Amid Cholera Outbreak in Haiti, Fear and Misery

There is an epidemic of cholera in Haiti.

In Haiti, scores of children and adults are doubled over or stretched out on every available surface, racked by convulsive stomach disorder or limp with dehydration. Buckets sit by their sides, intravenous solutions drip into their arms. Life hangs in the balance, yet there is a sober, almost eerie calm.

However, indeed, treatment is rescuing more than 90 percent of those who get to a clinic, and that is why health officials concentrated Monday on bolstering local hospitals and erecting cholera centers throughout the Artibonite region. This is, for the moment, the area of high infection where the bacteria must be aggressively attacked before it spreads. 

 International health officials stressed that the pattern of the outbreak was almost impossible to predict. But Monday was a relatively good day: only six cholera deaths were registered in a 24-hour period. More than 200 died of the acute bacterial infection in the epidemic’s first few days. The known death toll stands at 259, with more than 3,000 cases, all but 450 or so in the Artibonite area.

Many people are suffering from cholera by drinking dirty water. For example, Herese Vanal, a cholera patient, had probably been infected by drinking from the Artibonite River, which is the water supply for their community and is now believed to be contaminated by cholera. People there stopped drinking that as soon as people started dying.

Yesterday, I had a class about public hygiene and learned about infectious disease, so I was interested in this article. Cholera is a disease due to vibrio cholerae. When you drink dirty drink, you will suffer from it. It is prevalent in Southeast Asia mainly. In Japan, almost all cholera patients get the virus when they travel foreign country. But, antibiotic is available for the disease. Its symptoms are mainly diarrhea and dehydration.

Now Japan is suffering from depression and the other countries like China becomes rich, so some people Japan is not good today. However, when I read this article, I strongly felt that Japan is still very happy country. We Japanese all have many thing including clean clothes, notebooks, and pencils. We can also drink clean water and eat safe food. When we catch a cold, we can see a doctor at once. It is no wonder that Japanese people live “normal” life.

However, people in Haiti can not live in clean environment. If waterworks properly works, there is little infectious disease like cholera. Also, if there is a good education system, they will have knowledge to cope with disease. This is because I have heard that people who are not educated do not know how to prevent disease.

 I think that developed countries like Japan should help developing countries aggressively. With the medical technique of Japan, many people suffering from infectious disease can be helped. It is duty for advanced countries.

Deborah Sontag. “Amid Cholera Outbreak in Haiti, Fear and Misery”

New York Times 25 Oct.2010 : n.pag. 27 Oct. 2010 .

Toddlers' Favorite Toy: The iPhone

 The iPhone has revolutionized telecommunications. It has also become the most effective tool in human history to mollify a fussy toddler.

 Some toddlers are so absorbed in iPhone that their parents got serious about the phone.

 For example, Kelsey, now barely two years old, always wants the phone. She cries for it. In addition, Beady Hotz, who will be two at the end of this month, watched “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” show (via YouTube) on the little iPhone screen, strapped into the car for the 15-minute ride to day care. But trouble began. Brady wanted to stay in his seat with the iPhone.

 Apple, the iPhone’s designer and manufacturer, has built its success on machines so simple and intuitive that even technologically befuddled adults can figure out how to work them, so it makes sense that sophisticated children would follow.

 Many iPhone apps on the market are aimed directly at preschoolers, many of them labeled “educational.”

However, along with fears about dropping damage, many parents sharing iPhones with their young ones feel nagging guilt. They wonder whether it is indeed an educational tool, or a passive amusement like television. The American Academy of Pediatrics has long advised parents not to let their children watch any TV until they are past their second birthday.

 When I read this article, I was surprised that many parents made use of iPhone to mollify a fussy toddler. I have heard that some parents use TV as a babysitter because it can keep them quiet. But, I do not think that iPhone can mollify toddlers.

But, is it OK for toddlers to use iPhone as a babysitter? I think it is not good for them for some reasons.

First of all, toddlers should play with their friends instead of using iPhone inside their house. When they use iPhone, they will feel fun. This is because it is new tool. Also, tapping a picture on the screen of iPhone and something happens! However, they can’t communicate with kids when they make use of iPhone apps. I think children should play with their friends as much as possible to develop their communication skill.

And, they should be interacted with a puzzle or digging in the dirt- anything that is active.

Secondly, iPhone may injure toddlers’ health. For example, if they always use iPhone, they will have poor eyesight. In addition to that, when they use the phone, they only tap the screen. So, they can not develop their muscles. Plunking them in front of the screen to keep them quiet not only discourage them from exercising the brain but stop them exercising their bodies, helping to create the young with a tendency to obesity.

To sum up, it is true that iPhone is a fun tool even for a toddler because there are apps aimed directly at preschooler, but I believe that toddlers should play outside with their friends to develop communication skill and be healthy.

3 Share Nobel in Chemistry for Work on Synthesizing Molecules

Three scientists, Richard F. Heck, a retired professor of Delaware, Ei-ichi Negishi, a chemistry professor at Purdue University, and Akira Suzuki, a professor at Hokkaido University shared this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing techniques to synthesize complex carbon molecules that have had an enormous impact on the manufacture of medicines and other products.

They made advances in using the metal palladium as a catalyst to link together carbon molecules into larger, more complicated structures. These methods are very revolutionary. They changed industry. With the help of these techniques, we got a lot of new things including medicines and fungicide. They are used almost continually by every major pharmaceutical company on a daily basis, from drug discovery through manufacturing.

The reactions are not only versatile, but also accomplish bond formations that are very difficult to do using any traditional methods.

In 1977, Dr. Negishi used zinc compounds to ease the mingling of carbon atoms on palladium, and two years later, Dr. Suzuki found that boron compounds worked even better. With the palladium catalyst, the compounds can often be produced at lower temperatures with fewer solvents, reducing cost and waste.

It took all the way until 1990 before people really started to realize how great these things were. And then it has just developed very quickly.

Congratulations to the winners!

On October 6, 2010, when I got home, I listened to this Nobel Prize news. I was very surprised at this news! This is because two Japanese scientists won a prize, and one of them, Akira Suzuki is a professor of Hokkaido University. I know many Japanese won Nobel Prize, but I had not thought that a professor of my university won Nobel Prize.

 The next day, I saw some reporters at Hokubu cafeteria, and many students ware talking about this news. Students of Hokkaido University were so excited by this news.

 Not only students, but also professors were excited. My professor of analytical chemistry talked about the news in class. He said, “The techniques are widely used because scientists didn’t take out a patent for them. But, today, university makes much of wealth of knowledge, so now it is unthinkable not to take out a patent….He also said, “I think the committee may appreciate that the techniques brought us a lot of benefit like new cancer medicine. And this news made students think that Nobel Prize is close didn’t it?” I think so, too.

 According Hokkaido newspaper, Akira Suzuki was not rich. But, he studied hard and hard and succeeded. Hearing that, I felt effort was very important, and making effort might change our situation. Although I am a student of pharmaceutical department, I can’t completely understand these techniques yet…However, studying more, I also might do well like Mr. Suzuki, because I belong to the same university of Nobel Prize winner!

To sum up, the news brought Japanese people, especially students of Hokkaido University hope to be active in scientific field world wide and luckily get honorable prize.