Health
How Kerala Flattened The Curve?
Published
5 years agoon
How Kerala flattened the curve? Kerala has porous borders, a large number of migrant workers, and a huge expatriate population who keep traveling back and forth and whose remittances oil the state’s economy.
More than two months after the outbreak of the pandemic, the state has reported three deaths and more than 370 confirmed cases of the infection. More than 100,000 people remain in isolation, at home or in designated facilities.
Many believe Kerala has flattened the curve at a time when the infection is on the rise all over India.
To be sure, the state has been alert and vigilant. It imposed a lockdown a day before the nationwide one, on 25 March. It did rigorous contact tracing, using detailed “route maps” of people coming in from abroad. It set up Covid-19 care centres in all districts to accommodate outsiders who were stuck and had been advised to isolate.
Health workers supported people with special needs and the elderly living alone. Counsellors made more than 340,000 telephone calls to personnel working in affected areas to counsel them on how to handle stress.
It’s not that Kerala tested aggressively. Testing was bound strictly by and limited to federal protocols. More than a dozen labs are testing 800 samples a day.
But, experts say, what really mattered in the end was Kerala’s robust public health system, and a culture of thriving grassroots democracy with power devolving effectively to the village councils. This mainly helped in community outreach, rigorous contact tracing and mass quarantine. The Communist government released abundant information about the developments every day, analysts say.
“A strong game-changer was the decentralized health care system. And village councils took upon themselves to enforce and monitor mass quarantine with the consent of the people. The shutdown also helped,” B Ekbal, a neurosurgeon and head of an expert panel advising the government on prevention of the virus, told me.
Economists like Jacob John believe that the devolution of power in Kerala – local government, community-driven village councils, vigilant municipalities – have helped the state tackle two consecutive floods and an outbreak of the vicious Nipah virus in the last three years.
The three-tier public health system, involving functioning government hospitals, is the result of a more than half-century long legacy of spending on healthcare. “Kerala,” says Dr John, “has spent more on health and education than most Indian states.”
Breathless media reports of Kerala “flattening the curve” could be premature, officials warn.
Like in the rest of India, much of the testing has been limited and delayed.
Mass screening with antibody tests has been delayed because about 100,000 kits which the state ordered haven’t arrived yet.
Fresh cases haven’t dried up completely. Kerala also “got lucky”, as one doctor told me – the average age of infected people here is 37 years old, and the majority of them are Gulf returnees.
“It’s not counter-intuitive. Some 70% of our Covid-19 patients have come from outside the country,” says Dr Ekbal. This in a state where more than 12% of the population are over 60 years old.
Also, worryingly, Kerala has one of the highest rates of communicable diseases – one that spreads from one person to another – in India. A large number of people also suffer from diabetes, heart diseases, respiratory and liver diseases.
The summer monsoon rains, which begin in June, usually trigger a spike in diseases like influenza, dengue and scrub typhus. Fever is a common symptom in many of these diseases. “This can complicate diagnosis. To make sure we don’t end up facing a fresh wave of infections during the rains, we have to very vigilant during the monsoon,” says a doctor.
Such heightened vigilance – controlling inflows of people across the border and isolating suspects – will come at an economic cost. The government has worked out a painstakingly detailed plan for the phased opening up of the state when infections stop.
So far Kerala has stuck to the script and done it well it, say analysts. Cases have slowed down, recoveries are high and the mortality rate is very low. It helped that it had a smaller population (33 million) than many other states and also a highly literate one.
“We have won the quarter-final,” says Sreejith N Kumar, a doctor. “The semi-final would be a staggered easing up without a second wave of infection. And the final would be a return to normal life.”
“Only then we can say we won the game.”
Source: BBC
Why The Humanity Post?
The World Health Organisation has named depression as the greatest cause of suffering worldwide. In the U.S., 1 out of 5 deals with depression or anxiety. For youth, that number increases to 1 in 3.
The good news is that 40% of our happiness can be influenced by intentional thoughts and actions, leading to life changing habits. It’s this 40% that The Humanity Post help to impact.
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May is Mental Health Month, an important opportunity to raise awareness and promote understanding of mental health issues. This year, the theme of Mental Health Month is “Tools 2 Thrive,” which focuses on practical tools and resources that can help individuals improve their mental health and well-being.
Mental health is a critical component of our overall health and well-being, but it is often overlooked or stigmatized. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five adults in the United States experiences a mental health condition in any given year. Despite the prevalence of these conditions, many people still face barriers to accessing the care and support they need.
One of the key messages of Mental Health Month is that mental health is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being, and that we all have a role to play in promoting mental health and reducing stigma. This year’s “Tools 2 Thrive” theme focuses on a range of practical tools and resources that individuals can use to improve their mental health and well-being.
Some of the key tools and resources highlighted by NAMI this year include:
- Accepting and acknowledging your emotions – This involves recognizing and accepting your feelings, rather than trying to push them away or suppress them. This can help you develop a greater sense of self-awareness and improve your ability to cope with stress and difficult situations.
- Connecting with others – Social connections and relationships are important for our mental health and well-being. This can involve reaching out to friends and family, joining a support group, or participating in a community activity.
- Creating healthy routines – Developing healthy habits and routines can help promote mental health and well-being. This can include getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet, and engaging in regular physical activity.
- Finding purpose and meaning – Having a sense of purpose and meaning in life can help promote mental health and well-being. This can involve identifying your values and goals, pursuing hobbies and interests, or volunteering in your community.
