Food Tips

LONDON: Photographs of baby Charlie Gard dominated the front-pages of Britain´s Saturday newspapers, which paid tribute to a "beautiful little boy" who had raised tough ethical questions for Western societies.

The Daily Mail ran with the headline "Rest in Peace Charlie", with the centre-right publication saying the 11-month-old baby had "captured hearts around the world".

Gard died of a rare genetic condition on Friday after parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates failed in a lengthy legal battle to take him to the United States for therapy.

The case attracted the attention of Pope Francis and US President Donald Trump, who both offered to support the baby.

The Mail said the case has "raised so many questions about our age", with campaigners angry that Gard´s parents did not have the final say over their child´s fate, while others argued that the baby should not be made to suffer unnecessarily.

The Sun carried a front-page photograph of the baby, with the headline "RIP our hero", adding that Gard was the "brain-damaged tot who´s plight touched the world."

The Daily Mirror also carried a front-page photograph of the baby smiling at father Chris Gard under the headline "Our beautiful little boy has gone", echoing the words of mother Connie Yates.

The centre-left Guardian expressed sympathy for Yates and partner Chris, saying the "anguished parents found themselves confronting a harsh and unfamiliar world of paediatric intensive care, the law courts and the media."

Centre-right broadsheet the Daily Telegraph said "little Charlie" had "brought out the best in us."

"Poor Charlie has died. Whatever one thinks of the debate surrounding his life, that´s all that matters now. A life is gone. Those left behind have to be given the space to grieve. Politics is suspended."

MANILA: The Philippines has the fastest growing number of HIV infections in Asia, a report by the United Nations and the government showed Tuesday.

The Southeast Asian nation saw a 140 percent increase in new cases from 2010 to 2016, even though the annual number of new infections in Asia-Pacific declined by 13 percent over the same period, according to the report.

"The Philippines has a small window of opportunity to act now and stop a major HIV epidemic from taking hold," Eamonn Murphy, director of UNAIDS Regional Support Team said in a statement.

He called on the government to focus anti-HIV efforts on those at most risk.

Genesis Samonte of the Philippine health department´s epidemiology bureau said eight out of 10 reported HIV cases were among men having sex with men (MSM).

"Risky behaviours are starting very young," she said, adding that the MSM group on average started having sex at 16, and anal sex at 17 before they have started using condoms or taken HIV tests, increasing the risk of infection.

The report also showed that only 35 percent of MSM had comprehensive knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention.

Samonte said there were indications that a rise in the use of the Internet and cellphones was allowing more young people to have multiple partners, further fuelling the risk of contracting HIV.

Cases will continue to increase and burden the Philippine health system if the nation does not invest in prevention and treatment, according to Samonte.

Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial said that "HIV is one of the top health priorities for the government,", that the budget for the disease had been sharply increased and her department aimed to start reversing the trend in five years.

The government was directing its services towards MSM and transgender women, and opening clinics in cities where the bulk of the new HIV cases were detected, Ubial added.

COLOMBO: An outbreak of dengue virus has killed around 300 people so far this year in Sri Lanka and hospitals are stretched to capacity, health officials said.

They blamed recent monsoon rains and floods that have left pools of stagnant water and rotting rain-soaked trash -- ideal breeding sites for mosquitoes that carry the virus.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is scaling up emergency assistance to Sri Lanka with the Sri Lanka Red Cross to help contain the outbreak.

"Dengue patients are streaming into overcrowded hospitals that are stretched beyond capacity and struggling to cope, particularly in the country’s hardest hit western province," Red Cross/Red Crescent said in a statement.

According to the World Health Organization, dengue is one of the world's fastest growing diseases, endemic in 100 countries, with as many as 390 million infections annually. Early detection and treatment save lives when infections are severe, particularly for young children.

The Sri Lankan government is struggling to control the virus, which causes flu-like symptoms and can develop into the deadly hemorrhagic dengue fever.

The ministry of health said the number of dengue infections has climbed above 100,000 since the start of 2017, with 296 deaths.

"Ongoing downpours and worsening sanitation conditions raise concerns the disease will continue to spread," Red Cross/Red Crescent said.

Its assistance comes a week after Australia announced programmes to help control dengue fever in Sri Lanka.

"Dengue is endemic here, but one reason for the dramatic rise in cases is that the virus currently spreading has evolved and people lack the immunity to fight off the new strain," Novil Wijesekara, head of health at the Sri Lanka Red Cross said in a statement.

KARACHI: Nearly 400 children have been reported suffering from MDR Typhoid in Hyderabad where the health experts have warned of ‘worst and biggest outbreak’ of this disease due to contaminated water being supplied in the second largest city of the province.

 ‘It's seriously the worst and the biggest outbreak of Multidrug-Resistance Typhoid,’ said Dr Farah Qamar, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Aga Khan University Hospital.

The data shows that at least 400 children were referred to the healthcare centres in Hyderabad during the last eight months. The worst affected areas in the city from where the most numbers of children were reported are Bhitai Colony, Qasimabad, and Wahdat colony.

