Articles: pandemics.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Apr 2020
The Use of Digital Health in the Detection and Management of COVID-19.
Digital health is uniquely positioned to enhance the way we detect and manage infectious diseases. This commentary explores the potential of implementing digital technologies that can be used at different stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, including data-driven disease surveillance, screening, triage, diagnosis, and monitoring. Methods that could potentially reduce the exposure of healthcare providers to the virus are also discussed.
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Zhonghua Zhong Liu Za Zhi · Apr 2020
[Health management of breast cancer patients outside the hospital during the outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus disease].
The outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is spreading rapidly. In order to prevent cluster outbreaks, the government strengthened the management and control of personnel mobility, which had a great impact on the examination and treatment of breast cancer patients. ⋯ The breast cancer patients should synthetically consider the epidemic prevention situation of inhabitance, the disease stage and previous therapeutic schedule to decide the next therapeutic schedule. If necessary, after professional discussion and communication between doctors and patients online or offline, the hospital visiting time should be delayed through seeking alternative treatment schemes, and psychological counseling for patients should be paid attention to at the same time.
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Since community transmission of COVID-19 became established in South Africa, individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and who do not require hospitalisation have been permitted to self-isolate in their homes to reduce the burden on the health system. The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Province has since announced that self-isolation will no longer be permitted in the province. Instead, mandatory isolation in state-designated isolation sites would apply. This policy change marks a dangerous departure from the country's prevailing position on home-based self-isolation and should not be replicated elsewhere.
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Quarantine is a very effective method for containing the spread of highly infectious diseases in large populations during a pandemic, but it is only effective if properly implemented. The co-operation and compliance of people entering quarantine are critical to its success. However, owing to the isolating and social distancing nature of quarantine, it often leads to extreme economic hardship and shortages in basic needs such as food, medicine, water and communication - and to the curtailment of certain universal social norms such as attending a parent's funeral. ⋯ The scope of this article is limited to the period prior to and following such a lockdown, during which quarantine may still be vital for the containment of COVID-19. Because a quarantine order will deprive an individual of his or her freedom, this must be carefully balanced with the public interest. This article explains the legal and ethical considerations of this balancing exercise and provides practical guidance for obtaining quarantine orders.