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

NJCPHP News PHlash

FEBRUARY 1 2006 - FEBRUARY 10 2006

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

I. PREPAREDNESS NEWS
[1] Mock effort to tackle terrorist threats beset by mundane headaches- CP (01/31/06)
[2] Emergency preparedness on agenda- Star Telegram (02/02/06)
[3] Katrina report puts the blame on Chertoff- Star-Ledger (02/02/06)
[4] Bush focuses on disaster preparedness- Miami Herald (02/07/06)
[5] Bird flu kills again, spreads to new country- Reuters (02/10/06)

II. UPCOMING EVENTS
[1] Pandemic Flu: Global Concerns, Local Planning (2/23/06)
[2] Prevent, Protect, Respond, Recover Conference (3/9/06 & 3/10/06)
[3] Hazardous Waste Handling Seminar (3/15/06)
[4] The 11th Annual Public Health Symposium (4/3/06)
[5] New Jersey Emergency Preparedness Conference (5/11/06 & 5/12/06)

III. ANNOUNCEMENTS
[1] APHIS: Safeguarding the US from highly-pathogenic avian influenza
[2] Avian Influenza Response from USAID
[3] The Nursing Center for Bioterrorism and Emerging Infectious Diseases Preparedness- Online Course Offerings

I. PREPAREDNESS NEWS:

[1] Mock effort to tackle terrorist threats beset by mundane headaches- CP (01/31/06) The week-long drill included hundreds of participants from Canada, the United States and Britain - an international exercise intended to help governments test their readiness for potentially disastrous events. The Canadian segment of the drill was called Exercise Triple Play, but memos show several ground balls snuck up the middle during the simulated crisis. Newly obtained memos show that in addition to combating imaginary threats posed by rogue extremists and deadly plague, dozens of federal and provincial officials struggled with more mundane problems last April.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20060131/ca_pr_on_na/terror_lessons_1

[2] Emergency preparedness on agenda- Star Telegram (02/02/06) In Arlington, Texas, school emergency preparedness was up for discussion at the school board meeting. The district will respond to Texas Senate Bill 11, a school security bill that would require districts to adopt Department of Homeland Security recommendations to meet emergencies and disasters. Points would include emergency training for teachers, improving communication with law enforcement agencies, scheduling regular disaster drills and integrating safety designs into buildings.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/13773208.htm

[3] Katrina report puts the blame on Chertoff- (02/02/06) Star-Ledger Congressional investigators faulted Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff for failing to quickly recognize the gravity of Hurricane Katrina and designate a single individual with sufficient authority to coordinate the federal response. A preliminary report by the Government Accountability Office said the lapse in leadership led to confusion and a lack of a decisive federal response for the beleaguered residents of New Orleans and elsewhere on the Gulf Coast. "We continue to believe that a single individual directly responsible and accountable to the president must be designated to act as the central focal point to lead and coordinate the overall federal response in the event of a major catastrophe," GAO Comptroller General David Walker wrote.
http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1138861368289920.xml?starledger?ntop&coll=1

[4] Bush focuses on disaster preparedness- Miami Herald (02/07/06)
Gov. Bush announced a public-information campaign for disasters, but gave little information on a terrorist-response drill in which officials discussed quarantines and vaccine supply for a flu pandemic. Armed with bilingual commercials and a snazzy slogan --''Informed. Prepared. Protected.'' Bush said the campaign, on the Web at http://www.mysafeflorida.org/, will complement his proposed ''Culture of Preparedness'' effort to help private citizens and government better cope with disasters. Preparing for hurricanes or terrorist attacks ''is very similar,'' Bush said, but noted that, because of the subject, "it's not surprising people don't want to talk about or be prepared for a terrorist attack.''
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13808514.htm

[5] Bird flu kills again, spreads to new country- Reuters (02/10/06) Avian flu was blamed for another death in Indonesia on Friday and spread to a new country after Azerbaijan said the lethal H5N1 strain had been found in wild birds on the Caspian Sea. The virus was discovered in birds in the west African country of Nigeria earlier this week, capping what a senior United Nations official called a devastating spread from southern Asia over the past seven months.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060210/wl_nm/birdflu_dc_7

II. UPCOMING EVENTS:

[1] Pandemic Flu: Global Concerns, Local Planning (2/23/06) Presented by the NJ Health Officers Association, this program will be held at the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ. Topics include: The Importance of Planning a Flu Pandemic Response Locally, Avian Flu: How Real is the Risk ­ Virology, Data & Prognosis, and Medical Reserve Corps: Leveraging Resources in Your Community. Cost: $65 This program has been approved for 4.0 LE and 1.75 CE. To receive credit, you must register at https://njlmn.rutgers.edu/
For more information: http://www.njhoa.org/

[2] Prevent, Protect, Respond, Recover Conference (3/9/06 and 3/10/06) The US Army, Morris County of Health Management, NJSOPHE, Warren County Department of Health, NJ Department of Health and Senior Services, and UMDNJ/CBRNE center present this two-day conference.

[3] Hazardous Waste Handling Seminar (3/15/06) The NJDEP is hosting a free 1 day seminar on hazardous waste handling. The seminar will be held on March 15, 2006 from 8:30 to 4:00, at the State Police building in Horizon Center, Robbinsville, NJ. This seminar will cover the following topics: RCRA Basics, Waste Determination, Manifest/Biennial Report, Transportation of Waste, Universal Waste, Used Oil, Common Enforcement Issues, How To Survive An Inspection, Web Resources. If you wish to attend this seminar please call (609) 584-4250 for registration.

[4] The 11th Annual Public Health Symposium (4/3/06) The 11th Annual Public Health Symposium "Partners in Designing Healthy Communities" will be held on April 3, 2006 at 4:00pm at UMDNJ- Great Hall RWJ Medical School. For more information: http://www.publichealthsymposium.org

[5] New Jersey Emergency Preparedness Conference (5/11/06 and 5/12/06)
The New Jersey Emergency Preparedness Association's Annual Conference provides training and coordination and promotes the development of public & private partnerships in planning, response, recovery and mitigation in all types of emergencies. It will be held at the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, NJ. For more information: http://www.njepa.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] APHIS: Safeguarding the US from highly-pathogenic avian influenza- The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has released a fact sheet on their actions, plans, and capabilities for addressing the bird flu threat.
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/pubs/fsheet_faq_notice/fs_ahhpaiplan.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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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.
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