THE NEW JERSEY CENTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS AT UMDNJ
UMDNJ - SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

NJCPHP News PHlash

DECEMBER 23 2005 ­ JANUARY 13 2006

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

I. PREPAREDNESS NEWS
[1] A place for pets in disaster planning- Los Angeles Times (12/27/2005)
[2] Government prepares for next big disaster- AP (01/01/2006)
[3] Accessing Safe Shelter and Changing Women's Social Roles- SSP-India (01/06/2006)
[4] Malaysia unveils bird flu plan- AFP (01/09/2006)
[5] Bird flu mutation of concern, experts say- Washington Post (01/12/2006)

II. UPCOMING EVENTS
[1] Dengue: a clinical perspective (1/24/06)
[2] DIMACS Workshop on the Epidemiology and Evolution of Influenza (1/26-27/06)
[3] Psychosocial Aspects of Bioterrorism and Disaster Response for Public Health Professionals (1/28/06)

III. ANNOUNCEMENTS
[1] Call for Papers- Canada's Arctic and Marine Oilspill Program (AMOP)
[2] Avian Influenza Response from USAID
[3] The Nursing Center for Bioterrorism and Emerging Infectious Diseases Preparedness- Online Course Offerings

I. PREPAREDNESS NEWS

[1] A place for pets in disaster planning- Los Angeles Times (12/27/2005) After Hurricane Katrina, emergency planners learned that some people would be reluctant to evacuate their homes without their pets. Accordingly, the South Pasadena (California) Animal Commission is pushing for a citywide animal evacuation plan, and is getting support from police and fire officials to do so. The Commission is considering doing a survey of households to determine how many animals are housed in the city, and to designate locations to serve as animal triage facilities. South Pasadena currently has a contract with the Pasadena Humane Society to deal with animals caught in a natural disaster. But the Humane Society is easily overwhelmed -- a reality underscored by the tragedy that befell pets during evacuations in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. "Before the hurricane, cities would talk about disaster planning and say, Oh, well, the humane society will take care of the animals," said Steve McNall, Pasadena Humane Society President, "But now they know that there¹s only so much we can do." At the state level, Assemblyman Leland Yee of San Francisco plans to introduce legislation requiring all municipalities to plan for the "needs of individuals with household pets, service animals and livestock." The bill has so much support that it will skip the standard committee hearing phase and go straight to the Assembly floor for a vote in early January.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-evac27dec27,1,4247086.story?coll=la-headlines-california

[2] Government prepares for next big disaster- AP (01/01/2006) In the wake of congressional hearings that exposed the failures of the federal response to Hurricane Katrina, the Bush administration is retooling its disaster plan to react more quickly to the next catastrophe. Chief among the changes to the original 426-page plan are several ideas for rushing federal resources to a stricken area. They include: Dropping small military or civilian vehicles, packed with communications gear, into a disaster zone by helicopter or driving them from nearby staging areas, setting up portable hospitals with federal emergency medical teams to augment local facilities, and helping local and state police catch looters and snipers by providing federal law enforcement officers if requested.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060101/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/the_next_katrina_11

[3] Accessing Safe Shelter and Changing Women's Social Roles- SSP-India (01/06/2006) The village of Samiyarpettai in India was affected by the December 26, 2004 tsunami and since then has had to rebuild and plan. Women in the village have a taken a proactive role in the rebuilding and preparedness there. Women¹s Increasing Presence and Involvement After the Tsunami, a new woman has emerged‹more forthcoming, extremely resilient, innovative, practical and even adventurous. The women have increased mobility, are expanding their income generating potential and are gaining political clout. A number of NGOs have responded to women's demands for support in organising themselves, by providing loans and imparting skills to increase their income. There are nineteen SHGs actively involved in lending, whose members participate in small business development training. Women have also equipped themselves with disaster preparedness skills by participating in a disaster preparedness training programme. SHG members are eager to seize every opportunity for education, skill development and breaking traditional social norms; they are leading the way in the rehabilitation process. NGOs and government representatives have only had to respond. "Since the Tsunami, nine more Self-Help Groups have formed. They are taking loans and developing women¹s capacities. These activities should be encouraged." - Raja Kumar, Village President, Samiyarpettai.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/ssp/113647650140.htm

