March 21, 2017
Public Health & Healthcare Preparedness
REPORT
Investigation of Patients Testing Positive for Yellow Fever Viral RNA After Vaccination During a Mass Yellow Fever Vaccination Campaign - Angola, 2016.  CDC and the Angola Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program conducted an investigation of patients with a history of yellow fever vaccination and symptoms of yellow fever disease whose specimens tested positive for yellow fever viral RNA by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to assess whether such cases could represent vaccine failure or adverse events after immunization.  (CDC, 3/17/17)
 
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma.  The purpose of this program is to assist high-risk youth and families and promote resilience and equity in communities that have recently faced civil unrest through implementation of evidence-based, violence prevention, and community youth engagement programs, as well as linkages to trauma-informed behavioral health services.  (Grants.gov, 3/17/17)
 
BLOG
From Concept to Operations: Building Disaster Health Resilience in one of America's Largest Communities.  If you want to take your disaster health security plans from paper to practice you need to involve the community - no matter what the size. But when your community is large, diverse and vulnerable to a wide array of threats, community engagement becomes even more important.  (ASPR, 3/17/17)
 
REPORT
MCMi Fiscal Year 2016 Program Update.  FDA continues its ongoing work to advance the development and availability of medical countermeasures to protect against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats. This report covers these activities including medical countermeasure (MCM)-related regulatory science and legal and policy actions.  (FDA, 3/16/17)
 
NEWS
Trump's Budget Cuts HHS Spending by $15 Billion, Rolls AHRQ into the NIH.  The budget slashes $6 billion from the National Institutes of Health while merging the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality into that agency. AHRQ's research has become more important in recent years as value-based reimbursement arrangements tie payment to clinical quality.  (Healthcare Finance News, 3/16/17)
 
PRESS RELEASE
USDA Confirms Second Case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in a Commercial Flock in Lincoln County, Tennessee.  This H7N9 strain is of North American wild bird lineage and is the same strain of avian influenza that was previously confirmed in Tennessee. It is NOT the same as the China H7N9 virus that has impacted poultry and infected humans in Asia.  (USDA, 3/16/17)
 
REPORT
Antibiotic Resistance: More Information Needed to Oversee Use of Medically Important Drugs in Food Animals.  GAO found gaps in FDA's oversight of antibiotic use in food animals and USDA's and HHS's data collection, among other things. For example, they lack farm-specific data, do not have metrics to assess their actions to manage antibiotics use, and have not conducted on-farm investigations during foodborne illness outbreaks.  (GAO, 3/16/17)
 
FACT SHEET
White House Releases FY18 Budget Blueprint. The White House released its budget blueprint on March 16, 2017 providing initial information on its budget request for FY18 (the full budget request is expected in May). While detail on funding levels for most global health programs is not specified, the blueprint does include total funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of State and highlights some specific global health programs and related areas.  (Kaiser Family Foundation, 3/16/17)
 
NEWS
New Federal Emergency Fund Proposed to Respond to Public Health Outbreaks.  Ever since the Ebola and Zika epidemics, public health officials have advocated for a special emergency fund that would allow the United States to respond rapidly to disease outbreaks. This budget blueprint creates a new Federal Emergency Response Fund, but provides no specifics about how large it would be or where the funds will come from.  (Washington Post, 3/16/17)
 
BLOG
John Snow: A Legacy of Disease Detectives.  We have better, more modern tools now for identifying and tracking illness, like access to state-of-the-art labs and computer systems. We have in-depth knowledge of germs and how they spread. But when we train today's disease detectives, we still return to the basics.  (CDC, 3/14/17)
 
REPORT
The American Health Care Act.  The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) estimate that the AHCA would reduce federal deficits by $337 billion over the period FY2017-FY2026. With respect to effects on health insurance coverage, CBO and JCT project that, in FY2018, 14 million more people would be uninsured under AHCA than under current law and, in FY2026, 24 million more people would be uninsured.  (Congressional Research Service, 3/14/17)
 

LETTER
Letter to Secretary Tom Price and Dr. Anne Schuchat. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Patty Murray, along with Reps. Frank Pallone, Gene Green, and Diana DeGette wrote to HHS Secretary Tom Price and CDC Acting Director Anne Schuchat regarding "a surge in human infections of a deadly bird flu in China...[that] poses the greatest risk of a pandemic threat if it evolves to spread readily from human to human." (Office of Senator Elizabeth Warren, 3/13/17)

