On Monday, a nine-year-old boy and a girl were killed as Pakistani troops targeted villages in the border areas along the Line of Control (LOC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. 5 civilians were also injured. 

PTI reported that the deceased has been identified as Israr Ahmed (9) of Kerni. The injured include Reshma Bi, 55, and her son Mohammad Rafiq, 31, both residents of Kerni. Pakistani troops resorted to mortar shells and firing small and automatic weapons in the forward posts of Poonch. Indian Military retaliated very strongly and gave a befitting reply to the Pakistani troops. 

According to The Indian Express, apart from firing at forward Indian positions along the LoC, the Pakistani troops were also targeting civilian areas in Degwar, Shahpur, Kerni and Qasba. The casualties occurred as some of the shells fell in Kerni village.

On September 27, Pakistani troops had resorted to mortar shelling on civilian areas in Balakote and Manjakote sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts, respectively, injuring two civilians including a 50-year-old woman.

The exchange of fire in the border areas forces the residents to shift to the safer places. Last month, a BSF jawan and a woman were been killed by the mortars of the Pakistani army.

Defence experts are opined that this ceasefire violation is a possible attempt to help the infiltrators to get inside the Indian territory. A week ago Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat had said, “We will bury them (the infiltrators) 2 feet below the ground if they try to cross the borders.”

According to reports, under the new law, women can legally obtain a driving licence without asking a male guardian for permission in Saudi Arabia

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the decision by Saudi Arabia to allow women to drive cars in the country.

In a tweet, the UN chief noted that ending the restrictions represents an “important step in the right direction.”

Also welcoming the announcement, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) “expressed hope that the move would “start the journey” to substantive equality for women and girls in the country, with more access to public spaces and life, increased participation in the job market and a life free of violence in all spheres.

“Women being able to apply for a driver’s licence in Saudi Arabia, and subsequently drive, is a long-awaited milestone in the [country], that puts them at par with their male counterparts in this one area of public life and gives them a right to a life-saving skill that they should never have been denied,” said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the Executive Director UN Women, in a statement today.

“The ability to move independently within their country is a vital step to the other freedoms that are their right as economic, political and social actors, and that bring benefits to all of society,” she added.

India has registered a significant decline in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), according to the latest Sample Registration Survey (SRS) bulletin.

The IMR in the country has declined by three points–8% decline– from 37 per 1,000 live births in 2015 to 34 per 1000 live births in 2016, compared to two points decline last year.

India also recorded a major drop in birth cohort, which has for the first time, come down to below 25 million. Also, there were 90,000 fewer infant deaths in 2016 as compared to 2015. The total number of estimated infant deaths have come down from 9,30,000 (9.3 lakh) in 2015 to 8,40,000 (8.4 lakh) in 2016.

According to the SRS Bulletin, the gender gap in India for child survival is reducing steadily. The gender difference between female and male IMR has now reduced to less than10%, giving a major boost to the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ scheme of the Government.

The results signify that the strategic approach of the Ministry has started yielding dividends and the efforts of focusing on low performing States is paying off. Among the EAG States and Assam, all States except Uttarakhand have reported decline in IMR in comparison to 2015. The decline is reported as 4 points in Bihar, 3 points in Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand and two points decline in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Rajasthan.

These remarkable achievements in merely one year is also the result of a countrywide efforts to increase the health service coverage through various initiatives of the Government that includes strengthening of service delivery; quality assurance; RMNCH+A; human resources, community processes; information and knowledge; drugs and diagnostics, and supply chain management, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Results from Phase 3 efficacy study of rotavirus vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India have shown the vaccine to be safe, well tolerated, and to provide significant efficacy against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis. The results of the vaccine BRV-PV (known as ROTASIIL) were published in the journal Vaccine. 

In 2013, India accounted for 22 percent of global rotavirus deaths. In terms of numbers, this was an estimated 47,100 rotavirus deaths occurred in India. 