[4] Malaysia unveils bird flu plan- AFP (01/09/2006) Malaysia unveiled a series of measures to tackle the spread and effect of the deadly bird flu virus that has killed more than 70 people in China and Southeast Asia since late 2003. Launching the National Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Plan, Health Minister Chua Soi Lek told diplomats in Kuala Lumpur that hospitals would be upgraded and stockpiles of vaccines for poultry and antiviral drugs to treat the virus would be increased.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060109/hl_afp/healthflumalaysia_060109144118

[5] Bird flu mutation of concern, experts say- Washington Post (01/12/2006) Preliminary tests show that the strain of bird flu virus that has stricken at least 15 people in Turkey has evolved in a way that could make it somewhat more hazardous to human beings, although it still lacks the capacity to be passed easily from person to person, international health officials said Wednesday. "It's a little concerning because the virus is still trying new things in its evolution," said Perdue, who is overseeing the agency's response to the Turkish outbreak from WHO headquarters in Geneva. The experts say they believe the genetic change could make it easier for bird flu to pass from chickens to people. If the virus were to eventually gain the capacity to be passed easily from person to person, it could trigger a global epidemic. Experts from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization warned that the virus could become permanently entrenched in Turkey, thereby increasing its risk to people and the chance it could evolve further. "The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 could become endemic in Turkey," the organization said in a statement.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/11/AR2006011100464.html

II. UPCOMING EVENTS

[1] Dengue: a clinical perspective by David Vaughn, MD, MPH (US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command - Fort Detrick, MD) NJ-PTC partner the UMDNJ Center for Biodefense has been selected to receive the Trans-RCE Biodefense Lecture Series for the Northeast Biodefense Center (NBC). This series consists of weekly videoconferenced lectures by experts on NIAID Category A Priority pathogens. Dr. Nancy Connell (UMDNJ Center for BioDefense and member of the NBC) is the local host. For more information, contact Julie Chapman-Greene at 973-972-3759 or chapmaje@umdnj.edu. Time is 12:00pm to 1:00pm on January 24, 2005.

[2] DIMACS Workshop on the Epidemiology and Evolution of Influenza (1/26-27/06) This workshop will explore the epidemiology and evolution of influenza. The persistence of influenza depends on its ability to evolve so that new strains and subtypes of the virus appear and old ones reappear. This constant evolution means that vaccines need to be updated frequently and that resistance to drug therapies can easily arise. The workshop will bring together public health practitioners, immunologists, epidemiologists, evolutionary biologists, mathematicians, statisticians, and computer scientists to explore the evolution and dynamics of influenza. Among the issues to be explored are the causes and consequences of patterns of immunological cross-reactivity, and the interactions with drug treatment and vaccination strategies. In addition, the applicability of SIR and agent based models to predict the spread of influenza, and the means of dealing with and planning for an influenza pandemic, will be discussed.
Pre-registration deadline: January 18, 2005 For more information:
http://dimacs.rutgers.edu/Workshops/Influenza/

[3] Psychosocial Aspects of Bioterrorism and Disaster Response for Public Health Professionals.
Date: Friday January 28 Time: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Location: Richard Stockton College Cost: $15.00 Continuing Education: 5 hours Faculty: Steven M. Crimando, MA, BCETS from the NJ Department of Human Services-DMHS-Disaster Mental Health Services. FMI or to register please contact Philip McCabe in the SPH Office of Public Health Practice at (732) 235-8229 or mccabept@umdnj.edu. To register online please visit http://ophp.umdnj.edu/njptc. Click the file name to the right of "upload #1" (above) for the training brochure.

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] CALL FOR PAPERS Environment Canada's 29th Arctic and Marine Oilspill Program (AMOP) - Technical seminar provides a forum for technology transfer among professionals working in the field of oil spills and hazardous materials spills. It will include a session for the 23rd Technical Seminar on Chemical Spills (TSOCS). This year¹s conference will include a special counter-terrorism session. The seminar will be held from June 6 to 8, 2006 at the Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites at Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. For more information about registration and hotel accommodations, see the seminar information page
http://www.etc-cte.ec.gc.ca/news/conferences/amop/amop_call_06.html.

[2] Avian Influenza Response from USAID - The US Agency of International Development has a section on their website devoted to avian influenza. USAID is working to ensure an effective and coordinated approach to this economic and public health threat.
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/home/News/news_items/avian_influenza.html

[3] 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.

For more information, or to view the NJCPHP News PHlash Archive, please visit us at: www.njcphp.org

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