The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7399 p524
6 May 2006

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Influenza containment

Restricting air travel from countries where there is a serious influenza outbreak will do little to prevent the spread of infection, a mathematical modelling study by the Health Protection Agency reveals (PLoS Medicine 2006;3:e212). The researchers say that banning flights would only be effective if travel could be stopped as soon as an outbreak is detected. They suggest that interventions to reduce local transmission would be more effective.