health
Obaidul Quader leaves for Singapore for health check-up
Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader left for Singapore on Monday morning for a routine health check-up.
Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, left Dhaka on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight around 8.30am for a routine health check-up at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, said a press release signed by Sheikh Walid Fayez, senior information officer of the ministry.
Read more: Quader promises major remedial steps as AL smarts from polling debacles
He will return to Dhaka on January 4.
This AL leader has been suffering from chronic heart and lung problems for a long time. In 2019, three blockages were found in his coronary arteries.
Packed ICUs, crowded crematoriums: COVID roils Chinese towns
Yao Ruyan paced frantically outside the fever clinic of a county hospital in China’s industrial Hebei province, 70 kilometers (43 miles) southwest of Beijing. Her mother-in-law had COVID-19 and needed urgent medical care, but all hospitals nearby were full.
“They say there’s no beds here,” she barked into her phone.
As China grapples with its first-ever national COVID-19 wave, emergency wards in small cities and towns southwest of Beijing are overwhelmed. Intensive care units are turning away ambulances, relatives of sick people are searching for open beds, and patients are slumped on benches in hospital corridors and lying on floors for a lack of beds.
Yao’s elderly mother-in-law had fallen ill a week ago with the coronavirus. They went first to a local hospital, where lung scans showed signs of pneumonia. But the hospital couldn’t handle serious COVID-19 cases, Yao was told. She was told to go to larger hospitals in adjacent counties. As Yao and her husband drove from hospital to hospital, they found all the wards were full. Zhuozhou Hospital, an hour’s drive from Yao’s hometown, was the latest disappointment.
Yao charged toward the check-in counter, past wheelchairs frantically moving elderly patients. Yet again, she was told the hospital was full, and that she would have to wait.
“I’m furious,” Yao said, tearing up, as she clutched the lung scans from the local hospital. “I don’t have much hope. We’ve been out for a long time and I’m terrified because she’s having difficulty breathing.”
Over two days, Associated Press journalists visited five hospitals and two crematoriums in towns and small cities in Baoding and Langfang prefectures, in central Hebei province. The area was the epicenter of one of China’s first outbreaks after the state loosened COVID-19 controls in November and December. For weeks, the region went quiet, as people fell ill and stayed home.
Many have now recovered. Today, markets are bustling, diners pack restaurants and cars are honking in snarling traffic, even as the virus is spreading in other parts of China. In recent days, headlines in state media said the area is “ starting to resume normal life.”
But life in central Hebei’s emergency wards and crematoriums is anything but normal. Even as the young go back to work and lines at fever clinics shrink, many of Hebei’s elderly are falling into critical condition. As they overrun ICUs and funeral homes, it could be a harbinger of what’s to come for the rest of China. The Chinese government has reported only seven COVID-19 deaths since restrictions were loosened dramatically on Dec. 7, bringing the country’s total toll to 5,241. On Tuesday, a Chinese health official said that China only counts deaths from pneumonia or respiratory failure in its official COVID-19 death toll, a narrow definition that excludes many deaths that would be attributed to COVID-19 in other places.
Experts have forecast between a million and 2 million deaths in China through the end of next year, and a top World Health Organization official warned that Beijing’s way of counting would “underestimate the true death toll.” At Baoding No. 2 Hospital in Zhuozhou on Wednesday, patients thronged the hallway of the emergency ward. The sick were breathing with the help of respirators. One woman wailed after doctors told her that a loved one had died.
The ICU was so crowded, ambulances were turned away. A medical worker shouted at relatives wheeling in a patient from an arriving ambulance.
“There’s no oxygen or electricity in this corridor!” the worker exclaimed. “If you can’t even give him oxygen, how can you save him?”
“If you don’t want any delays, turn around and get out quickly!” she said.
The relatives left, hoisting the patient back into the ambulance. It took off, lights flashing.
Read more: Reports of severe COVID in China are "extremely concerning", WHO
In two days of driving in the region, AP journalists passed around thirty ambulances. On one highway toward Beijing, two ambulances followed each other, lights flashing, as a third passed by heading in the opposite direction. Dispatchers are overwhelmed, with Beijing city officials reporting a sixfold surge in emergency calls earlier this month. Some ambulances are heading to funeral homes. At the Zhuozhou crematorium, furnaces are burning overtime as workers struggle to cope with a spike in deaths in the past week, according to one employee. A funeral shop worker estimated it is burning 20 to 30 bodies a day, up from three to four before COVID-19 measures were loosened.
“There’s been so many people dying,” said Zhao Yongsheng, a worker at a funeral goods shop near a local hospital. “They work day and night, but they can’t burn them all.”
At a crematorium in Gaobeidian, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Zhuozhou, the body of one 82-year-old woman was brought from Beijing, a two-hour drive, because funeral homes in China’s capital were packed, according to the woman’s grandson, Liang.
“They said we’d have to wait for 10 days,” Liang said, giving only his surname because of the sensitivity of the situation. Liang’s grandmother had been unvaccinated, Liang added, when she came down with coronavirus symptoms, and had spent her final days hooked to a respirator in a Beijing ICU.
