Dr. Israel Figa Talks How Past Pandemics Were Stopped
May 13, 2021
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Since the dawn of time, pandemics have come and gone. They are an unavoidable consequence of human existence. These diseases have spread havoc across different periods of time which shows that it is an unending battle between people and the disease. Global factors such as radiation and global warming reveal new bacteria every day and some of them prove to be poisonous. In the earlier decades, vaccines against such deadly diseases took 10-15 years to be developed successfully. However, thanks to the advancement in technologies, we have been able to produce a vaccine against the current coronavirus pandemic within just a year.
In the event of the global distribution of effective vaccines, Dr. Israel Figa talks about how people in the earlier decades handled the pandemic. So, let’s look at the measures that people took to prevent the pandemics of the past.
Ways In Which People Handles Past Pandemics
Quarantine has always been the first safety measure that is implemented during an outbreak of a deadly disease. The first reported quarantine rule was passed during the period of the Black Death. The quarantine measures indicated that anyone who came from the infected area shall not be permitted into new locations. People who were in contact with the disease had to quarantine in an isolated location to disinfect themselves before they could get into new locations. The first prevention measure that the doctors identified to stop the spread of the disease was isolation. Similarly, the quarantine rule was passed during the 1918 influenza and the Spanish flu.
Quarantine was also the first measure against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. This method has proven to be successful in preventing the spread of the disease and increasing the number of infected people.
Face Masks
Doctors from all around the world wear protective masks across their faces when examining their patients. The purpose of the mask is to prevent the bacteria from entering into another person’s system. You may have seen images of scary bird-like masks from the past. Those masks were worn by doctors who were treating people infected with the Black Plague. Pandemics are contagious diseases that are often air-borne or spread through mediums like water or skin-on-skin contact. Protective gearing for the uninfected has proven to be a successful way of keeping one safe from the disease.
COVID-19 is an air-borne disease that can be transmitted through air particles from individual to individual. Coughing and sneezing are one of the main ways that this disease spreads. Therefore, face masks were made the number one step against protection from the coronavirus bacteria. People who keep their faces covered in public places are less exposed to the disease than people who go around without it.
Social Distancing
Another way in which people handled pandemics in the past was by implementing social distancing policies. During the bubonic plague, the school environment was changed to open-air classes to maintain a healthy distance between students. Open-air spaces prevented many deaths from happening due to diseases such as the Spanish flu and Tuberculosis.
Social gatherings in close proximities are one of the main causes of the spread of pandemic diseases. People across the decades have practiced social distancing during times of pandemic crisis. Social distancing helps reduce the rate of transmission of the disease. COVID-19 presentation strategies closed down schools, offices, restaurants, and other public spaces to prevent the spread of the disease. Nowadays, students are not suffering much from the closing down of schools thanks to e-leaning resources. Furthermore, people have been able to maintain their jobs while working from home. However, other businesses have faced major losses due to social distancing measures. But no amount of money is worth the life of a human being.
Similarly, a trade and travel ban was imposed to keep the disease from traveling from one part of the world to another. Social distancing measures for preventing the spread of COVID-19 also included a trade and travel ban. Borders across the world were closed to prevent people from traveling. A complete worldwide lockdown was observed to keep the disease from spreading further among the people despite the fact that almost every country in the world had at least a few hundred carriers.
Maintaining Hygiene
Hand sanitizers and soaps hit an all-time high in sales due to WHO’s urges of maintaining personal hygiene once COVID-19 was declared as a world pandemic. People were told to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds after every 2-3 hours to prevent the disease to stay on the skin. Washing of hands and maintaining proper hygiene is the best way to keep you safe from all kinds of diseases. And since pandemics are contagious diseases, it is important to take extra good care of your hygiene to stay safe from it.
In the 20th century, powder rooms and basement bathrooms were installed to keep homeowners safe from the germs brought in by their guests, delivery people, and maintenance workers. The Typhoid Mary became such an infectious disease because a girl called Mary did not care to wash her hands before serving food to a large number of people.
Taking proper care of your hygiene is the best way to prevent the spread of all kinds of infections. So, always make sure to wash your hands after coming home from outdoors, before eating, and after using the toilet. These small habits can make a huge difference in the transmission rate of diseases.
The Bottom Line
History shows that even without technological advancements, people implemented the same precautionary measures that we are observing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Israel Figa states that if anyone has the slightest urge to be a contributing member of society, they should firmly follow the SOPs and other measures of presentation. Despite the pandemic disease, people have caught fewer seasonal cases of flu and fevers due to them taking care of their hygiene and wearing face masks in public. These safety measures have helped the world handle the past pandemics. We should play our part and fight against coronavirus COVID-19 by abiding by the new policies.
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