Social measures may control pandemic flu better than drugs and vaccines

doi:10.1136/bmj.39255.606713.DB

BMJ 2007;334:1341 (30 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.39255.606713.DB

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Social measures may control pandemic flu better than drugs and vaccines

Richard Smith

Barcelona

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Non-pharmacological interventions may be as important as—oreven more important than—drugs and vaccines in fightingpandemic flu, speakers at a conference in Barcelona said lastweek.

The international conference on health technology assessmentheard from James LeDuc, a professor at the University of Texaswho until recently helped to lead the US national strategy forresponding to pandemic flu, how St Louis did much better thanPhiladelphia in the 1918 pandemic—long before effectivedrugs and vaccines were available. St Louis had its first caseson 5 October 1918, and on 7 October it took a range of measures,such as closing schools, theatres, and dance and pool hallsand banning public gatherings, including funerals. In contrast,Philadelphia had its first cases on 17 September but didn'tact until 3 October, and on 28 September a city-wide paradewas held. St Louis experienced fewer cases and a much slowerincrease in . . . [Full text of this article]