ROTASIIL reduced severe rotavirus diarrhea by more than a third – 39.5 percent over two years.  

Significantly, the vaccine efficacy was nearly 55 percent against the most severe and potentially life-threatening cases of rotavirus diarrhea, which represent the highest risk of dehydration,  hospitalizations, and deaths. 

The results demonstrated by ROTASIIL in India appear generally comparable to the performance of RotaTeq and Rotarix in Bangladesh and in some African countries.  

Dr. Rajeev Dhere, executive director of the Serum Institute, who led the team that developed the vaccine, said: “We are delighted with these results, which indicate that ROTASIIL could save the lives of tens of thousands of children each year in India and, potentially, around the world.”    

The international nonprofit PATH partnered with Serum Institute on evaluating this vaccine in the Phase 3 efficacy study. Six study sites across India enrolled 7,500 infants in the trial. ROTASIIL is an oral vaccine administered to infants in a three-dose course at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age, at the same time as routine vaccinations under India’s Universal Immunization Programme.  

The office of the Drugs Controller General of India, through its subject expert committee, reviewed the Phase 3 safety and efficacy results and subsequently inspected Serum Institute’s manufacturing facilities leading to licensure of ROTASIIL in January 2017.   

The Government has placed an order for 3.8 million doses of ROTASIIL to use in the Universal Immunization Programme, which serves 26 million children. Serum Institute has manufactured the vaccine doses and is awaiting instructions from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for their distribution. ROTASIIL will also be available for sale in India’s private market later this year.   

Serum Institute is pursuing World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification to make this vaccine available for global procurement. PATH and Serum Institute partnered to conduct a separate Phase 3 study in India to gather additional data required for WHO prequalification; results from that study will be submitted for publication this year.      

Médecins Sans Frontières and Epicentre are also evaluating the efficacy and safety of ROTASIIL in a separate Phase 3study in Niger. That study is still ongoing, but results from the primary analysis (one year of data) also showed the vaccine to be highly efficacious for the prevention of severe rotavirus diarrhea and to have an excellent safety profile. The efficacy of the vaccine against severe and very severe rotavirus diarrhea in the Niger study was 66.7 percent and 78.8 percent, respectively. These results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2017, a statement issued by PATH said. 

The ROTASIIL used in the Niger study was stored at less than 25°C and transported for vaccination at ambient temperature, thus bypassing the typically challenging and costly cold chain requirements that apply to most other vaccines.The ROTASIIL used in the India study was from the same lots of vaccine used in the Niger study.   at ambient temperature, thus bypassing the typically challenging and costly cold chain requirements that apply to most other vaccines.The ROTASIIL used in the India study was from the same lots of vaccine used in the Niger study.  

Rotavirus is the most common and deadly cause of severe diarrhea with dehydration in infants and young children. Every child everywhere in the world is at risk of infection. However, in places where access to urgent medical care is limited, severe diarrhea and vomiting caused by rotavirus can lead to lethal dehydration.   

Worldwide, more than half a million children under the age of five years die each year due to diarrhea. In 2013, an estimated 215,000 of these deaths were due to rotavirus, with more than90 percent occurring in developing countries. In 2013, an estimated 47,100 rotavirus deaths occurred in India, 22 percent of all rotavirus deaths that occurred globally.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund India statistics from 2011, about half of all children in India experienced an episode of rotavirus (for a total of more than 11 million episodes). 

In addition, 1 in every 31 children was hospitalized due to rotavirus (for a total of more than 872,000 hospitalizations).The first year of life is the period of highest risk for death due to rotavirus infection among children in India. 

The Global Enterics Multi-Center Study (GEMS) looked at acute diarrhea in children 0 to59 months of age. It was conducted at seven sites in Africa and Asia, including the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases in Kolkata, India. Results from GEMS showed that rotavirus was responsible for the highest number of cases of diarrhea at the India study site for children up to 23 months of age.   and Enteric Diseases in Kolkata, India. Results from GEMS showed that rotavirus was responsible for the highest number of cases of diarrhea at the India study site for children up to 23 months of age.  

