Taking Down’s syndrome with a stride

Down's syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21 in a baby's cells. In the vast majority of cases, this isn't inherited and is simply the result of a one-off genetic mistake in the sperm or egg. The disorder is unique to human species

There is a small chance of having a child with Down's syndrome with every pregnancy, but the risk increases with the age of the mother. For example, a woman who is 20 has about a 1 in 1,500 chance of having a baby with the condition, while a woman who is 40 has a 1 in 100 chance.

There is no evidence that anything done before or during pregnancy increases or decreases the risk of having a child with Down's syndrome. Although there is no "cure" for Down's syndrome, there are many ways to help children Down ’s syndrome develop into healthy and fulfilled individuals who are able to achieve the level of independence right for them.

 This includes:

• ·  access to good healthcare, including a range of different specialists
• ·  early intervention programmes to provide support for children and parents
• ·  good parenting skills and an ordinary / normal family life
• ·  education and support groups to provide information and help for parents, friends        and families

Improved education and support has led to more opportunities for people with Down's syndrome. These include being able to leave home, form new relationships, gain employment and lead largely independent lives.

One in every 691 babies in the United States is born with Down syndrome, making Down syndrome the most common genetic condition. Approximately 400,000 Americans have Down syndrome and about 6,000 babies with Down syndrome are born in the United States each year. 

March 21st is celebrated as the Down's Syndrome Day

Life expectancy for people with Down syndrome has increased dramatically in recent decades – from 25 in 1983 to 60 today.  People with Down syndrome attend school, work, participate in decisions that affect them, have meaningful relationships, vote and contribute to society in many wonderful ways.  All people with Down syndrome experience cognitive delays, but the effect is usually mild to moderate and is not indicative of the many strengths and talents that each individual possesses. Quality educational programs, a stimulating home environment, good health care and positive support from family, friends and the community enable people with Down syndrome to lead fulfilling and productive lives.

However, it is important to remember each child is different and it is not possible to predict how individuals will develop. However social acceptance and finding a trustworthy peer group is the foremost requirement for the successful upbringing of them. 

Illustration of a diagnostic case history

                                                                                                 -by Champa Jaiprakash.

A Baby born with Down's Syndrome

Sanjay, an infant of just fifteen days was taken to the paediatrician for a general check-up. The doctor referred him to a paediatric Cardiologist, as he heard murmuring sounds along with the heartbeat.

Shrihari and Sangeetha , parents of Sanjay, sat in Dr.Mohanda’s Cardiac clinic, silently waiting for their turn, with worried faces. When Sanjay’s name was called out, they went in to the Doctor’s cabin and wished him. The nurse took the child and removed his wraps, weighed him, measured his height, circumference of the head, and placed him ready on the table for further examination. 

Meanwhile the Doctor read the reference letter handed over by Sangeetha and as he came near Sanjay, he murmered, “Oh, Down’s syndrome”. He checked the baby for more than ten minutes and in between, asked few questions to Sangeetha.

 As the doctor sat in his chair, Sangeetha eagerly asked with moist eyes, “Doctor, how is the baby’s heart? Does he require surgery or can he be cured with medicines? Will he be alright?” her anxiety poured out with a shower of questions. The doctor patiently observed her face. After a few seconds, he said, “As you believe, there is nothing to worry about his heart.” Hearing his words, there was a bit of a relief among the parents. “There is an extra hole in his heart”, he continued “but in ninety per cent of such cases the hole closes naturally as the child grows. Suppose if it does not by the age of five or six we may have to consider it for surgery. Now there is nothing to worry!”

