Investigate and evaluate environmental management and quarantine methods

Investigate and evaluate environmental management and quarantine methods used to control an epidemic or pandemic

Environmental Management to control Epidemic:

  • These include methods to reduce the concentration of infectious respiratory aerosols (e.g. droplet nuclei) in the air and to reduce the presence of contaminated surfaces and items according to the epidemiology of the infection.
  • Examples of primary engineering controls for infectious respiratory aerosols include adequate environmental ventilation (≥ 12 ACH) and spatial separation (> 1m) between patients.
  • For infectious agents that spread by contact, cleaning and disinfection of contaminated surfaces and items are important environmental control methods.
[Reference: http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/WHO_CDS_EPR_2007_6c.pdf]

Quarantine Methods to control Epidemic:

  • Quarantine methods restrict movement of people who have been exposed to a certain type of disease so that it is not spread in a wider population.
  • Quarantine methods also include thorough screening of plants, animals and even humans who come from a different region for traces of any particular pathogen that can contribute in disease outbreak. If any traces are found, immediate actions are taken to eliminate that.

Extract from HSC Biology Stage 6 Syllabus. © 2017 Board of Studies NSW.

EasyBio > Infectious Disease > Prevention, Treatment and Control > Investigate and evaluate environmental management and quarantine methods


Investigate and evaluate environmental management and quarantine methods used to control an epidemic or pandemic

Environmental Management to control Epidemic:

  • These include methods to reduce the concentration of infectious respiratory aerosols (e.g. droplet nuclei) in the air and to reduce the presence of contaminated surfaces and items according to the epidemiology of the infection.
  • Examples of primary engineering controls for infectious respiratory aerosols include adequate environmental ventilation (≥ 12 ACH) and spatial separation (> 1m) between patients.
  • For infectious agents that spread by contact, cleaning and disinfection of contaminated surfaces and items are important environmental control methods.
[Reference: http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/WHO_CDS_EPR_2007_6c.pdf]

Quarantine Methods to control Epidemic:

  • Quarantine methods restrict movement of people who have been exposed to a certain type of disease so that it is not spread in a wider population.
  • Quarantine methods also include thorough screening of plants, animals and even humans who come from a different region for traces of any particular pathogen that can contribute in disease outbreak. If any traces are found, immediate actions are taken to eliminate that.

Extract from HSC Biology Stage 6 Syllabus. © 2017 Board of Studies NSW.