Category Archives: ebola

03Apr / 2017

10 Ways CDC Gets Ready For Emergencies

Dr. Stephen Redd, Director, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response
Dr. Stephen Redd, Director, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response

One of the best parts of my job is the opportunity to learn from a wide range of experiences. We have an obligation to not only respond to emergencies today, but to prepare for tomorrow by learning from the past. Our work extends to households affected by disease, communities ravaged by disasters, and U.S. territories battling new and changing threats. In fact, all over the world – we try to get ahead of, and manage, complex responses that touch many lives through ever changing circumstances. In an ideal world the health in every community would be at a level that would make recovery and reliance easier. The reality is that emergencies happen in all kinds of environments and populations.

The Public Health Preparedness and Response National Snapshot is our annual report that gives us an opportunity to showcase the work that we and our state partners do. The report reminds us that no matter how big the emergency, we need to work together to respond to the best of our ability—with the cards we are dealt.

Here are 10 ways CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response worked to keep people safer in 2016 that can inform our work going forward.

1) Four Responses at Once: An Unprecedented Challenge

CDC experts continue to provide 24/7 monitoring, staffing, resources, and coordination in response to natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and infectious disease threats. In early 2016, CDC managed four public health emergencies at the same time through our Emergency Operations Center :

  • Ebola
  • Flint, Michigan, Water Quality
  • Zika Virus
  • Polio Eradication

See us in action:

2) A Complex Threat: Zika Hits the U.S.

CDC scientists and responders were activated in CDC’s Emergency Operations Center, where they combed through research, developed and distributed diagnostic tests, and provided on-the-ground mosquito control and education to protect people at higher risk for the virus, including pregnant women and infants.

3) Right Resources, Right Place, Right Time

CDC’s Strategic National Stockpile is ready to send critical medical supplies quickly to where they are needed most to save lives. The stockpile is the nation’s largest supply of life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies that can be used in a public health emergency if local supplies run out.

Last year, we helped conduct 18 full-scale exercises and provided training for 2,232 federal and state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency responders to ensure that systems for delivering medicines are functioning well before they are needed in an actual emergency. We continue to work with our federal, state, local, and commercial partners to make sure every step of the medical supply chain – from manufacture to delivery – is coordinated.

4) State and Local Readiness

CDC connects with state and local partners to provide support and guidance, helping every community get ready to handle emergencies like floods, hurricanes, wildfires, or disease outbreaks.

This year, we created a new process to evaluate how well state and local jurisdictions can plan and execute a large-scale response requiring the rapid distribution of critical medicines and supplies. Through this program, we conducted assessments of 487 state and local public health departments. The information from these assessments will be used to help improve the ability to get emergency supplies quickly to those who need them most.

5) Cutting-Edge Science to Find and Stop Disease

To protect lifesaving research, CDC experts in biosafety and biosecurity conducted approximately 200 laboratory inspections and thousands of assessments of those who handle dangerous select agents and toxins like anthrax, plague, and ricin to keep these materials safe, secure, and out of the hands of those who might misuse them.

CDC’s Laboratory Response Network (LRN)l also develops and deploys tests to combat our country’s most pressing infectious and non-infectious health issues, from Ebola to Zika virus to opioid overdose. The network connects over 150 labs to respond quickly to high priority public health emergencies.

6) Protecting Our Most Vulnerable

CDC supports efforts all across the country to help those who may not be able to help themselves when a crisis strikes. Some populations, like children, older adults, and others with functional and access needs may need extra help during and after an emergency.

From planning for the 69 million children who may be in school when disaster strikes to the millions of Americans who need to make sure prescriptions are filled, medical equipment is working, and help arrives even if power is out and roads are blocked, it’s up to us to protect our most vulnerable in emergencies.

7) Emergency Leaders: The Future of Incident Response

When every minute counts, we need people who have the knowledge to step in and take immediate action. Learning and using a common framework like the CDC Incident Management System helps responders “speak the same language” during an event and work more seamlessly together.

CDC experts train leaders from around the world—25 countries in 2016—through an innovative, four-month fellowship based at our Atlanta headquarters. Lessons learned from this course were put to work immediately to head off an outbreak of H5N1 influenza in Cameroon.

