Dr Manik Chandra Das, Coordinator, School of Public Health and Life Sciences, University of South Asia; E-mail:
Mymensingh Med J. 2021 Apr;30(2):562-569.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), first reported in Wuhan, China is now a major global health threat - a pandemic. Public health control measures are the cornerstones in the fight against COVID-19 in the absence of an effective vaccine or proven treatment. The aim of this review was to explore the historical use case of various public health measures adopted today to tackle COVID-19 spread. Although our knowledge about this novel coronavirus transmission is evolving over time, the fundamental non-pharmaceutical interventions e.g., handwashing, wearing a mask, physical distancing, isolation, quarantine and border control which are adopted globally at present are not new. This review highlighted that historically and religiously similar approaches were practised in the medieval past for controlling disease outbreaks. The successful implementation of the public health control measures largely depends on health systems resilience, community engagement and changes in population behaviour. Combined global efforts are essential to strengthen health systems, improve the capability of research and transparent information sharing with both public and international bodies to combat the pandemic.
2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）最初在中国武汉报告，现已成为全球主要的健康威胁——大流行。在缺乏有效疫苗或经证实的治疗方法的情况下，公共卫生控制措施是抗击 COVID-19 的基石。本综述旨在探讨目前用于应对 COVID-19 传播的各种公共卫生措施的历史应用案例。尽管我们对这种新型冠状病毒传播的了解随着时间的推移而不断发展，但目前在全球范围内采取的基本非药物干预措施，如洗手、戴口罩、保持身体距离、隔离、检疫和边境控制等并不新鲜。本综述强调，在过去的历史和宗教中，人们曾采取类似的方法来控制疾病的爆发。公共卫生控制措施的成功实施在很大程度上取决于卫生系统的弹性、社区参与以及人口行为的改变。全球共同努力对于加强卫生系统、提高研究能力以及与公共和国际机构透明地共享信息以抗击这一大流行病至关重要。
