New research has found that nearly one in three children across the world have high levels of lead in their bloodstream.&nbsp;
The study carried out by&nbsp;UNICEF and environmental group Pure Earth blamed increasing levels of lead pollution and says that the&nbsp;levels are high enough to impair the development of brains, nervous systems and vital organs such as heart and lungs.&nbsp;800 million children had lead levels of 5 micrograms per deciliter or higher in their bloodstream. The WHO and US CDC&nbsp;called the findings 'cause for action.'
The report cites inadequate battery recycling and open-air smelters among the lead polluters.&nbsp;Lead-acid batteries could be a key culprit, with nearly 85% of the lead used worldwide going into their production, the report added.&nbsp;

New research has found that nearly one in three children across the world have high levels of lead in their bloodstream. The study carried out by UNICEF and environmental group Pure Earth blamed increasing levels of lead pollution and says that the levels are high enough to impair the development of brains, nervous systems and vital organs such as heart and lungs. 800 million children had lead levels of 5 micrograms per deciliter or higher in their bloodstream. The WHO and US CDC called the findings 'cause for action.' The report cites inadequate battery recycling and open-air smelters among the lead polluters. Lead-acid batteries could be a key culprit, with nearly 85% of the lead used worldwide going into their production, the report added.

Smokers are likely to be more vulnerable to the new coronavirus as smoking increases the possibility of transmission of the virus from hand to mouth, the Union Health Ministry has said. Use of tobacco products can increase the severity of respiratory infections and make people susceptible to Covid-19, the ministry warned in a new document.
In the report, experts&nbsp;confirm that smokers are more likely to develop severe symptoms or die from Covid-19, as it primarily attacks the lungs.
'Further smoking products such as water pipes or hookah often involve the sharing of mouth-pieces and hoses, which could facilitate the transmission of Covid-19 in communal and social settings,' the ministry said.

A blood test to diagnose the Alzheimer's disease may soon be a possibility. An experimental blood test has yielded&nbsp;accurate results in differentiating people with dementia from those without it. Latest trial results showed 89% to 98% accuracy, but larger trials are still required to ascertain the findings. The results were discussed online at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference. Currently, the disease is diagnosed through tests of thinking skills and memory. Other tests like spinal fluid or brain scans&nbsp;are either expensive or invasive. This finding focuses on the protein called 'tau' and finds that one of its forms&nbsp;is a reliable indicator. The study was sponsored by US National Institutes of Health, Swedish government health groups, and the Alzheimer&rsquo;s Association among other companies and foundations.

According to a new study by Public Health England, obesity increases the risk of getting severely unwell from Covid-19. The study found that excess weight put people at a greater risk of requiring hospital admission or maybe even intensive care. The report said that supporting people to achieve and then maintain healthy weight could help reduce severe effects of&nbsp;Covid-19 as well as other life threatening&nbsp;diseases. The review lists excess weight as a significant risk factor for&nbsp;Covid-19.&nbsp;

There has been a lot of debate and discussion on whether the BCG vaccine, administered against tuberculosis, could be effective against Covid-19.
In a glimmer of hope, a study published in the journal Science Advances claims that the BCG&nbsp;may help slow the spread of Covid-19 in the first 30 days, atleast. Those countries where the BCG vaccine is mandatory showed a slower rate of infection and death during the first month of the Covid-19 outbreak, the study claimed.
For the study, researchers analysed the daily rate of infection cases in 135 countries and deaths in 134 countries in the first 30 days of each country's outbreak. The study noted that the United States, which is the worst-hit country by the novel coronavirus, could have escaped the damage had they made the BCG vaccine mandatory decades ago.
While further analysis is needed to ascertain the findings, the study concluded that the BCG vaccine had a correlation with flattening of the Covid-19 curve.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given a go ahead to the Serum Institute of India (SII) for conducting phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of a Covid-19 vaccine candidate, developed by the University of Oxford, in the country.
Government officials said the approval for phase 2 and 3 clinical trials was granted after a thorough evaluation based on the recommendations of experts.
As a rapid regulatory response, the expert panel at the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) on Friday, gave the green signal after considering data from Phase 1 and 2 trials done by Oxford University trial.
The pharma giant will perform an observer-blind, randomised controlled study with at least 1,600 participants to determine the safety and immunogenicity of the 'Covishield' vaccine. Each subject will be administered two doses of vaccine four weeks apart.

