Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 - All You Need to Know!

The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 was a colonial rule used to control the plague that was widespread in the Bombay presidency. From this piece of legislation, we have witnessed that this Act has been used over several years as a regulatory instrument in combating epidemics through provision of special powers for implementing restrictive measures and checking the spread of diseases.

• Origins and Purpose: The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 Act was passed in view of outbreak of the bubonic plague in Bombay Presidency in 1890s. Readily, the colonial authorities required legal tools in order to effectively address the epidemic.Its major function was to curb spread of hazardous epidemic prone diseases in India or other regions in the world.
• Scope and Implementation:During an epidemic, the Act allows the authorities to make the appropriate measures. Such measures include quarantine and isolation and other precautionary measures.It gives legal foundation for placing limitations on mobility, shuttering of spaces open to the public and control of assembly.Isolation hospitals can also be created under the Act and it also permits the setting of official health officers in dealing with the incidences.
• Special Powers: to better deal with the Situation special powers are provided to medical officers and local authorities. These are the powers required in an epidemic so that it could be controlled as soon as possible.The Act allows them to gain access to premises, conduct the assessment and make necessary interventions with regard to the cases that are suspected.It also endows them with the authority to quarantine potentially ill persons.
• Recent Relevance: It is noteworthy; however, that law regarding epidemic diseases is still the Epidemic Diseases Act. It has been used in different outbreaks of diseases such as swine flu, dengue and cholera illness.Most notably, during the COVID-19 Most Indian states used this Act to impose the lockdown, regulate the social distancing, and the crisis overall.

Recent amendments

• The Government of India has brought an ordinance for amendment in the Act on 22nd April 2020. This amendment regards assault on the healthcare workers in the course of an epidemic.
• The part of the law introduced by this amendment is meant to safeguard doctors, employees in the health sector and the ASHA workers.
• According to this amendment, people who perpetrate violence on doctors or health care givers, can be put to jail for up to seven years. This was important in protecting frontline health care workers in the context of COVID 19 infection.

Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2021:This bill was brought for consideration in the Rajya Sabha on February 4, 2022, for the further improvement of the Act.

• Definition of Epidemic: The “epidemic” is defined within the bill to include perilous diseases that originate from infectious agents, genetically modified organisms or biological toxins that threaten the health of the population.
• Rights of Citizens: This describes the freedoms possessed by the citizens in an epidemic, insistence on equal treatment, freedom of speech, the freedom to seek independent medical opinion and right to emergency treatment and hospitals cannot charge you at that time.
• Supply of Essential Drugs: Central Government is responsible to provide adequate requirement of essential drugs and therapeutics during an epidemic, but particularly to lower income sections and beneficiaries under any government health insurance plans.

Epidemic

Epidemic is defined as an occurrence of a disease, which is widespread within a given time and in the meanwhile infects numerous people in a given area.

• An epidemic is a condition which arises when there is a sharp rise in disease frequency in a specified geographical area.
• It can encompass pathogens (something like a flu, measles or cholera) and/or health risky practices (for instance smoking prevalence).
• It is critical to know that it may be communicable, as well as non-communicable diseases.
• Examples: Yellow fever, small pox, measles, and poliomyelitis.

Types of Epidemics

Epidemics can take different forms based on their spread and impact:

1. Common-Source Epidemics:These are those which arise where a population is infected from a single source of pathogen or toxic agent.Some of the examples may include food borne illnesses such as water or any type of food that has been contaminated or exposure to any toxic substances such as chemicals.
2. Propagated Epidemics:Endemic diseases arise from direct contact of an infected person to another individual or another person.The disease can be said to be endemic since it affects successive members of a given population or community.Typical examples are flu or influenza or sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhoea among others.
3. Mixed Epidemics:There are epidemics whose characteristics resemble those of both common-source and propagated epidemics.Firstly, a common source mode may be involved in the spread but soon the chain of transmission is continued through human to human contact.

