Research Paper on the Immunity factor in Dhaka

Research done by
N a m e :

S h i f a t h
I D : o f

S h a m s
E E C S

0 8 3 5 7 5 5 4 5

D e p a r t m e n t

Research done for

N a m e :

S a b a h a t
21st A p r i l , o f

J a h a n
8 2 0 1 0

E N G 1 0 5 , D a t e :

S e c t i o n :

D e p a r t m e n t

E n g l i s h

Acknowledgements
Firstly I would like to profusely thank Sabahat Jahan for her help and guidance. Without her help, this project would never have seen completion. My parents, for their vote of confidence, My sister, for motivating me, And specially my friends, who helped me all throughout the project.

Abstract
This research paper contains information gathered on the immunity factor in Dhaka. I set out to find whether or not our population is exposed to a major immunity threat, which I hypothesized that it indeed is. Also I wanted to find out how aware on this problem. Surprisingly, I found out that an additional reason, besides the common well known reasons, to our problem, and that is our own lack of personal health care. My hypothesis was proven correct, through a mixture of both primary and secondary research.

Table of Contents
Page No.

Introduction Background
o o o o o

Definition...................................................... Importance................................................... History.......................................................... Types of Immunity..................................... Nature VS Science.....................................

6 7 7 10 11 19 19 20 21 26 26 27 28

Research Questions........................................... Hypothesis........................................................... Methodology........................................................ Data Presentation and Analysis...................... Summary of Research Findings....................... Conclusion............................................................. Reference............................................................. Appendix...............................................................

Introduction
No man is super human, but we do have the ability to beat almost anything. But when it comes to health care and diseases then we realize how vulnerable we are. Sometimes it takes us so long to understand this, that the time we start taking any action against it, it might be too late. So what happened to our population of Dhaka? With over 12 million people, and around 2000 people entering Dhaka every day, the city is becoming very congested. People come here for better paying jobs and education, but what they dont realize first is where to live and how is their expenditure going to be. On the other hand, the number of public transportation has decreased due to increased case of accidents and fraud drivers license. So, though the population is increasing daily in a major extent, they all have to travel on the limited bus and other public transports available. This is also the reason of increased number of private cars as some people are fed up using and relying on other modes of transportation. Taking the increased population as an advantage, many developer companies have constructed (and still constructing) high-rise buildings promising to tackle the lack of accommodation problem. This increased number of overall transportation and high-rise buildings has increased our citys temperature a lot. The vehicles release heat to the environment and the buildings restrict the flow of wind through the city.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) data shows that the annual average temperature was nearly 25 degrees in 1954 and the graph reached over 26.5 degrees Celsius in 2004. (Sabuktagin, 2006).
This is why Dhaka is now one of the major Urban Heat Islands (UHI) in the entire world. Not only the heat, but other factors like increased quantity of waste, increased consumption of limited drinking water, and most importantly increase in sound pollution is seen due to this increased population. Due to these problems the people are suffocating and suffering, resulting in increased stress, headache, common cold, diarrhea, and other physical problems. These clearly show that our immune system is failing. But most of our population is still not aware of it, and the people who do simply ignore it as they know any initiatives taken for this country by our government ends up in the huge rotting pile of the other initiatives.

We have received the distinction of being "the second worst polluted and unlivable city in the world" by the Economist Intelligence Group but the question is, should we be proud of it?
(Star Weekend Magazine, 2nd March 2010)

Background
Definition
According the renowned source Wikipedia, Immunity is a biological term that describes a state of having sufficient biological defenses to avoid infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion. Immunity involves both specific and non-specific components. The non-specific components act either as barriers or as eliminators of wide range of pathogens irrespective of antigenic specificity. Other components of the immune system adapt themselves to each new disease encountered and are able to generate pathogen-specific immunity. The immune system is a complex system of interactions involving many organs and glands as well as substances such as bone marrow, white blood cells, lymphatic vessels and serum factors in our blood. Our immunity depends on all these components functioning together.

Importance
A healthy, properly functioning immune system is absolutely vital to good health. It is the key to the healing process from the tiniest scratch to the most complex virus. Even the aging process is intimately linked with the immune system. Compromised immunity

leaves us vulnerable to disease and impairs our ability to heal properly and age well. People who have more than 2 or 3 colds or infectious illnesses per year are likely suffering from weakened immunity.

History
The concept of immunity has intrigued mankind for thousands of years. The prehistoric view of disease was that it was caused by supernatural forces, and that illness was a form of the Ugric punishment for bad deeds or evil thoughts visited upon the soul by the gods or by ones enemies. Between the time of Hippocrates and the 19th century, when the foundations of the scientific method were laid, diseases were attributed to an alteration or imbalance in one of the four humors (blood, phlegm, yellow bile or black bile). Also popular during this time was the miasma theory, which held that diseases such as cholera or the Black Plague were caused by a miasma, a noxious form of bad air. If someone were exposed to the miasma, they could get the disease. The modern word immunity derives from the Latin immunis, meaning exemption from military service, tax payments or other public services. The first written descriptions of the concept of immunity may have been made by the Athenian Thucydides who, in 430 BC, described that when the plague hit Athens the sick and

the dying were tended by the pitying care of those who had recovered, because they knew the course of the disease and were themselves free from apprehensions. For no one was ever attacked
a second time, or not with a fatal result. The term immunes, is also found in the epic poem Pharsalia written around 60 B.C. by the poet Marcus Annaeus Lucanus to describe a North African tribes resistance to snake venom. The first clinical description of immunity which arose from a specific disease causing organism is probably Kitab fi al-jadari wa-alhasbah (A Treatise on Smallpox and Measles, translated 1848) written by the Islamic physician Al-Razi in the 9th century. In the treatise, Al Razi describes the clinical presentation of smallpox and measles and goes on to indicate that that exposure to these specific agents confers lasting immunity (although he does not use this term). However, it was with Louis Pasteurs Germ theory of disease that the fledgling science of immunology began to explain how bacteria caused disease, and how, following infection, the human body gained the ability to resist further insults. Immunization, however, had existed in various forms for at least a thousand years. The earliest use of immunization is unknown, however, around 1000 A.D. the Chinese began practicing a form of immunization by drying and inhaling powders derived from the crusts of smallpox lesions. Around the fifteenth century in India, the

Ottoman Empire, and east Africa, the practice of variolation (poking the skin with powdered material derived from smallpox crusts) became quite common. Variolation was introduced to the west in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. In 1796, Edward Jenner introduced the far safer method of inoculation with the cowpox virus, a non-fatal virus that also induced immunity to smallpox. The success and general acceptance of Jenners procedure would later drive the general nature of vaccination developed by Pasteur and others towards the end of the 19th century.

Types of Immunity
Adaptive immunity is often sub-divided into two major types depending on how the immunity was introduced. Naturally acquired immunity occurs through contact with a disease causing agent, when the contact was not deliberate, whereas artificially acquired immunity develops only through deliberate actions such as

vaccination. Both naturally and artificially acquired immunity can be further subdivided depending on whether immunity is induced in the host or passively transferred from an immune host. Passive immunity is acquired through transfer of antibodies or activated Tcells from an immune host, and is short lived, usually lasts only a few months, whereas active immunity is induced in the host itself by antigen, and lasts much longer, sometimes life-long. The diagram below summarizes these divisions of immunity.

Nature VS Science
So to improve our Immunity which method should we choose? To possible answers are vaccination & medication, and improve personal health care. First let us observe what the major reasons for immunity reduction are.

Reasons
1. Lack of exercise: Sitting at your desk all day can not only make you feel sluggish, it can leave your immune system sluggish, too. Studies show that regular, moderate exercise like a daily 30 minute walk -- increases the level of leukocytes, an immune system cell that fights infection. When youre a non-exerciser, your risk of infections -- such as colds increase compared to those who exercise. Being inactive can weaken your immune system indirectly, too. A sedentary lifestyle can interfere with sleep quality at night and can lead to obesity and other problems that increase your risk of illness. 2. Being overweight: Carrying extra weight puts you at risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Part of the reason may lie in how excess fat cells in your body affect your immune system. A high number of fat cells trigger the release of pro-inflammatory chemicals in the body, leading to chronic inflammation. When the inflammation is ongoing, healthy tissues get damaged. Animal studies also show that being overweight or obese

