There were 115,340 excess pneumonia and influenza deaths (excess death rate [EDR], 500/100,000 population) in the 43 cities during the 24 weeks analyzed. Every city adopted at least one of the three major categories of non-pharmaceutical interventions. School closure and public gathering bans activated concurrently represented the most common combination implemented in 34 cities (79 percent); this combination had a median (midpoint) duration of four weeks (range, 1-10 weeks) and was significantly associated with reductions in weekly EDR. The cities that implemented non-pharmaceutical interventions earlier had greater delays in reaching peak rates of death, lower peak rates of death, and lower total number of deaths. There was a statistically significant association between increased duration of nonpharmaceutical interventions and a reduced total number of deaths.

These findings contrast with the conventional wisdom that the 1918 pandemic rapidly spread through each community killing everyone in its path. Although these urban communities had neither effective vaccines nor antivirals, cities that were able to organize and execute a suite of classic public health interventions before the pandemic swept fully through the city appeared to have an associated mitigated epidemic experience, the authors write.

Our study suggests that nonpharmaceutical interventions can play a critical role in mitigating the consequences of future severe influenza pandemics and should be considered for inclusion in contemporary planning efforts as companion measures to developing effective vaccines and medications for prophylaxis and treatment. The history of U.S. epidemics also cautions that the publics acceptance of these health measures is enhanced when guided by ethical and humane principles.

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Contact: Mary Beth Reilly
734-764-2220
JAMA and Archives Journals
7-Aug-2007