Some stories of Covid&nbsp;recovery are&nbsp;for the books.
110-year-old Siddamma from&nbsp;Chitradurga&nbsp;in Karnataka, recovered from infection, making her the oldest person to survive the deadly virus.
She tested positive for the infection on July 27, after showing mild symptoms and was immediately rushed to a local hospital.
Being able to discharge Siddamma&nbsp;on August 1, was a&nbsp;major morale boost for her&nbsp;doctors.&nbsp;
Siddamma&nbsp;is a&nbsp;mother to 5 and a grandmother to 17 grand kids,&nbsp;so here's a story that will go down generations.

According to estimates,&nbsp;more than 60,000 new&nbsp;lung cancer&nbsp;cases are reported each year in India and with the rise in air pollution that number remains on an upward trajectory. Lung Cancer is also the most common cause of cancer-related deaths.&nbsp;
In a new breakthrough, a clinical trial in Scotland has found that a combination of blood tests along with CT scanning can help detect lung cancer earlier, at a stage when surgery is still possible.
The study,&nbsp;published by The European Respiratory Journal, has reported a significant 36 per cent reduction in late-stage diagnoses of lung cancer, a discovery that may save thousands of lives. With early discovery, patients&nbsp;may have early access to&nbsp;chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy.&nbsp;
The particular trial is also believed to be the largest randomised controlled trial working on the detection of lung cancer using blood-based biomarkers&nbsp;and has included more than 12,000 cancer patients.&nbsp;

As worries about the novel coronavirus&nbsp;shake up the worldwide, there's also misinformation and a whole lot of myths. But, the World Health Organisation has been&nbsp;responding to our queries from time to time. If you're wondering whether it is safe for a woman infected with Covid-19 to breastfeed her children, the WHO clarifies that they can. The health about also suggests three precautionary measures that mothers should take: practice respiratory hygiene and wear a mask, wash your hands before and after touching your baby, routinely clean and disinfect surfaces.&nbsp;

Children under five years of age with mild to moderate Covid-19 have much higher levels of the novel coronavirus genetic material in the nose compared to older children and adults, finds a new study.&nbsp;The findings, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, shed light on the possibility that the youngest children transmit the virus as much as other age groups.
As per the researchers, younger children's ability to spread Covid-19 may have been under-recognised given the rapid and sustained closure of schools and daycare centres during the pandemic.&nbsp;They compared the quantity of virus genetic material found in three age groups -- children younger than five years, children five to 17 years, and adults 18-65 years.&nbsp;The researchers, however, cautioned that the study is limited to detection of viral genetic material -- its nucleic acid molecule RNA -- rather than the infectious virus.

