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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). 

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: climate change, COVID-19, environmental health, public health, US EPA, WHO

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”.

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: coronavirus, COVID-19, emergency preparedness, global health, pandemic preparedness, WHO, World Health Organization

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).

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Australia, BSL4ZNet, Canada, COVID-19, emergency preparedness, Germany, global collaboration, Pandemic Response, United Kingdom, USA

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.

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: 1918 Spanish Influenza, 1957 Asian Influenza, 1968 Hong Kong Influenza, 2019-nCoV, biosecurity, biothreats, emergency preparedness, H1N1 2009-10, NYU School of Global Public Health, pandemic preparedness, SARS-CoV-2, seasonal influenza, WHO

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?

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: biological threats, CDC, coronavirus, COVID-19, disease prevention, emergency management, emergency preparedness, global health, infectious disease, influenza, international, pandemic, pandemic preparedness, public health, USA, WHO

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.

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: biodefense, chemical weapons, CWC, George Mason University, Schar School of Policy and Government, webinar

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.

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: biodefense, biological threats, climate change, control measures, coronavirus, COVID-19, emergency preparedness, epidemics, global, international, pandemic preparedness, public health, SARS-CoV-2, WHO

COVID-19 Disaster Plan Templates for Healthcare Organizations

September 30, 2020 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

Free templates available for COVID-19 disaster plans!

If you are working for a healthcare organization and are looking for a COVID-19 disaster plan, you can now download a template using the link below.

Freely available to any organization, COVID-19 disaster plan templates were created by 30 students from schools across NYU including Medicine, Nursing, Public Service, Social Work and Global Public Health.

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: COVID-19, disaster plans, Dr. Robyn Gershon, emergency management, emergency preparedness, GPH, New York University, NYU, NYU School of Global Public Health, pandemic preparedness, public health

Interesting Read on the First Documented Coronavirus Reinfection

August 27, 2020 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

COVID-19 reinfections are now documented in several countries.  Picture by Shutterstock/ Lightspring

The first documented Coronavirus reinfection was reported in Hong Kong on August 24th, 2020. Experts say this finding was not unexpected, “especially given the millions of people who have been infected worldwide”. While there have been many presumed cases of reinfection, this case was the first to be confirmed.

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: coronavirus, COVID-19, disease prevention, global health, Hong Kong, infectious disease, outbreak, pandemic, pandemic preparedness, preparedness, public health, SARS-CoV-2

Release of 2019 Country Reports on Terrorism

July 14, 2020 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

The Bureau of Counterterrorism’s mission is to promote U.S. national security.

The United States State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism has just released the 2019 Country Reports on Terrorism.

This report on terrorism around the world is released every year and highlights the successes and the continuous threats international and domestic terrorism pose to almost 100 countries.

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: bioterrorism, Bureau of Counterterrorism, counterterrorism, global threats, United States, US State Department

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    Recent Posts

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

    January 21, 2022 By Mia Tellmann

    Historic Pandemic Treaty and Omicron Preparedness

    December 2, 2021 By Mia Tellmann

    Preparing and Responding to New Post-Pandemic Challenges

    September 20, 2021 By Mia Tellmann

    Austria’s Impressive Track Record in International Crisis Management

    June 10, 2021 By Mia Tellmann

    Comparison of Global Pandemics in the Last 100 Years

    April 23, 2021 By Mia Tellmann

    Biothreat and Pandemic Preparedness in Germany

    March 4, 2021 By Mia Tellmann

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