8) The Power of Preparedness: National Preparedness Month

Throughout September, CDC and more than 3,000 organizations—national, regional, and local governments, as well as private and public organizations— supported emergency preparedness efforts and encouraged Americans to take action.

The theme for National Preparedness Month 2016 was “The Power of Preparedness.” During our 2016 campaign , we recognized the successes of countries and cities who have seen the direct benefits of being prepared, looked at innovative programs to help children and people with disabilities get ready for emergencies, and provided tips for home and family on making emergency kits.

9) Health Security: How is the U.S. Doing?

As part of the Global Health Security Agenda, teams of international experts travel to countries to report on how well public health systems are working to prevent, detect, and respond to outbreaks. In May, a team made a five-day visit to the U.S. to look at how well we’re doing.

In the final report, the assessment team concluded that, “the U.S. has extensive and effective systems to reduce the risks and impacts of major public health emergencies, and actively participates in the global health security system.” They recognized the high level of scientific expertise within CDC and other federal agencies, and the excellent reporting mechanisms managed by the federal government.

10) Helping YOU Make a Difference

Get a flu shot. Wash your hands. Make a kit. Be careful in winter weather. Prepare for your holidays. Be aware of natural disasters or circulating illnesses that may affect you or those you care about. There are many ways to prepare, and in 2016 we provided the latest science and information to empower every one of us to take action.

Every person needs knowledge to prepare their home, family, and community against disease or disaster before an emergency strikes. Whether it’s how to clean mold from a flooded home, how to wash your hands the right way, or how to use your brain in emergencies, our timely tips and advice put the power of preparedness in your hands. From the hidden dangers of hurricanes to the heartbreaking dangers of flu, there are steps we can all take to stay safe every day as we work toward a healthy and protected future.

For more ways we are helping protect America’s health, check out the new National Preparedness Snapshot.

To find out more about the issues and why this work matters, visit our website.

 

Posted by in biosafety, Biosecurity, CDC, children, communities, Disease, Disease Outbreak, ebola, emergency, Flint, General, global health security agenda, H5N1, Health, health security, influenza, Laboratory, labs, lives, Natural Disasters, polio, Preparedness, public health, Response, school preparedness, State and Local Readiness, stop disease, strategic national stockpile, weather, zika

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21Sep / 2016

Recognizing the Vital Work of Our Nation’s Public Servants

Greg Burel receiving SAMMIE award.
Photo credit: Aaron Clamage/clamagephoto.com

In April 2015, an Ohio doctor made an urgent call to CDC concerning a possible life-threatening botulism outbreak that posed a risk to as many as 50 people who had attended a church potluck dinner.

Within hours, CDC, the Ohio Department of Health, and a local hospital had determined that botulism antitoxin was needed to treat the food-borne illness. They made an immediate request to the only U.S. source: CDC’s Strategic National Stockpile (SNS).

Greg Burel received the request just after 2 p.m. that day. He quickly issued his approval and set in motion a process that rapidly deployed and delivered botulism antitoxin to Ohio just after midnight to help save the lives of 18 people who had become seriously ill.

For Burel, this was all in a day’s work.

Burel serves as Director of the Division of Strategic National Stockpile at CDC, where he manages the federal government’s $7 billion Strategic National Stockpile of emergency medicines and medical supplies, which are stored in warehouses across the country.

In a public health emergency, the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain may be unable to immediately provide a medical countermeasure that may be required to prevent, mitigate, or treat adverse health effects resulting from an intentional, accidental, or naturally occurring public health emergency. SNS ensures the right medicines and supplies are available when and where they are needed to save lives.

And The Sammie Goes To…

In recognition of his exceptional leadership and unmatched excellence in the management of CDC’s SNS, Burel was the recipient of one of this year’s prestigious Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals―also known as the “Sammie” award―specifically in the Management Excellence category. In his decade-long tenure as Director of SNS, Burel has spearheaded 10 large-scale responses, including national responses to flooding, hurricanes, and influenza pandemics, and more than 30 small-scale deployments for the treatment of individuals with life-threatening infectious diseases including the botulism outbreak and the Ebola crisis.

