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4JURISPRUDENCE
SANITARY EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHALLENGES DURING COVID-19 OUTBREAKS
Hotsuliak S.
assistant professor of the department of state history and law of Ukraine and foreign countries, Department of History of State and Law of Ukraine and Foreign Countries, Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, Pysh-
kinskaja 77, Kharkiv, Ukraine, https//orcid.org/0000-0003 -4562 -6210
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7326557
Abstract
The article examines the challenges that have confronted sanitation during each COVID-19 outbreak. Presented are solutions to these problems which can be quick and lead to excellent results, but unfortunately each COVID-19 outbreak faces the same set of challenges and responses, resulting in no lasting solution.
Epidemics (including COVID-19) are perceived as a global problem that goes beyond public health and is seen as a threat to human security. Social science research can therefore shed light on epidemiological findings -their social structure and representation - and contribute to epidemic prevention, response and preparedness to reduce human suffering.
Keywords: sanitation, epidemics, COVID-19 outbreaks, pandemics.
Epidemics and pandemics always reveal a different understanding of diseases. The population receives more detailed information about the disease and guidance from the government, and people's attitudes and behaviour towards infections of all kinds change. The COVID-19 outbreaks, which have affected large numbers of people and caused enormous damage to the world economy, have become a new reality.
Methods. General scientific methods such as: logical, historical, statistical, chronological, system analysis, etc. should be used in the study of sanitary and ep-idemiological issues. They do not cover all scientific knowledge, as philosophical methods, but are applied only at its individual stages.
Research into the development of sanitation and epidemiology is characterised by a great variety of methods and methodological approaches. This is due to the fact that the results of any scientific search are more valuable the broader the scientific synthesis and the more fundamental and well-developed is its methodological basis. It is also important that the systematisation of methods has a greater effect when they are used in studies that are similar in their subject matter.
Sanitation is a homogeneous group of phenomena of the objective world, which develops in certain forms and for reasons that are unique to it. Therefore, the application of the dialectical method is conditioned not only by its content, but also by the nature of the subject of scientific research, which includes primarily the social relations arising in the process of sanitary and anti-epidemic activity.
Thus, in the early twentieth century, amidst methodological uncertainty, human rights, in particular the rights to health and a sanitary environment, began to develop quite rapidly. Increasingly, science began to recognise the human being as the centre of any methodology. It was in the twentieth century that human rights came to be recognised as the ultimate value.
Presentation of the basic material.
Dealing with epidemics, pandemics or any public health emergency seems an impossible task for the average citizen and even for some government officials. The COVID-19 pandemic, which will devastate much
of the world in 2020/2021, has shown how difficult such tasks are and how much more serious the disease can become if not dealt with quickly. As with any task, the best way to ensure its smooth implementation is through planning.
Thus in Rosenberg (1989), it was outlined that when outbreaks are first reported, most societies develop an indifferent reaction to the warnings, usually fuelled by concern for the sectors in which they occur. Politicians worry about their public appeal, economists worry about the impact of the epidemic on the economy, and even ordinary people are quick to dismiss early warnings. More out of fear of the consequences than out of disbelief. The second situation is when the outbreak has peaked, when it cannot be ignored and we need to see some kind of response. The third phase, described by Rosenberg, is the public response to the problem, aids, treatments, vaccines, changes in behaviour and hygiene habits, as well as suggestions and coercion.
Thus, although many people have access to water, there is a hygiene problem with hand washing. This refers to a low culture of handwashing with soap, proper use of personal protective equipment, as well as health education and the use of reliable information and resources.
Faced with a global pandemic due to COVID-19, all countries in the world, all governments, based on the WHO warnings, began to develop a national response and monitoring plan involving all sectors of the population.
The first challenge faced by sanitation was a lack of public understanding of the seriousness of the situation, a lack of public awareness of the diseases, and a lack of understanding of the complexity of the consequences. Sanitary authorities were unable to implement preventive measures to prevent outbreaks - an indication that public health was not prepared to provide mass medical care to patients in a pandemic. Poor personal hygiene and poor sanitation are a problem for the fight against COVID-19. Hygiene and sanitation factors need to get the attention of policy makers in the fight against COVID-19. Hygiene and sanitation issues on
COVID-19 are the density of urban areas, high mobility of populations between cities, islands, then in the case of COVID -19 a person without symptoms can be a carrier, which contributes to a rapid spread. Especially in public transport such as planes, trains, markets, religious events and weddings.
