PUBHLTH 1 Lecture 21: Public Health 29 Notes
Document Summary
29- emergency preparedness (chapter 30 in the 4th edition) 9/11 response - failures of communication and coordination. Failure to protect rescues and cleanup workers from environmental hazards. Principles of emergency preparedness - importance of advance planning involving all agencies. Put one person in charge of the scene. Strategic national stockpile of medical supplies, antibiotics, vaccines, antidotes for chemical agents. Bioterrorism agents - examples are small pox, anthrax, plague, botulinum toxin, tularemia bacteria, and hemorrhagic fever virus. Surveillance - emergency room visits, calls to 911 and poison control centers, pharmacy records, and veterinary disease. Smallpox highly contagious, no immunity in population dark winter exercise (public health is a major national security issue). An attack could cause massive civilian casualties, breakdown in essential institutions, civil disorder, etc. Resistance by civilians because of side effects and uncertainty of risk. 30- public health achievements (chapter 31 in the 4th edition)