For children ages 24 to 59 months, rotavirus remained responsible for more than 13 percent of cases of diarrhea at the India site. In January 2016, the Indian Government began a phased introduction of rotavirus vaccine into the publicly funded Universal Immunization Programme.   

As per various study and survey conducted in the last few years, the most common risk factor for Coronary Heart Diseases is Hypertension. The prevalence of risk factors in 100 Men suffering from Cardiac Diseases is 25.9%; whereas 24.8% women in 100 also find Hypertension as the risk factor. The second most common risk factor in smoking at 22.8% among Men but for women Hypertension is the foremost cause of Cardiac Diseases. These figures are based on the data published by registrar general of India. Increased stress leads to Hypertension; each stressful situation faced by an individual makes them physiologically older than their chronological age. This leads to Coronary Heart Diseases at a younger age.

The current sedentary lifestyle combined with stress has led to an increase in the number of youngsters with coronary heart diseases. “There are two types of stress, Acute and Chronic stress. Chronic stress leads to hormonal changes, Hypertension, diabetes and heart diseases. If those in their 30’s are under stress for a longer period, are leading a sedentary lifestyle, then can lead to coronary artery diseases at a later stage. Multiple factors collectively cause heart problems. Normal stress experienced during driving, commuting or handling daily activities are manageable. However, acute stress experienced among elderly can cause heart attack while youngsters are capable to handle such situations. If those with pre-existing heart ailment face any stressful situations, mentally or physically, can precipitate heart problems,” said Dr Bipeenchandra Bhamre, Cardio-Thoracic Surgeon.

“Heart diseases are usually considered as Men’s illness; however, women lead an equally stressful life and tend to ignore their health. Heart attacks are now the number one cause of death among women as well. Men between 40 to 60 years of age are 1.5 times more prone to heart attacks than a woman of the same age. A spike in heart attacks among post-menopausal women is noticed as the estrogen levels decrease in the body in this age. Estrogen works as a protection from coronary heart disease,” added Dr Bhamre.

Dr Pradeep Gadge, Diabetologist, says,”A rise in the number of youngsters with heart attacks are seen, however, there are not many risk factors like Hypertension or Diabetes but they still face heart attacks. The main cause for this is mental stress and inadequate sleep, this is a common phenomenon among youngsters in their early twenties. I recently had a 23 years old patient who did not have any medical history or hereditary health issues but underwent a Bypass surgery. This was due to his erratic lifestyle and mental stress, it was after the surgery that he got Diabetes. There are a few other similar cases that highlight the rise in youngsters facing heart problems due to increased stress.

Dr. Rahul Gupta, Apollo Hospitals, says “Stress increases the adrenergic drive and causes sympathetic overactivity. This causes endothelial dysfunction constricts the arteries raises the blood pressure and heart rate and multiple other deleterious  effects which increases the chances of block formation inside coronary arteries. It also increase the chances of plaque rupture which is the reason for heart attacks in apparently normal looking individuals. 

There are many studies which have shown that stress is an important risk factor for many lifestyle diseases and controlling stress with measures like yoga meditation exercise and proper sleep significantly reduces the chances of heart disease.Youth in our country are living in a highly competitive world and are under constant pressure of performance. They neglect their health badly by overworking, lack of sleep no exercise and improper eating habits. We are seeing lot of young patients with high BP, diabetes and heart disease these days and stress seems to be the number one risk factors. I suggest the youth of our country to take measures which will reduce stress.”

The prevalence of stunting among urban children below 5 years children is highest in Uttar Pradesh with close to 41% followed by Maharashtra at 36.4%, New Delhi at 35.7% and West Bengal (34.4%). Stunting is lowest in Puducherry at 11.6%.

