Conjunctivitis cases witness surge: Experts share preventive measures, treatment tips - WION

Multiple cases of conjunctivitis, also called the "pink eye" have been reported in New Delhi other some others states in India amid incessant rainfall in the past few weeks.

Waterlogging in several regions is making the situation worse for the residents. In most of the types, conjunctivitis is extremely contagious.  

Major symptoms of conjunctivitis may include, the feeling that something is in your eye, redness in eyes, burning eyes, itchy eyes, watery eyes, puffy eyelids, hazy vision, lots of mucus, pus, or thick yellow discharge from the eye. 

WION reached out to experts to get a better understanding of conjunctivitis and to know what can be done to avoid the infection. 

Dr Vanuli Bajpai, who is the Consultant - Ophthalmology, HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarka, told WION, "Conjunctivitis is a common concern during the monsoon season, but this year, we have seen a 50 per cent increase in cases in our OPD." 

Dr Bajpai also added that "cases of eye flu and viral infections have been observed in all ages". 

A virus, bacteria or allergies can cause conjunctivitis. Viral conjunctivitis is easily spread from person to person say experts while adding that allergic conjunctivitis is not contagious. 

WION also spoke to Dr Soveeta Rath, an expert in pediatric ophthalmology, strabismus and neuro-ophthalmology at Dr. Shroff's Charity Eye Hospital, Daryaganj, said that there has been a surge in the number of conjunctivitis and eye flu cases. 

"It's almost a 50 to 60 per cent rise. Mostly in children. Every third child has red eye or conjunctivitis. Last week, there were 30 children with conjunctivitis in the OPD. It's a seasonal surge. It happens every year. It has aggravated this year because of an increase in rain, and lack of hygiene," Dr Rath added. 

"It spread from one person to another through touch of contaminated surfaces. It spreads by direct contact - touching your eye after touching contaminated surfaces. Therefore, don't share towels or personal items," Dr Rath further said.  

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What are the preventive measures for conjunctivitis? 

Dr Bajpai said that preventive measures are important as the infection spreads by touching the eyes. He also explained what should be done in case one has it and, doesn't have it. 

What to do if you are not infected with conjunctivitis? 
-Avoid going to crowded places
-Don't touch your eyes 
-Wash your hands thoroughly with soap frequently

What to do if you have conjunctivitis? 
-Use prescribed medicine
-Do not wash your eyes again and again, but keep cleaning them with wet cotton swab
-Wear glasses of any kind so that you don't touch your eyes, it doesn't spread by looking, it can spread by touching 
-Sometimes conjunctivitis can also come with a sore throat, viral or fever. In this case, you should take paracetamol, or consult a doctor 
-Use a cold compress on the swelling
-Avoid going to crowded places, offices or schools when you have flu. As long as the eyes are red or there is a sticky discharge, the virus is still there. 

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WHO updates list of essential medicines to include heart ‘polypills,’ MS treatments but not weight-loss drugs - CNN

CNN  — 

The World Health Organization updated its guidelines for essential medicines Wednesday to include drugs to treat multiple sclerosis, heart conditions, cancer and more. But obesity medications were not added to the list, despite requests this year from researchers in the United States.

During its meeting in April, WHO’s review committee considered over 100 therapeutics before recommending 24 medicines for adults and 12 for children to be added to the Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) and Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc).

The additions bring the total number of medications on the EML and EMLc to 502 and 361, respectively.

Updated every two years, the lists are registers of medications that WHO considers to be minimum requirements for every health care system to have available. The lists are internationally recognized guides for countries’ health systems, helping them prioritize medications that are effective and affordable. Each addition, according to WHO, is considered “essential to address key public health needs.”

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WHO advisers to consider whether obesity medication should be added to Essential Medicines List

“Essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority health care needs of a population,” the report says. “They are intended to be available in functioning health systems at all times, in appropriate dosage forms, of assured quality and at prices individuals and health systems can afford.”

New on the 2023 list are medications to treat multiple sclerosis, or MS, a chronic, often fatal nervous system disease that affects 2.8 million people around the world, according to WHO. The new guidelines include three medications to slow its progression.

One of them, rituximab, is normally used to treat some cancers and autoimmune diseases, but the WHO guidelines recommend off-label use for MS due to “strong evidence of its efficacy and safety.”

“Given the evidence base and the increased affordability of rituximab … it has been prioritized over on-label alternatives as an essential medicine to treat relapsing-remitting and progressive MS,” said Dr. Benedikt Huttner, the EML team lead, in a statement.

