Morning MEDtalks with Dr KK Aggarwal 4^th August 2018

Obesity extends duration of influenza A virus shedding: NIH

Obesity, which increases influenza disease severity, also extends by about 1.5 days how long influenza A virus is shed from infected adults compared to non-obese adults, according to a multi-year study of two cohorts of Nicaraguan households. The findings implicate chronic inflammation caused by obesity as well as increasing age as reasons for extended viral shedding, which puts others at risk of infection.

Around the Nation

1. While the Medical Council of India (MCI), in its latest guidelines, has said people with certain disabilities cannot pursue MBBS, the 71-year-old medical oncologist, Dr Suresh Adwani with 80 per cent locomotor disability, makes a case for allowing disabled students to chase a career in medicine.
2. The Government on Wednesdaydodged another question in the Lok Sabha regarding action taken by it to facilitate the removal of Justice Narayan Shukla of Allahabad High Court, as recommended by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. Justice Shukla was investigated against for granting permission to a private medical college to admit students despite a ban by the Medical Council of India as well as Supreme Court orders against such permission.
3. As per information provided by Medical Council of India, there are a total 10,41,395 allopathic doctors registered with the State Medical Councils/Medical Council of India as on September 2017
4. In an approach to keep the athletes as part of the Indian contingent ahead of the 2018 Asian Games in a ‘optimal physical and psychological’ condition for their respective events, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has demanded a medical screening of each athlete from the National Sports Federations which is set to include a thorough scan of each body part and every organ in the body.
5. The Supreme Court on Mondaygranted relief to doctors Deepa and Sanjeev Pawaskar, who have been booked under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC in a case of medical negligence. The couple moved the apex court once Bombay High Court rejected their anticipatory bail application and Justice SS Jadhav made sharp observations against their professional conduct and held that this was a case of prescription without diagnosis.
6. The Government of India has launched a “Swachh Bharat Summer Internship- 100 hours of Swachhta” program for the students of Universities and Higher Education Institutions. The students are to devote approximately 100 hours conducting Swachhta- related activities in villages selected by them and approved by their parent institution. All the participants of the Internship programme will be given a Swachh Bharat Summer Internship Certificate on completion of their internship and its approval by their parent institution. Apart from these Certificates, the Best interns will be recognised with Shields/cups at college level and cash prizes. Two curriculum credits are to be given by institutions affiliated with UGC to those interns whose internships are certified by the parent institution as eligible for the credits on the basis of higher parameters…. (PIB, Ministry of Human Resource Development, August 2, 2018).

Rat lungworm

Rat lungworm, A. cantonensis, which can get into people’s brains, has infected 12 people including toddlers in the continental U.S. in recent years. It made headlines last month after it infected two people in China who ate raw centipedes, but people living in the U.S. might catch it by eating snails or vegetables out of home gardens.

At least one of the infected children was known to eat dirt, and the children are likely to have accidentally eaten snails or slugs. Some of the affected adults said they had eaten fresh vegetables. In humans or horse or dog or bird it’ll still penetrate the intestine and it’ll enter the circulation and go to the brain and that’s where it stops.

Hon’ble Supreme Court on female genital mutilation: We can’t direct doctors to perform genital mutilation on minor girls

On 31.07.2018, Hon’ble Supreme Court made it clear that it cannot direct doctors to perform the genital mutilation of the minor girls of Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community and questioned “scientific justification”, if any, behind the procedure.

Hon’ble Apex Court Bench headed by Hon’ble CJI Dipak Misra and also comprising Hon’ble Justice AM Khanwilkar and Hon’ble Justice DY Chandrachud, was hearing a PIL challenging the practice, questioned the process stating that there was hardly any rationale behind it as a girl child is forced to undergo it due to non-medical reasons.

Hon’ble Bench stated that, “Do you (Senior Advocate AM Singhvi) wish us to pass an order under Article 142 (which provides extraordinary powers to the Supreme Court to pass any order in the interest of justice) of the Constitution asking doctors to perform this procedure in a hospital? How it can be done?”

