New Delhi, June 11: A four-month-old girl from Nepal diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma, a form of eye cancer that causes loss of vision due to abnormal growth in retina, can now see the world, thanks to treatment at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals here.

The girl, Sampada, is fully cured now, but still visits the Delhi facility on a regular basis for check-ups, the hospital said in a statement on Monday.

The girl was diagnosed with the disease when she was barely a month old and was referred to the city after doctors from her hometown Pokhhara realised the severity. 

Her mother too lost her vision due to this eye cancer and her father was visually impaired since birth.

"Retinoblastoma is a type of eye cancer which affects the retina of the eye. It is the most sensitive lining of the eye having photosensitive cells and receives the light and sends the signal to the brain via optic nerve, where they are interpreted as images," said Amita Mahajan from Apollo Hospitals.

"In rare cases, pediatric retinoblastoma can be fatal, though the success rate of treatment is 90 per cent," she added.

Sampada was four-month-old when she was admitted for chemotherapy at the Delhi hospital under the care of Mahajan.

The disease affects children more and rarely occurs among adults, Mahajan said.

"The total income of the family was Rs 5,000 per month. It was a brave decision on their part to seek treatment for their daughter despite so many hurdles in their way," Mahajan said. 

"We registered Sampada's family with a non-profit organisation and after the discussion with an advisory body, we started providing to-and-fro travel conveyance to the family," Mahajan said.

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Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government on Monday issued a nutrition advisory recommending healthier food and beverage options at meetings, functions, and other official gatherings held in the state.

The advisory has been issued by the Department of Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Services to promote healthy dietary and nutritional habits among officials and staff, noting that food, refreshments and beverages served in government offices and official programmes are "often not aligned with nutrition standards."

The advisory recommends serving snacks such as millet-based, low-fat and low-sugar foods, fresh fruits, vegetable salads, sprouts, roasted nuts and seeds during in-house office meetings and breaks.

Beverages such as green tea, low-fat buttermilk, and locally filtered or boiled water served in glass bottles or steel flasks have also been suggested.

According to the advisory, for larger government events, conferences and exhibitions, departments have been advised to include at least one millet-based item during snacks and a minimum of two millet dishes in meals, along with local cuisine and at least one regional recipe.

It also recommends the use of brown rice instead of white rice, freshly prepared vegetable salads, and fresh fruits or low-sugar fruit juices.

If non-vegetarian food is served, it should consist of well-cooked lean or white meat, the advisory stated.

In eateries operating within government office campuses, the department has recommended millet-based foods, fresh vegetable salads, boiled pulses such as horse gram or chickpeas, and low-fat beverages.

It suggests serving food using reusable metal plates and glasses.

The advisory also recommends avoiding microwave-heated food, industrially processed food, fried snacks, high-fat or heavily spiced dishes, carbonated drinks, high-sugar fruit juices, and alcoholic beverages.

It further discourages serving milk-based tea or coffee and plastic-bottled water during official events.

“Overall, hygiene and cleanliness should be maintained while serving food and water. Local cottage industries, self-help groups, prison kitchens, nutri-gardens and others should be preferred for placing food and beverage orders,” the advisory added.