The advancements of many scientists, in multiple fields, can often be attributed to the work of those who came before us. We rely on the experience and research of public health practitioners who came before us, and this is sometimes a traditional method established long ago. Consider the use of quarantine to limit the spread of communicable diseases. Quarantine practices have been used since the 14th century beginning with the European plague epidemic of 1347–1352 (Tognotti, 2013) and subsequently used in the 18th century for yellow fever and the 19th century for cholera.
However, as COVID-19 has demonstrated, quarantine and other methods for curbing community infection, raise a variety of political, economic, social, and ethical issues that may become obstacles to an effective public health response. In our global world, there is an increased risk of the emergence and rapid spread of infectious diseases, causing great distress, overburdened health care systems, fear, panic, anger, all amplified by global media. We rely on the proper planning and mandated use of public health measures to keep people healthy and safe. “Successful responses to public health emergencies must heed the valuable lessons of the past” (Tognotti, 2013).
In this Discussion, you will explore the lessons public health professionals learned from the 1918–1919 global Spanish influenza outbreak and how they have been translated into improved pandemic responses that have been put into practice since then.
Review the module Learning Resources.
Research the 1918–1919 influenza pandemic, commonly known as Spanish Flu.
Use information found in the Walden Library as well as other scholarly sources to find information.
Choose resources which are specific to the public health aspects of the pandemic.
Research public health aspects of a recent infectious disease epidemic or pandemic using the Walden Library to locate peer-reviewed articles. For this assignment, you may also use other scholarly sources – reports (organizations, governments, etc.), conference presentations, etc.
THE ASSIGNMENT
Post a response in which you: PART ONE
Describe three lessons that can be learned from the 1918–1919 Spanish influenza outbreak. For each lesson, explain:
The nature of the lesson.
The context in which the lesson became clear.
The individuals, groups, or stakeholders that were involved.
The earliest source that can be found that published the lesson.
Post a response in which you: PART TWO
Describe the most recent or current global epidemic or recent pandemic, including information about
The disease.
The population at risk or most affected by it.
The public health response.
Stakeholders involved in planning and implementing this response.
The response of the public.
How public health agencies attempted to guard against misinformation and the role they played in addressing it.
EACH BULLET NEEDS TO BE BOLDED AND ADDRESSED AND SEPERATE PART ONE FROM PART TWO
