# 1858
Yesterday I blogged on the study out of France that suggested that closing schools during a pandemic would only reduce the total number of deaths by about 15%, considerably less than previous studies had indicated.
My take is that in a severe pandemic, 15% fewer deaths could mean hundreds of thousands of lives saved. And in my opinion that is certainly worth the effort, regardless of the inconvenience.
What I find curious is the newspaper coverage of this announced study. Depending on which media report you read, this study was either confirmation that closing schools would save lives, or it cast doubt on the efficacy of the idea.
Here are a smattering of headlines from around the world, all on the same study, yet displaying vastly different takes on the same story.
School closures could prevent bird flu cases - 10 Apr 08 NetDoctor.co.uk - News 12:31
Study - Schools closures stop disease Irish Sun - World 08:58
Impact of closing schools during pandemic less than projected: study myTELUS - Canada 01:37
Flu pandemic plans could fail TVNZ 01:30
Closing schools during pandemic may not halt disease's spread CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) - New Brunswick 20:49 9-Apr-08
Closing schools might slow flu pandemic: study CTV.ca 19:03 9-Apr-08
1 in 7 cases of bird flu could be prevented by closing schools in event... EurekAlert! - Public News 18:11 9-Apr-08