Burel’s most recent challenge has been dealing with the Zika virus. In the wake of the Zika virus outbreak, SNS is working with diverse partners such as CDC Foundation, commercial pharmacies, and vector control companies to implement public health interventions that wouldn’t have been possible without the expertise and capability of SNS staff to bring it all together. “It’s more than just having the right product on the shelf and an established plan to use it,” Burel said. “We recognize the shifting realities of today’s public health threats and work with partners spanning the public and private spectrum to develop the capacity to respond to any public health emergency.”

Under Burel’s watch, the SNS has steadily expanded its focus so that it is capable of responding to all the global hazards of the 21st century. He says, “I am honored to receive the prestigious Sammie Award, and privileged to work alongside the many esteemed public servants who play an instrumental role in the stockpile’s daily operations.”

With more than 30 years of civil service, Burel has risen through the ranks of the federal government to become a proven leader in medical supply chain logistics, disaster and emergency management, financial management, quality improvement, and organizational design. He began his career at the Internal Revenue Service, and served in leadership roles in the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The “Oscars” of Government Service

Burel is one of many dedicated and hardworking federal employees across the world. The Sammie Award is an award program that publically highlights excellence in the federal workforce. The awards are also known as the “Oscars” of government service and honor those employees who have made the commitment to make our government and our nation stronger. They are named for the Partnership for Public Service’s late founder, Samuel J. Heyman, who was inspired by President Kennedy’s call to serve in 1963. These awards align with his vision of a dynamic and innovative federal workforce that meets the needs of the American people. The prestigious medals are awarded to a handful of federal employees each year for outstanding service to their country and humanity.

For More Information

Posted by in botulism, burel, ebola, medical countermeasures, Preparedness Month, public health, sammie, strategic national stockpile, zika

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06Sep / 2016

7 times public health preparedness proved critical

7 times public health preparedness proved critical | www.APHLblog.org

Our nation’s public health system responds to emergencies such as natural disasters, infectious disease outbreaks, bioterrorism attacks and more both domestically and globally. There’s no way to know what the next threat will be or when it will strike. To quickly and effectively respond to these threats, the public health system – including public health laboratories – must be prepared.

Here are seven stories that highlight the value of public health preparedness and response:

  1. Massive Molasses Mess and the Laboratory Response
  2. Testing for MERS-CoV: The Indiana Lab’s Story
  3. System Built for Responding to Bioterrorism Confirms Plague in Colorado Girl
  4. September 30, 2014: As Ebola Arrived, the Texas Public Health Lab was Ready
  5. Anthrax in Minnesota? The Laboratory Response Network Springs Into Action
  6. Responding to the Animas River disaster: Who’s testing what?
  7. Not Even Superstorm Sandy Could Stop Newborn Screening in New Jersey

Posted by in All Posts, Anthrax, ebola, Environmental Health, mers-cov, national preparedness month, newborn screening, plague, Public Health Preparedness & Response

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02Sep / 2016

The Power of Preparedness

The Power of Preparedness. National Preparedness Month 2016.

Dr. Stephen Redd, Director, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response
Dr. Stephen Redd, Director, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response

If there were one thing I’d wish for, it would be the ability to predict when and where the next infectious disease outbreak would occur and stop it before it starts. I can’t do that. And neither can anyone else.

At this moment, in addition to combating Zika in the United States and polio in Nigeria and Pakistan, we’re putting out the last embers of Ebola in West Africa, stomping out cholera in Tanzania and Kenya, and fighting yellow fever in Angola. We’re keeping vigilant for the re-emergence of H5N1 influenza and Middle East respiratory syndrome, and monitoring chikungunya, dengue, monkeypox, Lassa fever, measles…the list goes on.

It’s a lot to do. And these are just the diseases we know about. The brutal fact is that there are diseases we haven’t discovered yet. They’re out there, waiting to expose the cracks in our systems – to find the places where we aren’t watching, the areas where we aren’t prepared. And we can’t know the potential danger.

