Red Ribbon Club St Thomas College

04/12/2018

OUR COLLEGE RRC STUDENTS ORGANIZED AIDS AWARENESS PROGRAMME ON 1:12:2018 ION AIDS DAY

29/08/2017

Dental Awareness Camp conducted by RRC St Thomas College... on 24th August...

04/03/2017

Every day, India sees 10 su***des related to drug abuse– and only one of them is from Punjab
Data tabled in Rajya Sabha shows that the problem of drug abuse is not limited to the North Indian state.

Every day, India sees 10 su***des related to drug abuse– and only one of them is from Punjab Even though its state government finds it hard to address or even accept it, that Punjab has a drug abuse problem is widely known. However, recent government data shows that this is not limited to the North Indian state.

Data tabled before the Rajya Sabha on Thursday during the ongoing Monsoon session of the Parliament showed that India records about 10 su***des due to drug or alcohol addiction. The data, provided by the National Crime Records Bureau, showed that the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are at the top of the table of drug-related su***des.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, there were 3,647 such su***de cases in India in 2014, of which Maharashtra reported the highest, at 1,372. This was followed by Tamil Nadu, with 552 cases and Kerala, with 475.

Punjab reported 38 such cases. However, as calculations by Scroll.in show, the incidence of drug-related su***des – the number of cases divided by the population – in the state was much lower than the national average.

This comes to about 1.4 su***des per million people, based on the population of Punjab as per the 2011 Census. In comparison, the national average is three su***des per million of the population. The drug-related su***de rate in Kerala, for instance, is at least 10 times as high as in Punjab.

Meanwhile, the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands stands out as an outlier with almost 37 such instances in a population of just about three lakh.

Scroll.in’s calculations show that though Maharashtra may have reported the highest number of drug-related su***des in the country, Kerala topped the list in terms of incidence rate.

Additionally, at least 12 states and Union Territories had a higher incidence of these cases than the national average. These include Haryana, Telangana, Mizoram and Tripura. The national capital of Delhi, however, reported only 2 cases per million people.

In a silver lining of sorts, the number of drug-related su***des in India in 2014, though still high, had reduced since 2012 and 2013. There were more than 4,000 cases in 2012 and in the subsequent year, it shot up to 4,500. More than 25,000 people committed su***des due to drug abuse in the 10-year period between 2004 and 2013, according to National Crime Records Bureau. A study by the United Nations estimated that drug abuse killed more than two lakh people in the world in 2014.

The National Crime Records Bureau data, however, doesn’t reflect the prevalence of drug abuse in the country. It only compiles su***des that were reported to the police and where the cause was established as drug or alcohol abuse. The actual number of deaths due to abuse is estimated to be much higher. And the number of drug users will be several times more.

It also doesn’t take away from the gravity of the drug use problem in Punjab, one that the state government has vehemently tried to downplay or deny. In a recent video campaign, the Shiromani Akali Dal–Bharatiya Janata Party combine tried to dispel concerns about it by having the hockey captain claim it doesn’t exist.

The state is also seeing resistance from its own officials in implementing a scientific programme to reduce drug abuse even as official surveys have shown that there are more than 10 lakh drug addicts in the state. According to a report in the Times of India, officials said the state’s image will take a hit if the project moves ahead and “criticism from outside” is holding up the implementation of the programme.

04/03/2017

HIV & AIDS Guide
Antiretrovirals: HIV and AIDS Drugs
HIV medications can help lower your viral load, fight infections, and improve your quality of life. But even if you take them, you can still give HIV to others. They're not a cure for HIV.

The goals for these medicines are to:

Control the growth of the virus
Improve how well your immune system works
Slow or stop symptoms
Cause as few side effects as possible
The FDA has approved more than two dozen antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV infection. They're often broken into six groups because they work in different ways. Doctors recommend taking a combination or "cocktail" of at least two of them. This is called antiretroviral therapy, or ART.

Your doctor will let you know specifically how you should take your medications. You need to follow the directions exactly, and you shouldn't miss even one dose. Or you could develop drug-resistant strains of HIV, and your medication may stop working.

Some other medicines and supplements don't mix well with HIV drugs, so make sure you tell your doctor about everything you're taking.

