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Flu and common cold are not same
Dr. Turin Chowdhury
Influenza or flu is a respiratory infection. The culprit behind this disease is a virus named after the disease, Influenza virus. On the other hand common cold is also a respiratory infection caused by some other viruses. The flu differs from the common cold mainly in the aspect of intensity of the disease. The most common feature of the flu is the way it can knock you off your feet. But people with common colds rarely get fevers or headaches or suffer from the extreme exhaustion that flu viruses cause.
Influenza virus
Flu is caused by a variety of influenza viruses. The first influenza virus was identified in the 1930s. Influenza viruses are classified into three major types; Influenza virus type A, B, and C.
Type A is the most common and usually causes the most serious problems.
Type B produces generally milder disease than that caused by type A.
Type C viruses never have been associated with a large outbreak.
Flu outbreaks:
Flu outbreaks usually follow a seasonal pattern. In general it begins suddenly and occurs mainly in the late autumn and winter. If uncontained than the disease spreads through communities fast creating an epidemic. During that, the number of cases peaks in about 3 weeks and subsides after another 3 or 4 weeks. Children and elderly people are more likely than adults to get sick with the flu. Although most people recover from the illness but the extreme age group people and the people with weaker body immune system has to pay the toll.
Spread
Flu is a very contagious disease. One may get the flu if someone around who has the flu coughs or sneezes. The virus spreads by droplet of cough or sneeze. One might even get the flu simply by touching a surface like a handset or door knob that has been contaminated by a touch from someone who has the flu. The viruses can pass through the air and enter the body through the nose or mouth. Flu spread is at greatest risk in densely populated areas, such as in crowded living conditions and in schools. Because schools are an excellent place for flu viruses to attack and spread, families with school-age children have more infections than other families.
Symptoms
Normally the symptoms of flu appear 1 to 4 days after one gets infected by the flu virus. The symptoms start very quickly and may include---
* Developing sore throat,
* Development of stuffy nose,
* Having dry cough,
* Having chills,
* Developing high fever,
* Having headache,
* Having body aches, etc
Typically, the fever begins to subside on the second or third day of the illness. But leaves the patient totally exhausted.
Diagnosis
Mainly the flu is diagnosed from the complaints of the patient, symptoms. Also season of the year is taken in consideration. Rarely laboratory tests are used to identify the virus during an epidemic.
Treatment
Flu is treated symptomatically. Steps taken are---
Complete bed rest
Drinking plenty of fluids
Symptomatic treatment like bringing down the fever, taking medication against dry cough, taking over-the-counter medicine for body or head ache, etc.
Ensuring nutritious food during the episode and even after the episode
Anti-viral medication may be needed for people with physical weakness.
Complications
Normally flu gets cured without any problem. But one can have flu complications if one gets a secondary infection, such as bacterial infection. This may lead to pneumonia.
Other complications that may occur are convulsions caused by fever in children, ear infections, etc. Complications usually appear after one starts feeling better. After a brief period of improvement, suddenly the complication may arise. So it is quite important to get back the body strength before going back to normal life schedule after a flu attack. For elderly people, newborn babies, and people with certain chronic illnesses, however, the flu and its complications can be life-threatening.
Prevention
Flu Vaccine: The main way to keep from getting the flu is to get a yearly flu vaccine.
The problem with flu vaccine is that one must be vaccinated every year because flu viruses mutates from year to year. So every year a new vaccine has to be prepared based on the strains of the flu viruses that are in circulation at the time. People with the following characteristics should get the flu vaccine.
* Being aged 50 years or older
* Suffering from chronic diseases of heart, lungs, or kidneys
* Having diabetes
* Having immune system problem
* Having problem of severe form of anaemia
* If patient is more than 3 months pregnant during the flu season
* Children from age 6 months up to their 5 years should get yearly flu vaccine.
Healthy habits: Good health habits are important to help prevent the flu.
Wash hands after coming from outside,
Try to avoid close contact with people who are sick with flu,
If you are sick with flu, then keep distance from others to protect them from becoming infected.
Try to cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing,
Keep hands away from your eyes, nose, or mouth.
Have a healthy diet habit,
Have a healthy physical habit.
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Britain: New law will stop forced marriage
Homayra Parveen Shukla in London
The idea behind this whole plan is to help those young victims who are too young, too frightened,to helpless to go to court to stop their families from marrying them out.
The British Government has revealed that women's rights organisations, teachers, local council and social workers may be given power to stop forced marriages. This is under British government's new scheme that will come into force at the end of this year. Earlier Parliament passed the Forced Marriage Act in early 2007.
Concerned ministers are planning letting third parties get involved in coercive relationships where victims are too scared or too helpless to act. Because this practice is quite normal when young girls are scared to do anything against their parents or their families.
Sources say, the British Government's Forced Marriage Unit receives about 5,000 calls for advice annually. Of these about 300 are court cases, including about 70 overseas rescue operations. Figures show that 65 per cent of the cases they deal with involve Pakistani families and Bangladeshi families are involved in 25 per cent cases. That means 90 per cent are of Pakistani or Bangladeshi origins. Government reports say 85 per cent of the victims of forced marriages are women who are aged between 15 and 24, and 90 per cent are Muslim.
The idea behind this whole plan is to help those young victims who are too young, too frightened, too helpless to go to court. The Government is also trying to build awareness, because forced marriage is not arranged marriage.
Bridget Prentice, British Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, said,: "The aim of the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 is to offer protection to those faced with forced marriage, whether they are children, teenagers or adults, regardless of background, gender, race or religion.
The Act gives the courts a wide discretion to deal flexibly and sensitively with the circumstances of each individual case, employing civil remedies that will offer protection to victims".
