Mapping for Ebola: A Collaborative Effort

Map of AfricaOne of the difficulties faced by teams responding to the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa is identifying individuals and communities residing in remote areas. Existing maps of these regions either do not exist or are inadequate or outdated. This means that basic data like location of houses, buildings, villages, and roads are not easily accessible, and case finding and contact tracing can be extremely difficult.

To help aid the outbreak response effort, volunteers from around the world are using an open-source online mapping platform called OpenStreetMap (OSM) to create detailed maps and map data of  Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and parts of Mali.

Person mapping at a computerCommonly referred to as “Wikipedia for maps,” OSM is working toward the goal of making a map of the world that is freely available to anyone who wants to use it. The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) is a U.S.-based non-profit organization that represents a subset of the OSM community. HOT’s mission is to use OSM data and tools to help prepare and respond to humanitarian disasters. Because OSM data is available for free download anywhere in the world, volunteer mappers generate data that are useful not only to CDC but also to other agencies involved in the Ebola response, such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF), International Red Cross (IRC), and World Health Organization.

Mappers frequently use satellite images to identify villages, houses, paths, and other details that were previously unmapped. The U.S. State Department’s Humanitarian Information Unit (HIU) is supporting HOT and OSM by creating the MapGive.org website, which provides easy-to-follow instructions on how to begin mapping very quickly. Personnel in CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ) are coordinating with HIU and HOT to support and promote volunteer mapping in affected West African areas where CDC teams are currently working.

Members of Emory’s Student Outbreak and Response Team (SORT) are some of these volunteer mappers. SORT is a graduate student organization that collaborates with CDC and provides hands-on training in outbreak response and emergency preparedness. Ryan Lash, a mapping scientist in DGMQ’s Travelers’ Health Branch, initially contacted SORT for help in August as the number of Ebola cases in West Africa continued to rise. He has since provided two workshops for SORT members, taught a small number of CDC staff, and trained students at the University of Georgia.

Rabies response-EOCIn the 8 months that HOT has been mapping countries with Ebola outbreaks, more than 2,500 volunteers have mapped more than 750,000 buildings and hundreds of kilometers of roads, resulting in detailed maps of affected West African communities. Not only do these maps help first responders and other organizations around the world, they also contribute to the national information infrastructure essential to the recovery and rebuilding of affected regions. The value of OSM was highlighted especially well during the 2010 Haiti earthquake, after which the U.S. State Department decided to promote volunteer mapping as a way for the general public to get involved in humanitarian emergencies.

Volunteer mapping in OSM for HOT can be done by anyone. All you need is a computer, an internet connection, and the time and willingness to learn. Find out more about how you can help here: Learn to Map

Genetic Testing For All: Is It Eugenics?

ATCG's Image with Group of PeopleIn recent weeks, there’s been talk of three types of genetic testing transitioning from targeted populations to the general public: carrier screens for recessive diseases, tests for BRCA mutations, and non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) to spot extra chromosomes in fetuses …

The post Genetic Testing For All: Is It Eugenics? appeared first on PLOS Blogs Network.

Giving Students First Hand Experience

Emory students holding up sheets of paper

By Annum Shaikh

We often hear about CDC professionals who are preparing the nation and responding to various public health emergencies. But what about the students who are contributing to these initiatives?

 Close to the CDC campus in Atlanta resides a group that provides students with practical experience in public health emergency preparedness and the opportunity to serve the greater Atlanta community and beyond. The group is Emory University’s Student Outbreak and Response Team, also known as SORT.

Emory SORT students standing outside the Dekalb County Emergency Operations CenterSORT is a graduate student-led organization that collaborates with CDC and the Dekalb County Board of Health in various preparedness exercises, trainings, outbreak investigations and emergency responses. The team of 45 energetic and passionate Masters of Public Health (MPH) students, from various concentrations and diverse backgrounds, has participated in a range of activities including serving as volunteers for a Nurse Triage Line exercise at the CDC, entering data for the multi-state fungal meningitis response, providing assistance at flu clinics, and organizing activities at the Emory campus to bring awareness about emergency preparedness to students.

Back in September 2013, SORT members were asked by the CDC Emergency Operations Center to help facilitate an investigation into an outbreak associated with nutritional supplements contaminated with steroids in New York. These members contributed over 130 volunteer hours total, while gaining practical experience in conducting an investigation using public health skills.

In October 2013, SORT members participated in a tornado drill at the Emory Hospital. Members served as victims of the tornado, acting out an assigned set of symptoms and presenting to the Emergency Department. Working with a diverse group of healthcare staff in a mock emergency allowed students to learn the process and challenges of of disaster management.

Emory students standing with Spiderman at a fundraiser eventIn light of the Typhoon Yolanda that hit Philippines in November 2013, SORT members combined efforts with other student organizations on campus – Emory Refugee Alliance, Rollins Association of South Asian Health, and Emory Global Health Organization – for a fundraiser that helped support the International Medical Corps.

SORT is a unique student organization that allows members to interact and learn from public health professionals on a regular basis. This provides students with a strong knowledge base when they enter the workforce.

If you are interested in reaching out to SORT or working with their team, please email: sort@emory.edu

To find out more about SORT’s activities, visit their blog at: http://sortemory.wordpress.com/
Follow them on Twitter @sortemory