Medically Speaking Team

A senior US State Department official will visit India next week for talks on a variety of US multilateral goals, including addressing food insecurity and boosting global health.

Michele Sison, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, will visit Bangladesh and Kuwait from August 2 to 10. Sison will have discussions on a variety of US international initiatives during her visit. She will also speak on humanitarian needs, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding.

“Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Michele J. Sison will travel to India, Bangladesh, and Kuwait August 2-10 for consultations on a range of U.S. multilateral priorities, including combating food insecurity, advancing global health, addressing human rights and humanitarian needs, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, and support for Rohingya refugees,” the US State Department said in a statement.

Sison’s discussions with top government officials will focus on potential to enhance collaboration at the United Nations, as well as US support for Doreen Bogdan-candidacy Martin’s for the position of Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union.

“In meetings with civil society leaders, the Assistant Secretary will exchange ideas on how the United States and other countries can collaborate on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” the State Department added.

Sison’s visit comes only days after USAID Administrator Samantha Power’s two-day visit to India.

She met with India’s political leaders multiple times. The USAID Administrator also attended a town hall discussion with US Embassy and USAID workers, during which she reflected on the 75-year diplomatic connection between the US and India.

During her visit, she met with USAID’s local Indian team and congratulated them for their dedication to furthering locally-led development in India, as well as their fortitude in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to the findings of a recent study, children rank meals perceived to be natural as having higher levels of flavour, safety, and desire than those perceived to be produced.

According to researchers, people have a well-documented preference for natural foods. However, new research has discovered that this dietary preference occurs in early and middle childhood as well. Researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh and Yale examined the preferences of over 374 adults and children in the United States when they were given with apples and orange juice and told about their origins.

In one research, 137 youngsters between the ages of six and ten were presented three apples. One was developed on a farm, one in a lab, and another on a tree within a lab, they were informed.

The researchers assessed the children’s apple preferences using questionnaires and statistical models in terms of perceived tastiness, perceived safety, and willingness to consume. The same research included adults to compare age groups.

Researchers discovered that both toddlers and adults preferred apples produced on farms to those cultivated in laboratory.

When asked why they preferred the farm apple, children were more likely to mention freshness, being outside, or sunlight. Naturalness was mentioned more frequently by adults.

In a second trial, 85 children aged five to seven and 64 adults were presented four different types of orange juice: one described as squeezed on a farm, one with no information about it, one with chemicals reportedly removed, and one with chemicals added.

The researchers discovered that information about the juice’s naturalness had a substantial impact on its assessment. Based on perceived flavour, safety, and willingness to eat, participants preferred the more natural choice.

Both studies showed that age had little effect on the outcome, with children as young as five and as old as ten responding similarly.

Researchers say the findings suggest the belief that natural foodstuffs are good could be established at five-years-old — and possibly even younger.

Dr Matti Wilks, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, said: “Overall we provide evidence that, at least in the United States, our tendency to prefer natural food is present in childhood. This research offers a first step towards understanding how these preferences are formed, including whether they are socially learned and what drives our tendency to prefer natural things.”

In India, there have been 20,408 new infections in the last 24 hours due to Covid-19. According to Union Health Ministry figures, this brings the total Covid-19 tally in the country to 4,40,00,138.

The country’s active caseload witnessed a marginal dip from 1,43,988 on Friday to 1,43,384 infections today.

More than 40 Covid-19 patients have succumbed to the viral disease in the last 24 hours, taking the country’s death toll to 5,26,312 since the onset of the pandemic.

In India, the daily positivity rate is 5.05% while the weekly positivity rate is 4.92%, the ministry said. So far, 4,33,30,442 crore people have recovered from the coronavirus infection in the country including 20,958 in the past 24 hours. The recovery rate is 98.48% at present.

The country has conducted over 87.48 crore covid tests till date whereas 4,04,399 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours.

Under the Covid-19 nationwide vaccination program, a total of 33,87,173 doses were administered in the last 24 hours while more than 203.94 crore vaccine jabs have been inoculated to the eligible beneficiaries in the country so far.

In the midst of mounting anxiety over monkeypox, the National Centre for Illness Control (NCDC) stated on Friday that the government is prepared and on high alert for viral disease.

According to NCDC head Dr Sujeet Singh, 15 testing facilities for monkeypox infection testing have been established across the country.

“If any suspected case arrives then we immediately conduct the test. 15 testing labs and our NCDC lab have also started doing the test. Surveillance is also going on. As per the situation, we also modify our strategy and the government is ready and alert,” said Dr Singh.

“We are constantly doing meetings with all top officials of the Union Health Ministry to keep a close check on the overall situation,” he added.

