ABSTRACT
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, plastic medical waste poses significant threat to our land, aquatic and atmospheric ecosystems via generation of criteria pollutants (micro/nano plastics and greenhouse gas emissions). Global strategic planning is urgently needed for environmental sustainability coupled with integrated efforts by the governments, industries and academia. Rational utilization of single-use plastic-based PPE with efficient recycling and waste disposal methods should be adopted as interim strategies till more sustainable solutions are designed and implemented. Redesigning plastic production decoupled from fossil fuels, such as Bioplastics, is a way towards sustainable plastic alternatives.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Personal Protective Equipment , COVID-19/prevention & control , Ecosystem , Environmental Pollution , Humans , Pandemics/prevention & controlSubject(s)
Betacoronavirus , Coronavirus Infections/complications , Coronavirus Infections/diagnosis , Pneumonia, Viral/complications , Pneumonia, Viral/diagnosis , Adolescent , Age Factors , COVID-19 , Child , Child, Preschool , Coronavirus Infections/therapy , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/therapy , SARS-CoV-2 , Symptom AssessmentABSTRACT
Congenital Hypothyroidism is one of the most common preventable causes of mental retardation which is highly prevalent in our society due to lack of a national neonatal screening program, lack of education of the parents, increased consanguinity, and lack of suspicion from doctor's leads to delayed diagnosis and an increased incidence of congenital hypothyroidism in our society. This Menace can be easily tackled with a mass neonatal screening program and effective legislation which would make sure that serious efforts are being made to eradicate this preventable disease from Pakistan.
