Normal And Abnormal

We are all taught that the universe was originated from a Big Bang. This big bang gave birth to time, space and matter. New research suggests the existence of a multiverse. These other universes may have different dimensions of time, space and matter. However sticking to our own Big Bang Theory, the matter immediately after birth, exploded and the particles were thrown apart. Each particle, getting relieved from the great compression, started expanding while moving away from the center. These expanded objects traveled a long distance at high velocity and reached the shape of today. According to the scientific laws the velocity of the moving objects get diminished constantly. Finally, may be after millions of years time these objects terminate their journey. May be after a stay for a while, again as per the law, the return starts and acceleration take place in the same sequence. Here begins our story! The return means equal and opposite reaction happens. In oth

            (Rajwada, Indore, MP) Swachh Surveshan 2020  is the world's largest cleanliness survey covering 4242 cities all over India.   The highlights of the survey: * Indore, MP is the cleanest city for the fourth year. * Chhattisgarh is the cleanest state in the category of states with more than 100 Urban Local Bodies followed by Maharashtra and MP * Surat in Gujarat is the second cleanest city in the category of population more than one lakh and Navi Mumbai is the third. * Ahmedabad is the cleanest Mega city * Ambikapur of Chhattisgarh is the cleanest in the smallest city group. * Jharkhand is the cleanest state with less than 100 ULB category followed by Haryana and Uttarakhand. * In cities with less than one lakh population, Karad, Saswad and Lonavala of Maharashtra hold first, second and third positions respectively. * In city with 10-40 lakhs population category, cleanest city is Vijayawada, AP * In 3-10 lakhs category Mysuru, Karnataka is the cleanest city. *

The  current spread of coronavirus over two thousand a day from an ignorable few numbers in early March is mostly brought into the state from other states and countries. Vande Bharat mission was started on  7th May 2020. As on 7th July the total number of people returned to Kerala from abroad and other states were 4,99,529 of which 64.35% came from red zones according to the press briefing by the Chief Minister.  As per available information most of these repatriates were not sent to institutional quarentine. They were sent home with the advice to remain in home quarantine. The growth rate of the epidemic was: 24th March 100, 5th May 500 and 27th May 1,000. This shot up to 9,553 with 34 deaths on July 15 and 23,613 with 74 deaths by end of July. These figures however reveals the fact that if we could send cent per cent of the incoming people to institutional quarentine and arranged more number of tests we might not have reached the huge figures of today. There may be adequa

Last Friday a 14 year old girl was allegedly raped and strangulated to death in a sugarcane field in a village under Isanagar police station in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh. The girls father alleged, the accused after raping the victim, mutilated her body by cutting off her tongue and gouging out her eyes. On the intervening night if August 15 and 16 in the Biswan police station area of Sitapur a teenage girl was raped and the case is registered. A 15 year old girl was allegedly raped by two local youths in Mainpuri. A nine years old class 5 student, who was raped, stangled and left bleeding in the fields in Unnao, died at Lala Lajpat Rai hospital in Kanpur. A girl was allegedly raped and singed with cigarette butts by two men in the Gola area of Gorakhpur district as per allegation made by her family. The girl is undergoing treatment in the district hospital. And the count is on and on ............... At least 9,703 cases of rape of minor girls were registere

Though  the people of Kerala boast much about the high literacy rate, political and social consciousness etc we must openly admit that this state is not safe for women.   Crime against women reported in Kerala category wise are given below.                                     2019     upto June                                                       2020 Rape                            2076        855 Molestation                4579      1992 Kidnapping                   224           81 Eve teasing                   431        234 Dowry death                     6             5 Cruelty by husband   2991      1239 Other offences          3986       1684 Total                          14293      6090 The above figures clearly shows that women in Kerala are subjected to torture and murder as in any other states of our country. Do the government add these too to their achievements during their tenure?Whether it is Kerala or other states, governments managed by political parties

According  to National Crime Records Bureau 2017, Uttar Pradesh topped in the list in India with 56,011 cases of crime against women. This followed by Maharashtra with 31,979 cases and West Bengal at 30,002. Crime against women constitute murder, rape, dowry death, suicide abetment, acid attack, cruelty against women and kidnapping.  Rape by known persons constitutes a large percentage of all cases reported. In 93.1 percent cases the accused were known to the victims. They include family friends, employers, neighbours, other known persons, friends, online friends, live-in partners etc. In MP the percentage is 97.5, Rajasthan 87.5 and Maharashtra 98.1. Based on statewise data, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura can be seen as moderately safer than other states as they recorded the lowest number of cases. Crime against women has a rise in 2018 compared to 2017. Uttar Pradesh topped the list again followed by Mah

