In a first, the Muthuvan tribals of Tamil Nadu's Theni district have shown how a community can remain COVID-19 free if it strictly follows pandemic time rules.
Some 35 families of the tribal community live at the Muthuvakudi village, which is located on top of Kottakudi hills at Tamil Nadu's Theni. However, none from the village have contracted COVID so far, reported Times of India.
Villagers Religiously Followed Native Diet, Quarantine Rules
The residents of the village could achieve this unique feat by religiously following quarantine rules, besides eating food that is grown at their village, which is near the Muthuvakudi reserved forest.
Ever since the pandemic began, to avoid common COVID symptoms like cold and cough the villagers frequently had their traditional food - freshwater crabs and turkey berries, Thangappan, a native of the village told The Times of India.
The turkey berries also known as 'sundakkai', would be fried and had with greens. The women of the tribe spent most of their time indoors and regularly prepared and drank a concoction of ginger, pepper and turmeric to build immunity.
To prevent COVID infection, Ramadurai another villager said they jointly took a decision to not visit any towns as long as the virus was around. Even if anyone went out to buy essentials, he said they would strictly isolate themselves in a hut for two days to see if they have developed virus symptoms.
The villagers also recently attended an awareness camp organised by Madurai Kamaraj University and National Council for Science and Technology Communication, Government of India.
Appreciating the villagers for keeping COVID at bay, Dr S Nagarathinam, Head, department of Communication at Madurai Kamaraj University said indigenous knowledge of communities will always come handy when they face any adverse situation like the pandemic.
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