The up side of the SARS scare was that it motivated, forced in some cases, cities and municipalities to formulate plans and create mechanisms for reporting within and coordination of public health systems. Hopefully this round of swine flu will further cement the systems and case a redoubling of efforts to bolster out public health system.

My fear is that if this round of flu fizzles out that in these hard financial times people will see spending on public health as wasted money.

There is always going to be another round of flu, or other disease, coming. What happens if the much deadlier H5N1 bird flu combines with the very communicable but so far mild H1N1 swine flu. we could end up with a virus that spreads like wildfire and kills 60% of the people who get it. A public health system primed to isolate the strain and create of a vaccine, combined with efforts to contain it to buy time, could be our only hope.

Historically public health organizations have saved far more lives than treatment after the fact.