Throughout history, interventions such as safety measures and quarantine were implemented to improve public safety. According to Rosenberg (2019), Mary Mallon was “the first “healthy carrier” of typhoid fever” recognized in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century, which made her infamous as Typhoid Mary (para. 1). This woman was found to be a typhoid bacteria carrier, and healthcare authorities accused her of 47 illnesses and three deaths, isolating her on an island for most of her life (Rosenberg, 2019, para. 45).
Woolliscroft (2020) argues that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and people’s public health responsibilities are “a modern instance of a long-standing problem as exemplified by the celebrated case” of Typhoid Mary (p. 1141). The story of the coronavirus outbreak during the 2020 charity tournament of Novak Djokovic is a recent example of a mass disease spread. As Shapiro (2020) reports, four tennis players tested positive for COVID-19 despite the organizers’ effort to follow health guidelines and ensure safety (para. 1). In contrast to the Typhoid Mary situation, modern safety protocols and quarantine interventions allowed to limit the adverse consequences of the Djokovic case for the public.
Overall, humanity has significantly improved public health measures since the Typhoid Mary incident in the 20th century. While the case of Mary Mallon raised ethical concerns and the issue of individual rights, it also highlighted the importance of infections disease identification in asymptomatic carriers to prevent massive outbreaks. The situation of Novak Djokovic illustrated how a timely response could reduce the adverse consequences of mass spread. Both instances raise the following questions: “What measures can be implemented to reduce outbreaks?” and “What role do clinicians play in disease management?” Based on the World Health Organization’s guidelines outlined by Salathé et al. (2020), I recommend “rapid diagnosis and immediate isolation of cases, rigorous tracking and precautionary self-isolation of close contacts” to control outbreaks (p. 1).
Furthermore, Blais and Hayes (2016) underline the role of nursing in global health and disease prevention and management, namely, raising awareness, improving communication, and identifying solutions to challenges. People should accumulate knowledge obtained throughout history to improve public health and safety measures.