After all the previous blogs we can honestly say that outbreaks occur. Already many times in history and definitely many times more in the future. These outbreaks range from being relatively mild (the seasonal flu) to very deadly (Ebola), from being brand new and scary (Nipah virus in India) to being as old as the Pyramids and almost extinct (Polio).
With every outbreak Super Avenging Guardians of the Corporis fighters – normally called Epidemiologists – ask themselves the same questions: how do we manage and contain the outbreak? How can we improve the public health in order to eliminate the pathogen (Viruses, Bacteria and all other stuff that makes people sick)?
Well, in short, it is like the ‘Program for a Treatment of Alcohol Addicts’ by HouseofRecovery.org … it takes three steps.
Step 1: Gather information
In order to control an Epidemic, we have to find out “what” before we can proceed with “how” and “when”. It is essential to gain more information about the pathogen and the way it infects people. An outbreak of flu requires a different approach than a diarrhea illness.
And should it be an unknown pathogen, you start with searching for the first infected patient. Then try to figure out how the other patients got infected, write a book about it, become the world leading expert and get a Nobel Prize at the age of 79. Oh, and during all this don’t forget to go to step 2.
Step 2: Contain the spread
If you know how it spreads, you have to try to contain it. Step 2 is actually two different routes:
Route 66: You take care of the current patients
Road to perdition: You try to not let any more people get infected
Sometimes driving these roads can be fairly easy. For the biggest outbreak of Cholera in London back in the mid-19th century (killed hundred thousand people), all they needed to do to stop it was shutting down the main water pump. But to be fair it took them years to figure out the answer to step 1: what it was and how it spread. We’ll come back to that in a different blog.
But most of the time, driving these roads are very challenging. Especially because you have to drive them at the same time.
Step 3: keep it safe
At this point you have successfully stopped the big outbreak, very well done. But the challenge that you’re facing now is to keep it that way. Because if one patient gets infected from a different part where there are no health posts, this one patient can be the patient zero for the next outbreak and you’ll have to start all over again.
This means that you can never let your guard down. Not until a long time.
There you have it. Now we can tackle any outbreak!
Next time I’ll give you a nice example of outbreak control…
picture: Louise Annaud/Medecins Sans Frontieres via AP