DMC, HCFI & IMA send appeal to the Health Ministry to ban the sale of all tobacco products in Delhi on World No Tobacco Day on May 31st

DMC, HCFI & IMA send appeal to the Health Ministry to ban the sale of all tobacco products in Delhi on World No Tobacco Day on May 31st - Recommend the implementation of a dry tobacco day similar to dry liquor days observed across the country on Gandhi Jayanti, Republic Day etc. New Delhi, May 28, 2016: The Delhi Medical Council (DMC), Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) & Indian Medical Association (IMA) have jointly sent an appeal to Honorable Health Minister of Delhi, Shri Satyendar Jain requesting him to declare May 31st as a dry tobacco day in the city. They have recommended a complete ban on the sale of all tobacco products including cigarettes, gutka, hookah and e-cigarettes for a period of 24 hours. World No Tobacco Day is observed across the globe on May 31st every year. It is aimed at encouraging people to abstain from consuming tobacco for 24 hours and raising awareness about the hazardous effects of tobacco consumption on a person’s health and well-being. Tobacco use is responsible for nearly 6 million deaths each year worldwide, 600,000 of which are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. “Several days of relevance including Gandhi Jayanti on 2nd October are observed as dry days in India with a complete ban on the sale of liquor for 24 hours. Then why not observe May 31st as a dry tobacco day. The increasing consumption of tobacco products by a younger population in Delhi and subsequent rise in the cases of cancer, heart disease, and respiratory ailments are a point of concern for the medical fraternity. The average age of initiation of tobacco use in India is 19 years and three months. The need of the hour is to raise mass level awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco consumption and take necessary steps to curb its use,” said Dr Arun Gupta – President DMC and Padma Shri Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal – President HCFI and Honorary Secretary General IMA. “We hope to see Delhi as the first city in the World to implement a complete ban on the sale of all tobacco products on World No Tobacco Day and to set an example for other states and countries” they added. According to the recently released Global Adult Tobacco Survey, about 35 per cent of the adults in India consume tobacco in some form or the other. The estimated number of tobacco users in India is 27.5 crore, with 16.37 crore users of smokeless tobacco, 6.9 crore only smokers and 4.23 crore users of both smoking and smokeless tobacco. A copy of the letter has also been marked to Sh Arvind Kejriwal Chief Minister Government of Delhi.

New treatment for heart failure: ACE inhibitors no more the drug of choice

New treatment for heart failure: ACE inhibitors no more the drug of choice Valsartan/sacubitril now Class I recommendation for heart failure The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure have now been published in the European Heart Journal and the European Journal of Heart Failure in conjunction with their presentation at the Heart Failure 2016 and the Third World Congress on Acute Heart Failure in Florence, Italy. The 2016 ACC/AHA/HFSA Focused Update on New Pharmacological Therapy for Heart Failure has been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Circulation and the Journal of Cardiac Failure. The two guidelines are broadly similar in their recommendations regarding Valsartan/sacubitril and another new heart failure drug, ivabradine. The guidelines for Valsartan/sacubitril incorporate the major findings of the pivotal PARADIGM-HF trial. The US guideline states that an ARNI (angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor) should replace an ACE inhibitor or an ARB "when stable patients with mild-to-moderate heart failure on these therapies have an adequate blood pressure and are otherwise tolerating standard therapies well." The guideline warns that Valsartan/sacubitril should not be used in addition to an ACE inhibitor or in patients with a history of angioedema. The Valsartan/sacubitril drug should replace ACEIs in patients who fit the PARADIGM-HF criteria. The Valsartan/sacubitril gained a class 1 recommendation. Ivabradine gained a class IIa recommendation to reduce heart failure hospitalization for patients with symptomatic heart failure who are already received recommended treatments, "including a beta blocker at maximum tolerated dose, and who are in sinus rhythm with a heart rate of 70 bpm or greater at rest.

IMA & HCFI stress on the need for a more vigerous and collaborative effort to reduce tobacco consumption in the country

IMA & HCFI stress on the need for a more vigerous and collaborative effort to reduce tobacco consumption in the country

Highlight the dangers of cigarettes, gutka, e-cigarette and hookah at a press conference held in Delhi on occasion of the upcoming World No Tobacco Day

New Delhi 26 May, 2016:  According to the recently released Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS-India 2010), about 35 per cent of the adults in India consume tobacco in some form or the other. The estimated number of tobacco users in India is 27.5 crore, with 16.37 crore users of smokeless tobacco, 6.9 crore only smokers and 4.23 crore users of both smoking and smokeless tobacco.

In light of these increasing numbers and the need to raise awareness about the health consequences of tobacco consumption, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) today hosted a joint press conference at the Russian Cultural Centre in New Delhi.

