H1N1 in Texas, PART A
2011
This case study focuses on public health challenges state officials faced in Texas during some of the first U.S. outbreaks of the Novel H1N1 (“swine flu”) pandemic. It explores how state health officials organized a response to the disease in the face of considerable uncertainty regarding its contagiousness, lethality, and geographic spread. Through the case, teachers and students can discuss the challenges of responding to a rapidly unfolding event featuring a high degree of novelty, the benefits and limitations of pre-event preparedness efforts, and the difficulties of coordinating an effective response among a number of partners and across multiple levels of government.
The case is part of a series produced by the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Case Program, hosted by the HKS Strengthening Learning and Teaching Excellence (SLATE) initiative, the world’s largest producer and repository of case studies designed for teaching about how government works and how public policy is made. Each case in the series is designed to train public leaders, and introduces actual policy dilemmas along with data to equip students to learn how to apply the rigor of quantitative analysis in the real world.
This case may be purchased for a nominal fee; registered educators may obtain a free review copy. Online supplemental resources include short free documents and videos on how to teach with the case method, as well as downloadable related tip sheets and questions for class discussion.
Source:
Giles D. On the Frontlines of a Pandemic: Texas Responds to 2009 Novel H1N1 Influenza (A). HKS Case No. 1940.0. Harvard Kennedy School Case Program 2011. http://case.hks.harvard.edu/on-the-frontlines-of-a-pandemic-texas-responds-to-2009-novel-h1n1-influenza-a.