Avian Flu-Prevention precautions
-Dr M A Aleem
Neurologist
Trichy
For Avian Flu prevention is better than cure in human
There is no evidence to suggest that the consumption of cooked poultry or eggs could transmit the avian flu to humans. All the evidence to date indicates that thorough cooking will kill the virus.
While unlikely, transmission of the virus to humans from consumption of uncooked or undercooked eggs or poultry cannot be completely ruled out. To limit potential risks, poultry and eggs should be thoroughly cooked to kill any possible viruses or bacteria. Proper safe food handling practices such as handwashing and keeping poultry and egg products separate from other food products to avoid cross contamination should be followed. This is consistent with long standing advice from health authorities through out the world.
Foods such as wild geese and ducks are important sources of food for some people. These foods often have a cultural and economic role as well. Although the risk of catching avian flu from wild birds is very low, hunters and people who prepare and cook wild birds may be at a higher risk. So it is important for people who hunt and eat wild birds to take precautions to help reduce any risk.
Do not handle or eat sick birds or birds that have died from unknown causes
Cook game meat thoroughly, to an internal temperature of approximately 71ºC (160 º F)
Avoid direct contact with blood, feces, and respiratory secretions of all wild birds and immediately remove and wash clothing that may be contaminated
Do not eat, drink or smoke when cleaning wild game birds
Wear dish gloves or latex gloves when handling or cleaning game
Wash gloves, hands, and clothing with soap and warm water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer immediately after you have finished. Thoroughly clean contaminated surfaces on tools and work surfaces with hot, soapy water and then disinfect the area using a household disinfectant
Keep young children away when cleaning game birds and discourage them from playing in areas that could be contaminated with wild bird droppings
If you become ill while handling birds or shortly thereafter, see your doctor. Inform your doctor that you have been in contact with wild birds.
If you observe sick or dead birds and suspect that disease may be involved, contact your local animal health authorities
Sunday, November 30, 2014
World AIDS Day 2014: Closing the gap in HIV prevention and treatment1 December 2014
World AIDS Day 2014: Closing the gap in HIV prevention and treatment
1 December 2014

On World AIDS Day 2014 WHO will release new guidelines on providing antiretrovirals (ARVs) as an emergency prevention following HIV exposure, and on the use of the antibiotic co-trimoxazole to prevent HIV-related infections.
The guidelines provide advice on providing ARVs as post-exposure prophylaxis (“PEP”) for people who have been exposed to HIV – such as health workers, sex workers, and survivors of rape.
In 2013, WHO published consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretrovirals that promote earlier, simpler and less toxic interventions to keep people healthier for longer, and to help prevent HIV transmission. A growing number of countries with a high burden of HIV have adopted these guidelines. In 2013, a record 13 million people were able to access life-saving ARVs.
But too many people still lack access to comprehensive HIV treatment and prevention services. The 1 December supplement to the WHO consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection, released in June 2013, aims to help bridge that gap
What is HIV?
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects cells of the immune system, destroying or impairing their function. Infection with the virus results in progressive deterioration of the immune system, leading to "immune deficiency." The immune system is considered deficient when it can no longer fulfil its role of fighting infection and disease. Infections associated with severe immunodeficiency are known as "opportunistic infections", because they take advantage of a weakened immune system.
What is AIDS?
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a term which applies to the most advanced stages of HIV infection. It is defined by the occurrence of any of more than 20 opportunistic infections or HIV-related cancers.
How is HIV transmitted?
HIV can be transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse (vaginal or anal), and oral sex with an infected person; transfusion of contaminated blood; and the sharing of contaminated needles, syringes or other sharp instruments. It may also be transmitted between a mother and her infant during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.
How many people are living with HIV?
According to estimates by WHO and UNAIDS, 35 million people were living with HIV globally at the end of 2013. That same year, some 2.1 million people became newly infected, and 1.5 million died of AIDS-related causes.
How quickly does a person infected with HIV develop AIDS?
The length of time can vary widely between individuals. Left without treatment, the majority of people infected with HIV will develop signs of HIV-related illness within 5–10 years, although this can be shorter. The time between acquiring HIV and an AIDS diagnosis is usually between 10–15 years, but sometimes longer. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) can slow the disease progression by preventing the virus replicating and therefore decreasing the amount of virus in an infected person’s blood (known as the ‘viral load’).
What is the most common life-threatening opportunistic infection affecting people living with HIV/AIDS?
Tuberculosis (TB) kills nearly 360 000 people living with HIV each year. It is the number one cause of death among HIV-infected people in Africa, and a leading cause of death in this population worldwide. There are a number of core health care strategies that are critical to prevent and manage TB infection among people living with HIV:
intensified case finding for active TB
isoniazid preventive treatment
TB infection control
early initiation of antiretroviral therapy.
How can I limit my risk of HIV transmission through sex?
Use male or female condoms correctly each time you have sex.
Practice only non-penetrative sex.
Remain faithful in a relationship with an uninfected equally faithful partner with no other risk behaviour.
Does male circumcision prevent HIV transmission?
Male circumcision reduces the risk of female-to-male sexual transmission of HIV by around 60%. Since 2007, WHO and UNAIDS have recommended voluntary medical male circumcision as an additional strategy for HIV prevention in settings with high HIV prevalence and low levels of male circumcision. Fourteen countries in eastern and southern Africa with this profile have initiated programmes to expand male circumcision.
A one-time intervention, medical male circumcision provides life-long partial protection against HIV as well as other sexually transmitted infections. It should always be considered as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention package and should never replace other known methods of prevention, such as female and male condoms.
How effective are condoms in preventing HIV?
When used properly during every sexual intercourse, condoms are a proven means of preventing HIV infection in women and men. However, apart from abstinence, no protective method is 100% effective.
What is a female condom?
The female condom is the only female-controlled contraceptive barrier method currently on the market. The female condom is a strong, soft, transparent polyurethane sheath inserted in the vagina before sexual intercourse. It entirely lines the vagina and provides protection against both pregnancy and STIs, including HIV, when used correctly in each act of intercourse.
What is the benefit of an HIV test?
Knowing your HIV status can have 2 important benefits.
If you learn that you are HIV positive, you can take steps before symptoms appear to access treatment, care and support, thereby potentially prolonging your life and preventing health complications for many years.
If you know that you are infected, you can take precautions to prevent the spread of HIV to others.
What are antiretroviral drugs?
Antiretroviral drugs are used in the treatment and prevention of HIV infection. They fight HIV by stopping or interfering with the reproduction of the virus in the body, reducing the amount of virus in the body.
What is the current status of antiretroviral treatment (ART)?
At the end of 2013, 11.7 million people in low- and middle-income countries were receiving HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART). Until 2003, the high cost of the medicines, weak or inadequate health care infrastructure, and lack of financing prevented wide use of combination ART in low- and middle-income countries. But in recent years, increased political and financial commitment has allowed dramatic expansion of access to treatment.
Is there a cure for HIV?
No, there is no cure for HIV. But with good and continued adherence to ART, the progression of HIV in the body can be slowed to a near halt. Increasingly, people living with HIV can remain well and productive for extended periods of time, even in low-income countries.
What other kinds of care do people living with HIV need?
In addition to ART, people with HIV often need counselling and psychosocial support. Access to good nutrition, safe water and basic hygiene can also help an HIV-infected person maintain a high quality of life
1 December 2014

On World AIDS Day 2014 WHO will release new guidelines on providing antiretrovirals (ARVs) as an emergency prevention following HIV exposure, and on the use of the antibiotic co-trimoxazole to prevent HIV-related infections.
The guidelines provide advice on providing ARVs as post-exposure prophylaxis (“PEP”) for people who have been exposed to HIV – such as health workers, sex workers, and survivors of rape.
In 2013, WHO published consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretrovirals that promote earlier, simpler and less toxic interventions to keep people healthier for longer, and to help prevent HIV transmission. A growing number of countries with a high burden of HIV have adopted these guidelines. In 2013, a record 13 million people were able to access life-saving ARVs.
But too many people still lack access to comprehensive HIV treatment and prevention services. The 1 December supplement to the WHO consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection, released in June 2013, aims to help bridge that gap
What is HIV?
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects cells of the immune system, destroying or impairing their function. Infection with the virus results in progressive deterioration of the immune system, leading to "immune deficiency." The immune system is considered deficient when it can no longer fulfil its role of fighting infection and disease. Infections associated with severe immunodeficiency are known as "opportunistic infections", because they take advantage of a weakened immune system.
What is AIDS?
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a term which applies to the most advanced stages of HIV infection. It is defined by the occurrence of any of more than 20 opportunistic infections or HIV-related cancers.
How is HIV transmitted?
HIV can be transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse (vaginal or anal), and oral sex with an infected person; transfusion of contaminated blood; and the sharing of contaminated needles, syringes or other sharp instruments. It may also be transmitted between a mother and her infant during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.
How many people are living with HIV?
According to estimates by WHO and UNAIDS, 35 million people were living with HIV globally at the end of 2013. That same year, some 2.1 million people became newly infected, and 1.5 million died of AIDS-related causes.
How quickly does a person infected with HIV develop AIDS?
The length of time can vary widely between individuals. Left without treatment, the majority of people infected with HIV will develop signs of HIV-related illness within 5–10 years, although this can be shorter. The time between acquiring HIV and an AIDS diagnosis is usually between 10–15 years, but sometimes longer. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) can slow the disease progression by preventing the virus replicating and therefore decreasing the amount of virus in an infected person’s blood (known as the ‘viral load’).
What is the most common life-threatening opportunistic infection affecting people living with HIV/AIDS?
Tuberculosis (TB) kills nearly 360 000 people living with HIV each year. It is the number one cause of death among HIV-infected people in Africa, and a leading cause of death in this population worldwide. There are a number of core health care strategies that are critical to prevent and manage TB infection among people living with HIV:
intensified case finding for active TB
isoniazid preventive treatment
TB infection control
early initiation of antiretroviral therapy.
How can I limit my risk of HIV transmission through sex?
Use male or female condoms correctly each time you have sex.
Practice only non-penetrative sex.
Remain faithful in a relationship with an uninfected equally faithful partner with no other risk behaviour.
Does male circumcision prevent HIV transmission?
Male circumcision reduces the risk of female-to-male sexual transmission of HIV by around 60%. Since 2007, WHO and UNAIDS have recommended voluntary medical male circumcision as an additional strategy for HIV prevention in settings with high HIV prevalence and low levels of male circumcision. Fourteen countries in eastern and southern Africa with this profile have initiated programmes to expand male circumcision.
A one-time intervention, medical male circumcision provides life-long partial protection against HIV as well as other sexually transmitted infections. It should always be considered as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention package and should never replace other known methods of prevention, such as female and male condoms.
How effective are condoms in preventing HIV?
When used properly during every sexual intercourse, condoms are a proven means of preventing HIV infection in women and men. However, apart from abstinence, no protective method is 100% effective.
What is a female condom?
The female condom is the only female-controlled contraceptive barrier method currently on the market. The female condom is a strong, soft, transparent polyurethane sheath inserted in the vagina before sexual intercourse. It entirely lines the vagina and provides protection against both pregnancy and STIs, including HIV, when used correctly in each act of intercourse.
What is the benefit of an HIV test?
Knowing your HIV status can have 2 important benefits.
If you learn that you are HIV positive, you can take steps before symptoms appear to access treatment, care and support, thereby potentially prolonging your life and preventing health complications for many years.
If you know that you are infected, you can take precautions to prevent the spread of HIV to others.
What are antiretroviral drugs?
Antiretroviral drugs are used in the treatment and prevention of HIV infection. They fight HIV by stopping or interfering with the reproduction of the virus in the body, reducing the amount of virus in the body.
What is the current status of antiretroviral treatment (ART)?
At the end of 2013, 11.7 million people in low- and middle-income countries were receiving HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART). Until 2003, the high cost of the medicines, weak or inadequate health care infrastructure, and lack of financing prevented wide use of combination ART in low- and middle-income countries. But in recent years, increased political and financial commitment has allowed dramatic expansion of access to treatment.
Is there a cure for HIV?
No, there is no cure for HIV. But with good and continued adherence to ART, the progression of HIV in the body can be slowed to a near halt. Increasingly, people living with HIV can remain well and productive for extended periods of time, even in low-income countries.
What other kinds of care do people living with HIV need?
In addition to ART, people with HIV often need counselling and psychosocial support. Access to good nutrition, safe water and basic hygiene can also help an HIV-infected person maintain a high quality of life
World AIDS Day 2014: Closing the gap in HIV prevention and treatment1 December 2014
World AIDS Day 2014: Closing the gap in HIV prevention and treatment
1 December 2014

On World AIDS Day 2014 WHO will release new guidelines on providing antiretrovirals (ARVs) as an emergency prevention following HIV exposure, and on the use of the antibiotic co-trimoxazole to prevent HIV-related infections.
