Don’t create confusion among people

The emergence of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) in some states of the country has already created panic amongst the masses and the states have thus simultaneously advised to take apt measures to get ready to tackle any situation. However, in Jammu and Kashmir, the situation is something different as whenever there is an outbreak of any disease or virus, the medicos start making public statements over the issues and instead of playing their role in calming the situation, they eventually create panic amongst the masses in the Union Territory. As this respiratory virus— HMPV spreads across some states, the need for robust public awareness and timely interventions has never been more critical. The relatively high vulnerability of certain populations, such as children, the elderly, and those with underlying health conditions, underscores the urgency of addressing this issue effectively. Back-to-back statements have been issued by the medicos here, but their statements are contrary to each other with one claiming that HMPV is similar to COVID-19 that claimed thousands of lives across the country and another claiming that it is similar to normal virus. Therefore creating confusion amongst the masses at a time when there is a need to take adequate and preventive measures to deal with the situation. The time calls for strict adherence to preventive measures and rather than making statements over these issues, the medicos need to be asked to create awareness amongst the common masses so that the situation can be tackled easily without creating confusion among the people at this juncture.