World AIDS Day is observed on December 1 every year to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and show solidarity with those affected by the disease. The day serves as a platform for organizations worldwide to unite, remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS-related illnesses, and advocate for continued progress in HIV prevention, treatment, and care. Their awareness campaigns aim to educate the public, reduce stigma around the condition, and call for global action in the ongoing fight against the epidemic.

AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is the final stage of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection. HIV attacks and destroys CD4 cells, a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight any infection. This makes it harder for the body to fight off infections, illnesses, and certain cancers, eventually leading to death in many cases.

Significance Of World AIDS Day 2024

Raising awareness about HIV/AIDS is more crucial than ever, as the virus remains incurable, but manageable through proper knowledge and treatment. In many rural and underserved regions, there is still a lack of awareness, which contributes to the continued spread of HIV. With advancements in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, people living with HIV can now lead long, healthy lives.

For instance, in India alone, 66,400 new cases were reported in 2023. Globally, 13 lakh people were newly infected in 2023, showing a significant decline of 39% from 2010. Despite these improvements, HIV remains a global health threat, with 6.5 lakh people dying from AIDS-related diseases in 2021.

According to UNAIDS, by the end of 2021, approximately 85% of people living with HIV knew their status, a major milestone in the fight against the virus. At the same time, 75% of HIV patients had access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), a crucial treatment that helps manage the virus and prevent transmission.

However, there is still much work to be done, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where the majority of those affected by HIV live. Education and awareness campaigns continue to play a significant role in expanding access to healthcare and reducing the stigma associated with HIV.

Success Of HIV AIDS Campaign

Since the establishment of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) in India, the country has seen a significant decline in AIDS-related deaths, with an 82% reduction in mortality since 2010.

However, new infections have decreased by only 48%, highlighting the need for more education and awareness amongst communities . On a global scale, the impact of awareness campaigns is evident, as new HIV cases have decreased by 32% since 2010, and AIDS-related deaths have dropped by 68% since 2004.

Theme Of World AIDS Day 2024

Theme for World AIDS Day 2024, 'Take the Rights Path,' highlights the critical role of human rights in the fight against HIV/AIDS. It calls for the removal of social and legal barriers that prevent people living with HIV from accessing healthcare, support, and treatment. An estimated 1.3 million people acquired HIV in 2023 while an estimated 39.9 million people were living with HIV globally, as per World Health Organization (WHO). But there is still hope that it will end one day. "The world can end AIDS – if everyone's rights are protected. With human rights at the centre, with communities in the lead, the world can end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030," WHO wrote on its website.

If you've heard the chatter about weight loss jabs and injections like Ozempic showing up in pediatrics, you're not alone — and you're likely full of questions. Are they safe for kids? Are they really effective? Or are we rushing into something without knowing the risks?

While childhood obesity rates continue to rise in the U.S., parents and doctors are looking at all possible ways to help kids with weight issues and that now includes GLP-1 receptor agonists, a type of medication first developed for adults with type 2 diabetes. Before making assumptions, though, it's worth taking a closer look at what the latest studies actually report about prescribing these medications to children and adolescents.

Childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels worldwide, threatening the health of millions of young lives. With conventional interventions proving to be of limited value, the question on everyone's mind is: might highly effective weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic (semaglutide) be a safe option for children? As researchers investigate this potential, a heated controversy has erupted, balancing the promise of pharmacological intervention against its deep uncertainties.

Rates of obesity among youth have risen astronomically in the last several decades. Since 1975, global rates of obesity have increased threefold, while childhood and adolescent rates have risen nearly fivefold, as reported by the World Health Organization. In the United States alone, close to 20% of children aged under 18 have obesity—a condition that has been linked with a plethora of lifetime health dangers, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and severe mental illness.

Likewise, in the UK, data from the NHS in 2022 reported that 15% of children aged between 2 and 15 were considered obese. If not treated, projections by the World Obesity Federation estimate that 250 million children worldwide may be suffering from obesity by 2030. It's not only medical but also economic—lifetime healthcare expenses for addressing childhood obesity in the U.S. can be as much as $20,000 more than their healthy-weight peers.

Is It Safe or Just a Quick Fix for Kids?

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists such as Ozempic and Wegovy have transformed the treatment of adult obesity. These drugs simulate a natural hormone that slows down gastric emptying, enhances sensations of fullness, and suppresses appetite. In adults, GLP-1 treatments have shown impressive advantages not just for weight loss but also for diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even Alzheimer's disease, potentially.

As a result of their success in adults, researchers have been looking to see if such benefits can translate to children. A landmark study in 2022 in the New England Journal of Medicine enrolled 201 teens between the ages of 12 and 17. Following 68 weeks of once-weekly injections of semaglutide plus lifestyle intervention, 62% of those enrolled lost at least 10% of their weight, whereas only 8% of those receiving a placebo did. More than half had lost 15% or more of their weight, highlighting the efficacy of the drug.

Worried About Side Effects?

