In April 2020; in regards to COVID-19, a new term was coined in the European literature. "Inverse Quarantine." I don't think this term is appropriate, except for one different scenario. It should be, as we have used for years, "Isolation" or "Reverse Isolation" depending on whether the person is a patient or not. The word quarantine is more of a legal term, used by the government; in medicine I believe we use the word "isolation." As I used to work in both, I have used both in the past. But the term "Inverse Isolation or Inverse Quarantine" implies that something is 'upside down.' Reverse, I think is a better word. Where I think that the "Inverse" may be used more appropriately, is for those people at the time of a pandemic, are freely running around the community, without any personal protection, thus potentially spreading the virus to many. Consider the asymptomatic viral shedder. As this is obviously 'upside down behavior' I would be more apt to call this "Inverse Quarantine."
"Reverse Isolation" or "Reverse Quarantine" is probably recommended until the cure or vaccine is distributed for all people over age 60 based upon the following graph. Please consider:
I think reverse quarantine is appropriate; which is a type of HERD immunity whereby proportion of individuals in a community who are immune give protection to non-immune individuals.
Very nice, yes new things need new words, neologism. Anyway my word "Reverse isolation" is not new; my mother, as a nurse 70 years ago used "Reverse isolation" as a common medical term back then. (They didn't have gloves back then, but they did have reusable face masks) That was before I was born, so no, I can't take credit for that neologism. Stay safe and thank you, Gary Ordog
To explain it a little further, as to my understanding. From a medical perspective, someone with a communicable disease may be put under isolation, so that the public and staff using PPE are not exposed. That is a medical term, and the patient with the disease has a free right to refuse treatment and leave against medical advise. At that time, the legal condition of quarantine may be invoked, basically forcing the patient to stay because he is a danger to the community. Thus, in the hospital you have the medical term and different legal term in possible use.
According to Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary quarantine is “restriction of freedom of movement of apparently well individuals who have been exposed to infectious disease, imposed for the usual maximal incubation period of the illness”. This is done for those people who are exposed to an infectious disease in order to stop the spread of infection, whereas separating those with the confirmed disease from normal is called isolation.
Inverse or reverse isolation is the term usually used to put a neutropenic or a severely immuno-compromised patient in a private room to avoid getting infected from other people who may transmit the infection to such patients.
"Reverse quarantine" does not make any sense.
Article Reverse isolation for neutropenic patients
Yes, my point, but inverse quarantine is upside down quarantine, new term that doesn't make sense to me.