Right direction but still a long way to go.

The National Family Health Survey 2015-16 has published its findings, which show significant improvement in maternal and child health in the 13 states surveyed so far. Antenatal care is almost 100% and a majority of women are delivering in healthcare facilities. Infant mortality has declined in all states and 60% of all children have been immunised. But the survey throws up some amazing statistics as well. While all states report a decline in fertility rates they also report a decline in the use of contraception. How is that possible? Male fertility has been declining in the west, which has been attributed mainly to the use of plastics in everyday life. Some scientists dispute the fact that sperm counts are declining but Bisphenol A in plastics is said to have estrogen effect. Estrogen is a female sex hormone and so has deleterious effect on male fertility. Since plastic utensils are cheap poor people could be using them instead of glass or steel. Indians are certainly eating better. But they are eating more fats and less protein than before which maybe causing obesity and ill health. This needs research. The other amazing statistic is the sex ratio. The normal sex ratio at birth for humans is 107 boys to 100 girls or 1000 boys per 934 girls. This is because mortality is higher among males because of a higher incidence of severe inherited diseases, like hemophilia and muscular dystrophy, so that the ratio becomes about equal in young adults. But the survey shows that there are 1062 girls per 1000 boys in Bihar, 1018 in Goa, 1033 in Tamil Nadu, 1015 in Uttarakhand and 1011 in Bengal. Only Haryana fails with a ratio of 876 girls per 1000 boys. What is happening in India? Are people aborting boys or is the widespread use of plastics resulting in a natural selection of girls? Very interesting! If the overall health of Indians has increased why are over 50% of children anemic? The survey shows that virtually every household has an improved source of drinking water and sanitation facilities have improved, though no where near desired levels. Perhaps children are suffering from worms which enter human bodies through the feet. Hence, open defecation with walking barefoot results in worm infestation. Perhaps wearing sandals have the same effect because soil comes in contact with feet. A pilot project is running in the Gajapati district of Odisha in which children are fed rice, fortified with iron powder, in their midday meals. Excellent idea. Men normally need 1 mg of iron per day while post adolescent women need 2 mg per day. However, all children in rural areas should be dewormed every 6 months. All it needs is one tablet of Albendazole 400 mg. Surveys are fine but what we need is proper research into what the numbers mean. Else it will be window dressing.