[SpicyLemonZest]

The polio waves in the 40s and 50s I'd argue were handled pretty optimally. Public accommodations were (for over a decade!) shut down when needed to control the epidemic in their area, and the government pushed hard to fund vaccine development. But as far as I've read, there were no significant voices arguing either "polio is just a bad flu" or "we'd better shut down schools until the vaccine is ready".