Finding – and filling – the gaps

The fact is, if you leave an opening – any opening – disease will find it. This is why it’s critical to have strong public health systems in place before emergencies happen. We can do more to recognize what causes outbreaks, respond to them faster, and bring them under control more effectively.

Around the world and at home, we need to know the level and types of disease that are normally present, so we can detect when there’s a change that requires our attention. We need safe laboratories that can rapidly diagnose the cause of illness close to the source. We need emergency operations centers that can bring experts together quickly to make decisions. Until we have these things, there will be gaps.

And where there are gaps, there is the potential for disaster. The unexpected eruption of Ebola in West Africa showed us this clearly. Before that there were others: HIV raged undetected for a decade; SARS spread to 37 countries across three continents in four months; Anthrax drew the world’s attention to the threat of intentional releases of lethal pathogens.

The human and economic costs are dear. SARS killed nearly 800 people and cost an estimated $40 billion. Ebola has killed over 11,000 people and cost billions. The potential costs of Zika to the lives of our children are unfathomable.

The value of being prepared

Each day, we continue to learn by doing. Every disaster teaches us how to do better the next time. We are seeing results, both here at home and in countries around the world.

We know that preparedness can stop unexpected health threats, even when the disease is fast moving and deadly. Take Nigeria as an example: with a highly trained team of disease detectives and an emergency operations center at the ready, Nigeria was able to thwart Ebola’s spread in Lagos and elsewhere in Nigeria, stopping the outbreak at 20 cases and averting a potential public health catastrophe.

Cameroon’s emergency operations center was recently able to head off an outbreak of H5N1 influenza by activating within 24 hours of notification. Through investments in training and preparedness, they have dramatically improved their response times – just one year ago, it took that same center eight weeks to respond to an outbreak of cholera.

At home, our flu program serves as a gold standard for how to be flexible and responsive in an emergency. When H1N1 influenza hit, we were able to act faster and more effectively through systems we already had in place for vaccine shipping, coverage, and monitoring. The outbreak response also demonstrated how we can work effectively across sectors – across CDC, between levels of government, and with global partners like the World Health Organization and ministries of health.

Despite these successes, nearly 70 percent of countries remain unprepared to handle a public health emergency. That’s a scary number – and a lot of vulnerable people.

Building well for the future

We cannot accept the status quo; we must put our investments into work that will make the world a safer place for us all. In doing this, we must first believe – as I do – that it is possible to create positive change and get results.

In a time when what pops up in one corner of the world can find its way across the globe in a matter of hours, we all have a responsibility to each other to be prepared.

We cannot take this responsibility seriously enough.

More resources to learn about global preparedness:

Read our other National Preparedness Month blogs:

Posted by in Disease, ebola, flu, polio, Preparedness, Preparedness Month, public health, zika

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25Jul / 2016

Using the Law to Prepare for Global Health Emergencies

CDC country office sign in Liberia

Countries need to be prepared to handle emergencies. Having the right laws in place is an important part of the preparation.

When laws are not clearly defined, responders can have a hard time figuring out what to do during a public health emergency and who has the authority to take action. When a deadly disease outbreak hits, this can have devastating consequences.

Liberia knows firsthand what can happen when laws don’t match the needs in the field. Their experience with the recent Ebola epidemic exposed gaps in legal authority during the response. This is one reason why Liberia’s government recently reached out to the GHSA Public Health Law Project. The project team is helping them document issues that could be improved by updating Liberia’s public health law, which was last fully revised in 1976.

Advancing the Global Health Security Agenda

Bucket of bleach for washing of hands before entering public buildings and entering counties
Ebola preventive measures in Liberia: Buckets of chlorine solution to wash hands before entering public buildings and entering counties.

The GHSA Public Health Law Project takes a close look at how the law can help (or hinder) countries as they prepare to handle public health emergencies through the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA). Right now, over 50 countries around the world are working through the GHSA to improve their ability to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to infectious disease threats. The GHSA Public Health Law Project currently covers nearly half of the GHSA countries. The team helps analyze the laws of a country and provides training to country officials to help them understand the importance of law as a public health tool.

