REPORTS claim that swine flu has claimed 34 more lives in India and the nationwide toll from the H1N1 virus so far touched 1,075 in 2015 while the cases of infection inching towards 20,000 mark as of February 28. We believe it must be an alert signal for Bangladesh on the border. The Indian Health Minister said they have 21 laboratories capable of testing swine flu, but these are not enough and the government is planning to set up more testing facilities in every state with federal funding.
The threat of swine flu is no longer confined to news reports; it is a very real threat for Bangladesh. Compared to the magnitude of the threat, we have absolutely no mechanism in place in Bangladesh to treat, cure or even detect a pandemic outbreak of swine flue here. The horror becomes even more apparent when one gives a thought to how easy it is for the virus strain to move in here from across the border. Bangladeshis visiting India or Indians travelling to Bangladesh can carry the virus. We will never figure out what hits us until the pandemic has already broken out because of lack of awareness in the first place and then there are absolutely no testing facilities at our borders to detect an infection of swine flu. The only salvation that we may have now is by taking all quick preventive steps to avoid its crossing over the border. We need to set up testing facilities and health check posts at every border crossing and at airports to detect and quarantine anyone coming with the virus. Our hospitals and medical professional staff need to be equipped and trained in handling and containing the outbreak. The recent Ebola outbreak in some African countries has wrought havoc to those nations killing several thousand people in each country leaving a devastating effect on the economy and the nation’s healthy services. It must be a lesson for all of us here in this region.
We know, prevention is better than cure and thus we need awareness programmes on a massive scale, financed primarily by the government, in order to make our people aware about the virus, its symptoms and prevention techniques. It is alarming how oblivious our government is to the dangers of a prospective outbreak of swine flu in Bangladesh. They should have the far-sight to get international agencies like WHO, Red Cross etc. involved right now in the preparedness to fight back the disease. Any slackness in our preparedness may prove catastrophic. We must act now and quickly to stop its spread to Bangladesh.
