THE NEW JERSEY CENTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS AT UMDNJ

UMDNJ - SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

>>>NJCPHP News PHlash <<<

FEBRUARY 1 - FEBRUARY 14 2005

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PREPAREDNESS NEWS:

[1] Center to study mental roots of terrorism - Reuters (2/9/05)
The University of Maryland was a recent recipient of a three-year, $12 million federal grant to support the activities of a new center, in studying the psychology of terrorism.  A team of psychologists, political and other social scientists, under the direction of criminologist Gary LaFree, will study thousands of terrorist attacks committed in the past 30 years, with the intention of detecting common patterns, traits, and behaviors amongst militant groups –information to be used primarily by policymakers to implement policies that will lessen the threat of terrorism.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/02/08/security.psychology.reut/index.html

[2] Flu season full of surprises: mild season shows signs of picking up - CNN (2/9/05)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preparedness, the number of states with widespread flu activity has been slowly increasing over the past several weeks -- the flu season traditionally reaches its peak in February.  There are currently flu cases developing at rates higher than those in the fall, implying that the season is still not over.  Despite the mild flu season, U.S. health official are still concerned, given the recent outbreaks of the avian flu in Southeast Asian countries and the serious threat of the disease spreading west.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/02/09/flu.update/index.html

[3] City weighs plans to deliver medicine to public after attack -The New York Times  (2/7/05)
A CDC-coordinated pilot program, the Cities Readiness Initiative, created to determine how large cities could deliver medicines to people after a terrorist attack has concluded, leading to several potential proposals. New York and 20 other cities participated. Proposals range from using postal workers to distribute drugs quickly after an attack to using restaurant drive-thru windows as points of drug distribution.  The success of such plans would hinge on the reliability of the delivery workforce, which could suffer by using volunteers or people with no medical training. The federal government is encouraging cities to make plans for delivering medicine door-to-door to thousands of people within 48 hours of a terrorist attack. New York was one of 10 cities to express interest in the postal worker-delivery plan, but officials are still discussing the details, such as the potential need for police officers to protect the postal carriers while they deliver medicine, and what to do when residents are not at home to receive the medicine. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/07/nyregion/07bioterrorism.html

[4]  Corzine, Lautenberg seek to tie terror funds to risk -The Star Ledger (2/7/05)
New Jersey Senators Jon Corzine and Frank Lautenberg introduced a new legislation that would increase the amount of federal homeland security funding for the state.  Lautenberg highlighted that New Jersey is home to the “most threatened area in the entire country” i.e. the two-mile stretch between Newark International Airport and the Port of Newark, yet receives four times less funding per capita than Wyoming – the allotment of resources is illogical. The proposed bill would require that all states receive funding relative to a calculated assessment of risk and usceptibility.
http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news20/110775959346910.xml?starledger?ntop

[5]  New program will create homeland security doctors - WATE.com - Knoxville,TN,USA (2/2/05)
University of Tennessee graduate School of Medicine establishes two-year fellowship program to train doctors in homeland security. Curriculum will include bioterrorism, nuclear disasters and practical subjects such as personal protective equipment, decontamination, police and fire response, as well as a six-month governmental clerkship.
http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=2892456

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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.