London, March 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a new market research report "Precision Medicine Software Marketby Delivery Mode (On-premise, Cloud-based), Application (Oncology, Pharmacogenomics, CNS), End User (Healthcare Providers, Research, Academia, Pharma, Biotech) Global Forecast to 2027", published by Meticulous Research, the precision medicine software market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.8% from 2019 to reach $2.8 billion by 2027.

Since many years, various medicinal approaches have been used for providing accurate treatment to the patients. Precision medicine is also an emerging approach to patient care through which physicians choose a treatment method based on the patient's genetic makeup (also taking into consideration genetic changes resulting from disease) and lifestyle habits. Precision medicine has the ability to remove the need for guesswork, variable diagnostic ability, and treatment strategies based on generalized demographics. Moreover, treatment using precision medicine enables a more holistic view of an individual patient. Application of precision medicine for clinical workflows help to facilitate more predictive and preventive care by bringing targeted therapies. This helps healthcare providers to further improve the standard of care by combining the ability to quickly make a treatment.

The precision medicine software market study presents historical market data in terms of value (2017, and 2018), current data (2019), and forecasts for 2027 - by delivery mode, application, and end user. The study also evaluates industry competitors and analyzes the market at regional and country level.

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On the basis of delivery mode, the on-premise segment accounted for the largest share of the overall precision medicine software market in 2019. The large share of this segment is mainly attributed to broad range of advantages associated with the use of on-premise delivery mode, such as high security of data, low risk of data breaches, and full command over software upgrades & data storage. In addition, higher adoption among end-users and flexibility with connection bandwidth further contribute to the largest share of this segment. However, the web & cloud-based delivery mode segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, owing to its benefits, such as on-demand self-serving, no maintenance cost, low storage & upfront cost, and excessive storage flexibility. In addition, the factors such as greater security in private clouds and automated updating features of web and cloud solutions are further expected to support the rapid growth of this segment.

Based on application, the oncology segment accounted for the largest share of the overall precision medicine software market in 2019. The factors such as growing prevalence of cancer, shift towards personalized treatment, rising funding in cancer research, applications of precision medicine in oncology research, and increased investments by government organizations in precision medicine and related software industry contributed to the largest share of the oncology segment. However, the pharmacogenomics segment is expected to witness rapid growth during the forecast period. The factors such as increasing incidence of adverse drug reaction, growing focus on genomic-based study, shift from one-size-fits-all approach to personalized approach, and rising pressure on pharmaceutical companies to develop new drugs promote the fastest growth of this segment.

Based on end user, the healthcare providers segment commanded the largest share of the overall precision medicine software market in 2019. The large share of this segment is primarily attributed to the rising number of tertiary/specialty care hospitals, rising incidence of chronic diseases, growing healthcare infrastructure, increasing demand for quality healthcare, and shift towards personalized/precision medicine. In addition, rising pressure to curtail soaring healthcare costs, technological advancements, and focus towards genomic-based treatment further supports the growth of the precision medicine software market for healthcare providers across the globe. However, the pharmaceutical & biotechnological companies segment is expected to witness rapid growth during the forecast period. The factors such as increasing R&D activities related to precision medicine, increasing collaboration between pharma & biotech companies and software vendors, shift from conventional "one-size-fits-all-type" treatment to precision treatment, and rising R&D costs are the major factors driving rapid growth of this segment.

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Geographically, North America dominated the overall precision medicine software market in 2019, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. The factors such as well-established healthcare system in the region, rising adoption of technologically advanced products for cancer diagnosis & treatment, growing HCIT investment, government initiatives supporting developments in precision medicine, growing availability of research funding, and higher accessibility to precision medicine software are responsible for the largest share of North America in the precision medicine software market. However, Asia Pacific region is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. The factors driving the growth of this region include growing shift in treatment from one-size-fits-all medicines to precision medicine, significant strides in genomics research & technology, increased spending on healthcare, rising funds for research activities, and growing focus of international players to expand their presence in this region.

The report also includes extensive assessment of the product portfolio, geographic analysis, and key strategic developments adopted by the leading market participants in the industry over the past 4 years (20162019). The precision medicine software market has witnessed number of new software launches; approvals; collaborations, partnerships & collaborations; expansions; and acquisitions in recent years. For instance, in September 2019, Fabric Genomics, Inc (U.S.) entered into an agreement with XIFIN, Inc. (U.S.) to enable end-to-end, rapid, and highly scalable NGS testing. In August 2019, Syapse, Inc. (U.S.) entered into an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE) to work with stakeholders across the FDA to address regulatory questions about testing and treatment patterns, dosing and safety, and outcomes in oncology with special focus on precision medicine.

The key players operating in the global precision medicine software market are Syapse, Inc. (U.S.), Fabric Genomics, Inc. (U.S.), SOPHiA GENETICS SA (Switzerland), Human Longevity, Inc. (U.S.), Sunquest Information Systems Inc. (U.S.), LifeOmic Health, LLC (U.S.), Translational Software Inc. (U.S.), N-of-One (U.S.), Gene42 Inc. (Canada), PierianDx (U.S.), Foundation Medicine, Inc. (U.S.), and 2bPrecise (U.S.), among others.

To gain more insights into the market with a detailed table of content and figures, click here:https://www.meticulousresearch.com/product/precision-medicine-software-market-5011/

Scope of the Report:

Precision Medicine SoftwareMarket by Delivery Mode

Precision Medicine Software Market by Application

Precision Medicine Software Market by End User

Precision Medicine Software Market by Geography

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About Meticulous Research

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Meticulous Research was founded in 2010 and incorporated as Meticulous Market Research Pvt. Ltd. in 2013 as a private limited company under the Companies Act, 1956. Since its incorporation, with the help of its unique research methodologies, the company has become the leading provider of premium market intelligence in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa regions.

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Precision Medicine Software Market Worth $2.8 billion by 2027- Exclusive Report by Meticulous Research - Benzinga

In 2000, synthetic biology visionary J. Craig Venter completed the first draft of the human genome. Ten years later, his team created the first synthetic cell. Craig will join SynBioBeta founder John Cumbers for a conversation about the state of the synthetic biology industry. In light of SARS-CoV-2, well also ask what the coronavirus pandemic means to innovation, our community, and our relationship with society. Well discuss:

Tuesday, March 31, 2020, 8 am Pacific

J. Craig Venter is known for leading the first draft sequence of the human genome. He later assembled the first team to transfect a cell with a synthetic chromosome. Venter founded Celera Genomics, The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) and the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), where he currently serves as CEO. He was the co-founder of Human Longevity Inc. and Synthetic Genomics. He was listed on Time magazines 2007 and 2008 Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.

Excerpt from:
COVID-19 State of the Industry Town Hall with J. Craig Venter - SynBioBeta

(Photo : pexels)White coated Lamb

A person's life expectancy is an important indicator of the health status based on the average number of years a person may be expected to live at a given age in consideration with the current mortality rates.

Study shows that females live longer than males. According to the latest figures released by the CDC, the average American man lives up to age 76 while the average woman in America lives up to 81 years. Note that the woman's extra years tend to be healthy ones.

American men can look forward to 67 healthy years, while American women enjoy 70 years living a healthy life, according to the World Health Organization's HALE index, which computes how long a man or a woman can expect to live without having a major disease or injury.