Nucleoside/Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs)

NRTIs force the HIV virus to use faulty versions of building blocks so infected cells can't make more HIV.

Abacavir, or ABC (Ziagen)
Didanosine, or ddl (Videx)
Emtricitabine, or FTC (Emtriva)
Lamivudine, or 3TC (Epivir)
Stavudine, or d4T (Zerit)
Tenofovir, or TDF (Viread)
Zidovudine, or AZT or ZDV (Retrovir)
Non-nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs)

These are also called "non-nukes." NNRTIs bind to a specific protein so the HIV virus can't make copies of itself, similar to jamming a zipper.

Delavirdine (Rescriptor)
Efavirenz (Sustiva)
Etravirine (Intelence)
Nevirapine (Viramune)
Rilpivirine (Edurant)
Protease Inhibitors (P*s)

These drugs block a protein that infected cells need to put together new copies of the HIV virus.

Atazanavir, or ATV (Reyataz)
Darunavir, or DRV (Prezista)
Fosamprenavir, or FPV (Lexiva)
Indinavir, or IDV (Crixivan)
Lopinavir + ritonavir, or LPV/r (Kaletra)
Nelfinavir, or NFV (Viracept)
Ritonavir, or RTV (Norvir)
Saquinavir, or SQV (Invirase)
Tipranavir, or TPV (Aptivus)
Cobicistat (Tybost) is a drug that helps atazanavir and darunavir work better, but it can cause life-threatening kidney problems if you take it with certain other medicines.

Atazanavir + cobicistat, or ATV/COBI (Evotaz)
Darunavir + cobicistat, or DRV/COBI (Prezcobix)

Fusion Inhibitors

Unlike NRTIs, NNRTIs, and P*s -- which work on infected cells -- these drugs help block HIV from getting inside healthy cells in the first place.

Enfuvirtide, or ENF or T-20 (Fuzeon), has been approved by the FDA. Fostemsavir, ibalizumab, PRO 140, and others are being tested for approval.

CCR5 Antagonist

Maraviroc, or MVC (Selzentry), also stops HIV before it gets inside a healthy cell, but in a different way than fusion inhibitors. It blocks a specific kind of "hook" on the outside of certain cells so the virus can't plug in.

Integrase Inhibitors

These stop HIV from making copies of itself by blocking a key protein that allows the virus to put its DNA into the healthy cell's DNA. They're also called integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs).

Dolutegravir (Tivicay)
Elvitegravir (Vitekta)
Raltegravir (Isentress)
Fixed-Dose Combinations

Some drug manufacturers put together specific medicines into a single pill so they're easier to take, including:

Truvada has also been approved as a way to prevent HIV infection for people who are at high risk. Even if you take it, you have to practice safe s*x, too.

04/03/2017

HIV/AIDS Medicines

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In the early 1980s, when the HIV/AIDS epidemic began, patients rarely lived longer than a few years. But today, there are many effective medicines to fight the infection, and people with HIV have longer, healthier lives.

There are five major types of medicines:

Reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors - interfere with a critical step during the HIV life cycle and keep the virus from making copies of itself
Protease inhibitors - interfere with a protein that HIV uses to make infectious viral particles
Fusion inhibitors - block the virus from entering the body's cells
Integrase inhibitors - block an enzyme HIV needs to make copies of itself
Multidrug combinations - combine two or more different types of drugs into one
These medicines help people with HIV, but they are not perfect. They do not cure HIV/AIDS. People with HIV infection still have the virus in their bodies. They can still spread HIV to others through unprotected s*x and needle sharing, even when they are taking their medicines.

NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

15/09/2016

HIV/AIDS
Also called: human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

Symptoms
HIV damages the immune system, interfering with the body's ability to fight infections.
Common

More than 1 million cases per year (India)

Spreads by s*xual contact
Can't be cured, but treatment may help
Chronic: can last for years or be lifelong
Requires a medical diagnosis
Lab tests or imaging always required
The virus can be transmitted through contact with infected blood, semen, or vaginal fluids.

Within a few weeks of HIV infection, flu-like symptoms such as fever, sore throat and fatigue can occur.

Then the disease is usually asymptomatic until it progresses to AIDS. AIDS symptoms include weight loss, fever or night sweats, fatigue and recurrent infections.