Though  we talk high about our hospitals and the care given to the patients, once in a while something unwanted and unexpected too happen  around our hospitals. Such few things are presented here with the sole intention of avoiding those in the future. In Hyderabad, the hospital carelessly gave Covid 19 victim's body to another family at least twice. In Mumbai, viral video of dead bodies lying near coronavirus patients surfaced on the internet. In Noida, a 57 years old symptomatic patient was sent home. His report came positive soon after the patient died at his house. According to media reports this person went to the hospital after he had cough fever and difficulty in breathing. Yet another horrific story emerged in Noida, where investigation against health authorities has been ordered for forcing a son to wrap the body of his 68 years old father after the patient shuffled between three hospitals before finally resting in peace. In a Delhi hospital, a shocking video o

This  is a significant communication to the Covid19 world. After three months from the last community spread, new cases of coronavirus appeared in New Zealand from an unknown source. The island nation seen as a global exemplar in the battle against coronavirus. All four cases reported are from the same family. The first case identified in the cluster was a person with no overseas travel history. Three of the family are tested positive and three negative. Consequently the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a heightened state of alert for the country with over five million population. All close contacts of the four cases will remain in self isolation for 14 days, and casual contacts ofthe infected will self isolate unti they have test result. Testing for the virus is free in New Zealand. This case is a wake up call against any complacency that may have set in. This should be taken as warning by countries where the virus case is tapering down. The medical personnel may st

As on 14th August total Covid19 cases in India is 24,61,542 according to WHO. Total deaths, 48,153 and active cases 6,61,543. According to Times of India findings, India is projected to hit it's peak of 6.45 lakh active cases on August 21. (We have crossed it little early) As per most likely scenario and the SEIR model, the peak is projected to be at 6.98 lakh active cases on August 23. The report shows that following India's peak, daily active case counts are projected to decline by mid-October, thereby establishing India's recovery from Covid19. Kerala is projected to hit it's peak of 4372 active cases according to the most likely model on August 10 and its end is projected as September 18. As per the SEIR model, the state will reach a peak of 4835 active cases on August 20 and it's end is projected as September 18. KV George kvgeorgein@gmail.com

Covid 19  has shaken the whole world. Many old customs and behaviours are  falling down and new are coming up. We know now that touching things, being with other people and breathing the air in an enclosed space can be risky, which were not till sometimes before. How quickly that awareness recedes will be different for different people but it can never recede completely for anyone who lived through this year. It could become second nature to recoil from shaking hands or touching our faces, and we might all find we cannot stop washing our hands. The comfort of being in the presence of others might be replaced by a greater comfort with absence,  especially with those we do not know intimately. The other is the feeling of a common enemy, a stronger one too, in which people begin to look past their differences when faced a shared external threat. Till recently most people were reluctant to listen to medical advice from health experts. Now it is not so, anyone speak about health

Finally  the vaccine to prevent Covid 19 is ready. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday world's first vaccine Sputnik V to prevent coronavirus. Putin said it forms a stable immunity against coronavirus and also informed that one of his daughters has already been vaccinated. The industrial production of the vaccine may start in September. There is no information when this vaccine will be made available in India. Serum Institute of India is conducting phase 3 trials of Oxford-Astra Seneca coronavirus vaccine named Covishield and is expected to be available by 2020 end for common use. Russia has, however, said that it will start the vaccination process of the common citizens in Russia in October. Since other countries are reluctant to take the vaccine before satisfying all parameters the vaccine may not be made available outside Russia initially. The final decision will come only after other countries watching it's performance. So far Russia has not an

According to Johns Hopkins University tracker, six out of ten Covid 19 worst  hit nations have reported a drop in the daily number of fresh cases. These are Italy, Spain, USA, Iran, Netherlands and Germany. Interestingly Italy and Spain which were Covid hotspots a few weeks ago, appear to be succeeding at 'flattening the curve'. While Italy, Spain, Netherlands and Germany took strict lockdown measures the others have planned a slow response. Spain: 3,73,692 cases/28,581 deaths In Spain the peak in daily cases reported went over 9000 during the last quarter of March. Now on the return trend. Italy: 2,51,237 cases/35,215 deaths Italy being one of the hardest hit countries is showing the signs of fast return to normal. Germany: 2,19,530 cases/9,268 deaths At the beginning in March Germany crossed one lakh cases but is reaching near normal situation. Netherlands: 59,973 cases/6,159 deaths Netherlands had a high initial fatality rate is returning to normal. USA: 53,05,9

