The Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London is an international resource and research center focused on the analysis of infectious diseases. At the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, the MRC Center adopted a policy of “immediately sharing research findings on the developing pandemic.” As...
The White House has released the United States Government Global Health Security Strategy, which “outlines the United States Government’s approach to strengthen global health security, including accelerating the capabilities of targeted countries to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks.” The importance of this Global Health Security Strategy goes...
Pandemic preparedness reduces cost in lives…and economic capital
This summer, Brazil is expected to attract an estimated 600,000 international tourists and three million domestic travelers during the World Cup from June 12, 2014 to July 13, 2014. Because the World Cup is one of the largest international gatherings, it poses a higher risk for infectious disease outbreaks, a...
The Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) has released a report to examine the United State’s policies involving the response to infectious disease threats. The report, titled “Outbreaks: Protecting Americans from Infectious Diseases” examines 10 indicators in each state that offer a “composite snapshot” to show how well prepared states are...
When Good Food Goes Bad: Strengthening the US Response to Foodborne disease Outbreaks The Center for Biosecurity of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) has released a new report that highlights foodborne illness and the importance of early detection. The report suggests there is a strong need for the US...
Nearly one year ago today the third largest tornado outbreak in US history (since systematic tornado record keeping began in 1950) was recorded on April 25-28, 2011. The areas most affected by the devastating tornadoes included the Southern, Midwestern, and Northeastern United States. In particular, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee,...
This month’s FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin features an article by Cpt. Dean Olson of the Douglas County, Nebraska Sheriff’s Office entitled, “Agroterrorism: Threats to America’s Economy and Food Supply” . Drawing on the works of noted terrorism experts such as Peter Chalk, Jim Monke and Bruce Hoffman, Cpt. Olson reminds...
The Federal Food Safety Working Group Progress Report, December 2011 The White House has released a new report on the Food Safety Working Group (FSWG). The FSWG was created by President Obama in March 2009. The group is a “central coordinating mechanism for the federal government’s food safety activities that...
Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) utilized an innovative tactic to capture the public’s attention with regards to disaster preparedness. Entitled, “Social Media: Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse”, it merged pop culture with the all too real threat of natural disasters in a manner that got...