The team begins its work by gathering information about existing laws and talking to experts about how public health law works in their country. In Liberia, the team found that people felt unclear about their roles during the Ebola response. As one country health official told the team, “There is confusion about roles in an emergency and enforcement. What is the role of the police? The ministry of health? The military? [This] needs to be better defined.”

Public Health Law in Liberia

Before the CDC team arrived in Liberia, the Ministry of Health’s Legal Counsel were already taking the lead to help modernize the law. This is a massive undertaking that the Government of Liberia hopes to accomplish as soon as possible.

The Liberian Ministry of Health’s (MOH) Legal Counsel and CDC’s Country Office Director invited the CDC project team to help them reach this goal through research and analysis of where there may be gaps in the law. The project team worked with a team from the University of North Carolina’s School of Government, who were invited for public health law support by Liberia’s Chief Medical Officer.

CDC Public Health Law team
From Left to Right: Jeff Austin (University of North Carolina), Emily Rosenfeld (CDC), Akshara Menon (CDC), Tomik Vobah and Aimee Wall (University of North Carolina)

Liberia will be able to use the information gathered by the team as they update their public health law. Once the laws are updated, the next step is making sure people are aware of them. A county health official laid out the problem he saw in Liberia: “Fundamentally, what is wrong is that the public health law is not widely known.” This official had been a practicing doctor for 11 years, but he had only read Liberia’s public health law for the first time two weeks prior to talking with the team.

Planning for the Future

The GHSA Public Health Law Project is being done collaboratively between CDC’s Center for Global Health and the Public Health Law Program. The project is compiling the laws from these countries into a single, searchable database to give a more complete picture of the legal landscape relating to the GHSA. The legal data obtained from this project will be a valuable resource when countries want to update their public health laws.

This initial legal mapping phase is only the beginning. What is really vital is how countries will use this information to help guide their work. The law can be an effective tool in meeting global health security goals and protecting people’s health — not only when a crisis hits, but every day.

Posted by in ebola, General, global health security agenda, Liberia, Preparedness, public health, Public Health Law, Response

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07Jun / 2016

2016 Annual Meeting — Day 1

2016 Annual Meeting — Day 1 | www.APHLblog.org

Today APHL kicked-off our largest annual meeting yet! We are thrilled to be in Albuquerque, New Mexico with over 600 public health laboratory leaders and partners from around the world. Whether you’re with us in Albuquerque or listening from afar, join us for updates and discussions on Twitter using #APHL. Over the next few days, we will also share highlights including tweets and photos from the meeting here on our blog.

Check out the Day 1 Storify for more tweets.

Top Tweets:

Highlights:

Scott Becker, APHL executive director, welcomes attendees

Scott Becker, APHL executive director, kicks-off the 2016 annual meeting

 

Lixia Liu, director of the New Mexico Department of Health Scientific Laboratory Division, welcomes attendees to Albuquerque

Lixia Liu, director of the New Mexico Department of Health Scientific Laboratory Division, welcomes attendees to Albuquerque

 

Dr. Isatta Wurie, APHL consultant in Sierra Leone, discusses challenges post-Ebola; Dr. Julie Villanueva, CDC, discusses Zika; Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, US State Department, discusses the Global Health Security Agenda

Dr. Isatta Wurie, APHL consultant in Sierra Leone, discusses challenges post-Ebola; Dr. Julie Villanueva, CDC, discusses Zika; Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, US State Department, discusses the Global Health Security Agenda

Posted by in All Posts, Annual Meeting, ebola, General, Global Health, Infectious Diseases, zika

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02May / 2016

CDC Emergency Operations Center: Always on Alert

CDC Emergency Operations Center: Always on Alert | www.APHLblog.org

By Tyler Wolford, senior specialist, Laboratory Response Network, APHL

Positioned among administrative offices, high containment laboratories and extensive corridors at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters is the state of the art Marcus Emergency Operations Center (EOC), a dedicated central location for CDC staff and other public health partners to coordinate responses to public health threats domestically and internationally. This multi-million dollar facility is a significant step forward from when emergency response planning would occur in whatever conference room, office or hallway was available at the time, such as during the 2001 anthrax attacks.

