During a chaotic time like now, many wonder if locking themselves away is the right way to live during a pandemic. Of course, social distancing and self quarantining is the best way to prevent any spread of any diseases, yet there are some individuals who believe that it is not an effective way to handle things. According to research done by the founder of Adioma, Anna Vital, the average person will interact with 80,000 people in their lifetime (Vital). Whether that be small interactions that are seconds long or impactful interactions that turn into real relationships, it is impossible to avoid the interconnection that occurs within strangers. With this information, it is prevalent that as a daily part of life we are surrounded by many people.
Given this fact, how and why did the concept of quarantine arise? Why was this the route taken and how has this practice changed over time? According to the CDC, quarantine is referred to as the practice of separating individuals who have had close contact with a sick individual to determine whether they develop symptoms or test positive for the disease (Quarantine CDC). Unfortunately, there have been numerous epidemics and pandemics in the past, but luckily there have been effective techniques to handle these situations that are still used in today’s Covid-19 pandemic. In an article, Lessons from the History of Quarantine, from Plague to Influenza A, Eugenia Tognotti writes, “in a globalized world that is becoming ever more vulnerable to communicable diseases, a historical perspective can help clarify the use and implications of a still-valid public health strategy” (Tognotti). In this same article, she discusses how the first quarantine to ever exist was during the 14th century plague pandemic. Soon after, other corporations and hospitals during this time took on this practice and would quarantine only those who were infected with the disease. Without much research being done on the disease, doctors and scientists were unsure how long a quarantine should last. Religion was a huge part of life; therefore faith was what determined that a reasonable quarantine period should last forty days. “Forty days was the period of the biblical travail of Jesus in the desert. Forty days were believed to represent the time necessary for dissipating the pestilential miasma from bodies and goods through the system of isolation, fumigation, and disinfection” (Tognotti). As the centuries passed, scientists were able to have a more accurate duration for a quarantine.
Ongoing, the reasons for there being so many changes in today’s pandemic is solely due to trial and error until coming with the best outcome to improve the control over the spread of the disease. Although only quarantining those who were infected with the disease did eventually end up working, it still killed an extreme amount of people. The key to finally controlling the disease completely was after a vaccine was created in the 1940s. Since then and “as of January 2010 there have been an estimated 12,799 deaths globally” due to the Spanish Influenza (Cameron). Throughout history, historians and medical experts examined how things were and made changes in the next pandemics/ epidemics, in hopes the mortality rate lowers with each outbreak. In the case of the Influenza outbreak, people would wear masks and self-quarantine regardless of them being infected with the disease. As for today, much more of the population is required to wear a mask in public and social distance. A reason for the compliance today is because there have been reputable sources stating internationally that quarantining and social distancing is effective and with research done from past pandemics, the facts do not lie. For example, according to the CDC, they stated “the main function of wearing a mask is to protect those around you, in case you are infected but not showing symptoms” (COVID-19). It is believed that the reason for more individuals being compliant with these regulations is because there are proven facts that back up how following these guidelines will help stop the spread of coronavirus. In addition to the facts, people have become more sympathetic and feel the need to save lives by preventing themselves from contracting Covid and spreading it. It is a situation where no one is safe or immune, therefore everyone must come together and unite as a whole to control the disease. All in all, regulations set in place for this current pandemic are taken more seriously because no one wants to see mortality rates continuously rise.
Although effective from a public health point of view, quarantines have psychological consequences for individuals. For example, THE BURDEN OF QUARANTINE ON MENTAL HEALTH AMIDST COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY was a study conducted with a group of individuals aged 18 to 53 who quarantined from March 2020 until May 2020. The study concluded that “quarantine has a significant psychological impact which includes Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, anxiety, and stress on the quarantined individuals in mass public quarantines” (Khan). Of course, isolation can bring any individual out of a sane mental state, but in past pandemics, there were other factors that led certain groups to panic. Minority groups in larger cities were targeted and most of the time wrongfully blamed for the spread of the diseases. Eugenia Tognotti explains, “During outbreaks of plague and cholera, the fear of discrimination and mandatory quarantine and isolation led the weakest social groups and minorities to escape affected areas (Tognotti). Nonetheless, the outburst of people fleeing where they normally reside caused a spike in cases of plague and cholera and eventually would result in a higher mortality rate. This discrimination against a group of people had no beneficial aspects to it and only caused negative outcomes and mayhem.
During outbreaks of plague and cholera, the fear of discrimination and mandatory quarantine and isolation led the weakest social groups and minorities to escape affected areas…
eugenia Tognotti
To conclude, there will never be a perfect way to handle any pandemic. In a perfect world, pandemics would not even exist, but the reason for strict quarantine regulations are to protect society. By using past pandemics and epidemics as a guide, it allows those in control to take the appropriate measures. Through the abundant collections of past newspapers, photos, and even handwritten letters, scientists and researchers use the help of historians to battle similar problems today with Covid-19.
Works Cited
Cameron, Ian A. “Dr Montizambert and the 1918-1919 Spanish influenza pandemic in Canada.” Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien vol. 56,5 (2010): 453-4.
“COVID-19: Considerations for Wearing Masks.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-guidance.html.
Khan, Taimoor Ashraf, et al. “The Burden of Quarantine on Mental Health Amidst Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross Sectional Study.” Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal, Aug. 2020, pp. S584–S589. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=146126138&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
“Quarantine and Isolation.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29 Sept. 2017, www.cdc.gov/quarantine/index.html.
Tognotti, Eugenia. “Lessons from the history of quarantine, from plague to influenza A.” Emerging infectious diseases vol. 19,2 (2013): 254-9. doi:10.3201/eid1902.120312
Vital, Anna. “How Big Is Life?” 2012, https://blog.adioma.com/counting-the-people-you-impact-infographic/.
Really interesting insights here!