Health Wikipedia

Every month it is the same old story. You feel like someone is stabbing in your lower abdomen and back. There is nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache, irritability while nervousness are also associated. It compels you to spend most of the day curled up in the bed from the first day of your menstrual period. Cramps in your lower abdomen get worse with time and it happens again in next month.

If you are experiencing the condition, you are not alone. Millions of adolescents and teens are living with this painful condition called menstrual cramping or dysmenorrhoea (painful menstruation).

Dysmenorrhoea — a menstrual disorder that is characterised by painful cramps in the lower abdomen, sometimes accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness or fainting — affects 20 to 90 percent of adolescent girls in some way and severely impacts another 14 to 42 percent. Many teenagers with severe cramps suffer for years before they seek treatment because they think painful periods are just part of growing up.

But simply nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and low-dose oral contraceptives can help alleviate debilitating cramps.

Despite an era of sophisticated drugs and diagnostic tests, dysmenorrhoea remains the leading cause of school absences among teenage girls, beating out even the common cold. Only a small percentage of those affected actually seek medical treatment.

Today experts say that the problem is simply a lack of awareness among teenagers, parents, school nurses and even some physicians that dysmenorrhoea is a condition that needs medication attention, rather than just a natural part of growing up.

An estimated 5 to 10 percent of women with severe pain who suffer from what doctors refer to as secondary dysmenorrhea — painful periods that are caused by an underlying medical condition like uterine fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) or most commonly endometriosis.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) like ibuprofen and naproxen are more effective. When over-the-counter medications fail, most physicians recommend a low-dose oral contraceptive, which can prevent the production of prostaglandins altogether. But many parents are concerned about putting their daughters on the pill at such a young age and some consider it as a license to have sex. But the pill, which experts say is medically safe, can also work wonders.

Dr Md Rajib Hossain…

Ordinarily, dry skin (xerosis) is not serious, but it can be uncomfortable and unsightly, turning plump cells into shriveled ones and creating fine lines and wrinkles.

Serious dry skin conditions — an inherited group of disorders called ichthyosis — can sometimes be disfiguring, causing psychological distress. Fortunately, most dry skin results from environmental factors that can be wholly or partially controlled.

These include exposure to hot or cold weather with low humidity levels and excessive bathing. Chronic or severe dry skin problems may require a dermatologist’s evaluation. But first you can do a lot on your own to improve your skin, including using moisturisers, bathing less and avoiding harsh, drying soaps.

Symptoms
Dry skin is often just a temporary problem — one you experience only in winter, for example — but it may be a lifelong concern. And although skin is often driest on your arms, lower legs and the sides of your abdomen, this pattern can vary considerably from person to person.

Signs and symptoms of dry skin depend on your age, your health status, your locale, the amount of time you spend outdoors, and the cause of the problem.

If you have dry skin, you are likely to experience one or more of the following:

* A feeling of skin tightness, especially after showering, bathing or swimming

* Skin that appears shrunken or dehydrated

* Skin that feels and looks rough rather than smooth

* Itching (pruritus) that sometimes may be intense

* Slight to severe flaking, scaling or peeling

* Fine lines or cracks

* Redness

* Deep fissures that may bleed in severe cases

When to see a doctor
Most cases of dry skin respond well to lifestyle and home remedies. See your doctor if:

* Your skin does not improve in spite of your best efforts

* Dry skin is accompanied by redness

* Dryness and itching interfere with sleeping

* You have open sores or infections from scratching

* You have large areas of scaling or peeling skin

Causes
Though most cases of dry skin are caused by environmental exposures, certain diseases also can significantly alter the function and appearance of your skin. Potential causes of dry skin include weather, central heating and air conditioning, hot baths and showers, harsh soaps and detergents, sun exposure, Psoriasis, thyroid disorders etc.

Complications
Dry skin that is not cared for can lead to diseases like Atopic dermatitis (eczema), Folliculitis and Cellulitis.

Treatments and drugs
In most cases, dry skin problems respond well to home and lifestyle measures, such as using moisturisers and avoiding long, hot showers and baths.

If home lifestyle and remedies do not work well or your condition is serious, you may consult a dermatologist to get the appropriate treatment.

Lifestyle and home remedies
Although it may not be possible to achieve flawless skin, the following measures can help keep your skin moist and healthy:

* Moisturise your skin. Moisturisers provide a seal over your skin to keep water from escaping. Thicker moisturisers work best. You may also want to use cosmetics that contain moisturisers.

If your skin is extremely dry, you may want to apply an oil, such as baby oil, while your skin is still moist. Oil has more staying power than moisturisers do and prevents the evaporation of water from the surface of your skin.

* Use warm water and limit bath time. Hot water and long showers or baths remove oils from your skin. Limit your bath or shower time to about 15 minutes or less, and use warm, rather than hot, water.

