When the whole world is reeling in the coronavirus pandemic, the slum dwellers are neither keeping social distance nor following health safety rules. These poor people would rather disbelieve in the virus pandemic than taking precaution in their shanties. They straightaway gloatingly claim that coronavirus only inflicts on high-end people living in high-rises not on the slum dogs living in the impoverished and dirty neighbourhood.
According to researches, 80 percent of the poor people are shrugging off coronavirus when they are carrying all the symptoms and even avoiding tests. The rest 20 percent firmly believe that they won’t be affected with or harmed by the Covid-19.
Their nonchalance is corroborated in a government research which reveals that coronavirus spread is relatively low in the shanties. Why almost none of the poor people remains unanswered. But it may be guessed that daily bread earners are hardworking and growing stronger immunity in their physique. It may also be assumed that these poor section of the society don’t go for medical investigation if inflicted with coughs and colds. So, ‘no test no positive’ policy is perfectly yielding for the people unaware of the international health crisis.
During the early stage of coronavirus transmission in Bangladesh, it was feared that the situation may go out of control if the virus spreads in the slums. However, in reality the scenario is totally different although chances of transmission therein cannot be overruled.
Facts with wide variety of dimensions have been revealed in conversation with the slum dwellers of the city. There are arguably 20 slums in the capital though there is no statistics about it.
As per survey conducted by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) in 2014 at Korail Slum of the capital, there are around 10 thousand 222 shanties or khanas accommodating around 40 thousand people. Many people are living in the slums of the capital in such a congested manner that there is no room to swing a cat! As the slum dwellers use the communal kitchens, common toilet and washrooms, it was feared that the likely transmission of coronavirus in Bangladesh may usher in a catastrophe for these poor people. However, having talked to the slum dwellers it appeared that they are not paying any heed to the risk of such a disaster.
Rickshawpuller Kalam, a resident of Korail slum of the capital said that Covid-19 is not the disease of the poor but it infects the rich people. Maimuna, a resident of Vashantek slum of the capital who works in the houses reiterated the statement of Kalam and said that poor people will not be infected by corona as Allah will protect them.
Parul, a housewife living in the Vashantek slum, is no longer afraid of coronavirus although she was a bit scared about it in the beginning. She used to wear facemask while going out earlier but now does not wear the mask anymore.
It has been seen that people with lower income are gathering at the tea stalls for gossiping without maintaining minimum physical distance. They have no fear of coronavirus and their daily life is going on in usual manner. Even there is no information of whether any slum dweller has been infected by coronavirus or died out of it. The slum dwellers believe that corona is unable to strike the slums.
Day labourer Sohel said that if he remains confined to home fearing coronavirus his four children will have to starve. If he does not go out for work, who will feed them. For this reason, Sohel cannot afford to remain at home although he remained at home in the beginning of the outbreak.
Nayan, a resident of Bagichartek slum, has no fear of death from coronavirus. He knows that death rate from coronavirus is more with elderly people. As in the slums there is not much elderly people living in, he is not aware of any incident of death or transmission in the slums. A few days back a person aged 50 years died of heart attack. Many feared the death due to coronavirus but doctors termed it as cardiac arrest.
Sumon Mia, a private security guard of Hatirjheel, said that he is not afraid of coronavirus. He will survive as long the almighty Allah wishes. But he wears mask while going out as there is kid in his home. Sumon enters his room after taking shower and washing his hands with soap.
Although there is no apprehension among slum dwellers over coronavirus but a different scenario has been revealed in a recent survey conducted by the department of health. It has been seen that there has been coronavirus transmission in the slums although in a smaller scale. The survey was conducted in the 6 slums of the capital in order to ascertain the spread of coronavirus at the grassroots. The shanty based survey was conducted by the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) and International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) from 18th April to 5th July. A survey of icddr,b published on August 16 revealed that 9 percent of the total population of Dhaka have been infected by coronavirus. Among the slum dwellers 6 percent of them have been infected by the virus.
Public health expert and President of Human Aid Bangladesh Dr. Shekh Moinul Kokhon to The Business Post that theoretically transmission of coronavirus is relatively lower amongst slum dwellers or poor people. But in reality rate of transmission or death is not at all low. Poor people and those living in the shanties are considering coronavirus as a social problem instead of a disease and hiding if get infected in consequence.
It has been seen in one of our observational studies that around 79.25 poor people are not considering to have been infected by corona virus despite showing all the symptoms. Remaining 21.75 people considering the likelihood of getting infected by coronavirus believes that coronavirus does not harm the poor and they do not consider it necessary to go for testing.
The government or the Ministry of Health are battling to determine the scenario of transmission amongst the poor community. This is because poor people are not aware.
Sheikh Moinul also said, a discussion has been going on with a hypothesis that the slum dwellers are likely to have higher amount of Vitamin-D in their body for working under the sun for long time thereby not showing much of the symptoms. However, the thesis has to be proved through intensive research work.
aa/wi