It is to be expected that parents would worry about adding medications such as GLP-1 agonists — including Ozempic — to their child's treatment regimen. Recent research has determined that while GLP-1 injections are very effective in helping adolescents who have obesity lose weight, they do have side effects. The most often reported are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Fatigue and dizziness are also experienced by some children as their body adapts to the medication.

Studies in medical literature point out that although these side effects are usually tolerable, the long-term effect of GLP-1 administration in young, developing bodies is still under assessment. Clinical trials to date indicate that the majority of side effects are mild to moderate and decrease over time. Nevertheless, serious but rare risks such as pancreatitis and gallbladder disease have been reported, emphasizing the need for continued medical monitoring.

Official Guidelines for Using GLP-1 Drugs in Children With Obesity

Regulatory agencies are gradually embracing these findings in the wake of this. Ozempic itself is not yet approved for pediatric use, but a higher-dose formulation of semaglutide called Wegovy was approved by the FDA in 2022 for adolescents 12 years and above with obesity.

Canada recently revised its national guidelines, suggesting that children as young as 12 might be candidates for GLP-1 therapies if lifestyle interventions alone are not enough. The new guidelines, developed by more than 50 experts and including feedback from families with obesity, focus on a comprehensive approach: integrating behavioral strategies with pharmacologic or surgical approaches when needed.

Are Weight Loss Injections the Right Choice for Managing Childhood Obesity?

Despite growing enthusiasm, the use of Ozempic in young populations remains highly controversial. Critics argue that the long-term safety of GLP-1 agonists in children is unknown. Studies to date have been limited in scope, largely industry-sponsored, and have not adequately measured potential psychological side effects, including risks of disordered eating and body dissatisfaction.

Youngsters and adolescents are especially at risk. The body changes of adolescence, along with strong social demands, make adolescent weight control tricky. Specialists alert that medicalizing weight loss at this pivotal time of development potentially has unforeseen mental health costs, including increased vulnerability to eating disorders, worry, and despondency.

Additionally, there are no long-term data on the effects of these drugs on growth, hormonal development, or future fertility. In recognition of these uncertainties, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has suggested against the routine use of weight-loss medications in children due to a lack of evidence of long-term safety.

How is Obesity In Kids Treated Currently?

Structured lifestyle interventions—focusing on diet, exercise, and behavioral modification—are currently the first-line management of childhood obesity. They are only abandoned when these prove unsuccessful, and more intrusive measures, such as pharmacotherapy or bariatric surgery, are then sought. Conventional methods have found it difficult to achieve success, though, considering the environmental and socio-economic determinants affecting a child's capacity for a healthy way of living.

Obese adolescents are frequently bullied, stigmatized, and subject to systemic barriers that reinforce their condition. These events not only complicate weight loss but also contribute to severe mental health issues, such as self-injury and suicidal thoughts.

What Pediatricians Want Parents to Know About Ozempic and Childhood Obesity

When managing childhood obesity, pediatricians emphasize that weight loss injections such as Ozempic are not meant to be a magic pill. Specialists highlight that Ozempic is intended to complement not substitute for improved eating habits, more physical activity, and emotional balance.

Pediatricians encourage parents to understand that obesity is a complex, chronic illness that is typically driven by genetics, environment, and behavior. Weight loss shots can be a useful tool for kids with severe obesity, particularly when standard therapies have failed. But physicians warn that unless the underlying causes — including diet, screen time, and mental health — are tackled, the rewards of Ozempic may not last long.

Although GLP-1 receptor agonists represent an exciting new agent for the treatment of pediatric obesity, their introduction should be carefully considered. Physician experts recommend scrupulous selection of patients, thorough counseling, and regular follow-up to confirm that medications form part of an overall supportive plan of care to meet physical as well as psychologic needs.

Additional independent, long-term research is essential to truly appreciate the consequences of prescribing drugs such as Ozempic to children. As the situation continues to change, clinicians, families, and policymakers need to weigh the imperative to treat the obesity epidemic against the moral obligation to protect children's future health.

In the meantime, the application of Ozempic and other such drugs to adolescents is a promising but complicated territory one that requires cautious deliberation, intense study, and an unwavering commitment to placing children's health interests above all else.

Swimmer's itch is a rash caused by an allergic reaction to the larvae of microscopic parasites that are found in both fresh and saltwater. These parasites commonly live in snails, which secrete larvae into the water, per the CDC.

Swimming in contaminated water for even a short period of time can cause swimmer’s itch, and after you come in contact with the larvae, “when the skin dries off, those parasites burrow under people's skin and cause an itchy rash,” says Dr. Christina Boull, MD, an associate professor of dermatology and pediatrics at M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center. Read on to learn what symptoms to look out for and precautions you can take to prevent this uncomfortable summertime rash.

What Is Swimmer's Itch?

You can identify swimmer’s itch, also known as cercarial dermatitis, from the little red dots that appear on your skin after you’ve been exposed to the parasites, Boull says. The rash will likely manifest on skin that was directly exposed to the water as opposed to skin protected by your bathing suit. For this reason, your arms and legs are particularly vulnerable to swimmer’s itch, she says.

