Showing posts with label HEALTH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HEALTH. Show all posts

Monday, August 29, 2016

HEALTH : The Zika Virus

SOURCE:
http://www.cfr.org/public-health-threats-and-pandemics/zika-virus/p37527?cid=nlc-dailybrief-daily_news_brief--link31-20160623&sp_mid=51675313&sp_rid=dGF5bG9yLmsuYmFybmVzQGdtYWlsLmNvbQS2



SINGAPORE: Singapore confirmed
forty-one cases of the mosquito-borne
Zika virus that officials said were
linked to severe birth defects in
newborns


                          The Zika Virus



                                    Author:

 

                              Danielle Renwick, Copy Editor/Writer
                 
 
 
 August 11, 2016














http://www.cfr.org/public-health-threats-and-pandemics/zika-virus/p37527?cid=nlc-dailybrief-daily_news_brief--link31-20160623&sp_mid=51675313&sp_rid=dGF5bG9yLmsuYmFybmVzQGdtYWlsLmNvbQS2





Introduction
The Zika virus, a mosquito-borne illness, has been linked to a dramatic rise in birth defects in Brazil and neighboring countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in February 2016, and by mid-2016, sixty countries were reporting active transmission of the virus. Health officials confirmed that the Zika virus is behind a dramatic increase in cases of microcephaly, a condition in which infants are born with unusually small heads and brains that usually results in developmental disabilities. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said pregnant women, or women who may become pregnant, should consider postponing travel to the nearly thirty countries where the Zika virus has been transmitted. Some governments, including those of Colombia, Ecuador, and El Salvador, have advised women against becoming pregnant in the near future.

What is the Zika virus?
The Zika virus is a mosquito-borne illness carried by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Most people who are infected do not become ill, but an estimated 20 percent experience symptoms including rash, fever, joint pain, red eyes, muscle pain, and headaches. The incubation period—the time between exposure to exhibiting symptoms—is unknown, but, according to the CDC, it is likely between a few days and a week. In most cases symptoms are mild and last up to a week.


The virus was first discovered in 1947 in the Zika forest in central Uganda, but until 2007, there had only been fourteen documented cases in humans. Experts say the disease likely did not spread among humans in Uganda because the Aedes africanus mosquitoes that transmit the virus there are poorly adapted to human environments, and therefore preferred to prey on monkeys. Researchers found evidence of infections elsewhere in Africa, as well as in Asia, but local populations there appear to have developed some resistance to the virus, preventing large-scale outbreaks.


In 2007 officials confirmed forty-nine cases of Zika on the island of Yap, in the Federated States of Micronesia, in the western Pacific. In a 2013–2014 outbreak, nearly four hundred cases were confirmed in French Polynesia, more than five thousand miles southeast of Yap. Researchers say the virus likely arrived in the Americas in 2013. 


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While in most cases symptoms of Zika infection are mild, researchers have found the virus to be responsible for a dramatic rise in birth defects.


Brazilian health officials have reported more than seven thousand cases of suspected microcephaly since the beginning of 2015, up from 147 cases in 2014. As of July 2016, researchers confirmed just over 1,600 of those cases; thousands more remain under investigation.


Rapid urbanization and increases in international travel expose more people to more diseases, and changing weather patterns expand the range of mosquitoes.


Zika has also been associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), a rare disorder in which the immune system attacks the nerves, sometimes causing paralysis. Symptoms can last a few weeks, and though most people recover, there have been reports of patients suffering permanent harm, or even death when paralysis reaches the lungs and respirators are not available. In April 2016, an elderly man in Puerto Rico died of complications from GBS, marking the first Zika-related death on U.S. territory.  

 
How is it transmitted?
Zika is primarily spread by Aedes mosquitoes. Aedes aegypti has spread most of the cases in the Americas, and its reach in the United States is generally limited to Florida and Hawaii. However scientists have also detected the virus in Aedes albopictus, known as the Asian tiger mosquito, in Mexico; it has a much wider range in the United States, reaching as far north as New York and Chicago in the summer.


