Chlorine dispensers fitted to public taps cut child diarrhoea

13/08/2019 0 Comments read Health & Science

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 13.08.2019 (SciDev.Net): A low-cost device that infuses small amounts of chlorine into water drawn from public taps can reduce child diarrhoea by 23 per cent, according to a study conducted in Bangladesh.

Diarrhoeal disease is the second leading cause of death in children under five years of age and is responsible for killing some 525,000 children every year, according to the WHO, while UNICEF says nearly 60 per cent of deaths due to diarrhoea worldwide are attributable to unsafe drinking water and poor hygiene and sanitation.

Results of the study, published in Lancet Global Health this month (8 August), showed a reduction in the consumption of antibiotics among families that used water from taps fitted with special dispensers containing chlorine tablets that gradually dissolve and treat flowing water.

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Call for global coalition against malaria

07/07/2018 0 Comments read Health & Science

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 07.07.2018 (SciDev.Net): The inaugural Malaria World Congress (2—5 July) in Melbourne has called on the global community to work unitedly to enhance political and financial support to combat the debilitating disease.

“The status quo is not okay as so much suffering depends on us acting, and acting vigorously,” said Brendan Crabb, immunologist and chief executive officer of Burnet Institute, a Melbourne-based not-for-profit research and public health organisation, while delivering the keynote closing address.

“It is not just engaging but putting the vulnerable communities that are the least listened to at the head of the table — to innovate, and to collaborate, is what will give us the motivation to finish the job (malaria elimination) in the countries that need the last mile to be achieved,” Crabb said.

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Jeyaraj Pandian: The silent epidemic of Stroke needs attention to prevent long-term disabilities

11/11/2017 0 Comments read Health & Science

By Neena Bhandari

Since childhood Jeyaraj Pandian aspired to be a doctor. His paternal grandfather was a Legalised Medical Practitioner, as they were called before India’s independence. Whenever, he visited his ancestral home Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, his grandma would show him his grandfather’s medical kit, intact with a stethoscope, syringes and basic first aid equipment, which was securely kept as a treasured heirloom.

He chose to follow his childhood passion and enrolled in Tirunelveli Medical College (Madurai Kamaraj University), Tamil Nadu. He then completed his residency from the Christian Medical College (CMC) in Ludhiana [Punjab] and did his post-graduation in Internal Medicine. It was while doing his Master’s that he did a thesis in Neurology and that really kindled his interest in the discipline.

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