulating in low- and middle-income countries – what are commonly known as the developing world – is either substandard or falsified, according to new research from the World Health Organization (WHO). However the figure for South Asia is 2%. While the report does not have India-specific figures, earlier surveys have thrown a 5-6% incidence of spurious/substandard drugs in the country.
Spurious drugs are those where the ingredients are different from what they are required to be. Substandard drugs on the other hand are drugs which are not efficacious either due to composition or other reasons.
“Substandard and falsified medicines particularly affect the most vulnerable communities. Imagine a mother who gives up food or other basic needs to pay for her child’s treatment, unaware that the medicines are substandard or falsified, and then that treatment causes her child to die. This is unacceptable. Countries have agreed on measures at the global level – it is time to translate them into tangible action,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “.”
Since 2013, WHO has received 1500 reports of cases of substandard or falsified products. Of these, antimalarials and antibiotics are the most commonly reported. Most of the reports (42%) come from sub-Saharan Africa, 21% from the Americas and 21% from the European region.
This is likely just a small fraction of the total problem and many cases may be going unreported. For example, only 8% of reports of substandard or falsified products to WHO came from the WHO Western Pacific region, 6% from the Eastern Mediterranean and just 2% from the South-East Asia region.
The report notes that modern purchasing models such as online pharmacies can easily circumvent regulatory oversight. These are especially popular in high-income countries, but more research is needed to determine the proportion and impact of sales of substandard or falsified medical products.
Prior to 2013, there was no global reporting of this information. Since WHO established the Global Surveillance and Monitoring System for substandard and falsified products, many countries are now active in reporting suspicious medicines, vaccines and medical devices. WHO has trained 550 regulators from 141 countries to detect and respond to this issue. As more people are trained, more cases are reported to WHO.
This study was based on more than 100 published research papers on medicine quality surveys done in 88 low- and middle-income countries involving 48 000 samples of medicines. Lack of accurate data means that these estimates are just an indication of the scale of the problem. More research is needed to more accurately estimate the threat posed by substandard and falsified medical products.
Based on 10% estimates of substandard and falsified medicines, a modelling exercise developed by the University of Edinburgh estimates that 72 000 to 169 000 children may be dying each year from pneumonia due to substandard and falsified antibiotics. A second model done by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimates that 116 000 (64 000 – 158 000) additional deaths from malaria could be caused every year by substandard and falsified antimalarials in sub-Saharan Africa, with a cost of US$ 38.5 (21.4 – 52.4) million to patients and health providers for further care due to failure of treatment.
Globalization is making it harder to regulate medical products. Many falsifiers manufacture and print packaging in different countries, shipping components to a final destination where they are assembled and distributed. Sometimes, offshore companies and bank accounts have been used to facilitate the sale of falsified medicines.

India reported 6% of global malaria, unlikely to halve cases by 2020: WHO report

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India reported 6% of global malaria, unlikely to halve cases by 2020: WHO report

If a new report on malaria by the World Health Organisation is to be believed, the close to 7 lakh malaria cases reported in India till September this year are just about 6% of the global burden of the disease and constitute a mere 8% of all malaria cases in the country. By that yardstick the actual number of malaria cases in the country this year could be more than 80L.

According the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, till September 2017, 673474 cases and 84 deaths due to malaria were reported in India. Malaria is a potentially life threatening parasitic disease caused by parasites known as Plasmodium vivax (P.vivax), Plasmodium falciparum (P.falciparum), Plasmodium malariae (P.malariae) and Plasmodium ovale (P.ovale). It is transmitted by the bite of Anopheles mosquito.

The World Malaria Report 2017 says: “Among 55 countries where the burden of malaria was estimated – from either adjustment of the routine data or the transformation of prevalence to incidence – the proportion of estimated cases reported by surveillance systems was lowest in Gabon (8%) and highest in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (84%). Countries with weak malaria surveillance systems include India and Nigeria, two major contributors to the global burden of malaria, with 8% and 16% of cases, respectively, detected by the surveillance system.” India however accounts for 6% of all malaria cases in the world and has the highest malaria burden in the world outside sub-Saharan Africa.  The report however sounded a note of hope and said that the country is  on track for a 20–40% reduction by 2020.

According the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, till September 2017, 673474 cases and 84 deaths due to malaria were reported in India. Malaria is a potentially life threatening parasitic disease caused by parasites known as Plasmodium vivax (P.vivax), Plasmodium falciparum (P.falciparum), Plasmodium malariae (P.malariae) and Plasmodium ovale (P.ovale). It is transmitted by the bite of Anopheles mosquito.

WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a written foreword has expressed concerns about how the overall decline in the global malaria burden has “unquestionably leveled off”. In 2016, 91 countries reported a total of 216 million cases of malaria, an increase of 5 million cases over the previous year. The global tally of malaria deaths reached 445 000 deaths, about the same number reported in 2015.

“A minimum investment of US$ 6.5 billion will be required annually by 2020 in order to meet the 2030 targets of the WHO global malaria strategy. The US$ 2.7 billion invested in 2016 represents less than half of that amount. Of particular concern is that, since 2014, investments in malaria control have, on average, declined in many high-burden countries.,” Dr Tedros wrote.

