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Background: The widespread consumption of trans-fats across the world represents a worrying scenario, as it is directly responsible for coronary heart disease and related mortality. Recognizing its dangers, the WHO has set an agenda to eliminate trans-fats by 2023. In India, the Food Safety And Standards Authority ensures safe and wholesome food consumption. In light of the WHO's standards for the elimination of trans-fats, the FSSAI recently notified limits of trans-fatty acids to not more than 3% in all fats and oils by January 2021 and 2% by January 2022, as well as a limitation on all food products in which edible oils and fats are ingredients to not contain trans-fatty acids of more than 2% mass of total oils/fats in the product by January 2022. Objective: Given the need to eliminate the consumption of trans-fats, it is necessary to assess the implementation of trans-fat regulations in India in order to determine the current status of enforcement and suggest measures for improvement. Methods: Empirical research was conducted through a questionnaire to analyze India's current status and difficulties in enforcing trans-fat regulations. Results: Although all states have included compliance of trans-fat regulation in the agenda of the State Surveillance Plan but are facing some implementation challenges such as lack of lab infrastructure, lack of trained manpower, unsupportive FBOs, insufficient budget, lack of testing kits, and excluding proprietary food from compliance with trans-fat regulations. Further, all states have felt the need to develop a guideline/manual to facilitate enforcement of the trans-fat regulations. In light of this, the article has critically analyzed the legal framework for implementing trans-fat regulations in India to identify specific implementation challenges due to scattered regulations and recommend suggestive measures for developing the guidelines/ manual to facilitate effective implementation of the said regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of increase in the ability of public health workforce to detect and respond to the public health threats. For timely implementation of an adequate response and mitigation measure, the standardized and sustainable capacity building programme for frontline public health workforce is the need of hour. National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in partnership with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), developed a three-month in-service Basic Epidemiology Training programme. This is a tailor-made programme for frontline public health workforce to strengthen epidemiological skills. This training was a practical interactive approach to field epidemiology for three months on the job training for frontline public health workforce that addressed the critical skills needed to conduct surveillance effectively at the local level while focusing on improving disease detection, reporting and feedback. The training also demonstrated the role of learning model in form of interaction between the mentor and the mentees. The importance of handhold support given by the mentors to the mentees in quality outbreak investigations and documentation. Keywords Public Health Workforce; Frontline Epidemiology; Public Health Capacity Building; Response Measure; Outbreak Investigation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of violence against Health Care Workers (HCW) is showing a rising trend. Various studies have been done in the recent past shows that the prevalence of violence against HCW s ranged from 27.4% to 67%. The present study was done to compare and analyze the underlying causes of violence against HCW in a Non COVID and COVID situation to identify the commonality if any, and to suggest any remedial measures. Methodology: This was cross-sectional analytical design and was carried out in inpatient care areas of a tertiary care hospital. The study subjects comprised of Doctors, Nurses, Group C employees. Data was collected using direct interview method on a standard questionnaire. In addition, various media reports were collected and analyzed through internet. Results: Maximum incidents were experienced in emergency and OPD, where staff patient's ratio is less. 39.4% incidents were experienced by the staff who were providing care to the Terminally ill patients, Mentally and Physically disabled persons & Psychiatric patients. Suggestion which emerged to reduce WPV are, triage in casualty, availability of trained security guards, CCTV, restricted visiting hours and limited attendants with the patients, improvement in patient amenities etc. Whereas in COVID situation the major reason is the religious and social belief, poor dietary services and lack of hygiene and sanitation. Conclusion: There is an urgent and inescapable requirement that the healthcare administrators should address the underlying precipitating factors of violence, for delivery of quality healthcare services to the patients in a safe environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pandemics have significantly affected economy of each country. Health & political system have been also drastically affected in each part of the country. To fight against pandemic, it demands multidimensional approaches comprising of various measures like surveillance, containment, isolation & quarantine, border restriction as well as various socio-political and community measures. Though the entire health workforce is involved at multiple levels, the role of a community medicine/public health expert is maximum in controlling the spread in the community and managing the situation. The community medicine specialists can contribute to the public health as well as health-care services in combating the pandemic. This review has been done for giving an insight of proper utilization of public health services and existing manpower of community medicine. Also, this will channelize our health system and give a direction for combating future public health crisis. Government should utilize the experiences and expertise to manage the pandemic very well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the progress in Indian health care system after independence which include eradication of small pox, poliomyelitis and guinea worm, and problem of communicable and non-communicable diseases suffered by the country. Topics discussed include increased in the rate of coronary heart disease (CHD), infant mortality rate and the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) of children which shows that 50 percent of children under five year's age suffer from malnutrition.

The pulmonary function impairment is the most common respiratory problem in industrial plants and their vicinity. Therefore, the purpose was to study the effects of furnace smoke and flue and its duration of exposure on lung function. This was a matched cross-sectional study of Spirometry in 100 bangle workers with age range 20 - 60 years, who worked without the benefit of smoke control ventilation or respiratory protective devices. Pulmonary function test was performed by using Digital Spirometer (Spiro-excel). Significant reduction was observed in the mean values of Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1), Forced Expiratory Ratio (FEV1/FVC), Forced Expiratory Flow (25%-75%) and Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) in bangle workers relative to their matched controls. This impairment was increased with the duration of exposure to fumes in bangle industries. It is concluded that lung function in bangle workers is impaired and stratification of results shows a dose-response effect of years of smoke and flue exposure on lung function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]