The guidelines provide advice on providing ARVs as post-exposure prophylaxis (“PEP”) for people who have been exposed to HIV – such as health workers, sex workers, and survivors of rape.
In 2013, WHO published consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretrovirals that promote earlier, simpler and less toxic interventions to keep people healthier for longer, and to help prevent HIV transmission. A growing number of countries with a high burden of HIV have adopted these guidelines. In 2013, a record 13 million people were able to access life-saving ARVs.
But too many people still lack access to comprehensive HIV treatment and prevention services. The 1 December supplement to the WHO consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection, released in June 2013, aims to help bridge that gap
1 December 2014

On World AIDS Day 2014 WHO will release new guidelines on providing antiretrovirals (ARVs) as an emergency prevention following HIV exposure, and on the use of the antibiotic co-trimoxazole to prevent HIV-related infections.
The guidelines provide advice on providing ARVs as post-exposure prophylaxis (“PEP”) for people who have been exposed to HIV – such as health workers, sex workers, and survivors of rape.
In 2013, WHO published consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretrovirals that promote earlier, simpler and less toxic interventions to keep people healthier for longer, and to help prevent HIV transmission. A growing number of countries with a high burden of HIV have adopted these guidelines. In 2013, a record 13 million people were able to access life-saving ARVs.
But too many people still lack access to comprehensive HIV treatment and prevention services. The 1 December supplement to the WHO consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection, released in June 2013, aims to help bridge that gap
Monday, November 24, 2014
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 25 November 2014
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
25 November 2014
Introduction
The United Nations defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life."
Violence against women is a human rights violation
Violence against women is a consequence of discrimination against women, in law and also in practice, and of persisting inequalities between men and women
Violence against women impacts on, and impedes, progress in many areas, including poverty eradication, combating HIV/AIDS, and peace and security
Violence against women and girls is not inevitable. Prevention is possible and essential
Violence against women continues to be a global pandemic.
To raise awareness and trigger action to end the global scourge of violence against women and girls, the UN observes International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November every year. The 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence which follow (ending on 10 December, Human Rights Day) are a chance to mobilize and raise awareness.
This year, the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign invites you to “Orange YOUR Neighbourhood,” with the colour designated by the
UNiTE campaign to symbolize a brighter future without violence.

Facts and Figures
35% of women and girls globally experience some form of physical and or sexual violence in their lifetime with up to seven in ten women facing this abuse in some countries.
It is estimated that up to 30 million girls under the age of 15 remain at risk from female genital mutilation (FGM), and more than 130 million girls and women have undergone the procedure worldwide.
Worldwide, more than 700 million women alive today were married as children, 250 million of whom were married before the age of 15. Girls who marry before the age of 18 are less likely to complete their education and more likely to experience domestic violence and complications in childbirth.
The costs and consequence of violence against women last for generations.
Worldwide today:
• 1 in 3 women have been beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime. Usually the abuser is a member of her own family or someone known to her.
• Boys who witness their fathers' violence are 10 times more likely to engage in spouse abuse in later adulthood
• In some parts of the world a girl is more likely to be raped than to learn how to read
• Every year, 60 million girls are sexually assaulted at, or on their way to, school
• Women and girls are 80% (640.000) of the estimated 800,000 people trafficked across national borders annually with the majority (505.600) trafficked for sexual exploitation.
• At least 60 million girls are 'missing' from various populations - mostly in Asia - as a result of infanticide, neglect or sex-selected abortions.
• Up to 5% of women report being physically abused while pregnant. 50% of physically abused Indian women report violence during pregnancy.
• Between 100 and 140 million women and girls alive today have been subjected to Female Genital Mutilation. In six African countries over 80% of women have been subject to this practice.
• Over 60 million girls worldwide are child brides: 31.3 million in South Asia, 14.1 million in Sub-Sahara Africa. Violence and abuse characterise married life for many of these girls.
It is time to stop this worldwide injustice.
Violence against women - particularly intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women - are major public health problems and violations of women's human rights.
Recent global prevalence figures indicate that 35% of women worldwide have experienced either intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
On average, 30% of women who have been in a relationship report that they have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence by their partner.
Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner.
Violence can result in physical, mental, sexual, reproductive health and other health problems, and may increase vulnerability to HIV.
Risk factors for being a perpetrator include low education, exposure to child maltreatment or witnessing violence in the family, harmful use of alcohol, attitudes accepting of violence and gender inequality.
Risk factors for being a victim of intimate partner and sexual violence include low education, witnessing violence between parents, exposure to abuse during childhood and attitudes accepting violence and gender inequality.
In high-income settings, school-based programmes to prevent relationship violence among young people (or dating violence) are supported by some evidence of effectiveness.
In low-income settings, other primary prevention strategies, such as microfinance combined with gender equality training and community-based initiatives that address gender inequality and communication and relationship skills, hold promise.
Situations of conflict, post conflict and displacement may exacerbate existing violence and present additional forms of violence against women.
Intimate partner violence refers to behaviour by an intimate partner or ex-partner that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm, including physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviours.
Sexual violence is any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, or other act directed against a person’s sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting. It includes rape, defined as the physically forced or otherwise coerced penetration of the vulva or anus with a penis, other body part or object.
Scope of the problem
Population-level surveys based on reports from victims provide the most accurate estimates of the prevalence of intimate partner violence and sexual violence in non-conflict settings. The first report of the "WHO Multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence against women" (2005) in 10 mainly low- and middle-income countries found that, among women aged 15-49:
between 15% of women in Japan and 71% of women in Ethiopia reported physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime;
between 0.3–11.5% of women reported experiencing sexual violence by someone other than a partner since the age of 15 years;
the first sexual experience for many women was reported as forced – 17% of women in rural Tanzania, 24% in rural Peru, and 30% in rural Bangladesh reported that their first sexual experience was forced.
A more recent analysis of WHO with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Medical Research Council, based on existing data from over 80 countries, found that globally 35% of women have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence. Most of this violence is intimate partner violence. Worldwide, almost one third (30%) of all women who have been in a relationship have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner, in some regions this is much higher. Globally as many as 38% of all murders of women are committed by intimate partners.
Intimate partner and sexual violence are mostly perpetrated by men against women and child sexual abuse affects both boys and girls. International studies reveal that approximately 20% of women and 5–10% of men report being victims of sexual violence as children. Violence among young people, including dating violence, is also a major problem.
Risk factors
Factors found to be associated with intimate partner and sexual violence occur within individuals, families and communities and wider society. Some factors are associated with being a perpetrator of violence, some are associated with experiencing violence and some are associated with both.
Risk factors for both intimate partner and sexual violence include:
lower levels of education (perpetration of sexual violence and experience of sexual violence);
exposure to child maltreatment (perpetration and experience);
witnessing family violence (perpetration and experience);
antisocial personality disorder (perpetration);
harmful use of alcohol (perpetration and experience);
having multiple partners or suspected by their partners of infidelity (perpetration); and
attitudes that are accepting of violence and gender inequality (perpetration and experience).
Factors specifically associated with intimate partner violence include:
past history of violence;
marital discord and dissatisfaction;
difficulties in communicating between partners.
Factors specifically associated with sexual violence perpetration include:
beliefs in family honour and sexual purity;
ideologies of male sexual entitlement; and
weak legal sanctions for sexual violence.
The unequal position of women relative to men and the normative use of violence to resolve conflict are strongly associated with both intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence.
Health consequences
Intimate partner and sexual violence have serious short- and long-term physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health problems for survivors and for their children, and lead to high social and economic costs.
Violence against women can have fatal results like homicide or suicide.
It can lead to injuries, with 42% of women who experience intimate partner reporting an injury as a consequences of this violence.
Intimate partner violence and sexual violence can lead to unintended pregnancies, induced abortions, gynaecological problems, and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The 2013 analysis found that women who had been physically or sexually abused were 1.5 times more likely to have a sexually transmitted infection and, in some regions, HIV, compared to women who had not experienced partner violence. They are also twice as likely to have an abortion.
Intimate partner violence in pregnancy also increases the likelihood of miscarriage, stillbirth, pre-term delivery and low birth weight babies.
These forms of violence can lead to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep difficulties, eating disorders, emotional distress and suicide attempts. The same study found that women who have experienced intimate partner violence were almost twice as likely to experience depression and problem drinking. The rate was even higher for women who had experienced non partner sexual violence.
Health effects can also include headaches, back pain, abdominal pain, fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal disorders, limited mobility and poor overall health.
Sexual violence, particularly during childhood, can lead to increased smoking, drug and alcohol misuse, and risky sexual behaviours in later life. It is also associated with perpetration of violence (for males) and being a victim of violence (for females).
Impact on children
Children who grow up in families where there is violence may suffer a range of behavioural and emotional disturbances. These can also be associated with perpetrating or experiencing violence later in life.
Intimate partner violence has also been associated with higher rates of infant and child mortality and morbidity (e.g. diarrhoeal disease, malnutrition).
Social and economic costs
The social and economic costs of intimate partner and sexual violence are enormous and have ripple effects throughout society. Women may suffer isolation, inability to work, loss of wages, lack of participation in regular activities and limited ability to care for themselves and their children.
Prevention and response
Currently, there are few interventions whose effectiveness has been proven through well designed studies. More resources are needed to strengthen the prevention of intimate partner and sexual violence, including primary prevention, i.e. stopping it from happening in the first place.
Regarding primary prevention, there is some evidence from high-income countries that school-based programmes to prevent violence within dating relationships have shown effectiveness. However, these have yet to be assessed for use in resource-poor settings. Several other primary prevention strategies: those that combine microfinance with gender equality training; that promote communication and relationship skills within couples and communities; that reduce access to, and harmful use of alcohol; and that change cultural gender norms, have shown some promise but need to be evaluated further.
To achieve lasting change, it is important to enact legislation and develop policies that:
address discrimination against women;
promote gender equality;
support women; and
help to move towards more peaceful cultural norms.
An appropriate response from the health sector can play an important role in the prevention of violence. Sensitization and education of health and other service providers is therefore another important strategy. To address fully the consequences of violence and the needs of victims/survivors requires a multi-sectoral response.
Current efforts to prevent violence against women and girls are inadequate, according to a new Series published in The Lancet. Estimates suggest that globally, 1 in 3 women has experienced either physical or sexual violence from their partner, and that 7% of women will experience sexual assault by a non-partner at some point in their lives.
Yet, despite increased global attention to violence perpetrated against women and girls, and recent advances in knowledge about how to tackle these abuses, levels of violence against women – including intimate partner violence, rape, female genital mutilation, trafficking, and forced marriages – remain unacceptably high, with serious consequences for victims’ physical and mental health. Conflict and other humanitarian crises may exacerbate ongoing violence.
Between 100 and 140 million girls and women worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), with more than 3 million girls at risk of the practice every year in Africa alone. Some 70 million girls worldwide have been married before their eighteenth birthday, many against their will.
Although many countries have made substantial progress towards criminalising violence against women and promoting gender equality, the Series authors argue that governments and donors need to commit sufficient financial resources to ensure their verbal commitments translate into real change. Even where laws are progressive, many women and girls still suffer discrimination, experience violence, and lack access to vital health and legal services.
Action needed on causes of violence
Importantly, reviewing the latest evidence, the authors show that not enough is being done to prevent violence against women and girls from occurring in the first place. Although resources have grown to support women and girls in the aftermath of violence (e.g., access to justice and emergency care), research suggests that actions to tackle gender inequity and other root causes of violence are needed to prevent all forms of abuse, and thereby reduce violence overall.
"We must work towards achieving gender equality and preventing violence before it even starts.”
Violence is often seen as a social and criminal justice problem, and not as a clinical or public health issue, but the health system has a crucial part to play both in treating the consequences of violence, and in preventing it.
“Health-care providers are often the first point of contact for women and girls experiencing violence.
“Early identification of women and children subjected to violence and a supportive and effective response can improve women’s lives and wellbeing, and help them to access vital services. Health-care providers can send a powerful message – that violence is not only a social problem, but a dangerous, unhealthy, and harmful practice – and they can champion prevention efforts in the community. The health community is missing important opportunities to integrate violence programming meaningfully into public health initiatives on HIV/AIDS, adolescent health, maternal health, and mental health.”
Five key actions needed
The Series urges policy makers, health practitioners and donors worldwide to accelerate efforts to address violence against women and girls by taking 5 key actions. First, governments must allocate necessary resources to address violence against women as a priority, recognising it as a barrier to health and development.
