Vasculitis and Mui-vah-sculitis

Bijyenti *

Recently, I lost one of my darling cousin sisters who suffered from a suspected vasculitis disease. It all started some 10 years ago, out blue, one-day she stared having non stop fever for about 10 consecutive days. Even after various test and scans, doctors at AIIMS had no clue about the exact reason for her fever and more so about the disease itself.

Ever since that time, the disease has been haunting her but elusively. It came and disappeared, remained dormant and subdued, then again it came, but this time she has succumbed to her illness. She is no more today with us but her disease awaken me to a reality that Manipur today is also suffering from a similar disease called mui-vah-sculitis.

For those who don't know vasculitis, it is a general term of a group of diseases that feature inflammation of the blood vessels of a human body. It damages main arteries if not treated on time and can be fatal. Its main target is blood vessel and other body organs. (Source: http://www.medterms.com).

There are many forms of vascultis. Examples of vascultis includes Kawasaki disease, Behcet's syndrome, polyarteritis nodosa, Wegener's granulomatosis, Takayasu arteritis, Takayasu arteritis, Churg-Strauss syndrome, giant cell arteritis (temporal arteritis), and Henoch-Schonlein purpura.

Vasculitis can also accompany infections, such as hepatitis B; exposure to chemicals, such as amphetamines and cocaine; cancers, such as lymphomas and multiple myeloma; and rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. (sources: http://www.webrheum.bham.ac.uk)'

I find striking similarities between vasculitis's attacks to a human body and NSCN(IM) attack to Manipuris of Manipur. What I understand from their modus operandi is that , NSCN(IM) consists of many groups and sub-groups, over grounds and under grounds, frontal and non frontal, Governments (Nagaland government in this case) and Non governmental organisation (like Naga Ho Ho), international (Naga International organisations-Amsterdam) and domestic.

What do they do: to make inflammatory remarks against kukis during 1990s and against meeteis this time in 2010, to inflame and burn trucks and vehicles on the highways which are like strong arteries and blood vessels to Manipur at their own courtyards; to target public buildings, schools, offices and other government and public organs to demolish them and burn them.

In the case of mui-vah-sculitis, it doen't even spare people who are oppose to their ideology. They outcast them and burn and demolish their properties. In extreme cases they execute anyone who oppose to them with the most heinous and barbaric method of execution.

Sometimes, vascultis is better than mui-vah-sculitis. In the case of the former, one can at least take medical advice and help reduce the impact. There is little medicine for mui-vah-sculitis. NSCN(IM) and its supporters strangulate the people of Manipur on daily basis by looting and extortion on highways.

They consider the two national highways are their ancestral properties, thus take them to ransom. They play hide and seek and change their identity many a times by camouflaging themselves with civil and student bodies. They are also morally supported by timid and pseudo-intellectuals just like Hitler was also supported by many of its followers during his time.

All under the leadership of Mr Muivah, as in vasculitis , the disease in this case is mui-vah-sculitis. It is said that NSCN is the oldest insurgency group in the world and it is the mother of all insurgents in the north east India. If it is true, then, NSCN is the mother of all the ills we suffer today.

As mentioned earlier vasculitis also can cause rheumatic diseases, cancer and hepatitis B. Manipur is ailing from various cancerous groups of extremists. The situation of today's Manipur is very much akin to that of some African countries where groupism and factional fighting of various insurgent and terrorist groups are the order of the day.

Each is fighting for supremacy and territory. These insurgent groups bring down the African economies into its knees. Rheumatic disease and hepatitis B to a human body that induce pains and sufferings and breaks the body mechanism piece by piece can be likened to a country who suffers from crippling economic situations.

The mushrooming growth of terrorist and insurgent groups whose sole motives are extortions and money laundering are mainly responsible for the crippling and gloomy economic situation in Manipur. But the guru of all these is NSCN(IM) under the mentorship of Mr Th. Muivah if it is true that they assisted and aided most of the armed groups in Manipur, be it valley based or hill based.

The ultimate diagnosis for vacuities is typically established after a biopsy of involved tissue demonstrates the pattern of blood vessel inflammation. Biopsy in the case of mui-vah-sculitis is to hold talks with their (NSCN-IM) leaders who are the source of their ideology, to understand exactly what caused them to become what they are or they are therefore they are.

Unfortunately, in the conduction of the biopsy ( cease fire agreement and holding talks with GOI in a way is a biopsy) the patient's (Manipur) doctor who otherwise should have been involved right from the day one was not consulted at all let alone his involvement. This is a brazen act and insult to all the Manipuris. Let the history record it.

But the good news is, unlike the real disease vasculitis whose prognosis is very hard to tell and diagnosis is very difficult , mui-vah-sculitis is now properly diagnosed and its prognosis is known to everybody.

The next step, now, should be to eradicate this disease 'Mui-vah-sculitis' once and for all. I surely don't want Manipur to have my cousin sister's death.