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 cou

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.