The next challenge was the introduction of quarantines and lockdowns, which resulted in a slight reduction in the incidence of disease but doubled the number of cases when it ended. In addition, during the period of total restriction of human movement and partial restriction of social contacts, economic activity ceased almost completely and almost half of the world's population became isolated. Quarantine has become the backbone of a multi-component strategy for controlling infectious disease outbreaks, with traditional public health tools adapted to the nature of individual diseases and the degree of risk of transmission and used effectively to contain outbreaks such as the 2003 SARS outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the major challenges of sanitation and hygiene implementation can be identified as the degree of inequality in the response to COVID-19 outbreaks. In the USA, for example, the degree of inequality is reflected in minority status, language, household composition, as well as issues of transport, housing and risk of disability, all of which make it impossible to predict the rate of COVID-19 infection. In Brazil, for example, the degree of inequality is reflected in overcrowded and insecure housing, lack of sanitation and access to water, as well as difficulty in observing social distancing measures.
Epidemics or exacerbations caused by COVID-19 outbreaks often exacerbate pre-existing structural inequalities and reinforce them.
Vaccination is also one of the challenges in the field of sanitation, as no vaccine has protected against the disease, but has only reduced the symptoms and alleviated the course of the disease. Creating a vaccine is the government's response to the emergence of an epidemic, but it takes time, which contributes to the mutation of the virus and the ineffectiveness of vaccinations. This challenge also involves discrimination as not all segments of the population have access to vaccines or have no proper health care at all. Particular attention should also be paid to the protection of human rights during the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have received financial assistance (especially the African continent) in the form of access to health care and for dealing with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Epidemiology in turn has faced an exponential increase in the number of deaths. The challenge of epidemiology is the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infectious and parasitic diseases. The development of new methods of disinfection and preventive sanitary measures.
Epidemiology helps us to understand how diseases can affect us, and sanitation prevents the spread of diseases and infections. The more developed epidemiology and the more we practice hygiene, the easier it is to fight diseases and learn where they come from, such as how the world has/has coped with COVID-19.
As epidemiology evolves, more actors such as politicians, the media and even the public become involved, which can lead to manipulation or lack of transparency and trust as it can be exploited for political purposes and interests.
Confidentiality and storage of personal information has become a very important challenge in the sanitary and epidemiological field. The problem is that many people do not want to give their personal data to track their chronic diseases, thus sometimes it is not possible to track the effects of COVID-19 on a person. There is also a high probability of information leakage or loss if there is a technical malfunction.
Thus, there are many challenges facing sanitation during each COVID-19 outbreak, solutions to these problems can be quick and lead to excellent results, but unfortunately each COVID-19 outbreak faces the same set of challenges and responses, resulting in no long term solution.
Epidemics (including COVID-19) are perceived as a global problem that goes beyond public health and is seen as a threat to human security. Social science research can therefore shed light on epidemiological findings - their social structure and representation - and contribute to epidemic prevention, response and preparedness to reduce human suffering. All plans can be divided into response phases, e.g. one phase prioritised people; the second phase prioritised vulnerable people, such as the sick and elderly, and high-level staff, such as government officials, as high-priority, reactive; the third phase included vaccination, treatment, social distancing and changes in social behaviour and personal hygiene in the first instance.
The fight against epidemics continues, just as viruses evolve and mutate, sanitation receives more and more challenges and contributes to the development of drugs and technologies to combat them. Most importantly, sanitation plans and prepares for everything.
References:
1. Hotsuliak, S. (2017). Sanitary and epidemiolog-ical legislation in Ukraine in the twentieth century. PhD Thesis. Kharkiv. 2017. 218 p.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016). What is epidemiology? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved September 20, 2022. URL: https://www.cdc.gov/career-paths/k12teacherroadmap/epidemiol-ogy.html#:~:text=Epidemiolo%20gy%20is
3. World Health Organization. Sanitation.World Health Organization. Retrieved September 20, 2022. URL: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/de-tail/sanitation.
4. Rosenberg, C. E. (1989). What Is an Epidemic? AIDS in Historical Perspective. Daedalus. Vol. 118. № 21-17. P. 1-17. URL:
http://www.j stor.org/stable/20025233
5. Shygal D., Hotsuliak S. (2021). Methodological principles of research of the history of development of sanitary and epidemiological legislation in Ukraine. Justicia. 2021. Vol. 26, Iss. 40. P. 19-29.