The guidelines also recommend, for the first time, “polypills” to treat heart disease and other cardiovascular issues. The term refers to a combination of medicines to treat heart issues: medication to lower blood pressure, a statin to lower cholesterol, a medication to make the heart beat with less force and sometimes aspirin.

A growing body of research shows that polypills can be an inexpensive, effective way to reduce the risk of heart problems, with studies indicating that they can cut the risk of cardiovascular problems by almost 40%. But even though heart complications like heart disease and heart attacks kill 18 million people each year, only a few companies manufacture polypills, and few people take them.

heart

Combination 'polypills' can help solve world's heart problems, experts say, if more people can get them

The inclusion of polypills on the WHO guidelines could change that. Some health officials believe that their place on the Essential Medicines List would encourage governments and insurance companies to recommend them, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

“These treatments could have a very large public health impact globally, without jeopardizing the health budgets of low- and middle-income countries,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director-general, in a news briefing Wednesday.

WHO rejected the inclusion of several patented cancer medications due to concerns over their high price, but the guidelines did add two cancer treatments: a medication for Kaposi sarcoma, a cancer that causes lesions in the skin and gastrointestinal tract, and cancer treatments that improve white blood cell production and reduce some cancer medicines’ toxic effects on the bone marrow.

Other additions include ceftolozane and tazobactam, a combination antibiotic used to treat multidrug-resistant bacteria, and monoclonal antibodies against Ebola.

Notably absent from the Essential Medicines List are compounds called GLP-1 receptor agonists, commonly used in some diabetes and obesity medications like Ozempic and Wegovy.

A request to add GLP-1 receptor agonists to the list came in March from four researchers at Yale University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the University of California, San Francisco. However, the WHO committee rejected the application, citing the compounds’ “uncertain long-term clinical benefit and safety in this patient population.”

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Amid celebrity promotion and their rising popularity for weight loss, some medications containing GLP-1 receptor agonists have been in shortage in the United States.

Shortages have also affected several essential medications on WHO’s list, including the hormone insulin for diabetes control and the antibiotic bicillin, a long-acting injectable form of penicillin.

“Rising prices and supply chain disruptions mean that all countries now face increasing problems in ensuring consistent and equitable access to many quality-assured essential medicines,” Ghebreyesus said. “WHO is committed to supporting all countries to overcome these obstacles to increase equitable access to essential medicines.”

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Plant-Forward MIND Diet Could Help Improve Kids' Attention, Study Finds - VegNews

A plant-forward diet originally designed to protect adults against cognitive decline might hold the key to enhancing attention in pre-adolescents, according to a recent study presented at NUTRITION 2023, the prestigious annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. 

The research suggests that the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet could potentially boost cognitive development in children, ultimately impacting their academic success. The MIND diet combines aspects of two popular diets, the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, and was designed specifically to help improve brain health and function and prevent dementia. 

Conducted by Shelby Keye, PhD—a former doctoral student in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign—the study compared two diets: the Healthy Eating Index–2015 (HEI-2015) against the MIND diet. 

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The HEI-2015 adheres to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, while the MIND diet combines elements of the Mediterranean and heart-healthy DASH diets, emphasizing brain-boosting foods. 

“We assessed how adherence to these diets was associated with children’s attentional inhibition —the ability to resist distracting stimuli—and found that only the MIND diet was positively linked with children’s performance on a task assessing attentional inhibition,” Keye said in a statement. 

Improving kids’ attention span with plant-forward food

Similar to its parent diets, the MIND diet—while not fully free from animal products—prioritizes fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and legumes like beans, lentils, and peas. However, it goes a step further by incorporating brain-enhancing foods such as leafy greens and berries. 

Although the MIND diet has displayed positive effects in adults, it remains relatively unexplored in children.

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The study analyzed data from a previous cross-sectional study led by Naiman Khan, PhD, a professor of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The 85 participants, aged 7 to 11 years, completed a seven-day diet record from which researchers calculated HEI-2015 and MIND diet scores. 

Additionally, participants underwent a task that evaluated spatial attention and executive control, with reaction time and accuracy recorded. The study excluded children with neurological disorders such as ADHD or autism to minimize confounding factors.

The results revealed a significant positive correlation between MIND diet scores and participants’ accuracy on the attention task, indicating that children who adhered more closely to the MIND diet performed better. The findings underscore the potential of the MIND diet in bolstering cognitive abilities in children. 

“This suggests that the MIND diet could have the potential to improve children’s cognitive development, which is important for success in school,” Keye said. 

