We Shall Overcome Viruses of All Kinds

COVID– 19 infections and deaths are on the rise in Nepal with every passing day. So much so that the army has hinted at the need to opt for mass funerals for the COVID dead - a telling sign that the situation is fast spiraling out of control.

However, this is not a fate unique to Nepal. China faced a similar situation at the onset of the pandemic. The same fate befell European nations such as Italy, Germany, France, Spain, the UK one after another as the virus spread across the globe. The situation was even direr in the US and Brazil.

Nearly a year and a half after the existence of the virus was first confirmed, the new UK variant is hitting countries like India and Nepal hard, and people are justifiably scared for their lives. Nonetheless we need to remember that this is not the first epidemic that mankind has faced. We have evolved to the present stage having grappled with many existential threats of the kind. 

This is not the only virus that needs a beating – it's time we train our attention to other viruses that are plaguing our society.

Around 3000 B.C. an epidemic ravaged China wiping out entire villages as evidenced by the remains of archeological sites "Hamin Mangha" and "Miaoziou". A plague that besieged Athens in 430 B.C. lasted for five years killing more than 100,000 people. It was partly a result of the plague that Athens was defeated by the Spartans.

The Antonine Plague that engulfed the Roman Empire from 165 A.D. to 180 A.D. took the lives of more than 5 million people across Asia and Europe. History records that the Plague of Cyprian (250 to 271 A.D.) killed 5,000 people a day in the city of Rome alone. Similarly, the Plague of Justinian (541 to 542 A.D.) engulfed the entire regions of Asia, North Africa, Arabia and Europe ending up killing nearly 50 million people in its wake.  

The Bubonic Plague (1346 – 1353 A.D.) which was also known as Black Death started in Asia spreading to Europe and other parts of the world. It ended up killing about 200 million people. It is said that it took Europe two centuries to recover the population it lost to this plague. The American Plagues (1511 – 1532 A.D.) were a cluster of diseases introduced to the Americas by European conquerors.

These plagues resulted in more than 8 million deaths wiping out 90-95% of the indigenous population. It resulted in the downfall of the Aztec and Inca Civilizations. Similarly, the Cocoliztli Epidemic (1545-1548) erupted in Mexico and spread across Central America resulting in the loss of 15 million human lives. Likewise, the Great Plague of London (1665 – 1666) counted 100,000 dead whereas the Great Plague of Marseille (1720 – 1723) in France and the Russian Plague (1770-1772) that ravaged Moscow took another 100,000 lives each.

Talking about recent history, the Spanish Flu that overwhelmed the world at the end of WW1 affected one third of the world population resulting in the death of an estimated 500 million people.  18 million people were counted dead in India alone. In addition, mankind has encountered a horde of anomalies including Malaria, Typhoid, HIV AIDS, SARS, MERS, Zika Virus, H1N1 Swine Flu, and Ebola.

A pandemic is not a mere happenstance; it is very much a part of human evolution; it impacts human society in more ways than one. For instance, Black Death not only took 200 million lives but shook the very roots of religion: the belief in God. It freed many European communities from the control of the Church system opening doors to the modern civilization as we know it. History is replete with examples of powerful dynasties and kingdoms licking dust in the wake of the devastations wrought by deadly diseases.

It is sad to note that the number of people going to bed on empty stomachs is ever rising as a result of the lockdowns.

This is not to suggest that a pandemic is necessary to effect positive changes in society. It inflicts unimaginable pain in its reign: especially so to those in the lowest rungs of the societal ladder. As we go to war against the second wave of the COVID rampage in our country, we have accepted that strict lockdown is the best ammunition against it albeit how it will play out is yet to be seen. We have been left with 'Lockdown' as the only solution because of the blatant incompetence of those governing us.

It is sad to note that the number of people going to bed on empty stomachs is ever rising as a result of the lockdowns. The daily wage earners, the roadside vendors, the unemployed, and the street dwellers are gasping for breath not because they have contracted the disease but because their livelihoods have been devastated. On the contrary, certain section of the society is pleased with the situation brought about by COVID because they prosper in dire times. Case in point is the doubling in wealth of the richest of billionaires during the past year.

Lockdowns alone cannot be the magical cure as the government wants us to believe; where lockdowns become a necessity to slow down the spread of the virus, it is the government's responsibility to plan for the same. Who is going to take care of those that are rendered helpless because of the lockdowns? Does it not show that we have harbored viruses in our public offices that are deadlier than the one that is spreading COVID? These viruses have surrendered themselves to COVID and are urging the public to take care of themselves. We the people would expect the government to govern and take care of the most vulnerable among us in times like this; sadly, we have been left feeling that there is no government for the people.

The lockdowns and COVID have both left us gasping for breath but the local communities have not lost hope even where the government has surrendered itself to fate. It is heartwarming to see communities rise to the occasion. They have built COVID isolation units in Bhaktapur and Lalitpur; they have developed contact tracing locally in Kirtipur; places like Mulpani, Chandragiri, Tokha etc are developing isolation facilities for the affected; volunteer groups like "Young Doctors' Association" are active in providing much needed assistance in obtaining beds, ventilators and oxygen supply for those in critical need; groups like MMR are offering free oxygen supply to those that can't afford to pay for it; social entrepreneur Mahabir Pun of Nepal Innovation Center is offering to fill up oxygen cylinders for free; nurses and doctors are working 24/7 in the care of those affected oblivious to the dangers they themselves face.

There are countless others out there serving selflessly to beat COVID -19, and that gives us hope. However, this is not the only virus that needs a beating – it's time we train our attention to other viruses that are plaguing our society.

Nepal has been a victim of deep-rooted viruses such as casteism, nepotism and corruption that have been gnawing at our societal fabric for ages.

Nepal has been a victim of deep-rooted viruses such as casteism, nepotism and corruption that have been gnawing at our societal fabric for ages. Then there are the viruses that we have elected to the highest offices of the land – those that hand over the operation of the most basic of needs such as healthcare and education to racketeering mafias. 

Let's all fight the Coronavirus so that we can survive to fight the bigger fight against all the other viruses in our society. As the protest anthem of the American Civil Rights Movement - recorded by Pete Seeger- goes "We shall overcome someday". Yes, deep in our hearts we do believe that we shall one day overcome all viruses plaguing Nepal.

Translated by: Shyam Bhandari, Contributing Editor, The Margin

Photo: Rueters