Epidemic Contact

The contact epidemic is associated with many diseases that are contagious and transmitted from person to person. The biggest health threat during an epidemic is the possibility of contracting an infection through contact.

A disease in the form of an epidemic that is transmitted precisely through contact with other people is called a contact epidemic. This term appeared after the emergence of COVID-19. Due to its simplicity and prevalence in medical terminology, literature and pronunciation, it has become a general term for all such epidemics. Therefore, “contact”, a variant of the original name for COVID-19, is also suitable for use. The difference between a contact epidemic and other types lies not only in the method of spread, but also in the speed of transmission. If we talk about the average level of spread of a disease, for example, the common cold and flu, then the infection is transmitted quite slowly, usually about 2-4 days. While some types of infections spread much faster. One such example is pneumonic plague. It is transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person by inhaling infected dust or spraying the infection in public places. The infection can cause a severe syndrome, such as in the animal called Ebola, which killed people in about 72 hours. Such manifestations are usually called "split bells". All this shows that contact transmission has its own characteristics that must be taken into account for effective control measures. Contact epidemics can occur in various spheres of life and society. This applies to any type of activity where there is the possibility of contact with a large number of people - restaurants, markets, shops, hairdressers, hospitals, theaters, etc. Most epidemic diseases caused by viruses are transmitted through contact. There are also infectious diseases that are transmitted not through contact, but as a result of infection through water, food, and cleaning products. Viruses, bacteria and fungi are ubiquitous in the environment and are able to survive without exposure to direct rays of light. An epidemic can spread to any place if there are a large number of people in close contact with each other.