Be cautious about opening greater links with South India

Sri Lanka has the advantage of being an island. When it comes to communicable diseases medical history has it that many a disease, eg. cholera, smallpox, some say even parangi (yaws) came with the South Indian labour and soldiers, brought by our then colonial masters , the British. Epidemics are on record with multiple deaths. Our public health services must be thanked for the absence of such scourges in our midst at present.

South India has a significant problem with HIV Aids, occasional outbreaks of cholera and even ‘drugs’. All the problems too of not being an island. Our monitoring of the greater access to India envisaged by improved sea and rail links must be cautiously implemented to ensure proper quarantine procedures for humans, plants and animals. Dr. Channa Ratnatunga

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