Response Regarding: “How to Manage Head Injury with COVID-19 Pneumonitis on Mars? Rare but High Impact Complex Medical Emergencies in Space.”

We appreciate the comments from Brzezicki et al. regarding our article on medical management on deep space missions to Mars. They have rightly identified that there is an unquantified risk of infectious diseases in the extraterrestrial environment, especially new and emergent diseases. Expected precautions would include aggressive screenings and social isolation prior to launch; however, both emergent pathogens and extraterrestrial pathogens are possible. Such infections could pose significant challenge as accurate diagnosis and comprehensive treatment will be impacted by limited medical equipment available given weight and space restrictions.
Source: Journal of Surgical Research - Category: Surgery Authors: Source Type: research