A trip without SARS

THE TRIBUNE
April 27, 2005

A trip without SARS
by K.S. Parthasarathy

ON February 20, 2003, when the International Atomic Energy Agency invited four of us to attend a regional seminar at Beijing, WHO had not issued its alert on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Shortly, alerts on SARS from WHO and the US-Centre for Disease Control and Prevention followed. We doubted whether the seminar would take place at all.

A Pakistani delegate sent the US-CDC alert to fellow delegates. I sent extracts on SARS from the New England Journal of Medicine to all. Another Pakistani delegate queried whether we had to wear masks while landing at Beijing. Interestingly, three specialists from two “nuclear” nations feverishly exchanged notes on the vicious, lowly bug that flits past national boundaries without a passport or visa.

Of the four invitees from India, two dropped out. Vithal Nadkarni from the Times of India and I decided to attend. With an executive upgrade, Air India treated us well; we remained reassured, as more passengers joined us from Chennai.

During the three hours at Singapore, Vithal went jogging; I sat discretely away from people passing by an escalator. Very few wore masks. None had gloves. Those who had were clearing the dustbins! A naughty child pulled off his mask when his mother looked away.

During the flight to Beijing by Singapore Airlines, more masks were out. They hid the pleasing smiles of airhostesses. I looked at every passenger for telltale symptoms such as wheezing, sneezing or cough. I saw that no one emitted a cloud of nano-assassins!

The deeds of the dirty bug dominated all newspapers. Journalists relegated the stories from the “embedded men” in Iraq to the inner pages. The Prime Minister of Singapore greeted the press with folded hands (“namaste”, Indian style!) after a meeting. Shaking hands entailed known risks!

At Beijing, More masks were out. I covered my fingers with tissue paper every time I pressed the lift button. I washed my hands so often with liquid soap that my fingers ached.

While Vithal went to see the Great Wall, I relished the sumptuous lunch our Chinese hosts spread in Tenggelitala, which served traditional Mongolian cuisine. I savoured spotless fruit, drank fresh juices and ate choicest vegetables. Dance and songs by Tenggelitala Art Ensemble enchanted us. SARS virus did not dampen the zeal!

We watched China Central Television-9 every day. There was some disquieting news. More wore masks and gloves. A day before we left Beijing, we went to a nearby market to buy some mementoes.

Luckily, SARS shunned Vithal and me. Many Chinese were not so lucky. Vithal claimed that our immunity levels increased due to the mugs and mugs of green tea we drank. May be, the yoga postures of Vithal at dawn were too scary for the bug! ●