As has been demonstrated in recent events such as Ebola and 2009 H1N1 pandemic,
national governments and responding agencies may seek to employ nonpharmaceutical
interventions (NPIs) in disease outbreaks, either in coordination with available medical
countermeasures or, in the absence of developed vaccines and therapeutics, as the
primary measure to prevent or slow down disease spread. NPIs principally aim to limit
the degree to which exposure to ongoing infectious disease threats can occur, both at the
individual and community levels.
The degree to which NPI measures will be effective at preventing or limiting transmission
of high-impact respiratory pathogens is uncertain and will largely depend on the context,
timing, and epidemiology of the outbreak. In addition, the range of NPIs that might be
called for in response to a high-impact respiratory pandemic (see Box 8 for the most
commonly considered) all differ considerably in terms of objectives, feasibility, costs,
downside consequence, and evidence. In determining whether and how to implement
NPIs, countries must assess each proposed measure on the following dimensions:121
1. Epidemiologic assessment: Do available data or experience suggest a specific NPI
will work to prevent or slow transmission in a meaningful way?
2. Logistical assessment: Is the particular NPI measure feasible given available
resources?
3. Social, economic, and political assessment: What are the possible unintended
adverse societal consequences of a particular NPI?
Box 8: Definitions of NPI
While NPIs cover a variety of measures, those that might be most likely to be considered or called for in the setting
of a pandemic caused by a high-impact respiratory pathogen include: travel restrictions, movement restrictions,
quarantine, and social distancing.
Travel restrictions refer to enforceable limitations on travel but should not be confused with travel alerts or
notices, which provide information for travelers on ongoing health events.
Movement restrictions are measures implemented to prevent or limit contact between infectious individuals
and susceptible populations, ranging from limits on how or where an individual can travel to full quarantine.
Quarantine is a separation of potentially infectious individuals from susceptible populations. It is often confused
with isolation, which refers to separating individuals known to be transmissible (typically implemented in a
health facility). Though isolation is routinely used in healthcare and public health practice, the use of quarantine is rare and has been controversial.
Social distancing covers an array of measures aimed at reducing contact between members of the community
that could potentially result in disease transmission, including closing schools, canceling mass gatherings,
facilitating remote- or tele-working, and suspending mass transit operations.
https://apps.who.int/gpmb/assets/themat ... s/tr-6.pdf
Anyone else SURE social distortion is the reason why ? Or, like your hero Mann, you wanna hide the decline
Or, are these type of "reports" just grant writing time fillers? Don't take them too , too seriously ? Huh......
