When Pathogens Come to Town
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.
By Julie A. Bargo
February 4, 2020
The English writer John Donne stated that, “No man is an island.” This adage is indubitable when understood within the current context of the outbreak of 2019 novel Coronavirus, or 2019-nCOV. Just as no human is an island, no government—whether big, small, federal, state or local—can afford to look the other way when it comes to its role in preventing and managing the outbreak of deadly biological pathogens. Along that same continuum, individuals also bear the responsibility of due diligence required to stop the spread of illness and not contribute to the stress exerted on the public health system and healthcare workers during times of health crisis.
Panic and Fear do not Prevent the Spread of Illness
Do you remember the last time you had a personal or family crisis? Was your first thought, “I wish I had someone here with me to go hysterical and contribute to my stress?” I doubt it. You wanted someone with clarity of mind and purpose to stand beside you in your time of crisis. The public health system needs you to do the same. Public health officials need to focus on managing the problem. Panic does nothing but make things worse. It will not stop the spread of illness; remember that. Likewise, fear is powerless in the face of an epidemic so why bother being afraid of people, places or things? If you want to make a positive contribution to the situation at hand, prevention, planning and perspective can assist in you in that endeavor.
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
Thanks in large part to the introduction and acceptance of Germ Theory in the 1800s, we have a good idea of how most infectious agents spread from host to host. Thus, the CDC has some very simple but proven recommendations that will reduce your risk of catching 2019-nCOV or any other pathogen. Here are those recommendations: wash your hands, do not touch your face, stay home if you are sick and if you cough or sneeze please use a tissue, dispose of that tissue, then wash your hands.
Even before there were any confirmed cases of 2019-nCOV in the United States, the CDC was monitoring the situation in China and proactively began monitoring United States airports for disembarking passengers that were showing signs of illness. The State Department has issued a statement that people should not travel to China right now. So with the airport monitoring and people avoiding travel to China until the current outbreak is under control, we have two tangible prevention efforts; one on behalf of the government and the other on behalf of the individual that will significantly contribute to containing the spread of 2019-nCOV.
Planning is Paramount
In the event that 2019-nCOV does contribute to a local or regional outbreak in the United States, there are some things you can do in advance to mitigate the effects of a quarantine should one be implemented. Currently, the CDC is communicating that the incubation period of 2019-nCOV is 2-14 days. You should have enough food and water on-hand to ride out a quarantine for 14 days. My personal opinion is to have enough supplies on-hand so that you would not have to leave your house for one month. Again, my belief is that if there is a pandemic or national disaster, natural or otherwise, that lasts longer than one month it is beyond my capability to mitigate at this time. Being able to exist on your own for one month allows time for government authorities, emergency services, utilities, et cetera to stabilize the situation and implement contingency plans.
Perspective
During times of crisis, it is best to keep a healthy perspective on the situation at hand. It will help you think more clearly and make better decisions. China has a population of over one billion people. Even with an arguably sluggish response by the Chinese government to this outbreak, the current number of confirmed cases of 2019-nCOV is 7,711. In a country with over one billion people, the percentage of confirmed cases of the virus is less than one percent of the population. Of the 7,711 confirmed cases of 2019-nCOV in China, there have been 170 fatalities. This is a fatality rate of 2.20%. Ebola has a fatality rate of about 60% dependent on the strain, while influenza kills over 8,000 people per year, every year. The threat of influenza is still your biggest concern, and getting the flu vaccine and washing your hands mitigates this threat.
Conclusion
Government organizations and individuals both play an important role in breaking the chain of transmission during an outbreak of disease. Both parties, in order for efforts to be successful, must share the responsibility of containment. Prevention is best, but when prevention is not enough, having a plan and keeping an informed perspective helps both governments and the people they serve to manage the situation. Just as no government or person is an island when it comes to infection prevention, neither governments nor individuals should operate independently of one another when it comes to solving a public health crisis.
Author: Julie A. Bargo holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and History from the University of Kentucky and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Eastern Kentucky University. Julie is a member of the American Society of Public Administration where she is a member of the Students and New Administrative Professionals (SNAPs) Executive Leadership Team. She is also a member of the American Political Science Association, the Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society, the Pi Alpha Alpha National Public Administration Honor Society, and the Omega Nu Lambda National Student Honor Society.
Julie has worked in a public healthcare setting for over 14 years and currently focuses on how the field of Advanced Practice can contribute to sustainable solutions that address health care issues in the United States. E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @Julie0285
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When Pathogens Come to Town
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.
