Preparedness Pulsepoints

October 17, 2017

Public Health & Healthcare Preparedness

RESEARCH
Joint External Evaluation-Development and Scale-Up of Global Multisectoral Health Capacity Evaluation Process. The Joint External Evaluation, a consolidation of the World Health Organization (WHO) International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR 2005) Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and the Global Health Security Agenda country assessment tool, is an objective, voluntary, independent peer-to-peer multisectoral assessment of a country's health security preparedness and response capacity across 19 IHR technical areas. (Emerging Infectious Diseases, 10/13/17)

STATEMENT
Statement by FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD on Baxter Manufacturing Recovery in Puerto Rico. Since Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico, the FDA has been working closely with Baxter and other companies to reduce the risk of shortages of critically important drugs and to minimize impact on any existing shortages. (FDA, 10/13/17)

NEWS
Trump Will Scrap Critical Obamacare Subsidies. The subsidies, which are worth an estimated $7 billion this year and are paid out in monthly installments, may stop almost immediately, since Congress hasn't appropriated funding for the program. (Politico, 10/12/17)

See also:

PRESS RELEASE
HHS, FEMA, DoD and VA Continue to Provide Sustained and Critical Medical Care Support for Puerto Rico as Part of Trump Administration Response to Hurricane Maria. To address the medical needs arising following the storm, HHS coordinated with DoD to transport medical personnel from HHS' National Disaster Medical System and the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps as well as needed medical supplies to the island. (Department of Health & Human Services, 10/12/17)

COMMENTARY
Crisis in the Sustainability of the US Blood System. Researchers from NIH, the American National Red Cross Biomedical Services, and FDA report that t he US blood pipeline is now in danger of disruption. Whereas many countries rely on government-directed, single-supplier national blood services, the United States has embraced a free-market approach. Blood is collected by a network of federally regulated but nongovernmental independent nonprofit organizations. (New England Journal of Medicine, 10/12/17)

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Understanding and Addressing Vaccine Confidence and Hesitancy to Foster Informed Vaccine Decision Making. The FOA will solicit applications for projects conducting research through implementing and evaluating interventions related to fostering informed vaccine decision making by assessing or addressing vaccine confidence or hesitancy, particularly via vaccine education and communication. (Grants.gov, 10/12/17)

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Cooperative Agreement for Emergency Response: Public Health Crisis Response. Administrative preparedness and existing public health emergency management capacity are integral components of the infrastructure of the entities that receive funding and this funding will give grantees additional capacity to respond to public health crises. (Grants.gov, 10/12/17)

REPORT
Biodefense: Federal Efforts to Develop Biological Threat Awareness. GAO was asked to review how key federal agencies develop and share threat awareness information, and how that information informs further investments in biodefense. This report describes: (1) the types of actions that key federal agencies have taken to develop biological threat awareness, and how that information is used to support investment decisions; (2) the extent to which these agencies have developed shared threat awareness; and (3) how DHS's NBACC determines what additional threat characterization knowledge to pursue. (GAO, 10/11/17)

PRESS RELEASE
Experimental Ebola Vaccines Elicit Year-Long Immune Response. The findings are based on a study of 1,500 adults that began during the West Africa Ebola outbreak. The trial is being conducted by a US-Liberia clinical research collaboration known as the Partnership for Research on Ebola Virus in Liberia (PREVAIL), established in 2014 in response to the request from the Liberian Minister of Health to the US Secretary of Health and Human Services. (National Institutes of Health, 10/11/17)

See also: Phase 2 Placebo-Controlled Trial of Two Vaccines to Prevent Ebola in Liberia (New England Journal of Medicine, 10/12/17)

EDITORIAL
Gaps in Federal and State Screening of Tuberculosis in the United States. The US response to TB is shaped by two challenges: fragmentation of responsibilities between state and federal governments and gaps in TB screening in state and federal regulations and laws, which result from fragmentation. (American Journal of Public Health, 10/11/17)