This supports the results of a recent study on mammals that shows females live substantially longer than males. On average, females live up to 18.6% longer than males from the same species.

The study conducted by the researchers from the University of Southern Denmark and University Lyon 1 in collaboration with several international teams, came up with the results that although women live longer than men, they are still outlived by their female mammal animal counterparts.

A wild mammal lives 18.6% longer than males of the same kind, while the difference between a man and woman's life expectancy is only 7.8%. Their findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States (PNAS).

Associate professor and an expert in biostatistics at Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics, University of Southern Denmark, Fernando Colchero, identified animals such as the lion, killer whale, brushtail possum, moose, greater kudu, and sheep as the best examples of non-human mammals that shows great differences on life expectancy.

Over 130 wild mammal populations were analyzed by the researchers and they were able to estimate the average longevity and rate of increase in the risk of dying because of the age for both sexes of the animal. Their analyses led to an unexpected result that a vast majority of cases exceeds the difference observed between non-human mammals to the human populations.

Experts say that the male-female lifespan gap is not a new phenomenon and it is not only restricted to Americans. It is true to all societies, and even true for the great apes, according to a professor of neuropsychiatry at the University of New South Wales, Dr. Perminder Sachdev who studied human longevity.

Sachdev explained that the reason why women tend to live longer than men is because of biology and behavior.

Unlike women, men are more likely to indulge in a sedentary lifestyle like smoking, excessive drinking, and be overweight. Additionally, men are also less likely to seek medical help early once they are diagnosed with a disease, and are also more likely to be non-adherent to treatment.

To top it all off, men are more likely to engage in risky activities that are life-threatening such as brawls or gunfights making them more susceptible to dying earlier than women.

Another explanation could also be because of a man's biology. Males produce more androgens, a male hormone that modulates immune performance. When it is present at high levels, androgens can impair some of the aspects of the immune defense that results in men more likely to be infected with diseases.

Link:
Female Mammals Live Longer Than Their Human Counterparts - Science Times

Adam Kleczkowski and Rowland Raymond KaoGlasgow and Edinburg, Scotland, March 26, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has already caused several thousand deaths, widespread health problems, massive anxiety and economic losses.

Most people are concerned with what happens day by day as we wait for control measures to work.

But we should also be concerned about whether or not we will be living with the virus for a long time. Will we be able to eradicate COVID-19, as we did with Sars? Or will we need to learn to live with it like we do with the common cold? We have been experiencing epidemics and pandemics for centuries, so there are lessons we can draw from these examples.

The virus in the long run

To understand what happens to the virus in the long term, we need to look at how large epidemics work, starting with patient zero.

If there is significant human-to-human transmission, the virus begins to spread, causing a fast increase in the number of cases (illustrated in the figure below). At the same time, those who overcome the disease and develop resistance are henceforth immune, at least for a while.

The people who are newly infected will increasingly have contact with these immune people, rather than with those who have not yet had the disease. This process effectively protects the susceptible population and causes the initial fast growth to slow and eventually stop.

The level of immunity

The level of herd immunity needed to stop the spread depends on both the number of contacts an average person has and how infectious the disease is. If highly contagious, this can be as much as 95%. This protection can be achieved by a combination of reducing infectiousness through immunity, either natural or acquired, or vaccination, or by reducing transmission.

Quarantine and mass restrictions on travel have proved effective, as shown in China, where the number of COVID-19 infections outside of Hubei province, where it started, have been few.

What happens next depends on the disease characteristics and human actions.

The 1918 flu virus did not persist after the early 1920s probably because enough people became immune to it. However, many pathogens are difficult to eradicate globally, although local success is possible. For example, foot-and-mouth disease, which affects sheep and livestock, survives in many countries.

The outbreak in the UK in 2001 was reduced to local islands of infection by an animal movement ban and then eradicated by massive culling.

But it took a long time and high costs to finally bring it to an end (figure below). Like many countries, the UK now has strict rules of animal imports, aimed at stopping the disease from arriving again.

Vaccine for coronavirus

It is possible that we will eradicate COVID-19 in selected countries or regions, but not necessarily worldwide. Although there are hopes that a vaccine will be successful within the next year, this is not certain. If it happens, very stringent travel checks may need to be imposed for at least a substantial time such a restriction, added on to concerns of the impact of air travel on climate change, may mean that the tourism industry may never recover.

Some diseases prove impossible to eradicate even in the long term and will persist following the first outbreak (figure below).

Diseases originating in Europe and Africa were brought to North America for the first time in the late 1400s and early 1500s. Encountering a population with little immunity, smallpox and other diseases spread rapidly causing the collapse of indigenous communities.

Subsequent outbreaks were lower, but smallpox and measles persisted until the 20th century.

Seasonal ailments

In temperate climates, seasonal influenza spreads rapidly through winter but mostly dies out in summer, only to come back the following year. In between outbreaks, the flu virus survives in Asia from where it emerges every year.

Large measles epidemics, before vaccines were available, occurred every two or three years, interspersed with small outbreaks (figure below).

The recurring pattern was caused by people being born all the time without vaccine protection.

Next winter, when children went back to school, there were enough susceptible ones to create a large outbreak. With mass vaccination of children, this influx was slowed down enough to create herd immunity and almost eradicate the disease.

However, measles is returning because vaccination levels are falling below the herd-immunity threshold.

The future of Covid-19

So what is the future of COVID-2019? While we cannot be sure, mathematical models help us explore scenarios and identify potential outcomes, building on our experience of past outbreaks.

The governments are hoping that a combination of social distancing, border closures, isolation of cases, testing and increasing immunity in the population will slow down the spread of the coronavirus and will hopefully open up successful eradication strategies.

Yet, past experiences suggest that we may need to learn to live with the coronavirus for years to come.

Adam Kleczkowski is Professor of Mathematics and Statistics. University of Strathclyde based in Glasgow, Scotland; Rowland Raymond Kao is Sir Timothy OShea Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology and Data Science at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. The above article and charts have been published under Creative Commons Licence.

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Longevity worldwide is the scary part of Covid-19 - Indian NewsLink

Such a substantial change in average temperature over a fairly short period of history could have other, unforeseeable impacts. Parsonnet points out that there are more microbial organisms in us than there are human cells, which creates a complex ecosystem. And like a human-size version of climate change, were seeing probably a change in our ecosystem thats associated with this drop in temperature. Yet were only beginning to understand all the ways temperature influences that ecosystem to help determine how we function.

Our body temperature is controlled by the hypothalamus, which acts as a thermostat, keeping the temperature of vital organs fairly constant. (Its this core temperature that a thermometer approximates.) Temperature sensors in nerve endings, which produce the sensation of being hot or cold, prompt the hypothalamus to initiate adjustments like shivering to warm up or sweating to cool down. At any given time, your skin might be 10 degrees cooler or warmer than your core. And that difference and thus how much energy the body has to expend to keep the core stable seems to affect how the immune system functions. For instance, in 2013 Elizabeth Repasky of the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and co-authors reported in P.N.A.S. that raising the room temperature improved the ability of laboratory mice to fight off cancer after they got it. Repasky and others are also experimenting with heating tumor cells to kill them or make them more susceptible to chemotherapy. Already, certain abdominal cancers are treated with hot chemotherapy, in which the drug is heated to 103 degrees, which has been shown to increase how much of it is absorbed by cancer cells. Separately, the heat from a fever may help fight infection, because, as Mark Dewhirst, an emeritus professor of radiation oncology at the Duke University School of Medicine, puts it, a lot of bacteria and other pathogens dont fare well at elevated temperatures.