It is worth noting that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has isolated the monkeypox virus from a clinical specimen received from a patient at the ICMR-NIV.

Notably, India has documented four instances of monkeypox thus far, three of which are from Kerala and one from Delhi. Following this, the federal government is on high alert, despite the fact that the number of illnesses in some other nations has increased.

Dr V K Paul, NITI Aayog’s member (Health), stated that there is no reason for concern because the government has taken substantial steps to combat the disease.

In an Interview with ANI, Dr Paul sought to assert that there was no need for any undue panic but added that it was still important that the country and the society stay vigilant.

“There is no need to panic, as of now, but one must report in time if they spot any symptoms, he said.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), more than 18,000 cases have been reported from 78 countries.

“The monkeypox outbreak can be stopped if countries, communities and individuals inform themselves, take the risks seriously, and take the steps needed to stop transmission and protect vulnerable groups,” said Dr Tedros, Director General, WHO on Thursday.

Monkeypox is a zoonotic illness caused by the monkeypox virus, which is related to the smallpox virus family. According to the WHO, the illness is endemic in places such as West and Central Africa, although instances have recently been documented from non-endemic nations as well.

Doctors praised the decision to allow final-year medical students from epidemic and war-torn China and Ukraine to take the Foreign Medical Graduate Exam (FMGE), calling it a “positive gesture” because the students will gain clinical experience in India.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Anil Chandna, EC member of Dental Council of India and Member of Delhi State Dental Council said, “Good move for these students as a one-time measure. The internship program will be 2 years for them. They will get ample time to have clinical exposure to Indian conditions. But this will not be a precedent for next year.” Foreign Medical Graduate Exam (FMGE) is a screening test that foreign medical students have to clear to practise in the country.

Only students who have finished the courses and received a certificate of completion by June 30, 2022 would be eligible for this one-time waiver by the National Medical Commission, the country’s supreme organisation that regulates medical education.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has offered significant assistance to students affected by the Russia-Ukraine war and COVID-19 by resolving to reduce the requirements for medical graduates who finished their MBBS course from foreign colleges without receiving clinical training.

“Indian students who were in the final year of their UG medicine course (due to COVID-19, Russia-Ukraine war returned to India) and have completed their studies and granted a certificate of completion of the course on or before June 30 will be permitted to appear in Foreign Medical Graduate Exam,” read NMC public notice.

After qualifying for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination FMG exam these students are required to undergo the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) exam for a period of 2 years, “Such FMG students are required to undergo compulsory rotating medical CRMI for a period of 2 years to make up for the clinical training which could not be physically attended by them during the undergraduate medicine course in the foreign country,” added the notice.

Earlier, the internship duration was one year but now this will be two years of clinical exposure.

According to Dr Anil Chandna, EC member Dental Council of India and Member Delhi State Dental Council, the one time measure is a good move. “In the internship program which will be 2 years for them, they will have ample time to have clinical exposure to Indian conditions. But this will not be a precedence for future years,” he said.

Earlier, ANI claimed that the Union Health Ministry is developing a plan to accommodate Russia-Ukraine-affected medical students so that they may complete their medical degrees in India. To find a solution, NMC and the Union Health Ministry held many rounds of discussions.

It is worth noting that more than 18,000 Indians were rescued from Ukraine as part of Operation Ganga.

76 planes were dispatched to Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Moldova as part of the federal government’s ‘Operation Ganga’ to rescue Indian residents stranded in Ukraine.

Over the last three decades, India has successfully evacuated its nationals in conflict zones through operations ranging from ‘Operation Sukoon’ through ‘Operation Safe Homecoming’ and ‘Operation Rahat.’

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has offered significant assistance to students affected by the Russia-Ukraine war and COVID-19 by resolving to reduce the requirements for medical graduates who finished their MBBS course from foreign colleges without receiving clinical training.

“Indian students who were in the final year of their UG medicine course (due to COVID-19, Russia-Ukraine war returned to India) and have completed their studies and granted a certificate of completion of the course on or before June 30 will be permitted to appear in Foreign Medical Graduate Exam,” read NMC public notice.

After qualifying for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination FMG exam these students are required to undergo the Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) exam for a period of 2 years, “Such FMG students are required to undergo compulsory rotating medical CRMI for a period of 2 years to make up for the clinical training which could not be physically attended by them during the undergraduate medicine course in the foreign country,” added the notice.

Previously, the internship would last one year, but now it will last two years.

The one-time action is a fine idea, according to Dr. Anil Chandna, EC member of the Dental Council of India and member of the Delhi State Dental Council.

“In the internship program which will be 2 years for them, they will have ample time to have clinical exposure to Indian conditions. But this will not be a precedence for future years,” he said.

