This is with reference to the article “officials unaware as thermal scanner shifted from Goa airport to Pune.” I am appalled at the lack of responsibility and awareness about fatal disease like Ebola. We are a big tourist destination and thermal scanner for our airport was a must. If Pune or Nagpur needed one the Maharashtra government should have made arrangements for a new one and not transferred the one from Goa. Further, I am not really confidant that India can handle an Ebola outbreak considering that nobody is serious about tackling Ebola and have a selfish don’t care attitude!
Edward Fonseca, Porvorim
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Hudhud well managed
Having ascertained well in advance the destructive and ferocious nature of Hudhud, India was very well prepared to face the cyclone/hurricane which lashed the coastal areas of Odisha (Gopalpur) and Andhra Pradesh (Vishakhapattanam) with heavy rains and gusty wind at speed of 205 kmph. It caused widespread/extensive damages (over Rs 10,000 crore estimated), in the Andhra Pradesh claiming more than 21 lives and injured many. Hudhud blew up many shops in the air with the various types of items of electronic gadgets stored in them and forced buildings to sway.
Having put in place all arrangements well in advance, the disaster management rescue operation teams and organizations which included Naval and Army personnel, moved three lakh people to the safer places and thus avoided many certain deaths and injures. Well managed India! And bravo to all those who carried out rescue operation. Meteorological Department deserved many special kudos/thanks for keeping the track of Hudhud on the radars.
Vijay D Patil, Pune
Risk factors for stroke
In a news item dated October 13 (Herald) with the heading ‘Unhealthy diet, alcoholism intake cause for strokes” the neurologist of the Apollo Hospital opines that “strokes are very common in Goa as people are addicted to high fatty diet, alcohol intake and smoking”. The neurologist may have overlooked recent studies that negate a relationship between excessive fat intake and heart attacks and strokes.
It is generally accepted that age, high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking are the major risk factors for stroke. Excessive salt intake in Indians is also being viewed as a cause for the spurt in the incidence of strokes in India. Regarding alcohol intake there are divergent views. While moderate alcohol consumption is reportedly protective against vascular diseases all do not agree.
Therefore, I have a few questions: Did he separate his stroke patients in groups regarding alcohol intake (such as mild, moderate, severe and binge drinkers)? Was alcohol intake related to hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke? In his cases, was alcohol a risk factor of stroke “per se” or did it work through an addictive effect on other well-known risk factors?
Could the neurologists at the Goa Medical College who see the largest number of cases of cerebral stroke in Goa throw more light?
Dr Francisco Colaco, Margao
Goan magic disappearing
On the streets, their ribs protruding, cows stand placidly munching plastic bags filled with garbage. On the beaches more garbage! Large group of intoxicated men gather as liquid from a large bag is poured down their throats. Some pass out. Along the streets of Baga, I’m followed by men and wherever I go by starving dogs roaming for food. The worst sight was of a dog that had been tortured displaying zigzag scars all over its body. The reality of the beach resorts of Goa is in stark contrast to the images portrayed in the glossy brochures and postcards. The magic has long gone.
Petra O’Neill, Australia
Goan beaches bereft of briefs
In schools and colleges students are asked to answer in brief and to the point.
Everybody likes a chief guest who speaks briefly. Fashion TV gained popularity because the models dressed briefly. There’s one place however where you cannot be brief (or to put it bluntly- in briefs). That is on Goan beaches. Not even if it’s a VIP. Indian tourists, are you listening? Most hotels and resorts already have a rule of allowing swimming pool use in proper swimwear only. The reason is safety, hygiene and decorum. What the government has done is to simply extend this rule to the beaches. And this is done in good measure.
Vinay Rodrigues, Margao