Addressing the press, Dr SS Agarwal, National President IMA & Padma Shri Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal, President HCFI and Honorary Secretary General IMA said, “ An ICMR study has recently revealed that cancer of the mouth has emerged as the most common among men, followed by lung cancer. Both these are directly linked to tobacco consumption in a direct or indirect form. The number of women smokers is also on the rise, which has a hazardous effect on not only their own health but also of their future offspring. Tobacco consumption is also a leading cause of impotency, early ageing, and heart disease. It is crucial that a more active effort is made by private and public organizations together to curb the increasing consumption of tobacco in our country”.

“With an increasing number of stresses being by today’s generation, resorting to cigarette smoking seems like the easy way out. However, people must be made to realize that they are signing up for life-long health complications, high hospital bills and unhappiness. Awareness also needs to be raised about the dangers of hookah and e-cigarette consumption, which are seen as good alternatives. The Heart Care Foundation of India and Indian Medical Association will be rolling out several public sensitization activities in the course of the next one year, “added Dr. KK Aggarwal.

           

Both IMA & HCFI have welcomed the government’s move demanding 85% pictorial warning on tobacco products and are also advocating for a ban on hookah and e-cigarettes in the country.

Together, they will also be training all General Practitioners in tobacco cessation so that tobacco quit facilities are available to those who want to quit.  IMA has already advised their 2.5 lakh members to ask every patient at every visit whether he or she smokes and if yes, offer help for quitting.  

IMA has also sent communication to all its 1700 branches and 2.5 lakh members not to allow smoking in their organizational meetings and their clinics and hospitals should be strictly no smoking zones. No doctor shall smoke in public place and in public view.

The following points were released at the conference:

• Beedi and hookah smoking is in fact more dangerous than cigarette smoking.
• Secondhand smoke is equally dangerous to health as tobacco smoking.
• Quitting means three years of not consuming tobacco
• Electronic cigarettes are not safe option to quit smoking. 
• Putting nicotine water over herbal products and selling them for a kick, needs to be banned.
• There should be complete ban of smoking in films. The caption below the scene that smoking is injurious to health does not stop people emulating the smoking character depicted in the film.  There is enough data available to prove the point.

A demand for banning of oral tobacco products all over the country was also made. IMA & HCFI feel that a selective ban in a few States only encourages the illicit trade of tobacco products from non ban states to ban states.

IMA welcomes Prime Minister Modi’s announcement of raising retirement age of doctors to 65

IMA welcomes Prime Minister Modi’s announcement of raising retirement age of doctors to 65

Dr KK Aggarwal Addressing a rally in Saharanpur on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the retirement age for central and state government doctors will be increased to 65 years. IMA welcomes this announcement. It was the need of the hour and will help reduce shortage of doctors in the country, especially in the rural areas. The retirement age has already been increased to 70 years in medical colleges. The Prime Minister also appealed to doctors to give one day each month (the 9th day) and treat pregnant women from economically backward classes for free. We also appeal to all our fellow members to provide free consultation to pregnant women from economically weaker sections of the society, across the country on the 9th of every month.

Rising noise pollution emerging as a major public health problem

Rising noise pollution emerging as a major public health problem IMA & HCFI to host a webcast on ways in which the health implications of noise pollution can be reduced between 3-4 pm tomorrow Anyone can log on to www.ima-india.org/imalive or www.heartcarefoundation.org to watch the webcast. To get one’s questions answered live, they can call on 9811090206 New Delhi, May 25, 2016: Air pollution and its harmful effects on health have been in the news recently. But another environmental issue that also needs equal, if not more, attention is noise pollution, which has adverse health and social effects, both directly and indirectly. The rising noise levels have become a major public health problem. In our endevour to raise awareness about the health implications of noise pollution amongst the masses, as well as to educate the doctors on necessary ways in which they can counsel their patients, HCFI and IMA will jointly host a webcast between 3-4 pm. The first 30 minutes of the webcast will be aimed at educating doctors and the second half patients. Anyone can watch the webcast by logging on to our websites www.ima-india.org/imalive or www.heartcarefoundation.org. The faculty for the webcast will be Dr AK Agarwal, Former President Delhi Medical Council” said Dr KK Aggarwal, Hony Secretary General, IMA and President Heart Care Foundation of India. Traffic is the major source of noise pollution. Poor urban planning, social events (loudspeakers), construction activities, gadgets like TV, mobiles, earphones, household appliances are other contributors to noise pollution. Long-term exposure to noise may cause hearing problems. Noise-induced hearing loss is the most common and obvious outcome of noise pollution. It is also an important occupational health concern due to high workplace noise levels. However, noise pollution has also been associated with other health problems such as stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, increases heart rate, heart disease. It may manifest as disturbed sleep/ insomnia, headache, fatigue, loss of concentration and decreased work efficiency. Noise pollution also causes irritability, which may at times trigger road rage. Some facts on noise levels Continuous exposure to sounds above 85 db can cause progressive hearing loss. Anyone exposed to sounds above 85 db of noise requires hearing protection. The special limit for people who are exposed to noise above 90 db is 8 hours; for 95 db is 4 hours and 2 hours for 100 db. A short blast of loud sound also can cause severe to profound sensory neural hearing loss and pain. This usually involves exposure to noise above 120-155 db. Hearing protection in the form of muffins or ear plugs is highly recommended anytime a person is exposed to loud noise.

