ગુજરાતી
English
Governments are working in countries around the world to prevent corona virus infection. Every important step is also being taken in India. Meanwhile, discussion about ‘herd immunity’ is also gaining momentum. But it is difficult to say at the moment how protective it would be for any country to take this step. Shekhar Mande, director general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), said in an interview that a strategy to develop ‘herd immunity’ to fight corona virus infection would be of great risk to any nation. Corona virus infection can be prevented from spreading by assessing the conditions and taking care from time to time.
Understand what is herd immunity
If a large population gets immunized with the help of vaccination against any disease, then the remaining people also become safe from the disease.
If a disease spreads to a large part of the population, then the remaining people are protected from it, that is, the immunity of the population helps the infected people in fighting that disease.
The immunity of 60 to 70 percent of the population is necessary for herd immunity against corona virus. Kovid 19 vaccine is not made. In such a situation, the only way to get herd immunity is that 60 to 70 percent of the total population gets infected with corona. It is risky.
Would it be practical to get herd immunity in India? In response to this question, CSIR DG Shekhar Mande told PTI that it is a huge risk for any nation. Before this, necessary steps have to be taken to prevent infection.
Mande said that like other countries around the world, a second wave of Kovid-19 can come in India and people need to be prepared for this. He said that even though the cases of corona infection will continue to decrease, people will have to be ready, because its second wave may come.
US President Donald Trump has been blaming China for spreading the Corona virus around the world, and Trump has ended ties with the World Health Organization (WHO) amid protests over it. Reacting to this, Mande said that this was not a good sign. He said the WHO is an important international health institution that has played a large role in the eradication of smallpox, polio.
DG Shekhar Mande said that CSIR has adopted a five pronged approach in the fight against Corona virus. This includes interventions through monitoring, diagnosis and new treatments, hospital aids and supply chain models.
On efforts to develop the corona vaccine, he said that three different methods are being adopted for this. He said that there is a resistance enhancing vaccine which is undergoing trials at three different places in the country and it is expected to result in the next 15 days.
Mande said that the second monoclonal antibody is based which CSIR has provided funding under a collaborative program between NCCS (National Center for Cell Science) Pune, IIT Indore and Bharat Biotech. The third is plasma therapy, which is undergoing trials in Kolkata. He further said that Indian companies are deeply involved in the vaccine development process.