Scientists struggle, though, to explain how a cooler average body temperature has been associated with longevity. A lower metabolic rate, and thus a lower temperature, has been linked to a longer life span in experimental settings with reduced calorie intake, when the body slows to conserve energy. But Bruno Conti, a professor of molecular medicine at the Scripps Research Institute, and colleagues have also found that mice genetically engineered to have a body temperature a half-degree lower than average lived longer than ordinary mice, even if they ate as much as they wanted. What other effects this has on an organism is unknown. For instance, he says, a brain at a lower temperature might not function as well.

At the same time, other bodily systems might benefit from being cooler. H. Craig Heller, a biology professor at Stanford, and colleagues have shown that muscle fatigue is caused by heat, which they believe triggers a temperature-sensitive enzyme that acts as a safety valve, stopping the production of chemicals that power muscle contractions in order to prevent the tissue from burning up. When Heller cools muscle during physical activity using special gloves that chill blood as it moves through the hands, the muscle just keeps on going, he says. Ive had freshmen doing more than 800 push-ups.

Link:
What Does Our Body Temperature Say About Our Health? - The New York Times

Ever since the Human Genome Project began in the late 1980s, genetics and DNA have become topics of mass interest. The book Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 chapters states that the genome is a book that wrote itself, continually adding, deleting, and amending for over four billion years.

For Dr Surendra Chikara, who has been working in the field for over 20 years now, the idea of founding Bione, a healthcare startup, was a no-brainer.

Monitoring the present coronavirus outbreak scenario in the country, we have included new parameters to our Longevity Plus kit. The new updated kit provides information about the susceptibility of a person to viruses like coronavirus, SARS-like viruses, HIV, Hepatitis C virus, etc. This could be based on an individuals genetic makeup or the patterns of living, Surendra says.

Dr Surendra, Founder of Bione

Surendra says a recent addition to the Bione Genetic test can check an individuals susceptibility to coronavirus. He adds that the platforms microbiome test, combined with its predictive analytics tools and artificial intelligence, can provide tailored recommendations to individuals to strengthen their microbiome and improve their immunity.

A research paper titled 'Evidence of gastrointestinal infection of SARS-CoV-2 revealed that 23.29 percent patients infected with SARS CoV-2 showed positive results in stool after showing negative in respiratory samples. Hence, the gut microbiome test is the only way to know when a virus is no longer in your system, Surendra says.

Surendra started his career with recombinant DNA technology and worked with Dr Gita Sharma, who had created the first r-DNA vaccine for Hepatitis-B in India.

My journey in genomics started under her support and guidance. It was the time when human genome sequencing and next-generation sequencing were starting to gain importance. We were in discussions to bring D2C technology to India, but the Indian healthcare market was not ready for direct-to-consumer genetic testing," Surendra says.

This is a huge problem that all my networks were aware of. We all know that the future of the global pharmaceutical industry lies in developing precision medicines tailored for individuals based on their genes, and clinical risk for developing a disease. Indian genetic data is highly diverse and a number of breakthroughs can happen. At Bione, we are doing our part to be part of this bigger picture of making India disease-free, Surendra says.

The different types of kits depend on the number of tests covered, and include Longevity kit, Longevity Plus Kit, and MyMicrobiome kit. The Longevity Plus kit covers over 415 parameters, including health, personalised medicine, fitness, and wellness.

The team claims that it also covers a parameter that determines specific gene variants that may contribute to enhance resistance to viruses like coronavirus, HIV, Hepatitis C, and many others.

The MyMicrobiome kit identifies and quantifies the microbiome in the gut, based on which a personalised diet is recommended.

Surendra says scientific research has shown that the gut microbiome plays an important role in the function and maintenance of our immune system. In ideal conditions, this microbiome-immune system alliance allows the initiation of protective responses against germs.

The platform also offers sample collection, with samples collected from an individuals homes. A pick-up is arranged as per your convenience by Bione. The DNA sequencing is done in a well-equipped lab by expert scientists, after which a detailed report is prepared.

Bione gXplore is a user-friendly, informative, and interactive app-based platform. On it, you can go through your report and easily understand the results of DNA analysis.

Slots with genetic or food and nutrition counsellors are provided as a free-of-cost service. The expert team of counsellors guides you to proactively plan your and your familys health and lifestyle choices.

The Bione team consists of experts from global institutions and scientists domains of genomics, genetics, bio-IT, genome informatics, quality assurance, sales, marketing, genetic/nutrition/fitness counselling. The startup has a total team size of 39 people.

The startup also runs a lab with scientists, bioinformaticians, and genetic counsellors. The team is applying for ISO 9001:2015, followed by CAP and CLIA accreditation to follow global standards.

Bione is projecting to test 20,000 to 30,000 samples in the first year of operations. Tests are priced between Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000, with the option of paying in EMIs. Customers can choose the package based on their needs.

The startup has raised angel funding from a clutch of undisclosed investors. Gourish Singla, the Founder of blockchain startup Project Shivom has invested in Bione.

Currently, startups like The Gene Box and Hyderabad-based MapMyGenome work on providing preventive solutions based on an individuals genetic makeup.

He says the startup's high tech lab is using advanced technologies, including whole genome sequencing, while the competition is still working with array technology with limited markers.

(Edited by Kanishk Singh)

How has the coronavirus outbreak disrupted your life? And how are you dealing with it? Write to us or send us a video with subject line 'Coronavirus Disruption' to editorial@yourstory.com

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How healthtech startup Bione aims to use genetic testing in the fight against coronavirus - YourStory

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2020 / "Crises are in the eye of the beholder" says Dr. Joshua Klapow, a clinical psychologist . And that's in part how he got the nickname Dr. Disaster.

Crises come in all shapes sizes and degree of impact. For some it's the down turn of their company in a struggling economy, for others it's a relationship on the rocks. Sometimes crises affect many hundreds or thousands, natural disasters, mass shootings, terrorist attacks. Sometimes they can even be global like a pandemic. In any of these scenarios the psychological and emotional toll on individuals can be devastating. Communities, cities, states, nations can suffer from global distress, a sense of helplessness, and difficulty making decisions and choices that can help them carry on. In any crisis what people do or don't do and how they do or don't do it determines in some cases whether they survive or not, and in all cases whether they thrive or not.

So where can we turn? Where should we turn? Dr. Josh believes that at the heart of every crisis is human distress that needs guidance to see it through. And for years, Dr. Josh has served that role to individuals, companies, cities, states and even nations. And that's how he came by the nickname Dr. Disaster. From his presence across media outlets when "disaster strikes".

As he says "Unfortunately I have taken on this nickname. When bad things happen you will often see me on television, hear from me on radio or read my words in print. The good news is that when bad things happen to you, your company, your city or state, you can count on me to be there with the tools, and the experience to help people tap into their psychological resiliency and work through a crisis. So I guess Dr. Disaster isn't that bad after all".