Over two hours at the Gaobeidian crematorium on Thursday, AP journalists observed three ambulances and two vans unload bodies. A hundred or so people huddled in groups, some in traditional white Chinese mourning attire. They burned funeral paper and set off fireworks.
“There’s been a lot!” a worker said when asked about the number of COVID-19 deaths, before funeral director Ma Xiaowei stepped in and brought the journalists to meet a local government official.
As the official listened in, Ma confirmed there were more cremations, but said he didn’t know if COVID-19 was involved. He blamed the extra deaths on the arrival of winter.
“Every year during this season, there’s more,” Ma said. “The pandemic hasn’t really shown up” in the death toll, he said, as the official listened and nodded.
Even as anecdotal evidence and modeling suggests large numbers of people are getting infected and dying, some Hebei officials deny the virus has had much impact.
“There’s no so-called explosion in cases, it’s all under control,” said Wang Ping, the administrative manager of Gaobeidian Hospital, speaking by the hospital’s main gate. “There’s been a slight decline in patients.”
Wang said only a sixth of the hospital’s 600 beds were occupied, but refused to allow AP journalists to enter. Two ambulances came to the hospital during the half hour AP journalists were present, and a patient’s relative told the AP they were turned away from Gaobeidian’s emergency ward because it was full.
Thirty kilometers (19 miles) south in the town of Baigou, emergency ward doctor Sun Yana was candid, even as local officials listened in.
“There are more people with fevers, the number of patients has indeed increased,” Sun said. She hesitated, then added, “I can’t say whether I’ve become even busier or not. Our emergency department has always been busy.”
Read more: China limits how it defines COVID deaths in official count
The Baigou New Area Aerospace Hospital was quiet and orderly, with empty beds and short lines as nurses sprayed disinfectant. COVID-19 patients are separated from others, staff said, to prevent cross-infection. But they added that serious cases are being directed to hospitals in bigger cities, because of limited medical equipment.
The lack of ICU capacity in Baigou, which has about 60,000 residents, reflects a nationwide problem. Experts say medical resources in China’s villages and towns, home to about 500 million of China’s 1.4 billion people, lag far behind those of big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Some counties lack a single ICU bed.
As a result, patients in critical condition are forced to go to bigger cities for treatment. In Bazhou, a city 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Baigou, a hundred or more people packed the emergency ward of Langfang No. 4 People’s Hospital on Thursday night.
Guards worked to corral the crowds as people jostled for positions. With no space in the ward, patients spilled into corridors and hallways. Sick people sprawled on blankets on the floor as staff frantically wheeled gurneys and ventilators. In a hallway, half a dozen patients wheezed on metal benches as oxygen tanks pumped air into their noses.
Outside a CT scan room, a woman sitting on a bench wheezed as snot dribbled out of her nostrils into crumpled tissues. A man sprawled out on a stretcher outside the emergency ward as medical workers stuck electrodes to his chest. By a check-in counter, a woman sitting on a stool gasped for air as a young man held her hand.
“Everyone in my family has got COVID,” one man asked at the counter, as four others clamored for attention behind him. “What medicine can we get?”
In a corridor, a man paced as he shouted into his cellphone.
“The number of people has exploded!” he said. “There’s no way you can get care here, there’s far too many people.”
It wasn’t clear how many patients had COVID-19. Some had only mild symptoms, illustrating another issue, experts say: People in China rely more heavily on hospitals than in other countries, meaning it’s easier for emergency medical resources to be overloaded.
Over two hours, AP journalists witnessed half a dozen or more ambulances pull up to the hospital’s ICU and load critical patients to sprint to other hospitals, even as cars pulled up with dozens of new patients.
A beige van pulled up to the ICU and honked frantically at a waiting ambulance. “Move!” the driver shouted.
“Let’s go, let’s go!” a panicked voice cried. Five people hoisted a man bundled in blankets out of the back of the van and rushed him into the hospital. Security guards shouted in the packed ward: “Make way, make way!”
The guard asked a patient to move, but backed off when a relative snarled at him. The bundled man was laid on the floor instead, amid doctors running back and forth. “Grandpa!” a woman cried, crouching over the patient.
Medical workers rushed over a ventilator. “Can you open his mouth?” someone shouted.
As white plastic tubes were fitted onto his face, the man began to breathe more easily.
Others were not so lucky. Relatives surrounding another bed began tearing up as an elderly woman’s vitals flatlined. A man tugged a cloth over the woman’s face, and they stood, silently, before her body was wheeled away.
Within minutes, another patient had taken her place.
China limits how it defines COVID deaths in official count
China only counts deaths from pneumonia or respiratory failure in its official COVID-19 death toll, a Chinese health official said, in a narrow definition that limits the number of deaths reported, as an outbreak of the virus surges following the easing of pandemic-related restrictions.
Deaths that occur in patients with pre-existing illnesses are not counted as COVID-19 deaths, said Wang Guiqiang, the head of infectious disease at Peking University's No. 1 Hospital.
China has always been conservative in how it counts illnesses, whether from the flu or COVID-19. In most countries, including the United States, guidelines stipulate that any death where COVID-19 is a factor or contributor is counted as a COVID-19-related death.
