Not what the doctors ordered : More than wrong medication
- Sangai Express Editorial :: April 18, 2013 -

The ailing pigs and inset the unauthorised Korean vaccine :: Pix - TSE

Seems like a case of hiring the service of a lawyer to design a house or hiring an architect to fight one’s case in the Court.

Or else how does one explain the rationale of prescribing a Made In Korea vaccine for Swine Fever when the virus strains in Korea and India, or more specifically Manipur, are different ?

Inefficiency or indifference ? Or ignorance ? Ignorant of the fact that the virus strains that cause Swine Fever in Korea and India are different ?

Or is there something more bigger, more sinister behind the decision to prescribe the Korean made vaccine ? Either way this is unacceptable.

The Government had issued a standing instruction to the State Veterinary Department that vaccine for Swine Fever should be obtained from the Indian Veterinary and Research Institute and this is where an explanation is needed on why the Korean made vaccine was prescribed.

The death of 14 pigs as well as the ailment suffered by other swines may not be directly connected to Swine Fever but the need to investigate the cause of the deaths is imperative.

Is the State Veterinary Department equipped to conduct the necessary tests ? Can the people expect an answer in a couple of days or is the case going to be given a quiet burial ?

Outbreak of Swine Fever or Swine Flu was reported not so long back from neighbouring Mizoram. All the more reason why the State Government and the agencies concerned should have been on high alert. Any sensible Government would have been on the alert to tackle any likely outcome. This may just amount to expecting too much.

On April 13, The Sangai Express ran the story of how unauthorised Korea made vaccine has been prescribed for countering Swine Fever or Swine Flu and far from taking up necessary measures to set things right what followed was a spell of deafening silence. A silence of conspiracy or a silence of indifference ?

Only those people at the helm can answer this and obviously if the silence continues, it should not come as a shock to anyone.

Accountability. Responsibility. Being answerable to the people. These are the vital wheels of governance. That these aspects have been given the cold shoulder is there for all to see.

The very process of prescribing a vaccine, a vaccine which would prove useless for the virus strain prevalent in the country is symptomatic of the ills afflicting the land.

It is not only about the immense loss suffered by the pig rearers. It is more than the death of 14 pigs so far. It is about accountability and fixing responsibility.

But first thing first. Let the cause of the death of the 14 pigs be established at the earliest possible. See if pigs in other parts of the State are suffering similar symptoms.

See what preemptive measures can be taken up as well as the threat perceptions posed to the health of the people. It is also important to study how the Veterinary Department bungled in prescribing an unauthorised vaccine, even if it is for pigs. Take things to a higher level and it is a scary proposition.

Today it is about unauthorised vaccine prescribed for livestock. Tomorrow it could be something worse. It is a reflection of the system and this does not inspire much confidence.

The silence between April 13 and April 17 has been deafening. Now that the deaths of at least 14 pigs is out in the open, the least the responsible people can do is to deal with the matter with a sense of urgency.

Or is it going to be a case of passing the buck without getting down to the task at hand ?