This data has been released by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), country’s premier nutrition research institute, under the aegis of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in its report “Diet and Nutritional Status of Urban Population in India and Prevalence of Obesity, Hypertension, Diabetes and Hyperlipidaemia in Urban Men and Women.”

The prevalence of under nutrition (thinness) was significantly higher in 5-13 year- olds and 14-17 year old boys as compared to girls of the same age group.

The prevalence of hypertension among urban men and women was found to be 31% and 26%, respectively. It was maximum in Kerala (31 to 39%) and lowest in Bihar (16% to 22%).

The average intake of cereals and millets was 320g/CU/day, while the intake of pulses and legumes was 42g/CU/day, which is on par with the levels suggested by ICMR. The intake of green leafy vegetables (GLV), milk & milk products and sugar & jaggery were lower than the suggested level of ICMR. The intake of all nutrients was also lower. Only half of the population who fall in the age bracket of 1-3-years (56%), two thirds (68%) of the population of 4-6-year old children and half of the population of pregnant women (56%) were consuming adequate amounts of both protein and calories.

Even though the prevalence among the population of underweight (25%), stunting (29%) and wasting (16%) for children who are under five year old was lower than the rural and tribal children, these figures are still very high when compared to those from developed countries.

The prevalence of stunting was highest in the States of Uttar Pradesh (40.8%), followed by Maharashtra (36.4%), New Delhi (35.7%) and West Bengal (34.4%) and lowest in Pudhucherry (11.6%). There was no gender differentials observed in the nutritional status of under five year old children.

However, the prevalence of undernutrition (thinness) was significantly higher in 6-11 year old and 12-17 year old boys as compared to girls of the same age group. It was observed that even in urban communities, the infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices were not encouraging. The simple practice of initiation of breast feeding within the first hour of delivery was only 42% and one fourth of mothers fed pre-lacteal feeds like honey, glucose/sugar water, and goats milk immediately after birth.

The factors contributing for high undernutrition amongst the under five year old children could be due to low literacy status and since they hail from SC/ST community, low per capita income and also since their households lack a sanitised toilet facility.

The prevalence of hypertension was high among urban men and women and was found to be 31% and 26%, respectively. It was maximum in Kerala (31 to 39%) and lowest in Bihar (16% to 22%).

The prevalence of tobacco smoking among men was 16%, while alcohol consumption was estimated to be 30% for men.

The prevalence of diabetes (fasting blood sugar =126mg/dL) among men and women was 22% and 19%, respectively. It was significantly associated with overweight and obesity, physical inactivity, hyperlipidaemia. It was also significantly associated with high per cent body fat, and those who indulged in risk behaviours like abnormal consumption of tobacco and alcohol.

This report is based on comprehensive urban nutrition survey that was carried out by National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB), during the year 2015-16, with an objective to assess ‘diet and nutritional status of urban population and the prevalence of obesity, hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidaemia among representative urban population from 16 states of India.

Pawan Agarwal, Chief Executive Officer, Food Safety & Standards Authority of India, said, “NIN has been providing the much needed inputs to FSSAI regularly on the basis of their scientific studies. These inputs in the realms of food composition, recommend dietary allowances and dietary guidelines have helped immensely in the formulation of effective strategies to promote food safety and to streamline the regulatory mechanisms in the country.”

Several studies carried out in the developing countries, including India, have been reporting the double burden of disease, i.e. prevalence of both under nutrition and over nutrition among its urban population. Also reported is an increase in the diet related chronic Non-Communicable diseases (NCDs) like overweight and obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, other cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and cancers.

Major causes for the increase in incidences of NCDs are generally attributed to nutrition transition that is a change in the food habits, sedentary behaviour and unhealthy lifestyles and other high risk behaviours. About 2.6 million Indians are predicted to die of coronary heart disease (CHD), which constitute a whopping 54.1% of all CVD deaths in India by 2020. In addition, CHD in Indians has been shown to occur prematurely, that is, at least a decade or two earlier as compared to those reported from developed countries. Hypertension is an important risk factor for CVD alongside overweight and obesity and is a major public health concern in developing countries around the world.

