Is history repeating itself: Omicron's wave is like the flu pandemic in 1918, even at that time masks and lockdown were necessary....

The wave from the Omicron variant in the world is very similar to the flu pandemic of the year 1918. Even a century ago, people used to come out of the house wearing masks and today the same situation is being seen even after a century. According to researcher Christopher McKnight Nichols of Oregon State University in the US, the 1918 flu, like Omicron, was the first to hit young and healthy people. 

Carelessness was seen even in 1918-  People had shown their negligence at that time also. In an article published in The Washington Post, Mr. Nichols wrote that the flu that occurred in February 1918, caused the First World War-like situation and spread from America to the whole world. It was also a viral disease that spread by air. And the rate of spreadability was very high. It took only 6 months for its infection to spread worldwide. However, like Omicron, this flu had a low mortality rate. 

Some of the flu symptoms were very similar to those of the corona mutant  'Omicron'. People used to have colds and fever in them. Even then, by showing carelessness, people took it as a fever that lasted for 3 days. According to Mr. Nichols, in October 1918, a dangerous variant of this flu had arrived, which killed about 2.0 lakhs people in a month in America. By 1919, the flu cases and death rates had decreased. In total, 50 million people died due to flu epidemics around the world. 

There was a lockdown-like situation even during the year 1918 flu pandemic. Governments closed movie theatres, pools, and other public places even in the year1918 flu pandemic due to people's carelessness. It was necessary for people to wear masks outside the house. People were put in jail for not wearing masks. It was also common to follow isolation and social distancing when infected with the flu. 

Scientists had tried to make a vaccine a century ago but failed, unfortunately:    Mr. Nichols says that scientists had tried a lot to make a vaccine for the flu in 1918, but at that time they were not successful. Therefore, it is very important to use whatever vaccines and booster doses are available to fight against the coronavirus and its variants. According to his opinion, Corona will never end like the flu spread in 1918 and still among us but in the weak conditions. Mr. Nichols believes that just as the flu virus is still present in the environment, in the same way, the coronavirus is not going anywhere. After a time corona will also become a normal virus for us like flu.

So, it would be better to avoid carelessness and follow all the precautionary measures as provided by the health department from time to time and wear proper facemasks, sanitize your things, wash your hands properly, make appropriate distances avoid gathering and better to stay home and if, really need to go out, then only go with proper protocols. This is also a kind of help to the Government to control the spreading of the disease and fight against the corona.

Stay home, stay healthy, stay safe...  

Precautions and some important safety measures on taking long time online classes…

This is observed from a survey that approximately 55% of the children taking online classes are suffering from various health-related problems. Due to the prolonged online classes in the pandemic, students of classes 4 to 12 are troubled by stress, eye problems, and insomnia. This has come to the fore in a survey conducted by specific chains of Schools in Lucknow. 

[Long term online classes may harm the health of students]

There were 4454 people included in the survey. In these, 3300 students from different schools, 1 thousand parents, and 154 teachers were asked about the advantages and disadvantages of online classes.

Some major things about the survey-

1. In the survey, 54 to 58 percent of the students said that they are suffering from problems related to eyes, backache, headache, fatigue, and obesity.

2. About 50 percent said they are worried about stress. At the same time, more than 22 % say that the problem of insomnia is not giving up.

3. About 65 % say that they are facing technical and network problems while taking online classes from mobile.

4. According to 45-47 percent of students, they find it difficult to interact with teachers and classmates. Not everyone can see at the same time.

5. Not only this, but students also say that they lack confidence and are not getting motivation.

There were many advantages in the midst of disadvantages- 

The survey says that due to online classes, both students and teachers have become comfortable using technology. 60 percent of the students say that now they are able to take extra time along with studies. He is using this time for gardening, art, and craft. Apart from this, his bonding with family members is also getting good.

What are the precautions that can be taken for online classes - 

Wash eyes with water 4-5 times a day- Dr. Vinita Ramnani, Eye Specialist and Glaucoma Expert at Bansal Hospital, says, children use mobile phones more. This has a direct effect on their eyes. 

