World Asthma Day takes place each year on the first Tuesday in May. Organised by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), the aim is to raise awareness of asthma and improve asthma care throughout the world.

The first World Asthma Day, in 1998, was celebrated in more than 35 countries. Participation has increased with each World Asthma Day since then, making it one of the world’s most important asthma awareness and education events.

Each year, GINA chooses a theme for World Asthma Day and materials and resources are made available on the organisation’s website for use by health care professionals, educators, and members of the public who want to help raise awareness of asthma.

Resources

World Asthma Day
Access resources to help you plan activities for World Asthma Day.

World Health Day is celebrated on 7 April 2013 to mark the anniversary of the founding of WHO in 1948.
Each year a theme is selected for World Health Day that highlights a priority area of public health concern in the world.

The theme for 2013 is HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.

About high blood pressure:

High blood pressure – also known as raised blood pressure or hypertension – increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. If left uncontrolled, high blood pressure can also cause blindness, irregularities of the heartbeat and heart failure. The risk of developing these complications is higher in the presence of other cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes. One in three adults worldwide has high blood pressure. The proportion increases with age, from 1 in 10 people in their 20′s and 30′s to 5 in 10 people in their 50′s. Prevalence of high blood pressure is highest in some low-income countries in Africa, with over 40% of adults in many African countries thought to be affected.

However, high blood pressure is both preventable and treatable. In some developed countries, prevention and treatment of the condition, together with other cardiovascular risk factors, has brought about a reduction in deaths from heart disease. The risk of developing high blood pressure can be reduced by:

reducing salt intake

eating a balanced diet

avoiding harmful use of alcohol

taking regular physical activity

maintaining a healthy body weight

avoiding tobacco use

Goals: Greater awareness, healthy behaviours, improved detection, and enabling environments

The ultimate goal of World Health Day 2013 is to reduce heart attacks and strokes.

Specific objectives of the campaign are:

to raise awareness of the causes and consequences of high blood pressure

to provide information on how to prevent high blood pressure and related complications

to encourage adults to check their blood pressure and to follow the advice of health-care professionals

to encourage self-care to prevent high blood pressure

to make blood pressure measurement affordable to all

to incite national and local authorities to create enabling environments for healthy behaviours

http://www.who.int/world-health-day/en/

World Tuberculosis Day, 24 March 2013

World TB Day is an opportunity to raise awareness about the burden of tuberculosis (TB) worldwide and the status of TB prevention and control efforts.
It is also an opportunity to mobilize political and social commitment for further progress.

Progress towards global targets for reductions in TB cases and deaths in recent years has been impressive: TB mortality has fallen over 40% worldwide since 1990, and incidence is declining. New TB tools such as rapid diagnostics are helping transform response to the disease.

But the global burden remains huge and significant challenges persist:

In 2011, there were an estimated 8.7 million new cases of TB and 1.4 million people died from TB; over 95% of TB deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Poor communities and vulnerable groups are most affected, but this airborne disease is a risk to all; TB is among the top three causes of death for women aged 15 to 44; there were an estimated 0.5 million cases and 64 000 deaths among children in 2011; there is slow progress in tackling multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB): with 60 000 patients enrolled in treatment by end 2011 – this is only one in five of the notified TB patients estimated to have MDR-TB; provision of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for TB patients known to be living with HIV needs to double to meet WHO’s recommendation that all TB patients living with HIV promptly receive ART; and the African and European regions are not on track to meet the target of halving deaths from TB between 1990 and 2015.

http://www.who.int/campaigns/tb-day/2013/en/index.html

The 2012 theme for World AIDS Day is “Working Together for an AIDS-Free Generation”.

World AIDS Day, 1 December 2012

World AIDS Day on 1 December brings together people from around the world to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the pandemic. The day is an opportunity for public and private partners to spread awareness about the status of the pandemic and encourage progress in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in high prevalence countries and around the world.

Between 2011-2015, World AIDS Days will have the theme of “Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths”. The World AIDS Campaign focus on “Zero AIDS related deaths” signifies a push towards greater access to treatment for all; a call for governments to act now. It is a call to honor promises like the Abuja declaration and for African governments to at least hit targets for domestic spending on health and HIV.

What is HIV / AIDS?

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that infects cells of the immune system, destroying or impairing their function. As the infection progresses, the immune system becomes weaker, and the person becomes more susceptible to infections. The most advanced stage of HIV infection is acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It can take 10-15 years for an HIV-infected person to develop AIDS; antiretroviral drugs can slow down the process even further.