Second, they must change discriminatory structures (laws, policies, institutions) that perpetuate inequality between women and men and foster violence.
Third, they must invest in promoting equality, non-violent behaviours and non-stigmatising support for survivors.
Fourth, they must strengthen the role of health, security, education, justice, and other relevant sectors by creating and implementing policies for prevention and response across these sectors, and integrating violence prevention and response into training efforts.
Finally, they must support research and programming to learn what interventions are effective and how to turn evidence into action.
Awareness
In Tamilnadu India
Tamil Nadu is the first Indian state to set up "all women police stations" to deal with crimes against women. After the 2012 Delhi gang rape case in 2013, in which a girl was gang-raped in a moving bus, leading to her death, the Tamil Nadu government unveiled a 13-point action plan including installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) in all public buildings and booking offenders in Goondas Act of 1982, that gives non-bailable retention up to 1 year.
Female infanticide
Female infanticide was more common during the 1980s in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. In Usilampatti taluk, a taluk in Madurai District, around 6,000 female children were killed in a span of 2 years during 1987-88. The crime was detected in one of the maternity homes that reported loss of 95% female children born during the period. The female infants were fed with the poisonous juice of oleander plant almost on the day of the birth of the child. The practice was reported even during 1993. The other districts which had prevalence were Salem, Dharmapuri, Vellore (formerly North Arcot), Erode, Dindigul and Madurai, with North Salem, South Dharmapuri, South Dindigul and West Madurai accounting for 70 per cent of all cases. The people considered marrying the girl in the future a menace on account of their financial constraints. The then government headed by Jayalalitha launched a cradle baby scheme in 1992 in Salem district that urged the parents to drop the child in the cradles instead of killing them. There were educational programmes launched by the child health and welfare department of the state to create awareness. Dharmapuri district recorded as many as 1,002 registered cases of infanticide, the highest in the state during the year and it reduced to one during 2012. During the simultaneous period, the cradles baby scheme had 1,338 children having 1,272 girls.
The government also launched another campaign in which the parents of girls undergoing sterilisation were compensated and a gold ring was presented to the girl on her 20th birthday to ease her marriage expenses.
Trafficking
The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 (ITPA) imposes prevention of trafficking women and children. While it was initially targeted at sex workers with a female majority, it was gradually extended to trafficking of human beings. The Tamil Nadu police created an Anti-Trafficking Cell in the Crime Branch CID, that has inter-state connectivity to deal with trafficking.
All women Police station
Tamil Nadu is the first state in India to set up "all women police stations" (AWPSs) to deal with crimes against women.
The scheme was initiated by the then-chief minister of the state, J Jayalalithaa, during her first tenure in 1991-95. The AWPSs were set to handle cases related to women like sexual harassment, marital discord, child abuse, eve teasing, trafficking, suicides and dowry harassment. Activists believed that after the establishment of AWPSs, women were able to come out and report dowry-related crimes freely to the police women. The police women also reported that they received complaints related to sex tortures, which otherwise went unreported to their male counterparts.
Crime against women
"We will strictly implement the requirement of installing CCTV in key public places and buildings as it enables surveillance of sexual harassment against women and catching the culprits."
~ J Jayalalithaa, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,More crime against women in Tamil Nadu, 23 February 2013
There is a wide consensus across the world that crime against women is often under-reported. It is also reported that every twenty minutes, a woman is sexually assaulted. Some sections believe that there is a skew in the reported crime data against women. The Tamil Nadu police have reported that the awareness among women has improved and they were less afraid to file complaints. The 2012 Delhi gang rape case in 2013, where a girl was gang-raped in a moving bus leading to her fatal death, was reported to have increased the awareness. Activists in that state have reported that the police who were earlier not registering such cases, have started registering them. The Chief Minister of the State, J Jayalalithaa, announced in the assembly that a 13 point action plan was unveiled by the government post the Delhi Gang Rape like installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) in all public buildings and booking offenders in Goondas Act of 1982, that provides for non-bailable retention up to one year. The government ruled that educational institutions, hospitals, cinema theatres, banks, ATM counters, shopping malls, petrol bunks and jewellery shops would be covered under the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies (Installation of Closed Circuit TV Units in Public Buildings) Rules, 2012. It also ruled that state and central government offices with 100 employees or more and having an area of 500 square metres (0.12 acre) or more would be covered under the rule. The rule also stipulated a time period of six months for the installation in existing buildings, failing which, the licenses would remain cancelled or suspended. During 2013, the state government also launched a women's helpline monitored by senior police officials. The government also ordered speedy investigation in all the pending cases related to crime against women and setting up of fast track district courts to speed justice. The state also proposed to the centre to modify existing rules to render heavy punishments to the offenders to the tune of death and chemical castration.
Child Marriage
Tamilnadu Government is strictly implementing acts to prevent child marriage
25 November 2014
Introduction
The United Nations defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life."
Violence against women is a human rights violation
Violence against women is a consequence of discrimination against women, in law and also in practice, and of persisting inequalities between men and women
Violence against women impacts on, and impedes, progress in many areas, including poverty eradication, combating HIV/AIDS, and peace and security
Violence against women and girls is not inevitable. Prevention is possible and essential
Violence against women continues to be a global pandemic.
To raise awareness and trigger action to end the global scourge of violence against women and girls, the UN observes International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November every year. The 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence which follow (ending on 10 December, Human Rights Day) are a chance to mobilize and raise awareness.
This year, the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign invites you to “Orange YOUR Neighbourhood,” with the colour designated by the
UNiTE campaign to symbolize a brighter future without violence.

Facts and Figures
35% of women and girls globally experience some form of physical and or sexual violence in their lifetime with up to seven in ten women facing this abuse in some countries.
It is estimated that up to 30 million girls under the age of 15 remain at risk from female genital mutilation (FGM), and more than 130 million girls and women have undergone the procedure worldwide.
Worldwide, more than 700 million women alive today were married as children, 250 million of whom were married before the age of 15. Girls who marry before the age of 18 are less likely to complete their education and more likely to experience domestic violence and complications in childbirth.
The costs and consequence of violence against women last for generations.
Worldwide today:
• 1 in 3 women have been beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime. Usually the abuser is a member of her own family or someone known to her.
• Boys who witness their fathers' violence are 10 times more likely to engage in spouse abuse in later adulthood
• In some parts of the world a girl is more likely to be raped than to learn how to read
• Every year, 60 million girls are sexually assaulted at, or on their way to, school
• Women and girls are 80% (640.000) of the estimated 800,000 people trafficked across national borders annually with the majority (505.600) trafficked for sexual exploitation.
• At least 60 million girls are 'missing' from various populations - mostly in Asia - as a result of infanticide, neglect or sex-selected abortions.
• Up to 5% of women report being physically abused while pregnant. 50% of physically abused Indian women report violence during pregnancy.
• Between 100 and 140 million women and girls alive today have been subjected to Female Genital Mutilation. In six African countries over 80% of women have been subject to this practice.
• Over 60 million girls worldwide are child brides: 31.3 million in South Asia, 14.1 million in Sub-Sahara Africa. Violence and abuse characterise married life for many of these girls.
It is time to stop this worldwide injustice.
Violence against women - particularly intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women - are major public health problems and violations of women's human rights.
Recent global prevalence figures indicate that 35% of women worldwide have experienced either intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
On average, 30% of women who have been in a relationship report that they have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence by their partner.
Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner.
Violence can result in physical, mental, sexual, reproductive health and other health problems, and may increase vulnerability to HIV.
Risk factors for being a perpetrator include low education, exposure to child maltreatment or witnessing violence in the family, harmful use of alcohol, attitudes accepting of violence and gender inequality.
Risk factors for being a victim of intimate partner and sexual violence include low education, witnessing violence between parents, exposure to abuse during childhood and attitudes accepting violence and gender inequality.
In high-income settings, school-based programmes to prevent relationship violence among young people (or dating violence) are supported by some evidence of effectiveness.
In low-income settings, other primary prevention strategies, such as microfinance combined with gender equality training and community-based initiatives that address gender inequality and communication and relationship skills, hold promise.
Situations of conflict, post conflict and displacement may exacerbate existing violence and present additional forms of violence against women.
Intimate partner violence refers to behaviour by an intimate partner or ex-partner that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm, including physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviours.
Sexual violence is any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, or other act directed against a person’s sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting. It includes rape, defined as the physically forced or otherwise coerced penetration of the vulva or anus with a penis, other body part or object.
Scope of the problem
Population-level surveys based on reports from victims provide the most accurate estimates of the prevalence of intimate partner violence and sexual violence in non-conflict settings. The first report of the "WHO Multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence against women" (2005) in 10 mainly low- and middle-income countries found that, among women aged 15-49:
between 15% of women in Japan and 71% of women in Ethiopia reported physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime;
between 0.3–11.5% of women reported experiencing sexual violence by someone other than a partner since the age of 15 years;
the first sexual experience for many women was reported as forced – 17% of women in rural Tanzania, 24% in rural Peru, and 30% in rural Bangladesh reported that their first sexual experience was forced.
A more recent analysis of WHO with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Medical Research Council, based on existing data from over 80 countries, found that globally 35% of women have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence. Most of this violence is intimate partner violence. Worldwide, almost one third (30%) of all women who have been in a relationship have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner, in some regions this is much higher. Globally as many as 38% of all murders of women are committed by intimate partners.
Intimate partner and sexual violence are mostly perpetrated by men against women and child sexual abuse affects both boys and girls. International studies reveal that approximately 20% of women and 5–10% of men report being victims of sexual violence as children. Violence among young people, including dating violence, is also a major problem.
Risk factors
Factors found to be associated with intimate partner and sexual violence occur within individuals, families and communities and wider society. Some factors are associated with being a perpetrator of violence, some are associated with experiencing violence and some are associated with both.
Risk factors for both intimate partner and sexual violence include:
lower levels of education (perpetration of sexual violence and experience of sexual violence);
exposure to child maltreatment (perpetration and experience);
witnessing family violence (perpetration and experience);
antisocial personality disorder (perpetration);
harmful use of alcohol (perpetration and experience);
having multiple partners or suspected by their partners of infidelity (perpetration); and
attitudes that are accepting of violence and gender inequality (perpetration and experience).
Factors specifically associated with intimate partner violence include:
past history of violence;
marital discord and dissatisfaction;
difficulties in communicating between partners.
Factors specifically associated with sexual violence perpetration include:
beliefs in family honour and sexual purity;
ideologies of male sexual entitlement; and
weak legal sanctions for sexual violence.
The unequal position of women relative to men and the normative use of violence to resolve conflict are strongly associated with both intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence.
Health consequences
Intimate partner and sexual violence have serious short- and long-term physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health problems for survivors and for their children, and lead to high social and economic costs.
Violence against women can have fatal results like homicide or suicide.
It can lead to injuries, with 42% of women who experience intimate partner reporting an injury as a consequences of this violence.
Intimate partner violence and sexual violence can lead to unintended pregnancies, induced abortions, gynaecological problems, and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The 2013 analysis found that women who had been physically or sexually abused were 1.5 times more likely to have a sexually transmitted infection and, in some regions, HIV, compared to women who had not experienced partner violence. They are also twice as likely to have an abortion.
Intimate partner violence in pregnancy also increases the likelihood of miscarriage, stillbirth, pre-term delivery and low birth weight babies.
These forms of violence can lead to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep difficulties, eating disorders, emotional distress and suicide attempts. The same study found that women who have experienced intimate partner violence were almost twice as likely to experience depression and problem drinking. The rate was even higher for women who had experienced non partner sexual violence.
Health effects can also include headaches, back pain, abdominal pain, fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal disorders, limited mobility and poor overall health.
Sexual violence, particularly during childhood, can lead to increased smoking, drug and alcohol misuse, and risky sexual behaviours in later life. It is also associated with perpetration of violence (for males) and being a victim of violence (for females).
Impact on children
Children who grow up in families where there is violence may suffer a range of behavioural and emotional disturbances. These can also be associated with perpetrating or experiencing violence later in life.
Intimate partner violence has also been associated with higher rates of infant and child mortality and morbidity (e.g. diarrhoeal disease, malnutrition).
Social and economic costs
The social and economic costs of intimate partner and sexual violence are enormous and have ripple effects throughout society. Women may suffer isolation, inability to work, loss of wages, lack of participation in regular activities and limited ability to care for themselves and their children.
Prevention and response
Currently, there are few interventions whose effectiveness has been proven through well designed studies. More resources are needed to strengthen the prevention of intimate partner and sexual violence, including primary prevention, i.e. stopping it from happening in the first place.
