Preventive Measures against Pandemics from the Beginning of Civilization to Nowadays—How Everything Has Remained the Same over the Millennia

Abstract

As of 27 March 2022, the β-coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected more than 487 million individuals worldwide, causing more than 6.14 million deaths. SARS-CoV-2 spreads through close contact, causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); thus, emergency lockdowns have been implemented worldwide to avoid its spread. COVID-19 is not the first infectious disease that humankind has had to face during its history. Indeed, humans have recurrently been threatened by several emerging pathogens that killed a substantial fraction of the population. Historical sources document that as early as between the 10th and the 6th centuries BCE, the authorities prescribed physical–social isolation, physical distancing, and quarantine of the infected subjects until the end of the disease, measures that strongly resemble containment measures taken nowadays. In this review, we show a historical and literary overview of different epidemic diseases and how the recommendations in the pre-vaccine era were, and still are, effective in containing the contagion.

Multinational monkeypox outbreak: what do we know and what should we do?

“…Fortunately, a lot of the same countermeasures that are beneficial for diminishing the risk of contracting COVID-19 such as mask wearing, social distancing, handwashing, and surface disinfection will also effectively stymie monkeypox transmission [ 10 ]. Treatment for MPXV infection is primarily supportive, though two FDA-approved anti-virals (tecovirimat and brincidofovir) and an intravenous form of vaccinia immune globulin originally developed for smallpox may be exploited to manage monkeypox as well [ 11 ].…”

Historic and Prehistoric Epidemics: An Overview of Sources Available for the Study of Ancient Pathogens

“…Several ancient Egyptian “medical” papyri, such as the Ebers, Smith, and Hearst papyri, describe disease symptoms and epidemics that have been interpreted to refer to current pathogens [ 159 ]. (Critical) reviews of ancient epidemics in literature can be found in [ 159 , 160 , 161 ].…”

Preparedness for a monkeypox outbreak

“…The sudden and unexpected appearance of monkeypox simultaneously in several non-endemic countries suggests that there might have been undetected transmission for some unknown duration of time, followed by recent amplifier events. Fortunately, some measures introduced to control COVID-19 may also effectively control monkeypox transmission, such as social distancing, mask wearing, surface disinfection, and hand washing[ 53 , 54 ].…”