We should not be scared and instead fight to destroy this virus.
KARACHI: We all know about the presence of coronavirus in Karachi. It is a contagious disease which can be transmitted from people to people and also from animal to people through droplet infection. This disease was first declared in the city of Wuhan, China. The outbreak has extended to more than 70 countries around the world. There is a greater need to study the virus and how it is spreading. It has triggered panic across the world. But there is no need to fear. We need to keep away from people who are suffering from fever, flu, cough, sneeze, etc. Just because the coronavirus and the flu have some similar indications does not mean that every person suffering from flu has also been infected by the virus. Flu or common cold is a minor ailment. Coronavirus too is not scary as the survival rate is 98%.
Unluckily, we have insufficient equipment to detect this virus in our local hospitals. So it would be better to keep ourselves away from anyone infected or sick. We need to use sanitisers before and after meals, avoid travelling, wash our hands on a daily basis, increase water intake, eat vegetables and prevent ourselves from touching our nose and eyes. It is important not to believe any kind of false information about coronavirus on social media because it will lead to panic and chaos. Such news is inappropriate and needs to be stopped.
All educational institutes, colleges, schools, universities have been closed following a notification issued by the government as a preventive measure against the outbreak. This decision seems meaningless as other events across the country are still being held. Shutting down schools will not be fruitful since the standard of education in Pakistan has been declining by the day.
The government should open educational institutes so that students can be better informed about the virus and study more to overcome all kinds of diseases. We should not be scared and instead fight to destroy this virus.
Ayesha Khan Ansari
Published in The Express Tribune, March 9th, 2020.
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