In effect, Wang’s comments on Tuesday simply clarified publicly what the country has been doing throughout the pandemic.
Read more: China reduces COVID-19 case number reporting as virus surges
On Wednesday, China reported no new COVID-19 deaths and in fact subtracted one death from the overall toll, lowering it to 5,241, according to a daily tally issued by the National Health Commission, which did not offer an explanation for the decrease.
The clarification of how China officially records COVID-19 deaths comes as cases have soared across the country amid the loosening of restrictions. Yet the overall count remains blurry, as China has stopped requiring daily PCR tests and many people are testing at home. Anecdotally, many people have fallen ill in cities like Beijing and Shanghai.
Earlier this year, Shanghai was hit by an omicron-driven outbreak. Multiple people told the AP then that their elderly family members who tested positive for COVID-19 and died were not counted in the city's official death toll. When patients had underlying diseases, the deaths were attributed to those.
An AP investigation then showed that numbers have been clouded by the way health authorities tally COVID-19 statistics, applying a much narrower, less transparent and at times shifting standard, as Shanghai changed how it defined positive cases.
Read more: China to drop travel tracing as it relaxes ‘zero COVID’
That narrower criteria has meant China’s COVID-19 death toll will always be significantly lower than those of many other nations.
An Associated Press reporter saw multiple people being wheeled out of funeral homes in Beijing last week, and two relatives told the AP their loved ones had died after testing positive for COVID-19. Last week, however, the country did not report any deaths due to COVID-19.
Different countries count cases and deaths differently, and patchy testing means that direct comparisons are often misleading.
But experts have repeatedly advised that authorities should err on the side of caution while counting deaths. Problems in death counts have raised questions in countries ranging from South Africa to Russia.
The World Health Organization estimated in May that nearly 15 million people died from COVID-19 or due to overwhelmed health systems in the first two years of the pandemic. That is more than the official death toll of over 6 million for that period.
Icddr,b opens specimen collection booth inside Gulshan Lake Park
Icddr,b Diagnostic Laboratories opened a specimen collection booth inside Gulshan Lake Park in Dhaka in partnership with the Gulshan Society Thursday.
The specimen collection booth inside Gulshan Lake Park will operate from 7am to 2pm every day, throughout the year. Anyone will be able to use the specimen collection booth by walking in, without any prior appointment.
Barrister Sarwat Siraj, secretary general of Gulshan Society, Dr Tahmeed Ahmed, executive director of icddr,b and Dr Dinesh Mondal, acting senior director of the laboratory sciences and services division of icddr,b, inaugurated the booth.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between icddr,b and Gulshan Society on the occasion.
Read: icddr,b, B-SCAN to initiate WASH assessment for people with disabilities, older people
Sarwat said: "Gulshan Society is committed to ensuring community engagement in all our activities. This collaboration will bring world-class services of icddr'b to the doorstep of Gulshan residents."
Dr Tahmeed said, "This specimen collection booth is a reaffirmation of icddr,b's commitment to helping strengthen the healthcare services of Bangladesh. We are very grateful to Gulshan Society for providing us with this wonderful facility for specimen collection, which I know will help this community greatly."
Drug slows Alzheimer's but can it make a real difference?
An experimental Alzheimer’s drug modestly slowed the brain disease’s inevitable worsening, researchers reported Tuesday -- but it remains unclear how much difference that might make in people’s lives.
Japanese drugmaker Eisai and its U.S. partner Biogen had announced earlier this fall that the drug lecanemab appeared to work, a badly needed bright spot after repeated disappointments in the quest for better Alzheimer’s treatments.
Now the companies are providing full results of the study of nearly 1,800 people in the earliest stages of the mind-robbing disease. The data was presented at an Alzheimer’s meeting in San Francisco and published in The New England Journal of Medicine. U.S. regulators could approve the drug as soon as January.
Read more: Coronavirus can destroy the placenta and lead to stillbirths
Every two weeks for 18 months, study participants received intravenous lecanemab or a dummy infusion. Researchers tracked them using an 18-point scale that measures cognitive and functional ability.
Those given lecanemab declined more slowly -- a difference of not quite half a point on that scale, concluded the research team led by Dr. Christopher van Dyck at Yale University.
That’s a hard-to-understand change, but measured a different way, lecanemab delayed patients’ worsening by about five months over the course of the study, Eisai’s Dr. Michael Irizarry told The Associated Press. Also, lecanemab recipients were 31% less likely to advance to the next stage of the disease during the study.
“That translates to more time in earlier stages” when people function better, Irizarry said.
But doctors are divided over how much difference those changes may make for patients and families.
“It is unlikely that the small difference reported in this trial will be noticeable by individual patients,” said Dr. Madhav Thambisetty of the National Institute on Aging, who noted he wasn’t speaking for the government agency.
He said many researchers believe a meaningful improvement would require at least a difference of a full point on that 18-point scale.
But Dr. Ron Petersen, an Alzheimer’s expert at the Mayo Clinic, said the drug’s effect was “a modest one but I think it’s clinically meaningful” -- because even a few months’ delay in progression could give someone a little more time when they’re functioning independently.
