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| novel corona virus, 2020 fazilka.nic.in |
A similar outbreak in 1918 -Spanish Flu is an excellent source of many important lessons for us and other countries. Based on the past lessons, the health department can chalk out the ways and means to minimize the impact on the population. The most crucial fact is full cooperation of the public is a necessity to save the country from the mounting crisis. As for politicians, they should put their petty politics behind and cooperate with the struggling leaders in Delhi and in various state capitals and work with them in tandem to care for the needs and healthcare of the bewildered people in this distress situation.
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| Spanish flu, 1918 www.slideshare.net |
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| Spanish flu, 1918 www.slideshare.net |
India under the Raj bore a huge burden of death - it lost 6% of its people; the flu killed between 17 and 18 million Indians, more than all the casualties in World War One. One Hindi writer and poet, Suryakant Tripathi (alias Nirala,) who lost his wife and some family members wrote: My family, "disappeared in the blink of an eye" ... the Ganges river was "swollen with dead bodies". There wasn't enough firewood to cremate the piles of dead bodies.
The following are the lessons that may be relevant to the present pandemic:
01. Crowded city: The flu landed in May/June in Bombay city (then the capital of Bombay Presidency) under the direct British crown administration. The deadly flu got into the Bombay dock through a ship of returning soldiers in June 1918. The health inspector JS Turner, said, .......''it came "like a thief in the night, its onset rapid and insidious". In the present situation, according to The Times of India report,"nearly every house in Bombay has some of its inmates down with fever" and it may go up soon.
02. Crowded railways: From Bombay the flu had spread through the railways to other regions in India and the second wave began in September, 1918 in southern India and moved along the coastline.
03. Poor health management: The other factors were negligence on the part of the British officials, poorly equipped hospitals and lack of doctors to handle a large number of infected cases because most of them were in the war fronts. The suffering Indian masses were left in the lurch.
04. Failed monsoon: A failed SW monsoon made the matters worse and created drought and famine-like conditions. Food grains production was affected. With poor agricultural produce, people became underfed, emaciated and weak; huge gathering
in the cities enabled the rapid spread of the disease.
05. Crowded markets, mass-gathering,etc: The source of infection is commonly crowded places. Crowded big Indian cities became main sources of the infection. In the present corvid-19 context, medical researchers have reservation about crowded markets, bazaars, malls, mass transportation like metro, trains, etc.
In February and March 2020 Mumbai (Bombay) has the highest number of covid-19 cases in the country.
06. Return of overseas-employed Indians: In Kerala state, the corona infection cases and deaths are showing upward trend, part of the reason is returning employees from the Gulf countries. Kerala has the largest number of people in the Gulf states. The central govt is also screening people returning from corona-infected countries.
07. Stay at home: The newspapers in 1918 advised people not to spend time outside and stay at home; the same has to be followed.
08. Personal hygiene and social-distancing: TOI says the main remedy "is to go to bed and not worry". People were reminded the disease spread "mainly through human contact by means of infected secretions from the nose and mouths" Social-distancing got the main priority then, hence workers never went to work in offices and factories.
09. Avoid over-crowded places: As suggested by TOI to avoid the flu keep away from congested and overcrowded places: fairs, festivals, theaters, schools, public lecture halls, cinemas, entertainment parties, crowded railway carriages etc; the risk of infection lurks in such places. The Government's lock down
in this regard is the right step and it is essential to follow it.
10. Good sanitation: Indians hereon must give serious consideration to sanitation at home and in public places which
is poor across India; No dumping of trashes in public places.
Poor sanitation may increase the spread of flu and risk f
actors.
Besides above, sleeping in the open rather than in poorly ventilated rooms, and eating nourishing food may help us a lot.The present pandemic is sweeping across the globe with no solution in sight and no scientists can predict when it is going to come down and what will be the death toll. The simple lessons from the Spanish flu of 1918 are Stay home as much as you can and avoid crowded places and most importantly social distancing is a must. It is likely that the lock down period may last beyond April 14. A reliable person deplored the fact, despite lock down, 144 promulgation and strict warnings from the health officials, lots of foolish people still crowded in Fish market in and around Thanjavur city and other places. They not only risk their lives, but also others, their own family members and their own children.
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| Spanish flu, 1918 www.slideshare.net |
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| gulfnews.com |
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| gulfnews.com |
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| gulfnews.com |
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-10-lessons-flu-pandemic-years.html
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