We should prepare to deal with SARS-like eventualities

Dr Govind Hoskeri

Do we need to have our natural immunity on the up by getting exposed to all possible diseases so that a disastrous disease like SARS will have no impact on us? That is, if we go by one explanation. It looks as if every other scientist from every other faculty will claim his or her specialty to prove the point adding to ‘SARSOLOGY’. Immunologists are no exceptions. There is no harm as long as SARS does not decide the other way. With WHO declaring India as a SARS free country, we the Indians, need to look into our own preparedness to deal with such eventualities in future. We tend to get complacent and relax our vigil at the first convenient moment. The high alert has to be in force till the whole world is declared SARS free. We cannot afford to relax and allow ourselves the liberty of “the Laissez faire” attitude.

We cannot take immunity for granted. Antibodies against malaria are supposed to be providing the necessary protection. That statement presumes that all the cases tested positive for SARS, have tested positive for malarial antibodies also. The tendency to generalise need to be curbed, as the lay public is not aware of the intricacies of immunology and tends to take for granted all that is published as gospel truth. In any case the scientific world has always been in the habit of “rolling back” on its self-professed truths at the very first convenient minute, if it is proved otherwise. Never mind what you have to say.

The world would be better with a little bit of Indianness in terms of natural immunity. A little bit of pollution and alliterating volition and all that stuff should be acceptable. That is good for the kind of ‘immunological superiority” over SARS. There is a little logic that should dawn upon others that being insanely sanitary does not pay always. It may come as a surprise to the western world that we can survive on 3 to 4 mg per cent of haemoglobin.

As far as the Indian SARS victims are concerned, I do not think that their samples have been tested by the ‘WHO Diagnostic Kits’. There has been no update on the type of kits being used. Correct me if I am wrong. We need to get the basics correct.
There is an opinion that since we have many other conditions to be wary of, we should start working towards ‘them those conditions’ rather than on SARS. This coming from the scientific pool of intelligentsia prefers to overlook the dimensions of the disease that is taking the world by the storm and may give enough credibility to the already softening stance towards SARS.

The advocates of such a measure will please note the ground reality in terms of actual presence of simple equipment, is in itself at a premium. We should thank heavens that SARS has spared us so far. And learn from these ‘SARS days’ learn how to really update our emergency medical management and disaster management services. Just count the number of ‘ventilators’ that we have, leave alone the ‘negative pressure isolation units’ that are advocated as essential for effective handling of SARS cases.

It is alarming to read about the “total number of ventilators” not even crossing the number of state and cabinet ministers as is the case in New Delhi. It is no secret that half of them will not be working on any given day. Without the ventilators, the protection has to come from somewhere.

(The author is associate professor, department of anatomy, Seth G S Medical College and KEM Hospital. E-mail: hoskeri@rediffmail.com)