Introduction
Globally, communicable diseases pose a serious threat to myriad communities and have become a burden on economic development. COVID-19, a communicable disease that emerged from China, has developed into one of the world’s most threatening pandemics in recent times. Ideally, the disease is a new phenomenon that caught almost all sectors unawares. Nonetheless, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlights the most common symptoms: fever, tiredness, dry cough/and difficulty breathing. The other health concerns may include headaches, loss of taste, and a sense of smell. Scientists are still doing research to understand the origin, the epidemiology, and the variations in prevalence witnessed in different parts of the world. There is clear evidence indicating that elderly people are at more risk of the disease and succumb to it more than the youthful and the working class. Geographically, there is a disproportionate distribution of cases, fatality rates, and prevalence concerns. Notably, many of the cases exist in the western world, including Europe, America, China, and other white-dominant populations. It is notable that the African continent has not showcased very high cases of deaths as compared to other continents. It is important to understand the determinants, epidemiology, and the role of nursing practitioners in the healthcare system.
Determinants of Health
There are several determinants of health in modern civilization. These are factors that combine together to shape the health status of an individual in any society. Primarily, social, economic, and environmental factors tend to play a central role in defining people’s wellness at any point in time. Emerging from Wuhan province in China, COVID-19 posed a massive threat to human existence and has since then been a primary issue in the world. Some of the key emerging determinants that seemed to define what could rather claim more than one million lives include lifestyle. This disease is believed to have emerged from the consumption of infectious animal products as reported by scientists.
Gradually, COVID-19 is changing the daily life routines of older people and the care support they need to receive. Subsequently, it is also altering the social network and perception of gathering (Armitage & Nellums, 2020). Notably, there are multiple concerns that this generation faces complex health issues based on their physicality and body activity. Many of them construe their beliefs to the concepts of traditional health ideas. Ideally, the COVID-19 rules constrain the elders to stay at home to avoid contracting the virus. At the same time, their movements around gatherings become limited owing to their immune vulnerability. Accordingly, these prevention proposals become very pertinent in ensuring that every community member adheres to healthy living practices. Consequently, there is a need to promote healthy aging practices to ensure that the old people do not become more exposed because of underlying conditions.
Logically, communicable diseases often result from interactions among communities. Contact with infected individuals can result in widespread of such diseases as witnessed in the current pandemic. Therefore, Healthy People 2020 considers the varieties of determinants to emanate and relate to the normal practices endured in a particular place at a time. Likewise, the political environment also portrays a crucial role in shaping the prevalence of various conditions. In practice, the way people relate bears foundation value in the disease control mechanisms in any sector.
Epidemiological Triad
The epidemiological triad includes the agent, host, and environment which showcase the most valuable aspect of any disease. COVID-19 is an infection accustomed to severe acute respiratory problems caused by the novel virus SARS‐CoV‐2 (Shahid et al., 2020). The agent is the causal pathogen that may be any microorganism like a virus, or bacteria. Human beings are often the host to many pathogens and disease-causing agents. The pathogenicity of individuals around the globe differs from one region to another. Thus, the susceptibility of any person depends on the triad factors. The elderly population has a number of host concerns that result in a fundamental change in their response to viral attacks. Concurrently, multiple values may bar vulnerable elders from suffering the plight of an outbreak in their environment. The coronavirus is a new pandemic that is still under review to establish the actual cause, management, and the best vaccination breakthrough. Any provisions in the modern market may not meet the universal standard and require substantial research to ensure every revelation.
Role of the NP
The NPs have an absolute position in the epidemiological triad of this disease. Logically, they act as the front runners in managing and protecting patients and the public. In many health centers, clinicians and other nurses risk their lives every day to ensure that the population is safe from the dangerous virus that has no cure yet. Technically, nursing practitioners have the mandate to ensure the clients adhere to the public health protection requirements, including isolation, quarantine, bed rest, and a healthy lifestyle. In essence, the health sector profession and nursing practitioner boards are developing mechanisms to ensure that integrated approach to this pandemic.
Unlike other physicians, nurses play the most important role in protecting others. As frontline officers, they offer crucial services in the hierarchy. The NP teams and the national response agencies have portrayed professional desires to understand the various aspects of the disease and help the population manage the further spread of the virus. Many countries have strategized new mechanisms that will help the health fraternity to ensure that every aspect of the disease is effectively managed through disease surveillance and self-care (Chen, 2020). In the United States of America, for instance, the emergency response team mandated nurses to take charge of protecting the population in intensive care units, in isolation. The emergence of coronavirus has helped people to understand that healthcare systems require individual efforts. The new normal practices depicted globally have become pivotal in enhancing the nursing practitioners’ preparedness in handling emerging issues and related challenges.
Conclusion
To conclude, COVID-19 is one of the world’s most significant virus outbreaks that have left everyone worldwide thinking of health management’s best approach. Accordingly, all health system sectors need to pull resources and government agencies to generate useful information to help the public avoid and effectively manage related conditions. Succinctly, some ways to ensure successful handling of the associated symptoms would include educating the general populace on the best practices of preventing the spread of the infection from avoiding the increase in its prevalence. Essentially, an integrated approach to caregiving and scientific research will help nations to prevent a rise in the number of new patients.
References
Armitage, R., & Nellums, L. B. (2020). COVID-19 and the consequences of isolating the elderly.The Lancet Public Health, 5(5), e256. Web.
Chen, L. K. (2020). Older adults and COVID-19 pandemic: Resilience matters.Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 89, 104124. Web.
Shahid, Z., Kalayanamitra, R., McClafferty, B., Kepko, D., Ramgobin, D., Patel, R., & Jain, R. (2020). COVID‐19 and older adults: What we know.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 68(5), 926-929. Web.