Debolina is a filmmaker. She was a smoker. Fresh out of a film and television institute, for the 23-year-old it was a dream come true when she joined as a trainee in a leading advertising agency.

Talented and dedicated, she caught the eye of a renowned producer and was working with her on big projects. Long hours, late nights, outdoor shoots and frequent outstation shoots soon became a part of her life, as did the cigarette.

It was at an after-party on the night of a film release when Debolina lit her first cigarette. Her friends just wanted Debolina to “try it out” and also said that a cigarette once in a while wouldn’t do any harm.
That is how it happened. Once-in-a-while soon became a pack a day and then up to three packs a day and without even realizing Debolina was hooked. The urge to smoke never left her and her mind refused to focus without the nicotine kick of a cigarette. Debolina climbed the career ladder fast but the cigarette was a constant companion in her journey.

She met Rajat, a singer, during an outstation shoot. Taking an instant liking to each other, they kept in touch, often collaborated on assignments, became romantically involved and soon got married. Debolina was 29 when she first conceived.

On her visit to the Gynaecologist, the Doctor warned her that her habit of smoking was likely to cause harm to her baby. Although Debolina tried quitting, it didn’t work in her favour. She found it impossible
to concentrate on her work without it and was also experiencing withdrawal symptoms like headaches and anxiety. Ignoring the Doctor’s warnings, she resumed smoking.

Debolina’s world fell apart when she miscarried. A devastated and repentant Debolina now realized the harm she had caused herself. She promised herself to give up smoking and with constant support from
her husband and some close friends, she got past the phase and the cravings slowly stopped returning.

• Nearly four years later Debolina conceived again and this time she strictly followed the Doctor’s instructions and delivered a healthy baby girl. Today Debolina can proudly claim to be a non-smoker. If Debolina’s story reminds you of your own habit of smoking which you are perhaps trying to quit or want to, here are some tips that can help you:
• Let your friends and family know that you plan to quit smoking and tell them that you need their support and encouragement to stop
• Anticipate and plan for the challenges you are likely to encounter while quitting
• Remove cigarettes and other tobacco products from your home, car, and work desk
• Talk to your doctor about getting help to quit as he/she can prescribe medication/therapy to help with withdrawal symptoms
• If you slip up, don’t feel demotivated. It doesn’t mean you can’t quit for good

Follow these and soon you too will be able to proudly call yourself a non-smoker .

The government is all set to curb restrictions but the pandemic is not over yet! Be sure to follow these tips to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.

Read more in Bengali

লকডাউনের প্রায় দু’মাস পেরিয়ে গিয়েছে। আর করোনা-আক্রান্তের সংখ্যাও দেড় লক্ষ ছাড়িয়েছে। এ দিকে ঘরে ফেরানো হচ্ছে পরিযায়ী শ্রমিকদেরও। আর এর মধ্যেই লকডাউন আদৌ উঠবে কি না, তা নিয়ে শুরু হয়েছে বিস্তর জল্পনা। তবে বহু জায়গায় লকডাউন শিথিল করা হচ্ছে। ইতিমধ্যেই খুলে গিয়েছে কলকাতার কিছু সরকারি-বেসরকারি অফিস। খুলেছে কিছু কিছু দোকানপাট এমনকী সেলুন-পার্লারও। নির্দেশিকা মেনে চালু হয়েছে যানবাহনও। তবে লোকাল ট্রেন কবে চলবে, তা স্পষ্ট নয়। এই অবস্থায় যাঁদের কাজে বেরোতে হচ্ছে, তাঁদের সচেতন ও সতর্ক থাকতে হবে। তাই জেনে নিন, কী কী সতর্কতা অবলম্বন করবেন?