Earlier, ANI claimed that the Union Health Ministry is developing a plan to accommodate Russia-Ukraine-affected medical students so that they may complete their medical degrees in India. To find a solution, NMC and the Union Health Ministry held many rounds of discussions.

It is worth noting that more than 18,000 Indians were rescued from Ukraine as part of Operation Ganga.

76 planes were dispatched to Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Moldova as part of the federal government’s ‘Operation Ganga’ to rescue Indian residents stranded in Ukraine.

Over the last three decades, India has successfully evacuated its nationals in conflict zones through operations ranging from ‘Operation Sukoon’ through ‘Operation Safe Homecoming’ and ‘Operation Rahat.’

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik opened a Superspeciality Hospital and Cancer Centre in Bhubaneswar on Friday, complete with “state-of-the-art” infrastructure and “high-end” equipment.

The Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences established the infrastructure. According to the Chief Minister’s Office, “the facility would provide the most sophisticated healthcare services to patients from Odisha and neighbouring states such as West Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand.”

“In a major boost to healthcare in #Odisha, CM @Naveen_Odisha has inaugurated a 300-bedded Super Speciality Hospital & a 300-bedded Cancer Centre at @KIMSBBSR in #Bhubaneswar. It will make the city a leading centre in cancer care with specialised healthcare services,” the CMO tweeted.

While speaking on the occasion, State Minister of Health and Family Welfare Naba Kishore Das stated that the new medical facility will establish new standards.

“This new medical facility which has been inaugurated by Chief Minister today, will give a major boost to the quality healthcare services available in Odisha, setting new benchmarks,” Das said.

Dr Achyuta Samanta, Founder Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) said that KIMS has high-end medical equipment in the state.

“Today the KIMS has expanded its infrastructure with 1600 beds and is the only centre to possess some high-end medical equipment in Odisha,” he said.

“This new state-of-the-art healthcare facility will provide quality healthcare services to the general public and patients coming from the weaker sections of the society,” Dr Samanta added.

The 300-bed Super Speciality Hospital will have 12 Super Speciality departments, and the 300-bed Cancer Center will be led by renowned radiation oncologist Prof Bidhu Kalyan Mohanti.

The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) brought by three physicians seeking to overturn rule 9(3) of the postgraduate Medical Education (Amendment) Regulations 2018, which requires a minimum of 50th percentile grades for admission to postgraduate courses.

The bench of Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramoniam Prasad on Friday while dismissing the petition said, “the question of quashing the statutory provision in the peculiar circumstances of the case does not arise merely because a large number of seats are lying vacant.”

The court also observed that lowering medical education standards has the potential to wreak havoc in society at large due to the risk that the practise of medicine entails, as it involves the matter of life and death, and thus it would be unconscionable for this court to interfere in the standards duly and diligently set by the governing authority.

“This court therefore cannot issue a mandamus directing the respondents to fill up the seats, especially when the persons concerned have not obtained the minimum percentile as this court is dealing with admissions to postgraduate courses in various medical colleges and there can’t be any compromise on the issue of quality of doctors/ specialists as it involves the risk of human lives. Resultantly, no case for interference is made out in the matter,” the Court said in its judgement.

The court noted that the petitioners’ fundamental complaint is that the percentile method mandated under Regulation 9(3) of the revised Regulation is a flawed system since it results in a large number of seats remaining vacant despite the availability of candidates who are efficient and willing.

The petitioners’ major point is that because of the percentile system, which prevents candidates from reaching the 50th percentile, a huge number of seats are not being filled, which is a national loss because it prevents doctors from earning postgraduate credentials.

The petitioners further said that due to the respondents’ flawed system, last-minute applications are being made to fill vacant seats, and that this procedure leads to unethical tactics being used by schools in providing admission whenever any such flexibility for lowering the percentile exists.

The court also ruled that there is a severe scarcity of doctors who are experts in Pathology, Microbiology, and Anesthesiology, and that a substantial number of seats are unfilled due to a poor percentile system; hence, the alteration to the Regulations deserves to be found extra vires.

Dharam Pal, Union Territory of Chandigarh’s adviser, assessed the situation on Thursday in light of recent occurrences of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) in the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

He asked the Health Department to send a warning to Chandigarh schools to take appropriate precautions in this regard. He went on to say that there is no need to panic because all required actions are being done. HFMD often begins with a fever, loss of appetite, a general sense of being ill, and a scratchy throat. Fever generally begins after one or two days, and painful ulcers in the mouth develop. They begin as tiny red patches and frequently progress to ulcers.