These days children are spending more time with mobile due to online classes. So it is important to keep some things in mind-

· If there is a problem like an eye strain, itching, tiredness, redness, watering, blurred vision, then get alert. These are the symptoms of digital eye strain. These symptoms appear when the gadget is used excessively.

· Due to the continuous falling of blue light from digital gadgets on the eyes, the first cause dryness and then there is stress on the muscles. In such a situation, ask children to blink while using their gadgets.

· Due to the small screen of the mobile, there is more stress on the eyes. The blue light emitted from it leaves a bad effect because it is closest to the eyes. In order to avoid dry eyes, apart from classes, ask children to keep a distance between the gadget and the eyes. Apart from this, ask to wash the eyes with plain water 4 to 5 times a day.

· Most of the children play video games on mobiles or other gadgets by turning off the lights at night due to the fear of parents. This is the most dangerous situation because due to the darkness in the room, the blue light of the gadget directly affects the eyes. Parents keep these things in mind.

Keep these things in mind to avoid backache, headache, and fatigue- 

1. Experts say that body posture should not be allowed to deteriorate during online classes. Due to this fatigue and back pain starts. To avoid this, choose such a chair so that the back remains in a straight line. 

2. Do not tilt your head or back over the gadgets. Gadgets should neither be too high above the eyes nor too low.

3. To avoid headaches and fatigue, you can walk into the room or balcony when class breaks. With this, eye fatigue will be removed and headaches will be avoided. 

4. Drink 7 to 8 glasses of water a day, you will find yourself energized. Parents should include yoga in their children's routine for better body posture.

Pandemic stress among women is also causing problems in pregnancy....

Nowadays some news alerting pregnant women: Epidemic stress among women is also causing problems in pregnancy. This is confirmed by the test performed on the umbilical cord as claimed by the scientists from England. The research done in England on pregnant women is alarming. Scientists doing research on pregnant women say that pregnant women are at risk of worsening their condition even if they do not have Covid. The stress of the pandemic can cause problems in their pregnancy. This has come to the fore in the research done on 115 pregnant women in the pandemic. 

Umbilical cord test is done in 2020:  Researchers examined the placenta of pregnant women in 2020. The report revealed that women who had covid during pregnancy showed three times the problems in their umbilical cord. At the same time, twice the cases of problems in the umbilical cord of women who were not infected were reported. 

What does it mean to have a problem with the placenta? The baby growing in the womb is connected to the mother through an umbilical cord. Through this umbilical cord, oxygen and nutrients from the mother reach every part of the baby. All this is possible through blood circulation. Any discrepancy in this has a direct impact on the health of the child. Similar problems have been revealed in this research in pregnant women. 

What problems did pregnant women have to face? In the first wave of the pandemic, pregnant women from Canada, France, and the UK were included in the research. Their umbilical cord and umbilical cord samples were taken. One-third of these women were infected. At the same time, up to 50 percent of women had not been affected with Covid.   During the research, it was revealed that the level of fibrin protein was increased in them. This protein helps in clotting blood in the body. These clots hinder the growth of the child and increase the amount of calcium in the body. 

Researchers say that the epidemic caused stress in such women, which caused inflammation in the body and many changes in the organs. This increased the problems in pregnancy. More research needs to be done on the extent to which this stress can have a bad effect on the mother and the child. Researcher Alexander Hazel of Manchester University in England, who conducted the research, says that the problem seen in the umbilical cord of women has been seen only during the epidemic. The long-term impact of this stress needs to be understood. 

What if Covid happened during pregnancy? Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco say that corona infection during pregnancy increases the risk of the baby being born prematurely. Premature delivery of the baby can happen before 32 weeks in infected women. During pregnancy, the risk of getting infected with Covid in women is up to 60 percent higher. Researchers looked at birth certificates of children born in California between July 2020 and January 2021. During this 2,40,157 children were born. Of these, the mothers of 9 thousand children had corona during pregnancy. The research revealed that 8.7 percent of normal pregnant women and 11.8 percent of pregnant women suffering from Covid had premature deliveries. If BP and obesity increase then the risk is more. Researchers say that pregnant women are more prone to infection with Covid. In such a situation, the risk of premature delivery in infected women who struggle with high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity increases by a further 160%.

Stay healthy, stay safe...