(Bernard Marcus, founder of Home Depot, contributed $2 million through the Marcus Foundation to build the EOC and called upon other corporations to provide their support. In response to his appeal, 15 other companies donated or provided discounted equipment through the CDC Foundation.)

CDC Emergency Operations Center: Always on Alert | www.APHLblog.orgThe EOC is a 7,000 square foot communications hub that is always on alert. Operating 24/7 year-round, the EOC houses more than 30 telephone operator stations to triage information (they receive over 27,000 phone calls per year), a cutting edge multi-display wall of television screens broadcasting response information in real-time, advanced technology systems to stay ahead of threats and several designated conference areas. Even when there is no specific public health threat, the EOC has dedicated staff monitoring information. These same individuals may be called in to support a response should one arise.

How it Works

The EOC is operated by the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR) Division of Emergency Operations (DEO). Within the DEO, there are seven branches—operations, planning, logistics, situational awareness, administration/emergency staffing, emergency risk communication and capacity development—which must work together like a well-orchestrated symphony. When the DEO first receives information about a potentially widespread threat (e.g., an increase in the incidence of a virus) via public health partner briefings or field operations intelligence, a team of subject matter experts within the DEO and from across CDC gather to determine whether EOC activation is needed. The team’s assessment is reported to the OPHPR director who then consults with the CDC director to provide recommendations for action. If there is a request to activate the EOC, they will determine which level is necessary for the particular response based on staffing needs and necessary resources:

  • Level 1 is the highest level of response requiring the largest number of staff to work 24/7. This level of action is needed for large scale, national and international threats. To date, there have been four Level 1 responses: Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak, the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the 2016 Zika
  • Level 2 requires CDC subject matter experts to lead the response with a large number of supporting staff from the relevant program area. A large number of EOC staff may also assist with the response.
  • Level 3 requires CDC subject matter experts to lead the response with some of their own staff. EOC staff may also assist with the response.

APHL’s Public Health Preparedness and Response team recently toured the Marcus EOC and had an opportunity to meet with the DEO director, Jeff Bryant. During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, Bryant was deployed for three months to work on Ebola-related activities in Germany and Liberia. He then returned to the US and assumed the role of DEO director. At that time, approximately 200 highly dedicated staff worked hard for more than 600 days to ensure the EOC’s success in supporting CDC’s response to the unprecedented Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

CDC Emergency Operations Center: Always on Alert | www.APHLblog.org(Pictured: Jeff Bryant (CDC), Amy Pullman (APHL), Tyler Wolford (APHL), Chris Mangal (APHL))

“It didn’t feel brand new to me,” said Bryant of his new role. “I immediately realized that the DEO had response and partner needs that had to be met very quickly. My biggest challenge was carving out time to familiarize myself with the DEO while also ensuring that response needs were met.” When asked what ingredients are behind DEO’s success, Bryant responded, “Innovation, creativity, long hours and the ability to surge quickly.” Bryant credits the DEO’s success to its staff, team leads and branch chiefs.

EOC in Action

Since its inception in 2003, CDC’s EOC staff have responded to more than 50 public health emergencies, providing assistance in all phases of response including planning, action and evaluation. In addition to emergencies, the EOC may also be activated for scheduled events such as presidential inaugurations. Due to its success in these capacities, the CDC received accreditation from the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) and is the first federal entity to attain full accreditation.

Public Health Responses Supported by CDC’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

The Future of Threat Detection

CDC’s new Red Sky program could be the future of public health threat awareness. Named after the old sailor’s adage, “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning,” Red Sky is a digital dashboard that displays public health outbreaks on a global map. Users can interact with each outbreak or cluster to access outbreak reports, data tables and other information. Red Sky depends on outbreak data entered by public health laboratories, health departments and other public health officials around the world. As the program progresses, the data obtained could be used to map outbreaks in real-time, dramatically decreasing the time it takes to respond.

Public health emergency response has benefited considerably from the addition of the CDC Marcus EOC. The EOC provides the resources and environment for CDC subject matter experts and other public health partners to effectively and efficiently respond to a variety of public health emergencies. For more information, please visit the CDC EOC website.

