Scope of Page:
This page covers the outcomes and impacts of both infectious disease outbreaks and the impact of the policies implemented to contain them. A focus is taken to include both the direct efficacy and impact of diease outbreaks on Canada and also the indirect and longer lasting effects of these events. There is also an emphasis placed on the populations that are the most vulunerable to infectious dieases and in what ways they are dispoprtitally impacted by the governments policies. Although most of the outcomes and effects discussed are applicable to a majority of diease outbreaks, there is a specific focus on the Covid-19 Pancdemic due to its receancy and maginitude.
Direct effects of disease responses efforts (efficacy)
Canada's response to COVID-19 was relatively effective compared to many other countries. The country maintained a lower cumulative per-capita rate of COVID-19 cases (82,700 per million) than most comparators, with the Netherlands and France having rates over three times higher. In terms of vaccinations, Canada was initially slow to roll out vaccines but rapidly increased its rates, ultimately achieving the highest proportion of fully vaccinated people by February 2022, at 79.9%. Despite this, Canada’s rate of COVID-19-related deaths (919 per million) was among the lowest, second only to Japan, and its cumulative excess mortality was also low. Public health measures were stringent, with Canada having the second-highest median Oxford Stringency Index, characterized by sustained restrictions, including long school closures and limits on internal movement and public gatherings. Overall, Canada’s disease response was marked by a combination of strong vaccination uptake, effective public health measures, and relatively low mortality, despite the economic and social challenges.
https://www.cmaj.ca/content/194/25/e870
Short term indirect effect of disease response efforts
The most immediate effect of diease outbreaks is on the health care system it’s self. The impact is not contained to those just those sick with or treating the infectious diease, it effects all aspects of health care in Canada. In the case of disease outbreaks in the health care setting, strict IPAC (infection prevention and control) mesures are required to be implemented by nurses. Adhereing to these measures nessasarily requires significant time and attention by the nurses, leaving them unable to provide the same level of care to their patients. If hospitals are not able to provide additional personal during times of outbreaks, the ablility of hostipals to function properly is put in jeopardy.
Healthcare works who work through diease outbreaks are also at a much higher risk for suffering long term mental health consequences. Front line works during the SARS pandemic reported increased levels of both anexity and deporession after the experience. Without a healthy and effective health care staff there is no possiblility of controlling future diesese outbreaks. Stress management training, in addition to inscreased staff is proposed as a policy solution. Disease Outbreaks in the health care system also often mean that non urgent procedures and surgeries are postponed or canceled. During the COVID-19 Pandemic studies found that there were proportational far more urgent surgeries completed likely due to the proigtization of resources nessasry in a large scale diease outbreak. There is also evidence to suggest that those who sought care had higher mortality rates during this period which could point to Canadians delaying treatment due to the outbreak.
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/8/e085247
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25922983/
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/070674370705200406
Long term indirect effects of disease response efforts
Economic Impacts
The response to an Infectous Diease outbreaks involves an econmic investment by the government. This is often unexpected and depending on the scale of the outbreak can be a significant financial burden for the government with far reaching effects. In Canada communicable dieases make up 5 percent of the total economic burden of dieases as of the year 2008. In a larger scale pandemic such as Covid 19 this percentage is likely to be far more significant. This burden is likely to mean funding being diverted away from, other causes or an increase in national debt accumulation.