Opinion - Editorials   

Fear of flu

INDIA HAS FINALLY woken up to the threat from SARS, the deadly virus that has killed over 60 people and infected at least 2,000 worldwide. The measures announced by the Centre are largely in the form of procedures to screen passengers arriving at international airports and seaports. Among other things, they include a new requirement for visitors, who from now on must sign an undertaking in the form of a questionnaire that elicits certain details about their health. It is doubtful whether such general measures will serve their intended objective — namely, preventing the spillover of this new form of flu into India. However, they do constitute the first steps towards raising public awareness about the danger that the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome could pose to this country. They could also form the basis around which a more comprehensive battle plan for tackling the virus could be developed. Not a single case of SARS has been reported in India until now, but this is hardly a reason for complacency given the manner in which it has been spreading. The illness is very much on the move and, at last count, as many as 16 countries have reported suspected cases of the deadly syndrome.

Medical scientists are racing against time to understand more about SARS, which was first detected in February and which is widely believed to have originated in China's heavily populated southern province of Guangdong. Although there is still a lot that remains unknown, there is much that has already been learnt about what till only recently was described as a mystery illness. For instance, scientists have all but confirmed that the disease is caused by a crown-shaped virus (which is possibly a part of the coronavirus family that causes the common cold). We also know that the virus is passed through droplets when infected persons cough or sneeze but what remains to be discovered is the best possible treatment for this killer disease. No cure for the illness has been identified so far, but the good news is that there are many reports of patients responding positively to a combination of drugs, which includes antivirals and steroids. Most patients eventually recover from SARS but the statistics suggest that between three and four per cent of those infected die. This is a worrying figure given the ease with which the virus spreads and the importance of keeping those infected in segregated environments.

Another worrying aspect of the disease is that the symptoms (high-grade fever and cough with the possible addition of headaches, loss of appetite, etcetera) are extremely general or non-specific. As a result, it is possible for SARS to be confused with common ailments, a risk that is much higher in countries such as India where levels of awareness are low and where ordinary viral fevers with similar symptoms are prevalent. At the moment, Hongkong and China (which has been criticised for being slow and unforthcoming in reporting cases) have registered the maximum number of deaths. But the pattern of incidence clearly suggests that SARS is already a global epidemic, with reported cases in three other continents, North America, Europe and Australia. Just exactly where else and how quickly this illness will spread are two of the many unknown questions about SARS. As is usually the case, poor or underdeveloped countries face the greatest risk from the spread of such a disease. The lack of adequate medical infrastructure and the lower levels of public awareness are a dangerous combination in the face of a deadly viral infection that resembles ordinary fevers and that can spread on close contact. The best weapon against SARS in a country such as India is knowledge about how it spreads and what people need to do to protect themselves. Having acknowledged the threat of SARS, the quicker the Government readies itself to disseminate such information the better.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Opinion

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Fear of flu
• GDP gloom
• American strategic thinking
• War and the media
• The future of the United Nations
• The plot thickens
• Onus on the Govt.
• VAT and revenue
• Five years as PM
• Blood on the roads
• Budget exercise

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu