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Stage 1: Sanitation, Infectious Disease, and Spanish Flu Pandemic
ОглавлениеIn the mid-19th century, John Snow, a physician in London, traced the source of cholera in a community to the source of water for that community. By removing the pump handle on the community’s water supply, he prevented the agent (cholera bacteria) from invading community members (hosts). This discovery not only led to the development of the modern science of epidemiology but also helped governments recognize the need to combat infectious diseases. Initially, governmental efforts focused only on preventing the spread of infectious diseases across borders by implementing quarantine regulations (Fidler, 2003), but ultimately, additional ordinances and regulations governing sanitation and urban infrastructure were instituted at the community level. The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide—about one-third of the planet’s population—and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million victims, including some 675,000 Americans. The 1918 flu was first observed in Europe, the United States, and parts of Asia before swiftly spreading around the world. At the time, there were no effective drugs or vaccines to treat this killer flu strain. Government officials to prevent the virus spread and promote and protect peoples’ health imposed quarantines, ordered citizens to wear masks and shut down public places, including schools, churches, and theaters. People were advised to avoid shaking hands and to stay indoors, libraries put a halt on lending books, and regulations were passed banning spitting. By the 1940s in the United States, water and sewer systems were constructed across the nation. The regulatory focus had expanded to include dairy and meat sanitation, control of venereal disease, and promotion of prenatal care and childhood vaccinations (Perdue et al., 2003).