By Julie A. Bargo
February 4, 2020
The English writer John Donne stated that, “No man is an island.” This adage is indubitable when understood within the current context of the outbreak of 2019 novel Coronavirus, or 2019-nCOV. Just as no human is an island, no government—whether big, small, federal, state or local—can afford to look the other way when it comes to its role in preventing and managing the outbreak of deadly biological pathogens. Along that same continuum, individuals also bear the responsibility of due diligence required to stop the spread of illness and not contribute to the stress exerted on the public health system and healthcare workers during times of health crisis.
Panic and Fear do not Prevent the Spread of Illness
Do you remember the last time you had a personal or family crisis? Was your first thought, “I wish I had someone here with me to go hysterical and contribute to my stress?” I doubt it. You wanted someone with clarity of mind and purpose to stand beside you in your time of crisis. The public health system needs you to do the same. Public health officials need to focus on managing the problem. Panic does nothing but make things worse. It will not stop the spread of illness; remember that. Likewise, fear is powerless in the face of an epidemic so why bother being afraid of people, places or things? If you want to make a positive contribution to the situation at hand, prevention, planning and perspective can assist in you in that endeavor.
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
Thanks in large part to the introduction and acceptance of Germ Theory in the 1800s, we have a good idea of how most infectious agents spread from host to host. Thus, the CDC has some very simple but proven recommendations that will reduce your risk of catching 2019-nCOV or any other pathogen. Here are those recommendations: wash your hands, do not touch your face, stay home if you are sick and if you cough or sneeze please use a tissue, dispose of that tissue, then wash your hands.
Even before there were any confirmed cases of 2019-nCOV in the United States, the CDC was monitoring the situation in China and proactively began monitoring United States airports for disembarking passengers that were showing signs of illness. The State Department has issued a statement that people should not travel to China right now. So with the airport monitoring and people avoiding travel to China until the current outbreak is under control, we have two tangible prevention efforts; one on behalf of the government and the other on behalf of the individual that will significantly contribute to containing the spread of 2019-nCOV.
Planning is Paramount
In the event that 2019-nCOV does contribute to a local or regional outbreak in the United States, there are some things you can do in advance to mitigate the effects of a quarantine should one be implemented. Currently, the CDC is communicating that the incubation period of 2019-nCOV is 2-14 days. You should have enough food and water on-hand to ride out a quarantine for 14 days. My personal opinion is to have enough supplies on-hand so that you would not have to leave your house for one month. Again, my belief is that if there is a pandemic or national disaster, natural or otherwise, that lasts longer than one month it is beyond my capability to mitigate at this time. Being able to exist on your own for one month allows time for government authorities, emergency services, utilities, et cetera to stabilize the situation and implement contingency plans.
Perspective
During times of crisis, it is best to keep a healthy perspective on the situation at hand. It will help you think more clearly and make better decisions. China has a population of over one billion people. Even with an arguably sluggish response by the Chinese government to this outbreak, the current number of confirmed cases of 2019-nCOV is 7,711. In a country with over one billion people, the percentage of confirmed cases of the virus is less than one percent of the population. Of the 7,711 confirmed cases of 2019-nCOV in China, there have been 170 fatalities. This is a fatality rate of 2.20%. Ebola has a fatality rate of about 60% dependent on the strain, while influenza kills over 8,000 people per year, every year. The threat of influenza is still your biggest concern, and getting the flu vaccine and washing your hands mitigates this threat.
Conclusion
Government organizations and individuals both play an important role in breaking the chain of transmission during an outbreak of disease. Both parties, in order for efforts to be successful, must share the responsibility of containment. Prevention is best, but when prevention is not enough, having a plan and keeping an informed perspective helps both governments and the people they serve to manage the situation. Just as no government or person is an island when it comes to infection prevention, neither governments nor individuals should operate independently of one another when it comes to solving a public health crisis.
Author: Julie A. Bargo holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and History from the University of Kentucky and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Eastern Kentucky University. Julie is a member of the American Society of Public Administration where she is a member of the Students and New Administrative Professionals (SNAPs) Executive Leadership Team. She is also a member of the American Political Science Association, the Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society, the Pi Alpha Alpha National Public Administration Honor Society, and the Omega Nu Lambda National Student Honor Society.
Julie has worked in a public healthcare setting for over 14 years and currently focuses on how the field of Advanced Practice can contribute to sustainable solutions that address health care issues in the United States. E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @Julie0285
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