Findings from an ongoing clinical trial in the US suggest that botox&nbsp;injections could be used to treat depression.&nbsp;
Derived from a bacterial neurotoxin&nbsp;called&nbsp;botulinum,&nbsp;botox&nbsp;is commonly injected to ease wrinkles, migraines, muscle spasms, excessive sweating and other conditions.
Now, researchers at the University of California, San Diego, say those who receive botox injections are depressed far less often than others.
They analysed a database which recorded adverse effects caused by medications to see what happened to nearly 40,000 people after they received Botox&nbsp;treatments for differing&nbsp;reasons.&nbsp;
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, says that people who got botox&nbsp;injection--in six different locations--reported fewer instances of depression compared to patients undergoing different treatments for the same illness.
In fact, depression was reported 40-88% less often by Botox-treated patients for six of the eight conditions and injection sites.&nbsp;
The team, however, cautioned that this data was not specifically collected to study the link between&nbsp;Botox&nbsp;use and depression.&nbsp;Scientists say more research is needed, to identify the mechanism by which botox acts as an antidepressant.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson rode a made-in-India Hero Cycles bike designed in the UK as he launched a new 2-billion pound cycling and walking drive. The campaign is part of the government's anti-obesity strategy to combat Covid-19. 56-ur-old Johnson, who is a known cycling enthusiast, was seen riding on a Hero Viking Pro bike to Canalside Heritage Centre in central England, on Tuesday. Johnson has unveiled plans for thousands of miles of new protected bike lanes, cycle training for everyone and bikes available on prescription as part of a new fitness strategy.

Temporary loss of smell or anosmia&nbsp;is a common symtom of Covid-19.&nbsp;Experts have even found that it predicts Covid-19 better than other well-known symptoms like cough or fever. Researchers from Harvard Medical school have&nbsp;identified the cell types used for smelling that are most vulnerable to Covid-19.&nbsp;They found that while the sensory neurons responsible for detecting and transmitting the sense of smell aren't vulnerable to Covid-19, the virus attacks the cells supporting these olfactory neurons. According to Dr Sandeep Robert Datta, the co-author of the study,&nbsp;Covid-19 is unlikely to cause permanent loss of smell. However, more data is needed to confirm the findings of the study, which was published in the journal&nbsp;Science Advances.

It's not just the lungs that get severely affected in coronavirus disease patients but also the heart. According to a new study, as many of 78% of Covid-19 patients monitored developed a heart condition, independent of pre-existing conditions, the Hindustan Times has reported. Published in the journal &lsquo;JAMA Cardiology&rsquo;, the study also found that 60% of the Covid-19 patients had an ongoing swelling of heart muscles. Data from about 100 recovered patients from the University Hospital, Frankfurt&rsquo;s Covid-19 registry between April and June 2020 was analysed for the study.

A hospital in Maharashtra has claimed to have reported the country's first case of 'vertical transmission' of Covid-19 infection from a mother to her child through the placenta.
Explaining the phenomena, the Pune-based hospital's paediatrics department head told PTI, 'vertical transmission means when the baby is in the uterus itself and the mother has an infection, (she may be) either symptomatic or asymptomatic, and she can transfer the infection through the placenta to the baby.'
'Since the ICMR&nbsp;has made it mandatory to test all pregnant women, the woman here was tested but her reports were negative,' she said.&nbsp;
The baby was born at the hospital in the last week of May and developed a severe infection that required intensive care. Both the child and her mother were discharged three weeks later.&nbsp;

Air pollution has shortened the average Indian life expectancy by 5.2 years, suggests a new report produced by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC). The same report said that if pollution were reduced to meet the WHO guidelines, residents of Delhi could see 9.4 years added to their lives.&nbsp;The World Health Organisation guideline stipulates that PM2.5 does not exceed 10 micron per cubic metre and that PM10 does not exceed 20 micron per cubic metre.&nbsp;In India, the average PM2.5 concentration in 2018 was 63 micron per cubic metre.&nbsp;Lucknow was seen to have the highest level of pollution in the country, with pollution 11 times greater than the WHO guideline.&nbsp;Four countries that account for nearly a quarter of the world's population -- Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan -- are also among the most polluted, with northern India emerging as the most polluted part of South Asia, the report noted.

In some grim statistics, almost 43% of Indians are suffering&nbsp;from depressing amid the&nbsp;lockdown&nbsp;and the Covid-19 pandemic.&nbsp;The study on 10,000 Indians by GOQii, a smart tech enabled preventive health-care platform, suggests that 26% were suffering from mild form of depression while 11% had more moderate symptoms. 6% of the total showed severe symptoms of depression.&nbsp;The participants were given a self-administered Patient Health Questionnaire. The survey&nbsp;attributes the heightened numbers to job cuts, health scares and a volatile environment that has taken a toll on mental health. The survey claims that over 59% of the participants had little pleasure in doing things. The study recommends&nbsp;adding some of exercise to the daily routine to improve mental health.

