Public Health Matters Blog Posts
Tiny Turtle–Serious Health Threat
By Abigail Ferrell, JD, MPA As children, my brother and I talked our very patient mother into letting us have a wide variety of creatures as domestic pets. Nothing too exotic—mostly cats, dogs, and vermin (read: hamsters)—but my brother was also famous for catching wild creatures. We lived near a pond and my brother’s summers Read More >
Posted on by 5 CommentsThe Anatomy of an HIV Outbreak Response in a Rural Community
In a small, rural town in Southern Indiana, a public health crisis emerges. In a community that normally sees fewer than five new HIV diagnoses a year, more than a hundred new cases are diagnosed and almost all are coinfected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). How was this outbreak discovered, and what caused this widespread Read More >
Posted on by 9 CommentsCDC’s CERC Program—Principles to communicate by in an emergency response and everyday life
As a Public Information Officer, Mike was used to communicating health information to the people of his state. When word came that a major hurricane was approaching, he knew people would be facing fear and uncertainty. How could he make sure that the right information got to the right people? How should he react Read More >
Posted on by 7 Comments¡Socorro! Auxílio! Communicating with Vulnerable and Limited English Proficiency Populations during Emergencies
One in six people living in the United States are Hispanic, making Hispanics the largest racial/ethnic minority population in the U.S. One-third of Hispanics living in the U.S. do not speak proficient English, self-reporting their English speaking ability as less than “very-well,” or not at all, according to the PEW Research Center. This subgroup, Hispanics with limited English proficiency (LEP), face substantial barriers to receiving important healthcare and emergency health medical services. Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentWhat Global Polio Eradication could mean for your Health Security
Globalization has brought global health right to our door-step. In a world where everything from global trade to international travel is on the rise, the infectious disease threats of one region of the world can easily become public health threats present in your own backyard. Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentClarity on Cholesterol Management and Why We Need It
By Jennifer Robinson, MD, MPH In the winter of 2013, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association released new guidelines for treating blood cholesterol. These new guidelines, which I helped draft, moved away from focusing on a patient’s blood cholesterol level and, instead, put a focus on a patient’s risk for atherosclerotic Read More >
Posted on by 21 Comments