Difference between Quarantine and Isolation
Main difference
The main difference between Quarantine and Isolation is that Quarantine means the separation or restriction of movement of healthy people who were in contact with a contagious disease, while Isolation is the separation of sick people who are affected by a contagious disease.
Quarantine versus isolation
The word quarantine means the separation of those people who are in contact with a contagious disease to see if they show symptoms later or not. On the other hand, isolation is the separation of sick people who are affected by a contagious disease. So, quarantine separates healthy people, while isolation separates sick people from healthy people.
The use of the word ‘quarantine’ began around 1600 when a period of 40 days was considered to save oneself from the plague. This word is derived from the Italian word ‘quarantina’, which means a period of forty days, as it evolves from quaranta, which means “forty”. On the other hand, the history of isolation dates back to 1825 to 1835. It has the same origin as the word ‘isolation’, that is, the Latin word insulātus, which means “turned into an island” due to the word insula, which means ” Island”.
Quarantine is done to check whether healthy people get sick or not. On the other hand, isolation is done to prevent other people from becoming infected. Therefore, a quarantined person may or may not get sick, while an isolated person is always affected by a disease. So quarantine is not a routine procedure. It is done when it is known that a large group of people is exposed to some disease. On the other hand, isolation is a routine job in hospitals to prevent the outbreak of diseases.
Quarantine can be voluntary to prevent other people from becoming infected, and such quarantine is known as self-quarantine. In addition, it can also be authorized by the government in case of a health emergency or outbreak of a disease. On the other hand, voluntary isolation is called self-isolation, in which the patient separates himself to prevent others from getting sick. Officials may also have the power to separate those patients.
| Quarantine | Isolation |
| The separation of a group of people who have been in contact with a contagious disease to see if they develop symptoms later or not and to prevent further spread is known as quarantine. | The separation of sick people who are affected by a contagious disease to avoid others is known as isolation. |
| History | |
| The use of the word ‘quarantine’ began around 1600. | The history of the word ‘isolation’ dates back to 1825 to 1835. |
| Etymology | |
| The word ‘Quarantine’ is derived from an Italian word quarantina, which means a period of forty days, as it evolves from quaranta, which means “forty”. | The word “isolation” has the same origin as the word “isolation”, that is, the Latin word insulātus, which means “made on an island”, due to the word “insula”, which means “island”. |
| separation of people | |
| Separate healthy people. | Separate sick people from healthy people. |
| Importance | |
| It is done to check whether healthy people get sick or not. | Isolation is done to prevent other people from getting infected. |
| Illness | |
| A quarantined person may or may not get sick. | An isolated person is always affected by a disease. |
| Use | |
| It is not a routine procedure, but it is done when it is known that a large group of people is exposed to a disease. | Isolation is routine work in hospitals to prevent disease outbreak. |
| voluntary action | |
| Voluntary quarantine to prevent other people from becoming infected is known as self-quarantine. | Voluntary isolation is called self-isolation. |
| official authority | |
| Quarantine may be authorized by the government in the event of a health emergency or disease outbreak. | Officials also have the power to isolate sick people. |
What is quarantine ?
Quarantine is the separation of a group of people who have been in contact with a contagious disease to see whether or not they show symptoms later and to prevent further spread. This word ‘Quarantine’ is derived from the Italian word ‘quarantina’, which means a period of forty days, as it evolves from quaranta, which means “forty”. The use of the word “quarantine” began around 1600. At that time, a 40-day restriction was placed on ships suspected of carrying a contagious disease. This practice was very common to avoid the plague in Venice.
So quarantine involves separating healthy people to see if they get sick or not. It is not a routine procedure, but it is done when it is known that a large group of people is exposed to a disease. If a person chooses to quarantine to prevent other people from becoming infected, this type of quarantine is known as self-quarantine. In addition, it can also be authorized by the government in case of a health emergency or outbreak of a disease.
Quarantine is imposed when sufficient resources are available to care for people in quarantine, maintain quarantine, and provide essential services.
Quarantine control strategies
- Short-term home confinement
- Restrictions on travel for people who may be affected
- Restriction of passage in and out of the specific region.
- Restriction of public events
- Cancellation of mass transit systems
- stop public gatherings
- Closure of public areas
What is insulation ?
Isolation is the separation of sick people who are affected by a contagious disease to avoid others. This word “isolation” has the same origin as the word “isolation”, that is, the Latin word insulātus, which means “turned into an island”, due to the word “insula”, which means “island”. The history of this word dates back to 1825 to 1835.
Isolation always separates sick people from healthy people to prevent them from getting infected. It is routine work in hospitals to prevent disease outbreak. Patients affected by a contagious disease are treated separately in hospitals with special precautions to prevent spread. A person who chooses himself for isolation is called self-isolation. Officials may also have the authority to separate such patients.
- The separation of a group of people who have been in contact with a contagious disease to see if they develop symptoms later or not and to prevent further spread is known as quarantine. In contrast, the separation of sick people who are affected by a contagious disease to avoid others is known as isolation.
- The use of the word “quarantine” began around 1600 to avoid the plague. On the other hand, the history of the word ‘isolation’ dates back to 1825 to 1835.
- The word ‘Quarantine’ is derived from the Italian word ‘quarantina’, which means a period of forty days, as it evolves from Quaranta, which means ‘forty’. On the contrary, the word “isolation” has the same origin as the word “isolation”, that is, the Latin word insulātus, which means “turned into an island”, due to the word “insula”, which means “island”. .
- Quarantine implies the separation of healthy people. On the other hand, isolation always separates sick people from healthy ones.
- Quarantine is done to check whether or not healthy people get sick and to prevent further spread of the disease. On the other hand, isolation is done to prevent other people from becoming infected.
- A quarantined person may or may not get sick; on the contrary, an isolated person is always affected by a disease.
- Quarantine is not a routine procedure, but is done when a large group of people is known to be exposed to a disease. On the other hand, isolation is a routine job in hospitals to prevent the outbreak of diseases.
- Voluntary quarantine to prevent others from becoming infected is known as self-quarantine; on the other hand, voluntary isolation is called self-isolation.
Final Thoughts
The discussion above summarizes that quarantine is the separation of a group of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see whether or not they are affected and to prevent further spread. On the other hand, isolation is the separation of affected people to prevent the spread of disease.