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Indian Pediatr 2012;49: 849 |
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News in Brief |
Gouri Rao Passi,
Email:
[email protected]
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Malnutrition in the Time of Modi
When the Wall Street Journal asked Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi why rates of malnutrition were increasing in the
children of Gujarat, his answers were distressing to say the least. The
National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) reveals that 47% of children
below 3 years in the state were underweight. In sub-Saharan Africa it is
25%. The rates in Gujarat have actually risen from 45% in NFHS-2. It is
also just higher than the national average of 46%. The percentage of
stunted children in Gujarat also went up from 16 to 17% between the 2
NFHS surveys.
His answer to the WSJ was that that Gujarat is
a "middle class state" which is more "beauty conscious than health
conscious" and "if a mother asks a girl to have milk she’ll tell her
mother I’ll not drink milk. I’ll get fat". This seems difficult to
digest considering the data is about children below 3 years. His other
explanation was that Gujarat being largely a vegetarian state is the
reason for rampant malnutrition. This is also being hotly debated since
it implies that a vegetarian diet is incapable of keeping a human being
well nourished.
In fact the telling point raised by the Wall Street
Journal is a question which has mystified economists. Why does Gujarat
which in a macroeconomic sense is a prosperous state have human
development indicators which are worse than India’s poorest states?
Economists Jean Dreze and Angus Deaton have said that per capita food
consumption in India has been falling as income levels have risen. It
appears that people spend less on food as they get richer and their food
basket tilts toward tastier and richer foods rather than the most
nutritious. But questions of childhood hunger in the midst of plenty
need to be addressed with determination and ingenuity (The Wall
Street Journal 29 August 2012, The Hindu 1 September 2012).
Dengue in Bengal
As of 9 September, over a 1000 people have been
documented to be affected by Dengue in West Bengal. Of the 1125 reported
cases, 720 are from Kolkata. All the 5 deaths are also from Kolkata. In
the neighboring 24 Pargana district, 183 cases have been reported. In
view of the rapidly increasing numbers being reported daily, a public
interest petition has also been filed raising questions about the poor
infrastructure in State run hospitals to tackle the disease. The PIL has
also called for a proper policy to monitor and controlling the disease.
It also seeks the setting up of a committee comprising different
government departments for this purpose (Business Standard 9
September 2012, The Hindu 8 September 2012).
Influenza Resurfaces
Reports of cases of H1N1 infections are resurfacing
from various corners of the country. In May, there were 29 positive
cases and two deaths due to swine flu in Maharashtra. June saw 40
positive cases and zero death. The virus transmission started gaining
grounds again from July, when 205 positive cases and eight deaths were
registered. The transmission reached its peak in August with the highest
number of deaths (18) and 254 positive cases according to the State
epidemiologist Pradeep Awate. In the meanwhile, Lucknow has also
reported 56 cases as of 4 September. Of these, 50 appear to be either
residents of SGPGIMS Lucknow or are living in neighboring areas. Reports
of swine flu have also come in from Bhopal, Nagpur and Cuttack (The
Times of India, 4 September 2012).
Hantavirus Disease in the US
After the 3rd death from Hanta virus disease in the
US, warnings have been sent to 22,000 people who visited the Yosemite
National Park where the disease is believed to have originated. Hanta
virus causes a deadly rodent borne disease which in US, typically
presents after an incubation period of 1-5 weeks following exposure to
fresh urine, droppings and saliva of infected rodents. Early universal
symptoms are fever, fatigue and muscle pains especially of larger muscle
of buttocks and thighs. Fifty percent also develop headache, nausea,
vomits and abdominal pain. The cardiopulmonary syndrome of cough and
breathlessness develops 4-10 days later. Mortality is 38%. However in
India the prevalent strain is the Old World hanta virus which presents
as hemorrhagic fever with renal failure. The only indigenous
Thottapalayam strain was isolated in Vellore in 1964. Fever,
conjunctival hemorrhage, thrombocytopenia, shock and renal failure
comprise the clinical spectrum in India. Jaundice and rash are notably
absent. Diagnosis is by serology and RT-PCR. Treatment is supportive
though ribavarin has been used in China. We should learn lessons from
the US in adapting a systematic approach to pick up and stem potential
large outbreaks (The Gaurdian 7 September 2012).
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