Monday, February 20, 2006
WHO Flu over the Avians Nest?
This is very well the biggest news in the month of February 2006. WHO's (World Health Organization) dire prognostication that there could possibly be an outbreak of Avian Influenza Virus (H5N1) in India after it was first detected in Republic of Korea in December 2003 now rings fire alarms all around the nation. But just how prepared was India on hearing the apocalyptic forebodings of the World organization?
From the statement made by Dr.Anbumani Ramadoss,the Union Minister For Health and Family Welfare yeserday, the situation looks efficiently handled. Essential precautionary measures seems to be in place. Committees and monitoring groups have been formed to review the situation on a daily basis. Also nodal agencies and laboratory support have been identified and an RRT (Rapid Response Teams) put in place. Several agencies such as AIIMS, Entero Viral Unit etc have been roped into the Influenza surveillance team. A task force constituted to ensure availibility of drugs and vaccines. But why was all this done as late as two years since the bleak predilections of WHO?
As of now, there has only been detections of the virus strain amongst poultry from Navapur taluk, Nandurbar district of Maharashtra. But the detection was sufficient to ignite a widespread panic and phobic reactions all over the nation towards chickens. Though no one has yet shown to have been infected with the virus, the incubation period for the virus is 10 to 12 days and the symptoms could very well show up after that period. Eight persons, including three children, were kept under observation at an isolation ward of a rural hospital at Navapur and over 13,000 persons in the area surveyed.
But amidst all this panic, certain annoyed voices quip in their dissent towards this crying of FOREST FIRE on seeing a thin wisp of smoke, mainly chicken breeders. They say that there should be another laboratory checking in London and there really was no need for this crying of wolf. But I ask you, isnt it better to be paranoid when it comes to matters of such dire consequences?
From the statement made by Dr.Anbumani Ramadoss,the Union Minister For Health and Family Welfare yeserday, the situation looks efficiently handled. Essential precautionary measures seems to be in place. Committees and monitoring groups have been formed to review the situation on a daily basis. Also nodal agencies and laboratory support have been identified and an RRT (Rapid Response Teams) put in place. Several agencies such as AIIMS, Entero Viral Unit etc have been roped into the Influenza surveillance team. A task force constituted to ensure availibility of drugs and vaccines. But why was all this done as late as two years since the bleak predilections of WHO?
As of now, there has only been detections of the virus strain amongst poultry from Navapur taluk, Nandurbar district of Maharashtra. But the detection was sufficient to ignite a widespread panic and phobic reactions all over the nation towards chickens. Though no one has yet shown to have been infected with the virus, the incubation period for the virus is 10 to 12 days and the symptoms could very well show up after that period. Eight persons, including three children, were kept under observation at an isolation ward of a rural hospital at Navapur and over 13,000 persons in the area surveyed.
But amidst all this panic, certain annoyed voices quip in their dissent towards this crying of FOREST FIRE on seeing a thin wisp of smoke, mainly chicken breeders. They say that there should be another laboratory checking in London and there really was no need for this crying of wolf. But I ask you, isnt it better to be paranoid when it comes to matters of such dire consequences?
