Sitting on the information highway is really very difficult when you are aware of bit by bit happenings around you and there is more in store as media is hyper active in the metros. Media is a necessary evil so as to make people aware about the facts and figures but they create a panic like situation in case of a viral attack or any terrorist attack.
Like in case of swine flu, people are quite aware about the facts ( whom to contact, where to contact, medicines, preventive actions and all) but the news which comes in form of breaking news and the state wise figures of death, like in case of election results are really worrisome. People take stock of all these things and live with the fear of virus.
As of now, no deaths reported in
People do live in fear and the obvious example is my close knit group in Noida. We cancelled one of our possible trips to a place nearby because of swine flu and decided to stay at home and enjoy.
The irony is that when something major/minor happens in any metros, it spreads like jungle fire as Media do their bit to make it a tadka news for one and all. The footage showing breaking news like: Cases reported till now in
They have other problems like drought situation, water shortage, spiraling prices of vegetables to cope up with. The spread of news is far more than the spread of the virus itself and directly and indirectly it affects the economy. It is good news for some (medicine manufacturers, mask distributors, chemists, doctors) while very bad news for others like ( malls, cinema theaters, tourism, transportation as people refrain themselves going to any crowded areas).
In
I do not know how dangerous the swine flu virus is. Of about 2 million cases world wide, the fatal rate is less than 1%, it clearly shows there is nothing to panic. Proper medication can help reduce the effect of disease.
The big question is : what should be the role of the citizens, society and the government in this kind of situation. Media should be instructed to make people aware about the complexity of the problems and the steps to be taken to tackle the issue and not to create panic by overstating the problems. Govt should take fast actions so as to arrange the necessary medicines, doctors, facilities, proper monitoring of the situation, speedy development of vaccines and allowing the private hospitals to join the war and no one should take extra mileage out of this situation. People must come forward to take voluntary actions and pledge not to make this epidemic a profitable charity.
This is time not to worry but to focus and live as usual without fear. Take necessary steps to make the body and mind active and let the nature take its own way to tackle the problem.
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