Attitude deadly like H1N1
Swine flu has become scarier than a terror attack. It is all set to take the nation to the death chambers and if doctoral predictions are to be believed, thousands are on way to death due to the deadly H1N1 virus.
If one were to look into the cause of this highly volatile airborne epidemic, it may well come under the category of “death due to negligence.” First, how did swine flu come to India? Experts say, and we will all agree, that the virus came from foreign shores, not long back when we knew nothing about it, but only recently and much after screening committees were set up at all airports.
Personal experience has convinced me that these panels of doctors at international airports are hogwash. When I flew in from London recently, I was suffering from high fever, cough and cold — all symptoms that qualify for a swine flu test.
The man in the white coat, just after the immigration counters, did not even look at me. With his head down busy with notings, he asked me if I had fever. I lied and said no. “Cough?” I again said no. “Cold”. Yet again I replied in the negative.
Just that, and I passed muster. Fortunately, I did not have swine flu so I saved myself and others from this virus. But if I had? The airport screening committee was least interested in nailing my lie.
The incident shows two things at two levels: One, that our Government administration is as listless as the panel at the airport was. Two, and more alarmingly, how we Indians are genetically and wantonly indisciplined.
Perhaps, most of our indiscipline and devil may care attitude stems from the fact that we have lived to tell others how life in our country is cheap; how Indians who are ridden with everything from poverty to pollution, are really immune to viruses; how Indian conditions of upbringing and food and water contamination has given our bodies unique anti-viruses that make us less vulnerable to disease than foreigners.
All that and much more has contributed to our vulnerability to the H1N1 virus and we really don’t know what to do and where to go.
Other than that, the tumultuous Indian democracy makes life even more unsafe. As one doctor suggested, and quite rightly so, the Indian Government should have taken the extreme step of quarantining Pune as a whole by not letting anyone get out of there to other parts of the country without a medical clearance of him not carrying the virus.
Can you imagine any Indian Government of any hue even thinking of doing so? There will be such violent protests chanting “dictatorship hatao” that men at the helm will run for cover and find none.
It may sound impossible now, but the need of the hour is for the public to give some muscle to the administrators to take harsh decisions (like quarantining swine flu cities) and be part of a process that can deal with epidemics of the kind that swine flu is.
Pune carriers have spread the virus to all corners. A Pune student from Himachal brought it to a remote unrelated place like Una from where he hails and where he ran to after getting infected. He was taken to a Shimla hospital which did not have the wherewithal to test him. His samples had to be sent to NICD in Delhi and one can only pray that he survives this cumbersome process.
Same is the case with many other cities. Cyber hub Hyderabad is one such city which does not have H1N1 testing facility, a fact foreign teams of the badminton world championship realised to their shock. Their samples had to be sent to Delhi too.
Collective responsibility and collective action can curb the impact of the virus. But is anyone listening? Even masks are being blackmarketed. What will it be next?
Tailpiece: 90 people got Swine Flu and the whole world wants to wear surgical masks. 20 million have AIDS, but no one wants to wear a condom….
If one were to look into the cause of this highly volatile airborne epidemic, it may well come under the category of “death due to negligence.” First, how did swine flu come to India? Experts say, and we will all agree, that the virus came from foreign shores, not long back when we knew nothing about it, but only recently and much after screening committees were set up at all airports.
Personal experience has convinced me that these panels of doctors at international airports are hogwash. When I flew in from London recently, I was suffering from high fever, cough and cold — all symptoms that qualify for a swine flu test.
The man in the white coat, just after the immigration counters, did not even look at me. With his head down busy with notings, he asked me if I had fever. I lied and said no. “Cough?” I again said no. “Cold”. Yet again I replied in the negative.
Just that, and I passed muster. Fortunately, I did not have swine flu so I saved myself and others from this virus. But if I had? The airport screening committee was least interested in nailing my lie.
The incident shows two things at two levels: One, that our Government administration is as listless as the panel at the airport was. Two, and more alarmingly, how we Indians are genetically and wantonly indisciplined.
Perhaps, most of our indiscipline and devil may care attitude stems from the fact that we have lived to tell others how life in our country is cheap; how Indians who are ridden with everything from poverty to pollution, are really immune to viruses; how Indian conditions of upbringing and food and water contamination has given our bodies unique anti-viruses that make us less vulnerable to disease than foreigners.
All that and much more has contributed to our vulnerability to the H1N1 virus and we really don’t know what to do and where to go.
Other than that, the tumultuous Indian democracy makes life even more unsafe. As one doctor suggested, and quite rightly so, the Indian Government should have taken the extreme step of quarantining Pune as a whole by not letting anyone get out of there to other parts of the country without a medical clearance of him not carrying the virus.
Can you imagine any Indian Government of any hue even thinking of doing so? There will be such violent protests chanting “dictatorship hatao” that men at the helm will run for cover and find none.
It may sound impossible now, but the need of the hour is for the public to give some muscle to the administrators to take harsh decisions (like quarantining swine flu cities) and be part of a process that can deal with epidemics of the kind that swine flu is.
Pune carriers have spread the virus to all corners. A Pune student from Himachal brought it to a remote unrelated place like Una from where he hails and where he ran to after getting infected. He was taken to a Shimla hospital which did not have the wherewithal to test him. His samples had to be sent to NICD in Delhi and one can only pray that he survives this cumbersome process.
Same is the case with many other cities. Cyber hub Hyderabad is one such city which does not have H1N1 testing facility, a fact foreign teams of the badminton world championship realised to their shock. Their samples had to be sent to Delhi too.
Collective responsibility and collective action can curb the impact of the virus. But is anyone listening? Even masks are being blackmarketed. What will it be next?
Tailpiece: 90 people got Swine Flu and the whole world wants to wear surgical masks. 20 million have AIDS, but no one wants to wear a condom….
PublishedAugust 16, 2009; Sunday Pioneer, http://www.dailypioneer.com/196002/Attitude-deadly-like-H1N1.html
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