The photograph on the first page of
the March-April ’97 Health for the Millions (Malaria
- Tuberculosis) issue gives a very wrong impression of a
Health Worker who is treating a patient with
tuberculosis. While I worked at CMC Vellore and Ludhiana
and at Missions Hospital, Bareilly, no one wore a mask
for the following reasons.
- Communication with
patients was difficult.
- The patients felt
that they had very infectious diseases and
psychologically the distance between the worker
and health worker increased.
- The mask really does
not protect the Health Worker from contracting
TB.
Modern
methods are:
- Uni-directional, air
ventilation of the wards, so that the bacteria
are drawn out into the open.
- Use of ultra violet
rays, especially at nigh so, that the eyes of the
workers are protected.
- Plastic protection
shades are used only during bronchoscopy as there
is the danger of massive infection when the
patient coughs.
However,
rapid conversion of the sputum status is still the best
possibility of protecting others from infection. This is
becoming more difficult with the multi-resistant bacteria
especially with those patients who have AIDS.
E.B. Sundaram, FRCSC
Director, NIRPHAD
Delhi
26-6-1997
Recent HFM
issues have been very useful from the ‘service’
point of view and I felicitate all of you for making this
possible.
Dr. S. Joseph
Muthoot Medical Centre
Kerala
29-7-1997
I am writing
to you just after finishing reading the latest issue of
HFM. I have read it from the first page to the last -
cover to cover. Though it is painful to know the existing
conditions in the North-East region, I greatly appreciate
the presentation and the importance of all the articles.
I congratulate you for the fine editing.
All articles give us - people who have not been there, a
vivid picture of the existing conditions. But reading the
questions and answers given in the Parliament, one would
think Govt. is taking good care and there is nothing much
to worry!. That is Govt’s attitude and
responsibility.
Dr. R. Kousalya Devi
Kasturba Hospital
Gandhigram, Tamil Nadu.
19-7-1997
A Correction
On page 8 of the HFM issue (March-April 1997
– Malaria and Tuberculosis) in the feature on
impregnated bed-nets (line 28) the name of the synthetic
insecticide should be ‘PYRETHROID’ and not
Parathyroid. The error is regretted.
–
Editor
HEALTH FOR THE MILLIONS on INTERNET
Thanks so
much for sending us your back issues in print format and
floppy - received them today - intact! Will let you know
once we put them up on our homepage - should take about
2-3 weeks.
We look forward to getting lots of hits. Thanks to your
superb magazine - and I also hope this will help you to
get more subscriptions from overseas!
Dr Malpani MD
Founder and Medical Director,
Indian Education Library for People
India’s First Consumer Health Education Resource
Center
"Om Chambers", Kemps Corner, Bombay 400 036.
India
Fax: 91-22-215 0223.
e-mail:malpani@pobox.com
Please visit
our homepage at htpp://www.qlcomm.com/helplib!
4-8-1997
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