Dr. Dinesh

If there is low immunity virus will replicate, if you have any prodromal symptoms like rise of temperature ie. Fever, sore throat, loss of taste or smell etc. please report to your doctor at a nearby government hospital.

If the immune system is good it will arrest replication of virus. There are a few simple tips to enhance your immunity. Keep sipping hot water at regular intervals and which is tolerable and raise your body temperature. The moment you start sweating, it means body temperature is high; do warm saline gargle keep it doing for few minutes. Viral replication will stop and thus body’s innate mechanism will kick in and try to kill the viral activity. There are many home remedies, though scientifically not  much proven, but it is beneficial.

To increase the immune levels, one should have apple, black raisins, which are rich in iron content, zinc is the second most important ingredient of immunity- pappaya, water melon seeds contain zinc. Vit C & amino acids are found in fresh lime & sprouts these are natural ingredients. To create antibodies we need amino acids. Patients with comorbid conditions like diabetes, hypertension or old aged people will have decreased immunity.

Hydroxycloroquinie and erythromycin should not be used without doctor’s prescription as it may lead to cardiac arrhythmias agranulocytosis and death. These medicines if prescribed by doctors should be taken along with omega-3 tablets, only if the treating doctor prescribes, that too with proper investigations like ECG etc.

Enhance immunity by having Drum stick which has high immunity boosting properties which is excellent for diabetes, hypertension and also for kidney health; take lemon juice, garlic, onion, pumpkin seeds, red capsicum, cucumber, carrot, turmeric, etc in appropriate quantities.

Maintain social distancing and good personal hygiene, wash your hands with soap and water regularly, eat home cooked food, avoid junk food, avoid hand shake, crowded place, public transport and unnecessary travel, don’t panic refrain from reading fake messages, good bye to all addictions “I mean too much of anything is too bad”.  Avoid stress; take proper rest good quality sleep every night is important to recharge your immune system which helps hormonal balance-getting quality sleep and rest is one of the best things for your health and well-being. This will boost immunity; decrease lifestyle diseases and this way one can say that- sleep & immunity are closely tied.

Try to minimize exposure to gadgets an hour before you are about to sleep, meditation also enhances our immune functions and helps to focus our attention. Stay hydrated-drink enough fluids, daily, whenever you feel thirsty. Avoid refined sugars & sugary foods these can decrease your immunity and manage stress levels.

Remdesivir which was once used to treat Ebola virus patients are being used for COVID-19 cases and it is done on trial basis; regarding vaccine, as of now no vaccine has been found yet till date, vaccine will take another one or two years or more, after proper clinical trials. So enhance your immune system and maintain social distancing, wear mask and stay safe, because the virus is going to be there for about 50 to 100 years probably, we don’t know exactly and we have to adapt to this new normal until the entire population is vaccinated.

Usually, viral outbreaks like flu, peak and subside long before everyone gets infected. The network for transmission becomes thinned, and transmission just can’t be sustained. This thinning has many potential contributing factors: for most viral infections, people acquire substantial immunity from infection, so once they recover (sometimes quite quickly) they no longer contribute to spread.

Of course, people may also adapt their behaviours if they see a severe outbreak around them - but even without changes in behaviour, there are natural reasons for epidemics to die out. This pruning of the transmission tree, however, relies on a substantial fraction of people getting at least a brush with the infection - and it is from the study of seasonal flu and similar viruses that people have been circulating some alarming estimates of how many people might contract the new coronavirus. Indeed, a scarily large number of people would need to be infected for there to be a collective “herd immunity” that would make any residual transmission dwindle away harmlessly.

We are facing extremely difficult questions, and we surely won’t find “the right” answers to them, except in a few cases, and even then probably only with hindsight. But we need to begin to explore these questions now, and make choices even before the end of the lockdown, so that the next steps are neither guesswork. There are about 109 cases, about 50 recovered and active cases 59 as on today.  Considering the current situation I had a telephonic conversation with Dr. Arun Mallik, MD, Community Medicine AIIMS, New Delhi (Independent Public Health Expert) an Islander who had worked for several International Non-Government Organizations & United Nations Agencies including World Health Organization, United Nation’s specialized health agency for more than 13 years, in more than 40 countries in WHO’s South East Asia, Western Pacific, Eastern Mediterranean & African region and has vast experience in community medicine, asked him whether there is a community spread in A & N Islands?. He said “there is no community transmission in A & N Islands as of now”, but we have to take all precautions like social distancing, respiratory etiquettes like wearing facemask etc.