news details |
|
|
| Classical way to control Pandemic | | |
Mahadeep Singh Jamwal
Pandemics have always been profoundly unpredictable events in history, due to the immense complexity of the interactions between viruses and humans. The recent global spread of a deadly corona virus has led world leaders to conjure an old-fashioned tradition to control the advancement of illness: Quarantine. This scenario, though new to most of us, has played out multiple times over the past few centuries. The system is first documented in the ‘Old Testament’ where several verses instruct isolation for those with ‘Leprosy’ (one can catch it only if you come into close and repeated contact with nose and mouth droplets from someone with untreated leprosy similarly like as corona infection). Timeworn civilizations bank on isolating the sick, well before the actual microbial causes of disease were known. In times when medication for syndrome was rare and public health measures few, physicians turned to quarantine to contain a curse. We learn more in crisis than in comfort. The two fears that corona has brought home to every man is: getting sick and getting someone else sick, even though you may be displaying no symptoms. In the absence of any vaccine and therapeutic drugs, the exclusive interventions, available to be safe from getting sick because of corona and to come over its fear, are quarantine, distancing and lock down. All three are interlinked aspects to challenge the corona impasse. The COVID-19 outbreak has introduced many people to the less known conversation such as: quarantine, lockdown and social distancing, for the first time. As such majority especially rural folk and labor class much present in urban area is much curious about these words. These terminologies become public only during public health emergencies like outbreak of infectious disease as present one corona. We need to understand that people are put in quarantine when they are not currently sick, but have been or may have been exposed to a communicable disease. But in the case when a person reasonably believed to be infected with a communicable disease and potentially infectious from those who are not infected, such person when separated from healthy one is said to be in isolation. Health and medicines in the Islamic tradition are based on the book of medicine (Kitab al-Tibb ) by SahihAl-Bukhari. The book provides numerous measures against prevention of disease including cleanliness as well as quarantine for epidemics that may occur as a result of falling a fly in the liquid. There are various times of disease and plagues in the Bible in which people quarantined, themselves to avoid becoming ill. Some historians contend that procedures of cleanliness and quarantine first appeared in the Bible. “Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by” (Isaiah 26:20). Biblical quarantine laws according to the general equity of the Law of God: when you have symptoms, you ought to quarantine or be quarantined to protect others. The Word of God is a wonderful guide written by Leland Ryken, literary stylist for the English Standard Version Bible, even in these matters. It speaks clearly in general principles about quarantine. The medical community roughly follows them today. In general, a quarantine is a strict isolation imposed to prevent the spread of disease but as explained by the ‘Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the separation of a person or group of people reasonably believed to have been exposed to a communicable disease but not yet symptomatic, from others who have not been so exposed, to prevent the possible spread of the communicable disease.
Keeping health is better than treatment of disease. The starting point of all achievement is desire. In public health contexts, social distancing generally refers to various measures adopted to reduce close contact and to increase distance between large groups of people. Social distancing involves remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others. The cancellation of conferences, school classes, restricting mass transit and travel and working from home are social distancing measures. We cannot fix a sickness of the society merely with strategy - that strategy has to be followed by the responsibility of the citizens. The lockdown basically speaks of confining of prisoners to their cells, as following a riot or other disturbance but in the context of corona impasse it is a security measure taken to prevent people from leaving or entering to specified places. Thanks to tools like lockdowns confinement and isolation, lives have been saved in recent history. As a sensible human being, we are supposed to choose this option just out of caution. Covid-19 is not less than a war that took place in Kurukshetra with the difference, we have to exhibit sensibility, as our Dharma to destroy deadly Corona virus on the other end, with our wisdom in the absence of any Medicare and Vaccine as ‘Weaponry’ with us. We have to establish our wisdom like Tortoise who withdraws all his limbs from probable danger, otherwise there would be no escape but only infection. It is also important to keep in mind the old saying, “This too shall pass.” We need to keep our hopes high and pray with faith and belief in the Gods we trust. Law is only a temporary fix for chaos, not the cure. The only cure for chaos is individual responsibility. During lock down, we are surely locked but not down. We have to stay inspired. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
