Coping with Rising Threats

Dear readers,
Over the past few years we have witnessed dengue and chikungunya sending alarm bells ringing as their cases rise manifold in the country. Our Special Story of this issue delves deeply into this topic. This year as well, the spiraling cases of these two dreaded diseases have taken not only the Delhi-NCR, but the states of Bengal, Odisha, Kerala, UP and Telangana too in their grip.
The scenario in Delhi is more frightening as it has already reported deaths due to chikungunya in double digits and the city’s hospitals continue to be overwhelmed by the influx of patients. With more than 250 dengue and 200 chikungunya cases, South Delhi continues to be the worst-hit, followed by North and East Delhi.
More worrying is that in this crisis situation, people have not received ample support by way of guidance and awareness building or any relief in the form of special camps for testing either from the state government or the municipal corporation, except some fogging here and there which was not at all adequate.
Double Helical also takes a closer look at the inspiring life story of Dr Atul Kumar, Chief of the prestigious RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS, New Delhi. He has pioneered modern Vitreous Retinal Surgery that has emerged as a ray of hope for preventing irreversible blindness due to Diabetic Retinopathy. The eminent doctor has scaled the pinnacle of medical excellence through sheer grit, guts and gumption. He had come from a non-medico family background and struggled against all odds to get a meritorious seat at Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi. Today the way Dr Atul Kumar has achieved global recognition as a top-rated Vitreoretinal Surgeon is really exemplary. He attributes the fame he has achieved for medical excellence to his passion to serve the patients who come to him from all over the country and the world. He handles the heavy clinical load with the-state-of-the-art labs including the Retina Lab equipped with high-tech, sophisticated imaging equipment to help diagnose retinal diseases.
Recently, Union Health Ministry has introduced a new Surrogacy Bill to stop the commercialization of present form of surrogacy in the country. As the government prepares to enact a new legislation on surrogacy, it is important to understand various aspects related to the issue of choosing a surrogate mother to give birth to one’s child. While the process makes it possible for parents to have a child that possesses genes from one or both “biological” parents, it can also put in motion many emotional and psychological ups and downs for the intended parents. We have tried to explain all the burning issues that this upcoming law will touch upon with all details for our readers.
The Surrogacy Bill can be taken as an important milestone, as surrogate mothers play an invaluable role in growing families all across the world. Those who are considering using or serving as a surrogate mother should carefully weigh the pros and cons of the situation before making a decision to have a baby this way. Most importantly, the potential surrogate mothers are required to go through a series of medical tests and procedures to ensure that their bodies are fit to carry and give birth to a healthy child. The specific medical procedures used will vary from case to case, but will help confirm that the surrogate’s reproductive system is in good functioning condition.
We have once again tried to come out with an edition to preserve and we hope you will enjoy reading the stories.
Amresh K Tiwary, Editor-in-Chief