Dr. T. Rama Prasad, www.rama-scribbles.in
Beautiful BIRDS & Dangerous DRUGS
What could be the connection between 'birds' and 'drugs' ?, you must be wondering ... read further down under the heading 'DICLOFENAC and VULTURES'.
Birdwatchers are otherwise called birders. They watch, study, record and photograph birds. Tamil Nadu's bird watch record hit one million in 2017. There are some 'Birding Groups' like "Coimbatore Nature Society" and "The Nature Trust, Chennai" which promote and coordinate birders. Mr. Harish Kumar Kohli, hkkohli0745@gmail.com, my Facebook friend and an ardent lover of birds and an expert bird photographer provided me with the photos of birds attached below. He must have spent hours and days patiently to photograph these birds. Thanks and congratulations, Harish. Those who are interested to have such photos may contact him. Some birders in India had recorded the sighting of Common Myna, Large-blled Crow, Black Drongo, Asian Koel, Rock Pigeon, Yellow-billed Babbler, Red-vented Bulbul, White-throated Kingfisher, etc.
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You may see a HEART between the two necks ! |
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Harish Kumar Kohli, who photographed the above birds. He is my acquaintance. The following is what I posted on my FACEBOOK page: "Happy WORLD SPARROW DAY 'THE DEVOTIONAL SPARROW !!! ... Oct 17, 2018 When our staff member Suresh brought it to my notice that for the past 10 days one 'Kuttikiruvi' (sparrow bird) has been sitting almost continuously on the leaf stalk of a plant in front of a graphical depiction of 'Vinayagar' god crafted on a granite slab at the entrance of our hospital (see the photos), I went out and took a photo of the bird. It didn't fly away even when we went close to it as though it was waiting to be photographed ! We bought this 'Vinayagar' piece with a facility for water to continuously trickle down its surface more for its artistic and aesthetic appeal. The 'Indian House Sparrow' (Passer domesticus indicus) is rarely seen far away from human habitat. Like dogs, the sparrows like to be in the company of people. But the little lovely sparrow has been disappearing from the towns and cities due to lack of safe nesting sites in the concrete jungles. Modernity made it exit. As nesting facility is the key for getting back sparrows, 'Nest Boxes' were distributed on the WORLD SPARROW DAY (March 20). In our schooldays, it was a regular sight to see sparrows pecking at their image from in front of wall mirrors in our homes. Nowadays, we don't see them in our houses. Until January 5, 2012 (when the window of my chamber was replaced by a wall), birds used to peck at the window glass shutters of my chamber. Their nests used to be in the hanging pots dangling just outside the window. Beyond the window was an exotic piece of garden. And what is a garden without birds ? Birds add life to the garden, and by extension, our life. And what is a living place without a garden ? To see more images of birds, click on: http://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/20…/…/birds-and-drugs.html Dr. T. Rama Prasad, Website: www.rama-scibbles.com & Twitter: @DrRamaprasadt ,
'PAY WHAT YOU CAN’ Clinic, Perundurai, Erode Dt., TN, India., Former Medical Superintendent (Special), RTS & IRT Perundurai Medical College and Research Centre, Perundurai " |
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A BAYA weaver building its nest attached to a live electricity cable in Salem -- Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayan, The Hindu, July29, 2018. How can the bird do it without a well-developed brain and equipment ? With all that can we do that job ? |
DICLOFENAC and VULTURES
Diclofenac is a drug which is widely used for joint pains. People go on using the drug through self-medication for long periods leading to serious side effects. Vultures (a kind of birds, feeding chiefly on carrion) benefit humans by eating away infectious dead bodies of animals and by reducing terrestrial scavenger animals like feral dogs and rats, thus reducing our disease burden from anthrax, brucellosis, tuberculosis, rabies, distemper and some other zoonotic diseases. Through the birds' activity we save human life and billions of rupees naturally. They breed only once a year and lay only one egg. They are mostly seen in Tamil Nadu in Satyamagalam, Masinagudi and Moyar regions, and they are critically endangered.
There has been a 90% decline in the population of vultures which the researches say has been chiefly due to the drug 'diclofenac' and partly due to pesticides. Diclofenac is present in the dead bodies of animals which were administered this drug before their death. Vultures, which are very sensitive to this drug (but not to dangerous microbes in the putrefying dead bodies), die when they eat the carcasses. Though veterinary preparations of diclofenac are banned in India, human diclofenac preparations are said to be often used instead. The Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre (VCBC) is making efforts to breed and propagate vultures. For more information on this subject, go to: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/assams-rare-captive-bred-vultures-face-a-drug-problem/article23343814.ece .
The Drugs Technical Advisory Board proposed a ban on veterinary use of Ketoprofen and Aceclofenac in June 2023 and The Central government of India banned the two drugs for veterinary use in August 2023 as part of an exercise to save vulture birds.
