Inside edge

It would be interesting to know how vaccines work against diseases. It is a known fact that there are no known cures against many viral attacks. Nothing has been discovered so far to attack the viruses directly. But, a strong immune system can fight any viral attacks easily. The vaccines that are administered against small pox and rabies are not from factory manufactured chemicals. These vaccines are in fact antibodies produced by the immune system against a virus. When these antibodies are injected into a body they give a complete protection from the particular rabies virus or small pox virus.

April 11 is deemed as Parkinson’s Day, but how many of us are aware of the disease? A brain disorder affecting muscular dexterity, it is progressive in nature leading to disintegration. Parkinson’s is caused due to dysfunction of central nervous system creating lack of dopamine production. This results in gradual obliteration of brain cells. The signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease typically appear as tremors in body parts, lack of balance and stability, speech incoherence, eating and swallowing problems etc. The patient shows signs of depression and dementia too. There is no permanent cure for PD; however medications for substituting dopamine and deep brain stimulation may help to control the disease.

Till a few years ago, thousands of people worldwide were dying from typhoid. Now deaths due to typhoid are comparatively less. Typhoid is caused due to a bacillus named ‘Salmonella Typhosa’. It thrives in the products of excretion. After it leaves the body, the bacilli can continue to live, but they do not multiply. Some people who’ve had the disease become cured but continue to be the carriers of typhoid because their body still contains the bacilli that transmits the disease, even though they are healthy. Quite often, uncooked foods are contaminated by the soiled hands of a typhoid carrier which transmits the disease.