Some recent examples

• COVID-19 Pandemic (2019-Present):The coronavirus disease 2019 is arguably the most recent epidemic that has people’s attention at the moment. Emerged in the late 2019 in Wuhan city in China and became global within a few months.COVID-19 is an infectious disease that is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 commonly referred to as SARS-CoV-2. It has caused numerous cases of disease, strain on healthcare facilities and triggered social distancing and travel bans across the world.
• Ebola Outbreaks:
• Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), 2017: Few people died in the country due to the outbreak in the area.
• Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 2018: Other Ebola incident happened in Equateur Province.
• DRC, 2020: Another outbreak was identified in the country meaning that the danger of this fatal virus is still present.
• Avian Influenza A (H7N9) Virus Outbreak: This outbreak was in China; it caused concern due to its mode of transmission which is human to human transmission. Also known as Bird flu viruses that originate from avian species can sometimes be transmitted to human beings and causes respiratory related illnesses.
• Chikungunya Epidemic: caused because of infected mosquito bite. Such occurrences were observed in different world parts in the year 2020 including Asia, Africa and American countries.Some of the signs include fever that is above a normal range, joint aching and rashes.
• Zika Virus Epidemic: The Zika virus epidemic occurred in 2015–2016; most of the cases were reported in Latin American and Caribbean countries.Zika is spread through the larvae of Aedes Mosquitoes and it has severe consequences which include abnormalities in new-borns.

Initiatives by WHO related to Epidemics

Some of the main functions that WHO serveare of preventing and reducing the effects of epidemics and pandemics.

• Global Strategies for Epidemic-Prone Diseases: WHO formulates the broad strategies for the prevention and control of the disease which are considered to be of epidemic proportions. These strategies focus on diseases like yellow fever, cholera and influenza among them.
• Notable flagship strategies include:
• Eradication of Yellow Fever Epidemics strategy 2017-2026: This is a broader goal, which seeks to enhance the efforts of controlling Yellow Fever by special focus on immunization, monitoring, and containment of the disease.
• Ending Cholera: the Global Cholera Control: WHO aims at working with partners with the vision of ending cholera as a public health crisis by 2030. That’s why the roadmap shows the priority areas as water and sanitation, surveillance, and community engagement.
• Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework: This readiness necessitates global framework preparedness because a pandemic may occur at any one part of the world and spread to the others within short intervals. It comprises of monitoring and inspection, development of the vaccine, and equal distribution of vaccines.

Emergency Stockpiles Management:

• At present, WHO plays the role of secretariat in the management of global emergency stocks.
• During major outbreaks the provision of emergency vaccines is under the control and coordination of the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision as well as the provision of essential antibiotics.
• This mechanism helps to provide the required medical equipment and other medical articles on time each time that the deadly diseases surface.

Consolidating Scientific Evidence:

• WHO synthesizes intersectional& interdisciplinary scientific evidence as a key task.
• Using it, they extend this evidence into integrated and sustainable interventions for the targeted diseases.
• With the accumulation of knowledge, WHO leads international actions towards epidemic and pandemic.

Measures by government of India for epidemic situations

Comprehensive Strategy for COVID-19:

• Pre-emptive and Proactive Approach: When COVID 19 started in early 2020 the Indian government quickly changed its approach from reactive to pro-active and engaged the entire society. This strategy was aimed at reducing infection risks, build Healthcare management systems, and create sensitization of Covid-Appropriate Behaviours.
• Healthcare Infrastructure Strengthening: The main focus was directed to such activities as strengthening of the core capacities, laboratory, hospital environment, R&D for diagnostic tools. Defining indigenous production of critical medical commodities such as PPE, ventilators and Oxygen generation plants was encouraged.
• Citizen-Centric Measures: This highlighted the need for citizens’ participation in the fight against such diseases ranging from the preventive, diagnosing, treating, and even sensitization. The Aarogya Setu app and Covid-19 Testing were some of them.
• Vaccination Drive: India started the biggest vaccination drive in the world and this covered the whole of India. Actions were made to improve the capability of the local production of vaccines.
• Empowered Groups: The government setup 11 Empowered Groups in March 2020 as per need of COVID-19 management. These groups concerned themselves with medical emergency planning, transportation, staffing, partnership and communication, and long term strategic implications of lockdown.

Disease Eradication Programs:

The Government of India actively implements three disease eradication programs:

• National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme (NVBDCP): Concentrated on preventing disease causing vectors like mosquitoes, ticks and so on through diseases like malaria, dengue or Chikungunya among others.
• National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP): Its purpose is the eradication of leprosy by diagnosing, treating, and rehabilitating patients in the early stages.
• National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP): Committed to the control of tuberculosis through enhancing the diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

Whole-of-Government & Whole-of-Society Approach: India’s success in limiting COVID-19 cases and deaths per million populations is attributed to a five-fold strategy: quarantine, test, trace, treat, immunise and encourage the public to adhere to.The government was joined by many other stakeholders such as private organizations, civil society organizations, and individuals in fight against the pandemic