AI Article Synopsis
- The WHO advises on essential strategies to combat COVID-19, including quick diagnosis, immediate isolation of infected individuals, and thorough contact tracing, especially in the absence of a vaccine or proven treatments.
- Reference is made to a successful Nipah virus containment effort in Kerala, India, where effective contact tracing limited the outbreak to just one case, highlighting how crucial these practices are during pandemics.
- The authors suggest that if the public maintained daily contact lists, it could greatly simplify and speed up the contact tracing process if someone tests positive for COVID-19.
Article Abstract
Without a vaccine or proven therapeutic options in COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a combination of measures: rapid diagnosis and immediate isolation of cases; rigorous contact tracing; and precautionary self-isolation of close contacts to curb the spread of COVID-19. During a Nipah outbreak in Kerala, India in 2019, it was confined to a single case. The authors were involved in the in-hospital contact tracing. With a single patient producing a contact list of 98 in a healthcare setting, the implications in a community setting during a pandemic of the scale of COVID-19 are huge but it proves that early and rigorous tracing with quarantining is an effective strategy to limit clusters. We believe that if the public is encouraged to maintain their own contact list on a daily basis, it would help in significantly reducing the time and effort invested into contact tracing in the event of a person contracting COVID-19.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0049475520928217 | DOI Listing |
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