Diabetes, obesity can increase cancer risk: Lancet

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Diabetes, obesity can increase cancer risk: Lancet

A new Lancet study has found that high blood sugar and high BMI (over 25 kg/m2)  were the cause of 5.6% new cancer cases in 2012. Calculated on the basis of an individual’s height and weight, BMI is recognised the world over as a measure of obesity.

The study, published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology found that  544300 cases of cases were attributable to high BMI (equivalent to 3.9% of all cancers), and 280100 were attributable to diabetes (2%). Global estimates suggest that  422 million adults have diabetes and 2.01 billion adults are overweight or obese. High BMI and diabetes are risk factors for various types of cancer, possibly because of the adverse effects on the body of high insulin, high sugar levels, chronic inflammation, and dysregulated sex hormones such as oestrogen, all of which are associated with these diseases. The study assessed the increase in new cases of 18 cancers based on the prevalence of diabetes and high BMI in 175 countries between 1980 and 2002.

“As the prevalence of these cancer risk factors increases, clinical and public health efforts should focus on identifying preventive and screening measures for populations and for individual patients. It is important that effective food policies are implemented to tackle the rising prevalence of diabetes, high BMI and the diseases related to these risk factors.” says lead author Dr Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard, Imperial College London.  For India the findings are important because with an estimated 62 million diabetics, India is widely known to be the diabetes capital of the world. According to a 2014 article in the Australian medical journal, “ …prevalence of diabetes is predicted to double globally from 171 million in 2000 to 366 million in 2030 with a maximum increase in India. It is predicted that by 2030 diabetes mellitus may afflict up to 79.4 million individuals in India…” Additionally for India the obesity cut-off has been lowered from the global 25 to 22 given the proneness of Indians to truncal obesity that increases the risk of various ailments.

Globally, the growing number of people with diabetes between 1980 and 2002 led to 77000 new cases of attributable cancers in 2012 (26.1% increase). Similar increases in the number of people with high BMI led to 174040 new cases of weight-related cancers (a 31.9% increase) over the same time.

Most of the cancer cases attributable to diabetes and high BMI occurred in high-income western countries (38.2%, 303000/792600 cases), with the second largest proportion occurring in east and southeast Asian countries (24.1%, 190900/792600 cases). Liver cancer and endometrial cancer contributed the highest number of cancer cases caused by diabetes and high BMI (24.5%, 187600/766000 cases, and 38.4% 121700/317000 cases, respectively). However, the number of cases of different cancers varied globally, and in high-income Asia Pacific and east and southeast Asian countries, liver cancer comprised 30.7% and 53.8% of cases respectively, while in high-income western countries, central and eastern Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa breast and endometrial cancers contributed 40.9% of cancer cases.

The proportion of cancers related to diabetes and high BMI is expected to increase even further globally as the prevalence of the two risk factors increases. Using projected prevalence of diabetes and high BMI for 2025 compared with prevalence in 2002, the researchers estimated that the proportion of related cancers will grow by more than 30% in women and 20% in men on average.

Ivanka Trump shines the spotlight on depression in new mothers

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Ivanka Trump shines the spotlight on depression in new mothers

Days before she lands in India as head of a US business delegation, Ivanka Trump, daughter of and senior advisor to US President Donald Trump talked about postpartum depression in a television show. She is not the first celebrity to do so but the cause can do with all that attention and more. Trump arrives in India today.

“It was a very challenging emotional time for me because I felt like I was not living up to my potential as a parent or as an entrepreneur and executive,” Trump said in the “The Dr Oz Show”.

The global prevalence of postpartum depression has been estimated as 100‒150 per 1000 births. In India where maternal mortality rather than postpartum depression is a more immediate public health challenge, the incidence of postpartum depression that can predispose to chronic or recurrent depression and affect the mother-infant relationship, is not inconsiderable. A systematic review of peer reviewed articles on the condition, published in a bulletin of the World Health Organisation earlier this year found its prevalence in India to be 22%.

Such is the state of mental healthcare in India that President Ramnath Kovind talked earlier this month about India “staring at a mental health epidemic.” Likes of actor Deepika Padukone – now in the news for her controversial film Padmavati – are just beginning to talk here about their own experiences with depression but that of the postpartum variety is yet below the radar of public health discourse.

“In India, women who deliver at a health facility often stay for less than 48 hours after delivery. This leaves little opportunity for health personnel to counsel the mother and family members on the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression and when to seek care,” the WHO review pointed out. It also summed up the challenges in tackling the extreme sadness and anxiety that some women feel after giving birth.

The global prevalence of postpartum depression has been estimated as 100‒150 per 1000 births. In India where maternal mortality rather than postpartum depression is a more immediate public health challenge, the incidence of postpartum depression that can predispose to chronic or recurrent depression and affect the mother-infant relationship, is not inconsiderable. A systematic review of peer reviewed articles on the condition, published in a bulletin of the World Health Organisation earlier this year found its prevalence in India to be 22%.