This study was conducted by NIN scientific teams and various ICMR and non-ICMR institutes who also participated and carried out the first of its kind investigation, in a very large sample population during the year 2015-16.

A total of 1.72 lakh subjects from 52,577 households (HHs) from more than 1000 wards and belonging to 16 states in India were covered for their socio-demographic status, anthropometry and clinical examination for nutritional deficiency signs. Food and nutrient information was collected through 24 hour dietary recall method from 44,883 individuals. A total of 5,642 mothers who have children of <36 months were interviewed for information on antenatal care, infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices as well as of their coverage for immunization, iron & folic acid tablets and massive dose of vitamin A supplementation. The blood pressure measurements was carried out in 39,415 men and 54,436 women who were =18 years of age, while a total of 18,130 men and 22,672 women were covered for fasting blood glucose estimation, and the lipid profile of 18,392 men and 22,989 women were estimated for this study.

The National Institute of Nutrition was founded by Sir Robert McCarrison in the year 1918 as ‘Beri-Beri’ Enquiry Unit, housed in a single room laboratory at the Pasteur Institute, Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.  Within a short span of seven years, this unit flourished into a “Deficiency Disease Enquiry” office, and later in 1928, emerged as full-fledged “Nutrition Research Laboratories” (NRL) with Dr. McCarrison as its first Director. It was later shifted to Hyderabad in the year1958.

NEW DELHI : Union Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal today announced various decisions taken by Ministry of Railways for Transformation of Indian Railways. 

Piyush Goyal said, “Railways is committed to ensuring high standards of safety, speed and service for Indian consumers and also ensuring contribution to national development. In the past one month, Indian Railways has taken significant transformative steps to ensure this goal.”

Several decisions announced by the Minister of Railways are as under

Highest priority to passenger safety

• Overriding and perceptible priority to safety
• Priority to track renewal over new lines/gauge conversion/ in allotment of rails
• Tremendous stress on field inspections by officers
• Overriding priority for granting maintenance blocks
• Eliminating remaining 5,000 unmanned level crossings in a time-bound manner
• Shift to LHB coaches from ICF coaches by next year
• Provision of CCTV cameras in coaches and stations for enhanced security especially benefitting women and senior citizens
• Ramping up electronic interlocking of signals in place of manual interlocking
• Revamping the existing signalling system – use of TPWS (Train Protection & Warning System)and MTRC (Mobile Train Radio Communication). Also considering modern signalling systems for suburban and long distance trains
• Using technology like ultra sonic frequency detection, cameras for detecting defects etc.
• All RPF staff and TTEs to be in proper uniform while on duty to bring in transparency
• RPF staff will not check tickets, which is the function of TTEs. They shall however assist ticket checking squads.

Transforming through technology

• Stress on extensive use of mobile apps for monitoring and passenger services
• All stations and trains to have high speed wi-fi connectivity
• Proposed to increase speed of around 700 trains with effect from 1st November 2017. 48 trains are being converted from Mail express to the Superfast category
• Expediting the project for GPS based real time monitoring of train movement
• Expediting satellite based mapping of all Railway assets through ISRO

Energy efficiency

• Completion of electrification by the next 4-5 years. This will lead to savings in energy costs of over Rs. 10,000 cr while reducing pollution and dependence on imported diesel
• 100% LED lighting and energy efficient appliances like fans, ACs etc. to be introduced in in trains, stations, office buildings and residential colonies in a time bound manner

Faster Redevelopment of stations

• About 20 stations will be modernised in an expedited manner with superior infrastructure and passenger facilities including hotels, eateries, shopping, disabled friendly, multimodal transport hub, security etc. by December 2018
• Identifying additional stations and trying to create a self-financing business model like reassessing tenure of contract, access control and freedom to sublease etc.

