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| Fighting H1N1, China way | | |
Nirbhay Jammual
Jammu, Aug 15: The Indian Ayurvedic doctors believe that by consuming 20 to 25 basil leaves (leaves of Tulsi plants) twice a day can keep the swine flue at an arms length. They are of the opinion that leaves of Tulsi plants have the capacity of developing one's immunity against viral infections. Noted Yogacharya, Baba Ramdev, is of the opinion that people can fight swine flue through Yoga. And the Chinese believe that keeping swine flue affected people quarantined is the only way to prevent the virus from spreading. Since India has been affected by the HINI virus for the first time one is yet to test the efficacy of Tulsi leaves in fighting swine flue infection. Again one is yet to believe the miracle of Yoga in containing the impact of the HINI virus.
If one wishes to have some proof of the method of tackling the menace of swine flue one has to believe in the Chinese experiment. The veracity of the Chinese experiment can be gauged by the way not a single death took place in China when there were 2400 cases of swine flue. Against this out of a over 150 cases 24 have died in India so far. China quarantined a few thousand people suspected of having swine flue. Even at the cost of cordial diplomatic relations the Chinese officials quarantined the Mayor of New Orleans, USA, and his wife who had been to China on an official visit in June last.
The Chinese authorities set up crack teams that picked up people, including foreigners from the hotels, airplanes and airports and bundled them in isolation. Food was served to them by keeping the food filled plates outside the doors of the rooms where they were quarantined till the required vaccine was available. Against this confusing signals emanated from the Union Health Ministry officials and from the leading medical practitioners. One day people were advised by the Union Health Ministry officials, including the minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, that people should wear face masks to keep the virus at a safe distance. This resulted in the unprecedented hike in the prices of face masks. while the one-layer face masks registered a price rise of over 100 per cent the three-layer masks witnessed over 300 per cent price rise.When several thousand people were fleeced by the face mask sellers Azad came out with a statement that wearing face masks is not an antitdote to swine flue.He said that those having the symptoms of the HINI virus should wear the face masks to prevent the virus from spreading.
Since Ghulam Nabi Azad's attention had remained focused on political developments in Jammu and Kashmir he never thought of following the Chinese experiment. The result was that the swine flue spread from one place to the other, from one state to the other within days and hours.You had two swine flue cases in Pune and the next day the number of cases rose to 14.Later you had cases in Maharashtra and the second day you had two cases in Jammu. The number of HINI virus affected people kept on increasing. There were many who preferred death to the ordeals of undergoing expensive tests. No Government agency dared to quarantine suspected swine flue patients.
As the scare mounted the Union Health Ministry and eminent medical practitioners came out with facts and figures telling the contrymen that more people died of tuberclosis, diabetes, road accidents, hypertension than from the swine flue. In a bid to dilute the scare the health ministry officials said that majority of 24 deaths, believed to have been the result of swine flue, had been the result of secondary problems including heart ailment. As a result of faulty Government policy on fighting HINI virus schools, multiplexes, shopping malls and theatres were shut. But no such step was called for in China where out of a population of 1.3 billion not a single death took place. This was possible when the authorities quarantined all the swine flue cases. Emergencies need war like measures and not sermons.
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