 

Posted by in All Posts, CDC, ebola, emergency operations center, emergency preparedness, eoc, Public Health Preparedness & Response, zika

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29Apr / 2016

The Strategic National Stockpile: Key to Protecting the Nation’s Health

Warehouse

When disaster strikes, CDC’s Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) is prepared to provide medicine and medical supplies to any affected area within the United States and its territories on a moment’s notice. The SNS serves as the nation’s repository of medicines and supplies for use if there is a public health emergency, such as a terrorist attack, flu outbreak, or natural disaster, severe enough to cause local supplies to run out. The repository is designed to supplement or re-supply state and local public health agencies when needed.

The SNS is organized for flexible response, and its role is constantly evolving so that CDC can continue to protect the nation’s health.

Supporting Supply Chain Management and Quality

In the 17 years since Congress authorized the SNS, originally named the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile, CDC has learned a considerable amount about response operations involving medical countermeasures (medicine and medical supplies that can prevent or treat diseases related to a public health emergency). While storing and deploying medical countermeasures are critical roles and often the most visible outcome of SNS activities, they are just part of the larger medical supply chain spectrum, which includes:

  • Identifying the right products to address specific public health threats,
  • Manufacturing and distributing pharmaceutical products, and
  • Ensuring that people who need these products receive them when and where they are needed.

As part of its supply chain role, the SNS is committed to the highest standards of quality and regularly works with other federal‎ agencies and private industry to ensure that the SNS products that are stored for public health emergencies are safe and ready to use.

Ensuring Ebola-specific Personal Protective Equipment Is AvailableEbola personal protective equipment kits

During both a public health emergency and times of normal operations, CDC provides information about the supply chain to other federal partners, as well as state and local public health officials. This information-sharing has led to guidance on the use of products during a public health emergency and promotes informed decision-making for all partners engaged in a response.

For example, during the Ebola response, CDC monitored local supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) and encouraged hospitals, public health, and healthcare coalitions to develop sharing plans during a time when supply was not meeting demand. The SNS coordinated with commercial supply chain partners to identify gaps in PPE and on-hand PPE inventory at U.S. hospitals designated as Ebola Treatment Centers. These hospitals were prioritized for orders and the rapid delivery of key products such as gowns, coveralls, aprons, boot covers, gloves, face shields and disinfecting wipes, in the event the hospitals received an Ebola patient. The SNS also established a small stockpile of Ebola-specific PPE to meet urgent, short-term needs until commercial sources could respond to the demand.

Implementing Mosquito Control and Zika Prevention

Man spraying outside of house in Puerto RicoCDC works with supply chain partners to identify strategies to operate more effectively and efficiently when procuring, storing, and distributing product. These strategies are based upon questions about how much product is needed versus how much is available, which critical locations need it, where to redirect product, and when to release stockpiled material in the United States.

In the wake of the Zika virus outbreak, the SNS is providing immediate vector-control services and preventive supplies for pregnant women to protect themselves from mosquito bites. The SNS has successfully initiated two short-term, overarching contracts for mosquito control efforts in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Guam.  The contracts include mosquito treatments of homes, schools, hospitals, and public places in the affected areas. There are also provisions for truck-mounted aerial spraying, if it is needed.

These contracts also provide some community outreach in the form of educational and consultative services to the communities affected by Zika.  By working with the CDC Foundation and by making direct purchases, the SNS has obtained materials for Zika Prevention Kits – including insect repellent, larvicides, mosquito netting, condoms to prevent sexual transmission of Zika, and educational materials. The SNS is rapidly assembling these materials in reusable bags that can be given to pregnant women. To date, the SNS has sent nearly 7,000 kits to affected areas, and more are planned.

CDC’s Strategic National Stockpile – with its goal of ensuring the right materials reach the right people at the right time – has evolved to become a key player in how both the agency and the larger medical supply chain responds to public health threats in order to safeguard the health security of the United States.