Rashes on the palms and feet might appear in 1 to 2 days. It can also be seen on the knees, elbows, buttocks, and vaginal region.

Persons infected with the viruses that cause hand, foot, and mouth disease may not experience all of the disease’s symptoms. They may just have mouth sores or a rash on their skin. The viruses that cause HFMD can be identified in secretions such as saliva, sputum, or nasal mucus, blister fluid, and faeces of an infected individual (stool)
Depending on the severity of the symptoms, samples from the throat or stool may be obtained and submitted to a laboratory for viral testing. The testing facility is accessible at PGIMER’s Department of Virology.

It has been discovered that infection can be controlled by practising proper hygiene, which includes mandatory hand washing after contact with the patient, personal items such as spoons, cups, and utensils not being shared and being properly washed with detergent after use, articles such as toys contaminated by infected cases being disinfected, patients with HFMD being isolated and the usual isolation procedures being followed for infection control, and washing hands frequently with soap and water.

Contacts such as kissing, embracing, or sharing eating utensils or cups with persons who have hand, foot, and mouth disease, as well as sharing of clothes, towels, and so on, should be avoided.

It was also revealed that no vaccine exists to fight against the viruses that cause hand, foot, and mouth disease. There is currently no therapy for hand, foot, and mouth illness. However, symptomatic therapy is possible.

The Chandigarh Administration also reminded residents that Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease is a viral condition. It frequently occurs in the summer and causes a distinctive rash on the hands and feet as well as blisters in the mouth. These illnesses are frequent in children, especially preschoolers.

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease is typically minor and resolves itself within a week. Treatment is aimed at alleviating symptoms like as fever and sore throat, although it is very infectious.

According to a new study of representative survey data, two out of every five eligible children in India are missing out on preventative vitamin A supplementation aimed to avoid health issues linked with vitamin A insufficiency.

BMJ Global Health, an open access publication, published the findings. The data demonstrate that there are several ‘cold spots’ in coverage across the country, as well as substantial differences in coverage within and across states.

Adequate vitamin A intake can only be received from diet, but poor nutrition combined with illnesses prevalent in children under the age of five in developing nations means that an estimated 190 million young children—one in every three—are vitamin A deficient.

Vitamin A is essential for numerous biological activities in the human body, including vision, growth and development, wound healing, reproduction, and immunity.

Childhood vitamin A insufficiency has long been recognised in India as a significant but manageable public health issue.

Since 2006, the government has advised all children aged 9 to 59 months to take high-dose vitamin A supplements.

The researchers used nationally representative cross-sectional data acquired during wave 4 of the National Family and Health Survey 4 (NFHS-4) and the Comprehensive National Nutritional Survey to map coverage by all 640 districts, spanning each of the 29 states and 7 Union Territories (CNNS).

Coverage was calculated by asking mothers if their children (204,645) had received vitamin A supplementation within 6 months of the NFHS-4 survey.

Serum retinol values among the under 5s (9563) during the CNNS were used to determine the prevalence of vitamin A insufficiency.

Data analysis revealed that 2 out of every 5 eligible Indian youngsters had not received vitamin A supplements: 123,836 out of 204,645.

According to the study, overall coverage was 60.5 percent, which is poor when compared to most other South Asian nations. And it varied greatly throughout the states/union territories, ranging from 29.5 percent (Nagaland) to 89.5 percent (Goa).

Among districts, coverage ranged from just under 13% (Longleng district, Nagaland) to 94.5% (Kolar district, Karnataka). There were distinct geographical hotspots and coldspots.

Seventy-one out of the 640 districts (11%) achieved coverage above 80%. But in 13 districts coverage was 20% or below: 4 from Nagaland (Longleng, Mon, Phek, and Zunheboto); 3 from Manipur (Ukhrul, Chandel, and Senapati); 3 from Uttar Pradesh (Muzaffarnagar, Bareilly, and Bahraich); 2 from Rajasthan (Dungarpur and Rajsamand); and 1 from Arunachal Pradesh (East Kameng).

No significant association, however, was observed between supplement coverage and the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency.

Because this is an observational research based on survey data, causation cannot be established. Moreover, while being recognised as an essential public health intervention, the researchers observe that the value of universal vitamin A supplementation is increasingly being questioned, with demands for more nuanced and sustainable alternatives.

However, they point out that low coverage was mostly in areas plagued by infrastructure and logistical issues, high levels of disease, and inequitable health service provision, whereas high coverage was mostly in prosperous areas that rank high in health, demographic, socioeconomic, and developmental indicators.

They conclude that evidence-based techniques are necessary to assess the effect of these disparities and ensure that appropriate vitamin A therapies are administered to those in greatest need.