scholarly journals Bioterrorism preparedness and the Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN)

2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
David W Smith

The anthrax events that occurred in the USA in 2001 demonstrated that bioterrorism remains a real possibility in the modern world. Although Australia was spared the genuine anthrax events, we did experience many hoax events and massive disruption. Biological agents can cause terror not only by the real risk when one is released, but also by the social and economic disruption resulting from credible threats. Laboratory capacity is fundamental to the bioterrorist response and members of the Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN) had a major role in the Australian white powder incidents.


2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
John Bates

Starting in Canberra and spreading rapidly around the country from 12 October 2001 onwards, the laboratories of the Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN) were placed on high alert as the nation responded to a heightened fear of anthrax mail attacks. This manifested itself in an incredible array of samples being submitted to laboratories for analysis and detection of possible anthrax contamination. Laboratory staff were placed under high stress in the performance of this work.



2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 194
Author(s):  
John R Bates

The Public Health Laboratory Network had its inaugural meeting on 26 June 1997. The meeting was chaired by Professor Lyn Gilbert who played a pivotal role in establishing this group. This was the first time that all the state and territory public health laboratory directors had been called to meet together. Members expressed a strong desire to communicate more closely on issues of public health importance and recognised the importance of promoting the role of public health laboratories in outbreak investigations and routine and enhanced surveillance.



2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 27-33
Author(s):  
Maria Luiza Lopes ◽  
Emilyn Costa Conceição ◽  
Ricardo José de Paula Souza e Guimarães ◽  
Ana Roberta Fusco da Costa ◽  
Karla Valéria Batista Lima


2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-59
Author(s):  
Mark Tomita

The Global Health Disparities CD-ROM Project reaffirmed the value of professional associations partnering with academic institutions to build capacity of the USA public health education workforce to meet the challenges of primary prevention services. The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) partnered with the California State University, Chico to produce a CD-ROM that would advocate for global populations that are affected by health disparities while providing primary resources for public health educators to use in programming and professional development. The CD-ROM development process is discussed



2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272199545
Author(s):  
Areej Khokhar ◽  
Aaron Spaulding ◽  
Zuhair Niazi ◽  
Sikander Ailawadhi ◽  
Rami Manochakian ◽  
...  

Importance: Social media is widely used by various segments of society. Its role as a tool of communication by the Public Health Departments in the U.S. remains unknown. Objective: To determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social media following of the Public Health Departments of the 50 States of the U.S. Design, Setting, and Participants: Data were collected by visiting the Public Health Department web page for each social media platform. State-level demographics were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention was utilized to collect information regarding the Governance of each State’s Public Health Department. Health rankings were collected from “America’s Health Rankings” 2019 Annual report from the United Health Foundation. The U.S. News and World Report Education Rankings were utilized to provide information regarding the public education of each State. Exposure: Data were pulled on 3 separate dates: first on March 5th (baseline and pre-national emergency declaration (NED) for COVID-19), March 18th (week following NED), and March 25th (2 weeks after NED). In addition, a variable identifying the total change across platforms was also created. All data were collected at the State level. Main Outcome: Overall, the social media following of the state Public Health Departments was very low. There was a significant increase in the public interest in following the Public Health Departments during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: With the declaration of National Emergency, there was a 150% increase in overall public following of the State Public Health Departments in the U.S. The increase was most noted in the Midwest and South regions of the U.S. The overall following in the pandemic “hotspots,” such as New York, California, and Florida, was significantly lower. Interesting correlations were noted between various demographic variables, health, and education ranking of the States and the social media following of their Health Departments. Conclusion and Relevance: Social media following of Public Health Departments across all States of the U.S. was very low. Though, the social media following significantly increased during the early course of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it still remains low. Significant opportunity exists for Public Health Departments to improve social media use to engage the public better.



Author(s):  
Adeela Arshad-Ayaz ◽  
M. Ayaz Naseem

AbstractAs a once in a 100 years emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in repercussions for the economy, the polity, and the social. Also, the ongoing pandemic is as much a teaching moment as it to reflect on the lack of critical citizenship education. The fault lines of the health system have become visible in terms of infection and death rates; the fault lines of the educational system are now apparent in the behavior of the citizens who are flouting the public health guidelines and, in certain cases, actively opposing these guidelines. The main objective of this commentary is to initiate a dialogue on the social contract between the state and the subjects and to see how education and educators can respond to the challenge of the new normal. It is contended that education under the new normal cannot afford to keep educating for unbridled productivity education under the new normal. It must have welfare, human connections, ethical relationships, environmental stewardship, and social justice front and center.



2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin E. Schneider ◽  
Glenna J. Urquhart ◽  
Saba Rouhani ◽  
Ju Nyeong Park ◽  
Miles Morris ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Naloxone distribution programs have been a cornerstone of the public health response to the overdose crisis in the USA. Yet people who use opioids (PWUO) continue to face a number of barriers accessing naloxone, including not knowing where it is available. Methods We used data from 173 PWUO from Anne Arundel County, Maryland, which is located between Baltimore City and Washington, DC. We assessed the prevalence of recently (past 6 months) receiving naloxone and currently having naloxone, the type(s) of the naloxone kits received, and the perceived ease/difficultly of accessing naloxone. We also assessed participants knowledge of where naloxone was available in the community. Results One third (35.7%) of participants had recently received naloxone. Most who had received naloxone received two doses (72.1%), nasal naloxone (86.9%), and education about naloxone use (72.1%). Most currently had naloxone in their possession (either on their person or at home; 78.7%). One third (34.4%) believed naloxone was difficult to obtain in their community. Only half (56.7%) knew of multiple locations where they could get naloxone. The health department was the most commonly identified naloxone source (58.0%). Identifying multiple sources of naloxone was associated with being more likely to perceive that naloxone is easy to access. Discussion Our results suggest that additional public health efforts are needed to make PWUO aware of the range of sources of naloxone in their communities in order to ensure easy and continued naloxone access to PWUO.



2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandro Galea ◽  
Salma M. Abdalla

Abstract Guns have long affected the health of the American population. The preponderance of evidence showing that guns harm the public’s health suggests that regulating civilian access to guns should be universally embraced. Yet, action on guns has been vanishingly small. Why? At core, the inaction reflects a clash between our knowledge and our values. Despite the compelling public health argument for better gun control, we have not been able to grapple with the social meaning of guns, which informs the values that shape the public conversation. Doing so will require public health to engage in transdisciplinary work that pushes the field’s boundaries.



2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 266 ◽  
Author(s):  
AnneHarwood Peruski ◽  
Maureen Birmingham ◽  
Chawalit Tantinimitkul ◽  
Ladawan Chungsamanukool ◽  
Preecha Chungsamanukool ◽  
...  


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