WORLD AIDS DAY HIV-positive patients getting free life-saving drugs double since ’08

More People Want To Get Treated: Docs Mumbai: The happy news on the HIV epidemic front continues. Just when United Nations AIDS (UNAIDS) has praised India for reducing  new HIV infection rate by 57% in a decade, news from Mumbai shows that the number of patients put on life-saving drugs has almost doubled in the last five years. Figures released by the Mumbai District AIDS Control Society (MDACS) on the eve of World AIDS Day show that 36,920 HIV patients in the city have been put on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) over the years.      The therapy has been instrumental in changing the perception of AIDS from being a death sentence to a manageable chronic disease. "This is a 96.2% increase in the number of patients taking ART since 2008," said Dr B Adsul, additional project director at MDACS. The numbers show that the AIDS-control programme is spreading wider into the community. The city's government-aided AIDS control programme has registrations of 67,326 patients across the city.      "In the last five years, we have managed to increase the number of patients coming to us for treatment by 60%,'' added Dr Adsul. That HIVpositive individuals are living healthier lives can be gauged from the fact almost 40% of the registered patients don't need ART yet, said an MDACS official.      The MDACS, which works under the civic body, operates 69 centres for testing and counselling patients as well as 10 centres to distribute ART medicines.      In the last five years, the number of people getting themselves checked for the disease has gone up by 39%. The number of pregnant women getting themselves checked for HIV has increased by 5%. India among 12 nations with most HIV+ adolescents: UN Global AIDS Deaths In 10-19 Age Group Up 50%  New Delhi: A new report puts India among 12 highburden countries like South Africa, Nigeria and Tanzania that are home to the 2.1 million adolescents living with HIV in 2012.      A UNICEF report says that AIDS-related deaths amongst adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 increased by 50% between 2005 and 2012, rising from 71,000 to 110,000 and that many adolescents were unaware that they were infected.      The 2013 Stocktaking Report on Children and AIDS—released on the occasion of World AIDS Day on Sunday— says that an estimated 74% of the 2.1 million adolescents live in 12 high burden countries. It says that investments to the tune of $5.5 billion by next year will be required to avoid an added two million adolescents, particularly girls, getting infected by 2020. Investments in 2010 were US$3.8 billion.      "If high-impact interventions are scaled up using an integrated approach, we can halve the number of new infections among adolescents by 2020," said UNICEF executive eirector Anthony Lake. "It's a matter of reaching the most vulnerable adolescents with effective programmes – urgently."      The report also found that girls are more vulnerable among adolescents. Of the total of 2.1 million individuals, 1.2 million are females. The total infected adolescent population in South Asia is 130,000 with 51% men and 49% women.

Tap water causing pink eye Navi Mumbai In Grip Of Rare Conjunctivitis

Mumbai: A peculiar type of conjunctivitis, caused by a parasite found in contaminated water, has affected many in Navi Mumbai. A private hospital, which carried out a preliminary analysis, recorded over 20 cases in little over a month.      The Advanced Eye Hospital and Institute in Navi Mumbai saw patients who complained of the classic symptoms of conjunctivitis such as redness, irritation and light sensitivity. Most of them also got unsuccessfully treated for viral conjunctivitis only to be diagnosed with microsporidial infection later. Experts confirmed such cases are few and far between.      More worryingly, tap water emerged as the common source of infection. The mother of a nine-year-old boy said, "We live in a posh society and my son goes to a good school. There is no way he gets exposed to dirty water." She added that one of his son's friends was also diagnosed with it two days before him.      Cornea surgeon Dr Vandana Jain said the infection in normal individual was baffling. "Microsporidia are opportunistic pathogens that mostly affect those with weak immune system and not individuals with normal immunity."      Adoctor from MGM Hospital in Vashi said they have also treated a couple of cases post monsoon. The doctor added that patients should use boiled water to wash their eyes if they feel any kind of irritation.  WATCH OUT WHAT IS CORNEAL MICROSPORIDIOSIS?  The disease is caused by an infection with organisms called microsporidia  These parasites live within other host cells where they produce infective spores or cells that can reproduce  The cells cause a disease called microsporidiosis  It is commonly seen in immuno-compromised people such as HIV, TB and transplant patients      The infection can also affect brain, intestine, muscles and kidneys      It is not contagious like classic conjunctivitis      It can affect vision permanently if not treated appropriately and in time

