In Case You Missed It: Top 10 Posts From 2017

 

In honor of the New Year, we are rounding up the blogs that were most viewed by you, our readers, in 2017.

  1. America’s Hidden Health Crisis: Hope for Those Who Suffer from ME/CFS
    Public Health Matters recognized the 25th anniversary of International Awareness Day for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and Fibromyalgia. Between 825,000 and 2.5 million Americans are estimated to have ME/CFS, yet this debilitating illness remains largely invisible to most Americans.


  2. John Snow: A Legacy of Disease Detectives
    In 1854, John Snow was the first to use maps and records to track the spread of a disease back to its source. Today, his ideas provide the foundation for how we find and stop disease all over the world. Public Health Matters highlighted the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service in honor of the birthday of the father of epidemiology and the first true disease detective.


  3. Tips to Protect Yourself from Norovirus
    Every year, 19 to 21 million people get sick with diarrhea and vomiting caused by norovirus. Public Health Matters shared five steps you could take to help protect yourself and others from this virus that can lead to dehydration or more serious illness, especially in young children and older adults.


  4. Why Diarrhea & Swimming Don’t Mix
    While sunburn and drowning might be the health risks that first come to mind when you think about swimming, diarrhea is another culprit. Outbreaks of diarrheal illness linked to swimming are on the rise. Public Health Matters shared five important facts about diarrhea-causing germs at aquatic venues and how to protect yourself and loved ones during Healthy and Safe Swimming Week 2017.


  5. Keep your pets safe in an emergency: 5 things to know
    Many pet owners are unsure of what to do with their pets if they are faced with extreme weather or a natural disaster. June was National Pet Preparedness Month and Public Health Matters highlighted five things you can do to keep your pets safe during and after an emergency.


  6. Get a Flu Shot to Protect Your Heart and Your Health
    People with certain long-term medical conditions, such as heart disease, are at high risk of developing serious complications from flu. Public Health Matters discussed the complications of flu and the important steps you can take to protect yourself and those around you including getting a flu vaccine.


  7. Predicting Community Resilience and Recovery After a Disaster
    After a disaster, the number of people with psychological trauma exceeds the number of people with physical injury by as much as 40 to 1, but there is much more research and emergency response focus on the physical effects of a disaster rather than the psychosocial effects. Public Health Matters interviewed a professor from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health about their innovative model and index to measure resilience in the United States.


  8. Safety Tips Every Contact Lens Wearer Should Know
    Forty-five million people in the United States who wear contact lenses to correct your vision. Eye infections related to improper contact lens wear and care are serious and can lead to long-lasting damage, but they are often preventable. Public Health Matters discussed the science behind some of the important contact lens wear and care recommendations in observance of Contact Lens Health Week.


  9. Preparing for College Life: A Healthy Guide
    Public Health Matters invited our David J. Sencer CDC Museum Intern from the Walker School to guest write a post with tips for fellow graduating high school seniors to prepare to head off to college.


  10. Rural America in Crisis: The Changing Opioid Overdose Epidemic
    In America, 15 out of 100 people live in a rural area. The rate of drug overdose deaths in rural areas has surpassed rates in urban areas, and it is a huge public health concern. Public Health Matters explored how rural areas are different when it comes to drug use and drug overdose deaths, including opioids and CDC’s response to this epidemic.

 

We want to hear from you!

The New Year is not just about reflecting on the past, and as we look ahead to 2018 we want to know what topics you would like to see on Public Health Matters. Please feel free to leave a comment below or send us an email so we can make sure that we are sharing content that is useful and interesting to you.

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Mark Zuckerberg supports universal basic income

0000-0002-8715-2896Last week, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg received an honorary degree from Harvard University. At the commencement, he promoted the idea of a basic income guarantee, joining several other tech leaders in advocating for this idea.

Did a late night TV host just change the US debate about universal health care and medical research?

0000-0002-8715-2896“I have a story to tell about something that happened to our family last week.” With those words, Jimmy Kimmel opened his show. Using a combination of vulnerability and humour, he told us about the

John Snow: A Legacy of Disease Detectives

Snow cholera map
Map of cholera cases in Soho, London, 1854. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

John Snow, known as the father of epidemiology, was born on March 15, 1813. This week, we honor the birthday of the first true disease detective.

