In a bid to bring the oft neglected condition of altitude sickness into focus, a one-day conference on "Mountain Medicine: Sharing the South Asian Experience" was held recently in capital. Doctors from Nepal, India, Pakistan and other countries participated in the meeting. The conference, organized by the BP Koirala India-Nepal Foundation in association with the Mountain Medicine Society of Nepal and the Himalayan Rescue Association of Nepal, discussed the causes of the sickness and sickness management methods. High-altitude illness, the collective term for acute mountain sickness (AMS), high-altitude cerebral oedema (HACE), and high-altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE), is mainly caused by a lack of oxygen at altitudes above 2500 meters (8000 feet). Headaches, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, double vision and/or sleep disturbance are some of the symptoms of high-altitude illness. Medical experts warn that delay in treatment of AMS may lead to coma and even to death by brain herniation. According to a survey, 50 percent of the trekkers who walk for five or more days at altitudes above 4,000 meters around the Mount Everest region develop AMS. Another survey conducted among children aged from three to fifteen years around the Gosaikunda area revealed that 47.2 percent were prone to AMS.

OTHER NEWS

• Police raid massage parlors, arrest 31: Police from Sorhakhutte Ward Office recently raided eight massage parlors in Thamel, the capital's tourist hub, and arrested 17 masseur girls and ten "clients" including an Indian, while they were being "involved in immoral activities". Four proprietors of these centers have also been nabbed. According to Inspector Ashok Singh, they made the arrests acting upon the many complaints filed in the ward police office as well as recent news reports on "open illegal sexual activities in massage parlors of Thamel". The arrested girls are 20-25 years of age whereas the men are aged between 25-30 years, Inspector Singh added. Singh said that the police took the step recently as the massage centers did not pay heed to their repeated warnings to the owners to "regulate" the centers.
  
  
• Nepali products at UAE's Shoppers' Paradise: During times when new business opportunities inside the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal appear elusive, a shopping festival of global repute might just be the thing for Nepali entrepreneurs. And what more could they ask for if the festival is held in a region that produces nothing but oil. Dubai Shopping Festival 2005 could be a major gateway for Nepali products in the Gulf.
  
  
• Nepali children not fully immunized against measles: A child needs one shot of measles vaccine before his first birthday and then a booster dose after three years before he starts schooling, but in Nepal they get only one dose. And even this is not available to 25 per cent of the children. What makes the situation grim for children is that lack of this vaccine makes them vulnerable not only to measles but also easy prey to diarrhea, pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain).
  A majority of the children who die of these diseases fall between the ages of nine months and 15 years.
  
  
• Tourism achievers honored: Association for Tourism (AT) today honored Nima Nuru Sherpa, Bharat Basnet and Shyam Sundar Lal Kachchyapati for their commendable contributions to the tourism sector. Minister for Law, Justice and Parliament Tek Bahadur Chokhyal handed a certificate of appreciation to each of them at a function organized here today. Speaking on the occasion, Minister Chokhyal lauded tourism for becoming one of the country's major foreign currency earners and said that the sector's promotion is vital to boost the national economy.
  
  
• 9 more airlines seek operating licenses: In a major boost to the aviation sector, nine airlines have approached the government seeking air-operating licenses for the domestic sectors. Talking to the Post, Medini Sharma, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) said that those seeking licenses include both previously operating airlines operators and new ones. Shraddha Airways, Ampro Airways, Om Airways, Nepal Airlines, Agni Air, Bholar Helicopter, Gurans Air, Base Air and Blue Sky Paragliding are the eight companies that have approached the government applying for licenses.
  
  
  

By Hari Shrestha, Resident Representative in Kathmandu