No cure exists for AIDS, but strict adherence to anti-retroviral regimens (ARVs) can dramatically slow the disease's progress as well as prevent secondary infections and complications.

02/09/2016

02/09/2016

RRC Blood donation Camp Pictures....

23/03/2015

LPG consumers are covered under insurance of 40 lacs- please share this information
Few know that we have Rs. 40 lac risk cover in case of damage due to cylinder explosion! DID YOU KNOW?
Must read and pass on this information to as many as possible!
http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/RAJ-JPR-lpg-cylinders-come-with-rs-40-lakh-risk-cover-3185659.html
Every year, India sees its fair share of LPG cylinder mishaps, causing loss of life, limb and material assets. While most us know how to avoid accidents, few know that we have Rs.40 lac risk cover in case of damage due to cylinder explosion
"Around 10,000 incidents of cylinder explosions take place in different part of the country every year. Instances of death in such incidents are low, but cylinder explosions cause maximum damage to houses and properties, besides Injury to people," said Ishwar Lal Jat, chief fire officer, adding that most people don';t claim this insurance amount in both cases!
In fact, most companies have not seen a singlensurance claim from citizens in years. Given the level of awareness, it';s not a surprise.
Customers are TOTALLY unaware
Most homemakers were completely shocked when DNA told them about the insurance cover available on LPG cylinders. "I never knew that such damages could be claimed from the gas agency," said Varsha Singh.

Leave alone simple homemakers, even well-read professionals seem to have little clue of this "hidden benefit". "I did not know that we get insurance in case an LPG cylinder explodes.

The staff at the gas agency never informed me," said Amit Agarwal, a chartered accountant who recently got a gas connection.

Turn to the court

Bhanwar Singh Chauhan, a senior advocate, confirmed that customers are insured from the time they buy an LPG connection. "If a customer is kept in the dark, they can complain about it in the consumer court and even file a petition against the agencies concerned for withholding the information," he said.

Insurance agents said it is very easy to get the claim - informs cops and gas agency, wait for survey by insurance officials and soon you will get the claim amount.

All it means that if you are a LPG user your life is insured in case of an accident for up to Rs 40lacs. In case of an accident you can claim up to Rs 50 lacs incl damages and hospitalization charges. The LPG companies and the govt are conveniently not advertising this order deliberately.

"In the event of accident. All registered LPG consumers are covered under an insurance policy taken by the PSU Oil Companies."

In case of the unfortunate event of an accident, the customer must immediately inform the distributor in writing. The distributor then informs the concerned Oil Company and the Insurance Company about the same. The distributor will offer assistance to the customer in completing the formalities of insurance claims arising out of the accident.

In addition to the above, all LPG distributors also have Third Party Liability Insurance to cover losses in the event of an LPG accident."

http://www.iocl.com/download/Citizen_Charter_IOCL_Final_Ver_6_01_04_13.pdf

PLEASE GIVE THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION A WIDE CIRCULATION.

23/02/2015

What Is Drug Addiction?

Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the addicted individual and to those around him or her. Although the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, the brain changes that occur over time challenge an addicted person’s self-control and hamper his or her ability to resist intense impulses to take drugs.

Fortunately, treatments are available to help people counter addiction’s powerful disruptive effects. Research shows that combining addiction treatment medications with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients. Treatment approaches that are tailored to each patient’s drug abuse patterns and any co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life without drug abuse.

Similar to other chronic, relapsing diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, drug addiction can be managed successfully. And as with other chronic diseases, it is not uncommon for a person to relapse and begin abusing drugs again. Relapse, however, does not signal treatment failure—rather, it indicates that treatment should be reinstated or adjusted or that an alternative treatment is needed to help the individual regain control and recover.

06/02/2015

Common signs and symptoms of drug abuse

You’re neglecting your responsibilities at school, work, or home (e.g. flunking classes, skipping work, neglecting your children) because of your drug use.
You’re using drugs under dangerous conditions or taking risks while high, such as driving while on drugs, using dirty needles, or having unprotected s*x.
Your drug use is getting you into legal trouble, such as arrests for disorderly conduct, driving under the influence, or stealing to support a drug habit.
Your drug use is causing problems in your relationships, such as fights with your partner or family members, an unhappy boss, or the loss of old friends.