Regarding primary prevention, there is some evidence from high-income countries that school-based programmes to prevent violence within dating relationships have shown effectiveness. However, these have yet to be assessed for use in resource-poor settings. Several other primary prevention strategies: those that combine microfinance with gender equality training; that promote communication and relationship skills within couples and communities; that reduce access to, and harmful use of alcohol; and that change cultural gender norms, have shown some promise but need to be evaluated further.
To achieve lasting change, it is important to enact legislation and develop policies that:
address discrimination against women;
promote gender equality;
support women; and
help to move towards more peaceful cultural norms.
An appropriate response from the health sector can play an important role in the prevention of violence. Sensitization and education of health and other service providers is therefore another important strategy. To address fully the consequences of violence and the needs of victims/survivors requires a multi-sectoral response.
Current efforts to prevent violence against women and girls are inadequate, according to a new Series published in The Lancet. Estimates suggest that globally, 1 in 3 women has experienced either physical or sexual violence from their partner, and that 7% of women will experience sexual assault by a non-partner at some point in their lives.
Yet, despite increased global attention to violence perpetrated against women and girls, and recent advances in knowledge about how to tackle these abuses, levels of violence against women – including intimate partner violence, rape, female genital mutilation, trafficking, and forced marriages – remain unacceptably high, with serious consequences for victims’ physical and mental health. Conflict and other humanitarian crises may exacerbate ongoing violence.
Between 100 and 140 million girls and women worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), with more than 3 million girls at risk of the practice every year in Africa alone. Some 70 million girls worldwide have been married before their eighteenth birthday, many against their will.
Although many countries have made substantial progress towards criminalising violence against women and promoting gender equality, the Series authors argue that governments and donors need to commit sufficient financial resources to ensure their verbal commitments translate into real change. Even where laws are progressive, many women and girls still suffer discrimination, experience violence, and lack access to vital health and legal services.
Action needed on causes of violence
Importantly, reviewing the latest evidence, the authors show that not enough is being done to prevent violence against women and girls from occurring in the first place. Although resources have grown to support women and girls in the aftermath of violence (e.g., access to justice and emergency care), research suggests that actions to tackle gender inequity and other root causes of violence are needed to prevent all forms of abuse, and thereby reduce violence overall.
"We must work towards achieving gender equality and preventing violence before it even starts.”
Violence is often seen as a social and criminal justice problem, and not as a clinical or public health issue, but the health system has a crucial part to play both in treating the consequences of violence, and in preventing it.
“Health-care providers are often the first point of contact for women and girls experiencing violence.
“Early identification of women and children subjected to violence and a supportive and effective response can improve women’s lives and wellbeing, and help them to access vital services. Health-care providers can send a powerful message – that violence is not only a social problem, but a dangerous, unhealthy, and harmful practice – and they can champion prevention efforts in the community. The health community is missing important opportunities to integrate violence programming meaningfully into public health initiatives on HIV/AIDS, adolescent health, maternal health, and mental health.”
Five key actions needed
The Series urges policy makers, health practitioners and donors worldwide to accelerate efforts to address violence against women and girls by taking 5 key actions. First, governments must allocate necessary resources to address violence against women as a priority, recognising it as a barrier to health and development.
Second, they must change discriminatory structures (laws, policies, institutions) that perpetuate inequality between women and men and foster violence.
Third, they must invest in promoting equality, non-violent behaviours and non-stigmatising support for survivors.
Fourth, they must strengthen the role of health, security, education, justice, and other relevant sectors by creating and implementing policies for prevention and response across these sectors, and integrating violence prevention and response into training efforts.
Finally, they must support research and programming to learn what interventions are effective and how to turn evidence into action.
Awareness
In Tamilnadu India
Tamil Nadu is the first Indian state to set up "all women police stations" to deal with crimes against women. After the 2012 Delhi gang rape case in 2013, in which a girl was gang-raped in a moving bus, leading to her death, the Tamil Nadu government unveiled a 13-point action plan including installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) in all public buildings and booking offenders in Goondas Act of 1982, that gives non-bailable retention up to 1 year.
Female infanticide
Female infanticide was more common during the 1980s in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. In Usilampatti taluk, a taluk in Madurai District, around 6,000 female children were killed in a span of 2 years during 1987-88. The crime was detected in one of the maternity homes that reported loss of 95% female children born during the period. The female infants were fed with the poisonous juice of oleander plant almost on the day of the birth of the child. The practice was reported even during 1993. The other districts which had prevalence were Salem, Dharmapuri, Vellore (formerly North Arcot), Erode, Dindigul and Madurai, with North Salem, South Dharmapuri, South Dindigul and West Madurai accounting for 70 per cent of all cases. The people considered marrying the girl in the future a menace on account of their financial constraints. The then government headed by Jayalalitha launched a cradle baby scheme in 1992 in Salem district that urged the parents to drop the child in the cradles instead of killing them. There were educational programmes launched by the child health and welfare department of the state to create awareness. Dharmapuri district recorded as many as 1,002 registered cases of infanticide, the highest in the state during the year and it reduced to one during 2012. During the simultaneous period, the cradles baby scheme had 1,338 children having 1,272 girls.
The government also launched another campaign in which the parents of girls undergoing sterilisation were compensated and a gold ring was presented to the girl on her 20th birthday to ease her marriage expenses.
Trafficking
The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 (ITPA) imposes prevention of trafficking women and children. While it was initially targeted at sex workers with a female majority, it was gradually extended to trafficking of human beings. The Tamil Nadu police created an Anti-Trafficking Cell in the Crime Branch CID, that has inter-state connectivity to deal with trafficking.
All women Police station
Tamil Nadu is the first state in India to set up "all women police stations" (AWPSs) to deal with crimes against women.
The scheme was initiated by the then-chief minister of the state, J Jayalalithaa, during her first tenure in 1991-95. The AWPSs were set to handle cases related to women like sexual harassment, marital discord, child abuse, eve teasing, trafficking, suicides and dowry harassment. Activists believed that after the establishment of AWPSs, women were able to come out and report dowry-related crimes freely to the police women. The police women also reported that they received complaints related to sex tortures, which otherwise went unreported to their male counterparts.
Crime against women
"We will strictly implement the requirement of installing CCTV in key public places and buildings as it enables surveillance of sexual harassment against women and catching the culprits."
~ J Jayalalithaa, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,More crime against women in Tamil Nadu, 23 February 2013
There is a wide consensus across the world that crime against women is often under-reported. It is also reported that every twenty minutes, a woman is sexually assaulted. Some sections believe that there is a skew in the reported crime data against women. The Tamil Nadu police have reported that the awareness among women has improved and they were less afraid to file complaints. The 2012 Delhi gang rape case in 2013, where a girl was gang-raped in a moving bus leading to her fatal death, was reported to have increased the awareness. Activists in that state have reported that the police who were earlier not registering such cases, have started registering them. The Chief Minister of the State, J Jayalalithaa, announced in the assembly that a 13 point action plan was unveiled by the government post the Delhi Gang Rape like installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) in all public buildings and booking offenders in Goondas Act of 1982, that provides for non-bailable retention up to one year. The government ruled that educational institutions, hospitals, cinema theatres, banks, ATM counters, shopping malls, petrol bunks and jewellery shops would be covered under the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies (Installation of Closed Circuit TV Units in Public Buildings) Rules, 2012. It also ruled that state and central government offices with 100 employees or more and having an area of 500 square metres (0.12 acre) or more would be covered under the rule. The rule also stipulated a time period of six months for the installation in existing buildings, failing which, the licenses would remain cancelled or suspended. During 2013, the state government also launched a women's helpline monitored by senior police officials. The government also ordered speedy investigation in all the pending cases related to crime against women and setting up of fast track district courts to speed justice. The state also proposed to the centre to modify existing rules to render heavy punishments to the offenders to the tune of death and chemical castration.
Child Marriage
Tamilnadu Government is strictly implementing acts to prevent child marriage
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Tamilnadu Govt creates new posts for doctors at MGMGH
Govt creates new posts for doctors at MGMGH
Nov 23, 2014, 06.51AM IST TNN[ Gokul Rajendran ]
Times of India Trichy
TRICHY: In a major boost to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) the state government's health and family welfare department has announced the creation of 57 doctors' posts. The government order (GO) gains significance as it comes close on the heels of the inspection conducted by the Medical Council of India (MCI) at the KAP Viswanatham Government Medical College (KAPVGMC) a fortnight ago to assess the situation there.
The GO 320 dated October 10, 2014 permits the creation of 57 posts including 27 associate professors, 17 assistant professors and 19 tutors on a permanent basis at an approximate cost of Rs 2.98 crore per annum for KAPVGMC.
The creation of posts for the 600-bedded premier hospital is seen as a crucial decision to fulfil the norms of the MCI to provide standard education to the 150 MBBS students in the college. The seats were increased to 150 from 100 in 2013-14 in KAPVGMC, but the college was struggling to fulfil the norms including having enough manpower for teaching as well as for treatment.
An inspection by the MCI from November 7 to 9 at KAPVGMC and MGMGH turned out to be crucial as recognition from the apex council was required to continue with the increased number of seats. TOI had reported that the hospital administration 'hired' doctors from other government hospitals to present their case that they had enough manpower. It may be recalled that MCI put on hold the recognition for 50 MBBS seats after its inspection in May. Sources said the state government directly intervened into the matter and got the recognition temporarily.
All these issues prompted the government to create the posts to retain the MBBS seats. The hospital administration sent a proposal to the director of medical education (DME) seeking 151 posts. However, the government gave accord to create 57 posts. With the creation of the new posts, the doctors' strength would touch 218 from the existing 161 including 20 professors, 44 associate professors, 65 assistant professors and 32 tutors. The recruitment of doctors will be conducted as per the procedure of the DME. However, the hospital is yet to decide as to which department needs additional doctors.
The GO 320 dated October 10, 2014 permits the creation of 57 posts including 27 associate professors, 17 assistant professors and 19 tutors on a permanent basis at an approximate cost of Rs 2.98 crore per annum for KAPVGMC
Dr M A aleem Vice principal thanks chief mimister health minister health secretary DME for creation of the new posts at KAPVGMC and MGMGH
Nov 23, 2014, 06.51AM IST TNN[ Gokul Rajendran ]
Times of India Trichy
TRICHY: In a major boost to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) the state government's health and family welfare department has announced the creation of 57 doctors' posts. The government order (GO) gains significance as it comes close on the heels of the inspection conducted by the Medical Council of India (MCI) at the KAP Viswanatham Government Medical College (KAPVGMC) a fortnight ago to assess the situation there.
The GO 320 dated October 10, 2014 permits the creation of 57 posts including 27 associate professors, 17 assistant professors and 19 tutors on a permanent basis at an approximate cost of Rs 2.98 crore per annum for KAPVGMC.
The creation of posts for the 600-bedded premier hospital is seen as a crucial decision to fulfil the norms of the MCI to provide standard education to the 150 MBBS students in the college. The seats were increased to 150 from 100 in 2013-14 in KAPVGMC, but the college was struggling to fulfil the norms including having enough manpower for teaching as well as for treatment.
An inspection by the MCI from November 7 to 9 at KAPVGMC and MGMGH turned out to be crucial as recognition from the apex council was required to continue with the increased number of seats. TOI had reported that the hospital administration 'hired' doctors from other government hospitals to present their case that they had enough manpower. It may be recalled that MCI put on hold the recognition for 50 MBBS seats after its inspection in May. Sources said the state government directly intervened into the matter and got the recognition temporarily.
All these issues prompted the government to create the posts to retain the MBBS seats. The hospital administration sent a proposal to the director of medical education (DME) seeking 151 posts. However, the government gave accord to create 57 posts. With the creation of the new posts, the doctors' strength would touch 218 from the existing 161 including 20 professors, 44 associate professors, 65 assistant professors and 32 tutors. The recruitment of doctors will be conducted as per the procedure of the DME. However, the hospital is yet to decide as to which department needs additional doctors.
The GO 320 dated October 10, 2014 permits the creation of 57 posts including 27 associate professors, 17 assistant professors and 19 tutors on a permanent basis at an approximate cost of Rs 2.98 crore per annum for KAPVGMC
Dr M A aleem Vice principal thanks chief mimister health minister health secretary DME for creation of the new posts at KAPVGMC and MGMGH
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Spread of airborne viruses increases fever cases in city
Spread of airborne viruses increases fever cases in city
Nov 19, 2014, 04.55PM IST TNN[ R Gokul ]
TOI Trichy
TRICHY: For the past two weeks, a large number of people were down with viral fever in the city. Doctors attributed the spread of airborne viruses to the increase in number of fever cases.
