Dread to innominate environment, seems to be more pandemic. Impatience with the scale of events more global. Even in this dilemma following the basics and understanding its relevance cannot be underestimated. Difference between isolation and quarantine are some of the few terms that are now being uttered, dictated and expressed uncountable times.

What is Isolation

In lexicon it has been described as the act of separating oneself or being separated.

What is Quarantine

A period of separating or isolating oneself after being exposed to infectious or contagious diseases.

Isolation Vs Quarantine

It’s easy to define both, and as noticed, it is the definition on which protocols are being based on the recent pandemic of COVID 2019-2020.

It must be noticed that there is a very thin line of demarcation between Isolation and quarantine. All patients of quarantine are actually in a form of isolation but all isolation patients are not quarantined.

It’s basis is on the appearance of disease symptoms or how healthy you appear. Yes! we shouldn’t get hyped that we or the other persons are looking healthy. It should be clearly stated that a person is apparently healthy until proven otherwise.

Associated Terms

1- Infectious versus contagious diseases

Herein these terms must be understood clearly which automatically superfies the importance of isolation and quarantine. Firstly, all contagious diseases are communicable diseases as they need a source, vector to transmit. Thus, all contagious/ communicable diseases are infectious and need contact.

In contrast, all infectious diseases are not communicable they may be non-communicable too but they are infectious still as there is role play of some infectious agents. Some examples of contagious diseases are:

Covid 19

Ebola

Hantavirus etc….

2-Airborne and droplet

Another term which needs to be comprehended are terms air-borne and droplet; as it determines the type of isolation required. It also determines to what extent the protective gear is needed when healthcare workers and associated paramedics come in contact.

Air-borne: In air-borne, germs on coughing, sneezing etc as term states will stay in air for some time and will affect and enter through eyes, mouth and nose etc. like chicken pox, tuberculosis etc.

Droplet: It is when germs because of cough, sneezing travel inside the droplets and through these droplets can enter mouth, nose etc. It this occurs over short distances of usually less than 3 feet (1 metre). Another mode is when you touch surfaces where the germs are and then touch eye, mouth etc. Examples are: Ebola, plague etc.

Isolation Classification

Isolation is of the following types:

Contact isolation: 384

It is used to prevent diseases through contact with open wounds.

Respiratory isolation: This term is not so common among laymen and is used where chances of transmission are exponentially increased thru exhalation. It requires special precautions by health care workers.

Reverse isolation: This term is used when you do not want patients in compromised states to be exposed to harmful substances in the environment. In this case, you will wear a certain gear not to protect yourself but to protect patient from you. One eg is post-transplantation when immune system is knocked down to avoid rejection.

Self isolation: This time being frequented nowadays is a form of quarantine. If it is self-quarantine its like social distancing meaning:

  • Avoiding large gatherings
  • Keeping a distance of at least 6 feet from others
  • prefering online learning/ home working etc

Other self-isolation is like home isolation and a form of quarantine after risk of exposure or an identified contact but without symptoms. Isolation may be modified if symptoms appear etc.

In these unpredictable days, there is more need of being compassionate with empathy and indeed someone has said rightly that “Prevention is better than cure” and it goes a long way.