FIGHTING AN ENEMY-A STORY FROM SURATGARH,RAJASTHAN
Suratgarh is located in Sri Ganganagar District of Rajasthan. Around 3,000 B.C. Suratgarh is believed to be a lush green pasture land due to the presence of Sarasvati River which is mentioned repeatedly in Rig Veda.
FIGHTING THE ENEMY - THE EXCITEMENT AT SURATGARH :
Suratgarh is of strategic importance. Indian Armed Forces conduct military training and exercises in that area. Battle preparation always induces a sense of excitement.
FIGHTING AN INVISIBLE ENEMY - A CHALLENGE TO HUMAN EXISTENCE :
Fighting a visible, external enemy is easier rather than fighting an 'invisible' enemy. The Rhabdo Virus that causes the fatal disease of RABIES is one such invisible enemy. Man has no natural immunity against this infection. The disease once manifested, has no cure and the mortality is 100 percent. The Virus cannot enter the body without some trauma to the skin or mucosa. However, the Rabies Virus can gain entry if it contacts intact conjunctiva of the eyes. Once within the body, the virus travels using nervous tissue and attacks the brain. The 'fear of water' or 'Hydrophobia' is a characteristic feature of Rabies.
THE INVISIBLE ENEMY'S ATTACK IN SURATGARH :
I made the medical diagnosis of Rabies in a Non-Commissioned Officer who while camping at Suratgarh in 1977 presented with restlessness, excitement, and anxiety. This medical diagnosis was made when the patient politely refused to drink a glass of chilled water provided to him as a 'medical comfort'. At that hour, he had no symptoms of 'Hydrophobia'. He was medically evacuated to a Military Hospital located at Abohar, Punjab. At the time of admission into the Hospital, he still did not develop the terrifying 'Hydrophobia'. This fatal condition is usually confirmed by conducting an autopsy. The nerve cells in the brain show inflammation and in the cytoplasm, the viral inclusion bodies known as 'Negri Bodies' are found.
While I was well prepared to confront an external enemy at Suratgarh, I had no weapon to fight this attack by an invisible enemy.
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