According to the daily report provided to the health wing of the Trichy Corporation, around 15 to 30 cases of fever were reported in both private and government hospitals. Nine urban health centres (UHP) under the city corporation have been witnessing six to 10 fever cases daily for the past two weeks.
"Normally, two to three cases of fever were reported in UHPs. But the climate change and airborne diseases have increased the cases," said Dr S Mariappan, city health officer (CHO), Trichy Corporation.
Fever cases are more prevalent in the city during November and December every year. According to an official in the health wing of the corporation, optimum climate boost the spread of airborne virus in these months in the city. At least 1% of the city's population suffers from seasonal fever every year.
Fever and cold coupled with cough last for nearly five days leading to uneasiness. The doctors advise the patients to take rest for at least three days besides taking medications. The consumption of boiled water also helps in not being afflicted with the viral fever.
The spread of virus could not be stopped due to the lack of protective measure among the affected people. Doctors advise the people to cover their mouth while coughing. The physicians also advise them to be in isolation to get cured and to avoid spreading the disease to others.
However, some doctors in the city claim that fever cases were less this year compared to last year, thanks to the awareness among the people.
"Fever cases were high in previous years because many were not health conscious. But the situation has changed now after people started focussing on their health condition," said Dr MA Aleem, vice-principal, KAP Viswanatham Government Medical College (KAPVGMC).

Nov 19, 2014, 04.55PM IST TNN[ R Gokul ]
TOI Trichy
TRICHY: For the past two weeks, a large number of people were down with viral fever in the city. Doctors attributed the spread of airborne viruses to the increase in number of fever cases.
According to the daily report provided to the health wing of the Trichy Corporation, around 15 to 30 cases of fever were reported in both private and government hospitals. Nine urban health centres (UHP) under the city corporation have been witnessing six to 10 fever cases daily for the past two weeks.
"Normally, two to three cases of fever were reported in UHPs. But the climate change and airborne diseases have increased the cases," said Dr S Mariappan, city health officer (CHO), Trichy Corporation.
Fever cases are more prevalent in the city during November and December every year. According to an official in the health wing of the corporation, optimum climate boost the spread of airborne virus in these months in the city. At least 1% of the city's population suffers from seasonal fever every year.
Fever and cold coupled with cough last for nearly five days leading to uneasiness. The doctors advise the patients to take rest for at least three days besides taking medications. The consumption of boiled water also helps in not being afflicted with the viral fever.
The spread of virus could not be stopped due to the lack of protective measure among the affected people. Doctors advise the people to cover their mouth while coughing. The physicians also advise them to be in isolation to get cured and to avoid spreading the disease to others.
However, some doctors in the city claim that fever cases were less this year compared to last year, thanks to the awareness among the people.
"Fever cases were high in previous years because many were not health conscious. But the situation has changed now after people started focussing on their health condition," said Dr MA Aleem, vice-principal, KAP Viswanatham Government Medical College (KAPVGMC).

Monday, November 17, 2014
World Prematurity Day 17.112014
World Prematurity Day, November 17 2014, is a global movement to raise awareness about prematurity highlighting the burden of preterm birth, informing on simple, proven cost-effective solutions, and envoking compassion for families who have experienced preterm birth.
This year marks the fourth World Prematurity Day and activities will also link to Every Newborn, a global effort to improve newborn health and reduce maternal and child mortality.
Every year, an estimated 15 million babies are born preterm (before 37 completed weeks of gestation), and this number is rising.
Preterm birth complications are the leading cause of death among children under 5 years of age, responsible for nearly 1 million deaths in 2013.
Three-quarters of them could be saved with current, cost-effective interventions.
Across 184 countries, the rate of preterm birth ranges from 5% to 18% of babies born.
Overview
Preterm is defined as babies born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed. There are sub-categories of preterm birth, based on gestational age:
extremely preterm (<28 weeks)
very preterm (28 to <32 weeks)
moderate to late preterm (32 to <37 weeks).
Induction or caesarean birth should not be planned before 39 completed weeks unless medically indicated.
The problem
An estimated 15 million babies are born too early every year. That is more than 1 in 10 babies. Almost 1 million children die each year due to complications of preterm birth. Many survivors face a lifetime of disability, including learning disabilities and visual and hearing problems.
Globally, prematurity is the leading cause of death in children under the age of 5. And in almost all countries with reliable data, preterm birth rates are increasing.
Inequalities in survival rates around the world are stark. In low-income settings, half of the babies born at 32 weeks (two months early) die due to a lack of feasible, cost-effective care, such as warmth, breastfeeding support, and basic care for infections and breathing difficulties. In high-income countries, almost all of these babies survive.
The solution
More than three-quarters of premature babies can be saved with feasible, cost-effective care, e.g. essential care during child birth and in the postnatal period for every mother and baby, antenatal steroid injections (given to pregnant women at risk of preterm labour and meeting set criteria to strengthen the babies’ lungs), kangaroo mother care (the baby is carried by the mother with skin-to-skin contact and frequent breastfeeding) and antibiotics to treat newborn infections.
To reduce preterm birth rates, women need better access to family planning and increased empowerment, as well as improved care before, between and during pregnancies.
Why does preterm birth happen?
Preterm birth occurs for a variety of reasons. Most preterm births happen spontaneously, but some are due to early induction of labour or caesarean birth, whether for medical or non-medical reasons.
Common causes of preterm birth include multiple pregnancies, infections and chronic conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure; however, often no cause is identified. There is also a genetic influence. Better understanding of the causes and mechanisms will advance the development of solutions to prevent preterm birth.
Where and when does preterm birth happen?
More than 60% of preterm births occur in Africa and South Asia, but preterm birth is truly a global problem. In the lower-income countries, on average, 12% of babies are born too early compared with 9% in higher-income countries. Within countries, poorer families are at higher risk.
The 10 countries with the greatest number of preterm births:
India: 3 519 100
China: 1 172 300
Nigeria: 773 600
Pakistan: 748 100
Indonesia: 675 700
The United States of America: 517 400
Bangladesh: 424 100
The Philippines: 348 900
The Democratic Republic of the Congo: 341 400
Brazil: 279 300
The 10 countries with the highest rates of preterm birth per 100 live births:
Malawi: 18.1 per 100
Comoros: 16.7
Congo: 16.7
Zimbabwe: 16.6
Equatorial Guinea: 16.5
Mozambique: 16.4
Gabon: 16.3
Pakistan: 15.8
Indonesia: 15.5
Mauritania: 15.4
Of 65 countries with reliable trend data, all but 3 show an increase in preterm birth rates over the past 20 years. Possible reasons for this include better measurement, increases in maternal age and underlying maternal health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure, greater use of infertility treatments leading to increased rates of multiple pregnancies, and changes in obstetric practices such as more caesarean births before term.
There is a dramatic difference in survival of premature babies depending on where they are born. For example, more than 90% of extremely preterm babies (<28 weeks) born in low-income countries die within the first few days of life; yet less than 10% of babies of this gestation die in high-income settings.
This year marks the fourth World Prematurity Day and activities will also link to Every Newborn, a global effort to improve newborn health and reduce maternal and child mortality.
Every year, an estimated 15 million babies are born preterm (before 37 completed weeks of gestation), and this number is rising.
Preterm birth complications are the leading cause of death among children under 5 years of age, responsible for nearly 1 million deaths in 2013.
Three-quarters of them could be saved with current, cost-effective interventions.
Across 184 countries, the rate of preterm birth ranges from 5% to 18% of babies born.
Overview
Preterm is defined as babies born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed. There are sub-categories of preterm birth, based on gestational age:
extremely preterm (<28 weeks)
very preterm (28 to <32 weeks)
moderate to late preterm (32 to <37 weeks).
Induction or caesarean birth should not be planned before 39 completed weeks unless medically indicated.
The problem
An estimated 15 million babies are born too early every year. That is more than 1 in 10 babies. Almost 1 million children die each year due to complications of preterm birth. Many survivors face a lifetime of disability, including learning disabilities and visual and hearing problems.
Globally, prematurity is the leading cause of death in children under the age of 5. And in almost all countries with reliable data, preterm birth rates are increasing.
Inequalities in survival rates around the world are stark. In low-income settings, half of the babies born at 32 weeks (two months early) die due to a lack of feasible, cost-effective care, such as warmth, breastfeeding support, and basic care for infections and breathing difficulties. In high-income countries, almost all of these babies survive.
The solution
More than three-quarters of premature babies can be saved with feasible, cost-effective care, e.g. essential care during child birth and in the postnatal period for every mother and baby, antenatal steroid injections (given to pregnant women at risk of preterm labour and meeting set criteria to strengthen the babies’ lungs), kangaroo mother care (the baby is carried by the mother with skin-to-skin contact and frequent breastfeeding) and antibiotics to treat newborn infections.
To reduce preterm birth rates, women need better access to family planning and increased empowerment, as well as improved care before, between and during pregnancies.
Why does preterm birth happen?
Preterm birth occurs for a variety of reasons. Most preterm births happen spontaneously, but some are due to early induction of labour or caesarean birth, whether for medical or non-medical reasons.
Common causes of preterm birth include multiple pregnancies, infections and chronic conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure; however, often no cause is identified. There is also a genetic influence. Better understanding of the causes and mechanisms will advance the development of solutions to prevent preterm birth.
Where and when does preterm birth happen?
More than 60% of preterm births occur in Africa and South Asia, but preterm birth is truly a global problem. In the lower-income countries, on average, 12% of babies are born too early compared with 9% in higher-income countries. Within countries, poorer families are at higher risk.
The 10 countries with the greatest number of preterm births:
India: 3 519 100
China: 1 172 300
Nigeria: 773 600
Pakistan: 748 100
Indonesia: 675 700
The United States of America: 517 400
Bangladesh: 424 100
The Philippines: 348 900
The Democratic Republic of the Congo: 341 400
Brazil: 279 300
The 10 countries with the highest rates of preterm birth per 100 live births:
Malawi: 18.1 per 100
Comoros: 16.7
Congo: 16.7
Zimbabwe: 16.6
Equatorial Guinea: 16.5
Mozambique: 16.4
Gabon: 16.3
Pakistan: 15.8
Indonesia: 15.5
Mauritania: 15.4
Of 65 countries with reliable trend data, all but 3 show an increase in preterm birth rates over the past 20 years. Possible reasons for this include better measurement, increases in maternal age and underlying maternal health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure, greater use of infertility treatments leading to increased rates of multiple pregnancies, and changes in obstetric practices such as more caesarean births before term.
There is a dramatic difference in survival of premature babies depending on where they are born. For example, more than 90% of extremely preterm babies (<28 weeks) born in low-income countries die within the first few days of life; yet less than 10% of babies of this gestation die in high-income settings.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Indian Epilepsy Day 17.11.2014
Njrpa typg;G Neha; jpdk; 17.11.2014 – jp ,e;J jkpo;
typg;G Neha; tuhky; ghJfhf;f top Kiwfs;
lhf;lh;. vk;.V.myPk;, vk;.b.b.vk;. (epA+Nuh) %is euk;gpay; Nguhrphpah kw;Wk; typg;G Neha; epGzh; fp. M. ng. tp];tehjk; muR kUj;Jtf; fy;Yhhp kfhj;kh mz;zy; fhe;jp kUj;Jtkid jpUr;rp -620017 E- Mail : drmaaleem@hotmail.com Cell : 94431-59940
typg;G Neha; cs;sth;fs; Ntiy tha;g;gpy; xJf;fg;gLtijAk;, jpUkzk; eilngwhky; ,Ug;gijAk; ghh;f;fpNwhk;. typg;G Vw;gLk; NghJk; mth;fs; Jbg;gJ fz;L kdk; cUfhjth;fs; ,Uf;f KbahJ.
,j;jifa typg;G Neha; tuhky; jLg;gJ gw;wpAk; te;j gpd; Kw;wpYk; Fzkhf;FtJ gw;wpAk; jpUr;rp gpugy %is euk;gpay; kw;Wk; typg;G Neha; epGzh; lhf;lh;. vk;.V.myPk;, vk;.b.b.vk;. (epA+Nuh) tpd; kUj;Jt MNyhridfs; tUkhW
1 .typg;G vjdhy; Vw;gLfpd;wJ?
typg;G vd;gJ xU Nehapd; mwpFwpNa jtpu ,JNt xU Neha; my;y. %isapy; cs;s jpRf;fs; NeubahfNth my;yJ gy cly; fhuzq;fshNyh ghjpf;fg;gLk; NghJ typg;G Neha; Vw;glyhk;.
2. typg;G tu fhuzq;fs; vd;dd;d?
