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Operation Shortbread Is Not Your ‘Cookie Cutter’ MCM Exercise

December 4 is National Cookie Day, which—from a public health perspective—is what makes the scratch-made story of Baltimore County Department of Health and Human Services’ Operation Shortbread a fitting one to tell this time of year. What do cookies have to do with public health, you ask? Before we answer that question, let’s begin with Read More >

December 3, 2018 by Kelcie A. Landon, MPH, Health Communication Specialist, Center for Preparedness and Response, Division of State and Local Readiness2 Comments

Disease Outbreak, Flu, General, personal health, preparedness, public health, response

anthrax, Bake Cookies Day, Baltimore, cookies, MCM, medical countermeasures, Operation Shortbread, PHEP, pod, point of dispensing, public health, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program

3 Reasons Why Handwashing Should Matter to You

Unseen woman washing her hands with soap in a sink.

Most of us are familiar with the parental-like voice in the back of our minds that helps guide our decision-making—asking us questions like, “Have you called your grandmother lately?” For many that voice serves as a gentle, yet constant reminder to wash our hands. Handwashing with soap and water is one of the most important Read More >

October 15, 2018 by David M. Berendes, PhD, MSPH, Epidemiologist1 Comment

Disease Outbreak, Environmental Health, Flu, General, natural disasters, preparedness, prevention, public health, response, Waterborne

disaster, disease prevention, emergency preparedness, flood, floodwater, flu, Global Handwashing Day, handwashing, Hurricane, influenza, outbreak, pandemic, personal health, Personal Preparedness, Prepare Your Health, public health, school

Personal Protective Actions You Can Take in a Flu Pandemic

Period photo of a flu patients during the 1918 influenza pandemic.

Every fall and winter the United States experiences epidemics of seasonal influenza (flu). Sometimes a flu pandemic occurs due to a new flu virus that spreads and causes illnesses around the world. We cannot predict when a flu pandemic will occur, but over the past 100 years, we have documented four flu pandemics resulting in Read More >

September 10, 2018 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Community Interventions for Infection Control Unit (CI-ICU)2 Comments

Disease Outbreak, Flu, Preparedness Month, prevention, public health

community mitigation measures, flu, handwashing, influenza, Nonpharmaceutical interventions, pandemic, personal protective measures, pneumonia, social distancing, vaccine

The 1918 Flu Pandemic: Why It Matters 100 Years Later

100 years ago, an influenza (flu) pandemic swept the globe, infecting an estimated one-third of the world’s population and killing at least 50 million people. The pandemic’s death toll was greater than the total number of military and civilian deaths from World War I, which was happening simultaneously. At the time, scientists had not yet Read More >

May 14, 2018 by Blog Administrator17 Comments

Disease Outbreak, Flu, prevention, public health

1918, 1918 flu, flu, H1N1, influenza, non-pharmaceutical interventions, NPIs, pandemic, vaccination, vaccine

Responding to Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Disease Threats in 2017

Montage of photos. From left: a photo of different raw foods, including salmon, fruits and vegetables. A photo of a boy taking an oral vaccine. A photo of bacteria growing in petri dish.

The fungal superbug Candida auris causes serious and often fatal infections. It can strike people in the places where they seek care—hospitals and other healthcare facilities. In early 2016, we knew about outbreaks of C. auris infections on multiple continents, but we were not sure whether C. auris was in the United States. Fast forward Read More >

April 9, 2018 by Rima F. Khabbaz, MD, Director, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases2 Comments

Disease Investigation, Disease Outbreak, Foodborne, public health, Vectorborne

advanced molecular detection, anthrax, antibiotic resistance, candida auris, disease detectives, e. coli, Guillain-Barré syndrome, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, salmonella, Seoul virus, yellow fever, Zika

Norovirus Illness is Messy – Clean Up Right Away

Hand in pink protective glove wiping tiles with rag in the bathroom.

When norovirus strikes in your own home, you can be prepared by having the supplies you need to immediately clean up after a loved one vomits or has diarrhea. Norovirus is a tiny germ that spreads quickly and easily. It causes vomiting and diarrhea that come on suddenly. A very small amount of norovirus can make Read More >

December 4, 2017 by Blog Administrator3 Comments

Disease Outbreak, prevention

diarrhea, food safety, handwashing, Norovirus, vomit

Public Health Matters Blog

Category: Disease Outbreak