WMA expresses concern about current yellow fever epidemic

WMA expresses concern about current yellow fever epidemic

The World Medical Association (WMA) has expressed concern about the possible spread of yellow fever epidemic, including a shortage of the yellow fever vaccine.

Angola, in Africa, is currently in the midst of a yellow fever outbreak since December 2015, reported to be the worst in three decades. It has infected more than 2,000 people, with cases also reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and China. The yellow fever virus is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also transmits the Zika virus, dengue and chikungunya. Symptoms of yellow fever infection range from a self-limiting febrile illness to severe liver disease and organ failure.

On 19^th May, the WHO had convened an Emergency Committee (EC) in view of the outbreak of yellow fever in Angola in Africa, where it was decided that the urban yellow fever outbreaks in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are a serious public health event, which warrants intensified national action and enhanced international support. 

While welcoming this statement from WHO, Sir Michael Marmot President World Medical Association also sounded a note of caution saying that this was not the time to relax. He said, “We simply cannot afford another failure to co-ordinate a quick and effective response to a global epidemic. We live in a world where infected travelers can so easily turn a serious outbreak into a devastating epidemic’.”

In the absence of an effective treatment, the yellow fever vaccine is the only answer. The purpose of the vaccine is two-folds, one to prevent the international spread of the disease by protecting countries from the risk of importing or spreading the virus and the other to protect the individual traveler. The global supply of yellow fever vaccine is around 5-7 million doses, with annual capacity of about 80 million doses.

Sir Michael concluded: “We must be ready to respond rapidly if the current outbreaks spread to heavily populated areas. This means ensuring that the global stockpile of vaccine is sufficient to meet any sudden emergency requirements. It is encouraging that the WHO has held an emergency meeting to consider its response, looking at the rapid review of vaccine sparing strategies to extend vaccine supplies and we hope that this will lead to greater surveillance and encouraging mass immunization where necessary.”

Common Summer Illness in Children

Common Summer Illness in Children New Delhi, May 24, 2016: With the temperatures rising about 40 degrees Celsius, children are most likely to get affected with common summer illnesses like sore throat, cold, fever etc. However, if the right precautions are taken, most of these illnesses can be prevented. During the summer months, children are typically off from school and have a lot of free time on their hands. With their parents working, their health is often ignored. It is important that children drink adequate glasses of water during the heat, not step out when the temperature is at its peak and get enough rest. Speaking about ways in which summer illnesses can be prevented in children, Padma Shri Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal – Honorary Secretary General IMA & President HCFI said, “Taking necessary precautions to keep your child healthy and safe during the summer months is crucial. It is important to ensure that they get the necessary intake of fluids and nutrients. Extra care must also be taken to prevent dehydration, heat exhaustion and heart strokes.” Here are some of the common summer illnesses that can be observed in children. Sunstrokes – are common during the summer months and happen because of the body’s inability to cool itself. It is extremely important to drink plenty of water to avoid sunstrokes. People suffering from heat strokes’ often have high fever and have exhaustion spells. Boils- The body heat most often erupts in the form of boils on different parts of the body. Take proper and professional advice in this case. Allergy –dust and heat allergies are common during the summer months Water Borne Diseases like cholera, typhoid, jaundice and diarrhoea are commonly seen especially among those who are used to eating outdoors. This is because food left in the open gets spoilt easily in the summer months. Also with the increased demand of water during the summer, the authorities are often forced to deliver water which contains excess impurities often causing illnesses amongst the users. Food Borne Diseases - Bacteria thrive in warm, and moist environment and so food poisoning and occurrence of diseases due to food infection is more during summer days. Mosquito-Borne Diseases - Accumulation of water here and there generates the number of mosquitoes and hence dengue, malaria and other diseases caused by mosquito bite are commonly seen. Tips for Preventing Summer Illnesses in Children • Avoid giving cut fruits and food items from roadside vendors to your children. • Also avoid cooking spicy and fried food items since they are heavy on ones stomach. Instead healthy and light food items including fresh fruits, green vegetables and fresh fruit juices should be consumed. • Encourage your children to increase their intake of water even when they are not thirsty to avoid dehydration • Give children lemon juice, coconut water and other natural fluids to help in hydrating from within • Make your child wear light weighted and loose fitting clothes preferably made of natural fibres. • Exercise with your kids early in the morning or late evening to avoid over exhaustion.