- Seeking professional help – If you are struggling with a mental health condition, it’s important to seek professional help. This can involve talking to your primary care provider, seeking out a mental health professional, or accessing community resources.
In conclusion, Mental Health Month is an important opportunity to raise awareness and promote understanding of mental health issues. By focusing on practical tools and resources that individuals can use to improve their mental health and well-being, we can help reduce stigma and promote a more supportive and inclusive society. Let’s all take steps to prioritize our mental health and support those around us who may be struggling.
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Health
Bill Gates’ Foundation Promise $750M For COVID-19 Vaccine Developed By Oxford Scientists
Published
5 years agoon
June 7, 2020Bill Gates has one again ventured up to help the world battle against COVID-19, this time through his philanthropic endeavor Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The tech billionare has poured in $750 million to guarantee the worldwide gracefully of a potential coronavirus immunization being created by British medication creator AstraZeneca.
AstraZeneca is working with scientists from Oxford University for the potential antibody. In spite of the fact that the vaccine is still in the improvement stage, the organization has just dedicated to its large scale manufacturing and accessibility. The thought is to abbreviate the long course of events of vaccine creation.
The new funds will be used to increase the supply of the vaccine globally. With this, the total units of the vaccine available for dispense (once developed) will be more than 2 billion.
The Charity Foundations
According to a discharge shared by AstraZeneca this week, the understanding has been made with Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) established by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the vaccine partnership.
The $750 million agreement will be used to “support the manufacturing, procurement and distribution of 300 million doses of the potential vaccine, with delivery starting by the end of the year.”
In addition to the agreement with CEPI and Gavi, AstraZeneca has also reached a licensing agreement with Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, to supply one billion doses for low-and-middle-income countries.
Global Distribution
AstraZeneca had just reserved 300 million of the potential vaccine to the US and 100 million to the UK. “The Company is building various gracefully chains in equal over the world to help worldwide access at no benefit during the pandemic,” it says.
With the new deal with SII, AstraZeneca has now promised 1 billion doses of the vaccine for low and middle-income countries. Out of these, 400 million will be provided by the end of 2020, the statement confirms.
The organization had the option to make 1 billion units of the vaccine a month ago. At present, Phase II/III variants of the vaccine are being tried on around 10,000 grown-ups in the UK according to AstraZeneca. On the off chance that its clinical preliminaries end up being fruitful, the primary portions of the vaccine could be prepared by as ahead of schedule as September.
Credit:IndiaTimes
Why The Humanity Post?
The World Health Organisation has named depression as the greatest cause of suffering worldwide. In the U.S., 1 out of 5 deals with depression or anxiety. For youth, that number increases to 1 in 3.
The good news is that 40% of our happiness can be influenced by intentional thoughts and actions, leading to life changing habits. It’s this 40% that The Humanity Post help to impact.
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Health
New test technique offers more secure measurements of hydroxychloroquine
Published
5 years agoon
June 4, 2020LONDON: Researchers have built up another technique to measure levels of the medication of hydroxychloroquine in patients with the rheumatic infection foundational lupus erythematosus.
The technique developed by specialists at Uppsala University and Uppsala University Hospital in Sweden may likewise be valuable in different regions, for example, in the treatment of Covid-19.
Hydroxychloroquine was originally used to treat malaria but has also proven effective with SLE and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the researchers said.
Today it is prescribed to all SLE patients since it ensures against flares of the ailment. Tests are currently being led to check whether it can likewise be utilized to treat Covid-19, they said.
A disadvantage of hydroxychloroquine is its side effects which can be avoided, however, if the dosage is adjusted for each patient. To achieve the protective effect against flares in SLE while also minimising the risk of side effects, researchers developed a method that can be used in the medical care system to measure hydroxychloroquine levels in the blood of SLE patients.
The method, described in the journal Arthritis Research and Therapy, is based on high-resolution mass spectrometry.
The researchers went through available data on hydroxychloroquine measurements.
They saw that results from measurements on whole blood, plasma and serum were not comparable with each other.
“It was indicated that there were significant contrasts between various reports, and there appeared to be huge individual contrasts,” said Kim Kultima, Associate Professor at Uppsala University.
They compared the levels of hydroxychloroquine in plasma, serum and whole blood in SLE patients.
The team concluded that the levels in whole blood were about twice as high as in serum and plasma. Whole blood analyses were also the most dependable.
“One striking outcome, and a significant understanding, was that levels in entire blood for patients recommended a similar measurement could vary by up to multiple times between people. This demonstrates a huge individual variety in how the drug is processed,” the specialists said.
One problem pointed out by the study is that the services for electronic information on medicinal products in Sweden (FASS) provides concentrations of hydroxychloroquine in plasma.
The researchers judge that these values provide an inaccurate and inappropriate picture for monitoring medication levels in patients.
“We also have to be very careful about drawing hasty conclusions about whether hydroxychloroquine is effective with Covid-19.
“What we cannot deny is that the examination strategy will ideally prompt better information for giving the correct doses to SLE patients who are endorsed the medicine,” the analysts said.
The team are planning to measure the levels of the medication in the blood of Covid-19 patients if the substance proves effective.
Credit:TimesOfIndia
Why The Humanity Post?
The World Health Organisation has named depression as the greatest cause of suffering worldwide. In the U.S., 1 out of 5 deals with depression or anxiety. For youth, that number increases to 1 in 3.
The good news is that 40% of our happiness can be influenced by intentional thoughts and actions, leading to life changing habits. It’s this 40% that The Humanity Post help to impact.
Related
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