 
INTERVIEW
Is the US Ready for Future Disease Threats? Dr. Tom  Frieden, former CDC director, spoke with Scientific American during his last week on the job about some of the nation's future health challenges, as well as his most memorable moments as director.  (Scientific American, 3/17)

See also: Ex-CDC Chief Opposes Public Health Block Grants in Trump Budget (Reuters, 3/17/17)

EVENT
Powered by CARB-X.  CARB-X, a global public-private partnership leading the fight against antibiotic resistance, invites you to a historic event where it will announce its initial investment in companies engaged in the discovery and development of life-saving antibacterial products. The event will take place on Thursday, March 30, 2017, 11 AM-12 PM EST.  (CARB-X, 3/17)
 
Homeland Security & Disaster Preparedness
NEWS
Trump's Budget Slashes Climate Change Funding.  The budget would end programs to lower domestic greenhouse gas emissions, slash diplomatic efforts to slow climate change and cut scientific missions to study the climate.  (NPR, 3/16/17)
 
NEWS
Pacific Partnership 2017 Shifts Focus to Humanitarian Aid/Disaster Relief.  Members of the U.S. armed forces and the Sri Lankan air force and navy exchanged best practices and lessons learned during a first-ever, bilateral Humanitarian Aid/Disaster Relief Symposium held at the Magam Ruhunupura International Convention Center here March 13.  (Department of Defense, 3/15/17)
 
NEWS
US Defense Secretary James Mattis Says Climate Change is Already Destabilizing the World.  "Climate change is impacting stability in areas of the world where our troops are operating today," he told senators.  "It is appropriate for the Combatant Commands to incorporate drivers of instability that impact the security environment in their areas into their planning."   (Independent, 3/15/17)

See also: A Spark of Hope for Climate Change Reality (NPR, 3/14/17)

NEWS
The Great Lie of American Flood Risk. A ll around the country, the federal government is dramatically undervaluing the risk of flooding to their homes or businesses. The lie originates from the National Flood Insurance Program, which sets rates for 5 million people living in flood-prone areas-based on flood projections that are sometimes decades out of date .  (Wired, 3/14/17)
 
NEWS
Federal Program to Reduce Windstorm Impacts Requests Comments on New Strategic Plan.  The plan details three overarching, long-term strategic goals for National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, as well as the 14 key objectives and seven research priorities needed to facilitate their implementation and yield positive benefits.  (NIST, 3/14/17)
 
REPORT
Major Disaster Declarations for Snow Assistance and Severe Winter Storms: An Overview.  The criteria used by FEMA to determine whether to recommend a declaration depend on the type of winter incident. Snow assistance is based on record, or near record snowfall according to official government reports on snow accumulations.  (Congressional Research Service, 3/13/17)
 
Radiological & Nuclear Disaster Preparedness
NEWS
The Feds are Spending Millions to Help You Survive Nuclear War.  Over the last ten years the US has poured millions of dollars into technologies and treatments it hopes to never have to use, but could, in the event of a nuclear catastrophe.  (Wired, 3/14/17)
 
Science & Technology Policy
NEWS
Trump's Budget Calls for Seismic Disruption in Medical and Science Research.  The budget blueprint calls for a startling downsizing of agencies that historically have received steady bipartisan support. The National Institutes of Health, for example, would be cut by nearly $6 billion, about a fifth of the NIH budget.  (Washington Post, 3/16/17)

See also: 
REPORT
Science and Technology Issues in the 115th Congress.  This report briefly outlines an array of science and technology policy issues that may come before the 115th Congress. Given the rapid pace of S&T advancement and its importance in many diverse public policy issues, S&T-related issues not discussed in this report may come before the 115th Congress.  (Congressional Research Service, 3/14/17)
 
This Week's Hearings

A Borderless Battle: Defending Against Cyber Threats. US House Committee on Homeland Security. 3/22/17, 10 AM. House Capitol Visitor Center 210. More

 

High Consequences and Uncertain Threats: Reviewing Department of Defense Strategy, Policy, and Programs for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction. US House Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities. 3/23/17, 10:30 AM. Rayburn 2118. More

 

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