Virus menace
The detection of bird flu in the Valley, so close to a large human population centre is a cause for a serious concern but the government response to the outbreak so far is inadequate. Poultry farmer Chandra Bahadur Tamang had first complained on November 10 after 90 chickens in his farm died during the previous two days. But the government authorities only acted on November 29. The first test carried out here in Nepal had confirmed the presence of H5N1 virus, but then it was sent to Veterinary Laboratory Agency in the United Kingdom for reconfirmation. Being certain of the results is the right thing to do, but so is maintaining adequate surveillance in the area to check the spread of the virus during the period. The confirmation from lab test in UK had arrived late last Friday,
but government officials responsible for providing critical services, failed to act on the same day, and the day after, citing public holidays.
Even after the health officials decided to intervene on Sunday, the Rapid Response Team (RRT) of the Health Ministry didn’t follow the procedure properly. They culled suspected birds, but failed to maintain an effective quarantine of the area which will have to last for 42 days. The culling process itself shows negligence. RRT members donned in protective suit culled the fowls and disinfected areas on Tuesday, while locals with no protection were allowed to wonder in and around the site. The locals weren’t instructed about basic precautionary measures. This ignores the fact that during an outbreak of avian influenza, there is a risk of infection for people who have contact with infected birds or surfaces that have been contaminated with secretions or excretions from infected birds. To add to the problem, the site of the outbreak also has pig farms. This heightens the risk of creating an entirely new virus. The 2009 flu outbreak (H1N1, also known as swine flu) was caused by the triple assortment of the bird, swine and human flu viruses, according to the World Health Organization. What makes the matter grave is that the locals in the area have begun complaining about
symptoms similar to that of bird flu, yet officials continue to be dismissive. These symptoms may very well be normal flu symptoms, but government doctors have only offered cursory
observation and the implementation of the quarantine has been lax, at best.
One systemic flaw is apparent in the government’s response. Why isn’t health services part of emergency service kept in a state of readiness 24/7? Such critical responsibility for containing an outbreak of potential pandemic must have an automatic trigger. The time lag between the time of the detection and the time of intervention signals a dangerous apathy towards public health. Outbreak so close to a major population centre and country’s only international airport cannot be taken lightly. If the virus mutates among humans, it can quickly get transmitted among a large populations—crossing the border with travelers in no time. That could lead to flight cancellations and the whole country being quarantined, a possibility that shows the risk of neglecting a manageable situation that can spiral into a massive health and economic crisis.
1 comment:
The consequences of mutation into pandemic is as serious as you say. The scary thing is, the epidemic among birds is widespread and was first detected in 1997 in Hong Kong of all places. The virus is all over Asia and even though I live in the United States, I feel no reassurance as the world is so wrapped up in its other problems that not enough people are thinking about how to rationally respond to the bad news if and when it does happen. The results of the Netherlands shows a situation like tinder, and preparation is wise. Water, food, sanitation and cooking fuel sufficient to stay at home and not have to travel daily to secure the basic things if pandemic hits. Washing the inside of the nose with salt water seems to make people invulnerable to germs through the air. No touching hands to face with unwashed hands. Practice before.
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