Every year, World Toilet Day is observed to raise awareness about the global sanitation crisis and encourage action to solve it. The goal set by the United Nation is to achieve safe toilets for all by 2023, as a part of their Sustainable Development Goals.

The UN also states that 3.5 billion people live without proper sanitation and many children also lose their lives due to poor sanitation and unsafe water. This is why World Toilet Day is observed to raise awareness on this issue.

Theme

This year, the theme for World Toilet Day 2024 is "Toilets - A Place for Peace'. This focuses on the growing threat to sanitation that is caused by conflict, climate change, disaster and neglect. When there is a threat to using toilets, it can lead to many health risks.

Not using toilets for too long may lead to Urinary Tract Infection or UTI. For many who do not have access to clean toilets do not drink enough liquid or hold pee for too long. Doctors suggest that holding in pee for too long can cause bacteria to multiply and lead to UTI. By not drinking enough water, your bladder fails to tell the body to pee often, and can cause the bacteria to spread through the urinary tract, which can lead to infection.

Symptoms of UTI:

• Burning or stinging feeling while urinating
• Pain in pelvis or lower abdomen
• Constant urge to empty the bladder
• Strong or foul smelling urine
• Consistently dark urine
• Blood in urine

Holding in pee for too long can also cause your bladder to stretch, making it difficult or even impossible for the bladder to contract and release pee normally. It can also damage your pelvic floor muscles or could lead to kidney stones.

World Toilet Day History And Significance

To prevent such conditions, it is important that everyone has access to clean and safe toilets. In terms of history, the day was established in 2001, by the World Toilet Organization (WTO), which was founded by Jack Sim. However, it was officially recognised by the UN in 2013. The Government of Singapore worked with WTO to create the first UN resolution called Sanitation for All.

India too promotes safe and hygiene toilet through its Swachh Bharat Yojna.

Menopause policies in workplaces are increasing, reflecting the growing number of women in the workforce experiencing this life stage. Women approaching or reaching the end of their reproductive years now make up about 20% of the U.S. labor force. Many of these workers face significant challenges, including hot flashes, difficulty concentrating, and other disruptive symptoms caused by hormonal changes.

However, the economic impact of menopause has remained largely overlooked—until now.

A recent study by Petra Persson, a faculty fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), sheds light on the financial burden associated with menopause. The findings indicate a considerable decline in earnings among menopausal women. Those seeking medical help for menopause-related symptoms earn 10% less four years later, often due to reduced work hours or leaving the workforce entirely.

'Menopause Penalty'

The economic effects are particularly pronounced among women without college degrees and those in manual or routine-intensive jobs. Additionally, employees in smaller private-sector firms face greater financial strain due to the "menopause penalty."

“The economic losses for working women during menopause are substantial,” says Persson, also an assistant professor of economics at Stanford. While much research has focused on the "motherhood penalty," the financial consequences of menopause have been largely ignored until now.

Persson’s study underscores the need for supportive workplace policies. About 85% of women experience menopausal symptoms, which typically begin between the ages of 45 and 55 and may persist for over a decade. With 60% of U.S. women aged 55 to 64 still in the workforce, the study highlights the importance of employer and government intervention.

“Just as we have parental leave and accommodations for health-related productivity dips, it makes sense to implement policies that assist women navigating menopause,” Persson explains.

Her research suggests that workplace policies supporting women with severe menopausal symptoms could yield significant economic benefits. Providing accurate information about menopause and expanding access to menopause-related health care, such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), could help mitigate financial losses. Persson’s study indicates that increased awareness and medical support can help women—especially those without college degrees—maintain stable employment and earnings.

The study also reveals a link between menopause and early retirement. An increase in disability insurance claims suggests that many women exit the workforce permanently due to menopause-related health issues.

Due to the lack of comprehensive U.S. data on menopause and its economic effects, Persson and her collaborators—Gabriella Conti (University College London), Rita Ginja (University of Bergen), and Barton Willage (University of Delaware)—analyzed publicly available data from Sweden and Norway. While the findings may not directly translate to the U.S., they align with existing research. A Mayo Clinic study, for example, estimates that menopause symptoms result in $1.8 billion in lost work time annually in the U.S.

Public awareness of menopause is growing, partly due to high-profile discussions by celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Naomi Watts. The issue has also gained political attention; the British Parliament recently held hearings on menopause in the workplace, and a bipartisan U.S. bill introduced in 2023 calls for increased federal funding for menopause-related research.

Some Fortune 500 companies have begun implementing flexible work arrangements and mental health services for menopausal employees, but such initiatives remain rare. Persson emphasizes that governments and employers must take further action to raise awareness and establish workplace protections.

"Women facing menopause-related challenges need support just like any other employees managing health conditions," Persson says. "Our study suggests that expanding access to menopause-related care and workplace accommodations could offer significant economic benefits"

Bella Ramsey, the star of HBO's hit drama The Last of US revealed their autism diagnosis crediting a crew member for recognizing the signs and symptoms. In an interview with British Vogue, which was published on Wednesday, Ramsey shared that they were diagnosed while filing the first season of the series.

