World Leprosy Day - Sunday 29, January

     Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, an acid-fast, rod-shaped bacillus. The disease mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and also the eyes, apart from some other structures.
      Leprosy is curable and treatment provided in the early stages averts disability.
     Multidrug therapy (MDT) treatment has been made available by WHO free of charge to all patients worldwide since 1995, and provides a simple yet highly effective cure for all types of leprosy.

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Leprosy today

         The diagnosis and treatment of leprosy today is easy and most endemic countries are striving to fully integrate leprosy services into existing general health services. This is especially important for those under-served and marginalised communities most at risk from leprosy, often the poorest of the poor.
According to official reports received from 121 countries and territories, the global registered prevalence of leprosy at the beginning of 2009 stood at 213 036 cases, while the number of new cases detected during 2008 was 249 007. The number of new cases detected globally has fallen by 9126 (a 4% decrease) during 2008 compared with 2007.
         Pockets of high endemicity still remain in some areas of Angola, Brazil, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, and the United Republic of Tanzania. These countries remain highly committed to eliminating the disease, and continue to intensify their leprosy control activities.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

 International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 27 January, is an international memorial day for the victims of the Holocaust, the genocide that resulted in the annihilation of 6 million European Jews, 2 million Gypsies (Roma and Sinti), 15,000 homosexual people and millions of others by the Nazi regime. It was designated by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/7 on 1 November 2005 during the 42nd plenary session. The resolution came after a special session was held earlier that year on 24 January 2005 during which the United Nations General Assembly marked the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps and the end of the Holocaust.

This year’s theme is Children and the Holocaust. Watch or read Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks on the 1.5 million Jewish children and the tens of thousands of other youths who died during the Holocaust.

French police have arrested Jean-Claude Mas, whose breast implant firm Poly Implant Prothese sparked an international health scandal by using substandard silicon

(Reuters) - Jean-Claude Mas, the Frenchman who sparked a global health scare by selling substandard breast implants, was arrested on Thursday as Marseille prosecutors build a case against him for manslaughter.
    In the first arrests since the two-year-old scandal made headlines worldwide in December, Mas and a second executive at his now defunct company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) were seized at their homes in southern France shortly after dawn.
    The detention could lead within hours to Mas being placed under formal investigation on suspicion of manslaughter and causing bodily harm. That could in due course lead to criminal charges, which would carry longer sentences than those he now faces in a fraud case expected to be tried around October.

Consumers' Report: Arsenic found in Apple and Grape Juice

       Controversy over Arsenic in apple juice made headlines as the school year began when Mehmet Oz, M.D., host of  “The Dr. Oz Show,” told viewers that tests he’d commissioned  it found 10% of apple juice and grape juice samples had total arsenic levels above the drinking water standard of 10 parts per billion. Consumer Reports also found that the majority of the arsenic in the tested juice was inorganic, the kind to cause cancer.
The Dr. Oz Show has been communicating with the FDA since the original broadcast in September ,2011. The FDA sent letters to the show in September saying that the majority of arsenic in apple juice is organic or the “harmless kind". In a conference call with The Dr. Oz Show in October and in an email sent on November 29th, the FDA says it's researching the new evidence suggesting the majority of arsenic in apple juice is inorganic. In addition, the FDA told The Dr. Oz Show that there are two forms of organic arsenic in apple juice that are potentially harmful.
 

Find everything you need to know about Contact Dermatitis

Dermatitis simply means skin inflammation, but it embraces a range of ailments. In most cases the early stages are characterized by red, itchy skin, although acute attacks may result in crusty scales or blisters that ooze fluid. Since many things can irritate the skin, a doctor will try to narrow the diagnosis to a specific category of dermatitis, even though treatment is similar for most types of skin irritation and inflammation.
Brief Overview :
The types of dermatitis include:
->Contact dermatitis typically causes the skin to develop a pink or red rash, which usually itches. Pinpointing the exact cause of contact dermatitis can be difficult. Among plants, the leading culprits are poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac, although contact with certain flowers, herbs, fruits, and vegetables can cause dermatitis in some people.
-> Nummular dermatitis consists of distinctive coin-shaped red plaques that are most commonly seen on the legs, hands, arms, and torso. It is more common in men than women and the peak age of onset is between 55 and 65. Living in a dry environment or taking frequent very hot showers can cause this condition.

January 2012- Health Observations and Events

January 2012 Health Current Events - Months

Awareness Event	Coverage	Related Organization
Alzheimer's Awareness Month	Canada	Alzheimer Society of Canada
Thyroid Awareness Month	United States	AACE - American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists
Glaucoma Awareness Month	United States	The Glaucoma Research Foundation
National Blood Donor Month	United States	AABB - American Association of Blood Banks
National Birth Defects Prevention Month	United States	National Birth Defects Prevention Network
Cervical Health Awareness Month	United States	National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC)

January 2012 Health Current Events - Weeks