Uncategorized

Along with an increase in new COVID-19 infections, Karnataka is reporting an increase in dengue cases. The state had reported 1,838 dengue cases as of June 10.

According to State Health Department data, there has been a roughly 50% increase in dengue occurrence this year — from January to June 10 — compared to the same period last year.

So far this year, 1,838 instances have been registered, compared to 916 cases reported in the same period last year. In the previous month alone (May 10 to June 10), the State’s total has increased by 532 instances.

Bengaluru continued to have the highest number of dengue cases in the state, reporting 388 (almost 22 percent) of the overall tally. Following Bengaluru, a considerable increase was noted in the districts of Udupi, Mysuru, Koppal, Chitradurga, and Vijayapura during January to May compared to the previous year. From January through June 10, Udupi had the highest number (217) among districts other than Bengaluru. Mysuru (171), Chitradurga (105) and Koppal follow (94).

Routine monitoring and source reduction operations have been increased, according to State Health Commissioner Randeep D., in light of the present growing trend of dengue cases in various districts.

“Monsoon season supports the widespread proliferation of the  Aedesaegyptimosquito, which is a vector for dengue, chikungunya and zika vírus disease. We are intensifying the routine surveillance and source reduction activities in rural areas by ASHAs and health assistants. The fortnightly source reduction activity in urban wards is also being taken up on a war-footing mode with strict monitoring and supervision,” the Commissioner told The Hindu on Saturday.

He said that a circular has been issued directing all District Vector Borne Disease Control (DVBDC) officers to ensure effective disposal of solid waste that will help prevent mosquito breeding in peri-domestic situations. “All government and private office buildings including commercial establishments should be inspected for Aedesaegypti mosquito breeding,” he said.

In addition to increased monitoring, DVBDC officials have been directed to ensure that individuals take personal protective measures and to promote biological and chemical control at the home, community, and institutional levels, he added. District officers have also been directed to guarantee the timely treatment of sick patients as well as the provision of required medications and logistics such as adulticide and larvicide at all levels, including village level.

Follow Medically Speaking on Instagram

According to a senior official of the Russian consumer health agency Rospotrebnadzor, a highly infectious subvariant of the COVID-19 Omicron strain has infiltrated Russia.

The viral genome of the BA.4 subvariant has been submitted to the VGARus database by two national laboratories, according to Kamil Khafizov, the head of genome research at Rospotrebnadzor’s Central Research Institute for Epidemiology.

“Samples date back to late May,” Khafizov said.

The scientist added that the BA.2 subtype still accounted for 95% of all new cases in Russia.

Also Read: 12 cases of Omicron subvariants detected in Tamil Nadu

“A number of studies published recently have revealed that variants, known as BA.4 and BA.5, are a little bit more transmissible that the early forms of Omicron,” he said.

The head of the World Health Organization warned in May that Omicron sublineages BA.4 and BA.5 were driving a surge of the disease in unvaccinated countries, although the BA.2 subvariant remains dominant across the world.

Follow Medically Speaking on Instagram

Moderna Inc’s (MRNA.O) COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for use in children aged 6 months to 17 years old, according to FDA staff reviewers on Friday, as a committee of scientists meets next week to vote on whether to recommend the regulator licence the vaccination in children.

In briefing materials released Friday evening, FDA reviewers stated that the vaccination elicited a comparable immunological response in children as it did in adults in prior studies.

“Available data support the effectiveness of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in pediatric age groups from 6 months through 17 years of age,” Reuters quoted the FDA as saying.

The FDA staff also said the vaccine generally had a similar side effect profile in children as seen in adults, although younger children had fevers more frequently.

Both of the messenger RNA-based COVID-19 vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech have been linked to rare instances of a type of heart inflammation called myocarditis, particularly in young men.

“Available data support the effectiveness of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in pediatric age groups from 6 months through 17 years of age,” the FDA staff said.

The FDA staff also said the vaccine generally had a similar side effect profile in children as seen in adults, although younger children had fevers more frequently.

Both of the messenger RNA-based COVID-19 vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech have been linked to rare instances of a type of heart inflammation called myocarditis, particularly in young men.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued new social media ethical standards for doctors, clinics, and hospitals. Stakeholders are invited to comment. The National Medical Commission (NMC) has established rules to prevent unethical use of social media and applications in which ‘likes,’ ‘following,’ and ‘ratings,’ including boosting doctors to the top of a list of ‘the finest doctors,’ are purchased.

