Sat, Oct 18, 2014
It is more than six decades since our country gained independence and yet there is one important minority that still continues to live in constant fear and daily humiliation. It's a minority whose very existence is treated as a crime. To this minority belong all those with alternative sexualities-lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT).
Sat, Oct 25, 2014
India is the TB capital of the world. Every year, a staggering 18 lakh people contract the disease, of which 8 lakh are infectious and about 3.7 lakh people die annually. It is a shame that this disease has not been fought on a war footing. Previously known as a poor man's disease, TB affects all classes of society today with its deadlier form-multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB). This bacteria has become resistant to the first line drugs-especially Rifampicin and Isoniazid-which can otherwise cure the disease in six months. MDR TB is a monster; it takes more than two years to cure, its costs are prohibitive-from three lakhs to twenty lakhs-and the side effects are such that many patients prefer death to treatment. Even about MDR TB, two more dangerous variants, extremely drug-resistant (XDR) and totally drug-resistant (TDR) TB are making treatment next to impossible. Doctors, nurses and ward boys are most vulnerable to the disease as the pathetic living and working conditions makes them prime targets for the bacilli.
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Sat, Nov 1, 2014
In the last few years, around 1,35,000 Indians have committed suicide every year. Mental illnesses, especially depression, is one of the leading causes. The segment most affected is the young-those who belong to the 15 to 30 years age group. Modern society's attempt to compress a 100 years of living within 10 years is affecting mental harmony. Hence, it is important to be clued to the signs of depression, when there is no joy in living and even the smallest of tasks seem very difficult.