State Plans for Containment of Pandemic Influenza

Abstract

Current plans for control of pandemic influenza vary, and many do not include nonpharmaceutical interventions.

Health Outcomes and Costs of Community Mitigation Strategies for an Influenza Pandemic in the United States

“…Although federal agencies have advocated the use of social distancing to mitigate pandemic influenza, it is unknown when these strategies become cost-effective to society [3,25]. We find that, for an influenza pandemic with moderate severity (R o of 2.0 or greater and case fatality rate 11%), the most cost-effective strategy is multilayered.…”

Disease Mitigation Measures in the Control of Pandemic Influenza

“…15 But a recent review of the current pandemic influenza plans of 49 states reveals that few explicitly discuss implementing community mitigation strategies. 16 The authors of the review attribute this lack of planning for influenza in part to "weak central (federal) direction and the lack of key epidemiological data." 16 One of the better-developed plans is that of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 17 whose staff considered the use of disease mitigation measures but decided to incorporate few of the measures now described in federal plans.…”

Avian and pandemic influenza: Progress and problems with global health governance

“…For interpandemic influenza, measures such as travel restrictions, border controls, travel screening, social distancing, isolation, and quarantine, are considered unnecessary or ineffective and, thus, rarely used. Although most pandemic preparedness plans discuss the use of non-pharmacological measures, serious doubts about the effectiveness of such measures exist (Holmberg et al 2006, Inglesby et al 2006. Effectiveness would depend on some unknown factors, such as the pandemic virus' transmissibility.…”

“…First, a vaccine for a pandemic strain is unlikely to be widely available for 3Á6 months after a pandemic begins, because of the need to match the vaccine to the virus in circulation. Uncertainties about vaccine supply constrain pandemic preparedness planning (Holmberg et al 2006). Stockpiling of a precisely matched vaccine ahead of a pandemic is not possible, but some scientists believe that a human vaccine against the H5N1 virus may serve some use.…”