This game is repetitive and slightly annoying. It deserves more though, more armor, more weapons, more selections, more story. I'd steal from caravaneer for inspiration since that is obviously the bar to shoot for.
surgeon general by eradication. Try open government and shut down domestic travel to infected states and international travel to uninfected states. Then for the rest, use masks only and rotate them every 3 maybe 4 states at one time. When cure hits then start innoculating the infected states (not the uninfected one... i can't stress this enough) and keep putting out masks, don't stop this. Keep innoculating until under say 20 thousand healthy in a state and keep masks out until under 10 healthy. When you get to 10~100 people healthy then stop travel in that state until free from infection.
victory by eradication. This is what I do. Immediately ban foreign travel in all non infected states, (keep an eye on this) and ban domestic travel to infected states. Immediately road block northern california and flordia. Hand out mask until cure hits. Vaccine infected states without hospitals and put the rest of your money into roadblocks. 24 days 4 million dead and victory. It's all about generating enough cash and controlling panic.
I'd also like to add that this seems like a bug, or a giant F'U to the players that the infections would jump state borders even if there is a complete barricade of all roads, curfew, military support, and just one little guy with the wheezing cough. At least let me take the guy out to the shed and finish the job.
all this random fighting is making this game very tedious. If you reduce that (or eliminate random encounters on some routes all together) this could stand to be a playable game. Right now getting to Maru is a marathon.