Also, Karachi is less affected where 20 children of age between 2 to 5 were reported suffering from it. Liyari, North-Karachi, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Gulistan-e-Johor, Malir and Ibrahim Hydri are the worst affected areas of the metropolis where an antibiotic-resistant strain of typhoid is spreading.

While explaining the key factors behind the outbreak, Dr Qamar said the prime reason is the non-availability of chlorine in water however, contaminated water and poor sanitation have deteriorated the situation.

Another issue, which she said, was revealed during the survey that all the four water treatment plants in Hyderabad District are non-functional and contaminated water is being supplied to the residents.

She further said that its hard-to-treat typhoid cases need to be managed to prevent outbreaks. ‘The situation was getting worse from November 2016 but authorities didn't pay any attention.’

Dr Muhammad Tufeeq, Director Health Karachi, also confirmed that the situation is getting out of control. With the help of Child Survival Program vaccination drive has been started in Lyari, Ibrahim Hyderi and Gadap town, he said.

Dr M N Lal, Program Director of Child Survival in Sindh, said that to avoid MDR typhoid everyone should take strict measures and avoid consuming unhygienic food; make sure your water is Chlorinated; keep your hands clean; and drink boiled water.

Dr Farah Qamar said that for those who are suffering from MDR typhoid has to be vaccinated with by Typbar vaccine, which can be given to children of more than 2 years of age.

‘We need to limit the inappropriate use of antibiotics,’ says Dr Qamar. ‘Globally, drug-resistant typhoid is spreading across Africa and Asia, and we need to work hard to develop methods to identify new cases and clinically evaluate and treat those who are affected.”

On water chlorination, Chief Engineer Karachi Water and Sewerage Board Asadullah khan said that they have started a ‘Booster of Chlorination’ at all the pumping stations and also urged the citizens to clean their underground and overhead water tanks and use chlorine tablets.

ISLAMABAD: Turkey Tuesday offered liver transplant  facilities for Pakistani patients.

The offer had been given by a high level Turkish delegation led by Director General Health Oner Guner during a meeting with Minister for National Health Services Saira Afzal.

The delegation which comprised of senior liver transplant experts also discussed in detail liver transplant facilities for Pakistani patients in Turkey.

Secretary Health Muhammad Ayub Shaikh, senior officers of Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended the meeting.

Minister for National Health Services apprised the Turkish delegation that each year 1,500 Pakistani patients require liver transplant facility.

The Turkish side elaborated the facilities available in Turkey for liver transplant procedures. Head of the Turkish delegation said Turkey enjoyed a special relationship with Pakistan and special discounted package was being offered for Pakistani patients requiring transplant procedures.

He elaborated that each patient was followed up for whole life after the procedure. It was agreed that special assessment centres will be designated across the country to assess patients seeking liver transplant facilities in Turkey. Special visa facilitation for Pakistani patients was also discussed by the both.

The delegation also offered capacity building of Pakistan doctors and facilities to conduct liver transplant operations in Pakistan.

Earlier a briefing was given by Director Institution of Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Dr Razia Safdar regarding the liver transplant situation, challenges being faced by patients.

There is a lot of confusion when it comes to health and nutrition.

People, even qualified experts, often seem to have the exact opposite opinions.

However, despite all the disagreements, there are a few things that are well supported by research.

Here are 27 health and nutrition tips that are actually based on good science.

Sugary drinks are the most fattening things you can put into your body.

This is because liquid sugar calories don’t get registered by the brain in the same way as calories from solid foods (1).

For this reason, when you drink soda, you end up eating more total calories (2, 3).

Sugary drinks are strongly associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and all sorts of health problems (4, 5, 6, 7).

Keep in mind that fruit juices are almost as bad as soda in this regard. They contain just as much sugar, and the small amounts of antioxidants do NOT negate the harmful effects of the sugar (8).

Despite being high in fat, nuts are incredibly nutritious and healthy.

They are loaded with magnesium, vitamin E, fiber and various other nutrients (9).

Studies show that nuts can help you lose weight, and may help fight type 2 diabetes and heart disease (10, 11, 12).

Additionally, about 10-15% of the calories in nuts aren’t even absorbed into the body, and some evidence suggests that they can boost metabolism (13).

In one study, almonds were shown to increase weight loss by 62% compared to complex carbohydrates (14).

All the processed junk foods in the diet are the biggest reason the world is fatter and sicker than ever before.

These foods have been engineered to be “hyper-rewarding,” so they trick our brains into eating more than we need, even leading to addiction in some people (15).

They are also low in fiber, protein and micronutrients (empty calories), but high in unhealthy ingredients like added sugar and refined grains.

Coffee has been unfairly demonized. The truth is that it’s actually very healthy.

Coffee is high in antioxidants, and studies show that coffee drinkers live longer, and have a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and numerous other diseases (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21).

Pretty much everyone agrees that fish is healthy.

This is particularly true of fatty fish, like salmon, which is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids and various other nutrients (22).

Studies show that people who eat the most fish have a lower risk of all sorts of diseases, including heart disease, dementia and depression (23, 24, 25).

The importance of getting enough quality sleep can not be overstated.

