India launches accelerated plan to eliminate elephantiasis
New Delhi, June 13: Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Wednesday said India has made much progress in eliminating lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) as he launched an accelerated plan for its elimination at the start of a three-day global meet of 72 endemic countries.
"(A total of) 100 districts out of total 256 endemic districts have achieved elimination target and stopped Mass Drug Administration (MDA) after successful validation by Transmission Assessment Survey (TAS) and are under post MDA surveillance," he said at the biennial meeting.
Nadda, who inaugurated the 10th meeting of Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GAELF) here, said India is committed to eliminating lymphatic filariasis transmission and disease burden so that future generations are free from the disease.
Releasing the Accelerated Plan for Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) 2018 for India, he said he was sure the accelerated plan will also expedite the last leap for its elimination.
Stating that India will always welcome newer initiatives and research, he said that the strategy to eliminate LF here is based on twin pillars of MDA once in a year for interruption of transmission (no new case) and to cater to the patients already afflicted with the disease.
There is urgent need for total integration of different departments to mobilize the community, he said.
He also gave GAELF awards to 11 countries -- Cambodia, Cook Islands, Egypt, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Niue, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Togo, Tonga and Vanuatu -- for successfully interrupting the transmission, the Health Ministry said in a statement.
"I am sure during the three days of deliberations, experts will come out with pragmatic approach towards elimination of LF. There is a need for all stakeholders to work in an integrated manner in order to eliminate lymphatic filariasis as public health problem," said Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey.
Elephantiasis is one of the oldest and neglected disease, which is currently endemic in 73 countries, including India. It is caused by Wuchereria Bancrofti and spread by Culex mosquito, which grows in dirty accumulated water, the ministry said.
LF does not kill the affected people, but may cause permanent disfigurement like swelling in the arms and legs, reduced productivity and social stigma. The skin may become thicker and the condition may become painful.
GAELF is an alliance of partners from 72 LF endemic national country programmes, NGOs, private sectors, academic and research institutes and international development agencies that assists WHO's Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis.
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Jhansi fire: Nurse's heroic efforts helped save over dozen babies
Lucknow/Jhansi (UP), Nov 17: Nurse Megha James was on duty when the fire broke out at the Jhansi hospital and she threw herself headlong into the rescue efforts, playing a hero's role by saving several babies.
Even when her salwar got burned, she refused to give up and was able to evacuate 14-15 babies with others' help.
"I had gone to take a syringe to give an injection to a child. When I came back, I saw that the (oxygen) concentrator had caught fire. I called the ward boy, who came with the fire extinguisher and tried to put it out. But by then, the fire had spread," James said.
Ten babies perished in a fire that broke out at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi Friday night.
Faced with an enormous blaze, James's mind worked with a frenetic speed, to the extent she cared little about burning herself.
"My chappal caught fire and I burned my foot. Then my salwar caught fire. I removed my salwar and discarded it. At that time, my mind was virtually not working," she told PTI Videos.
James just wore another salwar and went back to the rescue operation.
"There was a lot of smoke, and once the lights went out, we could not see anything. The entire staff brought out at least 14-15 children. There were 11 beds in the ward with 23-24 babies," she said.
Had the lights not gone out they could have saved more children, James said. "It all happened very suddenly. None of us had expected it."
Assistant Nursing Superintendent Nalini Sood praised James's valour and recounted bits from how the rescue operation was carried out.
"The hospital staff broke the glasses of the NICU ward to evacuate the babies. It was then Nurse Megha's salwar caught fire. Instead of caring for her safety, she stayed there to rescue the babies and handed them over to people outside," she said.
Sood said James is currently undergoing treatment at the same medical college. She said she did not know the extent of her burns.
"The rescued babies were shifted to a ward very close to the NICU ward… When I recall the scene, I feel like crying," she said.
Dr Anshul Jain, the head of the anaesthesiology department at the medical college, explained the standard rescue operation and claimed the hospital followed the protocol to the T.
"In the triage process during an ICU evacuation, the policy is to evacuate less-affected patients first. The rationale behind this approach is that patients requiring minimal support can be relocated quickly, enabling a larger number of evacuations to be completed in a shorter time.
"In contrast, patients on ventilators or requiring high oxygen support demand more time and resources for evacuation," he said.
"This principle was successfully implemented in Jhansi, playing a significant role in saving many lives," Jain said.
A newborn rescued from the fire died due to illness on Sunday, Jhansi District Magistrate Avinash Kumar said.
