Bad faith?

Most problems that bedevil the government's immunisation programme arise from a lack of regulation and confusion: on the ground and in the policy sphere. The lack of regulation is especially problematic given that the market and the big pharmaceutical companies play a big role in shaping global and national priorities.

"Asthma afflicts almost every house in Gorai"

How long have you practised at Gorai and what has been your experience? mkv: I have been practising at Gorai for the past 10 years. Some years ago, I used to come here from Parel and would commute by bus. A terrible stench, just before the bus approached Gorai, would signal that my destination was close by. Most of my patients then -- and even now -- were children with respiratory problems. Many of them have now turned asthmatic. Interviewee:  Pramod N Bagud

Foul Debris

Forty year old Ganga stays in a slum close to the derelict Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) plant in Bhopal. She came to the city long after the gas leak. But Ganga shows symptoms associated with victims of the leak, nevertheless -- a burning in the eyes, cough, breathlessness, recurrent fevers, appetite loss, skin disorders, joint pains and anxiety attacks. Her children undergo similar agony.

Serving the symptom

As the Bhopal tragedy enters its twentieth year, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has identified the country's newest disease: the Bhopal Gas Disease. Down To Earth has exclusive access to an unpublished ICMR document which defines the disease as "a condition of ill-health due to exposure to Bhopal's toxic gases." About half a million people in Bhopal suffer from this disease, which has forty symptoms ranging from low backache to breathing difficulties.

Unsettling

Asha, 24, visits the Bhopal Memorial Trust Hospital once every 2 days. She has a hole in her heart. But the hospital won't operate her, because she has overshot the hospital quota of Rs two lakh per victim. She cannot get herself operated privately. "I have spent the compensation of Rs 10,600 long ago," she says.

Bytes

gm on the platter: The US government has recently issued a notice to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for failing to comply with safety laws when it allowed offsprings of animals used in a genetic experiment to be sold as food. The pigs had genes from different species; the university claims that their offsprings were normal. According to some consumer groups, the incident reveals gaps in government's oversight. They are calling for penalties.

Can business be responsible

Call it paranoia or plain silliness. But it is amazing. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has been studying gas pricing in the country to assess how environmentally acceptable fuels can be promoted. My young colleague went to collect information from the Indraprastha Gas Limited -- the compressed natural gas (CNG) supplier for Delhi -- and found, by accident, a file lying on the table with his name and educational qualifications on it. He opened it wondering what the managing director was doing with a file on him and copious notes of their informal discussions.

Tropic of cancer

Paediatricians are worried about rising cancer rates among children. Like Anupam Sachdeva and A K Dutta, head of department of paediatrics at Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi.

Junk life

Indians are at great risk of lifestyle diseases. Inactivity alone claims two million lives globally every year, warns a recently-published WHO report. Indians, particularly the younger generation, are increasingly facing problems due to overweight, blood pressure, stress, high cholesterol and diabetes, all of which are a fallout of physical inactivity. Studies show that up to 80 per cent of coronary heart disease, 90 per cent of diabetes and about one-third of all cancers can be avoided through a change in lifestyle.

Brain dead

Some chemicals can affect brain development and function. They also have serious effect on children's learning and behavioural abilities. Compared to other organs, the human brain develops over a long period of time — beginning with the first week after conception.