can impair the immune system. For example, studies have shown that obese and overweight mice make fewer antibodies after receiving common vaccinations. Antibodies are a measured immune response to vaccination. 3. Eating foods high in sugar and fat: Consuming too much sugar suppresses immune system cells responsible for attacking bacteria. Even consuming just 75 to 100 grams of a sugar solution (about the same as in two 12-ounce sodas) reduces the ability of white blood cells to overpower and destroy bacteria. This effect is seen for at least a few hours after consuming a sugary drink. A diet high in saturated fat has a similar effect. 4. Experiencing constant stress: Everyone has some stress in their lives. And short-term stress may actually boost the immune system the body produces more cortisol to make fight or flight possible. But chronic stress has the opposite effect. It makes you more vulnerable to illness, from colds to serious diseases. Chronic stress exposes your body to a steady cascade of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, which suppress the immune system. 5. Being socially isolated: Having strong relationships and a good social network is important to your physical health as well as your mental health and specifically your immune system. Several studies support the idea that people who feel connected to friends whether its a few close friends or a large group have stronger immunity than those who feel alone. In one study, freshmen who

were lonely had a weaker immune response to a flu vaccine than those who felt connected to others. Another recent study found that isolation changed the immune system on a cellular level: Being lonely affected the way some genes that controlled the immune system were expressed. 6. Pollution: Pollution is plays a major role in reducing our immunity. Problems like stress, common cold, headaches, etc, which normally cant be prevented by vaccination.

Prevention
Because so many viruses cause them, there isn't a vaccine that can protect against catching colds. But to help prevent them, sufferers should: 1. Common Cold

Try to steer clear of anyone who smokes or who has a cold. Virus particles can travel up to 12 feet through the air when someone with a cold coughs or sneezes, and secondhand smoking is more likely to make people sick.

wash their hands thoroughly and frequently, especially after blowing their noses

cover their noses and mouths when coughing or sneezing (have them sneeze or cough into a shirtsleeve, though, not their hands this helps prevent the spread of germs)

Not use the same towels or eating utensils as someone who has a cold. They also shouldn't share drinks from the same glass, can, or bottle, because you never know who is about to come down with a cold and is already spreading the virus.

not pick up other people's used tissues Researchers aren't sure whether taking extra zinc or vitamin C can limit how long cold symptoms last or how severe they become, but large doses taken every day can cause negative side effects. The results of most studies on the value of herbal remedies, such as Echinacea, are either negative or inconclusive, and few properly designed scientific studies of these treatments have been done. Talk to your doctor before you decide to take any herbal remedy or more than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of any vitamin or supplement. 2. Stress Identify the source of the problem. Whether it's an unrealistic workload, job insecurity, inadequate compensation, office politics or a hostile work environment, you need to figure out what's making you miserable at work and then take steps to deal with it. Develop friendships at work and outside the office. Sharing unsettling feelings with people you trust is the

first step toward resolving them. Minimize activities with "negative" people who only reinforce bad feelings. Take time off. Take a vacation or a long weekend. During the workday, take short breaks. Set limits. When necessary, learn to say no in a friendly but firm manner. Choose battles wisely. Don't rush to argue every time someone disagrees with you. Keep a cool head, and save your argument for things that really matter. Get a hobby. Read, enjoy a hobby, exercise or get involved in some other activity that is relaxing and gets your mind off work. Seek help. If none of these things relieves your feelings of stress or burnout, ask a health care professional for advice. 3. Headache Most of the time headaches get better or go away with home treatment and do not require a visit to a doctor. Home treatment for headaches can often help reduce the severity of pain and the length of time the pain is present. Home treatment may also relieve other symptoms, such as fever, nausea or vomiting, anxiety, or muscle aches. Start home treatment as soon as you can. Be sure to review the home treatment information for any other symptoms you may have.

If your doctor has prescribed a specific treatment for your headaches, begin treatment as soon as a headache starts. Be sure to follow his or her instructions when taking any prescription medicine for your headache. For mild pain without other symptoms, try the following: Rest in a quiet, dark room. Place a cool compress on your forehead. Do not smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs Medicine you can buy without a prescription Try a nonprescription medicine to help treat your pain Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) Aspirin (also a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) You may be able to reduce the frequency and severity of your headaches by trying: Relaxation exercises. These exercises can help take away tension and stress that cause headaches or make them worse. Heat, such as hot water bottles, heating pads, or hot baths, to relax tense muscles. Be careful not to burn yourself. Ice, such as an ice pack applied to the back or the neck or the temples. Massage therapy and biofeedback, which can reduce muscle tension, especially in your neck and shoulder muscles. This muscle tension can cause headaches or make them worse.