We  are doing here a comparative study between Italy the country and Kerala the state.  While comparing the land area Italy is much larger than Kerala but in the case of population Kerala is about half of Italy. When it is density of population Kerala is more than four times of Italy. Now we shall focus the comparison to Covid 19. The virus was first confirmed to have spread to Italy on 31st January 2020 whereas the same was confirmed in Kerala/India on 30th January 2020. While the total infection in Italy is 2,50,566, it is 34,331 in Kerala. Death parity between the two is quite huge . When it is 35,205 in Italy it is 108 in Kerala. Active cases are more or less same at both; Italy - 13,263 and Kerala 12,347. Growth pattern in Italy: Feb 16 - 3, Feb 25 - 323, March 2 - 2,038, March 16 - 27,997, April 17 - 1,72,426, May 17 - 2,25,429, June 17 - 2,37,836, July 17 - 2,43,988, August 10 - 2,50,566 Growth pattern in Kerala: Feb 4 - 3, March 19 - 28, March 29 - 202, April 19 - 4

............. Contd from Part IV Over  1,23,77,166 people with confirmed Covid 19 have successfully recovered as on 7th of August. The majority of patients (over 80%) do not need medical assistance at all. They treat themselves at home, with the help of ordinary flu, and usually recover in about a week. (Subsequent to this statement a group of scientists from Germany have found that patients who have recovered from Covid 19 have developed problems in their hearts in about two months from recovery) Approximately one in five or six cases require for hospitalization, this is true mainly for the elderly and/or those with chronic diseases. In heavy cases (4%), the patients need lung  ventilation - i.e. to get connected to a ventilator. The ventilation apparatus may not be enough if there are too many sick people. Some car companies have switched to the production of ventilators. This is one of the main causes for high mortality in Italy. There are a lot of elderly patients, the

Contd ..... from Part III It make sense to wear a mask for those who are afraid to infect others.  It does not provide 100% protection, but slightly reduces the risk to others. Contrary to popular belief, pets can not spread the coronavirus. No cases of human infection from a dog or cat have yet been reported. But the virus can be picked up in an absolutely empty room, where the infected had previously been present. In the air, the coronavirus remains viable (that is, it can infect healthy people)  for three hours. On plastic and steel surfaces, SARC-Cov-2 remains dangerous for upto three days, on paper and cardboard -  up to a day, on copper - up to four hours. That is why the main and most reliable means of prevention is to wash your hands thoroughly after contacting any surfaces outside your home. If there is no opportunity to wash your hands with soap, use hand gel antiseptic. At the very least, miramistin or chlorhexidine will do for disinfection: they both destroy bac

There  are five table top runways in India. Those are Mangalore, Kozhikode, Tengpui, Shimla and Kullu. Two of those have already had major crashes. As per the latest available reports 18 people have lost lives and over hundred people are hospitalised,  with some of them having serious injuries when an Air India Boeing 737 Flight 1344 from Dubai skidded off the runway after touchdown. In another crash in 2010 in Mangalore an Air India Express Boeing plane overshot the table top runway took the lives of 158 people. According to the airport authorities concerned, all DGCA recommendations are compiled with. A Hindu newspaper report says a Spice Jet had gone off the same runway with 75 on board in 2017. Consequently the final incident report recommended additional safety measures but was later rejected on cost reasons. To quote another report, Sri Mohan Ranganathan, aviation safety analyst wrote to DGCA in 2011 about this Kozhikode runway that 'It is a dangerous situation, e

Contd .......... from part II The  pandemic is quickly developing; 1,00,000 patients 67 days after the first diagnosis, the second 1,00,000 became ill in 11 days, and the third in 4 days. Every day, the number of people infected with the virus increases by about a third. The pandemic has already reached the most remote corners of the globe, including the famous Easter Island. Experts warn: you need to psychologically prepare yourself in advance for the fact that the number of infected people can amount to tens of millions, and perhaps hundreds of thousands will die. It is not exactly known where SARS-CoV-2 came from but bats and pangolins carry viruses similar to this one. Most likely, the virus mutated and was transmitted to some other animal, and then to a human. Was the virus dangerous for a person at the moment when the first person got it?  Or did it mutate and learn to penetrate into our cells while already in a person?  Scientists have not yet found answers to these

