Quarantine, Quarantine

Quarantine, Quarantine: Basic concepts and history

Quarantine and quarantine are a set of administrative and sanitary anti-epidemic measures aimed at preventing the introduction and spread of quarantine infectious diseases. The term "quarantine" comes from the Italian word "quaranta giorni", which means forty days. In Italy in the 14th century, when ships arriving from plague-prone areas were detained for forty days, everyone on board was detained to prevent the spread of the disease on shore.

Today, individuals, families, organized groups, as well as settlements and districts can be subject to quarantine when there is a threat of the spread of particularly dangerous infectious diseases. Quarantine means the prohibition of movement outside the quarantine zone of individuals and groups of the population without prior observation (temporary isolation and medical observation), during which the entire range of anti-epidemic, laboratory and sanitary and hygienic measures is carried out in relation to each infectious disease.

An important aspect of quarantine is monitoring the health of people who have been quarantined. Persons subject to quarantine are issued a certificate of incapacity for work, payable on the same basis as in case of illness. The quarantine period, as a rule, exceeds the duration of the latent (incubation) period of the disease in order to exclude the possibility of the disease spreading.

The term “quarantine” is sometimes also used to refer to restrictive anti-epidemic measures carried out in hospitals, children's institutions, etc. during the spread of influenza, scarlet fever, measles and other diseases, but this use of the word does not correspond to its scientific meaning.

In veterinary practice, domestic animals are quarantined when mass diseases (epizootics) occur among them.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, quarantine and quarantining have become widespread throughout the world. Different countries took different approaches, but the main measures were closing borders, banning public events, limiting the freedom of movement of people and other restrictive measures to prevent the spread of infection.

Despite the fact that quarantine and quarantine cause inconvenience and restrictions for the population, they are necessary measures to combat infectious diseases. They help stop the spread of the disease and prevent its spread to new territories and populations.

In addition, quarantine and quarantining are important tools for protecting the health of society as a whole. They make it possible to manage the epidemiological situation and reduce the risk of new outbreaks of diseases.

However, it is important to take into account that quarantine and quarantine must be carried out taking into account the rights and freedoms of citizens. It is necessary to ensure access to necessary products and services, and to inform the population about the measures that need to be taken to prevent the spread of the disease.

Overall, quarantine and quarantining are important measures to control infectious diseases and their use will continue in the future. However, it is necessary to constantly improve methods and approaches to their implementation to ensure maximum effectiveness and minimal inconvenience to the population.