Railway Stations as Multi-utility centres

• Many stations that receive very few trains in a day are proposed to be used as Multi-utility centres for activities like yoga centres, skilling, educational purposes etc.

Upgrading health and education facilities

• Schools and hospitals operated by Indian Railways will be improved with infrastructure facilities, which will benefit not only railway employees but also other people

Human resources

• Tremendous stress is being laid on welfare of human resources
• Grievance Redressal Camps are being organised regularly. Grievance Redressal Cells are being set up in every Zonal/divisional headquarters for hearing employee complaints
• Extensive delegation of powers is being done
• Process reforms to improve the efficiency of the system is being taken up in an aggressive manner
• Reduction in number of organisational layers is being analysed
• Posting of brilliant and enthusiastic officers as Station Directors at 75 A1 Class Stations to bring dynamism in operations
• Posting additional ADRMs to strengthen divisional work by reallocation from headquarters

Focus on welfare of field staff

• Improving overall working conditions of Group D category staff. For example, gang-men, who are responsible to ensuring track safety, and who have to walk around 15-16 kms on an average in a particular day will be provided with comfortable uniforms and better quality shoes. Their living quarters (Gang huts) too will be improved
• Running rooms of loco drivers are being air conditioned

Enhancing Railway Revenue through monetisation of assets

• Monetisation of railway assets will improve finances and the operating ratio, freeing up resources for critical railway projects. This will be done by making land monetisation attractive by changing various rules and regulations

“These improvements will help the lifeline of our nation to flourish as well as contribute more to our economic and social development. The transformation of the Indian Railways is well under way to ensure it is not just the compulsion of the people but the choice of the people ” he added

MUMBAI : NASSCOM Foundation, in partnership with Mphasis has announced the launch of the tenth edition of the NASSCOM Social Innovation Forum (NSIF). The program instituted since 2008, identifies, honours and supports, innovative Information and Communications Technology (ICT) based projects, products and solutions that have the potential to address critical gaps in key developmental areas and contribute to inclusive growth. 

NSIF is inviting entries from a diverse range of social innovators across NGOs, Social Enterprises and Social Start-ups.

Mphasis, NSIF will award catalytic grants of INR 10 Lakhs each to the strongest tech innovations that are creating radical social impact in areas of Financial Inclusion, Healthcare, Environment, Education and Accessibility.

The projects will also be provided with a 12-month Support to Scale Mentoring by experts in the industry as well as access to NASSCOM Foundation’s network of tech for good leaders in the country.

Srikanth Karra from Mphasis said “In the last 3 years of Mphasis support to NSIF, the program has scaled significant heights not only in terms of geography and number of applicants, but also in terms of high quality innovations being recognised, receiving follow-on funding and catalysing bigger social impacts.“ 

Shrikant Sinha, CEO, NASSCOM said, “With active engagement with over 2000 innovators across sectors/verticals, from 25 states in the country, the NASSCOM Social Innovation Forum has become one of the strongest ecosystems encouraging tech-aided development in the country. As the NASSCOM Social Innovation Forum enters its 10th year, our goal is to become a driving force for technology for good and add momentum to the change-inspiring work of social innovators around the country.”

Applications for NSIF are open from 21 September – 31 October, 2017.

Once the applications are received, they will undergo a carefully designed 3 stage, shortlisting process with jury members consisting of the leaders from across industries. The winners will be announced and felicitated at the NASSCOM India Leadership Forum.

Diagnosis of dengue in tribal and remote rural areas remains a challenge unlike cities where hospitals and laboratories have necessary equipment and trained manpower.  

Over the years rapid diagnostic tests have been developed to address this challenge, but it was not known how good they were.  Now a team of researchers at ICMR-National Institute for Research in Tribal Health in Jabalpur has sought to address this concern. It has tested one commercially available kit and found that it was effective. It was found to have sensitivity and specificity of about 90 per cent.

