Webinar on Vector Borne Diseases

Pushpa Gujral Science City, Kapurthala organized a webinar on “Vector Borne Diseases, Health and Immunity in COVID times” on August 26, 2020 for students and general public. At the occasion, Dr. Neelima Jerath, Director General Science City said that COVID-19 has affected all parameters of human life starting from health, economics etc. She informed that PGSC is planning to set up a gallery on COVID awareness. The gallery will provide key messages in promoting public health and actionable guidance for safe operations through the prevention, early detection and control of COVID-19.

Dr. Rajiv Bhagat, District Epidemiologist, Civil Hospital, Kapurthala was the resource person for the webinar. He said that Corona Virus harms people with low immunity such as the elders and kids. Home quarantine is an essential requirement for infected person. Apart from accurate information on corona virus, there is a need to ensure that people with low immunity are provided with basic healthcare services at home. This will ensure that they do not come into contact with those who have the infection. Further, it has become more significant to have strong immunity to mitigate the ill-effects of virus and ensure a quick recovery. He also underlined the importance of the intake of essential vitamins and minerals which were not commonly found in our diet and must be taken in the form of supplements. Some of these include Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Zinc, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Magnesium and Vitamin E. He also insisted on taking food with high ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) value as they are loaded with antioxidants. He further stressed that people should take out some time to practice different breathing exercises to increase their lung capacity and boost their immune system. These breathing methods included diaphragmatic breathing and pranayama technique.