There have been reports of the virus's sexual transmission, and researchers say it could also be transmitted through blood transfusion. The virus has also been found in saliva and urine, but it is unclear whether it can be spread through those channels. 
Why is it spreading so quickly?
The Western Hemisphere is "immunologically naïve" to the Zika virus, meaning that populations in the Americas have not developed resistance to it because the mosquitoes that carry it are not native to the region. (Aedes aegypti is believed to have arrived on slave ships in the 1600s, and Aedes albopictus in recycled tires shipped from Asia in the 1980s.)  The prevalence of the Aedes aegypti, the most successful vector for Zika, in dense, urban areas in the Americas also contributes to the spread of the virus.  Rapid urbanization and increases in international travel expose more people to more diseases, and changing weather patterns expand the range of mosquitoes.
Extreme weather patterns associated with El Niño—heavy rains in some areas and drought in others—can cause an abundance of standing water, which attracts mosquitoes. (During droughts, people often gather water in open containers.) The Zika outbreak comes as other mosquito-borne illnesses are on the rise: Brazil reported 1.6 million cases of dengue fever in 2015, up from 569,000 the year before. Chikungunya, a virus that causes fevers and joint pains, first detected in the Western Hemisphere in 2013, had by July 2015 infected 1.5 million people in the Americas. Zika and other mosquito-borne illnesses appear to disproportionately affect the urban poor, who are more likely to live in areas with poor sanitation and open water sources, and less likely to have window screens and air conditioning, leaving them exposed to mosquitoes


The Zika outbreak in the Americas comes as the WHO, whose response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa was widely criticized, works to improve its emergency response systems

Many observers say climate change, increased travel, and urbanization allow the conveyers of such diseases to thrive. "Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that is largely responsible for transmitting pathogens such as Zika and dengue, thrives in the warm, humid, increasingly dense urban centers of Latin America, and climate change has been making these places warmer and wetter," writes the New Yorker's Carolyn Kormann.


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Is there a vaccine for Zika?
No, but several companies and research groups have begun early-stage research to develop a vaccine. A few, including Sanofi SA, a French company that has partnered with the U.S. Army, are expected to begin clinical trials on humans by late 2016. However U.S. health officials have warned that lack of funding could delay research.


There is no cure for microcephaly or Guillain-Barre, which have been linked to the virus. Speech and occupational therapies can improve cognitive development in children with microcephaly, and plasma exchanges and immunoglobulin therapy can reduce the severity of Guillain-Barre.  The WHO has called for researchers to develop a vaccine and introduce rapid diagnostic testing for the virus. Currently, blood and tissue samples must be sent to advanced laboratories.


Governments and health professionals in many countries in the

Americas are urging women who are at risk of contracting the

virus to avoid becoming pregnant in the immediate future,

something that has revived debate over women's reproductive

rights and access to contraception in the region. (Abortion is

illegal in most cases in most Latin American countries.) The

CDC recommends Zika testing and possible amniocentesis for

pregnant women returning from affected countries with

symptoms.


 
What is the threat to the United States?
CDC officials have said widespread transmission of Zika in the
mainland United States is "unlikely," and most of the nearly
two thousand cases reported in the continental United States
were contracted abroad. U.S. officials identified more than five
thousand cases in U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico,

American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as of August

2016. The CDC has said hundreds of thousands of people may

become infected in Puerto Rico. Pregnant women constituted

nearly one thousand of reported cases in the United States and

its territories.



By August 2016, health officials in Florida had identified

twenty-two locally transmitted cases of Zika, including one

pregnant woman. The CDC warned pregnant women to avoid

the Wyndwood section of Miami, where mosquitos were

believed to be spreading the virus. 


A January 2016 study in the UK-based medical journal, the Lancet, found that around two hundred million people live in areas in the United States that could be affected by Zika in warmer months. CFR Senior Fellow Laurie Garrett warned in early 2016 that Zika could become a permanent fixture in the Western Hemisphere, like the West Nile virus, especially if it takes hold in Culex mosquitoes, which are ubiquitous in the Americas (Brazilian researchers were able to infect a Culex with Zika in a laboratory). 


Researchers point to other mosquito-borne illnesses, such as dengue and Chikungunya, which have not gained traction in the mainland United States, and say the prevalence of air conditioning and window screens in the United States helps to stem the transmission. High-quality sanitation systems, which reduce exposure to standing water, also reduce the risk of transmission.

 
How are health authorities responding to the outbreak?
The WHO declared the possible link between Zika and neurological disorders a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on February 1, 2016, and said there was a "strong scientific consensus" of the link in March. The CDC followed suit in April. The PHEIC designation allows the agency to raise funds, coordinate multicountry efforts, and require countries to share health data relevant to the outbreak with international authorities. The organization called for more research on the virus, but did not recommended restrictions on travel to Brazil or other areas with Zika virus transmission. The organization also said pregnant women and women of childbearing age should have access to "necessary information and materials to reduce risk of exposure."


