Health officials in Bangladesh said they have held five individuals in isolation units of a hospital with suspected infection of coronavirus although their blood test reports showed so far negative.
Earlier a Chinese national was admitted at a hospital in Rangpur with symptoms of flu fever but nothing was reported since then to suggest it was not at least a case of coronavirus. But the shock and panic are holding people terribly at risk all over.
Amidst growing criticism of poor preventive arrangement in the country, the health ministry on Tuesday said it has set up a 31-member national committee and created isolation units in two hospitals to treat if anyone is found to be carrying infections. Such committees at district and upazila levels were also constituted to watch the development.
But the basic question remains whether the government is fully equipped with technology and resources, if we have trained doctors, nurses and necessary kits to give the quick recovery treatment to people for which even highly developed countries like the USA is struggling. Six deaths were reported in the USA on Monday while other countries wonder how to contain the fast spreading outbreak of China virus.
We hope that — in background of utter failure of the government to handle the dengue outbreak last year, the health ministry has learned the right lesson to be sufficiently careful. Still, we shall urge the government to take all help from the World Health Organisation. It is not unknown to anybody that no ministry is run efficiently.
Most countries are using travel ban or restrictions on passengers to and from affected countries to stop the spread. Bangladesh has advised its expatriate nationals not to unnecessarily come in a bid to minimize the risk of infection.
In fact it has been causing severe disruptions to global aviation and even the financial markets are taking big shocks sending stock index plunging. Bangladesh has suspended arrival visa at airport from Iran, Italy and South Korea while it was earlier suspended for Chinese nationals to keep the risk at low.
In fact it has been causing severe disruptions to global aviation and even the financial markets are taking big shocks sending stock index plunging. Bangladesh has suspended arrival visa at airport from Iran, Italy and South Korea while it was earlier suspended for Chinese nationals to keep the risk at low.
Bangladesh with a big population of 160 million and very densely populated country now faces high risk of fast spreading of the disease as the rest of the world is helplessly trying to protect their people from growing outbreak.
It has already hit many countries including Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Morocco. Over 60 countries have reported outbreak of the virus so far. So, we have no reason to be complacent.
Our fear is — the government so used to lying that it may become easy for them to suppress the truth until the situation got worsened to be beyond control. Our health ministry people should be transparent about it for the sake of getting international cooperation.
World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said almost eight times as many cases had been reported outside China as inside. WHO fears the risk of coronavirus spreading is now very high at a global scale.
As it is a new disease, there is no known medicine or vaccine for treatment and this is why it has taken the pandemic form. Researchers are working overnight to discover the vaccine and it may be ready but not very soon.
The only way to save oneself from the infection is to take steps for not getting infected. What the experts call ‘social distance’ is the best way to remain safe. Crowded places must be avoided as much as possible.
Besides, hands must be washed frequently to keep them disinfected. The fear is once contacted there is no medicine for cure. The affected person must be isolated and kept in quarantine under medical arrangement.
We again ask the government to take the issue of human seriously.
We again ask the government to take the issue of human seriously.
