大流行的盘点:西班牙流感大流行和新型冠状病毒肺炎大流行的对比

There have been at least 20 plagues or pandemics clearly recorded in human history. The historical lessons are always worth learning. During the last century, human society has made great progress, while repeated the mistakes they had made. This article is a collaboration between medical expert and historian to compare the current COVID-19 pandemic with the "Spanish Flu" pandemic 100 years ago, with Australia as the base of comparison. The purpose is to enlighten and emphasize the needs to review our policies and actions. Researchers believe that the contexts of the two pandemics have been dramatically changed, the most obvious of which is the overall progress of the social economy and science and technology marked by the Information Age. However, when faced the attack of viral pathogens, the epidemic prevention strategies adopted as well as mistakes made are somewhat similar. The mental health effects of a pandemic are often neglected while health professionals deal with acute life-threatening risks. There are significant impacts which manifested as anxiety, depression and substance use disorders, especially PTSD, and its impact on family, health professionals, and on unemployed, youth and other socially disadvantaged groups. The researchers analyzed the characteristics of the mental health effects of the three stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, and suggested more needs to be learned about its psycho-social impact on communities across the globe and the effect of the imminent economic recession on the physical and mental well-being of this, and subsequent, generations.