The trial is important because it shows a drug that attacks a sticky protein called amyloid -- considered one of several culprits behind Alzheimer’s -- can delay disease progression, said Maria Carrillo, chief science officer for the Alzheimer’s Association.
“We all understand that this is not a cure and we’re all trying to really grasp what it means to slow Alzheimer’s, because this is a first,” Carrillo said.
But any delay in cognitive decline early on could be meaningful for “how much time we have with our loved ones in a stage of disease where we can still enjoy family and outings, vacations, bucket lists,” she said.
Amyloid-targeting drugs can cause side effects that include swelling and bleeding in the brain, and lecanemab did as well. One type of this swelling was seen in about 13% of recipients. Eisai said most were mild or asymptomatic.
Read more: Successful transplant of pig's heart into a human body for the first time
Also, two deaths have been publicly reported among lecanemab users who also were taking blood-thinning medications for other health problems. Eisai said Tuesday the deaths can’t be attributed to the Alzheimer’s drug.
But Mayo’s Petersen said if lecanemab is approved for use in the U.S., he’d avoid prescribing it to people on blood thinners at least initially.
And Thambisetty said the death reports raise concern about how the drug may be tolerated outside of research studies “where patients are likely to be sicker and have multiple other medical conditions.”
The Food and Drug Administration is considering approving lecanemab under its fast-track program, with a decision expected in early January. If approved, it would be the second anti-amyloid drug on the market.
Nearly all treatments available for the 6 million Americans with Alzheimer’s — and millions more worldwide — only temporarily ease symptoms. Scientists don’t yet know exactly how Alzheimer’s forms but one theory is that gunky amyloid buildup plays a key role, although drug after drug that targets it has failed.
In a contentious move last year, the FDA approved the first amyloid-targeting drug, Biogen’s Aduhelm, despite lack of evidence of better patient outcomes. Insurers and many doctors have hesitated to prescribe the pricey drug -- another reason experts have anxiously awaited word of how well the newer lecanemab may work.
If the FDA approves lecanemab, patients and their families will need a voice in deciding whether it’s worth the hassle of IV infusions and the risk of side effects for the chance of at least some delay in progression, Petersen said.
“I don’t think we’re going to stop the disease in its tracks” with just amyloid-targeting drugs, he added, saying it will take a combination of medications that target additional Alzheimer’s culprits.
Researchers are preparing to test lecanemab with other experimental drugs, and how it works in high-risk people before they show the first signs of memory problems.
Ensuring access to medical oxygen would save more lives from hypoxemia: Experts
Ensuring access to medical oxygen would save more lives from hypoxemia, experts said Wednesday.
"Around 21 percent of the air around us is oxygen, and we only require 19.5 percent oxygen in the air we breathe. However, that is not the case for those with less oxygen in their blood – a health condition known as hypoxemia," they added.
Around the world, 73 million people suffer from hypoxemia each year, of which 32 million are children. In Bangladesh, about 42 percent of the children who visit the secondary hospital with pneumonia suffer from hypoxemia.
The experts were speaking at an evidence-sharing session organised by the Icddr,b and Data for Impact (D4I), an initiative of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in Dhaka to mark World Pneumonia Day 2022 and discuss the importance of medical oxygen security.
The session focused on the overall availability of oxygen therapy in Bangladesh, along with low-cost innovations that can supplement health systems and address medical oxygen security.
Read: Newborn twins die due to lack of oxygen at private clinic in Chattogram
Dr Ahmed Ehsanur Rahman, associate scientist at the Maternal and Child Health Division at icddr,b, said anyone suffering from hypoxemia requires oxygen as a medical therapy.
Hypoxemia can happen due to a range of medical conditions, largely due to respiratory distress caused by pneumonia, malaria, sepsis, tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, and asthma, among others.
According to the Bangladesh Health Facility Survey 2017, less than one-fourth of health facilities have any of the three oxygen systems – compressed gas systems, portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) or liquid oxygen systems. Among these, an oxygen concentrator was available in 13 percent of facilities, while only 21 percent of facilities had filled an oxygen cylinder with flow metre. Only 6 percent of facilities had an oxygen distribution system and pulse oximetre.
Another icddr,b-led study conducted in April-May 2020 revealed that out of 60 district hospitals in Bangladesh, 72 percent had pulse oximetry devices, and only 7 percent had the provision to perform arterial blood gas analysis.
Read: 2 liquid oxygen plants to be established: Health Minister
In the case of other sources to provide oxygen security, 18 percent had oxygen concentrators, 2 percent had liquid oxygen in bulk storage tanks, and 3 percent had an on-site oxygen plant. Central and sub-central piping was available in only 17 percent of district hospitals, and only 20 percent had flow-splitters available on the day of the visit.
One-fourth of the district hospitals had the provision to provide low-flow oxygen therapy with non-invasive ventilation, whereas only 7 percent could provide basic oxygen therapy with both non-invasive and invasive ventilation. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic-induced extraordinary demand for oxygen supply, the situation may have improved in these hospitals.
