Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Public education on Covid is key!

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Editor,

Yesterday’s Shillong Times (Sep 30, 2020) raised two questions that seem to vex the public mind. The first pertains to plasma therapy. Dr P. Bhattacharya, the Director of NEIGRIHMS has rightly questioned the use of plasma therapy. At best, it can be considered an experimental treatment.

One of the few well-designed trials, which covered 464 patients in 39 hospitals over 14 states in India, was conducted by ICMR during April-July 2020. The results indicated no benefit in reducing deaths. In fact the study deplored questionable practices such as appeals for donors on social media, patients being asked to source their own supply, and sales of Covid plasma in the black market.

Unfortunately early hype raised hopes of Covid plasma being a lifesaver. Leaders like Donald Trump and Arvind Kejriwal heaped premature praise on this form of therapy. This kind of a frantic rush only distracts from real priorities and diverts resources from proven modalities of care. Hats off to Dr Bhattacharya for setting the record straight! We should not pander to unrealistic hopes of magic cures.

“Are Covid protocols actually snag free?” was the other question. The short answer is no. No medical protocol is perfect. They can only be based on up to date research data, which continuously evolves and adds more precision to the picture.

In this light the answer to the question as to whether Covid positive patients should be tested again after 10 days is a clear ‘no’. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, even though the virus may still be present in the blood for up to three months, and gives a positive test result, it is now an inactivated virus which cannot replicate. Therefore the recovered patient is not infective and cannot spread Covid to others. So sending them home is not risky.

These conclusions are based on several studies. In South Korea, a follow up of 285 “persistently positive” persons, which included 126 persons who had developed recurrent symptoms, found no infections among 790 contacts. A comprehensive summary, dated Sep 10, 2020, of recommendations and the studies that they are based on is available on the website of the Center for Disease Control, USA, at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/duration-isolation.html

Secondly, hospitalization should not be prolonged, as this exposes the patient to other risks and uses precious health resources. Unreasoned testing also uses up the time of health personnel who could be used for other priorities, such as maternal and child care. A huge fall out of the Covid pandemic is the sharp rise in maternal and infant deaths all over the country because of decreased availability of health services.

Credible and effective education and reassurance in the media and by government spokespersons is the answer to public apprehension, not repeated testing.

Yours etc.,

Dr Glenn C. Kharkongor

Via email

On writing in Khasi

Editor,

I read the article, “Challenges of writing in Khasi,” (ST Sept.28, 2020) and tend to endorse the suggestions offered by HH Mohrmen on the subject. Yes, the Khasi Sohra dialect in Roman script, painstakingly prepared by Thomas Jones, the Welsh Presbyterian missionary became the written and spoken Khasi language for more than 178 years now. Many Khasis might have questioned how and why should Sohra dialect became the official language of the Khasi race? The answer lies in the history of how painstakingly the Roman alphabets were carefully chosen, blended and used by Thomas Jones to write religious and non-religious books in Khasi language using the Sohra dialect. The UK-J Hills Presbyterian Church and the Khasi race as a whole are grateful to Thomas Jones, the Welsh Presbyterian Missionary, for his invaluable pioneering contribution in the fields of evangelization through Khasi religious scriptures and also in laying the foundation of Khasi literature. The Khasi literature scripted by Thomas Jones was enriched and widened further in later years by many religious and lay leaders by using the Sohra dialect.

The wider point is that the Sohra dialect has been used for the past 179 years in Khasi literature. It is, therefore, high time to enrich and blend it by incorporating more suitable words with deeper meanings by including the vocabulary and phrases from other dialects of the Hynniewtrep people like the Pnars, the Wars, the Bhois, Marams, Lyngngams and other major communities of the Khasi race because, the Khasi race or u Hynniewtrep does not include people only from Sohra areas but it also includes people from Ri Bhoi, Ri War, Ri Pnar, Ri Lyngngam, Ri Maram etc. Even the English language was enriched by incorporating some Latin, French, Greek, Indian etc vocabularies, idioms and phrases. Another aspect is that more alphabets should be incorporated like “c, ch, chi, etc in the Khasi Alphabets to give the correct spellings and pronunciations of the names, words, phrases and idioms.

Therefore, there is the urgent need for standardization of the Khasi Language in all respects by competent authorities. The attempt to ensure that Khasi language is included in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India is a different matter but the pressure must be continuously exerted from all sides, especially, by the ruling MDA dispensation, to ensure early action by the ruling BJP government at the centre.

Yours etc…,

Philip Marwein,

Shillong- 2

Lest we forget the elderly

Editor,

Lest we forget, October 1st is celebrated as “International Day of Older Persons.” This year will be the 30th anniversary of this declaration by the UN. The theme for this year is: Pandemics: Do They Change How We Address Age & Ageing.

I was reminded of the day by no less than the Police Department that had a special training for all their mid-level officers from across the State on the subject from (26-28) September. Congrats to the Department on raising awareness on this most important issue. All those living today must plan for this part of their future which should focus on economic independence, shelter, health, mental wellbeing, security and acceptance within family and community.

Just to remind ourselves, “by 2050 there will be 350 million aged people in India” and nearly 70% will be residing in rural areas. Only about 22 million of the nearly 100 million elderly receive pension. 53 million live below the poverty line. 52% are abused by their sons and 35% by daughters in law. Just to highlight that as in child abuse, most often it happens within the family for the aged too.

Are Old Age Homes the solution? Do we continue to fool ourselves by claiming that this is not a problem in tribal communities? Firstly we need to be aware of the various schemes that are available from Central and State Governments, how are they being implemented and whether our elected representatives are seized of the challenges and most importantly are our “Older Persons” aware of this.

Wishing all our “Older Persons”….mental and physical well-being, safety, security, financial independence, and a joyous life………WE HAVE A MIGHTY CHALLENGE….350 MILLION in the NEXT THIRTY YEARS!!!

Yours etc.,

Carmo Noronha,

Via email

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