Women's and social organisations of Britain are saying that this is an issue about violence against women - an attempt to control their lives, based on families honour and culture. Thus this should be treated with great care.
In a discussion on the new powers, justice minister Bridget Prentice said, "It is important that the Act is implemented in a way that victims can be empowered to obtain orders from the courts in whatever circumstances they find themselves. Not all victims will be able to make an application personally to the court and where this occurs we need to ensure that another person or organisation may do so on their behalf
The forced marriage protection order will come into force later this year and this expects to give the Britain's civil courts much stronger powers.
-SAN-Feature Service
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CAMPUS CAPERS
Admission policy
Rayyan Kamal
A couple of years ago renowned Canadian journalist and author of the best selling Blink and Tipping Point wrote an article about one of the mysteries of life: the US college admissions process. Unlike colleges in his native Canada and most other countries, the majority of American universities look for more than just academic brilliance in applicants. Tracing the history of Harvard's admissions policies, Gladwell discusses how the university expanded its definition of "meritorious" primarily to reduce the number of Jews that were being admitted under the policy of seeking academic prowess only. By the 1960's, the nebulous admission criteria were made somewhat more concrete. Applicants were rated on four categories: personality, academics, extracurricular activities and athletic abilities. Note that athletic ability gets its own category, explaining the disproportionately high rate of athletes who get admitted despite having SAT scores that are on average 100 points below that of non-athletic admits. This is more or less the same system used by Havard and the other Ivy League universities today.
Gladwell ponders what the role the university is, making the distinction between treatment effects and selection effects. Is university a treatment-effect institution? Then it would be like the Marine Corps, which doesn't necessarily have such stringent admission criteria. The logic is that the "experience of undergoing Marine Corps basic training will turn you into a formidable soldier," no matter your intrinsic qualities. Or is university a selection-effect institution? Then it would be like a modelling agency, which takes you on because you are already beautiful. The admission criteria for modelling agencies are terribly strict.
Most people agree that college should be somewhere between these two scenarios. Few believe that college should be as extreme as the Marine Corps or a modelling agency. At the same time, at the heart of America's obsession with the Ivy League is the hope that once admitted the university will act like the Marine Corps, transforming you into a success. However, Gladwell suggests, college is more and more becoming a selection-effect institution, admitting students who are already on the road to success. He has somehow managed to dig up the notes made by Havard admissions officers in the 70's. Some are slightly disturbing: "This young woman could be one of the brightest applicants in the pool but there are several references to shyness." Others are downright hilarious. Gladwell says, "one application - and at this point you can almost hear it going to the bottom of the pile - was notated, 'Short with big ears.'"
The results of a survey definitely strengthen the argument that colleges are selection-effect institutions. The survey consisted of students who had been admitted to both the prestigious University of Pennsylvania and the less renowned Pennsylvania State University. Those surveyed were split into two groups: the first group was made up of people who ended up going to U Penn. And the second group consisted of those who had ended up going to Penn State. One might expect the average salary of a member of the first group to be higher than the average salary of his/her counterpart in the second group. The results proved that this was not true, however. Average salaries of both groups were more or less equal.
Rayyan Kamal is a sophomore
at Yale University.
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ROAMING RACONTEUR
Lost in translation
Saad Quasem
Last week I was getting over the death of my beloved Benazir Bhutto, by departing on a pre-planned sojourn in China. This rapidly developing ancient land is a must see for anyone. There is much to see and discover and although I did enjoy my trip thoroughly I did endure some trouble. My trip is highlighted by the prevailing language barrier that barred me to fathom much of the culture and heritage.
I flew to Shanghai and immediately hopped on a bus to Huangshan or the Yellow Mountain. While I was climbing this marvellous trail, exhaustion took over and I needed a drink of water. The remote stalls displayed none. The lady in the counter spoke no English and me no Chinese. I motioned with my left hand that I needed to drink something. In two minutes the lady brought me a cup of green tea. Although it was cold, after climbing six kilometres uphill, I was in no mood to drink warm liquids. I motioned again and the lady motioned she brought me a drink. After five minutes of explanations that remained in vain, I motioned for a drink and right after I mimed a shiver. She figured I needed a cold drink and opened a box full of cold drinks and water. I sighed relief by quenching my thirst and the lady stress relieved by teaching me to say "shwei" or water. That was my first experience.
On my way back to Shanghai, we halted journey in a rest stop. Finding a needle in a haystack is probably easier than finding an English menu in China. Amongst about 200 staff and guests at that place, not a soul spoke a word of English. I walked into the kitchen and pointed at the rice and showed 2 on my fingers. Then I pointed to the cabbage. The food was ready in twenty minutes. I was frustrated at carrying out such activities but I was charmed at the warmth and enthusiasm they showed to serve me. Despite such difficult exercises, I indeed felt very welcome.
I spent the last leg of my journey in Kunming. The hotel was decorated with elaborate furnishings. Anyone could mistake it as a world-class hotel fit with all amenities. While I was checking in, nobody spoke to me, but that did not seem to be a problem. The next morning, I wished to check out and let them know. To my consternation, they sent me to the breakfast room. I was getting late for my flight, but there was no way I could explain. I went back to the reception and motioned an aero plane flying. They called the airport and finally an immigration officer explained that I needed to check out.
It was quite an experience. The Chinese have developed in such ways, that their lack of English knowledge is least of their concern. In a way it is my fault that I could not communicate with them properly. The least I could do is buy a Chinese phrase book. I thought it could do, it did up to a level. My tour guide at the Terracotta Soldier museum told me they would be excavating more pits in the next twenty years. The government there has introduced English language in the middle and high schools. Hopefully, when I return two decades later, language will not be a problem as they will speak English, or maybe I will learn their medium of communication.
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