এই পরিস্থিতিতে যা যা করণীয়:
১। বাইরে বেরোলে মাস্ক পরা আবশ্যিক। 
২। বাইরে সব সময় সাবান-জল দিয়ে হাত ধোওয়া সম্ভব হবে না, তাই হ্যান্ডব্যাগে সব সময় স্যানিটাইজার রাখুন।
৩। গন্তব্যে পৌঁছে সাবান ও জল দিয়ে হাত ধুয়ে নিন। আর অফিসে থাকাকালীন বারবার হাত ধুতে হবে।
৪। অনেক দিন বাদে বন্ধুদের সঙ্গে দেখা হবে। ফলে আবেগের বশে বন্ধু বা সহকর্মীদের জড়িয়ে ধরবেন না।
৫। অফিসে ও অন্যান্য জায়গায় সামাজিক দূরত্ব বজায় রাখুন। অর্থাৎ এক-একটি চেয়ারের মাঝে যেন নির্দিষ্ট দূরত্ব থাকে।
৬। বাইরে থাকাকালীন মাস্ক পরে থাকুন। মাথাও ঢেকে নিন।
৭। কাউকে অভিবাদন জানাতে হলে হাত না মিলিয়ে বা করমর্দন না করে নমস্কার করুন।
৮। মোবাইল, কম্পিউটার আর কি-বোর্ড স্যানিটাইজ করুন।
৯। অফিসে নিজের চেয়ার আর ডেস্ক পরিষ্কার রাখুন। 
১০। অফিস গেলে বা বাইরে বেরোলে কাপড়ের ব্যাগ নিন, যাতে বাড়ি ফিরে সেটা ধুয়ে নিতে পারেন।
১১। কোথাও থেকে বাড়ি ফিরে পরনের জামাকাপড় কেচে দিন এবং নিজেও স্নান করে ফেলুন।
১২। হাঁচি-কাশির সময় কনুইয়ের ভাঁজে নাক-মুখে চাপা দিন, যাতে ড্রপলেটস এ-দিক ও-দিক ছড়িয়ে না পড়ে।
১৩। হাতের গয়না (আংটি, চুড়ি ব্রেসলেট) ও ঘড়ি না পরাই ভাল।
১৪। শরীর খারাপ থাকলে অথবা জ্বর এলে বাইরে বেরোবেন না। 
১৫। খবর দেখে মন মেজাজ খারাপ হয়ে যায়। তাই ওসব এড়িয়ে চলুন এবং ভাল ভাল কথা চিন্তা করুন।
১৬। সরকারের জারি করা নির্দেশিকা মেনে চলুন।

উপরোক্ত এই নিয়মগুলি মেনে চলে নিজে সুস্থ থাকুন এবং অন্যকেও সুস্থ রাখুন। মনে রাখবেন, লকডাউন শিথিল হচ্ছে মানে বিপদ কেটে গিয়েছে, এমনটা কিন্তু একেবারেই নয়। আগামী দিনে যতক্ষণ না কোনও ভ্যাকসিন আবিষ্কার হচ্ছে, ততক্ষণ এই করোনা ভাইরাস নিয়েই আমাদের চলতে হবে। তাই সচেতন হোন আর নিরাপদ থাকুন। 

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood currently affecting an estimated 6.1 million children under 18 years. The chronic condition affects airways resulting in wheezing and making it hard to breathe. Several factors can cause irritation in the airways, such as allergies, cold air, chemicals in the air, exercise, the common cold, or even stress.

Childhood asthma isn’t different from asthma in adults, but children face unique challenges. Unfortunately, childhood asthma cannot be cured, and symptoms can continue into adulthood. But with the right treatment, your child can keep symptoms under control and prevent damage to growing lungs.

Common Symptoms of Childhood Asthma

Common childhood asthma symptoms include:

• Frequent coughing that worsens with a viral infection, especially when your child is asleep or exercises or is exposed to cold air
• A whistling or wheezing sound when breathing out
• Shortness of breath
• Chest congestion or tightness

Childhood asthma may also cause:

• Trouble sleeping due to shortness of breath
• Bouts of coughing or wheezing that worsens with a cold or flu
• Delayed recovery or bronchitis, especially after a respiratory infection
• Troubled breathing
• Fatigue

Asthma symptoms vary from child to child and can get worse or better with time. Your child may have just one indication, such as chest congestion or lingering cough.

Three Things You May Not Know about Childhood Asthma

Here are three things you might not know about childhood asthma.

1. Asthma Symptoms Can Come and Go

Many times, I’ve had parents say that their child doesn’t have asthma because they don’t or hardly ever wheeze. It is possible — common, even — to wheeze with a severe cold or lung infection and not have asthma. But if that happens a couple of times or more than that, then it’s most likely asthma.

