Two Crises, One Strategy: A Comparative Analysis of Polio and COVID-19 Response Strategies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsr.v13i1.2228Keywords:
Polio Epidemic, COVID-19 Pandemic, Campaigns, Quarantining RestrictionsAbstract
Polio and COVID-19 are contagious diseases that affect the world to varying degrees. In America, both viruses overwhelmed communities and terrorized the public. Polio’s peak epidemics in America during the early to mid-1950s and the COVID-19 pandemic, starting in 2020 but slowly ending in 2023, were shortened through similar restrictions and fundraising efforts by the American public and government. There are many similarities between the government’s handling of these two viruses regarding campaigns and quarantines. Public health fundraisers for funding and vaccination for polio were related to the future movements for COVID-19. In addition, lessons learned from polio’s time about social restrictions helped the government enforce successful and effective constraints for COVID-19. The resemblance of the management between the poliovirus and the coronavirus highlights the importance of understanding the similarities between different viral infections and how this can help with future outbreaks.
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