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New Bioterrorism and Biowarfare Threats Resulting from COVID-19

May 12, 2020 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

The devastation of the world economy by the coronavirus crisis might inspire potential terrorists. Picture by Shutterstock

As the coronavirus spreads around the world, we can only now see the destructive path it has taken and the devastating effects the virus has on economies and lives alike. The damage of the coronavirus has been “quick and enormous – much greater than 9/11 – and worldwide”, with the virus destroying “economies, governments, and technical infrastructures of the world’s most advanced economies”[1].

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: biological threats, biosafety, bioterror, Biowarfare, coronavirus, COVID-19, global public health, pandemic preparedness, US Government, WHO

Summer Workshop: Pandemics, Bioterrorism, and Global Health Security

April 17, 2020 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

Update: This year’s summer workshop on Pandemics, Bioterrorism, and Global Health Security was cancelled. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Schar School of Policy and Government of George Mason University has cancelled all on-campus events through mid-August.

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: biosafety, biosecurity, coronavirus, COVID-19, dual-use, emergency management, emergency preparedness, international, pandemic preparedness, pandemics

The Race to a Vaccine

April 5, 2020 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

Scientists in a high security lab. Picture by Shutterstock

While social distancing is the best way to slow the spread of Coronavirus and flatten the curve of infections to make sure that hospitals are not overwhelmed, to return to full normalcy, we need to discover, test, and administer a vaccine in large quantities. The good news is that there are currently 35 companies racing to create a vaccine and at least 52 vaccine programs underway.

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: coronavirus, COVID-19, disease prevention, global health, global response, infectious disease, pandemic, public health, SARS-CoV-2, vaccination

Do Your Own COVID-19 Simulation

March 24, 2020 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

Stop the spread! Picture by Shutterstock/ Fotomay

Check out this COVID-19 simulation tool. It allows you to change several different variables both individually and together. You can test how duration, interventions, severity, and contagiousness all affect the trajectory of this fast-spreading virus.

http://covidsim.eu

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: COVID-19, infectious disease, pandemic preparedness, public health, SARS-CoV-2

Setting Priorities: Coronavirus Preparedness in the US

February 29, 2020 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

How can the coronavirus outbreak be mitigated? Picture by Shutterstock

The US seems behind in its efforts to contain the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. Learnings from other countries, in particular Italy and Germany, indicate that infections have already spread widely in communities and can no longer be traced and controlled. These countries are ahead of the curve and there is no reason to believe that developments in the US will not follow this same path. Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: coronavirus, COVID-19, disease prevention, emergency preparedness, Germany, outbreak, pandemic preparedness, public health, SARS-CoV-2, USA

The Difficulty of Predicting the Coronavirus Trajectory

February 17, 2020 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

How fast will the new coronavirus spread? Biostatisticians are trying to predict its pattern. Picture by Shutterstock.

There is currently a debate about the trajectory of the new coronavirus disease, now named COVID-19. Different models are predicting different outcomes and numbers provided by Chinese authorities seem to indicate a steep increase in cases. Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: biostatistics, coronavirus, COVID-19, modelling, outbreak, pandemic, preparedness, public health, SARS-CoV-2, WHO

Interesting Read on the Challenges of a Centralized System when Combatting an Epidemic

February 10, 2020 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

Centralized or decentralized – which government system is more efficient at outbreak control? Picture by Shutterstock

While the numbers of infections and deaths from the novel coronavirus are accelerating and the peak of the crisis is projected to still be a few weeks away (1), the question of whether China’s centralized governmental system has been helping or hurting outbreak control remains. Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: centralized system, China, coronavirus, epidemic, health care system comparison, outbreak control, SARS-CoV-2

WHO Declares Global Health Emergency

January 30, 2020 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

WHO declares Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Picture by Shutterstock

The continuous spread of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) led the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency today. WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the main reason for the declaration “is not what is happening in China but what is happening in other countries”. Ghebreyesus made sure to praise the measures and the ways in which Chinese authorities are controlling this outbreak. Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: coronavirus, COVID-19, global health emergency, pandemic, public health, SARS-CoV-2, WHO

The Dual Use Dilemma

January 8, 2020 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

How do you control new pathogens? Picture by Shutterstock/Ranjith Ravindran

An important issue in the public health area today is dual use research and technology, a topic that often remains unspoken about and unknown to the public. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “dual use research of concern (DURC) is life sciences research that is intended for benefit, but which might easily be misapplied to do harm”. Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: biological threats, biological weapons, biotechnology, bioterror prevention, dual-use, DURC, life sciences research, NIH, NSABB, public health, WHO

Coming up: American Public Health Association Conference 2019

October 24, 2019 by Mia Tellmann Leave a Comment

Register now for APHA 2019, the largest annual meeting of public health professionals. The conference will take place from November 2-6 in Philadelphia. Click the link below for more information:

https://apha.org

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: APHA, conference, public health

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