“I’ve spoken a bit about neurodivergence before, but I always for some reason didn’t want to,” Ramsey admitted. “I got diagnosed with autism when I was filming season one of The Last of Us.”

While filming in Canada, a crew member who also has an autistic daughter noticed certain similarities in Ramsey's behavior and suspected that they too might be autistic. This observation was what prompted Ramsey to seek a formal psychiatric assessment, and thus leading to their diagnosis.

Ramsey also reflected on their childhood and described feeling out of place in school and finding comfort in the company of adults. They also recalled that they had experienced sensory sensitivities common among autistic individuals, such as heightened awareness of micro-expressions and body language. Ramsey also mentioned that filming in Canada's cold condition was also challenging as the heavy waterproof gear and thermals were required on the set. "It was too much stuff on my body," they shared talking about sensory discomfort.

Autism And Creativity Goes Hand In Hand

Being an actor, Ramsey expressed how their autism actually contributed to their approach to acting. The way they observe people and adopt routines as beneficial to their craft.

“I’ve always been watching and learning from people. Having to learn more manually how to socialize and interact with the people around me has helped me with acting,” they explained. “I have a call time, and I’m told what to wear, how to stand, where to stand, and what to eat.”

Ramsey also revealed that they autism diagnosis was "freeing" as it allowed them to be kinder to themselves and embrace their identity. Sharing their diagnosis, they noted that it helped them "unmask immediately", and freeing them from the need to suppress their true self.

“My experience of moving through the world is as an autistic person,” they said. “There’s no reason for people not to know.”

What Is Autism?

As per the National Health Service (NHS) UK, it is important to note that autism is not an illness. Being autistic does not mean you have an illness or disease, it means your brain works in a different way from other people. This is something people are born with and signs of it can be noticed at a very young age.

NHS UK also notes that autism is a spectrum, which means it could be different for everybody. This means that some people may need little or no support, while others may need help from a parent or carer every day.

As per the American Psychiatric Association, Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental condition that involves persistent challenges with social communication, restricted interests and repetitive behavior. While autism is considered a lifelong condition, the need for service and support because of these challenges could vary from person to person.

In other news and among the many new developments, researchers have made yet another groundbreaking discovery in the fight against drug-resistant bacteria. A new antibiotic molecule has been discovered, which effectively targets a broad range of disease-causing bacteria, including strains which were resistant to commercial drugs. Most importantly, the molecule is non-toxic to human cells. This breakthrough represents an immense step in stepping forward to address the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.

How Was It Found?

Many of us would be surprised to know that the antibiotic was actually found in soil samples collected from a laboratory technician's garden. The discovery really underscores the idea that nature still holds a lot of secrets, which are just waiting to be discovered, explored, and studied. The study on this discovery has been published in Nature journal, titled: A broad-spectrum lasso peptide antibiotic targeting the bacterial ribosome.

Microbiologist at Northeastern University, Kim Lewin puts its, “There is terrifically interesting stuff hiding in plain sight.” The ability to identify and analyze such hidden compounds is a testament to the researchers' expertise and keen observational skills.

How the New Molecule Works

Unlike the other existing antibiotics, where bacteria are increasingly becoming resistant to , this new molecule targets the bacteria's ribosome. This is the protein-making factory of the cell. This approach is specifically effective because bacterial ribosomes do not easily develop resistance to drugs and target their structure. Consequently, this antibiotic thus has the potential to remain effective for a longer period, even as bacteria evolve.

There was an urgent need for new antibiotics, because as Gerry Wright, a chemical biologist at McMaster University in Canada and the co-author of the study says, "The antibiotic-resistance crisis is an existential threat to medicine."

The search for new antibiotics was thus critical as bacterial resistance to existing drugs continues to rise. The study notes that in 2021 alone, antimicrobial resistance was associated with 1.1 million deaths worldwide. Expert predict that this number could rise to 1.9 million by 2050 if new treatment options are not developed.

Soil And Antibiotic Development: What Role Does It Play?

Nature has long been a source of antibiotics. Many of the antibiotics in use today, including penicillin and streptomycin, originated from soil bacteria and fungi. Inspired by this, Wright and his colleagues set out to find microbes capable of producing new, previously unknown antibiotic compounds.

The researchers collected soil samples and stored them in Petri dishes with a growth medium for a year. They then tested the microbes against Escherichia coli (E. coli), a common gut bacterium known for causing serious infections. One sample showed strong antibacterial activity, and further analysis revealed that the responsible bacterium belonged to the genus Paenibacillus.

Also, through genome sequencing and structural analysis, research have also found that this bacterium produces a molecule that belongs to a group of peptides known for their robust, lasso-shaped structures. These are stable peptides and can survive even after being digested. This is what makes them an excellent candidate for future antibiotic development.

"It’s a nice, really compact, and incredibly robust structure,” says Wright, emphasizing the potential durability and effectiveness of the newly discovered molecule.