HIV is transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse (anal or vaginal), transfusion of contaminated blood, sharing of contaminated needles, and between a mother and her infant during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.

Fireworks-related injuries are common during certain festivities such as the Fourth of July, New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year and others. Injuries are frequent during said festivities because of the heavy use of firecrackers and other low explosive pyrotechnic devices. People who actively use firecrackers and firework devices are more prone to fireworks-related injuries compared to bystanders. Firecrackers and other low explosive pyrotechnic devices can cause bodily harm and ignite fires.

Fireworks-related injuries are often caused by lack of safety measures, negligence, lack of adult supervision and use of defective firecrackers and other forms of fireworks. Based on a 1998 assessment of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the people most prone to fireworks-related injuries are:
1. Children and young adults – In the 1998 CDC study, more than 4 of every 10 people injured due to fireworks were children under 15 years of age. While 58% of injuries were associated with young adults under twenty years of age.
2. Males – Based on observations, most of the injuries occurred among males.

Types of injuries:
a. Hands and fingers – The most common injuries inflicted on hands and fingers are cuts and burns. The degree of cuts and burns can range from minor to severe. Big explosions can permanently damage hands and fingers. There is even a possibility of losing parts of the hands and fingers.
b. Face – The face is also susceptible to cuts and burns.
c. Eyes – There is a possibility of foreign objects hitting the eyes. Severe eye injuries can lead to blindness.
d. Others – The rest of the body can also sustain injuries such as cuts, burns and bruises. Severe burns can lead to permanent scarring.
Severe fireworks-related accidents (explosions and fires) can even lead to death.

First aid treatment:

1. Wash the injured area of the body with soap over running water.
2. Check for presence of foreign objects or debris. Carefully remove any debris found.
3. Gently dry the area and apply antiseptic on the wound.
4. Cover the wound with a clean gauze, bandage or cloth.
5. Bring the patient to the nearest clinic or hospital for complete medical attention.
6. The physician may give the patient an anti-tetanus vaccine injection or booster shot depending on the patient’s last vaccination.
7. Severe burns will need proper medical attention. Do not attempt to treat injury at home.
8. Severe cuts or wounds might need surgery.

Prevention and control:

The most effective way to prevent fireworks-related injuries is to refrain from using firecrackers. If you choose to do so, make sure you exercise strict caution. Here are some basic tips on how to prevent fireworks-related injuries:
1. Adults should not allow young children to handle firecrackers and other forms of fireworks.
2. Adults should supervise children while watching firework displays.
3. Maintain safe distance from fireworks.
4. Handle firecrackers with caution. Move away immediately upon lighting.
5. Do not light firecrackers inside the house or near things that can easily go in flames.
6. Do not go pick up firecrackers that failed to explode.
7. Do not relight or recycle firecrackers.
8. Do not attempt to make homemade firecrackers. Experimenting on your own small pyrotechnic explosive or devices can be very dangerous.
9. Do not throw firecrackers at people, vehicles or near flammable objects.

“12 Filipina women die because of Cervical Cancer every day.”
Isulong ang Laban Ni Maria!

We join the fight against Cervical Cancer! Being the 2nd most common female cancer in the Philippines.
All women are at risk, regardless of age, lifestyle and economic status.

Mature women have special reason to worry about cervical cancer. In the Philippines, incidence starts rising steeply at age 35. And the older a women gets, the higher her risk of not being able to clear infection from HPV, the virus that causes cervical cancer.

Just in case you don’t know what is cervical cancer is and where the virus comes.

Cervical cancer is a malignant neoplasm arising from cells originating in the cervix uteri. One of the most common symptoms of cervical cancer is abnormal vaginal bleeding, but in some cases there may be no obvious symptoms until the cancer has progressed to an advanced stage.[1] Treatment usually consists of surgery (including local excision) in early stages, and chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy in more advanced stages of the disease.
Cancer screening using the Pap smear can identify precancerous and potentially precancerous changes in cervical cells and tissue. Treatment of high-grade changes can prevent the development of cancer in many victims. In developed countries, the widespread use of cervical screening programs has dramatically reduced the incidence of invasive cervical cancer.[2]

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection appears to be a necessary factor in the development of almost all cases (90+%) of cervical cancer.[1][3] HPV vaccines effective against the two strains of this large family of viruses that currently cause approximately 70% of cases of cervical cancer have been licensed in the U.S, Canada, Australia, and the EU.[4][5] Since the vaccines only cover some of the cancer-causing ("high-risk") types of HPV, women should seek regular Pap smear screening, even after vaccination.[6]

The cervix is the narrow portion of the uterus where it joins with the top of the vagina. Most cervical cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, arising in the squamous (flattened) epithelial cells that line the cervix. Adenocarcinoma, arising in glandular epithelial cells is the second most common type. Very rarely, cancer can arise in other types of cells in the cervix.

