by Manzoor Wani
As man progressed in science and technology the rate of damage caused by these Pandemics is less.
Diseases and illnesses have plagued humanity since the earliest days, our mortal flaw.
However, it was not until the marked shift to agrarian communities that the spread and scale of these diseases increased dramatically.
Widespread trade created new opportunities for human and animal interactions that sped up such epidemics. Malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, influenza, small pox and others first appeared during these years.
The more civilized human became with larger cities more exotic trade routes and increased contact with different population of people, animals and ecosystem — the more likely pandemics.
As humans have spread across the world so have infectious diseases. Even in this modern era out breaks are nearly constant, though not every outbreak reaches pandemic level as the Novel Corona virus (Covid-19) has.
History is witness to some major Pandemics which consumed millions of lives worldwide. The major ones we all are aware are: Antonine plague in 165-80 AD consumed five million lives. Japanese small pox in 735-37one million. Plague of Justinian in 541-41Fifty million.
New world small pox in 1520 fifty six millions. Great plague of London 1 lakh. Italian plague 1629-31, 1 million. Chloera, 1.1 million, 3rd plague, 12 million. Russian flu, 1 million. Asian flu in 1957, 881.1 million. Hongkong flu, 1 million. Hiv Aids 1981 – present 35 million. Swine flue 2009-10, two lacs. SARS 2002-03, 770. EBOLA 11000, MERS 850. And now Covid-19, 34000 estimated by John Hopkins University as of 30 March 2020.
As man progressed in science and technology the rate of damage caused by these Pandemics is less.
From 1981 apart from HIV Aids these damage is minimized as compared to past. The big and vital role in this one is infact of social media.
Social networking sites are indeed a blessing. I don’t neglect the ill side of these but am proud to boast of it’s bright side. Social media has a pivotal role to place as we are envisaging at present.
Our Mobile phones are bombarded with message about recent happening in the world and to that extent Covid-19 is not hidden from human eye.
Death toll in China by Covid-19 crossed 5000 and Italy surpassed 11000. In USA the number of Covid-19 jumped to 1,00,000. In India 20 died and number of positive cases crossed 1000.
In Jammu and Kashmir death toll reached two and number of positive cases are 42. Govt declared five villages as red zones. Village Waskura in Ganderbal declared red zone.
Nobody can deny ill effects of such ‘blessing’ but is destined to recognize the positives as well.
From last two decades of 20th century till present we are blessed with social media and hence well aware of date to day happenings. In such a scenario social media is more than a protect guard to us.
Administration is all powerful to fight the said pandemic and others from grass root level. To judge a person’s travel history was next to impossible when we where devoid of this virtue.
While concluding, this is for sure that Covid-19 in 2020 can’t be so disastrous as it was at the time of New world small pox in 1520 C.E. which consumed 56 million. Long live social media down with Covid-19.
Manzoor Wani is a student of Forestry at India’s Dr. BR Ambedkar University Agra. He can be reached at: manzoornabi57@gmail.com
