<p>Though the world now has enough experience of pandemics and epidemics like SARS, Ebola, Swine Flu, Zika, our inability or unwillingness to learn from past experience caused the delay in handling the COVID-19 situation, said Dr Swapneil Parikh. </p>.<p>Nothing of this scale has been experienced in living memory, he said at the launch of a book on COVID-19. The e-book ‘The Coronavirus: What you Need to Know about the Global Pandemic’ is written by Dr Parikh, co-founder DIY Health, Maherra Desai, clinical psychologist and medical researcher and Dr Rajesh Parikh, Director of Medical Research and Neuropsychiatry, Jaslok Hospital. Published by Penguin, the book takes the reader through the history of pandemics while giving some serious advice on how to keep oneself safe from the deadly virus.</p>.<p>"We started writing the book in early February when the problem was perceived as Chinese and largely confined to Wuhan and Hubei province. WHO called it infodemic before calling it pandemic. By the end of February, the virus has spread globally, and the effect was enormous. Nothing on this scale has been experienced in living memory. One of the key learnings is that with any new pandemic we should assume that we have to deal with worst case scenario then only we can prepare ourselves," he said. </p>.<p>Prabha Khaitan Foundation, an organisation that is dedicated to the socio-cultural welfare and humanitarian cause had through its platform Kitaab, organised a virtual book launch. <br />Manisha Jain, Communications & Branding Chief, Prabha Khaitan Foundation stated, “Through this interactive session, our discerning viewers and listeners were able to know credible and comprehensive information from professionals that helped us understand what this deadly virus is, and how we can prepare and protect ourselves against it, for the future of humankind.”</p>.<p>"A vast majority of Indians can’t access quality healthcare, and I hope when we come out of this danger, people start caring for those who have constantly suffered due to lack of basic medical facilities,” said Desai. </p>.<p>She has researched the effects of social media as the medium which is both a strength and weakness for public-at-large. </p>.<p>Desai added, “While the Chinese whistle blowed about the disease on the medium, social media also propagated misinformation, xenophobia, racism among other social evils which played onto people’s minds. Due to this pandemic, there will be long term psychological effect, half of the population is sequestered, over 1.2 billion children are not going to school. There will be a global food crisis at the end of this pandemic.”</p>.<p>During the launch, the experts explained in detail the virus’s mechanism of action, and how it manages to dive deep into the lower respiratory tract, multiplies silently until its ‘discovery’ by the immune system. </p>.<p>"It is in the degree of the response, when the immune system itself hits panic mode that it launches a frenzied attack which, in more ways than one, can result in overkill. This severe respiratory disease can end up being detrimental to the aged, those with diabetes or cardiovascular disease, or have a history of smoking."</p>
<p>Though the world now has enough experience of pandemics and epidemics like SARS, Ebola, Swine Flu, Zika, our inability or unwillingness to learn from past experience caused the delay in handling the COVID-19 situation, said Dr Swapneil Parikh. </p>.<p>Nothing of this scale has been experienced in living memory, he said at the launch of a book on COVID-19. The e-book ‘The Coronavirus: What you Need to Know about the Global Pandemic’ is written by Dr Parikh, co-founder DIY Health, Maherra Desai, clinical psychologist and medical researcher and Dr Rajesh Parikh, Director of Medical Research and Neuropsychiatry, Jaslok Hospital. Published by Penguin, the book takes the reader through the history of pandemics while giving some serious advice on how to keep oneself safe from the deadly virus.</p>.<p>"We started writing the book in early February when the problem was perceived as Chinese and largely confined to Wuhan and Hubei province. WHO called it infodemic before calling it pandemic. By the end of February, the virus has spread globally, and the effect was enormous. Nothing on this scale has been experienced in living memory. One of the key learnings is that with any new pandemic we should assume that we have to deal with worst case scenario then only we can prepare ourselves," he said. </p>.<p>Prabha Khaitan Foundation, an organisation that is dedicated to the socio-cultural welfare and humanitarian cause had through its platform Kitaab, organised a virtual book launch. <br />Manisha Jain, Communications & Branding Chief, Prabha Khaitan Foundation stated, “Through this interactive session, our discerning viewers and listeners were able to know credible and comprehensive information from professionals that helped us understand what this deadly virus is, and how we can prepare and protect ourselves against it, for the future of humankind.”</p>.<p>"A vast majority of Indians can’t access quality healthcare, and I hope when we come out of this danger, people start caring for those who have constantly suffered due to lack of basic medical facilities,” said Desai. </p>.<p>She has researched the effects of social media as the medium which is both a strength and weakness for public-at-large. </p>.<p>Desai added, “While the Chinese whistle blowed about the disease on the medium, social media also propagated misinformation, xenophobia, racism among other social evils which played onto people’s minds. Due to this pandemic, there will be long term psychological effect, half of the population is sequestered, over 1.2 billion children are not going to school. There will be a global food crisis at the end of this pandemic.”</p>.<p>During the launch, the experts explained in detail the virus’s mechanism of action, and how it manages to dive deep into the lower respiratory tract, multiplies silently until its ‘discovery’ by the immune system. </p>.<p>"It is in the degree of the response, when the immune system itself hits panic mode that it launches a frenzied attack which, in more ways than one, can result in overkill. This severe respiratory disease can end up being detrimental to the aged, those with diabetes or cardiovascular disease, or have a history of smoking."</p>
