THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 20 March 2020 (Time for a powerful display of humanity(The Hindu))

Time for a powerful display of humanity(The Hindu)

Mains Paper 2:Health
Prelims level: COVID-19
Mains level:Pandemic preparedness situation in India

Context:

  • In a pandemic it is easy to apportion blame, but this is a moment for the world to be standing together
  • As the COVID-19 pandemic fells country after country, many in India are wondering if we are somehow different. Globally, it took roughly 45 days for the first 100,000 cases. It is likely to take nine days for the next 100,000. The global death count is now doubling every nine days and stands at 8,248, with 207,518 confirmed cases.
  • That is how epidemics work — they gather steam as infected individuals go on to infect even more people. Confirmed cases in India, as of today stand at 169, much lower than small countries such as Iceland (around 250).

Could this really be the case that we have fared better than everyone else?

  • Probably not. Testing in India remains abysmally low. Only about 10 in a million people in India have been tested, compared to say nearly 120 in a million in Thailand or 40 per million in Vietnam.
  • The stated explanation is that the limited number of test kits are being conserved for when they are truly needed but when is the need greater than right now? There are probably shortages even in being able to procure adequate supplies given that many countries are seeking to buy the limited stocks.
  • Testing is the most important thing we could be doing right now. As the Director General of the World Health Organization, Dr.Tedros Ghebreyesus, said recently about the need for more testing, “You cannot fight a fire blindfolded.”

Prevent undercounting:

  • We need to identify corona virus-infected patients in a timely manner in order to increase our chances of preventing secondary infections. There is no shame in saying that we have far more cases than what we have detected so far.
  • Even the United Kingdom, which .........................................................

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Unprepared for pandemics:

  • This all sounds doomsday-like. But we have known for decades now that of all catastrophic events to befall humanity, between an asteroid hit and a nuclear war, a disease pandemic has always been the highest on our list of impact and probability.
  • There were some changes after the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) but not nearly enough. Pandemic preparedness always took a backseat to the crisis of the moment.And in fairness, there is truly no amount of preparation that can fully mitigate such an occurrence.

Way ahead:

  • In a time of crisis, it is easy to blame government or China or someone else. But this is really a time to stand together, keep an eye on our neighbours, friends, families, co-workers and indeed anyone who has less than we do.
  • That includes your household help, security guards, vendors and indeed anyone who touches your life. It is a time to see how we show the best of our human values while facing a crisis of a proportion none of us has ever witnessed in our lifetime.

Conclusion:

  • Things are about to get a lot worse. Let us hope that this brings out the best in us, and not the worst. Whether we know this or not, these events are just a dress rehearsal for the more challenging events such as climate change that are likely to be with us this century. And if we take care of each other, we will survive both these challenges with our humanity intact.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1)With reference to the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), consider the following statements:
1. It is the primary fund available with State Governments for responses to notified disasters.
2. The Central Government contributes 75% of SDRF allocation for all States/UTs.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer:

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Mains Questions:
Q.1) What are the differences between epidemic and pandemic?