If you suddenly stop smelling or tasting, this is a reason to grow suspicious and take measures. The more deadly a virus is, the worse it is spreading. By killing it's master, the virus can no longer infect others. Therefore, the virus rarely mutates into a more deadly form, it is not in its interests.  SARS-CoV-2 is just from a different category. The virus makes it's host a spreader, but it does not appear immediately or does not appear at all, so the carrier manages to infect several more people. On average, each carrier of a coronavirus manages y infect 2 to 4 healthy people. This number is higher than seasonal flu (1.3), but lower than the measles (12+). Although, like any infection, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has the so called super spreaders - carriers that infect incomparably more people: hundreds or even thousands. In South Korea, the virus was controlled until the number of cases reached 30. But the woman, codenamed 'Patient 31', immediately infect

The  term 'new coronavirus'/nCoV means that neither scientists nor the cells met this virus before. Over two million years of evolution, our immune system has learned to deal with most known infections,  but the new coronavirus catches it by surprise, this it's so hard to cope with and quite easy to get infected. Once in a cell, the virus 'siezes'  control over it and forces it to endlessly produce it's own copies instead of its usual proteins. A chain reaction begins. As a result, the cell dies, but the carrier of the infection becomes contagious. At the initial stage of the infection, the new coronavirus actively reproduces itself in the throat and upper respiratory tract. Then the inflation goes down and can reach the lungs,  causing inflammation. That is why the first symptom of infection is a cough. Only then the temperature begins to rise. Many people who become infected (18%)  do not have even a cough. The disease proceeds without any symptoms

     (Hailstones look like coronavirus) Normally  when things become beyond reach man seek divine intervention. As nothing at hand to fight the deadly coronavirus man has turned towards the Supreme One. According to India News,  Health Minister of Karnataka has kicked up a row after he said that only divine intervention can help fight the pandemic in the state. Jerry Harness of Shreveport asks if God has the power to lessen the effects of the coronavirus why would God allow the coronavirus to happen in the first place. As per a PTI report from Coimbatore, over 500 people led by the district BJP president participated in the special Puja at the Koniyamman temple to check the spread of the infection among the citizens. According to Ajay V. Founder and CEO of 27 Mantraa, the demand for virtual puja has shot up by 40 percent this month amid the lockdown. It allows people to conduct archana or a remedial puja or Homam, for arranging e-prasad delivery, and organizing spiritual ya

World  history will henceforth be written in two parts; pre Covid era and post Covid era. The coming generation who may go through the history will find amazing difference between the two periods in the family, society, religion, education and above all human habits. In   most houses men have picked up culinary skills. Women in the neighborhood is found in their normal figures as the beauty parlours remain closed. Children were scolded by parents for watching TV prior to Covid. After Covid children are scolded for not watching TV as teaching is now online. Spitting at public places was a common thing in India but, for the first time, the fear of coronavirus has changed it totally. This could be a significant moment in public health. Political news do not hold importance now. All that people want to know is about science; virus, vaccine, prevention, sanitizer and such umpteen things. We will probably stop behaving in a servile fashion when we are in the presence of white peo

A team from the University Heart and Vascular Centre in Hamburg, Germany, after conducting two studies on Covid19 infected patients, published their findings in the journal JAMA Cardiology. One of them was a series of autopsies performed on 39 people who had passed away after having Covid 19. 35 of these patients had succumbed to pneumonia. A majority (61.5%) of these autopsies revealed evidence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the heart. Of these 24 cases, 16 had more than 1000 copies per microgram of viral RNA, suggesting that there were quite significant amounts of the virus. In fact, in the five cases with the highest viral load, even when the heart didn't go on, the virus did. These viruses were still replicating, which means that they were still reproducing or essentially doing the viral version of the nasty. The other study was conducted by a team from the University Hospital Frankfurt in Frankfurt am Main, Germany and the In

India is now the third largest Covid19 affected country in the world. Covid19 cases reported in India for the past 24 hours is 54,865. The total cases as on 2nd August is 17,51,919. How long this pandemic may continue in India and what would be the further impacts are the two points we are discussing here. There are different opinions by scientists across the world. The Levitt's Model proposed by Nobel laureate Prof Michael Levitt says the pandemic would taper down by October, cases will become sporadic and mortalities will be considerably low. The Covid19 pandemic will end in most of India by two and a half months, says Bhaskaran Raman and his team fro IIT Bombay, basing their calculations on Levitt's model. According to the model in around two and a half months, or October to be precise, the pandemic would taper down in India and come to an end. It is to be noted that the term 'pandemic-end' does not mean the disease will vanish, but rather will be sporadi