Posted by in ebola, General, Preparedness, public health, Response, zika

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03Apr / 2016

Repost: Where Does Ebola Come From? Communicating Science as a Matter of Life and Death – Part 1 of 2 By Ida Jooste | PLOS SciComm

Repost: Where Does Ebola Come From? Communicating Science as a Matter of Life and Death – Part 1 of 2 By Ida Jooste | PLOS SciCommAddThis Sharing Buttons above Editor’s note: In light of yesterday’s confirmation by the Liberian Health Ministry of the death from Ebola of a thirty year-old woman, the first such death since January (2016) when the country was again

Posted by in ebola, featured, Ida Jooste, Internews, Liberia, outbreak, science communication, who

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29Mar / 2016

CDC Crisis Communicators: Making Every Message Count

microphones set up for a news conference

An unexpected public health emergency can happen anywhere and to anyone. The right health or safety message at the right time from the right person can save lives. However, poor communication can also make an emergency situation much worse.

CDC’s crisis communicators are trained to speak to the public when the unthinkable happens to them, their families, and their communities. Crisis communicators use evidence-based communication strategies to deliver messages to help people stay safe and healthy during a disaster.

Crisis communicators work with scientists, doctors, and other experts during disasters to deliver information to people. To be ready to share information effectively, building partnerships is critical to reach target audiences, both domestically and globally.

How CDC Crisis Communicators Work

Working with CDC scientists who are experts on disease outbreaks, natural disasters, biological threats, and more, crisis communicators determine the best way to get health messages to the people who need them.

MERS press conference in 2014From scientific research, we know that people process information differently during a disaster than they would otherwise do in their day-to-day lives – they respond better to simple, positive action steps. In an emergency, people need guidance as soon as it’s available, whether it’s complete or not. They need to hear the information from someone they trust, and they need information fast and often. These principles guide how messages are created during an emergency and how and when the messages are sent.

Having a crisis communication plan is critical. Although this plan will likely change as the crisis evolves, the initial outline helps to focus communication goals.

Even the best messages will be ineffective if the target audience does not receive them. Communicators must know who to talk to and how to make advice actionable. To do this, communicators rely heavily on partner engagement, develop messages for specific audiences, and use targeted messages. CDC crisis communicators focus on developing relationships with established community organizations, building relationships with spokespersons who are familiar with affected groups, and targeting at-risk populations.

As communicators, all of the information available is used to measure whether messages are reaching the right people at the right time. Monitoring and analyzing web traffic, social media and media coverage helps identify important information that is missing, rumors that should be addressed, and the impact that communication has on the public’s response to a disaster. Communication plans are adjusted based on these analyses and strategies are developed to improve the distribution of information to the people who need it.

CDC’s Ebola Response

In the last year and a half, CDC’s emergency communication activities have focused on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. CDC has created over 500 distinct communication materials, including infographics, tutorials, and guidance documents that help people understand how to protect themselves and their families from Ebola. This large number of communications materials were developed to address various in-country needs, including a variety of languages spoken, low literacy levels, and cultural preferences. For Ebola-related communication, cultural considerations have helped us reach more people effectively. For instance, people in West Africa speak several languages, some of which are mainly spoken rather than written. Words were often replaced with pictures and illustrations to address language barriers, and radio, text messages, and social media channels were used to deliver messages.

IMG_7092_smCDC works alongside Ebola experts at home and in West Africa to adapt the content, format, and delivery of public health information. Local clinicians, both in Africa and the United States, needed guidance on how to help Ebola patients while protecting themselves, their staff, and other patients from getting sick with the virus. In West Africa, CDC provided in-person training for journalists, community leaders, and faith healers to help prepare them to protect their communities from Ebola. In the United States, CDC hosted in-person trainings, provided updates to healthcare organization networks, and conducted national-level conference calls that were attended by more than 16,000 healthcare providers and organizations.

Over the course of the Ebola response, CDC has also communicated with public health partners and reached more than 32,000 people and organizations who subscribed to the CDC Emergency Partner Newsletter. The CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response website is updated with the latest event information. CDC’s Center for Global Health has strong connections with health communicators around the world and these channels are used to reach the global public health community.

CDC crisis communicators are committed to lowering the rates of illness, injury, and death when disaster strikes by carefully crafting messages for specific audiences and delivering those messages through effective communication channels. Crisis communicators strive to make every message count.

Posted by in communication, crisis, ebola, emergency, General, media, partnership, Preparedness, public health, Response

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