Fighting Back
1. Regular exercise: If you want to boost your immune system, get active. Getting your heart rate up for just 20 minutes just three times a week is associated with increased immune function, and a brisk walk five days a week can help reduce your risk of catching a cold. Regular exercise increases the level of leukocytes, an immune system cell that fights infection. Exercise also is associated with increased release of endorphins, natural hormones that pump up your sense of well being and improve sleep quality, both of which have positive effects on your immune system. 2. Get more antioxidants in your diet: A diet rich in antioxidant vitamins and nutrients can boost immunity to help fight infection. Your body produces free radicals -- molecules that can damage cells. Antioxidants help neutralize free radicals so they cant do any damage. Researchers believe that when the balance between free radicals and antioxidants is upset, it can contribute to developing cancer and heart disease, as well as age-related diseases. Top antioxidants include vitamins C and E, plus beta-carotene and zinc. To get enough of these antioxidants in your diet, experts recommend eating an abundance of brightly colored fruits and vegetables, including berries, citrus fruits, kiwi, apples, red grapes, kale, onions, spinach, sweet potatoes, and carrots. 3. Adequate sleep: Fatigue increases your susceptibility to illness you may have noticed youre more likely to catch a cold or other infection when youre not getting enough sleep. A lab experiment bears this out: When students at the University of Chicago was limited to only four hours of sleep a night for six nights and then given a flu vaccine, their immune systems produced only half the normal number of antibodies. Like stress, insomnia can cause a rise in inflammation in the body possibly because lack of sleep also leads to an increase in the stress hormone cortisol. Although researchers arent exactly sure how sleep boosts the immune system, its clear that getting adequate amounts usually 7 to 9 hours for an adult is essential to good health.

4. Practice relaxation techniques: If chronic stress suppresses the immune system, then learning techniques to reduce stress should help return your immune system to health and maybe even give it an additional boost. Reducing stress lowers levels of cortisol. It also helps you sleep better, which improves immune function. And some studies show that people who meditate regularly may be able to increase their immune system response. In one experiment, people who meditated over an 8-week period produced more antibodies to a flu vaccine than people who didnt meditate. And they still showed an increased immune system response four months later. 5. Laugh: Comedy is good for you. Laughing decreases the levels of stress hormones in the body while increasing a type of white blood cell that fights infection. In fact, even just anticipating a funny event can have a positive effect on your immune system. In one study, a group of men who were told three days in advance that they were going to watch a funny video saw levels of stress hormones drop while levels of endorphins and growth hormones rose. Both endorphins and growth hormones benefit the immune system.

In my research, I will try to answer the following questions: How aware are people about their immune system? What are the symptoms we need to look for?

Research Questions

At what extent are people vulnerable to the diseases which reduce their immunity against common illness? How our modern lifestyles play an important role in this problem? Which group of people is exposed to this problem the most? What is the governments role in this matter? Can our immune system recover and improve by medication? Besides medication how can we adapt a resistance to this problem?

Hypothesis
The immunity of Dhaka city reduces due to increase of pollution, lack of personal hygiene, increased dependency on drugs or medicines, and complete ignorance of physical exercise. Nearly everyone who goes out daily for studying, working, etc. is primary victims in this situation.
1

Methodology
For my primary research, I will conduct a survey among NSU and other private university students, plus some office going personals. I will design a questionnaire with different types of questions, which will help me answer my research questions. For my secondary research, I plan to use the resources, journals and magazines from our NSU library and the Internet. I plan to use the standard research engines like Yahoo and Google as well as large reference sites.

Data Presentation and Analysis

I have a total of 30 surveys and 2 interviews to analyze my topic. The 1st question was whether or not they lived abroad, if yes for how long? 53% (16 out of 30) of them said NO they have not, and only 1% lived less than 6 months. The rest lived 3 years or above.

The people who lived overseas less than 6 months can be considered visitors and so I assume they fall under the No category. I will answer the reason behind asking this question in the following two graphs which was two of my other questions asked in the survey.

