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Press interviewing a District Medical Officer of Health in Trivandrum. (Imaginary of course!)
P. S. Remesh Chandran
Editor, Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum
Image by Simaah. Graphics: Adobe SP.
“Are you accusing that dengue is entirely due to mosquitoes?”
“Yes, there is no other reason.”
“Do you agree dengue is a Zoonosis disease which is caused by viruses?”
“Yes, that is basic knowledge.”
“Is dengue an Arboviral infection which needs an animal reservoir host for the virus to complete its life cycle?”
“Yes, that also is basic science but there have been disagreements….”
“What disagreements...? I was quoting from W.H.O. article in which it is stated that arthropod vectors such as ticks which are abundant in dog bodies are needed for maturing this virus?.”
“Then it might be true.”
“Is it true that these viruses are spread to man by mosquitoes who themselves get infected from dogs and monkeys?”
“Then it might be the monkeys, not dogs.”
“Do you have dogs?”
“Yes, I have three.”
“Which is the possible source of this disease, considering the number of monkeys and the number of dogs in this district?”
“According to your statement, it has to be the dogs.”
“Then why are authorities hunting mosquitoes and excluding dogs from the hunt; why don’t you tell people about the role of dogs so that they can take precautions and guard against this disease?”
“Because, dogs are protected by the central government; mosquitoes are not.”
“So the government is going after the second accused, leaving the first accused uncharged?”
“Yours is a damned newspaper which does not even have an editor.”
“Who said it?”
“Mr. TJS George recently, perhaps he might have wished to become your editor…why are you asking me these absurd questions?”
“Because I can…why are you not answering my questions scientifically?”
“Because I cannot.”
All of a sudden a newspaper reporter who had been sleeping at the back in a chair sat up straight and asked:
“Have you ever read Dr. A. J. Cronin’s famous novel The Citadel which is a quick look into the ethics of medical profession?”
“No, I do not have much time for reading, except medical books…why are you bringing this up?”
Images Courtesy: Pixabay.
Written and first published on:
FROM THE BOOK:
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Tags:
English Essays Articles,
About the Author P. S. Remesh Chandran:
Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/psremeshchandra.trivandrum
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PSRemeshChandra
You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/bloombooks/videos
Blog: http://sahyadribooks-remesh.blogspot.com/
Site: https://sites.google.com/site/timeuponmywindowsill/
E-Mail: bloombookstvm@gmail.com
Post: P. S. Remesh Chandran, Editor, Sahyadri Books, Trivandrum, Padmalayam, Nanniyode, Pacha Post, Trivandrum- 695562, Kerala State, South India.
Press interviewing a District Medical Officer of Health in Trivandrum. (Imaginary of course!)
P. S. Remesh Chandran
Editor, Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum
“Are you accusing that dengue is entirely due to mosquitoes?”
“Yes, there is no other reason.”
“Do you agree dengue is a Zoonosis disease which is caused by viruses?”
“Yes, that is basic knowledge.”
“Is dengue an Arboviral infection which needs an animal reservoir host for the virus to complete its life cycle?”
“Yes, that also is basic science but there have been disagreements….”
“What disagreements...? I was quoting from W.H.O. article in which it is stated that arthropod vectors such as ticks which are abundant in dog bodies are needed for maturing this virus?.”
“Then it might be true.”
“Is it true that these viruses are spread to man by mosquitoes who themselves get infected from dogs and monkeys?”
“Then it might be the monkeys, not dogs.”
“Do you have dogs?”
“Yes, I have three.”
“Which is the possible source of this disease, considering the number of monkeys and the number of dogs in this district?”
“According to your statement, it has to be the dogs.”
“Then why are authorities hunting mosquitoes and excluding dogs from the hunt; why don’t you tell people about the role of dogs so that they can take precautions and guard against this disease?”
“Because, dogs are protected by the central government; mosquitoes are not.”
“So the government is going after the second accused, leaving the first accused uncharged?”
“Yours is a damned newspaper which does not even have an editor.”
“Who said it?”
“Mr. TJS George recently, perhaps he might have wished to become your editor…why are you asking me these absurd questions?”
“Because I can…why are you not answering my questions scientifically?”
“Because I cannot.”
All of a sudden a newspaper reporter who had been sleeping at the back in a chair sat up straight and asked:
“Have you ever read Dr. A. J. Cronin’s famous novel The Citadel which is a quick look into the ethics of medical profession?”
“No, I do not have much time for reading, except medical books…why are you bringing this up?”
“Because it is relevant, and you should know about an incident described in this novel. The young Dr. Manson found out that a generations-old, rusted sewage line seeping contents into water lines was the cause of colleform-related epidemics and deaths in the coal districts of England which the municipal authorities won’t replace fearing the heavy costs its replacement would incur. The DMO of that English district warned him he was entering the red zone, but for his love of people in his district, helped Dr. Manson to dynamite the sewage line secretly and get it immediately replaced by the municipality. Trace the actual source of an epidemic and do what is needed boldly. It is your people who are dying there in your district due to dengue.”
So the press meet ended in bedlam. It was accused by the government that the press behaved irreverently towards the DMO. The press charged that the DMO did not rise up to scientific standards.
(The newspaper mentioned here was the Times of India and this article was written for and first published as comment in the Times of India).
Images Courtesy: Pixabay.
Written and first published on:
FROM THE BOOK:
Tags:
English Essays Articles,
About the Author P. S. Remesh Chandran:
Author Profile Of P S Remesh Chandran By Sahyadri Archives.
Editor
of Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum. Author of several
books in English and in Malayalam. And also author of Swan: The
Intelligent Picture Book. Born and brought up in the beautiful village
of Nanniyode in the Sahya Mountain Valley in Trivandrum, in Kerala.
Father British Council trained English teacher and Mother University
educated. Matriculation with distinction and Pre Degree Studies in
Science with National Merit Scholarship. Discontinued Diploma studies in
Electronics and entered politics. Unmarried and single.
Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/psremeshchandra.trivandrum
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PSRemeshChandra
You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/bloombooks/videos
Blog: http://sahyadribooks-remesh.blogspot.com/
Site: https://sites.google.com/site/timeuponmywindowsill/
E-Mail: bloombookstvm@gmail.com
Post: P. S. Remesh Chandran, Editor, Sahyadri Books, Trivandrum, Padmalayam, Nanniyode, Pacha Post, Trivandrum- 695562, Kerala State, South India.
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