Online consulting became the norm in the post-pandemic period. Apps and websites that assess and ‘list’ the finest doctors based on their social media followers, likes, and ratings appeared overnight, duping consumers into thinking that more followers, likes, and ratings equal the greatest doctor to consult. The National Medical Commission (NMC) has created standards for Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) to follow in order to limit the threat of misleading ads, unethical testimonials, promotions, and other unethical actions. The newly created ethical principles section is titled “The Conduct of RMPs on Social Media,” and the NMC has solicited opinions from various parties.

DocStokes, a one-of-a-kind digital marketing business that solely works in the healthcare industry, applauds the initial recommendations, having witnessed firsthand how unethical social media behaviours influence the masses. While the first recommendations try to correct the imbalanced system, it also considers the necessity for physicians to establish and maintain a social media presence, provided that the material given by RMPs (Registered Medical Practitioners) is true and verifiable.

The NMC further advises that material should not be dishonest or misleading, and it should not take advantage of patients’ lack of understanding or susceptibility by drawing a clear line between teleconsultation and social media. However, it should be emphasised that the NMC has not yet defined what falls under “social media.”

Docstokes founder and spokesman Dr Kavya Singh described the recommendations as “a fantastic place to start,” adding that it is “better late than never.” Although the recommendations need a thorough discussion, the NMC has solicited feedback from stakeholders.

DocStokes has been working with RMPs, Clinics, and Hospitals around the country to deliver excellent healthcare marketing services that are based on the medical profession’s ethics and laws since its inception two years ago. DocStokes is situated in Surat, Gujarat, and was founded by Dr. Kavya Singh. She knows the complexities of marketing medical information that may be easily misread because she is a doctor herself.

Follow Medically Speaking on Instagram

Panic does not function as a COVID pandemic reaction or public health response since it does not aid in data analysis; hence, panic serves no purpose, according to Dr Samiran Panda, Additional Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

In an interview with ANI, Panda said, “Panic does not serve as a COVID pandemic response or public health response because a panic does not help to analyse the data or looking carefully to be so that’s why panic doesn’t serve a purpose.”

“It is about examining the data very carefully. So, if from a particular site or from a district or a few districts in the state upsurges or peak is being observed, then we need to look at the number of tests conducted in that area. The local data needs to be examined carefully for local-level decision making,” he added.

He stated, “The surge in the cases doesn’t mean it’s reported from all over the country it’s from a few districts.”

“We are talking about 7,000 cases or a little more than this across India. But that is not true, meaning it is a summation of the numbers of positive cases recorded from a few districts. So, that should not be considered as the total numbers for the country or not that the rise is happening uniformly across the country,” he further said.

He also stressed closely monitoring COVID-19 cases at the local or district level. He said, “Examining the data carefully, where can we have relevance local level or the district level every both is an important rather than extrapolating it over one state or the entire country.”

On Thursday, Union Health Ministry wrote a letter to Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala to follow a five-fold strategy, COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and do adequate testing.

According to Dr Panda such initiatives plays an important role, he said, “I would say that these kinds of letters are actually a very good public health tool in terms of encouraging the local health authorities to examine the data to understand how is the disease transmission dynamic happens and also the local administration to think how to encourage people for COVID appropriate behaviour, because while the data will be examined and upsurge, the observed upsurge will be analysed.”

On the threat to the country for another variant, he said, “Threat can only be characterised once a new variant is identified. So whenever a new variant is observed, it is called a variant of interest or variant under investigation and variant concern but not every variant turned out to be a variant of concern. The Variant of concern is the term used for a variant when it gets associated with rapid spread or even the clinical severity of the disease caused by the variant of the virus is more leading to increased hospitalisation or increased requirement of oxygen or increased requirement of the ventilator. So nothing of that sort is being observed.”

“Those who are elderly and who have comorbidities, or who are suffering from let’s say, cancer or getting treated with immunosuppressive therapy, not necessarily because of COVID only but also It’s better if the special subgroups are protected against tuberculosis, air pollution or other respiratory tract infections,” said Dr Panda.
Special care needs to be taken for the elderly population, he added.

Follow Medically Speaking on Instagram