What gives

The Gene X-pert was apparently developed by the department of defense after the events of September 11th when biological threats became a national priority in America.It was used to analyse the DNA in potential toxins in pieces of mails.In 2008,funding from Bill and Mellinda Gates Foundation ,FIND and NIH began to assess the machine's effectiveness in diagnosing tuberculosis. Gene X-pert as per a study published in the 'Journal' identified 98 percent of active infections because the tests look for the bacterium itself,latent infections are ruled out. Detection of latent infections would have no significance in the indian scenario because tuberculosis is so rampant in india. Treating latent infections could be potentially dangerous and could promote drug resistance because only twenty percent of the population harbouring the infection could manifest the disease. Inroduction of GeneXpert technology in the national health programme would pose two-fold challenges in india. ...

Someone asked me how was last christmas?...For the last four years I have been away from my family during christmas.I remember last christmas like the back of my hand.Infact for the past three years or so I have spent the christmas nights resuscitating patients back to life by the grace of God.It has invariably happened that the patient and myself ,we walk out of the ACU in the morning.They blessing me and I ,thanking the Lord for the Gift of life given for Christmas.However,last christmas was unusual indeed and will not I guess, go away from my memory too soon in the future. My cousin was struggling for life in Jaipur,the family had all but given up on him..Mr Ram Narayan Sahu(name changed),from Satbarwa,who had just had a bypass surgery ,who also had diabetes mellitus with stage four nephropathy came in with acute on chronic renal failure with gross fluid retention ,huffing ,puffing and frothing out blood and could not go for dialysis till the day-break.That was enough to keep me by...

Sadoli block has been bothering me for the past two days.Today ,I shot a letter to the CMO,ACMO and the medical officer incharge of the block.Mukesh is planning a mela for Hep B awareness,immunisation and testing in the area.He called up a panchayat head in the village and was told that another person near his house had just died of jaundice a few days back. Got talking with one of the patient's bystanders from the area and he was sharing how the previous day when he went to a visiting RMO?Quack ?from Dehradun to administer a pain injection for his old man, he observed that the so called Dr was using the old man's used syringe and needle for a little baby and another patient who came in after that. When he reprimended him ,I believe he said,-'they cannot afford a fresh one ,so never mind!'. Waiting to see how the government goes about investigating the issue and taking some measures.

Five of a family from Sadoli block presented with severe jaundice with cholestatic features,ages ranging all the way from five to fifty five.They turned out to be hepatites B positive and negative for Hep C and HIV.I had just about started getting perplexed and getting the point person from the Sadoli block mobilised, another young fellow from the same block but different village altogether came in with the same picture and turned out to be Hep B positive again. Sadoli is a block in Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh.Our man is making a fleeting visit through the block to actively look out for more cases.These are the cases which have landed at our hospital.Are we looking at some epidemic of some sort, I wonder.Will try to intimate the CMO tomorrow after we get more details,I sincerely hope the government takes note and swoops down to the root of it all.

Ango was with me for less than a month preparing for her DNB exams.She has always been for me a little sister ,brought my way ,I believe,by the Holy spirit.I have stopped wearing a watch for the past five years and have all but given up on my phone for the last one year.I carry the latter around more for incase,but never felt the urgency to charge it.People have a way of reaching out to you in this highly sophisticated world of advanced communication. Coming back to Ango,she would be up and alert at five or so in the morning.I would hear her rustling around her room,having her quiet time,studying,etc and invariably I would be calling out to her in the other room asking her for the time. It went on everyday for the rest of the days she was with me. Time plays an important role in the mornings for me.It's a precious part of the day and I normally push in the best part of my day's schedule for then.It is perhaps the most important time of the day. Ango presented me with a love...

I remember trying to convince Phoolmati Devi(name changed) to continue with her DOTS.She was an alcoholic lady in her forties with a family of twelve or more ,clustered in a two bed-room house,unwilling,uncaring and careless.After a series of visit from our boys and the doctors in turns she continued to be a potential source of infection in the middle of the village in Satbarwa.I was totally frustrated.I asked a series of experts on tuberculosis whether some way one could legally presurise her to take the medicines....everyone quoted human right issues..sounded a little confusing ...the knife could cut either ways.I got my answer in the meeting yesterday. http://www.who.int/tb/xdr/involuntary_treatment/en/index.html. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2001/WHO_CDS_TB_2001.290.pdf.

The New yorker apparently carried a story about tuberculosis on the streets of Darbangha in Bihar recently. If there was a strong message to be carried from the sympossium,it was the message to ban the use of serological tests for diagnosis of tuberculosis.WHO is ,for the first time in it's history ,putting forward a negative recommendation. We stopped using serology for TB diagnosis five years ago,but never mind-it's better late than never. The article I believe,goes on to highlight how the doctors in Darbangha continue to order this expensive test for diagnosis of tuberculosis.The cost of the test runs up to 25 dollars.The patient is a labourer who earns around 2 dollars per day and the profit made from the twenty five dollars received ,is shared between the doctor who prescribes it,the person who imports it and the french company which produces it. So our poor rickshawpullers on the street ,who contract tuberculosis, are making these dubious companies in Europe rich!One ...