Measures Taken During the Outbreak of Influenza
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MEASURES TAKEN DURING THE OUTBREAK OF INFLUENZA
During the past couple of decades, the human race has come into contact with new emerging infections such as HIV and Influenza. These diseases are a clinically well-defined condition whose occurrence in human beings have rapidly increased over the years and threatens to increase further in the near future. Over the years, these diseases continue to distort the healthcare system. Moreover, the successful diagnosis, prevention and treatment of such conditions are getting more complicated, and therefore the preparedness of medical personnel is vital during unexpected outbreaks.
Influenza is a viral respiratory infection that may result in critical illness or even at times, death in human beings and some species of animals. Influenza epidemics consequently affect the globe through the virus’ ability to result in human-to-human contraction, causing the disease. Nelson and Williams (2014) claimed that with the current advancements in world travel and trade, a local pandemic might significantly turn into a global epidemic, giving the medical personnel short time to respond. The most recent global Influenza epidemic, the 2009 A (H1N1), portrayed as highly contagious and spreading, causing thousands of fatalities. Due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic, assumptions regarding the occurrence of the next outbreak are not easy, and therefore surveillance is necessary to provide information on the disease’s characteristics.
Surveillance entails the regular collection, interpretation and communication of information necessary in the development and application of evidence-based petition in the event of a pandemic. Surveillance is crucial as it provides vital data on which the response decisions of the epidemic get established. Different surveillance activities are likely to yield varying information. To successfully manage the influenza pandemic, early acknowledgement and verification of peer-to-peer transmission are essential. This process requires an elaborate surveillance system with the capacity to identify an outbreak, swift data collection, evaluation and timely reporting.
In the United States, the availability of federal resources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) aid in the investigation of infectious diseases. However, proper and efficient investigations only get achieved if public health organizations, both locally and in the state, possess adequate infrastructure useful in detecting and reporting atypical occurrences (CDC, 2011). The CDC boasts of better analysis tools such as advanced computerized technology, databases and electronic mail allowing individuals and health agencies to detect and relay reports of unusual incidents swiftly. Furthermore, the CDC assists in the notification of other government agencies regarding the outbreak and the execution of control measures.
In the event of a global pandemic such as an influenza outbreak, individuals worldwide get required to practice safer measures to ensure the virus does not spread further. The primary role of the public health law entails minimizing the contraction of infectious viral infections. Those at risk of infections may get mandated by law to undergo not only screening and testing but also counselling and education on the fatal diseases (“WHO guidance for surveillance during an influenza pandemic”, 2017). The provision of vaccinations by government agencies may significantly contribute to the prevention of infections such as Influenza. The public health law has a reactive duty to support the access of treatment as well as permitting the responsible authorities to restrict contacts between individuals to contain the further spread of infections. Health officials and agencies have the right to exercise emergency protocols in regards to dreadful pandemics,
Public health laws may, at times, limit individuals’ freedom of movement and the right to control an individual’s body and health, property and privacy rights. These measures get aimed at curbing the spread of viral infections. In such cases, the law should balance personal rights against public health interests properly and unambiguously while ensuring the confidentiality of test results to protect individuals who get diagnosed with certain infections from external discrimination (Wilder-Smith et al ., 2017). Health agencies also require the skills of elite professionals with the knowledge and capabilities to tackle health, surveillance and analysis issues with regards to these infections.
Prioritization of the prevention of the spread of viral infections is vital in ensuring the health of people around the globe. Moreover, prevention ensures that global activities such as travel and trade, which over the years has significantly increased, do not get affected. Therefore, governments and health agencies should ensure the availability of methods for diagnosing and analyzing these viruses on time to ensure appropriate measures get taken to avoid rapid spreading, which may ultimately result to a global catastrophe.
References
Nelson, K. E., & Williams, C. M. (Eds.). (2014). Infectious disease epidemiology: theory and practice. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Principles of epidemiology in public health practice: Self-study course (3rd ed.). Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Wilder-Smith, A., Gubler, D. J., Weaver, S. C., Monath, T. P., Heymann, D. L., & Scott, T. W. (2017). Epidemic arboviral diseases: priorities for research and public health. The Lancet infectious diseases, 17(3), e101-e106.
WHO guidance for surveillance during an influenza pandemic. (2017). Retrieved 1 May 2020, from https://www.who.int/influenza/preparedness/pandemic/WHO_Guidance_for_surveillance_during_an_influenza_pandemic_082017.pdf