THE NEW JERSEY CENTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS AT UMDNJ
UMDNJ - SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
>>>NJCPHP News PHlash <<<
OCTOBER 1 – OCTOBER 14 2005
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S:
I. PREPAREDNESS NEWS
[1] Researchers Reconstruct 1918 Flu Virus- AP (10/06/05)
[2] San Francisco: Quake readiness fair offers tips for coping- San
Francisco Chronicle (10/08/05)
[3] What would a modern quarantine look like?- AP (10/10/05)
[4] Big trouble- New York Daily News (10/12/05)
[5] A new New York state of mind- The Christian Science Monitor
(10/14/05)
II. UPCOMING EVENTS
[1] "Pandemic Flu and Avian Influenza"- Second Annual Conference
(10/27/05)
[2] Clinical Terrorism: A Clinical and Public Health Response
(11/01/05, 11/02/05, 11/03/05)
[3] The Role of Health Educators in Addressing Health Disparities
(12/01/05)
III. ANNOUNCEMENTS
[1] RX for Survival: A Global Health Challenge
[2] The Nursing Center for Bioterrorism and Emerging Infectious
Diseases Preparedness- Online Course Offerings
[3] Voluntary Accreditation System for State and Local Public Health
Agencies
[4] NJ Medical Reserve Corps looking for volunteers
I. PREPAREDNESS NEWS:
[1] Researchers Reconstruct 1918 Flu Virus- AP (10/06/05)
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia
have reconstructed the influenza virus of 1918 that caused a
pandemic. Recreating the virus will help them better understand
future pandemics, including the current avian flu in Southeast Asia.
The virus of 1918 was also an avian strain and by examining its
genetic properties, scientists can try to explain how the bird-based
virus became adapted to humans. The reconstructed virus is no longer
a threat to the public’s health because a subtype of the virus is
common and known to the public’s immune system.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20051006/ap_on_he_me/pandemi...
u_10
[2] San Francisco: Quake readiness fair offers tips for coping- San
Francisco Chronicle (10/08/05) The city of San Francisco held an
Earthquake Education and Awareness Fair. The fair offered classes in
different languages on earthquake preparedness for individuals,
families, and pets. It also focused on the different roles that
public and private agencies have in preparedness. The event was
sponsored by San Francisco's Office of Emergency Services and
Homeland Security.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/08/BABADIGEST3....
feed=rss.bayarea
[3] What would a modern quarantine look like?- AP (10/10/05)President
Bush’s comments last week on the potential use of quarantine to fight
pandemic influenza have led to a discussion of what modern-day
quarantine and isolation might look like. Experts say containment
methods for a 21st century flu pandemic would be very different from
the methods used in the 1890s, when armed guards patrolled the
streets to keep victims of smallpox and other serious diseases
isolated in their homes. “All of the options need to be on the table.
The image that perhaps was inadvertently conveyed is really a setting
in extreme that’s less likely,” said Dr. Marty Cetron, Director of
CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine. “There’s a whole
range of options in the public-health toolbox for ways to achieve the
goal of social distancing,” he said. Public health officials say
modern-day quarantine and isolation would almost always be voluntary,
using incentives to cooperate. “I don’t think either the Tennessee
National Guard or the U.S. Army and Marines will try to establish a
cordon sanitaire around Nashville. That’s not going to happen,” said
Dr. William Schaffner, an influenza expert at Vanderbilt University.
Instead, experts say measures would employ the least restrictive
means necessary and would last for the briefest length of time
possible. “We’re going to have to permit ourselves a
graduated, intelligent response to the magnitude of the threat,” said
Schaffner.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002553083_quarantine1...
ml?syndication=rss
[4] Big Trouble- New York Daily News (10/12/05) The threat of an
avian flu pandemic exists and the consequences are great. Although
there have only been 57 flu related deaths since 2003, the H5N1
influenza virus has the ability to mutate and become transmissible
from person to person causing a pandemic of similar proportions to
the one in 1918. The US is currently stockpiling Tamiflu, an anti-
viral drug, but will only have enough to treat 1% of the population.
A H5N1 vaccine is also being perfected, but production of enough of
the vaccine remains problematic. The flu is usually most deadly in
children and the elderly however; this strain will make the entire
population vulnerable and will interrupt daily life. Workplaces,
schools, religious gatherings, and sports events could all be
cancelled to prevent transmission.
