Gordian Knot

US EPA and WHO Sign Five-Year “Memorandum of Understanding”

January 21, 2022 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

This week, the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) joined together to protect environmental and public health. The agreement stems from a place of concern over the dramatic public health effects climate change and global warming will have on individuals not only in the United States, but all over the world.

Joining forces: US EPA and WHO. Picture by Shutterstock

Both organizations signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate “on a wide range of specific and crosscutting environment and health issues, particularly air pollution, water and sanitation, children’s health, and health risks due to climate change” (1).

Historic Pandemic Treaty and Omicron Preparedness

December 2, 2021 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

A historic effort is underway to develop a global “Pandemic Treaty”.

On December 1, 2021, a historic global effort to develop a “Pandemic Treaty” was unveiled. The draft of the treaty will be written and negotiated under the Constitution of the World Health Organization and under the World Health Assembly. Its goal is “to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response” as well as “protecting the world from future infectious diseases crises”.

Preparing and Responding to New Post-Pandemic Challenges

September 20, 2021 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

During the COVID-19 pandemic, global collaborations have been critical to rapidly develop scientific approaches to combat the pandemic. The learnings of these collaborations can now be leveraged to prepare ourselves for new post-pandemic challenges.

This is the topic of the 2021 virtual international conference organized by the Biosafety Level 4 Zoonotic Laboratory Network (BSLZ4Net).

Austria’s Impressive Track Record in International Crisis Management

June 10, 2021 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

Dr. Roman Bayer and Mia Tellmann in Vienna, Austria.

Austria, a comparably small country with a population of 8 million, has assisted other countries in every major crisis since 2003. I was curious how this impressive track record was made possible.

My enquiry to the Austrian Government was kindly answered with an invitation from Dr. Roman Bayer, who I met in Vienna. Dr. Bayer works for the Federal Ministry of the Interior of the Government of the Republic of Austria.

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Comparison of Global Pandemics in the Last 100 Years

April 23, 2021 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

Except for COVID-19, all global pandemics in the last century were caused by influenza viruses. Picture by Shutterstock

As part of my work for NYU’s School of Global Public Health, I have been compiling and comparing key metrics for the most severe global pandemics that occurred in the past 100 years.

I am comparing COVID-19 metrics to seasonal influenza, 1918 Spanish flu, 1957 Asian flu, 1968 Hong Kong flu, and 2009-10 H1N1. There are many similarities and differences that can be observed. Aside from the astonishing speed of vaccine development to combat COVID-19, there are three interesting findings.

Biothreat and Pandemic Preparedness in Germany

March 4, 2021 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

In this part of my conversation with Prof. Dr. Manfred Wildner and Dr. Herbert Zöllner in Munich, we are discussing biothreat and pandemic preparedness in Germany.

Dr. Herbert Zöllner

Dr. Zöllner worked for the World Health Organization from 1971-2002, in a variety of roles. He was Regional Officer for Health Economics at WHO’s Regional Office for Europe in Copenhagen and later member of the executive management team in Strategic Planning and Coordination.

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Interesting Read on Preparations For Future Pandemics

February 20, 2021 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

Disaster management will be crucial in future pandemics. Picture by Shutterstock

This Wall Street Journal article was written by Tom Frieden, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2009 to 2017. While COVID-19 preoccupies us at the moment, it is crucial to begin thinking about the next inevitable pandemics. Dr. Frieden explains that in the years after COVID-19, it is likely that another infectious disease, possibly a similar pneumonia-like illness, suddenly emerges. Will we be ready?

Crisis and Disaster Management in Austria

November 1, 2020 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

Austria’s approach to crisis management is worth studying. It was the first European country to safely open their economy again after the initial COVID-19 outbreak. Picture by Shutterstock

During my internship at New York University’s Department of Public Safety, I had an opportunity to learn about emergency management and preparedness. An interesting fact I came across while looking at how individual countries organize themselves in the field of crisis management, is that Austria, a comparably small country with a population of 8 million, has assisted other countries in every major crisis since 2003. I was curious how this impressive track record was made possible.

My enquiry to the Austrian government was kindly answered with an invitation from Dr. Roman Bayer, who I met in Vienna. Dr. Bayer works for the Federal Ministry of the Interior of the Government of the Republic of Austria.

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Webinar: The Resurgent Chemical Weapons Threat

October 15, 2020 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

Come join a free, live webinar on the resurgent chemical weapons threat on November 17, from 12:00 – 1:30PM EST, hosted by George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government. This event is sponsored by the Biodefense Graduate Program.

The Climate Connection

October 8, 2020 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

Climate change increases the risk of new epidemics. Picture by Shutterstock/ diy13

I originally created this blog as a way to spread awareness of the importance of public health preparedness, as it was an undervalued and underfunded topic. However, times have changed and public health and emergency management are at the forefront of news and public policy today as a result of COVID-19.