Not more than 35 cases have been recorded in northeastern states of India so far.
By Apoorva GS
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the 21-day lockdown for another 19 days until May 3, to restrain the spread of virus in the country, the seven sisters in northeast India seem to have achieved the goal by recording very few cases in all the states combined.
Out of the seven states, Assam recorded the highest number of cases with 31 positives, out of which 25 had attended Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, reported Aljazeera. Also, a few ministers and the National Health Mission from Assam continuously updated the situation in the state through their twitter accounts.
While Manipur and Tripura recorded two cases each, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland have recorded one case each till date. Meghalaya has no cases so far. However, The Guardian reported a study which said, coronaviruses might be seasonal in behaviour in temperature climates. But, The New Indian Express quoted a bulletin from the Indian Council of Medical Research which said, “Though the population of the northeastern region is 3.7 per cent of the Indian population, this region contributed 8 to 12 per cent of malaria positives, 10 to 20 per cent of infections and 13 to 41 per cent of deaths due to malaria which means people consume more hydroxychloroquine in this region.”
Hydroxychloroquine is a medication used to treat malaria. It is now in demand for the treatment of Covid-19.
Dr Vinaya Srinivas, a Pathologist, says, “Hydroxychloroquine sulphate boosts up the immune system in our body. Doctors usually prescribe this medication for the treatment of malaria where malaria remains sensitive to chloroquine.”
