Scientists are usually on the lookout for the outbreak of new diseases to stanch them out before they become a widespread issue. However, even though that is one way to handle such issues, it is important to recognize the fact that there are several other ways to tackle such a situation should they occur.
What are the frontline tips for preventing pandemic?
There are several measures that can be adopted to prevent pandemic however, it is imperative to note that they are only effective when they are deployed. It should be noted there are several stages involved with pandemics and they include stages 1 to 5, the sixth phase, the post-peak period and the post-pandemic period.
Workable Tips That Should Help You Prevent A Pandemic
Here are a few tips you should consider:
1. Prediction
This is perhaps the best way for you to avert a pandemic as it involves identifying the pathogens even before they emerge.
2. Model
To stop the spread of a pandemic, it is important that scientists model their future course. This involves using different data such as human demographics, insect population, as well as airline routes to avert the outbreak of a pandemic. Health agencies usually use these maps to come up with a reasonable response.
3. Treat
The moment a pandemic begins to spread, it becomes vital that rapid vaccination is adopted. However, the majority of facilities usually take as much as nine to eighteen months to come up with doses at the required scale.
What Is There To Know About Pandemics?
Despite the reality that the majority of emerging diseases emanate from the transfer of pathogenic agents from animals to human beings, the factors responsible for this process are still not clear. What is, however, clear that is the interface that exists between animals and humans and humans with other humans areof great importance.
The outbreaks of diseases and pandemics are pointers to the fact that we are indeed vulnerable to certain emerging global threats. It also helps us understand that we are currently not fully able to prevent or predict such occurrences.
However, even with the rather unpredictable nature of the emergence of diseases, there are certain lessons we must learn from the origins of the diseases that recently emerged in addition to those that derive their origins from the distant past. The real challenge in this, however, lies in our ability to make use of this information gotten about diseases from the past to identify real solutions as well as strategies that should help detect and stop such threats in the future.
What Should You Know About Zoonotic Disease Emergence?
It should be noted that most infectious human pandemics and diseases derive their origin from cross-species transmission of certain micro-organisms to humans from animals. However, because the majority of human pathogens are not easily transmitted to human beings.
It, therefore, follows that for a pathogen of animal origin to gain the status of a successful human pathogen, it must first transform into a pathogen that is capable of both infecting humans and sustaining a long-term human-to-human transmission without there being a need for the host. This process can be grouped into about five levels.
The first level has to do with animal microbes which are not present in humans in certain natural conditions as in the case of malarial plasmodia. In a situation where a pathogen transforms to a point where it can be transmitted to a human being in natural situations but is not able to handle sustained human-to-human transmission; it has gotten into stage 2. Some examples of such pathogens include Nipah, tularemia bacilli, rabies as well as the West Nile viruses.
Furthermore, the transmission from stage two to three has to do with the secondary transmission that occurs between humans. Stage three has to do with pathogens that pass through some cycles of secondary transmission that exists in human beings such as Marburg, Ebola, as well as human monkeypox viruses.
Stage four, on the other hand, has to do with diseases that are found in animals but also go through a sequence of human to human transmission without an animal host being involved.
Stage five, on the other hand, has to do with diseases that are common to humans. The diseases from which the most dangerous diseases in history come from belonging to stage 5. Some of these include pathogens such as smallpox, HIV, and tuberculosis.
The Human and animal angle
The disease emergence model illustrated earlier shows the way and manner pathogens are introduced by animals and shows the continuum of the infectivity of animal pathogens in humans. It is, however, important to note that not much is known concerning the factors that affect the changes from one level to the other.
How Does One Prevent The Emergence Of Pandemics?
The present efforts towards the control of diseases focus on the response to pandemics after they must have been spread. However, there have rather catastrophic failures such as the lack of success in the battle against HIV for about 3 decades of the scourge. This clearly shows that the wait and respond approach is not good enough towards tackling novel pandemics before they become an issue.
It, therefore, suffices to say that early detection of these threats is a sure way to tackling them before they become an issue. Also, due to the fact the successful spread of a pathogen is largely dependent upon its spreading from one person to the other, the ability to move from one point to another quickly poses a huge source of worry.
What Should You Do To Keep Your Family Safe In The Event Of A Pandemic?
Whether we like it or not, as the world population grows, as transglobal mobility increases, and with the competition for space and resources increasing, there will always be the risk of a pandemic breaking out. Here are a few tips that should keep you and your family safe in the event of such.
1. Be informed
Information is important to survival in this dispensation; this simply means that for you to be ahead of such situations, you need to be well informed. It is therefore instructive to note that you should be aware of the current happenings as it has to do with the breakouts of pandemics and the possibility of such. Having such information will help you tailor your movement and activities especially to dangerous regions of the world. Practice good personal hygiene like frequent hand washing, do not touch the mouth, nose, or eyes. Wash produce and thoroughly cook food, especially meats
2. Get vaccinated
Prevention indeed is better than cure! It, therefore, suffices to say that for you to be ahead of pandemics such as ebola, influenzas and the likes; you need to have something in you that reduces the risk of you contracting them. Hence, before you travel next time, do well to check the news to ascertain which disease may be ravaging the region.
3. Travel with wisdom
Many have contracted certain diseases simply because they traveled to places they should not have at the time they did. Over the years, there have been breakouts of certain diseases in certain places of the earth. It is instructive to note that your travel plans should also include the risks involved with your destination.
What Does The Future Of Pandemics Look Like?
In the event of the possibility of a pandemic break-out, the following situations are bound to occur:
- The larger population of humans now live in big cities because we live in a more mobile generation which makes the risk of the spread of viruses greater.
- It usually takes many months if not years for vaccines to become available because pandemic viruses have become novel agents.
- Quicker communication also increases the chances of risk panic as well as the possibility of spread as people cross borders out of fear.
- Medical facilities are beginning to be more overwhelmed, and there is an increase in the shortage of personnel for providing the needed community services as a result of illness and demand.
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Conclusion
Preventing pandemic occurrence is one action that requires concerted efforts of all involved. The buck, however, does not stop at the tables of the regulatory agencies. All hands have to be involved in the quest to preventing the spread of pandemics world over. The battle is a continuous one that may never be completely won; however, enough can be done to ensure that the effects do not cause widespread damage to mankind.
References
https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/what-are-epidemics-pandemics-outbreaks#1
