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Infectious disease preparedness work focuses predominantly on a historical list of pathogens derived from biological warfare agents, political considerations, and recent outbreaks. That fails to account for the most serious agents not currently known or without historical precedent, write scholars from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in a new report on the traits of microorganisms with high pandemic potential.  

Today's Headlines: May 22, 2018

Biological Agents & Infectious Diseases 

Ebola Virus Disease - Democratic Republic of the Congo: Update on Ring Vaccination ( WHO) In response to the ongoing outbreak of Ebola in Equateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, WHO is working with the Ministry of Health, Medecins Sans Frontieres, UNICEF and other partners including the Ministry of Health of Guinea, to conduct vaccination against Ebola for people at high risk of infection in affected health zones. Go to article

Ebola Vaccine Drive Launches in DRC as Cases Rise to 49 ( CIDRAP) In a development that global health officials say is a turning point in how the world fights Ebola, vaccinators today began immunizing health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the first stage of a ring vaccination strategy. In other developments, four more illnesses were reported, along with another healthcare worker death, and more countries signaled financial support to help with the international response to the outbreak. Go to article


Domestic Preparedness & Response

Hawaii on Edge as Lava Reaches Power Plant: 'No One Has Faced This Before' ( USA Today) Civil defense authorities in Hawaii were scrambling to firm up contingency plans after hot, powerful lava flowing from Hawaii's erupting Kilauea volcano reached the edge of a Big Island power plant. The lava flow entered the 800-acre property of the Puna Geothermal Venture Plant before stalling at a swale about 300 yards from the nearest underground, geothermal well. If lava breaches the well, authorities fear it could release hydrogen sulfide, a toxic and flammable gas. Go to article

EMS: A Critical Partner in Successful Community Disaster Planning and Response ( ASPR Blog) During EMS Week, we want to draw attention to the vital role EMS plays in disaster healthcare and salute our Emergency Medical Services colleagues nationwide. We know that across the country, our EMS colleagues work on the frontlines of health, providing lifesaving services every day, even on the worst days in your communities. EMS is the first point of contact with medical services for millions of Americans, and with every call EMS professionals put years of training and education to use to make a difference. Your care saves lives. Go to article

From 1918 to 2018: BARDA's Role in the Evolution of Pandemic Preparedness ( ASPR Blog) BARDA and its industry partners have made tremendous strides to build better, faster, and more flexible vaccine technologies to enable the right vaccine to be where we need it, when we need it. Combating this age-old problem is an epic challenge, and there is still work to be done to speed availability of life-saving vaccines in a pandemic. Go to article


Global Health Security

The Political Theater of Controlling Ebola with Border Checks ( Wired) The WHO, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Doctors Without Borders send in rapid-response teams. These teams set up treatment centers and ship in supplies--including, this time, the first doses of an experimental vaccine. With luck, those emergency measures will control the spread of this outbreak. But there's another emergency measure that won't curb Ebola, and might even encourage it to spread: stopping people at national borders to see whether they carry the disease. Go to article

WHO Supports Ebola Vaccination of High Risk Populations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( WHO) The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the support of WHO and partners, is preparing to vaccinate high risk populations against Ebola virus disease in affected health zones. Health workers operating in affected areas are being vaccinated today and community outreach has started to prepare for the ring vaccination. Go to article


Government Affairs & National Security

US Pledges $8 Million for Ebola Outbreak in Congo ( Washington Post) The US has pledged to provide $8 million to support the global response to the growing Ebola outbreak in Congo, officials said Tuesday. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced a $7 million commitment Tuesday at the World Health Assembly in Geneva that added to an initial $1 million pledge last week. Go to article


Medicine & Public Health

Apply for the 2018 National Health Security Award! ( NAACHO Preparedness Brief) The National Association of County and City Health Officials and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response are pleased to announce the third annual National Health Security Award! This award recognizes local health departments that have demonstrated significant accomplishments in implementing health security-related initiatives within their jurisdictions. NHS Award winners will receive a travel scholarship to be recognized at the 2018 NACCHO Annual in New Orleans, La. Go to article

Congo Ebola Vaccination Campaign Begins with Health Workers ( Washington Post) Congo began an Ebola vaccination campaign Monday in a northwest provincial capital in a major effort to stem an outbreak that already has spread from rural towns into a city of more than 1 million people. The vaccination drive started a day after the health ministry announced that a nurse had died from Ebola in Bikoro. The rural northwestern town is where the outbreak announced in early May began. The death toll now stands at 27. Go to article

Antibiotic Resistance Increases with Local Temperature ( Nature Climate Change) Antibiotic resistance in bacteria is believed to develop largely under the selective pressure of antibiotic use; however, other factors may contribute to population level increases in antibiotic resistance. We explored the role of climate (temperature) and additional factors on the distribution of antibiotic resistance across the US, and here we show that increasing local temperature as well as population density are associated with increasing antibiotic resistance (percent resistant) in common pathogens. Go to article


Science & Technology

' You're Holding Your Breath': Scientists Who Toiled for Years on an Ebola Vaccine See the First One Put to the Test ( STAT) An Ebola outbreak has once again commanded global attention, eliciting feelings of dread, anxiety, and concern. But for a small community of researchers who have toiled for years to develop a vaccine against Ebola - one that is being used for the first time to try to contain an outbreak - it is also thrilling. Go to article

Regulation of Midgut Cell Proliferation Impacts Aedes aegypti Susceptibility to Dengue Virus ( PLOS: Neglected Tropical Diseases) Aedes aegypti is the vector of some of the most important vector-borne diseases like dengue, chikungunya, zika and yellow fever, affecting millions of people worldwide. The cellular processes that follow a blood meal in the mosquito midgut are directly associated with pathogen transmission. Go to article


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Preparedness Pulsepoints: May 22, 2018
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