Dr. Josh has been working for decades with people in a variety of crisis situations: A CEO in the middle of a contested divorce trying to compartmentalize the stress divorce while maintaining the functioning of a multimillion-dollar business. An elite athlete who has just seen their season end due to a catastrophic injury and now must face the transition to a next life chapter. A start up company that fell on a tough economy and now is faced with massive downsizing while looking after their employees well being. A multibillion-dollar company that is struggling with the retention of high performing individuals who are leaving in droves because of a punitive management culture. Or maybe it's a tornado, or hurricane or earthquake that has decimated a city or state. Or a global pandemic that has struck fear in the hearts of frankly the world. Dr. Josh is usually there. It may be for a one on one series of consultations out of the media's eye. It may be as an advisor helping leadership making tough decisions about layoffs. You may see him on television; hear him on the radio, read his quotes in print as he tries to get the messages out to the masses.

Dr. Josh is there to help people navigate . He explains:

"In times of crises, big or small, at the individual level or global, as a general rule we, humans experience levels of distress that impact every aspect of our functioning. Crises change the way we think, the way we process information, the way we `function. Having the right tools to reduce our anxiety, focus our concentration, regulate our autonomic nervous system is critical. Even then, when people are undergoing prolonged stressful situations, they need someone who can point out the cognitive errors, the irrational beliefs, and the self-defeating actions that come with being under immense pressure. I see it at the individual level but I also see it at the group and population level. A distressed management team makes human resource decisions that often are focused on relieving their own distress but not focused on maximizing the productivity or longevity of their employees. A distressed community engages in a series of actions typically aimed at reducing individual anxiety but not looking at the interconnectedness of their interactions. Crisis does bring out the best in some people but it also brings our weakest psychological characteristics to the forefront. My job is to help guide people through the crisis of their lives. "

Story continues

While having significant life and/or business experience is a great backdrop to helping people, it doesn't formally prepare a person to manage the intense emotions, the erratic decisions, the fear, anxiety and at times irrational behavior that happens when people are experiencing a life crisis. Understanding how stress, anxiety, perceived danger, escape preferences, cognitive biases and psychophysiological deregulation impact every aspect of an individuals life is critical to help them navigate crisis situations.. There are many untrained or poorly trained individuals in the marketplace providing high-priced services to people and organizations in very high profile, high scrutiny, and high-pressured positions. Watching this happen in everyone from start-up CEOs to executives in publicly traded organizations to professional athletes and entertainers to entire communities is what motivated Dr. Josh Klapow to step in.

Joshua Klapow, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist. He has a specialization in behavioral medicine and disaster mental health. He trained at UCLA and UC San Diego and spent nearly 20 years researching the role of human behavior in health, well being and the impact of disaster and crisis on human functioning as an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has taught hundreds of graduate students and professionals the principles of psychological first aid, disaster communication and psychosocial crisis managing. He has served as a behavioral science consultant for individuals and organizations across the country as well as the World Health Organization. He has spent his entire career trying to help people thrive in situations where there are significant challenges to their physical and mental health and overall well being.

"My clinical training was specifically focused on helping people change their lives during times of challenge, strife and crisis. It was also designed to help people understand how situations and environmental settings either helped people to thrive or served as a barrier. My training was designed to help people navigate the life changes in front of them and to help people design businesses and systems of care that were much more person centered." Dr. Josh says.

Dr. Josh's traditional research and clinical work have been supplemented by a collaboration with media outlets to provide the public with the psychological first aid tools during times of crisis. From 9/11 to the variety of mass shootings, to SARS, to tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, the financial crisis of 2008, plane crashes, Ebola, and COVID-19. His passion to get the message out to help people navigate fear anxiety, distress, and frustration have resulted in products such as "The Preparedness Minute", A CDC funded series of videos that have been disseminated to public health organizations and first responders across the country help people prepare and cope with national disasters. He has been called on by media outlets across the country after natural disasters, mass shootings, and disease outbreaks to help address the social and psychological impact these events have on people. From multiple appearances on The Weather Channel, to the BBC, NBC Weekend News and local affiliates across the country. To digital outlets ranging from the HuffPost, Buzzfeed, Elite Daily, Men's Health, Today.com, US News and World Report and more. Dr. Josh has been a media partner and a psychological first aid expert for nearly two decades.

He has also worked extremely closely with the business community to address the human resource impact of difficult and life changing scenarios. He has consulted on continuity planning, employee engagement, crisis communication, executive impairment, leadership transition, and psychological first aid for organizations ranging from startups to multibillion-dollar public companies. His unique expertise as a public health academician and a clinical psychologist allows him to shift from focus on the individual to groups and populations as is needed. Sophisticated technology and a deep understanding of psychology and behavioral science.

This blend of expertise in behavioral science, disaster preparedness, crisis communication and business along with his presence in the national media has positioned Dr. Josh as a sought after resource for companies and individuals across the US helping them leverage psychology and behavioral science in crisis situations. He is called on to help people survive and thrive when high levels of pressure and stress are present. He has become a public and private "go to" for those who need his input in any crisis situation or capacity.

"I know that crises will vary greatly in terms of how many people are impacted. I also know that in crisis situations there is a need for guidance that is not always delivered in a traditional "mental health" format. People need messages that are being delivered via the media, companies need guidance to make the best decisions possible for their employees, individuals need to know there is someone on the other end of a call, video conference, or text that can offer psychological tools and resources immediately to help make critical decisions. I am not a physician or an economist. My role is to know as much as is possible about how to navigate the psychological, cognitive, emotional and behavioral challenges that arise before, during and after a crisis situation. My role is to be there to make sure that you as an individual, a company or a community or nation have the right strategies to work with the impact of humans in a state of distress.

I serve as a trusted "psychological correspondent" for media outlets nationally and internationally and I work with businesses and individuals to help them bring behavioral science and psychology to the forefront of their organizations and their personal lives in the context of crises and disasters. I am here to consult and coach, to develop and support. I am here when you need an individual who can help you or your company thrive in times of crisis, change, decision making or growth. I deeply understand human behavior and I have lived the real-life experiences. Look, in my opinion it comes down to this, if you need to understand how thoughts, emotions and behaviors impact your life during some of the most critical situations and times. If you need to understand that in the context of your company, or the life of others around you, it is important that you get it right, you have to go with someone who has training and experience. Be careful, because intuition, and experience with life strife is not what you want if you need someone to help you get it right. A high level of specific training and experience is critical, because your life is critical. I've worked my whole career to prepare me to help. And I'm here to help." Dr. Josh says.

For Dr. Josh, mindset is critical because you must be willing to look at a crisis situation that may have everyone around you deregulated, distressed and convinced there are no options or their options are the only options. Being able to sit in periods of crisis and guide people through he array of emotions and actions without getting pulled down in is a skill that has to be honed and refined if you are to be at the forefront of crisis management. You have to trust your training and trust that in the middle of chaos you can hold steady as a voice of reason.

