The Swine Flu of 1976

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Sharfstein
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Swine Influenza ◽  
Neurological Complications ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Swine Flu ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Control And Prevention

Early in 1976, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proposed and President Gerald Ford approved a plan to vaccinate the country against swine influenza, a new infection that had only recently appeared on a New Jersey army base. While agency leaders imagined themselves rising to the challenge of a crisis, mismanagement and poor communication led to a debacle for public health. Problems included logistical difficulties in manufacturing the vaccine, disputes with Congress, and the inability to revise the vaccination goal in light of the fact that the disease never returned. When people who were vaccinated fell ill with neurological complications, the vaccine effort ended, but not before causing grave damage to confidence in public health agencies.

scholarly journals Field epidemiology training in Europe faces a bright future

2001 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-34
Author(s):  
Arthur L. Reingold
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
50Th Anniversary ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Field Epidemiology ◽  
Epidemic Intelligence ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
Intelligence Service

It is fitting that the group of articles describing various field epidemiology training programmes published here should appear in 2001, the 50th anniversary of the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Were he still alive today, Alex Langmuir (founder of EIS) would be delighted to see how well established and successful such training programmes have become in Europe. Similar ‘on-the-job’ training programmes intended to provide health professionals with the practical skills needed to conduct relevant and timely applied epidemiological investigations in the ‘real world’ of public health are also burgeoning in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Some of these training programmes are being developed and offered jointly with local academic institutions, others involve formal partnerships with CDC itself, and some are stand alone efforts of local public health agencies.

scholarly journals Initial epidemiological findings in the European Union following the declaration of pandemic alert level 5 due to influenza A (H1N1)

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
ECDC Technical Emergency Team
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
International Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Influenza A H1n1 ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Health Event ◽  
Health Regulations

The recent detection of a novel influenza A(H1N1) virus has led to the first WHO declaration of a Public Health Event of International Concern under the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005). Here we review the early epidemiological findings of confirmed cases in Mexico, the United States, Canada and EU/EFTA countries. Strengthened surveillance and continued, transparent communication across public health agencies globally will be necessary in coming months.

The African Union Makes Its Mark in the Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 120 (826) ◽  
pp. 172-177
Author(s):  
Thomas Kwasi Tieku
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
South African ◽  
African Union ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Global Challenges ◽  
Collective Response ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Pan Africanism ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
Control And Prevention

A new spirit of pan-Africanism guided the continent’s response to the pandemic. Led by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the African Union provided multilateral coordination and worked with external partners to obtain support, while the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention organized the pandemic responses of national public health agencies. The pandemic showed the risks of continued reliance on foreign donors for resources such as vaccines, but the collective response demonstrated that the AU has become a strong institution capable of addressing regional and global challenges.

The 2017 Hurricane Public Health Responses: Case Studies Illustrating the Role of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
DeAndrea Martinez ◽  
Kelcie A. Landon ◽  
Wesley McDermott ◽  
Joseph Roth ◽  
Amy Helene Schnall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Hurricane Season ◽  
Public Health Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Centers For Disease Control

ABSTRACT The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of State and Local Readiness (DSLR), Public Health Emergency Preparedness(PHEP) program funds 62 recipients to strengthen capability standards to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies. Recipients use these PHEP resources in addition to CDC’s administrative and scientific guidance to support preparedness and response program planning and requirements. It is expected that public health agencies develop and maintain comprehensive emergency preparedness and response plans in preparation for disasters such as hurricanes. The 2017 historic hurricane season highlighted how emergency planning and collaborative operational execution is important for public health agencies to effectively prepare for and respond to both the immediate and long-term population health consequences of these disasters. In 2017, the southeastern United States (US) and US Caribbean territories experienced 3 Category 4 or higher Atlantic hurricanes (Harvey, Irma, and Maria) within a 5-week period. This paper highlights selected case studies that illustrate the contributions and impact of jurisdictional emergency management planning and operational capacity supported by capability standards during the 2017 hurricane season. Although the magnitude of the 2017 hurricanes required public health officials to seek additional assistance, the following case studies describe the use of public health preparedness systems and recovery resources supported by the PHEP program.