Q. How often do you fall sick?

Here we see that most of the people who have been overseas rarely fall sick and only a fraction of them fall sick randomly, whereas the person who has not been abroad is seen to fall sick randomly. Seasonal sickness is seen equal for both categories. The reason could be that the person who lived abroad has a better lifestyle which has not changed even after coming to Dhaka. But our native people (who have never been abroad) should have adapted our environment; instead they are the ones who are the victims because of poor lifestyle even in higher society.

From this figure we can clearly guess that Common Cold is the major sickness seen among our population. After that fever is the main sickness seen. Colds are most contagious during the first 2 to 4 days after symptoms appear, and may be contagious for up to 3 weeks. You can catch a cold from person-to-person contact or by breathing in virus particles spread through the air by sneezing or coughing. Touching the mouth or nose after touching skin or another surface contaminated with a rhinovirus can also spread a cold. And fever is caused by excess heat and trauma we have to face in our daily life.

Some other graphs to notice

So from the five graphs above we can see that nearly 60% of the people spend 4~6 Hours per day outside their house, and most of them use public transportation like rickshaw and bus. This means that two-third of the people are at risk because in this congested city who knows what the other person is carrying (I mean diseases). Moreover, our life has become so busy and hectic that people dont have time to work out anymore. People rely greatly on medication like taking aspirin or paracetamol to get relief from headaches and pains. I am not saying that medication is bad, but taking it whenever you have a headache or pain might increase you reliability on the medicines, resulting in the reduction of natural immunity.

Summary of Findings
1

What I have found through my primary research is that we have become so busy in our daily lives that we neglect the other necessities to stay fit and immune. But we are not responsible entirely. In most cases our situation is responsible for it. Not to forget our government. Even with vaccines, poor quality medication and filthy streets opens the door to limitless diseases.

Conclusion
So we see that heat, sound, population, waste, medication, transportation, our lifestyle, and our governments negligence are the major causes for the reduction of our immune system and they are all connected to each other. This is indeed a threat and unless our ruling body takes any action against it, we will have to see a plagued dark future.

Reference
Abedin, E. (2008, September 14). Headache: The most common health Problem [Electronic version]. The New Age. Admin. (2009, May 29), Bangladesh, Dhaka: unusually early outbreak of diarrhea. IRC. Retrieved April 18, 2010, from http://www.irc.nl/page/48254 Admin. (2009, March 15), 11 healthy foods you should be eating and reasons why [Electronic version]. Dhaka Mirror. Admin. (2009, March 15), Out of shape and into yoga: One man discovers the relief of exercise after years on the couch [Electronic version]. Dhaka Mirror. Admin. (n.d.). 10 Immune system buster and booster. WebMD. Retrieved

April 12, 2010, from http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/10-immunesystem-busters-boosters Admin. (n.d.). Strengthen the immune system naturally. Herbal Remedies Info. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://www.herbalremediesinfo.com/immune-system.html Alam, M. S. U. (2010, January 22), Coping with stress [Electronic version]. Star

Weekend magazine, 9(4).

Amin, A. M. , Hossain, A. , & Hussain, A. M. (2010, March 12). Where the sane fear to tread [Electronic version]. Star Weekend Magazine, 9(11). Ariquzzaman, S. , (2010, March 12), Food Hygiene [Electronic version]. Star

Weekend Magazine, 9(11).

Islam, M. S. (2008, October 25). Blazing Dhaka: An urban heat island [Electronic version]. The Daily Star. Medline. (2010, February 19), The common cold [Electronic version]. Star

Weekend Magazine, 9(8).

Appendix
In this section the following materials are included

1. Outline
1

2. Research Proposal (Graded) 3. Interview Questions 4. Proposed Questionnaire (Graded) 5. 10 Completed Questionnaires 6. Copies of Secondary Sources

Outline
Thesis Statement The natural immunity of the people of Dhaka is reducing in a threatening manner. If we dont change our habits and if the government doesnt act on the initiatives they have taken, we will

lose our immunity even to the simplest of diseases and we will be bound to heavily rely on medication and vaccines. Introduction What is Immunity and Immune system? o Definition o Types o History Symptoms seen o Frequency of sickness Common Cold Headache Fever How does our lifestyle affect our immunity? o Lifestyle of a person who has lived abroad for a long time o Lifestyle of a person who have not. At what extent is our cities pollution responsible for this problem? Is medication a permanent answer to this problem? Our Governments role in this matter.
1