There has been a scare of an outbreak of the MERS (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome) in South Korea which has taken a toll of ten people until now.
Even with this relatively small figure the South Korean government has been seized of the matter and is taking steps to not only minimize the impact of the outbreak but also in economic terms by reviewing its interest rates to soften the impact of the disease on the economy.
Similarly, the quarantining of an Indian lady supposedly carrying the deadly TB strain has made headline news in the US. Contrast this with what we do in India. In the recent spate of deaths because of heatstroke in Andhra and Telengana which crossed 2000, there was no concern expressed in the visual or print media by the respective governments and even the Centre until the fatalities crossed one thousand.
This is how much we value life in India. Can we not learn from the countries named above and other developed countries that every single life that is lost is a tragedy to the family concerned and the trauma consequent upon the death is extremely difficult to deal with.
Srinivas Kamat, Alto-Betim