It may be just as important as diet and exercise, if not more.

Poor sleep can drive insulin resistance, throw your appetite hormones out of whack and reduce your physical and mental performance (26, 27, 28, 29).

What’s more, it is one of the strongestindividual risk factors for future weight gainand obesity. One study showed that short sleep was linked to 89% increased risk of obesity in children, and 55% in adults (30).

The bacteria in your gut, collectively called the gut microbiota, are sometimes referred to as the “forgotten organ.”

These gut bugs are incredibly important for all sorts of health-related aspects. A disruption in the gut bacteria is linked to some of the world’s most serious chronic diseases, including obesity (31, 32).

A good way to improve gut health, is to eat probiotic foods (like live yogurt and sauerkraut), take probiotic supplements, and eat plenty of fiber. Fiber functions as fuel for the gut bacteria (33, 34).

Drinking enough water can have numerous benefits.

One important factor, is that it can help boost the amount of calories you burn.

According to 2 studies, it can boost metabolism by 24-30% over a period of 1-1.5 hours. This can amount to 96 additional calories burned if you drink 2 liters (67 oz) of water per day (35, 36).

The best time to drink water is half an hour before meals. One study showed that half a liter of water, 30 minutes before each meal, increased weight loss by 44% (37).

Meat can be a nutritious and healthy part of the diet. It is very high in protein, and contains various important nutrients.

The problems occur when meat is overcooked and burnt. This can lead to the formation of harmful compounds that raise the risk of cancer (38).

So, eat your meat, just don’t overcook or burn it.

When we’re exposed to bright lights in the evening, this disrupts production of the sleep hormone melatonin (39, 40).

An interesting “hack” is to use a pair of amber-tinted glasses that block blue lightfrom entering your eyes in the evening.

This allows melatonin to be produced as if it were completely dark, helping you sleep better .

Back in the day, most people got their vitamin D from the sun.

The problem is that most people don’t get much sun these days. They either live where there is no sun, or they stay inside most of the day or use sunscreen when they go out.

According to data from 2005-2006, about 41.6% of the US population is deficient in this critical vitamin (43).

If adequate sun exposure is not an option for you, then supplementing with vitamin Dhas been shown to have numerous benefits for health.

This includes improved bone health, increased strength, reduced symptoms of depression and a lower risk of cancer, to name a few. Vitamin D may also help you live longer (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50).

13. Make Sure to Eat Enough Protein

14. Do Some Cardio, or Just Walk More

15. Don’t Smoke or do Drugs, and Only Drink in Moderation

16. Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil

17. Minimize Your Intake of Added Sugars

18. Don’t Eat a Lot of Refined Carbohydrates

19. Don’t Fear Saturated Fat

20. Lift Heavy Things

21. Avoid Artificial Trans Fats

22. Use Plenty of Herbs and Spices

23. Take Care of Your Relationships

24. Track Your Food Intake Every Now and Then

25. If You Have Excess Belly Fat, Get Rid of it

26. Don’t go on a “Diet”

27. Eat Eggs, and Don’t Throw Away The Yolk

Slapped cheek syndrome (also called fifth disease or parvovirus B19) is a viral infection that's most common in children, although it can affect people of any age. It usually causes a bright red rash on the cheeks.

Although the rash can look alarming, slapped cheek syndrome is normally a mild infection that clears up by itself in one to three weeks. Once you've had the infection, you're usually immune to it for life.

However, slapped cheek syndrome can be more serious for some people. If you're pregnant, have a blood disorder or a weakened immune system and have been exposed to the virus, you should get medical advice.

Symptoms of slapped cheek syndrome usually develop 4-14 days after becoming infected, but sometimes may not appear for up to 21 days.

Some people with slapped cheek syndrome won't notice any early symptoms, but most people will have the following symptoms for a few days:

The infection is most contagious during this initial period.

In adults, these symptoms are often accompanied by joint pain and stiffness, which may continue for several weeks or even months after the other symptoms have passed.

When to get medical advice

• you're pregnant – infection in pregnancy, particularly early pregnancy, carries a risk of causing miscarriage, stillbirth or other complications; however, this risk is small and most pregnant women will already be immune (read more about the risks of slapped cheek syndrome in pregnancy)
• you have a blood disorder, such as sickle cell anaemia or thalassaemia, or a weakened immune system – the infection can cause severe anaemia that may need to be treated in hospital
• you have symptoms of severe anaemia, such as very pale skin, severe shortness of breath, extreme tiredness or fainting

What to do if you or your child has slapped cheek

• rest and drink plenty of fluids – babies should continue their normal feeds
• for a fever, headaches or joint pain, you can take painkillers, such as paracetamolor ibuprofen – children under 16 shouldn't take aspirin
• to reduce itchiness, you can take antihistamines or use an emollient (moisturising lotion) – some antihistamines are not suitable for young children, so check with your pharmacist first

How do you get slapped cheek syndrome?

• inhaling droplets that are sneezed or coughed out by someone with the infection
• touching a contaminated surface or object and then touching your mouth or nose

Preventing slapped cheek syndrome