During an outbreak of a novel pathogen, public health officials must choose between mass prophylactic monoclonal antibody distribution for immediate protection and a time-consuming vaccine campaign aimed at long-term immunity. Which evaluation best summarizes trade-offs to inform policy?

• A. Monoclonal antibodies should be preferred universally because any time spent developing vaccines is wasted; monoclonals confer lifelong immunity after a single dose and therefore eliminate the need for vaccination programs entirely.
• B. Monoclonal antibodies and vaccines are equivalent in speed, durability, and cost, so the decision should be made randomly since there are no meaningful trade-offs relevant to outbreak policy.
• C. Monoclonal antibodies provide immediate artificially acquired passive protection useful for high-risk populations in the short term but require repeated doses as antibodies wane and do not produce memory; vaccines take longer to roll out yet induce artificially acquired active immunity with durable memory and broader population-level protection over time, so a combined strategy (targeted monoclonals now, vaccines for durable control) often balances the trade-offs.
• D. Vaccines should never be used in outbreaks because population-wide vaccination always suppresses the immune system, increasing disease severity; instead, mass administration of pooled immunoglobulin is the only ethical public health choice.

Answer: (C)