However, the researchers caution that while this shows an association, further intervention studies are necessary to establish any causal links.

Looking ahead, the researchers aim to explore the relationship between the MIND diet and attention in younger children, including preschoolers and toddlers, to uncover potential age-related differences and investigate any developmental effects. 

If confirmed, these findings could pave the way for dietary interventions aimed at enhancing cognitive function in children, potentially transforming how we approach childhood education and well-being.

Plant-forward diet for brain health

The new study isn’t the first to assess the impact of a plant-forward diet on brain health. At the end of 2022, research suggested that just one handful of walnuts per day could help improve students’ stress levels, leaving them with improved mental health and sleep. This may be because walnuts are rich in omega-3 ALA, noted the researchers. 

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“While more supporting research is needed, evidence is becoming clear that consuming walnuts as a healthy eating pattern may have positive effects on cognition and mental health, potentially owing to their abundance in omega-3 ALA content,” lead researcher Larisa Bobrovskaya, PhD, said.

A study published in the journal eLife also found that a plant-forward “green-Mediterranean diet” may be good for our brains. This diet is low in processed meats and high in dietary polyphenols, which are naturally occurring compounds often found in plant-based foods.

The study involved 300 participants who ate 28 grams of walnuts per day, as well as three to four cups of green tea, and one cup of a Wolffia globose (an iron-, protein-, and polyphenol-rich flowering plant, also known as duckweed) shake.

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“Our study highlights the importance of a healthy lifestyle, including lower consumption of processed food, sweets, and beverages, in maintaining brain health,” Gidon Levakov, PhD, who helped to lead the study, said in a statement.

For the latest vegan news, read:

Nicole Axworthy is the News Editor at VegNews and author of the cookbook DIY Vegan. 

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N.L. reports 2 COVID-19 deaths as it switches to monthly updates - CBC.ca

Newfoundland and Labrador recorded 102 cases of COVID-19 from July 2-22, and two deaths since the last reporting period. (David Horemans/CBC)

Newfoundland and Labrador's Health Department is reporting two new deaths due to COVID-19 since its last update, three weeks ago.

One of those deaths was a person over the age of 80, and the other was a person in their 60s. According to the province's COVID-19 dashboard, one of the deaths occurred in the most recent reporting period — July 2-22 — while the other was added to the total from a previous reporting period.

The two deaths raise Newfoundland and Labrador's total to 356 since the pandemic began.

Nine people were hospitalized due to COVID-19 in those three weeks, including one who required critical care. Four people were hospitalized in the Eastern Health region, three people were hospitalized in the Central Health region, and one person was hospitalized in both the Western Health and Labrador-Grenfell Health regions.

A total of 102 cases of COVID-19 were reported over the three weeks, according to the Health Department.

The provincial government is also moving to a new update schedule. After Wednesday, the Health Department will start providing monthly COVID-19 updates, on the last Wednesday of each month.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

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Respiratory Outbreak Over: St. Joseph’s Hospital – 5 South – Geriatric Assessment & Rehabilitative Care - Thunder Bay District Health Unit

July 26, 2023 - Respiratory Outbreak Over: St. Joseph’s Hospital – 5 South – Geriatric Assessment & Rehabilitative Care.

The Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) and St. Joseph’s Care Group, confirm that the respiratory outbreak (COVID-19), at St. Joseph’s Hospital – 5 South – Geriatric Assessment & Rehabilitative Care, located at 35 Algoma St. N, has been declared over. All outbreak restrictions have been lifted.

TBDHU recommends the public refrain from visiting hospitals, long-term care facilities and other high risk settings when feeling unwell to avoid spreading infections to those most vulnerable and at higher risk of severe outcomes.

The Health Unit reminds the public that they can prevent getting and spreading infections by:

• Staying at home when sick.
• Wearing a well-fitted mask in indoor spaces, especially when around vulnerable people or when recovering from illness.
• Keeping up-to-date with influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations.
• Washing hands often, for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water, or by using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Covering coughs/sneezes with the upper sleeve if no tissue is available.
• Being familiar with the Ontario screening tool, to self-assess and know what to do next.

For more information on current outbreaks, please visit the following link: https://www.tbdhu.com/outbreaks.

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For more information – TBDHU Media: news@tbdhu.com

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Saskatchewan hits 2000 deaths due to COVID-19 - 620 CKRM.com

Saskatchewan reached a grime milestone, as 2,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the province.

The provincial government recently released the latest community respiratory illness surveillance program report, reporting five more people due to COVID-19 from June 18 to July 15.

