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Imagine this scenario: schools closed, grocery stores shelves empty, looters in the streets, the public alarmed, and the workforce decimated by respiratory infections. Emergency rooms are jammed with frightened patients presenting with odd symptoms, the hospitals are filled to capacity and lack sufficient respiratory equipment to help everyone who needs it. In the midst of this chaos the nursing force is struggling to survive, using all of the skills and knowledge they possess in order to maintain order and serve their patients.
This dreadful picture, even though it does not exist currently, is the prediction of some experts who fear a pandemic of newly mutated viruses or reemergence old ones. They have good reasons to be afraid because people panic very easily, especially about the unknown. Think about conventional behavior when the media predicts a major storm. People rush to stores, stripping the shelves of food, water, candles, batteries and generators. It’s chilling to imagine how quickly people could panic if massive contagious illness strikes.
As a health care community we have the responsibility and the opportunity to work together as an educated and prepared team. By working collectively, we will be able to reduce the fears of the public and effectively serve our patients. The first step in reaching this goal is to become educated. The purpose of this course, then, is to gain a general understanding of how to sustain immunity in the face of newly emerging and reemerging communicable diseases and to examine the role of the nurse in this setting.
First, the reader will be taken through general aspects of the immune system and how it works. This section will also include information on its importance and ways to strengthen immunity. Next, the reader will examine infectious diseases of concern (including the underlying biology, epidemiology and ecology) plus the interrelationships between parasitic, bacterial, viral infections and their hosts. There will be discussion of a number of new diseases that are emerging as threats to world health and are gaining media attention. What bioterrorism is, and how diseases can be used as weapons are covered, with attention given to early recognition and ongoing preparation. Finally, the reader will focus on some factors responsible for the emergence, re-emergence, and persistence of disease, pandemics and bio-terror. The nurse’s role in prevention, treatment, and education is covered in the last section of this course.
At the completion of this course the nurse will understand the dynamics of mass illness and will be able to prepare for his/her important public health role in preventing or dealing with pandemics. Note that each chapter is only an introduction or a review of material, as entire volumes could be devoted to any one of the topics herein.
It is my hope that you will enjoy reading and learning about these fascinating subjects, as well as realizing that, as nurses, we will be the first responders in a mass illness and recognized as educators by the public. As they say, “Knowledge is Power”. The power of being knowledgeable, and therefore prepared, can prevent panic and save many lives. Let us begin.