Hyderabad, October 23: The scene is straight out of a sci-fi thriller where the future is uncertain. The monster is again a deadly virus that goes by the name swine flu and disguises itself under the symptoms of cough and a running nose
. People are in panic mode and have armed themselves against it; after all, the world is not the same anymore.
The District Medical and Health Officer, Ch Jayakumari confirms that swine flu is finally under control. With the fear of a second wave of swine flu looming large over certain countries, it will take some time to take the dread of the disease out of the hearts of the people of Hyderabad.
Common cold is not common anymore, washing hands has become a priority, hand sanitizers are being used more than cell phones and masks are not just restricted to hospitals. Has this viral scare turned Hyderabadis hygiene and health conscious? “With the help of electronic and print media we have raised the swine flu awareness level by 70 to 80 per cent. Our teams have visited slums and distributed door-to-door pamphlets and stickers,” said Jayakumari.
Not only has the Government been proactive through its awareness programmes but also the schools. “We distributed handouts explaining to the students about swine flu and prevention methods. We encouraged them to wash hands regularly and avoid consuming outside food.
Students having cold were asked not to come to school,” said Sister Theresa, Headmistress of St Ann’s High School, Tarnaka.
Advice on personal hygiene and avoiding roadside food, which was most often ignored by children, became part of the curriculum in the schools.
From play school to high school and colleges, the same mantra was adopted. “In spite of the swine flu cases going down our students have learnt a lesson and are making a conscious effort to maintain personal hygiene,” feels Sister Theresa.
“Because of swine flu we have started avoiding crowded places and gave up eating junk food,” added K Sanjula, a 13-year-old school student.
This trend was not just observed among students but also among adults following it diligently.
“After the Swine flu scare, our office placed hand sanitizers every where in the office. People used it quite often,” said Ruchi Soni, who works for an MNC in the city.
Additionally, the social ostracism of people suffering from cold and cough heightened the fear of swine flu. “Once I accidentally coughed in a crowded bus and suddenly I saw people moving away from me,” said Saheli C who regularly commutes in a bus. A running nose seemed so life-threatening that not just students but corporates also ordered employees not to report to work in case of a cold.
“Our employees stopped coming to work if they were suffering from cold and we also insisted that they get it tested for swine flu,” said C Amitava, a manager in an automobile workshop. Even Dussera and Navratri celebrations were dampened this year because of swine flu.
“Normally during Ashtami, we can hardly find place to stand at Durga pooja pandal, but this time the crowds were thin,” said Payal Ganguly.
The worst nightmare was for people who worked at bus depots, railway stations and airports.
“I was terrified to come to work everyday. We used masks and were given preventive medicines.
I made it a point to carry soaps every time I used the wash room,” B. Sukanya, a security officer at the Secunderabad Railway Station.
It was homeopathic medicines and grandmother’s age-old home remedies that came to the rescue. Whether its cloves or eucalyptus oil or homeopathic medicines people got it all to keep the disease at bay. Even mask sellers at every traffic signal enjoyed a roaring business.
“Doctors have always insisted on maintaining personal hygiene but it is the swine flu that finally drove home the point. It is the herd mentality that people started buying masks and hand sanitizers. Once reports of swine flu stop appearing in news, people might go back to their old habits,” said Dr S V Nag Nath, psychologist with Image Hospitals. In spite of the active AIDS campaigns going on for years, it failed to bring about a steady change which swine flu managed in a matter of few months.
“AIDS is still a sensitive topic that people hesitate to discuss but the symptoms of swine flu are so common that it became a regular dinner table discussion,” rightly quips Shivi Jain, a Standard 10 student.
In a strange way, swine flu has reiterated the importance of personal hygiene and health consciousness that otherwise was forgotten by most people.
–Agencies