Raman's Blog

A third outbreak of Zika virus infection has occurred in India in Rajasthan. With more than 55 infected people of which more than 11 are pregnant females, it is time to recollect a few points about this viral infection. This is a viral disease; an emerging infection transmitted the same mosquito that transmits dengue and chikungunya. This virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947. The first outbreak in India was in January 2017 at Ahmedabad, the second in Tamil Nadu at Krishnagiri in the same year.  Most of the infections stay asymptomatic. The symptoms include fever, rashes, redness of eyes, muscle and joint pain, malaise and headache. The symptoms are mild, resemble other arboviral infections and last usually for 2 to 7 days. The fearsome aspect of this seemingly mild infection is the devastation it can bring about to the future generations. Microcephaly in the newborn and other neurological syndromes like Guillain Barre Syndrome can wreak havoc in a developing...

Mental Health problems are one of the leading morbidity even in the developing world. Most people would find it easy to talk to a religious guru than to a qualified mental health practitioner. Thus the sad state of affairs is that the patient ends up with a psychiatrist after receiving all the ill advice of every Tom, Dick and Harry. Depression is a very common psychiatric illness that can wear off many productive hours and even life of the patients. Millions of people around the world live with depression. In this context it is worthwhile to watch the video released by the WHO.

This is in view of the increasing violence by students against the teachers and school/college authorities in our country that I'm thinking aloud. I think moral science should be included in schools. Traditionally Indians respect teachers equal to God. Even those who don't believe in God should have some moral values. Also students should be taught to respect the laws of the country and to use legal systems like higher authorities/courts to meet their demands. This should not be viewed as moral policing though. 

MEDEX is a Global Educational Carnival exhibiting cutting-edge technology, Latest Discoveries& Thousands of specimens from over 40 departments of Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram. The exhibition showcases normal to pathological variants, animation and videos, medical illustrations and posters, virtual and augmented reality shows, mega walks-ins and interactive learning devices- thematically organised and aesthetically designed. The specimens will reveal the original Human body and its internal organs, disease patterns, Sonological and Microscopic views, artifacts used in Forensic sciences. The personalities behind this great show include Dr.A.Nalinakshan, Pro VC, KUHS; AmalAhammed, General Secretary KUHS Students Union and General Convener Medex; Dr.Thoams Mathew, Principal, Govt. Medical Collage, Thiruvananthapuram; Dr.Joby John, Organizing Secretary, Medex; Dr.S.S.Santhoshkumar, Joint Convenor, Medex, Dr.G.Ajithkumar, Artistic Director. Visit the facebook p...

In the western countries, I know that many websites exist where the CME credits can be obtained for free. Medscape provides such CME hours for free even for foreign doctors like us which can be obtained at the comfort of one’s residence sitting in front of the computer. Free of cost CMEs should be our top priority. In fact it is not possible for an average middle class doctor to go to distant places taking leave from work and to pay dearly for a couple of CME hours. Also the feasibility of traveling to distant places from rural areas and the discomfort of conducting a journey in overcrowded public transportation of ours should be considered. (Of course, I am not referring to doctors having their own air conditioned vehicle driven by another driver) I would appeal to the medical fraternity to take some positive steps in this regard. My suggestions are the following. 1) MCI should recognize the online CME hours granted by reputed portals like Medscape. 2) The government should...

Computer security (also known as cybersecurity or IT security) is information security as applied to computers and computer networks. The field covers all the processes and mechanisms by which computer-based equipment, information and services are protected from unintended or unauthorized access, change or destruction. Computer security also includes protection from unplanned events and natural disasters. There are three core principles of cyber security: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. Cybersecurity standards are security standards which enable organizations to practice safe security techniques to minimize the number of successful cybersecurity attacks. Although USA, Germany and South Korea have well developed cybersecurity standards, India has none remarkable. The worldwide security technology and services market is forecast to reach $67.2 billion in 2013, up 8.7 percent that in 2012 and we need to brace up for the market demand. The following are a few examples ...