%isapy; Njhd;wf;$ba fhl;bfs; - %isj;jpRf;fis fpUkpfs; jhf;Fthjhy; Vw;hLk; ghjpg;Gfs; - %isapy; Vw;glf;%ba fhaq;fs; - %isj; jpRf;fs; rpije;J Nghtjhy; Vw;gLk; ghjpg;Gfs; %is uj;jf;Foha; ghjpg;G Vw;gLk;. Neha;fs; kw;Wk; tsh;rpij khw;wk; fhuzkhf %isia ghjpf;ff;$ba Neha;fs; fhukhf typg;G Vw;gLfpwJ. %is mOj;jj;ij mjpfhpf;ff; $ba %isf;fl;bfs; - rPy; fl;bfs; - %is ntsp ciw ghjpg;G fl;bfs; kw;Wk; uj;jf;Foha; fl;bfs; fhuzkhfTk; typg;G mjpf msT Vw;gLfpwJ.
,tw;iwj; jtpu %is jpRf;fis jhf;ff;$ba ehlh GOf;fl;bfs; kw;Wk; %is fhrNeha;f;fpUkpfs; jhf;Fthjhy; Vw;glf;$ba typg;G Neha;fs; jkpo;ehl;by; ngUk; mstpy; fhzg;gLfpd;wd.
gpwtpapNyNa %isapy; khw;wq;fs; Vw;gLfpwth;fs; %is tsh;r;rp Fd;wpa Foe;ijfs; MfpNahUf;Fk; typg;G Vw;gLfpwJ.
3. ,uz;L tajpw;Fs; cs;s Foe;ijfspy; Vw;gLk; typg;Gf;F fhuzq;fs; vd;d?
gpwe;jjpy; ,Ue;J 2 taJf;Fs; Vw;gLk; typg;G FiwghL fhuzkhf Vw;g NkYk; jpBh; fpUkp njhw;Wfs; %isia jhf;FthjYk; Foe;ijapd; uj;jj;jpy; rh;f;fiu rj;J fhy;rpak; kf;dPrpak; FiwT ‘gphplhf;rpd;’ vd;w itl;lkpd; rj;J FiwT fhuzkhfTk; %is tsh;r;rp ghjpg;G kw;Wk; kuG $Wfs; fhuzkhfTk; Vw;gLfpwJ.
4 .gjpnuz;L taJ tiu cs;s Foe;ijfspy; typg;G Vw;gl fhuzq;fs; vd;d?
2 Kjy; 12 taJf;Fl;gl;l Foe;ijfspy; fha;r;ry; fhuzkhf Vw;glf;$ba typg;Gk; jiyf;fhak; kw;Wk; fpUkpj; njhw;W fhuzkhfTk; mjpfkhf typg;G Neha; Vw;glf;$Lk;. 12 Kjy; 18 taJ tiu Nghij kUe;J – kJ gof;fk; jiyf;fhaq;fs; %isapy; fhzg;gLk; uj;jf;Foha; khw;wq;fs; fhuzkhfTk; typg;G Vw;glhyhk;.
5. kJ Fbg;gth;fSf;F typg;G tUkh?
kJ Fbg;gth;fs; ‘Nfhifd;’ vd;w Nghij kUe;j cgNahfpg;gth;fSf;F typg;G Neha; Vw;glf;$Lk;. rpy itl;lkpd; FiwghLfs; fhuzkhfTk; typg;G tuyhk; ,tw;iwj; jtpu rpyUf;F kdNeha;fs; fhuzkhfTk; gy rkaq;fspy; fhuzk; vJTk; ,y;yhkYk; $l typg;G Neha; Vw;gLfpwJ.
6. ,isQh;fspy; typg;G Vw;glf; fhuzq;fs; vd;d?
18 Kjy; 35 taJ tiu cs;sth;fSf;F %isapy; Njhd;Wk; gytif fl;bfs; kJ Nghij kUe;Jf;F mbikahFk; jd;ik fhuzkhf typg;G tUfpwJ. 35 taJf;F Nkw;gl;lth;fSf;F %isapy; uj;jf; Foha; ghjpg;G %is fl;bfs; clypy; Vw;gLfpwJ kpd; mazpfs; khw;wk; mjpf A+hpah epiy fy;yPuy; nray; ,og;G Nghd;w fhuzq;fshy; typg;G Vw;gLfpwJ.
Mz; - ngz;
7. Nfs;tp – typg;G Nehahy; mjpfkhf ghjpf;fg;gLtJ Mz;fsh? ngz;fsh?
gjpy; - Mz; - ngz; ,UghyUf;Fk; rk mstpy; typg;G Neha; ,Uf;fpwJ. 4 taJf;F cl;gl;l Foe;ijfSf;F typg;G Neha; mjpf mstpy; tUfpwJ. guk;giu tpahjpah?
8 .Nfs;tp – typg;G guk;giu tpahjpah?
gjpy; - typg;G Neha; guk;giu tpahjpahf ,Uf;fyhk; vd jw;NghJ kUj;Jt mwpQh;fshy; fz;lwpag;gl;L cs;sJ.
typg;G Neha; cs;sth;fspy; cwtpdh;fs; %is tiu glj;ij (,.,.[p) vLj;J ghh;j;j NghJ mtw;wpy; typg;G Vw;gLtjw;fhd mwpFwpfs; 6 klq;F mjpfk; fhzg;gl;lJ. ,e;j mbg;gilapy; typg;G Neha; FLk;gq;fspy; guk;giu Nehahf Njhd;wyhk; vd rpy Ma;Tfs; njhptpf;fpd;wd.
9. Nfs;tp – jiyfhaq;fs; fhuzkhf typg;G Vw;gLkh?
gjpy; - jiyapy; Vw;gLk; fhak; fhuzkhf cldbahfNth my;yJ jiyf;fhaj;jpd; gpd; tpisthfNth typg;G Vw;glhyhk;. Nkhrkhd jiyf;fhaq;fs; midj;Jk; typg;G Nehia cz;lhf;Fk;.
xUthpd; jiyf;fhak; fhuzkhf %isapd; ntsp ciw fpoptjhNyh my;yJ jiyf;fhak; Vw;gl;L 24 kzp Neuj;jpw;Fk; mjpfkhf Qhgfkwjp njhlh;e;jhNyh ,J Nghd;w fhak; Vw;gl;lth;fspy; 40 Kjy; 50 rjtPjj;jpdUf;F gpd;dh; typg;G Neha; Vw;gLfpwJ.
Jiyapy; ntspf;fhak; ,y;yhj jiyf;fhak; fhuzkhf %isapy; Vw;gLk; mjph;r;rp fhuzkhf 25 rjtPjk; NgUf;F typg;G Vw;gl tha;g;G ,Uf;fpwJ.
Jiyf;fhak; Vw;gl;L typg;G te;jth;fspy; 50 rjtPjj;jpdh; jhdhf Fzk; mile;J tpLfpwhh;fs;. 25 rjtPjj;jpdh; typg;G ePf;fp kUe;Jfs; %yk; Fzg;gLj;jg;gLfpd;wdhh;. kw;Wk; 25 rjtPjj;jpdh; ve;jtpj typg;G ePf;fp kUe;jpdhYk; Fzg;gLj;j Kbahj typg;G Vw;gl;L mtjpg;gLfpwhh;fs;.
60 yl;rk; NgUf;F typg;G
10. Nfs;tp – ekJ ehl;by; typg;G Nehapd; jhf;fk; vg;gb ,Uf;fpd;wJ?
gjpy; - cyfpy; 1000 NgUf;F 4 Kjy; 10 Ngh; typg;G Nehahy; ghjpf;fg;gl;L cs;sdh;. ,e;jpahtpy; 1000 NgUf;Fk; mjpfkhdth;fs; ghjpf;fg;gl;L cs;sdh;. ,e;jpahtpy; 60 yl;rk; Ngh; typg;G Nehahy; mtjpg;gl;L tUtjhy; kUj;Jt Ma;T mwpf;if njhptpf;fpwJ. ,th;fspy; ngUk;ghyhdth;fs; fpuhkq;fspy; trpf;ff; $bath;fshf ,Uf;fpd;wdh;. NkYk; ngUk;gyhdth;fs; fpuhkq;fspy; trpf;ff; $bath;fshf ,Uf;fpd;wdh;. NkYk; ngUk;ghyhdth;fs; ekJ ehl;by; typg;G Neha; gw;wp gy %l ek;gpf;iffis nfhz;Ls;sdh;.
fha;r;ryhy; typg;G
11. Nfs;tp – rpyUf;F fha;r;ry; te;jhy; typg;G tUfpwNj?
Gjpy – ngUk;ghYk; 6 khjk; Kjy; 5 taJf;Fl;gl;l Fow;ijfsf;F fha;r;ry; fhuzkhf typg;G (‘ngg;iuy; gpl;];’) mjpfk; Vw;gLfpwJ. 100 bfphp ghuk; `Pl;Lf;Fk; mjpfkhd fha;r;ry; Foe;ijfSf;F Vw;gLk; NghJ fha;r;ry; Vw;gl;l 6 kzp Kjy; 8 kzp Neuj;jpy; ,j;jifa typg;G Vw;glyhk;.
,t;thW Vw;gl;l fha;r;ry;typg;G njhlh;e;J fha;r;ry; ,Ue;jhYk; rpy epkplq;fspy; typg;G Fiwe;J tpLk;.
typg;G cz;lhFk; Neuk;
12. Nfs;tp – typg;G gfypy; mjpfkhf Vw;gLfpwjh my;yJ ,utpyh?
gjpy; - ,uT – gfy; ve;j NeuKk; Vw;glyhk;. 42 rjtPj typg;G Nehahspfs; gfy; Neuq;fspy; typg;G Vw;gl $bath;fshfTk; ,uT Neuq;fspy; Rkhh; 24 rjtPj Nehahspfs; typg;G Vw;glf; $bath;fshfTk; ,Uf;fpwhh;fs;.
kw;wth;fs; ,uT – gfy; ve;j NeuKk; typg;G Vw;glf; $bath;fs; ,utpy; typg;G Vw;glf;$bath;fs; gfypy; J}q;fpfhYk; typg;G Vw;gl tha;g;G ,Uf;fpwJ. J}q;Fk; NghJ typg;G Vw;glf;$bath;fs; J}q;Fk; NghJ typg;G Vw;glf;$bath;fs; J}q;f Muf;gpj;J rpy kzp Neuq;fspYk; mjpfhiy Neuq;fspYk; typg;G Neha; mjpfk; Vw;glf;$bath;fshf ,Uf;fpwhh;fs;.
rpfpr;ir
13. Nfs;tp – typg;G NehahspfSf;F vd;d rpfpr;ir mspf;fg;gLfpwJ?
Gjpy; - typg;G Neha;f;fhd fhuzq;fSf;fhd rpfpr;irAld; typg;ig Fiwf;fTk; jLf;fTk; typg;G ePf;fp kUe;Jfs; kw;Wk; mWit rpfpr;irfs; Nkw;nfhs;sg;gLfpd;wd. typg;G Neha; te;jth;fs; tpgj;Jf;Fs;shtij jLg;gjw;fhf mjpf caukhd ,lq;fspy; Ntiy ghh;j;jy; ve;jpuq;fspy; gzpGhpjy; jz;zPUf;F mbapy; ,aq;ff;$ba Ntiyfspy;
jpUkzk;
14. Nfs;tp – typg;G Neha; cs;sth;fs; jpUkzk; nra;J nfhs;syhkh?
gjpy; - typg;G Neha; cs;sth;fs; jpUkzk; nra;J nfhs;tjpy; ve;j jilAk; ,y;iy.
