THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - August 2, 2018 - Topic 2
The Union Health Ministry’s ban on the retail sale and private manufacture of oxytocin, expected to kick off on September 1, is an extremely
ill-thought-out one. The drug, a synthetic version of a human hormone, is a
life-saver for women. Doctors use it to induce labour in pregnant women and to
stem postpartum bleeding. So critical is its role in maternal health that the
World Health Organization recommends it as the drug of choice in postpartum
haemorrhage. The government’s ban ignores this, and is motivated instead by the
misuse of the hormone in the dairy industry.
Because oxytocin stimulates
lactation in cattle, dairy farmers inject the drug indiscriminately to increase
milk production. This has spawned several unlicensed facilities that
manufacture the drug for veterinary use. It is a problem that needs solving.
But the right approach would have been to strengthen regulation, and crack down
on illegal production. Much is unknown about the ill-effects of oxytocin on
cattle. One of the concerns was that oxytocin leads to infertility in dairy
animals, and some studies show this to be true. It has also been linked to
mastitis, a painful inflammation of the udder. Milk consumers worry about
exposure to it through dairy products. The science behind some of these claims
is unclear. In a Lok Sabha answer in 2015, the National Dairy Research
Institute was quoted as saying there was no evidence that oxytocin led to
infertility. A 2014 study by researchers at the National Institute of Nutrition
concluded that oxytocin content in buffalo milk did not alter with injections.
However, even if the ill-effects of oxytocin are
real, a ban is not the answer. Oxytocin is simply too important to Indian
women, 45,000 of whom die due to causes related to childbirth each year. A parallel
to the situation lies in the misuse of antibiotics in humans and poultry. So
heavily are these drugs used that they are causing deadly bacteria to become
resistant to them. Yet, despite calls for a complete ban on over-the-counter
sale of antibiotics, India has been reluctant to do so. In much of rural India,
more people still die due to a lack of antibiotics than due to
antibiotic-resistance. This has swung the cost-benefit ratio against outright
bans. In oxytocin’s case, if only a single public sector unit manufactures the
drug, as the government plans, this could lead to drug shortages and price
hikes. Karnataka Antibiotics & Pharmaceuticals Limited, the drugmaker
tasked with manufacturing oxytocin, has been asked to cap the price at Rs.16.56
for 1 ml of a five international unit (IU) solution. However, some private
manufacturers were selling it for Rs.4 until now. Monopolising production
will remove the low-price options from the market. Such a situation may benefit
cattle, but will put the lives of many women at risk.
Vocabulary
Synthetic: made
by chemical synthesis, especially to imitate a natural product.
Example: Synthetic
rubber
Postpartum: following
childbirth or the birth of young.
Indiscriminate: done
at random or without careful judgment.
Example: The
indiscriminate killing of civilians
Synonyms: nonselective, unselective, undiscriminating, uncritical, aimless
Approach: come
near or nearer to someone or something in distance.
Example: The
train approached the main line
Synonyms: move
toward, come/go toward, advance toward, inch toward
Inflammation: a
localized physical condition in which part of the body becomes reddened,
swollen, hot, and often painful, especially as a reaction to injury or
infection.
Example: Chronic
inflammation of the nasal cavities
Synonyms: swelling, puffiness, redness, rawness, soreness, tenderness, infection, festering
Content: in a
state of peaceful happiness.
Example: He
seemed more content, less bitter
Synonyms: contented, satisfied, pleased, gratified, fulfilled, happy, cheerful
Resistant: offering
resistance to something or someone.
Example: Some
of the old churches are resistant to change
Synonyms: impervious
to, unsusceptible to, immune, invulnerable to, proof
against
Outright: immediately.
Example: The
impact killed four horses outright
Synonyms: instantly, instantaneously, immediately, at
once, straightaway
Situation: a
set of circumstances in which one finds oneself
Example: The
situation between her and Jake had come to a head
Synonyms: circumstances, state
of affairs, state, condition