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/354906p-302413c.html
[5] A new New York state of mind- The Christian Science Monitor
(10/14/05) Steven Gorelick discusses what he calls the "new rules of
public responsibility in the age of terror." Mayor Bloomberg warned
the public about a potential terror attack on the New York City
subway system only to later find out it may have been a hoax. Public
reaction was that of unnecessary worry. The author feels that in
this post 9/11 era, the public needs to be more understanding of
officials and the warnings that they give about terrorism or the
avian flu.
II. UPCOMING EVENTS:
[1] "Pandemic Flu and Avian Influenza"- Second Annual Conference of
the Nursing Center for Bioterrorism and Emerging Infectious Diseases
will be held on Thursday, October 27, 2005 at the Hilton Woodbridge
Hotel 120 Wood Avenue South Iselin, New Jersey. Fee: $55.00
(Includes continental breakfast and lunch) Credit: 4.5 Contact Hours
For more information please contact: Dr. Gayle A. Pearson, Director
of the Center for Professional Development, Rutgers College of
Nursing, 175 University Avenue, Conklin Hall 244, Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 353-5895 or e-mail: cpd@nursetech.rutgers.edu
[2] Clinical Terrorism: A Clinical and Public Health Response will be
held on November 1, 2005 at the Bergen County EMS Training Center in
Paramus, NJ, November 2, 2005 at the Middlesex Fire Academy in
Sayreville, NJ, and on November 3, 2005 at Barry D. Brown Health
Education Center in Voorhees, NJ. This one-day program will provide
a comprehensive overview of response roles of various agencies during
and following a chemical terrorism event. Fee: $40.00 Register on-
line at www.nltn.org/287-05
[3] The Role of Health Educators in Addressing Health Disparities
December 1, 2005, Fellowship Village, Basking Ridge, NJ, 8:30am –
3:30pm. Presented by the New Jersey Society for Public Health
Education. (NJSOPHE) Please visit www.njsophe.org for more information
For a complete listing of preparedness training events and
educational course offerings, please visit the ASPH Centers for
Public Health Preparedness Online Education Calendar at:
http://www.asph.org/acphp/educationCalendar.cfm
III. ANNOUNCEMENTS
[1] RX for Survival: A Global Health Challenge is a six part mini-
series that will air on PBS beginning November 1, 2005. The program
will cover the history of public health, modern medicine, public
health preparedness, vector-borne diseases, nutrition, and the
challenges in providing medicine and public health nationally and
globally. For more information: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/rxforsurvival
[2] The Nursing Center for Bioterrorism and Emerging Infectious
Diseases Preparedness in collaboration with the Rutgers College of
Nursing Center for Professional Development present online course
offerings for nurses and other public health professionals. Eight
different courses are being offered on topics including biological
weapons, infection control, and psychosocial care. For more
information, including how to register, go to http://nursing.rutgers.edu/cpd
or call The Center for Professional
Development at (973) 353-5895.
[3] Voluntary Accreditation System for State and Local Public Health
Agencies.
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
have announced formal efforts to explore development of a voluntary
accreditation system for state and local public health agencies. As
part of the project, a steering committee will be established to
write "definitive recommendations" for structuring the system. The
committee also will evaluate the feasibility and desirability of
accrediting state and local public health agencies. The steering
committee's recommendations will be released in one year. For more
information, visit
http://www.naccho.org/press/releases/PressReleaseAugust1.cfm.
[4] NJ Medical Reserve Corps looking for volunteers The New Jersey
Medical Reserve Corps launches a new website to sign up volunteers.
Individuals interested in joining "... a dedicated group of
individuals that can be relied upon in the event of a bioterrorist or
natural disaster..." should visit http://www.njmrc.nj.gov/hcpr/ to
sign up for this important group.
For more information, or to view the NJCPHP News PHlash Archive,
please visit us at www.njcphp.org
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The New Jersey Center for Public Health Preparedness at UMDNJ, UMDNJ-
School of Public Health does not claim responsibility for accuracy of
facts and information presented. All opinions expressed are those of
the original authors and do not represent the views of NJCPHP staff
or affiliates. NJCPHP News PHlash, a bi-weekly news bulletin, is
distributed free of charge electronically, with the intention of
sharing information of interest and value to our subscribers.