DANGEROUS DRUGS
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| Slender-billed vulture |
DANGEROUS DRUGS
Excessive use of diclofenac may cause kidney failure in human beings. In India, too many drugs are taken unnecessarily including antibiotics, pain killers and steroids, with or without prescription. Drugs may be dangerous. Many diseases and organ failures are attributable to use and misuse of drugs. In India, self-administration of drugs (by buying them over-the-counter without seeing a doctor) is a cause for various ailments. Drugs which we consider safe today may be proved to be dangerous after some time. Authorities banned some drugs like Vioxx, Zelnorm and Baycol which were thought, with scientific evidence, to be ‘most effective and least toxic’ a decade ago . Often, the “pro-industry ‘paid’ cacophony” overshadows reports of adverse reactions.
A huge number of drugs like ‘glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP-1) analogues and dipeptidylpeptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors for diabetes and Depo-provera for contraception which may make one vulnerable for fractures are introduced into the market which are well validated regarding 'surrogate outcomes’ but not about ‘real-world outcomes’.
Most drugs have mild side effects. Some may have dangerous ill effects – cardiac arrest to cancer. Penicillin may cause itching or even death. The diabetic drug, Avandia or Actos may lead to heart attack or stroke. Accutane and some anti-depressants are linked to suicides. Lipitor, a commonly prescribed anti-cholesterol drug is held responsible for muscle pain and loss of muscle coordination. Testosterone replacement therapy with AndroGel may double the risk of heart attack. Painkiller, Vioxx and the drug, Risperdal used in Alzheimer’s disease are linked to stroke. Tamoxifen, a drug used in breast cancer patients was found to increase the risk of uterine cancer. The anti-diabetic drug, Actos may increase the risk of bladder cancer by 80 per cent. Some drugs produce clots and some promote bleeding causing brain damage or heart problems. Many elderly patients had their bones broken due to falls indirectly caused by the side effect of giddiness.
Apart from the common side effects like nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, loose stools, constipation, drowsiness, skin rashes, head ache, ill effects related to vital organs like brain, heart, kidney, liver, etc. cause lot of concern. Rosiglitazone, a drug used in diabetes, was banned in India. Troglitazone, Sibutramine, Rimonabant and several other drugs were on the lists of banned drugs. Psychological disturbances are an added issue. Dexfenfluramine (Redux), one of the two drugs in the combination known as Fen-phen, recommended for weight reduction, was approved in 1996 and later banned in 1997 because it caused major heart valve damage and pulmonary hypertension in thousands of patients and also killed many.
There are more, and many more ... time constraint draws the curtains on further expedition into this subject.
BIRDS, animals & DRUGS
Periodically, advisories are issued to farmers not to use drugs to enhance yield from chicken and cattle. The antibiotics used for this purpose have already caused an alarming rise in drug resistance with dangerous consequences to birds, livestock and human beings as well.
WEIRD, WHACKY and WOW
A hole developed in the wing of an aircraft when a bird hit the plane ! Don't believe ? I too didn't until I read the news report. An AIR ARABIA flight (Sharjah - C9 413 - A320) was grounded at Coimbatore when it developed a hole after a 'bird-hit' in October 2017 -- a small bird injured a big bird ! Around airports, the birds are scared away by ZON guns.
PARROT FEVER
This is also known as Ornithosis, Psittacosis or Avian chlamydiosis which is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia psittaci which spreads to humans by infected birds in the parrot family like parrots, macaws, budgerigars and cocktails. Symptoms range from mild cough, fever and breathing difficulty to very serious pneumonia (lung infection). Teyracycline and doxycycline drugs are used which may cause discolouration of teeth in children. It is a rare disease ... only about 150 cases are reported annually in the US. Until 1966, it was thought to be due to a virus ... and the first pandemic occured in 1929, by Green Amazon Parrot.
Periodically, advisories are issued to farmers not to use drugs to enhance yield from chicken and cattle. The antibiotics used for this purpose have already caused an alarming rise in drug resistance with dangerous consequences to birds, livestock and human beings as well.
WEIRD, WHACKY and WOW
A hole developed in the wing of an aircraft when a bird hit the plane ! Don't believe ? I too didn't until I read the news report. An AIR ARABIA flight (Sharjah - C9 413 - A320) was grounded at Coimbatore when it developed a hole after a 'bird-hit' in October 2017 -- a small bird injured a big bird ! Around airports, the birds are scared away by ZON guns.
PARROT FEVER
This is also known as Ornithosis, Psittacosis or Avian chlamydiosis which is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia psittaci which spreads to humans by infected birds in the parrot family like parrots, macaws, budgerigars and cocktails. Symptoms range from mild cough, fever and breathing difficulty to very serious pneumonia (lung infection). Teyracycline and doxycycline drugs are used which may cause discolouration of teeth in children. It is a rare disease ... only about 150 cases are reported annually in the US. Until 1966, it was thought to be due to a virus ... and the first pandemic occured in 1929, by Green Amazon Parrot.
Dr. T. Rama Prasad,
http://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com , 'Pay what you can' Clinic, Perundurai, Erode Dt., TN, India., Former Medical Superintendent (Special), RTS & IRT Perundurai Medical College and Research Centre.
http://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com , 'Pay what you can' Clinic, Perundurai, Erode Dt., TN, India., Former Medical Superintendent (Special), RTS & IRT Perundurai Medical College and Research Centre.
Hope the embroidery done by your grand daughter varsha.. correct sir!!
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