Oral health for pregnant women

Pregnant women should take special care of their teeth. 

Pregnancy is the time when moms-to-be are most prone to ill health. So, it is important for them to be cautious. However, most of them tend to ignore their oral health since they are not aware of its importance for their overall well-being and a smooth hassle-free delivery. 

There is a link between a pregnant woman's oral health and the health of the fetus. In fact, pregnant women who have periodontal disease may be seven times more likely to have a premature baby. 

Dr D Gopalakrishnan informs, "Gingivitis (inflammation of the gum tissue) during pregnancy is a common oral complication which affects many moms-to-be. Bleeding, swollen, red or tender gums and even bad breath are a few symptoms of pregnancy gingivitis. In fact, eighty per cent moms-to-be complain of oral complications. And, when you leave it untreated, the symptoms may intensify." 

He adds, "Periodontal diseases have a negative impact on the teeth and gums of the baby. The condition should be avoided and all problems should be treated in time to avoid complications." 

It is also important for a pregnant woman to go for a regular check-up to the dentist. It is imperative to get the teeth examined before and after they have conceived. Dr Radhika Raman says, "To begin with, ladies should brush with bristles that are soft. And, women should rinse their mouth with antibacterial mouthwash. But, they should check with the doctors before using the right brand." 

With proper oral hygiene and diet rich in fibre, minerals and vitamins, one can ensure good health during pregnancy. 

Oral care 
1. One should brush one's teeth at least for 3-4 minutes daily. 
2. Use a 45 degree angle while placing the bristles along the gum line. Gently brush the outer tooth surfaces using a vibrating back and forth motion. To clean biting surfaces of the teeth use scrubbing motion. 
3. Women should rinse their mouth with an essential anti-microbial mouthwash on a regular basis. It is good to use mouthwash as it reaches the parts of the mouth the toothbrush can't. 
4. Floss regularly to clean the spaces between your teeth. 
5. Maintain a healthy diet and an adequate intake of Vitamin C. 
6. Try to have less sugary food. 

AIDS cases in pregnant women worry experts

MANDYA: Whether it is because HIV tests have been made mandatory for pregnant womenunder prevention-of-mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programme in government hospitals or the fact that youths are getting promiscuous, the rise in HIV positive cases is causing concern among the medical fraternity. 

According to Vinayak, supervisor of District AIDS Preventive and Control Unit, between 2002 and November 2011, a total of 9,883 HIV+ cases were detected. "In 2010, 894 positive cases were detected, while in 2011 up to November, 942 cases were detected. Though the number of HIV+ cases detected in Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTC) has come down, the overall number of cases detected under PMTCT and HIV+ positive cases has gradually increased," he said. 

Dr Rekha, working at the Retroviral Treatment Centre (ART), said that after the HIV test was made mandatory for mothers in government hospitals, they found that there were a growing number of HIV+positive cases. "This is because married women are the real victims of spouses who stray," she added. 

According to statistics available at the ART centre, 281 persons affected with AIDS have died between 2009 and 2010 in Mandya district, and 3,299 HIV+ cases were detected in the same period. "We are collecting and codifying 2011's data of HIV+ cases," Rekha said. She said the mandatory HIV test for pregnant women and mothers under the PMTCT programme has become an effective tool in unearthing more HIV positive cases. This detective mechanism is good for two reasons. "By this, we can easily identify a HIV+ pregnant woman during the prenatal visit and it will also help us to protect the child from being infected with HIV through the ART," she said. 

PMTCT has shown gradual increase on the graph of HIV+ cases. "If there is no such detection mechanism in government hospitals, HIV in pregnant women would otherw

HIV 10 times more prevalent among migrants than general population

NEW DELHI: Migration is fuelling India's HIV epidemic. National AIDS Control Organisation's latest figures show that besides high risk populations like sex workers, the highest burden of HIV is among migrants - 3.6%, which is 10 times the HIV prevalence among the general population.

With migration rates increasing, the prevalence will only get worse. According to the 2001 census, 30.1% of the population was considered to have migrated (314 million) - a considerable increase from 27.4% in 1991. NACO has, therefore, identified 108 railway stations - which are both source and destination of migrants travelling in search of work. These are now the focus of the country's anti-HIV fight.

Red Ribbon Express (RRE), which chugs out of Delhi on Thursday, will stop at most of these 108 identified stations to test migrants for HIV besides carrying out counselling and spreading anti-HIV messages. During it's year-long journey, RRE will traverse through 23 states, cover 30,000 km and stop at 162 stations.

Speaking to TOI, a NACO official said, "Migrants are one of the major focus areas this time with the RRE. Last year, RRE stopped at 152 stations and reached out to 8 million people directly. This time, around 30-40 stops will be to mainly address migrants."

NACO has identified 122 districts with high out-migration across 11 states which are on priority for starting up community level interventions. Another 75 important transit locations have been identified across these 122 districts from where these migrants usually board long distance trains/buses to reach their destinations.

Studies on the relationship between migration and HIV conducted by NACO in three popular migration corridors - Ganjam-Surat, Darbhanga-Delhi and Azamgarh-Mumbai - threw up shocking findings. It showed that two to four times more number of informal workers had non-regular partners or visited sex workers with only 25% using condoms. Around 5% male migrants and 13% female migrants reported sexually transmitted infections, nearly double the nationalaverage.

According to NACO, the risk of HIV infection for migrants seems to arise from a multitude of factors -- risky behaviour, lack of social and economic security and involvement in peer driven risk taking activities.

In a recent study by UNDP (through Population Council), the risk of HIV among migrants was reported to be 1.68 times more likely than non-migrants. Majority of migrants are also often poorly educated, with majority reporting less than five years of formal education. This contributes to limited knowledge of HIV transmission.

A study conducted in 30 villages in the northern parts of Karnataka revealed that 40% of single men and 35% of married migrant men had non-marital sexual relationships in the last 12 months.

For a long time, India has lived with the belief that migrants are at risk only at destination sites when they are away from home and their spouse. However, recent evidence proves otherwise. Returned migrants continue to fuel the epidemic since most infected migrants tend to return to source when they are sick.

A study of married men found returned migrants were 3.86 times as likely to be HIV positive as compared to active married migrant men. Among men reporting sex with a non-spousal unpaid female sex partner in the past year, only 19% of men reported consistent condom use. This impacts the women and spouses of informal workers/migrants at the source, making them vulnerable to infections from their husband.

RRE has been recognized as the world's largest mass mobilization drive on HIV. Last year, around 80 lakh people were reached through the train and outreach activities.

Around 81,000 district resource persons were trained, 36,000 people got themselves tested for HIV and 28,000 people received general health check-up services.

Impact assessment of RRE indicated that the comprehensive knowledge of routes of HIV transmission, methods of prevention, condom use, STI prevention and treatment was significantly higher among respondents exposed to the RRE project compared to those not exposed.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/HIV-10-times-more-prevalent-among-migrants-than-general-population/articleshow/11456671.cms