In order to increase awareness and action around India&rsquo;s protein deficiency, this Protein Week, the Right To Protein initiative released insights from a survey recently conducted with over 500 nutritionists and health experts based across India.
One of the top recommendation (53 per cent) by the nutritionists surveyed was increased&nbsp;government and industry focus on nutritional conversations and public awareness campaigns. They also suggest efforts to increase affordability and accessibility of both plant and animal sources of protein. Another strong recommendation was growth in nutrition knowledge led by nutritionists and wellness experts (56 per cent), with literature and research-backed information.&nbsp;
The health body's separate Protein Paradox study also found that&nbsp;95 per cent of the mothers surveyed acknowledged protein as a macronutrient&nbsp;but&nbsp;only 3 per cent really understood the prominent functions of protein.&nbsp;

India and the UK will be enhancing their science and research collaboration with five new projects worth 8 million pounds to tackle anti-microbial resistance.&nbsp;The UK will contribute 4 million pounds from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Fund for International Collaboration, which India will match with its own resources.&nbsp;India is a major producer of antimicrobials in the pharmaceutical industry global supply chain, and the research projects aim to develop a better understanding of how waste from antimicrobial manufacturing could be inadvertently fuelling anti-microbial resistance (AMR). The five projects backed by the new funding are planned for September, subject to clearances.

Around&nbsp;290 million people around the world are living with viral hepatitis unaware. Without finding the undiagnosed and linking them to care, millions will continue to suffer, and lives will be lost. The 28th of July is dedicated to raising awareness about hepatitis, and this year, the campaign focuses on finding the 'missing millions', who may go undiagnosed.&nbsp;Many people with hepatitis A, B, C, D or E exhibit only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. In 2016, every government in the world made a commitment to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030. With less than 10 years to go, progress is stalling.&nbsp;Viral hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. Together, hepatitis B and C are the most common cause of deaths with 1.3 million lives lost each year, according to the World Health Organisation.

Nearly one in three children across the world have high levels of lead in their bloodstream, finds a joint study by UNICEF&nbsp;&amp; Pure Earth&nbsp;

editorji

follow us

download editorji app

home > health > 1 in 3 children have dangerous levels of lead in their blood: UNICEF

replay trump newslist

up NEXT IN 5 SECONDS sports newslist

NaN/0

1 in 3 children have dangerous levels of lead in their blood: UNICEF

Jul 30, 2020 18:27 IST

share this news

explore newslists

International

Lifestyle

Hollywood

Sports

Viral

Tech

National

Showbiz

Travel

Local

Health

Aug 04, 2020 10:00 IST

Aug 04, 2020 10:00 IST

Aug 04, 2020 10:00 IST

Aug 03, 2020 15:20 IST

Aug 03, 2020 18:40 IST

Aug 02, 2020 16:10 IST

Aug 01, 2020 14:10 IST

Aug 01, 2020 13:30 IST

Jul 31, 2020 15:50 IST

Jul 30, 2020 19:10 IST

Jul 30, 2020 19:07 IST

Jul 30, 2020 10:30 IST

Jul 30, 2020 12:55 IST

Jul 30, 2020 11:10 IST

Jul 29, 2020 23:20 IST

Jul 29, 2020 20:01 IST

Jul 29, 2020 11:16 IST

Jul 28, 2020 17:00 IST

Jul 28, 2020 20:56 IST

Jul 28, 2020 12:10 IST

follow editorji

download editorji

editorji

About Us

Reach us

Navigate

home
> health
> 1 in 3 children have dangerous levels of lead in their blood: UNICEF