[Gay State Conservative]

If this is spread in the same way as,say,a cold or the "regular" flu then I think improved sanitation wouldn't be much of a factor.Colds,for example,are spread by things like coughing/sneezing and doorknobs ("Bill" sneezes into his hand,opens a door and a few minutes later "Mary" opens that same door and then rubs her eye...an area that contains mucous membranes).

One potentially important difference between 1918 and now is that in 1918 quickly traveling over long distances was impossible and,for that matter,international travel was almost unheard of. Today,1000 people a day (or more) can travel from,say,Bangkok to the US in less than 24 hours.Those people can all be infected but asymptomatic both when they leave Thailand *and* when they arrive in the US.

[tom paine 2]

Your point is well made. So why have we not shutdown international flights if it's so inevitable?