Showing posts with label Swine Flu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swine Flu. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Yoga can cure swine flu (H1N1) -What kind of reporting is this?

Dear readers,
Here is a video report from timesofindia.com. The report is on Baba Ramdev advising practicing yoga to
prevent swine flu. You may agree or disagree with Baba Ramdev, but distorting the facts, so much so that it could potentially malign a person's image is just dirty trick.
Listen carefully the entire video report here. The reporter starts report by saying "...renowned yoga guru Baba Ramdev prescribed yoga as a cure for the disease on Tuesday. "

And that is the title TOI chose for the video report "Yoga can cure swine flu: Baba Ramdev"

But, after that the reporter reports the real advice from Baba Ramdev "Baba Ramdev advised people to practice yoga as a preventive measure against swine flu"

Now carefully read the comments from the readers/viewers.

Most of them have slammed Baba Ramdev for making tall claim that he did not even make! Namely: the yoga can cure the swine flu. They probably did not even listen to the video carefully and just slammed Ramdev based on title of the report.

Baba’s advice is totally in sync with medical community’s advice that to prevent swine flu, people should boost their immune system, and Yoga and Pranayam are proven ways to do just that.

TOI should appologize for wrong reporting.

I personally find Ramdev's talks very reason driven, although I dont necessarily agree with him on everything he says.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Reeda Shaikh family's anger

Tragically Reeda Shaikh, 14 became the first victim of Swine Flue in India. Obviously the emotions ran high in the family members of Reeda, while her death jolted the nation into panic action.
Health Minister's statement that Reeda may have spread the virus during course of her treatment in varuious hospitals was more of a "Technical Speculation" of what may have caused spread of virus in Pune, and seemed obviously far separated from any investigative findings. Generally one would not expect such speculative statements from a Cabinet Minister on an issue of national importance.
Listen to Ghulam Nabi Azad's statement here.

None the less, the statement was "Technical" in nature, and it did not come across as a "blame" on Reeda for spreading the virus.

Reeda's family was angered by inaction on part of Government in terms of not spreading the awareness about H1N1 flu, because of which their beloved Reeda became a victim of the disease. As the investigations reveal, if she was tested for H1N1 in the first place, she could have been treated. So it WAS a failure on part of system, for not spreading the awareness and having proper procedures in place for detecting possible cases of H1N1.

With emotions running so high, family of Reeda chose to take the "Speculative" statement of Health Minister as a "blame" on Reeda for spreading the virus. Instead, they, and entire Nation should be furious and ask Health Minister as to why it took sacrifice of a human life to jolt it into action?

Listen to Reeda's mother and family members press conference here.