Kw;wpYk; Fzkhf;f KbAkh
15. Nfs;tp – typg;G Nehia Kw;wpYk; Fzkhf;f KbAkh?
gjpy; - typg;G ePf;fp kUe;JfSld; $ba kUj;Jt rpfpr;ir 100 rjtPjk; gad; mspf;ff; $bajhf ,Uf;fpwJ. Kiwahf rpfpr;ir ngWfpwth;fspy; 60 Kjy; 80 rjtPjj;jpdh;fSf;F typg;G Neha; KOtJkhf jLf;ff;$bajhfTk; 10 rjtPjj;jpdUf;F typg;G Nehia Fiwf;fTk; KbAk;.
tho;ehs; KOtJk;
16. Nfs;tp – typg;G Nehahspfs; tho;ehs; KOtJk; khj;jpiu rhg;gpl Ntz;Lkh?
gjpy; - tho;ehs; KOtJk; khj;jpiu rhg;gpl mtrpak; ,y;iy. filrp typg;G Vw;gl;ljpy; ,Ue;J khj;jpiufs; rhg;gpl;L te;jhy; Fiwe;j gl;rk; 3 Mz;L tiu typg;G tutpy;iy vd;why; khj;jpiufs; nfhQ;rk; nfhQ;rkhf 3 Kjy; 6 khjj;jpy; Fiwj;J KOikahf epWj;jp tplyhk;.
cldbahf khj;jpiufis epWj;JtNjh ehs; - Neuk; jtwp cl;nfhs;tNjh $lhJ. XNu xU Kiw typg;G Vw;gl;lth;fs; jf;f kUj;Jt MNyhridAk; ghpNrhjidAk; Nkw;nfhz;L typg;G Neha;f;F khj;jpiu cl;nfhs;s Ntz;Lkh – Ntz;lhkh vd KbT nra;a Ntz;Lk;.
typg;G Nehahspf;F Kjy; cjtp rpfpr;ir
17. Nfs;tp – typg;G Vw;gl;lth;fSf;F clNd nra;a Ntz;ba Kjy; cjtp rpfpr;ir vd;d?
gjpy; - typg;G Vw;gl;L Jbf;fpwth;fis mth;fSf;F fhaq;fs; Vw;glf;$ba #o;epiyapy; ,Ue;J ey;y ,lj;jpw;F cldbahf khw;w Ntz;Lk;. ,jdhy; clypy; fhak; - rpuha;g;G Vw;gLtij jtph;f;fyhk;.
NkYk; typg;G rkaj;jpy; ehf;if fbj;Jf; nfhs;shky; ,Uf;f thapy; ,U jhilfSf;Fk; ,ilzpy; gw;fisAk; ehf;ifAk; ghjpf;fhj tifapy; Rthrj;jpw;F ,ilA+W ,y;yhky; iff;Fl;ilia itf;fyhk; typg;G epd;wJk; cldbahf thapy; cs;s vr;rpy; Eiu Mfpatw;iw Rj;jk; nra;J tpl Ntz;Lk;.
typg;G tuhky; jLg;gJ vg;gb
18. Nfs;tp – typg;G Neha; tuhky; jLf;f vd;d nra;a Ntz;Lk;?
gjpy; - rhpahd Kd;gpd; fh;g;gfhy guhkhpg;G Kiwfs; %ykhfTk; rhpahd Njh;r;rp ngw;wth;fs; %yk; gpurtk; Nkw;nfhs;tjd; %yKk; Foe;ijf;F typg;G Vw;gLtij jtph;f;fyhk;. NghJkhd Cl;lr;rj;J jf;f Neuq;fspy; jLg;G+rp NghLtJ jiyf;fhaq;fis jtph;j;jy; Nghd;wtw;wpd; %yk; Foe;ijfSf;F typg;G Neha; Vw;gLtij jLf;fyhk;.
19. typg;G NehahspfSf;F cjTk; jkpof murpd; jpl;lq;fs;?
typg;G Neha;f;fhd kUe;Jfs; jkpofj;jpy; mizj;J muR kUj;Jtf;fy;Yhhp kw;Wk; kUj;Jtkidfs; muR kUj;Jtkidfspy; ,ytrkhf toq;fg;gl;Ls;sd.
typg;G Neha;fhd ,.,.[p ghpNrhjid kUj;Jt fy;Yhhp rhh;e;j muR kUj;Jtkidapy; ,ytrkhfTk;, rpb ];Nfd;, vk;.Mh;.I, Nghd;w ghpNrhjidfs; Fiwe;j nrytpy;, jFjp cs;sth;fSf;F jkpof Kjyikr;rhpd; tphpthd kUj;J fhg;gPl;L jpl;lk; %yk; ,ytrkhf nra;ag;gLfpd;wd.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victimsa16.11.2014 "Speed kills - design out speeding"
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2014
On this World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, we mourn those killed and injured on our roads. For many their lives have ended, but the pain and suffering of their loved ones endure. Our sympathy goes out to all those whose lives have been transformed by such tragedies.
Today half of countries are making progress on reducing the number of road traffic fatalities, while the number of deaths in india countries continues its quiet rise.
There is still much work to do.
The theme of this year’s World Day of Remembrance, “Speed Kills”, highlights the inherent risk of speed, a major cause of road traffic death and injury.
It is well documented that a 5% cut in average speed can result in a 30% reduction in the number of fatal crashes.
The good practice of setting urban speed limits of 50 kilometres per hour, which can be further reduced by local authorities around schools and residential areas, could save lives.
In the context of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, greater action is needed to address speed and other risks such as drinking and driving and failing to use seat-belts, child restraints and motorcycle helmets.
This annual World Day of Remembrance offers a place for the voi
ces of road traffic victims and their families to be heard. They guide us – and all those tasked with ensuring safer roads - in all that we do.
On this World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, we mourn those killed and injured on our roads. For many their lives have ended, but the pain and suffering of their loved ones endure. Our sympathy goes out to all those whose lives have been transformed by such tragedies.
Today half of countries are making progress on reducing the number of road traffic fatalities, while the number of deaths in india countries continues its quiet rise.
There is still much work to do.
The theme of this year’s World Day of Remembrance, “Speed Kills”, highlights the inherent risk of speed, a major cause of road traffic death and injury.
It is well documented that a 5% cut in average speed can result in a 30% reduction in the number of fatal crashes.
The good practice of setting urban speed limits of 50 kilometres per hour, which can be further reduced by local authorities around schools and residential areas, could save lives.
In the context of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, greater action is needed to address speed and other risks such as drinking and driving and failing to use seat-belts, child restraints and motorcycle helmets.
This annual World Day of Remembrance offers a place for the voi
ces of road traffic victims and their families to be heard. They guide us – and all those tasked with ensuring safer roads - in all that we do.
Doctors should care self and patients- BMJ 2014;349:g6464
Margaret McCartney: Fat doctors are patients too
BMJ 2014; 349 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g6464 (Published 10 November 2014) Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g6464
Rapid response
Doctors should care self and patients
in medical practice doctors and other health personal are role model to others. so first doctors should adopt a healthy life style and then they advice their patients. Then only a healthy community and a healthy generation will stand. A smoking doctors cannot advice his patients to stop smoking. An alcoholic health personal cannot advice his clients to stop drinking alcohol. Like this an over eating obese doctor may not able to convince his clients in this matter.
Competing interests: No competing interests
15 November 2014
M A Aleem
Neurologist
Kapv Govt medical college MGM Govt hospital ABC hospital
Trichy 620018 Tamilnadu India
BMJ 2014; 349 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g6464 (Published 10 November 2014) Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g6464
Rapid response
Doctors should care self and patients
in medical practice doctors and other health personal are role model to others. so first doctors should adopt a healthy life style and then they advice their patients. Then only a healthy community and a healthy generation will stand. A smoking doctors cannot advice his patients to stop smoking. An alcoholic health personal cannot advice his clients to stop drinking alcohol. Like this an over eating obese doctor may not able to convince his clients in this matter.
Competing interests: No competing interests
15 November 2014
M A Aleem
Neurologist
Kapv Govt medical college MGM Govt hospital ABC hospital
Trichy 620018 Tamilnadu India
Friday, November 14, 2014
9th world stroke congress
Attended 9th world stroke congress at Istanbul Turkey from October 22 to 25,2014 This is very useful and received 21 credits
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
World Diabetes Day-14.11.2014 Healthy Living and Diabetes
World Diabetes Day
World Diabetes Day (WDD) is celebrated every year on November 14. The World Diabetes Day campaign is led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and its member associations. It engages millions of people worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness. World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat that diabetes now poses. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2007 with the passage of United Nation Resolution 61/225. The campaign draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world and keeps diabetes firmly in the public spotlight.
World Diabetes Day is a campaign that features a new theme chosen by the International Diabetes Federation each year to address issues facing the global diabetes community. While the themed campaigns last the whole year, the day itself is celebrated on November 14, to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, first conceived the idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1921.
Healthy Living and Diabetes is the World Diabetes Day theme for 2014-2016.
Diabetes is growing alarmingly in India, home to more than 65,1 million people with the disease, compared to 50.8 million in 2010.1 Ominously, obesity is reaching epidemic proportions among India's middle-class children and adolescents, as young people choose Western fast food over traditional cuisine. Doctors in India are fitting gastric bands on children as young as 13.
A recent report confirmed that increasing obesity in South Asians is primarily driven by nutrition, lifestyle and demographic transitions, increasingly faulty diets and physical inactivity, in the background of genetic predisposition.2 Obesity appears to spreading across India in part at least as a result of an invasion of processed Western food. India’s economic boom has been accompanied by a meteoric increase in the number of people with diabetes – and those at risk for the disease. Prevalence rates are up to 20% in some cities, and recent figures showed surprisingly increased rates in rural areas. According to a recent report by Standard and Poor’s rating agency, the fast-food market is worth USD 11.3 billion and this is set to double in three years, largely driven by a surge in growth in the market share in smaller cities across the country.
A study conducted by the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation which was supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research suggests that 1 out of every 10 people in Tamil Nadu is diabetic. While every 2 persons out of 25 are in a pre-diabetic stage. This means that about 42 lakh individuals have diabetes and 30 lakh people are in pre-diabetes stage.

The study also assessed the level of diabetes control. About 1/3 have good control of diabetes, 1/3 have an average control and 1/3 have poor control. Control of blood sugar is important, as it is the key in preventing organ complications which could lead to death. However the major concerns are low awareness and lack of preventive steps. In urban areas, for every 2 persons who were aware about their diabetic condition, there was 1 person who was unaware of it. While in the rural areas, this ratio was 1:1. It is also significant that in India diabetes occurs roughly at 35 years of age i.e. 10 years ahead of its occurrence in the West. The study is part of nationwide effort to study the nationwide prevalence of Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes in India. This will be done by estimating the State-wide presence of the same.
Additionally, the study also aims at studying the prevalence of hypertension and estimate the risk of heart attack. The study also found that the prevalence of abdominal obesity among men was 22.4% and women 35.3%. That converts to about 50 lakh men and 76 lakh women have abdominal obesity. Abdominal obesity was defined as a waist circumference over or equal to 90 cm for men and over or equal to 80 cm for women. The report also revealed that 27.8% of Tamil Nadu population has hypertension and 20.1% has hyper cholesterolemia. These two conditions are considered to be the pre-disposing factors for diabetes. This means that approximately 1.2 crore people have hypertension (high blood pressure) and about 86 lakh people have hyper cholesterolemia (high cholesterol).
World Diabetes Day (WDD) is celebrated every year on November 14. The World Diabetes Day campaign is led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and its member associations. It engages millions of people worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness. World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat that diabetes now poses. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2007 with the passage of United Nation Resolution 61/225. The campaign draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world and keeps diabetes firmly in the public spotlight.
World Diabetes Day is a campaign that features a new theme chosen by the International Diabetes Federation each year to address issues facing the global diabetes community. While the themed campaigns last the whole year, the day itself is celebrated on November 14, to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, first conceived the idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1921.
Healthy Living and Diabetes is the World Diabetes Day theme for 2014-2016.
Diabetes is growing alarmingly in India, home to more than 65,1 million people with the disease, compared to 50.8 million in 2010.1 Ominously, obesity is reaching epidemic proportions among India's middle-class children and adolescents, as young people choose Western fast food over traditional cuisine. Doctors in India are fitting gastric bands on children as young as 13.
A recent report confirmed that increasing obesity in South Asians is primarily driven by nutrition, lifestyle and demographic transitions, increasingly faulty diets and physical inactivity, in the background of genetic predisposition.2 Obesity appears to spreading across India in part at least as a result of an invasion of processed Western food. India’s economic boom has been accompanied by a meteoric increase in the number of people with diabetes – and those at risk for the disease. Prevalence rates are up to 20% in some cities, and recent figures showed surprisingly increased rates in rural areas. According to a recent report by Standard and Poor’s rating agency, the fast-food market is worth USD 11.3 billion and this is set to double in three years, largely driven by a surge in growth in the market share in smaller cities across the country.
A study conducted by the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation which was supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research suggests that 1 out of every 10 people in Tamil Nadu is diabetic. While every 2 persons out of 25 are in a pre-diabetic stage. This means that about 42 lakh individuals have diabetes and 30 lakh people are in pre-diabetes stage.

The study also assessed the level of diabetes control. About 1/3 have good control of diabetes, 1/3 have an average control and 1/3 have poor control. Control of blood sugar is important, as it is the key in preventing organ complications which could lead to death. However the major concerns are low awareness and lack of preventive steps. In urban areas, for every 2 persons who were aware about their diabetic condition, there was 1 person who was unaware of it. While in the rural areas, this ratio was 1:1. It is also significant that in India diabetes occurs roughly at 35 years of age i.e. 10 years ahead of its occurrence in the West. The study is part of nationwide effort to study the nationwide prevalence of Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes in India. This will be done by estimating the State-wide presence of the same.
