We have focused here on the United States, but similar fundamental principles-the need for systematic and concrete planning to minimize the social disparities that can be expected to occur in the face of natural disasters such as an infl uenza pandemic-apply worldwide. Countries with universal fi nancial access to healthcare and strong social safety nets will be best positioned to minimize such disparities. Countries in which large proportions of the population are impoverished or otherwise socially excluded and countries that have more limited resources and weaker public health and social welfare infrastructures will face the greatest challenges. The framework used here-considering and proactively addressing social vulnerability in exposure to pathogens, susceptibility to disease once exposed, and consequences of illness-should be applicable across national and subnational settings.  Conflict and Emerging Infectious Diseases  To the Editor: In the November 2007 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Gayer et al. (1) describe how confl ict leaves populations in dire poverty, internally displaced or seeking asylum, having poor access to essential services, and consequentially vulnerable to infectious diseases. Cholera, caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, is a disease that seems particularly sensitive to confl ict and deserves more consideration. Major risk factors for cholera-poverty, overcrowding, poor hygiene, contaminated food, and lack of safe drinking water (2,3)-largely resemble the consequences of war and civil fi ghting. Yet little is known about the relationship between cholera and confl ict. This lack of information may be because cholera tends to be epidemic, affecting hundreds to thousands of people across vast, war-torn regions, making it impossible for local governments, nongovernment organizations, and aid workers to control, let alone collect and analyze data.