"My advice for those who are trying to help in crisis and disaster situations is to make sure you check yourself first. Do you have the tools to be strong, to know when you are exceeding your bandwidth, to join with individuals, organizational, communities while keeping yourself psychological strong. If you haven't had this kind of training you run the risk of becoming a psychological liability versus as n asset. Dr. Josh advises.

Dr. Josh is admant about pushing the message that psychological well being is a science, with specific tools an methods that ere desperately needed for individuals and groups during times of strife. He will also tell you that the larger the crisis, the more people it impacts and the longer the duration the more we need to rely not just on being tough, but rely on the assets that come with specific and targeted experience and credentials in psychology, behavioral science and human performance

"If you are someone who is experiencing a personal life crisis, an organization that is trying to navigate a crisis or a community that is trying to contain a crisis. I have the training and understanding to help you. If you are in a high-pressure situation and need to make sure that you are getting the most out of your own psychological, emotional, behavioral and physiological resources, I can guide you through. ." Dr. Josh states.

To learn more about Dr. Josh's work or how you can reach out, go here.

CONTACT:

Paula Henderson202-539-7664phendersonnews@gmail.com

About VIP Media Group

VIP Media Group is a hybrid PR agency. Their diverse client base includes top-class entrepreneurs, public figures, influencers, and celebrities.

SOURCE: VIP-Media

View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/582719/His-Nickname-is-Dr-Disaster-and-at-Some-Point-You-May-Need-Him

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His Nickname is Dr. Disaster and at Some Point You May Need Him - Yahoo Finance

An epidemic, where people of a largecommunity are threatened by an infectious disease, is as bad as things can be;but an epidemic, where the disease threatenspeople on a global scale, is the worst scenario imaginable. The lateststrain of the Coronavirus, HCoV-19 or SARS-CoV 2 (severe acute respiratorysyndrome coronavirus 2) has caused a pandemic and a complimentary rise in paniclevels.

What viruses do is enter your body andstart invading body cells to making copies of itself. The cell is destroyed inthis process and these copies are released and they enter more cells, makingmore copies and attacking and destroying more cells. This goes on until thehuman immune system begins to fight back and destroys all the viruses or isunable to cope, leading to death. Specific viruses attack specific body cells,so a virus which causes coughs will attack only your respiratory system (yournose, throat, bronchial tubes, lungs etc.) while the rabies virus will attackonly your nervous system (your nerves, spinal cord, brain etc.).

What one must understand is that medicinesand vaccines do not cure infections, our immune system cures us. Specificmedicines keep specific infection levels within manageable proportions untilour immune system starts fighting back and specific vaccines train the immunesystem to fight against specific viruses.

The Human Immune System is part army, partmemory bank. Viruses have specific molecules called antigens, these antigenshelp our bodies in recognising that the virus is an alien invader. Viruses inthe blood stream are swallowed and destroyed by white blood cells (WBCs), it iswhen viruses enters body cells, to make copies of itself, that the WBCs becomeineffective. But the antigens trigger the immune system to start producingantibodies and Killer T-Cells. The antibodies lock on to the virus, renderingit powerless to invade other cells, so that WBCs can mop them up, while thekiller T-cells destroy the viruses.

Our immune systems keep a memory of everyvirus that has ever infected us. The moment they identify a known virus,through its antigen, it starts producing antibodies and killer cells. What avaccine does is introduce dead or weakened dangerous viruses so that our immunesystem may learn to produce suitable antibodies. It is when new viruses invadeour bodies that the immune system takes time to identify the intruder andmanufacture a suitable response.

The danger that a virus presents depends onvarious factors, some of which are: how it is transmitted, its longevityoutside a host, its incubation/gestation period (how long it takes before onegets sick), its target or which part of the body it attacks, which sections ofthe population are vulnerable to it and its mortality/kill rate (how manypeople infected die of the infection).

Keeping the above factors in mind, let usexamine the Coronavirus, HCoV-19/SARS-CoV 2.

(i) Transmission:- The Coronavirus can betransmitted through air, but keeping a distance of around 1.5 metres(approximately 5 feet) from an infected person, prevents transmission of thevirus.

The virus can be transmitted throughcontact with an infected person or surface, but only if you touch your mouth,nose or, possibly, eyes with the point of contact (e.g. your hands).

Viruses are just a string of moleculescovered by a layer of fat, washing your hands vigorously with soap, whilebuilding up a lather (foam), for up to 20 seconds, in warm water, dissolves thelayer of fat that protects the virus, and causes it to break down into harmlesscomponents.

(ii) Longevity:- The Coronavirus can beactive outside a host for 3 to 72 hours, depending on the surface it rests on.But you have to touch the contaminated surface and then touch your mouth, noseand eyes to get infected. So, even if you believe that youve touched aninfected person or material, avoiding touching mouth, nose and eyes and athorough hand wash removes the danger of infection.

(iii) Incubation/Gestation:- The virustakes between 1 to 14 days from when you were infected to when you startgetting sick. So if you or anyone who has been exposed to the virus does notget sick by the end of the 14th. day, youre safe.

(iv) Target:- The virus targets yourrespiratory system, mainly your lungs. This causes shortness of breath, whichmeans that your body is not receiving sufficient oxygen. Lack of oxygen cancause your internal organs to fail, resulting in death.

(v) Vulnerability:- Although the virus caninfect anyone, only elderly people and people with pre-existing medicalconditions, like diabetes, heart problems etc. are in grave danger.

(vi) Mortality/Kill Rate:- Compared to somestrains of the Ebola and Marburg Viruses (upto 90 and 80 % mortalityrespectively), the Coronavirus is much less dangerous. Out of 100 peopleinfected, only 20 need hospitalisation. Of the 20 hospitalised, about 3 to 5die, and these deaths have only occurred among the elderly and those sufferingfrom pre-existing medical conditions.

From the above points, we can see that it is not the Coronavirus, butour total unpreparedness for it, that is the cause of all the fear and panic. Respiratorsare needed to keep patients alive until the immune system finds a suitableresponse, health care professionals need protective gear to stay safe. Whenpatients are hospitalised in the hundreds and thousands, and with even the bestand largest hospitals having only a limited amount of respirators andprotective gear; the health care systems of the affected countries areoverwhelmed . Every loss of human life is a tragedy, but in terms of the actualdanger to mankind, Malaria and HIV still lead.

The lockdown by our State Government andsubsequent lockdown of India by the Central Government are good steps. Theisolation created by the lockdown will help identify individuals and pockets ofinfection so that corrective measures can be taken. But the Government ofNagaland, at least, must make immediate provisions for the poor and daily wageworkers. A system of providing them with provisions during the period of thelockdown must be implemented immediately.

In ending, I would like to inform thepolice and colony/village volunteers enforcing the lockdown that you have noauthority to beat anyone violating the lockdown. The lockdown is based on theEpidemic Diseases Act, 1897, violation of which attracts penalty under Section188 of the Indian Penal Code, which prescribes a fine ranging from Rs. 200 toRs. 1000 and imprisonment from 1 to 6 months, penalties which can only beimposed by a magistrate. Arrest them or caution them, beating them opens you tocharges of assault.

Kahuto Chishi SumiAkukau, Hevishe Village, Khaghaboto Range, DimapurKahuto107@gmail.com

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Viruses and the Human Immune System - Eastern Mirror

Sudden shocks to a system are never good. Things break under stress, sometimes permanently, sometimes with unforeseen consequences.

