Health Wikipedia

In order to protect the crops from the insects, pests etc, chemical pesticide are used. But many producers as well as consumers are not fully aware of the ill effects of the pesticides.

Pesticide has the ability to kill living cell. As it kills the pest, it can kill the human cells as well. Many germs have developed defense or resistance against the pesticides. Some new types of disease have emerged those are very difficult to treat. Peoples are facing uncommon physical disorders as well as mental problems.

Vegetables and fruits sold in the market seems to be very attractive and fresh. People often become biased to purchase theses so called disease free foods. But they do not know that behind the freshness there are potential health consequences.

Due to the consumption of this sorts of food, the chance of developing several disease like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hair fall, skin disease etc. increased. Some pesticide has a long residual effect. In many places in Bangladesh, farmers use pesticide indiscriminately during growing stage of crops. This cause much harm in the long run.

We are very much concerned about our health but we are not properly aware of what are eating and feeding. So we have to have alert about our food and create awareness among the people. We observe that some law enforcers have become active to ensure formalin free fish, stop adulteration of restaurants food, melamine free powder milk etc. But pesticide used during growing vegetables and others agricultural products are under focused.

Instead of chemical pesticide, farmers can grow crops with the help of other methods like pheromone trap, light trap, manually control of pest etc. Government should take initiative to implement other methods to produce pesticides free agricultural commodities that are not harmful to human health.

You may love the rain but too much moisture in this weather may cause harm to your beloved skin. Depending on the skin type, humid and wet weather causes unusual activities on the surface of the skin and leads to oily, patchy, and dry skin. Soaked skin particularly of the feet and legs, is very much prone to fungal infections. With a little precaution and simple measures we can save ourselves a lot of misery over bad skin.

One important problem of the rainy season is dull and lifeless skin. This is mainly due to the high humidity in the atmosphere and uneven distribution of moisture. The first and foremost thing to get rid of this is cleanliness. We should follow a regular routine of cleansing, toning and moisturising the skin. It is best to use a gentle non drying soap and splash plain water several times a day on the face. It is best to follow up this measure with use an exfoliating face scrub to remove dead cells and increase collagen production. Do not apply oil on your skin, especially face. If you apply oil, your skin will remain oily throughout the day. This way you will allow your skin to accumulate dust and different other harmful elements.

Since your face is exposed all the time, there are all the chances that you pick up an infection on it. If you have got wet due to rains, dry yourself up, as soon as possible. Do not think that since you are already washed up with rain water there is no need to wash up your face and hands. In fact, it is advisable that you take a bath after getting wet due to rain water.

Reason number one is that it washes out all rain water from your skin, hair and head. This will prevent rain water from being absorbed by your head, which otherwise become a cause of headache, fever and related troubles. Another reason is that you will save your skin from the contact of any harmful elements contained by the rain water.

Your skin feels sticky during the rains, but this is not because your oil glands are overactive. During the rains, due to the humidity in the air, you sweat more. This leaves a sticky, moist layer on your skin. To feel better, wash your face with plain water. Avoid using soap because too much soap can dry up your skin — and steal its natural oils.

One may notice pimples, and breakouts on the skin, which is mainly due to dirt and pollutants attracted by the sweat. The tip to solve this problem during the rainy season lies in cleaning and maintaining a clean skin.

One of the biggest skin complaints during the monsoon is fungal infections. A fungus thrives in humidity — wet skin folds rubbing against each other get macerated easily, providing easy entry to fungi and yeast. As a result, you develop itchy, circular, reddish, flaking patches on the body, especially in skin folds at the groin, underarms and around the breast in women.

Fungal infections can also affect your feet, especially if you wear closed shoes all day. Staying dry is the best way to avoid them. Carry a set of dry clothes and footwear to the office and change immediately if you have gotten drenched on your way.

