Howdy-do my friend…wait don’t come close

Alka Kashyap

There is a nip in the air, the fall has set in, pollen grains are flying, heralding the season of infection and allergies. Doctors are dealing with a large number of patients suffering from viral fever. This happens every year, but are we doing enough to prevent it from spreading, and keeping it at bay.

Sadly, we are very casual about it. We are so used to going through the trauma for that mandatory one week, and then pass it on to all those who come in contact with us.

My friend looked a little under the weather. When I asked her, if she was unwell, she said, “No, I am fine. Just a little cold.”

I knew that little cold could spell big trouble for me, if I catch it. She was a good friend, but her germs were not. So it was prudent of me to maintain a safe distance from her, for at least a couple of days, or till the infection subsided.

The dilemma was how to avoid all close quarter contact with her, without letting her know. I was overcome with guilt in evading her on some trivial pretext. But then it occured to me , that it should be her , who should take a bit of responsibility , and herself avoid any physical contact .

Unfortunately, people continue to carry on their social interactions in their fever, as if nothing much has happened. They do not hesitate to shake hands or embrace others. If men think that it is discourteous not to shake hands, let them know, that it is even more unpardonable if you pass on infection.

People sometimes cough down your plate at a dinner, but will not have the politeness to move away. Some will give out thunderous sneeze and say an equally loud, ‘excuse me’. Yes we will excuse you if it happens once in a while, but where do we go when it happens repeatedly in a short span of time.

We have often seen that if one member of a family has viral, the other members inevitably fall prey, one by one. Sometimes there can be a relapse and the cycle may go on. The shocking thing is that despite knowing all the pitfalls, we continue to share our towels, pillows and food. Our education goes for a toss, when we fail to segregate the infected person, in a well lit and airy room.

Medical science still does not have a cure for the virus. It usually dies its own death in seven days. The mutation rate is so high that each day, it rapidly evolves and develops resistance to new drugs.

Many a time,our child comes back from the school with the infection and we simply accept it as hard luck. Why do we not take up the issue with the school authorities, who can do a lot in preventing it from dispersing. They can conduct regular hygiene checks and hold classes, and quarantine the infected kids.

I remember when I once had chicken pox in school. My teachers made me sit in a separate room and helped me appear for my final exams. Schools can also send the infected child home and save hundreds of other children from infection.

I hope we can learn a lesson or two from diligent doctors. They are saving themselves remarkably from acquiring the infection, despite handling viral patients every day. They are regularly washing their hands, keeping themselves adequately hydrated, and finally gargling with lukewarm water before retiring for the night.

Our grandmothers too had a very effective technique of preventing the germs from spreading. They kept chopped onions in small bowls in all the major areas of the house. Onions have this amazing quality of absorbing all the infections from the air.

They say prevention is better than cure. So this time, how many of us are willing to put up our hands and make a sincere effort in containing it. Some of our coughing and sneezing brethren are so shy and embarrassed to admit it that they go into a denial mode. Can we, for a change, hold ourselves back from all the avoidable social interactions and save others? Can we stop going to parties, if we are unwell.

With the threat of swine flu and bird flu looming large in the months to come, let us not allow the infection to fly out of our hands.