In the oil world, things could start breaking in a matter of weeks. Here in Canada the situation is likely to be acute, because of our concentrated exposure to one customer, the United States.

Oil markets worldwide are under extreme stress. First, theres the price war waged by The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries a deluge of barrels thrown into markets opportunistically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The massive glut in oil still unknown in magnitude, but potentially over 10 million barrels per day globally has pounded the price of a premium barrel to near US$20. At that price, very few producers make enough money to sustain their longevity.

Prolonged financial stress, measured in months not years, will lead many oil producers to become distressed and some to die. Its easy for people to be dismissive about this situation from an armchair, far away from where the oil and its petroleum products originate. Consumer detachment from our many supply chains leads to a lack of awareness about what goes on behind the scenes.

While the oilfields of OPEC and Russia are a world away, the COVID-19 pandemic is here and the problem is a lot closer than you think. Oilfields are the starting point of our biggest energy system, a multi-trillion-dollar grid of pipelines, refineries and distribution systems that plug into airports, gas stations and manufacturing plants that give us our modern amenities, including medical supplies and equipment.

Free-market oil companies and their related infrastructure partners have dealt with price wars and geopolitical shenanigans on the supply side in the past. But they havent experienced a catastrophic collapse in demand due to a sudden paralysis of human activity. The latter, closer-to-home problem is potentially more consequential to stressing North Americas energy system than decisions being made in Moscow and Riyadh. And these proximal stresses are about to ripple right up to Canadas oilfields.

Here is the problem: In the past week, big cities, provinces and states across North America have ordered their citizens to leave their workplace and stay at home with varying degrees of enforcement.

So, the big loss is in the use of transportation fuels, for flying and daily commuting. Fuels for light-duty vehicles represents some 40 per cent of the volume that comes out of a refinery, while jet fuel is 10 per cent.

We dont yet know how much of North Americas oil demand will be impaired over the coming weeks, but estimates suggest in the range of 30 per cent across the continent is possible, and greater in the hardest hit areas such as the U.S. Northeast.

So, where do you put the surplus petroleum products if nobody is using the stuff?

Some of the big refineries in the American Midwest are 80 per cent or more reliant on heavy oils, with much of that coming from the oilsands region.

Refineries in Ontario and Quebec are also dependent, receiving western Canadian oil through U.S. pipelines. With limited space in storage tanks, the refinery complexes are starting to turn down their volumes. And that means they need far less oil from Western Canadas oilfields.

Soon, large Canadian producers will likely shut in their production. Preliminary estimates suggest in the range of over one million barrels per day of oil supply could be turned away, mostly the heavier grades of oil. For scale, the Alberta governments 2019 curtailment order was for a mere 325,000 barrels per day.

The exacerbating issue is that not all oilfields are the same; some cant be turned on and off like a hairdryer. For instance, the steam-assisted heavy oil reservoirs can be damaged by shut-ins, as can operations that have corrosion concerns.

In a prolonged scenario, there are potential knock-on effects. Financial contracts, backed by creditors and counterparties, are potentially impacted with unknown aftereffects that can ripple into the banking system.

Pure capitalists would suggest letting the free market decide the fate of these vital supply chains across the continent. Yet, mere low oil prices are a reckless arbiter of who shuts in production and who doesnt. Price regulates volume, but it doesnt consider factors that range from permanent supply impairment to unexpected system failure.

A societal disruption of this magnitude affects the suppliers and consumers of energy, and everything in between. Because everything in between spans the continent, this looming system-wide issue isnt exclusive to Western Canadas oilfields. The entire system is affected.

If major shutdowns begin, its desirable to have a triaged, holistic process, managed from the most vulnerable segment to the least.

State-owned, integrated oil companies can manage such a task, yet in a free market like North America thats called collusion. During this exceptional crisis, maybe we can think about multiparty collaboration instead?

Our personal health is paramount, followed by putting food on the table and shelter over our heads. After that comes the protection of essential infrastructure and services necessary for our modern society to function well.

Canadas oil and gas industry remains an integral, real-time supplier of energy to some of the most populated U.S. states and eastern Canada. Annual oil, gas and petroleum exports last year tallied close to $120 billion.

Right now, in a time of crisis, this is about more than incomprehensibly large dollars in an industry that has historically polarized our society.

Canadas energy industry serves us all it heats our homes, it fuels the trucks that bring food to our tables and its relied upon to create critical medications in our cabinets. And right now, the industry is on the verge of a system-wide crisis.

Without care and consideration, the effects wont just be experienced in some far-off oilfield, we could feel them in close-to-home ways.

We need to think outside the barrel. Industry, government and all stakeholders should proactively work together to minimize damage to our energy systems. Because this isnt an industry issue anymore, its now societal.

Peter Tertzakian is Executive Director of the ARC Energy Research Institute in Calgary, Alberta.

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Peter Tertzakian: The crisis facing Canadas oilpatch isnt just the industrys problem, its everybodys problem - Financial Post

Customer experience is arguably the ultimate marketing tool, and companies are getting increasingly sophisticated in using customer data and situational information (e.g., context) to curate that experience online. Several years ago, Gartner Inc. projected that, by this time, more than 80% of organizations would be competing primarily on the basis of customer experience, and research by Forrester estimates that these organizations will have greater brand recognition, higher order value and better customer retention.

Right now, as an extremely difficult situation unfolds across the globe, the online customer experience is fast becoming the customers only option. So the aspiration for brands to deliver automated services is more relevant than ever. Whether through relevant and helpful recommendations, on-point engagement, lightning-fast responsiveness or other tactics, brand leaders are setting the bar for other companies to meet.

As brand ambassadors, marketing is often at the forefront of creating this joined-up customer experience to ensure the right offers are made at the right time. Yet, delivering a highly curated and contextualized customer experience is a monumental task. Companies must be able to combine past customer interactions, secondary data sources, current context and desired outcomes, pulling data from both outside and across the organization from customer service and sales to product and legal teams. Pair these challenges with clunky, legacy systems that are difficult to flex to meet business needs, and the results are siloed systems that are hard to integrate and customer information that is trapped partway between legacy systems and new IT infrastructure.

According to the Adobe "2019 Digital Trends" report, based on a survey of 12,500 professionals in marketing and IT, customer-focused organizations are "four-and-a-half times more likely than other companies to have a highly integrated, cloud-based technology stack (32% vs. 7%)." Given that, how do marketing teams pull from modern and legacy systems to get that joined-up customer experience without a wholesale (and IT-dependent) digital transformation?

As a chief marketing officer myself, I've found automation to be the key to achieving this level of customer experience. And at Bizagi, we help our clients bridge various systems and data sources through our digital process automation platform to give them the access needed to deliver enhanced customer experiences.

How Automation Can Improve Customer Engagement

We often see insurance companies working with a technology stack that has evolved over the years by stitching different components together, and not necessarily in a cohesive manner. Through automation, insurers can map their customer journey across departments including IT, claims and product to better understand how customers behave and identify pain points that inform their marketing decisions. Not only is this approach more efficient, but it also provides a more responsive and personalized experience. In fact, while it might seem counterintuitive, automation can actually introduce a perceived "human touch" to processes by eliminating delays or miscommunication while simultaneously offering relevant and helpful messages at just the right time all critical factors to ensuring a valued customer experience.

