Building better care for every stage of life

The Hindu

3 days ago

On challenges in breastfeeding support, a new blood group found in India, research into a vaccine for malaria, safeguarding our food, and more
The fact that breastfeeding in public still invites stares and comments, rooms for breastfeeding are still lacking in many public facilities and that seeking help for it still remains difficult is a sad state of affairs -- one that persists despite this basic fact being well-known: breastfeeding is important. It is the best source of nutrition for newborns, protects them from infections, boosts their immunity, promotes healthy gut development and remains the 'perfect food' for the first six months -- literally nothing else is needed, and so, it is cost-effective too. And yet, only 63.7% of infants in India meet the World Health Organisation's guidelines for exclusive breastfeeding for six months -- pointing to the urgent need for better systems and social supports for women both in hospital and, crucially, after their discharge too.
What could aid breastfeeding in hospitals within an hour after birth? Promoting breast crawling -- something newborns do when they are skin-to-skin with their mothers, may help, writes Mahima Jain, drawing on her own experience. And what could help new mums after discharge? Lactation training for healthcare workers, mobile creches, lactation pods, peer support and counselling are all crucial, writes Athira Elssa Johnson, speaking to experts. But most fundamental of all, it needs embedding in every day life. After all, we're used to men baring their chests aren't we? Shouldn't we get used to, and make it comfortable, for women to open up, for far more important reasons?
Speaking of newborns and extending that just a little to toddlers, did you know about the importance of the first 1,000 days of a child's life for their brain development? This time period, writes Dr. Sathyanarayana L.D., represents a golden window -- the brain grows at a pace that is never repeated later in life, making the right nutrition care and environment vital.
Here's a quick overview of the important domestic health news this week: in an exciting development that Afshan Yasmeen reported on, the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre said that a new blood group, previously unidentified anywhere in the world, had been discovered in a 38-year-old South Indian woman. This new antigen is part of the Cromer (CR) blood group system and has been officially named 'CRIB', with CR representing Cromer and IB standing for India, Bengaluru. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), reports Bindu Shajan Perappadan, has asked all restaurants, dhabas, cafes, and eateries, to display their FSSAI license/registration certificate with the QR code of Food Safety Connect app in areas visible to customers to provide them with a direct platform for grievance redressal. So you know what to do if you have a problem with your food!
Three other developments of note: Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said India had achieved a remarkable milestone of performing over 18,900 organ transplants in 2024, the highest ever recorded in a single year. While this is definitely laudable, he however noted the significant gap between the numbers of patients needing organs and the number of donors, as well as the worrying increase in the number of people with organ failure. The National Medical Commission has issued guidelines with regard to live surgeries to safeguard ethics and patient welfare. And finally, Shilka Abraham and Soumitra Ghosh write on something that has been on many minds since 2020: do we know the actual toll the Covid-19 pandemic took on Indians?
Internationally, vaccination rates for several diseases are dropping in the world's largest economy, the United States, a trend that is both disheartening and frightening. And in other news, an analysis report of The Lancet Commission on liver cancer, has found that more than three of every five liver cancer cases in the world can be prevented by addressing risk factors, such as hepatitis, alcohol habits and non-alcoholic fatty liver conditions. This at least, is good news!
Our tailpiece for the week, by Anirban Mukhopadhyay is on the havoc that the tiniest of creatures can wreak upon civilisations: malaria and mosquitoes. He writes about vaccine development, new innovations and India's path ahead.
As per usual, we have a healthy list of explainers for you to take a deep dive into, this week:
Since it was UV Safety Awareness Month in July, Dr. Monisha Madhumita breaks the misconception around darker skin not needing sun protection and explains why it is important for Indians all year round.
Smruthi Prabhu has you taking another look at that mouthwash on your bathroom counter, writing that its use can affect nutrient absorption.
Dr. Vilvapathy S. Karthikeyan explains the importance of the role of men in IVF and fertility treatments.
There is so much in the news about forever chemicals, but what if there was a way for your own gut microbes to flush them out of your system? Read what experts have to say about this.
On cancer, of which there is a rising burden in India, we have Dr. Ray George on combating the problem of late detection in lung cancer through better awareness; Dr. K. Satish Srinivas on personalised radiation treatment for cancer patients; Dr. Raghunath S.K. on how robotic surgery can help preserve organ function and lives of kidney cancer patients and Dr. Venkataraman Radhakrishnan emphasising the importance of research in cancer care.
Dr. Rishi Kanna writes on osteoporosis -- a significant subject given India's increasing ageing population -- and how to prevent it.
Dr. C. Aravinda delves into moral injury and distress and the psychological and behavioural toll this can take.
Dr. Nagalakshmi N. celebrates the independence that contact lenses have offered to many, and how to care for them.
Serena Josephine M. writes on the slowing down of cord blood storage and its potential role in regenerative medicine.
Our All You Need to Know series featured a very rare disorder: CLOVES Syndrome this week, and here's our Science Quiz on enzymes.
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