The meeting ended with the announcement that Bangladesh will co-chair The Lancet Global Health Commission on medical oxygen security in 2024.
It is expected that this commission will shed light on the burden of hypoxemia, how to define and measure oxygen access, which oxygen solutions work best in different settings, and how to generate the financing and political will to achieve transformational change.
Read: Another Indian Oxygen Express arrives with 200 MT of medical oxygen
Health must be at the centre in COP27 climate change negotiations: WHO
The climate crisis continues to make people sick and jeopardizes lives and health must be at the core of these critical negotiations, the World Health Organization issued the grim reminder on the eve of the pivotal climate talks at COP27.
WHO believes the conference must conclude with progress on the four key goals of mitigation, adaptation, financing and collaboration to tackle the climate crisis.
COP27 will be a crucial opportunity for the world to come together and re-commit to keeping the 1.5 °C Paris Agreement goal alive.
Read more: COP27: UN experts for complete integration of human rights standards, principles into negotiations
The WHO welcomed journalists and COP27 participants to join WHO at a series of high-level events and spend time in an innovative health pavilion space.
Focus will be placing the health threat from the climate crisis and the huge health gains that would come from stronger climate action at the centre of discussions.
Climate change is already affecting people’s health and will continue to do so at an accelerating rate unless urgent action is taken, WHO said in a message from Geneva.
“Climate change is making millions of people sick or more vulnerable to disease all over the world and the increasing destructiveness of extreme weather events disproportionately affects poor and marginalized communities,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“It is crucial that leaders and decision makers come together at COP27 to put health at the heart of the negotiations,” he added.
Read more: COP27: Bangladesh to reiterate call to materialize $100bn pledged for developing countries
Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250 000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress, according to WHO.
The direct damage costs to health (i.e., excluding costs in health-determining sectors such as agriculture and water and sanitation), is estimated to be between US$ 2–4 billion per year by 2030.
The rise in global temperature that has already occurred is leading to extreme weather events that bring intense heat waves and droughts, devastating floods and increasingly powerful hurricanes and tropical storms.
The combination of these factors means the impact on human health is increasing and is likely to accelerate.
But there is room for hope, particularly if governments take action now to honour the pledges made at Glasgow in November 2021 and to go further in resolving the climate crisis.
WHO is calling on governments to lead a just, equitable and fast phase out of fossil fuels and transition to a clean energy future.
There has also been encouraging progress on commitments to decarbonization and WHO is calling for the creation of a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty that would see coal and other fossil fuels harmful to the atmosphere phased out in a just and equitable way.
This would represent one of the most significant contributions to climate change mitigation.
Investment in clean energy will yield health gains that repay those investments twice over. There are proven interventions able to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants, for instance applying higher standards for vehicle emissions, which have been calculated to save approximately 2.4 million lives per year, through improved air quality and reduce global warming by about 0.5 °C by 2050.
The cost of renewable sources of energy has decreased significantly in the last few years, and solar energy is now cheaper than coal or gas in most major economies.
WHO is custodian to 32 Sustainable Development Goal indicators, 17 of which are impacted by climate change or its drivers, and 16 of which specifically impact the health of children.
Green Economy in Bangladesh: Prospects and Challenges
The green economy is a new way of living that is based on sustainable consumption and production. In recent years, the concept of a green economy has been getting widely accepted in many countries. To make the green economy a reality in Bangladesh, there are some challenges that are needed to be addressed.
One challenge is the lack of access to clean energy, which makes it difficult for people to live sustainably. However, the Bangladeshi Government has already implemented sound policies that would help promote the green economy. Let’s focus on the problems and prospects of the green economy in Bangladesh.
What is the Green Economy?
The green economy is a term that refers to a way of living that is environmentally friendly and economically sustainable. It refers to practices and policies that promote green energy production, consumption, and waste reduction.
Green economy initiatives can be focused on a specific sector or area, such as renewable energy, transportation, agriculture, city planning, or manufacturing. The Green Economy has been growing in popularity since the term was used in a 1989 report by a group of leading environmental economists, which was made for the Government of the United Kingdom.
Read Renewable energy: 40% target ‘ambitious, but roadmap absent’
In 2008, the United Nations Environment Program started the Green Economy Initiative (GEI). The objective was to strengthen support for environment-friendly investments. One of the aims of the initiative was to increase support at the country level for global risk studies and influence policy-makers to implement green economy programs.
Prospects of Green Economy in Bangladesh
Generally, the financial sector of a country supports the economic growth of that country. So, if the activities of the financial industry are carried out with proper preparation and sincerity, the expansion of the green economy can be another development wonder in Bangladesh.
The population in Bangladesh is increasing day by day. And the use of technology in various stages of product production by various organizations is increasing to keep pace with the increased demand. Hence, the standard of cleanliness of the environment is decreasing.
Read Jashore waste treatment plant makes a big difference
These eventually increase the unexpected costs related to health, loss of biodiversity, carbon emissions, irreparable damage to the ecosystem, surface temperature, climate change, heavy rainfall, non-rainfall, cold currents, etc.
