“Wear a mask! Wash your hands! Take correct precautions when you’re sick!” These are key phrases you hear when there is a massive outbreak of illness. These phrases are far too familiar to us now. Several different pandemics have occurred throughout history and lots of them have proved that history repeats itself. The pandemic most familiar to us is Covid which caused lots of public health measures to be put in place. Another pandemic that we have heard about is the 1918 Flu caused different precautions to be taken throughout military bases and cities like Philadelphia and San Francisco. Lastly, Ebola led to the implementation a lot of public health measures in Africa. What different measures did different cities and countries take to persuade the public to take precautions about the disease and what influence did these measures have on the public?
Public Health Measures During Covid
The first ever Covid-19 case found in the United States was on January 20, 2020. This led to a series of different protocols that needed to be put into place for the spread to be slowed or even prevented. The CDC set up a list of different steps to follow. They suggested that citizens get vaccinated and stay up to date on them (CDC, 2022). They suggested the vaccination in order to prevent the spread and help minimize the symptoms of the virus. Pfizer and Moderna have been the two vaccines to be approved by the FDA. We are all eligible for two doses of the initial vaccination plus the booster. In addition, the CDC required mask wearing for about the first year and a half of Covid. The mask should’ve been worn in all indoor public areas and any other spot that it was required at. It didn’t matter what your vaccination status was, you were still required to wear one. Currently, there is not a mask mandate, but people can still choose to wear a mask if it makes them more comfortable. Also, we were instructed to be six feet apart from other people in public areas. Now, it has been decreased to three feet. Different markers were used so everyone was aware about where to stand or sit. This is now three feet apart. Testing for Covid was also an option. If you test positive, you must isolate from everyone and let your close contacts know that you have been infected. The isolation/quarantine period was originally 14 days but now it has made its way down to 5 days. Always make sure to wash your hands before touching your face and before you eat or prepare food to prevent spreading germs, especially after you have coughed or sneezed (CDC, 2022). The CDC states, “Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing” (CDC, 2022). With this, make sure to cover your coughs and sneezes so no bodily fluids spread to others. The CDC also states that cleaning and disinfecting different surfaces help prevent the spread of Covid and other viruses (CDC, 2022).
Public Health Measures During The 1918 Flu
The first case of the 1918 Flu in the United States was in March of 1918. Similar precautions taken during Covid were taken during this flu. The flu is spread through the air. Time Magazine states that there was a need for washing hands frequently, avoid crowds, and wear masks. Suyin Haynes from Time Magazine states, “One advertisement for the Red Cross from the Berkeley, Calif., Daily Gazette in October 1918, backed by county authorities and the board of health, said that gauze masks were “99% proof against influenza,” and that anyone not wearing a mask was a “dangerous slacker” (Haynes, 1). There was a shortage of masks in 1918 so citizens were instructed to make their own masks. Hand and body washing was advertised so much to the public due to the dirty conditions of the military bases and battlefields. The spread of the 1918 Flu was almost inevitable because of how closely packed the soldiers were together. That’s how the flu spread around to so many different bases and countries throughout the world. Simple steps were put into place, but it took a while for these to actually work. There was no vaccine for the 1918 Flu so there was no easy preventative which also caused the spread. According to the book, America’s Forgotten Pandemic, Alfred Crosby states, “The pandemic of 1918-1919 was clearly one of influenza, except in two of its features. One, it killed more humans than any other disease in a period of similar duration in the history of the world. Two, it killed an unprecedently large proportion of the members of a group who, according to records before and since, should have survived it with no permanent injury” (Crosby, 215). It hit the military bases and a few different cities the hardest because of close corridors. There were several waves of the 1918 Flu and as each wave came, the less severe people made it out to be. “Despite the persistence of the pandemic, influenza quickly became old news. Once a regular feature of front pages, reportage rapidly dwindled to small, sporadic clippings buried in the backs of the nation’s newspapers. The nation carried on, inured to the toll the pandemic had taken and the deaths yet to come. People were largely unwilling to return to socially and economically disruptive public health measures” (Navarro, 2021).
Public Health Measures During Ebola
The first case of Ebola was in 1976 but didn’t reach the United States until September 30, 2014. There weren’t many cases of Ebola in the United States, but precautions were still taken around the world, including Africa where the outbreak was. Ebola is spread via bodily fluids. The first signs and symptoms of Ebola include, “fever, aches and pains, such as severe headache and muscle and joint pain, weakness and fatigue, sore throat, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting, unexplained hemorrhaging, bleeding or bruising, red eyes, skin rash, and hiccups” (CDC, 2019). The CDC has a list of several things to avoid if you’re traveling to a region that has Ebola. They recommend that you avoid contact with blood or other bodily fluids from those who are sick. They also say to avoid contact with semen from men who have been infected. Until they test negative, the semen needs to be avoided at all costs. Stay away from household items that may have the infected person’s bodily fluids on them because these objects are still contagious. Going to a funeral or burial for those who have died from Ebola is not safe because they can still transmit it through their bodies, so the CDC recommends that you stay away. Lastly, avoid contact with bats’ and primates’ blood because these animals may be carriers of Ebola. After coming back from an area that is known to have an Ebola outbreak, watch your health for 21 days and get medical attention if symptoms start to develop. The Ebola vaccine was approved by the FDA in 2019 and is used to protect against Ebola (CDC, 2019). With Ebola going on, the CDC responded to it. They sent out messages “through the CDC website, social media, partner outreach, and printed materials” (CDC, 2017). They posted messages in airports across the United States and abroad to countries with Ebola outbreaks to remind travelers to avoid travel while they have symptoms, to monitor themselves for illness, and to seek health care if symptoms develop (CDC, 2017).
Conclusion
Overall, these three pandemics have some similarities but also contain some differences. They changed our world and can be very comparable to each other. Two, Covid and the flu, have similar symptoms and similar precautions that were taken in order for the spread to be prevented. The measures taken against Ebola were harsher and more militarized. The similar public health measures included social distancing and handwashing while the differences included mandatory vaccines for Covid, neighborhood quarantines in cities for the 1918 Flu, and strict travel restrictions for Ebola. All of the precautions consist of staying away from contagious people to avoid the spread. It’s hard to see that the public health measures haven’t changed at all unless you really look at different viruses to compare. It’s important to follow these public health measures to protect yourself and others.
Works Cited
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