In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

Though public and media attention on the H1N1/Swine Flu outbreak has waned, there is a need to examine the lessons of the past couple weeks on citizen preparedness and response for the future — whether that be for a reoccurrence of a more deadly H1N1 flu possibly in the Fall or another national emergency situation.
So, [...]

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Earlier this afternoon, there was a special Centers For Disease Control/Health and Human Services Department webcast for the public on the H1N1 outbreak featuring CDC Acting Director Richard Besser, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (in her first 24 hours on the job) and DHS Secretary Napolitano. It was an interesting event because most of the hour-long [...]

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“Never let a serious crisis go to waste.” When White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel uttered those words in November he wasn’t referring to Swine Flu. But it is applicable to the current situation. Whether or not H1N1 turns into a major pandemic or not, it should be a catalyst for citizens and community [...]

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In an interesting article on ForeignPolicy.com, “Swine Flu: Twitter’s Power To Misinform”, Evgeny Morozov argues that “despite all the recent Twitter-enthusiasm about this platform’s unique power to alert millions of people in decentralized and previously unavailable ways, there are quite a few reasons to be concerned about Twitter’s role in facilitating an unnecessary global panic about swine [...]

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At a White House press conference Sunday, Presidential Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan, Centers for Disease Control Acting Director Richard Besser and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stressed the responsibility of citizens to help prepare for and deal with the ongoing Swine Flu situation. During the briefing, the officials explained the government’s response thus far and [...]

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To get the latest news as well as advice on the ongoing Swine Flu situation, follow the U.S. Centers for Disease Control/Emergency Preparedness & Response Twitter feed, CDC Emergency, here or check the CDC’s Swine Flu website here. 

There is also a CDC podcast by Dr. Joe Bresee from the CDC Influenza Division which describes Swine Flu – its [...]

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I don’t think I know of any more effective example of citizen action on public emergency preparedness than the Flu Wiki. It is a remarkable resource for helping people prepare and respond to the pandemic flu (and other emergencies), and it has been created by and for citizens. 
Greg Dworkin, a pediatrician from Connecticut, is one [...]

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