DailyOh! Yellow fungus adds to the horror, Baba Ramdev says sorry
Death, while seemingly grey and gloomy, comes in a variety of shades. Even as white and black fungi are on their death dance, their cousin, the yellow fungus has made its first appearance in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, the yellow fungus is more dangerous than both black fungus and white fungus.
The symptoms of yellow fungus are seemingly innocuous. It starts with lethargy, low appetite (or no appetite at all) and weight loss. You would be lulled into a sense of false calm when this dirty fellow will flare up causing slow healing of wounds, leakage of pus, malnutrition, sunken eyes due to eventual necrosis, finally leading to organ failure. Since it all starts internally and is lethal, it is important to seek medical treatment as soon as one notices any symptoms. Better be overcautious than callous.
With all the talk of yellow-yellow, dirty fellow, the black cannot be left too far behind. Latest studies show the possible factors causing the sharp surge in mucormycosis cases in India. One of the studies is from Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital in Indore that says that antibiotics that were prescribed for Covid patients in India have seemed to increase the risk of fungal infections.
It seems to be a catch-22 situation between the virus and the fungus.
Now coming to the virus, India continues to register over 4,000 Covid-19 deaths with the country’s total death toll crossing three lakh today, according to the Health Ministry. In the 24 hours ending Monday morning, India reported 2,22,315 new cases — a marginal dip from Sunday. The daily death toll as of Monday morning stood at 4,454.
The healthcare workers and doctors have been fighting a hard battle, taking a heavy toll on their physical and mental health. However, there are some who go all out in insulting these Covid warriors who endanger their lives to save ours. A video circulating on social media shows yoga guru Baba Ramdev calling modern medicine - allopathy - a “stupid science” as alleged by Indian Medical Association (IMA). In the video, he is also seen remarking, "lakhs of [Covid] patients died after taking allopathic medicines.”
On Sunday, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan wrote to Baba Ramdev of yoga and Patanjali fame, asking him to rescind his remarks, and added that Ramdev's statements have hurt the country's sentiments. This is after an offended Indian Medical Association sent Ramdev a legal notice and urged the Health Ministry to prosecute the yoga guru under the Epidemic Diseases Act. And well, Ramdev tendered an apology, saying that he is withdrawing his statement.
You should have guessed our Word Of The Day by now. The pivot around which this war of words is being fought, allopathy, is defined by the dictionary as “the treatment of disease by conventional means, i.e. with drugs having effects opposite to the symptoms.” It stems from the German word allopathie, which is a conjugation of the Ancient Greek words állos meaning “other” and pathos meaning “pain”.
Allopathic medicines can help manage the symptoms. But prudence lies in preventing the infection. Staying at home, masking up and getting the vaccine when you get it. In most states though, if you try to get a shot, you will most likely be turned away with an “out of stock” sign.
However, earlier this month, the Centre filed an affidavit in Supreme Court saying that 8.5 crore doses of vaccines were being produced monthly in India. This translates to 27.5-28.5 lakh doses a day on average. However, analysing the data from covid19india.org, an average of 17.85 lakh doses are administered a day in May. So where are the remaining vaccines? Read here to find out.
While the Sherlock Holmes in you would be itching to investigate, know that a PM-led panel — comprising the PM himself, Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of the SC — will meet later this evening to appoint a new director for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The CBI director commands a lot of authority — equivalent to the Directors General of Central paramilitary forces, in fact. However, what she/he does not have is the power to choose her/his own subordinates. As a matter of fact, the CBI Director cannot even transfer any officer above the rank of Inspector. This includes the DSPs, ASPs, SPs, DIGs, IGs or the Additional Directors in CBI.
This has even been raised by the retired Directors in the past with the governments and Parliamentary Committees. However, there has been no change. The CBI, as you know, investigates high-level crimes as directed by the Centre.
One criminal case currently being investigated by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police is of former wrestler Sagar Rana's death. The person accused and arrested in the case is two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar. Rana’s bereaved parents have called for capital punishment for Sushil Kumar, urging the authorities to investigate the murder case properly.
In a shocker from Chennai, a teacher from a highly-reputed school has been accused of sexually inappropriate behaviour with students. An online campaign has also been launched by the students demanding action against the teacher who has been suspended pending the completion of inquiry.
From physical health, infections, to mental health. Today is World Schizophrenia Day, a day marked to increase awareness about the disorder and the challenges faced by the patients. But what of the caregivers? To know more about the unspoken yet arduous challenges of the caregivers, we recommend you watch 15, Park Avenue, a rare film that sensitively portrays the struggles of the caregiver.
On that note, we say bye for now. We will be back tomorrow with more news and views.
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Also Read: The extraordinary sewa of Jatinder Singh Shunty