The role of the military in containing epidemics/pandemics

Najhujše bolezni, ki so v svetovni populaciji terjale milijonske žrtve obolelih in umrlih so bile: kuga, črne koze, španska gripa, kolera in nazadnje COVID-19. Z napredkom družbe so se sčasoma razvili in vpeljali različni mehanizmi za preprečevanje in zdravljenje okužb, hkrati pa so se bolezni zaradi povezovanja sveta razširile na več celin in se razvile v epidemije oz. pandemije. Pri zajezitvah epidemij je imela že skozi celo zgodovino pomembno vlogo vojska, ki je takrat poleg običajnih nalog vojskovanja predvsem s svojim medicinskim osebjem in sredstvi pomagala na civilni ravni. Seveda niti vojaki niso bili imuni na okužbe, saj so se te razširile tudi na frontah in še dodatno zmanjševale storilnost in številčnost vojske. Zadnja težka pandemija je bila COVID-19. Kljub izredni organiziranosti, rigoroznih zajezitvenih ukrepih po večini držav in vsemu zdravstvenemu napredku nas je presenetila in za sabo pustila visoke številke okuženih, obolelih in mrtvih ter tudi posledice v svetovnem gospodarstvu in v vsakdanjem življenju. Tudi ob izbruhu COVID-19 se je kot nepogrešljiv člen v obvladovanju pandemije spet izkazala vojska. V magistrski nalogi opisujemo zgodovino epidemij/pandemij ter vlogo vojske pri zajezitvi le-teh skozi čas, teoretične osnove COVID-19 in državne ukrepe za obvladovanje bolezni, za empirični del pa smo izvedli anketo mnenj o COVID-19, o preventivi, sprejetih ukrepih ter posledicah za duševno zdravje med vojaki Vojašnice Vincenca Repnika Slovenska Bistrica.Diseases which caused millions of infected, ill and ultimately deaths in the global population were: plague, smallpox, Spanish flu, cholera and most recently COVID-19. With the advancement of society, various mechanisms for the prevention and treatment of infections have been evolved and introduced over time, while diseases had spread to several continents as a result of the integration of the world and evolved into epidemics or pandemics. In damming epidemics the military has always played an important rolein addition to the usual tasks of warfare, armies were also helping civiliansmostly with their medical staff and supplies. Of course, soldiers were not immune to infections, as they had also spread on the front lines and further reduced the productivity and abundance of the army. The last pandemic was COVID-19. Despite the extraordinary organisation, the rigorous restrictions in most countries and all the medical progress, it has left behind high numbers of those infected, ill and dead, as well as the consequences in the global economy and in everyday life. In the COVID-19 outbreak the military has once again emerged as an indispensable link. This work presents the history of epidemics/pandemics and the role of the military in their damming, biological characteristics of COVID-19 and the state&#39s measures for disease control, and for the empirical part a survey of opinions on COVID-19, on prevention, measures taken and mental health consequences among soldiers of Vincenca Repnika barracks Slovenska Bistrica was conducted