Anti-epidemic measures are a combination of preventive, sanitary and hygienic and administrative measures. Recently, very few people are interested in the epidemic situation in a particular area or a specific city, even in those seasons when it is most relevant. However, infectious diseases spread with great speed in winter, autumn and spring.
How to prevent this?
At the same time, it is important not only to rely on doctors, but also to take independent measures that will prevent viruses from spreading. Thus, anti-epidemic measures lie not only on the shoulders of medicine, but also on the people themselves. Everyone should remember that the spread of dangerous diseases can depend on his actions.
To begin with, it is necessary to indicate what antiepidemiological manipulations are. Sanitary and anti-epidemiological regime means a set of measures:
- medical and preventive;
- sanitary-hygienic;
- administrative.
It can be noted that this is a huge range of actions. They are mainly aimed at localization, elimination and suppression of infectious foci.
Epidemiological measures in the focus of infection are carried out after a thorough examination, which includes establishing the source of a health hazard. It is extremely important to understand from whom this or that patient became infected, where the infection could go further to prevent its further spread, because in some cases this is fraught with large-scale consequences. After receiving all the necessary information, the specialist epidemiologist needs to analyze it and take appropriate measures that are aimed at eliminating infectious foci.
It is interesting that at the same time, epidemiologists practically do not contact with patients and work exclusively with information data, conduct a thorough detailed analysis, which saves many lives.
So, as we have already said, the sanitary-epidemiological regime means a set of measures. Let's consider them in more detail.
Sanitary measures
The main, which involves the conduct of anti-epidemic measures, is sanitary and hygienic principles. They are very important because they form the basis of human health, as well as the base that reduces the susceptibility of people to certain infectious diseases. This, of course, does not guarantee that infectious pathologies pass by. However, subject to simple hygiene standards, the risk that a person will fall ill is significantly reduced. These measures include the study by medical specialists of such areas of human life as working conditions, labor characteristics, physical development, life, and occupational morbidity.
What else do anti-epidemiological sanitary-hygienic measures mean?
In everyday life, medical workers take part in the promotion of hygiene and human behavior. This line of work in extreme conditions is even more relevant. Another area of work in such conditions is the conduct of various hygienic studies and the examination of food and water.
During the implementation of sanitary and anti-epidemiological measures, food products and water samples are taken, which are sent for analysis to the CH and E (SEA) to study dangerous substances and microorganisms in them for humans. Based on the results of such analyzes, a conclusion is drawn on the suitability of such food products and water for use by the population.
Hygienically significant objects
Hygienically significant objects are taken under strict control, both damaged and destroyed (for example, in the disaster area), and functioning. Such objects include:
- sewage and water supply systems;
- catering, food industry and food trade enterprises;
- children's school and preschool institutions;
- public utility services;
- housing stock;
- medical institutions;
- locations of the evacuated population, for example during a natural disaster;
- locations of rescue teams, teams and EMF teams;
- industrial facilities that may be sources of bacterial contamination, exposure to ionizing radiation, etc.
Sanitary control of current and final disinfection at food enterprises that serve the population is of great importance. This applies to food outlets, temporary and street outlets.
Therapeutic and preventive measures
Another set of anti-epidemiological measures is treatment and prophylactic measures. The main actions that are included in this complex are aimed mainly at neutralizing viruses, epidemiological surveillance and increasing the quality of medical care. During seasonal epidemics in clinics, an additional number of specialists from different clinical areas are connected. At this time, kindergartens and schools are often quarantined.
Quarantine is a series of regimen and restrictive anti-epidemic measures that are aimed at isolating (restricting contacts) a person suspected of infection or an infected person (group of persons), cargo, animal, goods, settlement, districts, territories, regions, etc. This contributes to a significant reduction in the number of contacts and, therefore, reduces the likelihood of the spread of infectious diseases.
Outreach to people
In addition, anti-epidemic measures should be aimed at sensitizing people. It usually aims to convey to the population information about the symptoms of an infectious disease and that it is recommended to reduce visits to crowded places.
In a system of this type of measure, medical control over the health of the working population is extremely important. Mandatory is the implementation of preliminary (when applying for a job) and periodic medical examinations. The main objective of such examinations is the timely identification of the initial stages of the disease and the prevention of complications and infection of surrounding people.
The main activities from the category of medical and preventive are:
- ambulatory treatment;
- sanatorium-resort therapy and disease prevention;
- hospital treatment;
- medical examination.
Also, the sanitary-epidemiological regime includes administrative measures. We consider them in more detail below.
Learn more about administrative measures.
A number of administrative measures also directly affect the success of anti-epidemic measures. This means that the authorities directly help to normalize the epidemiological situation through the adoption of any decisions. In this set of measures, regional and municipal administrations, ministries of education and health, heads of various organizations and institutions can take part.
All administrative measures should be carried out in a timely manner, because it is impossible for the situation to get out of the control of physicians, since infectious pathologies threaten the whole society. Activities should be carried out quickly and thoughtfully. The elimination of the infectious focus can be done only after the epidemiological diagnosis of a specific situation has been made.
Special Surveys
Epidemiologists conduct special examinations, which include:
- interrogation of patients and people who contacted them;
- examination of foci of infection;
- study of documentation (housing and communal, medical, etc.);
- study of sanitary conditions;
- laboratory tests of an infected person;
- observation in the incubation period.
After receiving the results, you can begin to draw up a plan of anti-epidemiological measures.
The main objectives and goals of the
The main objective of the anti-epidemiological measures is the effective influence on the factors (links, elements) of the epidemic process in order to stop the circulation of the infectious agent in the outbreak. Therefore, such measures are aimed at neutralizing it, breaking down the mechanisms of its transmission and increasing the levels of immunity to the pathogen of persons exposed to the probability of infection in the outbreak.
However, with various infectious pathologies, the significance of individual measures is not the same. So, for example, with intestinal infectious diseases, general sanitary measures are effective to eliminate the transmission of infection and neutralize its foci, while the elimination of the focus of respiratory tract infections (measles, diphtheria) dominates the immunization of children in the area. Measures aimed at neutralizing the source of infection also differ with anthroponoses and zoonoses. The most radical and used forms of neutralizing the focus of anthroponous infection are early isolation and hospitalization in a hospital.
Hospitalization in the infectious ward
Timely hospitalization helps to successfully cure the patient, but it ensures above all the cessation of the spread of infection among people who communicate with the patient and in the environment. The patient is hospitalized in the infectious ward, and in the absence of this possibility, in a special hospital, subject to anti-epidemic regimens. However, with whooping cough, measles, flu and other infections, when most patients remain at home, conditions are created that prevent healthy people from communicating with them and thereby prevent their infection.
Medical observation
For people in contact with the source of infection, medical supervision is established. Depending on the nosoform of infectious diseases, a daily survey is conducted on the well-being, nature and frequency of stools, daily thermometry, skin examination, pediculosis examination, examination of the eyes and mucous membranes, palpation of the lymph nodes, liver and spleen. In addition, immunological and bacteriological studies are carried out, environmental objects are studied.
We examined the organization and conduct of anti-epidemiological measures.