Similarly, banks are turning to automation to keep pace with increasing customer expectations for service and responsiveness. The biggest challenges financial service providers face in customer experience efforts are with data analytics, technology and getting a complete customer view, as reported by The Financial Brand. This is unsurprising considering the complex IT infrastructure and inflexible legacy systems of most banking and financial businesses. By simplifying technology and streamlining customer engagement processes with automation, banks can leverage customer insights and data analytics to provide more relevant products and services to customers, or they can deliver communication through the customer's choice of media, such as email or text message (SMS).

Five Tips For Getting Started

It's no surprise that companies from all industries are looking for ways to digitally transform in hopes that they can better understand and engage customers. Here are some practical tips for businesses looking to start digitizing customer experience today:

1. Remember your people. Today's customers aren't easily satisfied, and they won't wait around; responses need to be relevant and instantaneous. While the joined-up view helps achieve this objective, it's also important to consider how you make these customer insights available to your people. If technology enables great customer experiences, it's often people who deliver them. Digital platforms must, therefore, be intuitive and accessible so that colleagues and partners can turn information into action.

2. Capitalize on critical moments. What are the main customer engagement points for your business? Quoting? Onboarding? Renewal? Focus appropriately, as poor experiences in these moments can be determinative in customer longevity or, conversely, have an outsized impact on order value.

3. Don't leave your legacy; take it with you. You don't need to rip and replace your current IT infrastructure (for example, a legacy customer relationship management or support ticket system). Your data doesn't have to be in one place, as long as you can wrap it in an agile process platform.

4. Start small and scale quickly. Change doesn't have to be disruptive; the most effective change often comes in small shifts that customers pick up on instinctively. Similarly, the iterative approach allows you to see what works best before fully committing (this is also effective for showing success to justify funding).

5. Add some intelligence. You can use technology to do more than aggregate and surface data; it can learn from that data, applying behavioral analysis or predictive analytics to not only automate but also control and improve customer engagement. For example, automated processes can make a next-best offer based on current context or interaction, or speed approvals and recommendations based on past or just-like transactions.

When it comes to enhancing customer experiences, there are endless methods and digital tools for better understanding, attracting, engaging and maintaining customers. Yet, all of these approaches become much more effective with access to a joined-up view of the customer. By leveraging process automation, you can consolidate customer data and unify it across systems and departments, personalizing customer interactions at a time when their expectations are higher than ever before.

More:
How To Turbocharge Customer Experience With Automation - Forbes

Sarwar Md. Saifullah Khaled | Published: March 23, 2020 22:04:32 | Updated: March 24, 2020 21:33:45

Air pollution is one of growing environmental hazards in Bangladesh. As such the country has now been grappling with air pollution. Exposed to various diseases and financial losses caused by air pollution, the citizens, especially in major cities, continue to breathe in the most polluted air in the world. It's a situation which prompted national dailies to write editorials repeatedly on the matter.

Dhaka, the sprawling overcrowded mega-city, has turned into an ecologically critical area. The High Court, at one point, observed that it was time to declare Dhaka as an 'ecologically critical area' due to widespread pollution, and issued a nine-point directive to address air pollution.

As construction of various large infrastructures increased between 2016 and 2019, Dhaka's air quality worsened simultaneously, the environment minister told parliament on February 16. The minister said that the factors responsible for air pollution in Dhaka city are brick kilns, smoke from vehicles, construction of different infrastructures and road digging, civic wastes, and biomass etcetera.

The United Nations (UN) says that clean air is a human right. A report in 2018 noted that due to air pollution Bangladeshis lose about two years of their longevity on average. Environmental activists expressed views that most people are unaware of the effects of air pollution on human health. They also emphasised raising awareness among the people. Some distinguished environment specialists blamed apathy and nonchalance of the authorities concerned for the air pollution peril. They said the government has a big project to check air pollution under which footpaths and foot-over bridges are constructed. But it is not understandable as to what are the relations between air pollution, foot-paths and foot-over bridges.

A World Bank (WB) repot in 2016 said air pollution has emerged as the deadliest form of pollution and fourth leading risk factor worldwide for premature deaths. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates show that 600,000 children died in 2016 from acute respiratory infection caused by air pollution. The report noted that air pollution also impacts neurodevelopment and cognitive ability and can trigger asthma, and childhood cancer.

At least 123,000 people died in 2017 in Bangladesh due to indoor and outdoor air pollution. The authorities concerned have still been foot-dragging over the issue although at least four major health risks, as mentioned above, plague the cities and other parts of the country.

It augurs well, however, as the minister said in parliament that the government has taken various measures including enacting the Clean Air Act-2020 for effectively controlling air pollution at large as part of a long-term plan. Improvement in air quality across the country requires shutting down of illegal brick kilns, stopping unfit vehicles from plying, checking dust pollution during development works, and taking projects for afforestation.

To clean city roads all over the country appropriate, adequate and sufficient measures need to be taken immediately. These may include setting up of high-speed water sprinklers at different hotspots in the capital and elsewhere, dust suckers and introduce vacuum sweeping trucks instead of manual brooms. It is surely conceivable that controlling air pollution is an uphill task but it must be waged with full vigour right now. The issue brooks no delay.

Sarwar Md. Saifullah Khaled is a retired Professor of Economics and Vice Principal at Cumilla Women's Government College, Cumilla.

sarwarmdskhaled@gmail.com

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War on air pollution A call to action - The Financial Express BD

Working in the hospitality industry,one learns over time that one doesnt usually get a second chance to make a first impression.Therefore it becomes imperative to greet a guest warmly when they arrive. It begins with the shaking of hands of a returning guest. A firm handshake speaks volumes about the depth of our friendships.

In Eastern folklore, when you shake hands with a stranger during your travels and feel no bone in his hand with your thumb, you are said to have met a Good Samaritan. One English schoolmaster in Kashmir used to admonish his pupils for what he liked to call a wet-fish handshakewhich is when your fingers limply slip away from the hand of someone who tries to shakehands with you firmly.

I was therefore somewhat puzzled when I heard Morgan Freeman, who played the role of Azeem the Moor in the film Robin Hood,declarethat the hospitality in this country is as warm as the weather. It was Robert the Concierge who once told me that the reason for driving on the left side of the road in the UK is because a horseman keeping to the left could easily shake his right hand with a fellow-horseman riding in the opposite direction.

His explanationseems plausible enough to me. It appears to be a different world now, in which the shaking of hands with your fellows has been forbidden because its too risky. Thanks to the pandemic, the folding hands gesture known as Namaste is nowgaining popularity in the West. It is a dual gesture that, as well as being used as a greeting and a mark of respect, is also used in the Indian subcontinent to ask for forgiveness when someone is accused of any wrongdoing.

However, contact is limited right now as all of us are restricted from roaming the streets or dropping in on old friends. These are despondent times and we can feel guilty even in exchanging glances with strangers lest we spread the contagion. Our world will indeed be a strange place when we reach the end of this crisis. We might have to learn again the ritual of shaking hands with our fellow human beings. Hand is an indispensable word in our vocabulary.

