These are early symptoms of deadly China virus

Scientists have identified a pattern of symptoms associated with the Novel Coronavirus, now dubbed as COVID-19, and the most common symptom is fever.

New York, Scientists have identified a pattern of symptoms associated with the Novel Coronavirus, now dubbed as COVID-19, and the most common symptom is fever.

Other common symptoms include fatigue, dry cough, muscle pain and difficulty breathing, according to a recent study of nearly 140 hospitalised patients in Wuhan, China....read more

National Respiratory Infection Control Program

Droplet precautions Droplets are particles of respiratory secretions =5 microns that remain suspended in the air for limited periods. Exposure within three to six feet (one to two meters) of the source can transmit the infection.

Droplet precautions are essential while caring for patients with suspected or confirmed infections with Neisseria meningitidis, Bordetella pertussis, influenza, parainfluenza, adenovirus, Haemophilus influenzae type b, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, rubella, COVID-19. ....read more

Acts Applicable to COVID-19

Indian Public Health system India has a constitutional division of legislative responsibilities between the Central government and the States. Both the Central government and the State governments are constitutionally empowered to legislate on matters of public health....read more

Science behind Shiva, the Neelkanth

The blue neck Shiva, called Neelkanth, symbolizes that one should neither take out the vices or negative emotions nor suppress them. Instead one should alter or modify them.

The blue color, in mythology, symbolizes slow poison that includes attachments, anger, greed, desires and ego. Blue neck means to hold on to the negative emotions temporarily so that they can be neutralized at appropriate time....read more

How Corona Aware Are You

Health Sutras By Dr K K Aggarwal

Do not ignore diffuse chest pain after the age of 40.

Healthcare News Monitor

Manipur Ayush dept directs Ayush hospitals to distribute ‘Arsenicum Album 30’ as preventive medication against nCoV infection

Pharmabiz India – Peethaambaran Kunnathoor

Following the health advisory issued by the Union Ayush Ministry recently recommending homeopathy medicines as effective medication for prevention of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection, the Directorate of Ayush under the Manipur Government has directed all the Ayush hospitals in the state to adopt the homeopathic medicine, Arsenicum Album 30, as a prophylactic drug against the infection. Arsenicum Album is one of the fifteen most important remedies in Homoeopathy. The directorate has wanted all the institutions under it to distribute the medicine as a preventive measure from the infection. It should be given in the prescribed dose as per central ministry’s protocol. Each person has to take four pills of Arsenicum Album once daily in empty stomach for three days as a preventive measure. The schedule may be resumed after one month if the corona virus infection still persists in the locality, says the circular. Dr. Y Lukhoi Singh, director of the Ayush directorate has issued a circular in this regard to the 50 bedded integrated Ayush hospital in Imphal, to the medical superintendent of the 10 bedded homeopathy hospital in the city, and to all the district Ayush institutions and state health system hospitals. On 28th January this year, the 64th meeting of the Scientific Advisory Board under the Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH) discussed the ways and means of prevention of coronavirus infection through homeopathy.

Drug marketers to be held responsible for quality

ET Healthworld – Teena Thacker

Pharmaceutical companies that market medicines made by third parties in the country will now be held responsible for drug product quality with the health and family welfare ministry on Thursday issuing a notification to this effect. The move will impact many big domestic and multinational pharmaceutical companies that get their medicines manufactured by smaller companies. At present, there is no liability on them for any defect in a drug. Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, only the manufacturer is held responsible for spurious or substandard drug. The marketing companies just require a license to sell their drugs. Once the new rules come into effect from March 2021, the drug regulator can also penalise the marketing companies in case of spurious or substandard medicines. “Any marketer who sells or distributes any drug shall be responsible for quality of that drug as well as other regulatory compliances along with the manufacturer under these rules,” the health ministry notification said. Contraventions to the rules can attract penal punishment of 3-5 years of imprisonment in case the drug is not of standard quality, or life imprisonment in cases where they are found to be spurious. Experts said the proposed move to make marketers accountable for drug quality will help check spurious drugs while some industry executives said it would hurt companies. RC Juneja, chairman and managing director at Mankind Pharma, said the new regulation will hurt both small and big companies. “It will discourage small manufacturers which largely depend on big companies for marketing,” he said. “The dependence of big companies on small companies will also reduce. The punishment is too massive.” India’s top drug advisory body had in 2018 approved the proposal to amend the Drugs & Cosmetics Act to make pharmaceutical marketing firms liable for any contraventions of regulations.

mfine launches remote clinics

Telangana Today- V Phani Raj

mfine-an artificial intelligence enabled, on-demand healthcare company, has launched ‘Remote Clinics’ an initiative to bring hospital’s satellite or nodal centres, corporate clinic outposts and diagnostic health centres on their platform. Sharing about the new initiative, mfine co-founder Ashutosh Lawania told Telangana Today, “We want to provide access to quality healthcare and specialty services to people in not only large cities but smaller towns. mfine wants to solve the problem of point-of-care by providing health records and digital prescriptions. Patients can go to nearby clinics and hospital outposts for specialty care through the platform.” his newly launched format of healthcare delivery is currently being deployed across eight primary healthcare clinics and 15 corporate clinics. It has also partnered with RxDx (Bengaluru) and Fortis (Mumbai) to help connect patients from the rural districts with specialists and super-specialty doctors in the cities. He added, “We currently have tie-ups with 220 hospitals in six cities across India. We have provided care to five lakh patients so far and have 1.4 million registered users on the platform. We will extend these hospitals’ nodal centres and rope in new centres as well. mfine aims to replicate this model across India, by partnering with specialty hospitals having primary health centres and add 100 more clinics on our network by end of 2020. We should have at least 500 hospitals/clinics by then on board.”

5 tips to help you save yourself from infectious diseases

The Healthsite – Jahnavi Sarma

In today’s world of infectious outbreaks and sudden epidemics, you need to be very careful to avoid the risk of catching an infection. New bugs are making an entry and old bugs are becoming more resistant to treatment. It leaves you in a very vulnerable position and the worse thing is that you know that some viruses may not even respond to treatment. It is not easy to be safe considering the fact that you often have to be out and about for work. Shutting yourself up in your house is definitely not an option and neither is being paranoid about catching an infection. The right balance will be to take certain precautions to keep yourself safe while going about your normal day-to-day activities. Here, let us see how you can keep yourself safe from infectious diseases. Wash your hands frequently: This is the first rule of keeping yourself safe. Make sure that you work up a lather by rubbing your hands with soap and water for at least 21 seconds. Cover your mouth when you cough: This will also protect the person next to you. It is better to cover your mouth with your arm, sleeve, tissue or crook of the elbow. Your hands may carry germs so avoid covering your mouth with your bare hands. Vaccinations will help: This will protect you and your loved ones. Call your doctor and ask him about the vaccines that may be recommended for you. Practice safe sex: By doing this, you save yourself from the pain of sexually transmitted disease. These are infectious diseases that can be easily prevented with safe practices.