Category: preparedness

Health Departments Work Off the Field to Keep Fans Safe, Healthy on Game Day

Roman numerals LII written on a football field

It’s almost game day. Over the course of this week, an estimated 1 million people will visit Atlanta for the Super Bowl LIII experience or to attend the game on Sunday, Feb. 3. A week from now, after the Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded and the fans head home, things will return to normal. And Read More >

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Service Beyond Oneself: MRC Volunteers Share Their ‘Why’

Medical Reserve Corps volunteers

The Martin Luther King (MLK) Day of Service is an opportunity to help “strengthen communities, bridge barriers, [and] create solutions to social problems” through volunteering. While there are many ways to strengthen your community, one way is to help your community prepare for public health emergencies. Improving community preparedness and responses to public health emergencies is, of Read More >

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Operation Shortbread Is Not Your ‘Cookie Cutter’ MCM Exercise

A line of vehicles at a point of dispensing drill

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 >

Posted on by Kelcie A. Landon, MPH, Health Communication Specialist, Center for Preparedness and Response, Division of State and Local Readiness5 CommentsTags , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Partnerships Help Save Lives When Disaster Strikes

Package of Oseltamivir (i.e., Tamiflu) capsules.

Public health emergencies occur every day across the United States. Tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, floods, infectious disease outbreaks, terrorist attacks, and other emergencies have all occurred within the past few years and likely will happen again. Communities must be ready in the event of a public health emergency – both those they expect and those that Read More >

Posted on by Germaine M. Vazquez, MS, Health Communication Specialist, Center for Preparedness and Response, Division of State and Local ReadinessLeave a commentTags , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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 >

Posted on by David M. Berendes, PhD, MSPH, Epidemiologist15 CommentsTags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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 >

Posted on by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Community Interventions for Infection Control Unit (CI-ICU)3 CommentsTags , , , , , , , , , ,