Breakdown By Year:

February 1, 2020, to January 2, 2021	158
January 3, 2021, to January 1, 2022	797
January 2, 2022 – to January 13, 2023	878
January 14, 2023, to July 15, 2023	167
TOTAL	2,000

Nationally, a total of 53,086 Canadians have died due to COVID-19.

Case-wise, the latest report shows an increase in confirmed cases; however, the numbers remain low.

There were 138 confirmed cases and four outbreaks in “high-risk” settings due to less COVID-19 laboratory testing; it’s estimated that the report doesn’t capture the bulk of all COVID-19 cases in the province.

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Youth in food-insecure homes made more visits to doctors for mental health: study - CHEK News

The mere thought of grocery shopping causes so much anxiety for Jaimee Aragones that she avoids entering stores knowing she would return home without some food she can no longer afford for her kids.

Aragones said her husband has increasingly taken on the responsibility she once considered a “me time” break from their three- and six-year-old boys. On the rare occasion that she does help out, she “grocery hops” to at least three stores to get the best deals.

“Everything just adds up and I just get really frustrated and anxious,” Aragones said from Richmond, B.C., where she works as a medical office assistant.

Despite the couple’s efforts to stick with a budget, Aragones said constant money struggles about basic needs, including rent, make her feel “defeated.”

She is also worried about how that stress could affect her kids, especially her older son who is told they’ll have to “save that for later” when his favourite treats don’t show up in the fridge.

Aragones said she considers the couple fortunate because they both have jobs but that she can’t imagine the emotional impact on families who may have even less money for food.

On Monday, the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) published a study saying that because of financial problems, children and adolescents under 18 in food–insecure Ontario homes made 55 per cent more visits to doctors for mental health reasons compared to those who had enough to eat.

The study used population health data on 32,321 children and adolescents and found that just over 16 per cent of them were living with food insecurity. Six per cent were marginally food secure, 7.3 per cent were from moderately food–insecure homes and 2.8 per cent were severely food insecure.

Lead author Kelly Anderson, associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Western University, said while the data cover the years from 2005 to 2014, they are the latest to link Statistics Canada survey results about food insecurity with health records showing use of specific services such as visits to an emergency room or hospitalization for a psychiatric issue.

The study also showed that children and adolescents in food–insecure homes had a 74 per cent higher prevalence of hospitalization for a mental or substance use disorder. The most common reasons were for neurodevelopmental disorders, mood and anxiety disorders followed by social problems and other mental health issues.

Anderson said marginal, moderate and severe food insecurity ranges from whether people can afford balanced meals to whether they worry about running out of food, skipping meals or not eating for days.

It’s time to move beyond quantifying such inequities to doing something about them with policies aimed at reducing chronic stress associated with food insecurity and mental health issues, said Anderson, who is the Canada research chair in public mental health research.

Dr. Lynn McIntyre, professor emerita of community health sciences at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine, said in a related commentary that there is no evidence to suggest food banks and other charitable programs, including at schools, have reduced household food insecurity.

In an interview, she said people who can’t afford food are also more likely to skip on important medications for their children, potentially exacerbating their health problems.

She noted that other research into food insecurity, including by Statistics Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), does not link food insecurity with health outcomes for children.

“One would have expected that they wouldn’t be so chronic as some of the adults might have been to actually access acute-care services, the outpatient services.”

However, the most vulnerable youth are not able to easily access mental health services, McIntyre said.

“These are the adverse experiences of childhood that really, sorely need to be prevented. And it’s a societal obligation that we reduce this,” she said.

“Mental health services are so hard to get for children that parents may be paying out of pocket for perhaps not the best quality alternative services, for providers that are not within the health system, because they are quite desperate.”

Since the study period, a huge jump in food prices, especially after the pandemic, along with unprecedented rent hikes in much of the country, are leaving vulnerable families with even less money for groceries.

That means doctors should be advocating for basic income for their patients, just as they have been pushing for solutions to emergency rooms being filled with those who lack primary care, said McIntyre, adding that would also help slash overall health-care costs.

Income support is one of the most important determinants of health, and the findings from Ontario apply to much of the country, she said.

A so-called federal grocery rebate for low-income Canadians earlier this month was an example of a one-time payment that provided people with cash they could use to feed their families but regular support is needed, McIntyre said.

As for Aragones, her family was not eligible for the $467 paid to couples with two children because she and her husband earned just a few hundred dollars above the threshold.

“We’re surviving,” she said. “That’s what I’m thinking of our situation right now.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2023.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

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