Health Awareness

The official recommendation in the United States (and other Western countries) that the public should not wear face masks was motivated by the need to save respirator masks for health care workers. There is no scientific support for the statement that masks worn by non-professionals are “not effective”. In contrary, in view of the stated goal to “flatten the curve”, any additional, however partial reduction of transmission would be welcome — even that afforded by the simple surgical masks or home-made (DIY) masks (which would not exacerbate the supply problem). The latest biological findings on SARS-Cov-2 viral entry into human tissue and sneeze/cough-droplet ballistics suggest that the major transmission mechanism is not via the fine aerosols but large droplets, and thus, warrant the wearing of surgical masks by everyone.

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Situation awareness at all levels ( national and sub national) for risk assessment for allowing informed and timely decision making

Adherence to core capacities for disease preparedness and response – Surveillance – Laboratory Diagnosis – Hospital Preparedness – Logistic Management – Capacity Building – Risk Communication

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Last year, Sonali Bendre was diagnosed with high-grade cancer. She had to go to New York to get treatment. She became a beacon of inspiration to millions of fans, as she continuously shared updates of her treatment and was determined to "switch on the sunshine" in her words

Sonali returned to Mumbai in December, and has been very vocal about her journey. At the International Conference organised by Consortium of Accredited Health Organisation (CAHO), she said though the disease is scary, the treatment is more painful.

"Early detection is most important. Right now the disease is less scary the treatment is actually more frightening and painful. If it were detected early, the cost of treatment would have been less. It would also have been a lesser painful treatment," she said.

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It may sound strange, but it is possible to get breast cancer during pregnancy. The occurrence is of course quite rare and it is estimated to happen to one in five thousand pregnancies. Getting pregnant is not a risk for getting breast cancer, but it is possible that the hormonal changes during pregnancy could aggravate the condition of a person who already has cancer cells in the breast.

Breast cancer could occur during pregnancy or even in the first year of postpartum. This is usually seen more in geriatric pregnancies or those who delay their pregnancy. Therefore, it is thought that the number of pregnancy associated breast cancer rates will continue to rise. A study says that only 6.5 per cent of women under the age of 40 are affected by breast cancer during pregnancy.

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