Free Republic

May 18, 2009, 4:00 a.m. Swine Flu HotwashReviewing the course of the recent outbreak can help us fight the next one. By Tevi Troy After a significant event, government officials often undertake a formal review of how they reacted. These exercises, called hotwashes, produce “lessons learned” documents that governments use to prepare for the next event. With the swine-flu episode apparently receding, government and public-health officials are probably preparing such hotwashes right now, and there is plenty to be learned. A lot of things went right in the recent outbreak, but not everything, and it is worth taking a...