The Story of the Broad Street Pump

London, 1854: A cramped Soho neighborhood teems with people and animals living in cramped and dirty quarters. A deadly outbreak of cholera is spreading. Doctors and scientists believe it’s caused by “miasma,” or bad air. They theorize that particles from rotting matter and waste are getting into the air and making people sick.

Enter John Snow. An accomplished physician, he becomes convinced that something other than the air might be responsible for the illness. Through carefully mapping the outbreak, he finds that everyone affected has a single connection in common: they have all retrieved water from the local Broad Street pump.

On September 8, 1854, Snow tests his theory by removing the pump’s handle, effectively stopping the outbreak, proving his theory, and opening the door to modern epidemiology.

Valuable Lessons for a Modern Age

In 1854, John Snow was the first to use maps and records to track the spread of a disease back to its source. Today, his ideas provide the foundation for how we find and stop disease all over the world.

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 disease detectives are trained to look for clues by asking:

  • WHO is sick?
  • WHAT are their symptoms?
  • WHEN did they get sick?
  • WHERE could they have been exposed to the cause of the illness?

We live in a world where disease can travel across the globe in a matter of hours. This means we must not only apply these basic lessons of epidemiology, but we must constantly be looking for ways to find better answers, faster.

Disease Detectives Make a DifferenceEpidemic Intelligence Service

When outbreaks or other threats emerge, CDC’s disease detectives, some of whom are trained through our Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), are on the scene. These boots-on-the ground staff, called EIS officers, support over 100 public health investigations (Epi-Aids) each year in the U.S. and worldwide.

CDC’s disease detectives have been instrumental in tracking down threats like:

Anthrax: During the 2001 anthrax outbreak among U.S. postal workers, disease detectives investigated the route of contaminated envelopes and how workers became infected.

E. coli: For the first time, disease detectives conclusively showed that flour was the source of a 2016 E. coli outbreak. Millions of pounds of flour were taken off the shelves, including flour-containing products like bread, cake, and muffin mixes.

Seoul virus: Disease detectives have been working to track and stop an outbreak of Seoul virus, an emerging rodent-borne hantavirus, involving home-based rat breeders this year. The outbreak was first identified after two Wisconsin rat breeders became ill in December and, as of March 13, the investigation has so far included rat-breeding facilities in 15 states, with 17 people infected in seven states.

Like Snow’s map that revealed cases of cholera congregated around the Broad Street pump, we must keep tabs on where and how disease is spreading. Once the source of disease is identified, it is crucial to develop and implement interventions to help prevent people from getting sick. We must remain innovative and creative, like Snow when he removed the handle of the Broad Street pump to stop disease at the source.

References

In precedent break, BMJ explains why it rejected controversial “weekend effect” paper

After the reviewer of a rejected paper was publicly outed, the BMJ has taken the unusual step of explaining why it chose not to publish the paper. The paper — eventually published in another journal — raised hackles for suggesting that there is no “weekend effect,” or a higher mortality rate in hospitals on Saturday […]

The post In precedent break, BMJ explains why it rejected controversial “weekend effect” paper appeared first on Retraction Watch.

Scientists call for retraction of “seriously misleading” paper with asbestos industry ties

Eleven scientists are asking a journal to consider retracting an asbestos paper with industry ties for including “seriously misleading information,” “several wrong statements,” and thrice citing a journal that doesn’t appear to exist. Editors of the journal, Epidemiology Biostatistics and Public Health, however, say they will not retract the article, based on the advice of two […]

The post Scientists call for retraction of “seriously misleading” paper with asbestos industry ties appeared first on Retraction Watch.

Study on teens with scoliosis failed to seek ethics approval, erratum notes

After researchers failed to seek ethics approval for a study on teens with scoliosis, a journal has issued an erratum to the paper. The journal is not retracting the paper outright, it says, because the study was non-invasive and likely would have received ethics approval. During the study, teenagers with and without progressive scoliosis underwent […]

The post Study on teens with scoliosis failed to seek ethics approval, erratum notes appeared first on Retraction Watch.