To cope with these issues, the development of a green economy can bring solutions as well as opportunities for exploration within a natural and healthy natural environment.
Green communication, green agriculture, green energy, green banking, green technology, green investment, green marketing, green industry, working environment, transportation, biogas, and geothermal energy all are directly related to a green economy.
Read UNGA chief calls for shift to green economies on Mother Earth Day
However, Bangladesh is not yet ready to apply all of these to improve the green economy. It is a costly and slow process. But the country has some prospects in some sectors such as using solar energy, recycling the used product, green agriculture and using biogas.
Bangladesh can increase the use of solar energy. With the proper use of endless light and heat from the sun, we can create an environment-friendly country in the coming days through various effective measures. Fossil fuel reserves are not infinite, and they will be finished.
But solar energy is derived from nature, a great gift of nature. Encouraging the principle of conservation of natural resources derived from nature ensures habitable earth for future generations.
Read What can COP27 do for climate vulnerable countries?
Moreover, renewable energy can be derived from ocean waves, water, and wind without any negative environmental impact. Thus, renewable energy generation, supply, and technological excellence will create jobs as well as create an environmentally friendly modern country. The growth and expansion of green employment depend on ensuring abundant use of renewable energy.
Converting the environment and destroying waste into incredible energy resources will be the wealth of our future by processing the remaining unnecessary part of daily used products.
Because excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides in unplanned agricultural management creates dire conditions. Therefore, the idea of green agriculture is the right decision for the coming future. Using green fertilizer and chemical-free fertilizer helps retain land fertility and increase fertility simultaneously with greater quantity on less land.
Read BGMEA seeks faster delivery of raw materials through green channel
Safe crop production is key. This system talks about all environmentally friendly production and production systems, including the use of organic fertilizers instead of chemical fertilizers, diversification of crops, and production of mixed crops. In this regard, encouraging the production and more use of biogas will lead the country toward risk-free environmental development.
Challenges of Green Economy in Bangladesh
The government has taken several important steps to take the green economy forward, which is very positive. But there are many challenges too.
Costly
Green factory installation costs can be up to 30% more than a conventional factory because pleasing production process, energy-efficient technology, water conservation technology, solar panel technology, inverter technology, and rainwater harvesting results in greater construction costs.
Read Bangladesh fails to exploit full potentials of green energy: Official documents
Moreover, industries need to utilize foreign consulting companies because of the absence of qualified professionals in the local area, which increases construction costs a lot. It, therefore, becomes quite hard to reach green economically.
Lack of Policy
Bangladesh has not issued a specific green industrial policy declaration. The high rates of corporate tax and value-added tax are also creating an obstacle to green industrialization, which also makes it challenging to import high-end machinery from abroad.
Lack of Awareness
Consumer behavior is additionally a tricky component in green industry development. The local consumers are poorly informed about the importance of going green. Demand for green products is from simply the western business world. As a result, only export-oriented enterprises are motivated to transition from green industries.
Read Davos climate focus: Can ‘going green’ mean oil and gas?
Other Challenges
Land scarcity, a high-interest cost of loans, insufficient transportation options, insufficient infrastructure for utility services, and other problems can be obstacles to the establishment of green industries in Bangladesh.
Taken Steps to Establish a Green Economy in Bangladesh
The Bangladesh government has already taken several steps to go green. The Government has already approved the 'Renewable Energy Authority Act' in 2012. Coastal green belt development activities have been undertaken. Also, adopted a five-year waiver on the commercial production of renewable energy.
The Bangladesh government has also taken steps to set up solar power and biogas plants. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project was launched in 2013 to make organic compost fertilizer from municipal waste. To reduce air pollution from brick kilns, instructions have been given to convert old brick kilns to modern eco-friendly technology.
Read Bangladesh, Denmark sign document to strengthen partnership on green transition
Banks have now stopped lending to old brick kilns. A rapid expansion program has been undertaken to set up solar power and biogas plants. Environment courts have been set up in all districts. The government has already taken several steps to encourage farmers to use organic fertilizers. The country has already earned carbon credits by launching a project to produce bio-fertilizers from waste and use solar energy in some villages.
Bangladesh Bank has launched a refinancing program for entrepreneurs to produce green products. Between 2012 and 2016, Bangladesh Bank almost doubled its capital (from Tk 478 million to Tk 920 million) in refinancing green products. Sectors receiving the highest amount of loans under this initiative are—eco-friendly brick kilns, renewable energy, and liquid waste management.
Moreover, Bangladesh Bank has prepared environmental and social risk management policies. Through this policy, green financing initiatives have been taken. The organization is also working on identifying the risks of financing entrepreneurs involved in the production of toxic carbon monoxide and turning them green.
Read RMG: BGMEA, Jeanologia to collaborate on promoting green technologies
Final Words
Both economic growth and environmental conservation are essential for a country. There is no other way to establish a green economy in Bangladesh to make it suitable for living with development. As we are one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and the environment, it is important to quickly solve the problems by implementing a green economy. Because sustainable development is not possible without a green economy.