World Diabetes Day

14 November 2012

World Diabetes Day raises global awareness of diabetes – its escalating rates around the world and how to prevent the illness in most cases. Started by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and WHO, the Day is celebrated on 14 November to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, was instrumental in the discovery of insulin in 1922, a life-saving treatment for diabetes patients.

WHO estimates that more than 346 million people worldwide have diabetes. This number is likely to more than double by 2030 without intervention. Almost 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

Diabetes is a chronic disease, which occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. This leads to an increased concentration of glucose in the blood (hyperglycaemia).

Type 1 diabetes (previously known as insulin-dependent or childhood-onset diabetes) is characterized by a lack of insulin production.

Type 2 diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset diabetes) is caused by the body’s ineffective use of insulin. It often results from excess body weight and physical inactivity.

Gestational diabetes is hyperglycaemia that is first recognized during pregnancy.

WHO Call for Interest for Development of HbA1c tests suitable for Low and Middle Income Countries

WHO is interested in increasing access to HbA1c tests for diabetes treatment monitoring in developing countries. Through an expert consultation, WHO has facilitated the development of a Preferred Product Profile (PPP) for an HbA1c test suitable for low and middle income countries. This PPP is freely available on this site and will also be sent to relevant diagnostics associations and NGOs. In order to further facilitate access to such tests, WHO is particularly interested in tests that could be locally produced in developing countries.

World Diabetes Day
Diabetes: Protect our future

International Diabetes Federation
http://www.idf.org/

What is obesity?

Obesity is more than just a few extra pounds.

Obesity is the heavy accumulation of fat in your body to such a degree that it rapidly increases your risk of diseases that can damage your health and knock years off your life, such as heart disease and diabetes.

The fat may be equally distributed around the body or concentrated on the stomach or midriff (apple-shaped) or the hips and thighs (pear-shaped).

For medical purposes, the body mass index (BMI) is used to determine if your weight is in the healthy range.

Doctors use BMI because it compares your weight against your height.

However, it’s now recognized that central obesity (i.e. apple shaped obesity) is especially harmful to health. So, it’s also recommended that abdominal waist measurements are done to assess overweight.

In addition a measure of the ratio between hip and waist size is a useful guide.

BMI (Body Mass Index) – Test yourself:

The significance of your BMI will depend on whether you are apple or pear shaped.
Use a tape measure to measure your waist (usually at belly button level) and your hips (the widest part of your pelvis).
For a woman, an ideal waist measurement is less than 80cm (32 inches), 80cm to 88cm (32 inches to 35 inches) is high and more than 88cm (35 inches) is very high.
For a man, ideal is less than 94cm (37 inches), high is 94cm to 102cm (37 inches to 40 inches) and very high is more than 102cm (40 inches).

To work out your waist-to-hip ratio, divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement.
A ratio of 1.0 or more in men or 0.85 or more in women indicates that you have too much fat around your middle, putting you at increased risk of diseases that are linked to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Use our test to find out your waist-to-hip ratio.
You are in the normal range if your BMI is between 18.5 and 25 (kg/m2).

You are overweight if your BMI is between 25 and 30.
You are obese if your BMI is 30 or higher.
You are morbidly obese if your BMI is 40 or higher.

How to use your BMI calculator:
Otherwise, take your weight (kg) and divide it by the square of your height (m).
For example, if you weigh 80kg and are 1.7m:
1. Multiply your height by itself 1.7×1.7=2.89
2. Divide your weight by this figure.
3. 80 ÷ 2.89= 27.7kg/m2.
27.7 are the BMI.

Breast Self-Examination (BSE)

Breast self-examination (BSE) is a very important part of every adult woman’s personal health regimen. Many physicians and cancer organizations recommend that BSE be performed once each month beginning at age 20 and should continue each month throughout a woman’s lifetime. In addition to BSE, adult women should receive regular physician-performed clinical breast exams. The American Cancer Society recommends women 40 years of age receive a screening mammogram every one to two years. Begininning at age 50, mammography should be performed every year. This article discusses general information on BSE. Click on one of the links below for more specific information on how to perform BSE, to watch a video on BSE, or for additional resources.