Health officials in Brazil, the epicenter of the outbreak, issued a warning to pregnant women about the possible links between Zika and microcephaly in November 2015, and in February deployed 220,000 troops to distribute information on Zika. El Salvador's government has warned women not to become pregnant until 2018, and Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador have advised women to put off becoming pregnant until more is understood about the virus. Pope Francis, during

his return from a six-day trip to Cuba and Mexico in February

 2016, said the use of contraception may be permissible (Radio

Vatican) in regions where Zika was prevalent. Local bishops in

the predominantly Roman Catholic region had previously said

the Zika outbreak did not justify the use of artificial

contraceptives.




Authorities in the region are trying to control the outbreak by fumigating areas with high incidences of infection, removing pools of standing water, and releasing genetically engineered mosquitoes whose offsprings' short life spans cause overall population decreases.


In February, U.S. President Barack Obama asked Congress for $1.9 billion in emergency funding to combat the virus through mosquito control, vaccine research, and education and health care for low-income pregnant women in the United States. Leaders in the Republican-majority House of Representatives urged health officials to first use reallocated funds of roughly $622 million, and the Senate approved $1.1 billion, figures health officials said would not be enough. Lawmakers had been unable to reach a compromise in order to release funds by mid-July, when Congress was adjourned for a seven-week recess. 
Nearly half a million people are expected to travel to Brazil in August, when Rio de Janeiro hosts the Summer Olympics.


Officials say the risk of transmission will decrease during the Southern Hemisphere's winter months, but some health experts have called for the games to be cancelled. The U.S. Olympic Committee reportedly told sports federations that athletes and staff should not go to Rio if they feared for their health because of the Zika virus. In July, the CDC said the Olympics were unlikely to cause Zika to spread, as the expected travelers to Rio represent only 0.25 percent of global travel to Zika-infected areas.


The Zika outbreak in the Americas comes as the WHO, whose response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa was widely criticized, works to improve its emergency response systems. "WHO has to prove that it can take charge of dealing with Zika," writes Suerie Moon, a professor at the Harvard H. Chan School of Public Health and Kennedy School of Government. Moon writes the agency should help advance research on the virus, ensure the affordability of drugs and vaccines, and "communicate to an uneasy global public that Zika can be controlled."


Gabriella Meltzer contributed to this report.

 

Additional Resources

The World Health Organization issued this statement on the Zika virus and clusters of microcephaly cases and neurological disorders.


CFR's Laurie Garrett warns that the Zika virus could become endemic to the Western Hemisphere in this Foreign Policy article.

The New Yorker's Carolyn Kormann looks at the spread of Zika to the Western Hemisphere in recent years.

In this New York Times op-ed, Brazilian rights activist Debora Deniz argues that the Zika epidemic mirrors social inequalities in her country.

Laurie Garrett and Brazilian public health official Cláudio Maierovitch Pessanha Henriques discuss the outbreak in this CFR Conference Call.

More on this topic from CFR


Saturday, November 28, 2015

HEALTH :: High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) – The Silent Killer

SOURCE ::
http://www.gconnect.in/outdoor/lifestyle/health/high-blood-pressure-hypertension-the-silent-killer.html?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzEmail&utm_content=408382&utm_campaign=0





                         High Blood Pressure 

             (Hypertension) – The Silent Killer


High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) – The Silent Killer – The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.


What is High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure is a common condition in which the long-term force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough that it may eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease.
Blood pressure is determined both by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.
You can have high blood pressure (hypertension) for years without any symptoms. Even without symptoms, damage to blood vessels and your heart continues and can be detected. Uncontrolled high blood pressureincreases your risk of serious health problems, including heart attack and stroke.
High blood pressure generally develops over many years, and it affects nearly everyone eventually. Fortunately,high blood pressure can be easily detected. And once you know you have high blood pressure, you can work with your doctor to control it.
Blood pressure measurements fall into four general categories:
Normal blood pressure – Your blood pressure is normal if it’s below 120/80 mm Hg.
Prehypertension Prehypertension is a systolic pressure ranging from 120 to 139 mm Hg or a diastolicpressure ranging from 80 to 89 mm Hg. Prehypertension tends to get worse over time.
Stage 1 hypertension Stage 1 hypertension is a systolic pressure ranging from 140 to 159 mm Hg or a diastolic pressure ranging from 90 to 99 mm Hg.
Stage 2 hypertension –  More severe hypertension, stage 2 hypertension is a systolic pressure of 160 mm Hg or higher or a diastolic pressure of 100 mm Hg or higher.

