There's a really good editorial in the latest NEJM that reviews the US response to the H1N1 virus.
The Need for Science in the Practice of Public Health
Nicole Lurie, M.D., M.S.P.H.
In short, the US response revealed several "areas for improvement", including the turn-around time for the flu vaccine production and distribution, and evidence-based analysis of decisions to shut down schools etc.
The take-home message:
"We will all have the opportunity to learn lessons from the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus. Although we would like to believe that pandemics occur rarely and that we have plenty of time until the next one, new infectious diseases, as well as other kinds of threats, can emerge at any time. One challenge will be to continue to invest in science — whether that means basic virology; surveillance; mitigation measures; vaccine development, manufacture, and distribution; operations and logistics; or communication — so that when the next pandemic or other emerging infectious disease appears, we will have the data we need to make informed decisions about how to confront it. A second challenge will be to strengthen the nation's public health infrastructure so that we can rapidly turn scientific knowledge into action."
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
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