Role: Preventing and Containing Disease through Non-medical Options
The DOH may use a variety of disease containment measures to prevent or reduce the spread of disease. These may include:
All of these measures have been used in Anne Arundel County. During the Influenza Pandemic of 1918, records show that St. Johns College, Naval Academy and Ft. Meade were placed on a large-scale quarantine. Also, during this time, the Health Officer closed movie theaters and schools and ordered that funerals in the County and City be private.
More recently, during the Spring 2009 when the new flu strain of H1N1 first appeared and sickened large numbers of people, largely children. In response to this, policy makers initially suggested closing schools as a mechanism to slow the spread of disease.
