Forensic Medicine Practice In The Time Of COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges And Future Perspectives

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

2 Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine , Zagazig University

Abstract

In the last few months, COVID-19 pandemic caused some challenges for forensic practitioners. The crimes are still being committed and people still die due to causes not related to COVID-19 pandemic, where the forensic practitioners is asked to clinically examine some cases and identify the cause of and manner of death of others. Consequently, the forensic physicians will continue to examine victims of violence and the forensic pathologists should keep doing the autopsy of the corps of those killed by murder , suicide, accidentally or even sudden and unexpected death (like cases of heart attack or stroke). As any other individual in the community, these medico-legal cases may also be infected with COVID-19. SO, all forensic practitioners are at risk to catch COVID-19 infection either during examination of clinical cases that may be infected or during autopsy of infected bodies. The purpose of this review article is to know the potential risks facing forensic practitioners during examination of cases or doing autopsy in COVID-19 pandemic. It also indicates how to manage the dead bodies of suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 virus infection in order to minimize the risk of environmental contamination and the contagion of forensic practitioners and the proper guidelines and recommendations for the future.

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