How pandemics can influence the course of public health

Martin Sanders is a respected thought leader on matters of public health and occupational safety. This also puts him in a unique position to observe the factors and developments that can impact reality on a much bigger scale. This blog attempts to illustrate how pandemics can influence the course of public health.

Whether we like it or not, the human race has been reactive to pandemic diseases, for the most part. Yet, even with today's latest advancements in technology, we often encounter new diseases, incur casualties, and make safeguards based on new knowledge that we can make sense of.

The Spanish flu happened in 1918. This has been acknowledged as the biggest pandemic that the world has ever known. During this time, the world was oblivious to the concept of a virus being the sole cause for the flu. Most of the world's doctors only viewed this as a bacterial disease.

This also meant that there were no vaccines, no antiviral drugs, and not even antibiotics. There was already a concept known as a quarantine, but this often happened when it was too late. Influenza was not even a reportable disease during this time. Further, doctors were not obliged to report cases to health authorities, and certainly, the authorities failed to see the pandemic coming.

The world learned about these things the hard way, and it was only after the Spanish flu happened that all of these started to change. Today, we know them as protocols in public health, but they were not always second nature to us as members of society.

As a veteran in the field of occupational health and safety, Capt. Martin Sanders, Ph.D., has educated leaders from both private and public spheres about the most pressing concerns on occupational health and safety. For more related reading, please visit this page.

Disclaimer: This site was prepared by Martin Sanders in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed are the author's own and do not reflect the views of the USPHS, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States government.