THE PROUD VIRUSES: Spanish Flu and COVID19
Writing anything in the birth of this decade, this year, this month, this week or this day will see your imagination floating from your room until your mind is abreast of the sun. You need to. You need to see how, unprecedentedly, homosapiens are in a state of miasma. Not knowing what went wrong or when it will be right. It's all because of COVID19 which started as simple flu but turning deadly by the day. Months ago, it was a Wuhan disease. It soon became a pandemic and a Health Emergency for the world.
One will wonder if the world has ever been in this state in the history of civilization. Thanks to History, the world has suffered scores of viral infections and disease outbreaks, but there is a notable one in the history of civilization, one that would pass for the kinsman of COVID19; The Kansas Flu, otherwise known as the Spanish Flu that creeps in, like a thief in the night in 1918 when the world is at war. When governments won't let anything deter them from winning the war. When nothing, not even humanity, matters as the war did.
Spanish flu, like Covid19, was proud. It came as an enigma. It needed attention and only left when it got it. COVID19 has all the attention now --world economies stagnant, businesses dormant, people grounded, cities and airports deserted--is it leaving soon?
Deaths, as a result of the Spanish flu, was around 50million people --more than the recorded deaths of World War I.
Even though deadly, Kansas flu may not have killed half of those it killed if the world had paid attention to it. In fact, governments were lying to the population that it was only the common flu that had another name. This lie killed millions including privates in the war. The government began seeing an astonishing and puzzling bulk of soldiers in the frontline getting sick at the same time. Soldiers soon outnumbered the health care services available.
There is only a slight difference between Covid19 and its kinsman, Kansas flu. While COVID19 fell in love with folks with weakened immune systems, Kansas flu seems to be interested only in the strong, as it killed more youths between the ages of 18 and 45 than it did on people with weak immune systems. The justification remained obscure.
COVID 19 should not kill much --there is about 20% recovery in the case with more than 200,000 people recovering from about a million cases (as on April 7th there is a total of 1,363,365 cases with 292,425 recoveries and 76,420 deaths).
The fight against COVID19 is a war with victory aloof. World powers and the whole world have a role to play to bring forth the victory. While the populace needs to practice precautionary measures of washing their hands, sanitizing them, coughing to their elbows, practicing social distancing etcetera, Governments need to compensate the working-become-idle population with palliatives. A scientist needs to work round the clock to save the planet --the people make up the planet. World Powers need to stop the blame game of who invented the virus or imposing selfish and unimportant items, like the US insisting on labeling the virus "Wuhan Virus" --President Trump has always referred to it as the "Chinese Virus".
Economies are crumbling, jobs are being lost by the day, people are devastated as they are isolated. Hunger keeps growing as food supply and reserve keep running low.
For this Virus not to kill more than it is supposed to, the world needs to lay down its differences and get to the drawing board to roll out an expedient plan to fight COVID 19. Until then, Stay Safe.
©Qosim Suleiman
