What are non-pharmaceutical interventions as part of a community mitigation?

Some community mitigation strategies during a pandemic involve the use of medications (pharmaceutical interventions) and other actions do not involve the use of drugs or vaccines, so they are often referred to as non-pharmaceutical interventions or NPIs by health professionals.  The non-pharmaceutical interventions will be our first line of defense in a pandemic.

• keeping sick people and well people apart,
• limiting contact between people by closing places where large groups of people gather,
• promoting hand washing,
• covering coughs and sneezes, and
• wearing face masks and respirators.

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Last Updated: 12/15/2008