These dots typically appear 12 hours after exposure, and over the next day or two, some people may experience a more severe reaction with welts and blisters. “One of the main risk factors of complications from this rash would be a secondary bacterial infection.” If you scratch the rash, there’s a possibility of staph bacteria getting under your skin, leaving your body vulnerable to developing staph infections such as impetigo or cellulitis, she says.

What Can Be Mistaken For Swimmer's Itch?

When it comes to swimming in the ocean, seabather’s eruption is a rash that presents similar symptoms to swimmer’s itch. In terms of identifying whether your rash is swimmer’s itch or sea bather’s eruption, the latter tends to develop under a swimsuit, Boull explains. Comparatively, swimmer’s itch is more likely to appear in areas that are not protected by a swimsuit, she reiterates. Additionally, because swimmer’s itch presents as small red bumps, it is also commonly mistaken as bites caused by small bugs, such as gnats or mosquitoes, Boull says.

How Do You Get Rid Of Swimmer's Itch?

"The good news is that it spontaneously resolves," Boull says. Because people are the preferred hosts of the mites, they don’t live in the skin very long. Typically, the rash and itch significantly improve over the course of a week, although it's possible for it to last as long as three weeks, she says.

To quell the itching of the rash, Boull suggests 1% hydrocortisone, an over the counter topical steroid cream. She also recommends taking an oral antihistamine. In cases of severe itch, prescription oral prednisone and oral cortisone medicines can help relieve itch and inflammation.

If your swimmer’s itch has developed into blistering, open sores, and you’re experiencing fever, it could be signs of a secondary bacterial infection. In this case, it’s essential you see a doctor who can prescribe you oral antibiotics, Boull says.

Does Showering Kill Shower's Itchh?

The parasites that cause swimmer’s itch can only burrow into your skin after you’ve dried off. “So, it's really important after getting out of a lake or areas where you're swimming that would have snails, that you take a towel and really wipe the water off your skin.” Showering after you’ve gotten out of the water can also help prevent the parasites from getting underneath your skin.

Does chlorine damage hair? Here’s how to protect your hair this swim season.

Snails tend to prefer warm, shallow water, so avoiding these areas can limit the possibility of exposure to the parasites. Finally, take note of no-swim zone signs that may indicate whether there are pathogens in the water.

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder characterised by significant disruptions in thought, perception, emotion and social interaction. Classic symptoms of this neurological condition include jumping to conclusions or difficulty adjusting to new information. According to scientists, the symptoms are a result of poor communication between the cerebral cortex and thalamus, which is known as the brain's central switchboard.

Recently, a team of researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine found that the neural pathways of schizophrenics work differently as compared to those without the condition when faced with conflicts in decision making. The discovery was made by measuring brain cell activity between the cerebral cortex and thalamus, as volunteers completed ambiguous tasks.

How Was The Research Performed?

For the research, scientists asked about 40 participants—a mixture of neurotypical individuals and patients with schizophrenia—to correctly choose a target's location based on a sequence of cues. However, the scientists made these cues more or less conflicting. For healthy people, performance was very good even when the conflict was high. But for schizophrenics, there were two different behaviours. They had comparable behaviour to controls when there was little conflict, however, they made many more errors with higher conflict levels, which were tolerated well by controls.

The study is important because over the course of evolution, the human brain has developed a system to make decisions in complicated situations. The prefrontal cortex, specifically the dorsolateral and orbitofrontal areas, is responsible for making decisions. His region integrates information from various brain areas, allows for reasoning and judgment, and ultimately guides decisions that align with our goals and desires.

How Is Brain Impacted During Schizophrenia?

In schizophrenia, the brain experiences structural and chemical changes that disrupt normal thinking, emotions, and behaviour. Research shows that people with schizophrenia often have reduced grey matter volume, particularly in areas involved in memory, emotion, and decision-making, like the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Abnormalities in neurotransmitters, especially dopamine and glutamate, also play a key role, leading to symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and cognitive difficulties. Connectivity between different brain regions may become impaired, affecting the brain's ability to process information smoothly. These changes typically emerge gradually, often beginning in late adolescence or early adulthood, and vary significantly from person to person.

How To Identify Schizophrenia?

Schizotypal Personality Disorder is part of Cluster A personality disorders. Other disorders in this cluster include paranoid personality disorder and schizoid personality disorder. Individuals with this condition struggle with social and interpersonal skills, especially when forming close relationships. This occurs alongside eccentric behaviour and perceptual or cognitive distortions.

According to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition), schizophrenia is diagnosed based on a set of specific symptoms. Here's the list of core symptoms:

• Delusions – strong false beliefs not based in reality (e.g., believing you are being persecuted or have special powers).
• Hallucinations – hearing, seeing, or sensing things that aren't actually there (most commonly auditory hallucinations).
• Disorganised speech – frequent derailment, incoherence, or illogical conversation.
• Grossly disorganised or catatonic behavior – unpredictable agitation, inappropriate behaviour, or lack of movement/responsiveness.
• Negative symptoms – diminished emotional expression, reduced motivation (avolition), reduced speech (alogia), social withdrawal, or inability to experience pleasure (anhedonia).