10 Great Health, Fitness Career Ideas You May Consider
There is a growing trend of fitness professionals, and the prospect of a successful career in this field is very appealing. People who want to get into the fitness industry can find several ways to start, whether they are interested in starting their own business or working for an established company. From being a personal trainer to working as a fitness model, there are plenty of opportunities for fit people. Let’s see some top career options for fitness conscious people.
10 Best Career Ideas for Fitness Enthusiasts
Gym Business
Owning a gym can be a great career option if you have the right skills and experience. Owning your gym can be a lucrative business if you have a large following and can provide quality service. However, there are a few things to keep in mind if you want to start your own gym.
First, make sure that the location is suitable and that you have the financial resources to support it. Second, make sure you have the latest and right equipment. Depending on where you live, this may not be a problem; however, if you live in the city, it may be difficult to find a suitable location. Third, make sure that you have the right business strategy and marketing plan to ensure that you are able to sustain your gym.
Also read: 10 Best Personal Training Certifications to Ace in Fitness Career
Personal Trainer
Personal trainers are in high demand with a growing population and an aging society. They can work with people of all ages and sexes and those with different fitness levels. There are many personal trainers who are self-employed, which can be a good option for those who want to be their own boss and set their hours.
However, many personal trainers work for companies, which can offer benefits such as employee discounts and access to company resources. You will need certification to become a personal trainer.
Dietitian or Nutritionist
Dietitian is a good health and fitness career idea if you are passionate about helping people live healthier lives. Dietitians work with clients to develop healthy eating and exercise habits, help them maintain weight loss or weight management, and counsel them on the best ways to manage chronic diseases.
Read How to Become a Certified Fitness Instructor?
Dieticians can work in hospitals, schools, private practice, or any other type of business. They must have a degree in nutrition or dietetics and be licensed.
Occupational Therapist
Occupational therapists help people with disabilities by providing them with rehabilitative services. They also help those who are injured to recover from their injuries. Occupational therapists work in various settings, including hospitals, schools, businesses, and government agencies. Therefore, the career options for occupational therapists are many and varied.
While there are a variety of possible career paths for occupational therapists, many focus on providing health and fitness services to their patients. This can be a lucrative career, provided you have the necessary qualifications, experience, and contacts.
Read How to Stay Physically Active during Pregnancy
Fitness Trainer
A fitness trainer can help people achieve their health and fitness goals. There are many different types of fitness trainers, so if you have a passion for helping others, this could be a good career choice. You must have good physical conditioning and be comfortable working with people.
You should also have a knowledge of exercise and nutrition. If you have the right skills and qualifications, a career as a fitness trainer can be very rewarding.
Physical Therapist
A physical therapist is one of the most popular health and fitness careers. There are many good reasons why someone might want to become a physical therapist. First, physical therapists work with people all over the world, which means they can travel and see new things.
Read Best Android, iOS Apps for Home Exercises
Second, physical therapists need only training and certification in physical therapy, so they can get started right away in the career field. Third, physical therapists often make good money.
Massage Therapist
Massage therapy is a popular health and fitness career option that has gained popularity in recent years. It is a highly beneficial profession that can provide great physical and emotional relief to those who suffer from chronic pain.
While it may not be the most lucrative career, massage therapy has many other benefits, such as providing an opportunity to work with people from all walks of life and helping people to maintain good physical and mental health.
Read Is Gym Good for Women?
Yoga Trainer
Yoga has been around for over 5000 years, and it is still one of the most popular forms of exercise today. It is often regarded as a healthy and effective way to improve physical health and well-being. There is no doubt that yoga can be an excellent way to maintain overall fitness. So, if you have a passion for yoga and have been doing yoga for years, you can become a yoga trainer.
Athletic Trainer
Numerous schools and clubs need athletic teachers or trainers in Bangladesh. Athletic trainers work with a variety of patients, from athletes to those who are just trying to stay healthy. Athletic Trainers have a lot of knowledge about how the body works and how to improve fitness and health. There are many opportunities for athletic trainers to work in hospitals, schools, and other healthcare facilities.
Fitness Model
Fitness models have become a popular career option for people who have a fit physical appearance. While there are many challenges and risks associated with this career, it can be rewarding if you have the right mindset and work ethic.
Read Bodybuilding Supplements to Avoid when Gyming
Fitness models often make a lot of money, and they can be very famous. However, this is not always a good thing. Many people who are famous as fitness models may have to deal with a lot of pressure.
Final Words
There are many great fitness career options for the fit people. The fitness industry includes different types of fitness professionals, including trainers, personal trainers, nutritionists, physical therapists, and yoga instructors. If you love body building trainings and physical workouts, and want to build career in the fitness industry, don’t wait. Start researching the above-mentioned fitness career ideas and pick the one that suits you the most.
Read Best Fruits for Fitness and Bodybuilding
How to Stay Physically Active during Pregnancy
When you are pregnant, it is important to stay healthy and active. This is the time when you need to take care of both your body and baby. But how much should you be active? It basically depends on what your doctor recommends. Keep scrolling to know some practical and effective ways to stay active during your pregnancy period.
