November 29, 2016

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Public Health & Healthcare Preparedness

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REPORT
Food Safety: FDA's Efforts to Evaluate and Respond to Business Concerns Regarding the Produce Rule.  In 2015, the Food and Drug Administration established standards for farms and other businesses to prevent contamination. Among other things, the standards cover use of manure, worker training, and agricultural water quality.  (GAO, 11/28/16)

REPORT
Progress Toward Poliomyelitis Eradication - Pakistan, January 2015-September 2016.  This report describes the activities, challenges, and progress toward polio eradication in Pakistan during January 2015-September 2016 and updates previous reports.  (CDC, 11/25/16)

GUIDANCE
Guidance for US Laboratory Testing for Zika Virus Infection: Implications for Health Care Providers. CDC has released updated guidance online for US laboratory testing for Zika virus infection.  This guidance updates recommendations for testing of specimens by U.S. laboratories for possible Zika virus infection.  (CDC, 11/25/16)

CONFERENCE CALL
Updated CDC Zika Laboratory Testing Guidance.  During this COCA Call, clinicians will learn about the updated recommendations in CDC's Guidance for US Laboratories Testing for Zika Virus Infection and understand their role in testing specimens collected from patients. In addition, subject matter experts from CDC, the American Society for Microbiology, and the Association of Public Health Laboratories will discuss changes to the CDC Trioplex Real-time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) Assay Emergency Use Authorization, examine the use of non-CDC developed assays, and review recommendations for plaque reduction neutralization testing in Puerto Rico. The call will takeplaceon December 1, 2016, 2-3 PM EST.  (CDC, 11/23/16)

PRESS RELEASE
CDC Updates Guidance for Miami Beach (FL) Area with Active Zika Transmission.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated guidance for people who travel to or live in the previously identified 4.5-square-mile area in Miami Beach, FL. The North Miami Beach-designated area is no longer considered to be an area of active Zika virus transmission.  (CDC, 11/22/16)

PRESS RELEASE
CDC, US and Brazilian Researchers Find Evidence of Onset of Zika-Associated Microcephaly and Other Neurologic Complications After Birth.  The study reveals that among infants of mothers exposed to Zika virus during pregnancy, the absence of microcephaly at birth does not rule out congenital Zika virus infection or the presence of Zika-related brain abnormalities.  (CDC, 11/22/16)

BLOG
Public Health 3.0: A Blueprint for the Future of Public Health.  Karen DeSalvo (Acting Assistant Secretary for Health, HHS) and Georges Benjamin (APHA) explain why, when public health is doing its best work, nothing happens - epidemics do not occur, water and air remain free from contaminants, and people are unencumbered by preventable diseases. We are at a point in history when we have the resources and the track record to make these kinds of substantial changes that will lead to a healthier, more prosperous future.  (Health Affairs, 10/21/16)

STATEMENT
Statement by National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice on Attacks Against Hospitals and First Responders in Syria.  The United States condemns in the strongest terms these horrific attacks against medical infrastructure and humanitarian aid workers. There is no excuse for these heinous actions.  (The White House, 11/19/16)

GUIDANCE
Ensuring Appropriate Public Use of Medical Countermeasures through Effective Emergency Communication. With support from FDA, the UPMC Center for Health Security  established an independent expert working group on MCM emergency communication strategies to develop recommendations that reflect the best and most recent breakthroughs in risk communication science. Deliverables include a casebook on MCM emergency communication dilemmas, organized around specific learning objectives.  (FDA, 11/16)

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Radiological & Nuclear Disaster Preparedness

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BLOG
NNSA Leverages its World-Class Nuclear Emergency Response Expertise to Enhance Global Preparedness and Response.   How do you safely locate and respond to radiological or nuclear threats headed into your country? This challenge was the topic of the International Workshop on Nuclear Security Measures and Emergency Response Arrangements for Ports ,  a training course jointly conducted last month by NNSA's Office of Nuclear Incident Policy and Cooperation and the International Atomic Energy Agency .  (NNSA, 11/22/16)

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Science & Technology Policy

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NEWS
Congress Poised to Pass Sweeping Biomedical Innovation Bill.  Congress is poised to approve a massive piece of legislation that would provide the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with $4.8 billion over the next decade for a set of research initiatives, including brain and cancer research and efforts to develop so-called precision medicine treatments that are tailored to an individual's genetic makeup.  (Science, 11/26/16)