A Review of Sentinel Laboratory Performance: Identification and Notification of Bioterrorism Agents

2010 ◽  
Vol 134 (10) ◽  
pp. 1490-1503
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Wagar ◽  
Michael J. Mitchell ◽  
Karen C. Carroll ◽  
Kathleen G. Beavis ◽  
Cathy Anne Petti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Reference Laboratory ◽  
Tularensis Subsp ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Response Network ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Control And Prevention

Abstract Context.—The anthrax incident of 2001 in the United States prompted the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the Association of Public Health Laboratories, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop exercises for Laboratory Response Network (LRN) sentinel laboratories. Objective.—To provide an overview of the results of the CAP bioterrorism Laboratory Preparedness Survey (LPS, 2007) and Laboratory Preparedness Exercise (LPX, 2008) and assist LRN sentinel laboratories and public health agencies in planning for bioterrorism events. Design.—Bioterrorism agents and nonbiothreat mimic organisms were provided in 2 mailings per year (2007 and 2008, 20 total challenges). Within each mailing, 2 to 3 agents were category A or category B bioterrorism agents (total of 10 categoric challenges). Some category A/B isolates were modified/vaccine strains. The total number of laboratories participating in these exercises ranged from 1316 to 1381. Isolate characteristics used to identify the organisms were compiled along with the participants' reporting actions. Educational commentary was provided with each exercise. Results.—Acceptable identification responses were as follows: Bacillus anthracis, 90% (2007) and 99.9% (2008); Yersinia pestis, 83.8% (2007) and 87.6% (2008); and Francisella tularensis subsp Holarctica, 86.6% (2007) and 91.6% (2008). The time interval between specimen receipt and notification of results to an LRN reference laboratory decreased from more than 10 days in 2007 to 3 or 4 days in 2008 for some challenges. Conclusions.—The bioterrorism challenge program (LPS, LPX) provides important comparative data from more than 1300 sentinel laboratories that can be used by individual laboratories to evaluate their identification and LRN reporting performance.

Applying the Common Rule to Public Health Agencies: Questions and Tentative Answers about a Separate Regulatory Regime

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 638-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Burris ◽  
James Buehler ◽  
Zita Lazzarini
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Regulatory Regime ◽  
Common Rule ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
The Past ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
The Common

No one questions the importance of protecting human subjects of research, but over the past few years dissatisfaction has surfaced with the manner in which the protection is conferred by the federal regulatory system referred to as “The Common Rule. ” Some of the criticism surfaces in print. Some bubbles out anecdotally in conversations among researchers, with complaints about the review process being virtually inevitable whenever the topic arises. Like those in other disciplines that differ more or less dramatically from the world of clinical medical research around which the Common Rule was conceptualized, public health researchers, particularly those working in official public health agencies, have experienced some tension and difficulty in adapting to the rules. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has adopted guidelines that require Common Rule review for “research” but not “practice” activities.

scholarly journals Collecting COVID-19: Documenting the CDC Response

Collections ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 155019062098041
Author(s):  
Heather E. Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disease Burden ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
The Political ◽  
Minority Communities ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Work Done

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered perceptions of the role of public health in our lives. In the U.S., the activities of federal and state public health agencies have dominated national conversations. Whether discussing testing, debating the use of cloth face coverings in public, or examining the work done to alleviate disease burden among minority communities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sits at the center of these debates. In March 2020, the David J. Sencer CDC Museum assembled a team of archivists and curators to collect material to document CDC’s response. Since the beginning of the pandemic, CDC’s response has been entangled in the political and social aspects of the pandemic. To reflect this, the CDC Museums’ COVID-19 Collection Project team has addressed which artifacts would be considered, opening the collection to include materials that reflect the dynamic social environment in which CDC operates.

Communications and Politics

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Sharfstein
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Political Judgment ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
Centers For Disease Control

An effective communications approach starts with a basic dictum set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Be first, be right, be credible.” Agencies must establish themselves as vital sources of accurate information to maintain the public’s trust. At the same time, public health officials must recognize that communications play out in the context of ideological debates, electoral rivalries, and other political considerations. During a public health crisis, this means that health officials often need to constructively engage political leaders in communications and management. Navigating these waters in the middle of a crisis can be treacherous. Figuring out the best way to engage elected leaders is a core aspect of political judgment.

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