The purpose of this project was to develop an evidence-informed checklist that outlines action steps for medical and public health authorities, in partnership with nongovernmental organizations and private industry, to assess and strengthen the resilience of their community's health sector in the face of Ebola Virus Disease or other high consequence infectious diseases. Read now
Updating the CDC's IRAT (Influenza Risk Assessment Tool) Rankings (
Avian Flu Diary) The CDC is quick to point out the Influenza Risk Assessment Tool (IRAT) is not meant to be predictive. But the IRAT can help planners decide which viruses pose the greatest risks, so they can prioritize their efforts and investments.
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Zika Virus Disease in the Americas: A Storm in the Making (
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene) More than 700,000 cases of Zika virus disease have been officially reported to the Pan American Health Organization from 48 countries and territories of the Americas.
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Government Affairs & National Security
HHS Secretary Defies Trump on Ebola Travel Ban (
The Atlantic) Trump advocated shutting infected Americans out of the country during the 2014 outbreak. But Tom Price praised Obama's response and said the US has a moral responsibility to care for its health volunteers abroad.
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Who Will Pay for CRISPR? (
STAT News) The ruckus over the CRISPR gene-editing system hides a dark reality: its high cost may make it unaffordable and questions remain whether most insurance companies will pay for it.
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WHO Guidelines on Ethical Issues in Public Health Surveillance (
WHO) The WHO
Guidelines on Ethical Issues in Public Health Surveillance is the 1st international framework of its kind, it fills an important gap. The goal of the guideline development project was to help policymakers and practitioners navigate the ethical issues presented by public health surveillance.
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Another Canary in the Same Coalmine--Mild MERS May Be Bad News... (
Virology Down Under) Sometimes, MERS-CoV is detected in a person who is not ill. Weird huh? Not really. This is the result of laboratory testing of contacts of a known and infected person during the process of containing a potential outbreak.
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Science & Technology
Genomic Vaccines (
Scientific American) Vaccines composed of DNA or RNA instead of proteins could enable the rapid development of preventives for infectious diseases.
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Tropical Viruses: Coming Soon to Europe? (
Science Daily) The mosquito-borne viral disease Chikungunya is usually found in tropical areas. Researchers have now discovered how climate change is facilitating the spread of the Chikungunya virus.
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