The rapid diagnostic kit used in the study detects dengue virus-specific protein NS1 in a patient’s blood but is currently not recommended for testing dengue because other tests are more sensitive.

Researchers studied 249 individuals living in tribal locations who were suspected to be suffering from dengue and took their blood samples. The same sample was loaded onto the rapid diagnostic test and simultaneously sent to a remote laboratory so that the results can be compared with those of the gold standard tests- ELISA and qRT-PCR. 

“This rapid detection test can be used for preliminary diagnosis especially during outbreaks in far reach areas as early diagnosis can save lives. It may not be 100 per cent sensitive and as good as ELISA and qRT-PCR but it offered rapid point of care diagnostic test in real time,” Dr Pradip Barde, who led the research team told India Science Wire. “It took just 20 to 30 minutes to conduct one test as against six to eight hours for ELISA and qRT-PCR tests. Also, there was no need for trained manpower or high end equipment to conduct the tests.’’ The study results have been published.

Dr Barde feels similar tests should be conducted in other parts of the country with such rapid detection tests to verify their potential. “Rapid detection tests can be used for preliminary diagnosis especially during outbreaks in remote areas. After all, early diagnosis can help save lives.” 

J.P.Muliyil, Professor at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, who is not connected to the study, said a rapid ‘point of care’ diagnostic test could help detect dengue infection in remote locations but pointed out that it can  only play a minimal role in reducing the disease burden. “Curbing the source of infection, that is, the mosquitoes, will help to achieve this objective better in the long run. Vector control is the key to curbing disease,” he added.   

The research team included Mohan Shukla, Neeru Singh and Ravendra Sharma, were involved in the study. (India Science Wire)

“Village Purelalla is slowly embracing change. A village which had no toilets at all has one community toilet today, thanks to the incessant efforts of Kavita Gautam, a GARIMA Peer Educator. “

Kavita Gautam, a quiet 19-year  old is a focused student. Her college is 25 kilometres away from her village (Purelalla village, block Rampur, district Jaunpur) and she travels by a bus every day to attend college. But this strenuous routine of going to college does not deter her from taking on the responsibilities of a peer educator. She became a peer educator in mid-2014, encouraged by the field facilitator and at the behest of her Adolescent Girls’ Group members.  GARIMA meetings brought a sea change in her and in the girls of her group.  In Kavita’s village most of the households still do not have toilets.  Thus, in their group discussions the girls would always discuss the issue of toilets and how they could address the problem of open defecation in the village.

When Kavita brought this up with the field facilitator, she encouraged the girls to get together and meet the Gram Pradhan to present their proposition for the construction of toilets.  Kavita unified the girls and they all met the Gram Pradhan and urged for the construction of toilets in the village. Though toilets had been a part of the agenda for the Gram Pradhan,  other priorities took centre stage relegating toilets to a secondary place. 

Armed with the knowledge and information provided to her in the GARIMA trainings, and having honed her skills through various sessions of the Adolescent Girls’ Group, Kavita confidently and patiently reasoned with the Gram Pradhan about the importance of toilets for the villagers, especially girls and women,  for their dignity and their health. The Gram Pradhan, being a perceptive person, could see the point being made by Kavita and the other adolescent girls. It took a couple of months before a community toilet was made in the village, which could be used by families who do not have toilets. The Gram Pradhan has also promised the girls that he would get more community toilets made, till the time every family has a toilet of its own. This has to a very large extent solved the problem of privacy for the girls.  

“I have been in touch with the Anganwadi Worker and the ASHA in the village to ensure proper distribution of IFA tablets to the adolescent girls in the village. With the group sessions, the girls also know the importance of IFA supplementation for adolescents. The reach out to the frontline workers for IFA and the frontline workers, too, ensure a constant supply of IFA supplementation.”  -Kavita Gautam

Slowly but surely, Kavita is effecting change in the village with her dedication, taking one step at a time. Her resolve is to continue to bring positive changes in future too.