Once you are seated at your desk, take your shoes and socks off to allow air circulation around your feet. Wear sandals or floaters as far as possible. Use plenty of dusting talc to prevent accumulation of sweat and moisture in skin folds. Those prone to repeated fungal infections can use medicated powders prescribed by a dermatologist. To prevent this thoroughly wash your feet with soap and hot water after wading through stagnant water and then dry them completely. If the water was particularly dirty, it is advisable after the wash to soak your feet for a few minutes in a tub of warm water.

Scabies is another common infection that preys on both children and adults during the monsoon — it is caused by a mite infestation. If your child complains about a body itch that intensifies at night and you see a few red bumps or a rash on his/her hands, wrists, underarms, abdomen, groin and buttocks, then rush to the dermatologist — this condition is highly contagious and invariably spreads to the family if not treated properly.

Drink a lot fluid as the rainy season can be deceptively dehydrating. Fruits like guavas, papayas, apples, oranges and also include dry-fruits like nuts, almonds are also a good option that are rich in anti-oxidants and nutrients that fight against microorganism and prevent infections. Skin is a sensitive and important organ that should be taken care of properly particularly in this season. A bit of negligence on this part can become a cause of trouble for you.

The death of a newborn is a very painful experience for the mothers who have taken the ordeal of pregnancy for 9 months or so. The causes of newborn death in Bangladesh are manifold like poverty, lack of medical check up, home delivery etc.

Bangladesh has one of the highest newborn deaths in the world. It is about 37 per thousand live births per year. Nearly 4 million babies die after delivery each year throughout the world out of which 98% die in developing countries including Bangladesh. Out of total deaths 45% die within first four weeks of life and 30% die within one year.

In order to decrease this huge number of deaths every year, a pragmatic coordinated approach is needed by all concerned, it is not possible for the government to solve this gigantic problem all alone, both government and non governmental organisations should make every effort in a combined way to mitigate this human tragedy.

MDG-5 is to reduce child mortality by two thirrd by the year 2015. It is heartening to note that the under 5 mortality in Bangladesh has come down significantly in the last decade, from 88 to 66 per 1000 live births per year.

But the main contributing factor affecting the high under-5 mortality is the bulk of the new born deaths that occur within the first 28 days of life. So it is imperative that we need to address the problems that affect the new born deaths more seriously in a coordinated way at the grass root level i.e. in the non urban areas, where a large proportion of deliveries take place in the home setting, compounded by meager medical facilities and man power within the vicinity.

We all know that the main cause of newborn death in Bangladesh is home delivery, lack of trained personals and medical facilities, delayed referral, transportation problem etc. To address these problems the most important thing is to produce skilled birth attendants (SBA) who will be trained to do the following things:

1) Conduct normal deliveries
2) Identify the danger signs
3) Quick referral and transportation to higher centers

At the same time we should put emphasis on:
1) Improve obstetric and neonatal care at thana and district level
2) Control population boom
3) Compulsory birth and marriage registration
4) Improve women education
In a country like Bangladesh institutional delivery is not possible, we need to utilise our human resources by producing more SBA’s in order to bring down neonatal mortality.

This is a huge task which needs to be jointly addressed by all.

A smile can make your day brighter, but with missing teeth, you might lose the confidence to share your sweet smile with the world. This is where a dental implant procedure can help.

A dental implant is nothing more than a metal screw that is placed into the jaw bone. If you are missing one or more teeth and wish to eat your favorite foods, increase your chewing ability and improve your appearance, speech and self-esteem, then you are a candidate for dental implants.

A dental implant replaces the root of a missing tooth and is made form surgical-grade titanium alloy to exacting specifications. Initially the implant is placed into the jawbone either immediately after the loss of a tooth, or after an extended period of time. If there is insufficient bone, various bone enhancing procedures can be performed prior to the implant placement. An abutment, which acts as a base for a prosthetic tooth replacement such as a Crown, is either inserted into the implant at the time of implant placement, or subsequently after a period of healing.

