February 6, 2018
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By Tara Kirk Sell and Jennifer Nuzzo
Vaccines are in high demand, hospitals are stressed, and the nation's public health system as a whole is struggling to meet the demands of a disease for which there are effective medical countermeasures and decades of research, and we know to expect every year. What does this mean about our ability to manage the next big bio threat?
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Public Health & Healthcare Preparedness
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NEWS The CDC is About to Fall Off a Funding Cliff.
The $1 billion of Ebola money was used under the umbrella of the Global Health Security Agenda-a five-year international partnership to improve the health security of developing nations. Barack Obama convened the GHSA in 2014 with strong bipartisan support, and it has already made a significant difference.
(The Atlantic, 2/2/18)
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NEWS The Imperfect Science of Mapping the Flu.
By the second week of January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention thought this flu season had already peaked. Cases of the disease were widespread around the country, but the overall numbers were not overwhelming: The hospitalization rate was about half as high as in 2014-15, the last severe flu season. CDC officials predicted there would be fewer deaths.
(CityLab, 1/30/18)
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BLOG Four Health and Safety Tips for Mass Gatherings.
At a mass gathering like the Super Bowl, the Olympics, or in a public place like the airport, the community includes people you do not know, but whose actions could help prevent a catastrophe or save your life. Here are four things you can do to prepare yourself and protect others when traveling to, and attending, a mass gathering event.
(CDC, 1/30/18)
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Homeland Security & Disaster Preparedness
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PRESS RELEASE Reading the Body's History of Threat Exposure.
DARPA's new Epigenetic Characterization and Observation (ECHO) program aims to build a field-deployable platform technology that quickly reads someone's epigenome and identifies signatures that indicate whether that person has ever-in his or her lifetime-been exposed to materials that could be associated with weapons of mass destruction.
(DARPA, 2/1/18)
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Radiological & Nuclear Disaster Preparedness
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Science & Technology Policy
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WORKSHOP Training Course: Achieving Data Quality and Integrity in Maximum Containment Laboratories.
To help address the challenges associated with ensuring data quality and integrity in regulated studies conducted in BSL-4 laboratories to support MCM development, FDA and the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston National Laboratory collaborate to provide an annual training course on how to meet good laboratory practice requirements in BSL-4 facilities. The Spring 2018 course will be offered April 23-27, 2018. Registration is required by February 16, 2018.
(FDA, 2/2/18)
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Ensuring Effective and Reliable Alerts and Warnings. US House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications. 2/6/18, 10 AM. House Capitol Visitor Center, Room 210. More |
Defending the Homeland: Department of Defense's Role in Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction. US Senate Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities. 2/7/18, 2:30 PM. Russell 232A. More |
The State of the Nation's Water and Power Infrastructure. US House Committee on Natural Resources. 2/14/18, 2 PM. Longworth 1324. More |
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