Let the government gear up to deal with the situation, urges Dr. Ram Chander Sharma.

The infection count of Human Influenza ( H1N1) or the Swine Flu is increasing in the world’s second-most populous country India and with the death of two patients one in Pune and another in Mumbai, the Indian government and the World Health organization have sounded the warning bells. In the modern age of aircraft travailing, of tourism, globalization and bullet trains the present Pandemic is the fastest ever-viral influenza in the human history. According to the scientists at WHO lakhs of people world over have been infected and deaths in thousands, under these circumstances the WHO has stopped counting the patients all over the world and instead the surveillance is kept on the basis of new areas of spread of the virus and stocking of the antiviral drugs. The most disturbing picture is that in northern Brazil the epicenter of the infection is now showing resistance to the anti viral drugs. It shows that the virus is mutating in the environment and humans to humans infection is getting more virulent.
The Union Health Minister Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad has maintained very positive posture that there is no need to worry and India has enough anti-viral drugs to deal with the problem. These are perhaps twisted statements to befool the people. The WHO has warned that in next two years two billion people shall be exposed to the infection and the situation would be catastrophic especially in China and India. Initially the Brazil City was shutdown and people were asked to remain indoors and provided free face masks other precautions were not the shake hands and to avoid foreign travel or visiting crowded places. On the contrary Indian and state governments are in deep slumber. The added risk is the present humid and hot climate of monsoon season favorable for the spread of the virus.
The metropolis cites and the tourists hub like Jammu and Kashmir where lakhs of people throng for annual Baba Amarnath ji , Mata Vaishno ji yatras, the risk is very high. Now people are getting scared and possibly buying the anti viral drugs from the market. The immediate responsibility of government is to make people aware of the risks and methods needed to avoid the picking up of the infection like wearing facemasks as well as washing of the hands and avoiding shaking of hands with other people.
The last major flu pandemic occurred in 1918 and had initial slow rate of the infection and a second fatal wave within a year. It is believed that one third of the human population perished that time. The present strain is a mixture of a Swine flu virus of pigs, the avian influenza and human influenza. The responsibility of Veterinarians has increased in present times to make effective use of knowledge of veterinary medicine and avoid the use of unneeded antibiotics and other growth enhancing drugs.

(Dr. Ram Chander Sharma is a practicing Veterinarian. Feedback at: dr.ramchandersharma@gmail.com)

Lastupdate on : Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:00:00 IST