Global scare

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Global scare

Saturday, 01 February 2020 | Pioneer

Global scare

No nation can handle epidemics alone. So there is a need to mount a united campaign on surveillance and sharing R&D

The contagion of the coronavirus has been instantaneous and intense, enough for us to act pronto rather than waiting for the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare it as a global health emergency. Although early studies indicate this strain is less fatal than the respiratory syndromes caused by earlier two variants — SARS and MERS — its spread despite containment protocols shows that the virus, which mutates during species jumps and probably originated in a market legally trading wild animals, has already infected a large number of people. As it incubates in its host for around 10 or more days before manifesting symptoms, the deaths are just the tip of the iceberg. Experts say that any flu virus can extend its reach by not killing its host too rapidly and/or making the host sick enough to pass it on. Therefore, the outbreak is hardly a measure of the carriers in circulation. No amount of blocking information, which China is known to resort to, will help. For just like climate change, the world is under greater threat from such epidemics than other major diseases. Coronavirus has sickened citizens from every nation in a globalised world that cannot do without engaging with each other. Which is why the fightback must also be a coordinated effort beyond borders with a common mechanism set up along the lines of world bodies that monitor climate threats and solutions. Every nation should be involved in sharing a disease control protocol and pool research for an antidote. As of now, the Chinese are working on one with Alibaba founder Jack Ma promising funds for a rollout. But this is still a post-onset initiative, what we need is a threat preparedness. This will particularly help countries like India where the challenges are many. These include a density of population, low awareness levels, a weak public health delivery mechanism and a compromised infrastructure that is not geared to emergency responses. In fact, even the Chinese public health system has crumbled in the face of such an attack, exposing the chinks in its “great power” armour. Besides, the current outbreak has had many infected people displaying no symptoms. If this is more common than an exception, then chances are that this virus, too, will become endemic with year on year reprisals and mutations. This is why the world needs to wage a united war on pestilence or face an evolutionary culling of human lives. What we must also guard ourselves against is using xenophobia to characterise diseases. Just like ebola and the AIDS virus before it was ascribed to Africa, there’s a perception about the flu virus spreading out of lab leaks in China and the nation is being wrongfully proscribed as a giant germ factory. The fear and speculation about a new disease tend to get magnified if it originates in the Orient and strengthen prevalent biases. What we must understand is that whatever be the origin of viruses, in an open world, they become as much of an immediate threat for everybody. No matter how advanced the medical facilities, they always fall short in handling epidemics. We could do without the misinformation and mount a united campaign based on surveillance, sharing information and R&D.   

It’s early days yet but India is not immune to the coronavirus either as it is trying to contain returnees from China. Pharmaceutical companies are bracing up for a hit as India sources about 70 per cent of bulk drugs and ingredients from China, Wuhan being one of the many source suppliers. Antibiotics like penicillin G, tetracycline and supportive pills like vitamins C and D use ingredients made using the fermentation-based process, which is dominated by China in the pharma market. We are heavily dependent on our eastern neighbour for chemicals-based ingredients that are used for cardiovascular drugs, particularly statins. India also sources components for its own tech products, a secondary sector which might be hit with containment protocols. Besides, the fear psychosis is such that anything coming out of China is being feared to be smeared with the coronavirus from factory floor workers there. So there might be a temporary freeze on these supplies. If anything at all, the virus has been a lesson for India. It has taught us the need to be in continuous deployment mode, something that helped us combat the deadly Nipah virus in Kerala. It has also awakened us to the need of monitoring the health of farm animals and wildlife. But most importantly, it is also warning bells for us to focus on drug manufacturing, reduce dependence on China and keep prices in check. For the inter-connectedness of the South Asian region as a whole, thanks to China’s Belt and Road Initiative in the neighbourhood, means that we have to learn to live with threats. 

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