What are the Symptoms?

Most people with high blood pressure have no signs or symptoms, even if blood pressure readings reach dangerously high levels.
A few people with high blood pressure may have headaches, shortness of breath or nosebleeds, but these signs and symptoms aren’t specific and usually don’t occur until high blood pressure has reached a severe or life-threatening stage.

What are the Causes?

There are two types of high blood pressure.
Primary (essential) hypertension – For most adults, there’s no identifiable cause of high blood pressure. This type of high blood pressure, called primary (essential) hypertension, tends to develop gradually over many years.
Secondary hypertension  Some people have high blood pressure caused by an underlying condition. This type of high blood pressure, called secondary hypertension, tends to appear suddenly and cause higher bloodpressure than does primary hypertension. Various conditions and medications can lead to secondary hypertension, including:
  • Obstructive sleep apnea
  • Kidney problems
  • Adrenal gland tumors
  • Thyroid problems
  • Certain defects in blood vessels you’re born with (congenital)
  • Certain medications, such as birth control pills, cold remedies, decongestants, over-the-counter pain relievers and some prescription drugs
  • Illegal drugs, such as cocaine and amphetamines
  • Alcohol abuse or chronic alcohol use

What are the Risk Factors?



High blood pressure has many risk factors, including:
Age – The risk of high blood pressure increases as you age. Through early middle age, or about age 45, high blood pressure is more common in men. Women are more likely to develop high blood pressure after age 65.
Race – High blood pressure is particularly common among blacks, Indians, especially in Asian countries, often developing at an earlier age than it does in whites. Serious complications, such as stroke, heart attack and kidney failure are common. The reason for this is still unknown.
Family history High blood pressure tends to run in families.
Being overweight or obese The more you weigh the more blood you need to supply oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. As the volume of blood circulated through your blood vessels increases, so does the pressure on your artery walls.
Not being physically active  People who are inactive tend to have higher heart rates. The higher your heart rate, the harder your heart must work with each contraction and the stronger the force on your arteries. Lack of physical activity also increases the risk of being overweight.
Using tobacco – Not only does smoking or chewing tobacco immediately raise your blood pressure temporarily, but the chemicals in tobacco can damage the lining of your artery walls. This can cause your arteries to narrow, increasing your blood pressure. Secondhand smoke also can increase your blood pressure.
Too much salt (sodium) in your diet  Too much sodium in your diet can cause your body to retain fluid, which increases blood pressure.
Too little potassium in your diet Potassium helps balance the amount of sodium in your cells. If you don’t get enough potassium in your diet or retain enough potassium, you may accumulate too much sodium in your blood.
Too little vitamin D in your diet  It’s uncertain if having too little vitamin D in your diet can lead to high blood pressure. Vitamin D may affect an enzyme produced by your kidneys that affects your blood pressure.
Drinking too much alcohol Over time, heavy drinking can damage your heart. Having more than two drinks a day for men and more than one drink a day for women may affect your blood pressure.
Stress – High levels of stress can lead to a temporary increase in blood pressure. If you try to relax by eating more, using tobacco or drinking alcohol, you may only increase problems with high blood pressure.
Certain chronic conditions  Certain chronic conditions also may increase your risk of high blood pressure, such as kidney disease, diabetes and sleep apnea.
Note – Sometimes pregnancy contributes to high blood pressure, as well.
Take care of your kid – Although high blood pressure is most common in adults, children may be at risk, too. For some children, high blood pressure is caused by problems with the kidneys or heart. But for a growing number of kids, poor lifestyle habits, such as an unhealthy diet, obesity and lack of exercise, contribute to high blood pressure.

What are the Complications?

