Category: response
Stepping Up to Take Down Polio
Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease that is completely preventable. Since 1988, members of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), including CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary, and UNICEF, have teamed up to eradicate polio world-wide through large scale vaccination efforts. Global polio cases are down more Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentQ & A with Max Brooks
Apparently I hit a chord with my readers this May when I posted “Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse.” The initial response was overwhelming, with people of all ages and all walks of life writing and calling to say how much they enjoyed reading the blog and how they were getting prepared for any emergency, whether it Read More >
Posted on by 18 CommentsA Time to Remember
By Captain Tracee Treadwell Ten years ago, the September 11th tragedies devastated our country and forever changed our lives. On this anniversary, we remember those we lost, as well as those who worked tirelessly and courageously during the response efforts. I had the honor of working with these heroic individuals near Ground Zero. Although a Read More >
Posted on by 10 CommentsTornado Survivors Battle Deadly Fungus in Joplin, Missouri
By Molly Gayden Disaster Strikes On May 22, 2011, an F5 Tornado ripped through the heart of Joplin, Missouri, a city of more than 50,000 people. Almost 160 people were killed and thousands of lives were completely uprooted. The tornado damaged more than 7,000 buildings, one third of the city. St. John’s Regional Medical Read More >
Posted on by 15 CommentsWhen Preparedness Hits Home
Getting people to think about an emergency before it happens is not always easy. Unfortunately, it usually takes a disaster for people to realize the importance of being prepared. I work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the National Center for Environmental Health where I focus on emergency preparedness. I know all too well the values of making an emergency kit and having a plan, much to the chagrin of my two sons who swear nothing ever happens where we live. But this spring, something did happen and my family was able to see firsthand why I was always trying to get them to think about preparedness. Read More >
Posted on by 7 CommentsPractice Makes Perfect: Responding to a Mock Emergency
As relative newcomers to the field of public health, we’ve often dreamt — morbid as it may sound — about the day when we could be sent to respond to an actual disease outbreak. You can imagine our excitement when we found out that we would be getting that chance in our Emerging Infectious Diseases Read More >
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