Hon’ble Supreme Court Bench asked Senior Advocate Singhvi appearing on behalf of Muslim group which supported the practice, “What is the scientific justification to direct doctors to perform this procedure,”.

Hon’ble Apex Court noted that asking doctors to perform this kind of procedure would also be violative of medical ethics.

Hon’ble Bench’s observations came when the Senior Adovcate submitted that the Court may issue directions to ensure proper safety measures in conducting the procedure.

Senior Advocate Singhvi added that Dawoodi Bohras have been the most progressive and educated among the Muslim communities and the practice is not so grave as has been made out by those opposing it. He said the practice has also been an essential religious practice which was protected under Article 25 (freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion) of Constitution.

Hon’ble Justice Chandrachud asked, “What is your standard operating procedure (SOP). I am thinking about the trauma of a child who would be crying and objecting to it. Somebody has to hold the child down as there is no anaesthesia, no hospital…,”.

To this Senior Advocate replied that same thing happened when a child is vaccinated and moreover, extreme care and caution are taken as the procedure is conducted under the supervision of the mother.

Attorney General KK Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, reiterated Government’s stand that it was opposing the practice and said that this has been banned in many countries like the US, the UK, Australia and around 27 African nations.

He added that, ‘The practice causes irreparable harm to girl children and has many health repercussions and referred to Article 25 to highlight the point that a religious practice can be stopped if it was against “public order, morality and health”.

Hon’ble Supreme Court Bench posted the PIL, filed by Delhi-based lawyer Sunita Tiwari against the practice in the community, for further hearing onAugust 9 and 10.

Source: Latestlaws.com

Hon’ble Supreme Court raps railway authorities on lack of medical facilities states that, “something terribly wrong”

On 31.07.2018, Hon’ble Supreme Court stated that there was something “terribly wrong” with Railways which has failed to provide adequate medical facility in the trains and stations resulting in deaths of passengers in some cases. Even Railways had last week admitted in Lok Sabha that over 1,600 passengers died on board trains in the past three years.

Hon’ble Apex Court Bench comprising of Hon’ble Justice Madan B Lokur and Hon’ble Justice Deepak Gupta stated that, “You (Railways) do not have even the basic first aid facility? You are not telling us about it. If it (medical facility) is not there, then there is something terribly wrong”.

Hon’ble Supreme Court Bench was hearing a matter related to death of a man at the platform of Vijayawada Railway Station after de-boarding a train.

Hon’ble National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (NCDRC), which had heard the case earlier, had observed that he had died due to heart attack.

Hon’ble Apex Court asked Advocate appearing for the Railway Board to file an affidavitwithin two weeks giving details of the medical facilities at Railway Stations.

Bench is hearing an appeal filed by the Railway Board against the February 20 judgement of the NCDRC which had upheld Rs 10 Lakh compensation awarded by a State Consumer Commission to the widow of the deceased.

Hon’ble SC Bench while referring to facts of the case, the bench wondered, “A person had collapsed at the railway station. He was lying there for hours and no one gave him medical help.” The counsel appearing for the Railways said he would file an affidavit giving details of medical facilities provided at the stations.

In its order, the NCDRC had noted that the man was travelling from Secunderabad to Vijayawada in the Golconda Express and had de-boarded the train at about 8 pm. The commission had noted that he had died at one of the platforms of Vijayawada railway station and his body was noticed after around four hours.

Hon’ble State Commission, in April, 2017 had allowed her appeal and directed Railways to pay a Compensation of Rs 10 lakh. Railways had then moved the NCDRC challenging the order of the State Commission.

In its order, Hon’ble NCDRC observed that it was possible that life of person could have been saved if immediate medical aid was provided to him (Source: Latestlaws.com).

Video to watch: CT or MRI

https://www.facebook.com/drkkaggarwal/videos/1905678159453478/

Dr KK Aggarwal

Padma Shri Awardee

President HCFI

Vice President CMAAO