[SANJAY_DEL]

This Health Protection Agency. What kind of a body is it?

[abfab]

Originally Posted by SANJAY_DEL

This Health Protection Agency. What kind of a body is it?

It's sort of the UK equivalent of the CDC (and other public heath agencies)in the USA.

<quote from the HPA website>
The Health Protection Agency is a UK-wide non-departmental public body dedicated to protecting people's health. It is accountable to the Secretary of State for Health, and its income is mainly derived from Government Grant in Aid. Other income comes from the NHS, commercial activities, grants, and other sources.

The Health Protection Agency's role is to provide an integrated approach to protecting UK public health through the provision of support and advice to the NHS, local authorities, emergency services, other Arms Length Bodies, the Department of Health and the Devolved Administrations. The Agency was established as a special health authority (SpHA) in 2003.

On 1 April 2005, the Agency was established as a non-departmental public body, replacing the HPA SpHA and the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) and with radiation protection as part of health protection incorporated in its remit.

The HPA has a large network of approximately 3000 staff based at three major centres (Colindale, Porton and Chilton) and regionally and locally throughout England. There is a small central office based in London. The Agency works closely with locally based colleagues employed within the Devolved Administrations.

The Centre for Infections at Colindale is the base for communicable disease surveillance and specialist microbiology. The Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards is based at Chilton and the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response, focusing on applied microbiological research and emergency response, is based at Porton.

[SANJAY_DEL]

Does the NHS in UK issue its own sets of guidelines on various subjects, or is the HPA followed by everyone?
"non-departmental public body" : Is it or is it not a government body?

[machadinha]

Sanjay, you feel it's OK to offer your medical advice; I suggest you let others do the same without calling them to trial.

I believe you have yet to quote the sources for many a subject touched on by you.

[PeakXV]

Originally Posted by SANJAY_DEL

Does the NHS in UK issue its own sets of guidelines on various subjects, or is the HPA followed by everyone?
"non-departmental public body" : Is it or is it not a government body?

Sanjay, just for the record - what kind of a Doc are you?

[abfab]

Originally Posted by SANJAY_DEL

Does the NHS in UK issue its own sets of guidelines on various subjects, or is the HPA followed by everyone?
"non-departmental public body" : Is it or is it not a government body?

I think you are getting into the very complex structures of UK government now, which is completely off topic.

The HPA is accountable to the 'Secretary of State for Health', who is a very senior top ranking Government minister with a huge remit.

"non-departmental public bodies" are set up by the government, but are separated off from government control in order to maintain their independance from political control.


A proper definition of a Non-Departmental Public Body :-
<quote>
2. What is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB)?
An NDPB is described as:
“ A body which has a role in the processes of national government, but is not a government department, or part of one, and which accordingly operates to a greater or lesser extent at arm’s length from ministers.

2.2 NDPBs have a national or regional remit and carry out a wide range of important functions. Their distance from government means that the day-to-day decisions they make are independent as they are removed from ministers and Civil Servants. Ministers are however ultimately responsible to Parliament for a NDPB’s independence, its effectiveness and efficiency.

[SANJAY_DEL]

Originally Posted by machadinha

Sanjay, you feel it's OK to offer your medical advice; I suggest you let others do the same without calling them to trial.

I believe you have yet to quote the sources for many a subject touched on by you.

Sorry, I did not mean to question the credentials or the credibility of the information. It was just for the sake of information that I asked a few questions. Just curious about the academic bodies and the govt bodies in UK. Like we have the ICMR, MCI and API etc. Completely off topic, as rightly pointed out!

[abfab]

Originally Posted by SANJAY_DEL

Sorry, I did not mean to question the credentials or the credibility of the information. It was just for the sake of information that I asked a few questions. Just curious about the academic bodies and the govt bodies in UK. Like we have the ICMR, MCI and API etc. Completely off topic, as rightly pointed out!

No its fine I'm afraid Im not qualified to answer detailed questions like that though.

There is quite a lot of information on the HPA website as to their structure and remit etc.

[cyberhippie]

By Northern India do you mean the Himalaya or Bihar Orissa and Rajasthan??

Interesting development!!

[abfab]

Originally Posted by cyberhippie

By Northern India do you mean the Himalaya or Bihar Orissa and Rajasthan??

Interesting development!!

It's still best to consult your doctor, but here's the advice copied from the HPA 'Guidelines for Malaria Prevention for Travellers from the United Kingdom' for India :

- RISK HIGH - (chloroquine resistance high: recommended:- mefloquine or Doxycycline or Malarone)

Assam


- RISK VARIABLE - (chloroquine resistance usually moderate: recommended: Chloroquine plus proguanil)

Everywhere except for Assam (high risk), and the areas listed below (low risk)



- RISK LOW - (recommended: Awareness and bite prevention)

Low risk in Southern states of Kerala; Tamil Nadu; Karnataka; Goa and Southern Andhra Pradesh including Hyderabad, and the city of Mumbai.

Low to no risk in Rajesthan; Uttar Pradesh; Haryana; Punjab; Delhi; Uttaranchal; Himachal Predesh; Jammu & Kashmir


They are additionally reporting a few patches of resistant malaria appearing in parts of Goa during January 2007, and have additional advice for travellers going to certain parts of Northern Goa.

[Nick-H]

So I'm living in a low risk city, but there are heaps of mossies here, I get bitten fairly regularly, and I know there is malaria, although it is said to be more in the Northern part of the city.

What to do?

Heck... I usually forget the damn pill anyway.

[abfab]

Originally Posted by Nick-H

So I'm living in a low risk city, but there are heaps of mossies here, I get bitten fairly regularly, and I know there is malaria, although it is said to be more in the Northern part of the city.

What to do?
Heck... I usually forget the damn pill anyway.

I think its all down to the balance/risk of actually dying from malaria, vs. the risks from taking the tablets themselves.

The percentage of mosquitos that actually carry the malaria sporozoites varies a lot from area to area, so in low risk areas, being bitten a few times doesn't necessarily expose you very much, and the mosquitos may be primarily carrying a strain of malaria that is not very serious and easily treatable.

It is the chance of being exposed to the sporozoites of one of the more serious, or drug resistant strains that carries the most risk.

I think what they are saying in the low risk areas with healthy people, is that the risk of catching malaria is still there, but manageable by being bitten as little as possible (bite prevention), and that mostly, if you are aware of the symptoms of malaria to look out for (awareness) and seek treatment, then the chances of you becoming seriously ill are low enough to outweigh the risks of the prophylactic drugs.

In higher risk areas, the per bite exposure to the sporozoites is much higher, and the deadly strains of malaria are more common, making the risk of serious illness or death much higher, so chemoprophylaxis is more worth while.

Personally I get quite nausious taking chloroquine so I'm happy not to bother next time I'm in chennai, however my brother gets no side effects at all, so he has decided to take it anyhow as a 'belt and braces' approach!

It is all these variables (and more) that make getting proper advice from a doctor important

[Heath]

There is a great deal of information available about the dangers of vacines. I encourage everyone to do some research. Personally I would avoid any foreign substances that would contaminate my body.

[Nick-H]

But what if the substances are Canadian?

[abfab]

Originally Posted by Heath

There is a great deal of information available about the dangers of vacines. I encourage everyone to do some research. Personally I would avoid any foreign substances that would contaminate my body.

I would recommend that you have a chat with your grandparents about what it was like to live with the constant and real fear of Polio, TB and Smallpox.

These days in the west, thanks to vaccines, we barely give these diseases a second thought, and yet it wasn't long ago that they killed and maimed people in their millions in every country in the world.