The doctor gave a break and furthered sharing his diagnosis. “What you need to be more concerned, is about his respiratory system. He tends to get cold frequently; if it is not treated properly it may turn into pneumonia. So never neglect his common cold.” The cautious doctor was sure that every one’s mind was diverted, he added, “One important thing is – he is a Down’s syndrome baby- has anybody mentioned about this to you before?” He looked at Sangeetha and asked. She nodded her head with a no. His gaze turned towards Shrihari and continued “You know something sir, Parents of Down’s babies are very lucky it seems”. He was preparing their mind to receive a bigger blow! Removing the pen stand, he asked Sangeetha to put the baby on his table. “Let me explain about Down’s syndrome, when a baby is created twenty three pairs of chromosomes are required. Twenty three chromosomes from you and another set of twenty three chromosomes from his father, this carries genetic qualities of both your families. For some unknown reasons some times, may be one in many thousands, an extra chromosome gets attached on the twenty first chromosome, just like extra toppings on the Ice-cream scoop. This extra chromosome is dominating and stronger than all the remaining twenty two pairs. This will hamper the physical and the mental development of the baby.” He was being very careful in revealing a serious information to the parents.  He knew how difficult it was for the parents to accept the fact – ‘disability a problem for the life time’.  He continued, imagining their emotional state, “As soon as I saw the baby I realised him to be a  Down’s syndrome baby but you may confirm it with a genetic test called karyotype test.

John Longdon Down 1886

Dr.Mohandas began explaining the features of the downs child. “You can observe Sanjay’s eyes are slanting, there is a line of fold near the eyes and they are proportionately smaller to the face than of other babies. The ear lobes are smaller” he held both the ears in his hands. “Check his hands, there is only one single line in the centre of the hand, the fingers are shorter than the palm.” Handling the nimble limbs of the child he said that they are not firm and can bend the fingers backwards just as we can bend forward, and his. His tongue being thick he can’t close his mouth fully. This is the reason why these children get frequent infections in their respiratory system, his speech may also be effected. Their nose ridge is not sturdy.  Just observe his feet, its shape is not like other children, there is a wide space between the big toe and the other toes. He also has excess skin on the back of his neck.

 The doctor re emphasised the common physical traits of Down syndrome such as low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes, and a single deep crease across the center of the palm. Although each person with Down syndrome is a unique individual and may possess the same characteristics to different degrees, or not at all they are all different.

You know something, if we collect all the Down’s children from across the world, they resemble each other and we feel that they all are siblings. All of them look so cute. A special quality that we observe in them is that they mingle with every one very soon and they are very happy with any one. They love music and dance, they can learn any simple task and do it with at most care and perseverance.

 It is a bit difficult for them to get formal education and go for higher studies. Their immune system is not very strong hence they may fall sick frequently. Sangeetha and Shrihari   felt like they had travelled through a new world after listening, to the information that the Doctor had poured out was spinning in their minds. He had very tactfully provided all the tough information with ease, clearly and smoothly. Sangeetha had a woofing whirl wind inside her. Cute Sanjay was sleeping while all this turmoil was going on around him.

This is the condition of a child with Down’s syndrome. They need constant follow up of medical treatment for heart, respiratory system and general health.  For their other physical and mental development they need physiotherapy, speech therapy and special education. Though their life span is a little lesser than a normal person they can bloom to their fullest with good training and ample exposure to nature.

Himachal government mulls declaring monkeys as vermin HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, Shimla..

In a bid to rein in the wild animal menace, the government would set up enclosed habitats for marauding monkeys — a major cause of concern for the agrarian community across the state.

Forest minister Thakur Singh Bharmauri in reply to a question of Kullu legislator Maheshwar Singh said that the government was working on checking man-animal conflict. He said the forest department has already conducted a survey to assess the population of monkeys.

The government would declare monkeys as vermin after assessing the survey. He said that the enclosed habitants for the monkeys would be set up in nine different locations where sterilisation centres were already functional.

Former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal in a supplementary wanted to know whether the government made any correspondence with the Central government about declaring the monkeys as vermin. Dhumal demanded the forest minister to table the copy of the correspondence in the House.

Dhumal said in his assembly segment the monkeys had made it difficult for children to go to schools while the women folks are hesitant to work in the fields. He urged the forest department to at least declare the monkeys as vermin in Shimla and Hamirpur towns where the menace was alarming.

and the news continues!!!!

THE STATE government has, in a proposal to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), sought the Centre's intervention to declare monkeys as vermin so as to allow their selective killing in hotspot areas.

At least seven tehsils in Kangra district, five each in Una, Bilaspus and Sirmaur, are among 39 tehsils in the state's 10 of 12 districts that have been identified as monkey hotspots - where the concentration of the simians is very high.

Barring Mandi district, where only one tehsil i.e. Sundernagar has been identified as monkey hotspot, Shimla and Chamba have four each and Kullu three, which also include popular tourists destination of Manali besides Sainj and Kullu.