Benefits of Staying Active during Pregnancy
When a foetus develops inside a woman's womb or uterus, this period is called pregnancy. It generally lasts about 40 weeks or 9 months. This period is measured from the last menstrual time to delivery. According to health care providers, pregnancy has three segments that are called trimesters. Let’s checkout why it is essential to stay physically active during the months of pregnancy.
Importance of Increasing Blood Flow in Early Pregnancy
The first trimester is a time of rapid physical changes in the body and baby. One of these changes is increased blood flow to the uterus. This increased blood flow is important for establishing a healthy pregnancy. Some risk factors that may interfere with this healthy increase in blood flow are:
- Obesity
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- Chronic kidney disease
- Diabetes
To prevent these health concerns the pregnant mother should stay active.
Read Postpartum Depression, Mood Swings: How can new moms deal with these issues?
Importance of Physical Activity during Pregnancy
Some benefits of being active through exercises and healthy diet are as follows:
- Prenatal fitness is essential to confirm the long-term health of your baby.
- Your baby may grow up smarter
- Prepare your baby for the demands of labour
- You don't gain unnecessary weight
- Boost mood
- Reduce stress, anxiety and depression
- Prep to push
- Reduce aches and pains
- May reduce prevalence of diastasis recti
- Get things “moving”
- Put a pep in your step
- You will be a fit mom
- You’ll feel more confident & fresh
- You may experience a shorter labour
- You’re less likely to experience swelling
- May help with morning sickness
- With the accomplishment of something will positively affect other areas of your life
- May reduce premature Birth
- Keep your blood sugar levels normal
- You’ll be able to control your body more
- Fight off germs and boost immunity.
Read Postpartum Weight Loss: How to lose baby weight fast after pregnancy
10 Best Tips for Staying Active and Healthy during Pregnancy
Let’s find out how to stay healthy and active during your pregnancy period.
Get enough sleep
Sleeping is not just for the sake of feeling refreshed and rested in the morning. It is a necessary component of your health and productivity, which should be factored into your daily schedule.
Eat healthy food
Eating healthy, nutritious and light food can lead to a more active lifestyle. Eating a diet high in protein, vegetables and fruit can give you the energy you need to get through your day. A diet low in fat and processed foods will lower risk of disease and promote weight loss.
Read Pregnancy Care Tips for Summer: How can pregnant mothers beat the heat?
Exercise three times a week
Many people are struggling with a lack of time and motivation to exercise. With the introduction of high-tech fitness trackers and wearable technology, people can now monitor their activity levels 24/7. This data can be used to create personalized workout routines that suit an individual's needs.
Drink plenty of water every day
Drinking plenty of water every day is an essential part of a healthy pregnancy. It's important to stay active and hydrated to prevent common pregnancy symptoms like nausea, headaches, and constipation. A pregnant woman's body needs more fluids than usual because it's working hard to keep the mother and baby healthy.
Avoid too much caffeine and alcohol
Caffeine and alcohol are not only harmful to the mother but they have a detrimental effect on the growing foetus. The risk of miscarriage increases as does birth defects. There is also a chance that the baby will end up with an addiction to caffeine or alcohol.
Read Pregnancy Anxiety? How to reduce the stress of pregnant mothers?
Take prenatal vitamins
Prenatal vitamins are crucial to the healthy development of a baby. However, they also benefit mom in many ways. For example, they can help mom maintain her energy levels and keep her mood stable. They can also reduce the risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and neural tube defects.
Take medications recommended by your doctor
Medication is a necessary part of someone's healthcare - but it can be difficult to remember what each medication does, and how it interacts with other medications. This article contains a list of medications and side effects that may help you stay on top of your meds.
Stay away from sick people
People who are sick or have been recently sick can cause the flu to spread. Never shake hands with them, sit next to them on public transportation, or let them enter your home. If you have already been infected, stay away from other people for at least 24 hours after your fever has disappeared.
Read 10 Post- Pregnancy Skincare Tips: Get Your Glow Back
Wear loose clothing and avoid high heels
Wearing tight clothing or heels can cause back and neck pain. Wearing loose clothing that is comfortable to move around in will help you maintain your posture and avoid these pains.
Stay away from smoking
Smoking is a major risk factor for many diseases and health issues. Just like smoking, vaping releases harmful chemicals into the air that are toxic to humans. Studies are showing these chemicals can enter the bloodstream or be inhaled by bystanders, which may cause adverse health effects.
Cautions
Pregnant women should take care to move around and exercise as much as possible. If you won't be active during your pregnancy, the foetus is not developed enough to provide its own warmth, and the mother's body temperature can drop to dangerous levels. However, you should also avoid standing for long periods of time, which can cause your blood flow to slow down and circulation to decrease.
Read Effects of Air Pollution on Unborn Children, Neonates, Infants
The pregnant woman's body needs more oxygen than usual, so she should make sure that she breathes deeply and is always active.
Bottom Line
If you are pregnant and active, then congratulations! You are doing a great job and your baby will love the benefits too! Staying physically active during pregnancy can help you to stay in shape and can help you to have a healthy pregnancy as well. Besides, staying active can even make labour easier. However, make sure you consult your doctor before starting any new activities to get a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.