* Avoid harsh, drying soaps. If you have dry skin, it is best to use cleansing creams or gentle skin cleansers and bath or shower gels with added moisturisers. Choose mild soaps that have added oils and fats.

Avoid deodorant and antibacterial detergents, which are especially harsh. You might want to experiment with several brands until you find one that works particularly well for you. A good rule of thumb is that your skin should feel soft and smooth after cleansing, never tight or dry.

* Apply moisturisers immediately after bathing. After washing or bathing, gently pat or blot your skin dry with a towel so that some moisture remains on the skin. Immediately moisturise your skin with an oil or cream to help trap water in the surface cells.

* Use a humidifier. Hot, dry indoor air can parch sensitive skin and worsen itching and flaking. A portable home humidifier or one attached to your furnace adds moisture to the air inside your home. Portable humidifiers come in many varieties. Choose one that meets your budget and any special needs. And be sure to keep your humidifier clean to ward off bacteria and fungi.

* Choose fabrics that are kind to your skin. Natural fibers such as cotton and silk allow your skin to breathe. But wool, although it certainly qualifies as natural, can irritate even normal skin. When you wash your clothes, try to use detergents without dyes or perfumes, both of which can irritate your skin.

If dry skin causes itching, apply cool compresses to the area. To reduce inflammation, use a nonprescription hydrocortisone cream or ointment, containing at least 1 percent hydrocortisone.

If these measures do not relieve your symptoms or if your symptoms worsen, see your doctor or consult a dermatologist.

Is your child free from polio? Polio (also called poliomyelitis) is a contagious, historically devastating disease that has plagued humans since ancient times. It is catastrophic for the individual and heartbreaking for the family.

Most polio victims are children under five years of age. A portion of the victims die or become permanently crippled. It is the main cause of childhood paralysis in South-East Asia. But only two drops of polio vaccine can prevent this serious disease.

In order to eliminate polio and create awareness about polio, National Immunisation Day will be observed in Bangladesh today. On this day children over 5 years of age will receive oral polio vaccine.

Polio virus can strike at any age, but affects mainly children under five. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs.

Once established in the intestines, poliovirus can enter the blood stream and invade the central nervous system — spreading along nerve fibres. As it multiplies, the virus destroys nerve cells (motor neurons) which activate muscles. These nerve cells cannot be regenerated and the affected muscles no longer function. The muscles of the legs are affected more often than the arm muscles. The limb becomes floppy and lifeless – a condition known as acute flaccid paralysis (AFP). More extensive paralysis, involving the trunk and muscles of the thorax and abdomen, can result in quadriplegia. In the most severe cases (bulbar polio), poliovirus attacks the motor neurons of the brain stem — reducing breathing capacity and causing difficulty in swallowing and speaking. Without respiratory support, bulbar polio can result in death.

Amongst those paralysed, 5%-10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilised. Although polio paralysis is the most visible sign of polio infection, fewer than 1% of polio infections ever result in paralysis. Poliovirus can spread widely before cases of paralysis are seen.

As most people infected with poliovirus have no signs of illness, they are never aware they have been infected. After initial infection with poliovirus, the virus is shed intermittently in faeces (excrement) for several weeks. During that time, polio can spread rapidly through the community Poliovirus is spread through person-to-person, fecal-oral contact. Where hygiene and sanitation are poor, young children are especially at risk.

Young children who are not yet toilet-trained are a ready source of transmission, regardless of their environment. Polio can be spread when food or drink is contaminated by faeces. There is also evidence that flies can passively transfer poliovirus from faeces to food.

There is no cure for polio, it can only be prevented through immunisation. Polio vaccine, given multiple times, almost always protects a child for life. Full immunisation will markedly reduce an individual’s risk of developing paralytic polio. Full immunisation will protect most people, however individuals can still contract the disease due to the failure of some individuals to respond to the vaccine.

Dr Abu Sayeed Shimul…

Many women may not be fully aware of the potential consequences of waiting until later in life to have a baby, a UK study suggests.

The study, of 724 women who were either pregnant or having trouble getting pregnant, found that nearly all were aware that age affects the chances of conceiving. However, they often did not know that older age increases the risk of certain pregnancy complications, and many had too much faith in the success of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).

The decision to delay childbirth is a complex and personal one, the researchers note in a report in the journal Fertility & Sterility.

The point, they say, is that women should be fully aware of all the possible benefits and risks of their decision.

“The results of this and other studies suggest that women should be provided with the appropriate information on the possible outcomes of a decision to delay motherhood,” write Dr. Abha Maheshwari and colleagues at the University of Aberdeen in England.

When it came to IVF, Maheshwari’s team found that women tended to be overly optimistic about its success rates.

Only 53 percent of women with fertility problems knew that the chances of conceiving via IVF decline between the ages of 30 and 40. What’s more, 85 percent of them thought that fertility treatment can “overcome the effect of age.”

In reality, the researchers note, only 25 percent to 30 percent of women in their 20s and 30s give birth after IVF treatment. Among women older than 40, the success rate is closer to 10 percent.

