“China, like the U.S., has had to cope with a range of disease outbreaks in recent years and continues to prepare for future emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats. Over the past few years, the Center for Biosecurity has benefited greatly from policy discussions with government officials and nongovernment leaders in other countries, including Canada, Israel, the United Kingdom, and France. We were eager to be able to connect with Chinese experts and learn from them about disease detection and control, as well as healthcare preparedness and community resilience in the world’s most populous country.”
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Center for Biosecurity Meets with Chinese Leaders in Public Health and Science
- February 10, 2012
- | Filed under Asia/Pacific, North America, Report, and 2001-2025
Center for Biosecurity Priorities for 2011 PAHPA Reauthorization
Congressional Seminar Series on Biological and Nuclear Security: Seminar 1
Excerpt:
Goals for Reauthorization
Preserve gains in public health and healthcare preparedness made since 2006 • Ensure coordination and minimize duplication of efforts at the federal level • Further refine federal guidance and management of state and local programs • Ensure continued progress in public health and healthcare preparedness, particularly for catastrophic health events (CHEs) • Support efforts to develop and produce needed medical countermeasures
- June 20, 2011
- | Filed under North America, Other, and 2001-2025
Challenges and Opportunities for Education About Dual Use Issues in the Life Sciences
The Challenges and Opportunities for Education About Dual Use Issues in the Life Sciences workshop was held to engage the life sciences community on the particular security issues related to research with dual use potential. More than 60 participants from almost 30 countries took part and included practicing life scientists, bioethics and biosecurity practitioners, and experts in the design of educational programs.
The workshop sought to identify a baseline about (1) the extent to which dual use issues are currently being included in postsecondary education (undergraduate and postgraduate) in the life sciences; (2) in what contexts that education is occurring (e.g., in formal coursework, informal settings, as stand-alone subjects or part of more general training, and in what fields); and (3) what online educational materials addressing research in the life sciences with dual use potential already exist.
Challenges for Mental Health Services Raised by Disaster Preparedness: Mapping the Ethical and Therapeutic Terrain
Identifying vulnerable groups and ensuring that their needs are met during disasters—whether naturally occurring or manmade—are vital aspects of preparedness planning. Developing preparedness strategies that are responsive to those at greatest risk is a moral mandate, justified by the principles of beneficence, justice, and respect for autonomy. Individuals with preexisting mental disorders and newly emergent psychological symptoms are particularly vulnerable to adverse outcomes during and after disasters. Without advance planning, these individuals might not benefit from necessary mental health services and treatments during and after disasters. In this commentary, we discuss ethical issues that arise in emergency preparedness planning for vulnerable individuals with psychological and psychiatric conditions and disorders.
- February 22, 2012
- | Filed under North America, Other, and 2001-2025
Challenges to Global Surveillance and Response to Infectious Disease Outbreaks of International Importance
“This article presents a notional scheme of global surveillance and response to infectious disease outbreaks and reviews 14 international surveillance and response programs. In combination, the scheme and the programs illustrate how, in an ideal world and in the real world, infectious disease outbreaks of public health significance could be detected and contained. Notable practices and achievements of the programs are cited; these may be useful when instituting new programs of redesigning existing ones. Insufficiencies are identified in four critical areas: health infrastructure; scientific methods and concepts of operation; essential human, technical, and financial resources; and international policies. These insufficiencies challenge global surveillance of and response to infectious disease outbreaks of international importance. This article is intended to help policymakers appreciate the complexity of the problem and assess the impact and cost-effectiveness of proposed solutions. An assessment of the potential contribution of appropriate diagnostic tests to surveillance and response is included.”