The excessive pressure on your artery walls caused by high blood pressure can damage your blood vessels, as well as organs in your body. The higher your blood pressure and the longer it goes uncontrolled, the greater the damage.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to:
Heart attack or stroke –  High blood pressure can cause hardening and thickening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), which can lead to a heart attack, stroke or other complications.
Aneurysm – Increased blood pressure can cause your blood vessels to weaken and bulge, forming an aneurysm. If an aneurysm ruptures, it can be life-threatening.
Heart failure – To pump blood against the higher pressure in your vessels, your heart muscle thickens. Eventually, the thickened muscle may have a hard time pumping enough blood to meet your body’s needs, which can lead to heart failure.
Weakened and narrowed blood vessels in your kidneys – This can prevent these organs from functioning normally.
Thickened, narrowed or torn blood vessels in the eyes  This can result in vision loss.
Metabolic syndrome – This syndrome is a cluster of disorders of your body’s metabolism, including increased waist circumference; high triglycerides; low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the “good” cholesterol;high blood pressure; and high insulin levels. These conditions make you more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Trouble with memory or understanding  Uncontrolled high blood pressure may also affect your ability to think, remember and learn. Trouble with memory or understanding concepts is more common in people withhigh blood pressure.

How to Control High BP without Medication?

If you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure, you might be worried about taking medication to bring your numbers down.
Lifestyle plays an important role in treating your high blood pressure. If you successfully control your bloodpressure with a healthy lifestyle, you might avoid, delay or reduce the need for medication.
Here are 10 lifestyle changes you can make to lower your blood pressure and keep it down.
1.Lose extra pounds and watch your waistline
Blood pressure often increases as weight increases. Being overweight also can cause disrupted breathing while you sleep (sleep apnea), which further raises your blood pressure. Weight loss is one of the most effective lifestyle changes for controlling blood pressure.
Besides shedding weight, you generally should also keep an eye on your waistline. Carrying too much weight around your waist can put you at greater risk of high blood pressure.
2. Exercise regularly
Regular physical activity – at least 30 minutes most days of the week – can lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). It’s important to be consistent because if you stop exercising, your blood pressure can rise again.
If you have slightly high blood pressure (prehypertension), exercise can help you avoid developing full-blown hypertension. If you already have hypertension, regular physical activity can bring your blood pressure down to safer levels.
The best types of exercise for lowering blood pressure include walking, jogging, cycling, swimming or dancing. Strength training also can help reduce blood pressure.
3. Eat a healthy diet
Eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure by up to 14 mm Hg. This eating plan is known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.
Potassium can lessen the effects of sodium on blood pressure. The best source of potassium is food, such as fruits and vegetables, rather than supplements (Vitamin tablets).
4. Reduce sodium in your diet
Even a small reduction in the sodium (Salt) in your diet can reduce blood pressure by 2 to 8 mm Hg.
5. Limit the amount of alcohol you drink
Alcohol can be both good and bad for your health. In small amounts, it can potentially lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg.
Drinking more than moderate amounts of alcohol can actually raise blood pressure by several points. It can also reduce the effectiveness of blood pressure medications.
6. Quit smoking
Each cigarette you smoke increases your blood pressure for many minutes after you finish. Quitting smoking helps your blood pressure return to normal. People who quit smoking, regardless of age, have substantial increases in life expectancy.
7. Cut back on caffeine
The role caffeine plays in blood pressure is still debated. Caffeine can raise blood pressure by as much as 10 mm Hg in people who rarely consume it, but there is little to no strong effect on blood pressure in habitual coffee drinkers.
To see if caffeine raises your blood pressure, check your pressure within 30 minutes of drinking a caffeinated beverage. If your blood pressure increases by 5 to 10 mm Hg, you may be sensitive to the blood pressure raising effects of caffeine.
8. Reduce your stress
Chronic stress is an important contributor to high blood pressure. Occasional stress also can contribute to high blood pressure if you react to stress by eating unhealthy food, drinking alcohol or smoking.
Take some time to think about what causes you to feel stressed, such as work, family, finances or illness. Once you know what’s causing your stress, consider how you can eliminate or reduce stress.
Take 15 to 20 minutes a day to sit quietly and breathe deeply. Try to intentionally enjoy what you do rather than hurrying through your “relaxing activities” at a stressful pace.
9. Monitor your BP at home and see your doctor regularly
Home monitoring can help you keep tabs on your blood pressure, make certain your lifestyle changes are working, and alert you and your doctor to potential health complications. Blood pressure monitors are available widely and without a prescription. Talk to your doctor about home monitoring before you get started.
Regular visits with your doctor are also key to controlling your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is under control, you might need to visit your doctor only every six to 12 months, depending on other conditions you might have.
10. Get support
Supportive family and friends can help improve your health. They may encourage you to take care of yourself, take the help of your doctor or embark on an exercise program with you to keep your blood pressure low.