“Despite the launch of India’s national mental health programme in 1982, maternal mental health is still not a prominent component of the programme. Dedicated maternal mental health services are largely deficient in health-care facilities, and health workers lack mental health training. The availability of mental health specialists is limited or non-existent in peripheral health-care facilities. Furthermore, there is currently no screening tool designated for use in clinical practice and no data are routinely collected on the proportion of perinatal women with postpartum depression,” the review says.

The review, meanwhile also found that incidence of postpartum depression was higher in the southern states which it said could be because of greater care-seeking behaviour in states with higher literacy – in other words more aware societies identify and report postpartum depression more.

“30% premature deaths caused by air pollution”

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“30% premature deaths caused by air pollution”

Air pollution causes 30% of premature deaths in the country, a report released on Monday by the Centre for Science and Environment has revealed. The findings are in line with those of the state level disease burden report released last week that also found that contribution of air pollution to disease burden remains high, with levels of exposure among the highest in the world.

Body Burden: Lifestyle Diseases, investigates and exposes the new and emerging environmental triggers of NCDs in India. It says that unless environmental risk factors are acknowledged and dealt with, India will not be able to curb NCDs, responsible for more than 61 per cent of the deaths in the country. Among the fallouts of environmental pollution it identifies are, interestingly, mental health diseases. “Lack of social support, changing diets and economic instability are the main triggers of mental disorders. Increased intake of sugar, too, has been linked to mental illness, making it imperative to find ways of reducing intake. An increase of PM2.5 in the environment by 4.34 microgram/cubic metre can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s.,” the report says. Says Vibha Varshney, the lead writer of the report: “Targeting environmental risk factors is essential if we want to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 3.4, which mandates a one-third reduction in premature deaths due to lifestyle diseases by 2030.”

The report found that the number of overweight and obese people in India doubled between 2005 and 2015. Among individuals aged between 15-49 years, 20.7 per cent of women and 18.6 per cent of men have been found to be overweight or obese. Presence of obesogenic chemicals such as DDT, bisphenol A, MSG and arsenic in the environment were found to be important triggers of obesity. Besides regulating the use of these, marketing of processed foods too needs to be monitored.Increase in taxes on unhealthy foods, adequate labeling, and building an environment conducive to physical activity will be critical in combating the epidemic.

It predicted that more than 1.73 million new cancer cases are likely to be recorded each year by 2020 in India. Commonly used household chemicals and cosmetics contain cancer-causing compounds. It is estimated that up to 20 per cent of cancer cases can be linked to environmental exposures of toxins. Tobacco and alcohol, air pollution and diets rich in meat and low in vegetables, are primary triggers. However, these triggers remain largely unaddressed. Moreover, cancer screening and medication remains

Air quality dipping, Delhi Govt issues advisory

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Air quality dipping, Delhi Govt issues advisory

With air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR) expected to go further down in the coming days, Delhi government has issued a health advisory for Delhiites.

Air quality monitoring data shows that the air quality index in many parts of Delhi has already gone to the “very poor” level. As temperature further dips and wind speed decreases, there are apprehensions that air quality may dip even further.

Calling it a “man-made situation” Delhi government has identified the primary sources of pollution as burning of Agricultural residue in neighboring states, motor vehicles emissions, industrial pollution, construction work, bursting of firecrackers, household combustion devices, burning of wood, coal, etc. It could also be a result of burning of fire crackers, a government statement said this evening. This, despite the fact that there was a ban on sale of fire crackers in NCR at the time of Diwali last month.

Air pollution can cause a range of health problems such as allergy, eye irritation , runny nose, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath  & difficulty in breathing, headache, sleepiness, lowered alertness, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. This is the second time in the last month or so that pollution has reached alarming levels. Last time was around the second week of November when schools were asked to stay shut for several days because of health concerns. Delhi government had then tried to introduce a car rationing scheme under which cars can get on the road only on alternate days. However the plan went bust when the National Green Tribunal ruled out allowing exemptions for women and two wheeler drivers.

Do’s and dont’s

  • Do not burn dry leaves, crops residue, wood, coal, Gobar Upla etc.plant more trees to make your city green. Trees like Neem, Sheesham, Peepal, Keekar , Gulmohar etc. make the air clean and healthy , create green belt in and around the capital
  • Use carpooling and public transport, as much as possible. Walk or use nonpolluting mode of transport for short distance
  • Avoid going outdoor during early morning and late evening for walk or outdoor physical activity as the pollution levels are maximum during this time
  • Avoid going to high pollution areas during peak hours. Stay indoor as much as possible
  • Schools may avoid outdoor assembly, sports activities and other physical activities in the early morning
  • Take extra precautions for high risk group as mentioned above, use N95 mask if going outdoor during the peak pollution hours
  • Do not smoke, as it harms not only you but others also.
  • If you feel irritation in the throat and nose, take steam and do salt water gargles. Drink plenty of warm water and maintain good hydration.
  •  If any time you are feeling breathless or palpitation, immediately go to nearest medical facility
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