THE NEW JERSEY CENTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS AT UMDNJ- SCHOOL OF
PUBLIC HEALTH
NJCPHP News PHlash
DECEMBER 2 - DECEMBER 15 2006
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S:
I. PREPAREDNESS NEWS
[1] Gumshoe Work and Luck Helped in E. Coli Case- The New York Times
(12/10/06)
[2] 1918 Flu epidemic teaching valuable lessons- The Washington Post
(12/13/06)
[3] N.J. called ill-prepared for health disaster- North Jersey (12/13/06)
[4] Bill creating HHS bioterror research agency on Bush's desk- GovExec
(12/13/06)
[5] N.J. school evacuated after powder scare- AP (12/14/06)
II. UPCOMING EVENTS
[1] Public Health Preparedness Summit (2/16-23/07)
III. ANNOUNCEMENTS
[1] ARE YOU READY TO RESPOND?
[2] Psychosocial Aspects of Disaster Response for Public Health
Professionals
I. PREPAREDNESS NEWS:
[1] Gumshoe Work and Luck Helped in E. Coli Case- The New York Times
(12/10/06)
The decisive break in tracking down the probable source of the mysterious E.
coli bacteria that sickened people across six states came Monday morning,
although no one knew it at the time. About 10 a.m., Bruce R. Williamson,
chief of the Suffolk County Bureau of Public Health Protection, arrived at a
Taco Bell in Deer Park, to meet a Taco Bell food safety team that had flown
in to collect samples of just about every type of tortilla, tomato and touch
of Mexican seasoning in the place. A few days earlier, county officials had
identified a cluster of E. coli cases linked to the Taco Bell in Deer Park
and three others in Suffolk, and a similar cluster was being investigated in
New Jersey. Old-fashioned medical gumshoe work, combined with a multilayered
tracking system and not a little luck, pinpointed the probable cause of the
outbreak two and a half weeks after the first case was reported and
apparently prevented it from spreading further. Public health officials said
that the system worked.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/nyregion/10health.html?_r=2&hp&ex=11657268
00&en=047e9336b90b8e2f&ei=5094&partner=homepage&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
[2] 1918 Flu epidemic teaching valuable lessons- The Washington Post
(12/13/06)
New analysis of how American cities responded to the killer Spanish flu of
1918 suggests that closing schools, banning large gatherings, staggering
work hours and quarantining households of the ill may have saved tens of
thousands of lives. Which of the many non-pharmaceutical interventions was
especially effective in reducing mortality is unknown, but all would
theoretically be available should pandemic influenza again sweep the
country. The new findings run counter to previous research that concluded
that the public health measures instituted in 1918 may have delayed or
dampened the epidemic in many cities but probably had little effect on the
ultimate death toll. "There is reason for optimism. Even almost 100 years
ago, with some very simple tools, there may have been an effect of these
measures," said Martin Cetron, a physician who directs global migration and
quarantine at the CDC.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/12/AR2006121201
628.html
[3] N.J. called ill-prepared for health disaster- North Jersey (12/13/06)
New Jersey is among the states that are most poorly prepared for dealing
with epidemics and bioterrorism, according to a report by Trust for
America¹s Health. But the state health commissioner said it is the report
that was poorly prepared, and he criticized it as inaccurately reflecting
New Jersey's capabilities for coping with catastrophe. "If I'm living in New
Jersey, I should know that we are the leader in preparedness and this report
doesn't show it," said Dr. Fred Jacobs, the commissioner. The report by
Trust for America's Health said New Jersey is one of four states that did
not meet criteria in six categories the group used to determine how well
organized and equipped a state is to deal with an anthrax outbreak or
epidemics of influenza or plague. The most important of the criteria,
researchers said, is whether a state can distribute vaccinations quickly in
case of a pandemic. New Jersey failed that assessment, according to the
report. That may explain why Oklahoma was a perfect 10 for 10 in the group's
study and states such as Kansas, Wyoming, West Virginia and Montana scored
highly. California, Maryland and Iowa joined New Jersey in scoring only four
out of 10. New York State received a score of seven out of 10; Pennsylvania
was five out of 10.
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmV
sN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MDM2ODE0JnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mg
[4] Bill creating HHS bioterror research agency on Bush's desk- GovExec
(12/13/06)
Lawmakers approved legislation creating a Health and Human Services agency
aimed at the prevention of bioterrorism, in a move that continues to
delegate to HHS more responsibility in preparing for and responding to a
potential biological attack. The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act
(S. 3678), which now awaits President Bush's signature, would authorize more
than $5 billion for biomedical research projects and would allow funds for
vaccine research and development. The measure would clarify that the HHS
secretary would assume the lead role in the event of a bioterrorist attack
or disease outbreak, and essentially would relegate the Homeland Security
Department to a supporting role.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1206/121306j1.htm
[5] N.J. school evacuated after powder scare- AP (12/14/06)
An elementary school was evacuated, a teacher sent to the hospital and her
class quarantined after the woman opened an envelope containing white powder
that was later found not to be hazardous. The teacher reported some skin
irritation on her hands and forearms, police said. A hazardous materials
team tested the powder and determined it was not anthrax or any other
hazardous substance, said David Wyche, spokesman for the Burlington County
Board of Freeholders. The other 425 students at Garfield East Elementary
School were evacuated and taken to a nearby school around 10:40 a.m., 911
supervisor Carol Holland said. Authorities did not immediately know what the
substance was or who sent it, Holland said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061214/ap_on_re_us/teacher_sickened
II. UPCOMING EVENTS:
[1] Public Health Preparedness Summit (2/16-23/07) The 2007 Public Health
Preparedness Summit, Partnering for Preparedness: Strengths and Solutions,
will be held February 17-23, 2007 in Washington, D.C. The 2007 Summit will
feature of a variety of energizing presentations and hands-on workshops
designed by your preparedness peers to enhance your work as a public health
professionals. For more information and to register, please visit:
http://www.phprep.org
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] ARE YOU READY TO RESPOND?
Are you Ready to Respond? The New York Consortium for Emergency Preparedness
Continuing Education (NYCEPCE) presents "Emergency Preparedness Training for
Hospital Clinicians" and "Working in a POD". These web-based continuing
education that provides hospital and community-based clinicians with
awareness level training concerning appropriate responses to emergency
events. NYCEPCE is a leader in continuing education for health care workers
and provides continuing education credits for successful completion of each
course. For more information and to register now visit www.nycepce.org
under the "Online Courses" menu or www.nycepce.org/CourseList.htm When an
emergency happens, be prepared!
[2] Psychosocial Aspects of Disaster Response for Public Health
Professionals
"Psychosocial Aspects of Disaster Response for Public Health Professionals"
online course is available at the following link:
http://www.njcphp.org/distancelearning/pabdr.cfm. This online course
intends to (1) Introduce public health professionals to the psychosocial
aspects of chemical, biological, nuclear, andradiological (CBNR) terrorism;
(2) Describe the differences in reactions between CBNR events and other
types of disasters; (3) Explore the basics of crisis assessment and early
psychological intervention following a CBNR disaster. Knowledge gain of
these learning objectives can be tested via the accompanying quiz that
follows the course. Continuing education credits are pending for this
course.
For more information, or to view the NJCPHP News PHlash Archive, please
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