In the past, dentists would try to keep or replace teeth with treatments such as root canals, bridges, and fixed or removable dentures. Unfortunately, a significant number of root-canal-treated teeth fail, bridges require that healthy adjacent teeth be cut down, and removable dentures can often be unstable and require the use of sticky adhesives. Dental implants are a solution to all of these problems, and many of the frustrations associated with natural teeth are eliminated, including dental decay.

The procedure
The placement of a dental implant is typically completed in less then an hour, as an office procedure with only local anesthesia. Post-operative discomfort is normally none or less than that of a tooth extraction.

For aesthetic reasons, it is usually possible to have a fixed transitional restoration inserted immediately after implant placement so that you are never without a tooth. After a period of two to six months of healing, a final abutment post is inserted into the implant. A crown or removable denture is secured to the abutment as the final restoration.

Who is a candidate for implant?
Anyone in reasonable health who wants to replace missing teeth may have dental implant. You must have enough bone in the area of the missing teeth to provide for the anchorage of the implants.

Some people are missing all their teeth and most of those are excellent candidates for dental implants. But today, we use implants to replace small bridges, removable partial dentures and even missing single teeth. If a patient does not have enough bone to support a dental implant, bone grafts can be placed.

Is the implant ever rejected by the body?
The implant is machined from surgical-grade titanium alloy (Ti-6A1-4V), which is a biocompatible material. However, there is a slight possibility that it will not integrate with bone. If this occurs, the implant can be replaced with another one. It is most unlikely that second implant would not integrate.

How much discomfort will be experienced?
Minimal to none. While undergoing treatment, you will receive anesthesia. You may have mild post-surgical soreness for up to 72 hours. An over-the-counter pain reliever will alleviate the discomfort most patients.

A most common primary intraocular (inside the eyes) malignancy of childhood arises from primitive retinal cells of the eye. About 90% cases are diagnosed less than 3 years of age.

A common presentation is white pupillary reflex, some with squint and some with inflammation of the eye. In our country, most of the patients present with advance stage when the tumor extends externally.

In advance stage though the chance of saving eye is less but when other eye is examined and if a small lesion is detected, can be treated by focal therapy (Photocoagulation with Laser). Early detected is very important in that respect.

When treating retinoblastoma, it is first and foremost important to understand that it is a malignancy. When the disease is contained within the eye, survival rates exceed 95% in the western world.

However with extra ocular spread survival rates decreases to under 50%. Therefore, in deciding on a treatment strategy, the first goal must be preservation of life then preservation of eye and finally preservation of vision.

The modern management of intraocular retinoblastoma currently incorporates a combination of different treatment modalities including chemotherapy, photocoagulation with Laser, cryotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery like enucleation (removal of globe).

Metastatic disease is managed with intensive chemotherapy, radiation and bone marrow transplantation. Among all of this treatment options — the best, cheap and less hazardous option is photo-coagulation with Diode Laser if tumor is detected in early stage with a very small lesion. If laser is applied, eye can be saved, even useful vision can be preserved.

The treatment of children with retinoblastoma requires a team approach including an ocular oncologist, pediatric ophthalmologist, pediatric oncologist and radiation oncologist.

The chemo, radiation therapies are very expensive. Comparing all modalities, the photocoagulation therapy with Diode Laser is cheaper. This facility is available at the government set-up in Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital. The facility is available on courtesy of WHO. Expert manpower is available there and moreover the service is offered at free of cost.

The facility of laser photocoagulation can save valuable life of a child and also rescue a family from a danger point. Children with intraocular retinoblastoma who have access to modern medical care have a very good prognosis for survival.

Children are exposed to serious health risks from environmental hazards. Over 40 percent of the global burden of disease attributed to environmental factors falls on children below five years of age, who account for only about 10 percent of the world’s population.

