PUBLIC HEALTH ARCHIVES
Protecting Civilian Emergency Responders Against Anthrax
Thomas K. Zink
October 10, 2012
There is general agreement that the best way to protect emergency responders against anthrax would be to immunize them prior to an attack. But, despite the fact that millions of “expired” doses of anthrax vaccine are routinely destroyed each year, many civilian responders still are not provided pre-event vaccinations. This
Breaking the Rules to Save Lives
Joseph Cahill
October 3, 2012
No two emergency scenarios are identical and some may call for “creative” solutions – for example, overriding triage strategies for victims of a weapon of mass destruction or substituting medications for scarce countermeasures. Understanding the rules and how far they can “bend” in a crisis situation may help save not
Nontraditional Partnerships Advance Medical Countermeasure Dispensing
Greg Burel
October 3, 2012
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) is changing the dynamics of public-private partnerships as they relate to medical countermeasures for public health threats. By using nontraditional partnerships, CDC is not only providing easier access but also reducing the time needed to dispense large quantities of antiviral drugs,
Understanding the Mobile Detection Deployment Program
The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office
September 26, 2012
Terrorist threats of radiologicaluclear attacks continue to raise concern at all levels of government. To assist state and local responders during “surge” events, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office maintains detection units that can be deployed, along with laboratory personnel, to supplement the jurisdictions’ existing radiological and nuclear detection capabilities and
Hospital Response to a 10-Kiloton Nuclear Detonation
Craig DeAtley
September 25, 2012
Article Out Loud For many years, federal, state, and local authorities throughout the United States have planned and trained for the notional possibility of a 10-kiloton improvised nuclear device being detonated within a major metropolitan area. If that were to occur, the hundreds of thousands of fatalities and life-threatening injuries
Public Health Response & Severe Weather Emergencies
Audrey Mazurek
September 24, 2012
Public health professionals are constantly building the capacity and capabilities needed to respond to a variety of possible emergencies such as biological events, pandemic influenza, emerging diseases, manmade disasters, and a host of other dangers.
Hospitals Must Prepare Now for Future Contingencies
Theodore Tully
September 19, 2012
Considering the financial constraints already in place, and the likelihood that there will be continuing reductions in federal grant funds for preparedness, the challenge facing U.S. hospitals and other healthcare facilities to do more with less has perhaps never been greater. More specifically, in preparedness planning and operations, very few
CBRNE & NIMS: Complementary, Not Contradictory
Stephen Grainer
September 19, 2012
Some critics of the U.S. National Incident Management System (NIMS) have cited a wide variety of examples to justify their claims that the NIMS policy guidelines will not fully and/or effectively serve the nation’s needs in managing future emergency-response situations.
Protecting Responders From the Known and Unknown
John Lazier
September 12, 2012
Law enforcement officers secure the scene, hazmat teams enter the hot zone, emergency medical technicians transport victims, and emergency room doctors and nurses receive patients following a radiological incident. Each responder plays an important role, but each requires a different level of protection, which is dictated by different standards. Resources
EPA’s Role in Domestic Preparedness
Erica Canzler
September 12, 2012
The terrorist attacks on the United States in September 2001 emphasized the need to better protect the nation against future threats. New government agencies were formed while existing agencies expanded their roles in preventing, responding to, and recovering from a variety of natural disasters and other emergencies. The Environmental Protection
Radiation Contamination of Emergency Equipment
Joseph Cahill
September 5, 2012
In 1945, Nagasaki became the second Japanese city destroyed by an atomic bomb in the closing days of World War II. The nuclear explosion caused immediate damage and killed tens of thousands of people, but the radiological contamination that remained took many additional lives. A crisis at a nuclear power
Countermeasures to Cope With Radioactive Exposure
W. Craig Vanderwagen
September 5, 2012
The threat posed by an intentional manmade explosion from a radiation dispersal device, a nuclear detonation, or an accidental failure of a nuclear power plant persists. Recent events have brought these threats into focus over the past couple years – e.g., the Iranian plans for nuclear development and the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear
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