926 Swine Flu Deaths, Over 16,000 Infected: Government to Court

NEW DELHI:  Swine flu has claimed 51 more lives raising the death toll to 926 and the number of people affected by the disease crossed the 16,000 mark even as the Government said today there is no need to panic.

The concern over the spiralling swine flu cases was also reflected with High Courts acting on Public Interest Litigations(PILs) on the threat posed by the disease.

Delhi High Court sought the Centre and city government's response within a week on the steps it has taken to deal with swine flu while the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court directed Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, Medical (Health) of Uttar Pradesh to make medicines and special masks available within two to three days.

The Arunachal Pradesh government sounded a "red alert" and has temporarily prohibited sale of pork as a precautionary measure.

According to collated data from the Health Ministry till yesterday, the total number of deaths due to the disease has reached 926 while the number of affected persons in various states stood at 16,235.

The Health Ministry data yesterday had showed that 875 people had died due to the disease while 15,413 people had been affected with the H1N1 virus.

Assuring that the government was taking a serious view of the issue, Health Minister JP Nadda warned people to be careful but said there was no need for panic as medicines and facilities to tackle the disease were in place.

"No stone has been left unturned as far as seriousness is concerned and all efforts have been made. I assure the House and the members that there is no shortage of medicines. There is no need to panic, but we have to be alert," Mr Nadda said while responding to members' concerns in the Rajya Sabha. More

Read more »

Eat strawberries, save yourself from harmful diseases

Come March and the road side stalls as well as the vegetable market would be overflowing with this pleasant looking red fruit. Yes, we are talking about the one and only Strawberries. They are known to be one of the most refreshing and widely eaten berry fruit. They are  not only tasty but are very nutritious as well.

Strawberries are a very rich source of Vitamin C and potassium. We have compiled a few health benefits of strawberries for our readers so that before summers are finally here, they know in advance what benefits would they be gaining from this amazing fruit.

Strawberries are a great way to get your daily intake of Vitamin C. Due to this chemical composition, strawberries can help reduce stress and tension, that is because when foods that are rich in Vitamin C are eaten during stressful times, they help to reduce our blood pressure, which in turn helps to slow down the development of hypertension.

Strawberries are also very rich in potassium. Studies show that potassium rich foods decrease the loss of bones because they help absorb greater amounts of calcium in bones. This helps prevent you from bone-related diseases that occur with older age.

Strawberries are also very high in antioxidants so the next time you see displayed at the roadside by a vendor, do yourself a favor and buy a few of them. More

Read more »

Pakistan vs West Indies World Cup: Unpredictable sides battle to register first win

Pakistan and West Indies clash in the 10th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday. The Pool B sides have both played a game each, with Pakistan and West Indies losing to India and Ireland respectively. Both teams will seek victories in order to boost their spirits going forward.

The two sides have faced off in World Cups nine times, with West Indies winning six of them. The last time two sides faced off in a World Cup match, Pakistan had handed the men from the Caribbean a 10-wicket thrashing to knock the latter out of the World Cup and qualify for the semi-final. While the West Indies do not appear very confident in this tournament — being in the headlines mostly for the internal squabbles — they will look to capitalise on Pakistan’s dampened spirits after their 76-run defeat at the hands of arch-rivals India in the encounter at Adelaide last Sunday.

West Indies will be the underdogs in the clash, having lost their opening game against Ireland by four wickets. The defeat only added to their pile of miseries, having incurred an embarrassing nine-wicket loss to England and escaping with a three-run win against minnows Scotland during the warm-ups. The top-order batting continues to be a worry for Windies, who were reduced to 87 for five after being put to bat by the Irish, before the rescue work by the middle-order pair of Lendl Simmons and Darren Sammy. The top-order needs to up its game, lest they are comfortable with the thought of the towering Mohammad Irfan ripping through their order. More

Read more »