Agree On No Plan For Fighting Flu

• After a four-day discussion, the American Public Health Association gave out copies of all the scientific and medical data presented with an explanation that different epidemics require different treatments• Retiring President Dr. Charles J. Hastings says, “We can not expect to draw up a definite program for combating influenza epidemics when we see so wide a divergence of opinion among medical authorities as has been shown here.”• Health officers from the southeast and small cities favored use of quarantine and masks, while health officers of larger cities opposed both of these measures; they, instead, favor the use of vaccines• Health officer Dr. J.W. Inches of Detroit led the argument against closing public places while ridiculing the use of masks in larger cities• Professor C.E.A. Winslow of Yale offered a dual system for larger systems: do not restrict public places in large cities, but to close public places in rural areas• Dr. W.H. Park of the committee on vaccines condemns the indiscriminate use of the stock vaccine until its effectiveness can be determined• Dr. Park admits the vaccine does not prove effective against the mild form of influenza, but did provide some protection against the more serious form of the disease• Park admits the vaccine was not used until the peak of the epidemic and thus, proved little• Frederick L. Hoffman of the committee of vital statistics says that nearly 100,000 had died in the U.S. in the last three months of the epidemic, mostly men between the ages of 20 and 40• Dr. W.C. Woodward of the committee on relief measures outlined an emergency plan for the organization of health personnel in preparation for a health emergency/severe reoccurrence of the diseaseNewspaper article