David Hanneng
Medziphema
With the increase of COVID-19 cases in Nagaland, a deep sense of fear and confusion has gripped our society. Such fears and insecurities engendered by diseases and epidemics are not new to our society. Colonial records and archives document the outbreak of many deadly epidemics in the erstwhile Naga Hills during the British rule.
After the establishment of Naga Hills district in 1866, the British rule ushered a sense of stability, improved law and order and better road connectivity in the region which fostered trade and commerce to flourish. Thus there was higher volume of inter-village trade and also trade with the plains of Assam. Despite the economic benefits, the trade routes invariably became one of the main channels of bringing in diseases from outside. Of all the diseases, Small Pox and Cholera were the most deadly diseases of the contemporary time because of them being communicable.
In 1870, in the village of Berimah, there was an outbreak of small pox which killed 200 people. Not long after, due to an epidemic of Cholera in the village of Nakama, 50 people succumbed to the disease. In 1885-86, the outbreak of Small-Pox in Khonoma led to the death of 100 people. The 1890s witnessed the worst cases of epidemics in the Naga Hills. In 1891-92, Kohima alone lost 800 people due to Small Pox which approximated to about 25-30 percent of the population. In the next year (1892-93), Mokokchung also lost 150 people due to Small Pox.
In 1920-21, there was an outbreak of influenza in the Mokokchung sub-division in two villages which caused about 60 deaths. As seen in the case of Mokokchung, the lack of adequate space and facilities in the hospitals to house patients with different diseases separately played a big role in transmission of the diseases. There were also periodic outbreaks of epidemics like measles, dysentery, influenza, malaria (including kala azhar), tuberculosis, cerebro-spinal meningitis, chicken-pox, anthrax, syphilis etc.
As early as 1876, the concept of quarantine centre started after one of the Kuki Scouts guarding the British Headquarters in Samoogooting contracted small pox and the British officials kept him in isolation in a hut far away from the main cutcherry. In 1898, the government also built a quarantine centre at Khuzama in Manipur-Naga Hills border after it was found that Cholera was creating havoc in Manipur. Officials in Khuzama were to inspect all cartmen, coolies, etc. from Manipur and stop any doubtful cases and keep them in the quarantine centre.
In the Naga Hills, when there was an epidemic outbreak in a particular village, the local response was to seal off the village forbidding anyone from either entering or going out of the village. Genna (religious rite/prayer) was pronounced and observed for a considerable period of time. The Mezoma villagers allege that they never had epidemics as they perform a religious rite involving killing a dog and tying its entrails across any path leading from an infected area. The dog, with its mouth wide open is also placed on the path pointing towards an infected village which they believe kept them safe from the epidemics.
The British government’s responses to the various epidemics were quite substantial given the difficulties with which they had to operate. They established hospitals and dispensaries and also rigorously pursued vaccination programmes. As soon as the Naga Hills district was formed in 1866 with Samoogooting (Chümoukedima) as the headquarters, the government established a dispensary there. A.D. Cooper, the first European medical officer in Naga Hills, made immediate impact and impressed the Angami-Nagas by completely healing Yetsole, chief of the Thanumah clan of Samoogooting, who was prostrated by an acute attack of laryngitis and had almost died.
With regard to the number of patients treated in the government health care centres, in 1870, only 243 people were treated where as fifteen year later, in 1884-85 alone, 2668 were treated with 1228 people being vaccinated. This was not yet a big jump as the British were yet to fully subdue the Nagas and also faced other hurdles. Initially, the Nagas were generally hesitant to visit the dispensary as they believed their own traditional medicines to be more effective.
Moreover, it was practically impossible to bring sick people from far flung places to the dispensary. Thus, the government ingeniously though of itinerant dispensaries as a solution and gave great thrust to it. Thus, by 1904, the number of patients treated for that year alone jumped to 21500 and by 1905, there were three hospitals/dispensaries, one each at Wokha, Kohima and Mokokchung. Thus, Small pox and Cholera was largely eliminated in the district by 1910. Subsequently dispensaries were established in Henima, Tamlu, Dimapur, Wakching etc. and by 1936, there were already 8 indoor hospitals or dispensaries in the Naga Hills.
By 1938-39, the number of patients treated in the hospitals/ dispensaries rose to 99872 for that year and 17130 vaccinated and 10966 re-vaccinated. This shows the focus that the British government gave to health care. Not only the government, there were times when philanthropists from Mokokchung also stepped in to arrange medical camps in interior places like Wakching. The Naga Club also donated 1000 rupees in 1939 for the repair of the Kohima hospital.
In spite of measures taken to contain epidemics in a particular village, there were certain cases when the general carelessness of the people resulted in the spread of epidemics from one village to another. In one instance, in the Wokha road, Themokedima (Tseminyu) was affected by Small Pox and from there it spread to Themokakzama, Tophima, Neruma and Kerhuma where many people died. Even in the present COVID-19 condition, it serves as a lesson for us the importance of being careful and strictly following precautionary measures.
Today, though a vaccine for COVID-19 is not yet found, enough information is available on how to prevent it from spreading. The people in the quarantine themselves have relatives at home who can get affected if the disease spreads and reaches community transmission. Thus, a lot also depends on them too and village quarantine centres will do well to keep the quarantinees long enough to make sure that they are indeed fit enough to be allowed to come out of their isolation. The general public also cannot be careless. We all have a role to play to make sure that it doesn’t reach community transmission, for our state just doesn’t have the medical paraphernalia to withstand a health catastrophe. The present crisis also brings to the fore the need to drastically improve the health care facilities in our state which has been found utterly wanting. Besides, unlike British times, with our own people in charge today, it would be a tragedy if we allow this COVID-19 pandemic to take many precious lives. Though it’s the governments’ responsibility, civil societies and churches should also make concerted efforts as it entails the welfare of the people of Nagaland.
