Covid-19: Maharashtra may hand out anti-malaria drug as preventive med

MUMBAI: Worried that Covid-19 cases may rise exponentially in the citys densely populated slums, the Maharashtra government is considering giving hydroxychloroquine sulphate (HCQS) tablets as a "preventive medicine" to slum residents at highest risk of the infection.A high-ranking state government official said suspected patients kept in quarantine centres in Dharavi were likely to be the first to receive HCQS-an antimalarial drug that US president Donald Trump wanted India to supply to the US as it could be a "game-changer" in the fight against Covid-19. "In places like Dharavi, the plan is more a socio-demographic compulsion," the state government official said. ....read more

Boost Your Health

Reproduced from: https://www.indialegallive.com/special/boost-your-health-94497, April 3, 2020Even as WHO has started a large global trial called Solidarity to evaluate potential treatments against this deadly virus, India’s alternative health systems have a host of suggestions to boost respiratory health.The number of people infected with Covid-19 continues to skyrocket, with nearly one million cases worldwide. But there’s no vaccine or cure for it, though human trials have started in the US based on their earlier research on the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). This means that doctors can do little more than offer supportive treatment to the very sick and hope their bodies can survive the infection....read more

Cloth Face Masks Made at Home

New guidelines suggest use of masks when in public.1.Yale Researchers found that the death rate from COVID-19 is up to 10% lower in the countries with masked populations.2.Cloth masks may help contain the spread of infection when used in conjunction with hand washing and physical distancing....read more

Who is a Good Teacher?

A good teacher is the one who follows the principles of listening first, teaching in detail till confusion arises and then teaching with reasoning while going into the minutest details and finally summarizing the ‘take home’ messages....read more

Health Sutras By Dr K K Aggarwal

Dont shout in public places

Healthcare News Monitor

Indias malaria drug powers global coronavirus war

India Today- Anweksha Madhukalya

An ever-rising global demand for anti-malarial drug Hydroxychloroquine or HCQ to treat Coronavirus patients has turned the spotlight on India. The country meets 80-85% of the medicines requirement worldwide and has agreed to export it to the US and Brazil, among other nations, after requests from their Presidents. As India said that it would help countries that need HCQ, US President Trump tweeted: "Extraordinary times require even closer cooperation between friends. Thank you India and the Indian people for the decision on HCQ. Will not be forgotten! Thank you Prime Minister Modi for your strong leadership in helping not just India, but humanity, in this fight!" Modi had a quick response. "Fully agree with you President Donald Trump. Times like these bring friends closer. The India-US partnership is stronger than ever. India shall do everything possible to help humanitys fight against COVID-19. We shall win this together," the Prime Minister wrote on Twitter. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was equally thankful. "We have more good news. As an outcome of my direct conversation with Prime Minister of India, we will receive, by Saturday, raw materials to continue our production of Hydroxychloroquine so that we can treat patients of COVID-19 as well as of Lupus, Malaria, and Arthritis. I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of India for such timely help to the people of Brazil," he said in an address to his nation.

Coronavirus | Pharma units in limbo amid confusion over hydroxychloroquine exports

The Hindu- Suhasini Haider

Despite the External Affairs Ministry’s nod, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade maintains that the drug is still prohibited for export. A week after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that it would “license” the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and supply it to various countries on a “government to government basis”, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) maintains that the drug is still prohibited for export, causing some confusion in industry circles. “There is huge capacity in our industry for both HCQ and paracetamol production. But our manufacturers, especially the MSMEs and SMEs are confused about the process, given the DGFTs notification banning exports.” Dinesh Dua, Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council of India told The Hindu.

Kolkata doctor helps pregnant woman in distress, names newborn Coronash

Hindustan Times

Sikha Mondal, wife of a car driver, has found a messiah in Kaushik Roy Chowdhury, a doctor at Thakurpukur in the southern fringes of Kolkata. On April 7, when the woman was having labour pain, her husband, Gaurab Mondal ran from pillar to post for a doctor but no one was available. Acting on the advice of some friends, he went to Roy Chowdhury. The doctor immediately arranged for the delivery of the baby at a private nursing home at a minimal cost. However, with no ambulance and taxi available, taking Sikha to the nursing home in Behala became a problem. The doctor offered his own car and Gaurab took the wheels. After Sikha gave birth to a boy on the evening of April 7, Roy Chowdhury named the child ‘Coronash’, which, in Bengali, means one who destroys Corona. He also did not take any professional fee, said Gaurab. “It is hard to come by people like Dr Roy Chowdhury these days. We will never forget what he did for us,” Gaurab told a news channel. “If everybody gets scared and shies away from responsibilities, how will society go forward? I did my duty as a doctor,” Roy Chowdhury said.

Tamil Nadu: Coronavirus patient booked for ‘spitting’ on doctor at govt hospital

The Indian Express- PTI

A 40-year-old COVID-19 positive patient was on Sunday booked for “attempt to murder” after he allegedly spat on a doctor treating him at the government hospital here, police said. It was a serious crime under the present conditions with so many restrictions in force to prevent the spread of coronavirus, they said. The patient, admitted to the hospital’s coronavirus ward on Saturday, also removed his mask and threw it at the doctor, enraging the hospital staff and other patients. Ever since his admission in the ward, he has not been cooperating with the medical staff, they added. Meanwhile, reports from Nagapattinam district stated that a 65-year-old doctor, running a private clinic at Kadambadi in the district has tested positive for the virus after his return from the US three weeks back. The district administration has appealed to the people who received treatment from the doctor to voluntarily come forward and subject themselves to medical examination. People could contact the officials on9751425002 and 9500493022 to pass on information in this connection, it said. Tamil Nadu has reported the third highest number of positive coronavirus cases in the country after Maharashtra and Delhi, with a total of 969 confirmed cases, and 11 deaths so far.