55% of 21,000 diabetics in Mumbai are women

Mumbai: Even as the BMC will attempt to detect more cases of hidden diabetes by randomly checking the blood sugar of more than two lakh Mumbaikars on Wednesday, existing statistics reveal a worrying trend. More women than men—55% of the 21,000 patients are women—seek free treatment at BMC's 55 diabetic clinics.      "We were surprised to find more women than men as patients," said additional municipal commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar on Tuesday. However, city's executive health officer Dr Arun Bamne said that the gender bias could be a reflection of the fact that women were free to attend the civic clinics that function during afternoons.      But the BMC's more-woman-patients theory ties in with a similar finding three years when Metropolis Laboratory found more woman patients among the two lakh people tested for the disease. "Diabetes usually doesn't discriminate on gender lines, but Indian women could be more prone because of their poor vitamin D levels," said endocrinologist Shashank Joshi from Lilavati Hospital.      The BMC's diabetes programme began with 21 special clinics offering free tests and medicines in 2011. It now covers 52 clinics. "We offer free medicines to 35,647 patients registered at our suburban hospitals. Another 34,782 are listed at our teaching hospitals and get free insulin too," said Mhaiskar. TNN

CHOCOLATES SPELL CLASS, NOT COST THIS FESTIVE SEASON, PEOPLE CHOSE PERSONALISED CHOCOLATES OVER MITHAI AS A GIFT

While chocolates as Diwali gifts have been around for the last couple of years, they've never really surpassed good ol'mithai. However, this Diwali along with the corporate firms, many people also opted for ribbon-wrapped crowns of soft-centers over gooey Indian mithai.      Chocolates, beautifully wrapped, intricately moulded and often with the corporate logo embossed on each piece make a smarter and more costeffective bulk gift. So, while a beautiful box of chocolate could cost you merely Rs 150, abox of dry fruits is anything from Rs 350 to Rs 2,000.      "Chocolates speak of class. Mithai is boring — besides you can't give pedhas and any dry fruit mithai is expensive. Chocolates have a standing that has style, individuality and a character. And of course, they are cheaper without being perceived to be," says 38 year-old Anita Sabharwal.      According to Mehernosh Khajotia, a shopkeeper, "It's all about the money. When you have to distribute sweets to half the city, you are looking for a cheaper, yet impressive option. And a box of assorted, hand-made, beautifullywrapped chocolates makes better sense than a handful of dry fruits."      Another deciding factor that tilts the scale in favour of chocolates ishealth consciousness. While you would not normally think of a chocolate as healthy, weigh it on the same scales as mithai and it's definitely lighter on your waist. And of course, the clincher —kids always prefer chocolates. Since the shelf-life of chocolate is far longer than traditional mithai, parents can also ration it for longer.

Move over boys, hunt now for suitable sperm

First they tried to find a suitable boy for their daughter. Then they busied themselves finding a suitable sperm donor. "My parents' earlier search didn't yield results but this one is going to give us a precious gift," says Richa Aneja, who's single and looking forward to a surrogate baby soon.      Having a baby through IVF (in-vitro fertilization) or a surrogate mother was once fraught with stigma. Even married couples chose to hide the fact from their families and friends. Now, the tide is changing, say infertility experts. Parents, and even in-laws, are supporting—and often paying for—assisted reproduction techniques for their children. Women in mid-30s freezing their eggs Aneja, 34, is unmarried but that didn't stop her parents and brother from being willing partners on her journey to becoming a parent. "When I told my family that I wanted to be a mother with the help of IVF they gave me their blessings and promised full support," says Aneja who runs a software business in west Delhi. At present, her surrogate is pregnant and the family is busy discussing possible themes for a nursery at her home and names for the much-awaited baby.      While there are no figures to quantify this trend, doctors confirm that numbers are growing. Dr Firuza Parikh, a well-known infertility expert consulted by Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan, met three single women who wanted to freeze their eggs last week, all of whom were accompanied by their mothers. "They are all in their mid-30s but still haven't found the right man to settle down with," says Dr Parikh and adds that she is also seeing more and more cases of in-laws extending financial help to young couples undergoing IVF.      One cycle of IVF in India usually costs between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 4.5 lakh. The IVFsurrogacy package — including the costs for hormonal medicines for egg retrieval, egg placement, hospital delivery of the baby, legal charges, etc — costs close to Rs 15 lakh. The procedure of retrieving and freezing eggs costs around Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh and the annual fee for storage varies from Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000.      Dr Rita Bakshi, who runs the Delhi-based International Fertility Centre, says that with blossoming of women's careers she is seeing a sea change in attitudes towards ART (assisted reproduction technology). "Till a few years ago women themselves shied from IVF. Now we get parents who bring their daughters to us for the procedure," she says, citing the example of a 39-year-old unmarried woman who came to her clinic with her parents, who were footing the bill. She wanted a baby through surrogacy.      "Parents want to see their children happy," explains Dr Aniruddh Malpani, a Mumbai-based infertility doctor. "Children have a mind of their own. So parents reconcile and bow to their child's wishes." He cites the example of a client who is a scientist in the US. She is single by choice and her mother was initially opposed to the idea of "nontraditional baby-making". "But eventually she relented," says Dr Malpani. The scientist got pregnant thrice but miscarried. "At that point her mother advised her to go for surrogacy," says Dr Malpani. Now, her surrogate is 14 weeks pregnant. This scientist meticulously, and anonymously, blogs about her IVF and surrogacy experience at www.aboutplanb.blogspot.in, which has more than three lakh page views.      (Some names have been changed on request)