It is understandable to want to dodge the diagnosis — who wants their children to have a chronic disease? But it is important to make the diagnosis because that way parents can be watchful and figure out what triggers a child’s symptoms. Once we are aware of the triggers and can tell from the signs that an asthma attack is about to begin, there is a lot we can do to help the child.

We can avoid triggers, like by staying away from cats. We can manage the triggers, like by wearing a scarf over the mouth and nose in cold weather, or by using an inhaler before exercising. We can be sure they get a flu shot, as influenza can make children with asthma very sick.

The goal is always to help children with asthma lead the healthiest, most normal lives possible. We can’t do that if the diagnosis remains incomplete.

2. Your Child Can Have Asthma Without You Hearing a Wheeze

The wheezing is often not obvious; you may need trained ears or a stethoscope to hear it. Some children with asthma don’t wheeze at all: they just cough. Coughing is one of the main symptoms of asthma in most cases. It’s how the child’s body tries to get and keep the airway tubes open.

There are, however, plenty of other reasons why children cough. The common cold and postnasal drip from allergies are the common reasons behind them coughing. But if your child coughs frequently at night or after exercising, suffers from a nagging dry cough, or gets a bad, lingering cough with cold, you must consult a doctor as it could be asthma.

3. Asthma Is Treatable

As mentioned above, what we most want is for children with asthma to lead normal, healthy lives. And here’s the truth: we can make that happen. We can both prevent and manage triggers and use medications to relieve symptoms.

A steroid inhaler or preventative medication, used every day or during periods when asthma is worse or might get worse, makes all the difference in most cases. While some parents get nervous when they think of giving steroids to their children, the dose is usually low — and while some parents may find daily medications challenging, there are several strategies to make it work. For many children, preventative medication can make a big difference between wheezing all the time and not wheezing at all.

Treatment for Childhood Asthma

Consult a doctor to set your child on the right track with an action plan with treatment goals tailored for your child. With the right treatment, your child can sleep through the night, avoid missing school, and breathe more easily. The treatment plan will help determine when your child’s asthma is under control, when you need to change medicines, or when emergency help is required.

Your child’s treatment will depend on the frequency and severity of symptoms. To deal with childhood asthma, your doctor may prescribe two types of medicines:

• Quick relief: Any child who has asthma needs a quick-relief medicine to treat coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath, or unforeseen asthma attack. This medicine – typically an inhaler – is always asked to be kept with a child for use at the first sign of symptoms
• Long-term control: This type of medicine is needed by some children to treat inflammation of the airways. In long-term control, asthma medications are taken daily to prevent symptoms and attacks

Childhood Asthma and Coronavirus

Children diagnosed with asthma are at higher risk for succumbing to COVID-19, even though their symptoms may not be as severe as those of adults. Parents and caregivers can reduce chances of exposing their children with asthma to the virus by preventing asthma attacks that are likely to lead to hospitalization. And although asthma symptoms vary from one child to another, most symptoms can be controlled using proper preventative techniques.

Because families are mandated to stay at home, households are busier and more crowded than usual. To maintain a healthy home, keep in mind the following:

• Do not clean if your children are in the same room and do not use harsh chemicals
• Use green products for cleaning or look for combinations that include chemically-safe products
• Dust your home using a damp towel to prevent dust from dispersing into the air
• Open the windows to ventilate the house
• When cooking, turn on the stove vent to decrease indoor air pollution
• If using a printer frequently, open a window to ventilate the room. Printers contribute to indoor air pollution
• Ensure that all asthma medications are stocked up as needed
• Ask if your physician offers online or telephone appointments to avoid going to doctor’s offices or hospitals

Asthma attacks are a startling experience for many. Now, more than ever, it’s imperative that parents keep their children’s asthma symptoms controlled to reduce risk of exposure to COVID-19.

When to Seek Emergency Treatment

In severe cases, you may see your child’s chest and sides pulling inward as he or she struggles to breathe. Your child might have an increased heartbeat, sweating, and chest pain. Seek emergency care if your child:

• Has to stop in midsentence to catch a breath
• Is using abdominal muscles to breathe
• Has widened nostrils when inhaling

Even if your child has not yet been diagnosed with asthma, seek medical help immediately if he/she has trouble breathing. Although episodes of asthma vary in severity, asthma attacks can start with coughing, which usually progresses to labored breathing and wheezing.