Additionally, the study also aims at studying the prevalence of hypertension and estimate the risk of heart attack. The study also found that the prevalence of abdominal obesity among men was 22.4% and women 35.3%. That converts to about 50 lakh men and 76 lakh women have abdominal obesity. Abdominal obesity was defined as a waist circumference over or equal to 90 cm for men and over or equal to 80 cm for women. The report also revealed that 27.8% of Tamil Nadu population has hypertension and 20.1% has hyper cholesterolemia. These two conditions are considered to be the pre-disposing factors for diabetes. This means that approximately 1.2 crore people have hypertension (high blood pressure) and about 86 lakh people have hyper cholesterolemia (high cholesterol).
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Thuvarankurichi Boodhanayaki Amman Temple kummapisaham
Thuvarankurichi sree Boodhanayaki amman kummapisaham is taken place very well around 10.30 am today. Dazzling of rain today in evening at our village Thuvarankurichi shows the sign of recogniztion of today kummapisaham by amman.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Sunday, November 2, 2014
உலக பார்வை தினம் கண் தான விழிப்புணர்வு மாரத்தான்திரளானோர் பங்கேற்புபதிவு செய்த நேரம்:2014-10-13 10:36:05திருச்சி, : உலக பார்வை தினத்தையொட்டி திருச்சி கிஆபெ விஸ்வநாதன் மருத்துவக் கல்லூரி, ஜோசப் கண் மருத்துவமனை ஆகியவற்றின் சார் பில் கண் தானம் மற்றும் பாதுகாப்பை வலியுறுத்தி விழிப்புணர்வு மாராத்தான் நடத்தப்பட்டது. இதில் மரு த்துவக் கல்லூரி மாணவ, மாணவிகள் உள் ளிட்ட திர ளானோர் பங்கேற்றனர். பார்வை தினத்தை முன் னிட்டு கண் தானம் மற்றும் பாதுகாப்பை வலியுறுத்தி மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்ட இந்த விழிப்புணர்வு மாரத்தான் கிஆபெ விஸ்வநாதன் மருத் துவ கல்லூரியில் நேற்று துவங்கியது. மாரத்தானை ஜோசப் கண் மருத்துவ மனை துணை இயக்குநர் பிரதிபா, மருத்துவ கல்லூரி துணை முதல்வர் டாக்டர் அலீம், மருத்துவக் கண்காணிப்பாளர் கனகராஜ் ஆகி யோர் துவக்கிவைத்தனர். மத்திய பஸ் நிலையம் மற் றும் முக்கிய வீதிகள் வழி யாகச் சென்ற இந்த மாரத் தான் ஜோசப் கண் மருத்துவமனையை சென்றடைந் தது. இதில் மருத்துவக் கல் லூரியை சேர்ந்த 500க்கும் மேற்பட்ட மாணவ, மாண விகள் பங்கேற்றனர்.
இதைத் தொடர்ந்து நடைபெற்ற பரிசளிப்பு விழாவில், ஆண்கள் பிரி வில் கவின் முதலிடத்தை யும், பார்கவியான் 2ம் இடத்தையும், சவுந்தர் 3ம் இடத்தையும் வென்றதற் கான பரிசுகளை பெற்றனர். இதே போல், மாணவிகள் பிரிவில் சுஜாதா முதலிடத்தையும், சந்திரலேகா 2ம் இடத்தையும், அக்ஷயா 3ம் இடத்தையும் வென்றதற்கான பரிசுகளைப் பெற்றனர்.
ஆரோக்கியத்துக்கு மினி மாரத்தான் இதேபோல், தமிழ்நாடு பாப்புலர் பிரண்ட் ஆப் இந்தியா அமைப்பின் சார்பில் ஆரோக்கியத்தை வலியுறுத்தி மினி மாரத்தான் நடத்தப்பட்டது. உடல் ஆரோக்கியம் குறித்து பொதுமக்களிடம் விழிப்புணர்வு ஏற்படுத்துவதற்காக இந்த அமைப்பின் சார்பில் தேசிய அளவிலான பிரசாரம் இம்மாதம் 15ம் தேதி துவங்கி 30ம் தேதி வரை மேற்கொள்ளப்பட உள்ளது. இதையொட்டி, திருச்சி ஒத்தக்கடை முத்தரையர் சிலையில் இருந்து நேற்று துவங்கிய மினி மாரத்தான் மேலப்புதூர், பாலக்கரை வழியாக சத்திரம் பஸ் நிலையத்தை சென்றடைந்தது. துவக்க விழாவுக்கு அமைப்பின் மாவட்டத் தலைவர் சபியுல்லா தலைமை வகித்தார். மாநிலப் பொருளாளர் ஷாஜஹான் கொடியசைத்து ஓட்டத்தைத் துவக்கிவைத்தார். இதில் வெற்றிபெற்றவர்களுக்கு முதல் பரிசாக ரூ.7 ஆயிரம், 2ம் பரிசாக ரூ.5 ஆயிரம், 3ம் பரிசாக ரூ.3 ஆயிரம் வீதம் வழங்கப்பட்டது. |
‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’ (IDEI) 02.11.2014
SAFETY of JOURNALISTS
Facts and Figures
593 killings of journalists have been condemned by UNESCO’s DG from 2006-2013.
94% of killed journalists are local and only 6% are foreign correspondents.
Male journalists account for 94% of journalists killed.
Less than 6 % of the 593 cases are ever resolved.
41 % of killed journalists worked in print media.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution at its 68th session in 2013 which proclaimed 2 November as the ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’ (IDEI). The Resolution urged Member States to implement definite measures countering the present culture of impunity. The date was chosen in commemoration of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November 2013.
This landmark resolution condemns all attacks and violence against journalists and media workers. It also urges Member States to do their utmost to prevent violence against journalists and media workers, to ensure accountability, bring to justice perpetrators of crimes against journalists and media workers, and ensure that victims have access to appropriate remedies. It further calls upon States to promote a safe and enabling environment for journalists to perform their work independently and without undue interference.
The focus on impunity of this resolution stems from the worrying situation that over the past decade, more than 700 journalists have been killed for bringing news and information to the public. In 2012 alone, the UNESCO Director-General condemned the killing of 123 journalists, media workers, and social media producers of public interest journalism. In 2013, the figure decreased slightly to 91, but still represented the second deadliest year for journalists.
These figures do not include the many more journalists who on a daily basis suffer from non-fatal attacks, including torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, intimidation and harassment in both conflict and non-conflict situations. Furthermore, there are specific risks faced by women journalists including sexual attacks.
Worryingly, only one in ten cases committed against media workers over the past decade has led to a conviction. This impunity emboldens the perpetrators of the crimes and at the same time has a chilling effect on society including journalists themselves. Impunity breeds impunity and feeds into a vicious cycle.
According to the forthcoming UNESCO Director-General’s Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity, less than six percent of the 593 cases of killings of journalists from 2006-2013 have been resolved. A quarter of these cases are considered as “ongoing” referring to their continued investigations over the various stages of the judicial system. In 60 percent of the cases, no information on the judicial process was made available to UNESCO notwithstanding the Director-General’s requests for such.
When attacks on journalists remain unpunished, a very negative message is sent that reporting the “embarrassing truth” or “unwanted opinions” will get ordinary people in trouble. Furthermore, society loses confidence in its own judiciary system which is meant to protect everyone from attacks on their rights. Perpetrators of crimes against journalists are thus emboldened when they realize they can attack their targets without ever facing justice.
Society as a whole suffers from impunity. The kind of news that gets “silenced” is exactly the kind that the public needs to know. Information is quintessential in order to make the best decisions in their lives, be it economic, social or political. This access to reliable and quality information is the very cornerstone of democracy, good governance, and effective institutions.
It is in recognition of such far-reaching consequences of impunity, especially of crimes against journalists, that the UN has declared 2 November as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI).
IDEI provides a strategic opportunity to all stakeholders to focus public attention on the importance of ending impunity for crimes against journalists. It also opens new possibilities to draw in constituencies whose primary interests may be other than the safety of journalists. For example, given the symbolic significance of journalists to the wider issue of impunity and justice, all of those who work in the rule of law system, such as people involved in legal and judicial processes, can be reached out to. Others who are concerned with public participation and citizen’s rights to speak out on various issues such as corruption or domestic violence will also share an interest in the resolution on combating impunity of attacks on journalists, who by definition are actors in the public eye, and whose situation sends a signal to society at large.
Significantly, the Paris Declaration of the 2014 World Press Freedom Day conference held at UNESCO Headquarters states: “the continuing high level of killings of journalists calls for intensified action by international organizations, governments, media and other actors to give heightened attention to strengthening the safety of journalists and to bringing their killers to justice.” In particular, it called on journalists, professional and support associations, media outlets, internet intermediaries and social media practitioners to “support the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity with complementary or joint actions, and to enhance cooperation with each other.” A major opportunity for this is the new International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.
As the first time that the UN officially marks this new day on the international calendar, it is important that the International Day becomes widely known and is positioned for an ever-expanding impact in coming years. The date in 2014 is thus of great significance to UN bodies, governments, the media, and to civil society as well as to potential new stakeholders where hitherto there have not been occasions to connect issues in mutual synergy. IDEI is therefore a very promising platform that can make a valuable contribution to the safety of journalists in the interest of societal development as a whole.
For its part, UNESCO will work with its field offices around the world and with partners across the spectrum to ensure a success of this special opportunity to make a difference.
Safety of Journalists and Impunity

Over 600 Journalists and media workers have been killed over the last 10 years © Doha Centre for Media Freedom
UNESCO actively promotes the safety of those who produce journalism and believes that they have the right to work free from the threat of violence and to ensure the right to freedom of opinion and expression for all.
In the past 10 years, more than 600 journalists and media workers have been killed – the majority of them are not war correspondents. Attacks on media professionals are often perpetrated in non-conflict situations by organized crime groups, militia, security personnel, and even local police, making local journalists among the most vulnerable. These attacks include murder, abductions, harassment, intimidation, and the illegal arrest and detention.
Most abuses against media professionals remain uninvestigated and unpunished. This impunity perpetuates the cycle of violence against journalists, media workers and citizen journalists. The resulting self-censorship deprives society of information and further impacts press freedom.
The killing of journalists and its impunity directly impacts the United Nations’ human rights based efforts to promote peace, security, and sustainable development
Raising Awareness
Since 1997, UNESCO’s Director-General has condemned the killings of journalists as per Resolution 29 of the 29th UNESCO General Conference and beginning in 2008, has presented a biennial Report on The Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity to the International Programme for Development of Communication (IPDC) Council. The numbers are alarming. In 2012 alone there were 121 journalists killed – almost twice as many killings than in previous years.
UNESCO has championed The UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity which was further endorsed by the UN Chief Executives Board on 13 April 2012. The plan provides a framework for the UN to work on this issue with all stakeholders including national authorities, local and international NGOs, media houses, academia
Most recently, UNESCO 191st Executive Board adopted the UNESCO Work Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity in April 2013, which further complements the organization’s existing work in the field already in line with the UN Plan of Action and emphasis on South-South cooperation.
Cooperation is also reinforced with the Office of Special Procedures including the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, and other regional Rapporteurs including Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa (AUC), Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Organization of the American States (OAS), and the Representative on Freedom of the Media, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Cost Effective Mass Flu Vaccination is Useful in Children- BMJ 2014;349:g6182
Margaret McCartney: What use is mass flu vaccination?
BMJ 2014; 349 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g6182 (Published 20 October 2014) Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g6182
Cost Effective Mass Flu Vaccination is Useful in Children
Flu vaccination may not be useful in elders but it is useful in children. Flu vaccination may reduce the incidence of flu more than 80% with near total prevention of death due to flu in children. So cost effective mass flu vaccination is very useful in children.
Competing interests: No competing interests
30 October 2014
M A Aleem
Neurologist
Kapv Govt medical college MGM Govt hospital ABC hospital
Trichy 620018
Tamilnadu
India
BMJ 2014; 349 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g6182 (Published 20 October 2014) Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g6182
Cost Effective Mass Flu Vaccination is Useful in Children
Flu vaccination may not be useful in elders but it is useful in children. Flu vaccination may reduce the incidence of flu more than 80% with near total prevention of death due to flu in children. So cost effective mass flu vaccination is very useful in children.
Competing interests: No competing interests
30 October 2014
M A Aleem
Neurologist
Kapv Govt medical college MGM Govt hospital ABC hospital
Trichy 620018
Tamilnadu
India