The state's communication was sent on March 14, 2016 after the issue was raised in the state assembly. While the government in the proposal detailed the steps, including sterilization of monkeys since 2007, taken so far, it also tried to convince the Centre that every year agriculture crops worth Rs 184.28 crore were destroyed by the monkeys. They also destroyed horticulture crop worth Rs 150.10 crore as per the 2014 studies.

As per the data complied by the wildlife department, there has been a rise in monkey attacks on human beings - from 18 in 2007 to 402 in 2011.

The highest number of monkey attacks - 513 - was reported in 2013-2014.

The proposal also adds: "Since the government has exhausted all possible deterrents, yet the problem is still alarming, which calls for considering the request to declare Rhesus macaque ( Monkeys) as vermins under Section 62 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, initially for a period of one year and only in the selected hotspot tehsils."

Earlier in May 2015, the MoEF had declined Himachal Pradesh government request to declare monkeys vermin till a proper census was conducted to identify hotspots. The government informed the MoEF that a survey of the monkey population has been done in July 2015.

An alarming news in Deccan Herald !

Precious forest land in Tumakuru de-reserved, miners to benefit

Ambarish B, March 18, 2016, Bengaluru, DHNS

323 ha declared revenue land, based on order passed by top official in 2015

 At a time when efforts to retain the forest land in Karnataka are becoming strenuous, the Forest Department has lost yet another vast area of its land in Chikkanayakanahalli, Tumakuru district. 
As many as 323.88 hectares of reserved forest land as been declared revenue land through an order passed by the then Additional Chief Secretary of Department of Forests, Ecology and Environment, M Madan Gopal, on December 21, 2015. 

Gopal passed the order a few days before his retirement, declaring as invalid the 1994 government notification that bracketed the land as forest land. The order invariably regularised at least nine major mining companies operating in this area. 

The notification under section 4 of the Karnataka Forest Act was issued on August 4, 1994, proposing to declare land in Janeru (Jaaneharu village) of Chikkanayakanahalli taluk reserved forest. The notification declaring the extent of 323.88 hectares in survey numbers 41, 42, 43 as reserved forest was published in the gazette on October 31, 1996. 

In a subsequent development, the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) formed by the Supreme Court stated in its February 2012 report that there were apparent mistakes in the 1996 notification. The Supreme Court then gave an interim order, directing the government to issue the corrigendum to correct the “typographical errors”, as submitted by the department. Subsequently, a corrigendum was issued in September 2014, which included 37 new survey numbers with an area of 1,545.04 hectares as reserved forest. 

Aggrieved by the corrigendum, the mining companies approached the High Court which passed orders in September and October 2015, directing the Forest Department to hear the representation of the miners on the objections to the corrigendum. 

The companies moved the appellate authority (Additional Chief Secretary) and argued that the 1996 notification itself was invalid since the government had passed an order way back in 1991 with instructions that the land in survey numbers 41, 42, 43 was in C&D category, meaning it was under the Revenue Department. They also contended that the Forest Settlement Officer had submitted a report in 2006, stating that it was not forest land. 

Based on this submission, Gopal stated, “The corrigendum dated September 2014 is set aside. Similarly, (the) notification issued earlier dated August 1994 is declared invalid in view of the report of the Forest Settlement Officer and earlier Government Orders issued from (the) revenue department from time to time.” 

A senior official in the Forest Department said on the condition of anonymity, “The Government Orders quoted by the advocates representing the companies were not speaking orders or notifications. Unfortunately, the Forest Department did not engage any advocates to argue its case. The classification of C&D land was done by the Agriculture Department. The land in question was district forest earlier and there was no order de-reserving this land.” 

NGO urges govt to revoke order

Samaj Parivartana Samudaya, the NGO which has petitioned the Supreme Court in the illegal mining case, said it would appeal the order that de-reserved the forest land. 

“The companies had only challenged the corrigendum before the High Court. The corrigendum was issued on the Supreme Court’s direction. Strangely, the companies challenged the 1996 notification itself. The order will result in a huge loss to the exchequer and of the forest land cover. We will first appeal to the government to review the order. We will move the court if no action is taken,” said the NGO’s board member, Deepak C N.