What is epidemiological surveillance? How long does it last and who does it apply to?

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Epidemiological surveillance is not a new concept, although you hear about it relatively often in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Anyone can be covered by epidemiological supervision, which is why it is so important to be aware of what exactly it is, what it is and how long it lasts, and who orders the epidemiological supervision.

Epidemiological surveillance – what is it?

Epidemiological surveillance is, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), “the continuous, systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of health data needed to plan, implement and evaluate public health practice.” Epidemiological surveillance can be used to track emerging health problems at an early stage and find active solutions in a timely manner. Epidemiological surveillance is generally used to provide information on when, where and who health problems occur.

See also: The Ministry of Health no longer numbers people under epidemiological supervision. “It does not reflect the course of the epidemic”

Epidemiological supervision – who is binding?

According to the information provided on the website patient.gov.pl, epidemiological supervision covers people who may have been exposed to or come into contact with an infected person. As far as epidemiological supervision is concerned, the decision on whether a given person is covered is made by the Sanepid based on an epidemiological interview.

See also: Coverage of the COVID-19 coronavirus [MAP update 06.01.2022/XNUMX/XNUMX]

Epidemiological surveillance – how long does it last and what does it consist of?

Epidemiological surveillance lasts 14 days, during which the person under surveillance is required to take the temperature twice a day and monitor his health. Except that during epidemiological surveillance it is recommended to limit social contacts, although leaving the place where it is held is not forbidden (leaving the house should be limited to the necessary situations). Persons subject to epidemiological supervision are recommended to switch to remote work.

Epidemiological surveillance – what to do in the event of COVID-19 symptoms?

In the case of people under epidemiological supervision (or quarantine) who develop symptoms of the disease (e.g. fever, malaise, cough or shortness of breath), they should contact their primary care physician as part of teleportation as soon as possible.

When such people deteriorate their health, which is understood as the appearance of:

1. fever above 39 ° C,
2. chest pain
3. nose bleeds
4. petechiae on the skin,

you should immediately call an ambulance, be sure to inform about the diagnosis of COVID-19. In such a situation, a specially prepared ambulance will ensure transport to the nearest infectious diseases hospital.

See also: Online medical advice at the National Health Fund. Where to call to consult a doctor? [WE EXPLAIN]

Epidemiological surveillance and quarantine

Quarantine is designed to separate and restrict the movement of people exposed to an infectious disease to watch and see if they become ill. These people may be at risk and may not know it, or they may have the disease but show no symptoms. Quarantine helps reduce the spread of infectious diseases.

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, many people have been ordered to be quarantined. Information about the imposed quarantine is entered into the IT system of the e-Health Center (EWP), to which it has access, inter alia, the police and the Social Insurance Institution.

Quarantine means staying at home and away from other people as long as possible for a period of 10 days, after which it ends automatically if no COVID-19 symptoms have occurred during the period. Quarantine differs from epidemiological surveillance in that during the quarantine period, the person in quarantine is strictly forbidden to leave the house, even if he or she feels well and does not show any symptoms of the disease. This includes not leaving the house (e.g. to go shopping, taking out the rubbish), eating out, avoiding social gatherings, airing the room regularly, observing hygiene rules to minimize the risk of infection in the household, and in case of health deterioration (fever, coughing) , shortness of breath), you should immediately make an appointment for teleportation with your GP.

Regarding work, the quarantined person should inform their employer of the situation. An employee who is covered by sickness insurance, for the period of absence from work due to compulsory quarantine, is entitled to remuneration for the period of sickness or sickness benefit, paid on the basis of information in the system. If it is possible to perform work remotely, the employee (with the consent of the employer) may perform his official duties in the place where the quarantine is held, and at the same time not violate its rules. The employee then loses the right to sickness benefit, but is entitled to remuneration for the work performed.

People living with a person in quarantine and medical professionals, quarantine does not apply. People vaccinated against COVID-19 on the basis of a vaccination certificate are also released from quarantine.

See also: Telemedicine – what is an e-visit? Who Can Use Teleportation? [WE EXPLAIN]

Epidemiological surveillance and isolation

Isolation refers to separating patients with infectious disease from those who are not. Hospitals isolate patients with a known infectious disease that can easily be passed on to others. A person who develops COVID-19 who has no symptoms of coronavirus infection or who has mild symptoms (low fever – below 38 ° C, runny nose, cough, loss of smell and / or taste, malaise) must isolate in a specific room away from other household members.

Householders should use a separate bedroom and even a bathroom if possible. It is also recommended that the sick person eat or be fed in their room away from other household members. Household items such as dishes, glasses, cups, cutlery, towels, bedding or other items should not be shared with someone infected with COVID-19. It is important to prohibit all visitors and non-essential people from being at home.

Home isolation lasts 10 days, if no COVID-19 symptoms are found by a doctor. If symptoms appear, the duration of home isolation is extended, and its completion may not be earlier than 13 days after the symptoms appear.

Similar to quarantine, during home isolation, you may not leave your home for any purpose. In the event of deterioration of the health of an infected person, immediately contact a general practitioner.

In the case of people with severe symptoms of coronavirus (difficulty breathing, phlegm, hemoptysis, confusion, drowsiness), they are placed in hospital isolation (however, they do not require hospital treatment, and for some reason cannot be isolated at home, they are referred to isolatories) . Hospital isolation ends when the physician caring for the patient decides about it, but it cannot take place earlier than 13 days after the onset of symptoms, and the last 3 days must be asymptomatic.

See also: New common symptoms of COVID-19. There is rarely a loss of smell and taste