Guest guest Posted July 25, 2009 Report Share Posted July 25, 2009 Editorial-Animal Crusaders July 2009 (quarterly neswsletter-print version) WHO declares swine flu pandemic 11 Jun 2009, 2041 hrs IST, AGENCIES GENEVA: The World Health Organization told its member nations it was declaring a swine flu pandemic on Thursday - the first global flu epidemic in 41 years - as infections climbed in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and elsewhere. In a statement sent to member countries, WHO said it decided to raise the pandemic warning level from phase 5 to 6 - its highest alert - after holding an emergency meeting on swine flu with its experts. Paris: Discussions at the OIE meeting --\ --\ --- June 14, 2009 : 3:16 AM Egypt: Pigs still being killed We have received two recent reports related to the killing of pigs in Egypt, as a consequence of the H1N1 epidemic. The first report indicates that significant discussions took place in Paris at the OIE meeting in May and that positive steps are being taken. However, it appears that pigs are still being killed, on the ground, in Egypt [http://network.bestfriends.org/egypt/news/34742.html] --\ --\ -- Contents of a speech given by Debasis Chakrabarti on 28.12.1999 at the Banga Sammelun - conference on ‘Medicine In The Millennium’. Science City, Calcutta. Subject: Zoonotic Diseases And The Indian Economy. I have here, a collage of headlines. I will read out a few........ New York, February 28th, 1997 : Pig virus can infect humans. London, July 23rd, 1996: Mad sheep scare sparks ban on offal in Britain. London, Nov, 26th, 1996: Mad cow disease may kill hundreds yearly-U.K.Study. Gandhinagar, Aug 27th. 1997: Rat-borne infection hits 16,000 in Gujarat. Calcutta. April 26th, 1997 : Doctors warn of dysentery from diseased fish. Hong Kong, Jan 10th,1998 : HK ducks infected by virus similar to chicken flu. Tokyo, June 5th, 1999 : Japan will monitor all milk, beef imports. The Hague, Feb 18th, 1997 : Swine fever scare hits Dutch officials. Washington, Feb 10th, 1998: Vaccine against deadly E. coli bacteria tested on volunteers. London, June 5th, 1999: Britain bans. Belgian Pork, eggs, beef and poultry. And, Americans want industry to team with NGOs [Financial Express, Calcutta, December 27th, 1999] With due apologies to the experts, it is my contention that far too little attention is paid to the root cause of zoonotic diseases and their effect upon the socio-economic progress of a society. Particularly in India, which is still very much a developing country, we can ill afford the enormous expenditure of curative medication, much of which needs to be imported. Curative medication is frequently beyond the reach of the overwhelming majority of the Indian population. Not all the advances of science can replace basics. Large-scale slaughter of diseased animals is no guarantee of avoiding future outbreaks. Nor does compensation provide farmers with alternate employment. Of what use are mechanization, computerization & education if there are no jobs available? Even if jobs are available, can the poor half educated villagers avail of them? Further, what are the chances that a mentally underdeveloped person can hold the job? What are the chances that a baby born to a mother who is undernourished, will be intelligent and healthy? Worse, if the mother suffers from worm infestation or chronic enteric disease? It is imperative that we not only analyze, but also act immediately and effectively, to curtail the cause of so much human and animal suffering. India’s economy, at the very grass root level, is still related to its livestock - both land and marine. In our populous agro-based economy, it is important that every able-bodied individual is productive. The economy doesn’t relate only to the per capita income, but also to the constructive involvement of the people. Self-employment is a very important economic factor in a populous country like India. Hence, animals have a big role to play viz a viz the rural population. It is equally important that the animals they use in their daily lives are healthy and able. Thus, the health and well-being of both the people and the animals are intricately linked. Like any other tropical country, most of the endemic diseases here are of a zoonotic nature. Some of the common zoonotic diseases are encephalitis, rabies, plague, brucellosis, anthrax and salmonellosis. The only solution offered is mass slaughter of diseased or suspected animals. Skin infections and worm infestation are also very common and easily avoidable. The practical, emotional and economical impact of ill-health can’t be calculated. The benefits will be enormous, if animal health is attended to. Governments are notoriously slow in changing policies. This is why progress is slow, too ; and this is why it becomes all the more important that NGOs and individuals take the lead. We have to realize that animal welfare is an essential factor in social welfare and that we neglect it at our peril. Health care management of the masses is dismal in most developing countries, including India. This comprises of: [a] awareness of the disease [h] preventive measures by the State [cj curative facilities for the people Resources invested in increasing the awareness of disease and enhancing preventive measures would be far more effective in controlling the diseases, at the same time managing the Slate expenditure on health in a more economical way. Take, for instance, RABIES. It takes one injection, costing Rs.25/-to be given annually to the dog. Post bite treatment, on the other hand, is anything North of Rs. 1,0007- for humans. Remember, one rabid dog bites a number of people before it dies. According to Dr. Wasi of Bangkok’s Siriraj hospital, “people don’t get excited about rabies. It’s just not a hot issue. There is so much money for AIDS, but very little for rabies. Rabies is a fatal disease which can be prevented, but answer to the AIDS epidemic is still a long way off ”. Dr.M.K. Sudarshan of Bangalore represented India at the 1993 conference on rabies at Jakarta. He said that the WHO figures stated, that of the 70,000 people dying annually of rabies, 30,000 were in India. These statistics have been taken from isolation hospitals, whereas the real figure could be many times higher. A month or so ago, there was an outbreak of encephalitis in Andhra Pradesh. A good number of children were killed and survivors were left with irreversible brain damage. Pigs were slaughtered en masse, when it was established that they were the responsible carriers. This, in a state which prides itself on technical development; so much so, that their Chief Minister is fondly called ‘Cyber Naidu1! We all know that mosquitoes do not breed on the backs of pigs - they need filthy water holes or choked drains to breed. People keeping pigs must be made aware of the need to observe basic cleanliness & sanitation in the piggery. The carriers were slaughtered without attacking the root cause of infection. Is this not a fallacy? And remember, killing animals is a costly exercise; a total waste of available resources. Once the diseases spread, and people are ill, the amount spent on medication is much higher than cost of increasing awareness and adopting preventive measures. Some of the medicines are not manufactured domestically, making the treatment very expensive. These resources could be invested more productively by the state in other areas of the state economy and development. At present, villagers are totally unaware even of vaccination or de-worming schedules. They bathe in - and drink from the same ponds as do the cattle, pigs, goats, etc. Several die due to rabies, encephalitis, plague, etc. Others fade away due to enteric diseases, or continue to suffer from chronic skin infections. A minor ailment frequently turns into a fatal problem due to lack of simple treatment. Illness results in loss of man-days which results in lower production, and hence-lower income; although their expenses go up due to the need for treatment. The world woke up lo the danger of ecological imbalance and environmental disaster only when we realized that we are on (he verge of destroying ourselves. In just a few decades of mindless greed, we have destroyed what il took Nature millions of years to build up. Isn’t it time we woke up to the truth that prevention is better than cure ?! -- Thank you for your compassion ! With best regards, Debasis Chakrabarti http://www.animalcrusaders.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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