Open Access
Subscription Access
Open Access
Subscription Access
What Impact Could the COVID-19 Pandemic have on Public Health?
Subscribe/Renew Journal
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is currently wreaking havoc across the globe. This virus is the 7th coronavirus to cause disease in humans and is the first to cause a full-blown global pandemic. The disease has now spread to 213 countries worldwide and its geographical range is rapidly expanding. This virus is spread through droplet transmission from the lungs and causes severe respiratory problems in humans. The World Health Organization (WHO) is playing a leading role in tackling this pandemic since the beginning. The present COVID-19 pandemic shares many similarities with the Spanish flu, which occurred over a century ago and killed 50-100 million people. The lessons learnt from the Spanish flu has major implications for the COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, COVID-19 could have a major impact on public health by influencing many aspects, including hand hygiene, facemask use, social distancing, public health behaviour, among many others. These have been addressed in the present article.
User
Subscription
Login to verify subscription
Font Size
Information
- Andersen KG, Rambaut A, Lipkin WI, Holmes EC, Garry RF. The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2. Nature Medicine. 17 March, 2020. Available at: https:// www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0820-9?fbclid= IwAR2kMoVERTJki_VyMPAWtqI0gcIusuG0kwPLQp4zNvpDLl0TEMQBn1InLY; Accessed on 10.04.2020.
- Statement on the second meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. Available at: https://www.who.int/ news-room/detail/30-01-2020-statement-on-the-second-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-( 2005)-emergency-committee-regarding-the-outbreak-of-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov); Accessed on 10.04.2020.
- WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. Available at: https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020; Accessed on 10.04.2020.
- COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Worldometer. Available at: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/; Accessed on 26.05.2020.
- 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV): Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. Available at: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/srp-04022020.pdf; Accessed on 22.05.2020.
- “Solidarity” clinical trial for COVID-19 treatments. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. Available at: https://www.who.int/ emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/ global-research-on-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov/solidarity-clinical-trial-for-covid-19-treatments; Accessed on 22.05.2020.
- Coronavirus: What can we learn from the Spanish flu? Available at: https://www.bbc.com/future/ article/20200302-coronavirus-what-can-we-learn-from-the-spanish-flu; Accessed on 13.04.2020.
- Hand hygiene: Why, how & when? World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. Available at: https://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/Hand_Hygiene_ Why_How_and_When_Brochure.pdf; Accessed on 22.05.2020.
- Helminthiasis. TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. Available at: https://www.who.int/tdr/diseases-topics/helminths/en/; Accessed on 19.04.2020.
- Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public: When and how to use masks. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. Available at: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks; Accessed on 22.05.2020.
- Black Death. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death; Accessed on 15.04.2020.
- Social distancing and quarantine were used in medieval times to fight the Black Death. Available at: https://www.history.com/news/quarantine-black-death-medieval; Accessed on 15.04.2020.
- Why social distancing might last for some time. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200324-covid-19-how-social-distancing-can-beat-coronavirus; Accessed on 13.04.2020.
- Govt bans spitting in public places amid coronavirus outbreak. Available at: https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/govt-bans-spitting-in-public-places-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/story/401165.html; Accessed on 25.04.2020.
- How will coronavirus change the world? Available at: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200331covid-19-how-will-the-coronavirus-change-the-world; Accessed on 13.04.2020.
Abstract Views: 397
PDF Views: 0