With the recently discovered coronavirus and a pandemic caused by it, many people found themselves dependent on public health services. The main strategies generally used in public health to control the incidence of disease include medical countermeasures and public health interventions (Institute of Medicine et al., 2007). Vaccination is one of the most important and commonly used therapeutic countermeasures. Vaccines allow the body to build stronger natural defenses, and, therefore, fight infections. With their help, the immune system is able to create special proteins, or antibodies, that naturally develop after the exposure to the disease. Antiviral medications are also commonly used to prevent infections, as well as stop the infection process after it has started. With the help of antiviral drugs, the human body can stop the virus from attaching to the cells, and instead make it attach to the medication.
On the other hand, public health interventions include travelling and border control, quarantine, isolation, and other social separation strategies. Border control implies border screening, which is done to slow down the spread of disease by preventing infected persons from entering or leaving a country or region. Quarantine and isolation are the oldest known methods to control the spread of contagious diseases. When infected individuals are confined to their homes or some designated facilities, disease incidence becomes easier to monitor and control (Institute of Medicine et al., 2007). Social separation approach is mostly presented by social distancing policies, which introduce certain restrictions in public gathering places. This generally results in the closing of schools, markets, workplaces, and other facilities, as well as in cancelling most of the public events. Slowing down the spread of diseases, public health interventions can “buy time for the development of medical countermeasures” and prevent the health-care system from being overwhelmed with large numbers of patients.
References
Institute of Medicine, Board on Global Health, & Forum on Microbial Threats. (2007). Ethical and legal considerations in mitigating pandemic disease: Workshop summary. National Academies Press.