Yet many people may not realise that IVF frequently fails, Maheshwari’s team writes — possibly because much of what they hear about IVF comes in the form of media stories on older women who have successfully conceived through fertility treatment.

“Many women are currently choosing to delay motherhood in the interests of personal and professional development,” the researchers write. “Although starting a family is a personal preference, free choices cannot be made without full knowledge of their consequences.”

Universal and annual voluntary testing followed by immediate antiretroviral therapy treatment (irrespective of clinical stage or CD4 count) can reduce new HIV cases by 95 percent within 10 years, according to new findings based on a mathematical model developed by a group of HIV specialists in WHO. The findings were published in The Lancet to stimulate discussion, debate and further research.

Authors of the study also report that the universal voluntary testing followed by immediate ART could have additional public health benefits, including reducing the incidence of tuberculosis and the transmission of HIV from mother to child. Additionally, the model suggests that there could be a significant reduction of HIV-related morbidity and mortality in resource-limited countries with generalised HIV epidemics.

The current WHO policy on treatment involves voluntary testing and clinical and/or immunological evaluation (e.g. Cd4 count) to determine eligibility for treatment with antiretrovirals.

The authors emphasise the theoretical nature of the exercise based on data and raise a number of concerns regarding feasibility, including the protection of individual rights, drug resistance, toxicity and financing challenges.

WHO-recommended preventive interventions need to be maintained and expanded. This includes male circumcision, partner reduction, correct and consistent use of condoms, and interventions targeting most-at-risk populations, also known as “combination prevention.”

WHO will convene a meeting early next year bringing together ethicists, funders, human rights advocates, clinicians, prevention experts and AIDS programme managers to discuss this and other issues related to the wider use of antiretroviral therapy for HIV prevention.

Around 40 million people worldwide are HIV positive, 95% of them live in developing countries.

In 2004, approximately five million people were newly infected with the virus. HIV/AIDS has killed more than 20 million people worldwide. 3.1 million people died of AIDS-related causes in 2004.

The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) was created in 2001 to provide major financial resources in the fight against three diseases. These diseases kill over 6 million people each year and the numbers are growing.

As of mid-2007, the Global Fund Board approved more than US$ 7.7 billion for programmes in 136 countries. Together with the efforts of many implementing partners, Global Fund-supported programmes have already saved 1.8 million lives. Till mid 2008, the Global Fund committed US$ 11.3 billion in 136 countries to support aggressive interventions against all three diseases.

The Global Fund announced its approval of nearly $3 billion in Round 8 funding to improve access to HIV treatment and prevention and help reduce deaths from TB and malaria by 50% by 2015. The Global Fund’s board approved 94 grants worth $2.75 billion over two years, representing the group’s largest funding round to date (Global Fund release, 11/10).

The decision was made in New Delhi, during the Global Fund Board Meeting. The Board decision was rendered particularly difficult because the unusually large average size of the proposals meant that there was not enough money to pay the full cost of the proposals recommended for approval by the Technical Review Panel (TRP).

As of mid 2008, Global Fund supported programmes are estimated to have averted more than 2.5 million deaths by providing AIDS treatment (ARV) for 1.75 million people, anti-tuberculosis treatment (DOTS) for 3.9 million people, and by distributing 59 million insecticide-treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria worldwide.

Round 8 funding support now brings the Global Fund’s overall portfolio to US$ 14.4 billion in 140 countries. “This is the highest amount of new financing approved by the Global Fund ever. These new resources will significantly help the world in achieving global targets such as universal access to AIDS treatment and prevention, and cutting the number of deaths from tuberculosis and malaria by half by 2015,” said Rajat Gupta, Chair of the Global Fund Board.

He added that 38% of the resources will be used for HIV/AIDS programmes, 11% for TB programmes and 51% for malaria programmes. Around 90% of the approved grants will be distributed to low-income countries, 77% of which are in Africa and the Middle East. The remaining funds will be dispersed to countries in Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Western Pacific, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund, said the “increased demand” for funding “requires a renewed resource mobilisation effort.” He added that the Global Fund has a “fantastic message to bring back to the rich nations of the world: programmes to fight these three diseases save lives, reduce disease burdens and strengthen health systems” (Global Fund release, 11/10).

There is abundant evidence that science-based HIV prevention is effective, especially when backed by high-level political leadership, a national AIDS programme, strong community involvement together with adequate funding. Components of successful prevention efforts include clear and accurate communication about HIV/AIDS and methods to prevent infection, HIV counselling and testing, and treatment.

Gap analysis reveals that vast majority of people living with HIV/AIDS in the developing world do not have access to the treatment, as a result of limited health care infrastructures and the high cost of many medications. It has been estimated that a total of US$7-10 billion a year is needed from all sources to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in low and middle-income countries. Allocation of around US$5.4 billion stands as great commitment of Global Fund to fight AIDS.