I read in the weekend paper that a gastric disease is fast spreading in Sydney, mainly through public swimming pools. I immediately looked at the map where the locations of the reported cases is shown. It was not only in the western areas where subordinate professional migrants live, some of the eastern leisure centres are shown. A bit of relief, current affairs heroes have no material in this incident. There are some recommendations including `super chlorination`, which apparently is the main remedy for stopping the virus spreading. Good for the authorities, they have some solution before things get worse.

Every incident of this sort lead me to compare and contrast the situation with our motherland. Apart from international NGOs calling for WHO to take action immediately, there will be a huge delay in response by authorities had this happened in Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, people will realise some shortcomings in the maintaining and administering of the swimming pools and news papers will strengthen the public opinion. All this will take sometime and will escalate beyond a point where several deaths are reported in Ambilipitya Hospital. Amid this chaos, India, US, UK and other co-chairs will issue statements for major overhaul in usage patterns and cultural practices by majority Sinhalese at swimming pools. Government will receive a ton of chlorine for the pool cleaning in return for implementing these policies as soon as possible. There will be debate and people will not even look at pools for several years.

Having thought about this I turned back at the situation in Sydney. Of course, `super chlorinating` may work, but it is unfortunate for all of us that WHO or any other co-chair will never ever advice white people to wash their posterior thoroughly with water before at least getting into a public pool!!!