September 18, 1994, is the last day of Ganesh Festival in India. The streets of Surat, an industrial city in Gujarat, are bustling with activity. Thousands of men sang and danced in the streets to celebrate their traditional festivals. People were immersed in happiness and peaceful joy... But who knew that at this time, a deadly plague had quietly come among them. The next day, the newly built hospital in Surat received 30 patients with similar conditions. Their symptoms are: high fever, coughing, sneezing, vomiting blood and fainting. Since then, another batch of patients have been admitted to the hospital. The first patient died in the hospital on September 20; then, many more patients died one after another. Observing from the outside of these dead people: they are all black, with a pair of wide eyes protruding, and the state of pain is horrific. At first, doctors did not know that the patient was suffering from the terrible plague. This is no wonder for them, because since the last plague pandemic in India in 1966, this plague has almost disappeared, and many doctors have never encountered this disease.
At this time, some people suspected that bad guys had poisoned the drinking water source. The municipal authorities ordered the tap water supply to be cut off and the water source condition to be investigated. Later, I heard someone say that the plague was prevalent in Latur near Maharashtra. The doctor immediately tested the blood samples and the results showed that these patients were suffering from this disease. Only then did they realize that a disaster had struck. The medical conditions in Surat are very poor, the medical equipment is very backward, the medical force is seriously insufficient, and there are very few drugs for treating diseases. The drugs such as tetracycline and sulfonamides needed to treat the plague are even more scarce. By October 4, more than 1,000 people had been sent to the hospital for treatment and examination, and 50 of them died of the disease. At this time, the city of Surat seemed to be facing a cruel war and was in a state of emergency... News of the plague spread like wildfire. It didn’t take long for the news to spread throughout the entire city of Surat.
For a time, people rushing to buy medicines rushed in, and a long queue formed at the door of the drug store. This terrible disease makes the residents of Surat panic like ants on a hot pot day and night. In order to avoid this disaster, they supported the old and the young, using all available means of transportation, and hurriedly fled the city that was ravaged by the plague. Thousands of refugees are crowded around train stations and bus stations every day. The city police chief exclaimed: "Even thousands of police officers could not stop the flow of cars and people fleeing in all directions." Within a few days, 300,000 people in Surat, a city with only 2 million people, panicked and fled in panic... … The citizens who stayed in the city were all in panic. Stores, markets, movie theaters and other public service places are closed, many factories are closed, schools are closed, and parents are not allowing children to go out. During the day, people who go out wear masks, and those who don’t have masks cover their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs, scarves, etc., thinking that they can avoid disasters; at night, people dare not go out, and the streets are deserted and as quiet as death. At this time, the city of Surat looked like a scary ghost town.
300,000 Surat citizens fled to all directions in India, bringing the plague germs and fear to all parts of the country. In less than two weeks, this terrible plague has spread to seven states in India and the New Delhi administrative region: Gujarat, where Surat is located, is the area with the most severe plague epidemic, with the largest number of people infected and dying. Mumbai, a city adjacent to Surat, is the first target for refugees to flee. In the state of Maharashtra where the city is located, 2,105 people have been infected. In the capital New Delhi, 770 people were sent to the hospital for treatment and examination, 36 people were diagnosed with plague, and 4 people died of treatment. Additionally, the number of patients is also increasing in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. The plague also reached the remote states of Jammu and Kashmir. According to official statistics, within two weeks, as many as 4,780 patients went to hospitals for examination or treatment across the country, and there was news about deaths almost every day. In New Delhi and other places, infectious disease hospitals are overcrowded, and the authorities have to set up temporary isolation wards in general hospitals. Whether it is an infectious disease hospital or a temporary isolation ward, the medical conditions are very poor.
Dozens of patients are crowded in a dark ward. The doors and windows of the ward are open, mosquitoes and flies are flying around, and rats, the media that spread the plague, are playing on the ground, on the windowsills, and on the roof. This is no place to treat diseases. Place! Many patients escaped from the ward because they could not bear the harsh conditions. The health department had to organize a special police team to track down these patients everywhere to prevent them from spreading the germs.
The sudden arrival of the plague was like a bolt from the blue to the unprepared Indian authorities. There were so many patients that the hospital couldn't handle it and they were in emergency. The supply of medicines exceeds the demand, and many pharmacies are no longer able to provide medicines for treating diseases. Extremely frightened citizens rushed to buy vaccines and antibacterial antibiotics. Even in the few places where the medicines were available, they were quickly sold out. As a result, the Indian health department had to request support from the World Health Organization and other countries to meet the urgent need. Even more frightening, however, was the panic and hysteria that arose out of fear of the plague. The 300,000 Surat citizens who fled thought they would be safe if they escaped from this city controlled by demons. Unexpectedly, they were not welcomed wherever they went. In desperation, he had to return to his hometown. This mass exodus spread panic and plague throughout India. Many cities, such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, etc., fell into panic and chaos...
The epidemic of plague caused extreme panic among people. This fear spread quickly to all parts of the world like a fire. Many countries have suspended all exchanges with India. The economic losses to India are inestimable. According to relevant statistics, the cost of treating and preventing plague reaches tens of billions of dollars.
Reasons
People can’t help but ask, why did the plague, which had disappeared for many years, become widespread in India again? Experts agree that plague outbreaks were caused by extremely dirty conditions. It is said that Surat is the dirtiest city in India. There are piles of garbage in slums, markets, and streets, and the smell is overwhelming. During the plague epidemic, as much as 1,400 tons of garbage were cleared out every day. Garbage everywhere has become a breeding ground for rats to breed.