That’s the challenge of proactive public health practice. If you prevent something from happening because of your actions, you’ll always be second-guessed as to whether the action was necessary. On the other hand, if you don’t act on the information you have and an outbreak occurs, you will be burned at the stake by the media, elected officials, and even your colleagues. I have always taken the position as a public health professional that I’d rather have to answer for something I did than for something I didn’t do.