Rare Disease Day 2016: Huntington’s Disease Update

rdd-social-profile-400x320Source: Rare Disease Day 2016: Huntington’s Disease Update Things do happen for a reason. The editors of PLOS asked me weeks ago to post today, Rare Disease Day, about Huntington’s disease (HD). I wondered why,

Testosterone beyond Sex

When we think about sex hormones, notably estrogens and androgens, we usually associate them with sex, gender and body development. Like all hormones, they are chemical messengers, substances produced in one part of the body

From the Field: CDC’s Field Assignment Program

CEFO in North Carolina during the H1N1 response

When faced with unexpected outbreaks and emergencies like zoonotic plague, Ebola, or contaminated cilantro that causes cyclosporiasis, Career Epidemiology Field Officers (CEFOs) are the experts in the field. One of CDC’s newer field assignment programs, the CEFO program is made up of highly skilled professionals assigned to state, territorial, and local health departments across the country to strengthen nationwide epidemiologic capacity and public health preparedness. CEFOs accomplish this mission while supporting day-to-day operations and emergency response activities of health departments. Being in the field and embedded in the public health networks of the area, CEFOs are on the front lines where emergencies typically begin and end: the local level.

The CEFO program was launched in 2002 to boost public health surveillance, epidemiology, and response efforts following 9/11 and the 2001 anthrax attacks. As of November 2015, 34 CEFOs are assigned to 27 state, territorial, and local public health programs. CEFOs bring a direct CDC connection to the state and local level. Public health agencies request CEFO assistance for an initial 2-year commitment, after which they can extend annually. Selecting a CEFO with the right background and skillset for a specific agency’s needs is important for success.

What do CEFOs actually do? 
 Map of states with CEFOs in them. are shaded gray.Although CEFOs have diverse professional backgrounds (physicians, veterinarians, scientists, nurses, and health services), all are experts in applied epidemiology. CEFOs have either completed training through CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) or have comparable practical experience. Agency assignments vary, but CEFO priorities include rapidly identifying and halting the spread of disease outbreaks and other public health threats. CEFO’s accomplish this mission through enhancement of public health surveillance, strengthening outbreak response, conducting epidemiologic investigations, and development of the public health workforce. They serve as liaisons between health departments, local and state emergency response partners, healthcare providers, and CDC. CEFOs also develop and implement jurisdictional preparedness plans for emergency situations. For instance, one CEFO is currently analyzing data to identify potential health threats and prioritize resource distribution following severe droughts in California. CEFOs use epidemiological tools to help guide public agencies towards fast and effective responses that can address the health needs of the community.

Do you want to be a CEFO?
According to CDC CEFO Supervisor, Brant Goode, CEFOs tend to be two things: highly personable and very intelligent. Though being a CEFO can be extremely rewarding, working as a CEFO does pose challenges. Goode provides a few tips to future CDC CEFOs:

  1. Utilize the data. Understanding the demographics and other aspects of a jurisdiction’s public health is a great way to tailor preparedness and response efforts to the population. Along with learning from healthcare providers and health department staff, using census and public health data to learn about the area can aid in planning and implementation.
  2. Be clear about roles. CEFOs are federal officers meant to strengthen a jurisdiction’s mission. Because CEFOs support both CDC and their jurisdiction, working well with diverse partners is crucial for success.
  3. Be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Working as a CEFO can be very rewarding, but also challenging. Going from the federal level to the state or local levels can come with a steep learning curve at an accelerated speed. CEFOs should be prepared to serve in emergency management roles.
  4. Accept agency support. The CDC, partnering jurisdictions, and fellow CEFOs can provide support to CEFOs in completing their mission. Utilize resources and refer to previous cases for best practices, as well as past mistakes, to improve efficiency and prevent “wheel reinvention.”

CEFOs serve as CDC’s frontline defense against public health threats. Through expertise in applied epidemiology, they continue to improve nationwide preparedness to respond to all types of public health emergencies.