Environmental risk factors often act in concert, and their effects are exacerbated by adverse social and economic conditions, particularly conflict, poverty and malnutrition. Timely action needs to be taken to allow them to grow up and develop in good health, and to contribute to economic and social development.

Polluted indoor and outdoor air, contaminated water, lack of adequate sanitation, toxic hazards, disease vectors, ultraviolet radiation and degraded ecosystems are all important environmental risk factors for children and in most cases for their mothers as well.

Particularly in developing countries like Bangladesh, environmental hazards and pollution are a major contributor to childhood deaths, illnesses and disability from acute respiratory disease, diarrhoeal diseases, physical injuries, poisonings, insect-borne diseases and perinatal infections.

Childhood death and illness from causes such as poverty and malnutrition are also associated with unsustainable patterns of development and degraded urban or rural environments.

Major environment-related killers in children under five years of age

Diarrhoea kills an estimated 1.6 million children each year, caused mainly by unsafe water and poor sanitation.

Indoor air pollution associated with the still-widespread use of biomass fuels kills nearly one million children annually, mostly as a result of acute respiratory infections. Mothers, in charge of cooking or resting close to the hearth after having given birth, are most at risk of developing chronic respiratory disease.

Malaria, which may be exacerbated as a result of poor water management and storage, inadequate housing, deforestation and loss of biodiversity, kills an estimated one million children under five annually, mostly in Africa.

Unintentional physical injuries, which may be related to household or community environmental hazards, kill nearly 300000 children annually: 60000 are attributed to drowning, 40000 to fires, 16000 to falls, 16000 to poisonings, 50000 to road traffic incidents and over 100000 are due to other unintentional injuries

Health-damaging exposure to environmental risks can also begin before birth. Lead in air, mercury in food and other chemicals can result in long-term, often irreversible effects, such as infertility, miscarriage, and birth defects.

Women’s exposure to pesticides, solvents and persistent organic pollutants may potentially affect the health of the fetus. Additionally, while the overall benefits of breastfeeding are recognised, the health of the newborn may be affected by high levels of contaminants in breast milk. Small children, whose bodies are rapidly developing, are particularly susceptible — and in some instances the health impacts may only emerge later in life.

Furthermore, children as young as five years old sometimes work in hazardous settings. Pregnant women living and working in hazardous environments and poor mothers and their children are at a higher risk, as they are exposed to the most degraded environments, are often unaware of the health implications, and lack access to information on potential solutions.

WHO recognises the need to educate and train health care providers at all levels in the prevention, diagnosis and management of children’s diseases linked to environmental risk factors. Efforts are undertaken to enable those “in the front line”, the health professionals dealing with children and adolescents’ health, to recognise, assess and prevent diseases linked to, or triggered by environmental factors.

With low-cost solutions for environment and health problems can be applied in many cases. For instance, simple filtration and disinfection of water at the household level dramatically improves the microbial quality of water, and reduces the risk of diarrhoeal disease at low cost. Improved stoves reduce exposures to indoor air pollution. Better storage and safe use of chemicals at community level reduces exposures to toxic chemicals, especially among toddlers, who explore, touch and taste the products found at home.

Hygiene and sanitation

Washing hands with soap before food preparation, before meals and after defecating significantly reduces the risk of diarrhoeal disease.

Air pollution

Good ventilation in the home, clean fuels and improved cooking stoves decrease indoor air pollution and the exacerbation and development of acute respiratory infections.

Disease vectors

As children usually go to bed earlier than adults at the time mosquitoes become active, the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and the screening of windows, doors and eaves provide a very effective means of protecting them against malaria.

Chemical hazards

Ensure safe storage, packaging, use and clear labelling of cleaners, fuels, solvents, pesticides and other chemicals used at home and in schools.

Children are our future, numbering over 2.3 billion worldwide and representing boundless potential. Child survival and development hinge on basic needs to support life; among these, a safe, healthy and clean environment is fundamental.

Dr Md Rajib Hossain