Not everyone experiences a pandemic in their lives.
A pandemic is a rarity.
In dentistry, in our undergraduate curriculum we have subject called public health dentistry.
I remember cramming the definition of Endemic, Epidemic and Pandemic.
Now when I think of those times, they seem simpler. The word pandemic is no longer just a textbook term, it has transformed into the reality of our lives.
Now when I read the definition of Pandemic which goes like-
A pandemic is an epidemic of disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents, or worldwide.
I understand the weight in those words today.
I understand the gravity of the situation.
As we are all humans, such tough times do get to our head.
As dentists, we have always struggled to explain to the public, especially the Indian public, the importance of dental health.
It is not like we aren’t moving forward with our mission of spreading awareness about dental health, we are! People take dental health much more seriously that they did 5 years ago.
But this Pandemic is making a dent in everyone’s progress.
But we shall not get disheartened, because we have a blessing called, the internet.
John Snow discovered the cause of cholera and spread awareness about the disease, more than 150 years ago. Do you wonder how much more quickly could the situation have been handled if the internet existed then?
Because of the internet we know how everyone is suffering around the world. It is helping us learn from their mistakes and triumphs.
Let’s take advantage of this blessing, let’s use it show our patients that we care and come what may, we are there for them.
It is a great time to make connections and make the existing ones stronger. We need to accept the current circumstances and deal with them.We have a great tool called social media which is free for all. It is something which can really help you, not only during but also after this pandemic.
The ripples of the smart work we can do right now will be noticed in the future.
India is a growing economy, it also happens to be a very densely populated country, where the spread of such a wildly infectious disease would be so rapid that the consequences would be catastrophic. In such a scenario, a nation lock wide is our best bet. Who understands the importance of the well being of the people than us healthcare professionals?
Our fellow healthcare providers like doctors, nurses and paramedical staff are risking their lives for everyone!
And we shall support them in this fight by doing our bit and staying at home.
These are special times we are in, and our mental strength and perseverance, will help us recover quickly in the coming months.
If we take the lock down lightly the situation will get worse and we would only be delaying the end of the lock down. The more strictly we follow the rules of the lock down, the faster the lock down ends.
And faster will we go back into the times when pandemic was just a word in our textbook and not our reality.