Apologies Vimal, Sorry, for not posting regularly.
Pune is in the midst of the Swine Flu epidemic and suddenly the hot and happening city has developed cold feet.
Parents trying to protect their children in laboratory conditions by quarantining them at home; the 5 lakh college student population returning to their hometowns; multiplexes and malls shutting doors to public; now wholesale vegetable and fruit market too taking a break; more than 3/4th of the 19 lakh vehicles resting in home parking lots; fewer food-loving Puneites visiting restaurants, Pg 3 parties and all functions on the hold - indeed it seems like a ghost town.
Sneezing is a crime now in this city and coughing is a sin! Pune girls are known for their penchant for scarves that serve as a mask from the sun and (from identification) - as they zoom around in two-wheelers. Now, masks have taken over!
As for me, I am living by the message from medical experts that boosting your immunity is the key to keep Swine Flu away. Now that all the health clubs in the city are closed (damn!) me and hubby climb up the Parvati hill (thrice, up and down!) Washing hands has become a psychic obsession - every hour or so i just yearn to wash my hands and feel as if those deadly germs are hovering around my nostrils all the time. My reporters keep visiting the Naidu Hospital and threaten me that they have developed the symptoms - I have recommended hill climbing - Pune after all is surrounded by hills, it is time to check them out, I tell them! All eyes at home are on 18 month old Arjun, who's been quarantined in the little lawn at his home. Suddenly, everyone's enjoying home food and staying back home.
It's not that bad in Pune as yet - the epidemic wise - the useless government authorities failed to respond rapidly and provide precise information. They let chaos prevail and allow Swine Flu cases to rise. Puneites had the first taste of public health service and boy wasn't it pathetic? I was on CNN IBN twice in the last 10 days and tried my best to slam the govt.
Everytime, people keep blaming the media for being hysteric. Come on, the damn govt which was asked to be on its toes from April by creating mass awareness and being ready for contingencies did nothing besides some housekeeping efforts - keeping a few beds ready in municipal hospitals! Now, if a series of deaths are occuring every 24 hrs, isn't the media supposed to report it? Isn't the media supposed to inform the status of events that are currently going on? The govt did not even have a proper PRO to disseminate information.
Our polititicans are pathetic when it comes to man made or natural disasters. All they are bothered is about vote banks! The Maharashtra govt hid the Ram Pradhan committee report that looked into Mumbai terror, because they wanted to win Lok Sabha elections. Now, they refuse to clamp down on Ganesh Festival and Ramzan congregations because they want to win Assembly elections. We all saw the great dahi handi tamasha!
NICD experts who visited Pune a couple of days back have gone on `record' to say that Pune could soon be in the midst of `cluster' infection of Swine Flu - meaning entire neighbourhoods could be affected enmasse! Yet, the vote bank is more important than saving citizens' lives and no one wants to say - hey, this year, pl don't publicly celebrate Ganpati or do your namaz at homes.
In the meanwhile, we continue to have herbal tea, home food, running up the hills with the wish that we shall conquer those germs! In Marathi there is a saying that `ek mungli pan hathila traas diyu shakte' meaning even an ant can harasss the mighty elephant - that's what these mini-micro size germs are doing to us!
cheers nevertheless!
p.s: tks Vimal for calling me up to find about my well being and tks Naresh for coming on chat
12 comments:
Thats the first authentic news from Pune, thanks Udaya.
Keep fit --take precautions -and stay away from closed spaces.
Bangalore is also like a swine-flu affected city. Employees wear masks at offices. Masks are selling like hot cakes. Well, there seems to be a panic all over -- and Govt reaction still tends to be reactive.
take care Udaya
Wearing masks is not going to prevent one from getting swine flu---actually the one having swine flu needs to wear it. I will fwd a mail I got from our admn on swine flu.
I've just fwd the email on avoiding swine flu to Stan, Vinita and Sreenu Babu. I'd already sent it to Vims, Arun, etc a few days back.
Tulip, Udaya & Ashu: Take care...
Hi Vinita....
Actually I wouldn't say this is a big hype but I'll give you some startling statistics. The other day I met Almas bhaiya (he is the Senior Advisor in the Population Foundation of India) and jokingly asked him if this was their crazy way of population control. And you know what he said? In Orissa alone, for those who live below the poverty line, every two mins there is an infant death, every five mins there is a malaria death, and every fifteen mins ladies die during deliveries. Forget about starvation and other common flu deaths. So you can imagine about the statistics of the whole of India. So compared to this, are 25 deaths of the middle class so alarming?
The thing is no one is aware of these startling facts. This flu is new and has come from abroad and just because everyone is keeping a tab on how many deaths are there, it is causing such a mayhem. Looks like our craze for monitoring anything 'imported' will never wane...!!
Anyways, you take care. Prevention is always better :-}
Great Write Up Vinita!
Folks beware even Vinita has warned you that SF is back take utmost precautions!
Swine Flu?
I'm referring to Syed Faiyaz!
Just be more careful during the winter.....it is expected that it will be those months that will be most dangerous as virus find it easier to spread in the cold !!
Normal virus can transmit 7 days prior to the symptoms showings in the patient, but Swine Flu Virus transmits only after the symptoms have started showing in a person. So one can be careful and not meet anyone who already has Swine Flu like symptoms......I am sure all of you know this by now....but just to remind you all, that this is very important during the coming winter months.
Another thing which Vinita has mentioned and we have been advised here to be very particular about, is washing hands.....everytime you go out of the house and return, wash hands and the tricky bit is ask every guest to wash hands the moment they enter the house. I realise a lot of Indians do not ask thier guests to do this as they think the guest will feel offended.....
Take care and hope this virus is eradicated and not mutate into anything more dangerous !!
Achooo!!! God Bless you!
Yes exactly - Swine flu is indeed a big media hype as it has come from the West and yes as rightly pointed out other deaths are more alarming. In fact, as per a tv report last week, 572 people die of common flu per day in India. Look at the deaths due to accidents. One wonders whether it was an international conspiracy to make Tamiflu into a money spinning proposition? Now suddenly the chief minister addressed a press conference in Pune stating all is fine with Swine Flu - it's all under control. Why? because the politicians don't want to disturb their vote banks - they are not officially curbing public gatherings at Ganesh Festival and Ramzan. So, now the hype is - don't worry its not that bad actually! These knee jerk announcements indeed infuriate u! Don't they?
There was a humorous article in TOI by Jug Suraya last week---he says everything in India is adulterated---from fuel to dal. Therefore even Swine Flu will get adulterated in the normal course of things, and lose its potency!! So don't worry, folks!
But the WHO alert on June 11 , 2009 raising it to LEVEL 6 making it PANDEMIC [ widespread Human infection ] ????????????
Can we turn a blind eye to this ?
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