It is possible to contain an epidemic of some contagious disease by preventing it from spreading, following Anvisa guidelines, such as avoiding travel and frequenting crowded places such as a shopping mall, cinema or restaurants.
An epidemic can happen when diseases, such as Ebola or influenza A, which are highly contagious, begin to contaminate many people in the same region in a short space of time.
Epidemics get complicated when the disease gets out of control, spreading to other places or countries due to travel and inadequate hygiene, for example.
General care to contain epidemics
During an epidemic it is necessary to follow the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, which are usually different according to the way the disease can be transmitted through the air or direct contact with the secretions of the infected patient such as sweat, saliva, tears and semen.
5 most important care to contain an epidemic
- Inform the hospital of any suspected cases of infection by the disease;
- Inform the hospital when you have been in contact with someone who developed the disease and avoid contact with healthy individuals until you confirm that you did not develop the disease;
- Wash your hands before meals, after using the bathroom, after sneezing, coughing or touching your nose and whenever your hands are dirty;
- Wear gloves and masks whenever it is necessary to contact another person's bodily secretions, such as to treat a wound;
- Avoid touching common surfaces of public spaces such as handrails, elevator buttons or door handles;
Also, in order to avoid catching the disease during an epidemic, it is important to avoid unnecessary trips to the hospital, emergency room or pharmacy, as well as taking the vaccine against the disease, if it exists.
However, some diseases, such as Ebola or Cholera, do not have vaccines capable of treating the disease, and in those cases, preventing infection is the best way to avoid an epidemic.
Useful link:
- What to do not to catch Ebola