Helpouts: Get advice from experts via video chat

San Francisco: Google Inc is launching a service that lets consumers pay for live video chats with experts who can provide everything from step-by-step turkey cooking instructions to marriage counselling. The Google Helpouts service, introduced on Monday, features roughly 1,000 partners in fashion, fitness, computers and other topics, available for live, oneon-one video consultations. The video sessions can be as short as a few minutes or can last several hours, depending on the topic, with pricing set by each individual provider. 

    The video consultations represent an expansion of Google's traditional web search service, which for years has answered consumers' questions by pointing people to the most appropriate web page. 
    While Google remains the world's No.1 internet search engine, consumers are increasingly turning to social networks like Facebook Inc to get advice and recommendations from their friends about movies, restaurants and other topics. "Most of the world's useful information still resides in people's heads," Udi Manber, vice president of engineering at Google said at a small briefing with reporters in San Francisco on Monday. Helpouts "opens the door to that information as well." 
    Manber said that Google will initially provide tight oversight of the Helpouts website, deciding which types of services can be offered on Helpouts. For providers of medical consultations, Google will conduct background checks to ensure that the provider has valid credentials. In addition to individual experts, brands such as Sephora, Weight Watchers and Rosetta Stone will also be offering video sessions on the Helpouts service. 
    Google will take 20% of the fee that the providers collect from consumers for the video chats, though Google is initially waving the transaction fee for providers in the Health category. Consumers can leave reviews of the different video chat experts and Google will refund consumers who are not satisfied with their video consultation, the company said. REUTERS

HELP AT HAND: Google will allow consumers to pay for live video chats with experts who can provide help for everything, from step-by-step turkey cooking instructions to marriage counselling

2 deadly dengue strains behind spurt in city-wide infection

Mumbai: Two worrying strains of dengue have been found to be circulating in Mumbai's air, and could well explain the viral infection's rise and spread this monsoon. Preliminary investigations by the National Institute of Virology, Pune, have revealed that the strains—DEN-2 and 3—have been behind dengue in the city. 

    Mumbai, much like the rest of the country, has been reeling under a dengue spell that peaked between September and October, and is likely to linger for some more time. Virologists, though not completely surprised about the presence of DEN-2, are worried about its predominance. A 2011 study at Kasturba Hospital's molecular lab had found DEN-2 responsible for 85% and DEN-3 for 11% of the cases. 
    Dr Jayanti Shastri, head of microbiology at BYL Nair Hospital, said DEN-2 is associated with more severity world over; more so in south-east Asia. 
    Quoting a recent study that mapped the complete genome sequence and evolution of DEN-2 virus, Shastri said, "There are two major genotypes of DEN-2—American and cosmopolitan—in India, and significant variations have been seen in the cosmopolitan type. These variations themselves could be responsible for the change in the virus' behaviour." 
    Shastri, also head of BMC's molecular lab, said research carried out by Gwalior's Research and Development Establishment, had found the newer Indian DENV-2 isolates were 9% divergent from the older Indian strain. Traces of DEN-2 are found in cities reporting an epidemic-like situation. 
    On the other hand, the NIV also observed that DEN-3 is reemerging as a dominant serotype and that it belongs to the genotype associated with DHF in the subcontinent. "DEN-2 particularly, and in certain cases DEN-3, is capable of causing bleeding, hypotension, liver failure, cardiac condition and shock syndrome, among other life-threatening conditions," said a doctor from Sion Hospital. 
    All dengue strains are capable of causing mild to severe infection. "But infection with one type is not worrisome. It is only when a person gets infected twice with different serotypes that it becomes tricky," said Gautam Bhansali, consultant physician, Bombay Hospital. 
    Officials from the nodal laboratory in Pune confirmed the findings have been conveyed to the BMC. Civic health officials, though, remained tight-lipped. Around 101 samples from Mumbai have been sent to the NIV for serotype testing, a few of which have arrived.