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Communities Building Healthier Environments for a Stronger Nation Initiative. This program seeks to improve health outcomes through the establishment of integrated networks that collaboratively employ evidence-based disease management and preventive health activities; build the capacity of communities to address social determinants and barriers to healthcare access; and increase access to and utilization of preventive health care, medical treatment, and supportive services. (Grants.gov, 10/11/17)

BLOG
Precision Public Health: Using Malawi Population-Based Impact Assessment (MPHIA) Data to Reach HIV Epidemic Control in Malawi. The Malawi Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (MPHIA) is Malawi's first nationally representative HIV survey that measures national HIV incidence, pediatric HIV prevalence, and viral load suppression. MPHIA has provided detailed information on the current status of the HIV epidemic and the uptake of HIV prevention, care, and treatment services in Malawi. (CDC, 10/11/17)

PRESS RELEASE
Elusys Delivers First Shiment of Anthim®, its Treatment for Inhalational Anthrax, to the US Government Strategic National Stockpile. The company is providing this delivery of ANTHIM as part of a procurement contract totaling $44.9M issued in 2015 by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. (Elusys, 10/10/17)

NEWS
If Puerto Rico Were A State, Its Health Care System Would Recover Faster From Maria. Because Puerto Rico is a territory as opposed to a state, its safety net -- which includes community health centers and programs like Medicaid and Medicare -- receives far less help from the federal government than those in the states, and the local government currently has much less flexibility to step in during crises . (FiveThirtyEight, 10/9/17)

COMMENTARY
An HIV Vaccine is Essential for Ending the HIV/AIDS Pandemic. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci (NIAID) reports that, from a practical standpoint, ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic without a vaccine is possible, although it is unlikely. (JAMA, 10/9/17)

REPORT
US Global Health Assistance: FY2001-FY2018 Request. Congressional interest in and support for global health programs has remained strong for several years. In FY2017, US global health funding reached an estimated $9.6 billion. These funds are managed by several US agencies and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) -- a multilateral organization aimed at combating the three diseases worldwide. (Congressional Research Service, 10/6/17)

MEETING
2017 Scientific Meeting of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System. The purpose of this public meeting will be to summarize NARMS progress since the last public meeting in 2014, present recommendations made by the recent FDA Science Board review of NARMS in 2017, and to explore new possible directions for NARMS within a One Health paradigm. The meeting will take place on October 24-25, 2017, in Washington, DC. Registration is required. (FDA, 10/17)

Homeland Security & Disaster Preparedness

REPORT
FirstNet: Efforts to Establish the Public-Safety Broadband Network. This testimony provides information on (1) FirstNet's efforts to establish the network; (2) stakeholder views on network reliability, security, and interoperability challenges FirstNet faces and its efforts to address them; and (3) FirstNet's plans to oversee its network contractor. (GAO, 10/12/17)

NEWS
Trump Threatens to Abandon Puerto Rico Recovery Effort. President Trump served notice Thursday that he may pull back federal relief workers from Puerto Rico, effectively threatening to abandon the US territory amid a staggering humanitarian crisis in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. (Washington Post, 10/12/17)

See also: 13,700 DoD Personnel Respond to Hurricane Maria Relief Effort

NEWS
Trump Taps Kirstjen Nielsen to Lead Department of Homeland Security. The White House, in a statement, described Nielsen as having "extensive professional experience in the areas of homeland security policy and strategy, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, and emergency management." (Washington Post, 10/11/17)

NEWS
The US Defense Department Takes Climate Change Seriously. While President Donald Trump has dismissed climate change as a hoax, the Department of Defense is focused on understanding and preparing for continued climate disruption and the security threats it poses in a warming world. (PRI, 10/8/17)

REPORT
Wildfire Suppression Spending: Background, Issues, and Legislation in the 115th Congress. The federal government's wildfire management responsibilities-fulfilled primarily by the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior -- include preparedness, prevention, detection, response, suppression, and recovery. The Federal Emergency Management Agency also may provide disaster relief, mostly for certain nonfederal wildfires. (Congressional Research Service, 10/5/17)