Coronavirus or Covid-19, the buzz words used extensively since last 3 months, has struck terror in the hearts of people all over the world.
Covid-19, a newly identified type of Coronavirus appeared in Wuhan, a city in China in December-2019. The hypotheses is that it may be linked to a sea food market in Wuhan, China as some people who had gone there contracted the disease.
The symptoms of Covid-19 are cough, fever, shortness of breath. In rare cases Covid-19 can lead to severe respiratory problems, kidney failure and death. The fact that it spreads through air has made its containment rather difficult. And a disease such as this does not respect borders. While globalization has brought a lot of good for technological advancement of this world, it also has its side effects. Spread of diseases is one of them.
We have over the past decade come to know about a few zoonotic diseases such as SARS, swine flu, bird flu, Ebola virus and Nipah virus. An outbreak of this kind usually results in a flurry of WhatsApp messages bearing advice on homeopathic, Ayurveda and home remedies with dear old granny’s advice thrown in for a good measure. All of them have one thing in common – good sanitation. Yes, good sanitation is the basis of all remedies and precautions. Many ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ have been shared by the health ministry and the hospitals. The most important of all is to avoid crowds and limit your outings. One cannot be under self-imposed house arrest all the time as life has to go on, duties need to be done and economy has to flourish. But one can slow down a little, avoid socializing for some time and try to be a more responsible citizen of this world as spreading of this disease is entirely in our hands.
There are many internet advices given freely to keep oneself safe from this disease. Consuming various herbs such as garlic, ginger and pepper and avoiding sweet and sour things to keep ourselves immune from the dreaded Covid-19 has not been medically proven. But the advice is generally good for maintaining good health but will not be effective in providing us with a shield from these diseases.
The health ministry has mandated that all schools should educate their students about respiratory and hand hygiene. Respiratory hygiene means that you should cover your nose and mouth with your elbow or hands when
sneezing or coughing and avoid touching your face with your hands. Hands need to be washed frequently especially whenever we touch any surface touched by numerous people. This particular advice has been handed down generations but rarely followed by any. Avoid shaking hands, even if it is considered to be rude. Our good old Indian Namaste is far more respectful and will serve the purpose.
Lastly, one should not go in for any home remedies when down with cold and cough. Haldiwala doodh (milk with turmeric) as a value addition is fine but it should not be considered as the cure. A doctor should be consulted immediately. One should not panic if advised to undergo tests. People are getting cured through timely intervention. Summer is around the corner and the Indian sun can just burn any virus out of its existence.
~ Lakshmi Srinivasan
