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Mumbai: It must be clearly admitted that no one wants to remember the dark days of the Mumbai attacks. COVID-19 The pandemic. The mental fatigue of the disaster and the haste to “move on” are to be expected.
Can the safety net be lifted? It could cost us dearly. Covid-19 was not predicted. The virus – SARS-CoV2 that caused unprecedented devastation or any other – is not going away.
It may seem surprising, but COVID-19 is still killing 1700 people every week. None of the predictions of “flattening the curve” have come true. Vaccines to fight new strains are administered very frequently, but new strains re-emerge sometimes in their most virulent form and sometimes in a weaker form. No medicine can still claim to be a complete cure against COVID-19.
Are other viruses also less deadly?
Mpox This is the latest outbreak the world is grappling with. The same story of Covid-19 is repeated again – rich countries are reluctant to give some of their vaccine stock to African countries like Congo which are in deep crisis.
The good news is that although ampox outbreaks are being seen in an increasing number of countries, the latest outbreak has so far been contained. IndiaThat too when the new clade is more infectious than its previous version.
But other viruses are emerging as more deadly.
The most recent disaster is Chandipura virus The infection (CHPV), which is known to cause sporadic cases of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES), causes high fever, body ache, muscle pain and nausea in most cases. The brunt of this has been mostly borne by children below 15 years of age. Districts in Gujarat have reported the highest number of cases while some sporadic cases have been reported from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
These signs are worrying, to say the least.
Last month, the WHO said 245 cases of acute encephalitis syndrome were reported in India from June to mid-August, including 82 deaths. This means a high case fatality rate of 33 per cent. Of these, 64 cases were confirmed. Chandipura Virus.
Chandipura virus (its name is derived from a small village in Maharashtra where it was first reported decades ago) is not new to India. It is endemic and yet there are no clear ways to deal with it. Timely access to intensive care can only increase the chances of survival. The WHO says that mortality rate from CHPV infection is high (56 per cent to 75 per cent), and there is no specific treatment or vaccine available. Chandipura virus infection is regularly reported during the monsoon season and is spread through sandflies, mosquitoes and ticks. As the rains subside, cases may show a declining trend.
Is there a better way to deal with the perennial crisis than being at the mercy of nature or adopting a completely reactive approach? Vinod Scaria, a well-known genomic scientist, says India needs to urgently ramp up its virus surveillance system. “We don’t even know how widespread the disease is and how to prevent the next outbreak,” he says on Social MediaX.
Chandipura is not the only virus outbreak that highlights India’s lack of preparedness to tackle a pandemic. Last month, Nipah The disease has again come into the news after the death of a teenager in Kerala. Nipah, a zoonotic disease spread by bats, has a mortality rate of 75 percent, which means that the number of deaths due to it is also high.
In view of the outbreak of the virus in different parts of the country, some initiatives are being taken. A press release issued by the Ministry of Health on September 3 said that National One Health MissionLast month, a national mock drill Virus Yudh Abhyas or Virus War Exercise was conducted in Rajasthan.
The idea was to evaluate Pandemic preparedness And the aim of the exercise was to evaluate the preparedness and response of the National Joint Outbreak Response Team that comprises health experts. It said, “A simulated zoonotic disease outbreak scenario was created to simulate a real-world outbreak.” The multi-stakeholder exercise addressed two key components. First, investigation and identification of the virus responsible for the simulated outbreak and second, actions initiated to control the spread of the disease in human and animal populations.
The statement said that Vishnu Yudh Abhyas was a successful exercise that provided valuable insights to inform future strategies to enhance India’s preparedness and response to zoonotic disease outbreaks, and promote a coordinated and efficient approach across all relevant domains.
Hopefully this optimistic outlook will be reflected in equally strong ground action. Another positive beginning can be made with strengthening Genome Sequencing The program was a high priority at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic but gradually tapered off.
Who knows if there is a virus mutating somewhere? They existed on the planet 3.5 billion years before humans evolved. They will exist after us. Pandemic preparedness is not an option, it is an imperative. We better not forget that.
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