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New Report

By Eric Toner, Jennifer Nuzzo, Ali Khan, Anita Cicero, Crystal Boddie, Matthew Shearer
From June 20-July 2, 2016, a six-person External Assessment Team from the UPMC Center for Health Security met with governmental leaders in Taipei, Taiwan to conduct an independent assessment of Taiwan's capabilities under the Internal Health Regulations (2005) and its related progress toward the "Protect, Detect, and Respond" goals of Global Health Security Agenda.  Read the Report
 
Today's Headlines: October 25, 2016  
 
Zika Virus

Zika Case Count in the US Tops 4,000 ( Becker's Infection Control) As of Oct. 19, 4,016 people in the US have contracted Zika, and 899 of them are pregnant women, according to the CDC. Of the 4,016 cases in the US, 137 were acquired from mosquitoes in Florida. The majority of the other cases are travel-associated, but 32 are classified as sexually transmitted. Go to article

CDC Announces Supplemental Funding Opportunity for Continued Zika Response in 2017 ( CDC) The CDC is announcing the availability of about $70 million in supplemental funding to states, cities, and territories to support continued efforts to protect Americans from Zika virus. Go to article

ZikaPLAN: 25 Research Organizations Unite to Fight Zika Virus and Build Long-term Outbreak Response Capacity in Latin America ( PR Newswire) 25 leading research and public health organizations from Latin America, North America, Africa, Asia, and Europe gathered in Recife for the launch of ZikaPLAN (Zika Preparedness Latin American Network). This global initiative, created in response to a Horizon 2020 funding call by the European Commission's Directorate-General Research and Innovation, has been formed to address the Zika virus outbreak and the many research and public health challenges it poses. Go to article


Biological Agents & Infectious Diseases

Saudi Arabia: Confusing Reports of a MERS Cluster at Al-Ahsa Hospital ( Avian Flu Diary) We've a bit of a mystery this morning as the Arabic press carried multiple reports of a cluster of MERS cases at the Prince Sultan Center for Cardiovascular in Al-Ahsa overnight, yet today's MOH report indicates no new cases. Go to article


Government Affairs & National Security

CDC Restores PHEP Funding for Public Health Emergency Response Efforts ( Homeland Preparedness News) The CDC recently agreed to increase funding for the Public Health Emergency Preparedness cooperative agreement by $44.25 million for public health emergency preparedness efforts in 2016 and 2017. Go to article

Bipartisan Support Will Be Critical to Ending Polio ( The Hill) In a year fraught with political tensions, let me share some good news. America's leaders agree that investing in the health and wellbeing of children around the world is one of the best investments our country can make. Go to article


Global Health Security

CDC: Polio Eradication Within Sight but Efforts Still Needed ( CIDRAP) Today is the global World Polio Day observance, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention marked the event by hosting a teleconference on the current state of global polio eradication. Go to article

UN Wants $200 Million to Compensate Haiti Cholera Victims ( AP) The UN says it is looking to raise $200 million from member states to compensate the families of people who have died from cholera in Haiti. David Nabarro, a special adviser to the secretary-general, said Monday that the money to "provide material assistance" was part of a new UN approach to dealing with the disease that is believed to have been introduced to Haiti by UN peacekeepers from Nepal. Go to article

Terrorists Hamper Polio Eradication Efforts in Africa ( National Geographic) In August, virologists proved that polio has been lingering in Nigeria, in a corner of the country with porous borders and shifting populations where travel had been blocked by terrorism. Go to article


Medicine & Public Health

New ECDC Tools: Strengthening Preparedness and Surveillance in Migrant Reception Centres ( European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) As in other institutional settings, migrant reception/detention centres face specific challenges in preventing and controlling communicable disease transmission. In order to support EU/EEA Member States in improving preparedness and syndromic surveillance at migrant hosting sites, ECDC is launching two handbooks and related assessment tools. Go to article


Science & Technology

Pasteur Institutes Acknowledge Unauthorized Import of MERS Samples on a Flight from Seoul to Paris ( Science) A researcher from the Pasteur Institute Korea in Seoul brought samples taken during the country's outbreak of MERS on an intercontinental flight last year without the appropriate paperwork, hoping to get them studied at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Both institutes have acknowledged the incident, which IP says was a breach in French biosafety protocol. But both say the trip never put anyone in danger, because the samples had undergone a treatment that would have killed any living virus. Go to article


Other 21st Century Threats

What El Nino Can Teach Us About the Way Climate Change Drives Infectious Disease ( Washington Post) Many scientists agree that climate change will likely influence the spread of infectious diseases, from mosquito-borne illnesses like Zika to the bacteria found in contaminated food and water. It's a relationship that's largely been studied in developing nations, where the cumulative effects of global warming are likely to be more severe. Go to article

Preparedness Pulsepoints: October 25, 2016

Delivered first thing each Tuesday morning, Preparedness Pulsepoints provides a snapshot of each week's USG action on readiness and response. Read | Subscribe
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