The 1957-58 pandemic was such a rapidly spreading dis-ease that it became quickly apparent to U.S. health officialsthat efforts to stop or slow its spread were futile. Thus, noefforts were made to quarantine individuals or groups, anda deliberate decision was made not to cancel or postponelarge meetings such as conferences, church gatherings, orathletic events for the purpose of reducing transmission. Noattempt was made to limit travel or to otherwise screentravelers. Emphasis was placed on providing medical care tothose who were afflicted and on sustaining the continuedfunctioning of community and health services. The febrile,respiratory illness brought large numbers of patients toclinics, doctors’ offices, and emergency rooms, but a rela-tively small percentage of those infected required hospi-talization.