Once, when I asked a colleague to give me a hand, he jokingly repliedthat he couldnt because he only has two of them. The phrase washing ones hands in Kashmiri implies absolving oneself of any responsibility or letting go of a fortune. The Hand of Godmetaphor became infamous after it was used by Maradona to describe his illegal goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final.

The hand of God in Michelangelos The Creation of Adam is outstretched and doesnt conform to the proportions of a Vitruvian Man by Da Vinci. When I visited Santa Maria Della Grazie in Milan and saw Da Vincis The Last Supper, I was struck by the hand gestures of various apostles in the mural and later related it to Goethes comment, printed in my guidebook, on how very Italian the painting was in that so much is conveyed through the expressions of the characters hands.

When I boarded buses and trams in Milan I experienced the warmth in the conversations of Italians from their ample use of hand gestures. Sometimes a carriage would resound with the laughter of commuters conversing. Italy is one of my favourite European countries. When I travelled to Venice at the end of October last year I was surprised to see how busy the town was, even though the summer had ended. I still felt bewitched walking along its cobbled streets, itspiazzas brimming with life.

A couple of months prior to this, I had to abandon my trip to Srinagaren route,due to the lockdown of the town. In fact lockdown was a new expression to describe the grim reality in Kashmir. Ever since my childhood, we had called it curfew a medieval word denoting a regulation requiring people to extinguish fires at a fixed hour in the evening.

In Venice, I drifted with hordes of tourists through the narrow streets, and wasstruck bya banner tied to the railing of a bridge that stated May you live in interesting times, the first of many sightings around the town. Iremembered my editor telling me once that this apparently benignsaying was actually intended as a curse.However, the organisers of the Venice Biennale playfully deployed the saying throughout the festival as a kind of thematic slogan conveying the complex and threatening times we are living in, in particular with reference to the phenomenon of so-called Fake News.

At the time, what struck me as interesting was the fact that I was able to view the art installations that were part of the Biennale both inside and outside two or three buildings, completely free of charge. Now, several months later, in the midst of a pandemic that has emptied the streets, this suggestive sayingmakes sense more than ever.

I tried to get my head around the fact that Venetians were outnumbered many times over by tourists in the town. In effect, Venice was suffering from over-tourism, and Srinagar, which is also known as The Venice of the East, had been suffering from zero levels of tourism. An Italian acquaintance of mine in London, who had been to Kashmir inthe1970s and stayed in a houseboat on Lake Dal,recently showed me a photograph of her younger self, reclining on the banks of the lake in Srinagar.

She had stayed in Kashmir for 40 days after a 3-month tour of India. She had found the tour exhausting but felt rejuvenated by her sojourn in Kashmir. She told me how much shedenjoyed her stay in a houseboat,doing little else but yoga, accentuating her account with elegant hand gestures. The word quarantine is Italian in origin and means forty.

It was mostly associated with cats and dogs when someone travelled abroad with pets that had to be sequestered for forty days in case of infection. Italy has been unlucky to face one of the worst onslaughts of the coronavirus. One reason for the high number of deaths in Italy is because its people live longer thanthey do in other countries.

Longevity was viewed as a praiseworthyachievementuntil recentlyand the Mediterranean diet was followedby those who wanted to live long and healthy lives. Today its a different story. Longevity is a liability. Covid-19 isegalitarian in the way it can infect anybody anywhere, but brutal in its preference for killingthe old and infirm in our population. We are all in this together. Let us hope that a kinder world for everyone will emergewhen thispandemic has run its course.

(The writer is a London-based author. His latest book An Open Book and Empty Cup was published recently)

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Greetings in these testing times - The Statesman

By PATRICK MBATARUMore by this Author

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the noxious gases that hang over cities in Asia and Europe have miraculously disappeared. Dolphins are back in the beaches. Rare birds are soaring over mountain resorts.

It has taken barely two weeks for nature to reclaim its space but its unlikely that the havoc the pandemic has visited on human systems will be undone in a year.

But these events belie the impact that human industrial pursuits and accompanying greed have had on the environment. In the words of the American writer Robert Ingersoll, In nature, there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are (only) consequences.

Make no mistake: The pandemic is a consequence of wanton human abuse of nature. In our pursuits of profit and more profit, we have violated all natural laws. And nature (call it God if you wish) is reminding us who is boss here.

The coronavirus that is shutting down human systems is suspected to have originated from a wet market in Wuhan, China. These markets are literally wet with blood of slithering snakes, creepy bats and ghostly spiders that are cut into pieces for food. This is common in Southeast Asia.

I do not mind what cultures have chosen to eat. The tragedy is, animals that are poached, removed from their natural ecology, are forced together all in the name of personal profit by well-known buccaneers. Snakes, monkeys, pangolins, bats and humans do not ordinarily mix in nature.

It is not so difficult to imagine that, at some point, there is bound to be a confluence of factors that make conditions conducive for new germs. It is always a matter of time before lithe viruses make that animal-to-human quantum leap.

Human hubris has blinded us to a naked truth. Viruses and animals have been around for millions of years. The modern human being is barely 200,000 years old. The universe itself has been living for about 13 billion years.

Longevity is good measure of capacity to adopt to the environment. There is no guessing what is superior.

Because of our large brain, we delude ourselves that nature depends on us. It is the opposite: We depend on it. The universe does not really give a hoot whether we are here or not. Other species have come and gone, mostly as they were unable to obey Mother Natures laws. There is nothing special about us and this virus is reminding us that.

To paraphrase Robert M. Lilienfeld and William L. Rathje, it is a common myth that we have to save Mother Earth. Earth doesnt need to be saved. In its existence, this planet has survived cataclysmic changes over and over again.

It is widely believed 99 per cent of all species have come and gone but the planet remained.

Critically, note the resilience of nature in the current crisis. Within weeks, nature has quickly readjusted itself. But such flexibility is not easy with humans. More than 10,000 people are dead so far. Trillions of dollars gone down the drain.

This catastrophe threatens to bring down even the systems that buccaneers use to advance their nefarious interests. Gone also are cherished values that come with capitalism, such as freedom of association and movement.

Saving the environment is really for our own sake and future generations. This is the truth that more people need to grasp and be committed to if we are to cope with such shocks as the current one.

This is the time to learn lessons on resilience and coexistence with nature. Many human societies are weak in resilience and, therefore, building it is a reasonable objective for a public sector wishing to avoid a sudden demand for services when systems fail.

Human societies are poor in managing chronic and accelerating stress. This is because stress is not recognised as critical until the tipping point is reached.

Sustainable development can drive provision of public services with embedded value for the environment. Without this, it will always take time for human systems to absorb emerging shocks.

Resilience planning requires analysis of the vulnerabilities of critical systems and strategies to address them through diversification, localisation and stronger community connectivity: Things which ordinary markets cannot be expected to deliver.

Sustainable development offers a framework within which to invest in systems that sustain health, protect resources, build capacity, create wealth and make a high quality of life possible. Strengthening these systems reduces community vulnerability to unexpected events.

One hopes that humanity will learn to coexist with other species. If it does not, nature has more, nastier ways of reminding us about it. Its obvious who is boss.

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Natures reminding us who is boss - Daily Nation