As an office manager in healthcare, having a thorough understanding of the latest medical developments can help you provide efficient, informed service to staff and patients alike. And nowhere is this knowledge more important than during global viral outbreaks like the H1N1 (Swine flu) pandemic of 2009, the SARS outbreak of 2002–2003 and the current COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US reported a total of 2,104,346 cases of COVID-19 infection as of June 16th, with 116,140 deaths. On March 11th, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak the first pandemic sparked by a coronavirus. They also cautioned against lightly using the term “pandemic” — as overusing the term could cause unreasonable fear.
Knowing the subtle difference between a pandemic and an epidemic could have a significant impact on the way staff and patients manage their response to crises like the current outbreak. In this blog post, we outline the key characteristics and recommended public health responses to both epidemics and pandemics.
According to Rochester Regional Health, an epidemic happens when a disease spreads quickly and affects a large amount of people simultaneously. An outbreak — or unanticipated and sudden spike in infections — can occur within a community, geographical region or over several countries. During an epidemic, the disease is actively spreading and is considered a problem that’s “out of control”.
WHO further defines an epidemic, in their 2018 guide to managing epidemics, as an exceptional event that often requires extra human and financial resources. Their guidelines include recommendations for best practice by governments, local authorities and healthcare workers when responding to this public health emergency. These include:
One National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) resource defines a pandemic as a large-scale outbreak of an infectious disease that greatly increases the morbidity and mortality of a population over a wide area, and causes significant economic, social and political disruption. In short, a pandemic is an epidemic of national or global scope.
Responses from authorities may be more stringent, as they work to curb the impact of the outbreak. Currently, according to the Pew Research Center, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in more than 90% of the world’s population being placed in some form of quarantine, one of which is severe restrictions on international travel.
Healthcare workers, however, perform an essential service and remain largely exempt from these restrictions. During the course of their duties, they’re also at greater risk of exposure to the virus which causes infection. This is why the CDC, for instance, has issued guidance on protective measures that include: the practice of hand hygiene, limiting contact with patients in triage, the appropriate use of PPE like disposable gloves and face masks, and cohorting patients with COVID-19.
By following World Health Organization and CDC guidelines on protective measures, members of the public can help lessen the demands placed on healthcare by keeping themselves as safe from infection as possible. Basic protective measures that can safeguard the public and healthcare workers alike, include:
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