[leptons]

>Is there some major change we can make to our society, on a political and perhaps even social level, that might prevent these infections from spreading?

It's already widely know that distilled water is the way to use a neti pot. Doctors that recommended the neti pot to me were very explicit about only using distliled water with it. It's printed on the box and the instructions for the neti pots that it's for use with distilled water only. If people hear or read those words and then just fill it with tap water, then that's Darwinism at work.