Volume 26, Number 5—May 2020
Policy Review
Nonpharmaceutical Measures for Pandemic Influenza in Nonhealthcare Settings—Social Distancing Measures
Min W. Fong1, Huizhi Gao1, Jessica Y. Wong, Jingyi Xiao, Eunice Y.C. Shiu, Sukhyun Ryu, and Benjamin J. Cowling
Table 1
Summary of results for systematic review of literature on nonpharmaceutical interventions for pandemic influenza*
| Type of NPI | No. studies identified | Study designs included | Main findings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isolation |
15 |
Observational, simulation |
Isolation has moderate impact in reducing influenza transmission and impact. |
| Quarantine |
16 |
Intervention study, observational, simulation |
Quarantine has general moderate impact in reducing influenza transmission and impact. |
| Contact tracing |
4 |
Simulation |
Combination of contact tracing with other measures (e.g., isolation and quarantine) can reduce influenza transmission and impact; the addition of contact tracing to existing measures might provide only modest benefit but will need substantial resources. |
| School closure | |||
| Planned holiday | 28 | Observational | The transmission of influenza decreases during routine school holidays but might increase after schools reopen. |
| Reactive closures | 16 | Observational | The effectiveness of reactive school closure varies. |
| Preemptive closures |
13 |
Observational |
Preemptive school closure has moderate impact in reducing influenza transmission. |
| Workplace measures |
18 |
Intervention study, observational, simulation |
Workplace measures are effective; combination with other interventions will further strengthen the effect. |
| Workplace closures |
10 |
Simulation |
Workplace closures might have modest impact in reducing influenza transmission. |
| Avoiding crowding |
3 |
Observational |
Timely and sustained application of measures to avoid crowding might reduce influenza transmission. |
| *Details of literature review are described in the Appendix. | |||
1These first authors contributed equally to this article.
Page created: April 16, 2020
Page updated: April 16, 2020
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