Hyderabad: With the coronavirus pandemic infecting almost 4,25,000 people and claiming around 13,700 people in India, the Centre and state governments have been trying their best to contain the spread.
To make matters worse, the seasonal changes in the atmosphere i.e., the onset of the rainy season, is further threatening with various infectious diseases that are lurching around the corner.
In the report submitted by the central government to the Parliament this year, it was stated that there have been double the cases recorded with regards to the Swine Flu (H1N1) virus that have been reported in the last year. The highest number of swine flu cases has been reported in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi and Tamil Nadu.
The epidemic of infectious diseases has begun in the country and with studies focusing on just the containment and treatment of the coronavirus, ignoring other vaccinations and immunization programs may create such a situation where normal infectious disease may turn out to become an epidemic like that of coronavirus.
Diseases like Dengue, Chikungunya, Malaria, Diarrhea, Typhoid, dangerous Viral fevers, Cholera, Meningitis, and Jaundice are common during the rainy season and cause life-threatening illnesses. The most common cases of dengue have been reported to be seen in the patients with corona symptoms and these have been already reported in Mumbai.
The common symptoms of colds, cough, and fever which are also the basic symptoms of coronavirus are causing panic among the public in a country where all these symptoms are usually common and seasonal.
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Five weeks ago, the prime minister suggested that medical health systems should be strengthened and prepared for the eradication of non-corona diseases as the rainy season is going to be in full force. To top it, COVID-19 cases are on a constant rise.
Earlier in January, the Centre felt the need to establish a state-of-the-art system to prevent the spread of contaminated water, food, air and insect-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria, chikungunya, diarrhea, jaundice and typhoid. The National Health Mission has already indicated that delegating responsibilities in the non-clinical sector to physicians completing a degree in public health will facilitate the prevention of infections, as well as lifestyle diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
Because of the current pandemic status of the COVID-19 and with its lockdown implementation, targets such as complete eradication of Kala-Azar, Filaria and others have been ignored by many governments. With more than four million cases of tuberculosis still prevalent annually, malaria is equally widespread.
The study conducted by Global Burden of Disease (GBD Magazine) reportedly mentioned that around 11,000 people per day, across India are today being affected by the first five listed life-threatening diseases.
The Telangana High Court, which has taken serious note of the thousands of dengue cases in the country, has responded straightforwardly saying that every death has to be compensated at the earliest and care should be taken to prevent the same.
It is true that the eradication of mosquito breeding centers and the sanitation of the environment are essential tasks before the onset of the disease season. Shortage of doctors and nursing staff in government hospitals and clinics is proving to be another bitter fact.
Though the coronavirus pandemic has made mandatory preventive measures such as hand wash and mask usage, which can provide some protection, it is compulsory that surroundings are kept clean and hygienic without letting them become mosquito habitats and breeding grounds. This is one rule that each one of us should voluntarily adhere to, without fail.