The Importance of Breast Self-Exam

Regularly examining her own breasts allows a woman to become familiar with how her breasts normally look and feel and can help her more readily detect any changes that may occur. Many women naturally have some lumpiness and asymmetry (differences between the right and left breast). The key to the breast self-exam is to learn how to find changes in the breasts that persist over time.

While most women are aware of monthly breast self-examination, many still do not know how to perform it properly. Performing BSE incorrectly can be almost as bad as not doing the exam at all since it can give women a false sense of security. After reading these sections on BSE, women should discuss any questions they might have about BSE techniques with their physicians and ask him or her to demonstrate how to perform BSE during the clinical breast exam portion of the physical exam.

The Best Time to Perform Breast Self-Exam

Menstruating women: Hormonal changes due to the menstrual cycle may make the breasts more lumpy or swollen. Women who are menstruating should perform breast self-exam from a few days to about a week after menstruation (period) has ended, when breasts are usually less tender or swollen. Breast self-exams should be performed once each month beginning at age 20 and continue each month throughout a woman’s lifetime.

Women who are no longer menstruating: should do their BSE on the same day every month. Try to pick a day that is easy to remember, such as the first or fifteenth of every month, and make that the day each month for breast self-exam.

Women using oral contraceptives: are encouraged to do their BSE each month on the day they begin a new package of pills.

Breast Changes and Warning Signs To Watch for During Breast Self-Exam:

• Any new lump or hard knot found in the breast or armpit
• Any lump or thickening that does not shrink or lessen after your next period
• Any change in the size, shape or symmetry of your breast
• A thickening or swelling of the breast
• Any dimpling, puckering or indention in the breast
• Dimpling, skin irritation or other change in the breast skin or nipple
• Redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin
• Nipple discharge (fluid coming from your nipples other than breast milk), particularly if the discharge is bloody, clear and sticky, dark or occurs without squeezing your nipple
• Nipple tenderness or pain
• Nipple retraction: turning or drawing inward or pointing in a new direction
• Any breast change that may be cause for concern

If any of these changes are noted, women should see their physicians as soon as possible for clinical evaluation. However, in the majority of cases (80%), breast lumps and changes are not cancer. Women should not allow their fear of breast cancer keep them from telling their physician or healthcare provider about a lump or change they have found.

Women with Normally Lumpy Breasts Should Also Perform BSE

Even if a woman has normally lumpy breasts (typically called fibrocystic breasts), she can still learn the usual pattern of lumps and then point out new or unusual lumps to her physician. While lumpy breasts or breasts with benign (non-cancerous) masses or cysts can be more difficult to examine, monthly breast self-exams (BSE) are still critical. In fact, without knowledgeable direction from the patient, it may be more difficult for a physician to differentiate between a new mass and a stable lump. If a woman’s breasts are normally lumpy, she should note how many separate lumps she feels and their corresponding locations when performing self-exams. Then, during subsequent exams, she should check for any changes, particularly an increase in the size of lumps that persist after her period. Any changes should be reported to a physician or healthcare provider.

Breast Examination During and After Pregnancy Is Critical

Women should continue monthly breast self-examination (BSE) during pregnancy. Clinical breast examination by a healthcare professional should also be made on a monthly basis during pregnancy. It is especially important that clinical breast exam be performed during the first doctor visit of the pregnancy, before the breasts go through significant physiologic changes. Some changes or lumps are more difficult to evaluate once the breasts have enlarged and become more nodular. The main problem with breast cancer during pregnancy is a delay in diagnosis that results in women being diagnosed with breast cancer at a later, more advanced stage. Vigilant, monthly breast self-examination during pregnancy and afterwards during breast-feeding can help prevent delayed diagnosis of breast cancer and enables optimal treatment.

Normal Breast Anatomy and Non-Cancerous Lumps

The breast is made up of various anatomic structures including skin, fat, milk glands or lobules, milk ducts, and connective tissue. Breast milk is produced by the glands during lactation (breast-feeding) and carried through the ducts to the nipple. Underneath the breast are the pectoral muscles in the chest and the ribs. A web of lymph canals also feeds the breast. Together with lymph nodes, the lymph system helps filter infection and disease from the body.

In addition to this normal breast anatomy, there may be masses present such as cysts (packets of fluid) that are found in many women with fibrocystic breasts and are not cause for concern:

• Normal, non-cancerous lumps such as cysts are usually soft, smooth and moveable
• Suspicious lumps are usually firm, irregular in shape and fixed in place

If something that seems unusual is felt in one breast, women should feel for it in the other breast. If the area is found in both breasts, it is probably normal breast anatomy.