Wash your hands regularly?
by Victor Cherubim
In 1347 death came to Europe. It entered through the Crimean town of Caffa. History tells us that it was brought by the besieging Mongolian army. Fleeing merchant traders unwittingly carried it back to Italy. From there it spread to France, Spain and to England. Then across the rest of Europe. We are told that within six years the Black Death had taken its toll, as tens of millions had perished,
It was only quite recently that whilst digging and excavation work was being carried out in the tunnels and the bowels of the City of London at Whitechapel for the newly built Elizabeth Line, that we were reminded again of this pandemic?
The bubonic plague of the past may have changed the fortunes of empires and may have substantially changed the course of history. In fact, Britain since then has always wanted to be isolated as an island nation and the white cliffs of Dover are a reminder of why Britain has remained so.
The doric column at Fish Street called “The Monument” is another epitome erected in memory of the Great Fire of London (2 September 1666), as a constant reminder.
Public Health in Britain
The British are fanatical about Public Health and hazards. We have seen in the streets of Britain rehearsals for such eventualities, like epidemics, fire risks, to alert the public repeatedly over the years. The NHS has a capacity for National Planning as well as for epidemiological surveillance unsurpassed in the world.
Today, public health programmes are more important in Britain as they prevent disease rather than treating them. Preventive Care is important because it helps people stay healthy and well. They access prompt treatment when necessary and it helps to reduce overall medical expense.
Public Health in Sri Lanka
We in Sri Lanka are more concerned today about the General Election on 25 April 2020 than about the impending Public Health.
When I was a young lad in Sri Lanka, I can well remember how many Public Health Inspectors we saw on streets in the practice of protecting, monitoring and improving the health of communities all over the island. We saw them wearing White uniforms, a scourge of heath hazards at towns, cities, markets, wells, abattoirs and the like. They were a feared breed as they had the power to lay down the law by preventive medicine, health education, control of communicable disease, application of sanitary measures among others.
The country held the unique position in South Asia to prevent communicable and non-communicable disease, Sri Lanka’s public spending on health was 1.5% of GDP some years back. The recently increasing concern on public health accelerated by demographic and epidemiological scare, is to be taken seriously today.
The country having faced communicable diseases like dengue, influenza and TB among others, plus malnutrition among mothers and babies born with low birth weight, stunted growth for their age after the prolonged civil war, is another worrying concern.
Besides, there is a very great concern about accidents on the roads and highways, the
need for rigorous enforcement of seat belt laws and most of all epidemiological surveillance.
A novel vocabulary, for a noval COVID-19?
How many of us have heard the new expressions used in common parlance today as a result of Coronavirus among medics and media?
We hear the expressions, “social distancing,” “community transmission,” “self-isolation,” “documentation spread” among others referred, as impact assessment to this virus.
Fresh ideas grow out of scare situations. A new way of thinking is in the making. Shaking hands is a thing of the past. Growing integration and the complexity of global economy, is that it too suffers from global contagion. We saw this phenomenon in the rapid spread of cyber virus warfare. Markets around the globe are swamped with excess liquidity and volatility. Bending resilience against new threats such as pandemics brings new challenges as well as opportunities? Call it a false sense of security? Poor hygiene, law enforcement of health regulation are some areas for global health action. Sharing of information and resources in heath matters has become the No.1 Priority today?
What can be done in Sri Lanka in the immediate present?
In the circumstances at present, it would be a good opportunity to recruit more Public Health Inspectors as well as health volunteers among the youth to train as PHI’s in and around Sri Lanka. It would be the best insurance against communicable disease,
The World needs to wash its hands regularly. Sri Lanka needs more PHI’s to monitor the health of the nation meticulously.
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